The Anoctamin Family Channel Subdued Mediates Thermal Nociception in Drosophila

Calcium-permeable and thermosensitive transient receptor potential (TRP) channels mediate the nociceptive transduction of noxious temperature in Drosophila nociceptors. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not completely understood. Here we find that Subdued, a calcium-activated chloride channel of the Drosophila anoctamin family, functions in conjunction with the thermo-TRPs in thermal nociception. Genetic analysis with deletion and the RNAi-mediated reduction of subdued show that subdued is required for thermal nociception in nociceptors. Further genetic analysis of subdued mutant and thermo-TRP mutants show that they interact functionally in thermal nociception. We find that Subdued expressed in heterologous cells mediates a strong chloride conductance in the presence of both heat and calcium ions. Therefore, our analysis suggests that Subdued channels may amplify the nociceptive neuronal firing that is initiated by thermo-TRP channels in response to thermal stimuli.     

Interdomain Hydrophobic Interactions Modulate the Thermostability of Microbial Esterases from the Hormone-Sensitive Lipase Family

Microbial hormone-sensitive lipases (HSLs) contain a CAP domain and a catalytic domain. However, it remains unclear how the CAP domain interacts with the catalytic domain to maintain the stability of microbial HSLs. Here, we isolated an HSL esterase, E40, from a marine sedimental metagenomic library. E40 exhibited the maximal activity at 45 °C and was quite thermolabile, with a half-life of only 2 min at 40 °C, which may be an adaptation of E40 to the permanently cold sediment environment. The structure of E40 was solved to study its thermolability. Structural analysis showed that E40 lacks the interdomain hydrophobic interactions between loop 1 of the CAP domain and α7 of the catalytic domain compared with its thermostable homologs. Mutational analysis showed that the introduction of hydrophobic residues Trp²⁰² and Phe²⁰³ in α7 significantly improved E40 stability and that a further introduction of hydrophobic residues in loop 1 made E40 more thermostable because of the formation of interdomain hydrophobic interactions. Altogether, the results indicate that the absence of interdomain hydrophobic interactions between loop 1 and α7 leads to the thermolability of E40. In addition, a comparative analysis of the structures of E40 and other thermolabile and thermostable HSLs suggests that the interdomain hydrophobic interactions between loop 1 and α7 are a key element for the thermostability of microbial HSLs. Therefore, this study not only illustrates the structural element leading to the thermolability of E40 but also reveals a structural determinant for HSL thermostability.     

Analysis of the Dynamics of a Bacillus subtilis Spore Germination Protein Complex during Spore Germination and Outgrowth

Germination of Bacillus subtilis spores is normally initiated when nutrients from the environment interact with germinant receptors (GRs) in the spores'' inner membrane (IM), in which most of the lipids are immobile. GRs and another germination protein, GerD, colocalize in the IM of dormant spores in a small focus termed the “germinosome,” and this colocalization or focus formation is dependent upon GerD, which is also essential for rapid GR-dependent spore germination. To determine the fate of the germinosome and germination proteins during spore germination and outgrowth, we employed differential interference microscopy and epifluorescence microscopy to track germinating spores with fluorescent fusions to germination proteins and used Western blot analyses to measure germination protein levels. We found that after initiation of spore germination, the germinosome foci ultimately changed into larger disperse patterns, with ≥75% of spore populations displaying this pattern in spores germinated for 1 h, although >80% of spores germinated for 30 min retained the germinosome foci. Western blot analysis revealed that levels of GR proteins and the SpoVA proteins essential for dipicolinic acid release changed minimally during this period, although GerD levels decreased ∼50% within 15 min in germinated spores. Since the dispersion of the germinosome during germination was slower than the decrease in GerD levels, either germinosome stability is not compromised by ∼2-fold decreases in GerD levels or other factors, such as restoration of rapid IM lipid mobility, are also significant in germinosome dispersion as spore germination proceeds.     

荒漠甲虫小胸鳖甲抗冻蛋白的酵母表达及应用

昆虫抗冻蛋白(Antifreeze protein,AFP)的抗冻活性很高,可应用于生物组织和细胞的低温保存。为了在酵母中表达荒漠甲虫小胸鳖甲Microdera punctipennis抗冻蛋白Mp AFP698,并确定其在低温下的保护作用,本文通过构建真核表达载体p PIC9K-Mpafp698,转化巴斯德毕赤酵母GS115,诱导表达小胸鳖甲抗冻蛋白Mp AFP698。利用免疫印迹(Western blotting)分析Mp AFP698蛋白的特异性表达,结果显示Mpafp698基因可整合到酵母基因组中并分泌表达,且酵母自身蛋白很少分泌表达。检测抗冻蛋白的低温保护作用,结果发现,小胸鳖甲抗冻蛋白可显著改善冷冻小鼠肝脏等器官的细胞形态,降低血细胞在4℃的溶血率,提高SF9细胞冻融后的存活率。本研究表明,小胸鳖甲AFP可以在毕赤酵母中分泌表达,便于纯化,有良好的低温保护效果。     

Epigenetic silencing of microRNA-149 in cancer-associated fibroblasts mediates prostaglandin E2/interleukin-6 signaling in the tumor microenvironment

Tumor initiation and growth depend on its microenvironment in which cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in tumor stroma play an important role. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and interleukin (IL)-6 signal pathways are involved in the crosstalk between tumor and stromal cells. However, how PGE2-mediated signaling modulates this crosstalk remains unclear. Here, we show that microRNA (miR)-149 links PGE2 and IL-6 signaling in mediating the crosstalk between tumor cells and CAFs in gastric cancer (GC). miR-149 inhibited fibroblast activation by targeting IL-6 and miR-149 expression was substantially suppressed in the CAFs of GC. miR-149 negatively regulated CAFs and their effect on GC development both in vitro and in vivo. CAFs enhanced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and the stem-like properties of GC cells in a miR-149-IL-6-dependent manner. In addition to IL-6, PGE2 receptor 2 (PTGER2/EP2) was revealed as another potential target of miR-149 in fibroblasts. Furthermore, H. pylori infection, a leading cause of human GC, was able to induce cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)/PGE2 signaling and to enhance PGE2 production, resulting in the hypermethylation of miR-149 in CAFs and increased IL-6 secretion. Our findings indicate that miR-149 mediates the crosstalk between tumor cells and CAFs in GC and highlight the potential of interfering miRNAs in stromal cells to improve cancer therapy.