Electro-optic sensor for static fields

A sensor has been developed for low frequency and DC electric fields E. The device is capable of measuring fields with Delta-E = 4 (1) V/cm resolution. It is based on a Y-cut Z-propagation lithium niobate electro-optic crystal. For a particular commercially available bare crystal, we achieved an in air time constant tau_c(air) = 6.4(1.8) h for the decay of the electro-optic signal. This enables field monitoring for several hours. As an application, we demonstrated that a constant electric field Eext = 640 V/cm applied via external electrodes to a particular spherical glass container holding an Xe/He gas mixture decays inside this cell with a time constant tau-E-glass = 2.5(5) h. This is sufficient for the needs of experiments searching for a permanent electric dipole moment in 129Xe. An integrated electric field sensor has been constructed which is coupled to a light source and light detectors via optical fibers. The sensor head does not contain any electrically conducting material

Eps8 regulates hair bundle length and functional maturation of mammalian auditory hair cells

Hair cells of the mammalian cochlea are specialized for the dynamic coding of sound stimuli. The transduction of sound waves into electrical signals depends upon mechanosensitive hair bundles that project from the cell's apical surface. Each stereocilium within a hair bundle is composed of uniformly polarized and tightly packed actin filaments. Several stereociliary proteins have been shown to be associated with hair bundle development and function and are known to cause deafness in mice and humans when mutated. The growth of the stereociliar actin core is dynamically regulated at the actin filament barbed ends in the stereociliary tip. We show that Eps8, a protein with actin binding, bundling, and barbed-end capping activities in other systems, is a novel component of the hair bundle. Eps8 is localized predominantly at the tip of the stereocilia and is essential for their normal elongation and function. Moreover, we have found that Eps8 knockout mice are profoundly deaf and that IHCs, but not OHCs, fail to mature into fully functional sensory receptors. We propose that Eps8 directly regulates stereocilia growth in hair cells and also plays a crucial role in the physiological maturation of mammalian cochlear IHCs. Together, our results indicate that Eps8 is critical in coordinating the development and functionality of mammalian auditory hair cells

eIF6 coordinates insulin sensitivity and lipid metabolism by coupling translation to transcription.

Insulin regulates glycaemia, lipogenesis and increases mRNA translation. Cells with reduced eukaryotic initiation factor 6 (eIF6) do not increase translation in response to insulin. The role of insulin-regulated translation is unknown. Here we show that reduction of insulin-regulated translation in mice heterozygous for eIF6 results in normal glycaemia, but less blood cholesterol and triglycerides. eIF6 controls fatty acid synthesis and glycolysis in a cell autonomous fashion. eIF6 acts by exerting translational control of adipogenic transcription factors like C/EBPβ, C/EBPδ and ATF4 that have G/C rich or uORF sequences in their 5' UTR. The outcome of the translational activation by eIF6 is a reshaping of gene expression with increased levels of lipogenic and glycolytic enzymes. Finally, eIF6 levels modulate histone acetylation and amounts of rate-limiting fatty acid synthase (Fasn) mRNA. Since obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cancer require a Fasn-driven lipogenic state, we propose that eIF6 could be a therapeutic target for these diseases

Simultaneous targeting of DNA replication and homologous recombination in glioblastoma with a polyether ionophore

Background: Despite significant endeavor having been applied to identify effective therapies to treat glioblastoma (GBM), survival outcomes remain intractable. The greatest nonsurgical benefit arises from radiotherapy, though tumors typically recur due to robust DNA repair. Patients could therefore benefit from therapies with the potential to prevent DNA repair and synergize with radiotherapy. In this work, we investigated the potential of salinomycin to enhance radiotherapy and further uncover novel dual functions of this ionophore to induce DNA damage and prevent repair. Methods: In vitro primary GBM models and ex vivo GBM patient explants were used to determine the mechanism of action of salinomycin by immunoblot, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, and mass spectrometry. In vivo efficacy studies were performed using orthotopic GBM animal xenograft models. Salinomycin derivatives were synthesized to increase drug efficacy and explore structure-activity relationships. Results: Here we report novel dual functions of salinomycin. Salinomycin induces toxic DNA lesions and prevents subsequent recovery by targeting homologous recombination (HR) repair. Salinomycin appears to target the more radioresistant GBM stem cell-like population and synergizes with radiotherapy to significantly delay tumor formation in vivo. We further developed salinomycin derivatives which display greater efficacy in vivo while retaining the same beneficial mechanisms of action. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the potential of salinomycin to induce DNA lesions and inhibit HR to greatly enhance the effect of radiotherapy. Importantly, first-generation salinomycin derivatives display greater efficacy and may pave the way for clinical testing of these agents

Synaptobrevin2 is the v-SNARE required for cytotoxic T-lymphocyte lytic granule fusion

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes kill virus-infected and tumorigenic target cells through the release of perforin and granzymes via fusion of lytic granules at the contact site, the immunological synapse. It has been postulated that this fusion process is mediated by non-neuronal members of the soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor complex protein family. Here, using a synaptobrevin2-monomeric red fluorescence protein knock-in mouse we demonstrate that, surprisingly, the major neuronal v-SNARE synaptobrevin2 is expressed in cytotoxic T lymphocytes and exclusively localized on granzyme B-containing lytic granules. Cleavage of synaptobrevin2 by tetanus toxin or ablation of the synaptobrevin2 gene leads to a complete block of lytic granule exocytosis while leaving upstream events unaffected, identifying synaptobrevin2 as the v-SNARE responsible for the fusion of lytic granules at the immunological synapse