EXD2 governs germ stem cell homeostasis and lifespan by promoting mitoribosome integrity and translation

Mitochondria are subcellular organelles critical for meeting the bioenergetic and biosynthetic needs of the cell. Mitochondrial function relies on genes and RNA species encoded both in the nucleus and mitochondria, as well as their coordinated translation, import and respiratory complex assembly. Here we describe the characterization of exonuclease domain like 2 (EXD2), a nuclear encoded gene that we show is targeted to the mitochondria and prevents the aberrant association of mRNAs with the mitochondrial ribosome. The loss of EXD2 resulted in defective mitochondrial translation, impaired respiration, reduced ATP production, increased reactive oxygen species and widespread metabolic abnormalities. Depletion of EXD2/CG6744 in D.melanogaster caused developmental delays and premature female germline stem cell attrition, reduced fecundity and a dramatic extension of lifespan that could be reversed with an anti-oxidant diet. Our results define a conserved role for EXD2 in mitochondrial translation that influences development and aging

ATP-dependent resolution of R-loops at the ColE1 replication origin by Escherichia coli RecG protein, a Holliday junction-specific helicase.

The RecG protein of Escherichia coli is a DNA helicase that promotes branch migration of the Holliday junctions. We found that overproduction of RecG protein drastically decreased copy numbers of ColE1-type plasmids, which require R-loop formation between the template DNA and a primer RNA transcript (RNA II) for the initiation of replication. RecG efficiently inhibited in vitro ColE1 DNA synthesis in a reconstituted system containing RNA polymerase, RNase HI and DNA polymerase I. RecG promoted dissociation of RNA II from the R-loop in a manner that required ATP hydrolysis. These results suggest that overproduced RecG inhibits the initiation of replication by prematurely resolving the R-loops formed at the replication origin region of these plasmids with its unique helicase activity. The possibility that RecG regulates the initiation of a unique mode of DNA replication, oriC-independent constitutive stable DNA replication, by its activity in resolving R-loops is discussed

The membrane-type collectin CL-P1 is a scavenger receptor on vascular endothelial cells

American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Katsuki, Ohtani ; Yasuhiko, Suzuki ; Souji, Eda ; Takao, Kawai ; Tetsuo, Kase ; Hiroyuki, Keshi ; Yoshinori, Sakai ; Atsushi, Fukuoh ; Takashi, Sakamoto ; Hiroyuki, Itabe ; Tatsuo, Suzutani ; Masahiro, Ogasawara ; Itsuro, Yoshida ; Nobutaka, Wakamiya, Journal of Biological Chemistry, 276(47), 2001, 44222-44228. authorCollectins are a family of C-type lectins that have collagen-like sequences and carbohydrate recognition domains (CRD). They are involved in host defense through their ability to bind to carbohydrate antigens of microorganisms. The scavenger receptors type A and MARCO are classical type scavenger receptors that have internal collagen-like domains. Here we describe a new scavenger receptor that is a membrane-type collectin from placenta (collectin placenta 1 (CL-P1)), which has a typical collectin collagen-like domain and a CRD. The cDNA has an insert of about 2.2 kilobases coding for a protein containing 742 amino acid residues. The deduced amino acid sequence shows that CL-P1 is a type II membrane protein, has a coiled-coil region, a collagen-like domain, and a CRD. It resembles type A scavenger receptors because the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich domain is replaced by a CRD. Northern analyses, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and immunohistochemistry show that CL-P1 is expressed in vascular endothelial cells but not in macrophages. By immunoblotting and flow cytometry CL-P1 appears to be a membrane glycoprotein of about 140 kDa in human umbilical vein or arterial endothelial cells, placental membrane extracts, and CL-P1 transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells. We found that CL-P1 can bind and phagocytose not only bacteria (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus) but also yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Furthermore, it reacts with oxidized low density lipoprotein (OxLDL) but not with acetylated LDL (AcLDL). These binding activities are inhibited by polyanionic ligands (polyinosinic acid, polyguanylic acid, dextran sulfate) and OxLDL but not by polycationic ligands (polyadenylic acid or polycytidylic acid), LDL, or AcLDL. These results indicate that CL-P1 might play important roles in host defenses that are different from those of soluble collectins in innate immunity

Screen for mitochondrial DNA copy number maintenance genes reveals essential role for ATP synthase

The machinery of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) maintenance is only partially characterized and is of wide interest due to its involvement in disease. To identify novel components of this machinery, plus other cellular pathways required for mtDNA viability, we implemented a genome-wide RNAi screen in Drosophila S2 cells, assaying for loss of fluorescence of mtDNA nucleoids stained with the DNA-intercalating agent PicoGreen. In addition to previously characterized components of the mtDNA replication and transcription machineries, positives included many proteins of the cytosolic proteasome and ribosome (but not the mitoribosome), three proteins involved in vesicle transport, some other factors involved in mitochondrial biogenesis or nuclear gene expression, > 30 mainly uncharacterized proteins and most subunits of ATP synthase (but no other OXPHOS complex). ATP synthase knockdown precipitated a burst of mitochondrial ROS production, followed by copy number depletion involving increased mitochondrial turnover, not dependent on the canonical autophagy machinery. Our findings will inform future studies of the apparatus and regulation of mtDNA maintenance, and the role of mitochondrial bioenergetics and signaling in modulating mtDNA copy number. Synopsis An RNAi screen for genes needed in mtDNA copy number maintenance in Drosophila yielded 97 positives, including previously characterized mtDNA maintenance proteins, subunits of the cytoribosome, proteasome, and ATP synthase. An RNAi screen for genes needed in mtDNA copy number maintenance in Drosophila yielded 97 positives. These included previously characterized components of the mtDNA maintenance machinery. Other major classes of positives were the cytoribosome, proteasome, and ATP synthase. ATP synthase deficiency results in increased ROS and activation of mitochondrial turnover by pathway(s) distinct from classical autophagy. An RNAi screen for genes needed in mtDNA copy number maintenance in Drosophila yielded 97 positives, including previously characterized mtDNA maintenance proteins, subunits of the cytoribosome, proteasome, and ATP synthase. © 2014 The Authors. Published under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license

UvsW Protein Regulates Bacteriophage T4 Origin-Dependent Replication by Unwinding R-Loops

The UvsW protein of bacteriophage T4 is involved in many aspects of phage DNA metabolism, including repair, recombination, and recombination-dependent replication. UvsW has also been implicated in the repression of origin-dependent replication at late times of infection, when UvsW is normally synthesized. Two well-characterized T4 origins, ori(uvsY) and ori(34), are believed to initiate replication through an R-loop mechanism. Here we provide both in vivo and in vitro evidence that UvsW is an RNA-DNA helicase that catalyzes the dissociation of RNA from origin R-loops. Two-dimensional gel analyses show that the replicative intermediates formed at ori(uvsY) persist longer in a uvsW mutant infection than in a wild-type infection. In addition, the inappropriate early expression of UvsW protein results in the loss of these replicative intermediates. Using a synthetic origin R-loop, we also demonstrate that purified UvsW functions as a helicase that efficiently dissociates RNA from R-loops. These and previous results from a number of studies provide strong evidence that UvsW is a molecular switch that allows T4 replication to progress from a mode that initiates from R-loops at origins to a mode that initiates from D-loops formed by recombination proteins