HopPtoN is a Pseudomonas syringae Hrp (type III secretion system) cysteine protease effector that suppresses pathogen-induced necrosis associated with both compatible and incompatible plant interactions

Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 causes bacterial speck disease in tomato, and it elicits the hypersensitive response (HR) in non-host plants such as Nicotiana tabacum and Nicotiana benthamiana. The compatible and incompatible interactions of DC3000 with tomato and Nicotiana spp., respectively, result in plant cell death, but the HR cell death occurs more rapidly and is associated with effective plant defense. Both interactions require the Hrp (HR and pathogenicity) type III secretion system (TTSS), which injects Hop (Hrp outer protein) effectors into plant cells. Here, we demonstrate that HopPtoN is translocated into tomato cells via the Hrp TTSS. A hopPtoN mutant produced eightfold more necrotic 'speck' lesions on tomato leaves than did DC3000, but the mutant and the wild-type strain grew to the same level in infected leaves. In non-host N. tabacum leaves, the hopPtoN mutant produced more cell death, whereas a DC3000 strain overexpressing HopPtoN produced less cell death and associated electrolyte leakage in comparison with wild-type DC3000. Transient expression of HopPtoN via infection with a PVX viral vector enabled tomato and N. benthamiana plants to tolerate, with reduced disease lesions, challenge infections with DC3000 and P. syringae pv. tabaci 11528, respectively. HopPtoN showed cysteine protease activity in vitro, and hopPtoN mutants altered in the predicted cysteine protease catalytic triad (C172S, H283A and D299A) lost HR suppression activity. These observations reveal that HopPtoN is a TTSS effector that can suppress plant cell death events in both compatible and incompatible interactions.     

Treatment with non-hypercalcemic analogs of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 increases responsiveness to 17beta-estradiol, dihydrotestosterone or raloxifene in primary human osteoblasts

Pretreatment with 1 nM 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) (1,25), or non-hypercalcemic Vitamin D analogs, upregulated the response of creatine kinase (CK) to 17beta-estradiol (30 nM E(2)), raloxifene (3000 nM RAL) or dihydrotestosterone (300 nM DHT) in primary human bone cells. Previously, we reported that these osteoblast-like cells responded to gonadal steroids in a sex specific manner. Bone cells derived from pre-menopausal women showed greater stimulation of CK specific activity by E(2) than bone cells from post-menopausal women; in male-derived cells no age related difference was found. In this study, we treated cells derived from female or male bones, at different ages, with the side chain modified analogs of Vitamin D: CB 1093 (CB), EB 1089 (EB), MC 1288 (MC) and the demonstrably non-calcemic hybrid analog JK 1624 F2-2 (JKF), by daily addition of 1 nM, for 3 days. On day 4, cells were incubated with sex steroids for 4h and cell extracts were prepared. Pretreatment with JKF or CB significantly upregulated the response to 30 nM E(2) in all female-derived cells and to 300 nM DHT in mature male-derived cells. In cells from older males, only JKF caused augmentation of DHT action. Bone cells from pre- or post-menopausal females responded to 3000 nM RAL by increased CK activity to the same extent as to 30 nM E(2); however, RAL and E(2), when applied together, resulted in mutual annihilation of their agonist activities. Vitamin D analogs prevented the antagonistic effect of RAL in the presence of E(2), possibly due to increased numbers of ERs. Both estrogen receptors, alpha (ERalpha) and beta (ERbeta), were expressed in male- as well as in female-derived cells. However, only in female-derived cells were ERalpha and ERbeta upregulated by pretreatment with Vitamin D analogs. This study raises the possibility of testing combined Vitamin D analog and estrogen replacement treatment for post-menopausal women to prevent osteoporosis.     

Phosphorylation and 14-3-3 binding of Arabidopsis 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase

Fructose 2,6-bisphosphate (fru-2,6-P2) is a signalling metabolite that regulates photosynthetic carbon partitioning in plants. The content of fru-2,6-P2 in Arabidopsis leaves varied in response to photosynthetic activity with an abrupt decrease at the start of the photoperiod, gradual increase through the day, and modest decrease at the start of the dark period. In Arabidopsis suspension cells, fru-2,6-P2 content increased in response to an unknown signal upon transfer to fresh culture medium. This increase was blocked by either 2-deoxyglucose or the protein phosphatase inhibitor, calyculin A, and the effects of calyculin A were counteracted by the general protein kinase inhibitor K252a. The changes in fru-2,6-P2 at the start of dark period in leaves and in the cell experiments generally paralleled changes in nitrate reductase (NR) activity. NR is inhibited by protein phosphorylation and binding to 14-3-3 proteins, raising the question of whether fructose-6-phosphate,2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase protein from Arabidopsis thaliana (AtF2KP), which both generates and hydrolyses fru-2,6-P2, is also regulated by phosphorylation and 14-3-3s. Consistent with this hypothesis, AtF2KP and NR from Arabidopsis cell extracts bound to a 14-3-3 column, and were eluted specifically by a synthetic 14-3-3-binding phosphopeptide (ARAApSAPA). 14-3-3s co-precipitated with recombinant glutathione S-transferase (GST)-AtF2KP that had been incubated with Arabidopsis cell extracts in the presence of Mg-ATP. 14-3-3s bound directly to GST-AtF2KP that had been phosphorylated on Ser220 (SLSASGpSFR) and Ser303 (RLVKSLpSASSF) by recombinant Arabidopsis calcium-dependent protein kinase isoform 3 (CPK3), or on Ser303 by rat liver mammalian AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK; homologue of plant SNF-1 related protein kinases (SnRKs)) or an Arabidopsis cell extract. We have failed to find any direct effect of 14-3-3s on the F2KP activity in vitro to date. Nevertheless, our findings indicate the possibility that 14-3-3 binding to SnRK1-phosphorylated sites on NR and F2KP may regulate both nitrate assimilation and sucrose/starch partitioning in leaves.     

Mutants for photosystem I subunit D of Arabidopsis thaliana: effects on photosynthesis, photosystem I stability and expression of nuclear genes for chloroplast functions

In Arabidopsis thaliana, the D-subunit of photosystem I (PSI-D) is encoded by two functional genes, PsaD1 and PsaD2, which are highly homologous. Knock-out alleles for each of the loci have been identified by a combination of forward and reverse genetics. The double mutant psad1-1 psad2-1 is seedling-lethal, high-chlorophyll-fluorescent and deficient for all tested PSI subunits, indicating that PSI-D is essential for photosynthesis. In addition, psad1-1 psad2-1 plants show a defect in the accumulation of thylakoid multiprotein complexes other than PSI. Of the single-gene mutations, psad2 plants behave like wild-type (WT) plants, whereas psad1-1 markedly affects the accumulation of PsaD mRNA and protein, and photosynthetic electron flow. Additional effects of the psad1-1 mutation include a decrease in growth rate under greenhouse conditions and downregulation of the mRNA expression of most genes involved in the light phase of photosynthesis. In the same mutant, a marked decrease in the levels of PSI and PSII polypeptides is evident, as well as a light-green leaf coloration and increased photosensitivity. Increased dosage of PsaD2 in the psad1-1 background restores the WT phenotype, indicating that PSI-D1 and PSI-D2 have redundant functions.     

Circulating free nitrotyrosine in obstructive sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been increasingly linked to cardiovascular disease, endothelial dysfunction, and oxidative stress, generated by repetitive nocturnal hypoxemia and reperfusion. Circulating free nitrotyrosine has been reported as a novel biomarker of nitric oxide (NO)-induced oxidative/nitrosative stress. Nitrosative stress has been implicated as a possible mechanism for development of cardiovascular diseases. We tested the hypothesis that repetitive severe hypoxemia resulting from OSA would increase NO-mediated oxidative stress. We studied 10 men with newly diagnosed moderate to severe OSA who were free of other diseases, had never been treated for OSA, and were taking no medications. Nitrotyrosine measurements, performed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, were made before and after untreated apneic sleep. We compared free nitrotyrosine levels in these patients with those obtained at similar times in 10 healthy male control subjects without OSA, with similar age and body mass index. Evening baseline nitrotyrosine levels were similar before sleep in the control and OSA groups [0.16 +/- 0.01 and 0.15 +/- 0.01 ng/ml, respectively, P = not significant (NS)]. Neither normal nor disturbed apneic sleep led to significant changes of plasma nitrotyrosine (morning levels: control group 0.14 +/- 0.01 ng/ml; OSA group 0.15 +/- 0.01 ng/ml, P = NS). OSA was not accompanied by increased circulating free nitrotyrosine either at baseline or after sleep. This observation suggests that repetitive hypoxemia during OSA does not result in increased NO-mediated oxidative/nitrosative stress in otherwise healthy subjects with OSA.     

An LQT mutant minK alters KvLQT1 trafficking

Cardiac I_Ks, the slowly activated delayed-rectifier K⁺ current, is produced by the protein complex composed of - and -subunits: KvLQT1 and minK. Mutations of genes encoding KvLQT1 and minK are responsible for the hereditary long QT syndrome (loci LQT1 and LQT5, respectively). MinK-L51H fails to traffic to the cell surface, thereby failing to produce effective I_Ks. We examined the effects that minK-L51H and an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-targeted minK (minK-ER) exerted over the electrophysiology and biosynthesis of coexpressed KvLQT1. Both minK-L51H and minK-ER were sequestered primarily in the ER as confirmed by lack of plasma membrane expression. Glycosylation and immunofluorescence patterns of minK-L51H were qualitatively different for minK-ER, suggesting differences in trafficking. Cotransfection with the minK mutants resulted in reduced surface expression of KvLQT1 as assayed by whole cell voltage clamp and immunofluorescence. MinK-L51H reduced current amplitude by 91% compared with wild-type (WT) minK/KvLQT1, and the residual current was identical to KvLQT1 without minK. The phenotype of minK-L51H on I_Ks was not dominant because coexpressed WT minK rescued the current and surface expression. Collectively, our data suggest that ER quality control prevents minK-L51H/KvLQT1 complexes from trafficking to the plasma membrane, resulting in decreased I_Ks. This is the first demonstration that a minK LQT mutation is capable of conferring trafficking defects onto its associated -subunit. potassium channel; hereditary arrhythmia; electrophysiology; protein interaction     

Regulation of MDCK cell-substratum adhesion by RhoA and myosin light chain kinase after ATP depletion

The attachment of epithelial cells to the extracellular matrix substratum is essential for their differentiation and polarization. Despite this, the precise adhesion mechanism and its regulation are poorly understood. In the kidney, an ischemic insult causes renal tubular epithelial cells to detach from the basement membrane, even though they remain viable. To understand this phenomenon, and to probe the regulation of epithelial cell attachment, we used a model system consisting of newly adherent Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells subjected to ATP depletion to mimic ischemic injury. We found that MDCK cells detach from collagen I after 60 min of ATP depletion but reattach when resupplied with glucose. Detachment is not caused by degradation or endocytosis of ₁-integrins, which mediate attachment to collagen I. Basal actin filaments and paxillin-containing adhesion complexes are disrupted by ATP depletion and quickly reform on glucose repletion. However, partial preservation of basal actin by overexpression of constitutively active RhoA does not significantly affect cell detachment. Furthermore, Y-27632, an inhibitor of the RhoA effector Rho-kinase, does not prevent reattachment of cells on glucose addition, even though reformation of central stress fibers and large adhesion complexes is blocked. In contrast, reattachment of ATP-depleted cells and detachment of cells not previously subjected to ATP depletion are prevented by ML-7, an inhibitor of myosin light chain kinase (MLCK). We conclude that initial adherence of MDCK cells to a collagen I substratum is mediated by peripheral actin filaments and adhesion complexes regulated by MLCK but not by stress fibers and adhesion complexes controlled by RhoA. focal complexes; focal adhesions; epithelial adhesion; stress fibers; Rho-kinase