AMPKα promotes basal autophagy induction in Dictyostelium discoideum

Autophagy is a degradation process, wherein long-lived proteins, damaged organelles, and protein aggregates are degraded to maintain cellular homeostasis. Upon starvation, 5′-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) initiates autophagy. We show that ampkα⁻ cells exhibit 50% reduction in pinocytosis and display defective phagocytosis. Re-expression of AMPKα in ampkα⁻ cells co-localizes with red fluorescence protein-tagged bacteria. The ampkα⁻ cells show reduced cell survival and autophagic flux under basal and starvation conditions. Co-immunoprecipitation studies show conservation of the AMPK–ATG1 axis in basal autophagy. Computational analyses suggest that the N-terminal region of DdATG1 is amenable for interaction with AMPK. Furthermore, β-actin was found to be a novel interacting partner of AMPK, attributed to the alteration in macropinocytosis and phagocytosis in the absence of AMPK. Additionally, ampkα⁻ cells exhibit enhanced poly-ubiquitinated protein levels and allied large ubiquitin-positive protein aggregates. Our findings suggest that AMPK provides links among pinocytosis, phagocytosis, autophagy, and is a requisite for basal autophagy in Dictyostelium.     

Medical,ethical, and legal aspects of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for Crohn’s disease in Brazil

Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract. The etiology of CD is unknown; however, genetic, epigenetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors could play an essential role in the onset and establishment of the disease. CD results from immune dysregulation due to loss of the healthy symbiotic relationship between host and intestinal flora and or its antigens. It affects both sexes equally with a male to female ratio of 1.0, and its onset can occur at any age, but the diagnosis is most commonly observed in the range of 20 to 40 years of age. CD diminishes quality of life, interferes with social activities, traumatizes due to the stigma of incontinence, fistulae, strictures, and colostomies, and in severe cases, affects survival when compared to the general population. Symptoms fluctuate between periods of remission and activity in which complications such as fistulas, strictures, and the need for bowel resection, surgery, and colostomy implantation make up the most severe aspects of the disease. CD can be progressive and the complications recurrent despite treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, and biological agents. However, over time many patients become refractory without treatment alternatives, and in this scenario, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has emerged as a potential treatment option. The rationale for the use of HSCT for CD is anchored in animal studies and human clinical trials where HSCT could reset a patient's immune system by eliminating disease-causing effector cells and upon immune recovery increase regulatory and suppressive immune cells. Autologous HSCT using a non-myeloablative regimen of cyclophosphamide and anti-thymocyte globulin without CD34+ selection has been to date the most common transplant conditioning regimen adopted. In this review we will address the current situation regarding CD treatment with HSCT and emphasize the medical, ethical, and legal aspects that permeate the procedure in Brazil.     

Radical reactions in vivo - an overview

Summary Generation of radicals in vivo depends on metabolic activities. The reactions are usually influenced by(i) the presence and concentration of oxygen;(ii) the availability of transition metals (effects of binding and compartimentalization);(iii) the level of reductants and antioxidants (e.g. nutritional effects). The effects of radicals are thought to be due to(i) membrane damage (affecting passive or active transport through altered fluidity/function interrelationships, intercellular messenging through modifications in the synthesis of prostaglandins and leukotrienes);(ii) protein damage (e.g. affecting membrane transporters, channel proteins, receptor or regulatory proteins, immunomodulators);(iii) damage to DNA. Defense mechanisms consist of(i) prevention of the spreading of primary damage by low molecular weight antioxidants (e.g. vitamin E, GSH, vitamin C,-carotene, uric acid);(ii) prevention or limitation of secondary damage by enzymes (e.g. GSH-peroxidase, catalase, superoxide dismutase, DT-diaphorase) and/or chelators;(iii) repair processes, e.g. lipid degradation/membrane repair enzymes (phospholipases, peroxidases, some transferases and reductases), protein disposal or repair enzymes (proteases, GSSG-reductase), DNA degradation repair enzymes (exonuclease III, endonucleases III and IV, glycosylases, polymerases). Recent hypotheses on a messenging function of the superoxide anion O ₂ ^– are discussed and possible implications of cross-reactions between O ₂ ^– and nitric oxide (endothelium-derived relaxing factor EDRF) are shortly mentioned.Paper given at the workshop Molecular Radiation Biology. German Section of the DNA Repair Network, München-Neuherberg, 21.–23.3.90     

Chemical synthesis,cloning and expression of human preproinsulin gene

A 355 base pair DNA sequence coding for human preproinsulin has been assembled by joining 55 synthetic deoxyoligonucleotide fragments prepared by the modified phosphotriester methodology. Proinsulin was expressed underlac promoter control and truncatedΒ-galactosidase 590 amino acid long sequence. The fusedΒ-galactosidase proinsulin protein was produced in amount to 30 % of the totalEscherichia coli proteins. It was also expressed in M13 bacteriophage and yeast system.     

Target cell-derived superoxide anions cause efficiency and selectivity of intercellular induction of apoptosis

Transformed fibroblasts are specifically eliminated by their nontransformed neighbors through intercellular induction of apoptosis. This process depends on the number of nontransformed effector cells and on the local density of transformed target cells. Intercellular signalling is inhibited by SOD (a scavenger of superoxide anions), taurine (a scavenger of HOCl), 4-aminobenzoyl hydrazide (a mechanism-based inhibitor of peroxidase), DMSO (a hydroxyl radical scavenger), and two inhibitors of NO synthase. Therefore, selective apoptosis induction seems to be based on superoxide anion production by transformed cells, their spontaneous dismutation to hydrogen peroxide, and HOCl generation by a novel effector cell-derived peroxidase. HOCl then interacts with target cell–derived superoxide anions to yield hydroxyl radicals. Due to the short diffusion pathway of superoxide anions, hydroxyl radical generation is confined to the intimate vicinity of transformed cells. In parallel, NO derived from effector cells interacts with superoxide anions of target cells to yield the apoptosis inducer peroxynitrite. Reconstitution experiments using transformed or nontransformed cells in conjunction with myeloperoxidase, HOCl, or an NO donor demonstrated that superoxide anions generated extracellularly by transformed cells participate in intercellular signalling and at the same time determine transformed cells as selective targets for intercellular induction of apoptosis.