scholarly journals Direct regulation of nacre, a zebrafish MITF homolog required for pigment cell formation, by the Wnt pathway

2000 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 158-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard I. Dorsky ◽  
David W. Raible ◽  
Randall T. Moon

We have shown that Wnt signals are necessary and sufficient for neural crest cells to adopt pigment cell fates. nacre, a zebrafish homolog of MITF, is required for pigment cell differentiation. We isolated a promoter region of nacre that contains Tcf/Lef binding sites, which can mediate Wnt responsiveness. This promoter binds to zebrafish Lef1 protein in vitro, and a nacre reporter construct is strongly repressed by dominant-negative Tcf in melanoma cells. Mutation of Tcf/Lef sites abolishes Lef1 binding and reporter function in vivo. Wnt signaling therefore directly activatesnacre, which in turn leads to pigment cell differentiation.

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Fangbing Zhu ◽  
Jianyue Wang ◽  
Yueming Ni ◽  
Wei Yin ◽  
Qiao Hou ◽  
...  

Wear particle-induced periprosthetic osteolysis is mainly responsible for joint replacement failure and revision surgery. Curculigoside is reported to have bone-protective potential, but whether curculigoside attenuates wear particle-induced osteolysis remains unclear. In this study, titanium particles (Ti) were used to stimulate osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells in the presence or absence of curculigoside, to determine their effect on osteoblast differentiation. Rat osteoclastic bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) were cocultured with Ti in the presence or absence of curculigoside, to evaluate its effect on osteoclast formation in vitro. Ti was also used to stimulate mouse calvaria to induce an osteolysis model, and curculigoside was administrated to evaluate its effect in the osteolysis model by micro-CT imaging and histopathological analyses. As the results indicated, in MC3T3-E1 cells, curculigoside treatment attenuated the Ti-induced inhibition on cell differentiation and apoptosis, increased alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) and cell mineralization, and inhibited TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 production and ROS generation. In BMSCs, curculigoside treatment suppressed the Ti-induced cell formation and suppressed the TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 production and F-actin ring formation. In vivo, curculigoside attenuated Ti-induced bone loss and histological damage in murine calvaria. Curculigoside treatment also reversed the RANK/RANKL/OPG and NF-κB signaling pathways, by suppressing the RANKL and NF-κB expression, while activating the OPG expression. Our study demonstrated that curculigoside treatment was able to attenuate wear particle-induced periprosthetic osteolysis in in vivo and in vitro experiments, promoted osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cell differentiation, and inhibited osteoclast BMSC formation. It suggests that curculigoside may be a potential pharmaceutical agent for wear particle-stimulated osteolysis therapy.


1987 ◽  
Vol 105 (1) ◽  
pp. 561-567 ◽  
Author(s):  
P J Weidman ◽  
B M Shapiro

At fertilization, the glycocalyx (vitelline layer) of the sea urchin egg is transformed into an elevated fertilization envelope by the association of secreted peptides and the formation of intermolecular dityrosine bonds. Dityrosine cross-links are formed by a secreted ovoperoxidase that exists in a Ca2+-stabilized complex with proteoliaisin in the fertilization envelope. By using purified proteins, we now show that proteoliaisin is necessary and sufficient to link ovoperoxidase to the egg glycocalyx. Specifically, we have found that ovoperoxidase can associate with the vitelline layer only when complexed with proteoliaisin; proteoliaisin binds to the vitelline layer independently of its association with ovoperoxidase; proteolytic modification of the vitelline layer is not required for this interaction to occur; the binding of proteoliaisin to the vitelline layer is mediated by the synergistic action of the two major seawater divalent cations, Ca2+ and Mg2+; the number of proteoliaisin-binding sites on the vitelline layer of unfertilized eggs is equivalent to the amount of proteoliaisin secreted at fertilization; and the binding of ovoperoxidase to the vitelline layer, via proteoliaisin, permits the in vitro cross-linking of these two in vivo substrates. The association of purified ovoperoxidase and proteoliaisin with the vitelline layer of unfertilized eggs reconstitutes part of the morphogenesis of the fertilization envelope.


1990 ◽  
Vol 29 (03) ◽  
pp. 120-124
Author(s):  
R. P. Baum ◽  
E. Rohrbach ◽  
G. Hör ◽  
B. Kornhuber ◽  
E. Busse

The effect of triiodothyronine (T3) on the differentiation of cultured neuroblastoma (NB) cells was studied after 9 days of treatment with a dose of 10-4 M/106 cells per day. Using phase contrast microscopy, 30-50% of NB cells showed formation of neurites as a morphological sign of cellular differentiation. The initial rise of the mitosis rate was followed by a plateau. Changes in cyclic nucleotide content, in the triphosphates and in the activity of the enzyme ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) were assessed in 2 human and 2 murine cell lines to serve as biochemical parameters of the cell differentiation induced by T3. Whereas the cAMP level increased significantly (3 to 7 fold compared with its initial value), the cGMP value dropped to 30 to 50% of that of the control group. ATP and GTP increased about 200%, the ODC showed a decrease of about 50%. The present studies show a biphasic effect of T3 on neuroblastoma cells: the initial rise of mitotic activity is followed by increased cell differentiation starting from day 4 of the treatment.


Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 875
Author(s):  
Karlijn Pellikaan ◽  
Geeske M. van Woerden ◽  
Lotte Kleinendorst ◽  
Anna G. W. Rosenberg ◽  
Bernhard Horsthemke ◽  
...  

Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) is a rare genetic condition characterized by hypotonia, intellectual disability, and hypothalamic dysfunction, causing pituitary hormone deficiencies and hyperphagia, ultimately leading to obesity. PWS is most often caused by the loss of expression of a cluster of genes on chromosome 15q11.2-13. Patients with Prader–Willi-like syndrome (PWLS) display features of the PWS phenotype without a classical PWS genetic defect. We describe a 46-year-old patient with PWLS, including hypotonia, intellectual disability, hyperphagia, and pituitary hormone deficiencies. Routine genetic tests for PWS were normal, but a homozygous missense variant NM_003097.3(SNRPN):c.193C>T, p.(Arg65Trp) was identified. Single nucleotide polymorphism array showed several large regions of homozygosity, caused by high-grade consanguinity between the parents. Our functional analysis, the ‘Pipeline for Rapid in silico, in vivo, in vitro Screening of Mutations’ (PRiSM) screen, showed that overexpression of SNRPN-p.Arg65Trp had a dominant negative effect, strongly suggesting pathogenicity. However, it could not be confirmed that the variant was responsible for the phenotype of the patient. In conclusion, we present a unique homozygous missense variant in SNURF-SNRPN in a patient with PWLS. We describe the diagnostic trajectory of this patient and the possible contributors to her phenotype in light of the current literature on the genotype–phenotype relationship in PWS.


2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 1140-1148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dae-Won Kim ◽  
Brent H. Cochran

ABSTRACT We have previously shown that TFII-I enhances transcriptional activation of the c-fos promoter through interactions with upstream elements in a signal-dependent manner. Here we demonstrate that activated Ras and RhoA synergize with TFII-I for c-fospromoter activation, whereas dominant-negative Ras and RhoA inhibit these effects of TFII-I. The Mek1 inhibitor, PD98059 abrogates the enhancement of the c-fos promoter by TFII-I, indicating that TFII-I function is dependent on an active mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway. Analysis of the TFII-I protein sequence revealed that TFII-I contains a consensus MAP kinase interaction domain (D box). Consistent with this, we have found that TFII-I forms an in vivo complex with extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK). Point mutations within the consensus MAP kinase binding motif of TFII-I inhibit its ability to bind ERK and its ability to enhance the c-fos promoter. Therefore, the D box of TFII-I is required for its activity on the c-fos promoter. Moreover, the interaction between TFII-I and ERK can be regulated. Serum stimulation enhances complex formation between TFII-I and ERK, and dominant-negative Ras abrogates this interaction. In addition, TFII-I can be phosphorylated in vitro by ERK and mutation of consensus MAP kinase substrate sites at serines 627 and 633 impairs the phosphorylation of TFII-I by ERK and its activity on the c-fos promoter. These results suggest that ERK regulates the activity of TFII-I by direct phosphorylation.


2007 ◽  
Vol 82 (5) ◽  
pp. 2056-2064 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luka Čičin-Šain ◽  
Zsolt Ruzsics ◽  
Juergen Podlech ◽  
Ivan Bubić ◽  
Carine Menard ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Genes that inhibit apoptosis have been described for many DNA viruses. Herpesviruses often contain even more than one gene to control cell death. Apoptosis inhibition by viral genes is postulated to contribute to viral fitness, although a formal proof is pending. To address this question, we studied the mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) protein M36, which binds to caspase-8 and blocks death receptor-induced apoptosis. The growth of MCMV recombinants lacking M36 (ΔM36) was attenuated in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, caspase inhibition by zVAD-fmk blocked apoptosis in ΔM36-infected macrophages and rescued the growth of the mutant. In vivo, ΔM36 infection foci in liver tissue contained significantly more apoptotic hepatocytes and Kupffer cells than did revertant virus foci, and apoptosis occurred during the early phase of virus replication prior to virion assembly. To further delineate the mode of M36 function, we replaced the M36 gene with a dominant-negative FADD (FADDDN) in an MCMV recombinant. FADDDN was expressed in cells infected with the recombinant and blocked the death-receptor pathway, replacing the antiapoptotic function of M36. Most importantly, FADDDN rescued ΔM36 virus replication, both in vitro and in vivo. These findings have identified the biological role of M36 and define apoptosis inhibition as a key determinant of viral fitness.


1999 ◽  
Vol 19 (9) ◽  
pp. 6076-6084 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graeme C. M. Smith ◽  
Fabrizio d’adda di Fagagna ◽  
Nicholas D. Lakin ◽  
Stephen P. Jackson

ABSTRACT The activation of the cysteine proteases with aspartate specificity, termed caspases, is of fundamental importance for the execution of programmed cell death. These proteases are highly specific in their action and activate or inhibit a variety of key protein molecules in the cell. Here, we study the effect of apoptosis on the integrity of two proteins that have critical roles in DNA damage signalling, cell cycle checkpoint controls, and genome maintenance—the product of the gene defective in ataxia telangiectasia, ATM, and the related protein ATR. We find that ATM but not ATR is specifically cleaved in cells induced to undergo apoptosis by a variety of stimuli. We establish that ATM cleavage in vivo is dependent on caspases, reveal that ATM is an efficient substrate for caspase 3 but not caspase 6 in vitro, and show that the in vitro caspase 3 cleavage pattern mirrors that in cells undergoing apoptosis. Strikingly, apoptotic cleavage of ATM in vivo abrogates its protein kinase activity against p53 but has no apparent effect on the DNA binding properties of ATM. These data suggest that the cleavage of ATM during apoptosis generates a kinase-inactive protein that acts, through its DNA binding ability, in a trans-dominant-negative fashion to prevent DNA repair and DNA damage signalling.


eLife ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liang Ge ◽  
David Melville ◽  
Min Zhang ◽  
Randy Schekman

Autophagy is a catabolic process for bulk degradation of cytosolic materials mediated by double-membraned autophagosomes. The membrane determinant to initiate the formation of autophagosomes remains elusive. Here, we establish a cell-free assay based on LC3 lipidation to define the organelle membrane supporting early autophagosome formation. In vitro LC3 lipidation requires energy and is subject to regulation by the pathways modulating autophagy in vivo. We developed a systematic membrane isolation scheme to identify the endoplasmic reticulum–Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC) as a primary membrane source both necessary and sufficient to trigger LC3 lipidation in vitro. Functional studies demonstrate that the ERGIC is required for autophagosome biogenesis in vivo. Moreover, we find that the ERGIC acts by recruiting the early autophagosome marker ATG14, a critical step for the generation of preautophagosomal membranes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (Suppl 3) ◽  
pp. A121-A121
Author(s):  
Nina Chu ◽  
Michael Overstreet ◽  
Ryan Gilbreth ◽  
Lori Clarke ◽  
Christina Gesse ◽  
...  

BackgroundChimeric antigen receptors (CARs) are engineered synthetic receptors that reprogram T cell specificity and function against a given antigen. Autologous CAR-T cell therapy has demonstrated potent efficacy against various hematological malignancies, but has yielded limited success against solid cancers. MEDI7028 is a CAR that targets oncofetal antigen glypican-3 (GPC3), which is expressed in 70–90% of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but not in normal liver tissue. Transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) secretion is increased in advanced HCC, which creates an immunosuppressive milieu and facilitates cancer progression and poor prognosis. We tested whether the anti-tumor efficacy of a GPC3 CAR-T can be enhanced with the co-expression of dominant-negative TGFβRII (TGFβRIIDN).MethodsPrimary human T cells were lentivirally transduced to express GPC3 CAR both with and without TGFβRIIDN. Western blot and flow cytometry were performed on purified CAR-T cells to assess modulation of pathways and immune phenotypes driven by TGFβ in vitro. A xenograft model of human HCC cell line overexpressing TGFβ in immunodeficient mice was used to investigate the in vivo efficacy of TGFβRIIDN armored and unarmored CAR-T. Tumor infiltrating lymphocyte populations were analyzed by flow cytometry while serum cytokine levels were quantified with ELISA.ResultsArmoring GPC3 CAR-T with TGFβRIIDN nearly abolished phospho-SMAD2/3 expression upon exposure to recombinant human TGFβ in vitro, indicating that the TGFβ signaling axis was successfully blocked by expression of the dominant-negative receptor. Additionally, expression of TGFβRIIDN suppressed TGFβ-driven CD103 upregulation, further demonstrating attenuation of the pathway by this armoring strategy. In vivo, the TGFβRIIDN armored CAR-T achieved superior tumor regression and delayed tumor regrowth compared to the unarmored CAR-T. The armored CAR-T cells infiltrated HCC tumors more abundantly than their unarmored counterparts, and were phenotypically less exhausted and less differentiated. In line with these observations, we detected significantly more interferon gamma (IFNγ) at peak response and decreased alpha-fetoprotein in the serum of mice treated with armored cells compared to mice receiving unarmored CAR-T, demonstrating in vivo functional superiority of TGFβRIIDN armored CAR-T therapy.ConclusionsArmoring GPC3 CAR-T with TGFβRIIDN abrogates the signaling of TGFβ in vitro and enhances the anti-tumor efficacy of GPC3 CAR-T against TGFβ-expressing HCC tumors in vivo, proving TGFβRIIDN to be an effective armoring strategy against TGFβ-expressing solid malignancies in preclinical models.Ethics ApprovalThe study was approved by AstraZeneca’s Ethics Board and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).


Development ◽  
1973 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-174
Author(s):  
Nelly Bennett

The detection of a specific enzyme (cysteine lyase) of the yolk-sac endoderm by a very sensitive method is employed to characterize cell differentiation during the early stages of endoderm organogenesis in the chick. The first cells to contain active cysteine lyase are found in the germ wall at the primitive streak stage. In vivo observations establish a relation between the morphological specialization and organization of endodermal cells, their loss of mitotic activity and the increase in cysteine lyase activity. They suggest an influence of the mesoderm on endoderm differentiation. In vitro experiments confirm the existence in the yolk-sac endoderm of an incompatibility between cell proliferation and differentiation, as well as the action of the mesoderm on both the structural organization of the endoblast and the appearance of cysteine lyase; this last action seems to be due mainly to blood cells; chicken and rabbit blood cells are equally active. The problems of the origin of the endoderm and of the interactions occurring during the organogenesis of the yolk-sac endoderm are discussed.


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