EGFR signaling leads to downregulation of PTP-LAR via TACE-mediated proteolytic processing

Proteolytic processing and ectodomain shedding have been described for a broad spectrum of transmembrane proteins under both normal and pathophysiological conditions and has been suggested as one mechanism to regulate a protein's function. It has also been documented for the receptor-like protein tyrosine phosphatase PTP-LAR, induced by treating cells with the tumor promoter TPA or the calcium ionophor A23187. Here we identified the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) as both an association partner of PTP-LAR, that mediates phosphorylation of the latter, as well as an inducer of LAR-cleavage. Both overexpression of this kinase and stimulation of endogenous EGFR in various tumor cell lines were shown to induce proteolytic processing of the catalytic LAR-P-subunit. In contrast to TPA-induced shedding of PTP-LAR, EGFR-mediated cleavage did not require PKC-activity. For both stimuli, however, processing of the P-subunit turned out to be dependent on the activation of the MAP kinases ERK1 and ERK2, and was completely abrogated upon pre-treating cells with Batimastat, indicating the involvement of a metalloproteinase in this pathway. Being strongly impaired in fibroblasts derived from ADAM-17/TACE-knockout-mice or tumor cells that express a dominant negative mutant of ADAM-17/TACE, cleavage of PTP-LAR is suggested to be mediated by this metalloproteinase. Paralleled by rapid reduction of cell surface-localized LAR-E-subunit, EGFR-induced cleavage could be shown to lead to degradation of the catalytic LAR-P-subunit, thereby resulting in a significantly reduced overall cellular phosphatase activity of PTP-LAR. These results for the first time identify a protein tyrosine phosphatase as a potential substrate of TACE and describe proteolytic processing of PTP-LAR as a means of regulating phosphatase activity downstream and thus under the control of EGFR-mediated signaling pathways.     

The Tabby cat locus maps to feline chromosome B1

The Tabby markings of the domestic cat are unique coat patterns for which no causative candidate gene has been inferred from other mammals. In this study, a genome scan was performed on a large pedigree of cats that segregated for Tabby coat markings, specifically for the Abyssinian (Ta-) and blotched (tbtb) phenotypes. There was linkage between the Tabby locus and eight markers on cat chromosome B1. The most significant linkage was between marker FCA700 and Tabby (Z = 7.56, theta = 0.03). Two additional markers in the region supported linkage, although not with significant LOD scores. Pairwise analysis of the markers supported the published genetic map of the cat, although additional meioses are required to refine the region. The linked markers cover a 17-cM region and flank an evolutionary breakpoint, suggesting that the Tabby gene has a homologue on either human chromosome 4 or 8. Alternatively, Tabby could be a unique locus in cats.     

An ADAMTSL2 Founder Mutation Causes Musladin-Lueke Syndrome,a Heritable Disorder of Beagle Dogs,Featuring Stiff Skin and Joint Contractures

Background

Musladin-Lueke Syndrome (MLS) is a hereditary disorder affecting Beagle dogs that manifests with extensive fibrosis of the skin and joints. In this respect, it resembles human stiff skin syndrome and the Tight skin mouse, each of which is caused by gene defects affecting fibrillin-1, a major component of tissue microfibrils. The objective of this work was to determine the genetic basis of MLS and the molecular consequence of the identified mutation.

Methodology and Principal Findings

We mapped the locus for MLS by genome-wide association to a 3.05 Mb haplotype on canine chromosome 9 (CFA9 (50.11–54.26; p_raw <10⁻⁷)), which was homozygous and identical-by-descent among all affected dogs, consistent with recessive inheritance of a founder mutation. Sequence analysis of a candidate gene at this locus, ADAMTSL2, which is responsible for the human TGFβ dysregulation syndrome, Geleophysic Dysplasia (GD), uncovered a mutation in exon 7 (c.660C>T; p.R221C) perfectly associated with MLS (p-value = 10⁻¹²). Murine ADAMTSL2 containing the p.R221C mutation formed anomalous disulfide-bonded dimers when transiently expressed in COS-1, HEK293F and CHO cells, and was present in the medium of these cells at lower levels than wild-type ADAMTSL2 expressed in parallel.

Conclusions/Significance

The genetic basis of MLS is a founder mutation in ADAMTSL2, previously shown to interact with latent TGF-β binding protein, which binds fibrillin-1. The molecular effect of the founder mutation on ADAMTSL2 is formation of disulfide-bonded dimers. Although caused by a distinct mutation, and having a milder phenotype than human GD, MLS nevertheless offers a new animal model for study of GD, and for prospective insights on mechanisms and pathways of skin fibrosis and joint contractures.     

Partial Deletion of the Sulfate Transporter SLC13A1 Is Associated with an Osteochondrodysplasia in the Miniature Poodle Breed

A crippling dwarfism was first described in the Miniature Poodle in Great Britain in 1956. Here, we resolve the genetic basis of this recessively inherited disorder. A case-control analysis (8∶8) of genotype data from 173 k SNPs revealed a single associated locus on CFA14 (P_raw <10^–8). All affected dogs were homozygous for an ancestral haplotype consistent with a founder effect and an identical-by-descent mutation. Systematic failure of nine, nearly contiguous SNPs, was observed solely in affected dogs, suggesting a deletion was the causal mutation. A 130-kb deletion was confirmed both by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis and by cloning the physical breakpoints. The mutation was perfectly associated in all cases and obligate heterozygotes. The deletion ablated all but the first exon of SLC13A1, a sodium/sulfate symporter responsible for regulating serum levels of inorganic sulfate. Our results corroborate earlier findings from an Slc13a1 mouse knockout, which resulted in hyposulfatemia and syndromic defects. Interestingly, the metabolic disorder in Miniature Poodles appears to share more clinical signs with a spectrum of human disorders caused by SLC26A2 than with the mouse Slc13a1 model. SLC26A2 is the primary sodium-independent sulfate transporter in cartilage and bone and is important for the sulfation of proteoglycans such as aggregan. We propose that disruption of SLC13A1 in the dog similarly causes undersulfation of proteoglycans in the extracellular matrix (ECM), which impacts the conversion of cartilage to bone. A co-dominant DNA test of the deletion was developed to enable breeders to avoid producing affected dogs and to selectively eliminate the mutation from the gene pool.     

Nd^＋3：YAG激光对黑曲霉的诱变效应

本文采用Ｎｄ＾＋３：ＹＡＧ激光辐照柠檬酸生产菌黑曲霉孢子,辐照后进行培养和发酵试验,分析测定不同辐照时间黑曲霉孢子的存活率、黑曲霉菌丝体生长繁殖及颓丧 酸的速度、主要代谢产物柠酸的产量及淀粉糖化酶活力等变化。     

Atypical properties displayed by annexin A9, a novel member of the annexin family of Ca(2+) and lipid binding proteins

Annexin A9 is a novel member of the annexin family of Ca(2+) and phospholipid binding proteins which has so far only been identified in EST data bases and whose deduced protein sequence shows mutations in residues considered crucial for Ca(2+) coordination in other annexins. To elucidate whether the annexin A9 protein is expressed as such and to characterize its biochemical properties we probed cell extracts with specific anti-annexin A9 antibodies and developed a recombinant expression system. We show that the protein is found in HepG2 hepatoma cell lysates and that a green fluorescent protein-tagged form is abundantly expressed in the cytosol of HeLa cells. Recombinant expression in bacteria yields a soluble protein that can be enriched by conventional chromatographic procedures. The protein is capable of binding phosphatidylserine containing liposomes albeit only at Ca(2+) concentrations exceeding 2 mM. Moreover and in contrast to other annexins this binding appears to be irreversible as the liposome-bound annexin A9 cannot be released by Ca(2+) chelation. These results indicate that annexin A9 is a unique member of the annexin family whose intracellular activity is not subject to Ca(2+) regulation.     

Genetic Determinants Responsible for Acquisition of Dengue Type 2 Virus Mouse Neurovirulence

Studies conducted some 50 years ago showed that serial intracerebral passage of dengue viruses in mice selected for neurovirulent mutants that also exhibited significant attenuation for humans. We investigated the genetic basis of mouse neurovirulence of dengue virus because it might be directly or indirectly associated with attenuation for humans. Analysis of the sequence in the C-PreM-E-NS1 region of the parental dengue type 2 virus (DEN2) New Guinea C (NGC) strain and its mouse-adapted, neurovirulent mutant revealed that 10 nucleotide changes occurred during serial passage in mice. Seven of these changes resulted in amino acid substitutions, i.e., Leu₅₅-Phe and Arg₅₇-Lys in PreM, Glu₇₁-Asp, Glu₁₂₆-Lys, Phe₄₀₂-Ile, and Thr₄₅₄-Ile in E, and Arg₁₀₅-Gln in NS1. The sequence of C was fully conserved between the parental and mutant DEN2. We constructed intertypic chimeric dengue viruses that contained the PreM-E genes or only the NS1 gene of neurovirulent DEN2 NGC substituting for the corresponding genes of DEN4. The DEN2 (PreM-E)/DEN4 chimera was neurovirulent for mice, whereas DEN2 (NS1)/DEN4 was not. The mutations present in the neurovirulent DEN2 PreM-E genes were then substituted singly or in combination into the sequence of the nonneurovirulent, parental DEN2. Intracerebral titration of the various mutant chimeras so produced identified two amino acid changes, namely, Glu₇₁-Asp and Glu₁₂₆-Lys, in DEN2 E as being responsible for mouse neurovirulence. The conservative amino acid change of Glu₇₁-Asp probably had a minor effect, if any. The Glu₁₂₆-Lys substitution in DEN2 E, representing a change from a negatively charged amino acid to a positively charged amino acid, most likely plays an important role in conferring mouse neurovirulence.     

Prolonged membrane potential depolarization in cingulate pyramidal cells after digit amputation in adult rats

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) plays an important role in higher brain functions including learning, memory, and persistent pain. Long-term potentiation of excitatory synaptic transmission has been observed in the ACC after digit amputation, which might contribute to plastic changes associated with the phantom pain. Here we report a long-lasting membrane potential depolarization in ACC neurons of adult rats after digit amputation in vivo. Shortly after digit amputation of the hind paw, the membrane potential of intracellularly recorded ACC neurons quickly depolarized from ~-70 mV to ~-15 mV and then slowly repolarized. The duration of this amputation-induced depolarization was about 40 min. Intracellular staining revealed that these neurons were pyramidal neurons in the ACC. The depolarization is activity-dependent, since peripheral application of lidocaine significantly reduced it. Furthermore, the depolarization was significantly reduced by a NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801. Our results provide direct in vivo electrophysiological evidence that ACC pyramidal cells undergo rapid and prolonged depolarization after digit amputation, and the amputation-induced depolarization in ACC neurons might be associated with the synaptic mechanisms for phantom pain.     

Discriminating between energetic content and dietary composition as an explanation for dietary restriction effects

A reduction in dietary calories has been shown to prolong life span in a wide variety of taxa, but there has been much debate about confounding factors such as nutritional composition of the diet, or reallocation of nutrients from reduced reproduction. To disentangle the contribution of these different mechanisms to extension of life span, we study the effect of caloric restriction on longevity and fecundity in two species of sugar-feeding parasitoid wasps. They have a simple diet that consists of carbohydrates only, and they do not resorb eggs, which rules out the proposed alternative explanations for beneficial effects of caloric restriction. Two caloric restriction treatments were applied: first, dietary dilution to investigate the effect of carbohydrate concentration in the diet; and second, intermittent feeding to examine the effect of feeding frequency on longevity and fecundity. Only the dietary dilution treatment showed an effect of caloric restriction with the highest longevity recorded at 80% sucrose (w/v). No effect of dietary regime was found on fecundity. We also measured the weight increase of the parasitoids after feeding to obtain an estimate of consumption. A constant quantity of the sugar solution was consumed in all dietary dilution treatments, hence caloric intake was proportional to sucrose concentrations. Although the present study does not disqualify the relevance of nutrient composition in other species, our data unequivocally demonstrate that caloric restriction alone is sufficient to extend life span and invalidate alternative explanations.