Inhibition of ACh-stimulated exocytosis by NSAIDs in guinea pig antral mucous cells: autocrine regulation of mucin secretion by PGE2

The effects of indomethacin (IDM) and aspirin (ASA) on ACh (10 microM) -stimulated exocytotic events were studied in guinea pig antral mucous cells by using video optical microscopy. IDM or ASA, which inhibits cyclooxygenase (COX), decreased the frequency of ACh-stimulated exocytotic events by 30% or 60%, respectively. The extent of inhibition induced by ASA (60%) decreased by 30% when IDM or arachidonic acid (AA, the substrate of COX) was added. IDM, unlike ASA, appears to induce the accumulation of AA, which enhances the frequency of ACh-stimulated exocytotic events in ASA-treated cells. ONO-8713 (100 microM; an inhibitor of the EP1-EP4 prostaglandin receptors) and N-[2-((p-bromocinnamyl)amino)ethyl]-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide, HCl (H-89, 20 microM; an inhibitor of PKA) also decreased the frequency of ACh-stimulated exocytotic events by 60%. However, the supplementation of PGE(2) (1 microM) prevented the IDM-induced decrease in the frequency of ACh-stimulated exocytotic events. SC-560 (an inhibitor of COX-1) decreased the frequency of ACh-stimulated exocytotic events by 30%, but NS-398 (an inhibitor of COX-2) did not. Moreover, IDM decreased the frequency of exocytotic events stimulated by ionomycin, suggesting that COX-1 activity is stimulated by an increase in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)). ACh and ionomycin increased PGE(2) release in antral mucosal cells. In conclusion, in ACh-stimulated antral mucous cells, an increase in [Ca(2+)](i) activates Ca(2+)-regulated exocytotic events and PGE(2) release mediated by COX-1. The released PGE(2) induces the accumulation of cAMP, which enhances the Ca(2+)-regulated exocytosis. The autocrine mechanism mediated by PGE(2) maintains the high-level mucin release from antral mucous cells during ACh stimulation.     

Identification and fine mapping of a mutant gene for palealess spikelet in rice

In grass, the evolutionary relationship between lemma and palea, and their relationship to the flower organs in dicots have been variously interpreted and wildely debated. In the present study, we carried out morphological and genetic analysis of a palealess mutant (pal) from rice (Oryza sativa L.), and fine mapping the gene responsible for the mutated trait. Together, our findings indicate that the palea is replaced by two leaf-like structures in the pal flowers, and this trait is controlled by one recessive gene, termed palealess1 (pal1). With a large F2 segregating population, the pal1 gene was finally mapped into a physical region of 35 kb. Our results also suggest that the lemma and palea of rice are not homologous organs, palea is likely evolutionarily equivalent to the eudicot sepal, and the pal1 should be an A function gene for rice floral organ identity.     

UV-induced ubiquitylation of XPC protein mediated by UV-DDB-ubiquitin ligase complex

The xeroderma pigmentosum group C (XPC) protein complex plays a key role in recognizing DNA damage throughout the genome for mammalian nucleotide excision repair (NER). Ultraviolet light (UV)-damaged DNA binding protein (UV-DDB) is another complex that appears to be involved in the recognition of NER-inducing damage, although the precise role it plays and its relationship to XPC remain to be elucidated. Here we show that XPC undergoes reversible ubiquitylation upon UV irradiation of cells and that this depends on the presence of functional UV-DDB activity. XPC and UV-DDB were demonstrated to interact physically, and both are polyubiquitylated by the recombinant UV-DDB-ubiquitin ligase complex. The polyubiquitylation altered the DNA binding properties of XPC and UV-DDB and appeared to be required for cell-free NER of UV-induced (6-4) photoproducts specifically when UV-DDB was bound to the lesion. Our results strongly suggest that ubiquitylation plays a critical role in the transfer of the UV-induced lesion from UV-DDB to XPC.     

A novel mutagen, 2-(5-hydroxy-4,6-dinitroindolyl) ethanol, formed in the reaction between 5-hydroxytryptamine and nitrite under acid conditions, especially in the presence of L-cysteine

We examined the mutagenic activity of each of 29 amino acids mixed under acidic conditions with 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and nitrite using Salmonella typhimurium strain TA 100 with or without a metabolic activation system (S9 mix). The reaction mixture containing L-cysteine was strongly mutagenic without S9 mix. We subjected an ethyl acetate extract of the reaction mixture to HPLC, isolated a mutagenic component, and investigated its chemical structure by LC-mass spectrometry (MS), high-resolution fast atom bombardment (HRFAB)-MS, and 1H and 13C NMR. We identified the mutagen as 2-(5-hydroxy-4,6-dinitro-3-indolyl) ethanol (2HDIE). We injected 8 mg/kg 2HDIE i.p. into male ICR mice and found that the compound increased the frequency of micronuclei in peripheral reticulocytes. Our results suggest that 2HDIE might be formed in vivo by consumption of 5-HT, nitrite and L-cysteine in foods, and might act as a mutagen.     

Roles of the polymerase and BRCT domains of Rev1 protein in translesion DNA synthesis in yeast in vivo

Rev1p in yeast is essential for the translesion of abasic sites and 6-4 photoproducts. It plays a role as a translesion polymerase, but also supports translesion catalyzed by other polymerases. The protein has two domains, BRCT and Y-family polymerase. A point mutation in the BRCT domain is known to abolish the second function. In the present research, we have studied the effects of deletion of the BRCT domain and a point mutation at the two amino acids in the putative polymerase active center. We have introduced an abasic site, its tetrahydrofuran analog, and a 6-4 thymine-thymine photoproduct using the oligonucleotide transformation assay. Translesion efficiencies were estimated from the transforming activities of the oligonucleotides with a lesion, and the mutation spectra were analyzed by DNA sequencing of the transformants. Results showed that the lack of the BRCT domain reduced translesion efficiencies, but that substantial translesion synthesis took place. The mutation spectra of the lesions were not greatly affected. Therefore, the BRCT domain may be important, but dispensable for translesion synthesis. In contrast, the polymerase mutation, rev1AA, has only small effects on the translesion efficiencies, but the mutation spectra were greatly affected; the incorporation of dCMP opposite the lesions was specifically lost. This clearly shows that the polymerase domain is responsible for the dCMP incorporation. The effect of Poleta was also analyzed. From all the results DNA polymerases other than these two translesion polymerases, too, seem to initiate the translesion synthesis.     

Cell transduction pathways of transportans

Attempts to unravel the cell translocation mechanism of a growing number of cell-penetrating peptides (CPP) have revealed molecular determinants essential for internalization ability. The peptide sequence and the charge have been proposed to be the major factors in determining the membrane interaction mode and subsequent internalization pathway. Recent research in this field has shifted to search and design of novel CPPs with predefined vectorial properties and elucidation of the mechanism of cell entry of CPPs with high cargo delivery efficiency. Here we present a map of interaction modes with cell surface and intracellular traffic of transportan and its analogue TP10 complexed with fluorescently labeled avidin or streptavidin-gold conjugates. The protein cargo complexed with either peptide is transduced into HeLa and Bowes cells mostly in the endocytic vesicles with heterogeneous morphology and size as demonstrated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and confocal laser scanning fluorescence microscopy. Most of the induced vesicles are large, with 0.5-2 mum diameter, probably macropinosomes, but the complexes are present also in smaller vesicles, suggesting involvement of different pathways. Later the majority of complexes are translocated from the cell periphery into vesicles of perinuclear region and partly to lysosomes. A fraction of transportan-streptavidin complexes is present also freely in cytoplasm, both in the close vicinity of plasma membrane and more centrally, suggesting the escape from endosomal vesicles, since vesicles with discontinuous membrane were also detected by TEM. The cell-translocation process of transportan-protein complexes is temperature dependent and strongly inhibited at 8-10 degrees C and blocked at 4 degrees C when only interaction with the plasma membrane takes place.     

Quaternary structures of intermediately ligated human hemoglobin a and influences from strong allosteric effectors: resonance Raman investigation

The Fe-histidine stretching (nu(Fe-His)) frequency was determined for deoxy subunits of intermediately ligated human hemoglobin A in equilibrium and CO-photodissociated picosecond transient species in the presence and absence of strong allosteric effectors like inositol(hexakis)phosphate, bezafibrate, and 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate. The nu(Fe-His) frequency of deoxyHb A was unaltered by the effectors. The T-to-R transition occurred around m = 2-3 in the absence of effectors but m > 3.5 in their presence, where m is the average number of ligands bound to Hb and was determined from the intensity of the nu(4) band measured in the same experiment. The alpha1-beta2 subunit contacts revealed by ultraviolet resonance Raman spectra, which were distinctly different between the T and R states, remained unchanged by the effectors. This observation would solve the recent discrepancy that the strong effectors remove the cooperativity of oxygen binding in the low-affinity limit, whereas the (1)H NMR spectrum of fully ligated form exhibits the pattern of the R state.     

De novo formation of left-right asymmetry by posterior tilt of nodal cilia

In the developing mouse embryo, leftward fluid flow on the ventral side of the node determines left–right (L-R) asymmetry. However, the mechanism by which the rotational movement of node cilia can generate a unidirectional flow remains hypothetical. Here we have addressed this question by motion and morphological analyses of the node cilia and by fluid dynamic model experiments. We found that the cilia stand, not perpendicular to the node surface, but tilted posteriorly. We further confirmed that such posterior tilt can produce leftward flow in model experiments. These results strongly suggest that L-R asymmetry is not the descendant of pre-existing L-R asymmetry within each cell but is generated de novo by combining three sources of spatial information: antero-posterior and dorso-ventral axes, and the chirality of ciliary movement.