Cadmium regulates copper homoeostasis by inhibiting the activity of Mac1, a transcriptional activator of the copper regulon, in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

2010 ◽  
Vol 431 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong-Hyuk Heo ◽  
In-Joon Baek ◽  
Hyun-Jun Kang ◽  
Ji-Hyun Kim ◽  
Miwha Chang ◽  
...  

Cadmium is a toxic metal and the mechanism of its toxicity has been studied in various model systems from bacteria to mammals. We employed Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model system to study cadmium toxicity at the molecular level because it has been used to identify the molecular mechanisms of toxicity found in higher organisms. cDNA microarray and Northern blot analyses revealed that cadmium salts inhibited the expression of genes related to copper metabolism. Western blotting, Northern blotting and chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments indicated that CTR1 expression was inhibited at the transcriptional level through direct inhibition of the Mac1 transcriptional activator. The decreased expression of CTR1 results in cellular copper deficiency and inhibition of Fet3 activity, which eventually impairs iron uptake. In this way, cadmium exhibits a negative effect on both iron and copper homoeostasis.

Genomic instability is a major threat to living organisms. To counteract the damaging effects posed by endogenous and environmental agents, such as chemicals or radiation, micro-organisms devote several percent of their genome to encode proteins that function in the repair and recombination of DNA. For many years, a relatively small group of scientists have carefully delineated the molecular mechanisms of these repair processes, using the simplest model systems available, namely Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae . These studies, which until recently had only moderate impact outside of the field, now provide the cornerstone for exciting new research into analogous processes in hum an cells. The reason for this is the revelation that the biochemical pathways for the accurate replication, repair and recombination of DNA have been conserved through evolution.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenyan Cao ◽  
Xinning Wang ◽  
Weiquan Zhao ◽  
Yu Shen ◽  
Wensheng Qin ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Vanillin is one of the major phenolic inhibitors in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for cellulosic ethanol production. Deleting transcription factor gene YRR1 improves vanillin resistance by promoting some translation-related processes that were confirmed at the transcription level in our previous studies. However, the known genes regulated by Yrr1 are not related to translation process. Therefore, in this work, we investigated the effects of proteomic changes on vanillin stress and YRR1 deletion to provide different perspectives from transcriptome analysis for comprehending the mechanisms of YRR1 deletion in yeast protective response to vanillin.Results: In wild-type cells, vanillin reduced the numbers of ribosomal proteins quantities and thereby inhibited cells’ translation. YRR1 deletion changed the quantities of 121 proteins which have no overlaps with transcriptomic changes. Of 112 proteins were up-regulated; 48 of 112 up-regulated proteins are involved in stress response, translational and basal transcriptional regulation. Fermentation data showed that the overexpression of HAA1, MBF1, and TMA17, which encode transcriptional activator, coactivator, and proteasome assembly chaperone, respectively, enhanced resistance to vanillin in S. cerevisiae. Conclusions: These results showed how YRR1 deletion increase vanillin resistance at protein level. This may advance our understanding of molecular mechanisms for YRR1 deletion to protect yeast from vanillin stress and offer novel targets of genetic engineering for designing inhibitor-resistant ethanologenic yeast strains.


Author(s):  
Sridhar Muthusami ◽  
Ilangovan Ramachandran ◽  
Sneha Krishnamoorthy ◽  
Yuvaraj Sambandam ◽  
Satish Ramalingam ◽  
...  

: The development of colorectal cancer (CRC) is a multi-stage process. The inflammation of the colon as in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) such as ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn’s disease (CD) is often regarded as the initial trigger for the development of CRC. Many cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and several interleukins (ILs) are known to exert proinflammatory actions, and inflammation initiates or promotes tumorigenesis of various cancers, including CRC through differential regulation of microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs). miRNAs can be oncogenic miRNAs (oncomiRs) or anti-oncomiRs/tumor suppressor miRNAs, and they play key roles during colorectal carcinogenesis. However, the functions and molecular mechanisms of regulation of miRNAs involved in inflammation-associated CRC are still anecdotal and largely unknown. Consolidating the published results and offering perspective solutions to circumvent CRC, the current review is focused on the role of miRNAs and their regulation in the development of CRC. We have also discussed the model systems adapted by researchers to delineate the role of miRNAs in inflammation-associated CRC.


Author(s):  
Robert Laumbach ◽  
Michael Gochfeld

This chapter describes the basic principles of toxicology and their application to occupational and environmental health. Topics covered include pathways that toxic substances may take from sources in the environment to molecular targets in the cells of the body where toxic effects occur. These pathways include routes of exposure, absorption into the body, distribution to organs and tissues, metabolism, storage, and excretion. The various types of toxicological endpoints are discussed, along with the concepts of dose-response relationships, threshold doses, and the basis of interindividual differences and interspecies differences in response to exposure to toxic substances. The diversity of cellular and molecular mechanisms of toxicity, including enzyme induction and inhibition, oxidative stress, mutagenesis, carcinogenesis, and teratogenesis, are discussed and the chapter concludes with examples of practical applications in clinical evaluation and in toxicity testing.


Biomolecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 453
Author(s):  
Susana M. Chuva de Sousa Lopes ◽  
Marta S. Alexdottir ◽  
Gudrun Valdimarsdottir

Emerging data suggest that a trophoblast stem cell (TSC) population exists in the early human placenta. However, in vitro stem cell culture models are still in development and it remains under debate how well they reflect primary trophoblast (TB) cells. The absence of robust protocols to generate TSCs from humans has resulted in limited knowledge of the molecular mechanisms that regulate human placental development and TB lineage specification when compared to other human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). As placentation in mouse and human differ considerably, it is only with the development of human-based disease models using TSCs that we will be able to understand the various diseases caused by abnormal placentation in humans, such as preeclampsia. In this review, we summarize the knowledge on normal human placental development, the placental disease preeclampsia, and current stem cell model systems used to mimic TB differentiation. A special focus is given to the transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ) family as it has been shown that the TGFβ family has an important role in human placental development and disease.


Genetics ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 157 (4) ◽  
pp. 1569-1579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael L Rolfsmeier ◽  
Michael J Dixon ◽  
Luis Pessoa-Brandão ◽  
Richard Pelletier ◽  
Juan José Miret ◽  
...  

Abstract Trinucleotide repeat (TNR) instability in humans is governed by unique cis-elements. One element is a threshold, or minimal repeat length, conferring frequent mutations. Since thresholds have not been directly demonstrated in model systems, their molecular nature remains uncertain. Another element is sequence specificity. Unstable TNR sequences are almost always CNG, whose hairpin-forming ability is thought to promote instability by inhibiting DNA repair. To understand these cis-elements further, TNR expansions and contractions were monitored by yeast genetic assays. A threshold of ∼15–17 repeats was observed for CTG expansions and contractions, indicating that thresholds function in organisms besides humans. Mutants lacking the flap endonuclease Rad27p showed little change in the expansion threshold, suggesting that this element is not altered by the presence or absence of flap processing. CNG or GNC sequences yielded frequent mutations, whereas A-T rich sequences were substantially more stable. This sequence analysis further supports a hairpin-mediated mechanism of TNR instability. Expansions and contractions occurred at comparable rates for CTG tract lengths between 15 and 25 repeats, indicating that expansions can comprise a significant fraction of mutations in yeast. These results indicate that several unique cis-elements of human TNR instability are functional in yeast.


Author(s):  
Linru Huang ◽  
Zhijia Fang ◽  
Jian Gao ◽  
Jingwen Wang ◽  
Yongbin Li ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Cesar A. López ◽  
Animesh Agarwal ◽  
Que N. Van ◽  
Andrew G. Stephen ◽  
S. Gnanakaran

AbstractSmall GTPase proteins are ubiquitous and responsible for regulating several processes related to cell growth and differentiation. Mutations that stabilize their active state can lead to uncontrolled cell proliferation and cancer. Although these proteins are well characterized at the cellular scale, the molecular mechanisms governing their functions are still poorly understood. In addition, there is limited information about the regulatory function of the cell membrane which supports their activity. Thus, we have studied the dynamics and conformations of the farnesylated KRAS4b in various membrane model systems, ranging from binary fluid mixtures to heterogeneous raft mimics. Our approach combines long time-scale coarse-grained (CG) simulations and Markov state models to dissect the membrane-supported dynamics of KRAS4b. Our simulations reveal that protein dynamics is mainly modulated by the presence of anionic lipids and to some extent by the nucleotide state (activation) of the protein. In addition, our results suggest that both the farnesyl and the polybasic hypervariable region (HVR) are responsible for its preferential partitioning within the liquid-disordered (Ld) domains in membranes, potentially enhancing the formation of membrane-driven signaling platforms. Graphic Abstract


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Franziska Eberl ◽  
Thomas Fabisch ◽  
Katrin Luck ◽  
Tobias G. Köllner ◽  
Heiko Vogel ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Protease inhibitors are defense proteins widely distributed in the plant kingdom. By reducing the activity of digestive enzymes in insect guts, they reduce the availability of nutrients and thus impair the growth and development of the attacking herbivore. One well-characterized class of protease inhibitors are Kunitz-type trypsin inhibitors (KTIs), which have been described in various plant species, including Populus spp. Long-lived woody perennials like poplar trees encounter a huge diversity of herbivores, but the specificity of tree defenses towards different herbivore species is hardly studied. We therefore aimed to investigate the induction of KTIs in black poplar (P. nigra) leaves upon herbivory by three different chewing herbivores, Lymantria dispar and Amata mogadorensis caterpillars, and Phratora vulgatissima beetles. Results We identified and generated full-length cDNA sequences of 17 KTIs that are upregulated upon herbivory in black poplar leaves, and analyzed the expression patterns of the eight most up-regulated KTIs via qRT-PCR. We found that beetles elicited higher transcriptional induction of KTIs than caterpillars, and that both caterpillar species induced similar KTI expression levels. Furthermore, KTI expression strongly correlated with the trypsin-inhibiting activity in the herbivore-damaged leaves, but was not dependent on damage severity, i.e. leaf area loss, for most of the genes. Conclusions We conclude that the induction of KTIs in black poplar is controlled at the transcriptional level in a threshold-based manner and is strongly influenced by the species identity of the herbivore. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms and ecological consequences of these patterns remain to be investigated.


1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 3762-3772 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Lodi ◽  
B Guiard

Expression of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene encoding cytochrome b2 (EC 1.2.2.3), CYB2, was investigated by direct analysis of mRNA transcripts and by measurement of the expression of lacZ fused to the CYB2 control regions. These studies indicated that regulation of the CYB2 gene is subject to several metabolic controls at the transcriptional level: inhibition due to glucose fermentation, induction by lactate, and inhibition in anaerobiosis or in absence of heme biosynthesis. Furthermore, we have shown that the CYB2 promoter contains one cis negative regulatory region and two heme-dependent positive regions, one of which is controlled by the transcriptional regulator CYP1 (HAP1) which is involved in the modulation of the expression of several oxygen-regulated genes. The CYP1 (HAP1)-binding sequence was located by gel retardation and DNase I footprinting experiments and compared with the binding sequences previously characterized in detail (UAS1CYC1, UAS'CYP3 (CYC7), and UASCTT1).


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