Cep55 regulation of PI3K/Akt signaling is required for neocortical development and ciliogenesis

Homozygous nonsense mutations in CEP55 are associated with several congenital malformations that lead to perinatal lethality suggesting that it plays a critical role in regulation of embryonic development. CEP55 has previously been studied as a crucial regulator of cytokinesis, predominantly in transformed cells, and its dysregulation is linked to carcinogenesis. However, its molecular functions during embryonic development in mammals require further investigation. We have generated a Cep55 knockout (Cep55-/-) mouse model which demonstrated preweaning lethality associated with a wide range of neural defects. Focusing our analysis on the neocortex, we show that Cep55-/- embryos exhibited depleted neural stem/progenitor cells in the ventricular zone as a result of significantly increased cellular apoptosis. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that Cep55-loss downregulates the pGsk3β/β-Catenin/Myc axis in an Akt-dependent manner. The elevated apoptosis of neural stem/progenitors was recapitulated using Cep55-deficient human cerebral organoids and we could rescue the phenotype by inhibiting active Gsk3β. Additionally, we show that Cep55-loss leads to a significant reduction of ciliated cells, highlighting a novel role in regulating ciliogenesis. Collectively, our findings demonstrate a critical role of Cep55 during brain development and provide mechanistic insights that may have important implications for genetic syndromes associated with Cep55-loss.

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Cep55 regulation of PI3K/Akt signaling is required for neocortical development and ciliogenesis

10.1101/2021.01.08.425857 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Behnam Rashidieh ◽

Belal Shohayeb ◽

Amanda Louise Bain ◽

Patrick R. J. Fortuna ◽

Debottam Sinha ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Embryonic Development ◽

Ventricular Zone ◽

Critical Role ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Genetic Syndromes ◽

Nonsense Mutations ◽

Wide Range ◽

Neural Stem Progenitor Cells ◽

Cellular Apoptosis ◽

Perinatal Lethality

Homozygous nonsense mutations in CEP55 are associated with several congenital malformations that lead to perinatal lethality suggesting that it plays a critical role in regulation of embryonic development. CEP55 has previously been studied as a critical regulator of cytokinesis predominantly in transformed cells and its deregulation is linked to carcinogenesis. However, its molecular functions during embryonic development in mammals have not been clearly defined. We have generated a Cep55 knockout (Cep55 -/- ) mouse model which demonstrated perinatal lethality associated with a wide range of neural defects. Focusing our analysis on the neocortex, we show that Cep55-/- embryos exhibited depleted neural stem/progenitor cells in the ventricular zone as a result of significantly increased cellular apoptosis. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that Cep55-loss downregulates the pGsk3β/β-Catenin/Myc axis in an Akt-dependent manner. The phenotype was recapitulated using human cerebral organoids and we could rescue the phenotype by inhibiting active Gsk3β. Additionally, we show that Cep55-loss leads to a significant reduction of ciliated cells, highlighting its novel role in regulating ciliogenesis. Collectively, our findings demonstrate a critical role of Cep55 during brain development and provide mechanistic insights that may have important implications for genetic syndromes associated with Cep55-loss.

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A New Story of the Three Magi: Scaffolding Proteins and lncRNA Suppressors of Cancer

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers13174264 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (17) ◽

pp. 4264

Author(s):

Larissa Kotelevets ◽

Eric Chastre

Keyword(s):

Tumor Suppressor ◽

Intracellular Signaling ◽

Cellular Response ◽

Critical Role ◽

Effector Proteins ◽

Tumor Promoter ◽

Hippo Signaling ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Scaffolding Proteins ◽

Wide Range

Scaffolding molecules exert a critical role in orchestrating cellular response through the spatiotemporal assembly of effector proteins as signalosomes. By increasing the efficiency and selectivity of intracellular signaling, these molecules can exert (anti/pro)oncogenic activities. As an archetype of scaffolding proteins with tumor suppressor property, the present review focuses on MAGI1, 2, and 3 (membrane-associated guanylate kinase inverted), a subgroup of the MAGUK protein family, that mediate networks involving receptors, junctional complexes, signaling molecules, and the cytoskeleton. MAGI1, 2, and 3 are comprised of 6 PDZ domains, 2 WW domains, and 1 GUK domain. These 9 protein binding modules allow selective interactions with a wide range of effectors, including the PTEN tumor suppressor, the β-catenin and YAP1 proto-oncogenes, and the regulation of the PI3K/AKT, the Wnt, and the Hippo signaling pathways. The frequent downmodulation of MAGIs in various human malignancies makes these scaffolding molecules and their ligands putative therapeutic targets. Interestingly, MAGI1 and MAGI2 genetic loci generate a series of long non-coding RNAs that act as a tumor promoter or suppressor in a tissue-dependent manner, by selectively sponging some miRNAs or by regulating epigenetic processes. Here, we discuss the different paths followed by the three MAGIs to control carcinogenesis.

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144 ROLE OF GnRH ON MOUSE PRE-IMPLANTATION EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT IN VITRO

Reproduction Fertility and Development ◽

10.1071/rdv17n2ab144 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 222

Author(s):

M. Montagner ◽

A. Cropp ◽

J. Swanson ◽

R. Cederberg ◽

P. Goncalves ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Embryonic Development ◽

Gnrh Agonist ◽

Critical Role ◽

Blastocyst Stage ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Blastocyst Formation ◽

Morula Stage ◽

Development In Vitro ◽

Human Uterine Endometrium

The interaction between GnRH and its receptor on gonadotropes within the anterior pituitary gland represents a key point for regulation of the reproduction. In addition, GnRH can act in multiple extrapituitary tissues via autocrine/paracrine mechanisms. Protein for GnRH and mRNA for both GnRH and its receptor have been detected in human uterine endometrium and oviduct as well as in embryos at the morula/blastocyst stage in the mouse and human. Therefore, we hypothesized that GnRH may have a critical role in the development of pre-implantation embryos. To address this question, we examined the effect of a GnRH agonist and antagonist on the development of mouse embryos in vitro. For these studies, 1-cell embryos were randomly allocated to culture in KSOM containing the appropriate treatment for 144 h at 37°C in a 5% CO2 in air environment. The medium was changed every 12 h and embryos were scored daily for development. The data were compared using a χ2 test. First, we wanted to determine if a GnRH agonist, histrelin, could enhance embryonic development. Embryos were cultured with (n = 35) or without (n = 36) 10 μM histrelin. The addition of histrelin did not increase morula or blastocyst formation v. control. Second, we cultured embryos in the presence of different concentrations (0, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1, and 10 μM) of the GnRH antagonist, SB-75 (cetrorelix; n = 22/treatment) in order to determine its effect on embryonic development. The 10 μM SB-75 treatment blocked embryo development beyond the compact morula stage (P < 0.001). To determine if this was a receptor mediated effect, we attempted to rescue development of SB-75 treated embryos with a histrelin challenge. Our treatments consisted of control (n = 30), 10 μM histrelin (n = 27), 10 μM SB-75 (n = 29), and 10 μM SB-75 in combination with either 1 μM (n = 27) or 10 μM (n = 25) histrelin. Both levels of histrelin partially rescued the inhibition of blastocyst formation by SB-75 (P < 0.01). Next, we were interested in examining the signaling cascade activated following binding of GnRH to its receptor in pre-implantation embryos. Toward this end, we treated embryos with inhibitors of either PKC or PKA. First, embryos were cultured in the presence of 0 (n = 33), 0.1 (n = 35), 1 (n = 35), or 10 (n = 35) μM GF109203X (GFX), a PKC inhibitor. Similar to the results obtained with SB-75, treatment with 10 μM GFX significantly reduced development to the compact morula stage and completely blocked blastocyst formation. Second, we treated embryos (n = 15 to 17/treatment) with different concentrations (0, 0.01, 0.1, 0.5, or 1 mM) of the PKA inhibitor, SQ22536. In contrast to treatment with GFX, rates of blastocyst formation were decreased only by 35% (P < 0.05) at the highest concentration of SQ22536. The percentage of embryos developing to the hatched blastocyst stage was decreased in a dose-dependent manner following SQ22536 treatment (P < 0.05); however, this effect was not consistent with SB-75 inhibition of blastocyst formation. We suggest that GnRH has an important autocrine effect on early embryonic development, potentially signaling via PKC. Funding for M Montagner was provided by CAPES, Brazil.

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Synaptic Depression in Conjunction With A-Current Channels Promote Phase Constancy in a Rhythmic Network

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.00640.2004 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 93 (2) ◽

pp. 656-677 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Idan Greenberg ◽

Yair Manor

Keyword(s):

Critical Role ◽

Central Pattern Generators ◽

Theoretical Work ◽

Synaptic Depression ◽

Inhibitory Synapses ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Detailed Model ◽

Wide Range ◽

Phase Constancy ◽

A Current

In many central pattern generators, pairs of neurons maintain an approximately fixed phase despite large changes in the frequency. The mechanisms underlying phase maintenance are not clear. Previous theoretical work suggested that inhibitory synapses that show short-term depression could play a critical role in this respect. In this work we examine how the interaction between synaptic depression and the kinetics of a transient potassium (A-like) current could be advantageous for phase constancy in a rhythmic network. To demonstrate the mechanism in the context of a realistic central pattern generator, we constructed a detailed model of the crustacean pyloric circuit. The frequency of the rhythm was modified by changing the level of a ligand-activated current in one of the pyloric neurons. We examined how the time difference of firing activities between two selected neurons in this circuit is affected by synaptic depression, A-current, and a combination of the two. We tuned the parameters of the model such that with synaptic depression alone, or A-current alone, phase was not maintained between these two neurons. However, when these two components came together, they acted synergistically to maintain the phase across a wide range of cycle periods. This suggests that synaptic depression may be necessary to allow an A-current to delay a postsynaptic neuron in a frequency-dependent manner, such that phase invariance is ensured.

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The Natural Flavonoid Naringenin Inhibits the Cell Growth of WilmsTumorinChildren by Suppressing TLR4/NF-κB Signaling

Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry ◽

10.2174/1871520620999200818155814 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 ◽

Author(s):

Hongtao Li ◽

Peng Chen ◽

Lei Chen ◽

Xinning Wang

Keyword(s):

Cell Growth ◽

Western Blot ◽

Wilms Tumor ◽

Critical Role ◽

Time Dependent ◽

Luciferase Assay ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Tlr4 Expression ◽

Protein Levels

Background: Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) is usually activated in Wilms tumor (WT) cells and plays a critical role in WT development. Objective: The study purpose was to screen a NF-κB inhibitor from natural product library and explore its effects on WT development. Methods: Luciferase assay was employed to assess the effects of natural chemical son NF-κB activity. CCK-8 assay was conducted to assess cell growth in response to naringenin. WT xenograft model was established to analyze the effect of naringenin in vivo. Quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot were performed to examine the mRNA and protein levels of relative genes, respectively. Results: Naringenin displayed significant inhibitory effect on NF-κB activation in SK-NEP-1 cells. In SK-NEP-1 and G-401 cells, naringenin inhibited p65 phosphorylation. Moreover, naringenin suppressed TNF-α-induced p65 phosphorylation in WT cells. Naringenin inhibited TLR4 expression at both mRNA and protein levels in WT cells. CCK-8 staining showed that naringenin inhibited cell growth of the two above WT cells in dose-and time-dependent manner, whereas Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) over expression partially reversed the above phenomena. Besides, naringenin suppressed WT tumor growth in dose-and time-dependent manner in vivo. Western blot found that naringenin inhibited TLR4 expression and p65 phosphorylation in WT xenograft tumors. Conclusion: Naringenin inhibits WT development viasuppressing TLR4/NF-κB signaling

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Shooting a Tiger

10.1093/oso/9780199489381.001.0001 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Vijaya Ramadas Mandala

Keyword(s):

Critical Role ◽

Late Nineteenth Century ◽

Way Of Life ◽

Colonial India ◽

British Raj ◽

Early Colonial ◽

Wide Range ◽

Forest Legislation ◽

Imperial Governance ◽

North And South

The main contention of Shooting a Tiger is that hunting during the colonial period was not merely a recreational activity, but a practice intimately connected with imperial governance. The book positions shikar or hunting at the heart of colonial rule by demonstrating that, for the British in India, it served as a political, practical, and symbolic apparatus in the consolidation of power and rule during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The book analyses early colonial hunting during the Company period, and then surveys different aspects of hunting during the high imperial decades in the later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The book draws upon an impressive array of archival material and uses a wide range of evidence to support its contentions. It examines hunting at a variety of social and ethnic levels—military, administrative, elite, princely India, Indian professional hunters, and in terms of Indian auxiliaries and (sometimes) resisters. It also deals with different geographical contexts—the plains, the mountains, north and south India. The exclusive privilege of hunting exercised by the ruling classes, following colonial forest legislation, continued to be extended to the Indian princes who played a critical role in sustaining the lavish hunts that became the hallmark of the late nineteenth-century British Raj. Hunting was also a way of life in colonial India, undertaken by officials and soldiers alike alongside their everyday duties, necessary for their mental sustenance and vital for the smooth operation of the colonial administration. There are also two final chapters on conservation, particularly the last chapter focusing on two British hunter-turned-conservationists, Jim Corbett and Colonel Richard Burton.

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A Bacterial Tower of Babel: Quorum-Sensing Signaling Diversity and Its Evolution

Annual Review of Microbiology ◽

10.1146/annurev-micro-012220-063740 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 74 (1) ◽

pp. 587-606 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nitzan Aframian ◽

Avigdor Eldar

Keyword(s):

Quorum Sensing ◽

Social Interactions ◽

Signal Molecules ◽

Allelic Polymorphism ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Tower Of Babel ◽

Cognate Receptor ◽

Wide Range ◽

Family Code ◽

Bacterial Groups

Quorum sensing is a process in which bacteria secrete and sense a diffusible molecule, thereby enabling bacterial groups to coordinate their behavior in a density-dependent manner. Quorum sensing has evolved multiple times independently, utilizing different molecular pathways and signaling molecules. A common theme among many quorum-sensing families is their wide range of signaling diversity—different variants within a family code for different signal molecules with a cognate receptor specific to each variant. This pattern of vast allelic polymorphism raises several questions—How do different signaling variants interact with one another? How is this diversity maintained? And how did it come to exist in the first place? Here we argue that social interactions between signaling variants can explain the emergence and persistence of signaling diversity throughout evolution. Finally, we extend the discussion to include cases where multiple diverse systems work in concert in a single bacterium.

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Growth Promotion or Osmotic Stress Response: How SNF1-Related Protein Kinase 2 (SnRK2) Kinases Are Activated and Manage Intracellular Signaling in Plants

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants10071443 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 1443

Author(s):

Yoshiaki Kamiyama ◽

Sotaro Katagiri ◽

Taishi Umezawa

Keyword(s):

Protein Kinase ◽

Plant Growth ◽

Osmotic Stress ◽

Protein Function ◽

Intracellular Signaling ◽

Growth Promotion ◽

Research Field ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Related Protein ◽

Wide Range

Reversible phosphorylation is a major mechanism for regulating protein function and controls a wide range of cellular functions including responses to external stimuli. The plant-specific SNF1-related protein kinase 2s (SnRK2s) function as central regulators of plant growth and development, as well as tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses. Although the activity of SnRK2s is tightly regulated in a phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA)-dependent manner, recent investigations have revealed that SnRK2s can be activated by group B Raf-like protein kinases independently of ABA. Furthermore, evidence is accumulating that SnRK2s modulate plant growth through regulation of target of rapamycin (TOR) signaling. Here, we summarize recent advances in knowledge of how SnRK2s mediate plant growth and osmotic stress signaling and discuss future challenges in this research field.

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Arginine Decarboxylase Is Essential for Pneumococcal Stress Responses

Pathogens ◽

10.3390/pathogens10030286 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 286

Author(s):

Mary Frances Nakamya ◽

Moses B. Ayoola ◽

Leslie A. Shack ◽

Mirghani Mohamed ◽

Edwin Swiatlo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stress Responses ◽

Critical Role ◽

Acid Stress ◽

Arginine Decarboxylase ◽

Arginine Deiminase ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Cellular Processes ◽

Opportunistic Human Pathogen ◽

Thiol Peroxidase ◽

The Impact

Polyamines such as putrescine, cadaverine, and spermidine are small cationic molecules that play significant roles in cellular processes, including bacterial stress responses and host–pathogen interactions. Streptococcus pneumoniae is an opportunistic human pathogen, which causes several diseases that account for significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. As it transits through different host niches, S. pneumoniae is exposed to and must adapt to different types of stress in the host microenvironment. We earlier reported that S. pneumoniae TIGR4, which harbors an isogenic deletion of an arginine decarboxylase (ΔspeA), an enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of agmatine in the polyamine synthesis pathway, has a reduced capsule. Here, we report the impact of arginine decarboxylase deletion on pneumococcal stress responses. Our results show that ΔspeA is more susceptible to oxidative, nitrosative, and acid stress compared to the wild-type strain. Gene expression analysis by qRT-PCR indicates that thiol peroxidase, a scavenger of reactive oxygen species and aguA from the arginine deiminase system, could be important for peroxide stress responses in a polyamine-dependent manner. Our results also show that speA is essential for endogenous hydrogen peroxide and glutathione production in S. pneumoniae. Taken together, our findings demonstrate the critical role of arginine decarboxylase in pneumococcal stress responses that could impact adaptation and survival in the host.

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CRL4-DCAF12 Ubiquitin Ligase Controls MOV10 RNA Helicase during Spermatogenesis and T Cell Activation

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22105394 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (10) ◽

pp. 5394

Author(s):

Tomas Lidak ◽

Nikol Baloghova ◽

Vladimir Korinek ◽

Radislav Sedlacek ◽

Jana Balounova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

T Cell ◽

T Cell Activation ◽

Ubiquitin Ligase ◽

Cell Activation ◽

Rna Helicase ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Amino Acid Residues ◽

Risc Complex ◽

Wide Range

Multisubunit cullin-RING ubiquitin ligase 4 (CRL4)-DCAF12 recognizes the C-terminal degron containing acidic amino acid residues. However, its physiological roles and substrates are largely unknown. Purification of CRL4-DCAF12 complexes revealed a wide range of potential substrates, including MOV10, an “ancient” RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) complex RNA helicase. We show that DCAF12 controls the MOV10 protein level via its C-terminal motif in a proteasome- and CRL-dependent manner. Next, we generated Dcaf12 knockout mice and demonstrated that the DCAF12-mediated degradation of MOV10 is conserved in mice and humans. Detailed analysis of Dcaf12-deficient mice revealed that their testes produce fewer mature sperms, phenotype accompanied by elevated MOV10 and imbalance in meiotic markers SCP3 and γ-H2AX. Additionally, the percentages of splenic CD4+ T and natural killer T (NKT) cell populations were significantly altered. In vitro, activated Dcaf12-deficient T cells displayed inappropriately stabilized MOV10 and increased levels of activated caspases. In summary, we identified MOV10 as a novel substrate of CRL4-DCAF12 and demonstrated the biological relevance of the DCAF12-MOV10 pathway in spermatogenesis and T cell activation.

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