Early activation of wheat polyamine biosynthesis during Fusarium head blight implicates putrescine as an inducer of trichothecene mycotoxin production

Background  

The fungal pathogen Fusarium graminearum causes Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) disease on wheat which can lead to trichothecene mycotoxin (e.g. deoxynivalenol, DON) contamination of grain, harmful to mammalian health. DON is produced at low levels under standard culture conditions when compared to plant infection but specific polyamines (e.g. putrescine and agmatine) and amino acids (e.g. arginine and ornithine) are potent inducers of DON by F. graminearum in axenic culture. Currently, host factors that promote mycotoxin synthesis during FHB are unknown, but plant derived polyamines could contribute to DON induction in infected heads. However, the temporal and spatial accumulation of polyamines and amino acids in relation to that of DON has not been studied.     

Ionizing radiation‐induced long‐term expression of senescence markers in mice is independent of p53 and immune status

Exposure to IR has been shown to induce the formation of senescence markers, a phenotype that coincides with lifelong delayed repair and regeneration of irradiated tissues. We hypothesized that IR‐induced senescence markers could persist long‐term in vivo, possibly contributing to the permanent reduction in tissue functionality. Here, we show that mouse tissues exposed to a sublethal dose of IR display persistent (up to 45 weeks, the maximum time analyzed) DNA damage foci and increased p16^INK4a expression, two hallmarks of cellular senescence and aging. BrdU‐labeling experiments revealed that IR‐induced damaged cells are preferentially eliminated, at least partially, in a tissue‐dependent manner. Unexpectedly, the accumulation of damaged cells was found to occur independent from the DNA damage response modulator p53, and from an intact immune system, as their levels were similar in wild‐type and Rag2^?/? γC^?/? mice, the latter being deficient in T, B, and NK cells. Together, our results provide compelling evidence that exposure to IR induces long‐term expression of senescence markers in vivo, an effect that may contribute to the reduced tissue functionality observed in cancer survivors.     

Structural and functional studies of nonstructural protein 2 of the hepatitis C virus reveal its key role as organizer of virion assembly

Non-structural protein 2 (NS2) plays an important role in hepatitis C virus (HCV) assembly, but neither the exact contribution of this protein to the assembly process nor its complete structure are known. In this study we used a combination of genetic, biochemical and structural methods to decipher the role of NS2 in infectious virus particle formation. A large panel of NS2 mutations targeting the N-terminal membrane binding region was generated. They were selected based on a membrane topology model that we established by determining the NMR structures of N-terminal NS2 transmembrane segments. Mutants affected in virion assembly, but not RNA replication, were selected for pseudoreversion in cell culture. Rescue mutations restoring virus assembly to various degrees emerged in E2, p7, NS3 and NS2 itself arguing for an interaction between these proteins. To confirm this assumption we developed a fully functional JFH1 genome expressing an N-terminally tagged NS2 demonstrating efficient pull-down of NS2 with p7, E2 and NS3 and, to a lower extent, NS5A. Several of the mutations blocking virus assembly disrupted some of these interactions that were restored to various degrees by those pseudoreversions that also restored assembly. Immunofluorescence analyses revealed a time-dependent NS2 colocalization with E2 at sites close to lipid droplets (LDs) together with NS3 and NS5A. Importantly, NS2 of a mutant defective in assembly abrogates NS2 colocalization around LDs with E2 and NS3, which is restored by a pseudoreversion in p7, whereas NS5A is recruited to LDs in an NS2-independent manner. In conclusion, our results suggest that NS2 orchestrates HCV particle formation by participation in multiple protein-protein interactions required for their recruitment to assembly sites in close proximity of LDs.     

Cortical microtubule contacts position the spindle in C. elegans embryos

Interactions between microtubules and the cell cortex play a critical role in positioning organelles in a variety of biological contexts. Here we used Caenorhabditis elegans as a model system to study how cortex-microtubule interactions position the mitotic spindle in response to polarity cues. Imaging EBP-2::GFP and YFP::alpha-tubulin revealed that microtubules shrink soon after cortical contact, from which we propose that cortical adaptors mediate microtubule depolymerization energy into pulling forces. We also observe association of dynamic microtubules to form astral fibers that persist, despite the catastrophe events of individual microtubules. Computer simulations show that these effects, which are crucially determined by microtubule dynamics, can explain anaphase spindle oscillations and posterior displacement in 3D.     

Acute exposure to long-chain fatty acids impairs {alpha}2-adrenergic receptor-mediated antilipolysis in human adipose tissue

The acute in vitro and in vivo effects of long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) on the regulation of adrenergic lipolysis were investigated in human adipose tissue. The effect of a 2 h incubation, without or with LCFA (200 mumol/l), on basal and hormonally induced lipolysis was tested in vitro on isolated fat cells. The lipolytic response to epinephrine was enhanced by suppression of the antilipolytic alpha(2)-adrenergic effect. Then, healthy lean and obese male subjects performed a 45 min exercise bout at 50% of their heart rate reserve either after an overnight fast or 3 h after a high-fat meal (HFM: 95% fat, 5% carbohydrates). Subcutaneous adipose tissue lipolysis was measured by microdialysis in the presence or absence of an alpha-antagonist (phentolamine). In vivo, a HFM increased plasma levels of nonesterified fatty acids in lean and obese subjects. In both groups, the HFM did not alter hormonal responses to exercise. Under fasting conditions, the alpha(2)-adrenergic antilipolytic effect was more pronounced in obese than in lean subjects. The HFM totally suppressed the alpha(2)-adrenergic antilipolytic effect in lean and obese subjects during exercise. LCFAs per se, in vitro as well as in vivo, suppress alpha(2)-adrenergic-mediated antilipolysis in adipose tissue. LCFA-mediated suppression of antilipolytic pathways represents another mechanism whereby a high fat content in the diet might increase adipose tissue lipolysis.     

The lipid droplet binding domain of hepatitis C virus core protein is a major determinant for efficient virus assembly

Hepatitis C virus core protein forms the viral capsid and is targeted to lipid droplets (LDs) by its domain 2 (D2). By using a comparative analysis of two hepatitis C virus genomes (JFH1 and Jc1) differing in their level of virus production in cultured human hepatoma cells, we demonstrate that the core of the genotype 2a isolate J6 that is present in Jc1 mediates efficient assembly and release of infectious virions. Mapping studies identified a single amino acid residue in D2 as a major determinant for enhanced assembly and release of infectious Jc1 particles. Confocal microscopy analyses demonstrate that core protein in JFH1-replicating cells co-localizes perfectly with LDs and induces their accumulation in the perinuclear area, whereas no such accumulation of LDs and only a partial co-localization of core and LDs were found with the Jc1 genome. By using a fluorescence recovery after photobleaching assay, we found that green fluorescent protein-tagged D2 variants are mobile on LDs and that J6- and JFH1-D2 differ in their mobility. Taken together, our results demonstrate that the binding strength of the D2 domain of core for LDs is crucial for determining the efficiency of virus assembly.     

Inhibition of alpha interferon signaling by hepatitis B virus

Alpha interferon (IFN-alpha) and pegylated IFN-alpha (pegIFN-alpha) are used for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Unfortunately, only a minority of patients can be cured. The mechanisms responsible for hepatitis B virus (HBV) resistance to pegIFN-alpha treatment are not known. pegIFN-alpha is also used to treat patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). As with chronic hepatitis B, many patients with chronic hepatitis C cannot be cured. In CHC, IFN-alpha signaling has been found to be inhibited by an upregulation of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). PP2A inhibits protein arginine methyltransferase 1 (PRMT1), the enzyme that catalyzes the methylation of the important IFN-alpha signal transducer STAT1. Hypomethylated STAT1 is less active because it is bound by its inhibitor, PIAS1. In the present work, we investigated whether similar molecular mechanisms are also responsible for the IFN-alpha resistance found in many patients with chronic hepatitis B. We analyzed the expression of PP2A, the enzymatic activity of PRMT1 (methylation assays), the phosphorylation and methylation of STAT1, the association of STAT1 with PIAS1 (via coimmunoprecipitation assays), the binding of activated STAT1 to interferon-stimulated response elements (via electrophoretic mobility shift assays), and the induction of interferon target genes (via real-time RT-PCR) in human hepatoma cells expressing HBV proteins as well as in liver biopsies from patients with chronic hepatitis B and from controls. We found an increased expression of PP2A and an inhibition of IFN-alpha signaling in cells expressing HBV proteins and in liver biopsies of patients with CHB. The molecular mechanisms involved are similar to those found in chronic hepatitis C.     

Electrogenerated indium tin oxide-coated glass surface with photosensitive interfaces: surface analysis

We present herein a photo-immobilization technique for the localized and specific conjugation of biochip platforms with different proteinaceous bioreceptors, such as antigen or antibodies. This methodology based on a photoactivable electrogenerated polymer film, pyrrole-benzophenone, allows the covalent immobilization of biomolecules through light mediation. The surface-conductive glass platform electropolymerized with poly(pyrrole-benzophenone) thin film may then be used to affinity-coat the chip with molecular recognition probes. This glass chip electroconductive surface modification is done by the deposition of a thin layer of indium tin oxide (ITO). Thereafter, pyrrole-benzophenone monomers are electropolymerized onto the conductive metal oxide surface and then exposed to an antigen Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B (SEB)) solution and illuminated with UV light (wavelength approximately 345 nm) through a mask. As a result of the photochemical reaction, a pattern thin layer of the antigen was covalently bound to the benzophenone-modified surface. Then the sample to be analyzed, along with its specific target antibody (anti-SEB antibodies), is introduced onto the glass surface and left to react with the previously photo-immobilized antigen. When the immuno-reaction is completed, the specifically attached immunoglobulin analytes are detected by using secondary antibodies conjugated with Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC). The fluorescence signal emanating from the biochip surface is then quantified by two methods, using a filtered intensified charge-coupled device (CCD) camera and a grating spectrometer.