Apical Scaffolding Protein NHERF2 Modulates the Localization of Alternatively Spliced Plasma Membrane Ca2+ Pump 2B Variants in Polarized Epithelial Cells

The membrane localization of the plasma membrane Ca²⁺-ATPase isoform 2 (PMCA2) in polarized cells is determined by alternative splicing; the PMCA2w/b splice variant shows apical localization, whereas the PMCA2z/b and PMCA2x/b variants are mostly basolateral. We previously reported that PMCA2b interacts with the PDZ protein Na⁺/H⁺ exchanger regulatory factor 2 (NHERF2), but the role of this interaction for the specific membrane localization of PMCA2 is not known. Here we show that co-expression of NHERF2 greatly enhanced the apical localization of GFP-tagged PMCA2w/b in polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney cells. GFP-PMCA2z/b was also redirected to the apical membrane by NHERF2, whereas GFP-PMCA2x/b remained exclusively basolateral. In the presence of NHERF2, GFP-PMCA2w/b co-localized with the actin-binding protein ezrin even after disruption of the actin cytoskeleton by cytochalasin D or latrunculin B. Surface biotinylation and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching experiments demonstrated that NHERF2-mediated anchorage to the actin cytoskeleton reduced internalization and lateral mobility of the pump. Our results show that the specific interaction with NHERF2 enhances the apical concentration of PMCA2w/b by anchoring the pump to the apical membrane cytoskeleton. The data also suggest that the x/b splice form of PMCA2 contains a dominant lateral targeting signal, whereas the targeting and localization of the z/b form are more flexible and not fully determined by intrinsic sequence features.     

Primary and secondary structural homologies between the HIS4 gene product of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the hisIE and hisD gene products of Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium

Summary A detailed comparative analysis of the Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium hisIE and hisD gene products and the functionally equivalent, single, HIS4 gene product of Saccharomyces cerevisiae permitted several insights concerning the relationship between these genes. Our analysis supports the idea that HIS4 results from the fusion of hisIE and hisD. The comparison permitted a more precise definition of the functional domains of hisI/HIS4A and hisE/HIS4B as well as the two functional domains of hisD/HIS4C. The homologies between the bacterial and yeast sequences suggest a region of the hisD/HIS4C protein that may constitute one of the active centres. A large fragment at the amino terminal region of the yeast protein is missing from the bacterial hisIE gene product and is probably not needed for catalytic activity. Another region of non-homology in the yeast protein is probably a peptide bridge connecting the HIS4AB domain to HIS4C. Although the overall homology at the level of amino acid sequence is modest (about 38%) there is a striking similarity when the hydropathic patterns and predicted secondary structural configurations of these proteins are compared.     

First human isolate of Leptospira interrogans as serovar bratislava in Italy

Abstract A strain of Leptospira interrogans was isolated from a patient suffering from leptospirosis and was typed by the Gross Agglutination Absorption test using monoclonal antibodies prepared against different serovars of the Australis serogroup. This newly isolated strain belonged to serovar bratislava . It is the first reported isolation from man, in Italy, of Leptospira bratislava , thus supporting the emerging role of this serovar in human leptospirosis.     

A chromosome-level genome assembly enables the identification of the follicule stimulating hormone receptor as the master sex-determining gene in the flatfish Solea senegalensis

Sex determination (SD) shows huge variation among fish and a high evolutionary rate, as illustrated by the Pleuronectiformes (flatfishes). This order is characterized by its adaptation to demersal life, compact genomes and diversity of SD mechanisms. Here, we assembled the Solea senegalensis genome, a flatfish of great commercial value, into 82 contigs (614 Mb) combining long- and short-read sequencing, which were next scaffolded using a highly dense genetic map (28,838 markers, 21 linkage groups), representing 98.9% of the assembly. Further, we established the correspondence between the assembly and the 21 chromosomes by using BAC-FISH. Whole genome resequencing of six males and six females enabled the identification of 41 single nucleotide polymorphism variants in the follicle stimulating hormone receptor (fshr) consistent with an XX/XY SD system. The observed sex association was validated in a broader independent sample, providing a novel molecular sexing tool. The fshr gene displayed differential expression between male and female gonads from 86 days post-fertilization, when the gonad is still an undifferentiated primordium, concomitant with the activation of amh and cyp19a1a, testis and ovary marker genes, respectively, in males and females. The Y-linked fshr allele, which included 24 nonsynonymous variants and showed a highly divergent 3D protein structure, was overexpressed in males compared to the X-linked allele at all stages of gonadal differentiation. We hypothesize a mechanism hampering the action of the follicle stimulating hormone driving the undifferentiated gonad toward testis.     

Ehrlich cell plasma membrane redox system is modulated through signal transduction pathways involvingcGMP and Ca2+ as second messengers

Ehrlich cell plasma membrane ferricyanide reductase activity increased in the presence of mastoparan, a generic activator of G proteins, using either whole cells or isolated plasma membrane fractions. Agents that increase intracellularcAMP also increased the rate of ferricyanide reduction by Ehrlich cells. For the first time, evidence is shown on a modulation of plasma membrane redox system bycGMP. In fact, permeant analogs ofcGMP, dibutyrylcGMP, and 8-bromo-cGMP increased the rate of ferricyanide reduction by the Ehrlich cell plasma membrane redox system. Furthermore, specific inhibition ofcGMP-phosphodiesterases by dipyridamole was also accompanied by an enhancement in the rate of ferricyanide reduction. On the other hand, treatments expected to increase cytoplasmic Ca²⁺ concentrations were accompanied by a remarkable stimulation of the reductase activity. Taking all these data together, it seems that the Ehrlich cell plasma membrane redox system is under a multiple and complex regulation by different signal transduction pathways involving G proteins, cyclic nucleotides, and Ca²⁺ ions.     

Delayed Excitotoxic Neurodegeneration Induced by Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists in Isolated Retina

Abstract: Evidence from in vitro studies suggests that excitotoxic neuronal degeneration can occur by either an acute or delayed mechanism. Studies of the acute mechanism in isolated chick embryo retina using histological methods indicate that this process is rapidly triggered by activation of glutamate receptors of either the N-methyl-d -aspartate (NMDA) or non-NMDA subtypes. The delayed mechanism, studied primarily in cortical and hippocampal cell cultures prepared from embryonic rodent brain, requires activation of NMDA receptors. In these cell culture systems, stimulation of non-NMDA receptors does not rapidly trigger delayed neuronal degeneration, or does so only indirectly, via activation of NMDA receptors secondary to glutamate release. To provide a more valid basis for comparison of these two mechanisms, we have modified the isolated chick embryo retina model to permit studies of delayed as well as acute excitotoxic neurodegeneration. Retinas maintained for 24 h exhibited no morphological or biochemical signs of damage. Retinal damage was assessed by measuring lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) present in the medium at various times after exposure to agonists and normalized to total LDH in each retina. Glutamate exposure (1 mM, 30 min) did not result in LDH release by the end of the exposure period, but LDH was released over the following 24 h. Briefer periods also led to substantial LDH release. Incubation in the presence of NMDA, or the non-NMDA agonists kainate (KA) or α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA), led rapidly to delayed LDH release. NMDA and AMPA were more potent than glutamate, but high concentrations of glutamate led to more LDH release than high concentrations of these agonists. KA was a powerful excitotoxin, providing more LDH release than glutamate, NMDA, or AMPA at every concentration tested. The delayed LDH release induced by glutamate involved activation of both NMDA and non-NMDA receptors, as a combination of receptor-selective antagonists was necessary to provide complete blockade. These results indicate that glutamate, NMDA, AMPA, and KA all cause delayed as well as acute excitotoxic damage in the retina. It is interesting that brief exposure to the non-NMDA receptor agonists, in relatively low concentrations, led to delayed LDH release. This is different than in other in vitro models of delayed excitotoxic neurodegeneration.     

Regional Brain Atrophy and Functional Connectivity Changes Related to Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis

Fatigue is one of the most frequent symptoms in multiple sclerosis (MS), and recent studies have described a relationship between the sensorimotor cortex and its afferent and efferent pathways as a substrate of fatigue. The objectives of this study were to assess the neural correlates of fatigue in MS through gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) atrophy, and resting state functional connectivity (rs-FC) of the sensorimotor network (SMN). Eighteen healthy controls (HCs) and 60 relapsing-remitting patients were assessed with the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). Patients were classified as fatigued (F) or nonfatigued (NF). We investigated GM and WM atrophy using voxel-based morphometry, and rs-FC changes with a seed-based method and independent component analysis (ICA). F patients showed extended GM and WM atrophy focused on areas related to the SMN. High FSS scores were associated with reductions of WM in the supplementary motor area. Seed analysis of GM atrophy in the SMN showed that HCs presented increased rs-FC between the primary motor and somatosensory cortices while patients with high FSS scores were associated with decreased rs-FC between the supplementary motor area and associative somatosensory cortex. ICA results showed that NF patients presented higher rs-FC in the primary motor cortex compared to HCs and in the premotor cortex compared to F patients. Atrophy reduced functional connectivity in SMN pathways and MS patients consequently experienced high levels of fatigue. On the contrary, NF patients experienced high synchronization in this network that could be interpreted as a compensatory mechanism to reduce fatigue sensation.