The spt-1 mutation alters segmental arrangement and axonal development of identified neurons in the spinal cord of the embryonic zebrafish

We examined the arrangement and development of identified neurons in zebrafish embryos homozygous for the mutation spt-1, which acts autonomously and specifically to alter the development of precursors of trunk segmented mesoderm, resulting in muscle-deficient myotomes. We found that the mutation alters the morphology, number, and arrangement of identified motoneurons. By transplanting identified motoneurons between wild-type and mutant embryos, we found that the effect of the mutation was nonautonomous. We suggest that the segmental arrangement and proper axonal development of motoneurons may result from interactions with segmented mesoderm.     

Identification of 20 alpha-hydroxy-5 alpha-pregnan-3-one and 20 beta-hydroxy-5 alpha-pregnan-3-one in human pregnancy urine

20 beta-Hydroxy-5 alpha-pregnan-3-one and 20 alpha-hydroxy-5 alpha-pregnan-3-one were isolated and identified from a pool of urine collected from women in the third trimester of pregnancy. Following isolation by Sephadex LH-20 and HPLC, the identity of each compound was established by comparison of GC-MS data for the methyloxime-trimethylsilyl ethers with those for authentic standards.     

The proteome of neurofilament-containing protein aggregates in blood

Protein aggregation in biofluids is a poorly understood phenomenon. Under normal physiological conditions, fluid-borne aggregates may contain plasma or cell proteins prone to aggregation. Recent observations suggest that neurofilaments (Nf), the building blocks of neurons and a biomarker of neurodegeneration, are included in high molecular weight complexes in circulation. The composition of these Nf-containing hetero-aggregates (NCH) may change in systemic or organ-specific pathologies, providing the basis to develop novel disease biomarkers. We have tested ultracentrifugation (UC) and a commercially available protein aggregate binder, Seprion PAD-Beads (SEP), for the enrichment of NCH from plasma of healthy individuals, and then characterised the Nf content of the aggregate fractions using gel electrophoresis and their proteome by mass spectrometry (MS). Western blot analysis of fractions obtained by UC showed that among Nf isoforms, neurofilament heavy chain (NfH) was found within SDS-stable high molecular weight aggregates. Shotgun proteomics of aggregates obtained with both extraction techniques identified mostly cell structural and to a lesser extent extra-cellular matrix proteins, while functional analysis revealed pathways involved in inflammatory response, phagosome and prion-like protein behaviour. UC aggregates were specifically enriched with proteins involved in endocrine, metabolic and cell-signalling regulation. We describe the proteome of neurofilament-containing aggregates isolated from healthy individuals biofluids using different extraction methods.     

Stimulation of purified phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase by cobra venom cardiotoxin

Cobra venom cardiotoxin was found to stimulate the phosphatidylinositol kinase activity present in A431 cell membranes and in detergent extracts of these membranes. Incubation of highly purified phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase from this source with cardiotoxin resulted in a 2- to 3-fold stimulation of phosphatidylinositol kinase activity. The activation of the purified phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase by cardiotoxin was time- and dose-dependent and appeared to be associated with a decrease in the Km apparent of the enzyme for phosphatidylinositol with no change in the Vmax apparent of the enzyme. The data suggest that the phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase is activated by direct interaction of the enzyme with cobra venom cardiotoxin.