Heterotrimeric Gα subunit from wheat (Triticum aestivum), GA3, interacts with the calcium-binding protein, Clo3, and the phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C, PI-PLC1

The canonical Gα subunit of the heterotrimeric G protein complex from wheat (Triticum aestivum), GA3, and the calcium-binding protein, Clo3, were revealed to interact both in vivo and in vitro and Clo3 was shown to enhance the GTPase activity of GA3. Clo3 is a member of the caleosin gene family in wheat with a single EF-hand domain and is induced during cold acclimation. Bimolecular Fluorescent Complementation (BiFC) was used to localize the interaction between Clo3 and GA3 to the plasma membrane (PM). Even though heterotrimeric G-protein signaling and Ca2+ signaling have both been shown to play a role in the response to environmental stresses in plants, little is known about the interaction between calcium-binding proteins and Gα. The GAP activity of Clo3 towards GA3 suggests it may play a role in the inactivation of GA3 as part of the stress response in plants. GA3 was also shown to interact with the phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C, PI-PLC1, not only in the PM but also in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Surprisingly, Clo3 was also shown to interact with PI-PLC1 in the PM and ER. In vitro analysis of the protein–protein interaction showed that the interaction of Clo3 with GA3 and PI-PLC1 is enhanced by high Ca2+ levels. Three-way affinity characterizations with GA3, Clo3 and PI-PLC1 showed the interaction with Clo3 to be competitive, which suggests that Clo3 may play a role in the Ca2+-triggered feedback regulation of both GA3 and PI-PLC1. This hypothesis was further supported by the demonstration that Clo3 has GAP activity with GA3

CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES

Mitochondria in animals are associated with development, as well as physiological and pathological behaviors. Several conserved mitochondrial genes exist between plants and higher eukaryotes. Yet, the similarities in mitochondrial function between plant and animal species is poorly understood. Here, we show that FMT (FRIENDLY MITOCHONDRIA) from Arabidopsis thaliana, a highly conserved homolog of the mammalian CLUH (CLUSTERED MITOCHONDRIA) gene family encoding mitochondrial proteins associated with developmental alterations and adult physiological and pathological behaviors, affects whole plant morphology and development under both stressed and normal growth conditions. FMT was found to regulate mitochondrial morphology and dynamics, germination, and flowering time. It also affects leaf expansion growth, salt stress responses and hyponastic behavior, including changes in speed of hyponastic movements. Strikingly, Cluh(+/-) heterozygous knockout mice also displayed altered locomotive movements, traveling for shorter distances and had slower average and maximum speeds in the open field test. These observations indicate that homologous mitochondrial genes may play similar roles and affect homologous functions in both plants and animals

Supervised disulfiram in relapse prevention in alcohol-dependent patients suffering from comorbid borderline personality disorder - a case series

AIMS: Disulfiram is widely used to prevent alcoholic relapse. However, due to the intended adverse reaction with ethanol, some believe that its use is dangerous for patients with personality disorders or psychiatric comorbidities because of their increased risk of impulsivity or suicidal behaviour. We examined the safety and efficacy in relapse prevention of a series of alcoholics with borderline personality disorder (BPD). METHODS: Case history study of patients diagnosed with BPD, prescribed disulfiram in a dose of 1.5-2.5 g/week, supervised by a physician in up to three brief contacts per week. RESULTS: Two out of eight patients remained completely abstinent during the supervised disulfiram therapy over a mean period of 9.25 months. Adherence to treatment was 18.44 +/- 21.78 months. The first relapse occurred after 1.38 +/- 1.41 months. The cumulated time of abstinence was 16.88 +/- 20.48 months. The overall tolerability was considered to be high; dizziness and fatigue appeared in all patients at the beginning of the therapy but did not persist. No serious adverse events or ethanol-disulfiram interactions were observed. No suicidal behaviour was reported. CONCLUSIONS: Although case observations should be interpreted with caution, supervised disulfiram seems to deserve further investigation in patients with comorbid BPD, for whom it appears to help prevent alcoholic relapse