Nuclei Of COS-7 Cells Research Articles

USP37 Deubiquitinates CDC73 in HPT-JT Syndrome

The CDC73/HRPT2 gene, a defect which causes hyperparathyroidism–jaw tumor (HPT-JT) syndrome, encodes CDC73/parafibromin. We aimed to investigate whether CDC73 would be a target for ubiquitin–proteasome degradation. We cloned full-length cDNAs encoding a family of 58 ubiquitin-specific deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs), also known as ubiquitin-specific proteases (USPs). Use of the yeast two-hybrid system then enabled us to identify USP37 as interacting with CDC73. The biochemical interaction between the USP37 and CDC73 and their reciprocal binding domains were studied. Co-localization of CDC73 and USP37 was observed in cells. CDC73 was found to be polyubiquitinated, and polyubiquitination of CDC73 was prominent in mutants. CDC73 was deubiquitinated via K48-specific ubiquitin chains by USP37, but not by the catalytically inactive USP37C350S mutant. Observation of the binding between deletion mutants of CDC73 and USP37 revealed that the β-catenin binding site of CDC73 and the ubiquitin-interacting motifs 2 and 3 (UIM2 and 3) of USP37 were responsible for the interaction between the two proteins. Moreover, these two enzymes co-existed within the nucleus of COS7 cells. We conclude that USP37 is a DUB for CDC73 and that the two proteins interact through specific domains, suggesting that USP37 is responsible for the stability of CDC73 in HPT-JT syndrome.

Cytoskeleton-Anchoring of Conformational Mutant-Like p53, but Not Shorter Isoforms p53β and p47 (ΔN40p53) in Senescent Human Fibroblasts.

Cytoskeleton anchoring of conformational mutant-like p53 is prominent in human senescent cells. The present research investigated the structural basis of vimentin cytoskeleton- anchoring of human p53. GFP-fused wild type p53, mutant p53, those of the various truncated isoforms including p53β and p47, were expressed in the vimentin-expressing cells: mouse fibroblasts, COS-7 cells, young and senescent human fibroblasts, and HeLa cells (non-vimentin-expressing). A cancer-specific mutant p53V143A-GFP expressed in mouse fibroblasts, exclusively anchored on the vimentin cytoskeleton. Class I mutant p53R175C-GFP and class II mutant p53R175S-GFP localized in the nuclei of COS-7 cells. A class III mutant p53R175X-GFP (X: D, F, W or Y), cancer-specific mutant p53V143A-GFP and p53R249S-GFP, exclusively anchored on the vimentin cytoskeleton of COS-7 cells. The deletions of p53R249S and p53V143A at the Cterminus (ΔC63) exclusively promoted the nuclear import of the deleted mutant p53 in COS-7 and HeLa cells, whereas the deletions at the N-terminus (ΔN40) or C-terminus (ΔC33) were ineffective. Thus, the cancer-specific mutant p53R249S and p53V143A adopt distinct mutant conformation and thereby the C-terminal region (aa331-360) potently interacts with the vimentin cytoskeleton and HeLa cells' cytoskeleton. Wild type p53-GFP exclusively localized in the nuclei of growing young fibroblast, in contrast to the significant cytoplasmic retention in senescent human fibroblasts. The deletion of p53 at the N-terminus or at the C-terminus (ΔN40 or ΔC63) results in a significant nuclear import of the shorter isoforms, p53β and p47. Senescent fibroblasts promote p53 to adopt a hotspot mutant like-conformation which significantly overrides the nuclear import due to the potent cytoskeleton-anchoring. Interestingly, the shorter p53 isoforms can escape from the cytoskeleton-anchoring.

Genetically-encoded yellow fluorescent cAMP indicator with an expanded dynamic range for dual-color imaging.

Cyclic AMP is a ubiquitous second messenger, which mediates many cellular responses mainly initiated by activation of cell surface receptors. Various Förster resonance energy transfer-based ratiometric cAMP indicators have been created for monitoring the spatial and temporal dynamics of cAMP at the single-cell level. However, single fluorescent protein-based cAMP indicators have been poorly developed, with improvement required for dynamic range and brightness. Based on our previous yellow fluorescent protein-based cAMP indicator, Flamindo, we developed an improved yellow fluorescent cAMP indicator named Flamindo2. Flamindo2 has a 2-fold expanded dynamic range and 8-fold increased brightness compared with Flamindo by optimization of linker peptides in the vicinity of the chromophore. We found that fluorescence intensity of Flamindo2 was decreased to 25% in response to cAMP. Live-cell cAMP imaging of the cytosol and nucleus in COS7 cells using Flamindo2 and nlsFlamindo2, respectively, showed that forskolin elevated cAMP levels in each compartment with different kinetics. Furthermore, dual-color imaging of cAMP and Ca2+ with Flamindo2 and a red fluorescent Ca2+ indicator, R-GECO, showed that cAMP and Ca2+ elevation were induced by noradrenaline in single HeLa cells. Our study shows that Flamindo2, which is feasible for multi-color imaging with other intracellular signaling molecules, is useful and is an alternative tool for live-cell imaging of intracellular cAMP dynamics.

Development of a FRET Biosensor with High Specificity for Akt

The serine/threonine kinase Akt plays a critical role in cell proliferation, survival, and tumorigenesis. As a central kinase in the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway, its activation mechanism at the plasma membrane has been well characterized. However, the subcellular Akt activity in living cells is still largely unknown. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based biosensors have emerged as indispensable tools to visualize the subcellular activities of signaling molecules. In this study, we developed a highly specific FRET biosensor for Akt based on the Eevee backbone, called Eevee-iAkt. Using inhibitors targeting kinases upstream and downstream of Akt, we showed that Eevee-iAkt specifically monitors Akt activity in living cells. To visualize Akt activity at different subcellular compartments, we targeted Eevee-iAkt to raft and non-raft regions of the plasma membrane, mitochondria, and nucleus in HeLa and Cos7 cells. Interestingly, we revealed substantial differences in Akt activation between HeLa and Cos7 cells upon epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulation: Akt was transiently activated in HeLa cells with comparable levels at the plasma membrane, cytosol, and mitochondria. In contrast, sustained and spatially localized Akt activation was observed in EGF-stimulated Cos7 cells. We found high Akt activity at the plasma membrane, low activity in the cytosol, and no detectable activity at the mitochondria and nucleus in Cos7 cells. The Eevee-iAkt biosensor was shown to be a valuable tool to study the functional relationship between subcellular Akt activation and its anti-apoptotic role in living cells.

T-cell protein tyrosine phosphatase (TCPTP) regulates phosphorylation of Txk, a tyrosine kinase of the Tec family

Phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of intracellular enzymes, such as the T-cell-specific Tec family protein kinase Txk, are critically involved in the regulation of a number of cellular functions. Although PTPs located in the nucleus are limited, TCPTP is known to be one such nuclear phosphatase, due to its nuclear localization signal sequences. Here, we investigate the role of TCPTP in the regulation of Txk phosphorylation/dephosphorylation in Txk-transfected Cos7 and Jurkat cells. Nuclear-type TCPTP (TC45) was present in both the nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments of Cos7 cells transfected with TC45. Cytoplasmic-type TCPTP (TC48) was localized in the cytoplasmic compartment of Cos7 cells transfected with TC48. We observed that expression of TC45 dephosphorylated Txk in the nuclei of Cos7 cells. TC48 expression did not dephosphorylate Txk; rather, it enhanced and sustained Txk phosphorylation in the nuclei of Cos7 cells. Phosphorylation of Txk increased 60 minutes after lectin stimulation in Jurkat cells transfected with TCPTP-specific small interfering RNA (siRNA), which efficiently knocked down endogenous TCPTP. TCPTP may play a crucial role in the regulation of Txk phosphorylation status in T-cells after stimulation. Rec./11/5/2014, Acc.11/19/2014, pp240-246

Prediction and screening of nuclear targeting proteins with nuclear localization signals in Helicobacter pylori

Host cell pathology induced by nuclear targeting of bacterial proteins has recently been identified as a pathogenic mechanism of bacteria. However, very few bacterial proteins were identified to target the nuclei of host cells. This study was designed to screen nuclear targeting proteins with nuclear localization signals (NLSs) in Helicobacter pylori using a combination of bioinformatic analysis and the Gateway recombinational cloning system. Forty-nine functional or hypothetical proteins were predicted to carry the putative NLSs among 1570 open reading frames (ORFs) of H. pylori 26695. Entire sets of 49 H. pylori ORFs were cloned for the generation of green fluorescent protein-tagged proteins using the Gateway recombinational cloning system. Twenty-six H. pylori proteins with the putative NLSs were found to target in the nuclei of COS-7 cells, whereas 23 were localized in the cytoplasm of host cells. Deletion of NLS sequences from four selected nuclear targeting proteins, urease subunit A, Omp18, secreted protein involved in flagellar motility, and response regulator, resulted in cytoplasmic localization of these mutant proteins. In conclusion, a combination of bioinformatic analysis and the Gateway cloning system was shown to be a useful tool for large-scale screening of nuclear targeting proteins with NLSs in H. pylori, which can be used to better understand the H. pylori-directed host cell pathology.

Reversibly Shielded DNA Polyplexes Based on Bioreducible PDMAEMA-SS-PEG-SS-PDMAEMA Triblock Copolymers Mediate Markedly Enhanced Nonviral Gene Transfection

Reversibly shielded DNA polyplexes based on bioreducible poly(dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate)-SS-poly(ethylene glycol)-SS-poly(dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA-SS-PEG-SS-PDMAEMA) triblock copolymers were designed, prepared and investigated for in vitro gene transfection. Two PDMAEMA-SS-PEG-SS-PDMAEMA copolymers with controlled compositions, 6.6-6-6.6 and 13-6-13 kDa, were obtained by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) using CPADN-SS-PEG-SS-CPADN (CPADN: 4-cyanopentanoic acid dithionaphthalenoate; PEG: 6 kDa) as a macro-RAFT agent. Like their nonreducible PDMAEMA-PEG-PDMAEMA analogues, PDMAEMA-SS-PEG-SS-PDMAEMA triblock copolymers could effectively condense DNA into small particles with average diameters less than 120 nm and close to neutral zeta potentials (0 ∼ +6 mV) at and above an N/P ratio of 3/1. The resulting polyplexes showed excellent colloidal stability against 150 mM NaCl, which contrasts with polyplexes of 20 kDa PDMAEMA homopolymer. In the presence of 10 mM dithiothreitol (DTT), however, polyplexes of PDMAEMA-SS-PEG-SS-PDMAEMA were rapidly deshielded and unpacked, as revealed by significant increase of positive surface charges as well as increase of particle sizes to over 1000 nm. Release of DNA in response to 10 mM DTT was further confirmed by gel retardation assays. These polyplexes, either stably or reversibly shielded, revealed a low cytotoxicity (over 80% cell viability) at and below an N/P ratio of 12/1. Notably, in vitro transfection studies showed that reversibly shielded polyplexes afforded up to 28 times higher transfection efficacy as compared to stably shielded control under otherwise the same conditions. Confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) studies revealed that reversibly shielded polyplexes efficiently delivered and released pDNA into the perinuclei region as well as nuclei of COS-7 cells. Hence, reduction-sensitive reversibly shielded DNA polyplexes based on PDMAEMA-SS-PEG-SS-PDMAEMA are highly promising for nonviral gene transfection.

Astaxanthin rich crude extract of Haematococcus pluvialis induces cytochrome P450 1A1 mRNA by activating aryl hydrocarbon receptor in rat hepatoma H4IIE cells

The xanthophyll, astaxanthin (Ax), strongly induces cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A-dependent activity in rats and mice, via increased transcription of Cyp1a1 mRNA through an undetermined mechanism. In this study, we have investigated how aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-related events are affected by the addition of Ax-rich crude extract from Haematococcus pluvialis in H4IIE rat hepatoma cells. The expression of Cyp1a1 mRNA was significantly increased by exposure to H. pluvialis extract (100 μmol/l, 17.6-fold). The highest level of Cyp1a1 mRNA was observed after a 6-h exposure to H. pluvialis extract (25-fold), but 12- and 24-h exposures resulted in lower levels of induction. Green fluorescence protein-tagged AhR was translocated into the nucleus in COS-7 cells after a 10 min exposure to Ax. Moreover, H. pluvialis extract containing Ax activated the human CYP1A1 enhancer region in a luciferase assay, and a gel shift assay showed that nuclear proteins stimulated by H. pluvialis extract can interact specifically with xenobiotic responsive elements (XREs) in the CYP1A1 promoter. Together these results indicate the possibility that Ax, contained in H. pluvialis extract, caused the induction of Cyp1a1 mRNA through the activation and translocation of an XRE-binding form of AhR.

Role of chicken Pit-1 isoforms in activating growth hormone gene

In the present study, we expressed chicken (ch) Pit-1α (chPit-1α) and chPit-1γ in vitro to compare the roles of chPit-1s in the transcription of the chicken growth hormone (chGH) gene. Both green fluorescence protein (GFP)-fused chPit-1γ and GFP-fused chPit-1α were localized in the nuclei of COS-7 cells. In a luciferase reporter gene assay, both chPit-1α and chPit-1γ transactivated the chGH promoter, and chPit-1α showed a more potent effect than chPit-1γ. On the other hand, an increase of cellular cAMP induced by forskolin promoted transactivation of the chGH gene with chPit-1α and chPit-1γ to similar extents. These results suggest that chPit-1γ may modulate the basal promoter activity of the chGH gene to the same degree as chPit-1α; however, a structural difference observed at the N-terminus transactivation domains in chPit-1α and chPit-1γ could be associated with the efficiency of basal activation of the chGH promoter.

Interaction of ZFPIP with PBX1 is crucial for proper expression of neural genetic markers during Xenopus development

ZFPIP/Zfp462 has been recently identified as a new vertebrate zinc finger encoding gene whose product interacts with Pbx1. Previous work indicates that ZFPIP is maternally expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes and plays a key role during the cleavage phase of embryogenesis. This early expression is followed by a zygotic expression which overlaps with the neural Pbx1 expression pattern, suggesting an interaction between these two partners during Xenopus neurogenesis. In order to test the physiological interaction between ZFPIP and Pbx1, we carried out a dominant negative assay in which the Pbx1 interacting domain of ZFPIP (ZFPIPp) was overexpressed in Xenopus laevis embryos. We observed that ZFPIPp ectopic expression led to abnormal en2 and N-cam expression patterns, whereas krox-20 expression was not affected. Furthermore, we showed that while ZFPIPp alone was localized in the nucleus of Cos-7 cells, additional expression of Pbx1 induced a location of ZFPIPp at the perinuclear region of the cells. These overall data suggest that ZFPIP and Pbx1 could be partners and cooperate in the regulation of essential neural genes during Xenopus development.

A Generalization of Theory for Two-Dimensional Fluorescence Recovery after Photobleaching Applicable to Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopes

Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) using confocal laser scanning microscopes (confocal FRAP) has become a valuable technique for studying the diffusion of biomolecules in cells. However, two-dimensional confocal FRAP sometimes yields results that vary with experimental setups, such as different bleaching protocols and bleaching spot sizes. In addition, when confocal FRAP is used to measure diffusion coefficients ( D) for fast diffusing molecules, it often yields D-values that are one or two orders-of-magnitude smaller than that predicted theoretically or measured by alternative methods such as fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. Recently, it was demonstrated that this underestimation of D can be corrected by taking diffusion during photobleaching into consideration. However, there is currently no consensus on confocal FRAP theory, and no efforts have been made to unify theories on conventional and confocal FRAP. To this end, we generalized conventional FRAP theory to incorporate diffusion during photobleaching so that analysis by conventional FRAP theory for a circular region of interest is easily applicable to confocal FRAP. Finally, we demonstrate the accuracy of these new (to our knowledge) formulae by measuring D for soluble enhanced green fluorescent protein in aqueous glycerol solution and in the cytoplasm and nucleus of COS7 cells.

Single molecule tracking of quantum dot-labeled mRNAs in a cell nucleus

Single particle tracking (SPT) is a powerful technique for studying mRNA dynamics in cells. Although SPT of mRNA has been performed by labeling mRNA with fluorescent dyes or proteins, observation of mRNA for long durations with high temporal resolution has been difficult due to weak fluorescence and rapid photobleaching. Using quantum dots (QDs), we succeeded in observing the movement of individual mRNAs for more than 60 s, with a temporal resolution of 30 ms. Intronless and truncated ftz mRNA, synthesized in vitro and labeled with QDs, was microinjected into the nuclei of Cos7 cells. Almost all mRNAs were in motion, and statistical analyses revealed anomalous diffusion between barriers, with a microscopic diffusion coefficient of 0.12 μm 2/s and a macroscopic diffusion coefficient of 0.025 μm 2/s. Diffusion of mRNA was observed in interchromatin regions but not in histone2B-GFP-labeled chromatin regions. These results provide direct evidence of channeled mRNA diffusion in interchromatin regions.

PNAS-2's Subcullar Location in Leukemic Cell Is Abnormal and Its Relation with Leukemogenesis.

We used functional analyses of PNAS-2 by RNAi and RNA overexpression and demonstrated PNAS-2 as an anti-apoptotic gene. PNAS-2 expression was significantly increased in de novo and relapsed acute leukemia patients, but in patients in complete remission, the expression of PNAS-2 decreased to the levels comparable to those found in normal controls. In carcinomas, PNAS-2 expression was not up-regulated, indicating that PNAS-2 overexpression was specific for leukemia. So we hypothesized that PNAS-2 could act as an oncogene and anti-apoptotic gene which probably participates leukemogenesis (Hai-Rong WANG, et al. Oncology, Accepted). To study the subcellular localization of PNAS protein, we constructed PNAS-2-GFP expression plasmids and transfected them into U937 leukemic cell line. We found that PNAS-2-GFP fusion protein not only located in vesicles near the nucleus but also distributed throughout the cytosol instead of Diane's report that CHMP5/PNAS-2 was found in vesicles near the nucleus in Cos-7 cells. This phenomenon indicates the abnormal location of PNAS-2 protein either in U937 leukemia cells or in Cos-7 cells. For the protein classification and secondary structure prediction system: SOSUI showed that PNAS-2 wasn't a membranal protein and the function of CHMP5/PNAS-2 protein was involved in the lysosome and MVB (multivesicular body), so PNAS-2 should be a protein in the interior of the MVB and lysosome, thus abnormal location of PNAS-2 protein might occur in U937 leukemic cells. From our data and related articles, PNAS-2 served as an anti-apoptotic gene and located in MVB and lysosome. We suggested that PNAS-2 might execute its anti-apoptotic function via following ways: it might be a protease which could degrade apoptogenic factors such as CatD, GraB and perforin in MVB and lysosome; or it could return CatD, GraB and perforin to the lysosome; or it could stabilize the membrane of MVB and lysosome. When PNAS-2 was set free into the cytosol from MVB structure in leukemic cells, it would enhance its anti-apoptotic function via enhanced above-mentioned ways. [Display omitted] Now compelling evidences showed that insufficient apoptosis could result in tumor genesis, thus we thought abnormal subcellular location of PNAS-2 in leukemic cells might participate in leukemogenesis. Antibody microarray was used to study the protein changes after inhibition of PNAS-2, we found cancer suppressor proteins such as p53, Rb increased after PNAS-2 was suppressed, while the rest cancer suppressor proteins did not change, indicating the overexpression of PNAS-2 might participate in tumorigeness by suppressing tumor suppressor proteins. Of notice, Granzyme B-perforin apoptotic pathway was inhibited when PNAS-2 was up-regulated. Granzyme-mediated apoptosis was part of the immune surveillance mechanism where malignantly transformed cells were targeted by CTL and NK cells before cancer could ensue. In conclusion, the abnormal location of PNAS-2 in leukemic cells could enhance its anti-apoptotic function. PNAS-2 might participate in leukemogenesis via its inhibition of apoptosis, cancer suppressor proteins and Granzyme B-perforin pathway.

The dynamics of pre-mRNAs and poly(A) + RNA at speckles in living cells revealed by iFRAP studies

Speckles are subnuclear domains where pre-mRNA splicing factors accumulate in the interchromatin space. To investigate the dynamics of mRNAs at speckles, fluorescently labeled Drosophila Fushitarazu ( ftz) pre-mRNAs were microinjected into the nuclei of Cos7 cells and the dissociation kinetics of pre-mRNAs from speckles was analyzed using photobleaching techniques. The microinjected ftz pre-mRNAs accumulated in speckles in an intron-dependent manner and were spliced and exported to the cytoplasm with a half-time of about 10 min. Dissociation of the accumulated pre-mRNAs in speckles exhibited rapid diffusion and slow-dissociation of about 100 s. The slow-dissociation required metabolic energy of ATP. Two types of splice-defective mutated mRNAs dissociated from the speckle with a time constant similar to that of wild-type mRNA, indicating that slow-dissociation was not coupled to the splicing reaction. Furthermore, some pre-mRNAs shuttled between speckles and nucleoplasm, suggesting that pre-mRNAs repeatedly associated with and dissociated from speckles until introns were removed. Next, endogenous poly(A) + RNA was visualized by injecting Cy3-labeled 2′ O-methyl oligo(U) 22 probes. Some poly(A) + RNA distributed diffusely within the nucleus, but some of them accumulated in speckles and dissociated at time constant of about 100 s.

Analysis of Functional Signaling Domains from Fluorescence Imaging and the Two-Dimensional Continuous Wavelet Transform

A technique that utilizes the one-dimensional (1D) continuous wavelet transform (CWT) of linearized fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) microscopic images has been extended to identify signaling macro- and microdomains in cell plasma membranes by incorporating the two-dimensional (2D) CWT of time-lapse fluorescence and/or FRET images. Signaling domains were identified from differences in wavelet coefficient matrices, and there was good agreement between the 1D and 2D methods on examining a), static fluorescent images of COS1 cells expressing calmodulin kinase II fused with enhanced yellow fluorescent protein, and b), time lapse FRET images of reporters of protein kinase C (PKC) (PKC activity reporter) and adenylyl cyclase dynamics (cAMP) activity within COS1 plasma membrane confines after stimulation by phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate or forskolin, respectively. The proposed 2D wavelet-based image analysis effectively detected phosphorylation/dephosphorylation signaling microdomains (PKC) as well as those reflective of cAMP without the limitation of requiring linearized signals imposed by the 1D approach. Illustrating successful application to the analysis of intracellular compartments, the 2D CWT was further used to identify signaling domains of cAMP response element-binding (CREB)-induced transcriptional activation in the nuclei of COS1 cells, which could not be achieved with the 1D approach. This technique may be eventually used to characterize complex cellular signaling and protein-protein interactions within localized cytoplasmic domains.

Identification of a Novel Human Zinc Finger Gene, ZNF438, with Transcription Inhibition Activity

There were many different families of zinc finger proteins that contained multiple cysteine and/or histidine residues and used zinc to stabilize their folds. The classical C2H2 zinc finger proteins were the founding members of this superfamily and were among the most abundant proteins in eukaryotic genomes. C2H2 proteins typically contained several C2H2 fingers that made tandem contacts along the DNA. Here we reported a novel C2H2 type zinc finger gene, ZNF438, which encoded 828 amino acids that formed five zinc finger domains. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that the ZNF438 was mapped to human chromosome 10p11.2 and shared 62% identity with rat and mouse homologues. RT-PCR analysis indicated that it was ubiquitously expressed in 18 human adult tissues. With immunofluorescence assay, it was shown that the exogenous Flag-tagged ZNF438 was located in nucleus of COS-7 cells. To further explore the function of ZNF438, we examined the transcriptional activity of ZNF438 protein by transfecting recombinant pM-ZNF438 into mammalian cells. The subsequent analysis based on the duel luciferase assay system showed that ZNF438 was a transcriptional repressor.

Enhancer of Polycomb1, a Novel Homeodomain Only Protein-binding Partner, Induces Skeletal Muscle Differentiation

Homeodomain only protein, Hop, is an unusual small protein that modulates target gene transcription without direct binding to DNA. Here we show that Hop interacts with Enhancer of Polycomb1 (Epc1), a homolog of a Drosophila polycomb group gene product that regulates transcription, to induce the skeletal muscle differentiation. Yeast two-hybrid assay with the human adult heart cDNA library revealed that Hop can associate with Epc1. The amino-terminal domain of Epc1 as well as full Epc1 physically interacted with Hop in mammalian cells and in yeast. Epc1 is highly expressed in the embryonic heart and adult skeletal muscles. Serum deprivation induced differentiation of H9c2, a myoblast cell line, into skeletal myocytes, and Epc1 was up-regulated. Differentiation of H9c2 was induced by Epc1 overexpression, although it was severely impaired in Epc1-knockdown cells. Co-transfection of Hop potentiated Epc1-induced transactivation of myogenin and myotube formation. Hop knock-out mice elicited a decrease in myosin heavy chain and myogenin expressions in skeletal muscle and showed delay in hamstring muscle healing after injury. Differentiation was impaired in skeletal myoblasts from Hop knock-out mice. These results suggest that Epc1 plays a role in the initiation of skeletal muscle differentiation, and its interaction with Hop is required for the full activity.

The Role of X/Y Linker Region and N-terminal EF-hand Domain in Nuclear Translocation and Ca2+ Oscillation-inducing Activities of Phospholipase Cζ, a Mammalian Egg-activating Factor

Sperm-specific phospholipase C-zeta (PLCzeta) causes intracellular Ca(2+) oscillations and thereby egg activation and is accumulated into the formed pronucleus (PN) when expressed in mouse eggs by injection of cRNA encoding PLCzeta, which consists of four EF-hand domains (EF1-EF4) in the N terminus, X and Y catalytic domains, and C-terminal C2 domain. Those activities were analyzed by expressing PLCzeta mutants tagged with fluorescent protein Venus by injection of cRNA into unfertilized eggs or 1-cell embryos after fertilization. Nuclear localization signal (NLS) existed at 374-381 in the X/Y linker region. Nuclear translocation was lost by replacement of Arg(376), Lys(377), Arg(378), Lys(379), or Lys(381) with glutamate, whereas Ca(2+) oscillations were conserved. Nuclear targeting was also absent for point mutation of Lys(299) and/or Lys(301) in the C terminus of X domain, or Trp(13), Phe(14), or Val(18) in the N terminus of EF1. Ca(2+) oscillation-inducing activity was lost by the former mutation and was remarkably inhibited by the latter. A short sequence 374-383 fused with Venus showed active translocation into the nucleus of COS-7 cells, but 296-309 or 1-19 did not. Despite the presence of these special regions, both activities were deprived by deletion of not only EF1 but also EF2-4 or C2 domain. Thus, PLCzeta is driven into the nucleus primarily by the aid of NLS and putative regulatory sites, but coordinated three-dimensional structure, possibly formed by a folding in the X/Y linker and close EF/C2 contact as in PLCdelta1, seems to be required not only for enzymatic activity but also for nuclear translocation ability.

Human RAB24, interestingly and predominantly distributed in the nuclei of COS-7 cells, is colocalized with cyclophilin A and GABARAP

As an atypical member of the Rab family, Rab24 has several attributes distinguishing this protein from the other members. Based on the yeast two-hybrid system, interaction between human RAB24 and two proteins, cyclophilin A (CyP-A) and gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor-associated protein (GABARAP), was detected and identified in COS-7 cells. Interestingly, RAB24 is predominantly localized in the nuclei of COS-7 cells, which is different from previous reports using other cell lines. RAB24 (D123I) can trigger the accumulation of intracellular inclusions, with small quantities of intranuclear inclusions in some cells. The GTPase activity of RAB24 and its two mutants was detected.

Novel kruppel‐like factor is induced by neuronal activity and by sensory input in the central nervous system of the terrestrial slug Limax valentianus

In the Limax central nervous system, the procerebrum is thought to be the locus of odor information processing and odor memory retention, but little is known about the input pathway of the noxious stimuli used in this learning protocol. To gain insight into the sensory information processing of the noxious stimuli involved in memory formation, we screened genes induced by artificial neuronal activity, and identified one kruppel-like factor (KLF) family transcription factor gene (Limax KLF; limKLF), which is up-regulated 30 min after depolarization. The limKLF protein fused to GFP was localized to the nucleus in COS-7 cells. We also cloned an immediate early gene, CCAAT enhancer binding protein (C/EBP), of Limax by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Both genes were up-regulated by dissection of the central nervous system (CNS) out of the slug in a protein synthesis-independent manner, and also by various noxious stimuli to the slug's body. These genes may be useful as neuronal activity markers in Limax to visualize activated sensory nervous systems.