scholarly journals Existence and functions of hypothalamic kisspeptin neuropeptide signaling system in a non-chordate deuterostome species

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianming Wang ◽  
Zheng Cao ◽  
Zhangfei Shen ◽  
Jingwen Yang ◽  
Xu Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intracellular Signaling ◽  
Apostichopus Japonicus ◽  
Receptor Internalization ◽  
Neurosecretory System ◽  
Vertebrate Lineage ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
And Function ◽  
First Time ◽  
New Evidence

AbstractThe kisspeptin (Kp) system is a central modulator of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in vertebrates. Its existence outside the vertebrate lineage remains largely unknown. Here we report the identification and characterization of Kp system in the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus. The gene encoding the Kp precursor, generates two mature neuropeptides, AjKiss1a and AjKiss1b. The Kp receptors, AjKissR1 and AjKissR2, are strongly activated by synthetic A. japonicus and vertebrate Kps, triggering a rapid intracellular mobilization of Ca2+, followed by receptor internalization. AjKissR1 and AjKissR2 share similar intracellular signaling pathways via Gαq/PLC/PKC/MAPK cascade, when activated by C-terminal decapeptide (AjKiss1b-10). The A. japonicus Kp system functions in mutiple tissues which are closely related to reproduction and metabolism. Overall, our findings uncover for the first time, to our knowledge, the existence and function of the Kp system in a non-chordate species and provide new evidence to support the ancient origin of the hypothalamic neurosecretory system.

scholarly journals Existence and functions of a kisspeptin neuropeptide signaling system in a non-chordate deuterostome species

eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianming Wang ◽  
Zheng Cao ◽  
Zhangfei Shen ◽  
Jingwen Yang ◽  
Xu Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intracellular Signaling ◽  
Apostichopus Japonicus ◽  
Molecular System ◽  
Receptor Internalization ◽  
Vertebrate Lineage ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
And Function ◽  
First Time ◽  
New Evidence

The kisspeptin system is a central modulator of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in vertebrates. Its existence outside the vertebrate lineage remains largely unknown. Here, we report the identification and characterization of the kisspeptin system in the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus. The gene encoding the kisspeptin precursor generates two mature neuropeptides, AjKiss1a and AjKiss1b. The receptors for these neuropeptides, AjKissR1 and AjKissR2, are strongly activated by synthetic A. japonicus and vertebrate kisspeptins, triggering a rapid intracellular mobilization of Ca2+, followed by receptor internalization. AjKissR1 and AjKissR2 share similar intracellular signaling pathways via Gαq/PLC/PKC/MAPK cascade, when activated by C-terminal decapeptide. The A. japonicus kisspeptin system functions in multiple tissues that are closely related to seasonal reproduction and metabolism. Overall, our findings uncover for the first time the existence and function of the kisspeptin system in a non-chordate species and provide new evidence to support the ancient origin of intracellular signaling and physiological functions that are mediated by this molecular system.

scholarly journals Molecular Characterization of the Gene Encoding a New AmpC β-Lactamase in a Clinical Strain of Acinetobacter Genomic Species 3

2004 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 1374-1378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro Beceiro ◽  
Lourdes Dominguez ◽  
Anna Ribera ◽  
Jordi Vila ◽  
Francisca Molina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nucleotide Sequence ◽  
Molecular Characterization ◽  
Biochemical Properties ◽  
Clinical Strain ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Genomic Species ◽  
First Time

ABSTRACT A presumptive chromosomal cephalosporinase (pI, 9.0) from a clinical strain of Acinetobacter genomic species 3 (AG3) is reported. The nucleotide sequence of this β-lactamase shows for the first time the gene encoding an AmpC enzyme in AG3. In addition, the biochemical properties of the novel AG3 AmpC β-lactamase are reported

scholarly journals Isolation, purification and characterization of an ascorbate peroxidase from celery and overexpression of the AgAPX1 gene enhanced ascorbate content and drought tolerance in Arabidopsis

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie-Xia Liu ◽  
Kai Feng ◽  
Ao-Qi Duan ◽  
Hui Li ◽  
Qing-Qing Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drought Stress ◽  
Ascorbate Peroxidase ◽  
Drought Resistance ◽  
Stomatal Closure ◽  
High Survival ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Sds Page ◽  
Relative Water ◽  
New Evidence

Abstract Background Celery is a widely cultivated vegetable abundant in ascorbate (AsA), a natural plant antioxidant capable of scavenging free radicals generated by abiotic stress in plants. Ascorbate peroxidase (APX) is a plant antioxidant enzyme that is important in the synthesis of AsA and scavenging of excess hydrogen peroxide. However, the characteristics and functions of APX in celery remain unclear to date. Results In this study, a gene encoding APX was cloned from celery and named AgAPX1. The transcription level of the AgAPX1 gene was significantly upregulated under drought stress. AgAPX1 was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) and purified. The predicted molecular mass of rAgAPX1 was 33.16 kDa, which was verified by SDS-PAGE assay. The optimum pH and temperature for rAgAPX1 were 7.0 and 55 °C, respectively. Transgenic Arabidopsis hosting the AgAPX1 gene showed elevated AsA content, antioxidant capacity and drought resistance. Less decrease in net photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll content, and relative water content contributed to the high survival rate of transgenic Arabidopsis lines after drought. Conclusions The characteristics of APX in celery were different from that in other species. The enhanced drought resistance of overexpressing AgAPX1 in Arabidopsis may be achieved by increasing the accumulation of AsA, enhancing the activities of various antioxidant enzymes, and promoting stomatal closure. Our work provides new evidence to understand APX and its response mechanisms to drought stress in celery.

scholarly journals Ontogenic, phenotypic, and functional characterization of XCR1+ dendritic cells leads to a consistent classification of intestinal dendritic cells based on the expression of XCR1 and SIRPα

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Becker ◽  
Steffen Güttler ◽  
Annabell Bachem ◽  
Evelyn Hartung ◽  
Ahmed Mora ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dendritic Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Cross Presentation ◽  
Intestinal Immune System ◽  
Lineage Marker ◽  
And Function ◽  
First Time

In the past, lack of lineage markers confounded the classification of dendritic cells (DC) in the intestine and impeded a full understanding of their location and function. We have recently shown that the chemokine receptor XCR1 is a lineage marker for cross-presenting DC in the spleen. Now we provide evidence that intestinal XCR1+ DC largely, but not fully, overlap with CD103+ CD11b- DC, the hypothesized correlate of “cross-presenting DC” in the intestine, and are selectively dependent in their development on the transcription factor Batf3. XCR1+ DC are located in the villi and epithelial crypts of the lamina propria of the small intestine, the T cell zones of Peyer’s Patches, and in the T cell zones and sinuses of the draining mesenteric lymph node. Functionally, we could demonstrate for the first time that XCR1+ / CD103+ CD11b- DC excel in the cross-presentation of orally applied antigen. Together, our data show that XCR1 is a lineage marker for cross-presenting DC also in the intestinal immune system. Further, extensive phenotypic analyses reveal that expression of the integrin SIRPα consistently demarcates the XCR1- DC population. We propose a simplified and consistent classification system for intestinal DC based on the expression of XCR1 and SIRPα.

The distribution and function characterization of the i type lysozyme from Apostichopus japonicus

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 ◽  
pp. 419-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng Li ◽  
Yu Zhao ◽  
Tingting Liu ◽  
Jun Huang ◽  
Qi Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Apostichopus Japonicus ◽  
Function Characterization ◽  
And Function

scholarly journals Endothelial nitric oxide synthase activation and nitric oxide function: new light through old windows

2011 ◽  
Vol 210 (3) ◽  
pp. 239-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian M Bird
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Nitric Oxide Synthase ◽  
Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase ◽  
Vascular Function ◽  
Calmodulin Binding ◽  
And Function ◽  
Oxide Synthase ◽  
Endothelial Nitric Oxide ◽  
First Time ◽  
New Evidence

The principle mechanisms operating at the level of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) itself to control its activity are phosphorylation, the auto-regulatory properties of the protein itself, and Ca2+/calmodulin binding. It is now clear that activation of eNOS is greatest when phosphorylation of certain serine and threonine residues is accompanied by elevation of cytosolic [Ca2+]i. While eNOS also contains an autoinhibitory loop, Rafikov et al. (2011) present the evidence for a newly identified ‘flexible arm’ that operates in response to redox state. Boeldt et al. (2011) also review the evidence that changes in the nature of endothelial Ca2+ signaling itself in different physiologic states can extend both the amplitude and duration of NO output, and a failure to change these responses in pregnancy is associated with preeclampsia. The change in Ca2+ signaling is mediated through altering capacitative entry mechanisms inherent in the cell, and so many agonist responses using this mechanism are altered. The term ‘adaptive cell signaling’ is also introduced for the first time to describe this phenomenon. Finally NO is classically regarded as a regulator of vascular function, but NO has other actions. One proposed role is regulation of steroid biosynthesis but the physiologic relevance was unclear. Ducsay & Myers (2011) now present new evidence that NO may provide the adrenal with a mechanism to regulate cortisol output according to exposure to hypoxia. One thing all three of these reviews show is that even after several decades of study into NO biosynthesis and function, there are clearly still many things left to discover.

scholarly journals Molecular cloning and characterization of a grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) serotonin N-acetyltransferase (VvSNAT2) gene involved in plant defense

BMC Genomics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yihe Yu ◽  
Lu Bian ◽  
Zeling Jiao ◽  
Keke Yu ◽  
Yutong Wan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transgenic Plants ◽  
Vitis Vinifera ◽  
Plant Defense ◽  
Marker Genes ◽  
Vitis Vinifera L ◽  
Melatonin Treatment ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Ja Signaling ◽  
First Time

Abstract Background Melatonin is a ubiquitous molecule and exists across kingdoms. Studies on melatonin in plants have mainly focused on its physiological influence on growth and development, and on its biosynthesis. A number of studies have been conducted on the melatonin content and exogenous melatonin treatment of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.). However, key genes or enzymes of the melatonin biosynthetic pathway remain unclear. Results In this study, we cloned and identified the gene encoding serotonin N-acetyltransferase (SNAT) in grapevine (VvSNAT2). The VvSNAT2 protein was identified from a collection of 30 members of the grapevine GCN5-related N-acetyltransferase (GNAT) superfamily. Phylogenetic and protein sublocalization analyses showed that the candidate gene VvGNAT16 is VvSNAT2. Characterization of VvSNAT2 showed that its enzymatic activity is highest at a pH of 8.8 and a temperature of 45 °C. Analysis of enzyme kinetics showed the values of Km and Vmax of VvSNAT2 using serotonin were 392.5 μM and 836 pmol/min/mg protein, respectively. The expression of VvSNAT2 was induced by melatonin treatment and pathogen inoculation. Overexpression of VvSNAT2 in Arabidopsis resulted in greater accumulation of melatonin and chlorophyll and enhanced resistance to powdery mildew in the transgenic plants compared with the wild type (WT). Additionally, our data showed that the marker genes in the salicylic acid (SA) signaling pathway were expressed to higher levels in the transgenic plants compared with the WT. Conclusions The VvSNAT2 gene was cloned and identified in grapevine for the first time. Our results indicate that VvSNAT2 overexpression activates the SA and JA signaling pathways; however, the SA pathway plays a central role in VvSNAT2-mediated plant defense.

scholarly journals Description of Treponema azotonutricium sp. nov. and Treponema primitia sp. nov., the First Spirochetes Isolated from Termite Guts

2004 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 1315-1320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph R. Graber ◽  
Jared R. Leadbetter ◽  
John A. Breznak
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
16S Rrna ◽  
Complete Characterization ◽  
Free Living ◽  
16S Rrna Sequence ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Phenotypic Properties ◽  
First Time ◽  
Specific Epithets

ABSTRACT Long after their original discovery, termite gut spirochetes were recently isolated in pure culture for the first time. They revealed metabolic capabilities hitherto unknown in the Spirochaetes division of the Bacteria, i.e., H2 plus CO2 acetogenesis (J. R. Leadbetter, T. M. Schmidt, J. R. Graber, and J. A. Breznak, Science 283:686-689, 1999) and dinitrogen fixation (T. G. Lilburn, K. S. Kim, N. E. Ostrom, K. R. Byzek, J. R. Leadbetter, and J. A. Breznak, Science 292:2495-2498, 2001). However, application of specific epithets to the strains isolated (Treponema strains ZAS-1, ZAS-2, and ZAS-9) was postponed pending a more complete characterization of their phenotypic properties. Here we describe the major properties of strain ZAS-9, which is readily distinguished from strains ZAS-1 and ZAS-2 by its shorter mean cell wavelength or body pitch (1.1 versus 2.3 μm), by its nonhomoacetogenic fermentation of carbohydrates to acetate, ethanol, H2, and CO2, and by 7 to 8% dissimilarity between its 16S rRNA sequence and those of ZAS-1 and ZAS-2. Strain ZAS-9 is proposed as the type strain of the new species, Treponema azotonutricium. Strains ZAS-1 and ZAS-2, which are H2-consuming, CO2-reducing homoacetogens, are proposed here to be two strains of the new species Treponema primitia. Apart from the salient differences mentioned above, the genomes of all three strains were similar in size (3,461 to 3,901 kb), in G+C content (50.0 to 51.0 mol%), and in possession of 2 copies of the gene encoding 16S rRNA (rrs). For comparison, the genome of the free-living spirochete Spirochaeta aurantia strain J1 was analyzed by the same methods and found to have a size of 3,719 kb, to contain 65.6 mol% G+C, and also to possess 2 copies of the rrs gene.

scholarly journals Characterization of Energy-Conserving Hydrogenase B in Methanococcus maripaludis

2010 ◽  
Vol 192 (15) ◽  
pp. 4022-4030 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffany A. Major ◽  
Yuchen Liu ◽  
William B. Whitman
Keyword(s):  
Gene Replacement ◽  
Methanococcus Maripaludis ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Western Blots ◽  
Growth Defects ◽  
Energy Conserving ◽  
Membrane Bound ◽  
Membrane Spanning ◽  
And Function

ABSTRACT The Methanococcus maripaludis energy-conserving hydrogenase B (Ehb) generates low potential electrons required for autotrophic CO2 assimilation. To analyze the importance of individual subunits in Ehb structure and function, markerless in-frame deletions were constructed in a number of M. maripaludis ehb genes. These genes encode the large and small hydrogenase subunits (ehbN and ehbM, respectively), a polyferredoxin and ferredoxin (ehbK and ehbL, respectively), and an ion translocator (ehbF). In addition, a gene replacement mutation was constructed for a gene encoding a putative membrane-spanning subunit (ehbO). When grown in minimal medium plus acetate (McA), all ehb mutants had severe growth deficiencies except the ΔehbO::pac strain. The membrane-spanning ion translocator (ΔehbF) and the large hydrogenase subunit (ΔehbN) deletion strains displayed the severest growth defects. Deletion of the ehbN gene was of particular interest because this gene was not contiguous to the ehb operon. In-gel activity assays and Western blots confirmed that EhbN was part of the membrane-bound Ehb hydrogenase complex. The ΔehbN strain was also sensitive to growth inhibition by aryl acids, indicating that Ehb was coupled to the indolepyruvate oxidoreductase (Ior), further supporting the hypothesis that Ehb provides low potential reductants for the anabolic oxidoreductases in M. maripaludis.

scholarly journals Characterization of Host lncRNAs in Response to Vibrio splendidus Infection and Function as Efficient miRNA Sponges in Sea Cucumber

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siyuan Zhang ◽  
Yina Shao ◽  
Chenghua Li
Keyword(s):  
Sea Cucumber ◽  
Apostichopus Japonicus ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Differentially Expressed ◽  
Vibrio Splendidus ◽  
Host Interactions ◽  
Competing Endogenous Rnas ◽  
Mirna Sponges ◽  
And Function

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to play critical roles during pathogen infection and innate immune response in mammals. Such observation inspired us to explore the expression profiles and functions of lncRNAs in invertebrates upon bacterial infection. Here, the lncRNAs of sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus) involved in Vibrio splendidus infection were characterized. RNA-seq obtained 2897 differentially expressed lncRNAs from Vibrio splendidus infected coelomocytes of sea cucumbers. The potential functions of the significant differentially expressed lncRNAs were related to immunity and metabolic process based on the gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases. Moreover, we identify a lncRNA (XLOC_028509), which is downregulated with Vibrio splendidus challenged, further study indicated that XLOC_028509 adsorb miR-2008 and miR-31 as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) through base complementarity, which in turn decreased the amount of miRNAs (microRNAs) bound to the 3’UTRs (untranslated regions) of mRNAs to reduce their inhibition of target gene translation. These data demonstrated that the lncRNAs of invertebrates might be important regulators in pathogen-host interactions by sponging miRNAs.

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