Identification of significant regions of transcription factor DP-1 (TFDP-1) involved in stability/instability of the protein

We previously reported the identification of DP-1 isoforms (α and β), which are structurally C-terminus-deleted ones, and revealed the low-level expression of these isoforms. It is known that wild-type DP-1 is degraded by the ubiquitin-proteasome system, but few details are known about the domains concerned with the protein stability/instability for the proteolysis of these DP-1 isoforms. Here we identified the domains responsible for the stability/instability of DP-1. Especially, the DP-1 “Stabilon” domain was a C-terminal acidic motif and was quite important for DP-1 stability. Moreover, we propose that this DP-1 Stabilon may be useful for the stability of other nuclear proteins when fused to them.     

An “orientation sphere” visualization for examining animal head movements

1. Animal behavior is elicited, in part, in response to external conditions, but understanding how animals perceive the environment and make the decisions that bring about these behavioral responses is challenging.
2. Animal heads often move during specific behaviors and, additionally, typically have sensory systems (notably vision, smell, and hearing) sampling in defined arcs (normally to the front of their heads). As such, head‐mounted electronic sensors consisting of accelerometers and magnetometers, which can be used to determine the movement and directionality of animal heads (where head “movement” is defined here as changes in heading [azimuth] and/or pitch [elevation angle]), can potentially provide information both on behaviors in general and also clarify which parts of the environment the animals might be prioritizing (“environmental framing”).
3. We propose a new approach to visualize the data of such head‐mounted tags that combines the instantaneous outputs of head heading and pitch in a single intuitive spherical plot. This sphere has magnetic heading denoted by “longitude” position and head pitch by “latitude” on this “orientation sphere” (O‐sphere).
4. We construct the O‐sphere for the head rotations of a number of vertebrates with contrasting body shape and ecology (oryx, sheep, tortoises, and turtles), illustrating various behaviors, including foraging, walking, and environmental scanning. We also propose correcting head orientations for body orientations to highlight specific heading‐independent head rotation, and propose the derivation of O‐sphere‐metrics, such as angular speed across the sphere. This should help identify the functions of various head behaviors.
5. Visualizations of the O‐sphere provide an intuitive representation of animal behavior manifest via head orientation and rotation. This has ramifications for quantifying and understanding behaviors ranging from navigation through vigilance to feeding and, when used in tandem with body movement, should provide an important link between perception of the environment and response to it in free‐ranging animals.

     

Depicting the Spatial Distribution of Proteins in Human Tumor Tissue Combining SELDI and MALDI Imaging and Immunohistochemistry

Carcinoma tissue consists of not only tumor cells but also fibroblasts, endothelial cells or vascular structures, and inflammatory cells forming the supportive tumor stroma. Therefore, the spatial distribution of proteins that promote growth and proliferation in these complex functional units is of high interest. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry is a newly developed technique that generates spatially resolved profiles of protein signals directly from thin tissue sections. Surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MS)combined with tissue microdissection allows analysis of defined parts of the tissue with a higher sensitivity and a broader mass range. Nevertheless, both MS-based techniques have a limited spatial resolution. IHC is a technique that allows a resolution down to the subcellular level. However, the detection and measurement of a specific protein expression level is possible only by semiquantitative methods. Moreover, prior knowledge about the identity of the proteins of interest is necessary. In this study, we combined all three techniques to gain highest spatial resolution, sensitivity, and quantitative information. We used frozen tissue from head and neck tumors and chose two exemplary proteins (HNP1–3 and S100A8) to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of each technique. It could be shown that the combination of these three techniques results in congruent but also synergetic data. (J Histochem Cytochem 58:929–937, 2010)     

Sensory Neurons Contacting the Cerebrospinal Fluid Require the Reissner Fiber to Detect Spinal Curvature In Vivo

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Impact on energy metabolism of quantitative and functional cyclosporine-induced damage of kidney mitochondria

In this study we have measured, under experimental conditions which maintained efficient coupling, respiratory intensity, respiratory control, oxidative phosphorylation capacity and protonmotive force. Succinate cytochrome-c reductase and cytochrome-c oxidase activities were also studied. These investigations were carried out using kidney mitochondria from cyclosporine-treated rats (in vivo studies) and from untreated rats in the presence of cyclosporine (in vitro studies). Inhibition of respiratory intensity by cyclosporine did not exceed 21.1% in vitro and 15.9% in vivo. Since there was no in vitro inhibition of succinate cytochrome-c reductase and cytochrome-c oxidase activities, the slowing of electron flow observed can be interpreted as a consequence of an effect produced by cyclosporine between cytochromes b and c₁. Cyclosporine had no effect on respiratory control either in vitro or in vivo. Statistically significant inhibition of the oxidative phosphorylation was observed both in vitro (6.6%) and in vivo (12.1%). Moreover, cyclosporine did not induce any change of membrane potential either in vivo or in vitro. Our findings show that cyclosporine is neither a protonophore, nor a potassium ionophore. In cyclosporine-treated rats we noticed a decrease of protein in subcellular fraction, including the mitochondrial fraction. The role of the inhibition respiratory characteristics by cyclosporine in nephrotoxicity in vivo must take account of these two parameters: inhibition of the respiratory characteristics measured in vitro and diminution of mitochondrial protein in cyclosporine-treated rats.     

Effect of Conditioned Media from Several Cell Types on Invasion by Eimeria adenoeides Sporozoites1

ABSTRACT. The effect of conditioned media (media aspirated from a variety of cell cultures after 4 d of growth) on cellular invasion by sporozoites of the turkey coccidium, Eimeria adenoeides, was examined. Conditioned medium from turkey kidney cells and baby hamster kidney cells failed to alter invasion. However, conditioned medium from turkey cecal cell cultures produced a significant (P ≤ 0.05), two-fold increase in invasion over control medium in a variety of cell types. Retentates of conditioned medium from the turkey cecal cells that were passed through microconcentrators having molecular mass cutoffs of 50, 100, and 300 kDa similarly enhanced invasion over retentates from control medium. However, retentates from microconcentrators with a cutoff of 1,000 kDa failed to enhance invasion. Pretreatment in conditioned medium, followed by washing of sporozoites prior to inoculation into cultures, did not result in enhanced invasion. Moreover, when the interval between inoculation of sporozoites into cells and fixation of cultures was reduced to less than 3 h, no enhancement of invasion occurred. Conditioned medium from turkey cecal cells that were grown in the presence of ³⁵S-translabel had at least two labeled bands at 150 kDa and > 200 kDa that were absent in conditioned media from turkey kidney and baby hamster kidney cells.     

VEGF-C attenuates renal damage in salt-sensitive hypertension

Salt-sensitive hypertension is a major risk factor for renal impairment leading to chronic kidney disease. High-salt diet leads to hypertonic skin interstitial volume retention enhancing the activation of the tonicity-responsive enhancer-binding protein (TonEBP) within macrophages leading to vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) secretion and NOS3 modulation. This promotes skin lymphangiogenesis and blood pressure regulation. Whether VEGF-C administration enhances renal and skin lymphangiogenesis and attenuates renal damage in salt-sensitive hypertension remains to be elucidated. Hypertension was induced in BALB/c mice by a high-salt diet. VEGF-C was administered subcutaneously to high-salt-treated mice as well as control animals. Analyses of kidney injury, inflammation, fibrosis, and biochemical markers were performed in vivo. VEGF-C reduced plasma inflammatory markers in salt-treated mice. In addition, VEGF-C exhibited a renal anti-inflammatory effect with the induction of macrophage M2 phenotype, followed by reductions in interstitial fibrosis. Antioxidant enzymes within the kidney as well as urinary RNA/DNA damage markers were all revelatory of abolished oxidative stress under VEGF-C. Furthermore, VEGF-C decreased the urinary albumin/creatinine ratio and blood pressure as well as glomerular and tubular damages. These improvements were associated with enhanced TonEBP, NOS3, and lymphangiogenesis within the kidney and skin. Our data show that VEGF-C administration plays a major role in preserving renal histology and reducing blood pressure. VEGF-C might constitute an interesting potential therapeutic target for improving renal remodeling in salt-sensitive hypertension.     

Somatic and Dendritic Encoding of Spatial Variables in Retrosplenial Cortex Differs during 2D Navigation

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