Hippocampal LTP is accompanied by enhanced F-actin content within the dendritic spine that is essential for late LTP maintenance in vivo

The dendritic spine is an important site of neuronal plasticity and contains extremely high levels of cytoskeletal actin. However, the dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton during synaptic plasticity and its in vivo function remain unclear. Here we used an in vivo dentate gyrus LTP model to show that LTP induction is associated with actin cytoskeletal reorganization characterized by a long-lasting increase in F-actin content within dendritic spines. This increase in F-actin content is dependent on NMDA receptor activation and involves the inactivation of actin depolymerizing factor/cofilin. Inhibition of actin polymerization with latrunculin A impaired late phase of LTP without affecting the initial amplitude and early maintenance of LTP. These observations suggest that mechanisms regulating the spine actin cytoskeleton contribute to the persistence of LTP.     

Cell cycle-associated changes in Slingshot phosphatase activity and roles in cytokinesis in animal cells

During cytokinesis the actomyosin-based contractile ring is formed at the equator, constricted, and then disassembled prior to cell abscission. Cofilin stimulates actin filament disassembly and is implicated in the regulation of contractile ring dynamics. However, little is known about the mechanism controlling cofilin activity during cytokinesis. Cofilin is inactivated by phosphorylation on Ser-3 by LIM-kinase-1 (LIMK1) and is reactivated by a protein phosphatase Slingshot-1 (SSH1). Here we show that the phosphatase activity of SSH1 decreases in the early stages of mitosis and is elevated in telophase and cytokinesis in HeLa cells, a time course correlating with that of cofilin dephosphorylation. SSH1 co-localizes with F-actin and accumulates onto the cleavage furrow and the midbody. Expression of a phosphatase-inactive SSH1 induces aberrant accumulation of F-actin and phospho-cofilin near the midbody in the final stage of cytokinesis and frequently leads to the regression of the cleavage furrow and the formation of multinucleate cells. Co-expression of cofilin rescued the inhibitory effect of phosphatase-inactive SSH1 on cytokinesis. These results suggest that SSH1 plays a critical role in cytokinesis by dephosphorylating and reactivating cofilin in later stages of mitosis.     

Molecular Characterization and In Situ Localization of Endosymbiotic 16S Ribosomal RNA and RuBisCO Genes in the Pogonophoran Tissue

Gutless pogonophorans are generally thought to live in symbiosis with methane-oxidizing bacteria (methanotrophs). We identified a 16S ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) and a ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxlase/oxygenase (RuBisCO, E.C.4.1.1.39) gene that encode the form I large subunit (cbbL) from symbiont-bearing tissue of the pogonophoran Oligobrachia mashikoi. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rDNA sequence suggested that the pogonophoran endosymbiont belonged to the -subdivision of Proteobacteria. The endosymbiont was most closely related to an uncultured bacterium from a hydrocarbon seep, forming a unique clade adjacent to the known methanotrophic 16S rDNA cluster. The RuBisCO gene from the pogonophoran tissue was closely related to those of the chemoautotrophic genera Thiobacillus and Hydrogenovibrio. Presence of the RuBisCO gene suggested a methanotrophic symbiosis because some methanotrophic bacteria are known to be capable of autotrophy via the Calvin cycle. In contrast, particulate and soluble methane monooxygenase genes (pmoA and mmoX) and the methanol dehydrogenase gene (mxaF), which are indicators for methanotrophs or methylotrophs, were not detected by repeated trial of polymerase chain reaction. For 16S rRNA and RuBisCO genes, endosymbiotic localizations were confirmed by in situ hybridization. These results support the possibilities that the pogonophoran host has a novel endosymbiont which belongs to the -subdivision of Proteobacteria, and that the endosymbiont has the gene of the autotrophic enzyme RuBisCO.     

HPA-axis responses during experimental colitis in the rat

We investigated the responses of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis during experimental colitis induced by intracolonic administration of 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid in the rat. On days 3 and 7 after induction of colitis, the corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) mRNA level in the parvocellular paraventricular nucleus (pPVN) of the hypothalamus was reduced, the plasma ACTH level remained at the basal level, and the plasma corticosterone (Cort) level was high. Induction of colitis on day 3 after adrenalectomy with Cort pellet replacement (ADX + Cort) resulted in a marked increase in CRH mRNA on day 7 after induction of colitis compared with noncolitic ADX + Cort animals. Pair feeding to match the food intake of the colitic animals resulted in no significant change in CRH mRNA in the pPVN, plasma ACTH, and Cort compared with healthy control animals. These findings indicated that CRH mRNA expression in the pPVN was inhibited by glucocorticoid feedback during this experimental colitis, and the decrease in food intake during colitis was not simply responsible for the expression of CRH mRNA. It is inferred that the HPA axis including the CRH level in the pPVN is altered in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.     

Control of actin reorganization by Slingshot, a family of phosphatases that dephosphorylate ADF/cofilin

The ADF (actin-depolymerizing factor)/cofilin family is a stimulus-responsive mediator of actin dynamics. In contrast to the mechanisms of inactivation of ADF/cofilin by kinases such as LIM-kinase 1 (LIMK1), much less is known about its reactivation through dephosphorylation. Here we report Slingshot (SSH), a family of phosphatases that have the property of F actin binding. In Drosophila, loss of ssh function dramatically increased levels of both F actin and phospho-cofilin (P cofilin) and disorganized epidermal cell morphogenesis. In mammalian cells, human SSH homologs (hSSHs) suppressed LIMK1-induced actin reorganization. Furthermore, SSH and the hSSHs dephosphorylated P cofilin in cultured cells and in cell-free assays. Our results strongly suggest that the SSH family plays a pivotal role in actin dynamics by reactivating ADF/cofilin in vivo.     

Effects of chloride on chicken iodopsin and the chromophore transfer reactions from iodopsin to scotopsin and B-photopsin

Spectroscopic properties of chicken iodopsin were investigated in correlation with the concentration of chloride in digitonin extracts. When chloride in the extract was depleted by extensive dialysis, chloride-depleted iodopsin (absorption maximum, 512 nm) was formed. It was converted to chloride-bound iodopsin (absorption maximum, 562 nm) by the addition of chloride in the extract. There existed an equilibrium between two forms of iodopsin with a dissociation constant of 0.8 mM chloride. The chromophore-transfer reaction from iodopsin to scotopsin or B-photopsin, the protein moiety of chicken rhodopsin or chicken blue-sensitive cone pigment, respectively, in digitonin extract was also investigated in correlation with the concentrations of chloride, other monovalent and divalent anions, and detergent. The chromophore of chloride-depleted iodopsin was easily transferred to scotopsin in the extract, resulting in formation of rhodopsin. On the other hand, chloride-bound iodopsin was fairly stable even in the presence of scotopsin, indicating that the reaction is inhibited by binding of chloride to iodopsin. The chromophore-transfer reaction to B-photopsin was also observed from chloride-depleted iodopsin but not from chloride-bound iodopsin. The reaction was observable in the 10% digitonin extract as well as in the 2% digitonin extract. The reaction was also observed when 25 mM Na2SO4 was present in the mixture instead of NaCl, but was not when 67 mM NaNO3 was present. All these facts suggest that the chloride binding site of iodopsin does not accept a divalent anion such as SO4(2+), but does accept a monovalent anion such as Cl- or NO3-, which causes inhibition of the chromophore transfer.     

A fluid-dynamic interpretation of the asymmetric motion of singly flagellated bacteria swimming close to a boundary

The singly flagellated bacterium, Vibrio alginolyticus, moves forward and backward by alternating the rotational direction of its flagellum. The bacterium has been observed retracing a previous path almost exactly and swimming in a zigzag pattern. In the presence of a boundary, however, the motion changes significantly, to something closer to a circular trajectory. Additionally, when the cell swims close to a wall, the forward and backward speeds differ noticeably. This study details a boundary element model for the motion of a bacterium swimming near a rigid boundary and the results of numerical analyses conducted using this model. The results reveal that bacterium motion is apparently influenced by pitch angle, i.e., the angle between the boundary and the swimming direction, and that forward motion is more stable than backward motion with respect to pitching of the bacterium. From these results, a set of diagrammatic representations have been created that explain the observed asymmetry in trajectory and speed between the forward and backward motions. For forward motion, a cell moving parallel to the boundary will maintain this trajectory. However, for backward motion, the resulting trajectory depends upon whether the bacterium is approaching or departing the boundary. Fluid-dynamic interactions between the flagellum and the boundary vary with cell orientation and cause peculiarities in the resulting trajectories.     

Trichosporon species isolated from guano samples obtained from bat-inhabited caves in Japan

Yeasts from caves have rarely been examined. We examined yeasts collected from bat guano samples from 20 bat-inhabited limestone and volcanic caves located in 11 prefectures in Japan. Of approximately 700 yeast-like colonies, nine Trichosporon species were recovered from 15 caves. Two of these were known species, and the remaining seven are potentially novel species, based on molecular phylogenetic analyses. In addition to Trichosporon species, identifiable strains of eight ascomycetous yeasts and one basidiomycetous yeast were recovered at frequencies of 5 to 35%. Our findings suggest that Trichosporon spp. are the major yeast species in bat guano in Japan and that bat guano is a potentially rich source of previously undescribed yeast species.     

In vitro hydrolysis of poly(l-lactide) crystalline residues as extended-chain crystallites: II. Effects of hydrolysis temperature

The effects of hydrolysis temperature on the hydrolysis behavior and mechanism of poly(l-lactide) crystalline residues or extended-chain crystallites were investigated in phosphate-buffered solution (50-97 degrees C), using gel permeation chromatography and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The hydrolysis of the crystalline residues proceeded from their surface composed of very short chains with a free end along the chain direction, irrespective of hydrolysis temperature, but the hydrolysis from their lateral surface could not be traced. The activation energy of hydrolysis for the crystalline residues (extended-chain crystallites) was evaluated to be 18.0 kcal mol(-1) (75.2 kJ mol(-1)). The monotonic melting temperature (T(m)) and crystallinity decreases occurred after their initial very small increases, excluding the monotonic crystallinity decrease at 97 degrees C with no initial increase. The T(m) decrease reflects the decreased thickness of the crystalline residues. The equilibrium T(m) of the crystalline residues (extended-chain crystallites) was estimated to be 464.5-464.9 K. The free energy values for the surface composed of very short chains with a free end, which are neighboring the air (or nitrogen during DSC scanning), were calculated to be 55.6-56.4 erg cm(-2) for heat of fusion per unit mass = 135 J g(-1). The obtained surface free energy values are significantly higher than that for the surface composed of folding chains, tie chains, and the chains with a free end, which are neighboring the same kind of amorphous chains (39.9 erg cm(-2)).