Type 2C protein phosphatases in fungi

Type 2C Ser/Thr phosphatases are a remarkable class of protein phosphatases, which are conserved in eukaryotes and involved in a large variety of functional processes. Unlike in other Ser/Thr phosphatases, the catalytic polypeptide is not usually associated with regulatory subunits, and functional specificity is achieved by encoding multiple isoforms. For fungi, most information comes from the study of type 2C protein phosphatase (PP2C) enzymes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, where seven PP2C-encoding genes (PTC1 to -7) with diverse functions can be found. More recently, data on several Candida albicans PP2C proteins became available, suggesting that some of them can be involved in virulence. In this work we review the available literature on fungal PP2Cs and explore sequence databases to provide a comprehensive overview of these enzymes in fungi.     

SH3 domain-mediated recruitment of host cell amphiphysins by alphavirus nsP3 promotes viral RNA replication

Among the four non-structural proteins of alphaviruses the function of nsP3 is the least well understood. NsP3 is a component of the viral replication complex, and composed of a conserved aminoterminal macro domain implicated in viral RNA synthesis, and a poorly conserved carboxyterminal region. Despite the lack of overall homology we noted a carboxyterminal proline-rich sequence motif shared by many alphaviral nsP3 proteins, and found it to serve as a preferred target site for the Src-homology 3 (SH3) domains of amphiphysin-1 and -2. Nsp3 proteins of Semliki Forest (SFV), Sindbis (SINV), and Chikungunya viruses all showed avid and SH3-dependent binding to amphiphysins. Upon alphavirus infection the intracellular distribution of amphiphysin was dramatically altered and colocalized with nsP3. Mutations in nsP3 disrupting the amphiphysin SH3 binding motif as well as RNAi-mediated silencing of amphiphysin-2 expression resulted in impaired viral RNA replication in HeLa cells infected with SINV or SFV. Infection of Balb/c mice with SFV carrying an SH3 binding-defective nsP3 was associated with significantly decreased mortality. These data establish SH3 domain-mediated binding of nsP3 with amphiphysin as an important host cell interaction promoting alphavirus replication.     

hHGF overexpression in myoblast sheets enhances their angiogenic potential in rat chronic heart failure

After severe myocardial infarction (MI), heart failure results from ischemia, fibrosis, and remodeling. A promising therapy to enhance cardiac function and induce therapeutic angiogenesis via a paracrine mechanism in MI is myoblast sheet transplantation. We hypothesized that in a rat model of MI-induced chronic heart failure, this therapy could be further improved by overexpression of the antiapoptotic, antifibrotic, and proangiogenic hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in the myoblast sheets. We studied the ability of wild type (L6-WT) and human HGF-expressing (L6-HGF) L6 myoblast sheet-derived paracrine factors to stimulate cardiomyocyte, endothelial cell, or smooth muscle cell migration in culture. Further, we studied the autocrine effect of hHGF-expression on myoblast gene expression profiles by use of microarray analysis. We induced MI in Wistar rats by left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) ligation and allowed heart failure to develop for 4 weeks. Thereafter, we administered L6-WT (n = 15) or L6-HGF (n = 16) myoblast sheet therapy. Control rats (n = 13) underwent LAD ligation and rethoracotomy without therapy, and five rats underwent a sham operation in both surgeries. We evaluated cardiac function with echocardiography at 2 and 4 weeks after therapy, and analyzed cardiac angiogenesis and left ventricular architecture from histological sections at 4 weeks. Paracrine mediators from L6-HGF myoblast sheets effectively induced migration of cardiac endothelial and smooth muscle cells but not cardiomyocytes. Microarray data revealed that hHGF-expression modulated myoblast gene expression. In vivo, L6-HGF sheet therapy effectively stimulated angiogenesis in the infarcted and non-infarcted areas. Both L6-WT and L6-HGF therapies enhanced cardiac function and inhibited remodeling in a similar fashion. In conclusion, L6-HGF therapy effectively induced angiogenesis in the chronically failing heart. Cardiac function, however, was not further enhanced by hHGF expression.     

Direct observation of single amyloid-β(1-40) oligomers on live cells: binding and growth at physiological concentrations

Understanding how amyloid-β peptide interacts with living cells on a molecular level is critical to development of targeted treatments for Alzheimer's disease. Evidence that oligomeric Aβ interacts with neuronal cell membranes has been provided, but the mechanism by which membrane binding occurs and the exact stoichiometry of the neurotoxic aggregates remain elusive. Physiologically relevant experimentation is hindered by the high Aβ concentrations required for most biochemical analyses, the metastable nature of Aβ aggregates, and the complex variety of Aβ species present under physiological conditions. Here we use single molecule microscopy to overcome these challenges, presenting direct optical evidence that small Aβ(1-40) oligomers bind to living neuroblastoma cells at physiological Aβ concentrations. Single particle fluorescence intensity measurements indicate that cell-bound Aβ species range in size from monomers to hexamers and greater, with the majority of bound oligomers falling in the dimer-to-tetramer range. Furthermore, while low-molecular weight oligomeric species do form in solution, the membrane-bound oligomer size distribution is shifted towards larger aggregates, indicating either that bound Aβ oligomers can rapidly increase in size or that these oligomers cluster at specific sites on the membrane. Calcium indicator studies demonstrate that small oligomer binding at physiological concentrations induces only mild, sporadic calcium leakage. These findings support the hypothesis that small oligomers are the primary Aβ species that interact with neurons at physiological concentrations.     

Engagement of overexpressed Her2 with GEP100 induces autonomous invasive activities and provides a biomarker for metastases of lung adenocarcinoma

Overexpression of Her2/ErbB2/Neu in cancer is often correlated with recurrent distant metastasis, although the mechanism still remains largely elusive. We have previously shown that EGFR, when tyrosine-phosphorylated, binds to GEP100/BRAG2 to activate Arf6, which induces cancer invasion and metastasis. We now show that overexpressed Her2 in lung adenocarcinoma cells also employs GEP100. Like EGFR-GEP100 binding, this association is primarily mediated by the pleckstrin homology (PH) domain of GEP100 and Tyr1139/Tyr1196 of Her2. Tyr1139/Tyr1196 are autonomously phosphorylated, when Her2 is overexpressed. Accordingly, invasive activities mediated by the Her2-GEP100 pathway are not dependent on external factors. Blocking Her2-GEP100 binding, as well as its signaling pathway all inhibit cancer invasive activities. Moreover, our clinical study indicates that co-overexpression of Her2 with GEP100 in primary lung adenocarcinomas of patients is correlated with the presence of their node-metastasis with a statistical significance. Since the GEP100 PH domain interacts with both Her2 and EGFR, targeting this domain may provide novel cancer therapeutics.     

The photoactivation energy of the visual pigment in two spectrally different populations of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mysis relicta</Emphasis> (Crustacea,Mysida)

We report the first study of the relation between the wavelength of maximum absorbance (λ_max) and the photoactivation energy (E _a) in invertebrate visual pigments. Two populations of the opossum shrimp Mysis relicta were compared. The two have been separated for 9,000 years and have adapted to different spectral environments (“Sea” and “Lake”) with porphyropsins peaking at λ_max=529 nm and 554 nm, respectively. The estimation of E _a was based on measurement of temperature effects on the spectral sensitivity of the eye. In accordance with theory (Stiles in Transactions of the optical convention of the worshipful company of spectacle makers. Spectacle Makers’ Co., London, 1948), relative sensitivity to long wavelengths increased with rising temperature. The estimates calculated from this effect are E _a,529=47.8±1.8 kcal/mol and E _a,554=41.5±0.7 kcal/mol (different at P<0.01). Thus the red-shift of λ_max in the “Lake” population, correlating with the long-wavelength dominated light environment, is achieved by changes in the opsin that decrease the energy gap between the ground state and the first excited state of the chromophore. We propose that this will carry a cost in terms of increased thermal noise, and that evolutionary adaptation of the visual pigment to the light environment is directed towards maximizing the signal-to-noise ratio rather than the quantum catch.     

Minor folding defects trigger local modification of glycoproteins by the ER folding sensor GT

UDP-glucose:glycoprotein glucosyltransferase (GT) is a key component of the glycoprotein-specific folding and quality control system in the endoplasmic reticulum. By exclusively reglucosylating incompletely folded and assembled glycoproteins, it serves as a folding sensor that prolongs the association of newly synthesized glycoproteins with the chaperone-like lectins calnexin and calreticulin. Here, we address the mechanism by which GT recognizes and labels its substrates. Using an improved inhibitor assay based on soluble conformers of pancreatic ribonuclease in its glycosylated (RNase B) and unglycosylated (RNase A) forms, we found that the protein moiety of a misfolded conformer alone is sufficient for specific recognition by GT in vitro. To investigate the relationship between recognition and glucosylation, we tested a variety of glycosylation mutants of RNase S-Protein and an RNase mutant with a local folding defect [RNase C65S, C72S], as well as a series of loop insertion mutants. The results indicated that local folding defects in an otherwise correctly folded domain could be recognized by GT. Only glycans attached to the polypeptide within the misfolded sites were glucosylated.     

Response to novel food in infant chimpanzees: Do infants refer to mothers before ingesting food on their own?

We investigated infant response toward novel food in captive chimpanzees under the condition in which they can explore such items freely together with their mother. Infants first approached novel foods rather than familiar ones when presented simultaneously. However, they did not ingest novel food immediately, but always sniff-licked it first. Infants tended to pay attention to their mothers before mouthing or ingesting novel foods themselves, but never did so with familiar ones. In response to the infant's activity, mother chimpanzees were tolerant rather than actively interfering. Those results imply that chimpanzee infants respond to novel foods in a neophobic way and refer to their mother for some kind of cue before attempting to ingest them.     

More than one glycan is needed for ER glucosidase II to allow entry of glycoproteins into the calnexin/calreticulin cycle

Nascent and newly synthesized glycoproteins enter the calnexin (Cnx)/calreticulin (Crt) cycle when two out of three glucoses in the core N-linked glycans have been trimmed sequentially by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) glucosidases I (GI) and II (GII). By analyzing arrested glycopeptides in microsomes, we found that GI removed the outermost glucose immediately after glycan addition. However, although GII associated with singly glycosylated nascent chains, trimming of the second glucose only occurred efficiently when a second glycan was present in the chain. Consistent with a requirement for multiple glycans to activate GII, pancreatic RNase in live cells needed more than one glycan to enter the Cnx/Crt cycle. Thus, whereas GI trimming occurs as an automatic extension of glycosylation, trimming by GII is a regulated process. By adjusting the number and location of glycans, glycoproteins can instruct the cell to engage them in an individually determined folding and quality control pathway.