Negative regulation contributes to tissue specificity of the immunoglobulin heavy-chain enhancer.

We have identified in and around the immunoglobulin heavy-chain enhancer two apparently distinct negative regulatory elements which repress immunoglobulin H enhancer, simian virus 40 enhancer, and heterologous promoter activity in fibroblasts but not in myeloma cells. We propose that in nonlymphoid cells, negative regulatory elements prevent activation of the immunoglobulin H enhancer by ubiquitous stimulatory trans-acting factors.     

Correlation between the expression of the histone H4 mRNA variant H4-v.1 and the levels of histone H4-(86-100) and H4-(89-102) (OGP) in various rat tissues and alveolar macrophages

We studied the expression of the osteogenic and antinociceptive C-terminal histone H4-related peptide fragments, H4-(89-102) (OGP) and H4-(86-100), respectively, within various rat tissues and isolated alveolar macrophages (AM) by radioimmunoassay (RIA). OGP was located mainly within the bone marrow, spleen, thymus, and lungs whereas H4-(86-100) was more concentrated within the bone marrow, lymph nodes, spinal cord, pituitaries and thymus. The expression pattern of the two peptides showed similarities with the tissue expression pattern of the histone H4 mRNA variant H4-v.1. In rat AM, OGP and H4-(86-100) levels were significantly stimulated (2.6- and 1.9-fold, respectively) by LPS (1 microg/ml), along with H4-v.1 mRNA (4.1-fold), but not whole histone H4 (1.1-fold) nor total histone H4 mRNA (1.1-fold). The results suggest that H4-v.1 mRNA may play a role in the synthesis of the naturally occurring peptides H4-(86-100) and OGP via the alternative translation product H4-(84-102), but not whole histone H4.     

Distribution of chelonid fibropapillomatosis-associated herpesvirus variants in Florida: molecular genetic evidence for infection of turtles following recruitment to neritic developmental habitats

Marine turtle fibropapillomatosis is associated with chelonid fibropapilloma-associated herpesvirus (C-FP-HV) and commonly affects juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in neritic (nearshore) habitats. Green turtles have a complex life history, characterized by shifts in trophic level as well as habitat during ontogeny. Thus, several hypotheses can be proposed for when turtles become infected with C-FP-HV. They may acquire the virus at an early stage in the life cycle, including prenatal, hatchling, or the posthatchling pelagic stages. Alternatively, they may become infected later in life after they emigrate from the open ocean to neritic habitats. Each hypothesis generates predictions about the spatial distribution of genetic variants of C-FP-HV among nearshore sites within a region. Sequencing of polymerase chain reaction-amplified viral DNA from fibropapillomas of individual turtles was used to genotype the viral variants present in marine turtles from different coastal areas in Florida. We found four distinct virus variants (A, B, C, and D), two of which (A and C) were present in multiple turtle species. Green turtles in Florida were infected with variants A, B, and C. Variant A was found in green turtles from all three areas. Outside the Indian River Lagoon, variant A was most commonly detected and was found in >94% of diseased green turtles and 70% of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Florida Bay/Florida Keys. However, in the Indian River Lagoon, variant B was found in >94% of affected green turtles. Variant B was not detected outside of the Indian River system. Chi-square analysis strongly supported (P<0.001) an association between viral variant distribution in green turtles and location. On the basis of the assumption that juvenile green turtles found in Florida's west-central coast, Florida Keys, and Indian River Lagoon areas represented recruits from a mixed pelagic population, we expected that the distribution of viral variants in these turtles would be relatively homogeneous among locations; this would correspond to infection in the earlier phases of their life cycle. The heterogeneous distribution of viral variants in green turtle tumors from different Florida coastal locations strongly supports the hypothesis that, during epizootics, turtles are infected with specific C-FP-HV variants after they arrive as juveniles in neritic habitats. The conclusion that C-FP-HV is acquired after turtles recruit to nearshore habitats should help focus further research efforts on understanding the mechanisms of transmission and raises the possibility that the effect of fibropapillomatosis on turtle populations might be reduced by management strategies designed to break the cycle of transmission in these locations.     

Differential responses of PPARalpha, PPARdelta, and PPARgamma reporter cell lines to selective PPAR synthetic ligands

To characterize the specificity of synthetic compounds for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), three stable cell lines expressing the ligand binding domain (LBD) of human PPARalpha, PPARdelta, or PPARgamma fused to the yeast GAL4 DNA binding domain (DBD) were developed. These reporter cell lines were generated by a two-step transfection procedure. First, a stable cell line, HG5LN, expressing the reporter gene was developed. These cells were then transfected with the different receptor genes. With the help of the three PPAR reporter cell lines, we assessed the selectivity and activity of PPAR agonists GW7647, WY-14-643, L-165041, GW501516, BRL49653, ciglitazone, and pioglitazone. GW7647, L-165041, and BRL49653 were the most potent and selective agonists for hPPARalpha, hPPARdelta, and hPPARgamma, respectively. Two PPAR antagonists, GW9662 and BADGE, were also tested. GW9662 was a selective PPARgamma antagonist, whereas BADGE was a low-affinity PPAR ligand. Furthermore, GW9662 was a full antagonist on PPARgamma and PPARdelta, whereas it showed partial agonism on PPARalpha. We conclude that our stable models allow specific and sensitive measurement of PPAR ligand activities and are a high-throughput, cell-based screening tool for identifying and characterizing PPAR ligands.     

Identification of the protein binding region of S-trityl-L-cysteine, a new potent inhibitor of the mitotic kinesin Eg5

Human Eg5, a mitotic motor of the kinesin superfamily, is involved in the formation and maintenance of the mitotic spindle. The recent discovery of small molecules that inhibit HsEg5 by binding to its catalytic motor domain leading to mitotic arrest has attracted more interest in Eg5 as a potential anticancer drug target. We have used hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry and directed mutagenesis to identify the secondary structure elements that form the binding sites of new Eg5 inhibitors, in particular for S-trityl-l-cysteine, a potent inhibitor of Eg5 activity in vitro and in cell-based assays. The binding of this inhibitor modifies the deuterium incorporation rate of eight peptides that define two areas within the motor domain: Tyr125-Glu145 and Ile202-Leu227. Replacement of the Tyr125-Glu145 region with the equivalent region in the Neurospora crassa conventional kinesin heavy chain prevents the inhibition of the Eg5 ATPase activity by S-trityl-l-cysteine. We show here that S-trityl-l-cysteine and monastrol both bind to the same region on Eg5 by induced fit in a pocket formed by helix alpha3-strand beta5 and loop L5-helix alpha2, and both inhibitors trigger similar local conformational changes within the interaction site. It is likely that S-trityl-l-cysteine and monastrol inhibit HsEg5 by a similar mechanism. The common inhibitor binding region appears to represent a "hot spot" for HsEg5 that could be exploited for further inhibitor screening.     

A yeast mitochondrial membrane methyltransferase-like protein can compensate for oxa1 mutations

Members of the Oxa1p/Alb3/YidC family mediate the insertion of various organelle or bacterial hydrophobic proteins into membranes. They present at least five transmembrane segments (TM) linked by hydrophilic domains located on both sides of the membrane. To examine how Oxa1p structure relates to its function, we have introduced point mutations and large deletions into various domains of the yeast mitochondrial protein. These mutants allowed us to show the importance of the first TM domain as well as a synergistic interaction between the first loop and the C-terminal tail, which both protrude into the matrix. These mutants also led to the isolation of a high copy suppressor, OMS1, which encodes a member of the methyltransferase family. Overexpression of OMS1 seems to increase the steady-state level of both the mutant and wild-type Oxa1p. We show that Oms1p is a mitochondrial inner membrane protein inserted independently of Oxa1p. Oms1p presents one TM and a N-in C-out topology with the C-terminal domain carrying the methyltransferase-like domain. A conserved motif within this domain is essential for the suppression of oxa1 mutations. We discuss the possible role of Oms1p on Oxa1p intermembrane space domain.     

The Glutaredoxin Family in Oxygenic Photosynthetic Organisms

Glutaredoxins (GRXs) are small redox proteins of the thioredoxin (TRX) superfamily. Compared to TRXs, much less information on the GRX family is available, especially in photosynthetic organisms since GRXs have been mainly studied in E. coli, yeast and mammal cells. The analysis of the TRX family in oxygenic photosynthetic organisms revealed an unsuspected multiplicity of TRXs but it is not known if the same situation holds for GRXs. Despite the availability of genome sequences from different oxygenic photosynthetic organisms, the number of GRXs and the different groups present in these organisms are still undescribed. This paper presents a comparative analysis of the GRX families present in Arabidopsis, Chlamydomonas and Synechocystis which were found to contain 30, 6 and 3 GRX genes, respectively. The putative subcellular localization of each GRX and its relative expression level, based on EST data, have been investigated. This analysis reveals the presence of three major classes of GRXs, the CPYC type, the CGFS type and a previously undescribed type, called the CC type that appears specific to higher plants. These data are discussed in view of recent results suggesting a complex cross-regulation between the TRX and GRX systems.     

Tungsten–Carbon Nanotube Composite Photonic Crystals as Thermally Stable Spectral‐Selective Absorbers and Emitters for Thermophotovoltaics

Thermophotovoltaics (TPVs) is a promising energy conversion technology which can harvest wide‐spectrum thermal radiation. However, the manufacturing complexity and thermal instability of the nanophotonic absorber and emitter, which are key components of TPV devices, significantly limit their scalability and practical deployment. Here, tungsten–carbon nanotube (W‐CNT) composite photonic crystals (PhCs) exhibiting outstanding spectral and angular selectivity of photon absorbance and thermal emission are presented. The W‐CNT PhCs are fabricated by nanoscale holographic interferometry‐based patterning of a thin‐film catalyst, modulated chemical vapor deposition synthesis of high‐density CNT forest nanostructures, and infiltration of the CNT forests with tungsten via atomic layer deposition. Owing to their highly stable structure and composition, the W‐CNT PhCs exhibit negligible degradation of optical properties after annealing for 168 hours at 1273 K, which exceeds all previously reported high‐temperature PhCs. Using the measured spectral properties of the W‐CNT PhCs, the system efficiency of a GaSb‐based solar TPV (STPV) that surpasses the Shockley–Queisser efficiency limit at modest operating temperatures and input powers is numerically predicted. These findings encourage further practical development of STPVs, and this scalable fabrication method for composite nanostructures could find other applications in electromagnetic metamaterials.