Oxidation of Iron under Physiologically Relevant Conditions in Biological Fluids from Healthy and Alzheimer's Disease Subjects

Ferroxidase activity has been reported to be altered in various biological fluids in neurodegenerative disease, but the sources contributing to the altered activity are uncertain. Here we assay fractions of serum and cerebrospinal fluid with a newly validated triplex ferroxidase assay. Our data indicate that while ceruloplasmin, a multicopper ferroxidase, is the predominant source of serum activity, activity in CSF predominantly derives from a <10 kDa component, specifically from polyanions such as citrate and phosphate. We confirm that in human biological samples, ceruloplasmin activity in serum is decreased in Alzheimer's disease, but in CSF a reduction of activity in Alzheimer's disease originates from the polyanion component

Crystal structures of the NO sensor NsrR reveal how its iron-sulfur cluster modulates DNA binding

NsrR from Streptomyces coelicolor (Sc) regulates the expression of three genes through the progressive degradation of its [4Fe–4S] cluster on nitric oxide (NO) exposure. We report the 1.95 Å resolution crystal structure of dimeric holo-ScNsrR and show that the cluster is coordinated by the three invariant Cys residues from one monomer and, unexpectedly, Asp8 from the other. A cavity map suggests that NO displaces Asp8 as a cluster ligand and, while D8A and D8C variants remain NO sensitive, DNA binding is affected. A structural comparison of holo-ScNsrR with an apo-IscR-DNA complex shows that the [4Fe–4S] cluster stabilizes a turn between ScNsrR Cys93 and Cys99 properly oriented to interact with the DNA backbone. In addition, an apo ScNsrR structure suggests that Asn97 from this turn, along with Arg12, which forms a salt-bridge with Asp8, are instrumental in modulating the position of the DNA recognition helix region relative to its major groove

Structure of a Wbl protein and implications for NO sensing by M. tuberculosis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis causes pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and claims ~1.8 million human lives per annum. Host nitric oxide (NO) is important in controlling TB infection. M. tuberculosis WhiB1 is a NO-responsive Wbl protein (actinobacterial iron-sulfur proteins first identified in the 1970s). Until now, the structure of a Wbl protein has not been available. Here a NMR structural model of WhiB1 reveals that Wbl proteins are four-helix bundles with a core of three α-helices held together by a [4Fe-4S] cluster. The iron-sulfur cluster is required for formation of a complex with the major sigma factor (σA) and reaction with NO disassembles this complex. The WhiB1 structure suggests that loss of the iron-sulfur cluster (by nitrosylation) permits positively charged residues in the C-terminal helix to engage in DNA binding, triggering a major reprogramming of gene expression that includes components of the virulence-critical ESX-1 secretion system

The acetylation of RelA in Lys310 dictates the NF-κB-dependent response in post-ischemic injury

The activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) p50/RelA is a key event in ischemic neuronal injury, as well as in brain ischemic tolerance. We tested whether epigenetic mechanisms affecting the acetylation state of RelA might discriminate between neuroprotective and neurotoxic activation of NF-κB during ischemia. NF-κB activation and RelA acetylation were investigated in cortices of mice subjected to preconditioning brain ischemia or lethal middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and primary cortical neurons exposed to preconditioning or lethal oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD). In mice subjected to MCAO and in cortical neurons exposed to lethal OGD, activated RelA displayed a high level of Lys310 acetylation in spite of reduced total acetylation. Also, acetylated RelA on Lys310 interacted strongly with the CREB-binding protein (CBP). Conversely, RelA activated during preconditioning ischemia appeared deacetylated on Lys310. Overexpressing RelA increased Bim promoter activity and neuronal cell death both induced by lethal OGD, whereas overexpressing the acetylation-resistant RelA-K310R, carrying a mutation from Lys310 to arginine, prevented both responses. Pharmacological manipulation of Lys310 acetylation by the sirtuin 1 activator resveratrol repressed the activity of the Bim promoter and reduced the neuronal cell loss. We conclude that the acetylation of RelA in Lys310 dictates NF-κB-dependent pro-apoptotic responses and represents a suitable target to dissect pathological from neuroprotective NF-κB activation in brain ischemia

Physiological Roles of ArcA, Crp, and EtrA and Their Interactive Control on Aerobic and Anaerobic Respiration in Shewanella oneidensis

In the genome of Shewanella oneidensis, genes encoding the global regulators ArcA, Crp, and EtrA have been identified. All these proteins deviate from their counterparts in E. coli significantly in terms of functionality and regulon. It is worth investigating the involvement and relationship of these global regulators in aerobic and anaerobic respiration in S. oneidensis. In this study, the impact of the transcriptional factors ArcA, Crp, and EtrA on aerobic and anaerobic respiration in S. oneidensis were assessed. While all these proteins appeared to be functional in vivo, the importance of individual proteins in these two major biological processes differed. The ArcA transcriptional factor was critical in aerobic respiration while the Crp protein was indispensible in anaerobic respiration. Using a newly developed reporter system, it was found that expression of arcA and etrA was not influenced by growth conditions but transcription of crp was induced by removal of oxygen. An analysis of the impact of each protein on transcription of the others revealed that Crp expression was independent of the other factors whereas ArcA repressed both etrA and its own transcription while EtrA also repressed arcA transcription. Transcriptional levels of arcA in the wild type, crp, and etrA strains under either aerobic or anaerobic conditions were further validated by quantitative immunoblotting with a polyclonal antibody against ArcA. This extensive survey demonstrated that all these three global regulators are functional in S. oneidensis. In addition, the reporter system constructed in this study will facilitate in vivo transcriptional analysis of targeted promoters

Influence of Ecto-Nucleoside Triphosphate Diphosphohydrolase Activity on Trypanosoma cruzi Infectivity and Virulence

The protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi is the causative agent of Chagas disease, an endemic zoonosis present in some countries of South and Central Americas. The World Health Organization estimates that 100 million people are at risk of acquiring this disease. The infection affects mainly muscle tissues in the heart and digestive tract. There are no vaccines or effective treatment, especially in the chronic phase when most patients are diagnosed, which makes a strong case for the development of new drugs to treat the disease. In this work we evaluate a family of proteins called Ecto-Nucleoside-Triphosphate-Diphosphohydrolase (Ecto-NTPDase) as new chemotherapy target to block T. cruzi infection in mammalian cells and in mice. We have used inhibitors and antibodies against this protein and demonstrated that T. cruzi Ecto-NTPDases act as facilitators of infection in mammalian cells and virulence factors in mice model. Two of the drugs used in this study (Suramin and Gadolinium) are currently used for other diseases in humans, supporting the possibility of their use in the treatment of Chagas disease

Drosophila Ribosomal Protein Mutants Control Tissue Growth Non-Autonomously via Effects on the Prothoracic Gland and Ecdysone

The ribosome is critical for all aspects of cell growth due to its essential role in protein synthesis. Paradoxically, many Ribosomal proteins (Rps) act as tumour suppressors in Drosophila and vertebrates. To examine how reductions in Rps could lead to tissue overgrowth, we took advantage of the observation that an RpS6 mutant dominantly suppresses the small rough eye phenotype in a cyclin E hypomorphic mutant (cycEJP). We demonstrated that the suppression of cycEJP by the RpS6 mutant is not a consequence of restoring CycE protein levels or activity in the eye imaginal tissue. Rather, the use of UAS-RpS6 RNAi transgenics revealed that the suppression of cycEJP is exerted via a mechanism extrinsic to the eye, whereby reduced Rp levels in the prothoracic gland decreases the activity of ecdysone, the steroid hormone, delaying developmental timing and hence allowing time for tissue and organ overgrowth. These data provide for the first time a rationale to explain the counter-intuitive organ overgrowth phenotypes observed for certain members of the Minute class of Drosophila Rp mutants. They also demonstrate how Rp mutants can affect growth and development cell non-autonomously

Signals in the Soil: An Introduction to Wireless Underground Communications

In this chapter, wireless underground (UG) communications are introduced. A detailed overview of WUC is given. A comprehensive review of research challenges in WUC is presented. The evolution of underground wireless is also discussed. Moreover, different component of UG communications is wireless. The WUC system architecture is explained with a detailed discussion of the anatomy of an underground mote. The examples of UG wireless communication systems are explored. Furthermore, the differences of UG wireless and over-the-air wireless are debated. Different types of wireless underground channel (e.g., In-Soil, Soil-to-Air, and Air-to-Soil) are reported as well

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)1.

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field