The hairpin region of Ndc80 is important for the kinetochore recruitment of Mph1/MPS1 in fission yeast

The establishment of proper kinetochore-microtubule attachments facilitates faithful chromosome segregation. Incorrect attachments activate the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), which blocks anaphase onset via recruitment of a cohort of SAC components (Mph1/MPS1, Mad1, Mad2, Mad3/BubR1, Bub1 and Bub3) to kinetochores. KNL1, a component of the outer kinetochore KMN network (KNL1/Mis12 complex/Ndc80 complex), acts as a platform for Bub1 and Bub3 localization upon its phosphorylation by Mph1/MPS1. The Ndc80 protein, a major microtubule-binding site, is critical for MPS1 localization to the kinetochores in mammalian cells. Here we characterized the newly isolated mutant ndc80-AK01 in fission yeast, which contains a single point mutation within the hairpin region. This hairpin connects the preceding calponin-homology domain with the coiled-coil region. ndc80-AK01 was hypersensitive to microtubule depolymerizing reagents with no apparent growth defects without drugs. Subsequent analyses indicated that ndc80-AK01 is defective in SAC signaling, as mutant cells proceeded into lethal cell division in the absence of microtubules. Under mitotic arrest conditions, all SAC components (Ark1/Aurora B, Mph1, Bub1, Bub3, Mad3, Mad2 and Mad1) did not localize to the kinetochore. Further genetic analyses indicated that the Ndc80 hairpin region might act as a platform for the kinetochore recruitment of Mph1, which is one of the most upstream SAC components in the hierarchy. Intriguingly, artificial tethering of Mph1 to the kinetochore fully restored checkpoint signaling in ndc80-AK01 cells, further substantiating the notion that Ndc80 is a kinetochore platform for Mph1. The hairpin region of Ndc80, therefore, plays a critical role in kinetochore recruitment of Mph1.     

小麦微核心种质γ射线辐射敏感性分析

以259个小麦微核心种质为材料进行剂量为0、100、150、250 Gy的60Coγ射线辐照处理,探讨小麦微核心种质的γ射线辐射敏感性分布,以及DNA损伤修复基因TaKu70和TaKu80对辐照的应答模式。结果表明,小麦微核心种质的苗高损伤率与γ射线辐照剂量间存在着3种函数关系:对数、线性、幂函数。以苗高损伤率为50%时的辐照剂量HD50作为主要的辐射敏感性分型指标,分别统计不同函数关系的微核心种质落入不同剂量区间的基因型个数,并依此将259份微核心种质分为敏感型(10)、较敏感型(96)、较钝感型(101)、钝感型(52)。对数函数关系中以敏感型和较敏感型为主,随着γ射线辐照剂量的增加TaKu70和TaKu80基因的相对表达量与对照相比总体升高,但变化不明显;线性函数关系中以较敏感型和较钝感型为主,TaKu70和TaKu80基因的相对表达量与对照相比总体升高,随剂量的增加而逐渐递增;幂函数关系中以较钝感型和钝感型为主,TaKu70和TaKu80基因的相对表达量与对照相比总体升高,但随剂量的增加呈现先增加后降低的趋势,一般相对表达量的峰值出现在150 Gy。     

Mammalian INO80 chromatin remodeler cooperates with FANCM to mediate DNA interstrand crosslink-induced checkpoint activation and repair

Chromatin regulators play crucial roles in the DNA damage response. While the chromatin changes needed for double-strand break repair and nucleotide excision repair have been intensely studied, the chromatin requirements of interstrand crosslink (ICL) repair have remained largely unexplored. Here, we studied the effect of silencing the INO80 chromatin remodeler subunits on the cellular response to ICLs. Cells depleted of Ino80 ATPase were more sensitive to mitomycin C (MMC) and defective in FANCD2 chromatin recruitment. Ino80-deficient cells displayed strongly reduced Chk1 phosphorylation after MMC treatment indicating impaired ATR-dependent DNA damage signaling, likely due to the significantly slower RPA foci formation which we observed in these cells. MMC treatment of cells silenced for FANCM - a protein required for ICL-induced checkpoint signaling, Ino80 or both genes simultaneously led to similar decreases in RPA phosphorylation suggesting that the two proteins were involved in the same checkpoint pathway. Co-immunoprecipitation data indicated that Ino80 and FANCM interact physically. Taken together our data demonstrate for the first time that the INO80 chromatin remodeler cooperates with FANCM to mediate ICL-induced checkpoint activation by promoting accumulation of RPA at the lesion sites. This constitutes a novel mechanism by which the INO80 chromatin remodeler participates in the repair of ICLs and genome integrity maintenance.     

The Kinetochore-Microtubule Coupling Machinery Is Repurposed in Sensory Nervous System Morphogenesis

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Coping with inadvertent lysis of Escherichia coli cultures: Strains resistant to lysogeny and infection by the stealthy lysogenic phage Φ80

Phage Φ80 can infect Escherichia coli in a stealthy manner and persist by forming lysogens. Such Φ80 lysogens are fairly common and often go undetected unless the host is grown at temperatures below 37°C. Since low growth temperatures are required for growing temperature-sensitive mutants and often preferred for large-scale applications such as protein production, Φ80-resistant strains would be useful. We report the construction of E. coli strains that cannot be efficiently lysogenized or infected by bacteriophage Φ80. These strains contain combinations of deletions or mutations in the bacterial attachment site for Φ80 integration and/or deletions in the genes required for phage absorption to the host outer membrane. These strains should help contain and prevent Φ80 infection of E. coli cultures in a laboratory or industrial setting.     

Cytokines IL-1α, IL-6, and GM-CSF constitutively secreted by oral squamous carcinoma induce down-regulation of CD80 costimulatory molecule expression: restoration by interferon γ

We previously characterized the expression of CD80 in different murine head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) clones derived following tumor progression in the absence of T cell–mediated immunity in severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice. We found that HNSCCs that did not express CD80 grew as progressors, while those that expressed CD80 were regressors when grown in immune-competent animals. In the present study, we characterized expression of a repertoire of immunoregulatory cytokines in these HNSCC lines, and found that HNSCCs that express cytokines IL-1, IL-6, and GM-CSF do not express CD80, suggesting the hypothesis that these cytokines may down-modulate expression of CD80. Cytokine-conditioned medium from progressor HNSCC and recombinant IL-1, IL-6, and GM-CSF caused a reduction of CD80 expression in regressor HNSCCs without affecting proliferation. Conversely, the decrease in CD80 expression in progressor HNSCCs could be restored by IFN-, a known inducer of CD80 expression. These data strongly suggest that high levels of cytokines IL-1, IL-6, and GM-CSF expressed by tumor cells can down-regulate CD80 expression in HNSCC, and that IFN- can independently stimulate expression. These data provide evidence for a novel mechanism of cytokine-mediated down-modulation of CD80 during malignant progression of HNSCC that can be restored by IFN-.     

The chloroplastic protein translocation channel Toc75 and its paralog OEP80 represent two distinct protein families and are targeted to the chloroplastic outer envelope by different mechanisms

Toc75 is postulated to form the protein translocation channel in the chloroplastic outer envelope membrane. Proteins homologous to Toc75 are present in a wide range of organisms, with the closest homologs occurring in cyanobacteria. Therefore, an endosymbiotic origin of Toc75 has been postulated. Recently, a gene encoding a paralog to Toc75 was identified in Arabidopsis and its product was named atToc75-V. In the present study, we characterized this new Toc75 paralog, and investigated extensively the relationships among Toc75 homologs from higher plants and bacteria in order to gain insights into the evolutionary origin of the chloroplastic protein translocation channel. First, we found that the native molecular weight of atToc75-V is 80 kDa and renamed it (AtOEP80) Arabidopsis thalianaouter envelope protein of 80 kDa. Second, we found that AtOEP80 and Toc75 utilize different mechanisms for their targeting to the chloroplastic envelope. Toc75 is directed with a cleavable bipartite transit peptide partly via the general import pathway, whereas AtOEP80 contains the targeting information within its mature sequence, and its targeting is independent of the general pathway. Third, we undertook phylogenetic analyses of Toc75 homologs from various organisms, and found that Toc75 and OEP80 represent two independent gene families that are most likely derived from cyanobacterial sequences. Our results suggest that Toc75 and OEP80 diverged early in the evolution of plastids from their common ancestor with modern cyanobacteria.     

Detection of the impairment of CD80 expression on circulating monocytes in HIV-infected Thai children

The mechanism of progressive anergic response in HIV-infected children has yet to be adequately described. One possibility is inappropriate delivery of an essential second signal for T-cell activation due to the inappropriate presentation of co-stimulatory molecules. To determine whether the ligand for the secondary signal is impaired in pediatric AIDS, we compared the level of CD80 expression by circulating monocytes in HIV-infected and-noninfected children (15 mild/asymptomatic, 13 symptomatic and 12 HIV seronegative children). By two-color flow cytometry analysis, there was no statistically significant difference in the percentage of monocytes expressing CD80 among the groups (i.e., 63.2 +/- 15.8, 60.9 +/- 12.7, 61.04 +/- 10.9 for uninfected children, mild-asymptomatic children and symptomatic children, respectively). However, both infected groups showed statistically significant lower levels of CD80 expression, with mean fluorescent intensities of 40.9 +/- 15.9 and 38.8 +/- 10.7 compared to 57.05 +/- 16.3 for the uninfected control group. Our data demonstrated a correlation between HIV infection and impairment of CD80 by circulating monocytes. Whether the impairment on CD80 expression contributes to destruction of the immunological network in HIV-infected children requires further investigation.