History-dependence of isometric muscle force: effect of prior stretch or shortening amplitude

It is well-recognised that steady-state isometric muscle force is decreased following active shortening (force depression, FD) and increased following active stretch (force enhancement, FE). It has also been demonstrated that passive muscle force is increased following active stretch (passive FE). Several studies have reported that FD increases with shortening amplitude and that FE and passive FE increase with stretch amplitude. Here, we investigate whether these trends continue with further increases in shortening or stretch amplitude. Experiments were performed using in situ cat soleus muscles (n=8 for FD; n=7 for FE and passive FE). FD, FE and passive FE were measured after shortening or stretch contractions that covered as wide a range of amplitudes as practically possible without damaging the muscles. FD increased approximately linearly with shortening amplitude, over the full range of amplitudes investigated. This is consistent with the hypothesis that FD arises from a stress-induced inhibition of crossbridges. FE increased with stretch amplitude only up to a point, and then levelled off. Passive FE, and the transient increase in force at the end of stretch, showed relationships to stretch amplitude that were qualitatively very similar to the relationship for FE, increasing only until the same critical stretch amplitude had been reached. We conclude that FE and passive FE do not increase with stretch amplitude under all circumstances. This finding has important consequences for determining the mechanisms underlying FE and passive FE because any mechanism that is proposed to explain them must be able to predict it.     

Residual force depression is not abolished following a quick shortening step

Residual force depression is long lasting, but can be abolished instantaneously when a muscle is deactivated just long enough for force to drop to zero. According to the "cross-bridge inhibition theory" of force depression, this result is predicted as the release of stress on actin during deactivation restores the angular distortion of the actin binding sites, thereby establishing conditions identical to those of a purely isometric contraction. According to this theory, force depression should also be abolished if stress on actin is released through a quick shortening step. For slow (4.5mm/s) shortening of cat soleus (n=8), force depression was achieved in all muscles and averaged 5.3% (+/-1.9%) and 5.8% (+/-1.3%) for 9 and 18 mm shortening amplitudes. Following quick shortening (200 mm/s) of 18 mm, there was no statistically significant force depression. However, when slow shortening (4.5mm/s for 9 mm) was followed by quick shortening (200 mm/s for 9 mm) after delays of 0, 1, and 2s, there was a small but significant force depression in all cases averaging 3.2%, 3.7%, and 4.2%, respectively. We conclude from these results that a small amount of force depression persists following stress release caused by quick shortening, and therefore that the cross-bridge inhibition theory cannot be the sole cause of force depression.     

The N terminus of the non-T cell activation linker (NTAL) confers inhibitory effects on pre-B cell differentiation

SLP-65 and the linker for activation of T cells (LAT) are central adaptor proteins that link the activated pre-BCR to downstream events in pre-B cells. Recently, a new transmembrane adaptor called NTAL/LAB/LAT2 (hereafter called NTAL for non-T cell activation linker) with striking functional and structural similarity to LAT has been identified in B cells. In this study, we compare the function of NTAL and LAT in pre-BCR signaling and show that, in contrast to LAT, NTAL does not induce pre-BCR down-regulation, calcium flux, or pre-B cell differentiation. To test whether differences between NTAL-mediated and LAT-mediated signaling are caused by the missing phospholipase C (PLC)-gamma binding motif in NTAL, we inserted the PLC-gamma1/2 binding motif of LAT into NTAL. This insertion rendered NTAL capable of activating pre-BCR down-regulation and calcium flux. Unexpectedly however, the ability of NTAL to induce calcium flux was not sufficient to promote pre-B cell differentiation, suggesting that the PLC-gamma binding motif has only partial effects on NTAL-mediated pre-BCR signaling. By generating chimeric swap mutants, we identified the N terminus of NTAL as an inhibitory domain that prevents pre-B cell differentiation while allowing pre-BCR down-regulation and receptor-mediated calcium flux. Our data suggest that, in addition to the missing PLC-gamma1/2 binding motif, the N terminus is responsible for the functional differences between NTAL and LAT in pre-B cells.     

Arabidopsis GCP2 and GCP3 are part of a soluble gamma-tubulin complex and have nuclear envelope targeting domains

In higher plants, microtubules (MTs) are assembled in distinctive arrays in the absence of a defined organizing center. Three MT nucleation sites have been described: the nuclear surface, the cell cortex and cortical MT branch points. The Arabidopsis thaliana (At) genome contains putative orthologues encoding all the components of characterized mammalian nucleation complexes: gamma-tubulin and gamma-tubulin complex proteins GCP2 to GCP6. We have cloned the cDNA encoding AtGCP2, and show that gamma-tubulin, AtGCP2 and AtGCP3 are part of the same tandem affinity-purified complex and are present in a large membrane-associated complex. In addition, small soluble gamma-tubulin complexes of the size expected for a gamma-tubulin core complex are recruited to isolated nuclei. Using immunogold labelling, AtGCP3 is localized to both the nuclear envelope (NE) and the plasma membrane. To identify domains that could play a role in targeting complexes to these nucleation sites, truncated AtGCP2- and AtGCP3-green fluorescent protein fusion proteins were expressed in BY-2 cells. Several domains from AtGCP2 and AtGCP3 are capable of targeting fusions to the NE. We propose that regulated recruitment of soluble gamma-tubulin-containing complexes is responsible for nucleation at dispersed sites in plant cells and contributes to the formation and organization of the various MT arrays.     

Neuropeptide Y acts directly in the periphery on fat tissue and mediates stress-induced obesity and metabolic syndrome

The relationship between stress and obesity remains elusive. In response to stress, some people lose weight, whereas others gain. Here we report that stress exaggerates diet-induced obesity through a peripheral mechanism in the abdominal white adipose tissue that is mediated by neuropeptide Y (NPY). Stressors such as exposure to cold or aggression lead to the release of NPY from sympathetic nerves, which in turn upregulates NPY and its Y2 receptors (NPY2R) in a glucocorticoid-dependent manner in the abdominal fat. This positive feedback response by NPY leads to the growth of abdominal fat. Release of NPY and activation of NPY2R stimulates fat angiogenesis, macrophage infiltration, and the proliferation and differentiation of new adipocytes, resulting in abdominal obesity and a metabolic syndrome-like condition. NPY, like stress, stimulates mouse and human fat growth, whereas pharmacological inhibition or fat-targeted knockdown of NPY2R is anti-angiogenic and anti-adipogenic, while reducing abdominal obesity and metabolic abnormalities. Thus, manipulations of NPY2R activity within fat tissue offer new ways to remodel fat and treat obesity and metabolic syndrome.     

Receptor interacting protein 140 regulates expression of uncoupling protein 1 in adipocytes through specific peroxisome proliferator activated receptor isoforms and estrogen-related receptor alpha

Expression of uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp1) mRNA is elevated in differentiated adipocytes derived from brown or white adipose tissue devoid of the nuclear receptor corepressor receptor interacting protein 140 (RIP140). Increased expression is mediated in part by the recruitment of peroxisome proliferator activated receptors alpha and gamma, together with estrogen-related receptor alpha, which functions through a novel binding site on the Ucp1 enhancer. This demonstrates that regulation of Ucp1 expression in the absence of RIP140 involves derepression of at least three different nuclear receptors. The ability to increase expression of Ucp1 by beta-adrenergic signaling is independent of RIP140, as shown by the action of the beta(3)-adrenergic agonist CL 316,243 to stimulate expression in both brown and white adipocytes in the presence and absence of the corepressor. Therefore, the expression of this metabolic uncoupling protein in adipose cells is regulated by inhibition as well as activation of distinct signaling pathways.     

Selenoproteins of the thyroid gland: expression, localization and possible function of glutathione peroxidase 3

The thyroid gland has an exceptionally high selenium content, even during selenium deficiency. At least 11 selenoproteins are expressed, which may be involved in the protection of the gland against the high amounts of H2O2 produced during thyroid hormone biosynthesis. As determined here by in situ hybridization and Northern blotting experiments, glutathione peroxidases (GPx) 1 and 4 and selenoprotein P were moderately expressed, occurring selectively in the follicular cells and in leukocytes of germinal follicles of thyroids affected by Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Selenoprotein 15 was only marginally expressed and distributed over all cell types. GPx3 mRNA was exclusively localized to the thyrocytes, showed the highest expression levels and was down-regulated in 5 of 6 thyroid cancer samples as compared to matched normal controls. GPx3 could be extracted from thyroidal colloid by incubation with 0.5% sodium dodecyl sulfate indicating that this enzyme is (i) secreted into the follicular lumen and (ii) loosely attached to the colloidal thyroglobulin. These findings are consistent with a role of selenoproteins in the protection of the thyroid from possible damage by H2O2. Particularly, GPx3 might use excess H2O2 and catalyze the polymerization of thyroglobulin to the highly cross-linked storage form present in the colloid.     

Continuous delivery of D-luciferin by implanted micro-osmotic pumps enables true real-time bioluminescence imaging of luciferase activity in vivo

Bioluminescence imaging (BLI) of luciferase reporters in small animal models offers an attractive approach to monitor regulation of gene expression, signal transduction, and protein-protein interactions, as well as following tumor progression, cell engraftment, infectious pathogens, and target-specific drug action. Conventional BLI can be repeated within the same animal after bolus reinjections of a bioluminescent substrate. However, intervals between image acquisitions are governed by substrate pharmacokinetics and excretion, therefore restricting temporal resolution of reinjection protocols to the order of hours, limiting analyses of processes in vivo with short time constants. To eliminate these constraints, we examined use of implanted micro-osmotic pumps for continuous, long-term delivery of bioluminescent substrates. Pump-assisted d-luciferin delivery enabled BLI for > or = 7 days from a variety of luciferase reporters. Pumps allowed direct repetitive imaging at < 5-minute intervals of the pharmacodynamics of proteasome- and IKK-inhibiting drugs in mice bearing tumors stably expressing ubiquitin-firefly luciferase or IkappaBalpha-firefly luciferase fusion reporters. Circadian oscillations in the olfactory bulbs of transgenic rats expressing firefly luciferase under the control of the period1 promoter also were temporally resolved over the course of several days. We conclude that implanted pumps provide reliable, prolonged substrate delivery for high temporal resolution BLI, traversing complications of repetitive substrate injections.     

Bioluminescence imaging of period1 gene expression in utero

The use of real-time reporters has accelerated our understanding of gene expression in vivo. This study examined the feasibility of a luciferase-based reporter to image spatiotemporal changes in fetal gene expression in utero. We chose to monitor Period1 (Per1) because it is expressed broadly in the body and plays a role in circadian rhythmicity. Using rats carrying a Per1::luc transgene, we repetitively imaged fetuses in utero throughout gestation. We found that bioluminescence was specific to transgenic pups, increased dramatically on embryonic day 10 (10 days after successful mating), and continued to increase logarithmically until birth. Diurnal fluctuations in Per1 expression were apparent several days prior to birth. These results demonstrate the feasibility of in utero imaging of mammalian gene expression, tracking of fetal gene expression from the same litter, and early detection of mammalian clock gene expression. We conclude that luciferase-based reporters can provide a sensitive, noninvasive measure of in utero gene expression.     

Synthetic viability genomic screening defines Sae2 function in DNA repair

DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair by homologous recombination (HR) requires 3′ single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) generation by 5′ DNA-end resection. During meiosis, yeast Sae2 cooperates with the nuclease Mre11 to remove covalently bound Spo11 from DSB termini, allowing resection and HR to ensue. Mitotic roles of Sae2 and Mre11 nuclease have remained enigmatic, however, since cells lacking these display modest resection defects but marked DNA damage hypersensitivities. By combining classic genetic suppressor screening with high-throughput DNA sequencing, we identify Mre11 mutations that strongly suppress DNA damage sensitivities of sae2Δ cells. By assessing the impacts of these mutations at the cellular, biochemical and structural levels, we propose that, in addition to promoting resection, a crucial role for Sae2 and Mre11 nuclease activity in mitotic DSB repair is to facilitate the removal of Mre11 from ssDNA associated with DSB ends. Thus, without Sae2 or Mre11 nuclease activity, Mre11 bound to partly processed DSBs impairs strand invasion and HR.