PLA2G6 mutation underlies infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy

Infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy (INAD) is an autosomal recessive progressive neurodegenerative disease that presents within the first 2 years of life and culminates in death by age 10 years. Affected individuals from two unrelated Bedouin Israeli kindreds were studied. Brain imaging demonstrated diffuse cerebellar atrophy and abnormal iron deposition in the medial and lateral globus pallidum. Progressive white-matter disease and reduction of the N-acetyl aspartate : chromium ratio were evident on magnetic resonance spectroscopy, suggesting loss of myelination. The clinical and radiological diagnosis of INAD was verified by sural nerve biopsy. The disease gene was mapped to a 1.17-Mb locus on chromosome 22q13.1 (LOD score 4.7 at recombination fraction 0 for SNP rs139897), and an underlying mutation common to both affected families was identified in PLA2G6, the gene encoding phospholipase A2 group VI (cytosolic, calcium-independent). These findings highlight a role of phospholipase in neurodegenerative disorders.     

A chromoplast-specific carotenoid biosynthesis pathway is revealed by cloning of the tomato white-flower locus

Carotenoids and their oxygenated derivatives xanthophylls play essential roles in the pigmentation of flowers and fruits. Wild-type tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) flowers are intensely yellow due to accumulation of the xanthophylls neoxanthin and violaxanthin. To study the regulation of xanthophyll biosynthesis, we analyzed the mutant white-flower (wf). It was found that the recessive wf phenotype is caused by mutations in a flower-specific beta-ring carotene hyroxylase gene (CrtR-b2). Two deletions and one exon-skipping mutation in different CrtR-b2 wf alleles abolish carotenoid biosynthesis in flowers but not leaves, where the homologous CrtR-b1 is constitutively expressed. A second beta-carotene hydroxylase enzyme as well as flower- and fruit-specific geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase, phytoene synthase, and lycopene beta-cyclase together define a carotenoid biosynthesis pathway active in chromoplasts only, underscoring the crucial role of gene duplication in specialized plant metabolic pathways. We hypothesize that this pathway in tomato was initially selected during evolution to enhance flower coloration and only later recruited to enhance fruit pigmentation. The elimination of beta-carotene hydroxylation in wf petals results in an 80% reduction in total carotenoid concentration, possibly caused by the inability of petals to store high concentrations of carotenoids other than xanthophylls and by degradation of beta-carotene, which accumulates as a result of the wf mutation but is not due to altered expression of genes in the biosynthetic pathway.     

Do western boxelder bugs sunbathe for sanitation? Inferences from in vitro experiments

When western boxelder bugs, Boisea rubrolineata (Barber) (Hemiptera: Rhopalidae), form aggregations in warm sunlight, they release from their posterior dorsal abdominal gland an odorous blend of monoterpenes with heretofore unknown biological function. In laboratory analyses and experiments, we show that bugs in warm sunlight, but not in shade, exude and spread copious amounts of monoterpenes onto their cuticle. These monoterpenes do not serve as a pheromone, but rather as a means of sanitation. They inhibit germination of conidia of the fungal pathogen Beauveria bassiana (Bals.‐Criv.) Vuill. (Hypocreales) as well as halt the growth of germinated spores. This prophylactic defense against pathogens appears adaptive for phytophagous insects, like B. rubrolineata, that are prone to infections by microbes thriving on leaf surfaces and in the insects' overwintering microhabitat.     

Perinephric and epididymal fat affect hepatic metabolism in rats

The present study examined whether the perinephric and epididymal visceral fat (PEVF) depot under short-term excess nutrient protected the liver by trapping nutrient-derived nonesterified free fatty acids (NEFAs) or had deleterious effects on hepatic triglycerides (TGs) accumulation and insulin resistance due to adipokine secretion. Young rats pre-emptively underwent surgical PEVF removal or sham operations and were fed with either high-fat diet (HFD) (PEVF-HFD) or regular chow (RC) (PEVF-RC) for 3 days. Insulin sensitivity was measured by hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp. Liver TG, serum NEFA, and fat-derived adipokines were assessed. Insulin and lipogenesis signaling were assessed by western blots. Pre-emptive PEVF removal significantly decreases insulin-induced suppression of hepatic glucose production (HGP) both in RC and in HFD-fed rats. In accordance with the clamp results, hepatic TG accumulation is also significantly reduced by PEVF excision both in RC and HFD-fed rats. These results are further validated by insulin signaling results, which show that pre-emptive PEVF removal increases phosphorylation of hepatic Akt, irrespective of diet. Notably, high levels of serum leptin induced by HFD are significantly reduced by pre-emptive PEVF excision. Additionally, expression of lipogenic enzyme p-acetyl-CoA-carboxylase, denoting reduced lipogenesis, is increased in the PEVF-HFD rats. In conclusion, PEVF has a deleterious effect on the liver as a source of insulin resistance-inducing adipokines irrespective of diet, and does not serve as a buffer for excess nutrients.     

Quantitative multicolor compositional imaging resolves molecular domains in cell-matrix adhesions

Background

Cellular processes occur within dynamic and multi-molecular compartments whose characterization requires analysis at high spatio-temporal resolution. Notable examples for such complexes are cell-matrix adhesion sites, consisting of numerous cytoskeletal and signaling proteins. These adhesions are highly variable in their morphology, dynamics, and apparent function, yet their molecular diversity is poorly defined.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We present here a compositional imaging approach for the analysis and display of multi-component compositions. This methodology is based on microscopy-acquired multicolor data, multi-dimensional clustering of pixels according to their composition similarity and display of the cellular distribution of these composition clusters. We apply this approach for resolving the molecular complexes associated with focal-adhesions, and the time-dependent effects of Rho-kinase inhibition. We show here compositional variations between adhesion sites, as well as ordered variations along the axis of individual focal-adhesions. The multicolor clustering approach also reveals distinct sensitivities of different focal-adhesion-associated complexes to Rho-kinase inhibition.

Conclusions/Significance

Multicolor compositional imaging resolves “molecular signatures” characteristic to focal-adhesions and related structures, as well as sub-domains within these adhesion sites. This analysis enhances the spatial information with additional “contents-resolved” dimensions. We propose that compositional imaging can serve as a powerful tool for studying complex multi-molecular assemblies in cells and for mapping their distribution at sub-micron resolution.     

Biosynthesis of the trichothecene 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol. Identification of the oxygenation steps after isotrichodermin

Upon feeding an excess of the substrate isotrichodermin, five tricyclic metabolites accumulated in Fusarium culmorum cultures. These compounds were also identified as transient intermediates of trichothecene biosynthesis by kinetic pulse labeling. Their structures were characterized by spectroscopic techniques (1H NMR, 13C NMR, 2H NMR, and nuclear Overhauser effect difference experiments) as: 1, 15-deacylcalonectrin; 2, calonectrin; 3, 7-hydroxyisotrichodermin; 4, 8-hydroxyisotrichodermin; and 5, 7, hydroxycalonectrin. Four of these metabolites (1-4) were rigorously proven to be biosynthetic precursors to 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol. Indeed, their deuteriated derivatives were shown to be incorporated very efficiently into 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol by 2H-NMR. In addition, our experimental data suggests that the first oxygenation step after isotrichodermin is at C-15, producing 15-deacylcalonectrin.