Cholecystokinin stimulates the recruitment of the Src-RhoA-phosphoinositide 3-kinase pathway by Vav-2 downstream of G(alpha13) in pancreatic acini

In isolated rat pancreatic acini, Src, RhoA, PI3-K, Vav-2, G(alpha12), and G(alpha13) were detected by immunoblotting. CCK enhanced the levels of these proteins, and the levels of Src and RhoA were reduced by the Src inhibitor herbimycin A and the Rho inhibitor pravastatin. The PI3-K inhibitor wortmannin reduced the level of PI3-K. These inhibitors also decreased amylase secretion in CCK-treated pancreatic acini without altering basal secretion. Immunoprecipitation studies indicated that CCK caused Src to associate with Vav-2, RhoA, and PI3-K and RhoA and Src to associate with Vav-2. Ras, RasGAP, and SOS did not coimmunoprecipitate with Vav-2, and RasGAP and SOS did not coimmunoprecipitate with RhoA. CCK also enhanced Vav-2 and RhoA to coimmunoprecipitate with G(alpha13). We conclude that CCK stimulates the recruitment of the Src-RhoA-PI3-K signaling pathway by Vav-2 downstream of G(alpha13) in pancreatic acini.     

Investigation of a novel Bacillus thuringiensis gene encoding a parasporal protein, parasporin-4, that preferentially kills human leukemic T cells

A novel gene encoding a leukemic cell-killing parasporal protein, designated parasporin-4, was cloned from an isolate of Bacillus thuringiensis serovar shandongiensis. The amino acid sequence of the parasporin-4, as deduced from the gene sequence, had low-level homologies of <30% with the established B. thuringiensis Cry proteins including the three known parasporins. When the gene was expressed in a recombinant of Escherichia coli BL21(DE3), the parasporin-4 formed intracellular inclusion bodies. Alkali-solubilized and proteinase K-activated inclusion protein exhibited strong cytotoxic activity against human leukemic T cells (MOLT-4) and weak for normal T cells, but no adverse effect on human uterus cervix cancer cells (HeLa).     

Small-molecule microarrays: development of novel linkers and an efficient detection method for bound proteins

Novel isocyanate and diazoketone linkers possessing polyoxypropylenediamine as a spacer for small-molecule microrray are developed. White light interferometry is introduced to detect bound proteins on the glass slides without using chemically modified proteins.     

A mutation in para-hydroxybenzoate-polyprenyl transferase (COQ2) causes primary coenzyme Q10 deficiency

Ubiquinone (coenzyme Q(10) or CoQ(10)) is a lipid-soluble component of virtually all cell membranes, where it functions as a mobile electron and proton carrier. CoQ(10) deficiency is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait and has been associated with three main clinical phenotypes: a predominantly myopathic form with central nervous system involvement, an infantile encephalomyopathy with renal dysfunction, and an ataxic form with cerebellar atrophy. In two siblings of consanguineous parents with the infantile form of CoQ(10) deficiency, we identified a homozygous missense mutation in the COQ2 gene, which encodes para-hydroxybenzoate-polyprenyl transferase. The A-->G transition at nucleotide 890 changes a highly conserved tyrosine to cysteine at amino acid 297 within a predicted transmembrane domain. Radioisotope assays confirmed a severe defect of CoQ(10) biosynthesis in the fibroblasts of one patient. This mutation in COQ2 is the first molecular cause of primary CoQ(10) deficiency.     

Purification and biochemical characterization of a fibroblast growth factor-binding protein (FGF-BP) from the lactoferrin fraction of bovine milk

By means of gel filtration on a TSK-gel HPLC column in the presence of 8 M urea, a 37-kDa polypeptide (p37) was completely separated from lactoferrin (LF) in the heparin HII fraction of the partially purified LF fraction prepared from bovine milk. Purified p37 was identified as a fibroblast growth factor-binding protein (FGF-BP), since its N-terminal 14 amino acid residues (KKEGRNRRGSKASA) were 100% identical to the corresponding sequence of bovine FGF-BP. It was found, in vitro, that (i) p37 had a higher binding affinity with bFGF than bLF; (ii) p37 functioned as a phosphate acceptor for at least three protein kinases (PKA, CK1 and CK2); (iii) bLF stimulated about 3-fold the PKA-mediated phosphorylation of p37, but suppressed its phosphorylation by CK1; and (iv) galloyl pedunculagin was an effective inhibitor for the phosphorylation of p37 by PKA and CK1. Furthermore, the physiological correlation between p37 and bLF may be regulated through specific phosphorylation of p37 by PKA, since p37 fully phosphorylated by PKA did not bind to bLF in vitro. The sulfatide-induced conformational changes in p37 enabled the phosphorylation of p37 by CK1 and also reduced its ability to bind with bLF in vitro. From these results presented here, it is concluded that (i) p37 (FGF-BP) may be tightly associated with bLF in bovine milk; and (ii) the physiological correlation between p37 and bLF may be regulated by the PKA-mediated full phosphorylation of p37 or by the direct binding of sulfatide to p37 in vivo.     

Roles of the intramolecular disulfide bridge in MotX and MotY, the specific proteins for sodium-driven motors in Vibrio spp

The proteins PomA, PomB, MotX, and MotY are essential for the motor function of Na+-driven flagella in Vibrio spp. Both MotY and MotX have the two cysteine residues (one of which is in a conserved tetrapeptide [CQLV]) that are inferred to form an intramolecular disulfide bond. The cysteine mutants of MotY prevented the formation of an intramolecular disulfide bond, which is presumably important for protein stability. Disruption of the disulfide bridge in MotX by site-directed mutagenesis resulted in increased instability, which did not, however, affect the motility of the cells. These lines of evidence suggest that the intramolecular disulfide bonds are involved in the stability of both proteins, but only MotY requires the intramolecular bridge for proper function.     

Opposite effects of rho family GTPases on engulfment of apoptotic cells by macrophages

The efficient engulfment of apoptotic cells by professional or nonprofessional phagocytes is critical to maintain mammalian homeostasis. To identify molecules involved in the engulfment of apoptotic cells, we established a retrovirus-based expression cloning system coupled with the engulfment assay. By screening a cDNA library of a mouse macrophage cell line, we identified two small GTPase family members (RhoG and Rab5) that enhanced the engulfment of apoptotic cells. By examining other small GTPase family members, we found that Rac1 enhanced the engulfment of apoptotic cells, whereas RhoA inhibited the process. Accordingly, the expression of a dominant-negative form of RhoG or Rac1 in primary macrophage cultures severely reduced the ability of the macrophages to engulf apoptotic cells, and a dominant-negative form of RhoA enhanced the process. These results indicated that the efficient engulfment of apoptotic cells requires the concerted action of small GTPase family members. We demonstrated previously that NIH3T3 cells expressing the alphav beta3 integrin efficiently engulf apoptotic cells in the presence of milk fat globule epidermal growth factor 8 via a phosphatidylserine-dependent mechanism. The dominant-negative form of RhoG or Rac1 inhibited this process, which suggested RhoG and Rac1 are also involved in the integrin-mediated engulfment.     

Does foraging adaptation create the positive complexity-stability relationship in realistic food-web structure?

The adaptive food-web hypothesis suggests that an adaptive foraging switch inverses the classically negative complexity-stability relationships of food webs into positive ones, providing a possible resolution for the long-standing paradox of how populations persist in a complex natural food web. However, its applicability to natural ecosystems has been questioned, because the positive relationship does not emerge when a niche model, a realistic "benchmark" of food-web models, is used. I hypothesize that, in the niche model, increasing connectance influences the fraction of basal species to destabilize the system and this masks the inversion of the negative complexity-stability relationship in the presence of adaptive foraging. A model analysis shows that, if this confounding effect is eliminated, then, even in a niche model, a population is more likely to persist in a more complex food web. This result supports the robustness of adaptive food-web hypothesis and reveals the condition in which the hypothesis should be tested.