Prolonged exposure to ethylene stimulates the negative gravitropic responses of Arabidopsis inflorescence stems and hypocotyls

The actual effect of ethylene on shoot gravitropic response has been controversial. To elucidate the role of ethylene in the modulation of shoot gravitropic response, Arabidopsis inflorescences and light-grown seedlings were pretreated with 0.1-10 -1 of ethylene for either a long (12-48 h) or short term (0.5 h). When the gravicurvature was measured either in air or in ethylene, it was found that prolonged exposure to various levels of ethylene stimulated both inflorescence stem and hypocotyl gravicurvature in air, while the continued presence of ethylene immediately following reorientation of plant tissues inhibited gravicurvature of both tissues. Both stimulatory and inhibitory effects existed in inflorescence stems and hypocotyls when the plant tissues were exposed to a chosen concentration of ethylene. Stimulation by ethylene was stronger than its inhibition in inflorescence stems, while the reverse was true for the hypocotyls. Therefore, the continued presence of high levels of naturally produced ethylene in eto1-1 did not suppress the faster gravicurvature of inflorescence stems, whereas the removal of exogenously applied ethylene was necessary to observe faster gravicurvature of both the wild-type and eto1-1 hypocotyls. Both effects acted through the known ethylene receptor complex. These results strongly suggest that ethylene of a chosen concentration has opposing effects on the negative gravitropic responses of both inflorescence stems and hypocotyls. The ultimate negatively gravitropic behaviour of a plant tissue, when exposed to ethylene, depends on the dynamic interplay between these two opposing effects.

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An MDM2 inhibitor achieves synergistic cytotoxic effects with adenoviruses lacking E1B55kDa gene on mesothelioma with the wild-type p53 through augmenting NFI expression

Cell Death and Disease ◽

10.1038/s41419-021-03934-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (7) ◽

Author(s):

Thao Thi Thanh Nguyen ◽

Masato Shingyoji ◽

Michiko Hanazono ◽

Boya Zhong ◽

Takao Morinaga ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Wild Type ◽

Inhibitory Effects ◽

Cytotoxic Effects ◽

P53 Expression ◽

Nuclear Factor I ◽

Infected Cells ◽

Wild Type P53 ◽

Mdm2 Inhibitor ◽

P16 Expression

AbstractA majority of mesothelioma specimens were defective of p14 and p16 expression due to deletion of the INK4A/ARF region, and the p53 pathway was consequently inactivated by elevated MDM2 functions which facilitated p53 degradaton. We investigated a role of p53 elevation by MDM2 inhibitors, nutlin-3a and RG7112, in cytotoxicity of replication-competent adenoviruses (Ad) lacking the p53-binding E1B55kDa gene (Ad-delE1B). We found that a growth inhibition by p53-activating Ad-delE1B was irrelevant to p53 expression in the infected cells, but combination of Ad-delE1B and the MDM2 inhibitor produced synergistic inhibitory effects on mesothelioma with the wild-type but not mutated p53 genotype. The combination augmented p53 phosphorylation, activated apoptotic but not autophagic pathway, and enhanced DNA damage signals through ATM-Chk2 phosphorylation. The MDM2 inhibitors facilitated production of the Ad progenies through augmented expression of nuclear factor I (NFI), one of the transcriptional factors involved in Ad replications. Knocking down of p53 with siRNA did not increase the progeny production or the NFI expression. We also demonstrated anti-tumor effects by the combination of Ad-delE1B and the MDM2 inhibitors in an orthotopic animal model. These data collectively indicated that upregulation of wild-type p53 expression contributed to cytotoxicity by E1B55kDa-defective replicative Ad through NFI induction and suggested that replication-competent Ad together with augmented p53 levels was a therapeutic strategy for p53 wild-type mesothelioma.

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The role of Ca2+ in triggering inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor ubiquitination

Biochemical Journal ◽

10.1042/bj20050949 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 392 (3) ◽

pp. 601-606 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Kamil J. Alzayady ◽

Richard J. H. Wojcikiewicz

Keyword(s):

Type I ◽

Pituitary Cells ◽

Wild Type ◽

Inhibitory Effects ◽

Mutant Type ◽

Channel Opening ◽

Inositol 1,4,5 Trisphosphate ◽

Mouse Pituitary ◽

Trisphosphate Receptor

The IP3R (inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor) forms tetrameric Ca2+ channels in ER (endoplasmic reticulum) membranes, where channel activity is largely under the control of the co-agonists IP3 and Ca2+. In cells stimulated using extracellular ligands that persistently elevate phosphoinositidase C activity, IP3Rs are rapidly ubiquitinated and then degraded by the proteasome through as yet undefined mechanisms. Whereas binding of IP3 has been suggested to be a key event in the triggering of IP3R ubiquitination the role of Ca2+ in this process remains unknown. In the present study we use αT3-1 mouse pituitary cells expressing exogenous wild-type or mutant-type-I IP3Rs (IP3R1) to provide several lines of evidence that Ca2+ is also a trigger. Firstly, depletion of ER Ca2+ stores with thapsigargin blocked wild-type IP3R1 ubiquitination. Secondly, ubiquitination was blocked by mutating Glu2100 to Asp, which is known to markedly suppress Ca2+-binding to IP3R1 and the potency of Ca2+ as a stimulus for channel opening. Thirdly, mutating Asp2550 to Ala, which inhibits Ca2+ flux through the channel pore, partially inhibited ubiquitination indicating that Ca2+ released via wild-type IP3R1 contributes to triggering ubiquitination. Fourthly, and consistent with this conclusion, although suppression of increases in cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration did not inhibit the ubiquitination of wild-type IP3R1, it strongly inhibited the ubiquitination of the Asp2550 to Ala mutant. Overall, these results show that Ca2+ plays an important role in triggering IP3R ubiquitination. Additional experiments with IP3R1 containing an Arg265 to Gln mutation, which decreases IP3-binding affinity, confirmed that IP3-binding also plays a role. Finally, the mutations at Glu2100, Asp2550 and Arg265 inhibited IP3R1 degradation to an extent that paralleled their inhibitory effects on ubiquitination. We conclude that IP3R ubiquitination and degradation are triggered by the concerted action of IP3- and Ca2+-binding.

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Attenuated Late-PhaseArcTranscription in the Dentate Gyrus of Mice LackingEgr3

Neural Plasticity ◽

10.1155/2017/6063048 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Amanda Maple ◽

Rachel E. Lackie ◽

Diana I. Elizalde ◽

Stephanie L. Grella ◽

Chelsey C. Damphousse ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dentate Gyrus ◽

Time Course ◽

Wild Type ◽

Short Term ◽

Unique Role ◽

Late Protein ◽

Dependent Learning

The dentate gyrus (DG) engages in sustainedArctranscription for at least 8 hours following behavioral induction, and this time course may be functionally coupled to the unique role of the DG in hippocampus-dependent learning and memory. The factors that regulate long-term DGArcexpression, however, remain poorly understood. Animals lackingEgr3show lessArcexpression following convulsive stimulation, but the effect ofEgr3ablation on behaviorally inducedArcremains unknown. To address this,Egr3−/−and wild-type (WT) mice explored novel spatial environments and were sacrificed either immediately or after 5, 60, 240, or 480 minutes, andArcexpression was quantified by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Although short-term (i.e., within 60 min)Arcexpression was equivalent across genotypes, DGArcexpression was selectively reduced at 240 and 480 minutes in mice lackingEgr3. These data demonstrate the involvement ofEgr3in regulating the late protein-dependent phase ofArcexpression in the DG.

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Hedgehog Signaling in the Drosophila Eye and Head: An Analysis of the Effects of Differentpatched Trans-heterozygotes

Genetics ◽

10.1093/genetics/165.4.1915 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 165 (4) ◽

pp. 1915-1928

Author(s):

Chloe Thomas ◽

Philip W Ingham

Keyword(s):

Cell Fate ◽

Hedgehog Signaling ◽

Missense Mutations ◽

Wild Type ◽

Eye Size ◽

C Terminus ◽

Opposing Effects ◽

Antennal Disc

AbstractCharacterization of different alleles of the Hedgehog receptor patched (ptc) indicates that they can be grouped into several classes. Most mutations result in complete loss of Ptc function. However, missense mutations located within the putative sterol-sensing domain (SSD) or C terminus of ptc encode antimorphic proteins that are unable to repress Smo activity and inhibit wild-type Ptc from doing so, but retain the ability to bind and sequester Hh. Analysis of the eye and head phenotypes of Drosophila melanogaster in various ptc/ptctuf1 heteroallelic combinations shows that these two classes of ptc allele can be easily distinguished by their eye phenotype, but not by their head phenotype. Adult eye size is inversely correlated with head vertex size, suggesting an alteration of cell fate within the eye-antennal disc. A balance between excess cell division and cell death in the mutant eye discs may also contribute to final eye size. In addition, contrary to results reported recently, the role of Hh signaling in the Drosophila head vertex appears to be primarily in patterning rather than in proliferation, with Ptc and Smo having opposing effects on formation of medial structures.

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Gene deletion reveals roles for annexin A1 in the regulation of lipolysis and IL-6 release in epididymal adipose tissue

AJP Endocrinology and Metabolism ◽

10.1152/ajpendo.00655.2005 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 291 (6) ◽

pp. E1264-E1273 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

James P. Warne ◽

Christopher D. John ◽

Helen C. Christian ◽

John F. Morris ◽

Roderick J. Flower ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Adipose Tissue ◽

Gene Deletion ◽

Cell Number ◽

Receptor Expression ◽

Epididymal Adipose Tissue ◽

Wild Type ◽

Inhibitory Effects ◽

Tissue Mass

In this study, epididymal adipose tissue from male annexin 1 (ANXA1)-null and wild-type control mice were used to explore the potential role of ANXA1 in adipocyte biology. ANXA1 was detected by Western blot analysis in wild-type tissue and localized predominantly to the stromal-vascular compartment. Epididymal fat pad mass was reduced by ANXA1 gene deletion, but adipocyte size was unchanged, suggesting that ANXA1 is required for the maintenance of adipocyte and/or preadipocyte cell number. Epididymal tissue from wild-type mice responded in vitro to noradrenaline and isoprenaline with increased glycerol release, reduced IL-6 release, and increased cAMP accumulation. Qualitatively similar but significantly attenuated responses to the catecholamines were observed in tissue from ANXA1-null mice, an effect that was not associated with changes in β-adrenoceptor mRNA expression. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) also stimulated lipolysis in vitro, but its effects were muted by ANXA1 gene deletion. By contrast, LPS failed to influence IL-6 release from wild-type tissue but stimulated the release of the cytokine from tissue from ANXA1-null mice. ANXA1 gene deletion did not affect glucocorticoid receptor expression or the ability of dexamethasone to suppress catecholamine-induced lipolysis. It did, however, augment IL-6 expression and modify the inhibitory effects of glucocorticoids on IL-6 release. Collectively, these studies suggest that ANXA1 supports aspects of adipose tissue mass and alters the sensitivity of epididymal adipose tissue to catecholamines, glucocorticoids, and LPS, thereby modulating lipolysis and IL-6 release.

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An essential role of the yeast pheromone-induced Ca2+ signal is to activate calcineurin.

Molecular Biology of the Cell ◽

10.1091/mbc.8.2.263 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 263-277 ◽

Cited By ~ 56

Author(s):

J L Withee ◽

J Mulholland ◽

R Jeng ◽

M S Cyert

Keyword(s):

Protein Phosphatase ◽

Prolonged Exposure ◽

Yeast Cells ◽

Wild Type ◽

Pheromone Response ◽

Ultrastructural Examination ◽

Cycle Arrest ◽

Dependent Protein ◽

Essential Function

Previous studies showed that, in wild-type (MATa) cells, alpha-factor causes an essential rise in cytosolic Ca2+. We show that calcineurin, the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase, is one target of this Ca2+ signal. Calcineurin mutants lose viability when incubated with mating pheromone, and overproduction of constitutively active (Ca(2+)-independent) calcineurin improves the viability of wild-type cells exposed to pheromone in Ca(2+)-deficient medium. Thus, one essential consequence of the pheromone-induced rise in cytosolic Ca2+ is activation of calcineurin. Although calcineurin inhibits intracellular Ca2+ sequestration in yeast cells, neither increased extracellular Ca2+ nor defects in vacuolar Ca2+ transport bypasses the requirement for calcineurin during the pheromone response. These observations suggest that the essential function of calcineurin in the pheromone response may be distinct from its modulation of intracellular Ca2+ levels. Mutants that do not undergo pheromone-induced cell cycle arrest (fus3, far1) show decreased dependence on calcineurin during treatment with pheromone. Thus, calcineurin is essential in yeast cells during prolonged exposure to pheromone and especially under conditions of pheromone-induced growth arrest. Ultrastructural examination of pheromone-treated cells indicates that vacuolar morphology is abnormal in calcineurin-deficient cells, suggesting that calcineurin may be required for maintenance of proper vacuolar structure or function during the pheromone response.

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Bacterial Glycogen Provides Short-Term Benefits in Changing Environments

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.00049-20 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 86 (9) ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Karthik Sekar ◽

Stephanie M. Linker ◽

Jen Nguyen ◽

Alix Grünhagen ◽

Roman Stocker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Carbon Sources ◽

Glucose Starvation ◽

Wild Type ◽

Short Term ◽

Changing Environments ◽

Mutant Strains ◽

Glycogen Utilization ◽

Lag Times ◽

Glucose Availability

ABSTRACT Changing nutritional conditions challenge microbes and shape their evolutionary optimization. Here, we used real-time metabolomics to investigate the role of glycogen in the dynamic physiological adaptation of Escherichia coli to fluctuating nutrients following carbon starvation. After the depletion of environmental glucose, we found significant metabolic activity remaining, which was linked to rapid utilization of intracellular glycogen. Glycogen was depleted by 80% within minutes of glucose starvation and was similarly replenished within minutes of glucose availability. These fast time scales of glycogen utilization correspond to the short-term benefits that glycogen provided to cells undergoing various physiological transitions. Cells capable of utilizing glycogen exhibited shorter lag times than glycogen mutants when starved between periods of exposure to different carbon sources. The ability to utilize glycogen was also important for the transition between planktonic and biofilm lifestyles and enabled increased glucose uptake during pulses of limited glucose availability. While wild-type and mutant strains exhibited comparable growth rates in steady environments, mutants deficient in glycogen utilization grew more poorly in environments that fluctuated on minute scales between carbon availability and starvation. Taken together, these results highlight an underappreciated role of glycogen in rapidly providing carbon and energy in changing environments, thereby increasing survival and competition capabilities under fluctuating and nutrient-poor conditions. IMPORTANCE Nothing is constant in life, and microbes in particular have to adapt to frequent and rapid environmental changes. Here, we used real-time metabolomics and single-cell imaging to demonstrate that the internal storage polymer glycogen plays a crucial role in such dynamic adaptations. Glycogen is depleted within minutes of glucose starvation and similarly is replenished within minutes of glucose availability. Cells capable of utilizing glycogen exhibited shorter lag times than glycogen mutants when starved between periods of exposure to different carbon sources. While wild-type and mutant strains exhibited comparable growth rates in steady environments, mutants deficient in glycogen utilization grew more poorly in environments that fluctuated on minute scales between carbon availability and starvation. These results highlight an underappreciated role of glycogen in rapidly providing carbon and energy in changing environments, thereby increasing survival and competition capabilities under fluctuating and nutrient-poor conditions.

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Intestinal NAPE-PLD contributes to short-term regulation of food intake via gut-to-brain axis

AJP Endocrinology and Metabolism ◽

10.1152/ajpendo.00146.2020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 319 (3) ◽

pp. E647-E657

Author(s):

Marialetizia Rastelli ◽

Matthias Van Hul ◽

Romano Terrasi ◽

Charlotte Lefort ◽

Marion Régnier ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Fat Diet ◽

Physiological Role ◽

Intestinal Epithelial ◽

Wild Type ◽

Short Term ◽

Physiological Mechanisms ◽

Short Term Exposure ◽

Glucagon Like Peptide ◽

Glucagon Like Peptide 1

Our objective was to explore the physiological role of the intestinal endocannabinoids in the regulation of appetite upon short-term exposure to high-fat-diet (HFD) and understand the mechanisms responsible for aberrant gut-brain signaling leading to hyperphagia in mice lacking Napepld in the intestinal epithelial cells (IECs). We generated a murine model harboring an inducible NAPE-PLD deletion in IECs ( NapepldΔIEC). After an overnight fast, we exposed wild-type (WT) and NapepldΔIEC mice to different forms of lipid challenge (HFD or gavage), and we compared the modification occurring in the hypothalamus, in the vagus nerve, and at endocrine level 30 and 60 min after the stimulation. NapepldΔIEC mice displayed lower hypothalamic levels of N-oleoylethanolamine (OEA) in response to HFD. Lower mRNA expression of anorexigenic Pomc occurred in the hypothalamus of NapepldΔIEC mice after lipid challenge. This early hypothalamic alteration was not the consequence of impaired vagal signaling in NapepldΔIEC mice. Following lipid administration, WT and NapepldΔIEC mice had similar portal levels of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and similar rates of GLP-1 inactivation. Administration of exendin-4, a full agonist of GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R), prevented the hyperphagia of NapepldΔIEC mice upon HFD. We conclude that in response to lipid, NapepldΔIEC mice displayed reduced OEA in brain and intestine, suggesting an impairment of the gut-brain axis in this model. We speculated that decreased levels of OEA likely contributes to reduce GLP-1R activation, explaining the observed hyperphagia in this model. Altogether, we elucidated novel physiological mechanisms regarding the gut-brain axis by which intestinal NAPE-PLD regulates appetite rapidly after lipid exposure.

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SEASONAL VARIATION IN THE EPISODIC SECRETION OF LUTEINIZING HORMONE AND TESTOSTERONE IN THE RAM

Journal of Endocrinology ◽

10.1677/joe.0.0690213 ◽

1976 ◽

Vol 69 (2) ◽

pp. 213-226 ◽

Cited By ~ 64

Author(s):

G. A. LINCOLN

Keyword(s):

Plasma Testosterone ◽

Domestic Sheep ◽

Testis Size ◽

Short Term ◽

Artificial Lighting ◽

Short Intervals ◽

Lighting Conditions ◽

Lh Releasing Hormone ◽

Dynamic Interplay

SUMMARY Rams of an ancient breed of domestic sheep (Soay) were housed under artificial lighting conditions to study the way in which the secretion of LH and testosterone changes in relation to the mating season. Conspicuous changes were found in the short-term fluctuations in plasma LH concentrations related to the cycle of testis growth and regression; serial blood samples collected at short intervals revealed episodic peaks in plasma LH at all times, but there were changes in the frequency (lowest when the testes were regressed and highest when fully active), amplitude (lowest at the peak of testis activity, and highest during the developing phase), and duration of the peaks (shortest when the testes were regressed). In addition, the basal levels changed from being lowest in the regressed phase of the testis cycle, and highest when the gonads were most active. Plasma testosterone concentrations changed in parallel with the cycle of testis size and were correlated with the fluctuating levels of LH. Each episodic peak in plasma LH was associated with an increase in the level of testosterone, beginning after 0–30 min and rising to a peak at 60–90 min; the speed and magnitude of the response being greatest when the testes were largest, but was not correlated with the magnitude of the LH change. Injections of LH releasing hormone (5 μg) stimulated an increase in plasma LH and testosterone proportional to the endogenous fluctuations in the hormones at the various stages of the seasonal cycle; LH concentrations were raised to supra-physiological levels after the injections, while testosterone concentrations seldom exceeded the normal peak values at any stage. These observations are used to discuss the role of the hypothalamus in the control of male seasonality with emphasis on the dynamic interplay between the hypothalamus, pituitary and testis.

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Understanding the Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern in Ontario, Canada: A Case Study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-788073/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Anita Layton ◽

Mehrshad Sadria

Keyword(s):

Vaccination Rate ◽

Type Model ◽

Wild Type ◽

Inhibitory Effects ◽

Booster Vaccine ◽

Successful Vaccine ◽

Rapid Deployment ◽

Pharmaceutical Interventions

Abstract A year after the initial wild-type Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) strains began their devastation of the world, they were supplanted by new variants of concern (VOC). In Ontario, Canada, the wild type was overtaken first by the Alpha/B1.1.17 variant, and then by the Delta/B.1.617 variant. The principal objective of the present study is to develop and apply a much expanded Susceptible-Infection-Recovered-type model to better understand the spread of multiple VOC, and assess the effectiveness of vaccination and non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI). The model represents competition among VOC, and reveals their mutual inhibitory effects. By separately tracking asymptomatic and symptomatic infections, model simulations identify a significant role of vaccine breakthrough in the spread of Delta. Furthermore, the severity of a Delta outbreak depends not only on the NPI and vaccination rate but also on the vaccine types. Alarmingly, despite Ontario’s existing NPI and relatively successful vaccine rollout, a future, more dangerous VOC could potentially infect a significant fraction of the province’s population and overwhelm the health care system. To stop that VOC, the province may need the simultaneous and rapid deployment of a third booster vaccine and stringent NPI.

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