Structural Basis of DEPTOR to Recognize Phosphatidic Acid Using its Tandem DEP Domains

DEP domain containing mTOR-interacting protein (DEPTOR) plays pivotal roles in regulating metabolism, growth, autophagy and apoptosis by functions as an endogenous inhibitor of mTOR signaling pathway. Activated by phosphatidic acid, a second messenger in mTOR signaling, DEPTOR dissociates from mTORC1 complex with unknown mechanism. Here, we present a 1.5 Å resolution crystal structure, which shows that the N-terminal two tandem DEP domains of hDEPTOR fold into a dumbbell-shaped structure, protruding the characteristic β-hairpin arms of DEP domains on each side. An 18 amino acids DDEX motif at the end of DEP2 interacts with DEP1 and stabilizes the structure. Biochemical studies showed that the tandem DEP domains directly interact with phosphatidic acid using two distinct positively charged patches. These results provide insights into mTOR activation upon phosphatidic acid stimulation.     

Old and new generation lipid mediators in acute inflammation and resolution

Originally regarded as just membrane constituents and energy storing molecules, lipids are now recognised as potent signalling molecules that regulate a multitude of cellular responses via receptor-mediated pathways, including cell growth and death, and inflammation/infection. Derived from polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as arachidonic acid (AA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), each lipid displays unique properties, thus making their role in inflammation distinct from that of other lipids derived from the same PUFA. The diversity of their actions arises because such metabolites are synthesised via discrete enzymatic pathways and because they elicit their response via different receptors. This review will collate the bioactive lipid research to date and summarise the findings in terms of the major pathways involved in their biosynthesis and their role in inflammation and its resolution. It will include lipids derived from AA (prostanoids, leukotrienes, 5-oxo-6,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid, lipoxins and epoxyeicosatrienoic acids), EPA (E-series resolvins), and DHA (D-series resolvins, protectins and maresins).     

鲤春病毒糖蛋白(G)基因的分离及同源性比较

通过RT-PCR和巢氏PCR方法从疑似鲤春病毒(SVCV)侵染的镜鲤肝组织中获得了鲤春病毒糖蛋白(G)基因。通过序列测定与分析,所获得的鲤春病毒糖蛋白(G)基因由606个核苷酸组成,编码一个由202个氨基酸组成的糖蛋白。通过NCBIblast与9个来自不同国家或地区的鲤春病毒糖蛋白(G)基因序列比对分析,发现获得的鲤鱼春季病毒糖蛋白G基因DNA序列与美国分离的AY527273株同源性最高为99.8%,与中国分离的AY842485株同源性次高为98.7%,与英国分离的两个序列SVI538065和SVI538066株的同源性为98.2%,而与其它国家的分离株如SVU18101、SVI318079、SVI538061、SVI538062、SVI538063的同源性最差,仅为89.4%~90.0%。氨基酸同源性分析结果与DNA同源性分析结果一致,所获得的鲤春病毒糖蛋白G基因氨基酸推导序列与其它9个分离株的氨基酸同源性在89.6%~99.5%之间。对SVCV不同分离株遗传变异和进化关系的分析为下一步开展SVCV快速诊断方法的研究和疫苗的研制奠定了基础。     

The flexible evolutionary anchorage-dependent Pardee's restriction point of mammalian cells. How its deregulation may lead to cancer

Living cells oscillate between the two states of quiescence and division that stand poles apart in terms of energy requirements, macromolecular composition and structural organization and in which they fulfill dichotomous activities. Division is a highly dynamic and energy-consuming process that needs be carefully orchestrated to ensure the faithful transmission of the mother genotype to daughter cells. Quiescence is a low-energy state in which a cell may still have to struggle hard to maintain its homeostasis in the face of adversity while waiting sometimes for long periods before finding a propitious niche to reproduce. Thus, the perpetuation of single cells rests upon their ability to elaborate robust quiescent and dividing states. This led yeast and mammalian cells to evolve rigorous Start [L.H. Hartwell, J. Culotti, J. Pringle, B.J. Reid, Genetic control of the cell division cycle in yeast, Science 183 (1974) 46–51] and restriction (R) points [A.B. Pardee, A restriction point for control of normal animal cell proliferation, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 71 (1974) 1286–1290], respectively, that reduce deadly interferences between the two states by enforcing their temporal insulation though still enabling a rapid transition from one to the other upon an unpredictable change in their environment. The constitutive cells of multicelled organisms are extremely sensitive in addition to the nature of their adhering support that fluctuates depending on developmental stage and tissue specificity. Metazoan evolution has entailed, therefore, the need for exceedingly flexible anchorage-dependent R points empowered to assist cells in switching between quiescence and division at various times, places and conditions in the same organism. Programmed cell death may have evolved concurrently in specific contexts unfit for the operation of a stringent R point that increase the risk of deadly interferences between the two states (as it happens notably during development). But, because of their innate flexibility, anchorage-dependent R points have also the ability to readily adjust to a changing structural context so as to give mutated cells a chance to reproduce, thereby encouraging tumor genesis. The Rb and p53 proteins, which are regulated by the two products of the Ink4a-Arf locus [C.J. Sherr, The INK4a/ARF network in tumor suppression, Nat. Rev., Mol. Cell Biol. 2 (2001) 731–737], govern separable though interconnected pathways that cooperate to restrain cyclin D- and cyclin E-dependent kinases from precipitating untimely R point transit. The expression levels of the Ink4a and Arf proteins are especially sensitive to changes in cellular shape and adhesion that entirely remodel at the time when cells shift between quiescence and division. The Arf proteins further display an extremely high translational sensitivity and can activate the p53 pathway to delay R point transit, but, only when released from the nucleolus, ‘an organelle formed by the act of building a ribosome’ [T. Mélèse, Z. Xue, The nucleolus: an organelle formed by the act of building a ribosome, Curr. Opin. Cell Biol. 7 (1995) 319–324]. In this way, the Ink4a/Rb and Arf/p53 pathways emerge as key regulators of anchorage-dependent R point transit in mammalian cells and their deregulation is, indeed, a rule in human cancers. Thus, by selecting the nucleolus to mitigate cell cycle control by the Arf proteins, mammalian cells succeeded in forging a highly flexible R point enabling them to match cell division with a growth rate imposed by factors controlling nucleolar assembling, such as nutrients and adhesion. It is noteworthy that nutrient control of critical size at Start in budding yeast has been shown recently to be governed by a nucleolar protein interaction network [P. Jorgensen, J.L. Nishikawa, B.-J. Breitkreutz, M. Tyers, Systematic identification of pathways that couple cell growth and division in yeast, Science 297 (2002) 395–400].     

The hMLH1 promoter polymorphisms and cancer susceptibility in Asian populations: A meta-analysis

Background

A variety of studies have evaluated the associations between polymorphisms in the promoter regions of the hMLH1 and cancer risk. However, the results remain inconclusive. To better understand the roles of the hMLH1 polymorphisms and cancer risk, we conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis to investigate the association between the hMLH1 − 93G/A and 1151T/A (Val384Asp) polymorphisms and cancer risk in Asian population.

Methods

We performed a meta-analysis by conducting searches of the published studies in Pub Med, CNKI, CBM, ISI web of knowledge and Google scholar search databases. Finally, 12 studies were included into our meta-analysis. Overall and subgroup analyses were performed. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to evaluate the associations between hMLH1 polymorphisms and cancer risk. Statistical analysis was performed with Review Manager 5.0.

Results

Twelve studies addressing two hMLH1 polymorphisms were analyzed among a total of 4128 cancer cases and 4678 controls. For hMLH1 − 93G/A, there was no evidence that the hMLH1 − 93G/A polymorphism was significantly associated with an increased cancer risk (P > 0.05) in Asian populations (heterozygote comparison: OR = 0.89 [95% CI (0.75, 1.060)] P = 0.20; dominant model comparison: OR = 0.98 [95% CI (0.83, 1.15)] P = 0.79). In subgroup analysis based on cancer types and the sources of control, no associations were found in colorectal cancer, gastric cancer and “other cancers” under the any gene model except for lung cancer (recessive model comparison: OR = 1.69 [95% CI (1.30, 2.19)] P < 0.0001). For hMLH1 1151T/A, the polymorphism significantly associated with an increased cancer risk in Asians: OR = 1.88 [95% CI (1.49, 2.25)], P < 0.0001, and OR = 1.87 [95% CI (1.49, 2.25)], P < 0.0001.

Conclusions

Our investigations demonstrated that the hMLH1 − 93G/A polymorphism is not a candidate for susceptibility to overall cancers, and that the hMLH1 1151T/A polymorphism is significantly associated with higher cancer risk in Asian populations. Further studies with large sample size for hMLH1 should be conducted.     

The neural gland in tunicates: fine structure and intracellular distribution of phosphatases

Summary The cells comprising the neural gland in the ascidians Ciona, Styela, and Botryllus have been examined for their fine structural features and enzyme cytochemistry. The gland cells are either cuboidal or irregular in outline. They are full of small vesicles, of which some are pinocytotic, as well as larger vacuoles; they become increasingly vacuolated as their shape decreases in regularity. At the same time, glycogen deposits accumulate and the cisternae of the endoplasmic reticulum become distended. Some of the vacuoles contain an electron dense material or a fibrillar substance, but the cells contain no obvious electron opaque secretory granules associated with an extensive Golgi complex such as occur in the vertebrate adenohypophysis.Acid phosphatase is localized in some of the vesicles and vacuoles, indicating that they are a kind of lysosome, the latter possibly representing autophagic vacuoles. Thiamine pyrophosphatase is also found in many vacuoles as well as in the saccules of the Golgi apparatus which in these cells is in the form of dictyosomes.The results suggest a developmental cycle of increasing cytoplasmic vacuolation, ultimately leading to a breakdown and release of the vacuolar products. The significance of these observations is considered, particularly with respect to the hypothesis that the gland represents the ascidian equivalent of the vertebrate pituitary.I am grateful to Miss Yvonne R. Carter for technical assistance with the photography and to Mr. John Rodford for producing the diagram.     

MicroRNA-21 accelerates hepatocyte proliferation in vitro via PI3K/Akt signaling by targeting PTEN

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in controlling hepatocyte proliferation during liver regeneration. In this study, we established the miRNAs-expression patterns of primary hepatocytes in vitro under stimulation of epidermal growth factor (EGF), and found that microRNA-21 (miR-21) was appreciably up-regulated and peaked at 12 h. In addition, we further presented evidences indicating that miR-21 promotes primary hepatocyte proliferation through in vitro transfecting with miR-21 mimics or inhibitor. We further demonstrated that phosphatidylinositol 3′-OH kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling was altered accordingly, it is, by targeting phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10, PI3K/Akt signaling is activated by miR-21 to accelerate hepatocyte rapid S-phase entry and proliferation in vitro.     

MicroRNA-106b in cancer-associated fibroblasts from gastric cancer promotes cell migration and invasion by targeting PTEN

It is well established that the interaction between cancer cells and microenvironment has a critical role in tumor development, but the roles of miRNAs in this interaction are rarely known. Here, we have shown that miR-106b is up-regulated in cancer associated fibroblasts compared with normal fibroblasts established from patients with gastric cancer, the expression level of miR-106b is associated with poor prognosis of patients, and CAFs with down-regulated miR-106b could significantly inhibit gastric cancer cell migration and invasion by targeting PTEN. Taken together, these data suggest that miR-106b might be a novel candidate target for the treatment of gastric cancer.     

Towards defining biomarkers indicating resistances to targeted therapies

An impressive, but often short objective response was obtained in many tumor patients treated with different targeted therapies, but most of the patients develop resistances against these drugs. So far, a number of distinct mechanisms leading to intrinsic as well as acquired resistances have been identified in tumors of distinct origin. These can arise from genetic alterations, like mutations, truncations, and amplifications or due to deregulated expression of various proteins and signal transduction pathways, but also from cellular heterogeneity within tumors after an initial response. Therefore, biomarkers are urgently needed for cancer prognosis and personalized cancer medicine. The application of “ome”-based technologies including cancer (epi)genomics, next generation sequencing, cDNA microarrays and proteomics might led to the predictive or prognostic stratification of patients to categorize resistance mechanisms and to postulate combinations of treatment strategies. This review discusses the implementation of proteome-based analysis to identify markers of pathway (in)activation in tumors and the resistance mechanisms, which represent major clinical problems as a tool to optimize individually tailored therapies based on targeted drugs. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Biomarkers: A Proteomic Challenge.     

棉铃虫单核衣壳核多角体病毒囊膜蛋白odv—e66基因及其邻近区域的序列分析

杆状病毒ODV－E66蛋白是包涵体来源病毒（occlusion-derived virus,ODV）囊膜的结构蛋白,ODV囊膜对ODV的稳定性和感染性具有重要作用。本文报道了HaSNPV odv-e66基因及其邻近区域共4237bp的核苷酸序列及其分析结果。HaSNPV的odv-e66基因编码区全长2019bp,推测编码一个由672个氨基酸残基组成的,分子量为74.5kD的蛋白质。在起始密码子ATG上游具有杆状病毒晚期转录起始信号ATAAG。与其他杆状病毒ODV－E66的氨基酸序列比较分显示HaSNPV ODV-E66蛋白具有多个保守区域,包括N末端的强疏水功能区、序列中部的一个可能的核定位信号RKIW,两个Leu-xipper以及5个跨膜区。odv-e66基因上游的两个ORF分别与AcMNPV的orf108和orf109具有同源性,下游的ORF与LsNPV的p13基因具有同源性。