Direct involvement of the small GTPase Rac in activation of the superoxide-producing NADPH oxidase Nox1

Activation of the non-phagocytic superoxide-producing NADPH oxidase Nox1, complexed with p22(phox) at the membrane, requires its regulatory soluble proteins Noxo1 and Noxa1. However, the role of the small GTPase Rac remained to be clarified. Here we show that Rac directly participates in Nox1 activation via interacting with Noxa1. Electropermeabilized HeLa cells, ectopically expressing Nox1, Noxo1, and Noxa1, produce superoxide in a GTP-dependent manner, which is abrogated by expression of a mutant Noxa1(R103E), defective in Rac binding. Superoxide production in Nox1-expressing HeLa and Caco-2 cells is decreased by depletion or sequestration of Rac; on the other hand, it is enhanced by expression of the constitutively active Rac1(Q61L), but not by that of a mutant Rac1 with the A27K substitution, deficient in binding to Noxa1. We also demonstrate that Nox1 activation requires membrane recruitment of Noxa1, which is normally mediated via Noxa1 binding to Noxo1, a protein tethered to the Nox1 partner p22(phox): the Noxa1-Noxo1 and Noxo1-p22(phox) interactions are both essential for Nox1 activity. Rac likely facilitates the membrane localization of Noxa1: although Noxa1(W436R), defective in Noxo1 binding, neither associates with the membrane nor activates Nox1, the effects of the W436R substitution are restored by expression of Rac1(Q61L). The Rac-Noxa1 interaction also serves at a step different from the Noxa1 localization, because the binding-defective Noxa1(R103E), albeit targeted to the membrane, does not support superoxide production by Nox1. Furthermore, a mutant Noxa1 carrying the substitution of Ala for Val-205 in the activation domain, which is expected to undergo a conformational change upon Rac binding, fully localizes to the membrane but fails to activate Nox1.     

Regulation of catalase enzyme activity by cell signaling molecules

Mitogenic cell proliferation requires a rapid and transient H₂O₂ generation, which is blocked by catalase or PKA activators. Previously, we observed that anemic HIV(+) individuals expressed acidic pIs of catalase in RBC with significantly high activities [Mol Cell Biochem 165: 77–81, 1996]. These findings led us to hypothesize that cell signaling molecules regulate catalase to control cell mitogenesis. To test the hypothesis, we determined (i) whether RBC counts correlate with their catalase activities, (ii) whether protein kinases and phosphatases alter catalase activity in vitro, and (iii) whether protein kinase activators increase catalase activity to suppress proliferation of cultured cells. The results indicated that RBC counts inversely correlated with RBC catalase activities in both HIV(+) (r: –0.6769, r²: 0.4582, n: 69 male, p < 0.0001) and HIV(–) (r: –0.3827, r²: 0.1464, n: 177 male, p < 0.0001) populations. Catalytic PKA, PKC and Casein Kinase II, but none of PKG, Ca²⁺/calmodulin kinase II and p34cdc/cyclinB, rapidly elevated catalase activity in vitro by up to 2-fold. Whereas a major CAT subunit (60 kDa) showed immunoreactive phosphoserine and phosphothreonine, the kinases- and -³²P-ATP-dependent phosphorylation occurred with a minor component (110 kDa). Among PKC isozymes examined, PKCz was the most effective modulator followed by PKC, and protein phosphatase 1 and 2A decreased the catalase activity. PKA and PKCz activators of forskolin and okadaic acid increased catalase activity and 110 kDa expression in NIH3T3 cells up to 2.4-fold and suppressed the cell growth, showing an inverse correlation of the indices (r: –0.9286, r²: 0.8622, n: 18, p < 0.0001). Taken together, these results suggest for the first time that catalase is under the regulation of cell signaling molecules and capable of modulating mitogenic cell proliferation.     

Diurnal changes in the vertical distribution of phytoplankton in hypertrophic Lake Kasumigaura,Japan

The daily vertical migration of five species;Microcystis aeruginosa (Kütz.) Trevis,Anabaena spiroides Klebahn f.crassa (L.) Elenkin,Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (L.) Ralfs,Melosira granulata (E). Ralfs, andCoscinodiscus lacustris Grun. was studied using a close-interval water sampler on a calm summer day in Lake Kasumigaura. Many colonies ofMicrocystis were observed at the middle of the water column (approx. 1.5 m depth) in the afternoon, and at the surface in the early morning.Anabaena occurred mostly in the upper layer whileAphanizomenon tended to be uniformly distributed. The difference in migration patterns suggests thatMicrocystis is superior toAnabaena andAphanizomenon in obtaining both light and nutrients from this lake. Among diatoms,Melosira remained at the bottom of the water column throughout day and night, but Coscinodiscus was uniformly distributed.     

Grit,a GTPase-activating protein for the Rho family,regulates neurite extension through association with the TrkA receptor and N-Shc and CrkL/Crk adapter molecules

Neurotrophins are key regulators of the fate and shape of neuronal cells and act as guidance cues for growth cones by remodeling the actin cytoskeleton. Actin dynamics is controlled by Rho GTPases. We identified a novel Rho GTPase-activating protein (Grit) for Rho/Rac/Cdc42 small GTPases. Grit was abundant in neuronal cells and directly interacted with TrkA, a high-affinity receptor for nerve growth factor (NGF). Another pool of Grit was recruited to the activated receptor tyrosine kinase through its binding to N-Shc and CrkL/Crk, adapter molecules downstream of activated receptor tyrosine kinases. Overexpression of the TrkA-binding region of Grit inhibited NGF-induced neurite elongation. Further, we found some tendency for neurite promotion in full-length Grit-overexpressing PC12 cells upon NGF stimulation. These results suggest that Grit, a novel TrkA-interacting protein, regulates neurite outgrowth by modulating the Rho family of small GTPases.     

Phosphorylation of 13 kDa nuclear protein in hepatocarcinomas induced by peroxisome proliferators

Peroxisome proliferators (PPs) are nongenotoxic compounds causing the emergence of hepatocellular carcinoma in rodents, but the mechanisms of the hepatocarcinogenesis have been unclear. The authors examined the changes in phosphorylation of nuclear proteins after treatment with (4-chloro-6-[2,3-xylidino]-2-pyrimidinylthio) acetic acid (Wy-14,643). Wy-14,643 (0.1% w/w in diet) was given orally to male F-344 rats for up to 80 wk. In the hepatocarcinomas induced by Wy-14,643, phosphorylation of 13 kDa nuclear protein (NP 13), which was resistant to alkaline treatment, was significantly increased. NP 13 phosphorylation gradually increased, dependent on treatment period. Furthermore, in the hepatocarcinomas induced by other PP, di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, increase in NP13-phospholyration was also observed. Therefore, NP 13-phospholyration may relate to development of preneoplastic or neoplastic lesions induced by PPs.     

Brief Communication: Orphaned male Chimpanzees die young even after weaning

If a social‐living animal has a long life span, permitting different generations to co‐exist within a social group, as is the case in many primate species, it can be beneficial for a parent to continue to support its weaned offspring to increase the latter's survival and/or reproductive success. Chimpanzees have an even longer period of dependence on their mothers' milk than do humans, and consequently, offspring younger than 4.5–5 years old cannot survive if the mother dies. Most direct maternal investments, such as maternal transportation of infants and sharing of night shelters (beds or nests), end with nutritional weaning. Thus, it had been assumed that a mother's death was no longer critical to the survival of weaned offspring, in contrast to human children, who continue to depend on parental care long after weaning. However, in theory at least, maternal investment in a chimpanzee son after weaning could be beneficial because in chimpanzees' male‐philopatric society, mother and son co‐exist for a long time after the offspring's weaning. Using long‐term demographic data for a wild chimpanzee population in the Mahale Mountains, Tanzania, we show the first empirical evidence that orphaned chimpanzee sons die younger than expected even if they lose their mothers after weaning. This suggests that long‐lasting, but indirect, maternal investment in sons continues several years after weaning and is vital to the survival of the sons. The maternal influence on males in the male‐philopatric societies of hominids may be greater than previously believed. Am J Phys Anthropol, 153:139–143, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Oxidative Modification of Cysteine 111 Promotes Disulfide Bond-Independent Aggregation of SOD1

Converging evidence indicates that SOD1 aggregation is a common feature of mutant SOD1-linked fALS, and seems to be directly related to the gain-of-function toxic property. However, the mechanism inducing the aggregation is not understood. To study the contribution of oxidative modification of cysteine residues in SOD1 aggregation, we systematically examined the redox state of SOD1 cysteine residues in the G37R transgenic mouse model at different stages of the disease and under oxidative stress induced by H₂O₂. Our data suggest that under normal circumstance, cysteine 111 residue in SOD1 is free; however, under oxidative stress, it is prone to oxidative modification by providing the thiolate anion (S−). With the progression of the disease, increased levels of oxidative insults facilitated the oxidation of thiol groups of cysteine residues; human mutant SOD1 could generate an upper shift band in reducing SDS-PAGE, which turned out to be a Cys111-peroxidized SOD1 species. We also detected the formation of SOD1 multimers at different stages of the disease, and found that accumulated oxidative stress facilitated the formation of aggregates, which were not mediated by disulfide bond. This oxidative modification of cysteine 111 therefore promotes the formation of disulfide bond-independent aggregation of SOD1.