scholarly journals Reproductive Soldier Development Is Controlled by Direct Physical Interactions with Reproductive and Soldier Termites

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yudai Masuoka ◽  
Keigo Nuibe ◽  
Naoto Hayase ◽  
Takateru Oka ◽  
Kiyoto Maekawa
Keyword(s):  
Social Evolution ◽  
Direct Interaction ◽  
Wire Mesh ◽  
Environmental Cues ◽  
Physical Interaction ◽  
Natural Conditions ◽  
Developmental Mechanism ◽  
Eusocial Insects ◽  
Physical Interactions ◽  
Incipient Colony

In eusocial insects (e.g., ants, bees, and termites), the roles of different castes are assigned to different individuals. These castes possess unique phenotypes that are specialized for specific tasks. The acquisition of sterile individuals with specific roles is considered a requirement for social evolution. In termites, the soldier is a sterile caste. In primitive taxa (family Archotermopsidae and Stolotermitidae), however, secondary reproductives (neotenic reproductives) with their mandibles developed into weapons (so-called reproductive soldiers, also termed as soldier-headed reproductives or soldier neotenics) have been reported. To understand the developmental mechanism of this unique caste, it is necessary to understand the environmental cues and developmental processes of reproductive soldiers under natural conditions. Here, we established efficient conditions to induce reproductive soldiers in Zootermopsis nevadensis. Male reproductive soldiers frequently developed after the removal of both the king and soldiers from an incipient colony. Similarly, high differentiation rates of male reproductive soldiers were observed after king-and-soldier separation treatment using wire mesh. However, no male reproductive soldiers were produced without direct interaction with the queen. These results suggest that male reproductive soldier development is repressed by direct physical interactions with both the king and soldiers and facilitated by direct physical interaction with the queen.

scholarly journals Direct Interaction of Polar Scaffolding Protein Wag31 with Nucleoid-Associated Protein Rv3852 Regulates Its Polar Localization

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1558
Author(s):  
Rajni Garg ◽  
Chinmay Anand ◽  
Sohini Ganguly ◽  
Sandhya Rao ◽  
Rinkee Verma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Cell Envelope ◽  
Transmembrane Helix ◽  
Ectopic Expression ◽  
Direct Interaction ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Scaffolding Protein ◽  
Physical Interaction ◽  
Cell Wall Synthesis ◽  
Interaction Approach

Rv3852 is a unique nucleoid-associated protein (NAP) found exclusively in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and closely related species. Although annotated as H-NS, we showed previously that it is very different from H-NS in its properties and is distinct from other NAPs, anchoring to cell membrane by virtue of possessing a C-terminal transmembrane helix. Here, we investigated the role of Rv3852 in Mtb in organizing architecture or synthesis machinery of cell wall by protein–protein interaction approach. We demonstrated a direct physical interaction of Rv3852 with Wag31, an important cell shape and cell wall integrity determinant essential in Mtb. Wag31 localizes to the cell poles and possibly acts as a scaffold for cell wall synthesis proteins, resulting in polar cell growth in Mtb. Ectopic expression of Rv3852 in M. smegmatis resulted in its interaction with Wag31 orthologue DivIVAMsm. Binding of the NAP to Wag31 appears to be necessary for fine-tuning Wag31 localization to the cell poles, enabling complex cell wall synthesis in Mtb. In Rv3852 knockout background, Wag31 is mislocalized resulting in disturbed nascent peptidoglycan synthesis, suggesting that the NAP acts as a driver for localization of Wag31 to the cell poles. While this novel association between these two proteins presents one of the mechanisms to structure the elaborate multi-layered cell envelope of Mtb, it also exemplifies a new function for a NAP in mycobacteria.

scholarly journals BRG1 Controls the Activity of the Retinoblastoma Protein via Regulation of p21CIP1/WAF1/SDI

2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 1188-1199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyeog Kang ◽  
Kairong Cui ◽  
Keji Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Transcriptional Repression ◽  
Cell Cycle Progression ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Cellular Proliferation ◽  
Growth Arrest ◽  
Retinoblastoma Protein ◽  
Direct Interaction ◽  
Physical Interaction ◽  
Cdk Inhibitor ◽  
Regulation Of Cell Cycle

ABSTRACT The ubiquitous mammalian chromatin-remodeling SWI/SNF-like BAF complexes play critical roles in tumorigenesis. It was suggested that the direct interaction of BRG1 with the retinoblastoma protein pRB is required for regulation of cell cycle progression by pRB. We present evidence that the BRG1-containing complexes regulate the expression of the cdk inhibitor p21CIP1/WAF1/SDI. Furthermore, we show that the physical interaction between BRG1 and pRB is not required for induction of cell growth arrest and transcriptional repression of E2F target genes by pRB. Instead, BRG1 activates pRB by inducing its hypophosphorylation through up-regulation of the cdk inhibitor p21. The hypophosphorylation of pRB is reinforced by down-regulation of critical components, including cdk2, cyclin E, and cyclin D, in the pRB regulatory network. We demonstrate that up-regulation of p21 by BRG1 is necessary to induce formation of flat cells, growth arrest, and finally, cell senescence. Our results suggest that the BRG1-containing complexes control cellular proliferation and senescence by modulating the pRB pathway via multiple mechanisms.

scholarly journals Identification of the Glimepiride and Metformin Hydrochloride Physical Interaction in Binary Systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-116
Author(s):  
Fitrianti Darusman ◽  
Taufik Muhammad Fakih ◽  
Gina Fuji Nurfarida
Keyword(s):  
Binary Systems ◽  
Type Ii Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Computational Approach ◽  
Metformin Hydrochloride ◽  
Physical Interaction ◽  
Class Iii ◽  
Scanning Calorimetry ◽  
Physical Interactions ◽  
Dynamics Simulations ◽  
Metformin Hcl

Glimepiride is often combined with metformin HCl as an oral antidiabetic in type II diabetes mellitus, which provides a complementary and synergistic effect with multiple targets for insulin secretion. Glimepiride includes class II of BCS, which solubility practically insoluble in water but high permeability, which will impact the drug's small bioavailability. In contrast, metformin HCl includes class III of BCS, which has a high solubility in water, but low permeability is absorbed approximately 50-60% in the digestive tract given orally. The co-crystallization method can be used to improve the glimepiride solubility properties and the permeability properties of metformin HCl by interrupting glimepiride with metformin HCl physically. This study aims to identify the physical interactions between glimepiride and metformin HCL using a thermal analysis of Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and then confirmed by a computational approach. Identifying the physical interactions between glimepiride and metformin HCL was carried out by plotting the melting points generated from the endothermic peaks of the DSC thermogram at various compositions versus the mole ratios of the two were further confirmed by the computational approach using PatchDock. The results of the phase diagram analysis of the binary system between glimepiride and metformin HCl show a congruent pattern, which indicates the formation of co-crystal or molecular compounds at a 1 : 1 mole ratio at 228°C. Computational approach results showed that the interaction between glimepiride and metformin HCl did not form new compounds but heterosinton formation that was stable in molecular dynamics simulations.

scholarly journals Genetic and physical interaction of Drosophila Ino80 with Polycomb Responsive Element

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohsen Ghasemi ◽  
Jayant Maini ◽  
Shruti Jain ◽  
Vasanthi Dasari ◽  
Rakesh Mishra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Direct Interaction ◽  
Apparent Competition ◽  
Imaginal Discs ◽  
Physical Interaction ◽  
Homeotic Genes ◽  
Knock Down ◽  
Polycomb Proteins ◽  
Independent Functions ◽  
Regulatory Complex ◽  
Responsive Element

AbstractThe chromatin remodeling protein, dIno80 (Drosophila Ino80) regulates homeotic genes. We show that Ino80, along with Trx and ETP (Enhancer of Trithorax and Polycomb) proteins, interacts with two Polycomb/Trithorax Responsive Elements (PRE/TRE), iab-7 and bxd PRE in flies and the larval imaginal discs. In S2 cells, dIno80 localizes to the endogenous iab-7 and bxd-PREs. The localization of Ino80 and Pleiohomeotic (Pho) at the PRE is sensitive to the cellular abundance of each other; when levels of Ino80 are limiting, there is increased Pho enrichment, and Pho knock-down leads to increased enrichment of Ino80. We demonstrate that over-expression of dIno80 rescues the pupal lethality in pleiohomeotic (pho) deficient flies, which suggests that dIno80 has a role in cellular memory. The apparent competition between Pho and Ino80 for binding at the PRE indicates that Ino80 may act as a potential recruiter of the regulatory complex in addition to being a chromatin remodeler.Author SummaryThe null mutants of Pho and dIno80 show lethality at different stages of development in the fly, implying that they may function independent of each other. The observation that Pho-lethality can be rescued by overexpression of dIno80 with significant penetrance and that Ino80 has its own DNA binding domain, led us to predict that Ino80 may have Pho-independent functions, perhaps through non-canonical complexes. In the current study, we show that dIno80 interacts with bxd and iab-7 PRE in cooperation with Polycomb and Trithorax proteins and regulate the homeotic genes. The effect of knock-down or mutation of dIno80 results in altered phenotype in adult flies and rescue of Lac-Z expression in imaginal discs, in parallel with similar effect of Pho mutation or knock-down. We provide evidence of direct interaction of dIno80 with iab7- and bxd-PRE using chromatin immunoprecipitation. The dIno80 localization in and around the PRE sequence was enhanced in the absence of Pho, indicating competition between Pho and dIno80 for binding at the PRE.

Eusocial Insects as a Model for Understanding Altruism, Cooperation, and Levels of Selection

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heikki Helanterä
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Division Of Labor ◽  
Social Insect ◽  
Social Evolution ◽  
Inclusive Fitness ◽  
Family Structures ◽  
Major Transitions ◽  
Eusocial Insects ◽  
Insect Societies ◽  
Evolutionary Success

If the logic of natural selection is applied strictly at the level of individual production of offspring, sterile workers in insect societies are enigmatic. How can natural selection ever produce individuals that refrain from reproduction, and how are traits of such individuals that never produce offspring scrutinized and changed through natural selection? The solution to both questions is found in the family structures of insect societies. That is, the sterile helper individuals are evolutionary altruists that give up their own reproduction and instead are helping their kin reproduce and proliferate shared genes in the offspring of the fertile queen. Selection in such cases is not just a matter of individual’s direct reproduction, and instead of own offspring, the currency of the evolutionary success of sterile individuals is inclusive fitness. The concept of inclusive fitness and the process of kin selection are key to understanding the magnificent cooperation we see in insect societies, and reciprocally, insect societies are key case studies of inclusive fitness logic. In extreme cases, such as the highly advanced and sophisticated societies of ants, honeybees, and termites, the division of labor and interdependence of colony members is so complete, that it is justified to talk about a new level of evolutionary individuality. Such increases in the hierarchical complexity of life are called major transitions in evolution. We see adaptations of the colony, rather than individuals, in, e.g., their communication and group behaviors. The division of labor between morphologically differentiated queens and workers is analogous to germline-soma separation of a multicellular organism, justifying the term superorganism for the extreme cases of social lifestyle. Alongside these extreme cases, there is enormous diversity in the social lifestyles across social insect taxa, which provides a window into the balance of cooperation and conflict, and individual reproduction and helping others, in social evolution. Over the last decades, social insect research has been an area where the theoretical and empirical understanding have been developed hand in hand, together with examples of wonderful natural history, and has tremendously improved our understanding of evolution.

scholarly journals Interactions between QnrB, QnrB Mutants, and DNA Gyrase

2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (9) ◽  
pp. 5413-5419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eu Suk Kim ◽  
Chunhui Chen ◽  
Molly Braun ◽  
Hyo Youl Kim ◽  
Ryo Okumura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
No Reduction ◽  
Substantial Reduction ◽  
Dna Gyrase ◽  
Single Amino Acid ◽  
Physical Interaction ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Physical Interactions ◽  
Substitution Mutant ◽  
Two Hybrid ◽  
Intermediate Effect

ABSTRACTPlasmid-encoded protein QnrB1 protects DNA gyrase from ciprofloxacin inhibition. Using a bacterial two-hybrid system, we evaluated the physical interactions between wild-type and mutant QnrB1, the GyrA and GyrB gyrase subunits, and a GyrBA fusion protein. The interaction of QnrB1 with GyrB and GyrBA was approximately 10-fold higher than that with GyrA, suggesting that domains of GyrB are important for stabilizing QnrB1 interaction with the holoenzyme. Sub-MICs of ciprofloxacin or nalidixic acid reduced the interactions between QnrB1 and GyrA or GyrBA but produced no reduction in the interaction with GyrB or a quinolone-resistant GyrA:S83L (GyrA with S83L substitution) mutant, suggesting that quinolones and QnrB1 compete for binding to gyrase. Of QnrB1 mutants that reduced quinolone resistance, deletions in the C or N terminus of QnrB1 resulted in a marked decrease in interactions with GyrA but limited or no effect on interactions with GyrB and an intermediate effect on interactions with GyrBA. While deletion of loop B and both loops moderately reduced the interaction signal with GyrA, deletion of loop A resulted in only a small reduction in the interaction with GyrB. The loop A deletion also caused a substantial reduction in interaction with GyrBA, with little effect of loop B and dual-loop deletions. Single-amino-acid loop mutations had little effect on physical interactions except for a Δ105I mutant. Therefore, loops A and B may play key roles in the proper positioning of QnrB1 rather than as determinants of the physical interaction of QnrB1 with gyrase.

Interactions of transmembrane carbonic anhydrase, CAIX, with bicarbonate transporters

2007 ◽  
Vol 293 (2) ◽  
pp. C738-C748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricio E. Morgan ◽  
Silvia Pastoreková ◽  
Alan K. Stuart-Tilley ◽  
Seth L. Alper ◽  
Joseph R. Casey
Keyword(s):  
Gastric Mucosa ◽  
Carbonic Anhydrase ◽  
Catalytic Domain ◽  
Hek293 Cells ◽  
Bicarbonate Transport ◽  
Physical Interaction ◽  
Human Gastric Mucosa ◽  
Bicarbonate Transporter ◽  
Bicarbonate Transporters ◽  
Physical Interactions

Association of some plasma membrane bicarbonate transporters with carbonic anhydrase enzymes forms a bicarbonate transport metabolon to facilitate metabolic CO2-HCO3−conversions and coupled HCO3−transport. The transmembrane carbonic anhydrase, CAIX, with its extracellular catalytic site, is highly expressed in parietal and other cells of gastric mucosa, suggesting a role in acid secretion. We examined in transfected HEK293 cells the functional and physical interactions between CAIX and the parietal cell Cl−/HCO3−exchanger AE2 or the putative Cl−/HCO3−exchanger SLC26A7. Coexpression of CAIX increased AE2 transport activity by 28 ± 7% and also activated transport mediated by AE1 and AE3 (32 ± 10 and 37 ± 9%, respectively). In contrast, despite a transport rate comparable to that of AE3, coexpressed CAIX did not alter transport associated with SLC26A7. The CAIX-associated increase of AE2 activity did not result from altered AE2 expression or cell surface processing. CAIX was coimmunoprecipitated with the coexpressed SLC4 polypeptides AE1, AE2, and AE3, but not with SLC26A7. GST pull-down assays with a series of domain-deleted forms of CAIX revealed that the catalytic domain of CAIX mediated interaction with AE2. AE2 and CAIX colocalized in human gastric mucosa, as indicated by coimmunofluorescence. This is the first example of a functional and physical interaction between a bicarbonate transporter and a transmembrane carbonic anhydrase. We conclude that CAIX can bind to some Cl−/HCO3−exchangers to form a bicarbonate transport metabolon.

scholarly journals Comparative Analysis of Mental Expenses for End-Level Students in Dealing with Online and Direct Learning with the NASA-TLX Method

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 764-770
Author(s):  
Fadilla Nur Afifah, Et. al.
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Physical Interaction ◽  
Mental Load ◽  
Learning Methods ◽  
Task Load ◽  
Study Programs ◽  
Physical Interactions ◽  
Nasa Tlx ◽  
Direct Learning ◽  
Learning Measurement

Limitation of direct physical interaction related to the Covid-19 pandemic has an impact on the education sector, where all learning activities are carried out online to limit physical interactions. Online learning methods are considered more flexible to do when compared to direct learning methods. This research was conducted to determine how much difference the mental load felt by final year students in online learning and direct learning. Measurement of a mental load was carried out using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) method by distributing questionnaires containing six subscales of mental load measurement to final year students of four different study programs, including Management, Accounting, Informatics Engineering, and English. The six subscales used include Mental Demands, Physical Demands, Temporal Demands, Own Performance, Effort, and Frustration. Based on the results of the average calculation of the four sample groups, it shows that the mental load of online learning is 0.4% greater than direct learning, 81.3% and 80.9%, respectively.

Identification of a region in Shigella flexneri WzyB disrupting the interaction with Wzz pHS2

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Leo ◽  
Min Yan Teh ◽  
Elizabeth N.H Tran ◽  
Renato Morona
Keyword(s):  
Shigella Flexneri ◽  
Direct Interaction ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Physical Interaction ◽  
Significant Implication ◽  
O Antigen ◽  
Repeat Units ◽  
Inner Membrane Protein ◽  
First Time ◽  
Dependent Pathway

Shigella flexneri can synthesise polysaccharide chains having complex sugars and a regulated number of repeating units. S. flexneri lipopolysaccharide O antigen (Oag) is synthesised by the Wzy-dependent pathway which is the most common pathway used in bacteria for polysaccharide synthesis. The inner membrane protein WzyB polymerizes the Oag repeat units into chains, while the polysaccharide co-polymerases WzzB and Wzz pHS2 determine the average number of repeat units or “the modal length”, termed short-type and very long-type. Our data show for the first time a direct interaction between WzyB and Wzz pHS2 , with and without the use of the chemical cross-linker dithiobis (succinimidyl propionate) (DSP). Additionally mutations, generated via random and site directed mutagenesis, identify a region of WzyB that caused diminished function and significantly decreased very-long Oag chain polymerisation, and that affected the aforementioned interaction. These results provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the regulation of Oag biosynthesis. Importance Complex polysaccharide chains are synthesised by bacteria, usually at a regulated number of repeating units, which has broad implications for bacterial pathogenesis. One example is the O antigen (Oag) component of lipopolysaccharide that is predominantly synthesised by the Wzy-dependent pathway. Our findings show for the first time a direct physical interaction between WzyB and Wzz pHS2 . Additionally, a set of Wzy mutant constructs were generated revealing a proposed active site/switch region involved in the activity of WzyB and the physical interaction with Wzz pHS2 . Combined, these findings further the understanding of the Wzy-dependent pathway. The identification of a novel interaction with the polysacchraride co-polymerase Wzz pHS2, and the region of WzyB that is involved in this aforementioned interaction and its impact on WzyB Oag synthesis activity, have significant implication for the prevention/treatment of bacterial diseases, and discovery of novel biotechnologies.

scholarly journals Social modularity: conserved genes and regulatory elements underlie caste-antecedent behavioural states in an incipiently social bee

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1916) ◽  
pp. 20191815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wyatt A. Shell ◽  
Sandra M. Rehan
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Social Evolution ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Carpenter Bee ◽  
Eusocial Insects ◽  
Social Forms ◽  
Evolutionary Origins ◽  
Conserved Genes ◽  
Insect Sociality

The evolutionary origins of advanced eusociality, one of the most complex forms of phenotypic plasticity in nature, have long been a focus within the field of sociobiology. Although eusocial insects are known to have evolved from solitary ancestors, sociogenomic research among incipiently social taxa has only recently provided empirical evidence supporting theories that modular regulation and deeply conserved genes may play important roles in both the evolutionary emergence and elaboration of insect sociality. There remains, however, a paucity of data to further test the biological reality of these and other evolutionary theories among taxa in the earliest stages of social evolution. Here, we present brain transcriptomic data from the incipiently social small carpenter bee, Ceratina calcarata , which captures patterns of cis -regulation and gene expression associated with female maturation, and underlying two well-defined behavioural states, foraging and guarding, concurrently demonstrated by mothers and daughters during early autumn. We find that an incipiently social nest environment may dramatically affect gene expression. We further reveal foraging and guarding behaviours to be putatively caste-antecedent states in C. calcarata , and offer strong empirical support for the operation of modular regulation, involving deeply conserved and differentially expressed genes in the expression of early social forms.

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