Phosphorylation of AMPA Receptors Is Required for Sensory Deprivation-Induced Homeostatic Synaptic Plasticity

Sensory experience, and the lack thereof, can alter the function of excitatory synapses in the primary sensory cortices. Recent evidence suggests that changes in sensory experience can regulate the synaptic level of Ca2+-permeable AMPA receptors (CP-AMPARs). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying such a process have not been determined. We found that binocular visual deprivation, which is a well-established in vivo model to produce multiplicative synaptic scaling in visual cortex of juvenile rodents, is accompanied by an increase in the phosphorylation of AMPAR GluR1 (or GluA1) subunit at the serine 845 (S845) site and the appearance of CP-AMPARs at synapses. To address the role of GluR1-S845 in visual deprivation-induced homeostatic synaptic plasticity, we used mice lacking key phosphorylation sites on the GluR1 subunit. We found that mice specifically lacking the GluR1-S845 site (GluR1-S845A mutants), which is a substrate of cAMP-dependent kinase (PKA), show abnormal basal excitatory synaptic transmission and lack visual deprivation-induced homeostatic synaptic plasticity. We also found evidence that increasing GluR1-S845 phosphorylation alone is not sufficient to produce normal multiplicative synaptic scaling. Our study provides concrete evidence that a GluR1 dependent mechanism, especially S845 phosphorylation, is a necessary pre-requisite step for in vivo homeostatic synaptic plasticity

Rational design of α-helical tandem repeat proteins with closed architectures

Tandem repeat proteins, which are formed by repetition of modular units of protein sequence and structure, play important biological roles as macromolecular binding and scaffolding domains, enzymes, and building blocks for the assembly of fibrous materials(1,2). The modular nature of repeat proteins enables the rapid construction and diversification of extended binding surfaces by duplication and recombination of simple building blocks(3,4). The overall architecture of tandem repeat protein structures – which is dictated by the internal geometry and local packing of the repeat building blocks – is highly diverse, ranging from extended, super-helical folds that bind peptide, DNA, and RNA partners(5–9), to closed and compact conformations with internal cavities suitable for small molecule binding and catalysis(10). Here we report the development and validation of computational methods for de novo design of tandem repeat protein architectures driven purely by geometric criteria defining the inter-repeat geometry, without reference to the sequences and structures of existing repeat protein families. We have applied these methods to design a series of closed alpha-solenoid(11) repeat structures (alpha-toroids) in which the inter-repeat packing geometry is constrained so as to juxtapose the N- and C-termini; several of these designed structures have been validated by X-ray crystallography. Unlike previous approaches to tandem repeat protein engineering(12–20), our design procedure does not rely on template sequence or structural information taken from natural repeat proteins and hence can produce structures unlike those seen in nature. As an example, we have successfully designed and validated closed alpha-solenoid repeats with a left-handed helical architecture that – to our knowledge – is not yet present in the protein structure database(21)

How to govern research in the "age of innovation": Compatibilities and incompatibilities of policy rationales. In Martin Lengwiler & Simon, Dagmar (eds.): Shifting Boundaries between Science and Politics? Debates on new Governance Arrangements in Science Policy.

Linus Pauling established the conceptual framework for understanding and mimicking enzymes more than six decades ago. The notion that enzymes selectively stabilize the rate-limiting transition state of the catalysed reaction relative to the bound ground state reduces the problem of design to one of molecular recognition. Nevertheless, past attempts to capitalize on this idea, for example by using transition state analogues to elicit antibodies with catalytic activities, have generally failed to deliver true enzymatic rates. The advent of computational design approaches, combined with directed evolution, has provided an opportunity to revisit this problem. Starting from a computationally designed catalyst for the Kemp elimination--a well-studied model system for proton transfer from carbon – we show that an artificial enzyme can be evolved that accelerates an elementary chemical reaction 6 × 10(8)-fold, approaching the exceptional efficiency of highly optimized natural enzymes such as triosephosphate isomerase. A 1.09 Å resolution crystal structure of the evolved enzyme indicates that familiar catalytic strategies such as shape complementarity and precisely placed catalytic groups can be successfully harnessed to afford such high rate accelerations, making us optimistic about the prospects of designing more sophisticated catalysts

TGFβ/BMP inhibits the bone marrow transformation capability of Hoxa9 by repressing its DNA-binding ability

Homeobox (Hox) gene mutations and their altered expressions are frequently linked to human leukemia. Here, we report that transforming growth factor β (TGFβ)/bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) inhibits the bone marrow transformation capability of Hoxa9 and Nup98-Hoxa9, the chimeric fusion form of Hoxa9 identified in human acute myeloid leukemia (AML), through Smad4, the common Smad (Co-Smad) in the TGFβ/BMP signaling pathway. Smad4 interacts directly with the homeodomain of Hoxa9 and blocks the ability of Nup98-Hoxa9 to bind DNA, thereby suppressing its ability to regulate downstream gene transcription. Mapping data revealed that the amino-terminus of Smad4 mediates this interaction and overexpression of the Hoxa9 interaction domain of Smad4 was sufficient to inhibit the enhanced serial replating ability of primary bone marrow cells induced by Nup98-Hoxa9. These studies establish a novel mechanism by which TGFβ/BMP regulates hematopoiesis and suggest that modification of Hox DNA-binding activity may serve as a novel therapeutic intervention for those leukemias that involve deregulation of Hox