scholarly journals Essential nucleotide- and protein-dependent functions of Actb/β-actin

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (31) ◽  
pp. 7973-7978 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaobai Patrinostro ◽  
Pallabi Roy ◽  
Angus Lindsay ◽  
Christopher M. Chamberlain ◽  
Lauren J. Sundby ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Knockout ◽  
Null Mouse ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Embryonic Fibroblasts ◽  
High Frequency Hearing Loss ◽  
Phenotypic Differences ◽  
Functional Differences ◽  
Actin Protein

The highly similar cytoplasmic β- and γ-actins differ by only four functionally similar amino acids, yet previous in vitro and in vivo data suggest that they support unique functions due to striking phenotypic differences between Actb and Actg1 null mouse and cell models. To determine whether the four amino acid variances were responsible for the functional differences between cytoplasmic actins, we gene edited the endogenous mouse Actb locus to translate γ-actin protein. The resulting mice and primary embryonic fibroblasts completely lacked β-actin protein, but were viable and did not present with the most overt and severe cell and organismal phenotypes observed with gene knockout. Nonetheless, the edited mice exhibited progressive high-frequency hearing loss and degeneration of actin-based stereocilia as previously reported for hair cell-specific Actb knockout mice. Thus, β-actin protein is not required for general cellular functions, but is necessary to maintain auditory stereocilia.

scholarly journals Mitochondrial division ensures the survival of postmitotic neurons by suppressing oxidative damage

2012 ◽  
Vol 197 (4) ◽  
pp. 535-551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yusuke Kageyama ◽  
Zhongyan Zhang ◽  
Ricardo Roda ◽  
Masahiro Fukaya ◽  
Junko Wakabayashi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Damage ◽  
Purkinje Cells ◽  
Gene Knockout ◽  
Mitochondrial Dynamics ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Mitochondrial Division ◽  
Postmitotic Neurons ◽  
Quality Control Mechanism

Mitochondria divide and fuse continuously, and the balance between these two processes regulates mitochondrial shape. Alterations in mitochondrial dynamics are associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Here we investigate the physiological and cellular functions of mitochondrial division in postmitotic neurons using in vivo and in vitro gene knockout for the mitochondrial division protein Drp1. When mouse Drp1 was deleted in postmitotic Purkinje cells in the cerebellum, mitochondrial tubules elongated due to excess fusion, became large spheres due to oxidative damage, accumulated ubiquitin and mitophagy markers, and lost respiratory function, leading to neurodegeneration. Ubiquitination of mitochondria was independent of the E3 ubiquitin ligase parkin in Purkinje cells lacking Drp1. Treatment with antioxidants rescued mitochondrial swelling and cell death in Drp1KO Purkinje cells. Moreover, hydrogen peroxide converted elongated tubules into large spheres in Drp1KO fibroblasts. Our findings suggest that mitochondrial division serves as a quality control mechanism to suppress oxidative damage and thus promote neuronal survival.

scholarly journals Acetylation of Human 8-Oxoguanine-DNA Glycosylase by p300 and Its Role in 8-Oxoguanine Repair In Vivo

2006 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 1654-1665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kishor K. Bhakat ◽  
Sanath K. Mokkapati ◽  
Istvan Boldogh ◽  
Tapas K. Hazra ◽  
Sankar Mitra
Keyword(s):  
Histone Deacetylases ◽  
Dna Lesions ◽  
Dna Glycosylase ◽  
Regulatory Function ◽  
Null Mouse ◽  
Embryonic Fibroblasts ◽  
Stressed Cells ◽  
Ap Site

ABSTRACT The human 8-oxoguanine-DNA glycosylase 1 (OGG1) is the major DNA glycosylase responsible for repair of 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) and ring-opened fapyguanine, critical mutagenic DNA lesions that are induced by reactive oxygen species. Here we show that OGG1 is acetylated by p300 in vivo predominantly at Lys338/Lys341. About 20% of OGG1 is present in acetylated form in HeLa cells. Acetylation significantly increases OGG1's activity in vitro in the presence of AP-endonuclease by reducing its affinity for the abasic (AP) site product. The enhanced rate of repair of 8-oxoG in the genome by wild-type OGG1 but not the K338R/K341R mutant, ectopically expressed in oxidatively stressed OGG1-null mouse embryonic fibroblasts, suggests that acetylation increases OGG1 activity in vivo. At the same time, acetylation of OGG1 was increased by about 2.5-fold after oxidative stress with no change at the polypeptide level. OGG1 interacts with class I histone deacetylases, which may be responsible for its deacetylation. Based on these results, we propose a novel regulatory function of OGG1 acetylation in repair of its substrates in oxidatively stressed cells.

scholarly journals MdmX Promotes Bipolar Mitosis To Suppress Transformation and Tumorigenesis in p53-Deficient Cells and Mice

2007 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 1265-1273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zdenka Matijasevic ◽  
Heather A. Steinman ◽  
Kathleen Hoover ◽  
Stephen N. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Cell Transformation ◽  
Null Mouse ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Adult Tissue ◽  
Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts ◽  
Spontaneous Transformation ◽  
Embryonic Fibroblasts

ABSTRACT Mdm2 and MdmX are structurally related p53-binding proteins that function as critical negative regulators of p53 activity in embryonic and adult tissue. The overexpression of Mdm2 or MdmX inhibits p53 tumor suppressor functions in vitro, and the amplification of Mdm2 or MdmX is observed in human cancers retaining wild-type p53. We now demonstrate a surprising role for MdmX in suppressing tumorigenesis that is distinct from its oncogenic ability to inhibit p53. The deletion of MdmX induces multipolar mitotic spindle formation and the loss of chromosomes from hyperploid p53-null cells. This reduction in chromosome number, not observed in p53-null cells with Mdm2 deleted, correlates with increased cell proliferation and the spontaneous transformation of MdmX/p53-null mouse embryonic fibroblasts in vitro and with an increased rate of spontaneous tumorigenesis in MdmX/p53-null mice in vivo. These results indicate that MdmX has a p53-independent role in suppressing oncogenic cell transformation, proliferation, and tumorigenesis by promoting centrosome clustering and bipolar mitosis.

Current trends in mathematical modeling of tumor–microenvironment interactions: a survey of tools and applications

2010 ◽  
Vol 235 (4) ◽  
pp. 411-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarzyna A Rejniak ◽  
Lisa J McCawley
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Modeling ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Computational Models ◽  
Chemical Species ◽  
Tumor Stroma ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Expanding Population

In its simplest description, a tumor is comprised of an expanding population of transformed cells supported by a surrounding microenvironment termed the tumor stroma. The tumor microcroenvironment has a very complex composition, including multiple types of stromal cells, a dense network of various extracellular matrix (ECM) fibers interpenetrated by the interstitial fluid and gradients of several chemical species that either are dissolved in the fluid or are bound to the ECM structure. In order to study experimentally such complex interactions between multiple players, cancer is dissected and considered at different scales of complexity, such as protein interactions, biochemical pathways, cellular functions or whole organism studies. However, the integration of information acquired from these studies into a common description is as difficult as the disease itself. Computational models of cancer can provide cancer researchers with invaluable tools that are capable of integrating the complexity into organizing principles as well as suggesting testable hypotheses. We will focus in this Minireview on mathematical models in which the whole cell is a main modeling unit. We will present a current stage of such cell-focused mathematical modeling incorporating different stromal components and their interactions with growing tumors, and discuss what modeling approaches can be undertaken to complement the in vivo and in vitro experimentation.

scholarly journals Transcription Factor STE12α Has Distinct Roles in Morphogenesis, Virulence, and Ecological Fitness of the Primary Pathogenic Yeast Cryptococcus gattii

2006 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
pp. 1065-1080 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping Ren ◽  
Deborah J. Springer ◽  
Melissa J. Behr ◽  
William A. Samsonoff ◽  
Sudha Chaturvedi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Gene Knockout ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Cryptococcus Gattii ◽  
Human Neutrophils ◽  
Knockout Mutant ◽  
Pathogenic Yeast ◽  
Ecological Fitness

ABSTRACT Cryptococcus gattii is a primary pathogenic yeast, increasingly important in public health, but factors responsible for its host predilection and geographical distribution remain largely unknown. We have characterized C. gattii STE12α to probe its role in biology and pathogenesis because this transcription factor has been linked to virulence in many human and plant pathogenic fungi. A full-length STE12α gene was cloned by colony hybridization and sequenced using primer walk and 3′ rapid amplification of cDNA ends strategies, and a ste12αΔ gene knockout mutant was created by URA5 insertion at the homologous site. A semiquantitative analysis revealed delayed and poor mating in ste12αΔ mutant; this defect was not reversed by exogenous cyclic AMP. C. gattii parent and mutant strains showed robust haploid fruiting. Among putative virulence factors tested, the laccase transcript and enzymatic activity were down regulated in the ste12αΔ mutant, with diminished production of melanin. However, capsule, superoxide dismutase, phospholipase, and urease were unaffected. Similarly, Ste12 deficiency did not cause any auxotrophy, assimilation defects, or sensitivity to a large panel of chemicals and antifungals. The ste12αΔ mutant was markedly attenuated in virulence in both BALB/c and A/Jcr mice models of meningoencephalitis, and it also exhibited significant in vivo growth reduction and was highly susceptible to in vitro killing by human neutrophils (polymorphonuclear leukocytes). In tests designed to simulate the C. gattii natural habitat, the ste12αΔ mutant was poorly pigmented on wood agar prepared from two tree species and showed poor survival and multiplication in wood blocks. Thus, STE12α plays distinct roles in C. gattii morphogenesis, virulence, and ecological fitness.

scholarly journals Hypoxic stress underlies defects in erythroblast islands in the Rb-null mouse

Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (6) ◽  
pp. 2173-2181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin T. Spike ◽  
Benjamin C. Dibling ◽  
Kay F. Macleod
Keyword(s):  
Fetal Liver ◽  
Cell Maturation ◽  
Null Mouse ◽  
Hypoxic Stress ◽  
Red Cell ◽  
Exogenous Stress ◽  
Erythroid Maturation ◽  
Definitive Erythropoiesis

Abstract Definitive erythropoiesis occurs in islands composed of a central macrophage in contact with differentiating erythroblasts. Erythroid maturation including enucleation can also occur in the absence of macrophages both in vivo and in vitro. We reported previously that loss of Rb induces cell-autonomous defects in red cell maturation under stress conditions, while other reports have suggested that the failure of Rb-null erythroblasts to enucleate is due to defects in associated macrophages. Here we show that erythropoietic islands are disrupted by hypoxic stress, such as occurs in the Rb-null fetal liver, that Rb−/− macrophages are competent for erythropoietic island formation in the absence of exogenous stress and that enucleation defects persist in Rb-null erythroblasts irrespective of macrophage function.

scholarly journals Vimentin in a cold-water fish, the rainbow trout: highly conserved primary structure but unique assembly properties

1996 ◽  
Vol 109 (3) ◽  
pp. 569-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Herrmann ◽  
M.D. Munick ◽  
M. Brettel ◽  
B. Fouquet ◽  
J. Markl
Keyword(s):  
Rainbow Trout ◽  
Intermediate Filament ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
White Blood Cells ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Filamentous Form ◽  
Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus Mykiss ◽  
Bona Fide

We have isolated from a rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) spleen cDNA library a clone coding for vimentin. The deduced amino acid sequence reveals a high degree of identity with vimentin from carp (81%), frog (71%), chick and human (73% each). Large stretches in the central alpha-helical rod are identical within all four classes of vertebrates, but in 17 residues spread over the entire rod, the two fish differ distinctly from the tetrapod species. In addition, in the more diverged non-helical head domain, a nonapeptide motif previously shown to be important for regular filament formation is conserved. Recombinant trout vimentin assembles into bona fide filaments in vitro, with a temperature optimum between 18 and 24 degrees C. Above 27 degrees C, however, filament assembly is abruptly abolished and short filaments with thickened ends as well as structures without typical intermediate filament appearance are formed. This distinguishes its assembly properties significantly from amphibian, avian and mammalian vimentin. Also in vivo, after cDNA transfection into vimentin-free mammalian epithelial cells, trout vimentin does not form typical intermediate filament arrays at 37 degrees C. At 28 degrees C, and even more pronounced at 22 degrees C, the vimentin-positive material in the transfected cells is reorganized in the perinuclear region with a partial fibrillar appearance, but typical intermediate filament arrays are not formed. Together with immunoblotting and immunolocalization data from trout tissues, where vimentin is predominantly found in glial and white blood cells, we conclude that vimentin is indeed important in its filamentous form in fish and other vertebrates, possibly fulfilling cellular functions not directly evident in gene targeting experiments carried out in mice.

scholarly journals GLUCOCORTICOIDS AND CELLULAR IMMUNITY IN VITRO

1970 ◽  
Vol 132 (6) ◽  
pp. 1055-1070 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irun R. Cohen ◽  
Lary Stavy ◽  
Michael Feldman
Keyword(s):  
Immune Reaction ◽  
Immunosuppressive Agents ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Embryonic Fibroblasts ◽  
Effector Phase ◽  
Inbred Rats ◽  
Sensitization Phase ◽  
Dose Dependent

We studied the influence of glucocorticoids on the sensitization phase as well as on the cytolytic effector phase of an in vitro lymphocyte-mediated immune reaction. Lymphocytes obtained from the spleens or lymph nodes of unimmunized inbred rats were sensitized against foreign rat or mouse embryonic fibroblasts in cell culture. The capacity of the sensitized lymphocytes to produce a cytolytic effect was tested by transferring them to target fibroblast cultures. Injury to target fibroblasts was measured by release of radioactive 51Cr from previously labeled fibroblasts or by direct count of viable fibroblasts after incubation with sensitized lymphocytes. Various concentrations of water-soluble hydrocortisone or prednisolone were added to cell cultures during the 5 day sensitization phase and/or during the subsequent cytolytic effector phase and the influence of these hormones on the number and cytolytic capacity of the lymphocytes was measured. During the sensitization phase, the presence of glucocorticoid hormones, at concentrations of about 1 µg/ml, led to a profound decrease in the total number of recoverable lymphocytes. However, the per cent of large transformed lymphocytes was much greater in these treated cultures. The antigen-specific cytolytic capacity per cell of the glucocorticoid-treated lymphocytes, after the hormone was removed, was several times greater than that of lymphocytes sensitized in the absence of added hormones. Glucocorticoids influenced the effector phase of the reaction by inhibiting lymphocyte-mediated injury to target fibroblasts. The hormones, at concentrations of about 1 µg/ml, inhibited the cytolytic effect by about 50% without reducing the viability of the sensitized lymphocytes. Dose-dependent toxicity to lymphocytes and increasing inhibition of cytolytic effect appeared at higher concentrations of hormones. Thus, hydrocortisone and prednisolone, at concentrations of about 1 µg/ml, did not suppress the induction of sensitization, a process which they seem to facilitate in vitro. However, similar concentrations of these hormones appear to inhibit the cytolytic effector mechanism of sensitized lymphocytes. These findings may be relevant to the use of glucocorticoids as immunosuppressive agents in vivo.

A Review on Application of Novel Solid Nanostructures in Drug Delivery

2018 ◽  
Vol 53 ◽  
pp. 22-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Habibollah Faraji ◽  
Reza Nedaeinia ◽  
Esmaeil Nourmohammadi ◽  
Bizan Malaekeh-Nikouei ◽  
Hamid Reza Sadeghnia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Delivery ◽  
Drug Therapy ◽  
Biomedical Applications ◽  
Imaging Biomarkers ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Scientific Innovation ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Targeted Drug

Nanotechnology as a multidisciplinary and scientific innovation plays an important role in numerous biomedical applications, such as molecular imaging, biomarkers and biosensors and also drug delivery. A wide range of studies have been conducted on using of nanoparticles for early diagnosis and targeted drug therapy of various diseases. In fact, the small size, customized surface, upgraded solubility, or multi-functionality of nanoparticles enabled them to interact with complex cellular functions in new ways which opened many doors and created new biomedical applications. These studies demonstrated that nanotechnology vehicles can formulate biological products effectively, and this nano-formulated products with a potent ability against different diseases, were represented to have better biocompatibility, bioaccessibility and efficacy, under in vitro and in vivo conditions.

scholarly journals Carboxylated branched poly(β-amino ester) nanoparticles enable robust cytosolic protein delivery and CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (12) ◽  
pp. eaay3255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Rui ◽  
David R. Wilson ◽  
John Choi ◽  
Mahita Varanasi ◽  
Katie Sanders ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Delivery ◽  
Gene Editing ◽  
Gene Knockout ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Endosomal Escape ◽  
Biological Research ◽  
Amino Ester ◽  
Cytosolic Protein

Efficient cytosolic protein delivery is necessary to fully realize the potential of protein therapeutics. Current methods of protein delivery often suffer from low serum tolerance and limited in vivo efficacy. Here, we report the synthesis and validation of a previously unreported class of carboxylated branched poly(β-amino ester)s that can self-assemble into nanoparticles for efficient intracellular delivery of a variety of different proteins. In vitro, nanoparticles enabled rapid cellular uptake, efficient endosomal escape, and functional cytosolic protein release into cells in media containing 10% serum. Moreover, nanoparticles encapsulating CRISPR-Cas9 ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) induced robust levels of gene knock-in (4%) and gene knockout (>75%) in several cell types. A single intracranial administration of nanoparticles delivering a low RNP dose (3.5 pmol) induced robust gene editing in mice bearing engineered orthotopic murine glioma tumors. This self-assembled polymeric nanocarrier system enables a versatile protein delivery and gene editing platform for biological research and therapeutic applications.

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