scholarly journals Requirement of the juxtamembrane domain of the cadherin cytoplasmic tail for morphogenetic cell rearrangement during myotome development

2001 ◽  
Vol 155 (7) ◽  
pp. 1297-1306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuki Horikawa ◽  
Masatoshi Takeichi
Keyword(s):  
Cell Adhesion Molecules ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Cytoplasmic Tail ◽  
Embryonic Cell ◽  
Dominant Negative ◽  
Regulatory Function ◽  
Juxtamembrane Domain ◽  
Cell Rearrangement ◽  
Adhesion System

During development, the activity of cadherin cell adhesion molecules is assumed to be regulated to allow for cell rearrangement or translocation. Previous studies suggest that the juxtamembrane (JM) domain of the cadherin cytoplasmic tail, which contains the site for binding to p120ctn, has a regulatory function in this adhesion system. To study the possible role of JM domain–dependent cadherin regulation in embryonic cell rearrangement, we ectopically expressed a series of N-cadherin mutants in developing somites of chicken embryos. When a JM domain–deficient N-cadherin was expressed, the morphogenetic expansion of the myotome was strongly suppressed. However, a triple alanine substitution in the JM domain, which specifically inhibited the p120ctn binding, had no effect on myotome development. Furthermore, a dominant negative N-cadherin, which had a deletion at the extracellular domain but maintained the normal cytoplasmic tail, did not affect myotome expansion; although it disrupted intersomite boundaries. Overexpression of p120ctn also did not affect myotome expansion, but it did perturb myofiber orientation. These and other observations suggest that the JM domain of N-cadherin has a regulatory role in myotome cell rearrangement in which molecules other than p120ctn are involved. The p120ctn molecule itself seems to play a critical role in the arrangement of myofibers.

scholarly journals Critical Role of Matrix Metalloproteinase 14 in Adipose Tissue Remodeling during Obesity

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Li ◽  
Yueshui Zhao ◽  
Chuan Chen ◽  
Li Yang ◽  
Hyun-ho Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adipose Tissue ◽  
Transgenic Mice ◽  
Matrix Metalloproteinase ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Metabolic Phenotype ◽  
Regulatory Function ◽  
Body Weights ◽  
Adipose Tissue Remodeling

ABSTRACT Fibrosis is recognized as the major pathological change in adipose tissue during the development of obesity. However, the detailed mechanisms governing the interactions between the fibrotic components and their modifiers remain largely unclear. Here, we reported that matrix metalloproteinase 14 (MMP14), a key pericellular collagenase, is dramatically upregulated in obese adipose tissue. We generated a doxycycline-inducible adipose tissue-specific MMP14 overexpression model to study its regulatory function. We found that overexpression of MMP14 in the established obese adipose tissue leads to enlarged adipocytes and increased body weights in transgenic mice. Furthermore, the mice exhibited decreased energy expenditure, impaired lipid metabolism, and insulin resistance. Mechanistically, we found that MMP14 digests collagen 6α3 to produce endotrophin, a potent costimulator of fibrosis and inflammation. Unexpectedly, when overexpressing MMP14 in the early-stage obese adipose tissue, the transgenic mice showed a healthier metabolic profile, including ameliorated fibrosis and inflammation, as well as improved lipid and glucose metabolism. This unique metabolic phenotype is likely due to digestion/modification of the dense adipose tissue extracellular matrix by MMP14, thereby releasing the mechanical stress to allow for its healthy expansion. Understanding these dichotomous impacts of MMP14 provides novel insights into strategies to treat obesity-related metabolic disorders.

Neural crest emigration from the neural tube depends on regulated cadherin expression

Development ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 125 (15) ◽  
pp. 2963-2971 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Nakagawa ◽  
M. Takeichi
Keyword(s):  
Neural Crest ◽  
Neural Tube ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Neural Crest Cells ◽  
Migration Pattern ◽  
Dominant Negative ◽  
Expression Vectors ◽  
Neural Tubes ◽  
Neuroepithelial Cells

During the emergence of neural crest cells from the neural tube, the expression of cadherins dynamically changes. In the chicken embryo, the early neural tube expresses two cadherins, N-cadherin and cadherin-6B (cad6B), in the dorsal-most region where neural crest cells are generated. The expression of these two cadherins is, however, downregulated in the neural crest cells migrating from the neural tube; they instead begin expressing cadherin-7 (cad7). As an attempt to investigate the role of these changes in cadherin expression, we overexpressed various cadherin constructs, including N-cadherin, cad7, and a dominant negative N-cadherin (cN390), in neural crest-generating cells. This was achieved by injecting adenoviral expression vectors encoding these molecules into the lumen of the closing neural tube of chicken embryos at stage 14. In neural tubes injected with the viruses, efficient infection was observed at the neural crest-forming area, resulting in the ectopic cadherin expression also in migrating neural crest cells. Notably, the distribution of neural crest cells with the ectopic cadherins changed depending on which constructs were expressed. Many crest cells failed to escape from the neural tube when N-cadherin or cad7 was overexpressed. Moreover, none of the cells with these ectopic cadherins migrated along the dorsolateral (melanocyte) pathway. When these samples were stained for Mitf, an early melanocyte marker, positive cells were found accumulated within the neural tube, suggesting that the failure of their migration was not due to differentiation defects. In contrast to these phenomena, cells expressing non-functional cadherins exhibited a normal migration pattern. Thus, the overexpression of a neuroepithelial cadherin (N-cadherin) and a crest cadherin (cad7) resulted in the same blocking effect on neural crest segregation from neuroepithelial cells, especially for melanocyte precursors. These findings suggest that the regulation of cadherin expression or its activity at the neural crest-forming area plays a critical role in neural crest emigration from the neural tube.

scholarly journals Essential Role of STAT3 Signaling in Hair Follicle Homeostasis

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kosuke Miyauchi ◽  
Sewon Ki ◽  
Masao Ukai ◽  
Yoshie Suzuki ◽  
Kentaro Inoue ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hair Follicle ◽  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Dominant Negative ◽  
Cell Specification ◽  
Stat3 Signaling ◽  
Specific Pathogen ◽  
Transcription 3

Dominant-negative mutations associated with signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling, which controls epithelial proliferation in various tissues, lead to atopic dermatitis in hyper IgE syndrome. This dermatitis is thought to be attributed to defects in STAT3 signaling in type 17 helper T cell　specification. However, the role of STAT3 signaling in skin epithelial cells remains unclear. We found that STAT3 signaling in keratinocytes is required to maintain skin homeostasis by negatively controlling the expression of hair follicle-specific keratin genes. These expression patterns correlated with the onset of dermatitis, which was observed in specific pathogen-free conditions but not in germ-free conditions, suggesting the involvement of Toll-like receptor-mediated inflammatory responses. Thus, our study suggests that STAT3-dependent gene expression in keratinocytes plays a critical role in maintaining the homeostasis of skin, which is constantly exposed to microorganisms.

scholarly journals Microphthalmia Gene Product as a Signal Transducer in cAMP-Induced Differentiation of Melanocytes

1998 ◽  
Vol 142 (3) ◽  
pp. 827-835 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corine Bertolotto ◽  
Patricia Abbe ◽  
Timothy J. Hemesath ◽  
Karine Bille ◽  
David E. Fisher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pigment Cell ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Dominant Negative ◽  
Dominant Negative Mutant ◽  
Signal Transducer ◽  
Camp Response Element ◽  
Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone ◽  
Tyrosinase Gene ◽  
Camp Pathway

Melanocyte differentiation characterized by an increased melanogenesis, is stimulated by α-melanocyte–stimulating hormone through activation of the cAMP pathway. During this process, the expression of tyrosinase, the enzyme that controls melanin synthesis is upregulated. We previously showed that cAMP regulates transcription of the tyrosinase gene through a CATGTG motif that binds microphthalmia a transcription factor involved in melanocyte survival. Further, microphthalmia stimulates the transcriptional activity of the tyrosinase promoter and cAMP increases the binding of microphthalmia to the CATGTG motif. These observations led us to hypothesize that microphthalmia mediates the effect of cAMP on the expression of tyrosinase. The present study was designed to elucidate the mechanism by which cAMP regulates microphthalmia function and to prove our former hypothesis, suggesting that microphthalmia is a key component in cAMP-induced melanogenesis. First, we showed that cAMP upregulates the transcription of microphthalmia gene through a classical cAMP response element that is functional only in melanocytes. Then, using a dominant-negative mutant of microphthalmia, we demonstrated that microphthalmia is required for the cAMP effect on tyrosinase promoter. These findings disclose the mechanism by which cAMP stimulates tyrosinase expression and melanogenesis and emphasize the critical role of microphthalmia as signal transducer in cAMP-induced melanogenesis and pigment cell differentiation.

scholarly journals The Type 1 Insulin-Like Growth Factor Receptor (IGF-IR) Pathway Is Mandatory for the Follistatin-Induced Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy

Endocrinology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 153 (1) ◽  
pp. 241-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Kalista ◽  
O. Schakman ◽  
H. Gilson ◽  
P. Lause ◽  
B. Demeulder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Knockout Mice ◽  
Muscle Hypertrophy ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Muscle Growth ◽  
Dominant Negative ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Myostatin Inhibition

Myostatin inhibition by follistatin (FS) offers a new approach for muscle mass enhancement. The aim of the present study was to characterize the mediators responsible for the FS hypertrophic action on skeletal muscle in male mice. Because IGF-I and IGF-II, two crucial skeletal muscle growth factors, are induced by myostatin inhibition, we assessed their role in FS action. First, we tested whether type 1 IGF receptor (IGF-IR) is required for FS-induced hypertrophy. By using mice expressing a dominant-negative IGF-IR in skeletal muscle, we showed that IGF-IR inhibition blunted by 63% fiber hypertrophy caused by FS. Second, we showed that FS caused the same degree of fiber hypertrophy in wild-type and IGF-II knockout mice. We then tested the role of the signaling molecules stimulated by IGF-IR, in particular the Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/70-kDa ribosomal protein S6 kinase (S6K) pathway. We investigated whether Akt phosphorylation is required for the FS action. By cotransfecting a dominant-negative form of Akt together with FS, we showed that Akt inhibition reduced by 65% fiber hypertrophy caused by FS. Second, we evaluated the role of mTOR in FS action. Fiber hypertrophy induced by FS was reduced by 36% in rapamycin-treated mice. Finally, because the activity of S6K is increased by FS, we tested its role in FS action. FS caused the same degree of fiber hypertrophy in wild-type and S6K1/2 knockout mice. In conclusion, the IGF-IR/Akt/mTOR pathway plays a critical role in FS-induced muscle hypertrophy. In contrast, induction of IGF-II expression and S6K activity by FS are not required for the hypertrophic action of FS.

scholarly journals Phosphorylated Pleckstrin Induces Cell Spreading via an Integrin-Dependent Pathway

2000 ◽  
Vol 150 (6) ◽  
pp. 1461-1466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard L. Roll ◽  
Eve Marie Bauman ◽  
Joel S. Bennett ◽  
Charles S. Abrams
Keyword(s):  
Chimeric Protein ◽  
Cytoplasmic Tail ◽  
Cell Spreading ◽  
Competitive Inhibitor ◽  
Dominant Negative ◽  
Kinase C ◽  
Dominant Negative Inhibitor ◽  
Β Chain ◽  
Dependent Pathway

Pleckstrin is a 40-kD phosphoprotein containing NH2- and COOH-terminal pleckstrin homology (PH) domains separated by a disheveled-egl 10-pleckstrin (DEP) domain. After platelet activation, pleckstrin is rapidly phosphorylated by protein kinase C. We reported previously that expressed phosphorylated pleckstrin induces cytoskeletal reorganization and localizes in microvilli along with glycoproteins, such as integrins. Given the role of integrins in cytoskeletal organization and cell spreading, we investigated whether signaling from pleckstrin cooperated with signaling pathways involving the platelet integrin, αIIbβ3. Pleckstrin induced cell spreading in both transformed (COS-1 & CHO) and nontransformed (REF52) cell lines, and this spreading was regulated by pleckstrin phosphorylation. In REF52 cells, pleckstrin-induced spreading was matrix dependent, as evidenced by spreading of these cells on fibrinogen but not on fibronectin. Coexpression with αIIbβ3 did not enhance pleckstrin-mediated cell spreading in either REF52 or CHO cells. However, coexpression of the inactive variant αIIbβ3 Ser753Pro, or β3 Ser753Pro alone, completely blocked pleckstrin-induced spreading. This implies that αIIbβ3 Ser753Pro functions as a competitive inhibitor by blocking the effects of an endogenous receptor that is used in the signaling pathway involved in pleckstrin-induced cell spreading. Expression of a chimeric protein composed of the extracellular and transmembrane portion of Tac fused to the cytoplasmic tail of β3 completely blocked pleckstrin-mediated spreading, whereas chimeras containing the cytoplasmic tail of β3 Ser753Pro or αIIb had no effect. This suggests that the association of an unknown signaling protein with the cytoplasmic tail of an endogenous integrin β-chain is also required for pleckstrin-induced spreading. Thus, expressed phosphorylated pleckstrin promotes cell spreading that is both matrix and integrin dependent. To our knowledge, this is the first example of a mutated integrin functioning as a dominant negative inhibitor.

scholarly journals Connexin Hemichannels with Prostaglandin Release in Anabolic Function of Bone to Mechanical Loading

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Bone Formation ◽  
Gap Junction ◽  
Mechanical Loading ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Dominant Negative ◽  
Osteoblast Activity ◽  
Prostaglandin Release ◽  
Osteogenic Response ◽  
Cortical Bone Mass

Mechanical stimulation, such as physical exercise, is essential for bone formation and health. Here, we demonstrate the critical role of osteocytic Cx43 hemichannels in anabolic function of bone in response to mechanical loading. Two transgenic mouse models, R76W and Δ130-136, expressing dominant-negative Cx43 mutants in osteocytes were adopted. Mechanical loading of tibial bone increased cortical bone mass and mechanical properties in wild-type and gap junction-impaired R76W mice through increased PGE2, endosteal osteoblast activity, and decreased sclerostin. These anabolic responses were impeded in gap junction/hemichannel-impaired Δ130-136 mice and accompanied by increased endosteal osteoclast activity. Specific inhibition of Cx43 hemichannels by Cx43(M1) antibody suppressed PGE2 secretion and impeded loading-induced endosteal osteoblast activity, bone formation and anabolic gene expression. PGE2 administration rescued the osteogenic response to mechanical loading impeded by impaired hemichannels. Together, osteocytic Cx43 hemichannels could be a potential new therapeutic target for treating bone loss and osteoporosis.

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