Creating Rigidly Stabilized Fractures for Assessing Intramembranous Ossification,Distraction Osteogenesis,or Healing of Critical Sized Defects

Assessing modes of skeletal repair is essential for developing therapies to be used clinically to treat fractures. Mechanical stability plays a large role in healing of bone injuries. In the worst-case scenario mechanical instability can lead to delayed or non-union in humans. However, motion can also stimulate the healing process. In fractures that have motion cartilage forms to stabilize the fracture bone ends, and this cartilage is gradually replaced by bone through recapitulation of the developmental process of endochondral ossification. In contrast, if a bone fracture is rigidly stabilized bone forms directly via intramembranous ossification. Clinically, both endochondral and intramembranous ossification occur simultaneously. To effectively replicate this process investigators insert a pin into the medullary canal of the fractured bone as described by Bonnarens⁴. This experimental method provides excellent lateral stability while allowing rotational instability to persist. However, our understanding of the mechanisms that regulate these two distinct processes can also be enhanced by experimentally isolating each of these processes. We have developed a stabilization protocol that provides rotational and lateral stabilization. In this model, intramembranous ossification is the only mode of healing that is observed, and healing parameters can be compared among different strains of genetically modified mice ^5-7, after application of bioactive molecules ^8,9, after altering physiological parameters of healing ¹⁰, after modifying the amount or time of stabilization ¹¹, after distraction osteogenesis ¹², after creation of a non-union ¹³, or after creation of a critical sized defect. Here, we illustrate how to apply the modified Ilizarov fixators for studying tibial fracture healing and distraction osteogenesis in mice.     

A Novel Mechanism for NF-κB-activation via IκB-aggregation: Implications for Hepatic Mallory-Denk-Body Induced Inflammation

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Highlights

• •Liver Mallory-Denk-Body inducers elicited an IκBα-loss and NF-κB-activation.
• •IκBα-loss was due to its sequestration into insoluble cytoplasmic aggregates.
• •Four proteomic approaches identified 10 IκBα-interacting/aggregating proteins.
• •Nup153/RanBP2-aggregation prevented IκBα nuclear entry for ending NF-κB-activation.

     

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。     

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.     

新型抗除草剂棉花不育系Yu98-8A1的培育及鉴定

通过连续回交,将抗除草剂基因EPSPS-G6转育花粉败育彻底（无微量花粉,不育度达100%）的棉花单基因隐性控制的核不育系Yu98-8A,进而培育成抗除草剂核不育系Yu98-8A1。对该转育不育系花冠表型测量观察表明,与同质系正常可育株比较,不育株花冠较小, 不育株子房直径略大于可育株,花柱长和花柱外露长度均明显高于同质系正常可育株,花柱头外露为其最显著的表型特征;显微观察显示,不育系Yu98-8A1小孢子败育主要是在四分体形成后的小孢子发育期。小孢子败育特征表现为花粉粒无内含物、无刺突产生,最后解体、退化。PCR分子鉴定表明,抗除草剂基因EPSPS-G6转育入Yu98-8A1,除草剂抗性试验表明,该转育不育系可抗质量百分比浓度达0.3%的草甘膦。该抗除草剂核不育系的培育在棉花杂种优势利用方面有重大利用价值。     

A genomic screen for yeast mutants defective in mitophagy

Mitochondria autophagy (mitophagy) is the process of selective degradation of mitochondria that has an important role in mitochondrial quality control. To gain insight into the molecular mechanism of mitophagy, we screened a yeast knockout library for strains that are defective in mitophagy. We found 32 strains that showed a complete or partial block of mitophagy. One of the genes identified, YLR356W, is required for mitophagy, but not for macroautophagy or other types of selective autophagy. The deletion of YLR356W partially inhibits mitophagy during starvation, whereas there is almost complete inhibition at post-log phase. Accordingly, we hypothesize that Ylr356w is required to detect or present aged or dysfunctional mitochondria when cells reach the post-log phase.     

Cytosolic clearance of replication-deficient mutants reveals Francisella tularensis interactions with the autophagic pathway

Cytosolic bacterial pathogens must evade intracellular innate immune recognition and clearance systems such as autophagy to ensure their survival and proliferation. The intracellular cycle of the bacterium Francisella tularensis is characterized by rapid phagosomal escape followed by extensive proliferation in the macrophage cytoplasm. Cytosolic replication, but not phagosomal escape, requires the locus FTT0369c, which encodes the dipA gene (deficient in intracellular replication A). Here, we show that a replication-deficient, ?dipA mutant of the prototypical SchuS4 strain is eventually captured from the cytosol of murine and human macrophages into double-membrane vacuoles displaying the late endosomal marker, LAMP1, and the autophagy-associated protein, LC3, coinciding with a reduction in viable intracellular bacteria. Capture of SchuS4ΔdipA was not dipA-specific as other replication-deficient bacteria, such as chloramphenicol-treated SchuS4 and a purine auxotroph mutant SchuS4ΔpurMCD, were similarly targeted to autophagic vacuoles. Vacuoles containing replication-deficient bacteria were labeled with ubiquitin and the autophagy receptors SQSTM1/p62 and NBR1, and their formation was decreased in macrophages from either ATG5-, LC3B- or SQSTM1-deficient mice, indicating recognition by the ubiquitin-SQSTM1-LC3 pathway. While a fraction of both the wild-type and the replication-impaired strains were ubiquitinated and recruited SQSTM1, only the replication-defective strains progressed to autophagic capture, suggesting that wild-type Francisella interferes with the autophagic cascade. Survival of replication-deficient strains was not restored in autophagy-deficient macrophages, as these bacteria died in the cytosol prior to autophagic capture. Collectively, our results demonstrate that replication-impaired strains of Francisella are cleared by autophagy, while replication-competent bacteria seem to interfere with autophagic recognition, therefore ensuring survival and proliferation.     

Functional studies of MP62 during male chromatin decondensation in sea urchins

In amphibians, sperm histone transition post‐fertilization during male pronucleus formation is commanded by histone chaperone Nucleoplasmin (NPM). Here, we report the first studies to analyze the participation of a Nucleoplasmin‐like protein on male chromatin remodeling in sea urchins. In this report, we present the molecular characterization of a nucleoplasmin‐like protein that is present in non fertilized eggs and early zygotes in sea urchin specie Tetrapygus niger. This protein, named MP62 can interact with sperm histones in vitro. By male chromatin decondensation assays and immunodepletion experiments in vitro, we have demonstrated that this protein is responsible for sperm nucleosome disorganization. Furthermore, as amphibian nucleoplasmin MP62 is phosphorylated in vivo immediately post‐fertilization and this phosphorylation is dependent on CDK‐cyclin activities found after fertilization. As we shown, olomoucine and roscovitine inhibits male nucleosome decondensation, sperm histone replacement in vitro and MP62 phosphorylation in vivo. This is the first report of a nucleoplasmin‐like activity in sea urchins participating during male pronucleus formation post‐fecundation. J. Cell. Biochem. 114: 1779–1788, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.