scholarly journals Two pathways for thiosulfate oxidation in the alphaproteobacterial chemolithotrophParacoccus thiocyanatusSST

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moidu Jameela Rameez ◽  
Prosenjit Pyne ◽  
Subhrangshu Mandal ◽  
Sumit Chatterjee ◽  
Masrure Alam ◽  
...  

AbstractChemolithotrophic bacteria oxidize various sulfur species for energy and electrons, thereby operationalizing biogeochemical sulfur cycles in nature. The best-studied pathway of bacterial sulfur-chemolithotrophy, involving direct oxidation of thiosulfate to sulfate (without any free intermediate) by the SoxXAYZBCD multienzyme system, is apparently the exclusive mechanism of thiosulfate oxidation in facultatively chemolithotrophic alphaproteobacteria. Here we explore the molecular mechanisms of sulfur oxidation in the thiosulfate- and tetrathionate-oxidizing alphaproteobacteriumParacoccus thiocyanatusSST, and compare them with the prototypical Sox process characterized inParacoccus pantotrophus. Our results revealed the unique case where, an alphaproteobacterium has Sox as its secondary pathway of thiosulfate oxidation, converting ∼10% of the thiosulfate supplied whilst 90% of the substrate is oxidized via a Tetrathionate-Intermediate pathway. Knock-out mutation, followed by the study of sulfur oxidation kinetics, showed that thiosulfate-to-tetrathionate conversion, in SST, is catalyzed by a thiosulfate dehydrogenase (TsdA) homolog that has far-higher substrate-affinity than the Sox system of this bacterium, which, remarkably, is also less efficient than theP. pantotrophusSox.soxB-deletion in SST abolished sulfate-formation from thiosulfate/tetrathionate while thiosulfate-to-tetrathionate conversion remained unperturbed. Physiological studies revealed the involvement of glutathione in SST tetrathionate oxidation. However, zero impact of the knock-out of a thiol dehydrotransferase (thdT) homolog, together with no production of sulfite as an intermediate, indicated that tetrathionate oxidation in SST is mechanistically novel, and distinct from its betaproteobacterial counterpart mediated by glutathione, ThdT, SoxBCD and sulfite:acceptor oxidoreductase. All the present findings collectively highlight extensive functional diversification of sulfur-oxidizing enzymes across phylogenetically close, as well as distant, bacteria.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subhrangshu Mandal ◽  
Moidu Jameela Rameez ◽  
Prosenjit Pyne ◽  
Sabyasachi Bhattacharya ◽  
Jagannath Sarkar ◽  
...  

AbstractMolecular mechanism of chemolithotrophic sulfur oxidation in Betaproteobacteria is less explored than that in Alphaproteobacteria. Here we carried out whole genome sequencing and analysis of a new betaproteobacterial isolate Pusillimonas ginsengisoli SBSA which oxidizes thiosulfate via formation tetrathionate as an intermediate. The 4.7-Mb SBSA genome was found to encompass a complete soxCDYZAXOB operon, plus one thiosulfate dehydrogenase (tsdA) and sulfite:acceptor oxidoreductase (sorAB) genes. Recombination-based knock-out of tsdA revealed that the entire thiosulfate oxidized by SBSA is first converted to tetrathionate, and no thiosulfate is directly converted to sulfate as typical of the Alphaproteobacterial Sox pathway whereas its tetrathionate-oxidizing ability was as good as that of the wild-type. The ∆soxYZ knock-out mutant exhibited wild-type-like phenotype for thiosulfate/tetrathionate oxidation, whereas ∆soxB oxidized thiosulfate only up to tetrathionate and had complete impairment of tetrathionate oxidation. However, substrate-dependent O2-consumption rate of whole cells, and sulfur-oxidizing enzyme activities of cell-free extracts, measured in the presence/absence of thiol-inhibitors/glutathione, indicated that glutathione plays a key role in SBSA tetrathionate oxidation. All the present findings collectively indicated that glutathione:tetrathionate coupling in Pusillimonas ginsengisoli may involve some unknown proteins other than thiol dehydrotransferase(ThdT), while subsequent oxidation of the potential glutathione:sulfodisulfane and sulfite molecules produced may proceed via soxBCD action.


2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 194-199
Author(s):  
Wioletta Ratajczak-Wrona ◽  
Ewa Jablonska

Background: Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) play a crucial role in the innate immune system’s response to microbial pathogens through the release of reactive nitrogen species, including Nitric Oxide (NO). </P><P> Methods: In neutrophils, NO is produced by the inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase (iNOS), which is regulated by various signaling pathways and transcription factors. N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a potential human carcinogen, affects immune cells. NDMA plays a major part in the growing incidence of cancers. Thanks to the increasing knowledge on the toxicological role of NDMA, the environmental factors that condition the exposure to this compound, especially its precursors- nitrates arouse wide concern. Results: In this article, we present a detailed summary of the molecular mechanisms of NDMA’s effect on the iNOS-dependent NO production in human neutrophils. Conclusion: This research contributes to a more complete understanding of the mechanisms that explain the changes that occur during nonspecific cellular responses to NDMA toxicity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 4269
Author(s):  
Simona Gribaudo ◽  
Daniele Saraulli ◽  
Giulia Nato ◽  
Sara Bonzano ◽  
Giovanna Gambarotta ◽  
...  

Neurogranin (Ng) is a brain-specific postsynaptic protein, whose role in modulating Ca2+/calmodulin signaling in glutamatergic neurons has been linked to enhancement in synaptic plasticity and cognitive functions. Accordingly, Ng knock-out (Ng-ko) mice display hippocampal-dependent learning and memory impairments associated with a deficit in long-term potentiation induction. In the adult olfactory bulb (OB), Ng is expressed by a large population of GABAergic granule cells (GCs) that are continuously generated during adult life, undergo high synaptic remodeling in response to the sensory context, and play a key role in odor processing. However, the possible implication of Ng in OB plasticity and function is yet to be investigated. Here, we show that Ng expression in the OB is associated with the mature state of adult-born GCs, where its active-phosphorylated form is concentrated at post-synaptic sites. Constitutive loss of Ng in Ng-ko mice resulted in defective spine density in adult-born GCs, while their survival remained unaltered. Moreover, Ng-ko mice show an impaired odor-reward associative memory coupled with reduced expression of the activity-dependent transcription factor Zif268 in olfactory GCs. Overall, our data support a role for Ng in the molecular mechanisms underlying GC plasticity and the formation of olfactory associative memory.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (15) ◽  
pp. 7856
Author(s):  
Sang Min Lee ◽  
Kyung-No Son ◽  
Dhara Shah ◽  
Marwan Ali ◽  
Arun Balasubramaniam ◽  
...  

Macrophages play a critical role in the inflammatory response to environmental triggers, such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Inflammatory signaling through macrophages and the innate immune system are increasingly recognized as important contributors to multiple acute and chronic disease processes. Nitric oxide (NO) is a free radical that plays an important role in immune and inflammatory responses as an important intercellular messenger. In addition, NO has an important role in inflammatory responses in mucosal environments such as the ocular surface. Histatin peptides are well-established antimicrobial and wound healing agents. These peptides are important in multiple biological systems, playing roles in responses to the environment and immunomodulation. Given the importance of macrophages in responses to environmental triggers and pathogens, we investigated the effect of histatin-1 (Hst1) on LPS-induced inflammatory responses and the underlying molecular mechanisms in RAW264.7 (RAW) macrophages. LPS-induced inflammatory signaling, NO production and cytokine production in macrophages were tested in response to treatment with Hst1. Hst1 application significantly reduced LPS-induced NO production, inflammatory cytokine production, and inflammatory signaling through the JNK and NF-kB pathways in RAW cells. These results demonstrate that Hst1 can inhibit LPS-induced inflammatory mediator production and MAPK signaling pathways in macrophages.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 389-401
Author(s):  
Alicia Hurtado ◽  
Rogelio Palomino ◽  
Ina Georg ◽  
Miguel Lao ◽  
Francisca M Real ◽  
...  

Abstract The identification of new genes involved in sexual development and gonadal function as potential candidates causing male infertility is important for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Deficiency of the onco-miRNA cluster miR-17∼92 has been shown to disrupt spermatogenesis, whereas mutations in its paralog cluster, miR-106b∼25, that is expressed in the same cells, were reported to have no effect on testis development and function. The aim of this work is to determine the role of these two miRNA clusters in spermatogenesis and male fertility. For this, we analyzed miR-106b∼25 and miR-17∼92 single and double mouse mutants and compared them to control mice. We found that miR-106b∼25 knock out testes show reduced size, oligozoospermia and altered spermatogenesis. Transcriptomic analysis showed that multiple molecular pathways are deregulated in these mutant testes. Nevertheless, mutant males conserved normal fertility even when early spermatogenesis and other functions were disrupted. In contrast, miR-17∼92+/−; miR-106b∼25−/− double mutants showed severely disrupted testicular histology and significantly reduced fertility. Our results indicate that miR-106b∼25 and miR-17∼92 ensure accurate gene expression levels in the adult testis, keeping them within the required thresholds. They play a crucial role in testis homeostasis and are required to maintain male fertility. Hence, we have identified new candidate genetic factors to be screened in the molecular diagnosis of human males with reproductive disorders. Finally, considering the well-known oncogenic nature of these two clusters and the fact that patients with reduced fertility are more prone to testicular cancer, our results might also help to elucidate the molecular mechanisms linking both pathologies.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Song Chen ◽  
Ran Ding ◽  
Yan Zhou ◽  
Xian Zhang ◽  
Rui Zhu ◽  
...  

YCP, as a kind of natural polysaccharides from the mycelium of marine filamentous fungusPhoma herbarumYS4108, has great antitumor potentialviaenhancement of host immune response, but little is known about the molecular mechanisms. In the present study, we mainly focused on the effects and mechanisms of YCP on the specific immunity mediated by dendritic cells (DCs) and T cells. T cell /DC activation-related factors including interferon- (IFN-)γ, interleukin-12 (IL-12), and IL-4 were examined with ELISA. Receptor knock-out mice and fluorescence-activated cell sorting are used to analyze the YCP-binding receptor of T cells and DCs. RT-PCR is utilized to measure MAGE-A3 for analyzing the tumor-specific killing effect. In our study, we demonstrated YCP can provide the second signal for T cell activation, proliferation, and IFN-γproduction through binding to toll-like receptor- (TLR-) 2 and TLR-4. YCP could effectively promote IL-12 secretion and expression of markers (CD80, CD86, and MHC II)viaTLR-4 on DCs. Antigen-specific immunity against mouse melanoma cells was strengthened through the activation of T cells and the enhancement of capacity of DCs by YCP. The data supported that YCP can exhibit specific immunomodulatory capacity mediated by T cells and DCs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 220 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Camillo ◽  
Nicola Facchinello ◽  
Giulia Villari ◽  
Giulia Mana ◽  
Noemi Gioelli ◽  
...  

Dynamic modulation of endothelial cell-to-cell and cell–to–extracellular matrix (ECM) adhesion is essential for blood vessel patterning and functioning. Yet the molecular mechanisms involved in this process have not been completely deciphered. We identify the adhesion G protein–coupled receptor (ADGR) Latrophilin 2 (LPHN2) as a novel determinant of endothelial cell (EC) adhesion and barrier function. In cultured ECs, endogenous LPHN2 localizes at ECM contacts, signals through cAMP/Rap1, and inhibits focal adhesion (FA) formation and nuclear localization of YAP/TAZ transcriptional regulators, while promoting tight junction (TJ) assembly. ECs also express an endogenous LPHN2 ligand, fibronectin leucine-rich transmembrane 2 (FLRT2), that prevents ECM-elicited EC behaviors in an LPHN2-dependent manner. Vascular ECs of lphn2a knock-out zebrafish embryos become abnormally stretched, display a hyperactive YAP/TAZ pathway, and lack proper intercellular TJs. Consistently, blood vessels are hyperpermeable, and intravascularly injected cancer cells extravasate more easily in lphn2a null animals. Thus, LPHN2 ligands, such as FLRT2, may be therapeutically exploited to interfere with cancer metastatic dissemination.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonja Lj. Joksimovic ◽  
J. Grayson Evans ◽  
William E. McIntire ◽  
Peihan Orestes ◽  
Paula Q. Barrett ◽  
...  

Our previous studies implicated glycosylation of the CaV3.2 isoform of T-type Ca2+ channels (T-channels) in the development of Type 2 painful peripheral diabetic neuropathy (PDN). Here we investigated biophysical mechanisms underlying the modulation of recombinant CaV3.2 channel by de-glycosylation enzymes such as neuraminidase (NEU) and PNGase-F (PNG), as well as their behavioral and biochemical effects in painful PDN Type 1. In our in vitro study we used whole-cell recordings of current-voltage relationships to confirm that CaV3.2 current densities were decreased ~2-fold after de-glycosylation. Furthermore, de-glycosylation induced a significant depolarizing shift in the steady-state relationships for activation and inactivation while producing little effects on the kinetics of current deactivation and recovery from inactivation. PDN was induced in vivo by injections of streptozotocin (STZ) in adult female C57Bl/6j wild type (WT) mice, adult female Sprague Dawley rats and CaV3.2 knock-out (KO mice). Either NEU or vehicle (saline) were locally injected into the right hind paws or intrathecally. We found that injections of NEU, but not vehicle, completely reversed thermal and mechanical hyperalgesia in diabetic WT rats and mice. In contrast, NEU did not alter baseline thermal and mechanical sensitivity in the CaV3.2 KO mice which also failed to develop painful PDN. Finally, we used biochemical methods with gel-shift analysis to directly demonstrate that N-terminal fragments of native CaV3.2 channels in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) are glycosylated in both healthy and diabetic animals. Our results demonstrate that in sensory neurons glycosylation-induced alterations in CaV3.2 channels in vivo directly enhance diabetic hyperalgesia, and that glycosylation inhibitors can be used to ameliorate painful symptoms in Type 1 diabetes. We expect that our studies may lead to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying painful PDN in an effort to facilitate the discovery of novel treatments for this intractable disease.


Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (Suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliane Hannemann ◽  
Antonia Glatzel ◽  
Jonas Hillig ◽  
Julia Zummack ◽  
Rainer H Boeger

Introduction: Chronic hypoxia causes persistent pulmonary vasoconstriction and leads to pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular hypertrophy. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is an endogenous inhibitor of NO synthesis; its level increases in hypoxia concomitantly with reduced activity of dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolases (DDAH-1 and DDAH-2), the enzymes metabolizing ADMA. DDAH knockout models may therefore help to understand the pathophysiological roles of this enzyme and its substrate, ADMA, in the development of hypoxia-associated pulmonary hypertension. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that DDAH1 knock-out mice have an attenuated hypoxia-induced elevation of ADMA and reduced right ventricular hypertrophy. Methods: DDAH1 knock-out mice (KO) and their wild-type littermates (WT) were subjected to normoxia (NX) or hypoxia (HX) during 21 days. We measured ADMA concentration in plasma, DDAH1 and DDAH2 expression in the lung, right ventricular hypertrophy by the Fulton index, cardiomyocyte hypertrophy by dystrophin staining of heart tissues, and muscularization of pulmonary arterioles by CD31 and α-actin staining of lung sections. Results: DDAH1 KO mice had higher ADMA concentration than WT under NX (2.31±0.33 μmol/l vs. 1.20±0.17 μmol/l; p < 0.05). ADMA significantly increased in WT-HX (to 1.74±0.86 μmol/l; p < 0.05 vs. normoxia), whilst it did not further increase in KO-HX (2.58±0.58 μmol/l; p = n.s.). This was paralleled by a 38±13% reduction in DDAH1 mRNA but not DDAH2 mRNA expression, and reduced DDAH protein expression. We observed right ventricular hypertrophy under hypoxia in both, WT and KO mice, with no significant differences between both genotypes. Further, cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and pulmonary arteriolar muscularization were significantly increased by hypoxia, but not significantly different between WT and KO mice. Conclusions: We conclude that chronic hypoxia causes an elevation of ADMA, which impairs NO production and leads to endothelial dysfunction and vasoconstriction. Downregulation of DDAH expression and activity may be involved in this; however, knockout of DDAH1 does not modify the pathophysiological changes in remodeling of the pulmonary vasculature and the right ventricle.


2005 ◽  
Vol 280 (23) ◽  
pp. 21739-21747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillermo J. Pérez

Tamoxifen has been reported to directly activate large conductance calcium-activated potassium (KCa) channels through the KCa β1 subunit, suggesting a cardio-protective role of this compound. The present study using knock-out (KO) mice for the KCa channel β1 subunit was aimed at understanding the molecular mechanisms of the effects of tamoxifen on arterial smooth muscle KCa channels. Single channel studies were conducted in excised patches from cerebral artery myocytes from both wild-type and KO animals. The present data demonstrated that tamoxifen can inhibit arterial KCa channels due to a major decrease in channel open probability (Po), a mechanism different from the reduction in single channel amplitude reported previously and also observed in the present work. A tamoxifen-induced decrease in Po was present in arterial KCa channels from both wild-type and β1 KO animals. This inhibition was concentration-dependent and partially reversible with a half-maximal concentration constant IC50 of 2.6 μm. The effect of tamoxifen was actually dual Single channel kinetic analysis showed that tamoxifen shortens both mean closed time and mean open time; the latter is probably due to an intermediate duration voltage-independent blocking mechanism. Thus, tamoxifen block would predominate when KCa channel Po is >0.1–0.2, limiting the maximum Po, whereas a leftward shift in voltage or Ca2+ activation curves can be observed for Po values lower than those values. This dual effect of tamoxifen appears to be independent of the β1 subunit. The molecular specificity of tamoxifen, or eventually other xenoestrogen derivatives, for the KCa channel β1 subunit is uncertain.


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