Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor captopril prevents volume overload cardiomyopathy in experimental chronic aortic valve regurgitation

The efficacy of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) in the treatment of chronic aortic regurgitation (AR) is not well established and remains controversial. The mechanisms by which ACEIs may protect against left-ventricular (LV) volume overload are not well understood, and clinical trials performed until now have yielded conflicting results. This study was therefore performed to assess the effectiveness of two different doses of the ACEI captopril in a rat model of chronic AR. We compared the effects of a 6-month low-dose (LD) (25 mg/kg) or higher dose (HD) (75 mg/kg) treatment with captopril on LV function and hypertrophy in Wistar rats with severe AR. Untreated animals developed LV eccentric hypertrophy and systolic dysfunction. LD treatment did not prevent hypertrophy and provided modest protection against systolic dysfunction. HD treatment preserved LV systolic function and dimensions and tended to slow hypertrophy. The cardiac index remained high and similar among all AR groups, treated or not. Tissue renin-angiotensin system (RAS) analysis revealed that ACE activity was increased in the LVs of AR animals and that only HD treatment significantly decreased angiotensin II receptor mRNA levels. Fibronectin expression was increased in the LV or AR animals, but HD treatment almost completely reversed this increase. The ACE inhibitor captopril was effective at high doses in this model of severe AR. These effects might be related to the modulation of tissue RAS and the control of fibrosis.     

Vasoactive intestinal peptide-induced neurite remodeling in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells implicates the Cdc42 GTPase and is independent of Ras-ERK pathway

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is known to regulate proliferation or differentiation in normal and tumoral cells. SH-SY5Y is a differentiated cell subclone derived from the SK-N-SH human neuroblastoma cell line and possess all the components for an autocrine action of VIP. In the present study, we investigated the morphological changes and intracellular signaling pathways occurring upon VIP treatment of SH-SY5Y cells. VIP induced an early remodeling of cell projections: a branched neurite network spread out and prominent varicosities developed along neurites. Although activated by VIP, the Ras/ERK pathway was not required for the remodeling process. In contrast, pull-down experiments revealed a strong Cdc42 activation by VIP while expression of a dominant-negative Cdc42 prevented the VIP-induced neurite changes, suggesting an important role for this small GTPase in the process. These data provide the first evidence for a regulation of the activity of Rho family GTPases by VIP and bring new insights in the signaling pathways implicated in neurite remodeling process induced by VIP in neuroblastoma cells.     

Sex-specific selection on the human X chromosome?

Genes involved in major biological functions, such as reproductive or cognitive functions, are choice targets for natural selection. However, the extent to which these genes are affected by selective pressures remains undefined. The apparent clustering of these genes on sex chromosomes makes this genomic region an attractive model system to study the effects of evolutionary forces. In the present study, we analysed the genetic diversity of a X-linked microsatellite in 1410 X-chromosomes from 10 different human populations. Allelic frequency distributions revealed an unexpected discrepancy between the sexes. By evaluating the different scenarios that could have led to this pattern, we show that sex-specific selection on the tightly linked VCX gene could be the most likely cause of such a distortion.     

A dinuclear copper(II) complex with a Cu(O, N-O)Cu bridging core: structural and magnetic (experimental and density functional theory) studies

The molecular and electronic structure, along with the magnetic properties of a dinuclear complex in which two copper ions interact through a phenoxo oxygen atom and an oximato group are presented. The complex [CuL³Cu(O₂CCH₃)]3H₂O ·  0.5CH₃OH (3) crystallizes in the monoclinic space group Cc, with a=28.432(2) Å, b=12.305(1) Å, c=13.159(1) Å and β=99.580(9)°. The X-ray molecular structure shows that the core of the molecule comprising the two metal ions and the seven neighboring donors is nearly planar. The copper(II) ions were found to be antiferromagnetically coupled with a singlet-triplet splitting of 764(4) cm⁻¹. Density Functional Theory (DFT) showed that the magnetic orbitals are largely delocalized towards the bridging area, and an antiferromagnetic interaction in good agreement with the experimental data was computed using the Broken Symmetry (BS) formalism to obtain the energy of the singlet state.     

Automatic and quantitative measurement of protein-protein colocalization in live cells

We introduce a novel statistical approach that quantifies, for the first time, the amount of colocalization of two fluorescent-labeled proteins in an image automatically, removing the bias of visual interpretation. This is done by estimating simultaneously the maximum threshold of intensity for each color below which pixels do not show any statistical correlation. The sensitivity of the method was illustrated on simulated data by statistically confirming the existence of true colocalization in images with as little as 3% colocalization. This method was then tested on a large three-dimensional set of fixed cells cotransfected with CFP/YFP pairs of proteins that either co-compartmentalized, interacted, or were just randomly localized in the nucleolus. In this test, the algorithm successfully distinguished random color overlap from colocalization due to either co-compartmentalization or interaction, and results were verified by fluorescence resonance energy transfer. The accuracy and consistency of our algorithm was further illustrated by measuring, for the first time in live cells, the dissociation rate (k(d)) of the HIV-1 Rev/CRM1 export complex induced by the cytotoxin leptomycin B. Rev/CRM1 colocalization in nucleoli dropped exponentially after addition of leptomycin B at a rate of 1.25 x 10(-3) s(-1). More generally, this algorithm can be used to answer a variety of biological questions involving protein-protein interactions or co-compartmentalization and can be generalized to colocalization of more than two colors.     

Structural requirements for additional N-linked carbohydrate on recombinant human erythropoietin

N-Linked glycosylation is a post-translational event whereby carbohydrates are added to secreted proteins at the consensus sequence Asn-Xaa-Ser/Thr, where Xaa is any amino acid except proline. Some consensus sequences in secreted proteins are not glycosylated, indicating that consensus sequences are necessary but not sufficient for glycosylation. In order to understand the structural rules for N-linked glycosylation, we introduced N-linked consensus sequences by site-directed mutagenesis into the polypeptide chain of the recombinant human erythropoietin molecule. Some regions of the polypeptide chain supported N-linked glycosylation more effectively than others. N-Linked glycosylation was inhibited by an adjacent proline suggesting that sequence context of a consensus sequence could affect glycosylation. One N-linked consensus sequence (Asn123-Thr125) introduced into a position close to the existing O-glycosylation site (Ser126) had an additional O-linked carbohydrate chain and not an additional N-linked carbohydrate chain suggesting that structural requirements in this region favored O-glycosylation over N-glycosylation. The presence of a consensus sequence on the protein surface of the folded molecule did not appear to be a prerequisite for oligosaccharide addition. However, it was noted that recombinant human erythropoietin analogs that were hyperglycosylated at sites that were normally buried had altered protein structures. This suggests that carbohydrate addition precedes polypeptide folding.     

The genetic or mythical ancestry of descent groups: lessons from the Y chromosome

Traditional societies are often organized into descent groups called "lineages," "clans," and "tribes." Each of these descent groups claims to have a common ancestor, and this ancestry distinguishes the group's members from the rest of the population. To test the hypothesis of common ancestry within these groups, we compared ethnological and genetic data from five Central Asian populations. We show that, although people from the same lineage and clan share generally a recent common ancestor, no such common ancestry is observed at the tribal level. Thus, a tribe might be a conglomerate of clans who subsequently invented a mythical ancestor to strengthen group unity.     

A delta-conotoxin from Conus ermineus venom inhibits inactivation in vertebrate neuronal Na+ channels but not in skeletal and cardiac muscles

We have isolated delta-conotoxin EVIA (delta-EVIA), a conopeptide in Conus ermineus venom that contains 32 amino acid residues and a six-cysteine/four-loop framework similar to that of previously described omega-, delta-, microO-, and kappa-conotoxins. However, it displays low sequence homology with the latter conotoxins. delta-EVIA inhibits Na+ channel inactivation with unique tissue specificity upon binding to receptor site 6 of neuronal Na+ channels. Using amphibian myelinated axons and spinal neurons, we showed that delta-EVIA increases the duration of action potentials by inhibiting Na+ channel inactivation. delta-EVIA considerably enhanced nerve terminal excitability and synaptic efficacy at the frog neuromuscular junction but did not affect directly elicited muscle action potentials. The neuronally selective property of delta-EVIA was confirmed by showing that a fluorescent derivative of delta-EVIA labeled motor nerve endings but not skeletal muscle fibers. In a heterologous expression system, delta-EVIA inhibited inactivation of rat neuronal Na+ channel subtypes (rNaV1.2a, rNaV1.3, and rNaV1.6) but did not affect rat skeletal (rNaV1.4) and human cardiac muscle (hNaV1.5) Na+ channel subtypes. delta-EVIA, in the range of concentrations used, is the first conotoxin found to affect neuronal Na+ channels without acting on Na+ channels of skeletal and cardiac muscle. Therefore, it is a unique tool for discriminating voltage-sensitive Na+ channel subtypes and for studying the distribution and modulation mechanisms of neuronal Na+ channels, and it may serve as a lead to design new drugs adapted to treat diseases characterized by defective nerve conduction.