Dehydration tolerance in apple seedlings is affected by an inhibitor of ABA 8'-hydroxylase CYP707A

The effects of an abscisic acid (ABA) 8′-hydroxylase inhibitor (Abz-F1) on ABA catabolism, stomatal aperture, and water potential were examined in apple seedlings under dehydration and rehydration conditions. In this study, 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxigenase (MdNCED) and ABA 8′-hydroxylase (MdCYP707A) genes were isolated and their expressions were investigated under dehydration and rehydration conditions. The stomatal aperture decreased up to 4 h after spraying with Abz-F1 and the stomatal aperture in the Abz-F1-treated leaves was generally lower than that in the untreated control-leaves during the dehydration condition. Although the water potential in untreated control-leaves decreased with the progress of dehydration, it was maintained at a higher level in the Abz-F1 treated-leaves than in the untreated control-leaves during dehydration. Endogenous ABA concentrations increased with dehydration in both the Abz-F1 treated- and untreated-control-leaves, but the ABA levels in the Abz-F1 treated-leaves were higher than those in the untreated control-leaves throughout dehydration. In contrast, the phaseic acid (PA) concentrations in the Abz-F1 treated-leaves were lower than those in the untreated control-leaves during dehydration. The expressions of MdNCEDs in the Abz-F1 treated-leaves were lower than those in the untreated control-leaves regardless of the higher endogenous ABA concentrations. Moreover, the expressions of MdCYP707As in the Abz-F1 treated-leaves were also lower than those in the untreated control-leaves. Higher 50% effective concentrations (EC₅₀) and ascorbic acid concentrations were observed in the Abz-F1 treated-leaves, which show that the oxidative damage under dehydration may be reduced by Abz-F1 application.These results suggest that prompt stomata closure is required for survival under dehydration, and Abz-F1 application may therefore be of practical use. The increase of endogenous ABA, which induced prompt stomata closure in Abz-F1 treated-leaves may depend on inhibition of the expression of MdCYP707As. Furthermore, the results showed the close relationship between MdNCEDs and MdCYP707As on ABA catabolism.     

Immunomodulation targeting abnormal protein conformation reduces pathology in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Many neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the conformational change of normal self-proteins into amyloidogenic, pathological conformers, which share structural properties such as high β-sheet content and resistance to degradation. The most common is Alzheimer''s disease (AD) where the normal soluble amyloid β (sAβ) peptide is converted into highly toxic oligomeric Aβ and fibrillar Aβ that deposits as neuritic plaques and congophilic angiopathy. Currently, there is no highly effective treatment for AD, but immunotherapy is emerging as a potential disease modifying intervention. A major problem with most active and passive immunization approaches for AD is that both the normal sAβ and pathogenic forms are equally targeted with the potential of autoimmune inflammation. In order to avoid this pitfall, we have developed a novel immunomodulatory method that specifically targets the pathological conformations, by immunizing with polymerized British amyloidosis (pABri) related peptide which has no sequence homology to Aβ or other human proteins. We show that the pABri peptide through conformational mimicry induces a humoral immune response not only to the toxic Aβ in APP/PS1 AD transgenic mice but also to paired helical filaments as shown on AD human tissue samples. Treated APP/PS1 mice had a cognitive benefit compared to controls (p<0.0001), associated with a reduction in the amyloid burden (p = 0.0001) and Aβ40/42 levels, as well as reduced Aβ oligomer levels. This type of immunomodulation has the potential to be a universal β-sheet disrupter, which could be useful for the prevention or treatment of a wide range of neurodegenerative diseases.     

Microfluidic Purification and Concentration of Malignant Pleural Effusions for Improved Molecular and Cytomorphological Diagnostics

Evaluation of pleural fluids for metastatic cells is a key component of diagnostic cytopathology. However, a large background of smaller leukocytes and/or erythrocytes can make accurate diagnosis difficult and reduce specificity in identification of mutations of interest for targeted anti-cancer therapies. Here, we describe an automated microfluidic system (Centrifuge Chip) which employs microscale vortices for the size-based isolation and concentration of cancer cells and mesothelial cells from a background of blood cells. We are able to process non-diluted pleural fluids at 6 mL/min and enrich target cells significantly over the background; we achieved improved purity in all patient samples analyzed. The resulting isolated and viable cells are readily available for immunostaining, cytological analysis, and detection of gene mutations. To demonstrate the utility towards aiding companion diagnostics, we also show improved detection accuracy of KRAS gene mutations in lung cancer cells processed using the Centrifuge Chip, leading to an increase in the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic from 0.90 to 0.99. The Centrifuge Chip allows for rapid concentration and processing of large volumes of bodily fluid samples for improved cytological diagnosis and purification of cells of interest for genetic testing, which will be helpful for enhancing diagnostic accuracy.     

NMR assignment of S836: a de novo protein from a designed superfamily

Libraries of de novo proteins provide an opportunity to explore the structural potential of biological macromolecules that have not been biased by billions of years of evolutionary selection. Characterization of individual members of such libraries provides insight into the diversity of structure and dynamics accessible to nascent protein superfamilies in the absence of evolutionary optimization. Here we report the backbone and side chain chemical shifts of protein S836 from a superfamily of designed 4-helix bundles.     

A newly discovered function of peroxisomes: Involvement in biotin biosynthesis

In plants, peroxisomes are the organelles involved in various metabolic processes and physiological functions including β-oxidation, mobilization of seed storage lipids, photorespiration, and hormone biosynthesis. We have recently shown that, in fungi and plants, peroxisomes play a vital role in biosynthesis of biotin, an essential cofactor required for various carboxylation and decarboxylation reactions. In fungi, the mutants defective in peroxisomal protein import exhibit biotin auxotrophy. The fungal BioF protein, a 7-keto-8-aminopelargonic acid (KAPA) synthase catalyzing the conversion of pimeloyl-CoA to KAPA in biotin biosynthesis, contains the peroxisomal targeting sequence 1 (PTS1), and its peroxisomal targeting is required for biotin biosynthesis. In plants, biotin biosynthesis is essential for embryo development. We have shown that the peroxisomal targeting sequences of the BioF proteins are conserved throughout the plant kingdom, and the Arabidopsis thaliana BioF protein is indeed localized in peroxisomes. Our findings suggest that peroxisomal localization of the BioF protein is evolutionarily conserved among eukaryotes, and required for biotin biosynthesis and plant growth and development.     

Solution structure of the SEA domain from the murine homologue of ovarian cancer antigen CA125 (MUC16)

Human CA125, encoded by the MUC16 gene, is an ovarian cancer antigen widely used for a serum assay. Its extracellular region consists of tandem repeats of SEA domains. In this study we determined the three-dimensional structure of the SEA domain from the murine MUC16 homologue using multidimensional NMR spectroscopy. The domain forms a unique alpha/beta sandwich fold composed of two alpha helices and four antiparallel beta strands and has a characteristic turn named the TY-turn between alpha1 and alpha2. The internal mobility of the main chain is low throughout the domain. The residues that form the hydrophobic core and the TY-turn are fully conserved in all SEA domain sequences, indicating that the fold is common in the family. Interestingly, no other residues are conserved throughout the family. Thus, the sequence alignment of the SEA domain family was refined on the basis of the three-dimensional structure, which allowed us to classify the SEA domains into several subfamilies. The residues on the surface differ between these subfamilies, suggesting that each subfamily has a different function. In the MUC16 SEA domains, the conserved surface residues, Asn-10, Thr-12, Arg-63, Asp-75, Asp-112, Ser-115, and Phe-117, are clustered on the beta sheet surface, which may be functionally important. The putative epitope (residues 58-77) for anti-MUC16 antibodies is located around the beta2 and beta3 strands. On the other hand the tissue tumor marker MUC1 has a SEA domain belonging to another subfamily, and its GSVVV motif for proteolytic cleavage is located in the short loop connecting beta2 and beta3.     

Preparation and Optimization of Immediate Release/Sustained Release Bilayered Tablets of Loxoprofen Using Box–Behnken Design

The aim of our current study was to characterize and optimize loxoprofen immediate release (IR)/sustained release (SR) tablet utilizing a three-factor, three-level Box–Behnken design (BBD) combined with a desirability function. The independent factors included ratio of drug in the IR layer to total drug (X ₁), ratio of HPMC to drug in the SR layer (X ₂), and ratio of Eudragit RL PO to drug in the SR layer (X ₃). The dependent variables assessed were % drug released in distilled water at 30 min (Y ₁), % drug released in pH 1.2 at 2 h (Y ₂), and % drug released in pH 6.8 at 12 h (Y ₃). The responses were fitted to suitable models and statistical validation was performed using analysis of variance. In addition, response surface graphs and contour plots were constructed to determine the effects of different factor level combinations on the responses. The optimized loxoprofen IR/SR tablets were successfully prepared with the determined amounts of ingredients that showed close agreement in the predicted and experimental values of tablet characterization and drug dissolution profile. Therefore, BBD can be utilized for successful optimization of loxoprofen IR/SR tablet, which can be regarded as a suitable substitute for the current marketed formulations.     

Human fibrillarin forms a sub-complex with splicing factor 2-associated p32, protein arginine methyltransferases, and tubulins alpha 3 and beta 1 that is independent of its association with preribosomal ribonucleoprotein complexes

Fibrillarin (FIB, Nop1p in yeast) is an RNA methyltransferase found not only in the fibrillar region of the nucleolus but also in Cajal bodies. FIB is essential for efficient processing of preribosomal RNA during ribosome biogenesis, although its precise function in this process and its role in Cajal bodies remain uncertain. Here, we demonstrate that the human FIB N-terminal glycine- and arginine-rich domain (residues 1-77) and its spacer region 1 (78-132) interact with splicing factor 2-associated p32 (SF2A-p32) and that the FIB methyltransferase-like domain (133-321) interacts with protein-arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5, Janus kinase-binding protein 1). We also show that these proteins associate with several additional proteins, including PRMT1, tubulin alpha 3, and tubulin beta 1 to form a sub-complex that is principally independent of the association of FIB with preribosomal ribonucleoprotein complexes that co-immunoprecipitate with the sub-complex in human cells expressing FLAG-tagged FIB. Based on the physical association of FIB with SF2A-p32 and PRMTs, as well as the other reported results, we propose that FIB may coordinate both RNA and protein methylation during the processes of ribosome biogenesis in the nucleolus and RNA editing such as small nuclear (nucleolar) ribonucleoprotein biogenesis in Cajal bodies.     

Mutation of active site serine residue with cysteine displays change in acyl-acceptor preference of β-peptidyl aminopeptidase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1

A β-peptidyl aminopeptidase, a peptidase belonging to the P1 family, catalyzes aminolysis in accordance with its hydrolytic activity. We specifically examined β-peptidyl aminopeptidase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 (BapF) to assess the effects of mutation of catalytic Ser with Cys or Thr on its catalytic ability. Recombinant BapF and its S237C mutant exhibited p-nitroaniline release activity toward β-homo-Gly-p-nitroanilide (βhGly-pNA), but the products of the enzyme reaction differed completely from one another. Wild-type BapF showed βhGly-βhGly-pNA synthetic activity, but the product vanished in a few minutes and converted to free βhGly. In contrast, the product βhGly-βhGly-pNA was synthesized by S237C BapF efficiently without degradation, indicating that because of the mutation, the enzyme came to recognize only the amine group as an acyl acceptor instead of water. Furthermore, a difference in acyl acceptor preference between that of wild type and S237C BapF was observed. When using cysteamine as an acyl acceptor, βhGly-cysteamine was synthesized only in the reaction using S237C BapF. In contrast, S237C BapF was unable to synthesize βhGly-cystamine when using cystamine as an acyl acceptor, although it was synthesized by wild-type BapF. Such a dynamic change in the acyl acceptor by the mutation of catalytic Ser with Cys is regarded as a unique feature of family P1 peptidases.