scholarly journals Mitochondrial Association of a Plus End–Directed Microtubule Motor Expressed during Mitosis in Drosophila

1997 ◽  
Vol 136 (5) ◽  
pp. 1081-1090 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea J. Pereira ◽  
Brian Dalby ◽  
Russell J. Stewart ◽  
Stephen J. Doxsey ◽  
Lawrence S.B. Goldstein

The kinesin superfamily is a large group of proteins (kinesin-like proteins [KLPs]) that share sequence similarity with the microtubule (MT) motor kinesin. Several members of this superfamily have been implicated in various stages of mitosis and meiosis. Here we report our studies on KLP67A of Drosophila. DNA sequence analysis of KLP67A predicts an MT motor protein with an amino-terminal motor domain. To prove this directly, KLP67A expressed in Escherichia coli was shown in an in vitro motility assay to move MTs in the plus direction. We also report expression analyses at both the mRNA and protein level, which implicate KLP67A in the localization of mitochondria in undifferentiated cell types. In situ hybridization studies of the KLP67A mRNA during embryogenesis and larval central nervous system development indicate a proliferation-specific expression pattern. Furthermore, when affinity-purified anti-KLP67A antisera are used to stain blastoderm embryos, mitochondria in the region of the spindle asters are labeled. These data suggest that KLP67A is a mitotic motor of Drosophila that may have the unique role of positioning mitochondria near the spindle.

2007 ◽  
Vol 388 (10) ◽  
pp. 1083-1090 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roland Geisberger ◽  
Claudia Kiermayer ◽  
Cornelia Hömig ◽  
Marcus Conrad ◽  
Jörg Schmidt ◽  
...  

Abstract Thioredoxin reductases (Txnrds) are a group of selenoenzymes participating in cellular redox regulation. Three Txnrd isoforms are known, each of which exhibits distinct cellular localisation and tissue-specific expression pattern. Txnrd1 is found in the cytoplasm, expression of Txnrd2 is restricted to mitochondria and Txnrd3 shows testis-specific expression. Recently, it was shown that Txnrd2 strongly affects the development of blood cells, since mouse embryos deficient for Txnrd2 are severely anaemic, show increased apoptosis in foetal liver and possess haematopoietic liver stem cells of reduced capacity to proliferate in vitro. However, because Txnrd2-deficient mice die at embryonic day 13.5, it was not known how this enzyme affects blood cell function in the adult animal. In the present study we show that conditional Txnrd2 knockouts generated using CD4- and CD19Cre transgenic mice lack Txnrd2 expression in CD4-- and CD19-positive T- and B-lymphocytes, respectively. However, the development and differentiation of both cell types in thymus and bone marrow was not significantly impaired. In addition, B-cell proliferation and activation in response to CD40 and IL-4 was unaltered in Txnrd2-deficient B-cells.


1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (11) ◽  
pp. 1351-1360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine A. Kelley ◽  
Robert S. Adelstein

In this paper we review some of our recent work on the structural and biochemical characterization of isoforms of the heavy chain of vertebrate smooth muscle myosin II. There exist both amino-terminal and carboxyl-terminal alternatively spliced isoforms of the smooth muscle myosin heavy chain (MHC). mRNA splicing at the 3′ end generates two MHCs, which differ in length and amino acid sequence in the carboxyl terminus. We will refer to the longer, 204-kDa isoform as MHC204 and the shorter, 200-kDa isoform as MHC200. We found that MHC204, but not MHC200, can be phosphorylated by casein kinase II on a serine near the carboxyl terminus, suggesting that these isoforms may be differentially regulated. The physiological significance of this phosphorylation is not known. However, as demonstrated in this paper, phosphorylation does not appear to affect filament formation, velocity of movement of actin filaments by myosin in an in vitro motility assay, actin-activated Mg2+ ATPase activity, or myosin conformation. Our results also show that MHC204 and MHC200 form homodimers, but not heterodimers. Purified MHC204 and MHC200 homodimers are not enzymatically different, at least as measured using an in vitro motility assay. The amino-terminal spliced MHC204 and MHC200 isoforms are the result of the specific insertion or deletion of seven amino acids near the ATP-binding region in the myosin head. We refer to these isoforms as inserted (MHC204-I; MHC200-I) or noninserted (MHC204; MHC200), respectively. In contrast to the carboxyl-terminal spliced isoforms, the amino-terminal spliced inserted and noninserted myosin heavy chain isoforms are enzymatically different. The inserted isoform, which is expressed in intestinal, phasic-type smooth muscle, has a higher actin-activated Mg ATPase activity and moves actin filaments at a greater velocity in an in vitro motility assay than the noninserted MHC isoform, which is expressed in tonic-type vascular smooth muscle. The results presented in this review suggest that the alternative splicing of smooth muscle mRNA results in at least four different isoforms of the myosin heavy chain molecule. The potential relevance of these molecular isoforms to smooth muscle function is discussed.Key words: myosin, heavy chain isoforms.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roxana Deleanu

The most affected cell types in cerebellar ataxias are the cerebellar neurons, which are not readily accessible for cellular and molecular investigation. Pluripotent stem cell (PSC) technology has emerged as an important tool for generating diverse types of neurons, which are used in order to better understand the human nervous system development and pathologies. In this chapter, the strategies for the differentiation of human PSCs toward cerebellar neurons are overviewed, followed by an outlook of their further optimization and diversification by implementing the knowledge from cerebellar development and new cell culture approaches. The optimization stategies are based on the recent progress made in defining the cell populations in mature and developing mouse and human cerebellum. The cellular phenotypes and organization in mouse and human cerebellum are briefly presented, followed by an overview of our current knowledge about their development, which includes pattering, proliferation, neurogenesis, gliogenesis, migration, connectivity and maturation. To date, however, relatively few studies have used induced PSCs (iPSCs) to model cerebellar ataxias and even fewer have looked directly to cerebellar neurons. The reported iPSC-derived in vitro models for cerebellar ataxias are reviewed, followed by an outlook of how to improve these models by generating and exporing the cerebellar neurons.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 3466
Author(s):  
Svetlana V. Klinova ◽  
Boris A. Katsnelson ◽  
Ilzira A. Minigalieva ◽  
Oksana P. Gerzen ◽  
Alexander A. Balakin ◽  
...  

Subchronic intoxication was induced in outbred male rats by repeated intraperitoneal injections with lead oxide (PbO) and/or cadmium oxide (CdO) nanoparticles (NPs) 3 times a week during 6 weeks for the purpose of examining its effects on the contractile characteristics of isolated right ventricle trabeculae and papillary muscles in isometric and afterload contractions. Isolated and combined intoxication with these NPs was observed to reduce the mechanical work produced by both types of myocardial preparation. Using the in vitro motility assay, we showed that the sliding velocity of regulated thin filaments drops under both isolated and combined intoxication with CdO–NP and PbO–NP. These results correlate with a shift in the expression of myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms towards slowly cycling β–MHC. The type of CdO–NP + PbO–NP combined cardiotoxicity depends on the effect of the toxic impact, the extent of this effect, the ratio of toxicant doses, and the degree of stretching of cardiomyocytes and muscle type studied. Some indices of combined Pb–NP and CdO–NP cardiotoxicity and general toxicity (genotoxicity included) became fully or partly normalized if intoxication developed against background administration of a bioprotective complex.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 5793
Author(s):  
Brianna M. Quinville ◽  
Natalie M. Deschenes ◽  
Alex E. Ryckman ◽  
Jagdeep S. Walia

Sphingolipids are a specialized group of lipids essential to the composition of the plasma membrane of many cell types; however, they are primarily localized within the nervous system. The amphipathic properties of sphingolipids enable their participation in a variety of intricate metabolic pathways. Sphingoid bases are the building blocks for all sphingolipid derivatives, comprising a complex class of lipids. The biosynthesis and catabolism of these lipids play an integral role in small- and large-scale body functions, including participation in membrane domains and signalling; cell proliferation, death, migration, and invasiveness; inflammation; and central nervous system development. Recently, sphingolipids have become the focus of several fields of research in the medical and biological sciences, as these bioactive lipids have been identified as potent signalling and messenger molecules. Sphingolipids are now being exploited as therapeutic targets for several pathologies. Here we present a comprehensive review of the structure and metabolism of sphingolipids and their many functional roles within the cell. In addition, we highlight the role of sphingolipids in several pathologies, including inflammatory disease, cystic fibrosis, cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and lysosomal storage disorders.


2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 698-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvie Ozon ◽  
Antoine Guichet ◽  
Olivier Gavet ◽  
Siegfried Roth ◽  
André Sobel

Stathmin is a ubiquitous regulatory phosphoprotein, the generic element of a family of neural phosphoproteins in vertebrates that possess the capacity to bind tubulin and interfere with microtubule dynamics. Although stathmin and the other proteins of the family have been associated with numerous cell regulations, their biological roles remain elusive, as in particular inactivation of the stathmin gene in the mouse resulted in no clear deleterious phenotype. We identified stathmin phosphoproteins inDrosophila, encoded by a unique gene sharing the intron/exon structure of the vertebrate stathmin andstathmin family genes. They interfere with microtubule assembly in vitro, and in vivo when expressed in HeLa cells. Drosophila stathmin expression is regulated during embryogenesis: it is high in the migrating germ cells and in the central and peripheral nervous systems, a pattern resembling that of mammalian stathmin. Furthermore, RNA interference inactivation ofDrosophila stathmin expression resulted in germ cell migration arrest at stage 14. It also induced important anomalies in nervous system development, such as loss of commissures and longitudinal connectives in the ventral cord, or abnormal chordotonal neuron organization. In conclusion, a single Drosophilagene encodes phosphoproteins homologous to the entire vertebrate stathmin family. We demonstrate for the first time their direct involvement in major biological processes such as development of the reproductive and nervous systems.


1995 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 401S-401S ◽  
Author(s):  
Daren S. Jeffreys ◽  
Robert J. Eaton ◽  
Clive R. Bagshaw

1998 ◽  
Vol 275 (3) ◽  
pp. C870-C881 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ichiro Hisatome ◽  
Takayuki Morisaki ◽  
Hiroshi Kamma ◽  
Takako Sugama ◽  
Hiroko Morisaki ◽  
...  

AMP deaminase (AMPD) plays a central role in preserving the adenylate energy charge in myocytes following exercise and in producing intermediates for the citric acid cycle in muscle. Prior studies have demonstrated that AMPD1 binds to myosin heavy chain (MHC) in vitro; binding to the myofibril varies with the state of muscle contraction in vivo, and binding of AMPD1 to MHC is required for activation of this enzyme in myocytes. The present study has identified three domains in AMPD1 that influence binding of this enzyme to MHC using a cotransfection model that permits assessment of mutations introduced into the AMPD1 peptide. One domain that encompasses residues 178–333 of this 727-amino acid peptide is essential for binding of AMPD1 to MHC. This region of AMPD1 shares sequence similarity with several regions of titin, another MHC binding protein. Two additional domains regulate binding of this peptide to MHC in response to intracellular and extracellular signals. A nucleotide binding site, which is located at residues 660–674, controls binding of AMPD1 to MHC in response to changes in intracellular ATP concentration. Deletion analyses demonstrate that the amino-terminal 65 residues of AMPD1 play a critical role in modulating the sensitivity to ATP-induced inhibition of MHC binding. Alternative splicing of the AMPD1 gene product, which alters the sequence of residues 8–12, produces two AMPD1 isoforms that exhibit different MHC binding properties in the presence of ATP. These findings are discussed in the context of the various roles proposed for AMPD in energy production in the myocyte.


Lab on a Chip ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (20) ◽  
pp. 3196-3206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Till Korten ◽  
Elena Tavkin ◽  
Lara Scharrel ◽  
Vandana Singh Kushwaha ◽  
Stefan Diez

Molecular motors, essential to force-generation and cargo transport within cells, are invaluable tools for powering nanobiotechnological lab-on-a-chip devices.


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