Structural analysis of RIG-I-like receptors reveals ancient rules of engagement between diverse RNA helicases and TRIM ubiquitin ligases

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Molecular cloning and expression of a major surface protein (the 75-kDa protein) of Porphyromonas (Bacteroides) gingivalis in Escherichia coli

A major immunodominant surface protein (the 75-kDa protein) of Porphyromonas (Bacteroides) gingivalis 381 has been purified and its amino-terminal amino acid sequence has been determined. Using oligonucleotide probes corresponding to the sequence, we identified a recombinant plasmid clone carrying a single 4.2-kb BamHI fragment from pUC19 libraries of P. gingivalis. The BamHI fragment transferred to the bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase/promoter expression vector system produced a slightly larger (77-kDa) protein, a precursor form, immunoreactive to the antibody against the 75-kDa protein, suggesting that the cloned DNA fragment probably carried an entire gene for the 75-kDa protein. Genomic Southern analysis revealed a single copy of the 75-kDa protein gene per genome among all P. gingivalis strains tested, and that no homologous genes are present in other black-pigmented Bacteroides species. These observations suggest that the 75-kDa protein gene may be useful as a specific DNA probe to classify or to detect this organism.     

Novel GABAA receptor alpha subunit is expressed only in cerebellar granule cells

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the vertebrate brain, mediates neuronal inhibition by opening a chloride channel integral to the GABAA receptor. This action is potentiated by both benzodiazepine and barbiturate drugs. Since the isolation of cDNAs encoding GABAA receptor alpha 1 and beta 1 subunits, a further eight subunits have been identified. These subunits show GABAA receptor heterogeneity, unpredicted from classical pharmacological studies. I now report the isolation of a mouse cDNA clone encoding a novel GABAA receptor alpha subunit. The striking feature of this subunit is its regional distribution in the mouse brain. Northern hybridization and in situ hybridization experiments demonstrate that the subunit mRNA is expressed only in cerebellar granule cells. This is the first demonstration of the exclusive presence of a neuroreceptor subtype in a single neuronal cell type.     

Induction of sister chromatid exchanges by UV light and its inhibition by caffeine

Sister chromatid exchanges in Chinese hamster chromosomes were studied after pulse-labeling cells with ³H-thymidine at various concentrations. Whereas the frequency of chromatid aberrations varied widely, depending upon tritium dose, there was no significant change in the sister chromatid exchange frequency, even with a 40-fold range of variation in the tritium concentration in the medium. When cells were exposed immediately after labeling to UV light at 40 erg/mm² and examined at the second mitosis, the frequency of sister chromatid exchanges was found to be 4 times higher than that of the unirradiated controls. A synchronization treatment utilizing 2 mM thymidine also caused a two-fold rise in the exchange frequency above the control level. Furthermore, when synchronized cells were irradiated with UV light at a dose of 40 erg/mm², the exchange frequency exceeded 5 times that of the untreated controls. However, this effect was detectable only when cells were irradiated at the earlier part of the S phase, while no change was detected when irradiated at the late S or G2 phase. A post-treatment of irradiated cells with caffeine caused a remarkable decrease in the frequency of sister chromatid exchanges. On the other hand, the frequency of chromatid aberrations of the deletion type increased strikingly after the same treatment. The results appear to suggest a certain correlation between the mechanism involved in the induction of sister chromatid exchanges and a post-replication repair of DNA damage.     

Adjuvant activity of Klebsiella O3 lipopolysaccharide: comparative study using defined uniform salt forms

Previously we showed that Klebsiella O3 lipopolysaccharide (KO3 LPS) is much more potent than other kinds of LPS including Escherichia coli O127 LPS (EO127 LPS) in adjuvant activity in augmenting antibody response and delayed-type hypersensitivity to protein antigens and in the ability to enlarge the regional lymph node. Various defined uniform salt forms, the triethylamine, sodium, potassium, ammonium, tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane, and calcium salt forms, of KO3 LPS and EO127 LPS were prepared by removing basic materials present in LPS preparations by electrodialysis and neutralizing the electrodialyzed LPS preparations with various kinds of alkali. The triethylamine salt form showed the best solubility and consisted of the smallest granules and, on the other hand, the calcium salt form showed the lowest solubility, compared with the natural form and the other uniform salt forms. Even if the natural forms of KO3 LPS and EO127 LPS were converted to the defined uniform salt forms, adjuvanticity of KO3 LPS and EO127 LPS in augmenting delayed-type hypersensitivity to ovalbumin and the ability to enlarge the regional lymph node did not significantly differ from those of the respective natural forms. From these results it is concluded that the difference in strength of the adjuvanticity between KO3 LPS and EO127 LPS is not due to the difference in their salt forms, solubility or physical state. Moreover, there were no significant differences in lethal toxicity for mice by the intraperitoneal route among the natural form and all the uniform salt forms of KO3 LPS tested.     

Protective effects of mangafodipir against chemotherapy-induced ovarian damage in mice

Background

Given the seriousness of chemotherapy-induced ovarian injury in female cancer patients, the preservation of fertility, including through the use of cryopreservation technology and pharmaceuticals, requires investigation. Previous studies have shown that damage to the ovaries is related to oxidative stress caused by anticancer drugs. Therefore, superoxide dismutase (SOD) may represent a key factor in the pharmacological protection of the ovaries. The aim of our study was to identify the effects of mangafodipir, a manganese chelate and SOD-mimetic, on suppression of apoptosis in granulosa cells and primordial follicle activation induced by anticancer drugs.

Methods

Cell viability assays using methyltrichlorosilane solutions and immunoblotting for cleaved caspase-3 were performed in in vitro experiments with the simultaneous addition of mangafodipir to human non-luteinized granulosa cell line (HGrC) cultures treated with hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), cisplatin, or paclitaxel. Count and morphological analyses of follicles at each developing stage in the ovaries and immunohistochemistry for cleaved caspase-3, Ki67 and 4-hydroxynonenal, a marker for oxidative stress, were also performed using mangafodipir-injected 6-week-old female ICR mice treated with cisplatin or paclitaxel. Further, mangafodipir was injected into 6-week-old female BALB/c mice inoculated with ES-2 to analyze whether mangafodipir inhibits the anti-tumor effects of cisplatin or paclitaxel treatment.

Results

Mangafodipir attenuated apoptosis induced by H₂O₂ and anticancer drugs in vitro. Mangafodipir also decreased the expression of 4-hydroxynonenal and reduced cisplatin- and paclitaxel-induced apoptosis in granulosa cells in vivo. In addition, mangafodipir inhibited the loss of primordial follicles. Tumor xenograft studies in mice showed that mangafodipir did not affect anticancer drug antitumor effects.

Conclusions

Oxidative stress might be one of the mechanisms of cisplatin- and paclitaxel-induced the loss of primordial follicles. Mangafodipir can reduce cisplatin- and paclitaxel-induced apoptosis in granulosa cells and primordial follicle activation partially via its SOD activity. At the same time, mangafodipir might have other potential mechanisms to inhibit the activation of primordial follicles. Further, mangafodipir attenuated the ovarian damage caused by cisplatin and paclitaxel without affecting their antitumor activities. Mangafodipir, therefore, though its efficacy might be limited, may be a new option for the preservation of fertility during anticancer treatment.

     

Carbon-free production of 2-deoxy-scyllo-inosose (DOI) in cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942

Owing to their photosynthetic capabilities, there is increasing interest in utilizing cyanobacteria to convert solar energy into biomass. 2-Deoxy-scyllo-inosose (DOI) is a valuable starting material for the benzene-free synthesis of catechol and other benzenoids. DOI synthase (DOIS) is responsible for the formation of DOI from d-glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) in the biosynthesis of 2-deoxystreptamine-containing aminoglycoside antibiotics such as neomycin and butirosin. DOI fermentation using a recombinant Escherichia coli strain has been reported, although a carbon source is necessary for high-yield DOI production. We constructed DOI-producing cyanobacteria toward carbon-free and sustainable DOI production. A DOIS gene derived from the butirosin producer strain Bacillus circulans (btrC) was introduced and expressed in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942. We ultimately succeeded in producing 400 mg/L of DOI in S. elongatus without using a carbon source. DOI production by cyanobacteria represents a novel and efficient approach for producing benzenoids from G6P synthesized by photosynthesis.     

Design and synthesis of small molecule-conjugated photoaffinity nanoprobes for a streamlined analysis of binding proteins

We designed and synthesized a set of photoaffinity nanoprobes, which multivalently display a small molecule ligand and a photoreactive group on gold nanoparticles. Due to the typically hydrophobic nature of these two functional groups, a hydrophilic spacer was additionally introduced to co-functionalize the nanoprobes to maintain their dispersibility in aqueous buffer solutions. Photoaffinity labeling studies using the nanoprobes composed of different ratios of three functional groups showed that including high density of the spacer group attenuates crosslinking efficiency. Comparative analysis of the reactivity among three major photoreactive groups suggested that unlike in the context of conventional photoaffinity probes, arylazide group enables the most selective crosslinking of a model small molecule binding protein.