Suppression of phospholipase Dγs confers increased aluminum resistance in Arabidopsis thaliana

Aluminum (Al) toxicity is the major stress in acidic soil that comprises about 50% of the world's arable land. The complex molecular mechanisms of Al toxicity have yet to be fully determined. As a barrier to Al entrance, plant cell membranes play essential roles in plant interaction with Al, and lipid composition and membrane integrity change significantly under Al stress. Here, we show that phospholipase Dγs (PLDγs) are induced by Al stress and contribute to Al-induced membrane lipid alterations. RNAi suppression of PLDγ resulted in a decrease in both PLDγ1 and PLDγ2 expression and an increase in Al resistance. Genetic disruption of PLDγ1 also led to an increased tolerance to Al while knockout of PLDγ2 did not. Both RNAi-suppressed and pldγ1-1 mutants displayed better root growth than wild-type under Al stress conditions, and PLDγ1-deficient plants had less accumulation of callose, less oxidative damage, and less lipid peroxidation compared to wild-type plants. Most phospholipids and glycolipids were altered in response to Al treatment of wild-type plants, whereas fewer changes in lipids occurred in response to Al stress in PLDγ mutant lines. Our results suggest that PLDγs play a role in membrane lipid modulation under Al stress and that high activities of PLDγs negatively modulate plant tolerance to Al.     

Subcellular Localization Studies Indicate That Lipoxygenases 1 to 6 Are Not Involved in Lipid Mobilization during Soybean Germination

Soybean (Glycine max) lipoxygenase (LOX) has been proposed to be involved in reserve lipid mobilization during germination. Here, subcellular fractionation studies show that LOX1, -2, -3, -4, -5, and -6 isozymes were associated with the soluble fraction but not with purified oil bodies. The purified oil bodies contained small amounts of LOX1 (<0.01% total activity), which apparently is an artifact of the purification process. Immunogold labeling indicated that, in cotyledon parenchyma cells of LOX wild-type seeds that had soaked and germinated for 4 d, the majority of LOX protein was present in the cytoplasm. In 4-d-germinated cotyledons of a LOX1/2/3 triple null mutant (L0), a small amount of label was found in the cytoplasm. In epidermal cells, LOX appeared in vacuoles of both wild-type and L0 germinated seeds. No LOXs cross-reacting with seed LOX antibodies were found to be associated with the cell wall, plasma membrane, oil bodies, or mitochondria. Lipid analysis showed that degradation rates of total lipids and triacylglycerols between the wild type and L0 were not significantly different. These results suggest that LOX1, -2, -3, -4, -5, and -6 are not directly involved in reserve lipid mobilization during soybean germination.     

A piezoelectric immunoagglutination assay for Toxoplasma gondii antibodies using gold nanoparticles

The serologic detection of anti-Toxoplasma gondii immunoglobulins plays a key role in the clinical diagnosis of Toxoplasmosis. In this paper, a simple, rapid and highly sensitive agglutination-based piezoelectric immunoassay has been firstly developed for directly detecting anti-T. gondii immunoglobulins in infected rabbit serum (IRS) and infected rabbit blood (IRB). The proposed technique is based on that the specific agglutination of antigen-coated gold nanoparticles, averaging 10nm in diameter, in the presence of the corresponding antibody causes a frequency change that is monitored by a piezoelectric device. In contrast to the commonly used piezoelectric assays, it possesses an attractive advantage in that the immobilization of antibody or antigen on the crystal is unnecessary. Use of a newly prepared sensing probe which was modified by a plasma-polymerized film (PPF) of n-butyl amine and further by a heparin layer resulted in a response-enhanced immunoagglutination and a high compatibility of the probe with biological samples. An appropriate reagent consisting of 1% normal rabbit serum (NRS) and 0.1% bovine serum albumin (BSA) for diluting the analytes were verified in counteracting the background interference of assay. Moreover, an optimization of assay medium composition with the addition of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) serving as immunoagglutination rate and sensitivity enhancer was investigated in detail. It is found that the developed immunoagglutination assay system is sensitive to dilution ratio of anti-T. gondii antibody as low as 1:5500. Analytical results of several specimens obtained using the developed technique are in satisfactory agreement with those given by the ELISA method, implying a promising alternative approach for detecting anti-T. gondii antibodies in the clinical diagnosis.     

Naked2 acts as a cargo recognition and targeting protein to ensure proper delivery and fusion of TGF-alpha containing exocytic vesicles at the lower lateral membrane of polarized MDCK cells

Transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) is the major autocrine EGF receptor ligand in vivo. In polarized epithelial cells, proTGF-alpha is synthesized and then delivered to the basolateral cell surface. We previously reported that Naked2 interacts with basolateral sorting determinants in the cytoplasmic tail of a Golgi-processed form of TGF-alpha and that TGF-alpha is not detected at the basolateral surface of Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells expressing myristoylation-deficient (G2A) Naked2. By high-resolution microscopy, we now show that wild-type, but not G2A, Naked2-associated vesicles fuse at the plasma membrane. We further demonstrate that Naked2-associated vesicles are delivered to the lower lateral membrane of polarized MDCK cells independent of mu1B adaptin. We identify a basolateral targeting segment within Naked2; residues 1-173 redirect NHERF-1 from the apical cytoplasm to the basolateral membrane, and internal deletion of residues 37-104 results in apical mislocalization of Naked2 and TGF-alpha. Short hairpin RNA knockdown of Naked2 leads to a dramatic reduction in the 16-kDa cell surface isoform of TGF-alpha and increased cytosolic TGF-alpha immunoreactivity. We propose that Naked2 acts as a cargo recognition and targeting (CaRT) protein to ensure proper delivery, tethering, and fusion of TGF-alpha-containing vesicles to a distinct region at the basolateral surface of polarized epithelial cells.     

Polycystin-2 expression is regulated by a PC2-binding domain in the intracellular portion of fibrocystin

Autosomal dominant (ADPKD) and autosomal recessive (ARPKD) polycystic kidney disease are caused by mutations in Pkd1/Pkd2 and Pkhd1, which encode polycystins (PCs) and fibrocystin/polyductin (FPC). Our recent study reported that a deficiency in FPC increases the severity of cystic disease in Pkd2 mutants and down-regulates PC2 in vivo, but the precise molecular mechanism of these effects is unknown (Kim, I., Fu, Y., Hui, K., Moeckel, G., Mai, W., Li, C., Liang, D., Zhao, P., Ma, J., Chen, X.-Z., George, A. L., Jr., Coffey, R. J., Feng, Z. P., and Wu, G. (2008) J. Am. Soc. Nephrol. 19, 455-468). In this study, through the use of deletion and mutagenesis strategies, we identified a PC2-binding domain in the intracellular C terminus of FPC and an FPC-binding domain in the intracellular N terminus of PC2. These binding domains provide a molecular basis for the physical interaction between PC2 and FPC. In addition, we also found that physical interaction between the binding domains of PC2 and FPC is able to prevent down-regulation of PC2 induced by loss of FPC. In vivo, we generated a mouse model of ADPKD with hypomorphic Pkd2 alleles (Pkd2nf3/nf3) and show that PC2 down-regulation is accompanied by a phenotype similar to that of Pkhd1(-/-) mice. These findings demonstrate a common mechanism underlying cystogenesis in ADPKD and ARPKD and provide insight into the molecular relationship between PC2 and FPC.     

Biochemical characterization of a truncated penta-EF-hand Ca2+ binding protein from maize

Plants possess multiple genes encoding calcium sensor proteins that are members of the penta-EF-hand (PEF) family. Characterized PEF proteins such as ALG-2 (apoptosis-linked gene 2 product) and the calpain small subunit function in diverse cellular processes in a calcium-dependent manner by interacting with their target proteins at either their N-terminal extension or Ca2+ binding domains. We have identified a previously unreported class of PEF proteins in plants that are notable because they do not possess the hydrophobic amino acid rich N-terminal extension that is typical of these PEF proteins. We demonstrate that the maize PEF protein without the N-terminal extension has the characteristics of known PEF proteins; the protein binds calcium in the 100 nM range and, as a result of calcium binding, displays an increase in hydrophobicity. Characterization of the truncated maize PEF protein provides insights into the role of the N-terminal extension in PEF protein signaling. In the context of the current model of how PEF proteins are activated by calcium binding, these results demonstrate that this distinctive class of PEF proteins could function as calcium sensor proteins in plants even in the absence of the N-terminal extension.     

Cystogenesis in ARPKD results from increased apoptosis in collecting duct epithelial cells of Pkhd1 mutant kidneys

Mutations in the PKHD1 gene result in autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD) in humans. To determine the molecular mechanism of the cystogenesis in ARPKD, we recently generated a mouse model for ARPKD that carries a targeted mutation in the mouse orthologue of human PKHD1. The homozygous mutant mice display hepatorenal cysts whose phenotypes are similar to those of human ARPKD patients. By littermates of this mouse, we developed two immortalized renal collecting duct cell lines with Pkhd1 and two without. Under nonpermissive culture conditions, the Pkhd1^−/− renal cells displayed aberrant cell–cell contacts and tubulomorphogenesis. The Pkhd1^−/− cells also showed significantly reduced cell proliferation and elevated apoptosis. To validate this finding in vivo, we examined proliferation and apoptosis in the kidneys of Pkhd1^−/− mice and their wildtype littermates. Using proliferation (PCNA and Histone-3) and apoptosis (TUNEL and caspase-3) markers, similar results were obtained in the Pkhd1^−/− kidney tissues as in the cells. To identify the molecular basis of these findings, we analyzed the effect of Pkhd1 loss on multiple putative signaling regulators. We demonstrated that the loss of Pkhd1 disrupts multiple major phosphorylations of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), and these disruptions either inhibit the Ras/C-Raf pathways to suppress MEK/ERK activity and ultimately reduce cell proliferation, or suppress PDK1/AKT to upregulate Bax/caspase-9/caspase-3 and promote apoptosis. Our findings indicate that apoptosis may be a major player in the cyst formation in ARPKD, which may lead to new therapeutic strategies for human ARPKD.     

Networking of phospholipases in plant signal transduction

Phospholipases are activated in response to various cellular and environmental cues. Their activation can affect many cellular processes through their roles in signal transduction. Recent advances in the biochemical and molecular understanding of phospholipase D (PLD) have provided insights into potential networks of PLDs and other phospholipases in plants. PLDs are a family of heterogeneous enzymes, and the activities of the multiple types of PLDs are regulated in distinctly different manners. Phosphoinositides, free fatty acids, lysophospholipids, and calcium are differential modulators of PLDs. Since these modulators are substrates, products, or downstream targets of phospholipase As and phospholipase Cs, there are many potential regulatory and metabolic interrelationships among the various PLDs and other phospholipases.