scholarly journals Defining dysfunction due to loss of MECP2 in Rett Patient Brain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Korsakova ◽  
A Morales ◽  
T McDaniel ◽  
A Lund ◽  
B Cooper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rett Syndrome ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Transcriptional Profiling ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Aberrant Expression ◽  
Metabolic Genes ◽  
Female Brain ◽  
Response To Stress

AbstractRett Syndrome is characterized by a postnatal loss of neurophysiological function and regression of childhood development. Because the syndrome is X-linked and males with MECP2 mutations generally do not survive birth, the study of this syndrome has been complicated by the fact that in female brain, a portion of neurons express wild type MECP2, and another portion express a non-functional allele of MECP2. Therefore, bulk-RNA-sequencing of Rett brain is confounded by the presence of chimerism of neurons for functional MECP2 in neurons. We developed an approach that allows for single-nuclei transcriptional profiling of individual neurons and a direct comparison between neurons that express functional MECP2 with those that express the disease-causing allele. We found that mutant neurons from Rett brain show patterns of aberrant expression of synaptic and metabolic genes, both of which can be detected in in vitro models of Rett Syndrome. We used these resources to identify a role for POU2F1/OCT1 transcription factor in mediating the response to stress due to loss of MECP2, highlighting a potential key molecular regulator of stress in Rett neurons. Together, our new sorting approach enables us to highlight defective molecular and metabolic pathways in Rett brain neurons and suggests that in vitro models could serve as valuable tools to further study this syndrome and potentially for development of novel therapeutics.

scholarly journals Identification of RIFL, a novel adipocyte-enriched insulin target gene with a role in lipid metabolism

2012 ◽  
Vol 303 (3) ◽  
pp. E334-E351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gang Ren ◽  
Ji Young Kim ◽  
Cynthia M. Smas
Keyword(s):  
Lipid Metabolism ◽  
Transcriptional Profiling ◽  
Serum Triglyceride ◽  
Transcript Level ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
New Genes ◽  
Brown Adipose ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Triglyceride Content

To identify new genes that are important in fat metabolism, we utilized the Lexicon-Genentech knockout database of genes encoding transmembrane and secreted factors and whole murine genome transcriptional profiling data that we generated for 3T3-L1 in vitro adipogenesis. Cross-referencing null models evidencing metabolic phenotypes with genes induced in adipogenesis led to identification of a new gene, which we named RIFL (refeeding induced fat and liver). RIFL-null mice have serum triglyceride levels approximately one-third of wild type. RIFL transcript is induced >100-fold during 3T3-L1 adipogenesis and is also increased markedly during adipogenesis of murine and human primary preadipocytes. siRNA-mediated knockdown of RIFL during 3T3-L1 adipogenesis results in an ∼35% decrease in adipocyte triglyceride content. Murine RIFL transcript is highly enriched in white and brown adipose tissue and liver. Fractionation of WAT reveals that RIFL transcript is exclusive to adipocytes with a lack of expression in stromal-vascular cells. Nutritional and hormonal studies are consistent with a prolipogenic function for RIFL. There is evidence of an approximately eightfold increase in RIFL transcript level in WAT in ob/ob mice compared with wild-type mice. RIFL transcript level in WAT and liver is increased ∼80- and 12-fold, respectively, following refeeding of fasted mice. Treatment of 3T3-L1 adipocytes with insulin increases RIFL transcript ≤35-fold, whereas agents that stimulate lipolysis downregulate RIFL. Interestingly, the 198-amino acid RIFL protein is predicted to be secreted and shows ∼30% overall conservation with the NH2-terminal half of angiopoietin-like 3, a liver-secreted protein that impacts lipid metabolism. In summary, our data suggest that RIFL is an important new regulator of lipid metabolism.

scholarly journals A Thiolase of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Is Required for Virulence and Production of Androstenedione and Androstadienedione from Cholesterol

2009 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 275-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natasha M. Nesbitt ◽  
Xinxin Yang ◽  
Patricia Fontán ◽  
Irina Kolesnikova ◽  
Issar Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Mutant Strain ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Cholesterol Metabolism ◽  
Transcriptional Profiling ◽  
Mouse Lung ◽  
Intracellular Pathogen ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Strain H37rv

ABSTRACT Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis, is an intracellular pathogen that shifts to a lipid-based metabolism in the host. Moreover, metabolism of the host lipid cholesterol plays an important role in M. tuberculosis infection. We used transcriptional profiling to identify genes transcriptionally regulated by cholesterol and KstR (Rv3574), a TetR-like repressor. The fadA5 (Rv3546) gene, annotated as a lipid-metabolizing thiolase, the expression of which is upregulated by cholesterol and repressed by KstR, was deleted in M. tuberculosis H37Rv. We demonstrated that fadA5 is required for utilization of cholesterol as a sole carbon source in vitro and for full virulence of M. tuberculosis in the chronic stage of mouse lung infection. Cholesterol is not toxic to the fadA5 mutant strain, and, therefore, toxicity does not account for its attenuation. We show that the wild-type strain, H37Rv, metabolizes cholesterol to androst-4-ene-3,17-dione (AD) and androsta-1,4-diene-3,17-dione (ADD) and exports these metabolites into the medium, whereas the fadA5 mutant strain is defective for this activity. We demonstrate that FadA5 catalyzes the thiolysis of acetoacetyl-coenzyme A (CoA). This catalytic activity is consistent with a β-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase function in cholesterol β-oxidation that is required for the production of androsterones. We conclude that the attenuated phenotype of the fadA5 mutant is a consequence of disrupted cholesterol metabolism that is essential only in the persistent stage of M. tuberculosis infection and may be caused by the inability to produce AD/ADD from cholesterol.

scholarly journals Identification of a putative DNA-binding protein in Arabidopsis that acts as a susceptibility hub and interacts with multiple Pseudomonas syringae effectors

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl Schreiber ◽  
Jennifer D Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Syringae ◽  
Transcriptional Profiling ◽  
Effector Proteins ◽  
Ribosomal Protein Genes ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
In Planta ◽  
Arabidopsis Protein ◽  
Wide Range

Phytopathogens use secreted effector proteins to suppress host immunity and promote pathogen virulence, and there is increasing evidence that the host-pathogen interactome comprises a complex network. In an effort to identify novel interactors of the Pseudomonas syringae effector HopZ1a, we performed a yeast two-hybrid screen that identified a previously uncharacterized Arabidopsis protein that we designate HopZ1a Interactor 1 (ZIN1). Additional analyses in yeast and in planta revealed that ZIN1 also interacts with several other P. syringae effectors. We show that an Arabidopsis loss-of-function zin1 mutant is less susceptible to infection by certain strains of P. syringae, while overexpression of ZIN1 results in enhanced susceptibility. Functionally, ZIN1 exhibits topoisomerase-like activity in vitro. Transcriptional profiling of wild-type and zin1 Arabidopsis plants inoculated with P. syringae indicated that while ZIN1 regulates a wide range of pathogen-responsive biological processes, the list of genes more highly expressed in zin1 versus wild-type plants was particularly enriched for ribosomal protein genes. Altogether, these data illuminate ZIN1 as a potential susceptibility hub that interacts with multiple effectors to influence the outcome of plant-microbe interactions.

scholarly journals Campylobacter jejuni Gene Expression in the Chick Cecum: Evidence for Adaptation to a Low-Oxygen Environment

2005 ◽  
Vol 73 (8) ◽  
pp. 5278-5285 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. A. Woodall ◽  
M. A. Jones ◽  
P. A. Barrow ◽  
J. Hinds ◽  
G. L. Marsden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Electron Transport ◽  
Campylobacter Jejuni ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Transcriptional Profiling ◽  
Physiological State ◽  
Low Oxygen ◽  
Oxygen Environment

ABSTRACT Transcriptional profiling of Campylobacter jejuni during colonization of the chick cecum identified 59 genes that were differentially expressed in vivo compared with the genes in vitro. The data suggest that C. jejuni regulates electron transport and central metabolic pathways to alter its physiological state during establishment in the chick cecum.

scholarly journals ZmFAR1 and ZmABCG26 Regulated by microRNA Are Essential for Lipid Metabolism in Maize Anther

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (15) ◽  
pp. 7916
Author(s):  
Yilin Jiang ◽  
Ziwen Li ◽  
Xinze Liu ◽  
Taotao Zhu ◽  
Ke Xie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acid Sites ◽  
Male Reproduction ◽  
Transcriptome Data ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Male Sterile ◽  
Catalytic Activities ◽  
Qrt Pcr ◽  
Metabolic Genes ◽  
Atp Binding Cassette Transporter

The function and regulation of lipid metabolic genes are essential for plant male reproduction. However, expression regulation of lipid metabolic genic male sterility (GMS) genes by noncoding RNAs is largely unclear. Here, we systematically predicted the microRNA regulators of 34 maize white brown complex members in ATP-binding cassette transporter G subfamily (WBC/ABCG) genes using transcriptome analysis. Results indicate that the ZmABCG26 transcript was predicted to be targeted by zma-miR164h-5p, and their expression levels were negatively correlated in maize B73 and Oh43 genetic backgrounds based on both transcriptome data and qRT-PCR experiments. CRISPR/Cas9-induced gene mutagenesis was performed on ZmABCG26 and another lipid metabolic gene, ZmFAR1. DNA sequencing, phenotypic, and cytological observations demonstrated that both ZmABCG26 and ZmFAR1 are GMS genes in maize. Notably, ZmABCG26 proteins are localized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), chloroplast/plastid, and plasma membrane. Furthermore, ZmFAR1 shows catalytic activities to three CoA substrates in vitro with the activity order of C12:0-CoA > C16:0-CoA > C18:0-CoA, and its four key amino acid sites were critical to its catalytic activities. Lipidomics analysis revealed decreased cutin amounts and increased wax contents in anthers of both zmabcg26 and zmfar1 GMS mutants. A more detailed analysis exhibited differential changes in 54 monomer contents between wild type and mutants, as well as between zmabcg26 and zmfar1. These findings will promote a deeper understanding of miRNA-regulated lipid metabolic genes and the functional diversity of lipid metabolic genes, contributing to lipid biosynthesis in maize anthers. Additionally, cosegregating molecular markers for ZmABCG26 and ZmFAR1 were developed to facilitate the breeding of male sterile lines.

scholarly journals Multiple Pathways of Spx (YjbD) Proteolysis in Bacillus subtilis

2002 ◽  
Vol 184 (13) ◽  
pp. 3664-3670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shunji Nakano ◽  
Guolu Zheng ◽  
Michiko M. Nakano ◽  
Peter Zuber
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Adapter Proteins ◽  
Adapter Protein ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Atpase Subunit ◽  
Regulatory Pathways ◽  
Response To Stress ◽  
A Site

ABSTRACT ATP-dependent proteases degrade denatured or misfolded proteins and are recruited for the controlled removal of proteins that block activation of regulatory pathways. Among the ATP-dependent proteases, those of the Clp family are particularly important for the growth and development of Bacillus subtilis. Proteolytic subunit ClpP, together with regulatory ATPase subunit ClpC or ClpX, is required for the normal response to stress, for development of genetic competence, and for sporulation. The spx (formally yjbD) gene was previously identified as a site of mutations that suppress defects in competence conferred by clpP and clpX. The level of Spx in wild-type cells grown in competence medium is low, and that in clpP mutants is high. This suggests that the Spx protein is a substrate for ClpP-containing proteases and that accumulation of Spx might be partly responsible for the observed pleiotropic phenotype resulting from the clpP mutation. In this study we examined, both in vivo and in vitro, which ClpP protease is responsible for degradation of Spx. Western blot analysis showed that Spx accumulated in clpX mutant to the same level as that observed in the clpP mutant. In contrast, a very low concentration of Spx was detected in a clpC mutant. An in vitro proteolysis experiment using purified proteins demonstrated that Spx was degraded by ClpCP but only in the presence of one of the ClpC adapter proteins, MecA or YpbH. However, ClpXP, either in the presence or in the absence of MecA and YpbH, was unable to degrade Spx. Transcription of spx, as measured by expression of spx-lacZ, was slightly increased by the clpX mutation. To exclude a possible effect of clpX and clpP on spx transcription, the spx gene was placed under the control of the IPTG (isopropyl-β-d-thiogalactopyranoside)-inducible Pspac promoter. In this strain, Spx accumulated when ClpX or ClpP was absent, suggesting that ClpX and ClpP are required for degradation of Spx. Taken together, these results suggest that Spx is degraded by both ClpCP and ClpXP. The putative proteolysis by ClpXP might require another adapter protein. Spx probably is degraded by ClpCP under as yet unidentified conditions. This study suggests that the level of Spx is tightly controlled by two different ClpP proteases.

scholarly journals Reduced neuronal size and mTOR pathway activity in the Mecp2 A140V Rett syndrome mouse model

F1000Research ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 2269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sampathkumar Rangasamy ◽  
Shannon Olfers ◽  
Brittany Gerald ◽  
Alex Hilbert ◽  
Sean Svejda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mouse Model ◽  
Rett Syndrome ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Mtor Pathway ◽  
Paternal Allele ◽  
Cellular Phenotype ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Soma Size ◽  
Neuronal Size

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutation in the X-linked MECP2 gene, encoding methyl-CpG-binding protein 2. We have created a mouse model (Mecp2 A140V “knock-in” mutant) expressing the recurrent human MECP2 A140V mutation linked to an X-linked mental retardation/Rett syndrome phenotype. Morphological analyses focused on quantifying soma and nucleus size were performed on primary hippocampus and cerebellum granule neuron (CGN) cultures from mutant (Mecp2A140V/y) and wild type (Mecp2+/y) male mice. Cultured hippocampus and cerebellar granule neurons from mutant animals were significantly smaller than neurons from wild type animals. We also examined soma size in hippocampus neurons from individual female transgenic mice that express both a mutant  (maternal allele) and a wild type Mecp2 gene linked to an eGFP transgene (paternal allele). In cultures from such doubly heterozygous female mice, the size of neurons expressing the mutant (A140V) allele also showed a significant reduction compared to neurons expressing wild type MeCP2, supporting a cell-autonomous role for MeCP2 in neuronal development. IGF-1 (insulin growth factor-1) treatment of neuronal cells from Mecp2 mutant mice rescued the soma size phenotype. We also found that Mecp2  mutation leads to down-regulation of the mTOR signaling pathway, known to be involved in neuronal size regulation. Our results suggest that i) reduced neuronal size is an important in vitro cellular phenotype of Mecp2 mutation in mice, and ii) MeCP2 might play a critical role in the maintenance of neuronal structure by modulation of the mTOR pathway. The definition of a quantifiable cellular phenotype supports using neuronal size as a biomarker in the development of a high-throughput, in vitro assay to screen for compounds that rescue small neuronal phenotype (“phenotypic assay”).

scholarly journals A Novel MATE Family Efflux Pump Contributes to the Reduced Susceptibility of Laboratory-Derived Staphylococcus aureus Mutants to Tigecycline

2005 ◽  
Vol 49 (5) ◽  
pp. 1865-1871 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fionnuala McAleese ◽  
Peter Petersen ◽  
Alexey Ruzin ◽  
Paul M. Dunman ◽  
Ellen Murphy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
In Vitro Selection ◽  
Efflux Pump ◽  
Transcriptional Profiling ◽  
Tetracycline Resistance ◽  
Serial Passage ◽  
Hypothetical Protein ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Stem Loop

ABSTRACT Tigecycline, an expanded-broad-spectrum glycylcycline antibiotic is not affected by the classical tetracycline resistance determinants found in Staphylococcus aureus. The in vitro selection of mutants with reduced susceptibility to tigecycline was evaluated for two methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains by serial passage in increasing concentrations of tigecycline. Both strains showed a stepwise elevation in tigecycline MIC over a period of 16 days, resulting in an increase in tigecycline MIC of 16- and 32-fold for N315 and Mu3, respectively. Transcriptional profiling revealed that both mutants exhibited over 100-fold increased expression of a gene cluster, mepRAB (multidrug export protein), encoding a MarR-like transcriptional regulator (mepR), a novel MATE family efflux pump (mepA), and a hypothetical protein of unknown function (mepB). Sequencing of the mepR gene in the mutant strains identified changes that presumably inactivated the MepR protein, which suggested that MepR functions as a repressor of mepA. Overexpression of mepA in a wild-type background caused a decrease in susceptibility to tigecycline and other substrates for MATE-type efflux pumps, although it was not sufficient to confer high-level resistance to tigecycline. Complementation of the mepR defect by overexpressing a wild-type mepR gene reduced mepA transcription and lowered the tigecycline MIC in the mutants. Transcription of tet(M) also increased by over 40-fold in the Mu3 mutant. This was attributed to a deletion in the promoter region of the gene that removed a stem-loop responsible for transcriptional attenuation. However, overexpression of the tet(M) transcript in a tigecycline-susceptible strain was not enough to significantly increase the MIC of tigecycline. These results suggest that the overexpression of mepA but not tet(M) may contribute to decreased susceptibility of tigecycline in S. aureus.

scholarly journals Transcriptional Profiling of STAT1 Gain-of-Function Reveals Common and Mutation-Specific Fingerprints

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Giovannozzi ◽  
Jonas Demeulemeester ◽  
Rik Schrijvers ◽  
Rik Gijsbers
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Cell Model ◽  
Transcriptional Profiling ◽  
Nuclear Accumulation ◽  
Specific Response ◽  
Chronic Mucocutaneous Candidiasis ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Gain Of Function

STAT1 gain-of-function (GOF) is a primary immunodeficiency typically characterized by chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis (CMC), recurrent respiratory infections, and autoimmunity. Less commonly, also immunodysregulation polyendocrinopathy enteropathy X-linked (IPEX)-like syndromes with CMC, and combined immunodeficiency without CMC have been described. Recently, our group and others have shown that different mutation-specific mechanisms underlie STAT1 GOF in vitro, including faster nuclear accumulation (R274W), and reduced mobility (R321, N574I) to near immobility in the nucleus (T419R) upon IFNγ stimulation. In this work, we evaluated the transcriptomic fingerprint of the aforementioned STAT1 GOF mutants (R274W, R321S, T419R, and N574I) relative to STAT1 wild-type upon IFNγ stimulation in an otherwise isogenic cell model. The majority of genes up-regulated in wild-type STAT1 cells were significantly more up-regulated in cells expressing GOF mutants, except for T419R. In addition to the common interferon regulated genes (IRG), STAT1 GOF mutants up-regulated an additional set of genes, that were in part shared with other GOF mutants or mutation-specific. Overall, R274W and R321S transcriptomes clustered with STAT1 WT, while T419R and N574I had a more distinct fingerprint. We observed reduced frequency of canonical IFNγ activation site (GAS) sequences in promoters of genes up-regulated by all the STAT1 GOF mutants, suggesting loss of DNA binding specificity for the canonical GAS consensus. Interestingly, the T419R mutation, expected to directly increase the affinity for DNA, showed the most pronounced effects on the transcriptome. T419R STAT1 dysregulated more non-IRG than the other GOF mutants and fewer GAS or degenerate GAS promotor sequences could be found in the promoter regions of these genes. In conclusion, our work confirms hyperactivation of common sets of IFNγ-induced genes in STAT1 GOF with additional dysregulation of mutation-specific genes, in line with the earlier observed mutation-specific mechanisms. Binding to more degenerate GAS sequences is proposed as a mechanism toward transcriptional dysregulation in R274W, R321S, and N574I. For T419R, an increased interaction with the DNA is suggested to result in a broader and less GAS-specific response. Our work indicates that multiple routes leading to STAT1 GOF are associated with common and private transcriptomic fingerprints, which may contribute to the phenotypic variation observed in vivo.

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