scholarly journals OCT4 induces embryonic pluripotency via STAT3 signaling and metabolic mechanisms

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (3) ◽  
pp. e2008890118
Author(s):  
Giuliano G. Stirparo ◽  
Agata Kurowski ◽  
Ayaka Yanagida ◽  
Lawrence E. Bates ◽  
Stanley E. Strawbridge ◽  
...  

OCT4 is a fundamental component of the molecular circuitry governing pluripotency in vivo and in vitro. To determine how OCT4 establishes and protects the pluripotent lineage in the embryo, we used comparative single-cell transcriptomics and quantitative immunofluorescence on control and OCT4 null blastocyst inner cell masses at two developmental stages. Surprisingly, activation of most pluripotency-associated transcription factors in the early mouse embryo occurs independently of OCT4, with the exception of the JAK/STAT signaling machinery. Concurrently, OCT4 null inner cell masses ectopically activate a subset of trophectoderm-associated genes. Inspection of metabolic pathways implicates the regulation of rate-limiting glycolytic enzymes by OCT4, consistent with a role in sustaining glycolysis. Furthermore, up-regulation of the lysosomal pathway was specifically detected in OCT4 null embryos. This finding implicates a requirement for OCT4 in the production of normal trophectoderm. Collectively, our findings uncover regulation of cellular metabolism and biophysical properties as mechanisms by which OCT4 instructs pluripotency.

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 776
Author(s):  
Shipra Kumari ◽  
Bashistha Kumar Kanth ◽  
Ju young Ahn ◽  
Jong Hwa Kim ◽  
Geung-Joo Lee

Genome-wide transcriptome analysis using RNA-Seq of Lilium longiflorum revealed valuable genes responding to biotic stresses. WRKY transcription factors are regulatory proteins playing essential roles in defense processes under environmental stresses, causing considerable losses in flower quality and production. Thirty-eight WRKY genes were identified from the transcriptomic profile from lily genotypes, exhibiting leaf blight caused by Botrytis elliptica. Lily WRKYs have a highly conserved motif, WRKYGQK, with a common variant, WRKYGKK. Phylogeny of LlWRKYs with homologous genes from other representative plant species classified them into three groups- I, II, and III consisting of seven, 22, and nine genes, respectively. Base on functional annotation, 22 LlWRKY genes were associated with biotic stress, nine with abiotic stress, and seven with others. Sixteen unique LlWRKY were studied to investigate responses to stress conditions using gene expression under biotic and abiotic stress treatments. Five genes—LlWRKY3, LlWRKY4, LlWRKY5, LlWRKY10, and LlWRKY12—were substantially upregulated, proving to be biotic stress-responsive genes in vivo and in vitro conditions. Moreover, the expression patterns of LlWRKY genes varied in response to drought, heat, cold, and different developmental stages or tissues. Overall, our study provides structural and molecular insights into LlWRKY genes for use in the genetic engineering in Lilium against Botrytis disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Jia ◽  
Junfeng Dao ◽  
Jiusong Han ◽  
Zhijie Huang ◽  
Xiang Sun ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is one of the most common oral tumors. Recently, long intergenic noncoding RNA 00958 (LINC00958) has been identified as an oncogene in human cancers. Nevertheless, the role of LINC00958 and its downstream mechanisms in TSCC is still unknown. Methods The effect of LINC00958 on TSCC cells proliferation and growth were assessed by CCK-8, colony formation, 5-Ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridline (EdU) assay and flow cytometry assays in vitro and tumor xenograft model in vivo. Bioinformatics analysis was used to predict the target of LINC00958 in TSCC, which was verified by RNA immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assays. Results LINC00958 was increased in TSCC tissues, and patients with high LINC00958 expression had a shorter overall survival. LINC00958 knockdown significantly decreased the growth rate of TSCC cells both in vitro and in vivo. In mechanism, LINC00958 acted as a ceRNA by competitively sponging miR-211-5p. In addition, we identified CENPK as a direct target gene of miR-211-5p, which was higher in TSCC tissues than that in adjacent normal tissues. Up-regulated miR-211-5p or down-regulated CENPK could abolish LINC00958-induced proliferation promotion in TSCC cells. Furthermore, The overexpression of CENPK promoted the expression of oncogenic cell cycle regulators and activated the JAK/STAT3 signaling. Conclusions Our findings suggested that LINC00958 is a potential prognostic biomarker in TSCC.


2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (Supplement_6) ◽  
pp. vi24-vi25
Author(s):  
Lata Adnani ◽  
Brian Meehan ◽  
Jordan Kassouf ◽  
Cristiana Spinelli ◽  
Nadim Tawil ◽  
...  

Abstract Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) represents the most frequent and lethal form of brain tumors originating from glioma stem cells (GSCs). GBM remains lethal because the rate limiting patho-mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this regard, few limitations involve the diversity 'between' cellular states and the molecular/cellular complexity 'within' the tumour mass. Using cell based- and mouse- models, we explored extracellular vesicle (EV) mediated interactions between cancer and stromal cells impacting phenotypes of GSCs as a function of their molecular subtype. EVs are spherical membrane structures that cells release to expel different molecular cargo (lipids, proteins, RNA, DNA), which can be transported across a distance in the brain and taken up by various ‘recipient’ cells resulting in reprogramming of the recipient cell's content and function. In vivo, GSCs altered their pattern of NOTCH signalling and molecular phenotype as a function of proximity to non-transformed host cells in the brain. In vitro stromal EVs altered GSC sphere forming capacity, proteome and expression of mesenchymal markers. Thus, EV mediated tumour-stromal interactions could represent a biological switch and a novel targeting point in the biology of GBM.


1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3841-3849
Author(s):  
B Zenzie-Gregory ◽  
A Khachi ◽  
I P Garraway ◽  
S T Smale

Promoters containing Sp1 binding sites and an initiator element but lacking a TATA box direct high levels of accurate transcription initiation by using a mechanism that requires the TATA-binding protein (TBP). We have begun to address the role of TBP during transcription from Sp1-initiator promoters by varying the nucleotide sequence between -14 and -33 relative to the start site. With each of several promoters containing different upstream sequences, we detected accurate transcription both in vitro and in vivo, but the promoter strengths varied widely, particularly with the in vitro assay. The variable promoter activities correlated with, but were not proportional to, the abilities of the upstream sequences to function as TATA boxes, as assessed by multiple criteria. These results confirm that accurate transcription can proceed in the presence of an initiator, regardless of the sequence present in the -30 region. However, the results reveal a role for this upstream region, most consistent with a model in which initiator-mediated transcription requires binding of TBP to the upstream DNA in the absence of a specific recognition sequence. Moreover, in vivo it appears that the promoter strength is modulated less severely by altering the -30 sequence, consistent with a previous suggestion that TBP is not rate limiting in vivo for TATA-less promoters. Taken together, these results suggest that variations in the structure of a core promoter might alter the rate-limiting step for transcription initiation and thereby alter the potential modes of transcriptional regulation, without severely changing the pathway used to assemble a functional preinitiation complex.


Antioxidants ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keisuke Yoshida ◽  
Toru Hisabori

Thiol-based redox regulation ensures light-responsive control of chloroplast functions. Light-derived signal is transferred in the form of reducing power from the photosynthetic electron transport chain to several redox-sensitive target proteins. Two types of protein, ferredoxin-thioredoxin reductase (FTR) and thioredoxin (Trx), are well recognized as the mediators of reducing power. However, it remains unclear which step in a series of redox-relay reactions is the critical bottleneck for determining the rate of target protein reduction. To address this, the redox behaviors of FTR, Trx, and target proteins were extensively characterized in vitro and in vivo. The FTR/Trx redox cascade was reconstituted in vitro using recombinant proteins from Arabidopsis. On the basis of this assay, we found that the FTR catalytic subunit and f-type Trx are rapidly reduced after the drive of reducing power transfer, irrespective of the presence or absence of their downstream target proteins. By contrast, three target proteins, fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase), sedoheptulose 1,7-bisphosphatase (SBPase), and Rubisco activase (RCA) showed different reduction patterns; in particular, SBPase was reduced at a low rate. The in vivo study using Arabidopsis plants showed that the Trx family is commonly and rapidly reduced upon high light irradiation, whereas FBPase, SBPase, and RCA are differentially and slowly reduced. Both of these biochemical and physiological findings suggest that reducing power transfer from Trx to its target proteins is a rate-limiting step for chloroplast redox regulation, conferring distinct light-responsive redox behaviors on each of the targets.


1971 ◽  
Vol 122 (3) ◽  
pp. 267-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. C. N. Earl ◽  
Susan T. Hindley

1. At 3 min after an intravenous injection of radioactive amino acids into the rat, the bulk of radioactivity associated with liver polyribosomes can be interpreted as growing peptides. 2. In an attempt to identify the rate-limiting step of protein synthesis in vivo and in vitro, use was made of the action of puromycin at 0°C, in releasing growing peptides only from the donor site, to study the distribution of growing peptides between the donor and acceptor sites. 3. Evidence is presented that all growing peptides in a population of liver polyribosomes labelled in vivo are similarly distributed between the donor and acceptor sites, and that the proportion released by puromycin is not an artifact of methodology. 4. The proportion released by puromycin is about 50% for both liver and muscle polyribosomes labelled in vivo, suggesting that neither the availability nor binding of aminoacyl-tRNA nor peptide bond synthesis nor translocation can limit the rate of protein synthesis in vivo. Attempts to alter this by starvation, hypophysectomy, growth hormone, alloxan, insulin and partial hepatectomy were unsuccessful. 5. Growing peptides on liver polyribosomes labelled in a cell-free system in vitro or by incubating hemidiaphragms in vitro were largely in the donor site, suggesting that either the availability or binding of aminoacyl-tRNA, or peptide bond synthesis, must be rate limiting in vitro and that the rate-limiting step differs from that in vivo. 6. Neither in vivo nor in the hemidiaphragm system in vitro was a correlation found between the proportion of growing peptides in the donor site and changes in the rate of incorporation of radioactivity into protein. This could indicate that the intracellular concentration of amino acids or aminoacyl-tRNA limits the rate of protein synthesis and that the increased incorporation results from a rise to a higher but still suboptimum concentration.


Cancers ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heng-Wei Liu ◽  
Yu-Kai Su ◽  
Oluwaseun Bamodu ◽  
Dueng-Yuan Hueng ◽  
Wei-Hwa Lee ◽  
...  

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM), a malignant form of glioma, is characterized by resistance to therapy and poor prognosis. Accumulating evidence shows that the initiation, propagation, and recurrence of GBM is attributable to the presence of GBM stem cells (GBM-CSCs). Experimental approach: Herein, we investigated the effect of 4-Acetylantroquinonol B (4-AAQB), a bioactive isolate of Antrodia cinnamomea, on GBM cell viability, oncogenic, and CSCs-like activities. Results: We observed that aberrant expression of catenin is characteristic of GBM, compared to other glioma types (p = 0.0001, log-rank test = 475.2), and correlates with poor prognosis of GBM patients. Lower grade glioma and glioblastoma patients (n = 1152) with low catenin expression had 25% and 21.5% better overall survival than those with high catenin expression at the 5 and 10-year time-points, respectively (p = 3.57e-11, log-rank test = 43.8). Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that compared with adjacent non-tumor brain tissue, primary and recurrent GBM exhibited enhanced catenin expression (~10-fold, p < 0.001). Western blot analysis showed that 4-AAQB significantly downregulated β-catenin and dysregulated the catenin/LEF1/Stat3 signaling axis in U87MG and DBTRG-05MG cells, dose-dependently. 4-AAQB–induced downregulation of catenin positively correlated with reduced Sox2 and Oct4 nuclear expression in the cells. Furthermore, 4-AAQB markedly reduced the viability of U87MG and DBTRG-05MG cells with 48 h IC50 of 9.2 M and 12.5 M, respectively, effectively inhibited the nuclear catenin, limited the migration and invasion of GBM cells, with concurrent downregulation of catenin, vimentin, and slug; similarly, colony and tumorsphere formation was significantly attenuated with reduced expression of c-Myc and KLF4 proteins. Conclusions: Summarily, we show for the first time that 4-AAQB suppresses the tumor-promoting catenin/LEF1/Stat3 signaling, and inhibited CSCs-induced oncogenic activities in GBM in vitro, with in vivo validation; thus projecting 4-AAQB as a potent therapeutic agent for anti-GBM target therapy.


2013 ◽  
Vol 220 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dang-Dang Li ◽  
Ying-Jie Gao ◽  
Xue-Chao Tian ◽  
Zhan-Qing Yang ◽  
Hang Cao ◽  
...  

Tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (Tdo2) is a rate-limiting enzyme which directs the conversion of tryptophan to kynurenine. The aim of this study was to examine the expression and regulation of Tdo2 in mouse uterus during decidualization. Tdo2 mRNA was mainly expressed in the decidua on days 6–8 of pregnancy. By real-time PCR, a high level of Tdo2 expression was observed in the uteri from days 6 to 8 of pregnancy, although Tdo2 expression was observed on days 1–8. Simultaneously, Tdo2 mRNA was also detected under in vivo and in vitro artificial decidualization. Estrogen, progesterone, and 8-bromoadenosine-cAMP could induce the expression of Tdo2 in the ovariectomized mouse uterus and uterine stromal cells. Tdo2 could regulate cell proliferation and stimulate the expression of decidual marker Dtprp in the uterine stromal cells and decidual cells. Overexpression of Tdo2 could upregulate the expression of Ahr, Cox2, and Vegf genes in uterine stromal cells, while Tdo2 inhibitor 680C91 could downregulate the expression of Cox2 and Vegf genes in uterine decidual cells. These data indicate that Tdo2 may play an important role during mouse decidualization and be regulated by estrogen, progesterone, and cAMP.


1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 2149-2153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y Feng ◽  
L E Gunter ◽  
E L Organ ◽  
D R Cavener

The importance to in vivo translation of sequences immediately upstream of the Drosophila alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) start codon was examined at two developmental stages. Mutations were introduced into the Adh gene in vitro, and the mutant gene was inserted into the genome via germ line transformation. An A-to-T substitution at the -3 position did not affect relative translation rates of the ADH protein at the second-instar larval stage but resulted in a 2.4-fold drop in translation of ADH at the adult stage. A second mutant gene, containing five mutations in the region -1 to -9, was designed to completely block translation initiation. However, transformant lines bearing these mutations still exhibit detectable ADH, albeit at substantially reduced levels. The average fold reduction at the second-instar larval stage was 5.9, while at the adult stage a 12.5-fold reduction was observed.


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