Changes In Steady-state Levels Research Articles

Mouse Pachytene piRNAs Cleave Hundreds of Transcripts, But Alter the Steady-State Abundance of Only a Minority of Targets.

In animals, 18-35-nt piRNAs guide PIWI proteins to regulate complementary RNAs. During male meiosis, mammals produce an exceptionally abundant class of piRNAs called pachytene piRNAs. Pachytene piRNAs are required for spermatogenesis and have been proposed to control gene expression by various mechanisms. Here, we show that pachytene piRNAs regulate targets predominantly, if not exclusively, by endonucleolytic cleavage. Remarkably, pachytene piRNAs slice hundreds of RNAs, yet a change in steady-state level is detectable for a small fraction of transcripts. Our data suggest that cleavage of the few targets whose abundance is reduced significantly by piRNAs is essential for male fertility. Other pachytene piRNA targets are enriched for highly transcribed genes, which may explain why piRNA cleavage is often inconsequential for the steady-state abundance of targets. We propose that the retention of pachytene piRNAs throughout mammalian evolution is driven by the selective advantage conferred by a tiny minority of piRNAs.

Candida albicans PPR proteins are required for the expression of respiratory Complex I subunits.

Pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins bind RNA and are present in mitochondria and chloroplasts of Eukaryota. In fungi, they are responsible for controlling mitochondrial genome expression, mainly on the posttranscriptional level. Candida albicans is a human opportunistic pathogen with a facultative anaerobic metabolism which, unlike the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, possesses mitochondrially encoded respiratory Complex I (CI) subunits and does not tolerate loss of mtDNA. We characterized the function of 4 PPR proteins of C. albicans that lack orthologs in S. cerevisiae and found that they are required for the expression of mitochondrially encoded CI subunits. We demonstrated that these proteins localize to mitochondria and are essential to maintain the respiratory capacity of cells. Deletion of genes encoding these PPR proteins results in changes in steady-state levels of mitochondrial RNAs and proteins. We demonstrated that C. albicans cells lacking CaPpr4, CaPpr11, and CaPpr13 proteins show no CI assembly, whereas the lack of CaPpr7p results in a decreased CI activity. CaPpr13p is required to maintain the bicistronic NAD4L-NAD5 mRNA, whereas the other 3 PPR proteins are likely involved in translation-related assembly of mitochondrially encoded CI subunits. In addition, we show that CaAep3p, which is an ortholog of ScAep3p, performs the evolutionary conserved function of controlling expression of the ATP8-ATP6 mRNA. We also show that C. albicans cells lacking PPR proteins express a higher level of the inducible alternative oxidase (AOX2) which likely rescues respiratory defects and compensates for oxidative stress.

Plant stem cells under low oxygen: metabolic rewiring by phytoglobin underlies stem cell functionality.

Root growth in maize (Zea mays L.) is regulated by the activity of the quiescent center (QC) stem cells located within the root apical meristem. Here, we show that despite being highly hypoxic under normal oxygen tension, QC stem cells are vulnerable to hypoxic stress, which causes their degradation with subsequent inhibition of root growth. Under low oxygen, QC stem cells became depleted of starch and soluble sugars and exhibited reliance on glycolytic fermentation with the impairment of the TCA cycle through the depressed activity of several enzymes, including pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH). This finding suggests that carbohydrate delivery from the shoot might be insufficient to meet the metabolic demand of QC stem cells during stress. Some metabolic changes characteristic of the hypoxic response in mature root cells were not observed in the QC. Hypoxia-responsive genes, such as PYRUVATE DECARBOXYLASE (PDC) and ALCOHOL DEHYDROGENASE (ADH), were not activated in response to hypoxia, despite an increase in ADH activity. Increases in phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) with little change in steady-state levels of succinate were also atypical responses to low-oxygen tensions. Overexpression of PHYTOGLOBIN 1 (ZmPgb1.1) preserved the functionality of the QC stem cells during stress. The QC stem cell preservation was underpinned by extensive metabolic rewiring centered around activation of the TCA cycle and retention of carbohydrate storage products, denoting a more efficient energy production and diminished demand for carbohydrates under conditions where nutrient transport may be limiting. Overall, this study provides an overview of metabolic responses occurring in plant stem cells during oxygen deficiency.

Altered brown adipose tissue mitochondrial function in newborn fragile X syndrome mice

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) mitochondria generate heat via uncoupled respiration due to excessive proton leak through uncoupling proteins (UCPs). We previously found hyperthermia in a newborn mouse model of fragile X syndrome and excessive leak in Fmr1 KO forebrain mitochondria caused by CoQ deficiency. The inefficient thermogenic nature of Fmr1 mutant forebrain mitochondria was reminiscent of BAT metabolic features. Thus, we aimed to characterize BAT mitochondrial function in these hyperthermic mice using a top-down approach. Although there was no change in steady-state levels of UCP1 expression between strains, BAT weighed significantly less in Fmr1 mutants compared with controls. Fmr1 KO BAT mitochondria demonstrated impaired substrate oxidation, lower mitochondrial membrane potentials and rates of respiration, and CoQ deficiency. The CoQ analog decylubiquinone normalized CoQ-dependent electron flux and unmasked excessive proton leak. Unlike mutant forebrain, where such deficiency resulted in pathological proton leak, CoQ deficiency within BAT mitochondria resulted largely in abnormal substrate oxidation. This suggests that CoQ is important in BAT for uncoupled respiration to produce heat during development. Although our data provide further evidence of a link between fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) and CoQ biosynthesis, the results highlight the importance of CoQ in developing tissues and suggest tissue-specific differences from CoQ deficiency. Because BAT mitochondria are primarily responsible for regulating core body temperature, the defects we describe in Fmr1 KOs could manifest as an adaptive downregulated response to hyperthermia or could result from FMRP deficiency directly.

RCC1L (WBSCR16) isoforms coordinate mitochondrial ribosome assembly through their interaction with GTPases.

Mitochondrial translation defects can be due to mutations affecting mitochondrial- or nuclear-encoded components. The number of known nuclear genes involved in mitochondrial translation has significantly increased in the past years. RCC1L (WBSCR16), a putative GDP/GTP exchange factor, has recently been described to interact with the mitochondrial large ribosomal subunit. In humans, three different RCC1L isoforms have been identified that originate from alternative splicing but share the same N-terminus, RCC1LV1, RCC1LV2 and RCC1LV3. All three isoforms were exclusively localized to mitochondria, interacted with its inner membrane and could associate with homopolymeric oligos to different extent. Mitochondrial immunoprecipitation experiments showed that RCC1LV1 and RCC1LV3 associated with the mitochondrial large and small ribosomal subunit, respectively, while no significant association was observed for RCC1LV2. Overexpression and silencing of RCC1LV1 or RCC1LV3 led to mitoribosome biogenesis defects that resulted in decreased translation. Indeed, significant changes in steady-state levels and distribution on isokinetic sucrose gradients were detected not only for mitoribosome proteins but also for GTPases, (GTPBP10, ERAL1 and C4orf14), and pseudouridylation proteins, (TRUB2, RPUSD3 and RPUSD4). All in all, our data suggest that RCC1L is essential for mitochondrial function and that the coordination of at least two isoforms is essential for proper ribosomal assembly.

O-GlcNAc transferase missense mutations linked to X-linked intellectual disability deregulate genes involved in cell fate determination and signaling

It is estimated that ∼1% of the world's population has intellectual disability, with males affected more often than females. OGT is an X-linked gene encoding for the enzyme O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT), which carries out the reversible addition of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) to Ser/Thr residues of its intracellular substrates. Three missense mutations in the tetratricopeptide (TPR) repeats of OGT have recently been reported to cause X-linked intellectual disability (XLID). Here, we report the discovery of two additional novel missense mutations (c.775 G>A, p.A259T, and c.1016 A>G, p.E339G) in the TPR domain of OGT that segregate with XLID in affected families. Characterization of all five of these XLID missense variants of OGT demonstrates modest declines in thermodynamic stability and/or activities of the variants. We engineered each of the mutations into a male human embryonic stem cell line using CRISPR/Cas9. Investigation of the global O-GlcNAc profile as well as OGT and O-GlcNAc hydrolase levels by Western blotting showed no gross changes in steady-state levels in the engineered lines. However, analyses of the differential transcriptomes of the OGT variant-expressing stem cells revealed shared deregulation of genes involved in cell fate determination and liver X receptor/retinoid X receptor signaling, which has been implicated in neuronal development. Thus, here we reveal two additional mutations encoding residues in the TPR regions of OGT that appear causal for XLID and provide evidence that the relatively stable and active TPR variants may share a common, unelucidated mechanism of altering gene expression profiles in human embryonic stem cells.

Haplodeficiency of Cathepsin D does not affect cerebral amyloidosis and autophagy in APP/PS1 transgenic mice.

Autophagy and lysosomal function are important for protein homeostasis and their dysfunction have been associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Increased immunoreactivities of an important lysosomal protease, cathepsin D (Cat D), are evident in amyloid plaques and neurons in patients with AD. This study tests the hypothesis that deleting one allele of the cathepsin D gene (Ctsd) impacts cerebral β-amyloidosis in amyloid-β precursor protein (APP)sw/PS1dE9 (APP/PS1) double transgenic mice. Despite a significant 38% decrease in Cat D level in APP/PS1/Ctsd+/- compared with APP/PS1/Ctsd+/+ mice, no changes in steady state levels and deposition of Aβ were found in the brain. There were also no differences in APP processing, the levels of two other Aβ-degrading proteases, the levels of autophagy related protein, such as LAMP2, P62, LC3-I, LC3-II, and Beclin-1, or the markers of neuroinflammation, observed between the APP/PS1/Ctsd+/+ and APP/PS1/Ctsd+/- mice. Our findings demonstrate that in wild-type mice, Cat D protein levels are either in excess or redundant with other factors in the brain, and at least one allele of Ctsd is dispensable for cerebral β-amyloidosis and autophagy in APP/PS1 transgenic mice.

Serotonin biosynthesis as a predictive marker of serotonin pharmacodynamics and disease-induced dysregulation.

The biogenic amine serotonin (5-HT) is a multi-faceted hormone that is synthesized from dietary tryptophan with the rate limiting step being catalyzed by the enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH). The therapeutic potential of peripheral 5-HT synthesis inhibitors has been demonstrated in a number of clinical and pre-clinical studies in diseases including carcinoid syndrome, lung fibrosis, ulcerative colitis and obesity. Due to the long half-life of 5-HT in blood and lung, changes in steady-state levels are slow to manifest themselves. Here, the administration of stable isotope labeled tryptophan (heavy “h-Trp”) and resultant in vivo conversion to h-5-HT is used to monitor 5-HT synthesis in rats. Dose responses for the blockade of h-5-HT appearance in blood with the TPH inhibitors L-para-chlorophenylalanine (30 and 100 mg/kg) and telotristat etiprate (6, 20 and 60 mg/kg), demonstrated that the method enables robust quantification of pharmacodynamic effects on a short time-scale, opening the possibility for rapid screening of TPH1 inhibitors in vivo. In the bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis rat model, the mechanism of lung 5-HT increase was investigated using a combination of synthesis and steady state 5-HT measurement. Elevated 5-HT synthesis measured in the injured lungs was an early predictor of disease induced increases in total 5-HT.

Effects of imidacloprid on detoxifying enzyme glutathione S-transferase on Folsomia candida (Collembola).

Chemical analyses of the environment can document contamination by various xenobiotics, but it is also important to understand the effect of pollutants on living organisms. Thus, in the present work, we investigated the effect of the pesticide imidacloprid on the detoxifying enzyme glutathione S-transferase (GST) from Folsomia candida (Collembola), a standard test organism for estimating the effects of pesticides and environmental pollutants on non-target soil arthropods. Test animals were treated with different concentrations of imidacloprid for 48h. Changes in steady-state levels of GST messenger RNA (mRNA) and GST enzyme activity were investigated. Extracted proteins were separated according to their sizes by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and the resolved protein bands were detected by silver staining. The size of the glutathione (GSH) pool in Collembola was also determined. A predicted protein sequence of putative GSTs was identified with animals from control group. A 3-fold up-regulation of GST steady-state mRNA levels was detected in the samples treated with 5.0mgL-1 imidacloprid compared to the control, while a 2.5- and 2.0- fold up-regulation was found in organisms treated with 2.5 and 7.5mgL-1 imidacloprid, respectively. GST activity increased with increasing imidacloprid amounts from an initial activity of 0.11μmolmin-1mg-1 protein in the control group up to 0.25μmolmin-1mg-1 protein in the sample treated with the 5.0mgL-1 of pesticide. By contrast, the total amount of GSH decreased with increasing imidacloprid concentration. The results suggest that the alteration of GST activity, steady-state level of GST mRNA, and GSH level may be involved in the response of F. candida to the exposure of imidacloprid and can be used as biomarkers to monitor the toxic effects of imidacloprid and other environmental pollutants on Collembola.

Redox balance influences differentiation status of neuroblastoma in the presence of all-trans retinoic acid

Neuroblastoma is the most common extra-cranial solid tumor in childhood; and patients in stage IV of the disease have a high propensity for tumor recurrence. Retinoid therapy has been utilized as a means to induce differentiation of tumor cells and to inhibit relapse. In this study, the expression of a common neuronal differentiation marker [neurofilament M (NF-M)] in human SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cells treated with 10μM all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) showed significantly increased expression in accordance with reduced cell number. This was accompanied by an increase in MitoSOX and DCFH2 oxidation that could be indicative of increased steady-state levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as O2•− and H2O2, which correlated with increased levels of MnSOD activity and immuno-reactive protein. Furthermore PEG-catalase inhibited the DCFH2 oxidation signal to a greater extent in the ATRA-treated cells (relative to controls) at 96h indicating that as the cells became more differentiated, steady-state levels of H2O2 increased in the absence of increases in peroxide-scavenging antioxidants (i.e., glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase). In addition, ATRA-induced stimulation of NF-M at 48 and 72h was enhanced by decreasing SOD activity using siRNA directed at MnSOD. Finally, treatment with ATRA for 96h in the presence of MnSOD siRNA or PEG-catalase inhibited ATRA induced increases in NF-M expression. These results provide strong support for the hypothesis that changes in steady-state levels of O2•− and H2O2 significantly contribute to the process of ATRA-induced differentiation in neuroblastoma, and suggest that retinoid therapy for neuroblastoma could potentially be enhanced by redox-based manipulations of superoxide metabolism to improve patient outcome.

Ataxin-2 regulates RGS8 translation in a new BAC-SCA2 transgenic mouse model.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2) is an autosomal dominant disorder with progressive degeneration of cerebellar Purkinje cells (PCs) and other neurons caused by expansion of a glutamine (Q) tract in the ATXN2 protein. We generated BAC transgenic lines in which the full-length human ATXN2 gene was transcribed using its endogenous regulatory machinery. Mice with the ATXN2 BAC transgene with an expanded CAG repeat (BAC-Q72) developed a progressive cellular and motor phenotype, whereas BAC mice expressing wild-type human ATXN2 (BAC-Q22) were indistinguishable from control mice. Expression analysis of laser-capture microdissected (LCM) fractions and regional expression confirmed that the BAC transgene was expressed in PCs and in other neuronal groups such as granule cells (GCs) and neurons in deep cerebellar nuclei as well as in spinal cord. Transcriptome analysis by deep RNA-sequencing revealed that BAC-Q72 mice had progressive changes in steady-state levels of specific mRNAs including Rgs8, one of the earliest down-regulated transcripts in the Pcp2-ATXN2[Q127] mouse line. Consistent with LCM analysis, transcriptome changes analyzed by deep RNA-sequencing were not restricted to PCs, but were also seen in transcripts enriched in GCs such as Neurod1. BAC-Q72, but not BAC-Q22 mice had reduced Rgs8 mRNA levels and even more severely reduced steady-state protein levels. Using RNA immunoprecipitation we showed that ATXN2 interacted selectively with RGS8 mRNA. This interaction was impaired when ATXN2 harbored an expanded polyglutamine. Mutant ATXN2 also reduced RGS8 expression in an in vitro coupled translation assay when compared with equal expression of wild-type ATXN2-Q22. Reduced abundance of Rgs8 in Pcp2-ATXN2[Q127] and BAC-Q72 mice supports our observations of a hyper-excitable mGluR1-ITPR1 signaling axis in SCA2, as RGS proteins are linked to attenuating mGluR1 signaling.

Transcriptional and physiological response of fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) exposed to urban waters entering into wildlife protected areas

The mission of protected areas is to conserve biodiversity and improve human welfare. To assess the effect of urban waters entering into protected areas, we performed 48-h whole-effluent exposures with fathead minnows, analyzing changes in steady state levels of mRNAs in the livers of exposed fish. Raw wastewater, treated city wastewater, and treated wastewater from a university were collected for exposures. All exposed fish showed altered mRNA levels of DNA damage-repair genes. Fish exposed to raw and treated wastewaters showed down-regulation of transcripts for key intermediates of cholesterol biosynthesis and elevated plasma cholesterol. The type of wastewater treatment influenced the response of gene transcription. Because of the relevance of some of the altered cellular pathways, we suggest that these effluents may cause deleterious effects on fish inside protected areas that receive these waters. Inclusion of research and mitigation efforts for this type of threat in protected areas management is advised.

Mimic of manganese superoxide dismutase to induce apoptosis of human non-Hodgkin lymphoma Raji cells through mitochondrial pathways

Increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as superoxide have been implicated as causal elements of oncogenesis. A variety of cancers have displayed changes in steady-state levels of key antioxidant enzymes, with the mitochondrial form of superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) being commonly implicated. Increasing MnSOD expression suppresses the malignant phenotype in various cancer cell lines and suppresses tumor formation in xenograft and transgenic mouse models. In this study, we examined the anti-proliferation effect of mimic of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSODm) on human non-Hodgkin lymphoma Raji cells. The results showed that MnSODm significantly reduced the proliferation of Raji cells in a concentration and a time-dependent manner. By flow cytometric analysis, we found that MnSODm treatment resulted in an increased apoptosis in Raji cells. MnSODm also increased the production of ROS and the expression levels of cleaved caspase-9, caspase-3, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and Bax in Raji cells. Moreover, the expression of Bcl-2 protein showed down-regulation in the MnSODm treatment group. In addition, MnSODm significantly elevated the level of cytochrome c in cytosol. These findings suggest that the activation of the mitochondrial pathway is involved in MnSODm-induced apoptosis in Raji cells.

Substance P activates ADAM9 mRNA expression and induces α-secretase-mediated amyloid precursor protein cleavage

Altered levels of Substance P (SP), a neuropeptide endowed with neuroprotective and anti-apoptotic properties, were found in brain areas and spinal fluid of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. One of the hallmarks of AD is the abnormal extracellular deposition of neurotoxic beta amyloid (Aβ) peptides, derived from the proteolytic processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP). In the present study, we confirmed, the neurotrophic action of SP in cultured rat cerebellar granule cells (CGCs) and investigated its effects on APP metabolism. Incubation with low (5 mM) potassium induced apoptotic cell death of CGCs and amyloidogenic processing of APP, whereas treatment with SP (200 nM) reverted these effects via NK1 receptors. The non-amyloidogenic effect of SP consisted of reduction of Aβ1–42, increase of sAPPα and enhanced α-secretase activity, without a significant change in steady-state levels of cellular APP. The intracellular mechanisms whereby SP alters APP metabolism were further investigated by measuring mRNA and/or steady-state protein levels of key enzymes involved with α-, β- and γ-secretase activity. Among them, Adam9, both at the mRNA and protein level, was the only enzyme to be significantly down-regulated following the induction of apoptosis (K5) and up-regulated after SP treatment. In addition to its neuroprotective properties, this study shows that SP is able to stimulate non-amyloidogenic APP processing, thereby reducing the possibility of generation of toxic Aβ peptides in brain.

ATP13A2 regulates mitochondrial bioenergetics through macroautophagy

Mitochondrial dysfunction and autophagy are centrally implicated in Parkinson's disease (PD). Mutations in ATP13A2, which encodes a lysosomal P-type ATPase of unknown function, cause a rare, autosomal recessive parkinsonian syndrome. Lysosomes are essential for autophagy, and autophagic clearance of dysfunctional mitochondria represents an important element of mitochondrial quality control. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that loss of ATP13A2 function will affect mitochondrial function. Knockdown of ATP13A2 led to an increase in mitochondrial mass in primary mouse cortical neurons and in SH-SY5Y cells forced into mitochondrial dependence. ATP13A2-deficient cells exhibited increased oxygen consumption without a significant change in steady-state levels of ATP. Mitochondria in knockdown cells exhibited increased fragmentation and increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Basal levels of the autophagosome marker LC3-II were not significantly changed, however, ATP13A2 knockdown cells exhibited decreased autophagic flux, associated with increased levels of phospho-mTOR, and resistance to autophagy induction by rapamycin. The effects of ATP13A2 siRNA on oxygen consumption, mitochondrial mass and ROS production could be mimicked by inhibiting autophagy induction using siRNA to Atg7. We propose that decreased autophagy associated with ATP13A2 deficiency affects mitochondrial quality control, resulting in increased ROS production. These data are the first to implicate loss of ATP13A2 function in mitochondrial maintenance and oxidative stress, lending further support to converging genetic and environmental evidence for mitochondrial dysregulation in PD pathogenesis.

A systematic analysis ofDrosophilaTUDOR domain-containing proteins identifies Vreteno and the Tdrd12 family as essential primary piRNA pathway factors

PIWI proteins and their bound PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) form the core of a gonad-specific small RNA silencing pathway that protects the animal genome against the deleterious activity of transposable elements. Recent studies linked the piRNA pathway to TUDOR biology as TUDOR domains of various proteins bind symmetrically methylated Arginine residues in PIWI proteins. We systematically analysed the Drosophila TUDOR protein family and identified four previously not characterized TUDOR domain-containing proteins (CG4771, CG14303, CG11133 and CG31755) as essential piRNA pathway factors. We characterized CG4771 (Vreteno) in detail and demonstrate a critical role for this protein in primary piRNA biogenesis. Vreteno physically and/or genetically interacts with the primary pathway components Piwi, Armitage, Yb and Zucchini. Vreteno also interacts with the Tdrd12 orthologues CG11133 (Brother of Yb) and CG31755 (Sister of Yb), which are essential for the primary piRNA pathway in the germline and probably replace the function of the related but soma-specific factor Yb.

A Deficiency of Ceramide Biosynthesis Causes Cerebellar Purkinje Cell Neurodegeneration and Lipofuscin Accumulation

Sphingolipids, lipids with a common sphingoid base (also termed long chain base) backbone, play essential cellular structural and signaling functions. Alterations of sphingolipid levels have been implicated in many diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders. However, it remains largely unclear whether sphingolipid changes in these diseases are pathological events or homeostatic responses. Furthermore, how changes in sphingolipid homeostasis shape the progression of aging and neurodegeneration remains to be clarified. We identified two mouse strains, flincher (fln) and toppler (to), with spontaneous recessive mutations that cause cerebellar ataxia and Purkinje cell degeneration. Positional cloning demonstrated that these mutations reside in the Lass1 gene. Lass1 encodes (dihydro)ceramide synthase 1 (CerS1), which is highly expressed in neurons. Both fln and to mutations caused complete loss of CerS1 catalytic activity, which resulted in a reduction in sphingolipid biosynthesis in the brain and dramatic changes in steady-state levels of sphingolipids and sphingoid bases. In addition to Purkinje cell death, deficiency of CerS1 function also induced accumulation of lipofuscin with ubiquitylated proteins in many brain regions. Our results demonstrate clearly that ceramide biosynthesis deficiency can cause neurodegeneration and suggest a novel mechanism of lipofuscin formation, a common phenomenon that occurs during normal aging and in some neurodegenerative diseases.

Gain of function of cardiac ryanodine receptor in a rat model of type 1 diabetes

Ventricular myocytes isolated from hearts of streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats exhibit increased spontaneous Ca(2+) release. Studies attribute this defect to an enhancement in activity of type 2 ryanodine receptor (RyR2). To date, underlying reasons for RyR2 dysregulation remain undefined. This study assesses whether the responsiveness of RyR2 following stimulation by intrinsic ligands is being altered during experimental type 1 diabetes (T1D). M-mode echocardiography established a cardiomyopathy in 8 weeks STZ-diabetic rats. Confocal microscopy confirmed an increase in the spontaneous Ca(2+) release in isolated ventricular myocytes. Western blots revealed no significant change in steady-state levels of the RyR2 protein. When purified to homogeneity and incorporated into planar lipid bilayers, RyR2 from STZ-diabetic rats (dRyR2) exhibited reduced current amplitude at ±35 mV. dRyR2 was also more responsive to intrinsic cytoplasmic activators Ca(2+), adenosine triphosphate, and cyclic adenosine diphosphate ribose and less responsive to the cytoplasmic deactivator Mg(2+). Threshold for the activation of RyR2 by trans (luminal) Ca(2+) was also reduced. These changes were independent of phosphorylation at Ser2808 and Ser2814. Two weeks of insulin treatment starting after 6 weeks of diabetes blunted the phenotype change, indicating that the gain of function is specific to the diabetes and not the result of STZ interacting directly with RyR2. These data show, for the first time, that RyR2 is acquiring a gain-of-function phenotype independent of its phosphorylation status during T1D and provides new insights for the enhanced spontaneous Ca(2+) release in myocytes from T1D rats.

Lipid Membranes and β-Amyloid: A Harmful Connection

Gradual changes in steady-state levels of beta amyloid peptides (Abeta) in the brain are considered as initial step in the amyloid cascade hypothesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Abeta is a product of the secretase cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein and there is evidence that the membrane lipid environment may modulate secretase activity and alters its function. Abeta disturbs membrane properties of artificial and isolated biological membranes and of plasma membranes in living cells. Abeta induced changes in membrane fluidity could be explained by physico-chemical interactions of the peptide with membrane components such as cholesterol, phospholipids and gangliosides. Thus, cell membranes may be the location where the neurotoxic cascade of Abeta is initiated. Perturbation of membranes, binding to lipids and alteration of cellular calcium signaling by Abeta have been reported by several studies and these topics are examined in this review.

Role of the IRF-1 enhancer domain in signalling polyubiquitination and degradation

The interferon regulated transcription factor IRF-1 is a tumour suppressor protein that is activated in response to viral infection and cell signalling activated by double stranded DNA lesions. IRF-1 has a short half-life ( t 0.5 20–40 min) allowing rapid changes in steady state levels by modulating its rate of degradation and/or synthesis. However, little is known about the pathway(s) leading to IRF-1 protein degradation or what determines the rate of degradation in cells. Here we establish a role for discrete motifs in the enhancer domain of IRF-1 in directing polyubiquitination and degradation. By studying the structure of the enhancer domain as related to its role in the turnover of IRF-1 we have demonstrated that this region is not subject to modification by ubiquitin but rather that it contains both an ubiquitination signal and a distinct degradation signal. Removal of the C-terminal 70 amino acids from IRF-1 inhibits both its degradation and polyubiquitination, whereas removal of the C-terminal 25 amino acids inhibits degradation of the protein but does not prevent its ubiquitination. Furthermore, consistent with the C-terminus being involved in targeting or recognition by an E3-ligase or associated protein(s) the enhancer domain can act in trans to inhibit IRF-1 ubiquitination by endogenous E3-ligase activity. The identification of structural determinants that signals IRF-1 polyubiquitination and which can be uncoupled from IRF-1 degradation lends support to the idea that the degradation of selective substrates can be regulated at multiple steps in the ubiquitin–proteasome system.