ER network formation requires a balance of the dynamin-like GTPase Sey1p and the Lunapark family member Lnp1p

Although studies on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) structure and dynamics have focused on the ER tubule-forming proteins (reticulons and DP1/Yop1p) and the tubule fusion protein atlastin, nothing is known about the proteins and processes that act to counterbalance this machinery. Here we show that Lnp1p, a member of the conserved Lunapark family, plays a role in ER network formation. Lnp1p binds to the reticulons and Yop1p and resides at ER tubule junctions in both yeast and mammalian cells. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the interaction of Lnp1p with the reticulon protein, Rtn1p, and the localization of Lnp1p to ER junctions are regulated by Sey1p, the yeast orthologue of atlastin. We propose that Lnp1p and Sey1p act antagonistically to balance polygonal network formation. In support of this proposal, we show that the collapsed, densely reticulated ER network in lnp1 Δ cells is partially restored when the GTPase activity of Sey1p is abrogated.     

Evaluation of Copper Supplementation to Control <Emphasis Type="Italic">Haemonchus contortus</Emphasis>Infections of Sheep in Sweden

A pen study was conducted to assess the effect of providing daily copper mineral supplement, or copper wire particle (COWP) capsules, on established or incoming mixed nematode infections in young sheep. For lambs with established (6 week old) infections, COWP resulted in 97% and 56% reduction of the adult and early L4 stages of H. contortus, respectively, compared with controls (p < 0.001). Additionally there was a 74% reduction in Teladorsagia circumcincta infections in the COWP lambs compared with controls (p < 0.01). However, no effect was observed when COWP were given at the commencement of a larval dosing period of 6 weeks. There was no significant effect of copper mineral supplement (given at the recommended rate to prevent Cu deficiency) on either established, or developing parasite infections. In addition, a field trial was conducted on a commercial farm to assess the effects of COWP in the management of recurrent H. contortus infections, but lack of parasites during the grazing season prevented an adequate assessment from being made. These results indicate that there is little, if any, benefit from a parasite control standpoint in recommending copper therapy, specifically to control parasites in Swedish sheep flocks.     

Two molecular forms of the human interferon-gamma receptor. Ligand binding, internalization, and down-regulation

The receptors for human interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) on peripheral blood monocytes and various cells of nonhematopoietic origin were thoroughly characterized and compared. The receptors of all cell types exhibited a similar affinity for IFN-gamma (Kd approximately 1 x 10(-10) M), and in all cases receptor-mediated endocytosis and ligand degradation were demonstrated. However, the receptors differed in their molecular weights (95,000 in HeLa cells and 140,000 in monocytes, assuming a 1:1 ligand to receptor ratio) as concluded from experiments of cross-linking to 125I-IFN-gamma. Lower molecular weight species were obtained as well, particularly in monocytes. Such species could represent either degradation products or subunit structures. The monocyte and HeLa receptor responded differently to an excess of ligand. A significant receptor down-regulation was observed when monocytes were incubated with an excess of 125I-IFN-gamma, whereas no such down-regulation was observed in HeLa cells or in normal fibroblasts. This differential response was observed both in the presence or in the absence of a protein synthesis inhibitor. The receptor on monocytes was found to be acid-labile whereas that on HeLa cells was resistant to acid treatment. These and additional experiments indicate that the monocyte receptor is inactivated following internalization, whereas the HeLa receptor retains its structure and recycles back to the cell surface. The difference in the properties and fate of these two receptor subtypes is probably related to the differential functions of IFN-gamma in various cell types.     

Activation of the Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase,Slt2p,at Bud Tips Blocks a Late Stage of Endoplasmic Reticulum Inheritance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Inheritance of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) requires Ptc1p, a type 2C protein phosphatase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Genetic analysis indicates that Ptc1p is needed to inactivate the cell wall integrity (CWI) MAP kinase, Slt2p. Here we show that under normal growth conditions, Ptc1p inactivates Slt2p just as ER tubules begin to spread from the bud tip along the cortex. In ptc1Δ cells, the propagation of cortical ER from the bud tip to the periphery of the bud is delayed by hyperactivation of Slt2p. The pool of Slt2p that controls ER inheritance requires the CWI pathway scaffold, Spa2p, for its retention at the bud tip, and a mutation within Slt2p that prevents its association with the bud tip blocks its role in ER inheritance. These results imply that Slt2p inhibits a late step in ER inheritance by phosphorylating a target at the tip of daughter cells. The PI4P5-kinase, Mss4p, is an upstream activator of this pool of Slt2p. Ptc1p-dependant inactivation of Slt2p is also needed for mitochondrial inheritance; however, in this case, the relevant pool of Slt2p is not at the bud tip.     

Why is the initiation nick site of an AT-rich rolling circle plasmid at the tip of a GC-rich cruciform?

pT181 and other closely related rolling circle plasmids have the nicking site for initiation of replication between the arms of a GC-rich inverted repeat sequence adjacent to the binding site for the dimeric initiator protein. Replication is initiated by the initiator-induced extrusion of this sequence as a cruciform, creating a single-stranded region for nicking by the protein. Nicking is followed by assembly of the replisome without relaxation of the secondary structure. Following termination, the initiator protein is released with a short oligonucleotide attached to one subunit, which prevents it from being recycled, a necessary feature of the plasmid's replication control system. The modified initiator can cleave single-stranded substrates and can nick and relax supercoiled plasmid DNA weakly. Although it can bind to its recognition sequence in the leading strand origin, the modified protein cannot induce cruciform extrusion, and it is proposed that this inability is the key to understanding the biological rationale for having the nicking site at the tip of a cruciform: the need to provide the functional initiator with a catalytic advantage over the modified one sufficient to offset the numerical advantage and metabolic stability of the latter.     

Sec3p is involved in secretion and morphogenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Two new temperature-sensitive alleles of SEC3, 1 of 10 late-acting SEC genes required for targeting or fusion of post-Golgi secretory vesicles to the plasma membrane in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, were isolated in a screen for temperature-sensitive secretory mutants that are synthetically lethal with sec4-8. The new sec3 alleles affect early as well as late stages of secretion. Cloning and sequencing of the SEC3 gene revealed that it is identical to profilin synthetic lethal 1 (PSL1). The SEC3 gene is not essential because cells depleted of Sec3p are viable although slow growing and temperature sensitive. All of the sec3 alleles genetically interact with a profilin mutation, pfy1-111. The SEC3 gene in high copy suppresses pfy1-111 and sec5-24 and causes synthetic growth defects with ypt1, sec8-9, sec10-2, and sec15-1. Actin structure is only perturbed in conditions of chronic loss of Sec3p function, implying that Sec3p does not directly regulate actin. All alleles of sec3 cause bud site selection defects in homozygous diploids, as do sec4-8 and sec9-4. This suggests that SEC gene products are involved in determining the bud site and is consistent with a role for Sec3p in determining the correct site of exocytosis.     

Plasmid-Specific Transformation in Staphylococcus aureus

Transformation of Staphylococcus aureus cells with circular duplex deoxyribonucleic acid prepared from plasmid-carrying strains by alkali denaturation and selective renaturation or by dye-buoyant density centrifugation is reported. In all of the transformants tested, the transformed markers became established as autonomous plasmids that were biologically and physically indistinguishable from those carried by the donor strains. Transformation with bulk deoxyribonucleic acid from a strain carrying the penicillinase plasmid, PI(258), gave rise to transformants in which the erythromycin locus, the only plasmid marker transformed, was shown to be integrated into the host chromosome.