Deficiency of a Glycogen Synthase-associated Protein,Epm2aip1, Causes Decreased Glycogen Synthesis and Hepatic Insulin Resistance

Glycogen synthesis is a major component of the insulin response, and defective glycogen synthesis is a major portion of insulin resistance. Insulin regulates glycogen synthase (GS) through incompletely defined pathways that activate the enzyme through dephosphorylation and, more potently, allosteric activation. We identify Epm2aip1 as a GS-associated protein. We show that the absence of Epm2aip1 in mice impairs allosteric activation of GS by glucose 6-phosphate, decreases hepatic glycogen synthesis, increases liver fat, causes hepatic insulin resistance, and protects against age-related obesity. Our work identifies a novel GS-associated GS activity-modulating component of insulin resistance.     

Lack of CYP1A responsiveness in species inhabiting chronically contaminated habitats: Two varieties of resistance?

Organisms chronically exposed to organic pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) can develop resistance to these chemicals, a condition associated with reduced inducibility of the biomarker enzyme cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A). This study addresses the CYP1A response of members of the families Ictaluridae and Centrarchidae, two fish families found throughout much of the United States. We measured CYP1A expression, PCB body burdens, and conducted CYP1A challenge experiments in species from these families residing in the Town Branch/Mud River system (Logan County, KY, USA), a stream system historically contaminated with high levels of PCBs. Despite PCB concentrations in muscle tissue typically associated with elevated CYP1A (16.7 to 75.2μgPCB/g wet edible flesh), resident fish in the contaminated Town Branch/Mud River sites (yellow bullhead [Ameiurus natalis], green sunfish [Lepomis cyanellus], and spotted bass [Micropterus punctulatus]) had hepatic CYP1A activity levels similar to, rather than higher than, those in reference fish, suggesting reduced sensitivity to CYP1A induction. Lack of CYP1A expression following direct contaminant exposure has often been associated with resistance to those contaminants. To determine if CYP1A in resident populations was resistant to induction by PCBs, we exposed resident fish to a single, intraperitoneal injection with a potent CYP1A inducer, 3,4,3',4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl (PCB 77). PCB 77 treatment significantly induced hepatic CYP1A activity and protein in yellow bullhead from reference, but not contaminated, sites and had no effect on CYP1A in green sunfish from either site. The low CYP1A expression levels in resident fish with elevated PCB body burdens, together with the failure of PCB injection to induce CYP1A in certain populations, indicate an acclimatory CYP1A response in yellow bullheads and likely an inherently resistant CYP1A in green sunfish. This work demonstrates for the first time acclimation of CYP1A to PCBs in a species within the family Ictaluridae and provides further support for our previous work indicating an apparent inherent lack of CYP1A sensitivity to chlorinated inducers in Centrarchids. These traits may explain, at least in part, the common association of these families with degraded habitats and indicate Lepomis members are likely to be excellent candidates for exploring the mechanistic basis of 'inherent' CYP1A resistance. This study also underlines to the need for thorough characterization of the CYP1A responsivity of a population and/or species prior to using CYP1A as a reliable biomonitoring tool.     

Dietary abscisic acid ameliorates influenza-virus-associated disease and pulmonary immunopathology through a PPARγ-dependent mechanism

The anti-inflammatory phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) modulates immune and inflammatory responses in mouse models of colitis and obesity. ABA has been identified as a ligand of lanthionine synthetase C-like 2, a novel therapeutic target upstream of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) pathway. The goal of this study was to investigate the immune modulatory mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory efficacy of ABA against influenza-associated pulmonary inflammation. Wild-type (WT) and conditional knockout mice with defective PPARγ expression in lung epithelial and hematopoietic cells (cKO) treated orally with or without ABA (100 mg/kg diet) were challenged with influenza A/Udorn (H3N2) to assess ABA's impact in disease, lung lesions and gene expression. Dietary ABA ameliorated disease activity and lung inflammatory pathology, accelerated recovery and increased survival in WT mice. ABA suppressed leukocyte infiltration and monocyte chemotactic protein 1 mRNA expression in WT mice through PPARγ since this effect was abrogated in cKO mice. ABA ameliorated disease when administered therapeutically on the same day of the infection to WT but not mice lacking PPARγ in myeloid cells. We also show that ABA's greater impact is between days 7 and 10 postchallenge when it regulates the expression of genes involved in resolution, like 5-lipoxygenase and other members of the 5-lipoxygenase pathway. Furthermore, ABA significantly increased the expression of the immunoregulatory cytokine interleukin-10 in WT mice. Our results show that ABA, given preventively or therapeutically, ameliorates influenza-virus-induced pathology by activating PPARγ in pulmonary immune cells, suppressing initial proinflammatory responses and promoting resolution.     

Differential sensitivity of CYP1A to 3,3′,4′,4-tetrachlorobiphenyl and benzo(a)pyrene in two Lepomis species

Although Lepomis species are abundant in a wide variety of habitats throughout North America and could serve as potentially valuable biomonitoring tools, few studies have examined the induction of pollutant biomarkers in this genus. We hypothesized that the induction of cytochrome P-450 1A (CYP1A), a sensitive and widely used indicator of response to aquatic contaminants, would serve as an effective biomarker of organic pollutant exposure in Lepomis species. We examined the response of CYP1A and two of the major pollutant-responsive phase II enzymes, glutathione S-transferase (GST), and uridine diphosphate glucuronyltransferase (UDPGT), in Lepomis exposed to organic pollutants under laboratory and field conditions. Two Lepomis species (longear sunfish, Lepomis megalottis and bluegill, Lepomis macrochirus) were exposed in the laboratory via intraperitoneal injection to corn oil (vehicle), benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) (10 and 50 mg/kg), a polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) or 3,4,3′,4′-tetrachlorobiphenyl (PCB 77) (0.1 and 1.0 mg/kg), a dioxin-like planar halogenated aromatic hydrocarbon (HAH), and sacrificed 2 (BaP) or 7 (corn oil, PCB77) days later. Lepomis hepatic CYP1A exhibited differential sensitivity to these two classes of environmental contaminants. CYP1A activity was weakly induced in bluegill exposed to 1.0 mg/kg PCB 77 (3 fold induction over controls) but strongly induced in both bluegill and longear sunfish exposed to 50 mg/kg BaP (37 and 15 fold induction over controls, respectively). In contrast, hepatic GST activity in both species remained unchanged following the treatment with either compound and hepatic UDPGT activity, which was assessed only in BaP-treated longear sunfish, was unaffected by that chemical, indicating these phase II enzymes may not be sensitive pollutant biomarkers in this genus. Further, longear sunfish collected from a PCB contaminated site displayed relatively low levels of CYP1A activity despite PCB body burdens associated with strong induction of CYP1A activity in other fish species. The strong induction of CYP1A by BaP with much weaker CYP1A response to PCB indicates that CYP1A in Lepomis sp. could be an excellent biomarker for PAH pollution, but may not be a reliable indicator of site contamination by halogenated hydrocarbons. We conclude that Lepomis species provide a useful model for examining the regulation and potential consequences of differential pollutant sensitivity, but that CYP1A in these species should be used with caution as an indicator of halogenated contaminants.     

Lentiviral-Mediated Transgene Expression Can Potentiate Intestinal Mesenchymal-Epithelial Signaling

Mesenchymal-epithelial signaling is essential for the development of many organs and is often disrupted in disease. In this study, we demonstrate the use of lentiviral-mediated transgene delivery as an effective approach for ectopic transgene expression and an alternative to generation of transgenic animals. One benefit to this approach is that it can be used independently or in conjunction with established transgenic or knockout animals for studying modulation of mesenchymal-epithelial interactions. To display the power of this approach, we explored ectopic expression of a Wnt ligand in the mouse intestinal mesenchyme and demonstrate its functional influence on the adjacent epithelium. Our findings highlight the efficient use of lentiviral-mediated transgene expression for modulating mesenchymal-epithelial interactions in vivo.     

A general modeling and visualization tool for comparing different members of a group: application to studying tau-mediated regulation of microtubule dynamics

Background  

Innumerable biological investigations require comparing collections of molecules, cells or organisms to one another with respect to one or more of their properties. Almost all of these comparisons are performed manually, which can be susceptible to inadvertent bias as well as miss subtle effects. The development and application of computer-assisted analytical and interpretive tools could help address these issues and thereby dramatically improve these investigations.     

A Truncating Mutation of TRAPPC9 Is Associated with Autosomal-Recessive Intellectual Disability and Postnatal Microcephaly

Although autosomal genes are increasingly recognized as important causes of intellectual disability, very few of them are known. We identified a genetic locus for autosomal-recessive nonsyndromic intellectual disability associated with variable postnatal microcephaly through homozygosity mapping of a consanguineous Israeli Arab family. Sequence analysis of genes in the candidate interval identified a nonsense nucleotide change in the gene that encodes TRAPPC9 (trafficking protein particle complex 9, also known as NIBP), which has been implicated in NF-κB activation and possibly in intracellular protein trafficking. TRAPPC9 is highly expressed in the postmitotic neurons of the cerebral cortex, and MRI analysis of affected patients shows defects in axonal connectivity. This suggests essential roles of TRAPPC9 in human brain development, possibly through its effect on NF-κB activation and protein trafficking in the postmitotic neurons of the cerebral cortex.     

Systematics of Alloteuthis (Cephalopoda:Loliginidae) based on molecular and morphometric data

Alloteuthis is a group of small, slender loliginid squids of minor fisheries importance. There are three nominal Alloteuthis species—A. media (Linnaeus), A. subulata (Lamarck) and A. africana Adam. Two of these species (A. media and A. subulata) have largely overlapping ranges in the Mediterranean and northeastern Atlantic, while A. africana is found along the west coast of Africa. Despite the low level of species diversity, Alloteuthis taxonomy and systematics are confused, and assignment of specimens to species can be difficult. To clarify Alloteuthis systematics, we gathered morphometric data and DNA sequence data from two mitochondrial loci and a nuclear locus from Alloteuthis specimens collected from several localities. Analyses of the morphometric data suggest that head width is the main variable allowing separation of A. africana from the other two species, and central club sucker size separates A. media from A. subulata. One easily diagnosable character often used to distinguish Alloteuthis species—relative fin length—appears to be of little taxonomic value. Only three specimens assignable to A. subulata both morphologically and genetically were found, all from the Adriatic; possible reasons for this apparent rarity are discussed. Gene tree parsimony and coalescent-based methods were used to estimate species relationships from the molecular data, and both supported a sister-species relationship between A. media and A. subulata. Analyses of molecular variation (AMOVA's) revealed significant genetic differentiation between Atlantic and Mediterranean A. media. This study highlights the importance of 1) sampling multiple individuals, locations and loci for species-level phylogenetic studies, 2) using morphometric analyses to reveal taxonomically meaningful morphological characters and 3) accounting for the stochastic nature of the coalescent process when estimating species phylogenies for closely related taxa.