Overlap of proteome changes in Medicago truncatula in response to auxin and Sinorhizobium meliloti

We used proteome analysis to identify proteins induced during nodule initiation and in response to auxin in Medicago truncatula. From previous experiments, which found a positive correlation between auxin levels and nodule numbers in the M. truncatula supernodulation mutant sunn (supernumerary nodules), we hypothesized (1) that auxin mediates protein changes during nodulation and (2) that auxin responses might differ between the wild type and the supernodulating sunn mutant during nodule initiation. Increased expression of the auxin response gene GH3:beta-glucuronidase was found during nodule initiation in M. truncatula, similar to treatment of roots with auxin. We then used difference gel electrophoresis and tandem mass spectrometry to compare proteomes of wild-type and sunn mutant roots after 24 h of treatment with Sinorhizobium meliloti, auxin, or a control. We identified 131 of 270 proteins responding to treatment with S. meliloti and/or auxin, and 39 of 89 proteins differentially displayed between the wild type and sunn. The majority of proteins changed similarly in response to auxin and S. meliloti after 24 h in both genotypes, supporting hypothesis 1. Proteins differentially accumulated between untreated wild-type and sunn roots also showed changes in auxin response, consistent with altered auxin levels in sunn. However, differences between the genotypes after S. meliloti inoculation were largely not due to differential auxin responses. The role of the identified candidate proteins in nodule initiation and the requirement for their induction by auxin could be tested in future functional studies.     

Steric analysis of 8-hydroxy- and 10-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acids and dihydroxyoctadecadienoic acids formed from 8R-hydroperoxyoctadecadienoic acid by hydroperoxide isomerases

8-Hydroxyoctadeca-9Z,12Z-dienoic acid (8-HODE) and 10-hydroxyoctadeca-8E,12Z-octadecadienoic acid (10-HODE) are produced by fungi, e.g., 8R-HODE by Gaeumannomyces graminis (take-all of wheat) and Aspergillus nidulans, 10S-HODE by Lentinula edodes, and 10R-HODE by Epichloe typhina. Racemic [8-(2)H]8-HODE and [10-(2)H]10-HODE were prepared by oxidation of 8- and 10-HODE to keto fatty acids by Dess-Martin periodinane followed by reduction to hydroxy fatty acids with NaB(2)H(4). The hydroxy fatty acids were analyzed by chiral phase high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) with 8R-HODE and 10S-HODE as standards. 8R-HODE eluted after 8S-HODE on silica with cellulose tribenzoate (Chiralcel OB-H), and 10S-HODE eluted before 10R-HODE on silica with an aromatic chiral selector (Reprosil Chiral-NR). 5S,8R-Dihydroxyoctadeca-9Z,12Z-dienoic acid (5S,8R-DiHODE) is formed from 18:2n-6 by A. nidulans and 8R,11S-dihydroxyoctadeca-9Z,12Z-dienoic acid (8R,11S-DiHODE) by Agaricus bisporus. 8R-Hydroperoxylinoleic acid (8R-HPODE) can be transformed to 5S,8R-DiHODE and 8R,11-DiHODE by Aspergillus spp., and 8R,13-dihydroxy-9Z,11E-dienoic acid (8R,13-DiHODE) can also be detected. We prepared racemic [5,8-(2)H(2)]5,8- and [8,11-(2)H(2)]8,11-DiHODE by oxidation and reduction as above and 8R,13S- and 8R,13R-DiHODE by oxidation of 8R-HODE by S and R lipoxygenases. The diastereoisomers were separated and identified by normal phase HPLC-MS/MS analysis. We used the methods for steric analysis of fungal oxylipins. Aspergillus spp. produced 8R-HODE (>95% R), 10R-HODE (>70% R), and 5S,8R- and 8R,11S-DiHODE with high stereoselectivity (>95%), whereas 8R,13-DiHODE was likely formed by nonenzymatic hydrolysis of 8R,11S-DiHODE.     

Specificity profiling of Pak kinases allows identification of novel phosphorylation sites

The p21-activated kinases (Paks) serve as effectors of the Rho family GTPases Rac and Cdc42. The six human Paks are divided into two groups based on sequence similarity. Group I Paks (Pak1 to -3) phosphorylate a number of substrates linking this group to regulation of the cytoskeleton and both proliferative and anti-apoptotic signaling. Group II Paks (Pak4 to -6) are thought to play distinct functional roles, yet their few known substrates are also targeted by Group I Paks. To determine if the two groups recognize distinct target sequences, we used a degenerate peptide library method to comprehensively characterize the consensus phosphorylation motifs of Group I and II Paks. We find that Pak1 and Pak2 exhibit virtually identical substrate specificity that is distinct from that of Pak4. Based on structural comparisons and mutagenesis, we identified two key amino acid residues that mediate the distinct specificities of Group I and II Paks and suggest a structural basis for these differences. These results implicate, for the first time, residues from the small lobe of a kinase in substrate selectivity. Finally, we utilized the Pak1 consensus motif to predict a novel Pak1 phosphorylation site in Pix (Pak-interactive exchange factor) and demonstrate that Pak1 phosphorylates this site both in vitro and in cultured cells. Collectively, these results elucidate the specificity of Pak kinases and illustrate a general method for the identification of novel sites phosphorylated by Paks.     

Steroidal isomers with uniform mass spectra of their per-TMS derivatives: synthesis of 17-hydroxyandrostan-3-ones, androst-1-, and -4-ene-3,17-diols

In human sports doping control analysis most of the steroids are analyzed after enzymatic hydrolysis of the glucuronides as per-trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatives applying gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). According to the recommendations of the World Anti-Doping Agency the identification of analytes should be based on retention time and on mass spectrometric characterization. This study shows that the bis-TMS derivatives of 16 specific C19 steroids, namely the stereoisomers of 5xi-androst-1-ene-3xi,17xi-diol (8 isomers), androst-4-ene-3xi,17xi-diol (4 isomers), and 17xi-hydroxy-5xi-androstan-3-one (4 isomers), reveal very similar mass spectra. As a rule, when taking the retention times, which are provided as Kovac indices for all these isomers, into account, a restriction to two or three possible isomers is possible. Reliable identification should additionally include a comparison of the retention times of the analytes with the reference compounds measured concomitantly. In some cases standard addition may be appropriate. Due to the limited availability, the above mentioned isomers were synthesized by reduction of the corresponding alpha,beta-unsaturated oxo steroids either with K-Selectride or by catalytic hydrogenation (Pd/C as catalyst). The products of the reactions were identified by means of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) characterization and by further reduction to the corresponding 5xi-androstane-3xi,17xi-diols and GC-MS comparison with commercially available reference standards.     

DNA microarray-based identification of serogroups and virulence gene patterns of Escherichia coli isolates associated with porcine postweaning diarrhea and edema disease

Escherichia coli strains causing postweaning diarrhea (PWD) and edema disease (ED) in pigs are limited to a number of serogroups, with O8, O45, O138, O139, O141, O147, O149, and O157 being the most commonly reported worldwide. In this study, a DNA microarray based on the O-antigen-specific genes of all 8 E. coli serogroups, as well as 11 genes encoding adhesion factors and exotoxins associated with PWD and ED, was developed for the identification of related serogroups and virulence gene patterns. The microarray method was tested against 186 E. coli and Shigella O-serogroup reference strains, 13 E. coli reference strains for virulence markers, 43 E. coli clinical isolates, and 12 strains of other bacterial species and shown to be highly specific with reproducible results. The detection sensitivity was 0.1 ng of genomic DNA or 10(3) CFU per 0.3 g of porcine feces in mock samples. Seventeen porcine feces samples from local hoggeries were examined using the microarray, and the result for one sample was verified by the conventional serotyping methods. This microarray can be readily used to screen for the presence of PWD- and ED-associated E. coli in porcine feces samples.     

Transposon insertion reveals pRM, a plasmid of Rickettsia monacensis

Until the recent discovery of pRF in Rickettsia felis, the obligate intracellular bacteria of the genus Rickettsia (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae) were thought not to possess plasmids. We describe pRM, a plasmid from Rickettsia monacensis, which was detected by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and Southern blot analyses of DNA from two independent R. monacensis populations transformed by transposon-mediated insertion of coupled green fluorescent protein and chloramphenicol acetyltransferase marker genes into pRM. Two-dimensional electrophoresis showed that pRM was present in rickettsial cells as circular and linear isomers. The 23,486-nucleotide (31.8% G/C) pRM plasmid was cloned from the transformant populations by chloramphenicol marker rescue of restriction enzyme-digested transformant DNA fragments and PCR using primers derived from sequences of overlapping restriction fragments. The plasmid was sequenced. Based on BLAST searches of the GenBank database, pRM contained 23 predicted genes or pseudogenes and was remarkably similar to the larger pRF plasmid. Two of the 23 genes were unique to pRM and pRF among sequenced rickettsial genomes, and 4 of the genes shared by pRM and pRF were otherwise found only on chromosomes of R. felis or the ancestral group rickettsiae R. bellii and R. canadensis. We obtained pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and Southern blot evidence for a plasmid in R. amblyommii isolate WB-8-2 that contained genes conserved between pRM and pRF. The pRM plasmid may provide a basis for the development of a rickettsial transformation vector.     

Staining of Chlamydia trachomatis elementary bodies: a suitable method for identifying infected human monocytes by flow cytometry

Persistence of Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) in the joint is the most frequent cause of reactive arthritis following urogenital tract infection. The resulting changes of host cell antigen- and cytokine-expression are not precisely understood. We developed and evaluated a direct cytometric approach to visualize in vitro C. trachomatis-infected monocytes. Infectious elementary bodies (EBs) of C. trachomatis serovar K were labelled by incubation with 5-(and-6)-carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFSE). Afterwards, human peripheral blood monocytes were cultured with the CFSE-labelled EBs and analysed by flow cytometry. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to demonstrate intracellular uptake and viability of CFSE-labelled C. trachomatis by the determination of gene expression. Labelling EBs with CFSE may become a valuable tool for studying the interaction between C. trachomatis and the host cell.     

The morphology,physiology and function of suboesophageal neck motor neurons in the honeybee

We report some of the neural and muscular circuitry that allows honeybees to control head movements. We studied neck motor neurons with cell bodies in the suboesophageal ganglion, axons in the first cervical nerve (IK1) and terminals in neck muscles 44 and 51 (muscle classification: Snodgrass in Smithsonian Misc Coll 103:1-120, 1942). We show that muscle 44 actually comprises five separate bundles of muscle fibres (subunits), while muscle 51 is split into two subunits. Eight motor neurons innervate muscles 44 and 51. Two motor neurons have cell bodies in the ventral-median cell body group (one innervates a subunit in muscle 44, the other a subunit in muscle 51). One motor neuron has a ventrally located contralateral cell body (innervating a subunit in muscle 44) and five have laterally located ipsilateral cell bodies. Of the five lateral cells, one innervates a subunit in muscle 51, three selectively innervate subunits in muscle 44 and one co-innervates a subunit in muscle 44 with the contralateral cell. Extracellular recordings revealed three types of visually driven, direction-selective cell-types in each IK1 tuned for leftward, rightward and downward motion over the eyes. The spatiotemporal tuning of the units is similar to that of other visual interneurons in the bee brain.     

MEGF9: a novel transmembrane protein with a strong and developmentally regulated expression in the nervous system

MEGF9 [multiple EGF (epidermal growth factor)-like-domains 9], a novel transmembrane protein with multiple EGF-like repeats, is predominantly expressed in the developing and adult CNS (central nervous system) and PNS (peripheral nervous system). The domain structure of MEGF9 consists of an N-terminal region with several potential O-glycosylation sites followed by five EGF-like domains, which are highly homologous with the short arms of laminins. Following one single pass transmembrane domain, a highly conserved short intracellular domain with potential phosphorylation sites is present. The protein was recombinantly expressed and characterized as a tissue component. To study the expression pattern further, immunohistochemistry was performed and staining was detected in Purkinje cells of the cerebellum and in glial cells of the PNS. Additional expression was observed in the epidermal layer of skin, papillae of the tongue and the epithelium of the gastrointestinal tract. By immunoelectron microscopy, MEGF9 was detected in glial cells of the sciatic nerve facing the basement membrane. MEGF9 represents a novel putative receptor, expressed in neuronal and non-neuronal tissues, that is regulated during development and could function as a guidance or signalling molecule.