Organic anion transporters involved in the excretion of bestatin in the kidney

Bestatin, a dipeptide, a low molecular weight aminopeptidase inhibitor, has been demonstrated to be an immunomodulator with an antitumor activity. However, the transporter-mediated renal excretion of bestatin is not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the transporter-mediated renal excretion mechanism for bestatin. The plasma concentration of bestatin was increased markedly and both the accumulative renal excretion and renal clearance of bestatin were decreased significantly after intravenous administration of bestatin in combination with probenecid. p-Aminohippuric acid (PAH), a substrate of organic anion transporter (OAT) 1, benzylpenicillin (PCG), a substrate of OAT3 and JBP485, a substrate of OAT1 and OAT3, reduced the uptake of bestatin in rat kidney slices and in hOAT1- or hOAT3-HEK 293 cells. The accumulation of bestatin in hOAT1-HEK and hOAT3-HEK 293 cells was significantly greater than that in vector-HEK, and the K(m) and V(max) were 0.679 ± 0.007 mM and 0.807 ± 0.006 nmol/mg protein/30s for OAT1, 0.632 ± 0.014 mM and 1.303 ± 0.015 nmol/mg protein/30s for OAT3 respectively. PAH and JBP485 inhibited significantly the uptake of bestatin in hOAT1-HEK with the K(i) values of 92 ± 9 μM and 197 ± 21 μM; and PCG, JBP485 inhibited significantly the uptake of bestatin in hOAT3-HEK 293 cells with the K(i) values of 88 ± 12 μM and 160 ± 16 μM. Our results are novel in demonstrating for the first time that OAT1 and OAT3 are involved in the renal excretion of bestatin.     

The Tudor Domain of the PHD Finger Protein 1 Is a Dual Reader of Lysine Trimethylation at Lysine 36 of Histone H3 and Lysine 27 of Histone Variant H3t

PHF1 associates with the Polycomb repressive complex 2 and it was demonstrated to stimulate its H3K27-trimethylation activity. We studied the interaction of the PHF1 Tudor domain with modified histone peptides and found that it recognizes H3K36me3 and H3tK27me3 (on the histone variant H3t) and that it uses the same trimethyllysine binding pocket for the interaction with both peptides. Since both peptide sequences are very different, this result indicates that reading domains can have dual specificities. Sub-nuclear localization studies of full-length PHF1 in human HEK293 cells revealed that it co-localizes with K27me3, but not with K36me3, and that this co-localization depends on the trimethyllysine binding pocket indicating that K27me3 is an in vivo target for the PHF1 Tudor domain. Our data suggest that PHF1 binds to H3tK27me3 in human chromatin, and H3t has a more general role in Polycomb regulation.     

依托泊苷影响HEK293细胞同源重组修复体系

抗肿瘤药物疗效的研究多集中在肿瘤细胞,目前针对正常细胞的研究颇少,有必要建立能进行定量分析的同源重组定量修复体系。我们已建立的模型可以探讨肿瘤药物化疗后对HEK293细胞DSBs修复的继发性后果。通过构建含有带I-SceⅠ酶切位点的同源介导的重组修复底物（homologous direct recombination, HDR）,或单链退火修复（single strand annealing, SSA）底物的细胞株,定量检测依托泊苷 (etoposide,VP-l6)对同源性重组修复(homologous recombination, HR)通路的影响。成功构建了可用于定量检测DNA双链断裂(double-strand break, DSBs)诱导的SSA和HDR修复的正常人HEK293细胞应用模型。细胞毒结果证实,与SSA/293对照组对比,VP-16给药组 16 μmol/L（0.475±0.029 vs 1.000±0.000, P<0.001)细胞活力明显降低;与HDR/293对照组相比,VP-16 给药组16 μmol/L（0.458±0.188 vs 1.000±0.000, P<0.05)细胞活力降低。此外,本研究证实,VP-16抑制SSA修复,VP-16给药组 2 μmol/L与SSA/293对照组相比（0.575%±0.177% vs 1.352%±0.195%, P<0.05）,修复效率降低;VP-16抑制HDR修复,VP-16给药组1 μmol/L与HDR/293对照组修复效率相比（0.305%±0.078% vs. 0.635%± 0.049%,P<0.05),修复效率降低。VP-16诱导DNA损伤的同时,抑制HDR修复和SSA修复,修复效率呈现剂量依赖性。本研究结果可为抗肿瘤药物的临床应用提供某些指导。     

Slk19p is a centromere protein that functions to stabilize mitotic spindles.

We have identified a novel centromere-associated gene product from Saccharomyces cerevisiae that plays a role in spindle assembly and stability. Strains with a deletion of SLK19 (synthetic lethal Kar3p gene) exhibit abnormally short mitotic spindles, increased numbers of astral microtubules, and require the presence of the kinesin motor Kar3p for viability. When cells are deprived of both Slk19p and Kar3p, rapid spindle breakdown and mitotic arrest is observed. A functional fusion of Slk19p to green fluorescent protein (GFP) localizes to kinetochores and, during anaphase, to the spindle midzone, whereas Kar3p-GFP was found at the nuclear side of the spindle pole body. Thus, these proteins seem to play overlapping roles in stabilizing spindle structure while acting from opposite ends of the microtubules.     

早老素通过下调CDK4使HEK293T细胞周期阻滞

早老素（progerin）的累积导致儿童早老症（Hutchinson Gilford progeria syndrome, HGPS）的发生,并与正常衰老相关。早老素能使细胞内稳态失衡但分子机制仍有待深入研究。本研究旨在探讨早老素导入人胚胎肾293T细胞（human embryo kidney 293T cell, HEK293T）后细胞增殖、周期变化的分子机制。形态学观察发现过表达早老素的HEK293T细胞密度下降,(57±2.47)%细胞核形态皱缩。细胞增殖和周期实验证明早老素使细胞增殖减慢,发生G1/S期阻滞,G1细胞从 (42.3±1.31)%升至(47.2±1.26)%,而S期细胞从 (43.1±1.36)%降至 (38.5±1.42)%。Western印迹结果显示早老素的高表达引起p21蛋白表达上调（103.2±1.49）%,CDK4下调（63±1.52）%,而p53、ATM、CyclinE1以及p16等蛋白质水平均不变;HEK293T细胞中早老素的过表达导致γ H2AX水平下调（53±1.36）%,H2O2处理后变化趋势不变。我们的研究结果提示,早老素通过上调p21和下调CDK4使细胞发生周期阻滞,不能增加HEK293T细胞的损伤及衰老。     

Rapid Purification of a New Humanized Single-chain Fv Antibody／Human Interleukin-2 Fusion Protein Reactive against HER2 Receptor

Overexpression of the proto-oncogene c-erbB-2, neuor HER2 has been shown in many human tumor cells,especially in breast cancer cells [1–5], which is thought tobe important in human carcinogenesis. c-erbB-2 geneencodes a 185 kD transmembrane glycoprotein …     

H3K27 Trimethylation Is an Early Epigenetic Event of p16INK4a Silencing for Regaining Tumorigenesis in Fusion Reprogrammed Hepatoma Cells

Stable epigenetic silencing of p16^INK4a is a common event in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells, which is associated with abnormal cell proliferation and liberation from cell cycle arrest. Understanding the early epigenetic events in silencing p16^INK4a expression may illuminate a prognostic strategy to block HCC development. Toward this end, we created a reprogram cell model by the fusion mouse HCC cells with mouse embryonic stem cells, in which the ES-Hepa hybrids forfeited HCC cell characteristics along with reactivation of the silenced p16^INK4a. HCC characteristics, in terms of gene expression pattern and tumorigenic potential, was restored upon induced differentiation of these reprogrammed ES-Hepa hybrids. The histone methylation pattern relative to p16^INK4a silencing during differentiation of the ES-Hepa hybrids was analyzed. H3K27 trimethylation at the p16^INK4a promoter region, occurring in the early onset of p16^INK4a silencing, was followed by H3K9 dimethylation at later stages. During the induced differentiation of the ES-Hepa hybrids, H3K4 di- and trimethylations were maintained at high levels during the silencing of p16^INK4a, strongly suggesting that H3K4 methylation events did not cause the silencing of p16^INK4a. Our results suggested that the enrichment of H3K27 trimethylation, independent of H3K9 dimethylation, trimethylation, and DNA methylation, was an early event in the silencing of p16^INK4a during the tumor development. This unique chromatin pattern may be a heritable marker of epigenetic regulation for p16^INK4a silencing during the developmental process of hepatocellular carcinogenesis.     

Suppressed production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by LPS-activated macrophages after treatment with Toxoplasma gondii lysate

During Toxoplasma gondii infection, macrophages, dendritic cells, and neutrophils are important sources of pro-inflammatory cytokines from the host. To counteract the pro-inflammatory activities, T. gondii is known to have several mechanisms inducing down-regulation of the host immunity. In the present study, we analyzed the production of proand anti-inflammatory cytokines from a human myelomonocytic cell line, THP-1 cells, in response to treatment with T. gondii lysate or lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Treatment of THP-1 cells with LPS induced production of IL-12, TNF-alpha, IL-8, and IL-10. Co-treatment of THP-1 cells with T. gondii lysate inhibited the LPS-induced IL-12, IL-8 and TNF-alpha expression, but increased the level of IL-10 synergistically. IL-12 and IL-10 production was down-regulated by anti-human toll-like receptor (TLR)-2 and TLR4 antibodies. T. gondii lysate triggered nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB-dependent IL-8 expression in HEK293 cells transfected with TLR2. It is suggested that immunosuppression induced by T. gondii lysate treatment might occur via TLR2-mediated NF-kappaB activation.     

Comparative insight into expression of recombinant human VEGF111b,a newly identified anti-angiogenic isoform,in eukaryotic cell lines

VEGF-A is a critical growth factor in tumor growth and progression. Two families of VEGF-A isoforms are produced through alternative splicing including VEGFxxx pro-angiogenic and VEGFxxxb anti-angiogenic isoforms. VEGF111b is a new member of the VEGFxxxb family that is induced by mitomycin C and doesn't express in normal conditions. The potent anti-angiogenic properties of VEGF-111b and its remarkable resistance to proteolysis make it an interesting alternative candidate for therapeutic use in all types of cancers. Here, the recombinant VEGF-111b cDNA with insertion of intronic sequence was constructed by using a class IIs restriction enzyme-based method. The recombinant pBud-VEGF111b was transfected into CHO dhfr⁻ and HEK 293 cell lines which are currently the standard hosts for the production of candidate therapeutic proteins. Then, the VEGF-111b expression was evaluated in two cell lines using the Real-time PCR. The production of VEGF-111b protein was also investigated here by dot blotting. The VEGF expression was increased about 109 and 185-folds in transfected CHO-dhfr⁻ and HEK 293 cells, respectively, in comparison with the un-transfected cells. Dot blotting approach confirmed that both cell lines have successfully produced the VEGF-111b protein.     

The surveillance mechanism of the spindle position checkpoint in yeast

The spindle position checkpoint in Saccharomyces cerevisiae delays mitotic exit until the spindle has moved into the mother-bud neck, ensuring that each daughter cell inherits a nucleus. The small G protein Tem1p is critical in promoting mitotic exit and is concentrated at the spindle pole destined for the bud. The presumed nucleotide exchange factor for Tem1p, Lte1p, is concentrated in the bud. These findings suggested the hypothesis that movement of the spindle pole through the neck allows Tem1p to interact with Lte1p, promoting GTP loading of Tem1p and mitotic exit. However, we report that deletion of LTE1 had little effect on the timing of mitotic exit. We also examined several mutants in which some cells inappropriately exit mitosis even though the spindle is within the mother. In some of these cells, the spindle pole body did not interact with the bud or the neck before mitotic exit. Thus, some alternative mechanism must exist to coordinate mitotic exit with spindle position. In both wild-type and mutant cells, mitotic exit was preceded by loss of cytoplasmic microtubules from the neck. Thus, the spindle position checkpoint may monitor such interactions.     

Increased SOCS6 stability with PMA requires its N-terminal region and the Erk pathway via Pkcdelta activation

We investigated stability of the ectopically expressed the SOCS6 protein in HEK293T cells with PMA, which activates protein kinase C (PKC). The treatment of PMA could largely increase SOCS6 stability in HEK293T cells. But, we did not observe increased protein levels of SOCS3 or Erk1 with PMA. This result suggests that the increased stability of SOCS6 with PMA did not generally occur in other proteins. The stability of SOCS6 depended on the N-terminal region containing an unidentified domain. We then studied the role of signal pathways in SOCS6 stability with PMA. We found that both Erk and Pkcdelta activation were required for the increased SOCS6 stability by PMA. The Erk activation by PMA appeared to be downstream from the Pkcdelta activation. The increased SOCS6 stability and Erk activation by PMA were both conserved in another cell line, MCF7. In addition, we demonstrated that PMA, insulin, and PDGF increased both the stability of endogenous-expressed SOCS6 and Erk activation in MDA-MB231 cells. These observations suggest that Erk activation may be correlated in the cells with high expression of SOCS6.     

Cooperation of p40(phox) with p47(phox) for Nox2-based NADPH oxidase activation during Fcγ receptor (FcγR)-mediated phagocytosis: mechanism for acquisition of p40(phox) phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI(3)P) binding

During activation of the phagocyte (Nox2-based) NADPH oxidase, the cytoplasmic Phox complex (p47(phox)-p67(phox)-p40(phox)) translocates and associates with the membrane-spanning flavocytochrome b(558). It is unclear where (in cytoplasm or on membranes), when (before or after assembly), and how p40(phox) acquires its PI(3)P-binding capabilities. We demonstrated that in addition to conformational changes induced by H(2)O(2) in the cytoplasm, p40(phox) acquires PI(3)P-binding through direct or indirect membrane targeting. We also found that p40(phox) is essential when p47(phox) is partially phosphorylated during FcγR-mediated oxidase activation; however, p40(phox) is less critical when p47(phox) is adequately phosphorylated, using phosphorylation-mimicking mutants in HEK293(Nox2/FcγRIIa) and RAW264.7(p40/p47KD) cells. Moreover, PI binding to p47(phox) is less important when the autoinhibitory PX-PB1 domain interaction in p40(phox) is disrupted or when p40(phox) is targeted to membranes. Furthermore, we suggest that high affinity PI(3)P binding of the p40(phox) PX domain is critical during its accumulation on phagosomes, even when masked by the PB1 domain in the resting state. Thus, in addition to mechanisms for directly acquiring PI(3)P binding in the cytoplasm by H(2)O(2), p40(phox) can acquire PI(3)P binding on targeted membranes in a p47(phox)-dependent manner and functions both as a "carrier" of the cytoplasmic Phox complex to phagosomes and an "adaptor" of oxidase assembly on phagosomes in cooperation with p47(phox), using positive feedback mechanisms.     

Cloning and characterization of the annexin II receptor on human marrow stromal cells

Annexin II is a heterotetramer, consisting of two 11-kDa (p11) and two 36-kDa (p36) subunits, that is produced by osteoclasts and stimulates osteoclast formation. However, its receptor is unknown. We showed that annexin II binds to normal primary human marrow stromal cells and the Paget's marrow-derived PSV10 stromal cell line to induce osteoclast formation. 125I-Labeled annexin II binding assays with PSV10 cells demonstrated that there was a single class of annexin II receptors with a Kd of 5.79 nm and Bmax of 2.13 x 10(5) receptors/cell. Annexin III or annexin V did not bind this receptor. Using 125I-labeled annexin II binding to screen NIH3T3 transfected with a human marrow cDNA expression library, we identified a putative annexin II receptor clone, which encoded a novel 26-kDa type I membrane receptor protein when expressed in HEK 293 cells. HEK 293 cells transformed with the cloned annexin II receptor cDNA showed a similar binding affinity to annexin II as that observed in PSV10 cells. Chemical cross-linking experiments with biotinylated annexin II and intact PSV10 cells identified a 55-kDa band on Western blot analysis that reacted with both an anti-p11 antibody and streptavidin but not anti-p36 antibody. A rabbit polyclonal antibody raised against the putative recombinant annexin II receptor also recognized the same 26-kDa protein band detected in PSV10 cells. Importantly, the annexin II receptor antibody dose-dependently blocked the stimulatory effects of annexin II on human osteoclast formation, demonstrating that the receptor mediates the effects of annexin II on osteoclast formation.     

Autophagy suppresses interleukin-1β (IL-1β) signaling by activation of p62 degradation via lysosomal and proteasomal pathways

ATG16L1 is an essential component of the autophagasome. The T300A allele of ATG16L1 is associated with the increased susceptibility to Crohn disease. In this study, we identified a novel function of ATG16L1, which suppresses signaling of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β. Deletion of ATG16L1 in mouse embryonic fibroblasts significantly amplifies IL-1β signal transduction cascades. This amplification is due to elevated p62 levels in ATG16L1-deficient cells. We found that ATG16L1 regulates p62 levels via both autolysosomal and proteasomal pathways. For proteasomal degradation, we found that Cullin-3 (Cul-3) is a E3 ubiquitin ligase of p62 and that ATG16L1 is essential for neddylation of Cul-3, a step required for Cul-3 activation. Taken together our data indicate that loss-of-function of ATG16L1 results in a hyper-responsiveness to the IL-1β signaling because of the increased p62 level.     

Characterization of the post-translational modification of recombinant human BMP-15 mature protein

Bone morphogenetic protein-15 (BMP-15) is an oocyte-secreted factor critical for the regulation of ovarian physiology. When recombinant human BMP-15 (rhBMP-15) produced in human embryonic kidney 293 cells was subjected to SDS-PAGE analysis, two mature protein forms corresponding to 16 kDa (P16) and 17 kDa (P17) were observed. Despite the physiological relevance and critical function of BMP-15 in female reproduction, little is known about the structure of rhBMP-15. Here, we have analyzed the structure of the rhBMP-15 mature proteins (P16 and P17) using state-of-the-art proteomics technology. Our findings are as follows: (1) the N-terminal amino acid of P16 and P17 is pyroglutamic acid; (2) the Ser residue at the sixth position of P16 is phosphorylated; (3) P17 is O-glycosylated at Thr10; and (4) the C-terminal amino acid of P16 and P17 is truncated. These findings are the first knowledge of the structure of rhBMP-15 mature protein toward understanding the molecular basis of BMP-15 function and could provide an important contribution to the rapidly progressing research area involving oocyte-specific growth factors in modulation of female fertility.     

BCL10GFP fusion protein as a substrate for analysis of determinants required for Mucosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissue 1 (MALT1)-mediated cleavage

Background

MALT1 belongs to a family of paracaspase and modulates NF-κB signaling pathways through its scaffolding function and proteolytic activity. MALT1 cleaves protein substrates after a positively charged Arginine residue. BCL10, a 233 amino acids polypeptide, is identified as one of the MALT1 proteolytic substrates. MALT1 cleaves BCL10 at the C-terminal end of Arg228. A mere 5 amino acids difference between the substrate and the proteolytic product made it difficult to tell whether the cleavage event took place by using a simple western blot analysis. Here, BCL10GFP was constructed and utilized to examine the specificity and domain determinants for MALT1 cleavage in cells.

Methods

Various BCL10GFP constructs were transfected into HEK293T cell with MALT1 construct by using calcium phosphate-DNA precipitation method. Lysates of transfectants were resolved by SDS/PAGE and analyzed by western blot analysis.

Results

BCL10GFP was proteolytically processed by MALT1 as BCL10. The integrity of caspase recruitment domain (CARD) and MALT1-interacting domain on BCL10 were required for MALT1 proteolytic activity. Besides the invariant P1 cleavage site Arg228, P4 Leu225 played a role in defining BCL10 as a good substrate for MALT1.

Conclusions

We offered a way of monitoring the catalytic activity of MALT1 in HEK293T cells using BCL10GFP as a substrate. BCL10GFP can be utilized as a convenient tool for studying the determinants for efficient MALT1 cleavage in HEK293T cells