The effect of physical and chemical treatment on the mechanical properties of the cell wall of the alga Chara corallina

Single large internode cells of the charophyte (giant alga) Chara corallina were dissected to give sheets of cell wall, which were then notched and their mechanical properties in tension determined. The cells were subjected to a thermal treatment in excess water (cf. cooking), which had little effect on strength but increased the stiffness, contrasting with the behaviour of higher-plant tissues. Extraction in CDTA (cyclohexane-trans-1,2-diamine-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetate) or 4 M KOH reduced the strength from 17 MPa to 10 MPa, although sequential extraction in CDTA and 4 M KOH reduced the strength further to 4 MPa. The stiffness decreased from 500 MPa to 300 MPa on extraction in CDTA or 4 M KOH, while falling to 70 MPa after extraction in CDTA followed by 4 M KOH. Conventional sequential extraction in CDTA, Na2CO3 at 1 degrees C and 20 degrees C, and KOH at 0.5 M, 1 M, 2 M and 4 M caused a gradual decrease in stiffness and strength after the CDTA treatment to the same lower values. This result is in keeping with mechanical properties for plant tissues, but in contrast to the removal of pectic polysaccharides from model cell wall systems, which does not reduce the stiffness.     

High-throughput screening for ion channel modulators

Ion channels present a group of targets for major clinical indications, which have been difficult to address due to the lack of suitable rapid but biologically significant methodologies. To address the need for increased throughput in primary screening, the authors have set up a Beckman/Sagian core system to fully automate functional fluorescence-based assays that measure ion channel function. They apply voltage-sensitive fluorescent probes, and the activity of channels is monitored using Aurora's Voltage/Ion Probe Reader (VIPR). The system provides a platform for fully automated high-throughput screening as well as pharmacological characterization of ion channel modulators. The application of voltage-sensitive fluorescence dyes coupled with fluorescence resonance energy transfer is the basis of robust assays, which can be adapted to the study of a variety of ion channels to screen for both inhibitors and activators of voltage-gated and other ion channels.     

Structures of two intermediate filament-binding fragments of desmoplakin reveal a unique repeat motif structure

Desmosomes are intercellular junctions in which cadherin cell adhesion molecules are linked to the intermediate filament (IF) system. Desmoplakin is a member of the plakin family of IF-binding proteins. The C-terminal domain of desmoplakin (DPCT) mediates binding to IFs in desmosomes. The DPCT sequence contains three regions, termed A, B and C, consisting of 4.5 copies of a 38-amino acid repeat motif. We demonstrate that these regions form discrete subdomains that bind to IFs and report the crystal structures of domains B and C. In contrast to the elongated structures formed by other kinds of repeat motifs, the plakin repeats form a globular structure with a unique fold. A conserved basic groove found on the domain may represent an IF-binding site.     

Monitoring Azospirillum-wheat interactions using the gfp and gusA genes constitutively expressed from a new broad-host range vector

To monitor the colonization of wheat roots by Azospirillum brasilense, we constructed several plasmids based on the pBBR1 replicon expressing the gfp and gusA genes constitutively. Both genes were placed under control of the gentamycin resistance gene promoter resulting in high levels of expression in Escherichia coli and A. brasilense. The constructed plasmids were stably maintained in A. brasilense strains even in the absence of selective pressure. The colonization of wheat plants grown under controlled conditions in sterilized vermiculite by A. brasilense strain FP2 (a Sp7-derivative) transconjugants containing these plasmids was monitored. Bacteria expressing GFP were easily observed in fresh plant material by fluorescence microscopy. Cell aggregates and single bacteria were visualized on the surfaces of young root zones, such as roots hairs and lateral roots. Large cellular clumps were observed at the points of lateral root emergence or at intercellular spaces of root epidermal cells 30 days after inoculation. Although we failed to detected bacteria in internal cortical and xylem tissues of wheat roots, the initial stage of endophytic colonization by A. brasilense may involve the sites detected in this work.     

Middle-aged C57BL/6 mice have impaired responses to leptin that are not improved by calorie restriction

Midlife weight gain occurs in many species, suggesting that leptin signaling is impaired at middle age. To test this hypothesis, we measured changes in food intake and body composition in young (Y) and middle-aged (MA) C57BL/6 male mice infused subcutaneously with phosphate-buffered saline or leptin. Leptin-induced decreases in food intake and body fat were delayed in MA mice and associated with catabolism after longer treatment periods. Endogenous plasma leptin levels did not correlate with body fat in MA mice. Calorie restriction (CR) reduced body fat, plasma leptin, and insulin in MA mice to levels in Y mice but did not upregulate leptin sensitivity. CR mice did not respond to leptin doses that inhibited food intake in MA mice and reduced food intake and body fat in Y mice significantly below levels in CR mice. Plasma corticosterone was significantly higher in leptin-treated CR vs. MA mice. We conclude that MA C57BL/6 mice exhibit impaired leptin signaling and that CR, possibly by elevating glucocorticoids, impairs appetite control without improving the metabolic actions of leptin.     

Neither agouti-related protein nor neuropeptide Y is critically required for the regulation of energy homeostasis in mice

Agouti-related protein (AgRP), a neuropeptide abundantly expressed in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus, potently stimulates feeding and body weight gain in rodents. AgRP is believed to exert its effects through the blockade of signaling by alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone at central nervous system (CNS) melanocortin-3 receptor (Mc3r) and Mc4r. We generated AgRP-deficient (Agrp(-/-)) mice to examine the physiological role of AgRP. Agrp(-/-) mice are viable and exhibit normal locomotor activity, growth rates, body composition, and food intake. Additionally, Agrp(-/-) mice display normal responses to starvation, diet-induced obesity, and the administration of exogenous leptin or neuropeptide Y (NPY). In situ hybridization failed to detect altered CNS expression levels for proopiomelanocortin, Mc3r, Mc4r, or NPY mRNAs in Agrp(-/-) mice. As AgRP and the orexigenic peptide NPY are coexpressed in neurons of the arcuate nucleus, we generated AgRP and NPY double-knockout (Agrp(-/-);Npy(-/-)) mice to determine whether NPY or AgRP plays a compensatory role in Agrp(-/-) or NPY-deficient (Npy(-/-)) mice, respectively. Similarly to mice deficient in either AgRP or NPY, Agrp(-/-);Npy(-/-) mice suffer no obvious feeding or body weight deficits and maintain a normal response to starvation. Our results demonstrate that neither AgRP nor NPY is a critically required orexigenic factor, suggesting that other pathways capable of regulating energy homeostasis can compensate for the loss of both AgRP and NPY.     

Identification of novel phosphorylation sites on Xenopus laevis Aurora A and analysis of phosphopeptide enrichment by immobilized metal-affinity chromatography

Mass spectrometric analysis of proteolytically derived phosphopeptides has developed into a widespread technique for the identification of phosphorylated amino acids. Using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry, 14 phosphorylation sites were identified on Xenopus laevis His6-Aurora A, a highly conserved regulator of centrosome maturation and cell division. These included seven novel phosphorylation sites, Ser-12, Thr-21, Thr-103, Ser-116, Thr-122, Tyr-155, and Thr-294, as well as the previously identified regulatory sites, Ser-53, Thr-295, and Ser-349. The identification of these novel phosphorylation sites will be important for future studies aimed at elucidating the mechanisms of Aurora A regulation by phosphorylation. Furthermore, we demonstrate that a "kinase-inactive" mutant of Aurora A, K169R, still retains 10% of activity of the wild-type enzyme in vitro along with occupancy of Thr-295 and Ser-12. However, mutation of Asp-281 to Ala completely abolishes activity of the enzyme and should therefore be used preferentially as a genuine kinase-dead construct. Because of the abundance of phosphorylated residues on His6-Aurora A, we found this protein to be an ideal tool for the characterization of immobilized metal-affinity chromatography (IMAC) as a method for phosphopeptide enrichment from complex mixtures. We present a detailed analysis of the binding and elution properties of both the phosphopeptides and unphosphorylated peptides of His6-Aurora A to Fe3+-IMAC before and after methyl esterification. Moreover, we demonstrate a significant difference in enrichment of phosphopeptides when different resins are used for Fe3+-IMAC and characterize the strengths and limitations of this methodology for the study of phosphoproteomics.     

Human susceptibility and resistance to Norwalk virus infection

Infectious diseases have influenced population genetics and the evolution of the structure of the human genome in part by selecting for host susceptibility alleles that modify pathogenesis. Norovirus infection is associated with approximately 90% of epidemic non-bacterial acute gastroenteritis worldwide. Here, we show that resistance to Norwalk virus infection is multifactorial. Using a human challenge model, we showed that 29% of our study population was homozygous recessive for the alpha(1,2)fucosyltransferase gene (FUT2) in the ABH histo-blood group family and did not express the H type-1 oligosaccharide ligand required for Norwalk virus binding. The FUT2 susceptibility allele was fully penetrant against Norwalk virus infection as none of these individuals developed an infection after challenge, regardless of dose. Of the susceptible population that encoded a functional FUT2 gene, a portion was resistant to infection, suggesting that a memory immune response or some other unidentified factor also affords protection from Norwalk virus infection.