Senescence marker protein 30 inhibits angiotensin II-induced cardiac hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction

Background and objective

Senescence marker protein 30 (SMP30) is assumed to behave as an anti-aging factor. Recently, we have demonstrated that deficiency of SMP30 exacerbates angiotensin II-induced cardiac hypertrophy, dysfunction and remodeling, suggesting that SMP30 may have a protective role in the heart. Thus, this study aimed to test the hypothesis that up-regulation of SMP30 inhibits cardiac adverse remodeling in response to angiotensin II.

Methods

We generated transgenic mice with cardiac-specific overexpression of SMP30 gene using α-myosin heavy chain promoter. Transgenic mice and wild-type littermate mice were subjected to continuous angiotensin II infusion (800 ng/kg/min).

Results

After 14 days, heart weight and left ventricular weight were lower in transgenic mice than in wild-type mice, although blood pressure was similarly elevated during angiotensin II infusion. Cardiac hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction in response to angiotensin II were prevented in transgenic mice compared with wild-type mice. The degree of cardiac fibrosis by angiotensin II was lower in transgenic mice than in wild-type mice. Angiotensin II-induced generation of superoxide and subsequent cellular senescence were attenuated in transgenic mouse hearts compared with wild-type mice.

Conclusions

Cardiac-specific overexpression of SMP30 inhibited angiotensin II-induced cardiac adverse remodeling. SMP30 has a cardio-protective role with anti-oxidative and anti-aging effects and could be a novel therapeutic target to prevent cardiac hypertrophy and remodeling due to hypertension.     

Symbiont of the stink bug Plautia stali synthesizes rough-type lipopolysaccharide

The structures and biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a major component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, have been studied extensively in cultured bacteria such as Escherichia coli. In contrast, little is known about the structures and biosynthesis of the LPS of unculturable bacteria, including insect symbionts, many of which are Gram-negative bacteria. A brown-winged green bug, Plautia stali, is known to harbor a single species of gamma-proteobacterium in the posterior mid-gut caeca. To characterize the features of its LPS, we analyzed the genome sequence of the symbiont, and identified the putative genes involved in LPS synthesis. Genes involved in the synthesis of lipid A and the core oligosaccharide were found in the genome, but waaL, which encodes the O-antigen ligase, was not. Furthermore, we characterized the LPS of this symbiont using SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) stimulation assays. Consistent with the genomic analysis, the SDS-PAGE analysis suggested that the symbiont had rough-type LPS, which lacked the O-antigen. The TLR4 stimulation assay demonstrated that LPS purified from the symbionts activated NF-κB-dependent reporter expression, indicating the existence of a bioactive lipid A portion in the LPS. These results suggest that the P. stali symbiont produces rough-type LPS.     

Linkage disequilibrium analyses of natriuretic peptide precursor B locus reveal risk haplotype conferring high plasma BNP levels

BACKGROUND: Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) has been widely used for the diagnosis and prognostic evaluation of chronic heart failure (CHF). In the present study, we performed association study of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) surrounding the natriuretic peptide precursor B (NPPB) gene with plasma BNP levels in 2970 adult Japanese. METHODS AND RESULTS: Association analysis between SNPs of the NPPB gene and plasma BNP revealed significant associations of the 8 SNPs surrounding the entire NPPB gene with plasma BNP levels. For instance, as to SNP rs198389 (T-381C), plasma BNP levels among the three genotypic categories, i.e., 2189 homozygous T-allele carriers (BNP 26.4+/-0.6pg/ml), 697 heterozygous carriers (35.0+/-1.1pg/ml), and 52 homozygous C-allele carriers (46.0+/-4.1pg/ml) indicated a co-dominant effect of the minor C-allele on elevating plasma BNP levels (P<0.0001). Linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis among the 8 SNPs revealed that the region consisted of two, 5' major and 3' minor, LD blocks. Haplotype-based association analysis demonstrated that plasma BNP levels were associated closely with the haplotypes-1 and -2 of the major LD block. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that genetic variation at the primary locus NPPB gene, represented by definition of risk haplotypes, may be an important determinant of plasma BNP levels.     

GTR1 is a jasmonic acid and jasmonoyl-l-isoleucine transporter in Arabidopsis thaliana

Jasmonates are major plant hormones involved in wounding responses. Systemic wounding responses are induced by an electrical signal derived from damaged leaves. After the signaling, jasmonic acid (JA) and jasmonoyl-l-isoleucine (JA-Ile) are translocated from wounded to undamaged leaves, but the molecular mechanism of the transport remains unclear. Here, we found that a JA-Ile transporter, GTR1, contributed to these translocations in Arabidopsis thaliana. GTR1 was expressed in and surrounding the leaf veins both of wounded and undamaged leaves. Less accumulations and translocation of JA and JA-Ile were observed in undamaged leaves of gtr1 at 30 min after wounding. Expressions of some genes related to wound responses were induced systemically in undamaged leaves of gtr1. These results suggested that GTR1 would be involved in the translocation of JA and JA-Ile in plant and may be contributed to correct positioning of JA and JA-Ile to attenuate an excessive wound response in undamaged leaves.     

Messenger ribonucleic acid of the lipoprotein of the Escherichia coli outer membrane. II. The complete nucleotide sequence

The complete nucleotide sequence of the mRNA for the outer membrane lipoprotein from Escherichia coli has been determined. All the ribonuclease T1 and ribonuclease A fragments obtained from the mRNA were connected with DNA sequencing of restriction endonuclease fragments of the cloned lipoprotein gene. The mRNA consists of 322 nucleotides, and there are 38 and 50 nucleotides in the 5' and 3' end untranslated regions, respectively. The mRNA has several unique features: (a) Out of 50 possible codons for 15 amino acids in the prolipoprotein only 25 codons are used, and all of these appear to be read by the major isoaccepting species of tRNAs for individual amino acids. (b) In the first 64 nucleotides from the 5' end, there are no obvious secondary structures. On the other hand, between the 65th nucleotide and the 3' end, 85% of the nucleotides are involved in the formation of secondary structures, with nine stable stem-and-loop structures. (c) There are many repeating sequences including one repeat of 40 nucleotides. (d) There are a few other features which could be important for efficient translation of the mRNA.     

Myeloid calcium binding proteins: expression in the differentiated HL-60 cells and detection in sera of patients with connective tissue diseases

A differentiation antigen induced in 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (VD3)-treated HL-60 cells was identified as being comprised of the myeloid calcium binding proteins CaBP-p8 and -p14 by determining its amino acid and DNA sequence. Northern blot analysis using a DNA fragment of the gene encoding p14 as a probe indicated that the gene was not expressed in undifferentiated HL-60 cells but transcribed starting on day 1 after VD3 treatment. The level of p 14 mRNA reached a peak on day 2, then declined, and little mRNA remained on day 10, indicating that the p14 gene is activated once and then inactivated during HL-60 differentiation due to VD3. In contrast, thymidylate synthase (TSase) mRNA was present in undifferentiated HL-60 cells but disappeared quickly after VD3 treatment. Both p8 and p14 of CaBP were found at elevated levels in sera of some patients with connective tissue diseases [highly elevated in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Sjogren's syndrome (SjS), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS), and moderately in polymyositis or dermatomyositis (PM/DM) and mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD)]. These results were in sharp contrast with the finding that p14 is always at a highly elevated level but little p8 is present in the sera of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients [Bruggen et al. (1988) Nature 331, 570).     

Presence of active polyribosomes in bacterial cells infected with T4 bacteriophage ghosts.

Host protein synthesis of Escherichia coli stops abruptly after T4 bacteriophage ghost infection. When infection was carried out in the presence of 10 mM Mg2plus, infected cells still have active polyribosomes despite the complete stoppage of protein synthesis. On the other hand, when T4 ghost infection was carried out in the presence of 1 mM Mg2plus, no polyribosomes were observed and most of the ribosomes were 30S and 50S subunit particles. Subunits obtained from extracts of ghost-infected cells at 1 mM M'G2++ concentration could not be converted to polyribosomes, even when Mg2plus concentration was adjusted to 10 mM after ghost infection. There was very little difference in amino acid incorporation activities between polyribosomes from ghost-infected and uninfected cells. In addition, the activity of 70S ribosomes isolated from uninfected cells was identical to that from cells infected with ghosts at 10 mM Mg2plus.     

Homeostatic Epithelial Renewal in the Gut Is Required for Dampening a Fatal Systemic Wound Response in Drosophila

1. Download : Download full-size image

Highlights? Caspase activity is required for gut cell turnover ? Caspase is specifically activated in ECs of midgut after wounding ? Caspase activity in ECs is required for fly survival after wounding ? EC turnover is required for dampening the production of lethal factors after wounding