The R-Ras/RIN2/Rab5 complex controls endothelial cell adhesion and morphogenesis via active integrin endocytosis and Rac signaling

During developmental and tumor angiogenesis, semaphorins regulate blood vessel navigation by signaling through plexin receptors that inhibit the R-Ras subfamily of small GTPases. R-Ras is mainly expressed in vascular cells, where it induces adhesion to the extracellular matrix (ECM) through unknown mechanisms. We identify the Ras and Rab5 interacting protein RIN2 as a key effector that in endothelial cells interacts with and mediates the pro-adhesive and -angiogenic activity of R-Ras. Both R-Ras-GTP and RIN2 localize at nascent ECM adhesion sites associated with lamellipodia. Upon binding, GTP-loaded R-Ras converts RIN2 from a Rab5 guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) to an adaptor that first interacts at high affinity with Rab5-GTP to promote the selective endocytosis of ligand-bound/active β1 integrins and then causes the translocation of R-Ras to early endosomes. Here, the R-Ras/RIN2/Rab5 signaling module activates Rac1-dependent cell adhesion via TIAM1, a Rac GEF that localizes on early endosomes and is stimulated by the interaction with both Ras proteins and the vesicular lipid phosphatidylinositol 3-monophosphate. In conclusion, the ability of R-Ras-GTP to convert RIN2 from a GEF to an adaptor that preferentially binds Rab5-GTP allows the triggering of the endocytosis of ECM-bound/active β1 integrins and the ensuing funneling of R-Ras-GTP toward early endosomes to elicit the pro-adhesive and TIAM1-mediated activation of Rac1.     

Outcomes of the second workshop of the Food Sustainable Consumption and Production Round Table Working Group 1: deriving scientifically sound rules for a sector-specific environmental assessment methodology

Purpose  

This paper illustrates the consensus achieved by the members of the European Food Sustainable Consumption and Production Round Table Working Group 1 in their second scientific workshop held in the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre site in Ispra, Italy on July 5–7, 2011. This workshop came after having run a detailed analysis, of data gaps and of methodologies, for the environmental assessment of food and drink products. In particular, the aim of this workshop was to reach consensus amongst key stakeholders on those approaches found diverging across methodologies and on which the forthcoming protocol for the ENVIronmental assessment of FOOds and Drinks (ENVIFOOD Protocol) is expected to provide guidance to the sector.     

Isoelectric focusing in polyacrylamide gel carried out with a simple device for power regulation : Application to mammalian growth hormones

A unit is described to regulate the electrical power delivered to an isoelectric focusing cell. The device consists in a resistance set, in series with a power supply, which can be adjusted to a suitable resistance value in order to permit only minor changes in wattage. Simultaneous monitoring of voltage and current is also carried out with a pen-recorder adaptor.The improvements in operative conditions achieved by these means are tested by the fractionation of mammalian growth hormones.     

Structural characterization of the nonameric assembly of an Archaeal alpha-L-fucosidase by synchrotron small angle X-ray scattering

alpha-l-Fucosidase is a lysosomal enzyme responsible for hydrolyzing the alpha-1,6-linked fucose joined to the reducing-end N-acetylglucosamine of carbohydrate moieties in glycoproteins. The first alpha-l-fucosidase from Archaea was recently identified in the genome of the hyperthermophile Sulfolobus solfataricus; the enzyme is encoded by two open reading frames separated by a -1 frameshift. A preliminary biochemical and biophysical characterization of this extremophile enzyme has been carried out both in solution, through small angle X-ray scattering experiments, and in the crystalline state, showing an unusual oligomeric assembly resulting from the association of nine subunits, endowed with 3-fold molecular symmetry.     

Lack of dendritic cell mobilization into the peripheral blood of cancer patients following standard- or high-dose chemotherapy plus granulocyte-colony stimulating factor

BACKGROUND: Dendritic cells (DC), the most specialized antigen-presenting cells, can be detected in the peripheral blood (PB) and divided into two subsets of populations, DC1 and DC2, endowed with different functions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect on DC release and on their subsets of three regimens utilized to mobilize CD34+ cells into the PB in cancer patients and in normal CD34+ cell donors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The mobilizing sequences were: standard-dose epirubicin+taxol+granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF; 15 patients with advanced breast cancer), high-dose cyclophosphamide (CTX)+G-CSF (10 patients with breast cancer patients and 7 with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, NHL), and G-CSF alone (5 normal donors of CD34+ cells for allogeneic transplantation). Comparative data were obtained from the steady-state PB of 20 healthy volunteers. For flow cytometric analysis, DC were gated as negative for specific lineage markers (CD3, CD11b, CD14, CD16, CD56, CD19, CD20, CD34) and positive for HLA-DR. The DC1 and DC2 subsets were defined as CD11c and CDw123 positive, respectively. RESULTS: The percentages of DC at baseline and the time of CD34+ cell peak were: 0.48 and 0.51 for standard-dose chemotherapy (CT); 0.55 and 0.63 for breast cancer after high-dose CTX+G-CSF; 0.53 and 0.71 for NHL after high-dose CTX+G-CSF; and 0.51 and 0.54 for normal donors of CD34+ cells after G-CSF alone (all p=n.s.).Mean DC1/DC2 ratios in each study group at the time of CD34+ cell peak were 0.10, 0.12, and 0.18, respectively. Finally, in the group of healthy volunteers, the percentage of circulating DC was 0.95 and the mean DC1/DC2 ratio was 1.28. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first report that demonstrates that both standard-dose or high-dose CT, when utilized together with G-CSF, do not induce DC mobilization into the PB, whereas a reversed DC1/DC2 ratio is observed. Furthermore, a lack of significant DC mobilization after G-CSF alone was also seen, in contrast to what was previously observed by others. These data should be taken in account when evaluating clinical correlations between DC number and CPC engraftment in both the transplantation setting, when monitoring the effects on the immune system of combinations of new drugs and/or cytokines, and when high numbers of DC are required for both experimental and clinical applications.