Components of Arabidopsis defense- and ethylene-signaling pathways regulate susceptibility to Cauliflower mosaic virus by restricting long-distance movement

We analyzed the susceptibility of Arabidopsis mutants with defects in salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA)/ethylene (ET) signaling to infection by Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV). Mutants cpr1-1 and cpr5-2, in which SA-dependent defense signaling is activated constitutively, were substantially more resistant than the wild type to systemic infection, implicating SA signaling in defense against CaMV. However, SA-deficient NahG, sid2-2, eds5-1, and pad4-1 did not show enhanced susceptibility. A cpr5 eds5 double mutant also was resistant, suggesting that resistance in cpr5 may function partially independently of SA. Treatment of cpr5 and cpr5 eds5, but not cpr1, with salicyl-hydroxamic acid, an inhibitor of alternative oxidase, partially restored susceptibility to wild-type levels. Mutants etr1-1, etr1-3, and ein2-1, and two mutants with lesions in ET/JA-mediated defense, eds4 and eds8, also showed reduced virus susceptibility, demonstrating that ET-dependent responses also play a role in susceptibility. We used a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing CaMV recombinant to monitor virus movement. In mutants with reduced susceptibility, cpr1-1, cpr5-2, and etr1-1, CaMV-GFP formed local lesions similar to the wild type, but systemic spread was almost completely absent in cpr1 and cpr5 and was substantially reduced in etr1-1. Thus, mutations with enhanced systemic acquired resistance or compromised ET signaling show diminished long-distance virus movement.     

Thiorhodamines containing amide and thioamide functionality as inhibitors of the ATP-binding cassette drug transporter P-glycoprotein (ABCB1)

Twelve thiorhodamine derivatives have been examined for their ability to stimulate the ATPase activity of purified human P-glycoprotein (P-gp)-His(10), to promote uptake of calcein AM and vinblastine into multidrug-resistant, P-gp-overexpressing MDCKII-MDR1 cells, and for their rates of transport in monolayers of multidrug-resistant, P-gp-overexpressing MDCKII-MDR1 cells. The thiorhodamine derivatives have structural diversity from amide and thioamide functionality (N,N-diethyl and N-piperidyl) at the 5-position of a 2-thienyl substituent on the thiorhodamine core and from diversity at the 3-amino substituent with N,N-dimethylamino, fused azadecalin (julolidyl), and fused N-methylcyclohexylamine (half-julolidyl) substituents. The julolidyl and half-julolidyl derivatives were more effective inhibitors of P-gp than the dimethylamino analogues. Amide-containing derivatives were transported much more rapidly than thioamide-containing derivatives.     

RGS4 is required for dopaminergic control of striatal LTD and susceptibility to parkinsonian motor deficits

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Sonic hedgehog expression in corticofugal projection neurons directs cortical microcircuit formation

The precise connectivity of inputs and outputs is critical for cerebral cortex function; however, the cellular mechanisms that establish these connections are poorly understood. Here, we show that the secreted molecule Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) is involved in synapse formation of a specific cortical circuit. Shh is expressed in layer V corticofugal projection neurons and the Shh receptor, Brother of CDO (Boc), is expressed in local and callosal projection neurons of layer II/III that synapse onto the subcortical projection neurons. Layer V neurons of mice lacking functional Shh exhibit decreased synapses. Conversely, the loss of functional Boc leads to a reduction in the strength of synaptic connections onto layer Vb, but not layer II/III, pyramidal neurons. These results demonstrate that Shh is expressed in postsynaptic target cells while Boc is expressed in a complementary population of presynaptic input neurons, and they function to guide the formation of cortical microcircuitry. VIDEO ABSTRACT:     

An annexin 2 phosphorylation switch mediates p11-dependent translocation of annexin 2 to the cell surface

Annexin 2 is a profibrinolytic co-receptor for plasminogen and tissue plasminogen activator that stimulates activation of the major fibrinolysin, plasmin, at cell surfaces. In human subjects, overexpression of annexin 2 in acute promyelocytic leukemia leads to a bleeding diathesis reflective of excessive cell surface annexin 2-dependent generation of plasmin (Menell, J. S., Cesarman, G. M., Jacovina, A. T., McLaughlin, M. A., Lev, E. A., and Hajjar, K. A. (1999) N. Engl. J. Med. 340, 994-1004). In addition, mice completely deficient in annexin 2 display fibrin accumulation within blood vessels and impaired clearance of injury-induced thrombi (Ling Q., Jacovina, A.T., Deora, A.B., Febbraio, M., Simantov, R., Silverstein, R. L., Hempstead, B. L., Mark, W., and Hajjar, K. A. (2004) J. Clin. Investig. 113, 38-48). Here, we show that endothelial cell annexin 2, a protein that lacks a typical signal peptide, translocates from the cytoplasm to the extracytoplasmic plasma membrane in response to brief temperature stress both in vitro and in vivo in the absence of cell death or cell lysis. This regulated response is independent of new protein or mRNA synthesis and does not require the classical endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi pathway. Temperature stress-induced annexin 2 translocation is dependent on both expression of protein p11 (S100A10) and tyrosine phosphorylation of annexin 2 because annexin 2 release is completely eliminated on depletion of p11, inactivation of tyrosine kinase, or mutation of tyrosine 23. Translocation of annexin 2 to the cell surface dramatically increases tissue plasminogen activator-dependent plasminogen activation potential and may represent a novel stress-induced protein secretion pathway.     

Genetic analysis of extended life span in Drosophila melanogaster II. Replication of the backcross test and molecular characterization of the N14 Locus

We are interested in localizing chromosomal regions that extend life span in Drosophila. Using stocks artificially selected for long life by Luckinbill and his colleagues, we have identified marker loci that are highly divergent in allelic frequencies between replicated long-lived lines and controls (Curtsinger et al., 1998). Several of the most divergent loci have been found to be associated with effects on life span in segregating backcross populations. Here we report an independent replication of the backcross test for the N14 marker locus, previously reported to extend male life spans by 12 days. The life span effect successfully replicates in males. N14 accounts for 30% of the total selection response in males. Life span extension occurs by a decrease in age-specific mortality rates at all ages, and is not attributable to modification of the slope of the age-specific mortality curve. The effect in females is small or nonexistent. Sequencing of the N14 locus shows that it is non-coding and not obviously regulatory, suggesting that the phenotypic effect arises from linkage disequilibrium with another locus or loci that directly affect life span. N14 DNA hybridizes to 63F/64A on the left arm of chromosome 3. The location is consistent with previous whole-chromosome substitution studies, and suggests new candidate genes for life span extension in Drosophila, including ras2. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Image representation using Hermite functions

We present a mathematical technique for analyzing images based on two-dimensional Hermite functions that are translated in both space and spatial frequency. Although the translated functions are not orthogonal, they do constitute a frame and hence can be used for image expansion. The technique has the practical advantage that fast algorithms based on the Zak transform (ZT) can be used to compute expansion coefficients. We describe properties of the ZT that are relevant to image representation and which allow us to use it both to compute expansion coefficients efficiently and to reconstruct images from them. Finally, we use a Hermite function frame to decompose and reconstruct a texture image. Received: 15 June 1993/Accepted in revised form: 22 December 1993