A Role for the p38 Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Pathway in Myocardial Cell Growth, Sarcomeric Organization, and Cardiac-specific Gene Expression

Three hallmark features of the cardiac hypertrophic growth program are increases in cell size, sarcomeric organization, and the induction of certain cardiac-specific genes. All three features of hypertrophy are induced in cultured myocardial cells by α₁- adrenergic receptor agonists, such as phenylephrine (PE) and other growth factors that activate mitogen- activated protein kinases (MAPKs). In this study the MAPK family members extracellular signal–regulated kinase (ERK), c-jun NH₂-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38 were activated by transfecting cultured cardiac myocytes with constructs encoding the appropriate kinases possessing gain-of-function mutations. Transfected cells were then analyzed for changes in cell size, sarcomeric organization, and induction of the genes for the A- and B-type natriuretic peptides (NPs), as well as the α-skeletal actin (α-SkA) gene. While activation of JNK and/or ERK with MEKK1_COOH or Raf-1 BXB, respectively, augmented cell size and effected relatively modest increases in NP and α-SkA promoter activities, neither upstream kinase conferred sarcomeric organization. However, transfection with MKK6 (Glu), which specifically activated p38, augmented cell size, induced NP and α-Ska promoter activities by up to 130-fold, and elicited sarcomeric organization in a manner similar to PE. Moreover, all three growth features induced by MKK6 (Glu) or PE were blocked with the p38-specific inhibitor, SB 203580. These results demonstrate novel and potentially central roles for MKK6 and p38 in the regulation of myocardial cell hypertrophy.     

Sarcomeric disorganization in post-mortem fish muscles.

1. The post-mortem evolution of protein pattern in fish striated muscle was followed by SDS-PAGE, after different conditions of storage time and temperature. 2. Sarcoplasmic and sarcomeric fractions were analyzed respectively by low and high ionic strength extractions of fish muscle samples. 3. No evident modification of electrophoretic patterns was observed during the pre-rigor mortis period. 4. The high mol. wt proteins titin and nebulin were highly sensitive to proteolysis during the rigor mortis period. 5. Myosin extraction was predominantly influenced by the storage temperature. The myosin content of the extracts decreased during the rigor mortis period at storage temperatures greater than 8 degrees C. 6. alpha-Actinin was very resistant to proteolysis, but could be released from Z-disc structure during post-mortem aging.     

Myofibroblasts in human palatal mucosa

Myofibroblasts in human osseous palatal mucosa are described. They appear as fusiform or ramified cells, rich in homogeneous 60- to 70-Angstr?m-thick microfilaments, rough endoplasmic reticulum cisternae, and abundant pinocytotic vesicles in relation with the plasma membrane. On the surface of these cells there are small areas covered by basal lamina. Contacts between myofibroblast processes and other tissue elements are described. Small clusters of oxytalan fibers appear in the vicinity of these cells.     

Contractility and conformation

Contractility in fibers can arise from changes of macromolecular conformation caused by changes in some thermodynamic variable such as temperature, pH, or solvent composition. Illustrations are given of contractile processes in fibers and of changes in macromolecular conformation in dilute solution. These may involve order-disorder transitions, e.g. of the type exhibited by the helix-coil transition. A statistical mechanical treatment of the helix-coil transition involves the assignment of statistical weights to various states and the proper counting of these statistical weights in the formation and evaluation of the partition function; the thermodynamic properties of the system are derivable from the partition function. The counting procedure involved in the consideration of the α-helix and random coil is described. In addition, the factors affecting the relative stabilities of various helical conformations are discussed. These considerations of macromolecular conformation provide a basis for discussing contractile mechanisms in which changes of conformation are involved.     

Increased Expression of Chemerin in Squamous Esophageal Cancer Myofibroblasts and Role in Recruitment of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells

Stromal cells such as myofibroblasts influence tumor progression. The mechanisms are unclear but may involve effects on both tumor cells and recruitment of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) which then colonize tumors. Using iTRAQ and LC-MS/MS we identified the adipokine, chemerin, as overexpressed in esophageal squamous cancer associated myofibroblasts (CAMs) compared with adjacent tissue myofibroblasts (ATMs). The chemerin receptor, ChemR23, is expressed by MSCs. Conditioned media (CM) from CAMs significantly increased MSC cell migration compared to ATM-CM; the action of CAM-CM was significantly reduced by chemerin-neutralising antibody, pretreatment of CAMs with chemerin siRNA, pretreatment of MSCs with ChemR23 siRNA, and by a ChemR23 receptor antagonist, CCX832. Stimulation of MSCs by chemerin increased phosphorylation of p42/44, p38 and JNK-II kinases and inhibitors of these kinases and PKC reversed chemerin-stimulated MSC migration. Chemerin stimulation of MSCs also induced expression and secretion of macrophage inhibitory factor (MIF) that tended to restrict migratory responses to low concentrations of chemerin but not higher concentrations. In a xenograft model consisting of OE21 esophageal cancer cells and CAMs, homing of MSCs administered i.v. was inhibited by CCX832. Thus, chemerin secreted from esophageal cancer myofibroblasts is a potential chemoattractant for MSCs and its inhibition may delay tumor progression.     

柞蚕核型多角体病毒基因表达载体系统的构建与基因表达

柞蚕是一种野外饲养的经济昆虫,主要分布在我国东北部山区。柞蚕以蛹滞育越冬,其蚕蛹个大、容易固定、保存时间长、无须饲养、容易运输等优点。利用柞蚕蛹作为生物反应器生产外来蛋白质,可以大规模机械化生产,减少操作上的烦琐和劳动力。本文利用柞蚕核型多角体病毒(AnpeNPV)作为基因表达载体,在柞蚕培养细胞(AnPe细胞)和柞蚕蛹中成功地表达了β-半乳糖苷酶基因（LacZ）,并利用AnPe细胞筛选、纯化获得了AnpeLacZ重组病毒。该重组病毒的β-半乳糖苷酶产量,在TC-100(含10%FBS)培养的AnPe细胞中最高酶活性为感染后第12天的40.9 units/ml,在SF-900Ⅱ培养的AnPe细胞中最高酶活性为感染后第18天的59.9 units/ml,后者表达量稍高,但时间滞后。AnpeLacZ在5℃保存了7个月的柞蚕蛹中,感染后第15天酶活性达到最高,雌蛹14.3 units/g,雄蛹11.7 units/g,雌蛹比雄蛹略高。结果显示,柞蚕核型多角体病毒和柞蚕蛹可以作为一个可以机械化大规模生产的新型杆状病毒基因表达载体系统开发和利用。     

盐胁迫下植物基因的表达与基因工程研究进展

在各种环境胁迫中,盐胁迫是造成作物减产的严重环境因素之一。随着植物分子生物学快速发展,植物耐盐性研究已深入到耐盐相关基因的克隆、基因的结构分析以及基因表达领域。文中就与植物耐盐性密切相关的小分子渗透物质、晚期胚胎发生富集蛋白(LEA)、通道蛋白、盐胁迫相关基因、信号传导基因和转录因子研究作了综述。同时对植物耐盐性研究作了简单的展望。     

Simultaneous Quantification of Protein Expression and Modifications by Top-down Targeted Proteomics: A Case of the Sarcomeric Subproteome

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Highlights

• •A new strategy for simultaneous quantification of protein expression and modification.
• •This top-down LC/MS-based method shows high reproducibility and high throughput.
• •Quantification at the intact protein level with results comparable to Western blot.
• •This top-down proteomics method is applicable to different species and tissues.

     

Baculovirus-Mediated Gene Expression in Zebrafish

Abstract In an effort to misexpress genes in zebrafish, we tested the ability of baculovirus to infect and drive gene expression in embryos. By injecting virus into specific tissues and using appropriate promoters, both the location and time of gene expression could be controlled. Using a virus with 2 different promoters, LacZ and GFP could be expressed independently. The efficiency of expression appears to depend on the promoter used. As a test of this system, baculovirus was used to ectopically express ephrinB2a in the presomitic mesoderm. EphrinB2a is normally expressed in the posterior region of developing somites, and baculovirus-mediated misexpression caused abnormal somite boundary formation. Baculovirus can thus be used as a tool for gene misexpression experiments in the zebrafish, especially when localized misexpression is required late in development.     

Gene Expression Analysis

The response of cells to extracellular signals usually requires altered expression of many genes, possibly including several distinct metabolic pathways. In some cases, only a subset of genes involved in such responses are known, which requires techniques to analyze changes in the expression of multiple genes, both known and unknown. Three techniques, two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis, differential display, and gene discovery arrays, provide opportunities for measuring changes in gene expression levels, as well as for identifying novel gene products.