Hypertonia-linked protein Trak1 functions with mitofusins to promote mitochondrial tethering and fusion

Hypertonia is a neurological dysfunction associated with a number of central nervous system disorders, including cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, and epilepsy. Genetic studies have identified a homozygous truncation mutation in Trak1 that causes hypertonia in mice. Moreover, elevated Trak1 protein expression is associated with several types of cancersand variants in Trak1 are linked to childhood absence epilepsy in humans. Despite the importance of Trak1 in health and disease, the mechanisms of Trak1 action remain unclear and the pathogenic effects of Trak1 mutation are unknown. Here we report that Trak1 has a crucial function in regulation of mitochondrial fusion. Depletion of Trak1 inhibits mitochondrial fusion, resulting in mitochondrial fragmentation, whereas overexpression of Trak1 elongates and enlarges mitochondria. Our analyses revealed that Trak1 interacts and colocalizes with mitofusins on the outer mitochondrial membrane and functions with mitofusins to promote mitochondrial tethering and fusion. Furthermore, Trak1 is required for stress-induced mitochondrial hyperfusion and pro-survival response. We found that hypertonia-associated mutation impairs Trak1 mitochondrial localization and its ability to facilitate mitochondrial tethering and fusion. Our findings uncover a novel function of Trak1 as a regulator of mitochondrial fusion and provide evidence linking dysregulated mitochondrial dynamics to hypertonia pathogenesis.     

Non-metric morphological divergence in the western house mouse, Mus musculus domesticus, from the Barcelona chromosomal hybrid zone

The effect of hybridization on morphological variation was investigated in 120 western house mice, Mus musculus domesticus , from the hybrid zone between the Barcelona and standard chromosomal races. The incidence of 37 non-metric cranial traits was calculated for standard mice (2 n  = 40) and Barcelona-standard hybrids (2 n  = 27–39). Subsequent analyses were conducted on several karyological subgroups, established by grouping the animals according to either their diploid number or their degree of chromosomal heterozygosity. Results revealed no significant difference by sex, asymmetry, or geographical distance. Significant phenetic divergences were found between the karyotypes studied in relation to several variants. Differences were especially substantial between the standard race and hybrid mice, even with respect to those hybrids with karyotypes close to that of the standard race. Within the hybrids, the maximum divergence corresponded to the 28-chromosome homozygotes, chromosomally close to the Barcelona race, and to the heterozygotes with more than two fusions. Since differences in non-metric trait frequencies are generally considered a measure of genetic divergence, the results suggest the occurrence of a barrier to gene flow in the Barcelona hybrid zone. The decrease of genetic exchange between the chromosomally differentiated mice might be due to reduced fertility in hybrids, associated with chromosomal heterozygosity.  © 2003 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2003, 80 , 313–322.     

抗菌肽-X基因的克隆及在大肠杆菌中的表达

用PCR技术获得抗菌肽—X基因、TNFα基因,与温度诱导的表达载体pRC连接成为重组表达载体,导入大肠杆菌TG1,通过温度诱导表达重组蛋白。将重组质粒转入不同的表达菌中进行表达,经SDS—PAGE选出E.coil BL21(DE3)为最佳表达的宿主菌。培养后,离心得菌体,经超声破碎离心得包涵体,溶解后用CNBr切割并透析,最后经CM52纤维素柱分离纯化得到有活性高纯度的抗菌肽—X。     

构建高效降解胆固醇的融合乳酸菌的研究——(Ⅱ)原生质体融合及融合子的筛选

芽孢杆菌T12-1与嗜热链球菌ST及嗜酸乳杆菌C3进行原生质体融合,获得两株科间融合子S-T13-37和C-T24-8,它们对培养液中的胆固醇降解率分别为54%和78%.ST、C3和T12-1原生质体的再生率分别为10.5%、8.6%和11.2%,ST与T12-1原生质体科间融合率约为4.6×10-6;C3与T12-1原生质体科间融合率约为3.8×10-6.     

pSP6—LUC融合质粒的构建、鉴定和制备

以pSP64为载体,插入荧光素酶基因片断构成pSP6-LUC融合质粒,并将其转化E.ColiHB101鉴定后大最制备融合质粒。     

The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor wortmannin alters the metabolism of the Alzheimer's amyloid precursor protein

One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease is the accumulation of senile plaques in brain, extracellular lesions comprised mostly of aggregates of the amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta). Abeta is proteolytically derived from the Alzheimer's amyloid precursor protein (APP). The generation of Abeta and nonamyloidogenic derivatives of APP involves utilization of alternative processing pathways and multiple subcellular compartments. To improve our understanding of the regulation of APP processing, we investigated the effects of wortmannin, a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-kinase) inhibitor, on APP processing. PI3-kinases form a multifaceted family of enzymes that represent converging points for multiple signal transduction pathways and also act as key regulators of vesicular trafficking. In N2a neuroblastoma cells expressing either wild-type APP or the "Swedish" familial Alzheimer's disease-associated mutant variant of APP, wortmannin treatment resulted in decreased release of both Abeta and soluble APPalpha. In parallel, full-length APP and both processed derivatives accumulated inside the cells. These effects were not present at nanomolar concentrations of wortmannin, but only at micromolar concentrations, implying the possible involvement of a recently described trans-Golgi network (TGN)-associated PI3-kinase that is resistant to nanomolar concentrations of the inhibitor, but sensitive to micromolar concentrations. All effects were reversible when the drug was removed from the cell culture medium. Given the suspected site of action of this novel PI3-kinase activity at the TGN, it is tempting to speculate that the unexpected increase in the levels of both intracellular soluble APPalpha and intracellular Abeta might be due to wortmannin-induced covesiculation of APP together with its respective secretase enzymes within the TGN, leading to the execution of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-secretase reactions.     

显微镜下减压联合前路Zero-P治疗颈椎病的早期临床疗效分析

目的:探讨前路颈椎显微镜辅助下精准减压联合前路椎间隙Zero-P融合器置入治疗颈椎病的早期临床疗效。方法:回顾性分析2016年6月至2018年1月我院收治的43例颈椎病患者,处理节段共73个;患者均行显微镜辅助颈椎前路减压、髓核切除、Zero-P置入融合内固定术。记录患者手术节段、手术时间,术中失血量及并发症。手术前,术后1个月、3个月、6个月、末次随访时的颈部及上肢疼痛视觉模拟评分(Visual Analogue Scale,VAS)、颈部日本骨科协会评分(Japanese Orthopedic Association,JOA)和颈椎残障功能指数(Neck Disability Index,NDI),并采用配对t检验对不同时间点的评分进行分析,评估临床疗效。并同期行颈椎X线、CT及MRI检查,测量和评估椎间隙高度、颈椎Cobb角的改变情况和邻近节段异位骨化形成(Adjacent Level Ossification Development,ALOD)。结果:所有患者术后均获得随访,随访时间12-18个月,平均(14.9±2.2)个月。平均手术时间(82.2±20.9)min,失血量(91.5±33.7) m L;未发生神经和血管损伤等严重并发症。与术前相比,患者术后1个月、3个月、6个月及末次随访时的VAS评分、JOA评分、NDI评分、椎间隙高度及Cobb角均明显改善,差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。但术后随访时间点比较,差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。术后出现轻度吞咽困难2例,中度和重度吞咽困难各1例。随访期间,所有患者均获椎间骨性融合,未发生Zero-P融合器松动、滑脱或断裂,椎体未出现继发性骨折。结论:显微镜辅助颈椎前路椎间盘切除、Zero-P融合器置入治疗颈椎病,能够精准的去除神经脊髓组织的压迫,术后短期和中期临床疗效良好,同时显微镜下止血、术中出血少;视野清晰、手术安全性高。     

肿瘤转移相关基因syntenin的融合表达及纯化

肿瘤相关基因syntenin在乳腺癌的转移和浸润过程中发挥重要作用。syntenin基因编码蛋白的C端有2个串联的PDZ(PDZ1和PDZ2)结构域,它们与该蛋白的功能密切相关。PDZ结构域存在于多种蛋白质中。用PCR方法扩增了syntenin全长、N端（ΔPDZ)、串联重复的PDZ(2PDZ)、PDZ1和PDZ2结构域编码序列,并将其以正确相位与pGEX-2T载体中的GST序列编码融合,构建成重组质粒pGST-syntenin、pGST-ΔPDZ、pGST-2PDZ、pGST-PDZ1和pGST-PDZ2。将这些重组质粒分别转化E．coli DH50α后,分别表达了相应的GST融合蛋白。Westem blot检测结果表明,2种融合蛋白均能与GST抗体反应。表达的GST融合蛋白经谷胱甘肽-Sepharose 4B亲和层析获得了纯化的融合蛋白,为PDZ结构域及其相关蛋白功能研究提供了有用的材料。     

Mitochondrial remodeling following fission inhibition by 15d-PGJ2 involves molecular changes in mitochondrial fusion protein OPA1

We showed earlier that 15 deoxy Δ^12,14 prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2) inactivates Drp1 and induces mitochondrial fusion [1]. However, prolonged incubation of cells with 15d-PGJ2 resulted in remodeling of fused mitochondria into large swollen mitochondria with irregular cristae structure. While initial fusion of mitochondria by 15d-PGJ2 required the presence of both outer (Mfn1 and Mfn2) and inner (OPA1) mitochondrial membrane fusion proteins, later mitochondrial changes involved increased degradation of the fusion protein OPA1 and ubiquitination of newly synthesized OPA1 along with decreased expression of Mfn1 and Mfn2, which likely contributed to the loss of tubular rigidity, disorganization of cristae, and formation of large swollen degenerated dysfunctional mitochondria. Similar to inhibition of Drp1 by 15d-PGJ2, decreased expression of fission protein Drp1 by siRNA also resulted in the loss of fusion proteins. Prevention of 15d-PGJ2 induced mitochondrial elongation by thiol antioxidants prevented not only loss of OPA1 isoforms but also its ubiquitination. These findings provide novel insights into unforeseen complexity of molecular events that modulate mitochondrial plasticity.