Arabidopsis MPK6 is involved in cell division plane control during early root development,and localizes to the pre‐prophase band,phragmoplast, trans‐Golgi network and plasma membrane

The proper spatial and temporal expression and localization of mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs) is essential for developmental and cellular signalling in all eukaryotes. Here, we analysed expression, subcellular localization and function of MPK6 in roots of Arabidopsis thaliana using wild‐type plants and three mpk6 knock‐out mutant lines. The MPK6 promoter showed two expression maxima in the most apical part of the root meristem and in the root transition zone. This expression pattern was highly consistent with ‘no root’ and ‘short root’ phenotypes, as well as with ectopic cell divisions and aberrant cell division planes, resulting in disordered cell files in the roots of these mpk6 knock‐out mutants. In dividing root cells, MPK6 was localized on the subcellular level to distinct fine spots in the pre‐prophase band and phragmoplast, representing the two most important cytoskeletal structures controlling the cell division plane. By combining subcellular fractionation and microscopic in situ and in vivo co‐localization methods, MPK6 was localized to the plasma membrane (PM) and the trans‐Golgi network (TGN). In summary, these data suggest that MPK6 localizing to mitotic microtubules, secretory TGN vesicles and the PM is involved in cell division plane control and root development in Arabidopsis.     

Novel mannose-sequestration technique reveals variation in subcellular orthophosphate pools do not explain the effects of phosphorus nutrition on photosynthesis in Eucalyptus globulus seedlings

Although only a small proportion of plant phosphorus (P) is used for photosynthesis, the relationships between P and photosynthesis can be strong. It was hypothesized, in this study, that variation in the allocation of orthophosphate (Pi) between active (cytoplasmic) and nonactive (vacuolar) pools would underpin differences in rates of photosynthesis in 4-month-old Eucalyptus globulus seedlings grown with a varying P supply. Photosynthetic biochemistry was assessed by the response of net photosynthesis to increasing intercellular [CO2]. Cytoplasmic Pi was sequestered as mannose 6-phosphate. Total P and the proportion of P as Pi were positively related to P supply. The ratios of active : stored Pi (10-24%) varied little over the range of treatments. Active Pi was positively related to P supply, as was photosynthesis (7 micromol CO2 m(-2) s(-1) with 0 mM P vs. 16 micromol CO2 m(-2) s(-1) with 0.32 mM P). Positive relationships between P supply and photosynthesis were explained best by leaf P content, not by active pools of Pi. The distribution of Pi between the vacuole and the cytoplasm had little impact on the photosynthetic phosphorus-use efficiency (PPUE), and reductions in cytoplasmic Pi had little effect on photosynthesis. Hence, PPUE is an unsuitable guide for assessing plant responses to increasingly unavailable P in the environment.     

Use of proteomics for the identification of novel drug targets in brain diseases

In spite of the rapid advances in the development of the new proteomic technologies, there are, to date, relatively fewer studies aiming to explore the neuronal proteome. One of the reasons is the complexity of the brain, which presents high cellular heterogeneity and a unique subcellular compartmentalization. Therefore, tissue fractionation of the brain to enrich proteins of interest will reduce the complexity of the proteomics approach leading to the production of manageable and meaningful results. In this review, general considerations and strategies of proteomics, the advantages and challenges to exploring the neuronal proteome are described and summarized. In addition, this article presents an overview of recent advances of proteomic technologies and shows that proteomics can serve as a valuable tool to globally explore the changes in brain proteome during various disease states. Understanding the molecular basis of brain function will be extremely useful in identifying novel targets for the treatment of brain diseases.     

Disruption of the dynamic sub-cellular localization of the Xenopus tumorhead protein causes embryonic lethality at the early gastrula transition

Abstract The Xenopus laevis tumorhead (TH) protein, a positive regulator of cell proliferation during embryogenesis, shuttles from the cell periphery into the nucleus during embryogenesis. In these studies, we performed a detailed analysis of TH's subcellular localization pattern to characterize its dynamic behavior. We found that TH exhibits distinct patterns of localization in different germ layers. At the blastula stage, TH is present in the apical cell periphery of prospective mesodermal and ectodermal cells. At the gastrula stage, TH is distributed throughout the entire cytoplasm of prospective mesodermal and ectodermal cells, whereas it shows nuclear localization in presumptive endodermal cells. TH moves into the nucleus of mesodermal and ectodermal cells during the neurula and early tailbud stages. To understand if TH is regulated by changes in its subcellular localization, we used a TH mutant containing signals for farnesylation and palmitoylation to tether the protein to the plasma membrane. Ubiquitous overexpression of this mutant causes embryonic lethality at the early gastrula transition. Further examination using TUNEL assays indicated that wild-type TH overexpression induces apoptosis during gastrulation, and that this effect is exacerbated by the overexpression of the membrane-bound TH mutant. Taken together, our results suggest that changes in the sub-cellular localization of the TH protein are important for its function because blocking the nuclear translocation of overexpressed TH increases apoptosis and causes embryos to die. Our data also suggest that TH plays a role outside the nucleus when it is present at the cell periphery.     

In vivo magnetic resonance microscopy of differentiation in Xenopus laevis embryos from the first cleavage onwards

Differentiation inside a developing embryo can be observed by a variety of optical methods but hardly so in opaque organisms. Embryos of the frog Xenopus laevis--a popular model system--belong to the latter category and, for this reason, are predominantly being investigated by means of physical sectioning. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a noninvasive method independent of the optical opaqueness of the object. Starting out from clinical diagnostics, the technique has now developed into a branch of microscopy--MR microscopy--that provides spatial resolutions of tens of microns for small biological objects. Nondestructive three-dimensional images of various embryos have been obtained using this technique. They were, however, usually acquired by long scans of fixed embryos. Previously reported in vivo studies did not cover the very early embryonic stages, mainly for sensitivity reasons. Here, by applying high field MR microscopy to the X. laevis system, we achieved the temporal and spatial resolution required for observing subcellular dynamics during early cell divisions in vivo. We present image series of dividing cells and nuclei and of the whole embryonic development from the zygote onto the hatching of the tadpole. Additionally, biomechanical analyses from successive MR images are introduced. These results demonstrate that MR microscopy can provide unique contributions to investigations of differentiating cells and tissues in vivo.     

The cellular trafficking of the secretory proprotein convertase PCSK9 and its dependence on the LDLR

Mutations in the proprotein convertase PCSK9 gene are associated with autosomal dominant familial hyper- or hypocholesterolemia. These phenotypes are caused by a gain or loss of function of proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin 9 (PCSK9) to elicit the degradation of the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) protein. Herein, we asked whether the subcellular localization of wild-type PCSK9 or mutants of PCSK9 and the LDLR would provide insight into the mechanism of PCSK9-dependent LDLR degradation. We show that the LDLR is the dominant partner in regulating the cellular trafficking of PCSK9. In cells lacking the LDLR, PCSK9 localized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In cells expressing the LDLR, PCSK9 sorted to post-ER compartments (i.e. endosomes in cell lines and Golgi apparatus in primary hepatocytes), where it colocalized with the LDLR. In cell lines, PCSK9 also colocalized with the LDLR at the cell surface, requiring the presence of the C-terminal Cys/His-rich domain of PCSK9. We provide evidence that PCSK9 promotes the degradation of the LDLR by an endocytic mechanism, as small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of the clathrin heavy chain reduced the functional activity of PCSK9. We also compared the subcellular localization of natural mutants of PCSK9 with that of the wild-type enzyme in human hepatic (HuH7) cells. Whereas the mutants associated with hypercholesterolemia (S127R, F216L and R218S) localized to endosomes/lysosomes, those associated with hypocholesterolemia did not reach this compartment. We conclude that the sorting of PCSK9 to the cell surface and endosomes is required for PCSK9 to fully promote LDLR degradation and that retention in the ER prevents this activity. Mutations that affect this transport can lead to hyper- or hypocholesterolemia.     

Cloning and Characterization of <i>EuGID1</i> in <i>Eucommia ulmoides</i> Oliver

Gibberellic acid controlled the key developmental processes of the life cycle of landing plants, and regulated the growth and development of plants. In this study, a novel gibberellin receptor gene EuGID1 was obtained from Eucommia ulmoides Oliver. The cDNA of EuGID1 was 1556 bp, and the open reading frame was 1029 bp, which encoded 343 amino acids. EuGID1 had the homology sequence with the hormone-sensitive lipase family. Amino acid sequence alignment confirmed EuGID1 protein had the highest homology with the GID1 protein of Manihot esculenta. EuGID1 was located in the nucleus and cell membrane and had expression in four plant organs. Overexpression of EuGID1 in transgenic Arabidopsis plants promoted plant elongation and increased siliques yield.     

Role of cyclooxygenase-2 in Trypanosoma cruzi survival in the early stages of parasite host-cell interaction

Chagas disease, caused by the intracellular protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, is a serious health problem in Latin America. During this parasitic infection, the heart is one of the major organs affected. The pathogenesis of tissue remodelling, particularly regarding cardiomyocyte behaviour after parasite infection and the molecular mechanisms that occur immediately following parasite entry into host cells are not yet completely understood. When cells are infected with T. cruzi, they develop an inflammatory response, in which cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) catalyses rate-limiting steps in the arachidonic acid pathway. However, how the parasite interaction modulates COX-2 activity is poorly understood. In this study, the H9c2 cell line was used as our model and we investigated cellular and biochemical aspects during the initial 48 h of parasitic infection. Oscillatory activity of COX-2 was observed, which correlated with the control of the pro-inflammatory environment in infected cells. Interestingly, subcellular trafficking was also verified, correlated with the control of Cox-2 mRNA or the activated COX-2 protein in cells, which is directly connected with the assemble of stress granules structures. Our collective findings suggest that in the very early stage of the T. cruzi-host cell interaction, the parasite is able to modulate the cellular metabolism in order to survives.     

香蒲对不同浓度Pb~(2+)胁迫的生理应答及其细胞超微结构变化

通过室内水培试验,研究了不同浓度Pb2+(0、0.25、0.50、1.00和2.00mmol·L-1)胁迫对东方香蒲根和叶中Pb含量、叶绿素含量、丙二醛(MDA)含量、抗氧化酶(SOD、CAT和POD)活性以及亚细胞结构的影响。结果显示:(1)随着外源Pb2+浓度的增加,Pb在香蒲根和叶中的积累量均显著高于对照,且Pb在根中的含量明显高于叶中,并与外源Pb2+浓度呈显著正相关关系。(2)香蒲叶片中的叶绿素a和叶绿素b含量随着外源Pb2+浓度的增加呈先升后降趋势,均在处理浓度为0.50mmol·L-1时达到峰值。(3)胁迫处理叶片的MDA含量与对照相比变化不显著,但根中MDA含量呈显著下降趋势。(4)叶片中SOD活性在1.00mmol·L-1 Pb2+处理时达到峰值,然后下降,但始终高于对照,CAT和POD活性则均低于对照组;根中SOD活性除1.00mmol·L-1 Pb2+处理组外均显著低于对照组,CAT和POD活性分别在0.25和0.50mmol·L-1 Pb2+处理时达到峰值,然后随处理Pb2+浓度升高而下降。(5)电镜观察发现,Pb2+胁迫使香蒲叶细胞中叶绿体被膜破裂,类囊体膨胀、破损;根和叶细胞中的线粒体被膜均破裂、内腔空泡化,细胞核核膜破损、核仁消失、染色质凝集。研究表明,Pb2+胁迫致使东方香蒲根、叶生理代谢失衡,亚细胞结构出现不可逆的损伤,这为从分子水平研究Pb2+作用的具体机理以及香蒲在重金属污染修复中的应用提供了依据。     

小立碗藓GPX家族的功能分化与催化特性研究

谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶(GPX)在植物抵抗氧化胁迫中发挥重要作用。该研究从小立碗藓(Physcomitrella patens)基因组中挖掘到3个GPX基因,分别命名为PpGPX1、PpGPX2和PpGPX3。其中PpGPX1和PpGPX3只含有1个外显子,而PpGPX2含有6个外显子。表达模式分析发现PpGPX1和PpGPX2在检测的所有条件下均表达,而PpGPX3在检测的所有条件下均不表达。蛋白亚细胞定位分析发现,PpGPX1蛋白定位在细胞质,而PpGPX2蛋白定位在叶绿体。在大肠杆菌中表达并纯化了PpGPX1和PpGPX2蛋白,酶学性质分析发现,PpGPX1和PpGPX2蛋白均只能利用Trx电子供体系统,而不能利用GSH电子供体系统;PpGPX2蛋白对过氧化物底物的催化活性和催化效率均高于PpGPX1。基因结构、表达模式、亚细胞定位和蛋白酶学性质的差异预示小立碗藓GPX基因家族成员发生了功能分化,将PpGPX2蛋白的Pro158、Phe167和Phe172氨基酸残基均突变为Ala,发现突变体蛋白对底物催化活性降低,说明这3个氨基酸位点对PpGPX2蛋白具有重要催化活性。