scholarly journals Proteome of the secondary plastid of Euglena gracilis reveals metabolic quirks and colourful history

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna M. G. Novák Vanclová ◽  
Martin Zoltner ◽  
Steven Kelly ◽  
Petr Soukal ◽  
Kristína Záhonová ◽  
...  

AbstractEuglena gracilis is a well-studied biotechnologically exploitable phototrophic flagellate harbouring secondary green plastids. Here we describe its plastid proteome obtained by high-resolution proteomics. We identified 1,345 candidate plastid proteins and assigned functional annotations to 774 of them. More than 120 proteins are affiliated neither to the host lineage nor the plastid ancestor and may represent horizontal acquisitions from various algal and prokaryotic groups. Reconstruction of plastid metabolism confirms both the presence of previously studied/predicted enzymes/pathways and also provides direct evidence for unusual features of its metabolism including uncoupling of carotenoid and phytol metabolism, a limited role in amino acid metabolism and the presence of two sets of the SUF pathway for FeS cluster assembly. Most significantly, one of these was acquired by lateral gene transfer (LGT) from the chlamydiae. Plastidial paralogs of membrane trafficking-associated proteins likely mediating a poorly understood fusion of transport vesicles with the outermost plastid membrane were identified, as well as derlin-related proteins that potentially act as protein translocases of the middle membrane, supporting an extremely simplified TIC complex. The proposed innovations may be also linked to specific features of the transit peptide-like regions described here. Hence the Euglena plastid is demonstrated to be a product of several genomes and to combine novel and conserved metabolism and transport processes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 1834
Author(s):  
Tomoko Okada ◽  
Toshihiko Ogura

Autophagy is an intracellular self-devouring system that plays a central role in cellular recycling. The formation of functional autophagosomes depends on several autophagy-related proteins, including the microtubule-associated proteins 1A/1B light chain 3 (LC3) and the conserved autophagy-related gene 12 (Atg12). We have recently developed a novel scanning electron-assisted dielectric microscope (SE-ADM) for nanoscale observations of intact cells. Here, we used the SE-ADM system to observe LC3- and Atg12-containing autophagosomes in cells labelled in the culture medium with antibodies conjugated to colloidal gold particles. We observed that, during autophagosome formation, Atg12 localized along the actin meshwork structure, whereas LC3 formed arcuate or circular alignments. Our system also showed a difference in the distribution of LC3 and Atg12; Atg12 was broadly distributed while LC3 was more localized. The difference in the spatial distribution demonstrated by our system explains the difference in the size of fluorescent spots due to the fluorescently labelled antibodies observed using optical microscopy. The direct SE-ADM observation of cells should thus be effective in analyses of autophagosome formation.



2000 ◽  
Vol 151 (4) ◽  
pp. 905-918 ◽  
Author(s):  
John C. Sisson ◽  
Christine Field ◽  
Richard Ventura ◽  
Anne Royou ◽  
William Sullivan

Drosophila cellularization and animal cell cytokinesis rely on the coordinated functions of the microfilament and microtubule cytoskeletal systems. To identify new proteins involved in cellularization and cytokinesis, we have conducted a biochemical screen for microfilament/microtubule-associated proteins (MMAPs). 17 MMAPs were identified; seven have been previously implicated in cellularization and/or cytokinesis, including KLP3A, Anillin, Septins, and Dynamin. We now show that a novel MMAP, Lava Lamp (Lva), is also required for cellularization. Lva is a coiled-coil protein and, unlike other proteins previously implicated in cellularization or cytokinesis, it is Golgi associated. Our functional analysis shows that cellularization is dramatically inhibited upon injecting anti–Lva antibodies (IgG and Fab) into embryos. In addition, we show that brefeldin A, a potent inhibitor of membrane trafficking, also inhibits cellularization. Biochemical analysis demonstrates that Lva physically interacts with the MMAPs Spectrin and CLIP190. We suggest that Lva and Spectrin may form a Golgi-based scaffold that mediates the interaction of Golgi bodies with microtubules and facilitates Golgi-derived membrane secretion required for the formation of furrows during cellularization. Our results are consistent with the idea that animal cell cytokinesis depends on both actomyosin-based contraction and Golgi-derived membrane secretion.



1967 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse E. Sisken ◽  
Elaina Wilkes

p-Fluorophenylalanine (PFPA), an analogue of phenylalanine which may be incorporated into proteins, increases the duration of mitosis. In the present experiments, based upon quantitative analyses of time-lapse cinemicrographic films, brief treatments of cells with PFPA are shown to affect the duration of metaphase in only those cells which enter division during or shortly after treatment. The offspring of cells with prolonged metaphases also tend to have prolonged metaphases. Analyses of the kinetics of the appearance of prolonged metaphases indicate that some protein specifically associated with mitosis is synthesized primarily during a period which corresponds closely to G2. The manner in which the defect is passed on to daughter cells indicates that the protein involved is conserved and reutilized by daughter cells for their subsequent divisions. Comparable experiments performed with low concentrations of puromycin indicate that the major effect of PFPA is due to its incorporation into protein rather than its ability to inhibit protein synthesis. The fact that puromycin-induced effects can also be passed on to daughter cells is interpreted to mean that cells make only specific amounts of some mitosis-associated proteins and that if a cell "inherits" a deficiency in such protein it is not able to compensate for the deficiency.



Author(s):  
Ling Hong ◽  
Yuan chang Zhu ◽  
Su Liu ◽  
Tonghua Wu ◽  
Yuye Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Deterioration of the endometrial environment is an essential cause of recurrent miscarriage (RM). However, current studies in terms of endometrial amino acid metabolic characterization and autophagy are still inadequate. This study aimed to assess differences in the endometrial amino acid metabolism and autophagy between normal pregnant and RM women to reveal the association between amino acid metabolism, autophagy, and the endometrial microenvironment. We tried to (1) identify the alternation in metabolite profiles in the RM endometrium; (2) investigate the expression of autophagy-related proteins in RM; (3) elucidate the association between amino acid metabolism and autophagy in RM. Our results showed that glutamine metabolites were upregulated while glutamate metabolites were downregulated in the endometrium of RM women. The levels of autophagy-associated proteins, including LC3B, ATG12, and Beclin-1, were significantly higher in the endometrium of RM women. Hemostasis, autophagy and IFNα signaling were the top three differentially activated signaling pathways between women with RM and normal pregnancy. Interestingly, we also found that the expression of AMPK and GCN2 was significantly up-regulated in the endometrium of women with RM, and the same expression trend was also observed in the human endometrial stromal cells cultured in glutamine deprivation medium. Furthermore, inhibition of AMPK decreased the level of GCN2, indicating a positive correlation between GCN2 and AMPK. The expression of GCN2 was consistent with the expression of ATG12 and beclin-1; however, it was opposite to that of p62. Exposure to glutamine deprivation increased the level of LC3B, GCN2, ATG12 and beclin-1. Altogether, these findings suggested significant crosstalk between amino acid metabolism and autophagy. In summary, our data suggested that aberrant crosstalk between amino acid metabolism and autophagy may contribute to the impaired endometrial microenvironment of RM. Our study may provide new insight into the diagnosis of recurrent miscarriage due to endometrial factors.



1988 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 371-380
Author(s):  
T W McMullin ◽  
R L Hallberg

We recently reported that a Tetrahymena thermophila 58-kilodalton (kDa) mitochondrial protein (hsp58) was selectively synthesized during heat shock. In this study, we show that hsp58 displayed antigenic similarity with mitochondrially associated proteins from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (64 kDa), Xenopus laevis (60 kDa), Zea mays (62 kDa), and human cells (59 kDa). Furthermore, a 58-kDa protein from Escherichia coli also exhibited antigenic cross-reactivity to an antiserum directed against the T. thermophila mitochondrial protein. The proteins from S. cerevisiae and E. coli antigenically related to hsp58 were studied in detail and found to share several other characteristics with hsp58, including heat inducibility and the property of associating into distinct oligomeric complexes. The T. thermophila, S. cerevisiae, and E. coli macromolecular complexes containing these related proteins had similar sedimentation characteristics and virtually identical morphologies as seen with the electron microscope. The distinctive properties of the E. coli homolog to T. thermophila hsp58 indicate that it is most likely the product of the groEL gene.



2019 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-162
Author(s):  
YU HE ◽  
SHUAI WANG ◽  
XIANTING YIN ◽  
FENGJIAO SUN ◽  
BIN HE ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a leading seafood-borne pathogen that causes gastroenteritis, septicemia, and serious wound infections due to the actions of virulence-associated proteins. We compared the extracellular proteins of nonvirulent JHY20 and virulent ATCC 33847 V. parahaemolyticus reference strains. Eighteen extracellular proteins were identified from secretory profiles, and 11 (68.75%) of the 16 proteins in ATCC 33847 are associated with virulence and/or protection against adverse conditions: trigger factor, chaperone SurA, aspartate–semialdehyde dehydrogenase, 4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-en-1-yl diphosphate synthase, glutamate 5-kinase, alanine dehydrogenase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, outer membrane protein OmpV, ribosome-associated inhibitor A, chaperone protein Skp, and universal stress protein. Two nontoxic-related proteins, amino acid ABC transporter substrate-binding protein and an uncharacterized protein, were identified in JHY20. The results provide a theoretical basis for supporting safety risk assessment of aquatic foods, illuminate the pathogenic mechanisms of V. parahaemolyticus, and assist the identification of novel vaccine candidates for foodborne pathogens. HIGHLIGHTS



1975 ◽  
Vol 141 (1) ◽  
pp. 172-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
B C Del Vellano ◽  
B Nave ◽  
B P Croker ◽  
R A Lerner ◽  
F J Dixon

The oncornavirus related proteins associated with the surface of normal and malignant thymocytes were studied. Three virion-associated proteins (gp69/71, p45, p30) were associated with lymphoma cells from about 70% of the tumors studied. Two virion-associated proteins (gp69/71 and p45 were associated with normal thymocytes form some but not all strains of mice. In gp69/71- mice, conversion to the gp69/71+ phenotype accompanied leukemogenesis. An interesting difference in the apparent molecular size of virus related antigens of the 70,000 dalton size class was detected in lymphoma cells present in involved spleens as compared to involved thymuses. Mice infected as neonates with Scripps leukemia virus make antibody to gp69/71 and some make antibodies to molecules associated with the surface of their own tumors. The significance of the restricted presence of antigens coded for by the viral genome to the surface of some differentiated cells is discussed in reference to (a) the relationship between virion, leukemia associated, and differentiation dependent markers, and (b) the possible consequence to the host of having similar antigenic determinants on three independent structures with replicative potential (virus, normal thymocytes, and tumor cells).





Cells ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 1020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramirez ◽  
Sharma ◽  
Singh ◽  
Stoneham ◽  
Vollbrecht ◽  
...  

The plasma membrane is a site of conflict between host defenses and many viruses. One aspect of this conflict is the host’s attempt to eliminate infected cells using innate and adaptive cell-mediated immune mechanisms that recognize features of the plasma membrane characteristic of viral infection. Another is the expression of plasma membrane-associated proteins, so-called restriction factors, which inhibit enveloped virions directly. HIV-1 encodes two countermeasures to these host defenses: The membrane-associated accessory proteins Vpu and Nef. In addition to inhibiting cell-mediated immune-surveillance, Vpu and Nef counteract membrane-associated restriction factors. These include BST-2, which traps newly formed virions at the plasma membrane unless counteracted by Vpu, and SERINC5, which decreases the infectivity of virions unless counteracted by Nef. Here we review key features of these two antiviral proteins, and we review Vpu and Nef, which deplete them from the plasma membrane by co-opting specific cellular proteins and pathways of membrane trafficking and protein-degradation. We also discuss other plasma membrane proteins modulated by HIV-1, particularly CD4, which, if not opposed in infected cells by Vpu and Nef, inhibits viral infectivity and increases the sensitivity of the viral envelope glycoprotein to host immunity.



Cells ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 1655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bor Luen Tang

Syntaxin 16, a Qa-SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor activating protein receptor), is involved in a number of membrane-trafficking activities, particularly transport processes at the trans-Golgi network (TGN). Recent works have now implicated syntaxin 16 in the autophagy process. In fact, syntaxin 16 appears to have dual roles, firstly in facilitating the transport of ATG9a-containing vesicles to growing autophagosomes, and secondly in autolysosome formation. The former involves a putative SNARE complex between syntaxin 16, VAMP7 and SNAP-47. The latter occurs via syntaxin 16’s recruitment by Atg8/LC3/GABARAP family proteins to autophagosomes and endo-lysosomes, where syntaxin 16 may act in a manner that bears functional redundancy with the canonical autophagosome Qa-SNARE syntaxin 17. Here, I discuss these recent findings and speculate on the mechanistic aspects of syntaxin 16’s newly found role in autophagy.



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