Frequency-dependent and proarrhythmogenic effects of FK-506 in rat ventricular cells

FK-506, a widely used immunosuppressant, has caused a few clinical cases with QT prolongation and torsades de pointe at high blood concentration. The proarrhytmogenic potential of FK-506 was investigated in single rat ventricular cells using the whole cell clamp method to record action potentials (APs) and ionic currents. Fluorescence measurements of Ca2+ transients were performed with indo-1 AM using a multiphotonic microscope. FK-506 (25 micromol/l) hyperpolarized the resting membrane potential (RMP; -3 mV) and prolonged APs (AP duration at 90% repolarization increased by 21%) at 0.1 Hz. Prolongation was enhanced by threefold at 3.3 Hz, and early afterdepolarizations (EADs) occurred in 59% of cells. EADs were prevented by stronger intracellular Ca2+ buffering (EGTA: 10 vs. 0.5 mmol/l in the patch pipette) or replacement of extracellular Na+ by Li+, which abolishes Na+/Ca2+ exchange [Na+/Ca2+ exchanger current (INaCa)]. In indo-1-loaded cells, FK-506 generated doublets of Ca(2+) transients associated with increased diastolic Ca2+ in one-half of the cells. FK-506 reversibly decreased the L-type Ca2+ current (ICaL) by 25%, although high-frequency-dependent facilitation of ICaL persisted, and decreased three distinct K+ currents: delayed rectifier K+ current (IK; >80%), transient outward K+ current (<20%), and inward rectifier K+ current (IK1; >40%). A shift in the reversal potential of IK1 (-5 mV) accounted for RMP hyperpolarization. Numerical simulations, reproducing all experimental effects of FK-506, and the use of nifedipine showed that frequency-dependent facilitation of ICaL plays a role in the occurrence of EADs. In conclusion, the effects of FK-506 on the cardiac AP are more complex than previously reported and include inhibitions of IK1 and ICaL. Alterations in Ca2+ release and INaCa may contribute to FK-506-induced AP prolongation and EADs in addition to the permissive role of ICaL facilitation at high rates of stimulation.     

Effect of skin surface cooling on central venous pressure during orthostatic challenge

Orthostatic stress leads to a reduction in central venous pressure (CVP), which is an index of cardiac preload. Skin surface cooling has been shown to improve orthostatic tolerance, although the mechanism resulting in this outcome is unclear. One possible mechanism may be that skin surface cooling attenuates the drop in CVP during an orthostatic challenge, thereby preserving cardiac filling. To test this hypothesis, CVP, arterial blood pressure, heart rate, and skin blood flow, as well as skin and sublingual temperatures, were recorded in nine healthy subjects during lower body negative pressure (LBNP) in both normothermic and skin surface cooling conditions. Cardiac output was also measured via acetylene rebreathing. Progressive LBNP was applied at -10, -15, -20, and -40 mmHg at 5 min/stage. Before LBNP, skin surface cooling lowered mean skin temperature, increased CVP, and increased mean arterial blood pressure (all P < 0.001) but did not change mean heart rate (P = 0.38). Compared with normothermic conditions, arterial blood pressure remained elevated throughout progressive LBNP. Although progressive LBNP decreased CVP under both thermal conditions, during cooling CVP at each stage of LBNP was significantly greater relative to normothermia. Moreover, at higher levels of LBNP with skin cooling, stroke volume was significantly greater relative to normothermic conditions. These data indicate that skin surface cooling induced an upward shift in CVP throughout LBNP, which may be a key factor for preserving preload, stroke volume, and blood pressure and improving orthostatic tolerance.     

Probing plasmid partition with centromere-based incompatibility

Low-copy number plasmids of bacteria rely on specific centromeres for regular partition into daughter cells. When also present on a second plasmid, the centromere can render the two plasmids incompatible, disrupting partition and causing plasmid loss. We have investigated the basis of incompatibility exerted by the F plasmid centromere, sopC, to probe the mechanism of partition. Measurements of the effects of sopC at various gene dosages on destabilization of mini-F, on repression of the sopAB operon and on occupancy of mini-F DNA by the centromere-binding protein, SopB, revealed that among mechanisms previously proposed, no single one fully explained incompatibility. sopC on multicopy plasmids depleted SopB by titration and by contributing to repression. The resulting SopB deficit is proposed to delay partition complex formation and facilitate pairing between mini-F and the centromere vector, thereby increasing randomization of segregation. Unexpectedly, sopC on mini-P1 exerted strong incompatibility if the P1 parABS locus was absent. A mutation preventing the P1 replication initiation protein from pairing (handcuffing) reduced this strong incompatibility to the level expected for random segregation. The results indicate the importance of kinetic considerations and suggest that mini-F handcuffing promotes pairing of SopB-sopC complexes that can subsequently segregate as intact aggregates.     

Gamma-secretase is a functional component of phagosomes

Gamma-secretase is a high molecular mass protein complex that catalyzes the intramembrane cleavage of its protein substrates. Two proteins involved in phagocytosis, CD44 and the low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein, are gamma-secretase substrates, suggesting that this complex might regulate some aspects of phagocytosis. Our results indicate that the four components of gamma-secretase, viz. presenilin, nicastrin, APH-1, and PEN-2, are present and enriched on phagosome membranes from both murine macrophages and Drosophila S2 phagocytes. The gamma-secretase components form high molecular mass complexes in lipid microdomains of the phagosome membrane with the topology expected for the functional enzyme. In contrast to the majority of the phagosome proteins studied so far, which appear to associate transiently with this organelle, gamma-secretase resides on newly formed phagosomes and remains associated throughout their maturation into phagolysosomes. Finally, our results indicate that interferon-gamma stimulates gamma-secretase-dependent cleavages on phagosomes and that gamma-secretase activity may be involved in the phagocytic response of macrophages to inflammatory cytokines.     

Automatic and quantitative measurement of protein-protein colocalization in live cells

We introduce a novel statistical approach that quantifies, for the first time, the amount of colocalization of two fluorescent-labeled proteins in an image automatically, removing the bias of visual interpretation. This is done by estimating simultaneously the maximum threshold of intensity for each color below which pixels do not show any statistical correlation. The sensitivity of the method was illustrated on simulated data by statistically confirming the existence of true colocalization in images with as little as 3% colocalization. This method was then tested on a large three-dimensional set of fixed cells cotransfected with CFP/YFP pairs of proteins that either co-compartmentalized, interacted, or were just randomly localized in the nucleolus. In this test, the algorithm successfully distinguished random color overlap from colocalization due to either co-compartmentalization or interaction, and results were verified by fluorescence resonance energy transfer. The accuracy and consistency of our algorithm was further illustrated by measuring, for the first time in live cells, the dissociation rate (k(d)) of the HIV-1 Rev/CRM1 export complex induced by the cytotoxin leptomycin B. Rev/CRM1 colocalization in nucleoli dropped exponentially after addition of leptomycin B at a rate of 1.25 x 10(-3) s(-1). More generally, this algorithm can be used to answer a variety of biological questions involving protein-protein interactions or co-compartmentalization and can be generalized to colocalization of more than two colors.     

Proteolytic processing and translation initiation: two independent mechanisms for the expression of the Sendai virus Y proteins

The four Sendai virus C-proteins (C', C, Y1, and Y2) represent an N-terminal nested set of non-structural proteins whose expression modulates both the readout of the viral genome and the host cell response. In particular, they modulate the innate immune response by perturbing the signaling of type 1 interferons. The initiation codons for the four C-proteins have been mapped in vitro, and it has been proposed that the Y proteins are initiated by ribosomal shunting. A number of mutations were reported that significantly enhanced Y expression, and this was attributed to increased shunt-mediated initiation. However, we demonstrate that this arises due to enhanced proteolytic processing of C', an event that requires its very N terminus. Curiously, although Y expression in vitro is mediated almost exclusively by initiation, Y proteins in vivo can arise both by translation initiation and processing of the C' protein. To our knowledge this is the first example of two apparently independent pathways leading to the expression of the same polypeptide chain. This dual pathway explains several features of Y expression.     

Lassa virus infection of human dendritic cells and macrophages is productive but fails to activate cells

Lassa fever is a hemorrhagic fever caused by Lassa virus (LV), an old-world Arenavirus. Little is known about the immune responses that occur during the disease, but protection seems to be linked to the induction of cellular responses specific for viral glycoproteins. Conversely, severe Lassa fever may be associated with immunosuppression. We studied the infection of human dendritic cells (DC) and macrophages (MP) by LV. Both these cell types are susceptible to LV infection. Viral nucleoprotein was detected in DC and MP, and high and moderate viral titers were obtained with culture supernatants of DC and MP, respectively. LV did not induce apoptosis in DC and MP. These cells were not activated by LV infection. No change was observed in the expression of surface molecules involved in activation, costimulation, adhesion, and Ag presentation following LV infection, or in the functional properties of DC. Inflammatory cytokine production was not detected at the mRNA or protein level after LV infection of DC and MP. Thus, MP, and particularly DC, are crucial targets for LV and are probably involved in the early replication of LV from the initial site of infection. The lack of activation and maturation of cells following infection may be associated with the immunosuppression observed in severe LV infection.     

Potassium Channel Silencing by Constitutive Endocytosis and Intracellular Sequestration

Tandem of P domains in a weak inwardly rectifying K⁺ channel 1 (TWIK1) is a K⁺ channel that produces unusually low levels of current. Replacement of lysine 274 by a glutamic acid (K274E) is associated with stronger currents. This mutation would prevent conjugation of a small ubiquitin modifier peptide to Lys-274, a mechanism proposed to be responsible for channel silencing. However, we found no biochemical evidence of TWIK1 sumoylation, and we showed that the conservative change K274R did not increase current, suggesting that K274E modifies TWIK1 gating through a charge effect. Now we rule out an eventual effect of K274E on TWIK1 trafficking, and we provide convincing evidence that TWIK1 silencing results from its rapid retrieval from the cell surface. TWIK1 is internalized via a dynamin-dependent mechanism and addressed to the recycling endosomal compartment. Mutation of a diisoleucine repeat located in its cytoplasmic C terminus (I293A,I294A) stabilizes TWIK1 at the plasma membrane, resulting in robust currents. The effects of I293A,I294A on channel trafficking and of K274E on channel activity are cumulative, promoting even more currents. Activation of serotoninergic receptor 5-HT₁R or adrenoreceptor α2A-AR stimulates TWIK1 but has no effect on TWIK1I293A,I294A, suggesting that G_i protein activation is a physiological signal for increasing the number of active channels at the plasma membrane.