Apop-1, a novel protein inducing cyclophilin D-dependent but Bax/Bak-related channel-independent apoptosis

In the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis, mitochondria play a crucial role by releasing cytochrome c from the intermembrane space into the cytoplasm. Cytochrome c release through Bax/Bak-dependent channels in mitochondria has been well documented. In contrast, cyclophilin D (CypD), an important component of permeability transition pore-dependent protein release, remains largely undefined, and no apoptogenic proteins that act specifically in a CypD-dependent manner have been reported to date. Here, we describe a novel and evolutionarily conserved protein, apoptogenic protein (Apop). Mouse Apop-1 expression induces apoptotic death by releasing cytochrome c from mitochondria into the cytosolic space followed by activation of caspase-9 and -3. Apop-1-induced apoptosis is not blocked by Bcl-2 or Bcl-xL, inhibitors of Bax/Bak-dependent channels, whereas it is completely blocked by cyclosporin A, an inhibitor of permeability transition pore. Cells lacking CypD were resistant to Apop-induced apoptosis. Moreover, inhibition of Apop expression prevented the cell death induced by apoptosis-inducing substances. Our findings, thus, indicate that the expression of Apop-1 induces apoptosis though CypD-dependent pathway and that Apop-1 plays roles in cell death under physiological conditions.     

DRONC coordinates cell death and compensatory proliferation

Accidental cell death often leads to compensatory proliferation. In Drosophila imaginal discs, for example, gamma-irradiation induces extensive cell death, which is rapidly compensated by elevated proliferation. Excessive compensatory proliferation can be artificially induced by "undead cells" that are kept alive by inhibition of effector caspases in the presence of apoptotic stimuli. This suggests that compensatory proliferation is induced by dying cells as part of the apoptosis program. Here, we provide genetic evidence that the Drosophila initiator caspase DRONC governs both apoptosis execution and subsequent compensatory proliferation. We examined mutants of five Drosophila caspases and identified the initiator caspase DRONC and the effector caspase DRICE as crucial executioners of apoptosis. Artificial compensatory proliferation induced by coexpression of Reaper and p35 was completely suppressed in dronc mutants. Moreover, compensatory proliferation after gamma-irradiation was enhanced in drice mutants, in which DRONC is activated but the cells remain alive. These results show that the apoptotic pathway bifurcates at DRONC and that DRONC coordinates the execution of cell death and compensatory proliferation.     

Placental but not heart defects are associated with elevated hypoxia-inducible factor alpha levels in mice lacking prolyl hydroxylase domain protein 2

PHD1, PHD2, and PHD3 are prolyl hydroxylase domain proteins that regulate the stability of hypoxia-inducible factor alpha subunits (HIF-alpha). To determine the roles of individual PHDs during mouse development, we disrupted all three Phd genes and found that Phd2(-/-) embryos died between embryonic days 12.5 and 14.5 whereas Phd1(-/-) or Phd3(-/-) mice were apparently normal. In Phd2(-/-) mice, severe placental and heart defects preceded embryonic death. Placental defects included significantly reduced labyrinthine branching morphogenesis, widespread penetration of the labyrinth by spongiotrophoblasts, and abnormal distribution of trophoblast giant cells. The expression of several trophoblast markers was also altered, including an increase in the spongiotrophoblast marker Mash2 and decreases in the labyrinthine markers Tfeb and Gcm1. In the heart, trabeculae were poorly developed, the myocardium was remarkably thinner, and interventricular septum was incompletely formed. Surprisingly, while there were significant global increases in HIF-alpha protein levels in the placenta and the embryo proper, there was no specific HIF-alpha increase in the heart. Taken together, these data indicate that among all three PHD proteins, PHD2 is uniquely essential during mouse embryogenesis.     

Strategy for simulation of CID spectra of N-linked oligosaccharides toward glycomics

To develop a novel glycomics tool that can enable anyone to identify oligosaccharides very easily and quickly, we have recently constructed a library of observed multistage tandem mass (MS(n)) spectra for oligosaccharides. However, this approach requires the preparation of a large variety of structurally defined oligosaccharides. Therefore, simulation of the tandem mass spectrum for any given structure would be another powerful approach with which to improve the above method. By performing collision-induced dissociation (CID) experiments of sets of oligosaccharides complementarily labeled with (13)C(6)-D-galactose, we identified characteristic fragment patterns for each branch type of N-linked oligosaccharides. On the basis of these characteristic fragment patterns, we could simulate CID spectra for three isomeric oligosaccharides. In addition, we successfully demonstrated the identification of an oligosaccharide by matching its CID spectrum against the library of simulated tandem mass spectra. This strategy will be a useful tool for glycomics, as well as for approaches based on the library of observed MS(n) spectra.     

Mutational study on alphaGln90 of Fe-type nitrile hydratase from Rhodococcus sp. N771

Nitrile hydratase (NHase) from Rhodococcus sp. N771 is a non-heme iron enzyme having post-translationally modified cysteine ligands, alphaCys112-SO2H and alphaCys114-SOH. We replaced alphaGln90, which is conserved in all known NHases and involved in the hydrogen-bond network around the catalytic center, with glutamic acid or asparagine. The kcat of alphaQ90E and alphaQ90N mutants decreased to 24% and 5% that of wild type respectively, but the effect of mutations on Km was not very significant. In both mutants, the alphaCys114-SOH modification appeared to be responsible for the catalysis as in native NHase. We crystallized the nitrosylated alphaQ90N mutant and determined its structure at a resolution of 1.43 A. The structure was basically identical to that of native nitrosylated NHase except for the mutated site and its vicinity. The structural difference between native and alphaQ90N mutant NHases suggested the importance of the hydrogen bond networks between alphaGln90 and the iron center for the catalytic activity.     

Insect antifeedants, pterocarpans and pterocarpol, in heartwood of Pterocarpus macrocarpus Kruz

The insect antifeedant activities of pterocarpans and a sesquiterpene alcohol from the dichloromethane extract of Pterocarpus macrocarpus Kruz. (Leguminosae) were evaluated against the common cutworm, Spodoptera litura F. (Noctuidae), and the subterranean termite, Reticulitermes speratus (Kolbe)(Rhinotermitidae). Three pterocarpans, (-)-homopterocarpin (1), (-)-pterocarpin (2), and (-)-hydroxyhomopterocarpin (3) and the sesquiterpene alcohol, (+)-pterocarpol (5), were isolated from the dichloromethane extract of the heartwood of P. macrocarpus under guidance by a biological assay. Among these natural products, the most active insect antifeedant against both S. litura and R. speratus was 1. On the other hand, sesquiterpene alcohol 5 showed less insect antifeedant activity than the other pterocarpans against both insect species. While its methylated derivative, (-)-methoxyhomopterocarpin (4), showed high biological activity, 3 showed less insect antifeedant activity in this study. Interestingly, racemic 1 did not show insect antifeedant activity against S. litura. However, all of the test pterocarpans and isoflavones showed antifeedant activity against the test termites. Additionally, since these compounds were major constituents of P. macrocarpus, these antifeedant phenolics may act as chemical defense factors in this tree. In Thailand, lumber made from this tree is used to make furniture and in building construction due to its resistance to termite attack.     

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae spindle pole body (SPB) component Nbp1p is required for SPB membrane insertion and interacts with the integral membrane proteins Ndc1p and Mps2p

The spindle pole body (SPB) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae functions to nucleate and organize spindle microtubules, and it is embedded in the nuclear envelope throughout the yeast life cycle. However, the mechanism of membrane insertion of the SPB has not been elucidated. Ndc1p is an integral membrane protein that localizes to SPBs, and it is required for insertion of the SPB into the nuclear envelope during SPB duplication. To better understand the function of Ndc1p, we performed a dosage suppressor screen using the ndc1-39 temperature-sensitive allele. We identified an essential SPB component, Nbp1p. NBP1 shows genetic interactions with several SPB genes in addition to NDC1, and two-hybrid analysis revealed that Nbp1p binds to Ndc1p. Furthermore, Nbp1p is in the Mps2p-Bbp1p complex in the SPB. Immunoelectron microscopy confirmed that Nbp1p localizes to the SPB, suggesting a function at this location. Consistent with this hypothesis, nbp1-td (a degron allele) cells fail in SPB duplication upon depletion of Nbp1p. Importantly, these cells exhibit a "dead" SPB phenotype, similar to cells mutant in MPS2, NDC1, or BBP1. These results demonstrate that Nbp1p is a SPB component that acts in SPB duplication at the point of SPB insertion into the nuclear envelope.     

Involvement of syntaxin 18, an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-localized SNARE protein, in ER-mediated phagocytosis

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is thought to play an important structural and functional role in phagocytosis. According to this model, direct membrane fusion between the ER and the plasma or phagosomal membrane must precede further invagination, but the exact mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we investigated whether various ER-localized SNARE proteins are involved in this fusion process. When phagosomes were isolated from murine J774 macrophages, we found that ER-localized SNARE proteins (syntaxin 18, D12, and Sec22b) were significantly enriched in the phagosomes. Fluorescence and immuno-EM analyses confirmed the localization of syntaxin 18 in the phagosomal membranes of J774 cells stably expressing this protein tagged to a GFP variant. To examine whether these SNARE proteins are required for phagocytosis, we generated 293T cells stably expressing the Fc gamma receptor, in which phagocytosis occurs in an IgG-mediated manner. Expression in these cells of dominant-negative mutants of syntaxin 18 or D12 lacking the transmembrane domain, but not a Sec22b mutant, impaired phagocytosis. Syntaxin 18 small interfering RNA (siRNA) selectively decreased the efficiency of phagocytosis, and the rate of phagocytosis was markedly enhanced by stable overexpression of syntaxin 18 in J774 cells. Therefore, we conclude that syntaxin 18 is involved in ER-mediated phagocytosis, presumably by regulating the specific and direct fusion of the ER and plasma or phagosomal membranes.     

Proteomic analysis for protein carbonyl as an indicator of oxidative damage in senescence-accelerated mice

The senescence-accelerated prone mouse strain 8 (SAMP8) exhibits a remarkable age-accelerated deterioration in learning and memory. In this study, we identified carbonyl modification, a marker of protein oxidation, in liver and brain of SAMP8 from peptide mass fingerprints using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry in combination with LC-MS/MS analysis. Carbonyl modification of Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn-SOD) in liver at 3 month and hippocampal cholinergic neurostimulating peptide precursor protein (HCNP-pp) in brain at 9 month were higher in SAMP8 compared with control SAMR1. We demonstrated carbonyl modification of purified Cu,Zn-SOD increased by the reaction with H₂O₂. Therefore, progressive accumulation of oxidative damage to Cu,Zn-SOD, may cause dysfunction of defense systems against oxidative stress in SAMP8 with a higher oxidative states, leading to acceleration of aging. Furthermore, carbonyl modification of HCNP-pp may be involved in pathophysiological alterations associated with deterioration in the learning and memory in the brain seen in SAMP8.