Changes in single-molecule integrin dynamics linked to local cellular behavior

Recent advances in light microscopy permit visualization of the behavior of individual molecules within dense macromolecular ensembles in live cells. It is now conceptually possible to relate the dynamic organization of molecular machinery to cellular function. However, inherent heterogeneities, as well as disparities between spatial and temporal scales, pose substantial challenges in deriving such a relationship. New approaches are required to link discrete single-molecule behavior with continuous cellular-level processes. Here we combined intercalated molecular and cellular imaging with a computational framework to detect reproducible transient changes in the behavior of individual molecules that are linked to cellular behaviors. Applying our approach to integrin transmembrane receptors revealed a spatial density gradient underlying characteristic molecular density increases and mobility decreases, indicating the subsequent onset of local protrusive activity. Integrin mutants further revealed that these density and mobility transients are separable and depend on different binding domains within the integrin cytoplasmic tail. Our approach provides a generalizable paradigm for dissecting dynamic spatiotemporal molecular behaviors linked to local cellular events.     

Mechanical dysfunction of the sarcomere induced by a pathogenic mutation in troponin T drives cellular adaptation

Familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a leading cause of sudden cardiac death, is primarily caused by mutations in sarcomeric proteins. The pathogenesis of HCM is complex, with functional changes that span scales, from molecules to tissues. This makes it challenging to deconvolve the biophysical molecular defect that drives the disease pathogenesis from downstream changes in cellular function. In this study, we examine an HCM mutation in troponin T, R92Q, for which several models explaining its effects in disease have been put forward. We demonstrate that the primary molecular insult driving disease pathogenesis is mutation-induced alterations in tropomyosin positioning, which causes increased molecular and cellular force generation during calcium-based activation. Computational modeling shows that the increased cellular force is consistent with the molecular mechanism. These changes in cellular contractility cause downstream alterations in gene expression, calcium handling, and electrophysiology. Taken together, our results demonstrate that molecularly driven changes in mechanical tension drive the early disease pathogenesis of familial HCM, leading to activation of adaptive mechanobiological signaling pathways.     

Unsupervised fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy for high content and high throughput screening

Proteomics and cellomics clearly benefit from the molecular insights in cellular biochemical events that can be obtained by advanced quantitative microscopy techniques like fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy and F?rster resonance energy transfer imaging. The spectroscopic information detected at the molecular level can be combined with cellular morphological estimators, the analysis of cellular localization, and the identification of molecular or cellular subpopulations. This allows the creation of powerful assays to gain a detailed understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying spatiotemporal cellular responses to chemical and physical stimuli. This work demonstrates that the high content offered by these techniques can be combined with the high throughput levels offered by automation of a fluorescence lifetime imaging microscope setup capable of unsupervised operation and image analysis. Systems and software dedicated to image cytometry for analysis and sorting represent important emerging tools for the field of proteomics, interactomics, and cellomics. These techniques could soon become readily available both to academia and the drug screening community by the application of new all-solid-state technologies that may results in cost-effective turnkey systems. Here the application of this screening technique to the investigation of intracellular ubiquitination levels of alpha-synuclein and its familial mutations that are causative for Parkinson disease is shown. The finding of statistically lower ubiquitination of the mutant alpha-synuclein forms supports a role for this modification in the mechanism of pathological protein aggregation.     

The modulatory effect of triclosan on the reversion of the activated phenotype of LX‐2 hepatic stellate cells

Hepatic diseases leading to fibrosis affect millions of individuals worldwide and are a major public health challenge. Although, there have been many advances in understanding hepatic fibrogenesis, an effective therapy remains elusive. Studies focus primarily on activation of the hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), the principal fibrogenic cells in the liver; however, fewer numbers of studies have examined molecular mechanisms that deactivate HSC, controlling the profibrogenic phenotype. In the present study, we evaluated cellular and molecular actions of the chemical triclosan (TCS) in reverting activated HSCs to a quiesced phenotype. We demonstrated that the inhibition of the enzyme fatty acid synthase by TCS in activated HSCs promotes survival of the cells and triggers cellular and molecular changes that promote cellular phenotypic reversion, offering potentially new therapeutic directions.     

Modulating Molecular Functions of p53 with Small Molecules

Association of the p53 with many human cancers makes it a valuable therapeutic target. Stress-induced molecular interactions of p53 with other effector proteins are immensely intertwined with regulation of its functions in orchestrating a wide array of cellular responses, thereby defying analysis of the underlying molecular mechanisms with conventional molecular and cellular biology methods. Recent discoveries of small molecules that can selectively modulate the molecular interactions of p53 offer promising opportunities to address the challenge of dissecting these complex mechanisms and increase the hope for pharmacological control of p53 for clinical benefits of cancer patients.     

Genetic network and pathway analysis of differentially expressed proteins during critical cellular events in fracture repair

Bone repair consists of inflammation, intramembranous ossification, chondrogenesis, endochondral ossification, and remodeling. To better understand the translational regulation of these distinct but interrelated cellular events, we used the second generation of BD Clontechtrade mark Antibody Microarray to dissect and functionally characterize proteins differentially expressed between intact and fractured rat femur at each of these cellular events. Genetic network analysis showed that proteins differentially expressed within a given cellular event tend to be physically or functionally correlated. Seventeen such interacting networks were established over five cellular events that were most frequently associated with cell cycle, cell death, cell-to-cell signaling and interaction, and cell growth and proliferation. Eighteen molecular pathways were significantly enriched during the bone repair process, of which ERK/MAPK, NF-kB, PDGF, and T-cell receptor signaling pathways were significant during three or more cellular events. The analyses revealed dynamic temporal expression patterns and cellular-event-specific functions. The inflammation event on Day 1 was characteristic of the cell cycle-related molecular changes. The relative quiet stage of intramembranous ossification on Day 4 and the molecularly most active stage of chondrogenesis on Day 7 were featured by coordinated cell death and cell-proliferation signals. Endochondral ossification on Day 14 experienced a clear transition from the molecular/cellular function to the physiological system development/function. The osteoclast-mediated remodeling on Day 28 was highlighted by the integrin signaling pathway. The distinct changes in protein expression during these cellular events provide a molecular basis for developing cellular event-targeted therapeutic strategy to accelerate bone healing.     

Recent advances in dynamic intravital multi-photon microscopy

Standard multiphoton laser scanning microscopy (MPLSM) has revolutionized our view of physiologic and pathologic processes in living organisms by enlightening different aspects of cellular choreography in immune responses, that is, cellular motility and co-localization. To understand cellular communication on a molecular level, novel transgenic reporter mice have been generated. In parallel, MPLSM systems have been developed, which make it possible for this technique to be more widely used to address crucial immunological questions. Here, we review the latest progress concerning transgenic mouse technology and multiphoton imaging capacities and discuss further developments which will enable us to visualize all around monitoring and quantification of cellular function at a molecular level directly in vivo.     

Reduction of In-Stent Restenosis Risk on Nickel-Free Stainless Steel by Regulating Cell Apoptosis and Cell Cycle

High nitrogen nickel-free austenitic stainless steel (HNNF SS) is one of the biomaterials developed recently for circumventing the in-stent restenosis (ISR) in coronary stent applications. To understand the ISR-resistance mechanism, we have conducted a comparative study of cellular and molecular responses of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to HNNF SS and 316L SS (nickel-containing austenitic 316L stainless steel) which is the stent material used currently. CCK-8 analysis and flow cytometric analysis were used to assess the cellular responses (proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle), and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to analyze the gene expression profile of HUVECs exposed to HNNF SS and 316L SS, respectively. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that 316L SS could activate the cellular apoptosis more efficiently and initiate an earlier entry into the S-phase of cell cycle than HNNF SS. At the molecular level, qRT-PCR results showed that the genes regulating cell apoptosis and autophagy were overexpressed on 316L SS. Further examination indicated that nickel released from 316L SS triggered the cell apoptosis via Fas-Caspase8-Caspase3 exogenous pathway. These molecular mechanisms of HUVECs present a good model for elucidating the observed cellular responses. The findings in this study furnish valuable information for understanding the mechanism of ISR-resistance on the cellular and molecular basis as well as for developing new biomedical materials for stent applications.     

Can mechanics control pattern formation in plants?

Development of the plant body entails many pattern forming events at scales ranging from the cellular level to the whole plant. Recent evidence suggests that mechanical forces play a role in establishing some of these patterns. The development of cellular configurations in glandular trichomes and the rippling of leaf surfaces are discussed in depth to illustrate how intricate patterns can emerge from simple and well-established molecular and cellular processes. The ability of plants to sense and transduce mechanical signals suggests that complex interactions between mechanics and chemistry are possible during plant development. The inclusion of mechanics alongside traditional molecular controls offers a more comprehensive view of developmental processes.     

BCL-2 and glutathione: alterations in cellular redox state that regulate apoptosis sensitivity

The importance of intracellular glutathione (GSH) in the pathology of disease, particularly cancer, has long been appreciated. However the ubiquitous nature of GSH has made it difficult to ascribe to a specific molecular mechanism in disease fulfillment. In addition, in all but a few cases, the underlying genetic regulation of the cellular redox state disrupted in disease has not been well described. Early identification of the importance of intracellular GSH to detoxification reactions has now led to investigating the potential importance that glutathione chemistry has on signal transduction and molecular regulation of cellular physiology. Here new relationships between the cellular redox state and the apoptotic regulatory protein BCL-2 will be described with emphasis on potential mechanisms by which GSH can alter cellular physiology in addition to its role in detoxification.     

Reflections on a quarter century of research on contractile systems

By the early 1970s studies of muscle contraction reached a high level and the field gave birth to a new line of investigation into the molecular basis of cellular movements. The molecular diversity in these motile systems has proven to be greater than anticipated. Actin filament assembly without direct participation of myosin is used more widely for motility than expected. Atomic structures of key proteins and important technical advances, including single-molecule methods, have enabled detailed investigation of the mechanisms of muscle contraction and cellular motility. However, much work lies ahead to understand the mechanism of force production and to elucidate the signaling pathways that control cellular motility.     

人外周型苯二氮卓受体及其突变受体cDNA克隆和序列分析

用ＲＴ－ＰＣＲ方法扩增并克隆了三种人外周型苯二氮卓受体ＰＢＲｃＤＮＡ,测序表明,４４２ｂｐ片段与文献报道相比缺失８４ｂｐ编码序列,其转录水平高于正常ＰＢＲ．该序列编码一个与ＰＢＲ结构相关但缺失了２８个氨基酸残基的突变受体蛋白．这一异常转录本可能是通过选择性剪接方式转录产生并只存在于中国人肝癌ＢＥＬ７４０２细胞系,表明ＰＢＲ基因表达具有细胞特异性和异质性．突变受体的发现为研究ＰＢＲ的结构和功能提供了理想的分子和细胞模型     

Ubiquitylation-dependent downregulation of Nck regulates its functional activity

The Nck adapter protein is involved in key cellular functions, such as actin polymerization and reorganization, serving as a molecular bridge between the surface complex essential for foreign antigen recognition, the T-cell antigen receptor (TCR), and the actin machinery. However, the mechanisms regulating Nck expression and functions are unknown. In this study, we revealed Nck negative regulation and demonstrated that Nck is ubiquitylated following cellular activation. We identified the molecular determinants and mediators involved in this process. Our data suggest that Nck ubiquitylation might serve as a mechanism controlling Nck-mediated effector functions during cellular activation.     

Molecular mechanism of co-translational protein targeting by the signal recognition particle

The signal recognition particle (SRP) is a key component of the cellular machinery that couples the ongoing synthesis of proteins to their proper localization, and has often served as a paradigm for understanding the molecular basis of protein localization within the cell. The SRP pathway exemplifies several key molecular events required for protein targeting to cellular membranes: the specific recognition of signal sequences on cargo proteins, the efficient delivery of cargo to the target membrane, the productive unloading of cargo to the translocation machinery and the precise spatial and temporal coordination of these molecular events. Here we highlight recent advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying this pathway, and discuss new questions raised by these findings.     

Turning all the lights on: quantum dots in cellular assays

Quantum dot materials are increasingly used in cellular assays, and offer a powerful and enabling complement to existing methods of labeling proteins, such as green fluorescent protein. These materials give researchers the ability to study specificity and functional responses in cellular systems, in a highly multiplexed manner, at either a molecular or cellular level. The recent literature bears witness to the increasing use of quantum dots for the investigation of chemicals on biological systems, and paves the way to the use of these assays for high-throughput analysis of functional responses in relevant models at scales including molecular, cellular and whole animal.