Involvement of O-GlcNAcylation in the Skeletal Muscle Physiology and Physiopathology: Focus on Muscle Metabolism

Skeletal muscle represents around 40% of whole body mass. The principal function of skeletal muscle is the conversion of chemical energy toward mechanic energy to ensure the development of force, provide movement and locomotion, and maintain posture. This crucial energy dependence is maintained by the faculty of the skeletal muscle for being a central place as a “reservoir” of amino acids and carbohydrates in the whole body. A fundamental post-translational modification, named O-GlcNAcylation, depends, inter alia, on these nutrients; it consists to the transfer or the removal of a unique monosaccharide (N-acetyl-D-glucosamine) to a serine or threonine hydroxyl group of nucleocytoplasmic and mitochondrial proteins in a dynamic process by the O-GlcNAc Transferase (OGT) and the O-GlcNAcase (OGA), respectively. O-GlcNAcylation has been shown to be strongly involved in crucial intracellular mechanisms through the modulation of signaling pathways, gene expression, or cytoskeletal functions in various organs and tissues, such as the brain, liver, kidney or pancreas, and linked to the etiology of associated diseases. In recent years, several studies were also focused on the role of O-GlcNAcylation in the physiology and the physiopathology of skeletal muscle. These studies were mostly interested in O-GlcNAcylation during muscle exercise or muscle-wasting conditions. Major findings pointed out a different “O-GlcNAc signature” depending on muscle type metabolism at resting, wasting and exercise conditions, as well as depending on acute or long-term exhausting exercise protocol. First insights showed some differential OGT/OGA expression and/or activity associated with some differential stress cellular responses through Reactive Oxygen Species and/or Heat-Shock Proteins. Robust data displayed that these O-GlcNAc changes could lead to (i) a differential modulation of the carbohydrates metabolism, since the majority of enzymes are known to be O-GlcNAcylated, and to (ii) a differential modulation of the protein synthesis/degradation balance since O-GlcNAcylation regulates some key signaling pathways such as Akt/GSK3β, Akt/mTOR, Myogenin/Atrogin-1, Myogenin/Mef2D, Mrf4 and PGC-1α in the skeletal muscle. Finally, such involvement of O-GlcNAcylation in some metabolic processes of the skeletal muscle might be linked to some associated diseases such as type 2 diabetes or neuromuscular diseases showing a critical increase of the global O-GlcNAcylation level

Responses to hydric stress in the seed-borne necrotrophic fungus Alternaria brassicicola

Alternaria brassicicola is a necrotrophic fungus causing black spot disease and is an economically important seed-borne pathogen of cultivated brassicas. Seed transmission is a crucial component of its parasitic cycle as it promotes long-term survival and dispersal. Recent studies, conducted with the Arabidopsis thaliana/A. brassicicola pathosystem, showed that the level of susceptibility of the fungus to water stress strongly influenced its seed transmission ability. In this study, we gained further insights into the mechanisms involved in the seed infection process by analyzing the transcriptomic and metabolomic responses of germinated spores of A. brassicicola exposed to water stress. Then, the repertoire of putative hydrophilins, a group of proteins that are assumed to be involved in cellular dehydration tolerance, was established in A. brassicicola based on the expression data and additional structural and biochemical criteria. Phenotyping of single deletion mutants deficient for fungal hydrophilin-like proteins showed that they were affected in their transmission to A. thaliana seeds, although their aggressiveness on host vegetative tissues remained intact

Immunochemical and electrophysiological characterization of murine connexin40 and -43 in mouse tissues and transfected human cells

Human HeLa or SkHep1 cells, defective in intercellular communication through gap junctions, were transfected with coding sequences of murine connexin40 (Cx40) and -43. The transfected cells were restored in gap junctional coupling as shown by 100-fold increased electrical conductance. When studied by the double whole-cell patch-clamp technique, Cx40 HeLa transfectans exhibited single channel conductances of γ=121 ± 7 pS and γ=153 ± 5 pS. They were voltage gated with an equivalent gating charge of z=4.0 ± 0.5 for a voltage of half-maximal inactivation U 9= 44 ± 7 mV. The corresponding values or connexin43 (Cx43) HeLa transfectants are: γ=60 ± 4 pS and γ=40 ± 2 pS as well as z=3.7 ± 0.8 and U 0 = 73 ± 7 mV. Transfer of the dye Lucifer Yellow was always considerably lower in Cx4- than in Cx43-transfectants though their total junctional conductance was similar or even higher than for Cx43-transfectants

ERK Is Involved in the Reorganization of Somatosensory Cortical Maps in Adult Rats Submitted to Hindlimb Unloading

Sensorimotor restriction by a 14-day period of hindlimb unloading (HU) in the adult rat induces a reorganization of topographic maps and receptive fields. However, the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. Interest was turned towards a possible implication of intracellular MAPK signaling pathway since Extracellular-signal-Regulated Kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) is known to play a significant role in the control of synaptic plasticity. In order to better understand the mechanisms underlying cortical plasticity in adult rats submitted to a sensorimotor restriction, we analyzed the time-course of ERK1/2 activation by immunoblot and of cortical reorganization by electrophysiological recordings, on rats submitted to hindlimb unloading over four weeks. Immunohistochemistry analysis provided evidence that ERK1/2 phosphorylation was increased in layer III neurons of the somatosensory cortex. This increase was transient, and parallel to the changes in hindpaw cortical map area (layer IV). By contrast, receptive fields were progressively enlarged from 7 to 28 days of hindlimb unloading. To determine whether ERK1/2 was involved in cortical remapping, we administered a specific ERK1/2 inhibitor (PD-98059) through osmotic mini-pump in rats hindlimb unloaded for 14 days. Results demonstrate that focal inhibition of ERK1/2 pathway prevents cortical reorganization, but had no effect on receptive fields. These results suggest that ERK1/2 plays a role in the induction of cortical plasticity during hindlimb unloading

Analyses fonctionnelle et protéomique du rôle de la O-N-acétylglucosaminylation dans la physiologie du muscle squelettique

La O-N-acétylglucosaminylation ou O-GlcNAc, est une glycosylation cytosolique et nucléaire correspondant à l'addition d'un motif O-GlcNAc sur des résidus sérine et thréonine des protéines. Cette glycosylation dynamique et réversible est impliquée dans de nombreux processus cellulaires comme la transcription, le cycle cellulaire, la signalisation intracellulaire ... mais également dans des pathologies comme le cancer, les maladies neurodégénératives et le diabète. Peu de travaux se sont intéressés au rôle que la O-GlcNAc pourrait jouer dans le muscle strié. Pourtant, le muscle squelettique est un modèle intéressant pour l'étude de la O-GlcNAc, puisque son métabolisme dépend fortement du glucose, que de nombreux processus musculaires, tels que la contraction, dépendent de la phosphorylation et qu'il peut adapter son métabolisme énergétique aux conditions physiologiques. Or, la O-GlcNAc est à la fois dépendante du taux de glucose mais peut également interférer avec la phosphorylation par l'intermédiaire d'une balance phosphorylation/ O-N-acétylglucosaminylation. Nous avons identifié un grand nombre de protéines modifiées par la O-GlcNAc, en particulier les chaînes lourdes et légères de myosine, l'actine et la tropomyosine. L'analyse du rôle de la O-GlcNAc sur l'activité contractile, et en particulier sur la sensibilité calcique des fibres musculaires, démontre que cette glycosylation pourrait jouer un rôle modulateur dans l'activité contractile des fibres musculaires via des interactions protéine-protéine mais également des motifs qui ne sont pas engagés dans des interactions. Nous avons identifié plusieurs sites O-GlcNAc sur deux protéines clés de la machinerie contractile du muscle squelettique, l'actine et la myosine. Un site a été localisé sur la séquence 198-207 de l'actine et quatre autres ont été identifiés dans la partie hélicoïdale de la région carboxy-terminale de la myosine et correspondent aux séquences 1094-1106; 1295-1303; 1701-1712; 1913-1922. Ces sites pourraient être impliqués dans des interactions protéine-protéine, dans polymérisation des protéines et également jouer un rôle dans la modulation des propriétés contractiles du muscle squelettique. Enfin, nous mettons en évidence la possible implication de la O-GlcNAc dans un modèle d'atrophie fonctionnelle (Bed-rest) chez l'humain. En premier lieu, nous avons démontré l'existence d'une balance phosphorylation/O-GlcNAc de la MLC2 au cours de l'atrophie musculaire. Cette balance pourrait moduler l'activité ou les propriétés de cette protéine au rôle important dans la modulation de la force de contraction. En outre, l'analyse du taux global de O-GlcNAc suggère que le taux de O-GlcNAc est lié au développement de l'atrophie musculaire. L'ensemble de ces résultats démontre que la O-GlcNAc joue un rôle qui pourrait être tout autant important dans la physiologie musculaire que la phosphorylation.The O-linked N-acetylglucosaminylation termed O-GlcNAc is a dynamic cytosolic and nuclear glycosylation on serine and threonine residus. This dynamic and reversible glycosylation is involved in many physiological as weIl as pathological processes such as diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer or cardiac ischemia. Only few studies have been performed about the role of O-GlcNAc in skeletal muscle. However, the skeletal muscle is an interesting model to study the O-GlcNAc since i) its metabolism depends on glucose, ii) many muscular processes such as contraction are dependent on phosphorylation, and iii) there is a plasticity of the muscle metabolism depending on the physiological conditions. O-GlcNAc is dependent also on the level of glucose and can interfere with phosphorylation through a phosphorylation/glycosylation balance. We clearly demonstrated that a number of key contractile proteins i.e myosin heavy and light chains and actin are O-GlcNAc modified. The role of this post-translational modification in the contractile properties was investigated by establishing T/pCa curves on skinned fibers. This study demonstrated that O-GlcNAc moieties involved in protein-protein interactions or not could modulate calcium activation properties and therefore that O-GlcNAc motifs could be involved in the modulation of contractile force. Using a mass spectrometry-based method, we determined the localization of one O-GlcNAc site in the suddomain 4 of actin (séquence 198-207) and four O-GleNAc sites in the light meromyosin region of myosin heavy chains (séquences 1094-1106; 1295-1303; 1701-1712; 1913-1922). These sites might be involved in protein-protein interactions or in the polymerization of MHC or could modulate the contractile properties of skeletal muscle. Finally, we studied the implication of O-GlcNAc in a human model of muscle atrophy (Bed-Rest). We demonstrated the existence of a phosphorylation/O-GleNAc balance for MLC2 that could modulate the activity and properties of this protein which bas a key role in the modulation of force. Moreover, our data suggested that O-GlcNAc level might be involved in the control of protein homeostasis and muscular atrophy in human as in rat. AlI these data demonstrate that O-GlcNAc is an important post-translational modification in the muscle physiology.LILLE1-Bib. Electronique (590099901) / SudocSudocFranceF

Modes d'action de molecules produisant le decouplage electrique et diffusionnel des cellules cardiaques. Effet d'anticorps diriges contre des sites definis de la proteine jonctionnelle connexine 43

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Global O-GlcNAcylation changes impact desmin phosphorylation and its partition toward cytoskeleton in C2C12 skeletal muscle cells differentiated into myotubes.

International audienceDesmin is the guardian of striated muscle integrity, permitting the maintenance of muscle shape and the efficiency of contractile activity. It is also a key mediator of cell homeostasis and survival. To ensure the fine regulation of skeletal muscle processes, desmin is regulated by post-translational modifications (PTMs). It is more precisely phosphorylated by several kinases connecting desmin to intracellular processes. Desmin is also modified by O-GlcNAcylation, an atypical glycosylation. However, the functional consequence of O-GlcNAcylation on desmin is still unknown, nor its impact on desmin phosphorylation. In a model of C2C12 myotubes, we modulated the global O-GlcNAcylation level, and we determined whether the expression, the PTMs and the partition of desmin toward insoluble material or cytoskeleton were impacted or not. We have demonstrated in the herein paper that O-GlcNAcylation variations led to changes in desmin behaviour. In particular, our data clearly showed that O-GlcNAcylation increase led to a decrease of phosphorylation level on desmin that seems to involve CamKII correlated to a decrease of its partition toward cytoskeleton. Our data showed that phosphorylation/O-GlcNAcylation interplay is highly complex on desmin, supporting that a PTMs signature could occur on desmin to finely regulate its partition (i.e. distribution) with a spatio-temporal regulation