A role for Seven in Absentia Homolog (Siah1a) in metabotropic glutamate receptor signaling

BACKGROUND: The mammalian homologue of Seven in Absentia (Siah) can act in the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway. Recent work has shown that Siah can bind group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs), but the functional consequences of this interaction are unknown. RESULTS: The effects of coexpression of Siah on group I mGluR signaling were examined using heterologous expression in rat sympathetic, superior cervical ganglion neurons. Siah1a attenuated heterologously expressed group I mGluR-mediated calcium current inhibition, but was without effect on group II mGluR- or NE-mediated calcium current modulation via heterologously expressed mGluR2 or native a2 adrenergic receptors, respectively, indicating that the effect of Siah was specific for group I mGluRs. Surface expression and subcellular distribution of group I mGluRs were not detectably altered in the presence of Siah1a as assessed by immunoflourescence experiments with epitope tagged receptors and imaging of a GFP/mGluR fusion construct. In addition, an N-terminal Siah deletion construct, which cannot function in the proteolysis pathway, displayed effects similar to the wild type Siah1a. Finally, coexpression of calmodulin, which competes with Siah1a for binding to the C-terminal tail of group I mGluRs, reversed the effect of Siah1a on mGluR-mediated signaling. CONCLUSIONS: These data supported the conclusion that the attenuation of mGluR signaling induced by Siah1a expression was likely a direct consequence of Siah/mGluR association rather than a result of targeting of the receptors to the proteosome. In addition, the data suggest that the binding of CaM and Siah may play an important role in the regulation of group I mGluR function

A 3.7 kb fragment of the mouse Scn10a gene promoter directs neural crest but not placodal lineage EGFP expression in a transgenic animal.

Under physiological conditions, the voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.8 is expressed almost exclusively in primary sensory neurons. The mechanism restricting Nav1.8 expression is not entirely clear, but we have previously described a 3.7 kb fragment of the Scn10a promoter capable of recapitulating the tissue-specific expression of Nav1.8 in transfected neurons and cell lines (Puhl and Ikeda, 2008). To validate these studies in vivo, a transgenic mouse encoding EGFP under the control of this putative sensory neuron specific promoter was generated and characterized in this study. Approximately 45% of dorsal root ganglion neurons of transgenic mice were EGFP-positive (mean diameter = 26.5 μm). The majority of EGFP-positive neurons bound isolectin B4, although a small percentage (∼10%) colabeled with markers of A-fiber neurons. EGFP expression correlated well with the presence of Nav1.8 transcript (95%), Nav1.8-immunoreactivity (70%), and TTX-R INa (100%), although not all Nav1.8-expressing neurons expressed EGFP. Several cranial sensory ganglia originating from neurogenic placodes, such as the nodose ganglion, failed to express EGFP, suggesting that additional regulatory elements dictate Scn10a expression in placodal-derived sensory neurons. EGFP was also detected in discrete brain regions of transgenic mice. Quantitative PCR and Nav1.8-immunoreactivity confirmed Nav1.8 expression in the amygdala, brainstem, globus pallidus, lateral and paraventricular hypothalamus, and olfactory tubercle. TTX-R INa recorded from EGFP-positive hypothalamic neurons demonstrate the usefulness of this transgenic line to study novel roles of Nav1.8 beyond sensory neurons. Overall, Scn10a-EGFP transgenic mice recapitulate the majority of the Nav1.8 expression pattern in neural crest-derived sensory neurons.This work was supported by the Intramural program at the National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholis

A Simple, Highly Efficient Method for Heterologous Expression in Mammalian Primary Neurons Using Cationic Lipid-mediated mRNA Transfection

Expression of heterologous proteins in adult mammalian neurons is a valuable technique for the study of neuronal function. The post-mitotic nature of mature neurons prevents effective DNA transfection using simple, cationic lipid-based methods. Adequate heterologous protein expression is often only achievable using complex techniques that, in many cases, are associated with substantial toxicity. Here, a simple method for high efficiency transfection of mammalian primary neurons using in vitro transcribed mRNA and the cationic lipid transfection reagent Lipofectamine™ 2000 is described. Optimal transfection conditions were established in adult mouse dissociated dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons using a 96-well based luciferase activity assay. Using these conditions, a transfection efficiency of 25% was achieved in DRG neurons transfected with EGFP mRNA. High transfection efficiencies were also obtained in dissociated rat superior cervical ganglion (SCG) neurons and mouse cortical and hippocampal cultures. Endogenous Ca2+ currents in EGFP mRNA-transfected SCG neurons were not significantly different from untransfected neurons, which suggested that this technique is well suited for heterologous expression in patch clamp recording experiments. Functional expression of a cannabinoid receptor (CB1R), a G protein inwardly rectifying K+ channel (GIRK4) and a dominant-negative G protein α-subunit mutant (GoA G203T) indicate that the levels of heterologous protein expression attainable using mRNA transfection are suitable for most functional protein studies. This study demonstrates that mRNA transfection is a straightforward and effective method for heterologous expression in neurons and is likely to have many applications in neuroscience research

Rapid Modification of Proteins Using a Rapamycin-Inducible Tobacco Etch Virus Protease System

The ability to disrupt the function of a specific protein on a rapid time scale provides a powerful tool for biomedical research. Specific proteases provide a potential method to selectively cleave a chosen protein, but rapid control of protease activity is difficult.A heterologous expression system for rapid target-directed proteolysis in mammalian cells was developed. The system consists of an inducible NIa protease from the tobacco etch virus (TEVp) and a chosen protein into which a TEVp substrate recognition sequence (TRS) has been inserted. Inducible activity was conferred to the TEVp using rapamycin-controlled TEVp fragment complementation. TEVp activity was assayed using a FRET-based reporter construct. TEVp expression was well tolerated by mammalian cells and complete cleavage of the substrate was possible. Cleavage at 37 degrees C proceeded exponentially with a time constant of approximately 150 minutes. Attempts to improve cleavage efficiency were hampered by substantial background activity, which was attributed to inherent affinity between the TEVp fragments. A second TEVp assay, based on changes in inactivation of a modified K(V)3.4 channel, showed that functional properties of a channel can be using altered using an inducible TEVp system. Similar levels of background activity and variability were observed in both electrophysiological and FRET assays.The results suggested that an optimum level of TEVp expression leading to sufficient inducible activity (with minimal background activity) exists but the variability in expression levels between cells makes the present system rather impractical for single cell experiments. The system is likely to be more suitable for experiments in which the cell-to-cell variability is less of an issue; for example, in experiments involving large populations of cells

Intranuclear Microinjection of DNA into Dissociated Adult Mammalian Neurons

Primary neuronal cell cultures are valuable tools to study protein function since they represent a more biologically relevant system compared to immortalized cell lines. However, the post-mitotic nature of primary neurons prevents effective heterologous protein expression using common procedures such as electroporation or chemically-mediated transfection. Thus, other techniques must be employed in order to effectively express proteins in these non-dividing cells

Human GPR42 is a transcribed multisite variant that exhibits copy number polymorphism and is functional when heterologously expressed.

FFAR3 (GPR41) is a G-protein coupled receptor for which short-chain fatty acids serve as endogenous ligands. The receptor is found on gut enteroendocrine L-cells, pancreatic β-cells, and sympathetic neurons, and is implicated in obesity, diabetes, allergic airway disease, and altered immune function. In primates, FFAR3 is segmentally duplicated resulting in GPR42, a gene currently classified as a suspected pseudogene. In this study, we sequenced FFAR3 and GPR42 open reading frames from 56 individuals and found an unexpectedly high frequency of polymorphisms contributing to several complex haplotypes. We also identified a frequent (18.8%) structural variation that results in GPR42 copy number polymorphism. Finally, sequencing revealed that 50.6% of GPR42 haplotypes differed from FFAR3 by only a single non-synonymous substitution and that the GPR42 reference sequence matched only 4.4% of the alleles. Sequencing of cDNA from human sympathetic ganglia and colon revealed processed transcripts matching the GPR42 genotype. Expression of several GPR42 haplotypes in rat sympathetic neurons revealed diverse pharmacological phenotypes that differed in potency and efficacy. Our data suggest that GPR42 be reclassified as a functioning gene and that recognition of sequence and copy number polymorphism of the FFAR3/GPR42 complex be considered during genetic and pharmacological investigation of these receptors

Rem2, a member of the RGK family of small GTPases, is enriched in nuclei of the basal ganglia.

Rem2 is a member of the RGK subfamily of RAS small GTPases. Rem2 inhibits high voltage activated calcium channels, is involved in synaptogenesis, and regulates dendritic morphology. Rem2 is the primary RGK protein expressed in the nervous system, but to date, the precise expression patterns of this protein are unknown. In this study, we characterized Rem2 expression in the mouse nervous system. In the CNS, Rem2 mRNA was detected in all regions examined, but was enriched in the striatum. An antibody specific for Rem2 was validated using a Rem2 knockout mouse model and used to show abundant expression in striatonigral and striatopallidal medium spiny neurons but not in several interneuron populations. In the PNS, Rem2 was abundant in a subpopulation of neurons in the trigeminal and dorsal root ganglia, but was absent in sympathetic neurons of superior cervical ganglia. Under basal conditions, Rem2 was subject to post-translational phosphorylation, likely at multiple residues. Further, Rem2 mRNA and protein expression peaked at postnatal week two, which corresponds to the period of robust neuronal maturation in rodents. This study will be useful for elucidating the functions of Rem2 in basal ganglia physiology

MultiMetEval: comparative and multi-objective analysis of genome-scale metabolic models

Comparative metabolic modelling is emerging as a novel field, supported by the development of reliable and standardized approaches for constructing genome-scale metabolic models in high throughput. New software solutions are needed to allow efficient comparative analysis of multiple models in the context of multiple cellular objectives. Here, we present the user-friendly software framework Multi-Metabolic Evaluator (MultiMetEval), built upon SurreyFBA, which allows the user to compose collections of metabolic models that together can be subjected to flux balance analysis. Additionally, MultiMetEval implements functionalities for multi-objective analysis by calculating the Pareto front between two cellular objectives. Using a previously generated dataset of 38 actinobacterial genome-scale metabolic models, we show how these approaches can lead to exciting novel insights. Firstly, after incorporating several pathways for the biosynthesis of natural products into each of these models, comparative flux balance analysis predicted that species like Streptomyces that harbour the highest diversity of secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters in their genomes do not necessarily have the metabolic network topology most suitable for compound overproduction. Secondly, multi-objective analysis of biomass production and natural product biosynthesis in these actinobacteria shows that the well-studied occurrence of discrete metabolic switches during the change of cellular objectives is inherent to their metabolic network architecture. Comparative and multi-objective modelling can lead to insights that could not be obtained by normal flux balance analyses. MultiMetEval provides a powerful platform that makes these analyses straightforward for biologists. Sources and binaries of MultiMetEval are freely available from https://github.com/PiotrZakrzewski/MetEv​al/downloads

Effect of ramucirumab on ALBI grade in patients with advanced HCC: Results from REACH and REACH-2

Background & Aims: The albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade/score is derived from a validated nomogram to objectively assess prognosis and liver function in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this post hoc analysis, we assessed prognosis in terms of survival by baseline ALBI grade and monitored liver function during treatment with ramucirumab or placebo using the ALBI score in patients with advanced HCC. Methods: Patients with advanced HCC, Child-Pugh class A with prior sorafenib treatment were randomised in REACH trials to receive ramucirumab 8 mg/kg or placebo every 2weeks. Datawere analysed by trial and as a meta-analysis of individual patientlevel data (pooled population) from REACH (alpha-fetoprotein>− 400 ng/ml) and REACH-2. Patients from REACHwith Child-Pugh class Bwere analysed as a separate cohort. The ALBI grades and scoreswere calculated at baseline and before each treatment cycle. Results: Baseline characteristics by ALBI grade were balanced between treatment arms among patients in the pooled population (ALBI-1, n = 231; ALBI-2, n = 296; ALBI-3, n = 7). Baseline ALBI grade was prognostic for overall survival (OS; ALBI grade 2 vs. 1; hazard ratio [HR]: 1.38 [1.13-1.69]), after adjusting for other significant prognostic factors. Mean ALBI scores remained stable in both treatment arms compared with baseline and were unaffected by baseline ALBI grade, macrovascular invasion, tumour response, geographical region, or prior locoregional therapy. Baseline ALBI grades 2 and 3 were associated with increased incidence of liver-specific adverse events and discontinuation rates in both treatments. Ramucirumab improved OS in patients with baseline ALBI grade 1 (HR 0.605 [0.445-0.824]) and ALBI grade 2 (HR 0.814 [0.630-1.051]. Conclusions: Compared with placebo, ramucirumab did not negatively impact liver function and improved survival irrespective of baseline ALBI grade

Regulation of Motor Function and Behavior by Atypical Chemokine Receptor 1

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10519-014-9665-7Atypical Chemokine Receptor 1 (ACKR1), previously known as the Duffy Antigen Receptor for Chemokines, stands out among chemokine receptors for its high selective expression on Purkinje cells of the cerebellum, consistent with the ability of ACKR1 ligands to activate Purkinje cells in vitro. Nevertheless, evidence for ACKR1 regulation of brain function in vivo has been lacking. Here we demonstrate that Ackr1−/− mice have markedly impaired balance and ataxia when placed on a rotating rod and increased tremor when injected with harmaline, a drug that induces whole-body tremor by activating Purkinje cells. Ackr1−/− mice also exhibited impaired exploratory behavior, increased anxiety-like behavior and frequent episodes of marked hypoactivity under low-stress conditions. The behavioral phenotype of Ackr1−/− mice was the opposite of the phenotype occurring in mice with cerebellar degeneration and the defects persisted when Ackr1 was deficient only on non-hematopoietic cells. We conclude that normal motor function and behavior depend in part on negative regulation of Purkinje cell activity by Ackr1