DYRK1A, a Novel Determinant of the Methionine-Homocysteine Cycle in Different Mouse Models Overexpressing this Down-Syndrome-Associated Kinase

BACKGROUND:Hyperhomocysteinemia, characterized by increased plasma homocysteine level, is associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis. On the contrary, patients with Down syndrome appear to be protected from the development of atherosclerosis. We previously found a deleterious effect of hyperhomocysteinemia on expression of DYRK1A, a Down-syndrome-associated kinase. As increased expression of DYRK1A and low plasma homocysteine level have been associated with Down syndrome, we aimed to analyze the effect of its over-expression on homocysteine metabolism in mice. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:Effects of DYRK1A over-expression were examined by biochemical analysis of methionine metabolites, real-time quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, and enzyme activities. We found that over-expression of Dyrk1a increased the hepatic NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase and S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase activities, concomitant with decreased level of plasma homocysteine in three mice models overexpressing Dyrk1a. Moreover, these effects were abolished by treatment with harmine, the most potent and specific inhibitor of Dyrk1a. The increased NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase and S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase activities were also found in lymphoblastoid cell lines from patients with Down syndrome. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:Our results might give clues to understand the protective effect of Down syndrome against vascular defect through a decrease of homocysteine level by DYRK1A over-expression. They reveal a link between the Dyrk1a signaling pathway and the homocysteine cycle

Trisomy for Synaptojanin1 in Down syndrome is functionally linked to the enlargement of early endosomes

Enlarged early endosomes have been observed in neurons and fibroblasts in Down syndrome (DS). These endosome abnormalities have been implicated in the early development of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology in these subjects. Here, we show the presence of enlarged endosomes in blood mononuclear cells and lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) from individuals with DS using immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy. Genotype-phenotype correlations in LCLs carrying partial trisomies 21 revealed that triplication of a 2.56 Mb locus in 21q22.11 is associated with the endosomal abnormalities. This locus contains the gene encoding the phosphoinositide phosphatase synaptojanin 1 (SYNJ1), a key regulator of the signalling phospholipid phosphatidylinositol-4,5-biphosphate that has been shown to regulate clathrin-mediated endocytosis. We found that SYNJ1 transcripts are increased in LCLs from individuals with DS and that overexpression of SYNJ1 in a neuroblastoma cell line as well as in transgenic mice leads to enlarged endosomes. Moreover, the proportion of enlarged endosomes in fibroblasts from an individual with DS was reduced after silencing SYNJ1 expression with RNA interference. In LCLs carrying amyloid precursor protein (APP) microduplications causing autosomal dominant early-onset AD, enlarged endosomes were absent, suggesting that APP overexpression alone is not involved in the modification of early endosomes in this cell type. These findings provide new insights into the contribution of SYNJ1 overexpression to the endosomal changes observed in DS and suggest an attractive new target for rescuing endocytic dysfunction and lipid metabolism in DS and in A

Control of Flowering and Cell Fate by LIF2, an RNA Binding Partner of the Polycomb Complex Component LHP1

Polycomb Repressive Complexes (PRC) modulate the epigenetic status of key cell fate and developmental regulators in eukaryotes. The chromo domain protein LIKE HETEROCHROMATIN PROTEIN1 (LHP1) is a subunit of a plant PRC1-like complex in Arabidopsis thaliana and recognizes histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation, a silencing epigenetic mark deposited by the PRC2 complex. We have identified and studied an LHP1-Interacting Factor2 (LIF2). LIF2 protein has RNA recognition motifs and belongs to the large hnRNP protein family, which is involved in RNA processing. LIF2 interacts in vivo, in the cell nucleus, with the LHP1 chromo shadow domain. Expression of LIF2 was detected predominantly in vascular and meristematic tissues. Loss-of-function of LIF2 modifies flowering time, floral developmental homeostasis and gynoecium growth determination. lif2 ovaries have indeterminate growth and produce ectopic inflorescences with severely affected flowers showing proliferation of ectopic stigmatic papillae and ovules in short-day conditions. To look at how LIF2 acts relative to LHP1, we conducted transcriptome analyses in lif2 and lhp1 and identified a common set of deregulated genes, which showed significant enrichment in stress-response genes. By comparing expression of LHP1 targets in lif2, lhp1 and lif2 lhp1 mutants we showed that LIF2 can either antagonize or act with LHP1. Interestingly, repression of the FLC floral transcriptional regulator in lif2 mutant is accompanied by an increase in H3K27 trimethylation at the locus, without any change in LHP1 binding, suggesting that LHP1 is targeted independently from LIF2 and that LHP1 binding does not strictly correlate with gene expression. LIF2, involved in cell identity and cell fate decision, may modulate the activity of LHP1 at specific loci, during specific developmental windows or in response to environmental cues that control cell fate determination. These results highlight a novel link between plant RNA processing and Polycomb regulation

Une maison dans la main : un opéra en réalité augmentée. Retour sur un processus interdisciplinaire de cocréation

Cette note de terrain détaille le processus interdisciplinaire mis en place pour la création de l’opéra en réalité augmentée Une maison dans la main. Il s’agit d’une écriture à plusieurs têtes et plusieurs coeurs, entre un librettiste, une compositrice, deux scénographes et deux réalisatrices. Nous y détaillons nos différentes phases de développement, les méthodes et les outils de travail déployés, ainsi que les enjeux de cocréation rencontrés ayant mené à la réalisation d’un prototype tangible. L’oeuvre raconte l’histoire d’un fils et de son père à différents moments de leur vie, dans leur lutte contre cette montée des eaux. La note de terrain raconte une belle réussite de collaboration, de cocréation et d’interdisciplinarité.This field note details the interdisciplinary process implemented to create the augmented reality opera Une maison dans la main. The writing involved many hearts and minds working together: a librettist, a composer, two set designers and two directors. Here, we detail our various development phases, the working methods and tools used, and the co-creation challenges encountered, all leading to the realization of a tangible prototype. The musical work tells the story of a son and his father at different times in their lives, as they struggle against the rising waters. The field note tells the story of successful collaboration, co-creation, and interdisciplinarity

Dyrk1A, a Serine/Threonine Kinase, is Involved in ERK and Akt Activation in the Brain of Hyperhomocysteinemic Mice

Hyperhomocysteinemia due to cystathionine beta synthase (CBS) deficiency is associated with diverse brain disease. Whereas the biological actions linking hyperhomocysteinemia to the cognitive dysfunction are not well understood, we tried to establish relationships between hyperhomocysteinemia and alterations of signaling pathways. In the brain of CBS-deficient mice, a murine model of hyperhomocysteinemia, we previously found an activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway and an increase of Dyrk1A, a serine/threonine kinase involved in diverse functions ranging from development and growth to apoptosis. We then investigated the relationship between Dyrk1A and the signaling pathways initiated by receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK), the ERK and PI3K/Akt pathways. We found a significant increase of phospho-ERK, phospho-MEK, and phospho-Akt in the brain of CBS-deficient and Dyrk1a-overexpressing mice. This increase was abolished when CBS-deficient and Dyrk1A-transgenic mice were treated with harmine, an inhibitor of Dyrk1A kinase activity, which emphasizes the role of Dyrk1A activity on ERK and Akt activation. Sprouty 2 protein level, a negative feedback loop modulator that limits the intensity and duration of RTK activation, is decreased in the brain of CBS-deficient mice, but not in the brain of Dyrk1A transgenic mice. Furthermore, a reduced Dyrk1A and Grb2 binding on sprouty 2 and an increased interaction of Dyrk1A with Grb2 were found in the brain of Dyrk1A transgenic mice. The consequence of Dyrk1A overexpression on RTK activation seems to be a decreased interaction of sprouty 2/Grb2. These observations demonstrate ERK and Akt activation induced by Dyrk1A in the brain of hyperhomocysteinemic mice and open new perspectives to understand the basis of the cognitive defects in hyperhomocysteinemia

Effect of red wine polyphenol dietary supplementation on two phase II enzymes in liver of hyperhomocysteinemic mice

International audienceHyperhomocysteinemia leads to diverse clinical manifestations, notably liver disease. The pathogenicity of homocysteine is believed to be due to its ability to produce oxidative stress. Paraoxonase-1 (Pon1), a phase I xenobiotic-metabolizing enzyme (XME) synthesized by liver with anti-oxidative properties within the circulating system is down regulated in case of hyperhomocysteinemia. In a previous study, we have shown that red wine polyphenol extract (PE) supplementation induces a decrease in plasma homocysteine level and an increase in hepatic Pon1 gene expression concomitant with an increase in hepatic and plasma Pon1 activity in a murine model of hyperhomocysteinemia. In the present study, we analyzed the effect of PE supplementation on two phase II XME: NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (Nqo1) and arylamine-N-acetyltransferase (Nat) family. We found that hyperhomocysteinemia leads to a decrease of hepatic Nqo1 gene expression and activity with a reversal effect of PE supplementation. We also found that hyperhomocysteinemia-induced decrease of peroxynitrite level is associated with an increase of hepatic total Nat activity mainly due to the Nat2 isoform with a reversal effect of PE supplementation. Our results show a beneficial effect of PE supplementation on two phase II enzymes which are altered in case of hyperhomocysteinemia. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Molecular signatures of cardiac defects in down syndrome lymphoblastoid cell lines suggest altered ciliome and hedgehog pathways

Forty percent of people with Down syndrome exhibit heart defects, most often an atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD) and less frequently a ventricular septal defect (VSD) or atrial septal defect (ASD). Lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) were established from lymphocytes of individuals with trisomy 21, the chromosomal abnormality causing Down syndrome. Gene expression profiles generated from DNA microarrays of LCLs from individuals without heart defects (CHD-; n = 22) were compared with those of LCLs from patients with cardiac malformations (CHD+; n = 21). After quantile normalization, principal component analysis revealed that AVSD carriers could be distinguished from a combined group of ASD or VSD (ASD+VSD) carriers. From 9,758 expressed genes, we identified 889 and 1,016 genes differentially expressed between CHD- and AVSD and CHD- and ASD+VSD, respectively, with only 119 genes in common. A specific chromosomal enrichment was found in each group of affected genes. Among the differentially expressed genes, more than 65% are expressed in human or mouse fetal heart tissues (GEO dataset). Additional LCLs from new groups of AVSD and ASD+VSD patients were analyzed by quantitative PCR; observed expression ratios were similar to microarray results. Analysis of GO categories revealed enrichment of genes from pathways regulating clathrin-mediated endocytosis in patients with AVSD and of genes involved in semaphorin-plexin-driven cardiogenesis and the formation of cytoplasmic microtubules in patients with ASD-VSD. A pathway-oriented search revealed enrichment in the ciliome for both groups and a specific enrichment in Hedgehog and Jak-stat pathways among ASD+VSD patients. These genes or related pathways are therefore potentially involved in normal cardiogenesis as well as in cardiac malformations observed in individuals with trisomy 21. © 2012 Ripoll et al

Trisomy for synaptojanin1 in Down syndrome is functionally linked to the enlargement of early endosomes

International audienceEnlarged early endosomes have been observed in neurons and fibroblasts in Down syndrome (DS). These endosome abnormalities have been implicated in the early development of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology in these subjects. Here, we show the presence of enlarged endosomes in blood mononuclear cells and lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) from individuals with DS using immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy. Genotype-phenotype correlations in LCLs carrying partial trisomies 21 revealed that triplication of a 2.56 Mb locus in 21q22.11 is associated with the endosomal abnormalities. This locus contains the gene encoding the phosphoinositide phosphatase synaptojanin 1 (SYNJ1), a key regulator of the signalling phospholipid phosphatidylinositol-4,5-biphosphate that has been shown to regulate clathrin-mediated endocytosis. We found that SYNJ1 transcripts are increased in LCLs from individuals with DS and that overexpression of SYNJ1 in a neuroblastoma cell line as well as in transgenic mice leads to enlarged endosomes. Moreover, the proportion of enlarged endosomes in fibroblasts from an individual with DS was reduced after silencing SYNJ1 expression with RNA interference. In LCLs carrying amyloid precursor protein (APP) microduplications causing autosomal dominant early-onset AD, enlarged endosomes were absent, suggesting that APP overexpression alone is not involved in the modification of early endosomes in this cell type. These findings provide new insights into the contribution of SYNJ1 overexpression to the endosomal changes observed in DS and suggest an attractive new target for rescuing endocytic dysfunction and lipid metabolism in DS and in AD

Fruits de la Terre: Du produit exotique au symbole patriotique. Cuba XVIIIe-XXIe

International audienceFruits de la Terre. Du produit exotique au symbole patriotique est à la fois la production d'une collaboration scientifique durable et celle de la fructueuse maturation d'une réflexion interdisciplinaire. Ce livre a germé de la plaisante allégorie de Contrapunteo cubano del tabaco y el azúcar, où Fernando Ortiz faisait de don Tabac et de don Sucre les protagonistes les plus importants du ballet de la société cubaine. En les incarnant, il les caractérisait tant du point de vue social, qu'économique et symbolique. « Le café - ajoutait-il - étranger mais créolisé, dansait entre eux deux »

Fruits de la Terre: Du produit exotique au symbole patriotique. Cuba XVIIIe-XXIe

International audienceFruits de la Terre. Du produit exotique au symbole patriotique est à la fois la production d'une collaboration scientifique durable et celle de la fructueuse maturation d'une réflexion interdisciplinaire. Ce livre a germé de la plaisante allégorie de Contrapunteo cubano del tabaco y el azúcar, où Fernando Ortiz faisait de don Tabac et de don Sucre les protagonistes les plus importants du ballet de la société cubaine. En les incarnant, il les caractérisait tant du point de vue social, qu'économique et symbolique. « Le café - ajoutait-il - étranger mais créolisé, dansait entre eux deux »