scholarly journals The N-terminus of hepcidin is essential for its interaction with ferroportin: structure-function study

Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 107 (1) ◽  
pp. 328-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeta Nemeth ◽  
Gloria C. Preza ◽  
Chun-Ling Jung ◽  
Jerry Kaplan ◽  
Alan J. Waring ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disulfide Bonds ◽  
Progressive Decrease ◽  
Cellular Iron ◽  
Gfp Fusion Protein ◽  
N Terminus ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Terminal Amino ◽  
Peptide Treatment

Abstract Hepcidin is the principal iron-regulatory hormone. It acts by binding to the iron exporter ferroportin, inducing its internalization and degradation, thereby blocking cellular iron efflux. The bioactive 25 amino acid (aa) peptide has a hairpin structure stabilized by 4 disulfide bonds. We synthesized a series of hepcidin derivatives and determined their bioactivity in a cell line expressing ferroportin-GFP fusion protein, by measuring the degradation of ferroportin-GFP and the accumulation of ferritin after peptide treatment. Bioactivity was also assayed in mice by the induction of hypoferremia. Serial deletion of N-terminal amino acids caused progressive decrease in activity which was completely lost when 5 N-terminal aa's were deleted. Synthetic 3-aa and 6-aa N-terminal peptides alone, however, did not internalize ferroportin and did not interfere with ferroportin internalization by native hepcidin. Deletion of 2 C-terminal aa's did not affect peptide activity. Removal of individual disulfide bonds by pairwise substitution of cysteines with alanines also did not affect peptide activity in vitro. However, these peptides were less active in vivo, likely because of their decreased stability in circulation. G71D and K83R, substitutions previously described in humans, did not affect hepcidin activity. Apart from the essential nature of the N-terminus, hepcidin structure appears permissive for mutations.

The N-Terminus of Hepcidin Is Essential for Its Interaction with Ferroportin: Structure-Function Study.

Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 3588-3588
Author(s):  
Elizabeta Nemeth ◽  
Gloria C. Preza ◽  
Alan J. Waring ◽  
Tomas Ganz
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Disulfide Bonds ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Amino Acid Peptide ◽  
Cellular Iron ◽  
N Terminus ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Terminal Amino

Abstract Hepcidin, a small peptide produced by the liver, is the principal iron-regulatory hormone. It acts by binding to the iron exporter ferroportin, inducing its internalization and degradation, thereby blocking cellular iron efflux. The bioactive 25 amino acid peptide has a hairpin structure stabilized by 4 disulfide bonds. We synthesized a series of hepcidin derivatives and determined their bioactivity in a cell line expressing ferroportin-GFP fusion protein, by measuring the degradation of ferroportin-GFP and the accumulation of ferritin after peptide treatment. Bioactivity was also assayed in vivo, by measuring hypoferremia in mice injected with hepcidin derivatives. Serial deletion of N-terminal amino acids caused progressive decrease in activity which was completely lost when five N-terminal aa were deleted. Synthetic 3-aa and 6-aa N-terminal peptides alone, however, did not internalize ferroportin, and did not interfere with ferroportin internalization by native hepcidin. Deletion of two C-terminal amino acids did not affect peptide activity. Removal of individual disulfide bonds by pairwise substitution of cysteines with alanines also did not impact peptide activity in vitro. However, these peptides were significantly less active in vivo, likely due to their decreased stability in circulation. Peptides with a substitution G71D or K83R, previously described in human subjects, were fully active in vitro and in vivo. Zebrafish hepcidin, which is only 60% similar to human hepcidin, but with conservative substitutions at the N-terminus, was as active as its human counterpart. Apart from the essential nature of the N-terminus, hepcidin structure appears permissive for mutations. Further studies of hepcidin structure in relation to its function are essential for the design of hepcidin antagonists and agonists which could be used for treatment of iron disorders.

Engineered-Macrophage Induced Endothelialization and Neutralization via Graphene Quantum Dot-Mediated MicroRNA Delivery to Construct Small-Diameter Tissue-Engineered Vascular Grafts

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 1492-1505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyu Wei ◽  
Feila Liu ◽  
Jingyuan Yang ◽  
Da Huo ◽  
Ge Guan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quantum Dot ◽  
Disulfide Bonds ◽  
Small Diameter ◽  
The Body ◽  
Vasa Vasorum ◽  
Graphene Quantum Dot ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Microrna Delivery

Rapid endothelialization of tissue-engineered blood vessels (TEBVs) is an essential strategy to inhibit thrombosis, chronic inflammation and intimal hyperplasia after transplantation into the body. Monocytes will be recruited to the transplantation site and converted to macrophages after TEBV implantation. Macrophages play an important role in angiogenesis; however, whether engineered macrophages can be utilized to promote rapid endothelialization of TEBVs remains unclear. Thus, a cell bioreactor that can engineer macrophages via graphene quantum dot (GQD)-mediated microRNA (miR) delivery was built in the TEBV. Briefly, GQD-miR-150 linked by disulfide bonds was adopted to functionalize both the inner and outer TEBVs. The GQD-miR-150 conjugation as an intracellular gene delivery system was taken up by macrophages. Under the protection of GQDs, miR-150 was transfected into the cytosol, allowing continuous secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) via upregulation of HIF-1α protein expression, and promoted the migration of endothelial cells (ECs) in vitro. An in vivo study showed a rapid endothelialization of the inner TEBVs after transplantation for 7 days, especially a holonomic endothelial layer after 30 days. For the outer TEBVs, neovascularization (vasa vasorum) accompanied by nerve growth was observed around the adventitia on day 90. In conclusion, the designed cell bioreactor consisting of GQD-miR-engineered macrophages can effectively promote endothelialization and neuralization in vivo for TEBVs.

A cotton kinesin GhKCH2 interacts with both microtubules and microfilaments

2009 ◽  
Vol 421 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Xu ◽  
Zhe Qu ◽  
Xueyong Yang ◽  
Xinghua Qin ◽  
Jiyuan Xiong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Processes ◽  
Cross Link ◽  
Binding Ability ◽  
Living Plant ◽  
Gfp Fusion Protein ◽  
Cotton Fibres ◽  
N Terminus ◽  
Cytoskeletal Elements

Many biological processes require the co-operative involvement of both microtubules and microfilaments; however, only a few proteins mediating the interaction between microtubules and microfilaments have been identified from plants. In the present study, a cotton kinesin GhKCH2, which contains a CH (calponin homology) domain at the N-terminus, was analysed in vitro and in vivo in order to understand its interaction with the two cytoskeletal elements. A specific antibody against GhKCH2 was prepared and used for immunolabelling experiments. Some GhKCH2 spots appeared along a few microtubules and microfilaments in developing cotton fibres. The His-tagged N-terminus of GhKCH2 (termed GhKCH2-N) could co-precipitate with microfilaments and strongly bind to actin filaments at a ratio of monomeric actin/GhKCH2-N of 1:0.6. The full-length GhKCH2 recombinant protein was shown to bind to and cross-link microtubules and microfilaments in vitro. A GFP-fusion protein GFP–GhKCH2 transiently overexpressed in Arabidopsis protoplasts decorated both microtubules and microfilaments, confirming the binding ability and specificities of GhKCH2 on microtubules and microfilaments in living plant cells. The results of the present study demonstrate that GhKCH2, a plant-specific microtubule-dependent motor protein, not only interacts with microtubules, but also strongly binds to microfilaments. The cytoskeletal dual-binding and cross-linking ability of GhKCH2 may be involved in the interaction between microtubules and microfilaments and the biological processes they co-ordinate together in cotton cells.

Ultrastructure of melanocyte-keratinocyte interactions and pigment transfer in vitro

1978 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 650-651
Author(s):  
Raul I. Garcia ◽  
Evelyn A. Flynn ◽  
George Szabo
Keyword(s):  
Direct Injection ◽  
Skin Pigmentation ◽  
Freeze Fracture ◽  
Pigment Granule ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Ultrastructural Level ◽  
Lanthanum Tracer ◽  
A Cell

Skin pigmentation in mammals involves the interaction of epidermal melanocytes and keratinocytes in the structural and functional unit known as the Epidermal Melanin Unit. Melanocytes(M) synthesize melanin within specialized membrane-bound organelles, the melanosome or pigment granule. These are subsequently transferred by way of M dendrites to keratinocytes(K) by a mechanism still to be clearly defined. Three different, though not necessarily mutually exclusive, mechanisms of melanosome transfer have been proposed: cytophagocytosis by K of M dendrite tips containing melanosomes, direct injection of melanosomes into the K cytoplasm through a cell-to-cell pore or communicating channel formed by localized fusion of M and K cell membranes, release of melanosomes into the extracellular space(ECS) by exocytosis followed by K uptake using conventional phagocytosis. Variability in methods of transfer has been noted both in vivo and in vitro and there is evidence in support of each transfer mechanism. We Have previously studied M-K interactions in vitro using time-lapse cinemicrography and in vivo at the ultrastructural level using lanthanum tracer and freeze-fracture.

Analysis of the Dynamics of the Electric Capacitance of a Cell Monolayer at the Late Stages of Caco-2 cell Differentiation

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 87-90
Author(s):  
S.V. Nikulin ◽  
V.A. Petrov ◽  
D.A. Sakharov
Keyword(s):  
Impedance Spectroscopy ◽  
Cell Monolayer ◽  
Microfluidic Chips ◽  
Russian Science ◽  
Electric Capacitance ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Static Conditions ◽  
Late Stages

The real-time monitoring of electric capacitance (impedance spectroscopy) allowed obtaining evidence that structures which look like intestinal villi can be formed during the cultivation under static conditions as well as during the cultivation in microfluidic chips. It was shown in this work via transcriptome analysis that the Hh signaling pathway is involved in the formation of villus-like structures in vitro, which was previously shown for their formation in vivo. impedance spectroscopy, intestine, villi, electric capacitance, Hh The study was funded by the Russian Science Foundation (Project 16-19-10597).

scholarly journals Drosophila Hormone Receptor 38 Functions in Metamorphosis: A Role in Adult Cuticle Formation

Genetics ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 149 (3) ◽  
pp. 1465-1475 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Kozlova ◽  
G V Pokholkova ◽  
G Tzertzinis ◽  
J D Sutherland ◽  
I F Zhimulev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pupal Stage ◽  
Transcription Unit ◽  
P Element ◽  
Specific Response ◽  
Orphan Receptors ◽  
Mrna Isoforms ◽  
A Cell ◽  
In Vivo Analysis

Abstract DHR38 is a member of the steroid receptor superfamily in Drosophila homologous to the vertebrate NGFI-B-type orphan receptors. In addition to binding to specific response elements as a monomer, DHR38 interacts with the USP component of the ecdysone receptor complex in vitro, in yeast and in a cell line, suggesting that DHR38 might modulate ecdysone-triggered signals in the fly. We characterized the molecular structure and expression of the Dhr38 gene and initiated an in vivo analysis of its function(s) in development. The Dhr38 transcription unit spans more than 40 kb in length, includes four introns, and produces at least four mRNA isoforms differentially expressed in development; two of these are greatly enriched in the pupal stage and encode nested polypeptides. We characterized four alleles of Dhr38: a P-element enchancer trap line, l(2)02306, which shows exclusively epidermal staining in the late larval, pre-pupal and pupal stages, and three EMS-induced alleles. Dhr38 alleles cause localized fragility and rupturing of the adult cuticle, demonstrating that Dhr38 plays an important role in late stages of epidermal metamorphosis.

scholarly journals Predicting Absorption-Distribution Properties of Neuroprotective Phosphine-Borane Compounds Using In Silico Modeling and Machine Learning

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (9) ◽  
pp. 2505
Author(s):  
Raheem Remtulla ◽  
Sanjoy Kumar Das ◽  
Leonard A. Levin
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Neural Networks ◽  
In Silico ◽  
Disulfide Bonds ◽  
Oral Absorption ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Drug Candidates ◽  
In Silico Methods

Phosphine-borane complexes are novel chemical entities with preclinical efficacy in neuronal and ophthalmic disease models. In vitro and in vivo studies showed that the metabolites of these compounds are capable of cleaving disulfide bonds implicated in the downstream effects of axonal injury. A difficulty in using standard in silico methods for studying these drugs is that most computational tools are not designed for borane-containing compounds. Using in silico and machine learning methodologies, the absorption-distribution properties of these unique compounds were assessed. Features examined with in silico methods included cellular permeability, octanol-water partition coefficient, blood-brain barrier permeability, oral absorption and serum protein binding. The resultant neural networks demonstrated an appropriate level of accuracy and were comparable to existing in silico methodologies. Specifically, they were able to reliably predict pharmacokinetic features of known boron-containing compounds. These methods predicted that phosphine-borane compounds and their metabolites meet the necessary pharmacokinetic features for orally active drug candidates. This study showed that the combination of standard in silico predictive and machine learning models with neural networks is effective in predicting pharmacokinetic features of novel boron-containing compounds as neuroprotective drugs.

scholarly journals Plant Physiology, 2021 Functional redox links between lumen thiol oxidoreductase1 and serine/threonine-protein kinase STN7

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianghao Wu ◽  
Liwei Rong ◽  
Weijun Lin ◽  
Lingxi Kong ◽  
Dengjie Wei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Disulfide Bonds ◽  
Kinase Activity ◽  
Light Harvesting ◽  
Photosynthetic Electron Transport ◽  
State Transitions ◽  
Light Harvesting Complex ◽  
Light Harvesting Complex Ii

Abstract In response to changing light quantity and quality, photosynthetic organisms perform state transitions, a process which optimizes photosynthetic yield and mitigates photo-damage. The serine/threonine-protein kinase STN7 phosphorylates the light-harvesting complex of photosystem II (PSII; light-harvesting complex II), which then migrates from PSII to photosystem I (PSI), thereby rebalancing the light excitation energy between the photosystems and restoring the redox poise of the photosynthetic electron transport chain. Two conserved cysteines forming intra- or intermolecular disulfide bonds in the lumenal domain (LD) of STN7 are essential for the kinase activity although it is still unknown how activation of the kinase is regulated. In this study, we show lumen thiol oxidoreductase 1 (LTO1) is co-expressed with STN7 in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and interacts with the LD of STN7 in vitro and in vivo. LTO1 contains thioredoxin (TRX)-like and vitamin K epoxide reductase domains which are related to the disulfide-bond formation system in bacteria. We further show that the TRX-like domain of LTO1 is able to oxidize the conserved lumenal cysteines of STN7 in vitro. In addition, loss of LTO1 affects the kinase activity of STN7 in Arabidopsis. Based on these results, we propose that LTO1 helps to maintain STN7 in an oxidized active state in state 2 through redox interactions between the lumenal cysteines of STN7 and LTO1.

scholarly journals PapRIV, a BV-2 microglial cell activating quorum sensing peptide

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yorick Janssens ◽  
Nathan Debunne ◽  
Anton De Spiegeleer ◽  
Evelien Wynendaele ◽  
Marta Planas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Cell Model ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Communication Signals ◽  
Gram Positive Bacteria ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Gastro Intestinal Tract

AbstractQuorum sensing peptides (QSPs) are bacterial peptides produced by Gram-positive bacteria to communicate with their peers in a cell-density dependent manner. These peptides do not only act as interbacterial communication signals, but can also have effects on the host. Compelling evidence demonstrates the presence of a gut-brain axis and more specifically, the role of the gut microbiota in microglial functioning. The aim of this study is to investigate microglial activating properties of a selected QSP (PapRIV) which is produced by Bacillus cereus species. PapRIV showed in vitro activating properties of BV-2 microglia cells and was able to cross the in vitro Caco-2 cell model and reach the brain. In vivo peptide presence was also demonstrated in mouse plasma. The peptide caused induction of IL-6, TNFα and ROS expression and increased the fraction of ameboid BV-2 microglia cells in an NF-κB dependent manner. Different metabolites were identified in serum, of which the main metabolite still remained active. PapRIV is thus able to cross the gastro-intestinal tract and the blood–brain barrier and shows in vitro activating properties in BV-2 microglia cells, hereby indicating a potential role of this quorum sensing peptide in gut-brain interaction.

Factors Controlling Electropermeabilisation of Cell Membranes

2002 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
pp. 319-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. P. Rols ◽  
M. Golzio ◽  
B. Gabriel ◽  
J. Teissié
Keyword(s):  
Cell Surface ◽  
Electric Field ◽  
Pulse Duration ◽  
Cell Membranes ◽  
Physical Parameters ◽  
Local Exchange ◽  
Physical Mechanisms ◽  
A Cell

Electric field pulses are a new approach for drug and gene delivery for cancer therapy. They induce a localized structural alteration of cell membranes. The associated physical mechanisms are well explained and can be safely controlled. A position dependent modulation of the membrane potential difference is induced when an electric field is applied to a cell. Electric field pulses with an overcritical intensity evoke a local membrane alteration. A free exchange of hydrophilic low molecular weight molecules takes place across the membrane. A leakage of cytosolic metabolites and a loading of polar drugs into the cytoplasm are obtained. The fraction of the cell surface which is competent for exchange is a function of the field intensity. The level of local exchange is strongly controlled by the pulse duration and the number of successive pulses. The permeabilised state is long lived. Its lifetime is under the control of the cumulated pulse duration. Cell viability can be preserved. Gene transfer is obtained but its mechanism is not a free diffusion. Plasmids are electrophoretically accumulated against the permeabilised cell surface and form aggregates due to the field effect. After the pulses, several steps follow: translocation to the cytoplasm, traffic to the nucleus and expression. Molecular structural and metabolic changes in cells remain mostly poorly understood. Nevertheless, while most studies were established on cells in culture ( in vitro), recent experiments show that similar effects are obtained on tissue ( in vivo). Transfer remains controlled by the physical parameters of the electrical treatment.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document