Placental-Specific Igf2 Deficiency Alters Developmental Adaptations to Undernutrition in Mice

Endocrinology ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 152 (8) ◽  
pp. 3202-3212 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. N. Sferruzzi-Perri ◽  
O. R. Vaughan ◽  
P. M. Coan ◽  
M. C. Suciu ◽  
R. Darbyshire ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Fetal Growth ◽  
Late Pregnancy ◽  
Nutrient Restriction ◽  
Nutrient Transfer ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Functional Responses ◽  
Placental Transport ◽  
Phosphoinositide 3 Kinase

The pattern of fetal growth is a major determinant of the subsequent health of the infant. We recently showed in undernourished (UN) mice that fetal growth is maintained until late pregnancy, despite reduced placental weight, through adaptive up-regulation of placental nutrient transfer. Here, we determine the role of the placental-specific transcript of IGF-II (Igf2P0), a major regulator of placental transport capacity in mice, in adapting placental phenotype to UN. We compared the morphological and functional responses of the wild-type (WT) and Igf2P0-deficient placenta in WT mice fed ad libitium or 80% of the ad libitium intake. We observed that deletion of Igf2P0 prevented up-regulation of amino acid transfer normally seen in UN WT placenta. This was associated with a reduction in the proportion of the placenta dedicated to nutrient transport, the labyrinthine zone, and its constituent volume of trophoblast in Igf2P0-deficient placentas exposed to UN on d 16 of pregnancy. Additionally, Igf2P0-deficient placentas failed to up-regulate their expression of the amino acid transporter gene, Slc38a2, and down-regulate phosphoinositide 3-kinase-protein kinase B signaling in response to nutrient restriction on d 19. Furthermore, deleting Igf2P0 altered maternal concentrations of hormones (insulin and corticosterone) and metabolites (glucose) in both nutritional states. Therefore, Igf2P0 plays important roles in adapting placental nutrient transfer capacity during UN, via actions directly on the placenta and/or indirectly through the mother.

scholarly journals The Role of Arg13 in Protein Phosphatase M tPphA from Thermosynechococcus elongatus

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiyong Su ◽  
Karl Forchhammer
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Protein Phosphatase ◽  
Arginine Residue ◽  
Side Chain ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Catalytic Center ◽  
Nitrophenyl Phosphate ◽  
Reduced Activity ◽  
Amino Acid Variants

A highly conserved arginine residue is close to the catalytic center of PPM/PP2C-type protein phosphatases. Different crystal structures of PPM/PP2C homologues revealed that the guanidinium side chain of this arginine residue can adopt variable conformations and may bind ligands, suggesting an important role of this residue during catalysis. In this paper, we randomly mutated Arginine 13 of tPphA, a PPM/PP2C-type phosphatase from Thermosynechococcus elongatus, and obtained 18 different amino acid variants. The generated variants were tested towards p-nitrophenyl phosphate and various phosphopeptides. Towards p-nitrophenyl phosphate as substrate, twelve variants showed 3–7 times higher Km values than wild-type tPphA and four variants (R13D, R13F, R13L, and R13W) completely lost activity. Strikingly, these variants were still able to dephosphorylate phosphopeptides, although with strongly reduced activity. The specific inability of some Arg-13 variants to hydrolyze p-nitrophenyl phosphate highlights the importance of additional substrate interactions apart from the substrate phosphate for catalysis. The properties of the R13 variants indicate that this residue assists in substrate binding.

scholarly journals Akt isoforms differentially regulate neutrophil functions

Blood ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 115 (21) ◽  
pp. 4237-4246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia Chen ◽  
Haiyang Tang ◽  
Nissim Hay ◽  
Jingsong Xu ◽  
Richard D. Ye
Keyword(s):  
Kinase Inhibitor ◽  
Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Neutrophil Activation ◽  
Enzyme Release ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Akt Isoforms ◽  
Phosphoinositide 3 Kinase ◽  
O2 Production

In neutrophils, the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt signaling cascade is involved in migration, degranulation, and O2− production. However, it is unclear whether the Akt kinase isoforms have distinct functions in neutrophil activation. Here we report functional differences between the 2 major Akt isoforms in neutrophil activation on the basis of studies in which we used individual Akt1 and Akt2 knockout mice. Akt2−/− neutrophils exhibited decreased cell migration, granule enzyme release, and O2− production compared with wild-type and Akt1−/− neutrophils. Surprisingly, Akt2 deficiency and pharmacologic inhibition of Akt also abrogated phorbol ester-induced O2− production, which was unaffected by treatment with the phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitor LY294002. The decreased O2− production in Akt2−/− neutrophils was accompanied by reduced p47phox phosphorylation and its membrane translocation, suggesting that Akt2 is important for the assembly of phagocyte nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase. In wild-type neutrophils, Akt2 but not Akt1 translocated to plasma membrane upon chemoattractant stimulation and to the leading edge in polarized neutrophils. In the absence of Akt2, chemoattractant-induced Akt protein phosphorylation was significantly reduced. These results demonstrate a predominant role of Akt2 in regulating neutrophil functions and provide evidence for differential activation of the 2 Akt isoforms in neutrophils.

scholarly journals Optimal Replication of Human Cytomegalovirus Correlates with Endocytosis of Glycoprotein gpUL132

2010 ◽  
Vol 84 (14) ◽  
pp. 7039-7052 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Kropff ◽  
Yvonne Koedel ◽  
William Britt ◽  
Michael Mach
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Human Cytomegalovirus ◽  
Intracellular Localization ◽  
Surface Expression ◽  
Wild Type Virus ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Recombinant Viruses ◽  
Carboxy Terminal ◽  
Golgi Network

ABSTRACT Envelopment of a herpesvirus particle is a complex process of which much is still to be learned. We previously identified the glycoprotein gpUL132 of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) as an envelope component of the virion. In its carboxy-terminal portion, gpUL132 contains at least four motifs for sorting of transmembrane proteins to endosomes; among them are one dileucine-based signal and three tyrosine-based signals of the YXXØ and NPXY (where X stands for any amino acid, and Ø stands for any bulky hydrophobic amino acid) types. To investigate the role of each of these trafficking signals in intracellular localization and viral replication, we constructed a panel of expression plasmids and recombinant viruses in which the signals were rendered nonfunctional by mutagenesis. In transfected cells wild-type gpUL132 was mainly associated with the trans-Golgi network. Consecutive mutation of the trafficking signals resulted in increasing fractions of the protein localized at the cell surface, with gpUL132 mutated in all four trafficking motifs predominantly associated with the plasma membrane. Concomitant with increased surface expression, endocytosis of mutant gpUL132 was reduced, with a gpUL132 expressing all four motifs in mutated form being almost completely impaired in endocytosis. The replication of recombinant viruses harboring mutations in single trafficking motifs was comparable to replication of wild-type virus. In contrast, viruses containing mutations in three or four of the trafficking signals showed pronounced deficits in replication with a reduction of approximately 100-fold. Moreover, recombinant viruses expressing gpUL132 with three or four trafficking motifs mutated failed to incorporate the mutant protein into the virus particle. These results demonstrate a role of endocytosis of an HCMV envelope glycoprotein for incorporation into the virion and optimal virus replication.

Modulation of procaspase-7 self-activation by PEST amino acid residues of the N-terminal prodomain and intersubunit linker

2017 ◽  
Vol 95 (6) ◽  
pp. 634-643
Author(s):  
Juliano Alves ◽  
Miguel Garay-Malpartida ◽  
João M. Occhiucci ◽  
José E. Belizário
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Large Subunit ◽  
Small Subunit ◽  
Cleavage Sites ◽  
Amino Acid Residues ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Caspase 7 ◽  
Caspase Family ◽  
The Impact

Procaspase-7 zymogen polypeptide is composed of a short prodomain, a large subunit (p20), and a small subunit (p10) connected to an intersubunit linker. Caspase-7 is activated by an initiator caspase-8 and -9, or by autocatalysis after specific cleavage at IQAD198↓S located at the intersubunit linker. Previously, we identified that PEST regions made of amino acid residues Pro (P), Glu (E), Asp (D), Ser (S), Thr (T), Asn (N), and Gln (Q) are conserved flanking amino acid residues in the cleavage sites within a prodomain and intersubunit linker of all caspase family members. Here we tested the impact of alanine substitution of PEST amino acid residues on procaspase-7 proteolytic self-activation directly in Escherichia coli. The p20 and p10 subunit cleavage were significantly delayed in double caspase-7 mutants in the prodomain (N18A/P26A) and intersubunit linker (S199A/P201A), compared with the wild-type caspase-7. The S199A/P201A mutants effectively inhibited the p10 small subunit cleavage. However, the mutations did not change the kinetic parameters (kcat/KM) and optimal tetrapeptide specificity (DEVD) of the purified mutant enzymes. The results suggest a role of PEST-amino acid residues in the molecular mechanism for prodomain and intersubunit cleavage and caspase-7 self-activation.

scholarly journals Characterization of a Thermoacidophilic l-Arabinose Isomerase from Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius: Role of Lys-269 in pH Optimum

2005 ◽  
Vol 71 (12) ◽  
pp. 7888-7896 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sang-Jae Lee ◽  
Dong-Woo Lee ◽  
Eun-Ah Choe ◽  
Young-Ho Hong ◽  
Seong-Bo Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Amino Acid Sequences ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Bacillus Halodurans ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Ph Optimum ◽  
Calculated Molecular Mass ◽  
Alicyclobacillus Acidocaldarius ◽  
Arabinose Isomerase

ABSTRACT The araA gene encoding l-arabinose isomerase (AI) from the thermoacidophilic bacterium Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius was cloned, sequenced, and expressed in Escherichia coli. Analysis of the sequence revealed that the open reading frame of the araA gene consists of 1,491 bp that encodes a protein of 497 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular mass of 56,043 Da. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence of A. acidocaldarius AI (AAAI) with other AIs demonstrated that AAAI has 97% and 66% identities (99% and 83% similarities) to Geobacillus stearothermophilus AI (GSAI) and Bacillus halodurans AI (BHAI), respectively. The recombinant AAAI was purified to homogeneity by heat treatment, ion-exchange chromatography, and gel filtration. The purified enzyme showed maximal activity at pH 6.0 to 6.5 and 65°C under the assay conditions used, and it required divalent cations such as Mn2+, Co2+, and Mg2+ for its activity. The isoelectric point (pI) of the enzyme was about 5.0 (calculated pI of 5.5). The apparent Km values of the recombinant AAAI for l-arabinose and d-galactose were 48.0 mM (V max, 35.5 U/mg) and 129 mM (V max, 7.5 U/mg), respectively, at pH 6 and 65°C. Interestingly, although the biochemical properties of AAAI are quite similar to those of GSAI and BHAI, the three AIs from A. acidocaldarius (pH 6), G. stearothermophilus (pH 7), and B. halodurans (pH 8) exhibited different pH activity profiles. Based on alignment of the amino acid sequences of these homologous AIs, we propose that the Lys-269 residue of AAAI may be responsible for the ability of the enzyme to act at low pH. To verify the role of Lys-269, we prepared the mutants AAAI-K269E and BHAI-E268K by site-directed mutagenesis and compared their kinetic parameters with those of wild-type AIs at various pHs. The pH optima of both AAAI-K269E and BHAI-E268K were rendered by 1.0 units (pH 6 to 7 and 8 to 7, respectively) compared to the wild-type enzymes. In addition, the catalytic efficiency (k cat/Km ) of each mutant at different pHs was significantly affected by an increase or decrease in V max. From these results, we propose that the position corresponding to the Lys-269 residue of AAAI could play an important role in the determination of the pH optima of homologous AIs.

scholarly journals Restoration of high-level transport activity by human reduced folate carrier/ThTr1 thiamine transporter chimaeras: role of the transmembrane domain 6/7 linker region in reduced folate carrier function

2003 ◽  
Vol 369 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang Y. LIU ◽  
Teah L. WITT ◽  
Larry H. MATHERLY
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Plasma Membranes ◽  
Transmembrane Domain ◽  
K562 Cells ◽  
Reduced Folate Carrier ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Linker Region ◽  
Conserved Amino Acids

The reduced folate carrier (RFC; SLC19A1) is closely related to the thiamine transporter, SLC19A2 (ThTr1). Hydropathy models for these homologous transporters predict up to 12 transmembrane domains (TMDs), with internally oriented N- and C-termini and a large central loop between TMDs 6 and 7. The homologies are localized mostly in the TMDs. However, there is little similarity in their N- and C-terminal domains and the central peptide linkers connecting putative TMDs 1—6 and TMDs 7—12. To explore the functional role of the 61-amino acid central linker in the human RFC (hRFC), we introduced deletions of 49 and 60 amino acids into this region, differing by the presence of a stretch of 11 highly conserved amino acids between the human and rodent RFCs (positions 204—214). An additional hRFC construct was prepared in which only the 11 conserved amino acids were deleted. The resulting hRFCD215—R263Δ, hRFCK204—R263Δ and hRFCK204—R214Δ proteins were transfected into transport-impaired K562 cells. The deletion constructs were all expressed in plasma membranes; however, they were completely inactive for methotrexate and (6S)5-formyl tetrahydrofolate transport. Insertion of non-homologous 73- and 84-amino acid fragments from the structurally analogous ThTr1 linker region into position 204 of hRFCK204—R263Δ restored low levels of transport (16—21% of the wild type). Insertion of the ThTr1 linkers into hRFCD215—R263Δ at position 215 restored 60—80% of wild-type levels of transport. Collectively, our results suggest that the role of the hRFC linker peptide is to provide the proper spatial orientation between the two halves of the hRFC protein for optimal function, and that this is largely independent of amino acid sequence. Our results also demonstrate a critical transport role for the stretch of 11 conserved amino acids starting at position 204 of hRFC.

scholarly journals Biological role of the general control of amino acid biosynthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

1981 ◽  
Vol 1 (7) ◽  
pp. 584-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Niederberger ◽  
G Miozzari ◽  
R Hütter
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Amino Acid Biosynthesis ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
General Control ◽  
Acid Biosynthesis ◽  
Mutant Strains ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Amino Acid Imbalance

The biological role of the "general control of amino acid biosynthesis" has been investigated by analyzing growth and enzyme levels in wild-type, bradytrophic, and nonderepressing mutant strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Amino acid limitation was achieved by using either bradytrophic mutations or external amino acid imbalance. In the wild-type strain noncoordinate derepression of enzymes subject to the general control has been found. Derepressing factors were in the order of 2 to 4 in bradytrophic mutant strains grown under limiting conditions and only in the order of 1.5 to 2 under the influence of external amino acid imbalance. Nonderepressing mutations led to slower growth rates under conditions of amino acid limitation, and no derepression of enzymes under the general control was observed. The amino acid pools were found to be very similar in the wild type and in nonderepressing mutant strains under all conditions tested. Our results indicate that the general control affects all branched amino acid biosynthetic pathways, namely, those of the aromatic amino acids and the aspartate family, the pathways for the basic amino acids lysine, histidine, and arginine, and also the pathways of serine and valine biosyntheses.

The role of the Val57 amino-acid residue in the hinge loop of the human cystatin C. Conformational studies of the beta2-L1-beta3 segments of wild-type human cystatin C and its mutants

Biopolymers ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 91 (5) ◽  
pp. 373-383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylwia Rodziewicz-Motowidło ◽  
Justyna Iwaszkiewicz ◽  
Renata Sosnowska ◽  
Paulina Czaplewska ◽  
Emil Sobolewski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Cystatin C ◽  
Amino Acid Residue ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Conformational Studies ◽  
Human Cystatin C ◽  
Human Cystatin

scholarly journals Fetal and trophoblast PI3Kp110α have distinct roles in regulating resource supply to the growing fetus

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Lopez-Tello ◽  
Vicente Perez-Garcia ◽  
Jaspreet Khaira ◽  
Laura C. Kusinski ◽  
Wendy N. Cooper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fetal Growth ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Prenatal Development ◽  
Complete Loss ◽  
Placental Development ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
Transport Loss ◽  
Healthy Growth ◽  
Phosphoinositide 3 Kinase

AbstractPrevious studies suggest that the placental supply of nutrients to the fetus adapts according to fetal demand. However, the signaling events underlying placental adaptations remain largely unknown. Earlier work in mice has revealed that loss of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase p110α impairs feto-placental growth but placental nutrient supply is adaptively increased. Here we explore the role of p110α in the epiblast-derived (fetal) and trophoblast lineages of the conceptus in relation to feto-placental growth and placental development and transfer function. Using conditional gene manipulations to knock-down p110α either by ∼50% or ∼100% in the fetal lineages and/or trophoblast, this study shows that p110α in the fetus is essential for prenatal development and a major regulator of placental phenotype in mice. Complete loss of fetal p110α caused embryonic death, whilst heterozygous loss resulted in fetal growth restriction and impaired placental formation and nutrient transport. Loss of trophoblast p110α also resulted in abnormal placental development, although fetuses were viable. However, in response to complete loss of trophoblast p110α, the placenta failed to transport sufficient amino acid to match fetal demands for growth. Using RNA-seq, we identified several genes downstream of p110α in the trophoblast that are important in adapting placental phenotype to support fetal growth. Further work using CRISPR/Cas9 genome targeting showed that loss of p110α differentially affects the expression of genes in trophoblast and embryonic stem cells. Our findings thus reveal important, but distinct roles for p110α signaling in the different compartments of the conceptus, which control fetal resource acquisition and ultimately affect healthy growth.One Sentence SummaryFetal and trophoblast p110α modify resource allocation

nPKC Epsilon Negatively Regulates Platelet Functional Responses

Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 2855-2855
Author(s):  
Yamini Saraswathy Bynagari ◽  
Bela Nagy ◽  
Kamala Bhavaraju ◽  
Donna Woulfe ◽  
Soochong Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Platelet Aggregation ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Dense Granule ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
P2y1 Receptor ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Functional Responses ◽  
Dense Granule Secretion ◽  
Granule Secretion

Abstract Protein Kinase C (PKC) are family of serine threonine kinases, known to regulate various platelet functional responses. Among them novel class of PKC isoforms (nPKC) including delta(δ), theta(𝛉), eta(η), and epsilon(ε) are expressed in platelets. Although, the role of nPKC ε and η in platelets is fairly understood, not much is known about nPKC ε and η in platelets. In this study, we investigated the role of nPKC ε in platelet functional responses using ADP-induced signaling as our stereotype. ADP causes platelet activation via Gq-coupled P2Y1 receptor and Gi-coupled P2Y12 receptor. Thus, we primarily studied the role of P2Y1 receptor in nPKC ε activation. ADP activated nPKC ε in time- and concentration- dependent manner. In the presence of P2Y1 receptor antagonist MRS-2179 and in P2Y1 knockout (KO) murine platelets ADP failed to activate nPKC ε, suggesting that ADP activates nPKC ε via P2Y1 receptor. We further investigated the functional role of nPKC ε using specific nPKC ε inhibitory RACK peptide (ε V1-2). ε V1-2 is a peptide designed to compete with native nPKC ε to bind ε-Receptors for activated C Kinase (ε-RACK) and thereby inhibits nPKC ε catalytic activity due to decreased substrate accessibility. ADP-induced thromboxane generation in human platelets pretreated with ε V1-2 peptide was more compared to the platelets pretreated with control peptide. Similarly, ADP-induced thromboxane generation in platelets derived from nPKC ε KO mouse was more compared to the wild type (WT) littermates. However, ADP- induced alpha granule secretion and aggregation in aspirin treated platelets derived from PKC ε KO mice was not significantly different from platelets derived from wild type littermates. These data suggest that nPKC e regulates an unknown pathway, which primarily regulates thromboxane generation with minimal effects on aggregation and alpha granule secretion. Furthermore, we also investigated the role of nPKC ε in PAR- and GPVI- mediated platelet aggregation and dense granule secretion. Interestingly, in both aspirin-treated and non-aspirin-treated platelets PAR- and GPVI- mediated platelet aggregation and dense granule secretion were potentiated. Consistent with ex vivo studies, FeCl3-induced arterial thrombosis was enhanced in nPKC ε KO mice compared to WT littermates.

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