ACKR3 Regulation of Neuronal Migration Requires ACKR3 Phosphorylation,but Not β-Arrestin

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Modeling the Manipulation of Natural Populations by the Mutagenic Chain Reaction

The use of recombinant genetic technologies for population manipulation has mostly remained an abstract idea due to the lack of a suitable means to drive novel gene constructs to high frequency in populations. Recently Gantz and Bier showed that the use of CRISPR/Cas9 technology could provide an artificial drive mechanism, the so-called mutagenic chain reaction (MCR), which could lead to rapid fixation of even a deleterious introduced allele. We establish the near equivalence of this system to other gene drive models and review the results of simple models showing that, when there is a fitness cost to the MCR allele, an internal equilibrium may exist that is usually unstable. In this case, introductions must be at a frequency above this critical point for the successful invasion of the MCR allele. We obtain estimates of fixation and invasion probabilities for the appropriate scenarios. Finally, we discuss how polymorphism in natural populations may introduce sources of natural resistance to MCR invasion. These modeling results have important implications for application of MCR in natural populations.     

Beyond Agar: Gel Substrates with Improved Optical Clarity and Drug Efficiency and Reduced Autofluorescence for Microbial Growth Experiments

Agar, a seaweed extract, has been the standard support matrix for microbial experiments for over a century. Recent developments in high-throughput genetic screens have created a need to reevaluate the suitability of agar for use as colony support, as modern robotic printing systems now routinely spot thousands of colonies within the area of a single microtiter plate. Identifying optimal biophysical, biochemical, and biological properties of the gel support matrix in these extreme experimental conditions is instrumental to achieving the best possible reproducibility and sensitivity. Here we systematically evaluate a range of gelling agents by using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model microbe. We find that carrageenan and Phytagel have superior optical clarity and reduced autofluorescence, crucial for high-resolution imaging and fluorescent reporter screens. Nutrient choice and use of refined Noble agar or pure agarose reduce the effective dose of numerous selective drugs by >50%, potentially enabling large cost savings in genetic screens. Using thousands of mutant yeast strains to compare colony growth between substrates, we found no evidence of significant growth or nutrient biases between gel substrates, indicating that researchers could freely pick and choose the optimal gel for their respective application and experimental condition.     

Morphological and plumage colour variation in the Réunion grey white‐eye (Aves: Zosterops borbonicus): assessing the role of selection

The Réunion grey white‐eye (Zosterops borbonicus), a small passerine endemic to the island of Réunion (Mascarene archipelago), constitutes an extraordinary case of phenotypic variation within a bird species, with conspicuous plumage colour differentiation at a microgeographical scale. To understand whether natural selection could explain such variability, we compared patterns of variation in morphological and plumage colour traits within and among populations. To quantify morphological variation, we used measurements obtained by Frank Gill in the 1960s from 239 individuals collected in 60 localities distributed over the entire island of Réunion. To quantify colour variation, we measured the reflectance spectra of plumage patches of 50 males from a subset of Gill's specimens belonging to the five recognized plumage colour variants and used a visual model to project these colours in an avian‐appropriate, tetrachromatic, colour space. We found that variants occupy different regions of the avian colour space and that between‐variant differences for most plumage patches could be discriminated by the birds. Differences in morphology were also detected, but these were, in general, smaller than colour differences. Overall, we found that variation in both plumage colour and morphology among variants is greater than would be expected if genetic drift alone was responsible for phenotypic divergence. As the plumage colour variants correspond to four geographical forms, our results suggest that phenotypic evolution in the Réunion grey white‐eye is at least partly explained by divergent selection in different habitats or regions. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2015, 114 , 459–473.     

Lipopolysaccharides from Helicobacter pylori can act as antagonists for Toll-like receptor 4

Infection with Helicobacter pylori, a Gram-negative bacterium, is strongly associated with gastric ulcers and adenocarcinoma. The mechanisms by which the innate immune system recognizes H. pylori lipopolysaccharide (LPS) remain unclear. Contradictory reports exist that suggest that Toll-like receptors are involved. In this study we evaluated the interactions of Toll-like receptors with LPS from different strains of H. pylori. Using reporter cell lines, as well as HEK293 cells transfected with either CD14 and TLR4, or CD14 and TLR2, we show that H. pylori LPS-induced cell activation is mediated through TLR2. In addition, for the first time, we report that LPS from some H. pylori strains are able to antagonize TLR4. The antagonistic activity of H. pylori LPS from certain strains, as well as the activation via TLR2, might give H. pylori an advantage over the host that may be associated with the clinical outcome of H. pylori infection.     

Low temperature cardiac response to exhaustive exercise in fish with different levels of winter quiescence

We examined the cardiac responses of different fish species to anaerobic exercise at low temperatures (3 degrees C). Three species of sympatric warmwater fish with perceived differences in winter activity were used for this comparative study: the winter-quiescent largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides); the winter-active white bass (Morone chrysops); and the intermediately winter-active black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus). Perceived differences in winter activity were reflected in cardiac responses; e.g. basal cardiac values were lowest for largemouth bass, highest for white bass, and intermediate for black crappie. In addition, cardiac recovery was most rapid for white bass, slowest for largemouth bass and intermediate for black crappie. When disturbed at low temperatures, largemouth bass and black crappie elevated cardiac output principally through increases in heart rate despite substantial decreases in stroke volume. Conversely, white bass principally used stroke volume modulation to change cardiac output. The results of this study indicate that different species respond differently to exercise at low temperatures. Management strategies should recognize that such variation exists and ensure that management decisions are based upon an understanding of the low temperature exercise physiology and winter biology of the species of interest.     

Interactions of the natural product kendomycin and the 20S proteasome

Natural products are a valuable source for novel lead structures in drug discovery, but for the majority of isolated bioactive compounds, the cellular targets are unknown. The structurally unique ansa-polyketide kendomycin (KM) was reported to exert its potent cytotoxic effects via impairment of the ubiquitin proteasome system, but the exact mode of action remained unclear. Here, we present a systematic biochemical characterization of KM–proteasome interactions in vitro and in vivo, including complex structures of wild type and mutant yeast 20S proteasome with KM. Our results provide evidence for a polypharmacological mode of action for KM's cytotoxic effect on cancer cells.     

Structural basis for assembly and function of the Nup82 complex in the nuclear pore scaffold

Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are huge assemblies formed from ∼30 different nucleoporins, typically organized in subcomplexes. One module, the conserved Nup82 complex at the cytoplasmic face of NPCs, is crucial to terminate mRNA export. To gain insight into the structure, assembly, and function of the cytoplasmic pore filaments, we reconstituted in yeast the Nup82–Nup159–Nsp1–Dyn2 complex, which was suitable for biochemical, biophysical, and electron microscopy analyses. Our integrative approach revealed that the yeast Nup82 complex forms an unusual asymmetric structure with a dimeric array of subunits. Based on all these data, we developed a three-dimensional structural model of the Nup82 complex that depicts how this module might be anchored to the NPC scaffold and concomitantly can interact with the soluble nucleocytoplasmic transport machinery.     

CAK-independent Activation of CDK6 by a Viral Cyclin

In normal cells, activation of cyclin-dependent kinases (cdks) requires binding to a cyclin and phosphorylation by the cdk-activating kinase (CAK). The Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus encodes a protein with similarity to D-type cyclins. This KSHV-cyclin activates CDK6, alters its substrate specificity, and renders CDK6 insensitive to inhibition by the cdk inhibitor p16(INK4a). Here we investigate the regulation of the CDK6/KSHV-cyclin kinase with the use of purified proteins and a cell-based assay. We find that KSHV-cyclin can activate CDK6 independent of phosphorylation by CAK in vitro. In addition, CAK phosphorylation decreased the p16(INK4a) sensitivity of CDK6/KSHV-cyclin complexes. In cells, expression of CDK6 or to a lesser degree of a nonphosphorylatable CDK6(T177A) together with KSHV-cyclin induced apoptosis, indicating that CDK6 activation by KSHV-cyclin can proceed in the absence of phosphorylation by CAK in vivo. Coexpression of p16 partially protected cells from cell death. p16 and KSHV-cyclin can form a ternary complex with CDK6 that can be detected by binding assays as well as by conformational changes in CDK6. The Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus has adopted a clever strategy to render cell cycle progression independent of mitogenic signals, cdk inhibition, or phosphorylation by CAK.