NAD+ repletion by the PARP inhibitor PJ34 prevents Sarm1 activation and rotenone-induced cell death

The NADase Sarm1 has emerged as an important modulator of programmed axonal degeneration over the past decade but its mode of activation within the cell is not clearly understood. Sarm1 is predominantly expressed in the neurons, kidney and liver but the non-neuronal regulation of Sarm1 remains relatively unexplored. Here we demonstrate that treatment of the human embryonic kidney cell line HEK293 cells with the mitochondrial complex I inhibitor rotenone, induced early loss of NAD+ that preceded induction of Sarm1, a primary mediator of rotenone induced cell death. Interestingly, replenishing NAD+ levels by PARP inhibition, a major NAD+ consumer within the cell, not only restored mitochondrial homeostasis but also prevented subsequent Sarm1 induction by rotenone. These early changes were further marked by a distinct subcellular localization pattern of Sarm1 in the nucleus and the mitochondria that was accompanied by significantly reduced cell death. Taken together, our study provides the first preliminary evidence of temporal regulation of endogenous Sarm1 by fluctuating NAD+ levels induced by rotenone that may act as a biological trigger of Sarm1 activation. This also points towards an important understanding on how PARP inhibitors like PJ34 could be repurposed in the treatment of Sarm1 mediated mitochondrial deficiency disorders.

Functional analysis of the cotton CLE polypeptide signaling gene family in plant growth and development

The CLAVATA3 (CLV3)/EMBRYO SURROUNDING REGION (ESR)–RELATED (CLE) gene family encodes a large number of polypeptide signaling molecules involved in the regulation of shoot apical meristem division and root and vascular bundle development in a variety of plants. CLE family genes encode important short peptide hormones; however, the functions of these signaling polypeptides in cotton remain largely unknown. In the current work, we studied the effects of the CLE family genes on growth and development in cotton. Based on the presence of a conserved CLE motif of 13 amino acids, 93 genes were characterized as GhCLE gene family members, and these were subcategorized into 7 groups. A preliminary analysis of the cotton CLE gene family indicated that the activity of its members tends to be conserved in terms of both the 13-residue conserved domain at the C-terminus and their subcellular localization pattern. Among the 14 tested genes, the ectopic overexpression of GhCLE5::GFP partially mimicked the phenotype of the clv3 mutant in Arabidopsis. GhCLE5 could affect the endogenous CLV3 in binding to the receptor complex, comprised of CLV1, CLV2, and CRN, in the yeast two-hybrid assay and split-luciferase assay. Silencing GhCLE5 in cotton caused a short seedling phenotype. Therefore, we concluded that the cotton GhCLE gene family is functionally conserved in apical shoot development regulation. These results indicate that CLE also plays roles in cotton development as a short peptide hormone.

Wild Soybean Oxalyl-CoA Synthetase Degrades Oxalate and Affects the Tolerance to Cadmium and Aluminum Stresses

Acyl activating enzyme 3 (AAE3) was identified as being involved in the acetylation pathway of oxalate degradation, which regulates the responses to biotic and abiotic stresses in various higher plants. Here, we investigated the role of Glycine sojaAAE3 (GsAAE3) in Cadmium (Cd) and Aluminum (Al) tolerances. The recombinant GsAAE3 protein showed high activity toward oxalate, with a Km of 105.10 ± 12.30 μM and Vmax of 12.64 ± 0.34 μmol min−1 mg−1 protein, suggesting that it functions as an oxalyl–CoA synthetase. The expression of a GsAAE3–green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion protein in tobacco leaves did not reveal a specific subcellular localization pattern of GsAAE3. An analysis of the GsAAE3 expression pattern revealed an increase in GsAAE3 expression in response to Cd and Al stresses, and it is mainly expressed in root tips. Furthermore, oxalate accumulation induced by Cd and Al contributes to the inhibition of root growth in wild soybean. Importantly, GsAAE3 overexpression increases Cd and Al tolerances in A. thaliana and soybean hairy roots, which is associated with a decrease in oxalate accumulation. Taken together, our data provide evidence that the GsAAE3-encoded protein plays an important role in coping with Cd and Al stresses.