Inhibition of the glycine decarboxylase multienzyme complex by the host-selective toxin victorin.

Victoria blight of oats is caused by the fungus Cochliobolus victoriae. This fungus is pathogenic due to its ability to produce the host-selective toxin victorin. We previously identified a 100-kD protein that binds victorin in vivo only in susceptible genotypes and a 15-kD protein that binds victorin in vivo in both susceptible and resistant genotypes. Recently, we determined that the oat 100-kD victorin binding protein is the P protein of the glycine decarboxylase complex (GDC). In this study, we examined the effect of victorin on glycine decarboxylase activity (GDA). Victorin was a potent in vivo inhibitor of GDA. Leaf slices pretreated for 2 hr with victorin displayed an effective concentration for 50% inhibition (EC50) of 81 pM for GDA. Victorin inhibited the glycine-bicarbonate exchange reaction in vitro with an EC50 of 23 microM. We also identified a 15-kD mitochondrial protein that bound victorin in a ligand-specific manner. Based on amino acid sequence analysis, we concluded that the 15-kD mitochondrial protein is the H protein component of the GDC. Thus, victorin specifically binds to two components of the GDC. GDA in resistant tissue treated with 100 micrograms/mL victorin for 5 hr was inhibited 26%, presumably as a consequence of the interaction of victorin with the H protein. Victorin had no detectable effect on GDA in isolated mitochondria, apparently due to the inability of isolated mitochondria to import victorin. These results suggest that the interaction of victorin with the GDC is central to victorin's mode of action.     

Rab11b resides in a vesicular compartment distinct from Rab11a in parietal cells and other epithelial cells

The Rab11 family of small GTPases is composed of three members, Rab11a, Rab11b, and Rab25. While recent work on Rab11a and Rab25 has yielded some insights into their function, Rab11b has received little attention. Therefore, we sought to examine the distribution of endogenous Rab11b in epithelial cells. In rabbit gastric parietal cells, unlike Rab11a, Rab11b did not colocalize or coisolate with H(+)/K(+)-ATPase. In MDCK cells, endogenous Rab11b localized to an apical pericentrisomal region distinct from Rab11a. The microtubule agents nocodazole and taxol dramatically alter Rab11a's localization in the cell, while effects on Rab11b's distribution were less apparent. These results indicate that in contrast to Rab11a, the Rab11b compartment in the apical region is not as dependent upon microtubules. While Rab11a is known to regulate transferrin trafficking in nonpolarized cells and IgA trafficking in polarized cells, Rab11b exhibited little colocalization with either of these cargoes. Thus, while Rab11a and Rab11b share high sequence homology, they appear to reside within distinct vesicle compartments.     

Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of testicular biopsies in llamas

Evaluation of the reproductive function of Lama glama is generally considered to be a challenging task due to the difficulty of obtaining representative semen samples. One method that has been proposed for evaluation of testicular function in these animals is histologic examination of testicular needle biopsies. This study was undertaken to examine the safety and efficacy of using needle biopsies to assess testicular function in this species. One randomly selected testicle from each of 16 sexually mature llamas was biopsied with a 14-gauge self-firing biopsy instrument. The llamas were evaluated over a 6-week period with thermography for temperature changes of the scrotum. At the end of the 6-week trial, the llamas were castrated and sections of each testis were fixed in Bouin's solution for histologic examination. Immediately prior to castration, an additional biopsy was taken from each testis to compare the tissue obtained via biopsy with sections from the corresponding testis obtained after castration. A qualitative grading scale was used to compare the seminiferous tubules from each testis. No difference was found between the biopsied and the nonbiopsied testes (P = 0.69). The percentage of normal tubules between the biopsied and the nonbiopsied sides also did not differ (P = 0.70). Furthermore, the percentage of normal seminiferous tubules did not differ between the needle biopsy samples and the corresponding tissue samples obtained at castration (P = 0.48). The number of round seminiferous tubules counted in each biopsy section ranged from 3 to 67. There was no significant difference in the thermographic images of the scrotum between the biopsied and the nonbiopsied testes. This study supports testicular biopsies as a safe and useful procedure in the evaluation of testicular function.     

AKAP350 at the Golgi apparatus. II. Association of AKAP350 with a novel chloride intracellular channel (CLIC) family member

AKAP350 can scaffold a number of protein kinases and phosphatases at the centrosome and the Golgi apparatus. We performed a yeast two-hybrid screen of a rabbit parietal cell library with a 3.2-kb segment of AKAP350 (nucleotides 3611-6813). This screen yielded a full-length clone of rabbit chloride intracellular channel 1 (CLIC1). CLIC1 belongs to a family of proteins, all of which contain a high degree of homology in their carboxyl termini. All CLIC family members were able to bind a 133-amino acid domain within AKAP350 through the last 120 amino acids in the conserved CLIC carboxyl termini. Antibodies developed against a bovine CLIC, p64, immunoprecipitated AKAP350 from HCA-7 colonic adenocarcinoma cell extracts. Antibodies against CLIC proteins recognized at least five CLIC species including a novel 46-kDa CLIC protein. We isolated the human homologue of bovine p64, CLIC5B, from HCA-7 cell cDNA. A splice variant of CLIC5, the predicted molecular mass of CLIC5B corresponds to the molecular mass of the 46-kDa CLIC immunoreactive protein in HCA-7 cells. Antibodies against CLIC5B colocalized with AKAP350 at the Golgi apparatus with minor staining of the centrosomes. AKAP350 and CLIC5B association with Golgi elements was lost following brefeldin A treatment. Furthermore, GFP-CLIC5B-(178-410) targeted to the Golgi apparatus in HCA-7 cells. The results suggest that AKAP350 associates with CLIC proteins and specifically that CLIC5B interacts with AKAP350 at the Golgi apparatus in HCA-7 cells.     

Subproteomics: identification of plasma membrane proteins from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

As a consequence of their poor solubility during isoelectric focusing, integral membrane proteins are generally absent from two-dimensional gel proteome maps. In order to analyze the yeast plasma membrane proteome, a plasma membrane purification protocol was optimized in order to reduce contaminating membranes and cytosolic proteins. Specifically, the new fractionation scheme largely depleted the plasma membrane fraction of cytosolic proteins by deoxycholate stripping and ribosomal proteins by sucrose gradient flotation. The plasma membrane complement was resolved by two-dimensional electrophoresis using the cationic detergent cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide in the first, and sodium dodecyl sulfate in the second dimension, and fifty spots were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectometry. In spite of the presence of still contaminating ribosomal proteins, major proteins corresponded to known plasma membrane residents, the ABC transporters Pdr5p and Snq2p, the P-type H(+)-ATPase Pma1p, the glucose transporter Hxt7p, the seven transmembrane-span Mrh1p, the low affinity Fe(++) transporter Fet4p, the twelve-span Ptr2p, and the plasma membrane anchored casein kinase Yck2p. The four transmembrane-span proteins Sur7p and Nce102p were also present in the isolated plasma membranes, as well as the unknown protein Ygr266wp that probably contains a single transmembrane span. Thus, combining subcellular fractionation with adapted two-dimensional electrophoresis resulted in the identification of intrinsic plasma membrane proteins.     

Membrane hyperpolarization and salt sensitivity induced by deletion of PMP3, a highly conserved small protein of yeast plasma membrane

Yeast plasma membranes contain a small 55 amino acid hydrophobic polypeptide, Pmp3p, which has high sequence similarity to a novel family of plant polypeptides that are overexpressed under high salt concentration or low temperature treatment. The PMP3 gene is not essential under normal growth conditions. However, its deletion increases the plasma membrane potential and confers sensitivity to cytotoxic cations, such as Na(+) and hygromycin B. Interestingly, the disruption of PMP3 exacerbates the NaCl sensitivity phenotype of a mutant strain lacking the Pmr2p/Enap Na(+)-ATPases and the Nha1p Na(+)/H(+) antiporter, and suppresses the potassium dependency of a strain lacking the K(+) transporters, Trk1p and Trk2p. All these phenotypes could be reversed by the addition of high Ca(2+) concentration to the medium. These genetic interactions indicate that the major effect of the PMP3 deletion is a hyperpolarization of the plasma membrane potential that probably promotes a non-specific influx of monovalent cations. Expression of plant RCI2A in yeast could substitute for the loss of Pmp3p, indicating a common role for Pmp3p and the plant homologue.     

Nitric oxide inhibition of tobacco catalase and ascorbate peroxidase

We used a variety of nitric oxide (NO) donors to demonstrate that NO inhibits the activities of tobacco catalase and ascorbate peroxidase (APX). This inhibition appears to be reversible because removal of the NO donor led to a significant recovery of enzymatic activity. In contrast, APX and catalase were irreversibly inhibited by peroxynitrite. The ability of NO and peroxynitrite to inhibit the two major H2O2-scavenging enzymes in plant cells suggests that NO may participate in redox signaling during the activation of defense responses following pathogen attack.     

Nitric oxide modulates the activity of tobacco aconitase

Recent evidence suggests an important role for nitric oxide (NO) signaling in plant-pathogen interactions. Additional elucidation of the role of NO in plants will require identification of NO targets. Since aconitases are major NO targets in animals, we examined the effect of NO on tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) aconitase. The tobacco aconitases, like their animal counterparts, were inhibited by NO donors. The cytosolic aconitase in animals, in addition to being a key redox and NO sensor, is converted by NO into an mRNA binding protein (IRP, or iron-regulatory protein) that regulates iron homeostasis. A tobacco cytosolic aconitase gene (NtACO1) whose deduced amino acid sequence shared 61% identity and 76% similarity with the human IRP-1 was cloned. Furthermore, residues involved in mRNA binding by IRP-1 were conserved in NtACO1. These results reveal additional similarities between the NO signaling mechanisms used by plants and animals.     

The glabra1 Mutation Affects Cuticle Formation and Plant Responses to Microbes

Systemic acquired resistance (SAR) is a form of defense that provides resistance against a broad spectrum of pathogens in plants. Previous work indicates a role for plastidial glycerolipid biosynthesis in SAR. Specifically, mutations in FATTY ACID DESATURASE7 (FAD7), which lead to reduced trienoic fatty acid levels and compromised plastidial lipid biosynthesis, have been associated with defective SAR. We show that the defective SAR in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) fad7-1 plants is not associated with a mutation in FAD7 but rather with a second-site mutation in GLABRA1 (GL1), a gene well known for its role in trichome formation. The compromised SAR in gl1 plants is associated with impairment in their cuticles. Furthermore, mutations in two other components of trichome development, GL3 and TRANSPARENT TESTA GLABRA1, also impaired cuticle development and SAR. This suggests an overlap in the biochemical pathways leading to cuticle and trichome development. Interestingly, exogenous application of gibberellic acid (GA) not only enhanced SAR in wild-type plants but also restored SAR in gl1 plants. In contrast to GA, the defense phytohoromes salicylic acid and jasmonic acid were unable to restore SAR in gl1 plants. GA application increased levels of cuticular components but not trichome formation on gl1 plants, thus implicating cuticle, but not trichomes, as an important component of SAR. Our findings question the prudence of using mutant backgrounds for genetic screens and underscore a need to reevaluate phenotypes previously studied in the gl1 background.Plants have evolved a large array of defense mechanisms to resist infection by pathogens. Upon recognition, the host plant initiates one or more signal transduction pathways that activate various plant defenses and thereby prevent pathogen colonization. In many cases, resistance is associated with increased expression of defense genes, including the pathogenesis-related (PR) genes and the accumulation of salicylic acid (SA) in the inoculated leaf. Induction of these responses is accompanied by localized cell death at the site of pathogen entry, which can often restrict the spread of pathogen to cells within and immediately surrounding the lesions. This phenomenon, known as the hypersensitive response, is one of the earliest visible manifestations of induced defense responses and resembles programmed cell death in animals (Dangl et al., 1996; Gray, 2002; Glazebrook, 2005; Kachroo and Kachroo, 2006). Concurrent with hypersensitive response development, defense reactions are triggered in sites both local and distal from the primary infection. This phenomenon, known as systemic acquired resistance (SAR), is accompanied by a local and systemic increase in SA and jasmonic acid (JA) and a concomitant up-regulation of a large set of defense genes (Durrant and Dong, 2004; Truman et al., 2007; Vlot et al., 2009).SAR involves the generation of a mobile signal in the primary leaves that, upon translocation to the distal tissues, activates defense responses resulting in broad-spectrum resistance. The production of the mobile signal takes places within 3 to 6 h of avirulent pathogen inoculation in the primary leaves (Smith-Becker et al., 1998), and the inoculated leaf must remain attached for at least 4 h after inoculation for immunity to be induced in the systemic tissues (Rasmussen et al., 1991). Mutations compromising SA synthesis or impairing SA, JA, or auxin signaling abolish SAR (Durrant and Dong, 2004; Truman et al., 2007, 2010). SAR is also dependent on the SALICYLIC ACID-BINDING PROTEIN2 (SABP2)-catalyzed conversion of methyl SA to SA in the distal tissues (Kumar and Klessig, 2003). Recent studies have suggested that methyl SA is the mobile signal required to initiate SAR in distal tissues in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum; Park et al., 2007) and Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana; Liu et al., 2010), although another group reported a disparity in their findings related to the role of methyl SA in Arabidopsis (Attaran et al., 2009). Notably, the time point of requirement of SABP2 activity (between 48 and 72 h post inoculation; Park et al., 2009) does not coincide with the early generation and/or translocation of the mobile signal into distal tissues (within 6 h post inoculation).The mutations acyl carrier protein4 (acp4), long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase2 (lacs2), and lacs9, which are impaired in fatty acid (FA)/lipid flux (Schnurr et al., 2004; Xia et al., 2009), also compromise SAR (Xia et al., 2009). Detailed characterization has shown that the SAR defect in acp4, lacs2, and lacs9 mutants correlates with their defective cuticles. Analysis of the SAR response in acp4 plants has shown that these plants can generate the mobile signal required for inducing SAR but are unable to respond to it. It is likely that the defective cuticle in these plants impairs their ability to perceive the SAR signal, because mechanical abrasion of cuticles disrupts SAR in wild-type plants (Xia et al., 2009). This SAR-disruptive effect of cuticle abrasion is highly specific, because it does not alter local defenses and hinders SAR only during the time frame during which the mobile signal is translocated to distal tissues.SAR is also compromised in plants that contain a mutation in glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (Nandi et al., 2004). The glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GLY1) reduces dihydroxyacetone phosphate to generate glycerol-3-phosphate, an obligatory component and precursor for the biosynthesis of all plant glycerolipids. Consequently, a mutation in GLY1 results in reduced carbon flux through the prokaryotic pathway of lipid biosynthesis, which leads to a reduction in the hexadecatrienoic (16:3) FAs (Miquel et al., 1998; Kachroo et al., 2004). Carbon flux and SAR are also impaired in plants containing mutations in FATTY ACID DESATURASE7 (FAD7; Chaturvedi et al., 2008). The FAD7 enzyme desaturates 16:2 and 18:2 FA species present on plastidial lipids to 16:3 and 18:3, respectively. Consequently, the fad7 mutant plants accumulate significantly reduced levels of trienoic FAs (16:3 and 18:3). Compromised SAR in mutants affected in certain plastidial FA/lipid pathways has prompted the suggestion that plastidial FA/lipids participate in SAR (Chaturvedi et al., 2008). Such a tempting conclusion is also favored by the fact that SAR requires the DIR1-encoded nonspecific lipid transfer protein, which is required for the generation and/or translocation of the mobile signal (Maldonado et al., 2002). In addition, azelaic acid, a dicarboxylic acid, was recently shown to prime SA biosynthesis and thereby SAR (Jung et al., 2009). The fact that azelaic acid is derived from oleic acid, a FA well known for its role in defense (Kachroo et al., 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008; Chandra-Shekara et al., 2007; Jiang et al., 2009; Venugopal et al., 2009; Xia et al., 2009), further suggests that FA/lipids might participate in SAR.This study was undertaken to reexamine the role of the FA/lipid pathways in SAR and to determine the nature of the FA/lipid species mediating SAR in fad7-1 plants. Our results show that impaired FA/lipid flux is not associated with compromised SAR in fad7-1 plants but, rather, with an abnormal cuticle, which is the result of a nonallelic mutation in the GLABRA1 (GL1) gene. Besides GL1, other mutations affecting trichome formation also compromised cuticle and thereby SAR. A compensatory effect of exogenous GA on gl1 plants suggests that GA might participate in resistance to bacterial pathogens by restoring cuticle formation.