Dynactin1 depletion leads to neuromuscular synapse instability and functional abnormalities.

Dynactin subunit 1 is the largest subunit of the dynactin complex, an activator of the molecular motor protein complex dynein. Reduced levels of DCTN1 mRNA and protein have been found in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, and mutations have been associated with disease, but the role of this protein in disease pathogenesis is still unknown. We characterized a Dynactin1a depletion model in the zebrafish embryo and combined in vivo molecular analysis of primary motor neuron development with live in vivo axonal transport assays in single cells to investigate ALS-related defects. To probe neuromuscular junction (NMJ) function and organization we performed paired motor neuron-muscle electrophysiological recordings and GCaMP calcium imaging in live, intact larvae, and the synapse structure was investigated by electron microscopy. Here we show that Dynactin1a depletion is sufficient to induce defects in the development of spinal cord motor neurons and in the function of the NMJ. We observe synapse instability, impaired growth of primary motor neurons, and higher failure rates of action potentials at the NMJ. In addition, the embryos display locomotion defects consistent with NMJ dysfunction. Rescue of the observed phenotype by overexpression of wild-type human DCTN1-GFP indicates a cell-autonomous mechanism. Synaptic accumulation of DCTN1-GFP, as well as ultrastructural analysis of NMJ synapses exhibiting wider synaptic clefts, support a local role for Dynactin1a in synaptic function. Furthermore, live in vivo analysis of axonal transport and cytoskeleton dynamics in primary motor neurons show that the phenotype reported here is independent of modulation of these processes. Our study reveals a novel role for Dynactin1 in ALS pathogenesis, where it acts cell-autonomously to promote motor neuron synapse stability independently of dynein-mediated axonal transport

Exploration of nuclear body-enhanced sumoylation reveals that PML represses 2-cell features of embryonic stem cells

International audienceMembrane-less organelles are condensates formed by phase separation whose functions often remain enigmatic. Upon oxidative stress, PML scaffolds Nuclear Bodies (NBs) to regulate senescence or metabolic adaptation. PML NBs recruit many partner proteins, but the actual biochemical mechanism underlying their pleiotropic functions remains elusive. Similarly, PML role in embryonic stem cell (ESC) and retro-element biology is unsettled. Here we demonstrate that PML is essential for oxidative stress-driven partner SUMO2/3 conjugation in mouse ESCs (mESCs) or leukemia, a process often followed by their poly-ubiquitination and degradation. Functionally, PML is required for stress responses in mESCs. Differential proteomics unravel the KAP1 complex as a PML NB-dependent SUMO2-target in arsenic-treated APL mice or mESCs. PML-driven KAP1 sumoylation enables activation of this key epigenetic repressor implicated in retro-element silencing. Accordingly, Pml −/− mESCs re-express transposable elements and display 2-Cell-Like features, the latter enforced by PML-controlled SUMO2-conjugation of DPPA2. Thus, PML orchestrates mESC state by coordinating SUMO2-conjugation of different transcriptional regulators, raising new hypotheses about PML roles in cancer

A light-gated potassium channel for sustained neuronal inhibition

Currently available inhibitory optogenetic tools provide short and transient silencing of neurons, but they cannot provide long-lasting inhibition because of the requirement for high light intensities. Here we present an optimized blue-light-sensitive synthetic potassium channel, BLINK2, which showed good expression in neurons in three species. The channel is activated by illumination with low doses of blue light, and in our experiments it remained active over (tens of) minutes in the dark after the illumination was stopped. This activation caused long periods of inhibition of neuronal firing in ex vivo recordings of mouse neurons and impaired motor neuron response in zebrafish in vivo. As a proof-of-concept application, we demonstrated that in a freely moving rat model of neuropathic pain, the activation of a small number of BLINK2 channels caused a long-lasting (>30\u2009min) reduction in pain sensation

Construction of a Biomimetic Surface on Microfluidic Chips for Biofouling Resistance

A biomimetic surface has been formed on the poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microfluidic chips for biofouling resistance on the basis of a simple modification. Accordingly, an amphiphilic phospholipid copolymer of 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine and n-butyl methacrylate (PMB) was developed to introduce the phosphorylcholine functional groups onto the PMMA surface via the anchoring of hydrophobic n-butyl methacrylate units. The 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine segments could form hydrophilic domains, considered to be located on the surface, to provide a biocompatible surface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectra confirmed the success of surface functionalization. The PMB-modified microchips containing phosphorylcholine moieties exhibited more stable electroosmotic mobility compared with the untreated one. In addition to being characterized for minimized nonspecific adhesion of serum proteins and plasma platelets, the PMB-functionalized microchannels have been exemplified by electrophoresis of proteins. This one-step procedure offers an effective approach for a biomimetic surface design on microfluidic chips, which is promising in highthroughput and complex biological analysis. Microfluidic devices are becoming powerful tools for performing chemical or biological assays due to the increased speed and reliability at reduced sample consumption. 1,2 For the requirement of commercial manufacture, the material used in chip fabrication is developed from glass and silicon to polymer so that the cost and the manufacturing procedures could be decreased. 3 However, their applications in microfluidics and biology have been limited since their relatively low surface energy makes them present a relatively hydrophobic surface, which may have a negative effect on the adhesion of coatings and biocompatibility. Nonspecific adsorption of analytes onto the surfaces is a common problem of polymer-based microstructures leading to the fouling of microchannel surfaces. Thus, the continuing progress in microfluidics would partly rely on the development of surface modification technologies in a simple and reliable fashion to control the adsorption and ensure optimized biocompatibility of the microchips as a platform for improving reproducible and efficient bioanalysis. 4 Many approaches to reduce the surface interaction have been explored including dynamic coating and chemical modification. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] The variety of polymers that are commercially available and capable to tailor the structural, physical, and chemical properties has given polymers unique advantages over other materials as surface coatings. 13 To improve the physicochemical property, surface modification with biocompatible polymers would be a promising technique to provide an excellent interface on the conventional polymer surface. Lee et al. described a technique in which 2-bromoisobutyryl bromide was immobilized on poly-(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) substrates preactivated using oxygen plasma, and then poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) was grafted by atom-transfer radical polymerization for electrophoretic separations of proteins and peptides. 9 Allbritton et al. demonstrated a procedure to covalently link polymer PEG to the surface of poly-(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microchannels by ultraviolet graft polymerization. 14 These PEG coatings have been generally used to minimize nonspecific protein adsorption on glass and plastic devices. Whereas they might cause some secondary reactions in blood samples, 15 alternative strategies are being studied. Using a sol-gel method, PDMS microchips were fabricated with SiO 2 * To whom correspondence should be addressed

Lactoferrin Peptide Increases the Survival of Candida albicans- Inoculated Mice by Upregulating Neutrophil and Macrophage Functions, Especially in Combination with Amphotericin B and Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor

To develop a new strategy to control candidiasis, we examined in vivo the anticandidal effects of a synthetic lactoferrin peptide, FKCRRWQWRM (peptide 2) and the peptide that mimics it, FKARRWQWRM (peptide 2′). Although all mice that underwent intraperitoneal injection of 5 × 10(8) Candida cells with or without peptide 2′ died within 8 or 7 days, respectively, the survival times of mice treated with 5 to 100 μg of intravenous peptide 2 per day for 5 days after the candidal inoculation were prolonged between 8.4 ± 2.9 and 22.4 ± 3.6 days, depending on the dose of peptide 2. The prolongation of survival by peptide 2 was also observed in mice that were infected with 1.0 × 10(9) Candida albicans cells (3.2 ± 1.3 days in control mice versus 8.2 ± 2.4 days in the mice injected with 10 μg of peptide 2 per day). In the high-dose inoculation, a combination of peptide 2 (10 μg/day) with amphotericin B (0.1 μg/day) and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) (0.1 μg/day) brought prolonged survival. With a combination of these agents, 60% of the mice were alive for more than 22 days. Correspondingly, peptide 2 activated phagocytes inducing inducible NO synthase and the expression of p47(phox) and p67(phox), and peptide 2 increased phagocyte Candida-killing activities up to 1.5-fold of the control levels upregulating the generation of superoxide, lactoferrin, and defensin from neutrophils and macrophages. These findings indicated that the anticandidal effects of peptide 2 depend not only on the direct Candida cell growth-inhibitory activity, but also on the phagocytes' upregulatory activity, and that combinations of peptide 2 with GM-CSF and antifungal drugs will help in the development of new strategies for control of candidiasis