A Dominant Negative Heterozygous G87R Mutation in the Zinc Transporter, ZnT-2 (SLC30A2), Results in Transient Neonatal Zinc Deficiency

Zinc is an essential mineral, and infants are particularly vulnerable to zinc deficiency as they require large amounts of zinc for their normal growth and development. We have recently described the first loss-of-function mutation (H54R) in the zinc transporter ZnT-2 (SLC30A2) in mothers with infants harboring transient neonatal zinc deficiency (TNZD). Here we identified and characterized a novel heterozygous G87R ZnT-2 mutation in two unrelated Ashkenazi Jewish mothers with infants displaying TNZD. Transient transfection of G87R ZnT-2 resulted in endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi retention, whereas the WT transporter properly localized to intracellular secretory vesicles in HC11 and MCF-7 cells. Consequently, G87R ZnT-2 showed decreased stability compared with WT ZnT-2 as revealed by Western blot analysis. Three-dimensional homology modeling based on the crystal structure of YiiP, a close zinc transporter homologue from Escherichia coli, revealed that the basic arginine residue of the mutant G87R points toward the membrane lipid core, suggesting misfolding and possible loss-of-function. Indeed, functional assays including vesicular zinc accumulation, zinc secretion, and cytoplasmic zinc pool assessment revealed markedly impaired zinc transport in G87R ZnT-2 transfectants. Moreover, co-transfection experiments with both mutant and WT transporters revealed a dominant negative effect of G87R ZnT-2 over the WT ZnT-2; this was associated with mislocalization, decreased stability, and loss of zinc transport activity of the WT ZnT-2 due to homodimerization observed upon immunoprecipitation experiments. These findings establish that inactivating ZnT-2 mutations are an underlying basis of TNZD and provide the first evidence for the dominant inheritance of heterozygous ZnT-2 mutations via negative dominance due to homodimer formation.     

Efficient mammalian germline transgenesis by cis-enhanced <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sleeping Beauty</Emphasis> transposition

Heightened interest in relevant models for human disease increases the need for improved methods for germline transgenesis. We describe a significant improvement in the creation of transgenic laboratory mice and rats by chemical modification of Sleeping Beauty transposons. Germline transgenesis in mice and rats was significantly enhanced by in vitro cytosine-phosphodiester-guanine methylation of transposons prior to injection. Heritability of transgene alleles was also greater from founder mice generated with methylated versus non-methylated transposon. The artificial methylation was reprogrammed in the early embryo, leading to founders that express the transgenes. We also noted differences in transgene insertion number and structure (single-insert versus concatemer) based on the influence of methylation and plasmid conformation (linear versus supercoiled), with supercoiled substrate resulting in efficient transpositional transgenesis (TnT) with near elimination of concatemer insertion. Combined, these substrate modifications resulted in increases in both the frequency of transgenic founders and the number of transgenes per founder, significantly elevating the number of potential transgenic lines. Given its simplicity, versatility and high efficiency, TnT with enhanced Sleeping Beauty components represents a compelling non-viral approach to modifying the mammalian germline.     

Boronate Complex Formation with Dopa Containing Mussel Adhesive Protein Retards pH-Induced Oxidation and Enables Adhesion to Mica

The biochemistry of mussel adhesion has inspired the design of surface primers, adhesives, coatings and gels for technological applications. These mussel-inspired systems often focus on incorporating the amino acid 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-L-alanine (Dopa) or a catecholic analog into a polymer. Unfortunately, effective use of Dopa is compromised by its susceptibility to auto-oxidation at neutral pH. Oxidation can lead to loss of adhesive function and undesired covalent cross-linking. Mussel foot protein 5 (Mfp-5), which contains ∼30 mole % Dopa, is a superb adhesive under reducing conditions but becomes nonadhesive after pH-induced oxidation. Here we report that the bidentate complexation of borate by Dopa to form a catecholato-boronate can be exploited to retard oxidation. Although exposure of Mfp-5 to neutral pH typically oxidizes Dopa, resulting in a>95% decrease in adhesion, inclusion of borate retards oxidation at the same pH. Remarkably, this Dopa-boronate complex dissociates upon contact with mica to allow for a reversible Dopa-mediated adhesion. The borate protection strategy allows for Dopa redox stability and maintained adhesive function in an otherwise oxidizing environment.     

Informed Choice in the German Mammography Screening Program by Education and Migrant Status: Survey among First-Time Invitees

Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer among women and mammography screening programs are seen as a key strategy to reduce breast cancer mortality. In Germany, women are invited to the population-based mammography screening program between ages 50 to 69. It is still discussed whether the benefits of mammography screening outweigh its harms. Therefore, the concept of informed choice comprising knowledge, attitude and intention has gained importance. The objective of this observational study was to assess the proportion of informed choices among women invited to the German mammography screening program for the first time. A representative sample of 17,349 women aged 50 years from a sub-region of North Rhine Westphalia was invited to participate in a postal survey. Turkish immigrant women were oversampled. The effects of education level and migration status on informed choice and its components were assessed. 5,847 (33.7%) women responded to the postal questionnaire of which 4,113 were used for analyses. 31.5% of the women had sufficient knowledge. The proportion of sufficient knowledge was lower among immigrants and among women with low education levels. The proportion of women making informed choices was low (27.1%), with similar associations with education level and migration status. Women of low (OR 2.75; 95% CI 2.18–3.46) and medium education level (OR 1.49; 95% CI 1.27–1.75) were more likely to make an uninformed choice than women of high education level. Turkish immigrant women had the greatest odds for making an uninformed choice (OR 5.30, 95% CI 1.92–14.66) compared to non-immigrant women. Other immigrant women only had slightly greater odds for making an uninformed choice than non-immigrant women. As immigrant populations and women with low education level have been shown to have poor knowledge, they need special attention in measures to increase knowledge and thus informed choices.     

Global tRNA misacylation induced by anaerobiosis and antibiotic exposure broadly increases stress resistance in Escherichia coli

High translational fidelity is commonly considered a requirement for optimal cellular health and protein function. However, recent findings have shown that inducible mistranslation specifically with methionine engendered at the tRNA charging level occurs in mammalian cells, yeast and archaea, yet it was unknown whether bacteria were capable of mounting a similar response. Here, we demonstrate that Escherichia coli misacylates non-methionyl-tRNAs with methionine in response to anaerobiosis and antibiotic exposure via the methionyl–tRNA synthetase (MetRS). Two MetRS succinyl-lysine modifications independently confer high tRNA charging fidelity to the otherwise promiscuous, unmodified enzyme. Strains incapable of tRNA mismethionylation are less adept at growth in the presence of antibiotics and stressors. The presence of tRNA mismethionylation and its potential role in mistranslation within the bacterial domain establishes this response as a pervasive biological mechanism and connects it to diverse cellular functions and modes of fitness.     

The wild-type Schizosaccharomyces pombe mat1 imprint consists of two ribonucleotides

The imprint at the mat1 locus of Schizosaccharomyces pombe acts to initiate the replication-coupled recombination event that underlies mating-type switching. However, the nature of the imprint has been an area of dispute. Two alternative models have been proposed: one stated that the imprint is a nick in the DNA, whereas our data suggested that it consists of one or two ribonucleotides incorporated into the otherwise intact DNA duplex. Here, we verify key predictions of the RNA model by characterization of wild-type genomic DNA purified under conditions known to hydrolyse DNA-RNA-DNA hybrid strands. First, we observe one-nucleotide gap at the hydrolysed DNA, as expected from the presence of two ribonucleotides. Second, using a novel assay based on ligation-mediated PCR, a 3'-terminal ribonucleotide is detected at the hydrolysed imprint. Our observations allow the unification of available data sets characterizing the wild-type imprint.