Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor-D (PPARD) Coordinates Mouse Spermatogenesis by Modulating Extracellular Signal-regulated Kinase (ERK)-dependent Signaling

Ppard^−/− mice exhibit smaller litter size compared with Ppard^+/+ mice. To determine whether peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-D (PPARD) could possibly influence this phenotype, the role of PPARD in testicular biology was examined. Atrophic testes and testicular degeneration were observed in Ppard^−/− mice compared with Ppard^+/+ mice, indicating that PPARD modulates spermatogenesis. Higher expression of p27 and decreased expression of proliferating cellular nuclear antigen in Sertoli cells were observed in Ppard^+/+ mice as compared with Ppard^−/− mice, and these were associated with decreased Sertoli cell number in Ppard^+/+ mice. Cyclin D1 and cyclin D2 expression was lower in Ppard^+/+ as compared with Ppard^−/− mice. Ligand activation of PPARD inhibited proliferation of a mouse Sertoli cell line, TM4, and an inverse agonist of PPARD (DG172) rescued this effect. Temporal inhibition of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activation by PPARD in the testis was observed in Ppard^+/+ mice and was associated with decreased serum follicle-stimulating hormone and higher claudin-11 expression along the blood-testis barrier. PPARD-dependent ERK activation also altered expression of claudin-11, p27, cyclin D1, and cyclin D2 in TM4 cells, causing inhibition of cell proliferation, maturation, and formation of tight junctions in Sertoli cells, thus confirming a requirement for PPARD in accurate Sertoli cell function. Combined, these results reveal for the first time that PPARD regulates spermatogenesis by modulating the function of Sertoli cells during early testis development.     

利用优化改造的家蚕杆状病毒表达系统提高NS1表达产量

为优化家蚕杆状病毒表达系统,提高外源基因的表达产量。文中通过同源重组技术,用串联的氯霉素基因(Cm)表达盒和绿色荧光蛋白基因(egfp)表达盒将其替换,从而获得Chitinase和Cystein Protease两个基因缺失的家蚕杆状病毒载体。通过转座,将多角体启动子控制的家蚕二分浓核病毒(Bm BDV)ns1基因表达盒,定点插入到改造后的该分子载体中。将重组载体转染Bm N细胞,获得能表达家蚕二分浓核病毒(Bm BDV)NS1的缺失型重组病毒;另外,将多角体启动子控制的ns1基因转座到野生型Bm-bacmid中,获得能表达Bm BDV NS1的野生型重组病毒。将这两种病毒分别皮下注射家蚕,对感染后的家蚕血液中NS1表达水平进行比较,发现缺失Chitinase和Cystein Protease重组病毒感染的家蚕血液中,NS1的表达量是对照组的3倍,从而建立了一种高效表达可溶性NS1蛋白的方法,为靶蛋白的结构与功能研究奠定基础。     

PPENK-MIDGE-NLS基因载体的构建及其在活体大鼠的表达

增加体内免疫细胞合成分泌内源性阿片肽,可对心肌缺血再灌注损伤产生保护作用。基因治疗是增加内源性脑啡肽(Enkephalin,ENK)的一种有前景的研究方向,但是以往的病毒、质粒等载体受到其自身免疫原性的限制并存在基因重组、原癌基因激活、抗细菌蛋白抗体产生以及基因表达改变等诸多问题。本研究采用非病毒、非质粒的微量免疫原定义的基因表达(Minimalistic immunological defined gene expression,MIDGE)方法构建前脑啡肽原(Preproenkephalin,PPENK)PPENK-MIDGE-NLS基因载体能克服病毒和质粒载体的上述缺点。用PCR技术扩增大鼠前脑啡肽原(Preproenkephalin,PPENK)外显基因,产物插入p EGFP-N1质粒,双酶切质粒获得包含启动子、目的基因、RNA稳定序列的线性载体,两端以不受外切酶作用的发夹样脱氧寡核苷酸序列(Oligodesoxynucleotides,ODNs)封闭。为保证载体的入核和表达效率,载体的一端连接了核定位序列(Nuclear localization sequence,NLS)。流式细胞术和激光共聚焦检测其转染效率,Western blotting检测组织内前脑啡肽蛋白的表达。结果显示,PPENK-MIDGE-NLS能够转染大鼠活体细胞并表达前脑啡肽蛋白,增加载体的量能够在一定范围内提高转染效率。研究结果表明该载体可能成为预防和治疗心肌缺血再灌注损伤的新方法。     

A Highlights from MBoC Selection: Discovery of a vezatin-like protein for dynein-mediated early endosome transport

Early endosomes are transported bidirectionally by cytoplasmic dynein and kinesin-3, but how the movements are regulated in vivo remains unclear. Here our forward genetic study led to the discovery of VezA, a vezatin-like protein in Aspergillus nidulans, as a factor critical for early endosome distribution. Loss of vezA causes an abnormal accumulation of early endosomes at the hyphal tip, where microtubule plus ends are located. This abnormal accumulation depends on kinesin-3 and is due to a decrease in the frequency but not the speed of dynein-mediated early endosome movement. VezA-GFP signals are enriched at the hypha tip in an actin-dependent manner but are not obviously associated with early endosomes, thus differing from the early endosome association of the cargo adapter HookA (Hook in A. nidulans). On loss of VezA, HookA associates normally with early endosomes, but the interaction between dynein-dynactin and the early-endosome-bound HookA is significantly decreased. However, VezA is not required for linking dynein-dynactin to the cytosolic ∆C-HookA, lacking the cargo-binding C-terminus. These results identify VezA as a novel regulator required for the interaction between dynein and the Hook-bound early endosomes in vivo.