C-terminal domain of chromogranin B regulates intracellular calcium signaling

The versatility of intracellular calcium as a second messenger is seen in its ability to mediate opposing events such as neuronal cell growth and apoptosis. A leading hypothesis used to explain how calcium regulates such divergent signaling pathways is that molecules responsible for maintaining calcium homeostasis have multiple roles. For example, chromogranin B (CGB), a calcium binding protein found in secretory granules and in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum, buffers calcium and also binds to and amplifies the activity of the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (InsP(3)R). Previous studies have identified two conserved domains of CGB, an N-terminal domain (N-CGB) and a C-terminal domain (C-CGB). N-CGB binds to the third intraluminal loop of the InsP(3)R and inhibits binding of full-length CGB. This displacement of CGB decreases InsP(3)R-dependent calcium release and alters normal signaling patterns. In the present study, we further characterized the role of N-CGB and identified roles for C-CGB. The effect of N-CGB on calcium release depended upon endogenous levels of cellular CGB, whereas the regulatory effect of C-CGB was apparent regardless of endogenous levels of CGB. When either full-length CGB or C-CGB was expressed in cells, calcium transients were increased. Additionally, the calcium signal initiation site was altered upon C-CGB expression in neuronally differentiated PC12 and SHSY5Y cells. These results show that CGB has numerous regulatory roles and that CGB is a critical component in modulating InsP(3)R-dependent calcium signaling.     

Detoxication of structurally diverse polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) o-quinones by human recombinant catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) via O-methylation of PAH catechols

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are environmental and tobacco carcinogens. Metabolic activation of intermediate PAH trans-dihydrodiols by aldo-keto reductases (AKRs) leads to the formation of electrophilic and redox-active o-quinones. We investigated whether O-methylation by human recombinant soluble catechol-O-methyltransferase (S-COMT) is a feasible detoxication step for a panel of structurally diverse PAH-catechols produced during the redox-cycling process. Classes of PAH non-K-region o-quinones (bay region, methylated bay region, and fjord region o-quinones) produced by AKRs were employed in the studies. PAH o-quinones were reduced to the corresponding catechols by dithiothreitol under anaerobic conditions and then further O-methylated by human S-COMT in the presence of S-[3H]adenosyl-l-methionine as a methyl group donor. The formation of the O-methylated catechols was detected by HPLC-UV coupled with in-line radiometric detection, and unlabeled products were also characterized by LC-MS/MS. Human S-COMT was able to catalyze O-methylation of all of the PAH-catechols and generated two isomeric metabolites in different proportions. LC-MS/MS showed that each isomer was a mono-O-methylated metabolite. 1H NMR was used to assign the predominant positional isomer of benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-catechol as the O-8-monomethylated catechol. The catalytic efficiency (k(cat)/K(m)) varied among different classes of PAH-catechols by 500-fold. The ability of S-COMT to produce two isomeric products from PAH-catechols was rationalized using the crystal structure of the enzyme. We provide evidence that O-8-monomethylated benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-catechol is formed in three different human lung cell lines. It is concluded that human S-COMT may play a critical role in the detoxication of PAH o-quinones generated by AKRs.     

Host plant secondary metabolite profiling shows a complex, strain-dependent response of maize to plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria of the genus Azospirillum

Most Azospirillum plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) benefit plant growth through source effects related to free nitrogen fixation and/or phytohormone production, but little is known about their potential effects on plant physiology. These effects were assessed by comparing the early impacts of three Azospirillum inoculant strains on secondary metabolite profiles of two different maize (Zea mays) cultivars. After 10d of growth in nonsterile soil, maize methanolic extracts were analyzed by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and secondary metabolites identified by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Seed inoculation resulted in increased shoot biomass (and also root biomass with one strain) of hybrid PR37Y15 but had no stimulatory effect on hybrid DK315. In parallel, Azospirillum inoculation led to major qualitative and quantitative modifications of the contents of secondary metabolites, especially benzoxazinoids, in the maize plants. These modifications depended on the PGPR strain×plant cultivar combination. Thus, Azospirillum inoculation resulted in early, strain-dependent modifications in the biosynthetic pathways of benzoxazine derivatives in maize in compatible interactions. This is the first study documenting a PGPR effect on plant secondary metabolite profiles, and suggests the establishment of complex interactions between Azospirillum PGPR and maize.     

CRMP2 derived from cancer associated fibroblasts facilitates progression of ovarian cancer via HIF-1α-glycolysis signaling pathway

As the predominant stroma cells of tumor microenvironment (TME), cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are robust tumor player of different malignancies. However, less is known about the regulatory mechanism of CAFs on promoting progression of ovarian cancer (OvCA). In the present study, the conditioned medium of primary CAFs (CAF-CM) from OvCA was used to culture cell lines of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), and showed a potent role in promoting proliferation, migration and invasion of cancer cells. Mass spectrum (MS) analysis identified that Collapsin response mediator protein-2 (CRMP2), a microtubule-associated protein involved in diverse malignancies, derived from CAFs was a key regulator responsible for mediating these cell events of OvCA. In vitro study using recombinant CRMP2 (r-CRMP2) revealed that the protein promoted proliferation, invasion, and migration of OvCA cells through activation of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α-glycolysis signaling pathway. The CRMP2 was abundantly expressed in OvCA, with a well correlation with metastasis and poor prognosis, as analyzed from 118 patients’ samples. Inhibition of the CRMP2 derived from CAFs by neutralizing antibodies significantly attenuated the tumor size, weights, and metastatic foci numbers of mice in vivo. Our finding has provided a novel therapeutic clue for OvCA based on TME.Subject terms: Cancer, Tumour biomarkers     

口虾蛄性腺组织蛋白质双向电泳体系的建立及优化

旨在通过口虾蛄雄性、雌性性腺组织蛋白质双向电泳技术体系的优化,获得雄性、雌性口虾蛄性腺蛋白质的表达图谱。结果表明,不同的蛋白提取方法,上样前处理方法,上样量,聚焦时间及雌、雄性口虾蛄性腺蛋白表达图谱存在一定的差异。雌性、雄性口虾蛄用Tris-HCl提取后用丙酮沉淀方法提取蛋白质、不经上样缓冲液处理、上样量为10μg时,得到较好图谱。对图谱分析发现在pH4-6.5范围内,雌性口虾蛄性腺可溶性蛋白质种类多于雄性。雄性口虾蛄蛋白质点相对于雌性较少,且蛋白质大部分分布于酸性端。经过蛋白质双向电泳体系的优化,能显著提高双向电泳图谱的分辨率,为进一步研究口虾蛄性别差异表达蛋白的筛选,后续的口虾蛄蛋白质组学研究提供技术保障。     

水牛瘤胃宏基因组的一个新的β-葡萄糖苷酶基因umcel3G 的克隆、表达及其表达产物的酶学特性

以木质纤维素为原料、应用同步糖化共发酵工艺发酵生产酒精时需要酸性中低温高活力纤维素酶包括β-葡萄糖苷酶.本工作分 6 次构建了水牛瘤胃未培养微生物宏基因组文库,获得 1.26×105个克隆,文库含外源 DNA 的总长度约为 4.8×106kb.从文库中筛选到118个表达β-葡萄糖苷酶活性的独立克隆.发现其中 8 个克隆表达的β-葡萄糖苷酶在pH5.0、37℃条件下活性较强.对其中一个克隆进行了亚克隆,序列分析发现一个 2223 bp 的潜在的编码β-葡萄糖苷酶基因(umcel3G)的开放阅读框(ORF),其编码产物的氨基酸序列与来自于 Bacillus sp.的一个β-葡萄糖苷酶同源性最高,具有 60%的一致性和73%的相似性.该ORF在 E.coli中的表达产物Umcel3G的分子量与预测大小相似,酶谱分析表明该表达产物具有β-葡萄糖苷酶活性,证实该基因为一个β-葡萄糖苷酶基因.测定了用Ni-NTA纯化的Umcel3G 的酶学特性,其最适 pH 和最适温度分别为 6.0～6.5 和 45℃.一些金属离子如 Ca2+、Zn2+能显著提高该酶的酶活,而另外一些金属离子如 Fe3+、Cu2+能抑制 Umcel3G 的活性.在 pH4.5、35℃和 5 mmol/L 的 Ca2+存在的条件下,用 Ni-NTA 纯化的重组酶的比活为 22.8 IU/mg,说明该酶在用SSCF工艺发酵生产酒精中有潜在的应用价值.     

Comparative Analyses and Phylogenetic Relationships between <i>Cryptomeria fortunei</i> and Related Species Based on Complete Chloroplast Genomes

Cryptomeria fortunei (Chinese cedar) is a highly adaptable woody species and one of the main forest plantation trees in subtropical high-altitude areas in China. However, there are few studies on its chloroplast (cp) genome. In this study, the complete cp genome of C. fortunei was sequenced and evaluated via comparative analyses with those of related species (formerly the Taxodiaceae) in Cupressaceae. The C. fortunei cp genome was 131,580 bp in length, and the GC content of the whole genome was 35.38%. It lost one relevant large inverted repeat and contained 114 unique genes, including 82 protein-coding genes, 28 tRNAs and 4 rRNAs. The relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) of codons ending with A/U was more than twice that of codons ending with G/C. Thirty long repeat structures (LRSs) and 213 simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci were detected in the C. fortunei cp genome. Comparative analyses of 10 cp genomes revealed that substantial rearrangements occurred in the gene organization. Additionally, 6 cp hotspot regions (trnS-GGA, ycf1, trnP-GGG, trnC-GCA, psbZ and accD) were identified, and 4 genes (petL, psbM, rpl22 and psaM) had likely underwent positive selection. Phylogenetic analysis showed that Cupressaceae, Taxaceae and Cephalotaxaceae clustered to form a clade and that C. fortunei was most closely related to C. japonica (Japanese cedar), C. japonica cv. Wogon Hort and Taxodium distichum (baldcypress). These results provide references for future studies of population genetics, phylogenetic status and molecular markers among Cupressaceae species and for the cultivation of improved varieties.     

β-amylase in developing apple fruits: activities, amounts and subcellular localization

Starch degradation in cells is closely associated with cereal seed germination, photosynthesis in leaves, carbohydrate storage in tuberous roots, and fleshy fruit development. Based on previously reported in vitro assays, β-amylase is considered one of the key enzymes catalyzing starch breakdown, but up to date its role in starch breakdown in living cells remains unclear because the enzyme was shown often extrachloroplastic in living cells. The present experiment showed that β-amylase activity was progressively increasing concomitantly with decreasing starch concentrations during apple (Malus domestica Borkh cv. Starkrimson) fruit development. The apparent amount of β-amylase assessed by Western blotting also increased during the fruit development, which is consistent with the seasonal changes in the enzyme activity. The subcellular-localization studies via immunogold electron-microscopy technique showed that β-amylase visualized by gold particles was predominantly located in plastids especially at periphery of starch granules, but the gold particles were scarcely found in other subcellular compartments. These data proved for the first time that the enzyme is compartmented in its functional sites in plant living cells. The predominantly plastid-distributed pattern of β-amylase in cells was shown unchanged throughout the fruit development. The density of gold particles (β-amylase) in plastids was increasing during the fruit development, which is consistent with the results of Western blotting. So it is considered that β-amylase is involved in starch hydrolysis in plastids of the fruit cells.