Convergent evolution of cysteine residues in sperm protamines of one genus of marsupials, the Planigales

A characteristic feature of the sperm P1 protamines of eutherian mammals is the constant presence of six to nine cysteine residues per molecule. During spermiogenesis these residues become oxidized to form a three-dimensional network of disulfide bridges between, and within, protamine molecules in the sperm chromatin. This covalent cross linking strongly stabilizes eutherian sperm nuclei. In contrast, protamines sequenced from teleost fish, birds, monotremes, and marsupials all lack cysteine residues and their sperm nuclei, without the stabilizing cross links, are easily decondensed in vitro. We have now found that one genus of tiny, shrewlike dasyurid marsupials, the Planigales, possess P1 protamines containing five to six cysteine residues. These residues appear to have evolved since the divergence of Planigales from other members of the family Dasyuridae, such as the marsupial mouse, Sminthopsis crassicaudata. We believe this constitutes a case of convergent evolution in a subfamily of dasyurid marsupials toward the cysteine-rich eutherian form of sperm protamine P1.      

The red deer (Cervus elaphus) contains two expressed major histocompatibility complex class II DQB genes

The highly variable second exons of the red deer ( Cervus elaphu s) major histocompatibility complex (MHC) DQB genes were cloned and sequenced. Eight different expressed DQB sequences were isolated from four unrelated red deer. Either two or three different DQB sequences were isolated from each individual, demonstrating that more than one DQB gene is expressed in red deer. This is consistent with other ruminants, which also have multiple expressed copies of the DQB gene. The sequences ranged in similarity from 81·3% to 97·6% with an average similarity of 90·2%; this indicates that at least one of the DQB genes is highly polymorphic.     

Effect of baclofen on in vitro noradrenaline release from rat hippocampus and cerebellum: an action at an α2-adrenoceptor

The release of [³H]noradrenaline from rat hippocampal synaptosomes by 25 mM K⁺ and 5 μM veratridine, but not by the Ca²⁺ ionophore A23187 was depressed by baclofen. This depression was reversed by 8-Bromo-cAMP. This action of baclofen was stereospecific and mimicked both that of GABA in the presence of bicuculline and that of clonidine. The α₂-adrenoceptor antagonists yohimbine and Wy25309 antagonised the action of clonidine and baclofen but not that of GABA. Specific binding of [³H]clonidine was displaced by Wy25309 and baclofen, but not by GABA. Specific binding of [³H]GABA in the presence of Ca²⁺ was displaced by baclofen but not by Wy25309. It is concluded that baclofen is not a specific agonist at GABA_B receptors in the brain.     

Structural Basis for Regulation of the Human Acetyl-CoA Thioesterase 12 and Interactions with the Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory Protein-related Lipid Transfer (START) Domain

Acetyl-CoA plays a fundamental role in cell signaling and metabolic pathways, with its cellular levels tightly controlled through reciprocal regulation of enzymes that mediate its synthesis and catabolism. ACOT12, the primary acetyl-CoA thioesterase in the liver of human, mouse, and rat, is responsible for cleavage of the thioester bond within acetyl-CoA, producing acetate and coenzyme A for a range of cellular processes. The enzyme is regulated by ADP and ATP, which is believed to be mediated through the ligand-induced oligomerization of the thioesterase domains, whereby ATP induces active dimers and tetramers, whereas apo- and ADP-bound ACOT12 are monomeric and inactive. Here, using a range of structural and biophysical techniques, it is demonstrated that ACOT12 is a trimer rather than a tetramer and that neither ADP nor ATP exert their regulatory effects by altering the oligomeric status of the enzyme. Rather, the binding site and mechanism of ADP regulation have been determined to occur through two novel regulatory regions, one involving a large loop that links the thioesterase domains (Phe¹⁵⁴-Thr¹⁷⁸), defined here as RegLoop1, and a second region involving the C terminus of thioesterase domain 2 (Gln³⁰⁴-Gly³²⁶), designated RegLoop2. Mutagenesis confirmed that Arg³¹² and Arg³¹³ are crucial for this mode of regulation, and novel interactions with the START domain are presented together with insights into domain swapping within eukaryotic thioesterases for substrate recognition. In summary, these experiments provide the first structural insights into the regulation of this enzyme family, revealing an alternate hypothesis likely to be conserved throughout evolution.     

Imaging photosynthesis in wounded leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana

Chlorophyll fluorescence imaging provides a non-invasive and non-destructive means with which to measure photosynthesis. This technique has been used, in combination with 14CO2 feeding, to study the spatial and temporal changes in source-sink relationships which occur in mechanically wounded leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana. Twenty-four hours after wounding, cells proximal to the wound margin showed a rapid induction of PhiII upon illumination (a measure of the efficiency of photosystem II photochemistry) whilst cells more distal to the wound margin exhibited a much slower induction of PhiII and a large, transient increase in NPQ (a measure of the rate constant for non-photochemical energy dissipation within the light-harvesting antenna). These results are indicative of an increase in sink strength in the vicinity of the wound and this was confirmed by the retention of 14C photosynthate in this region. It has been hypothesized that wound-induced cell wall (apoplastic) invertase (cwINV) activity plays a central role in generating localized increases in sink strength in stressed plant tissue and that hexose sugars generated by the sucrolytic activity of cwINV may act as a signal regulating gene expression. Enzyme activity measurements, quantitative RT-PCR, and T-DNA insertional mutagenesis have been used to determine that expression of AtcwINV1 is responsible for all induced cwINV activity in mechanically wounded leaves. Whilst inactivation of this gene abolished wound-induced cwINV activity, it did not affect localized alterations in source-sink relationships of wounded leaves or wound-regulated gene expression. The signals that may regulate source-sink relationships and signalling in wounded leaves are discussed.     

The cysteine-rich secretory protein domain of Tpx-1 is related to ion channel toxins and regulates ryanodine receptor Ca2+ signaling

The cysteine-rich secretory proteins (Crisp) are predominantly found in the mammalian male reproductive tract as well as in the venom of reptiles. Crisps are two domain proteins with a structurally similar yet evolutionary diverse N-terminal domain and a characteristic cysteine-rich C-terminal domain, which we refer to as the Crisp domain. We presented the NMR solution structure of the Crisp domain of mouse Tpx-1, and we showed that it contains two subdomains, one of which has a similar fold to the ion channel regulators BgK and ShK. Furthermore, we have demonstrated for the first time that the ion channel regulatory activity of Crisp proteins is attributed to the Crisp domain. Specifically, the Tpx-1 Crisp domain inhibited cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR) 2 with an IC(50) between 0.5 and 1.0 microM and activated the skeletal RyR1 with an AC(50) between 1 and 10 microM when added to the cytoplasmic domain of the receptor. This activity was nonvoltage-dependent and weakly voltage-dependent, respectively. Furthermore, the Tpx-1 Crisp domain activated both RyR forms at negative bilayer potentials and showed no effect at positive bilayer potentials when added to the luminal domain of the receptor. These data show that the Tpx-1 Crisp domain on its own can regulate ion channel activity and provide compelling evidence for a role for Tpx-1 in the regulation of Ca(2+) fluxes observed during sperm capacitation.