Protein binding to polymer brush,based on ion-exchange,hydrophobic, and affinity interactions

The major limitations associated with conventional packed bed chromatography for protein separation and purification can be overcome by using adsorptive microporous membranes as chromatographic media. Microporous membranes have advantages as support matrices in comparison to conventional bead supports because they are not compressible and they eliminate diffusion limitations. As a result, higher throughput and shorter processing times are possible using these membrane systems. In this paper, we review the current state of development in the area of attaching functionalized polymer brushes onto a microporous membrane to form a novel chromatographic medium for protein separation and purification. The functionalized polymer brushes were appended onto the pore surface of a microporous hollow-fiber membrane uniformly across the membrane thickness by radiation-induced graft polymerization and subsequent chemical modifications. We review various applications of this adsorptive membrane chromatography by focusing on polymer brushes bearing ion-exchange, hydrophobic and affinity groups. Proteins were captured in multilayers by the ion-exchange group-containing polymer brushes due to the formation of a three-dimensional space for protein binding via the electrostatic repulsion of the polymer brushes. In contrast, proteins were captured in a monolayer at most by the polymer brushes containing hydrophobic or affinity ligands. By permeating a protein solution through the pores rimmed by the polymer brushes, an ideal capturing rate of the proteins with a negligible diffusional mass-transfer resistance was achieved by the functionalized polymer brushes, based on ion-exchange, hydrophobic, and affinity interactions.     

Modified sympathetic nerve system activity with overexpression of the voltage-dependent calcium channel beta3 subunit

N-type voltage-dependent calcium channels (VDCCs) play determining roles in calcium entry at sympathetic nerve terminals and trigger the release of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine. The accessory beta3 subunit of these channels preferentially forms N-type channels with a pore-forming CaV2.2 subunit. To examine its role in sympathetic nerve regulation, we established a beta3-overexpressing transgenic (beta3-Tg) mouse line. In these mice, we analyzed cardiovascular functions such as electrocardiography, blood pressure, echocardiography, and isovolumic contraction of the left ventricle with a Langendorff apparatus. Furthermore, we compared the cardiac function with that of beta3-null and CaV2.2 (alpha1B)-null mice. The beta3-Tg mice showed increased expression of the beta3 subunit, resulting in increased amounts of CaV2.2 in supracervical ganglion (SCG) neurons. The beta3-Tg mice had increased heart rate and enhanced sensitivity to N-type channel-specific blockers in electrocardiography, blood pressure, and echocardiography. In contrast, cardiac atria of the beta3-Tg mice revealed normal contractility to isoproterenol. Furthermore, their cardiac myocytes showed normal calcium channel currents, indicating unchanged calcium influx through VDCCs. Langendorff heart perfusion analysis revealed enhanced sensitivity to electric field stimulation in the beta3-Tg mice, whereas beta3-null and Cav2.2-null showed decreased responsiveness. The plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine levels in the beta3-Tg mice were significantly increased in the basal state, indicating enhanced sympathetic tone. Electrophysiological analysis in SCG neurons of beta3-Tg mice revealed increased calcium channel currents, especially N- and L-type currents. These results identify a determining role for the beta3 subunit in the N-type channel population in SCG and a major role in sympathetic nerve regulation.     

Osteoactivin upregulates expression of MMP-3 and MMP-9 in fibroblasts infiltrated into denervated skeletal muscle in mice

In this study, we examined pathophysiological roles of osteoactivin, a functionally unknown type I membrane glycoprotein, in mouse skeletal muscle atrophied by denervation (sciatic neurectomy). Denervation increased the amounts of osteoactivin, vimentin, matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), and MMP-9 in mouse gastrocnemius muscle. Interestingly, immunohistochemical analysis revealed that vimentin, MMP-3, and MMP-9 were mainly present in fibroblast-like cells infiltrated into denervated mouse gastrocnemius muscle, whereas osteoactivin was expressed in the sarcolemma of myofibers adjacent to the fibroblast-like cells. On the basis of these findings, we reasoned that osteoactivin in myocytes was involved in activation of the infiltrated fibroblasts. To address this issue, we examined effects of osteoactivin on expression of MMPs in fibroblasts in vitro and in vivo. Overexpression of osteoactivin in NIH-3T3 fibroblasts induced expression of MMP-3, but not in mouse C₂C₁₂ myoblasts, indicating that osteoactivin might functionally target fibroblasts. Treatment with recombinant mouse osteoactivin increased the amounts of collagen type I, MMP-3, and MMP-9 in mouse NIH-3T3 fibroblasts. The upregulated expression of these fibroblast marker proteins was significantly inhibited by heparin, but not by an integrin inhibitor, indicating that a heparin-binding motif in the extracellular domain might be an active site of osteoactivin. In osteoactivin-transgenic mice, denervation further enhanced expression of MMP-3 and MMP-9 in fibroblasts infiltrated into gastrocnemius muscle, compared with wild-type mice. Our present results suggest that osteoactivin might function as an activator for fibroblasts infiltrated into denervated skeletal muscles and play an important role in regulating degeneration/regeneration of extracellular matrix. sciatic neurectomy; Gpnmb family; C₂C₁₂ cells; NIH-3T3 cells; osteoactivin-transgenic mice     

Possibility for the Existence of a General Conformational Motif in the Active Sites of Enzymes Which are Involved in Nucleic Acids Metabolism

Abstract

Many different modified nucleosides and nucleotides with conformationally restricted partly flattened sugar residues are analyzed as substrates or inhibitors of several groups of enzymes of nucleic acid metabolism. A detailed examination of the sugar moiety of large group of modified nucleosides showed that there is a striking conformational similarity, i.e., they are flattened. We propose herein a hypothesis which can represent a general conformational elements in the structure of the active sites of several different groups of enzymes. This proposal envisions that during the enzymatic process natural substrates should reflect these flattened conformations. This hypothesis allows computation of conformational analyses of the enzyme actives centers as well as the design of new actively metabolized modified nucleosides.     

Anti-diabetic effects of globin digest and its active ingredient Leu-Ser-Glu-Leu in ICR mice,streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice and KK-Ay mice

AimsLeu-Ser-Glu-Leu (LSEL) is the main active ingredient of globin digest (GD) that has an anti-diabetic effect. Here, we investigated the anti-diabetic effect of LSEL for the first time.Main methodsThe anti-diabetic effects of GD and LSEL in ICR mice, streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice and KK-Ay mice were examined.Key findingsGD and LSEL suppressed the elevation of blood glucose in an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in ICR mice, STZ-induced diabetic mice and KK-Ay mice as well as in an oral sucrose tolerance test in ICR mice and in an insulin tolerance test (ITT) in KK-Ay mice. GD and LSEL decreased the blood glucose levels in the basal state in STZ-induced diabetic mice and KK-Ay mice. Furthermore, GD and LSEL elevated the serum insulin levels in an OGTT in ICR mice and KK-Ay mice and promoted the use of insulin in an ITT in KK-Ay mice. GD and LSEL increased the translocation or expression of the glucose transporter 4 in the muscle of ICR mice, STZ-induced diabetic mice and KK-Ay mice and increased the expression of the uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) in the muscle of ICR mice.SignificanceThese results indicate that GD and LSEL control blood glucose through the promotion of glucose uptake in the muscle of the mice. The acceleration of glucose uptake by GD and LSEL may be controlled by the promotion of insulin secretion and the up-regulation of UCP2 expression. GD and LSEL seem to be useful for lowering the incidence of hyperglycemia.     

Liquid-Based Iterative Recombineering Method Tolerant to Counter-Selection Escapes

Selection-based recombineering is a flexible and proven technology to precisely modify bacterial genomes at single base resolution. It consists of two steps of homologous recombination followed by selection/counter-selection. However, the shortage of efficient counter-selectable markers limits the throughput of this method. Additionally, the emergence of ‘selection escapees’ can affect recombinant pools generated through this method, and they must be manually removed at each step of selection-based recombineering. Here, we report a series of efforts to improve the throughput and robustness of selection-based recombineering and to achieve seamless and automatable genome engineering. Using the nucleoside kinase activity of herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (hsvTK) on the non-natural nucleoside dP, a highly efficient, rapid, and liquid-based counter-selection system was established. By duplicating hsvtk gene, combined with careful control of the population size for the subsequent round, we effectively eliminated selection escapes, enabling seamless and multiple insertions/replacement of gene-size fragments in the chromosome. Four rounds of recombineering could thus be completed in 10 days, requiring only liquid handling and without any need for colony isolation or genotype confirmation. The simplicity and robustness of our method make it broadly accessible for multi-locus chromosomal modifications.     

Polycomb Group Protein Ezh2 Regulates Hepatic Progenitor Cell Proliferation and Differentiation in Murine Embryonic Liver

In embryonic liver, hepatic progenitor cells are actively proliferating and generate a fundamental cellular pool for establishing parenchymal components. However, the molecular basis for the expansion of the progenitors maintaining their immature state remains elusive. Polycomb group proteins regulate gene expression throughout the genome by modulating of chromatin structure and play crucial roles in development. Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (Ezh2), a key component of polycomb group proteins, catalyzes tri-methylation of lysine 27 of histone H3 (H3K27me3), which trigger the gene suppression. In the present study, we investigated a role of Ezh2 in the regulation of the expanding hepatic progenitor population in vivo. We found that Ezh2 is highly expressed in the actively proliferating cells at the early developmental stage. Using a conditional knockout mouse model, we show that the deletion of the SET domain of Ezh2, which is responsible for catalytic induction of H3K27me3, results in significant reduction of the total liver size, absolute number of liver parenchymal cells, and hepatic progenitor cell population in size. A clonal colony assay in the hepatic progenitor cells directly isolated from in vivo fetal livers revealed that the bi-potent clonogenicity was significantly attenuated by the Ezh2 loss of function. Moreover, a marker expression based analysis and a global gene expression analysis showed that the knockout of Ezh2 inhibited differentiation to hepatocyte with reduced expression of a number of liver-function related genes. Taken together, our results indicate that Ezh2 is required for the hepatic progenitor expansion in vivo, which is essential for the functional maturation of embryonic liver, through its activity for catalyzing H3K27me3.     

Introgression of Drosophila simulans Nuclear Pore Protein 160 in Drosophila melanogaster Alone Does Not Cause Inviability but Does Cause Female Sterility

We have been analyzing genes for reproductive isolation by replacing Drosophila melanogaster genes with homologs from Drosophila simulans by interspecific backcrossing. Among the introgressions established, we found that a segment of the left arm of chromosome 2, Int(2L)S, carried recessive genes for hybrid sterility and inviability. That nuclear pore protein 160 (Nup160) in the introgression region is involved in hybrid inviability, as suggested by others, was confirmed by the present analysis. Male hybrids carrying an X chromosome of D. melanogaster were not rescued by the Lethal hybrid rescue (Lhr) mutation when the D. simulans Nup160 allele was made homozygous or hemizygous. Furthermore, we uniquely found that Nup160 is also responsible for hybrid sterility. Females were sterile when D. simulans Nup160 was made homozygous or hemizygous in the D. melanogaster genetic background. Genetic analyses indicated that the D. simulans Nup160 introgression into D. melanogaster was sufficient to cause female sterility but that other autosomal genes of D. simulans were also necessary to cause lethality. The involvement of Nup160 in hybrid inviability and female sterility was confirmed by transgene experiment.INVESTIGATING the genetic bases of reproductive isolation is important for understanding speciation (Sawamura and Tomaru 2002; Coyne and Orr 2004; Wu and Ting 2004; Noor and Feder 2006; Presgraves 2010). In fact, continued interest in this issue has led to the isolation of several genes that are responsible for hybrid sterility and inviability in Drosophila (Ting et al. 1998; Barbash et al. 2003; Presgraves et al. 2003; Brideau et al. 2006; Masly et al. 2006; Phadnis and Orr 2009; Prigent et al. 2009; Tang and Presgraves 2009). Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila simulans are the best pair for such genetic analyses (Sturtevant 1920). Hybrid male lethality in the cross between D. melanogaster females and D. simulans males is caused by incompatibility involving chromatin-binding proteins (Barbash et al. 2003; Brideau et al. 2006), and hybrid female lethality in the reciprocal cross is caused by incompatibility between a maternally supplied factor and a repetitive satellite DNA (Sawamura et al. 1993a; Sawamura and Yamamoto 1997; Ferree and Barbash 2009). Furthermore, individuals with the genotype equivalent to the backcrossed generation exhibit different incompatibilities (Pontecorvo 1943; Presgraves 2003), two components of which have been identified (Presgraves et al. 2003; Tang and Presgraves 2009). Because of the discovery of rescuing mutations that prevent hybrid inviability and sterility (Watanabe 1979; Hutter and Ashburner 1987; Sawamura et al. 1993a,b; Davis et al. 1996; Barbash and Ashburner 2003), chromosome segments from D. simulans can be introgressed into the D. melanogaster genome (Sawamura et al. 2000; Masly et al. 2006). For example, introgression of the D. simulans chromosome 4 or Y into D. melanogaster results in male sterility (Muller and Pontecorvo 1940; Orr 1992), and the recessive sterility by the chromosome 4 introgression is attributed to an interspecific gene transposition between chromosomes (Masly et al. 2006).The other successful introgressions of this type are the tip and the middle regions of the left arm of chromosome 2, Int(2L)D and Int(2L)S, respectively (Sawamura et al. 2000). Both female and male Int(2L)S homozygotes are sterile (Figure 1A), and the recessive sterility genes have been mapped with recombination and complementation assays against deficiencies. The male sterility genes are polygenic and interact epistatically with each other (Sawamura and Yamamoto 2004; Sawamura et al. 2004b), but the female sterility gene has been mapped to a 170-kb region containing only 20 open reading frames (ORFs) (Sawamura et al. 2004a). Interestingly, Int(2L)S also carries a recessive lethal gene whose effect is detected only in a specific genotype (Figure 1B). Lethality in hybrid males from the cross between D. melanogaster females and D. simulans males is rescued by the Lethal hybrid rescue (Lhr) mutation in D. simulans (Watanabe 1979), but the hybrid males cannot be rescued if they carry the introgression, presumably because of incompatibility between an X-linked gene(s) of D. melanogaster and a homozygous D. simulans gene in the Int(2L)S region (Sawamura 2000). Because the female sterility gene and the lethal gene were not separated by recombination, Sawamura et al. (2004a) suggested that female sterility and lethality may be a consequence of the pleiotropic effects of a single gene.Open in a separate windowFigure 1.—Viability and fertility of flies with various genotypes. (A) Females and males that are heterozygous or homozygous for the D. simulans introgression Int(2L)S (Int) in the D. melanogaster genetic background. (B) Four genotypic classes from the cross between introgression heterozygote [Int(2L)S/CyO] females and D. simulans Lethal hybrid rescue (Lhr) males. (C) Four genotypic classes from the cross between D. melanogaster females with a deficiency (Df) [Df(2L)/CyO] and D. simulans Lhr males. Open chromosome regions are from D. melanogaster, and shaded ones are from D. simulans.Because the hybrid lethal gene on Int(2L)S is recessive, the gene can be mapped by deficiencies instead of using introgression (Figure 1C) (Sawamura 2000; Sawamura et al. 2004a). In fact, hybrid males carrying a deficiency encompassing this region (hemizygous for the D. simulans genes) and the D. melanogaster X chromosome are lethal even if they carry the hybrid rescue mutation (see also Presgraves 2003). Tang and Presgraves (2009) subsequently narrowed down this region with multiple deficiencies and identified the hybrid lethal gene with a complementation test and transformation. We confirmed their conclusion and report our data here. In the transformation experiment, we used the natural promoter of the gene, instead of overexpressing the gene (Tang and Presgraves 2009), and we directly indicated, for the first time, that the hybrid lethal gene is also responsible for the female sterility of introgression homozygotes. The D. simulans allele of the gene seems to be nonfunctional on the genetic background of D. melanogaster. Moreover, our results indicated that this gene and chromosome X of D. melanogaster are not sufficient to explain the inviability and that another autosomal gene(s) in D. simulans is required.     

c-Jun amino terminal kinase 1 deficient mice are protected from streptozotocin-induced islet injury

In vitro studies have implicated the c-Jun amino terminal kinase (JNK) in cytokine-induced pancreatic injury leading to a loss of insulin production and hyperglycemia. We examined the role of JNK1 in the multiple low dose streptozotocin (MLD-STZ) model in which islet injury and hyperglycemia are dependent upon T cell immunity and pro-inflammatory cytokines. MLD-STZ in wild type mice induced islet leukocyte infiltration, cytokine production, β-cell apoptosis, and hyperglycemia. In contrast, Jnk1−/− mice were substantially protected from a loss of insulin producing cells and hyperglycemia in the MLD-STZ model despite a marked islet T cell and macrophage infiltrate. Based upon several lines of evidence, this protection was attributed to a reduction in TNF-α production by infiltrating Jnk1−/− macrophages leading to reduced β-cell apoptosis. In conclusion, JNK1 signaling plays an essential role in macrophage induced β-cell apoptosis and the development of hyperglycemia in MLD-STZ induced pancreatic injury.