Studies on metabolic role of 5′-methylthioadenosine in Ochromonas malhamensis and other microorganisms

Several compounds containing a thiomethyl group were found to replace vitamin B₁₂ in a protozoan, Ochromonas malhamensis. The order of the effectiveness was as follows: 5-methylthioadenosine > S-adenosylmethionine > 5-methylthioribose > L-methionine. A similar order was obtained with respect to the permeability of these compounds into the protozoan cells, except for S-adenosylmethionine. 5-Methylthioadenosine and 5-methylthioribose as well as l-methionine markedly increased the intracellular content of l-methionine. The level of S-adenosylmethionine was also increased by them, but to a lesser degree. The thiomethyl group of the compounds was established to be incorporated into S-adenosylmethionine. The metabolic fate of the thiomethyl group of 5-methylthioadenosine cannot be distinguished from that of l-methionine. A high activity of 5-methylthioadenosine nucleosidase was detected in the cell-free extracts of the protozoan. These results strongly suggest that 5-methylthioadenosine would be metabolized to l-methionine via 5-methylthioribose and then the l-methionine would be converted to S-adenosylmethionine. Like l-methionine and vitamin B₁₂, 5-methylthioadenosine and 5-methylthioribose may play an important role in maintenance of the C-1 pool in Ochromonas malhamensis.Neither 5-methylthioadenosine nor 5-methylthioribose replaced vitamin B₁₂ in some vitamin B₁₂-requiring bacteria. This result is consistent with the fact that neither compounds was significantly taken up by these bacteria.Abbreviations MTA 5-methylthioadenosine - AdoMet S-adenosylmethionine - MTR 5-methylthioribose - TCA trichloroacetic acid Paper II in the series. The first paper of the series has been published (Sugimoto and Fukui, 1974)     

NEMO specifically recognizes K63‐linked poly‐ubiquitin chains through a new bipartite ubiquitin‐binding domain

An important property of NEMO, the core element of the IKK complex involved in NF‐κB activation, resides in its ability to specifically recognize poly‐ubiquitin chains. A small domain called NOA/UBAN has been suggested to be responsible for this property. We recently demonstrated that the C‐terminal Zinc Finger (ZF) of NEMO is also able to bind ubiquitin. We show here by ZF swapping and mutagenesis that this represents its only function. While neither NOA nor ZF shows any preference for K63‐linked chains, we demonstrate that together they form a bipartite high‐affinity K63‐specific ubiquitin‐binding domain. A similar domain can be found in two other proteins, Optineurin and ABIN2, and can be freely exchanged with that of NEMO without interfering with its activity. This suggests that the main function of the C‐terminal half of NEMO is to specifically bind K63‐linked poly‐ubiquitin chains. We also demonstrate that the recently described binding of NEMO to linear poly‐ubiquitin chains is dependent on the NOA alone and does not require the presence of the ZF.     

天麻钩藤饮联合醒脑开窍针刺法对急性脑梗死患者血管内皮功能、脑血管储备功能及CD62P、CD63表达的影响

摘要 目的：探讨天麻钩藤饮联合醒脑开窍针刺法辅助治疗对急性脑梗死患者血管内皮功能、脑血管储备功能及血小板表面-颗粒膜糖蛋白（CD62P）、溶酶体膜糖蛋白（CD63）表达的影响。方法：选择2017年1月至2019年12月收治的急性脑梗死患者80例,依照随机数字表法分为对照组（40例,予以常规治疗）和观察组（40例,常规治疗的基础上给予天麻钩藤饮联合醒脑开窍针刺法辅助治疗）,比较两组临床有效率及治疗前后的美国国立卫生研究院卒中量表（NIHSS）评分、长谷川智能量表（HDS）评分、Barthel指数、血管内皮功能指标（包括一氧化氮（NO）、内皮素-1（ET-1））、脑血管储备功能指标[脑血管储备功能（CVR）、脉动指数（PI）]及血小板CD62P、CD63水平。结果：观察组的临床总有效率为92.50%（37/40）,对照组的临床总有效率为70.00%（28/40）,2组比较差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）。观察组NIHSS评分明显低于对照组,HDS评分和Barthel指数均明显高于对照组（P<0.05）。观察组治疗后血清NO、CVR水平水平明显高于对照组,血清ET-1、PI及血小板CD62P、CD63表达水平均明显低于对照组（P<0.05）。结论：在常规治疗的基础上,天麻钩藤饮联合醒脑开窍针刺法辅助治疗急性脑梗死的临床疗效显著,能够明显改善血管内皮功能、脑血管储备功能、神经功能,提高生活质量,改善血小板CD62P、CD63表达。     

Oligomerization of RIG‐I and MDA5 2CARD domains

The innate immune system is the first line of defense against invading pathogens. The retinoic acid‐inducible gene I (RIG‐I) like receptors (RLRs), RIG‐I and melanoma differentiation‐associated protein 5 (MDA5), are critical for host recognition of viral RNAs. These receptors contain a pair of N‐terminal tandem caspase activation and recruitment domains (2CARD), an SF2 helicase core domain, and a C‐terminal regulatory domain. Upon RLR activation, 2CARD associates with the CARD domain of MAVS, leading to the oligomerization of MAVS, downstream signaling and interferon induction. Unanchored K63‐linked polyubiquitin chains (polyUb) interacts with the 2CARD domain, and in the case of RIG‐I, induce tetramer formation. However, the nature of the MDA5 2CARD signaling complex is not known. We have used sedimentation velocity analytical ultracentrifugation to compare MDA5 2CARD and RIG‐I 2CARD binding to polyUb and to characterize the assembly of MDA5 2CARD oligomers in the absence of polyUb. Multi‐signal sedimentation velocity analysis indicates that Ub₄ binds to RIG‐I 2CARD with a 3:4 stoichiometry and cooperatively induces formation of an RIG‐I 2CARD tetramer. In contrast, Ub₄ and Ub₇ interact with MDA5 2CARD weakly and form complexes with 1:1 and 2:1 stoichiometries but do not induce 2CARD oligomerization. In the absence of polyUb, MDA5 2CARD self‐associates to forms large oligomers in a concentration‐dependent manner. Thus, RIG‐I and MDA5 2CARD assembly processes are distinct. MDA5 2CARD concentration‐dependent self‐association, rather than polyUb binding, drives oligomerization and MDA5 2CARD forms oligomers larger than tetramer. We propose a mechanism where MDA5 2CARD oligomers, rather than a stable tetramer, function to nucleate MAVS polymerization.     

水菠菜叶乙醇提取物对MG-63骨质疏松相关基因表达的影响

为探讨水菠菜叶乙醇提取物与抗骨质疏松作用的关系及其作用机制,用水菠菜叶乙醇提取物处理人成骨样细胞MG-63 48 h后,提取水菠菜叶乙醇提取处理组和对照组细胞的总RNA,将两组RNA纯化为mRNA,逆转录成cDNA,用Cy3和Cy5两种不同的荧光染料进行线性扩增标记,然后与骨质疏松相关基因表达谱芯片杂交,扫描后对获得的数据用LuxScan 3.0软件分析.研究发现经水菠菜叶乙醇提取物诱导后MG-63细胞的244个骨质疏松相关基因中,有c-Fos、JNK、ODF、c-src、OSCAR、RANKL、Samd4、Samd6、Samd7 9个基因表达明显上调,LRP5、Dkk1、TGFB、OPG 4个基因明显下调.结果表明水菠菜叶乙醇提取物能改变骨质疏松相关基因的表达,抗骨质疏松作用机制可能与Wnt/β-catenin蛋白信号传导途径和骨保护素/核因子受体激活信号传导途径有关,与雌激素内分泌途径无关.     

All roads lead to Rome (but some may be harder to travel): SRP-independent translocation into the endoplasmic reticulum

Abstract

Translocation into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the first biogenesis step for hundreds of eukaryotic secretome proteins. Over the past 30 years, groundbreaking biochemical, structural and genetic studies have delineated one conserved pathway that enables ER translocation- the signal recognition particle (SRP) pathway. However, it is clear that this is not the only pathway which can mediate ER targeting and insertion. In fact, over the past decade, several SRP-independent pathways have been uncovered, which recognize proteins that cannot engage the SRP and ensure their subsequent translocation into the ER. These SRP-independent pathways face the same challenges that the SRP pathway overcomes: chaperoning the preinserted protein while in the cytosol, targeting it rapidly to the ER surface and generating vectorial movement that inserts the protein into the ER. This review strives to summarize the various mechanisms and machineries which mediate these stages of SRP-independent translocation, as well as examine why SRP-independent translocation is utilized by the cell. This emerging understanding of the various pathways utilized by secretory proteins to insert into the ER draws light to the complexity of the translocational task, and underlines that insertion into the ER might be more varied and tailored than previously appreciated.