scholarly journals Genetic and biochemical investigations of the role of MamP in redox control of iron biomineralization inMagnetospirillum magneticum

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (13) ◽  
pp. 3904-3909 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie R. Jones ◽  
Tiffany D. Wilson ◽  
Margaret E. Brown ◽  
Lilah Rahn-Lee ◽  
Yi Yu ◽  
...  

Magnetotactic bacteria have evolved complex subcellular machinery to construct linear chains of magnetite nanocrystals that allow the host cell to sense direction. Each mixed-valent iron nanoparticle is mineralized from soluble iron within a membrane-encapsulated vesicle termed the magnetosome, which serves as a specialized compartment that regulates the iron, redox, and pH environment of the growing mineral. To dissect the biological components that control this process, we have carried out a genetic and biochemical study of proteins proposed to function in iron mineralization. In this study, we show that the redox sites ofc-type cytochromes of theMagnetospirillum magneticumAMB-1 magnetosome island, MamP and MamT, are essential to their physiological function and that ablation of one or both heme motifs leads to loss of function, suggesting that their ability to carry out redox chemistry in vivo is important. We also develop a method to heterologously express fully heme-loaded MamP from AMB-1 for in vitro biochemical studies, which show that its Fe(III)–Fe(II) redox couple is set at an unusual potential (−89 ± 11 mV) compared with other related cytochromes involved in iron reduction or oxidation. Despite its low reduction potential, it remains competent to oxidize Fe(II) to Fe(III) and mineralize iron to produce mixed-valent iron oxides. Finally, in vitro mineralization experiments suggest that Mms mineral-templating peptides from AMB-1 can modulate the iron redox chemistry of MamP.

BMC Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengwu Xiao ◽  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Meimian Hua ◽  
Huan Chen ◽  
Bin Yang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The tripartite motif (TRIM) family proteins exhibit oncogenic roles in various cancers. The roles of TRIM27, a member of the TRIM super family, in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remained unexplored. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the clinical impact and roles of TRIM27 in the development of RCC. Methods The mRNA levels of TRIM27 and Kaplan–Meier survival of RCC were analyzed from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Real-time PCR and Western blotting were used to measure the mRNA and protein levels of TRIM27 both in vivo and in vitro. siRNA and TRIM27 were exogenously overexpressed in RCC cell lines to manipulate TRIM27 expression. Results We discovered that TRIM27 was elevated in RCC patients, and the expression of TRIM27 was closely correlated with poor prognosis. The loss of function and gain of function results illustrated that TRIM27 promotes cell proliferation and inhibits apoptosis in RCC cell lines. Furthermore, TRIM27 expression was positively associated with NF-κB expression in patients with RCC. Blocking the activity of NF-κB attenuated the TRIM27-mediated enhancement of proliferation and inhibition of apoptosis. TRIM27 directly interacted with Iκbα, an inhibitor of NF-κB, to promote its ubiquitination, and the inhibitory effects of TRIM27 on Iκbα led to NF-κB activation. Conclusions Our results suggest that TRIM27 exhibits an oncogenic role in RCC by regulating NF-κB signaling. TRIM27 serves as a specific prognostic indicator for RCC, and strategies targeting the suppression of TRIM27 function may shed light on future therapeutic approaches.


2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guoying Zhang ◽  
Cheng Xue ◽  
Yiming Zeng

Abstract Background We have previously found that β-elemene could inhibit the viability of airway granulation fibroblasts and prevent airway hyperplastic stenosis. This study aimed to elucidate the underlying mechanism and protective efficacy of β-elemene in vitro and in vivo. Methods Microarray and bioinformatic analysis were used to identify altered pathways related to cell viability in a β-elemene-treated primary cell model and to construct a β-elemene-altered ceRNA network modulating the target pathway. Loss of function and gain of function approaches were performed to examine the role of the ceRNA axis in β-elemene's regulation of the target pathway and cell viability. Additionally, in a β-elemene-treated rabbit model of airway stenosis, endoscopic and histological examinations were used to evaluate its therapeutic efficacy and further verify its mechanism of action. Results The hyperactive ILK/Akt pathway and dysregulated LncRNA-MIR143HG, which acted as a miR-1275 ceRNA to modulate ILK expression, were suppressed in β-elemene-treated airway granulation fibroblasts; β-elemene suppressed the ILK/Akt pathway via the MIR143HG/miR-1275/ILK axis. Additionally, the cell cycle and apoptotic phenotypes of granulation fibroblasts were altered, consistent with ILK/Akt pathway activity. In vivo application of β-elemene attenuated airway granulation hyperplasia and alleviated scar stricture, and histological detections suggested that β-elemene's effects on the MIR143HG/miR-1275/ILK axis and ILK/Akt pathway were in line with in vitro findings. Conclusions MIR143HG and ILK may act as ceRNA to sponge miR-1275. The MIR143HG/miR-1275/ILK axis mediates β-elemene-induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of airway granulation fibroblasts by modulating the ILK/Akt pathway, thereby inhibiting airway granulation proliferation and ultimately alleviating airway stenosis.


2001 ◽  
Vol 193 (11) ◽  
pp. 1295-1302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan K. Levings ◽  
Romina Sangregorio ◽  
Maria-Grazia Roncarolo

Active suppression by T regulatory (Tr) cells plays an important role in the downregulation of T cell responses to foreign and self-antigens. Mouse CD4+ Tr cells that express CD25 possess remarkable suppressive activity in vitro and in autoimmune disease models in vivo. Thus far, the existence of a similar subset of CD25+CD4+ Tr cells in humans has not been reported. Here we show that human CD25+CD4+ Tr cells isolated from peripheral blood failed to proliferate and displayed reduced expression of CD40 ligand (CD40L), in response to T cell receptor–mediated polyclonal activation, but strongly upregulated cytotoxic T lymphocyte–associated antigen (CTLA)-4. Human CD25+CD4+ Tr cells also did not proliferate in response to allogeneic antigen-presenting cells, but they produced interleukin (IL)-10, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, low levels of interferon (IFN)-γ, and no IL-4 or IL-2. Importantly, CD25+CD4+ Tr cells strongly inhibited the proliferative responses of both naive and memory CD4+ T cells to alloantigens, but neither IL-10, TGF-β, nor CTLA-4 seemed to be directly required for their suppressive effects. CD25+CD4+ Tr cells could be expanded in vitro in the presence of IL-2 and allogeneic feeder cells and maintained their suppressive capacities. These findings that CD25+CD4+ Tr cells with immunosuppressive effects can be isolated from peripheral blood and expanded in vitro without loss of function represent a major advance towards the therapeutic use of these cells in T cell–mediated diseases.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Wang ◽  
Zhiwei He ◽  
Jian Xu ◽  
Peng Chen ◽  
Jianxin Jiang

AbstractAn accumulation of evidence indicates that long noncoding RNAs are involved in the tumorigenesis and progression of pancreatic cancer (PC). In this study, we investigated the functions and molecular mechanism of action of LINC00941 in PC. Quantitative PCR was used to examine the expression of LINC00941 and miR-335-5p in PC tissues and cell lines, and to investigate the correlation between LINC00941 expression and clinicopathological features. Plasmid vectors or lentiviruses were used to manipulate the expression of LINC00941, miR-335-5p, and ROCK1 in PC cell lines. Gain or loss-of-function assays and mechanistic assays were employed to verify the roles of LINC00941, miR-335-5p, and ROCK1 in PC cell growth and metastasis, both in vivo and in vitro. LINC00941 and ROCK1 were found to be highly expressed in PC, while miR-335-5p exhibited low expression. High LINC00941 expression was strongly associated with larger tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and poor prognosis. Functional experiments revealed that LINC00941 silencing significantly suppressed PC cell growth, metastasis and epithelial–mesenchymal transition. LINC00941 functioned as a molecular sponge for miR-335-5p, and a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for ROCK1, promoting ROCK1 upregulation, and LIMK1/Cofilin-1 pathway activation. Our observations lead us to conclude that LINC00941 functions as an oncogene in PC progression, behaving as a ceRNA for miR-335-5p binding. LINC00941 may therefore have potential utility as a diagnostic and treatment target in this disease.


Author(s):  
Jin-Chun Qi ◽  
Zhan Yang ◽  
Tao Lin ◽  
Long Ma ◽  
Ya-Xuan Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Both E2F transcription factor and cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), which increase or decrease E2F activity by phosphorylating E2F or its partner, are involved in the control of cell proliferation, and some circRNAs and miRNAs regulate the expression of E2F and CDKs. However, little is known about whether dysregulation among E2Fs, CDKs, circRNAs and miRNAs occurs in human PCa. Methods The expression levels of CDK13 in PCa tissues and different cell lines were determined by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot analysis. In vitro and in vivo assays were preformed to explore the biological effects of CDK13 in PCa cells. Co-immunoprecipitation anlysis coupled with mass spectrometry was used to identify E2F5 interaction with CDK13. A CRISPR-Cas9 complex was used to activate endogenous CDK13 and circCDK13 expression. Furthermore, the mechanism of circCDK13 was investigated by using loss-of-function and gain-of-function assays in vitro and in vivo. Results Here we show that CDK13 is significantly upregulated in human PCa tissues. CDK13 depletion and overexpression in PCa cells decrease and increase, respectively, cell proliferation, and the pro-proliferation effect of CDK13 is strengthened by its interaction with E2F5. Mechanistically, transcriptional activation of endogenous CDK13, but not the forced expression of CDK13 by its expression vector, remarkably promotes E2F5 protein expression by facilitating circCDK13 formation. Further, the upregulation of E2F5 enhances CDK13 transcription and promotes circCDK13 biogenesis, which in turn sponges miR-212-5p/449a and thus relieves their repression of the E2F5 expression, subsequently leading to the upregulation of E2F5 expression and PCa cell proliferation. Conclusions These findings suggest that CDK13 upregulation-induced formation of the positive feedback loop among circCDK13, miR-212-5p/miR-449a and E2F5 is responsible for PCa development. Targeting this newly identified regulatory axis may provide therapeutic benefit against PCa progression and drug resistance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian-Ping Zhang ◽  
Wei-Jing Zhang ◽  
Miao Yang ◽  
Hua Fang

Abstract Background Propofol, an intravenous anesthetic, was proven to protect against lung ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. However, the detailed mechanism of Propofol in lung I/R injury is still elusive. This study was designed to explore the therapeutic effects of Propofol, both in vivo and in vitro, on lung I/R injury and the underlying mechanisms related to metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1)/microRNA-144 (miR-144)/glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β). Methods C57BL/6 mice were used to establish a lung I/R injury model while pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVECs) were constructed as hypoxia/reperfusion (H/R) cellular model, both of which were performed with Propofol treatment. Gain- or loss-of-function approaches were subsequently employed, followed by observation of cell apoptosis in lung tissues and evaluation of proliferative and apoptotic capabilities in H/R cells. Meanwhile, the inflammatory factors, autophagosomes, and autophagy-related proteins were measured. Results Our experimental data revealed that Propofol treatment could decrease the elevated expression of MALAT1 following I/R injury or H/R induction, indicating its protection against lung I/R injury. Additionally, overexpressing MALAT1 or GSK3β promoted the activation of autophagosomes, proinflammatory factor release, and cell apoptosis, suggesting that overexpressing MALAT1 or GSK3β may reverse the protective effects of Propofol against lung I/R injury. MALAT1 was identified to negatively regulate miR-144 to upregulate the GSK3β expression. Conclusion Overall, our study demonstrated that Propofol played a protective role in lung I/R injury by suppressing autophagy and decreasing release of inflammatory factors, with the possible involvement of the MALAT1/miR-144/GSK3β axis.


Author(s):  
Gege Shu ◽  
Huizhao Su ◽  
Zhiqian Wang ◽  
Shihui Lai ◽  
Yan Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has an extremely poor prognosis due to the development of chemoresistance, coupled with inherently increased stemness properties. Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) are key regulators for tumor cell stemness and chemosensitivity. Currently the relevance between LINC00680 and tumor progression was still largely unknown, with only one study showing its significance in glioblastoma. The study herein was aimed at identifying the role of LINC00680 in the regulation HCC stemness and chemosensitivity. Methods QRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of LINC00680, miR-568 and AKT3 in tissue specimen and cell lines. Gain- or loss-of function assays were applied to access the function of LINC00680 in HCC cells, including cell proliferation and stemness properties. HCC stemness and chemosensitivity were determined by sphere formation, cell viability and colony formation. Luciferase reporter, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), and RNA pull-down assays were performed to examine the interaction between LINC00680 and miR-568 as well as that between miR-568 and AKT3. A nude mouse xenograft model was established for the in vivo study. Results We found that LINC00680 was remarkably upregulated in HCC tissues. Patients with high level of LINC00680 had poorer prognosis. LINC00680 overexpression significantly enhanced HCC cell stemness and decreased in vitro and in vivo chemosensitivity to 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu), whereas LINC00680 knockdown led to opposite results. Mechanism study revealed that LINC00680 regulated HCC stemness and chemosensitivity through sponging miR-568, thereby expediting the expression of AKT3, which further activated its downstream signaling molecules, including mTOR, elF4EBP1, and p70S6K. Conclusion LINC00680 promotes HCC stemness properties and decreases chemosensitivity through sponging miR-568 to activate AKT3, suggesting that LINC00680 might be a potentially important HCC diagnosis marker and therapeutic target.


2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (50) ◽  
pp. 25322-25328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Liu ◽  
Xiaopin Ma ◽  
Hisashi Fujioka ◽  
Jun Liu ◽  
Shengdi Chen ◽  
...  

Loss-of-function mutations in DJ-1 are associated with autosomal recessive early onset Parkinson’s disease (PD), yet the underlying pathogenic mechanism remains elusive. Here we demonstrate that DJ-1 localized to the mitochondria-associated membrane (MAM) both in vitro and in vivo. In fact, DJ-1 physically interacts with and is an essential component of the IP3R3-Grp75-VDAC1 complexes at MAM. Loss of DJ-1 disrupted the IP3R3-Grp75-VDAC1 complex and led to reduced endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-mitochondria association and disturbed function of MAM and mitochondria in vitro. These deficits could be rescued by wild-type DJ-1 but not by the familial PD-associated L166P mutant which had demonstrated reduced interaction with IP3R3-Grp75. Furthermore, DJ-1 ablation disturbed calcium efflux-induced IP3R3 degradation after carbachol treatment and caused IP3R3 accumulation at the MAM in vitro. Importantly, similar deficits in IP3R3-Grp75-VDAC1 complexes and MAM were found in the brain of DJ-1 knockout mice in vivo. The DJ-1 level was reduced in the substantia nigra of sporadic PD patients, which was associated with reduced IP3R3-DJ-1 interaction and ER-mitochondria association. Together, these findings offer insights into the cellular mechanism in the involvement of DJ-1 in the regulation of the integrity and calcium cross-talk between ER and mitochondria and suggests that impaired ER-mitochondria association could contribute to the pathogenesis of PD.


2007 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 827-838 ◽  
Author(s):  
Céline Revenu ◽  
Matthieu Courtois ◽  
Alphée Michelot ◽  
Cécile Sykes ◽  
Daniel Louvard ◽  
...  

Villin, an actin-binding protein associated with the actin bundles that support microvilli, bundles, caps, nucleates, and severs actin in a calcium-dependant manner in vitro. We hypothesized that the severing activity of villin is responsible for its reported role in enhancing cell plasticity and motility. To test this hypothesis, we chose a loss of function strategy and introduced mutations in villin based on sequence comparison with CapG. By pyrene-actin assays, we demonstrate that this mutant has a strongly reduced severing activity, whereas nucleation and capping remain unaffected. The bundling activity and the morphogenic effects of villin in cells are also preserved in this mutant. We thus succeeded in dissociating the severing from the three other activities of villin. The contribution of villin severing to actin dynamics is analyzed in vivo through the actin-based movement of the intracellular bacteria Shigella flexneri in cells expressing villin and its severing variant. The severing mutations abolish the gain of velocity induced by villin. To further analyze this effect, we reconstituted an in vitro actin-based bead movement in which the usual capping protein is replaced by either the wild type or the severing mutant of villin. Confirming the in vivo results, villin-severing activity enhances the velocity of beads by more than two-fold and reduces the density of actin in the comets. We propose a model in which, by severing actin filaments and capping their barbed ends, villin increases the concentration of actin monomers available for polymerization, a mechanism that might be paralleled in vivo when an enterocyte undergoes an epithelio-mesenchymal transition.


1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 3727-3734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yifang Fang ◽  
Albert E. Fliss ◽  
Jie Rao ◽  
Avrom J. Caplan

ABSTRACT The Saccharomyces cerevisiae SBA1 gene was cloned by PCR amplification from yeast genomic DNA following its identification as encoding an ortholog of human p23, an Hsp90 cochaperone. TheSBA1 gene product is constitutively expressed and nonessential, although a disruption mutant grew more slowly than the wild type at both 18 and 37°C. A double deletion of SBA1and STI1, encoding an Hsp90 cochaperone, displayed synthetic growth defects. Affinity isolation of histidine-tagged Sba1p (Sba1His6) after expression in yeast led to coisolation of Hsp90 and the cyclophilin homolog Cpr6. Using an in vitro assembly assay, purified Sba1His6 bound to Hsp90 only in the presence of adenosine 5′-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) or adenyl-imidodiphosphate. Furthermore, interaction between purified Sba1His6 and Hsp90 in yeast extracts was inhibited by the benzoquinoid ansamycins geldanamycin and macbecin. The in vitro assay was also used to identify residues in Hsp90 that are important for complex formation with Sba1His6, and residues in both the N-terminal nucleotide binding domain and C-terminal half were characterized. In vivo analysis of known Hsp90 substrate proteins revealed that Sba1 loss of function had only a mild effect on the activity of the tyrosine kinase v-Src and steroid hormone receptors.


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