scholarly journals Smad4 regulates the nuclear translocation of Nkx2-5 in cardiac differentiation

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenyu Hu ◽  
Anqi Dong ◽  
Kohei Karasaki ◽  
Shota Sogabe ◽  
Daiki Okamoto ◽  
...  

AbstractBmp plays an important role in cardiomyocyte differentiation, but the function of Smad4 in Bmp signaling remains elusive. Here, we show that disruption of the Smad4 gene in cardiac progenitors expressing Sfrp5 led to embryonic lethality with hypoplastic heart formation. Although the expression of Nkx2-5 is regulated by Bmp signaling, expression of Nkx2-5 was weakly detected in the mutant heart. However, the nuclear translocation of Nkx2-5 was impaired. Expression of CK2 or PP1, which could alter the phosphorylation status of the NLS of Nkx2-5, was not affected, but Nkx2-5 was found to bind to Smad4 by co-immunoprecipitation experiments. Introduction of Smad4 into cells derived from Smad4 conditional knockout embryonic hearts restored the nuclear localization of Nkx2-5, and exogenous Nkx2-5 failed to translocate into the nucleus of Smad4-depleted fibroblasts. These results suggest that Smad4 plays an essential role in cardiomyocyte differentiation by controlling not only transcription but also the nuclear localization of Nkx2-5.

2011 ◽  
Vol 286 (12) ◽  
pp. 10297-10304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guochang Huang ◽  
Andrew J. Kaufman ◽  
Y. Ramanathan ◽  
Bhuvanesh Singh

SCCRO/DCUN1D1/DCN1 (squamous cell carcinoma-related oncogene/defective in cullin neddylation 1 domain containing 1/defective in cullin neddylation) serves as an accessory E3 in neddylation by binding to cullin and Ubc12 to allow efficient transfer of Nedd8. In this work we show that SCCRO has broader, pleiotropic effects that are essential for cullin neddylation in vivo. Reduced primary nuclear localization of Cul1 accompanying decreased neddylation and proliferation in SCCRO−/− mouse embryonic fibroblasts led us to investigate whether compartmentalization plays a regulatory role. Decreased nuclear localization, neddylation, and defective proliferation in SCCRO−/− mouse embryonic fibroblasts were rescued by transgenic expression of SCCRO. Expression of reciprocal SCCRO and Cul1-binding mutants confirmed the requirement for SCCRO in nuclear translocation and neddylation of cullins in vivo. Nuclear translocation of Cul1 by tagging with a nuclear localization sequence allowed neddylation independent of SCCRO, but at a lower level. We found that in the nucleus, SCCRO enhances recruitment of Ubc12 to Cul1 to promote neddylation. These findings suggest that SCCRO has an essential role in neddylation in vivo involving nuclear localization of neddylation components and recruitment and proper positioning of Ubc12.


2007 ◽  
Vol 204 (2) ◽  
pp. 405-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atta Behfar ◽  
Carmen Perez-Terzic ◽  
Randolph S. Faustino ◽  
D. Kent Arrell ◽  
Denice M. Hodgson ◽  
...  

Embryonic stem cells have the distinct potential for tissue regeneration, including cardiac repair. Their propensity for multilineage differentiation carries, however, the liability of neoplastic growth, impeding therapeutic application. Here, the tumorigenic threat associated with embryonic stem cell transplantation was suppressed by cardiac-restricted transgenic expression of the reprogramming cytokine TNF-α, enhancing the cardiogenic competence of recipient heart. The in vivo aptitude of TNF-α to promote cardiac differentiation was recapitulated in embryoid bodies in vitro. The procardiogenic action required an intact endoderm and was mediated by secreted cardio-inductive signals. Resolved TNF-α–induced endoderm-derived factors, combined in a cocktail, secured guided differentiation of embryonic stem cells in monolayers produce cardiac progenitors termed cardiopoietic cells. Characterized by a down-regulation of oncogenic markers, up-regulation, and nuclear translocation of cardiac transcription factors, this predetermined population yielded functional cardiomyocyte progeny. Recruited cardiopoietic cells delivered in infarcted hearts generated cardiomyocytes that proliferated into scar tissue, integrating with host myocardium for tumor-free repair. Thus, cardiopoietic programming establishes a strategy to hone stem cell pluripotency, offering a tumor-resistant approach for regeneration.


Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 466
Author(s):  
Grazia Ilaria Caruso ◽  
Simona Federica Spampinato ◽  
Giuseppe Costantino ◽  
Sara Merlo ◽  
Maria Angela Sortino

Microglia represent a first-line defense in the brain. However, in pathological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a pro-inflammatory switch may occur, leading to loss of protective functions. Using the human microglial cell line HMC3, we showed that exposure to low concentrations of β-amyloid peptide 1-42 (Aβ42; 0.2 μM) initially (6 h) upregulated anti-inflammatory markers interleukin (IL)-4, IL-13, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF increase was prevented by selective inhibition of SIRT1 with EX527 (2 μM). Accordingly, these early effects were accompanied by a significant Aβ42-induced increase of SIRT1 expression, nuclear localization, and activity. SIRT1 modulation involved adenosine monophosphate-regulated kinase (AMPK), which was promptly (30 min) phosphorylated by Aβ42, while the AMPK inhibitor BML-275 (2 μM) attenuated Aβ42-induced SIRT1 increase. Initially observed microglial responses appeared transient, as microglial features changed when exposure to Aβ42 was prolonged (0.2 μM for 72 h). While SIRT1 and BDNF levels were reduced, the expression of inflammatory markers IL-1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α increased. This coincided with a rise in NF-kB nuclear localization. The effects of melatonin (1 μM) on prolonged microglial exposure to Aβ42 were analyzed for their protective potential. Melatonin was able to prolong SIRT1 and BDNF upregulation, as well as to prevent NF-kB nuclear translocation and acetylation. These effects were sensitive to the melatonin receptor antagonist, luzindole (25 μM). In conclusion, our data define an early microglial defensive response to Aβ42, featuring SIRT1-mediated BDNF upregulation that can be exogenously modulated by melatonin, thus identifying an important target for neuroprotection.


Author(s):  
Robert T. Flemmer ◽  
Sarah P. Connolly ◽  
Brittany A. Geizer ◽  
Joseph T. Opferman ◽  
Jacqueline L. Vanderluit

Myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1), an anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein, regulates neural precursor cell (NPC) survival in both the developing and adult mammalian nervous system. It is unclear when during the neurogenic period Mcl-1 becomes necessary for NPC survival and whether Bax is the sole pro-apoptotic target of Mcl-1. To address these questions, we used the nervous system-specific Nestin-Cre Mcl-1 conditional knockout mouse line (Mcl-1 CKO) to assess the anti-apoptotic role of Mcl-1 in developmental neurogenesis. Loss of Mcl-1 resulted in a wave of apoptosis beginning in the brainstem and cervical spinal cord at embryonic day 9.5 (E9.5) and in the forebrain at E10.5. Apoptosis was first observed ventrally in each region and spread dorsally over time. Within the spinal cord, apoptosis also spread in a rostral to caudal direction following the path of differentiation. Breeding the Mcl-1 CKO mouse with the Bax null mouse rescued the majority of NPC from apoptosis except in the dorsomedial brainstem and ventral thoracic spinal cord where only 50% were rescued. This demonstrates that Mcl-1 promotes NPC survival primarily by inhibiting the activation of Bax, but that Bax is not the sole pro-apoptotic target of Mcl-1 during embryonic neurogenesis. Interestingly, although co-deletion of Bax rescued the majority of NPC apoptosis, it resulted in embryonic lethality at E13, whereas conditional deletion of both Mcl-1 and Bax rescued embryonic lethality. In summary, this study demonstrates the widespread dependency on Mcl-1 during nervous system development.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaohui Xu ◽  
Han Wang ◽  
Jiqin Liu ◽  
Shuying Han ◽  
Miaomiao Lin ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: OsWRKY62 and OsWRKY76, two close members of WRKY transcription factors, function together as transcriptional repressors. OsWRKY62 is predominantly localized in the cytosol. What are the regulatory factors for OsWRKY62 nuclear translocation?Results: In this study, we characterized they interacted with rice importin, OsIMα1a and OsIMα1b, for nuclear translocation. Chimeric OsWRKY62.1-GFP, which is predominantly localized in the cytoplasm, was translocated to the nucleus of Nicotiana benthamiana leaf cells in the presence of OsIMα1a or OsIMαDIBB1a lacking the auto-inhibitory importin β-binding domain. OsIMαDIBB1a interacted with the WRKY domain of OsWRKY62.1, which has specific bipartite positively charged concatenated amino acids functioning as a nuclear localization signal. Similarly, we found that OsIMαDIBB1a interacted with the AvrPib effector of rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, which contains a scattered distribution of positively charged amino acids. Furthermore, we identified a nuclear export signal in OsWRKY62.1 that inhibited nuclear transportation. Overexpression of OsIMα1a or OsIMα1b enhanced resistance to M. oryzae, whereas knockout mutants decreased resistance to the pathogen. However, overexpressing both OsIMα1a and OsWRKY62.1 were slightly more susceptible to M. oryzae than OsWRKY62.1 alone. Ectopic overexpression of OsWRKY62.1 with an extra nuclear export signal compromised the enhanced susceptibility of OsWRKY62.1 to M. oryzae.Conclusion: These results indicated that OsWRKY62 localization is a consequence of competition binding between rice importins and exportins. OsWRKY62, OsWRKY76, and AvrPib effector translocate to nucleus in association with importin α1s through new types of nuclear localization signals for negatively regulating defense responses.


2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 731-736
Author(s):  
I. V. Kologrivova ◽  
Tatiana E. Suslova ◽  
V. V. Ryabov ◽  
M. A. Shtatolkina ◽  
O. A. Koshelskaya ◽  
...  

The key cellular and molecular factors being involved in the resolution of inflammation following acute myocardial infarction remain poorly understood. T-regulatory (Treg) lymphocytes are characterized by the extreme potential to regulate the strength and direction of immune responses during the myocardial injury. The functional activity of Treg-lymphocytes depends upon the transcription factor forkhead box protein P3 (FoxP3). It may be also expressed in conventional T-lymphocytes at the stage of their activation. Nuclear localization of FoxP3 is a prerequisite factor determining its ability to impact the suppressive functions of Treglymphocytes.The aim of the present study was comparative evaluation of FoxP3+T-lymphocytes frequency and counts, combined with estimation of FoxP3 subcellular localization, in patients with acute myocardial infarction and chronic coronary syndrome and examination of changes of these parameters in the short-term follow-up of patients with myocardial infarction. The study included 14 patients with chronic coronary syndrome (8 males; 6 females; 63.2±9.0 y.o.) and 5 patients with acute anterior ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (4 males; 1 female; 61.4±11.2 y.o.) at days 1, 3 and 7 after the event. The frequency of FoxP3+ conventional and regulatory T-lymphocytes was evaluated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells together with estimation of the level of FoxP3 nuclear localization by imaging flow cytometry.Patients with infarction were characterized by the decreased counts of FoxP3+Treg-lymphocytes compared to patients with chronic coronary syndrome, and exhibited even further decrease in the counts of FoxP3+Tregcells at day 7 after infarction, while frequency of Treg and conventional T-lymphocytes did not differ significantly. The level of FoxP3 nuclear translocation was lower both in Treg and conventional T-lymphocytes in patients at day 1 post-infarction compared to patients with chronic coronary syndrome. Absolute counts of FoxP3+Tregs with nuclear FoxP3 localization remained significantly lower both at days 1 and 7 post-infarction compared to patients with chronic coronary syndrome.Thus, here we demonstrated that FoxP3 nuclear localization experiences decrease in the course of acute myocardial infarction and may serve as a more sensitive marker of changes in Treg-lymphocyte functioning than simple evaluation of their frequency. 


2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 975-987 ◽  
Author(s):  
Odile Filhol ◽  
Arsenio Nueda ◽  
Véronique Martel ◽  
Delphine Gerber-Scokaert ◽  
Maria José Benitez ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Protein kinase CK2 is a multifunctional enzyme which has long been described as a stable heterotetrameric complex resulting from the association of two catalytic (α or α′) and two regulatory (β) subunits. To track the spatiotemporal dynamics of CK2 in living cells, we fused its catalytic α and regulatory β subunits with green fluorescent protein (GFP). Both CK2 subunits contain nuclear localization domains that target them independently to the nucleus. Imaging of stable cell lines expressing low levels of GFP-CK2α or GFP-CK2β revealed the existence of CK2 subunit subpopulations exhibiting differential dynamics. Once in the nucleus, they diffuse randomly at different rates. Unlike CK2β, CK2α can shuttle, showing the dynamic nature of the nucleocytoplasmic trafficking of the kinase. When microinjected in the cytoplasm, the isolated CK2 subunits are rapidly translocated into the nucleus, whereas the holoenzyme complex remains in this cell compartment, suggesting an intramolecular masking of the nuclear localization sequences that suppresses nuclear accumulation. However, binding of FGF-2 to the holoenzyme triggers its nuclear translocation. Since the substrate specificity of CK2α is dramatically changed by its association with CK2β, the control of the nucleocytoplasmic distribution of each subunit may represent a unique potential regulatory mechanism for CK2 activity.


2000 ◽  
Vol 113 (15) ◽  
pp. 2771-2781
Author(s):  
P.S. Subramaniam ◽  
J. Larkin ◽  
M.G. Mujtaba ◽  
M.R. Walter ◽  
H.M. Johnson

We have recently shown that the nuclear localization of IFN gamma is mediated by a polybasic nuclear localization sequence (NLS) in its C terminus. This NLS is required for the full expression of biological activity of IFN gamma, both extracellularly and intracellularly. We now show that this NLS plays an integral intracellular role in the nuclear translocation of the transcription factor STAT1 alpha activated by IFN gamma. Treatment of IFN gamma with antibodies to the C-terminal region (95–133) containing the NLS blocked the induction of STAT1 alpha nuclear translocation. The antibodies had no effect on nuclear translocation of STAT1 alpha in IFN gamma treated cells. A deletion mutant of human IFN gamma, IFN gamma (1–123), which is devoid of the C-terminal NLS region was found to be biologically inactive, but was still able to bind to the IFN gamma receptor complex on cells with a K(d) similar to that of the wild-type protein. Deletion of the NLS specifically abolished the ability of IFN gamma(1–123) to initiate the nuclear translocation of STAT1 alpha, which is required for the biological activities of IFN gamma following binding to the IFN gamma receptor complex. Thus, the NLS region appears to contribute minimally to extracellular high-affinity receptor-ligand binding, yet exerts a strong functional role in STAT1 alpha nuclear localization. A high-affinity site for the interaction of the C-terminal NLS domain of IFN gamma with a K(d) approx. 3 × 10(−8) M(−1) has been described by previous studies on the intracellular cytoplasmic domain of the IFN gamma receptor alpha-chain. To examine the role of the NLS at the intracellular level, we microinjected neutralizing antibodies raised against the C-terminal NLS domain of IFN gamma into the cytoplasm of cells before treatment of cells with IFN gamma. These intracellular antibodies specifically blocked the nuclear translocation of STAT1 alpha following the subsequent treatment of these cells extracellularly with IFN gamma. These data show that the NLS domain of IFN gamma interacts at an intracellular site to regulate STAT1 alpha nuclear import. A C-terminal peptide of murine IFN gamma, IFN gamma(95–133), that contains the NLS motif, induced nuclear translocation of STAT1 alpha when taken up intracellularly by a murine macrophage cell line. Deletion of the NLS motif specifically abrogated the ability of this intracellular peptide to cause STAT1 alpha nuclear translocation. In cells activated with IFN gamma, IFN gamma was found to as part of a complex that contained STAT1 alpha and the importin-alpha analog Npi-1, which mediates STAT1 alpha nuclear import. The tyrosine phosphorylation of STAT1 alpha, the formation of the complex IFN gamma/Npi-1/STAT1 alpha complex and the subsequent nuclear translocation of STAT1 alpha were all found to be dependent on the presence of the IFN gamma NLS. Thus, the NLS of IFN gamma functions intracellularly to directly regulate the activation and ultimate nuclear translocation STAT1 alpha.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document