Emotional regulation of pain: the role of noradrenaline in the amygdala

The perception of pain involves the activation of the spinal pathway as well as the supra-spinal pathway,which targets brain regions involved in affective and cognitive processes.Pain and emotions have the capacity to influence each other reciprocally;negative emotions,such as depression and anxiety,increase the risk for chronic pain,which may lead to anxiety and depression.The amygdala is a key-player in the expression of emotions,receives direct nociceptive information from the parabrachial nucleus,and is densely innervated by noradrenergic brain centers.In recent years,the amygdala has attracted increasing interest for its role in pain perception and modulation.In this review,we will give a short overview of structures involved in the pain pathway,zoom in to afferent and efferent connections to and from the amygdala,with emphasis on the direct parabrachio-amygdaloid pathway and discuss the evidence for amygdala’s role in pain processing and modulation.In addition to the involvement of the amygdala in negative emotions during the perception of pain,this brain structure is also a target site for many neuromodulators to regulate the perception of pain.We will end this article with a short review on the effects of noradrenaline and its role in hypoalgesia and analgesia.     

Genomic,transcriptomic, and metabolomic analysis of Oldenlandia corymbosa reveals the biosynthesis and mode of action of anti-cancer metabolites

Plants accumulate a vast array of secondary metabolites,which constitute a natural resource for pharmaceuticals.Oldenlandia corymbosa belongs to the Rubiaceae family,and has been used in traditional medicine to treat different diseases,including cancer.However,the active metabolites of the plant,their biosynthetic pathway and mode of action in cancer are unknown.To fill these gaps,we exposed this plant to eight different stress conditions and combined different omics data capturing gene expressi...     

AMP makes native snake muscle fructose-1, 6-bisphosphatase to an alkaline enzyme

A substance in the crude preparation of NADP has been found, which activates snake muscle fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase at pH 9.2 and inhibits the enzyme at pH 7.5. After isolation and extensive characterization, the substance has been determined to be AMP. The activation depends on the concentrations of Mg2 and could be observed only at concentrations above 1 mmol/L. In the presence of AMP, snake muscle fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase resembles an alkaline enzyme. Kinetic studies indicate that AMP and Mg2 competitively regulate the activity of the enzyme. AMP releases the inhibition of Mg2 at high concentration at alkaline pH. It has been reported that fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase with a pH optimum in the alkaline region is caused by limited proteolysis. AMP is also able to make fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase to be an alkaline enzyme. This finding indicates that proteolysis may not be the only reason for shift of the optimum pH of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase to alkaline side and it may imply some significanc     

Ubiquitination in Abscisic Acid-Related Pathway

Ubiquitination is emerging as a tight regulatory mechanism that is necessary for all aspects of development and survival of all eukaryotes. Recent genomic and genetic analysis in Arabidopsis suggests that ubiquitination may also play important roles in plant response to the phytohormone abscisic acid （ABA）. Many components of the ubiquitination pathway, such as ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2, ubiquitin ligase E3 and components of the proteasome, have been identified or predicted to be essential in ABA biosynthesis, catabolism and signaling. In addition, the ubiquitination-related pathway, sumoylation, is also involved in ABA signaling. We summarize in this report recent developments to elucidate their roles in the ABA-related pathway.     

NADPH Thioredoxin Reductase C Is Involved in Redox Regulation of the Mg-Chelatase I Subunit in Arabidopsis thaliana Chloroplasts

Dear Editor,
The synthesis of tetrapyrroles, including chlorophylls, is central for chloroplast function. The metabolic pathway of tetrapyrrole biosynthesis in Arabidopsis is initiated with the formation of amino levulinic acid （ALA）, which is con- verted by a series of common reactions to protoporphy- tin IX （Proto IX） （Tanaka et al., 2011）. Then the pathway diverges into two branches： the synthesis of heme/bilin and chlorophylls. The insertion of Mg2＋ into Proto IX, cata- lyzed by Mg-chelatase, is the first committed reaction of the chlorophyll branch and is considered a key step for the regulation of the whole pathway. Mg-chelatase is a het- erotrimeric enzyme composed of subunits CHLI, CHLD, and CHLH, the reaction mechanism of which has been estab- lished. It is a two-step process consisting in the Mg-ATP- dependent activation of the enzyme, which implies the formation of a ternary complex of subunits CHLI and CHLD with ATP-Mg2＋, and Mg2＋ chelation, which is catalyzed by CHLH driven by ATP hydrolysis, CHLI providing ATPase activity to the complex （Tanaka et al., 2011）. In Arabidopsis, CHLH and CHLD are encoded by single genes, whereas two genes, CHLI-I and CHLI-2, encode the two isoforms of CHLI.     

Nanozymes: an emerging field bridging nanotechnology and enzymology

<正>Nanozyme,a class of nanomaterials with intrinsic enzymelike properties,is a new concept which has been included in the Encyclopedia of China and the textbook of enzyme engineering.Since the first evidence published in 2007 (Gao et al.,2007),great progress has been achieved in the study of nanozyme from new concept,new material to its new application,and it becomes an emerging field bridging nanotechnology and biology (Gao and Yan,2016).Nanozymes,like natural enzymes,can effectively catalyze the conversion     

New Role for an Old Rule: N-end Rule-Mediated Degradation of Ethylene Responsive Factor Proteins Governs Low Oxygen Response in Plants

The N-end rule pathway regulates protein degradation, which depends on exposed N-terminal sequences in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. In plants, conserved and specific enzymes stimulate selective proteolysis. Although a number of developmental and growth phenotypes have been reported for mutants in the N-end rule, its function has remained unrelated to specific physiological pathways. The first report of the direct involvement of the N-end rule in stress responses focused on hypoxic signaling and how the oxygen-dependent oxidation of cystein promotes the N-end rule-mediated degradation of ethylene responsive factor (ERF)-VII proteins, the master regulators of anaerobic responses. It has beensuggested that plants have evolved specific mechanisms to tune ERF-VII availability in the nucleus. In this review, we speculate that ERF-VII proteins are reversibly protected from degradation via membrane sequestration. The oxidative response in plants subjected to anoxic conditions suggests that reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species) may interact or interfere with the N-end rule pathway-mediated response to hypoxia.     

What have we learned about the kallikrein-kinin and renin-angiotensin systems in neurological disorders?

The kallikrein-kinin system(KKS) is an intricate endogenous pathway involved in several physiological and pathological cascades in the brain. Due to the pathological effects of kinins in blood vessels and tissues, their formation and degradation are tightly controlled. Their components have been related to several central nervous system diseases such as stroke, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and others. Bradykinin and its receptors(B1R and B2R) may have a role in the pathophysiology of certain central nervous system diseases. It has been suggested that kinin B1R is up-regulated in pathological conditions and has a neurodegenerative pattern, while kinin B2R is constitutive and can act as a neuroprotective factor in many neurological conditions. The renin angiotensin system(RAS) is an important blood pressure regulator and controls both sodium and water intake. AngⅡ is a potent vasoconstrictor molecule and angiotensin converting enzyme is the major enzyme responsible for its release. AngⅡ acts mainly on the AT1 receptor, with involvement in several systemic and neurological disorders. Brain RAS has been associated with physiological pathways, but is also associated with brain disorders. This review describes topics relating to the involvement of both systems in several forms of brain dysfunction and indicates components of the KKS and RAS that have been used as targets in several pharmacological approaches.     

Glyoxylate Reductase Isoform 1 is Localized in the Cytosol and Not Peroxisomes in Plant Cells

Glyoxylate reductase (GLYR) is a key enzyme in plant metabolism which catalyzes the detoxification of both photorespiratory glyoxylate and succinic semialdehdye, an intermediate of the γ-aminobutyrate (GABA) pathway. Two isoforms of GLYR exist in plants, GLYR1 and GLYR2, and while GLYR2 is known to be localized in plastids, GLYR1 has been reported to be localized in either peroxisomes or the cytosol. Here, we reappraised the intracellular localization of GLYR1 in Arabidopsis thaliana L. Heynh (ecotype Lansberg erecta) using both transiently-transformed suspension cells and stably-transformed plants, in combination with fluorescence microscopy. The results indicate that GLYR1 is localized exclusively to the cytosol regardless of the species, tissue and/or cell type, or exposure of plants to environmental stresses that would increase flux through the GABA pathway. Moreover, the C-terminal tripeptide sequence of GLYR1, -SRE, despite its resemblance to a type 1 peroxisomal targeting signal, is not sufficient for targeting to peroxisomes. Collectively, these results define the cytosol as the intracellular location of GLYR1 and provide not only important insight to the metabolic roles of GLYR1 and the compartmentation of the GABA and photorespiratory pathways in plant cells, but also serve as a useful reference for future studies of proteins proposed to be localized to peroxisomes and/or the cytosol.     

Roles and mechanisms of the CD38/cyclic adenosine diphosphate ribose/Ca~(2+) signaling pathway

Mobilization of intracellular Ca2+ stores is involved inmany diverse cell functions, including: cell proliferation;differentiation; fertilization; muscle contraction; secre-tion of neurotransmitters, hormones and enzymes;and lymphocyte activation and proliferation. Cyclic ad-enosine diphosphate ribose(cADPR) is an endogenousCa2+ mobilizing nucleotide present in many cell typesand species, from plants to animals. cADPR is formedby ADP-ribosyl cyclases from nicotinamide adenine di-nucleotide. The main ADP-ribosyl cyclase in mammalsis CD38, a multi-functional enzyme and a type Ⅱ mem-brane protein. It has been shown that many extracel-lular stimuli can induce cADPR production that leadsto calcium release or influx, establishing cADPR as asecond messenger. cADPR has been linked to a widevariety of cellular processes, but the molecular mecha-nisms regarding cADPR signaling remain elusive. Theaim of this review is to summarize the CD38/cADPR/Ca2+ signaling pathway, focusing on the recent advanc-es involving the mechanism and physiological functionsof cADPR-mediated Ca2+ mobilization.     

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate inhibits angiotensin Il-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy via regulating Hippo signaling pathway in H9c2 rat cardiomyocytes

AngiotensinⅡ(All) has been well known to induce cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the main active comp on ent of green tea and it has bee n show n to exhibit strong cardioprotective potential, although the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the role and mechanism of EGCG in preventing All-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy using rat H9c2 cardiomyocytes cells. Reactive oxygen species assay, cell size, and mRNA expression of cardiac hypertrophy markers ANP and BNP were assessed in response to All treatment. In addition, expression of proteins involved in Hippo signaling pathway were determined by western blot analysis. We found that All treatment resulted in significant upregulation of ANP and BNP expression levels and increase in H9c2 cell size, which were markedly attenuated by EGCG treatment. Furthermore, our results suggested that EGCG inhibited Allinduced cardiac hypertrophy via regulating the Hippo signaling pathway. Therefore, EGCG may be an effective agent for preventing cardiac hypertrophy.     

Advances in the Plant Isoprenoid Biosynthesis Pathway and Its Metabolic Engineering

Although the cytosolic isoprenoid biosynthetic pathway, mavolonate pathway, in plants has been known for many years, a new plastidial 1-deoxyxylulose-5-phosphate (DXP) pathway was identified in the past few years and its related intermediates, enzymes, and genes have been characterized quite recently. With a deep insight into the biosynthetic pathway of isoprenoids, investigations into the metabolic engineering of isoprenoid biosynthesis have started to prosper. In the present article, recent advances in the discoveries and regulatory roles of new genes and enzymes in the plastidial isoprenoid biosynthesis pathway are reviewed and examples of the metabolic engineering of cytosolic and plastidial isoprenoids biosynthesis are discussed.     

Crystal Structures of Human Dipeptidyl Peptidase Ⅳ in its Apo and Diprotin B-complexed Forms

Dipeptidyl peptidase Ⅳ (DPPIV), which belongs to the prolyl oligopeptidase family of serine proteases, is known to have a variety of regulatory biological functions and has been shown to be implicated in type 2 diabetes. It is therefore important to develop selective human DPPIV (hDPPIV) inhibitors. In this study, we determined the crystal structure of apo hDPPIV at 1.9 A resolution. Our high-resolution crystal structure of apo hDPPIV revealed the presence of sodium ion and glycerol molecules at the active site. In order to elucidate the hDPPIV binding mode and substrate specificity, we determined the crystal structure of hDPPIV-diprotin B (Val-Pro-Leu) complex at 2.1 A resolution, and clarified the difference in binding mode between diprotin B and diprotin A (Ile-Pro-Ile) into the active site of hDPPIV. Comparison between our crystal structures and the reported apo hDPPIV structures revealed that positively charged functional groups and conserved water molecules contributed to the interaction of ligands with hDPPIV. These results are useful for the design of potent hDPPIV inhibitors.     

Yeast nuclear RNA processing

Nuclear RNA processing requires dynamic and intricately regulated machinery composed of multiple enzymes and their cofactors.In this review,we summarize recent experiments using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model system that have yielded important insights regarding the conversion of pre-RNAs to functional RNAs,and the elimination of aberrant RNAs and unneeded intermediates from the nuclear RNA pool.Much progress has been made recently in describing the 3D structure of many elements of the nuclear degradation machinery and its cofactors.Similarly,the regulatory mechanisms that govern RNA processing are gradually coming into focus.Such advances invariably generate many new questions,which we highlight in this review.     

1-氨基环丙烷-1-羧酸合成酶:从酶学研究蛋白质纯化到分子克隆(英文)

Ethylene is a plant hormone which regulates many aspects of plant growth, development and senescence. The biosynthesis of ethylene in higher plants has been elucidated to proceed by the following pathway (Aadams and Yang 1979): Met→AdoMet→ACC→C_2H_4. 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) synthase catalyzes the conver-