Neuroanastomosis of orthotopically transplanted palmaris longus muscles

Palmaris longus (PML) muscles of rhesus monkeys were transplanted, with or without anastomosis of the median nerve, to the nerve stump of the autograft. Because PML autografts revascularize spontaneously, vascular anastomoses were not performed. Muscle fibers regenerated in all autografts with neuroanastomosis, but in only three of eight autografts without neuroanastomosis. Five autografts without neuroanastomosis were replaced by noncontractile connective tissue. Growth and differentiation of muscle fibers into three fiber types and development of capillarity were analyzed histochemically, and succinate oxidase activity of whole-muscle homogenates was determined. None of these measures reached values for control PML muscles within 100 days of transplantation. In comparison to control muscles, autografts had slower times to peak tension and less absolute tension, but similar tension per square centimeter of muscle fiber cross-sectional area. Monkey PML autografts with neuroanastomosis were similar in structure and function to cat extensor digitorum longus autografts that had not had neuroanastomosis.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/50127/1/880020107_ftp.pd

Understanding the Role of the Josephin Domain in the PolyUb Binding and Cleavage Properties of Ataxin-3

Ataxin-3, the disease protein in the neurodegenerative disorder Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3 or Machado Joseph disease, is a cysteine protease implicated in the ubiquitin proteasome pathway. It contains multiple ubiquitin binding sites through which it anchors polyubiquitin chains of different linkages that are then cleaved by the N-terminal catalytic (Josephin) domain. The properties of the ubiquitin interacting motifs (UIMs) in the C-terminus of ataxin-3 are well established. Very little is known, however, about how two recently identified ubiquitin-binding sites in the Josephin domain contribute to ubiquitin chain binding and cleavage. In the current study, we sought to define the specific contribution of the Josephin domain to the catalytic properties of ataxin-3 and assess how the topology and affinity of these binding sites modulate ataxin-3 activity. Using NMR we modeled the structure of diUb/Josephin complexes and showed that linkage preferences are imposed by the topology of the two binding sites. Enzymatic studies further helped us to determine a precise hierarchy between the sites. We establish that the structure of Josephin dictates specificity for K48-linked chains. Site 1, which is close to the active site, is indispensable for cleavage. Our studies open the way to understand better the cellular function of ataxin-3 and its link to pathology

Splice Isoforms of the Polyglutamine Disease Protein Ataxin-3 Exhibit Similar Enzymatic yet Different Aggregation Properties

Protein context clearly influences neurotoxicity in polyglutamine diseases, but the contribution of alternative splicing to this phenomenon has rarely been investigated. Ataxin-3, a deubiquitinating enzyme and the disease protein in SCA3, is alternatively spliced to encode either a C-terminal hydrophobic stretch or a third ubiquitin interacting motif (termed 2UIM and 3UIM isoforms, respectively). In light of emerging insights into ataxin-3 function, we examined the significance of this splice variation. We confirmed neural expression of several minor 5′ variants and both of the known 3′ ataxin-3 splice variants. Regardless of polyglutamine expansion, 3UIM ataxin-3 is the predominant isoform in brain. Although 2UIM and 3UIM ataxin-3 display similar in vitro deubiquitinating activity, 2UIM ataxin-3 is more prone to aggregate and more rapidly degraded by the proteasome. Our data demonstrate how alternative splicing of sequences distinct from the trinucleotide repeat can alter properties of the encoded polyglutamine disease protein and thereby perhaps contribute to selective neurotoxicity

Ultrastructural localization of carbonic anhydrase in gastric parietal cells with the immunoglobulin-enzyme bridge method

Ultrastructural immunostaining of carbonic anhydrase in gastric parietal cells was accomplished with the immunoglobulin-peroxidase bridge procedure applied to cryostat sections of fixed guinea-pig stomach prior to dehydration and embedment. Of a variety of fixatives tested, only freshly prepared paraformaldehyde buffered with calcium acetate provided both immunostaining and adequate preservation of ultrastructural morphology. Delipidization or exposure of specimens to detergent prior to staining enhanced the intensity of the immunostaining and increased the sensitivity of the method. Increased diaminobenzidine concentration in the peroxidase substrate appeared also to intensify the densification at the reactive site. Carbonic anhydrase was localized ultrastructurally with this pre-embedment immunobridge procedure in the hyaloplasm of gastric parietal cells and less consistently in the superficial surface epithelium. The basal portion of the parietal cells stained more intensely than the apical region and immunoreactivity appeared concentrated at the plasmalemma and around mitochondria.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/42849/1/10735_2005_Article_BF01012020.pd

The role of the mammalian DNA end-processing enzyme polynucleotide kinase 3'-phosphatase in spinocerebellar ataxia Type 3 pathogenesis

DNA strand-breaks (SBs) with non-ligatable ends are generated by ionizing radiation, oxidative stress, various chemotherapeutic agents, and also as base excision repair (BER) intermediates. Several neurological diseases have already been identified as being due to a deficiency in DNA end-processing activities. Two common dirty ends, 3'-P and 5'-OH, are processed by mammalian polynucleotide kinase 3'-phosphatase (PNKP), a bifunctional enzyme with 3'-phosphatase and 5'-kinase activities. We have made the unexpected observation that PNKP stably associates with Ataxin-3 (ATXN3), a polyglutamine repeat-containing protein mutated in spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3), also known as Machado-Joseph Disease (MJD). This disease is one of the most common dominantly inherited ataxias worldwide; the defect in SCA3 is due to CAG repeat expansion (from the normal 14-41 to 55-82 repeats) in the ATXN3 coding region. However, how the expanded form gains its toxic function is still not clearly understood. Here we report that purified wild-type (WT) ATXN3 stimulates, and by contrast the mutant form specifically inhibits, PNKP's 3' phosphatase activity in vitro. ATXN3-deficient cells also show decreased PNKP activity. Furthermore, transgenic mice conditionally expressing the pathological form of human ATXN3 also showed decreased 3'-phosphatase activity of PNKP, mostly in the deep cerebellar nuclei, one of the most affected regions in MJD patients' brain. Finally, long amplicon quantitative PCR analysis of human MJD patients' brain samples showed a significant accumulation of DNA strand breaks. Our results thus indicate that the accumulation of DNA strand breaks due to functional deficiency of PNKP is etiologically linked to the pathogenesis of SCA3/MJD.This research was supported by USPHS grant NS073976 (TKH) and P30 ES 06676 that support the NIEHS Center Cell Biology Core and Molecular Genomics Core of UTMB’s NIEHS Center for DNA sequencing. TKP is supported by CA129537 and CA154320. This work was also supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia through the project [PTDC/SAU-GMG/101572/2008] and through fellowships [SFRH/BPD/91562/2012 to ASF, SFRH/BD/51059/2010 to ANC]. IB is supported by NIEHS R01 ES018948 and NIAID/AI06288