ROCK1 and 2 differentially regulate actomyosin organization to drive cell and synaptic polarity

RhoGTPases organize the actin cytoskeleton to generate diverse polarities, from front–back polarity in migrating cells to dendritic spine morphology in neurons. For example, RhoA through its effector kinase, RhoA kinase (ROCK), activates myosin II to form actomyosin filament bundles and large adhesions that locally inhibit and thereby polarize Rac1-driven actin polymerization to the protrusions of migratory fibroblasts and the head of dendritic spines. We have found that the two ROCK isoforms, ROCK1 and ROCK2, differentially regulate distinct molecular pathways downstream of RhoA, and their coordinated activities drive polarity in both cell migration and synapse formation. In particular, ROCK1 forms the stable actomyosin filament bundles that initiate front–back and dendritic spine polarity. In contrast, ROCK2 regulates contractile force and Rac1 activity at the leading edge of migratory cells and the spine head of neurons; it also specifically regulates cofilin-mediated actin remodeling that underlies the maturation of adhesions and the postsynaptic density of dendritic spines.     

Regulation of Slow and Fast Muscle Myofibrillogenesis by Wnt/β-Catenin and Myostatin Signaling

Deviation from proper muscle development or homeostasis results in various myopathic conditions. Employing genetic as well as chemical intervention, we provide evidence that a tight regulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling is essential for muscle fiber growth and maintenance. In zebrafish embryos, gain-of-Wnt/β-catenin function results in unscheduled muscle progenitor proliferation, leading to slow and fast muscle hypertrophy accompanied by fast muscle degeneration. The effects of Wnt/β-catenin signaling on fast muscle hypertrophy were rescued by misexpression of Myostatin or p21^CIP/WAF, establishing an in vivo regulation of myofibrillogenesis by Wnt/β-catenin signaling and Myostatin. Epistatic analyses suggest a possible genetic interaction between Wnt/β-catenin and Myostatin in regulation of slow and fast twitch muscle myofibrillogenesis.     

Adaptive response of human lymphocytes for the repair of radon-induced chromosomal damage

In human lymphocytes low doses of X-rays can decrease the number of chromatid deletions induced by subsequent high doses of sparsely ionizing X-rays. Because of the concern with the carcinogenic effects of low doses of -particles from radon in homes, experiments were carried out to see if low doses of X-rays could also decrease the yield of chromosomal aberrations induced by subsequent exposure to radon. Human peripheral blood lymphocytes were irradiated with low doses of X-rays (2 cGy) at 48 h of culture, exposed to radon at 72 h of culture, and analyzed for the presence of chromatid aberrations at subsequent intervals. The frequency of chromatid aberrations induced by radon alone increased with time after exposure, indicating exaggerated differences in the stage sensitivity of cell cycle stages to high-LET radiation. Furthermore, the numbers of aberrations per cell did not follow a Poisson distribution but were over dispersed, as might be expected since high-LET radiations have a high relative biological effectiveness compared with low-LET radiations. Nevertheless, lymphocytes exposed to 2 cGy of X-rays before radon exposure contained approximately one-half the number of chromatid deletions compared with lymphocytes treated with radon alone and analzed at the same time. Thus, the putative chromosomal repair mechanism induced by low doses of sparsely ionizing radiation is also effective in reducing chromosomal aberrations induced by radon, which hitherto had been thought to be relatively independent of repair processes.     

The effect of selenium enrichment on baker's yeast proteome

The use of regular yeast (RY) and selenium-enriched yeast (SEY) as dietary supplement is of interest because the Nutritional Prevention of Cancer (NPC) trial revealed that SEY but not RY decreased the incidence of prostate cancer (PC). Using two-dimensional difference in gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE)-tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) approach, we performed proteomic analysis of RY and SEY to identify proteins that are differentially expressed as a result of selenium enrichment. 2D-DIGE revealed 96 candidate protein spots that were differentially expressed (p ≤ 0.05) between SEY and RY. The 96 spots were selected, sequenced by LC/MS/MS and 37 proteins were unequivocally identified. The 37 identified proteins were verified with ProteinProphet software and mapped to existing Gene Ontology categories. Furthermore, the expression profile of 5 of the proteins with validated or putative roles in the carcinogenesis process, and for which antibodies against human forms of the proteins are available commercially was verified by western analysis. This study provides evidence for the first time that SEY contains higher levels of Pyruvate Kinase, HSP70, and Elongation factor 2 and lower levels of Eukaryotic Translation Initiation Factor 5A-2 and Triosephosphate Isomerase than those found in RY.     

Parathyroid hormone-related protein response to hyperoxic lung injury

Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) is a growth inhibitor for alveolar type II cells. Type II cell proliferation after lung injury from 85% oxygen is regulated, in part, by a fall in lung PTHrP. In this study, we investigated lung PTHrP after injury induced by >95% oxygen in rats and rabbits. In adult rats, lung PTHrP rose 10-fold over controls to 6,356 +/- 710 pg/ml (mean +/- SE) at 48 h of hyperoxia. Levels fell to 299 +/- 78 pg/ml, and staining for PTHrP mRNA was greatly reduced at 60 h (P < 0.05), the point of most severe injury and greatest pneumocyte proliferation. In adult rabbits, lung PTHrP peaked at 3,289 +/- 230 pg/ml after 64 h of hyperoxia with 24 h of normoxic recovery and then dropped to 1,629 +/- 153 pg/ml at 48 h of recovery (P < 0.05). Type II cell proliferation peaked shortly after the fall in PTHrP. In newborn rabbits, lavage PTHrP increased by 50% during the first 8 days of hyperoxia, whereas type II cell growth decreased. PTHrP declined at the LD(50), concurrent with increased type II cell division. In summary, lung PTHrP initially rises after injury with >95% hyperoxia and then falls near the peak of injury. Changes in PTHrP are temporally related to type II cell proliferation and may regulate repair of lung injury.     

The Persistence of Racial Thinking and the Myth of Racial Divergence

The concept and schema of race continue to exert a major influence on studies of human biology. The racial paradigm informs evolutionary studies in spite of evidence indicating that categories based on external phenotype are not valid. Racial thinking is especially prevalent in studies of Africa. It persists in defiance of genetic data that deconstruct such thinking, probably as a result of the sociocultural milieu, linger research traditions, and a lack of appreciation of the implications of modem genetic studies.     

X-ray microanalysis of receptor lymph in a cuticular arthropod sensillum

Summary In an effort to learn about its possible significance for transduction processes the receptor lymph of the spider slit sensillum was collected from in vivo preparations. Its elemental contents were then analyzed by X-ray microanalysis with an emphasis on Na and K, i.e. the cations most widely involved in excitation processes. We found high concentrations of Na and Cl, but almost no K.Supported by a grant of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft to F.G.B.     

Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations on Crambin to Evaluate the Suitability of Different Continuum Dielectric and Hydrogen Atom Models for Protein Simulations

Abstract

Molecular dynamics simulations of enzymes with enough explicit waters of solvation to realistically account for solute-solvent interactions can burden the computational resources required to perform the simulation by more than two orders of magnitude. Since enzyme simulations even with an implicit solvation model can be imposing for a supercomputer, it is important to assess the suitability of different continuum dielectric models for protein simulations. A series of 100-picosecond molecular dynamics simulations were performed on the X-ray crystal structure of the protein crambin to examine how well computed structures, obtained using seven continuum dielectric and two hydrogen atom models, agreed with the X-ray structure. The best level of agreement between computed and experimental structures was obtained using a constant dielectric of 2 and the all-hydrogen model. Continuum dielectric models of 1,1^*r, and 2^*r also led to computed structures in reasonably good agreement with the X-ray structure. In all cases, the all-hydrogen model gave better agreement than the united atom model, although, in one case, the difference was not significant. Dielectric models of 4, 80, and 4^*r with either hydrogen model yielded significantly poorer fits. It is especially noteworthy that the observed trends did not semiquantitatively converge until about 50 picoseconds into the simulations, suggesting that validation studies for protein calculations based on energy minimizations or short simulations should be viewed with caution.