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Sample records for biotrophy-associated secreted proteins

  1. EST mining identifies proteins putatively secreted by the anthracnose pathogen Colletotrichum truncatum

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    Vandenberg Albert

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Colletotrichum truncatum is a haploid, hemibiotrophic, ascomycete fungal pathogen that causes anthracnose disease on many economically important leguminous crops. This pathogen exploits sequential biotrophic- and necrotrophic- infection strategies to colonize the host. Transition from biotrophy to a destructive necrotrophic phase called the biotrophy-necrotrophy switch is critical in symptom development. C. truncatum likely secretes an arsenal of proteins that are implicated in maintaining a compatible interaction with its host. Some of them might be transition specific. Results A directional cDNA library was constructed from mRNA isolated from infected Lens culinaris leaflet tissues displaying the biotrophy-necrotrophy switch of C. truncatum and 5000 expressed sequence tags (ESTs with an average read of > 600 bp from the 5-prime end were generated. Nearly 39% of the ESTs were predicted to encode proteins of fungal origin and among these, 162 ESTs were predicted to contain N-terminal signal peptides (SPs in their deduced open reading frames (ORFs. The 162 sequences could be assembled into 122 tentative unigenes comprising 32 contigs and 90 singletons. Sequence analyses of unigenes revealed four potential groups: hydrolases, cell envelope associated proteins (CEAPs, candidate effectors and other proteins. Eleven candidate effector genes were identified based on features common to characterized fungal effectors, i.e. they encode small, soluble (lack of transmembrane domain, cysteine-rich proteins with a putative SP. For a selected subset of CEAPs and candidate effectors, semiquantitative RT-PCR showed that these transcripts were either expressed constitutively in both in vitro and in planta or induced during plant infection. Using potato virus X (PVX based transient expression assays, we showed that one of the candidate effectors, i. e. contig 8 that encodes a cerato-platanin (CP domain containing protein, unlike CP proteins

  2. A survey of the gene repertoire of Gigaspora rosea unravels conserved features among Glomeromycota for obligate biotrophy

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    Nianwu eTANG

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM fungi are a diverse group of soil fungi (Glomeromycota that form the most ancient mutualistic association termed arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis with a majority of land plants, improving their nutrition uptake and resistance to stresses. In contrast to their great ecological implications, the knowledge of the molecular biological mechanisms involved is still scant, partly due to the limited genomic resources available. Here, we describe the gene repertoire of a new AM fungus Gigaspora rosea (Diversisporales. Among the 86332 nonredundant virtual transcripts assembled, 15346 presented similarities with proteins in the Refseq database and 10175 were assigned with GO terms. KOG and Interpro domain annotations clearly showed an enrichment of genes involved in signal transduction in G. rosea. KEGG pathway analysis indicates that most primary metabolic processes are active in G. rosea. However, as for R. irregularis, several metabolic genes were not found, including the fatty acid synthase gene. This finding supports the hypothesis that AM fungi depend on the lipids produced by their hosts. Furthermore, the presence of a large number of transporters and hundreds of secreted proteins, together with the reduced number of plant cell wall degrading enzymes could be interpreted as an evolutionary adaptation to its mutualistic obligate biotrophy. The detection of meiosis-related genes suggests that G. rosea might use a cryptic sexual process. Lastly, a phylogeny of basal fungi clearly shows Glomeromycota as a sister clade to Mucoromycotina, not only to the Mucorales or Mortierellales. The characterization of the gene repertoire from an AM fungal species belonging to the order of Diversisporales and its comparison with the gene sets of R. irregularis (Glomerales and Gigaspora margarita (Diversisporales, reveal that AM fungi share several features linked to mutualistic obligate biotrophy. This work contributes to lay the foundation

  3. Mining secreted proteins that function in pepper fruit development and ripening using a yeast secretion trap (YST)

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    Lee, Je Min, E-mail: jemin@knu.ac.kr [Department of Plant Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Department of Horticultural Science, Kyungpook National University, Daegu (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Sang-Jik [Biotechnology Institute, Nongwoo Bio Co, Ltd, Yeoju (Korea, Republic of); Department of Plant Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (United States); Rose, Jocelyn K.C. [Department of Plant Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (United States); Yeam, Inhwa [Department of Horticulture and Breeding, Andong National University, Andong (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Byung-Dong [Department of Plant Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-04-18

    Highlights: • Yeast secretion trap (YST) is a valuable tool for mining secretome. • A total of 80 secreted proteins are newly identified via YST in pepper fruits. • The secreted proteins are differentially regulated during pepper development and ripening. • Transient GFP-fusion assay and in planta secretion trap can effectively validate the secretion of proteins. - Abstract: Plant cells secrete diverse sets of constitutively- and conditionally-expressed proteins under various environmental and developmental states. Secreted protein populations, or secretomes have multiple functions, including defense responses, signaling, metabolic processes, and developmental regulation. To identify genes encoding secreted proteins that function in fruit development and ripening, a yeast secretion trap (YST) screen was employed using pepper (Capsicum annuum) fruit cDNAs. The YST screen revealed 80 pepper fruit-related genes (CaPFRs) encoding secreted proteins including cell wall proteins, several of which have not been previously described. Transient GFP-fusion assay and an in planta secretion trap were used to validate the secretion of proteins encoded by selected YST clones. In addition, RNA gel blot analyses provided further insights into their expression and regulation during fruit development and ripening. Integrating our data, we conclude that the YST provides a valuable functional genomics tool for the identification of substantial numbers of novel secreted plant proteins that are associated with biological processes, including fruit development and ripening.

  4. Mining secreted proteins that function in pepper fruit development and ripening using a yeast secretion trap (YST)

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    Lee, Je Min; Lee, Sang-Jik; Rose, Jocelyn K.C.; Yeam, Inhwa; Kim, Byung-Dong

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Yeast secretion trap (YST) is a valuable tool for mining secretome. • A total of 80 secreted proteins are newly identified via YST in pepper fruits. • The secreted proteins are differentially regulated during pepper development and ripening. • Transient GFP-fusion assay and in planta secretion trap can effectively validate the secretion of proteins. - Abstract: Plant cells secrete diverse sets of constitutively- and conditionally-expressed proteins under various environmental and developmental states. Secreted protein populations, or secretomes have multiple functions, including defense responses, signaling, metabolic processes, and developmental regulation. To identify genes encoding secreted proteins that function in fruit development and ripening, a yeast secretion trap (YST) screen was employed using pepper (Capsicum annuum) fruit cDNAs. The YST screen revealed 80 pepper fruit-related genes (CaPFRs) encoding secreted proteins including cell wall proteins, several of which have not been previously described. Transient GFP-fusion assay and an in planta secretion trap were used to validate the secretion of proteins encoded by selected YST clones. In addition, RNA gel blot analyses provided further insights into their expression and regulation during fruit development and ripening. Integrating our data, we conclude that the YST provides a valuable functional genomics tool for the identification of substantial numbers of novel secreted plant proteins that are associated with biological processes, including fruit development and ripening

  5. Synthesis and secretion of proteins by perifused caput epididymal tubules, and association of secreted proteins with spermatozoa

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    Klinefelter, G.R.; Hamilton, D.W.

    1985-01-01

    We have used perifusion organ culture of proximal and distal caput epididymal tubules of the rat to study the secretion of proteins by epididymal epithelium and uptake of the luminal radioactive proteins by sperm. The amount of incorporation of L-[35S]methionine into luminal fluid proteins was time dependent and completely inhibited by cycloheximide. The association of labeled proteins with cultured sperm was also dependent on time and continuous, with sperm still acquiring labeled luminal proteins after protein synthesis was arrested. A Mr = 46,000 molecule was found to be heavily labeled in luminal fluid and sperm extracts. Fluorograms of all L-[35S]methionine extracts immunoprecipitated using an antiepididymal alpha-lactalbumin antibody (Klinefelter and Hamilton, 1984) showed labeling of an Mr = 18,000 molecule and, in addition, the Mr = 46,000 molecule, but immunostaining was specific only for the Mr = 18,000 molecule and the heavy chain of the immunoglobulin. We suggest that the Mr = 46,000 molecule may be galactosyltransferase. Galactose oxidase-NaB[3H]4 labeling of the cultured caput sperm cell surface revealed a Mr = 23,000 molecule that was able to be immunoprecipitated with antiepididymal alpha-lactalbumin antibody. Our data suggest that this cell surface molecule is similar to one component of the fluid epididymal alpha-lactalbumin-like complex and, in addition, show that glycosylation of the sperm surface can occur in the caput epididymidis

  6. The Xylella fastidiosa PD1063 protein is secreted in association with outer membrane vesicles.

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    Pierce, Brittany K; Voegel, Tanja; Kirkpatrick, Bruce C

    2014-01-01

    Xylella fastidiosa is a gram-negative, xylem-limited plant pathogenic bacterium that causes disease in a variety of economically important agricultural crops including Pierce's disease of grapevines. Xylella fastidiosa biofilms formed in the xylem vessels of plants play a key role in early colonization and pathogenicity by providing a protected niche and enhanced cell survival. Here we investigate the role of Xylella fastidiosa PD1063, the predicted ortholog of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae PXO_03968, which encodes an outer membrane protein. To assess the function of the Xylella fastidiosa ortholog, we created Xylella fastidiosa mutants deleted for PD1063 and then assessed biofilm formation, cell-cell aggregation and cell growth in vitro. We also assessed disease severity and pathogen titers in grapevines mechanically inoculated with the Xylella fastidiosa PD1063 mutant. We found a significant decrease in cell-cell aggregation among PD1063 mutants but no differences in cell growth, biofilm formation, disease severity or titers in planta. Based on the demonstration that Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae PXO_03968 encodes an outer membrane protein, secreted in association with outer membrane vesicles, we predicted that PD1063 would also be secreted in a similar manner. Using anti-PD1063 antibodies, we found PD1063 in the supernatant and secreted in association with outer membrane vesicles. PD1063 purified from the supernatant, outer membrane fractions and outer membrane vesicles was 19.2 kD, corresponding to the predicted size of the processed protein. Our findings suggest Xylella fastidiosa PD1063 is not essential for development of Pierce's disease in Vitis vinifera grapevines although further research is required to determine the function of the PD1063 outer membrane protein in Xylella fastidiosa.

  7. Characterization of the ectodomain of the envelope protein of dengue virus type 4: expression, membrane association, secretion and particle formation in the absence of precursor membrane protein.

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    Szu-Chia Hsieh

    Full Text Available The envelope (E of dengue virus (DENV is the major target of neutralizing antibodies and vaccine development. After biosynthesis E protein forms a heterodimer with precursor membrane (prM protein. Recent reports of infection enhancement by anti-prM monoclonal antibodies (mAbs suggest anti-prM responses could be potentially harmful. Previously, we studied a series of C-terminal truncation constructs expressing DENV type 4 prM/E or E proteins and found the ectodomain of E protein alone could be recognized by all 12 mAbs tested, suggesting E protein ectodomain as a potential subunit immunogen without inducing anti-prM response. The characteristics of DENV E protein ectodomain in the absence of prM protein remains largely unknown.In this study, we investigated the expression, membrane association, glycosylation pattern, secretion and particle formation of E protein ectodomain of DENV4 in the presence or absence of prM protein. E protein ectodomain associated with membrane in or beyond trans-Golgi and contained primarily complex glycans, whereas full-length E protein associated with ER membrane and contained high mannose glycans. In the absence of prM protein, E protein ectodomain can secrete as well as form particles of approximately 49 nm in diameter, as revealed by sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation with or without detergent and electron microscopy. Mutational analysis revealed that the secretion of E protein ectodomain was affected by N-linked glycosylation and could be restored by treatment with ammonia chloride.Considering the enhancement of DENV infectivity by anti-prM antibodies, our findings provide new insights into the expression and secretion of E protein ectodomain in the absence of prM protein and contribute to future subunit vaccine design.

  8. Analysis of secreted proteins from Aspergillus flavus.

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    Medina, Martha L; Haynes, Paul A; Breci, Linda; Francisco, Wilson A

    2005-08-01

    MS/MS techniques in proteomics make possible the identification of proteins from organisms with little or no genome sequence information available. Peptide sequences are obtained from tandem mass spectra by matching peptide mass and fragmentation information to protein sequence information from related organisms, including unannotated genome sequence data. This peptide identification data can then be grouped and reconstructed into protein data. In this study, we have used this approach to study protein secretion by Aspergillus flavus, a filamentous fungus for which very little genome sequence information is available. A. flavus is capable of degrading the flavonoid rutin (quercetin 3-O-glycoside), as the only source of carbon via an extracellular enzyme system. In this continuing study, a proteomic analysis was used to identify secreted proteins from A. flavus when grown on rutin. The growth media glucose and potato dextrose were used to identify differentially expressed secreted proteins. The secreted proteins were analyzed by 1- and 2-DE and MS/MS. A total of 51 unique A. flavus secreted proteins were identified from the three growth conditions. Ten proteins were unique to rutin-, five to glucose- and one to potato dextrose-grown A. flavus. Sixteen secreted proteins were common to all three media. Fourteen identifications were of hypothetical proteins or proteins of unknown functions. To our knowledge, this is the first extensive proteomic study conducted to identify the secreted proteins from a filamentous fungus.

  9. Non-Cationic Proteins Are Associated with HIV Neutralizing Activity in Genital Secretions of Female Sex Workers.

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    Birse, Kenzie D M; Cole, Amy L; Hirbod, Taha; McKinnon, Lyle; Ball, Terry B; Westmacott, Garrett R; Kimani, Joshua; Plummer, Frank; Cole, Alexander M; Burgener, Adam; Broliden, Kristina

    2015-01-01

    Cationic proteins found in cervicovaginal secretions (CVS) are known to contribute to the early antiviral immune response against HIV-infection in vitro. We here aimed to define additional antiviral factors that are over-expressed in CVS from female sex workers at high risk of infection. CVS were collected from Kenyan HIV-seronegative (n = 34) and HIV-seropositive (n = 12) female sex workers, and were compared with those from HIV-seronegative low-risk women (n = 12). The highly exposed seronegative (HESN) sex workers were further divided into those with less (n = 22) or more (n = 12) than three years of documented sex work. Cationic protein-depleted CVS were assessed for HIV-neutralizing activity by a PBMC-based HIV-neutralizing assay, and then characterized by proteomics. HIV neutralizing activity was detected in all unprocessed CVS, however only CVS from the female sex worker groups maintained its HIV neutralizing activity after cationic protein-depletion. Differentially abundant proteins were identified in the cationic protein-depleted secretions including 26, 42, and 11 in the HESN>3 yr, HESNHIV-positive groups, respectively. Gene ontology placed these proteins into functional categories including proteolysis, oxidation-reduction, and epidermal development. The proteins identified in this study include proteins previously associated with the HESN phenotype in other cohorts as well as novel proteins not yet associated with anti-HIV activities. While cationic proteins appear to contribute to the majority of the intrinsic HIV neutralizing activity in the CVS of low-risk women, a broader range of non-cationic proteins were associated with HIV neutralizing activity in HESN and HIV-positive female sex workers. These results indicate that novel protein factors found in CVS of women with high-risk sexual practices may have inherent antiviral activity, or are involved in other aspects of anti-HIV host defense, and warrant further exploration into their mode of action.

  10. Quantitative proteomic view on secreted, cell surface-associated, and cytoplasmic proteins of the methicillin-resistant human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus under iron-limited conditions.

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    Hempel, Kristina; Herbst, Florian-Alexander; Moche, Martin; Hecker, Michael; Becher, Dörte

    2011-04-01

    Staphylococcus aureus is capable of colonizing and infecting humans by its arsenal of surface-exposed and secreted proteins. Iron-limited conditions in mammalian body fluids serve as a major environmental signal to bacteria to express virulence determinants. Here we present a comprehensive, gel-free, and GeLC-MS/MS-based quantitative proteome profiling of S. aureus under this infection-relevant situation. (14)N(15)N metabolic labeling and three complementing approaches were combined for relative quantitative analyses of surface-associated proteins. The surface-exposed and secreted proteome profiling approaches comprise trypsin shaving, biotinylation, and precipitation of the supernatant. By analysis of the outer subproteomic and cytoplasmic protein fraction, 1210 proteins could be identified including 221 surface-associated proteins. Thus, access was enabled to 70% of the predicted cell wall-associated proteins, 80% of the predicted sortase substrates, two/thirds of lipoproteins and more than 50% of secreted and cytoplasmic proteins. For iron-deficiency, 158 surface-associated proteins were quantified. Twenty-nine proteins were found in altered amounts showing particularly surface-exposed proteins strongly induced, such as the iron-regulated surface determinant proteins IsdA, IsdB, IsdC and IsdD as well as lipid-anchored iron compound-binding proteins. The work presents a crucial subject for understanding S. aureus pathophysiology by the use of methods that allow quantitative surface proteome profiling.

  11. Extracellular secretion of recombinant proteins

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    Linger, Jeffrey G.; Darzins, Aldis

    2014-07-22

    Nucleic acids encoding secretion signals, expression vectors containing the nucleic acids, and host cells containing the expression vectors are disclosed. Also disclosed are polypeptides that contain the secretion signals and methods of producing polypeptides, including methods of directing the extracellular secretion of the polypeptides. Exemplary embodiments include cellulase proteins fused to secretion signals, methods to produce and isolate these polypeptides, and methods to degrade lignocellulosic biomass.

  12. A Novel ESAT-6 Secretion System-Secreted Protein EsxX of Community-Associated Staphylococcus aureus Lineage ST398 Contributes to Immune Evasion and Virulence

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    Yingxin Dai

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available The ESAT-6 secretion system (ESS has been reported to contribute to the virulence and pathogenicity of several Staphylococcus aureus strains such as USA300 and Newman. However, the role of the ESS in community-associated S. aureus (CA-SA lineage ST398 in China is not well understood. By comparing the ess locus of ST398 with the published S. aureus sequence in the NCBI database, we found one gene in the ess locus encoding a novel WXG superfamily protein that is highly conserved only in ST398. LC-MS/MS and Western blot analysis revealed that this protein is a novel secreted protein controlled by the ST398 ESS, and we named the protein EsxX. Although EsxX was not under the control of the accessory gene regulator like many other virulence factors and had no influence on several phenotypes of ST398, such as growth, hemolysis, and biofilm formation, it showed important impacts on immune evasion and virulence in ST398. An esxX deletion mutant led to significantly reduced resistance to neutrophil killing and decreased virulence in murine skin and blood infection models, indicating its essential contribution to the evasion of innate host defense and virulence to support the pathogenesis of ST398 infections. The function of this novel secreted protein EsxX might help us better understand the role of the ESS in the virulence and epidemic success of the CA-SA lineage ST398.

  13. A Novel ESAT-6 Secretion System-Secreted Protein EsxX of Community-Associated Staphylococcus aureus Lineage ST398 Contributes to Immune Evasion and Virulence.

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    Dai, Yingxin; Wang, Yanan; Liu, Qian; Gao, Qianqian; Lu, Huiying; Meng, Hongwei; Qin, Juanxiu; Hu, Mo; Li, Min

    2017-01-01

    The ESAT-6 secretion system (ESS) has been reported to contribute to the virulence and pathogenicity of several Staphylococcus aureus strains such as USA300 and Newman. However, the role of the ESS in community-associated S. aureus (CA-SA) lineage ST398 in China is not well understood. By comparing the ess locus of ST398 with the published S. aureus sequence in the NCBI database, we found one gene in the ess locus encoding a novel WXG superfamily protein that is highly conserved only in ST398. LC-MS/MS and Western blot analysis revealed that this protein is a novel secreted protein controlled by the ST398 ESS, and we named the protein EsxX. Although EsxX was not under the control of the accessory gene regulator like many other virulence factors and had no influence on several phenotypes of ST398, such as growth, hemolysis, and biofilm formation, it showed important impacts on immune evasion and virulence in ST398. An esxX deletion mutant led to significantly reduced resistance to neutrophil killing and decreased virulence in murine skin and blood infection models, indicating its essential contribution to the evasion of innate host defense and virulence to support the pathogenesis of ST398 infections. The function of this novel secreted protein EsxX might help us better understand the role of the ESS in the virulence and epidemic success of the CA-SA lineage ST398.

  14. Structural Features Reminiscent of ATP-Driven Protein Translocases Are Essential for the Function of a Type III Secretion-Associated ATPase.

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    Kato, Junya; Lefebre, Matthew; Galán, Jorge E

    2015-09-01

    Many bacterial pathogens and symbionts utilize type III secretion systems to interact with their hosts. These machines have evolved to deliver bacterial effector proteins into eukaryotic target cells to modulate a variety of cellular functions. One of the most conserved components of these systems is an ATPase, which plays an essential role in the recognition and unfolding of proteins destined for secretion by the type III pathway. Here we show that structural features reminiscent of other ATP-driven protein translocases are essential for the function of InvC, the ATPase associated with a Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium type III secretion system. Mutational and functional analyses showed that a two-helix-finger motif and a conserved loop located at the entrance of and within the predicted pore formed by the hexameric ATPase are essential for InvC function. These findings provide mechanistic insight into the function of this highly conserved component of type III secretion machines. Type III secretion machines are essential for the virulence or symbiotic relationships of many bacteria. These machines have evolved to deliver bacterial effector proteins into host cells to modulate cellular functions, thus facilitating bacterial colonization and replication. An essential component of these machines is a highly conserved ATPase, which is necessary for the recognition and secretion of proteins destined to be delivered by the type III secretion pathway. Using modeling and structure and function analyses, we have identified structural features of one of these ATPases from Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium that help to explain important aspects of its function. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  15. Pharmacological inhibition of dynamin II reduces constitutive protein secretion from primary human macrophages.

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    Maaike Kockx

    Full Text Available Dynamins are fission proteins that mediate endocytic and exocytic membrane events and are pharmacological therapeutic targets. These studies investigate whether dynamin II regulates constitutive protein secretion and show for the first time that pharmacological inhibition of dynamin decreases secretion of apolipoprotein E (apoE and several other proteins constitutively secreted from primary human macrophages. Inhibitors that target recruitment of dynamin to membranes (MiTMABs or directly target the GTPase domain (Dyngo or Dynole series, dose- and time- dependently reduced the secretion of apoE. SiRNA oligo's targeting all isoforms of dynamin II confirmed the involvement of dynamin II in apoE secretion. Inhibition of secretion was not mediated via effects on mRNA or protein synthesis. 2D-gel electrophoresis showed that inhibition occurred after apoE was processed and glycosylated in the Golgi and live cell imaging showed that inhibited secretion was associated with reduced post-Golgi movement of apoE-GFP-containing vesicles. The effect was not restricted to macrophages, and was not mediated by the effects of the inhibitors on microtubules. Inhibition of dynamin also altered the constitutive secretion of other proteins, decreasing the secretion of fibronectin, matrix metalloproteinase 9, Chitinase-3-like protein 1 and lysozyme but unexpectedly increasing the secretion of the inflammatory mediator cyclophilin A. We conclude that pharmacological inhibitors of dynamin II modulate the constitutive secretion of macrophage apoE as a class effect, and that their capacity to modulate protein secretion may affect a range of biological processes.

  16. The Xanthomonas Ax21 protein is processed by the general secretory system and is secreted in association with outer membrane vesicles

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    Ofir Bahar

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs play an important role in detecting invading pathogens and mounting a robust defense response to restrict infection. In rice, one of the best characterized PRRs is XA21, a leucine rich repeat receptor-like kinase that confers broad-spectrum resistance to multiple strains of the bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo. In 2009 we reported that an Xoo protein, called Ax21, is secreted by a type I-secretion system and that it serves to activate XA21-mediated immunity. This report has recently been retracted. Here we present data that corrects our previous model. We first show that Ax21 secretion does not depend on the predicted type I secretion system and that it is processed by the general secretion (Sec system. We further show that Ax21 is an outer membrane protein, secreted in association with outer membrane vesicles. Finally, we provide data showing that ax21 knockout strains do not overcome XA21-mediated immunity.

  17. Correlation of secretion of retinol and protein by the lacrimal gland

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    Ubels, J.L.; Rismondo, V.

    1986-01-01

    Retinol, which is present in tears, is secreted by the lacrimal gland. Retinol secretion is stimulated by cholinergic drugs and vasoactive intestinal peptide with characteristics very similar to the exocytotic secretion of protein by the lacrimal gland, suggesting that retinol and protein are secreted by similar mechanisms. The authors investigated this by cannulating the lacrimal gland ducts of rabbits and collecting lacrimal gland fluid (LGF) under conditions of maximal flow stimulated by IV injection of pilocarpine (400 μg/kg) every 20 min for 4.5 hr. Over this period LGF protein concentration decreased 36.4% from 22.8 +/- 1.94 mg/ml to 8.29 1.86 mg/ml while retinol decreased 37% from 55.1 +/- 16.2 ng/ml to 20.4 +/- 6.5 ng/ml. The retinol/protein ratio remained constant at 2.88 ng/mg. This demonstrates a strong correlation between retinol and protein secretion, suggesting that retinol may be protein bound. To investigate binding of retinol to LGF protein, LGF was incubated with 3 H-retinol. The bound and unbound retinol were separated on a Lipidex 1000 column. Retinol binding was linear over a range of 1.25-200 nM 3 H-retinol. Binding was not inhibited by PCMBS or addition of a 100-fold excess of unlabeled retinol and was not increased by prior extraction of endogenous retinol from the LGF. This indicates that the binding of retinol to LGF protein is non-specific. Retinol therefore appears to be secreted by the lacrimal gland cells in non-specific association with protein

  18. Tumor Cells and Tumor-Associated Macrophages: Secreted Proteins as Potential Targets for Therapy

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    Baay, Marc; Brouwer, Anja; Pauwels, Patrick; Peeters, Marc; Lardon, Filip

    2011-01-01

    Inflammatory pathways, meant to defend the organism against infection and injury, as a byproduct, can promote an environment which favors tumor growth and metastasis. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), which constitute a significant part of the tumor-infiltrating immune cells, have been linked to the growth, angiogenesis, and metastasis of a variety of cancers, most likely through polarization of TAMs to the M2 (alternative) phenotype. The interaction between tumor cells and macrophages provides opportunities for therapy. This paper will discuss secreted proteins as targets for intervention. PMID:22162712

  19. Tumor Cells and Tumor-Associated Macrophages: Secreted Proteins as Potential Targets for Therapy

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    Marc Baay

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Inflammatory pathways, meant to defend the organism against infection and injury, as a byproduct, can promote an environment which favors tumor growth and metastasis. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs, which constitute a significant part of the tumor-infiltrating immune cells, have been linked to the growth, angiogenesis, and metastasis of a variety of cancers, most likely through polarization of TAMs to the M2 (alternative phenotype. The interaction between tumor cells and macrophages provides opportunities for therapy. This paper will discuss secreted proteins as targets for intervention.

  20. A two-dimensional electrophoretic profile of the proteins secreted by Herbaspirillum seropedicae strain Z78.

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    Chaves, Daniela Fojo Seixas; de Souza, Emanuel Maltempi; Monteiro, Rose Adele; de Oliveira Pedrosa, Fábio

    2009-11-02

    Herbaspirillum seropedicae is an endophytic bacterium that associates with rice, sugarcane and other economically important crops. Secreted proteins play a key role in the plant-bacterial interaction. Using 2D electrophoresis and peptide mass fingerprint mass spectrometry, 63 protein spots representing 41 different secreted proteins were identified during growth of H. seropedicae under nitrogen-sufficient conditions. In silico analysis showed that 25.4% of the proteins had signal peptides and 15.9% were predicted to be non-classically secreted. Among the most abundant were flagellar components and ABC-type transport system proteins. Nine secreted proteins had also been identified in the cellular proteome, suggesting that they also play a role in the extracellular environment. No type III secreted proteins were detected by comparison of the wild type strain with an hrcN mutant strain.

  1. A new potential secretion pathway for recombinant proteins in Bacillus subtilis.

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    Wang, Guangqiang; Xia, Yongjun; Gu, Zhennan; Zhang, Hao; Chen, Yong Q; Chen, Haiqin; Ai, Lianzhong; Chen, Wei

    2015-11-10

    Secretion of cytoplasmic expressed proteins into growth media has significant advantages. Due to the lack of an outer membrane, Bacillus subtilis is considered as a desirable 'cell factory' for the secretion of recombinant proteins. However, bottlenecks in the classical pathway for the secretion of recombinant proteins limit its use on a wide scale. In this study, we attempted to use four typical non-classically secreted proteins as signals to export three recombinant model proteins to the culture medium. All four non-classically secreted proteins can direct the export of the intrinsically disordered nucleoskeletal-like protein (Nsp). Two of them can guide the secretion of alkaline phosphatase (PhoA). One can lead the secretion of the thermostable β-galactosidase BgaB, which cannot be secreted with the aid of typical Sec-dependent signal peptides. Our results show that the non-classically secreted proteins lead the recombinant proteins to the culture medium, and thus non-classical protein secretion pathways can be exploited as a novel secretion pathway for recombinant proteins.

  2. A catalogue of human secreted proteins and its implications

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    Shivakumar Keerthikumar

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Under both normal and pathological conditions, cells secrete variety of proteins through classical and non-classical secretory pathways into the extracellular space. Majority of these proteins represent pathophysiology of the cell from which it is secreted. Recently, though more than 92% of the protein coding genes has been mapped by human proteome map project, but number of those proteins that constitutes secretome of the cell still remains elusive. Secreted proteins or the secretome can be accessible in bodily fluids and hence are considered as potential biomarkers to discriminate between healthy and diseased individuals. In order to facilitate the biomarker discovery and to further aid clinicians and scientists working in these arenas, we have compiled and catalogued secreted proteins from the human proteome using integrated bioinformatics approach. In this study, nearly 14% of the human proteome is likely to be secreted through classical and non-classical secretory pathways. Out of which, ~38% of these secreted proteins were found in extracellular vesicles including exosomes and shedding microvesicles. Among these secreted proteins, 94% were detected in human bodily fluids including blood, plasma, serum, saliva, semen, tear and urine. We anticipate that this high confidence list of secreted proteins could serve as a compendium of candidate biomarkers. In addition, the catalogue may provide functional insights in understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in various physiological and pathophysiological conditions of the cell.

  3. Excreted/Secreted Proteins from Trypanosome Procyclic Strains

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    Celestine Michelle Atyame Nten

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Trypanosoma secretome was shown to be involved in parasite virulence and is suspected of interfering in parasite life-cycle steps such as establishment in the Glossina midgut, metacyclogenesis. Therefore, we attempted to identify the proteins secreted by procyclic strains of T. brucei gambiense and T. brucei brucei, responsible for human and animal trypanosomiasis, respectively. Using mass spectrometry, 427 and 483 nonredundant proteins were characterized in T. brucei brucei and T. brucei gambiense secretomes, respectively; 35% and 42% of the corresponding secretome proteins were specifically secreted by T. brucei brucei and T. brucei gambiense, respectively, while 279 proteins were common to both subspecies. The proteins were assigned to 12 functional classes. Special attention was paid to the most abundant proteases (14 families because of their potential implication in the infection process and nutrient supply. The presence of proteins usually secreted via an exosome pathway suggests that this type of process is involved in trypanosome ESP secretion. The overall results provide leads for further research to develop novel tools for blocking trypanosome transmission.

  4. Microfluidic screening and whole-genome sequencing identifies mutations associated with improved protein secretion by yeast

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Huang, Mingtao; Bai, Yunpeng; Sjostrom, Staffan L.

    2015-01-01

    There is an increasing demand for biotech-based production of recombinant proteins for use as pharmaceuticals in the food and feed industry and in industrial applications. Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is among preferred cell factories for recombinant protein production, and there is increasing...... interest in improving its protein secretion capacity. Due to the complexity of the secretory machinery in eukaryotic cells, it is difficult to apply rational engineering for construction of improved strains. Here we used high-throughput microfluidics for the screening of yeast libraries, generated by UV...... mutagenesis. Several screening and sorting rounds resulted in the selection of eight yeast clones with significantly improved secretion of recombinant a-amylase. Efficient secretion was genetically stable in the selected clones. We performed whole-genome sequencing of the eight clones and identified 330...

  5. Analysis of Secreted Proteins Using SILAC

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Henningsen, Jeanette; Blagoev, Blagoy; Kratchmarova, Irina

    2014-01-01

    Secreted proteins serve a crucial role in the communication between cells, tissues, and organs. Proteins released to the extracellular environment exert their function either locally or at distant points of the organism. Proteins are secreted in a highly dynamic fashion by cells and tissues...... in the body responding to the stimuli and requirements presented by the extracellular milieu. Characterization of secretomes derived from various cell types has been performed using different quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics strategies, several of them taking advantage of labeling with stable...

  6. Unconventional Protein Secretion in Animal Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ng, Fanny; Tang, Bor Luen

    2016-01-01

    All eukaryotic cells secrete a range of proteins in a constitutive or regulated manner through the conventional or canonical exocytic/secretory pathway characterized by vesicular traffic from the endoplasmic reticulum, through the Golgi apparatus, and towards the plasma membrane. However, a number of proteins are secreted in an unconventional manner, which are insensitive to inhibitors of conventional exocytosis and use a route that bypasses the Golgi apparatus. These include cytosolic proteins such as fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and membrane proteins that are known to also traverse to the plasma membrane by a conventional process of exocytosis, such as α integrin and the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductor (CFTR). Mechanisms underlying unconventional protein secretion (UPS) are actively being analyzed and deciphered, and these range from an unusual form of plasma membrane translocation to vesicular processes involving the generation of exosomes and other extracellular microvesicles. In this chapter, we provide an overview on what is currently known about UPS in animal cells.

  7. Secretion Trap Tagging of Secreted and Membrane-Spanning Proteins Using Arabidopsis Gene Traps

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andrew T. Groover; Joseph R. Fontana; Juana M. Arroyo; Cristina Yordan; W. Richard McCombie; Robert A. Martienssen

    2003-01-01

    Secreted and membrane-spanning proteins play fundamental roles in plant development but pose challenges for genetic identification and characterization. We describe a "secretion trap" screen for gene trap insertions in genes encoding proteins routed through the secretory pathway. The gene trap transposon encodes a ß-glucuronidase reporter enzyme...

  8. Identification and characterization of secreted proteins in Eimeria tenella

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramlee, Intan Azlinda; Firdaus-Raih, Mohd; Wan, Kiew-Lian

    2015-09-01

    Eimeria tenella is a protozoan parasite that causes coccidiosis, an economically important disease in the poultry industry. The characterization of proteins that are secreted by parasites have been shown to play important roles in parasite invasion and are considered to be potential control agents. In this study, 775 proteins potentially secreted by E. tenella were identified. These proteins were further filtered to remove mitochondrial proteins. Out of 763 putative secreted proteins, 259 proteins possess transmembrane domains while another 150 proteins have GPI (Glycosylphosphatidylinositol) anchors. Homology search revealed that 315 and 448 proteins have matches with known and hypothetical proteins in the database, respectively. Within this data set, previously characterized secretory proteins such as micronemes, rhoptry kinases and dense granules were detected.

  9. Further observations on incorporation of the 14C-leucine into proteins by freshly secreted milk

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, L.N.

    1976-01-01

    Using freshly secreted bovine milk, no incorporation of DL (1- 14 C)-leucine was observed in the total milk proteins and acid precipitated casein, when these protein fractions were isolated from skim milk. A significant portion of the radioactivity however, remained associated with the heat coagulable whey proteins and proteose-peptone fractions. This association was shown to be due to non enzymatic physical sequestering of the radioactive amino acid or its metabolites with these proteins. Most of the radioactivity was associated with the cream layer proteins and the cellular fraction. The results obtained using filtered milk, incubated milk and certain antibiotics also indicated that the incorporation of 14 C leucine into proteins by freshly secreted milk may be a purely microbial process and physical sequestering of an amino acids with milk proteins. (author)

  10. High-yield secretion of recombinant proteins from the microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramos-Martinez, Erick Miguel; Fimognari, Lorenzo; Sakuragi, Yumiko

    2017-09-01

    Microalga-based biomanufacturing of recombinant proteins is attracting growing attention due to its advantages in safety, metabolic diversity, scalability and sustainability. Secretion of recombinant proteins can accelerate the use of microalgal platforms by allowing post-translational modifications and easy recovery of products from the culture media. However, currently, the yields of secreted recombinant proteins are low, which hampers the commercial application of this strategy. This study aimed at expanding the genetic tools for enhancing secretion of recombinant proteins in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a widely used green microalga as a model organism and a potential industrial biotechnology platform. We demonstrated that the putative signal sequence from C. reinhardtii gametolysin can assist the secretion of the yellow fluorescent protein Venus into the culture media. To increase the secretion yields, Venus was C-terminally fused with synthetic glycomodules comprised of tandem serine (Ser) and proline (Pro) repeats of 10 and 20 units [hereafter (SP) n , wherein n = 10 or 20]. The yields of the (SP) n -fused Venus were higher than Venus without the glycomodule by up to 12-fold, with the maximum yield of 15 mg/L. Moreover, the presence of the glycomodules conferred an enhanced proteolytic protein stability. The Venus-(SP) n proteins were shown to be glycosylated, and a treatment of the cells with brefeldin A led to a suggestion that glycosylation of the (SP) n glycomodules starts in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Taken together, the results demonstrate the utility of the gametolysin signal sequence and (SP) n glycomodule to promote a more efficient biomanufacturing of microalgae-based recombinant proteins. © 2017 The Authors. Plant Biotechnology Journal published by Society for Experimental Biology and The Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. Alternative protein secretion: The Mam1 ABC transporter supports secretion of M-factor linked GFP in fission yeast

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kjaerulff, Soren; Mueller, Sven; Jensen, Martin Roland

    2005-01-01

    To examine whether the fission yeast Mam1 ABC transporter can be used for secretion of heterologous proteins, thereby bypassing the classical secretion pathway, we have analyzed chimeric forms of the M-factor precursor. It was demonstrated that GFP can be exported when fused to both the amino-terminal prosequence from mfm1 and a CaaX motif. This secretion was dependent on the Mam1 transporter and not the classical secretion pathway. The secretion efficiency of GFP, however, was relatively low and most of the reporter protein was trapped in the vacuolar membranes. Our findings suggest that the Mam1 ABC protein is a promiscuous peptide transporter that can accommodate globular proteins of a relatively large size. Furthermore, our results help in defining the sequences required for processing and secretion of natural M-factor

  12. Secretome analysis of Aspergillus fumigatus reveals Asp-hemolysin as a major secreted protein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wartenberg, Dirk; Lapp, Katrin; Jacobsen, Ilse D; Dahse, Hans-Martin; Kniemeyer, Olaf; Heinekamp, Thorsten; Brakhage, Axel A

    2011-11-01

    Surface-associated and secreted proteins represent primarily exposed components of Aspergillus fumigatus during host infection. Several secreted proteins are known to be involved in defense mechanisms or immune evasion, thus, probably contributing to pathogenicity. Furthermore, several secreted antigens were identified as possible biomarkers for the verification of diseases caused by Aspergillus species. Nevertheless, there is only limited knowledge about the composition of the secretome and about molecular functions of particular proteins. To identify secreted proteins potentially essential for virulence, the core secretome of A. fumigatus grown in minimal medium was determined. Two-dimensional gel electrophoretic separation and subsequent MALDI-TOF-MS/MS analyses resulted in the identification of 64 different proteins. Additionally, secretome analyses of A. fumigatus utilizing elastin, collagen or keratin as main carbon and nitrogen source were performed. Thereby, the alkaline serine protease Alp1 was identified as the most abundant protein and hence presumably represents an important protease during host infection. Interestingly, the Asp-hemolysin (Asp-HS), which belongs to the protein family of aegerolysins and which was often suggested to be involved in fungal virulence, was present in the secretome under all growth conditions tested. In addition, a second, non-secreted protein with an aegerolysin domain annotated as Asp-hemolysin-like (HS-like) protein can be found to be encoded in the genome of A. fumigatus. Generation and analysis of Asp-HS and HS-like deletion strains revealed no differences in phenotype compared to the corresponding wild-type strain. Furthermore, hemolysis and cytotoxicity was not altered in both single-deletion and double-deletion mutants lacking both aegerolysin genes. All mutant strains showed no attenuation in virulence in a mouse infection model for invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive

  13. Diversity and subcellular distribution of archaeal secreted proteins

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mechthild ePohlschroder

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Secreted proteins make up a significant percentage of a prokaryotic proteome and play critical roles in important cellular processes such as polymer degradation, nutrient uptake, signal transduction, cell wall biosynthesis and motility. The majority of archaeal proteins are believed to be secreted either in an unfolded conformation via the universally conserved Sec pathway or in a folded conformation via the Twin arginine transport (Tat pathway. Extensive in vivo and in silico analyses of N-terminal signal peptides that target proteins to these pathways have led to the development of computational tools that not only predict Sec and Tat substrates with high accuracy but also provide information about signal peptide processing and targeting. Predictions therefore include indications as to whether a substrate is a soluble secreted protein, a membrane or cell-wall anchored protein, or a surface structure subunit, and whether it is targeted for post-translational modification such as glycosylation or the addition of a lipid. The use of these in silico tools, in combination with biochemical and genetic analyses of transport pathways and their substrates, has resulted in improved predictions of the subcellular localization of archaeal secreted proteins, allowing for a more accurate annotation of archaeal proteomes, and has led to the identification of potential adaptations to extreme environments, as well as archaeal kingdom-specific pathways. A more comprehensive understanding of the transport pathways and post-translational modifications of secreted archaeal proteins will also generate invaluable insights that will facilitate the identification of commercially valuable archaeal enzymes and the development of heterologous systems in which to efficiently express them.

  14. Diversity and subcellular distribution of archaeal secreted proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szabo, Zalan; Pohlschroder, Mechthild

    2012-01-01

    Secreted proteins make up a significant percentage of a prokaryotic proteome and play critical roles in important cellular processes such as polymer degradation, nutrient uptake, signal transduction, cell wall biosynthesis, and motility. The majority of archaeal proteins are believed to be secreted either in an unfolded conformation via the universally conserved Sec pathway or in a folded conformation via the Twin arginine transport (Tat) pathway. Extensive in vivo and in silico analyses of N-terminal signal peptides that target proteins to these pathways have led to the development of computational tools that not only predict Sec and Tat substrates with high accuracy but also provide information about signal peptide processing and targeting. Predictions therefore include indications as to whether a substrate is a soluble secreted protein, a membrane or cell wall anchored protein, or a surface structure subunit, and whether it is targeted for post-translational modification such as glycosylation or the addition of a lipid. The use of these in silico tools, in combination with biochemical and genetic analyses of transport pathways and their substrates, has resulted in improved predictions of the subcellular localization of archaeal secreted proteins, allowing for a more accurate annotation of archaeal proteomes, and has led to the identification of potential adaptations to extreme environments, as well as phyla-specific pathways among the archaea. A more comprehensive understanding of the transport pathways used and post-translational modifications of secreted archaeal proteins will also facilitate the identification and heterologous expression of commercially valuable archaeal enzymes.

  15. Systematic high-yield production of human secreted proteins in Escherichia coli

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dai Xueyu; Chen Qiang; Lian Min; Zhou Yanfeng; Zhou Mo; Lu Shanyun; Chen Yunjia; Luo Jingchu; Gu Xiaocheng; Jiang Ying; Luo Ming; Zheng Xiaofeng

    2005-01-01

    Human secreted proteins play a very important role in signal transduction. In order to study all potential secreted proteins identified from the human genome sequence, systematic production of large amounts of biologically active secreted proteins is a prerequisite. We selected 25 novel genes as a trial case for establishing a reliable expression system to produce active human secreted proteins in Escherichia coli. Expression of proteins with or without signal peptides was examined and compared in E. coli strains. The results indicated that deletion of signal peptides, to a certain extent, can improve the expression of these proteins and their solubilities. More importantly, under expression conditions such as induction temperature, N-terminus fusion peptides need to be optimized in order to express adequate amounts of soluble proteins. These recombinant proteins were characterized as well-folded proteins. This system enables us to rapidly obtain soluble and highly purified human secreted proteins for further functional studies

  16. Disturbed secretion of mutant adiponectin associated with the metabolic syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kishida, Ken; Nagaretani, Hiroyuki; Kondo, Hidehiko; Kobayashi, Hideki; Tanaka, Sachiyo; Maeda, Norikazu; Nagasawa, Azumi; Hibuse, Toshiyuki; Ohashi, Koji; Kumada, Masahiro; Nishizawa, Hitoshi; Okamoto, Yoshihisa; Ouchi, Noriyuki; Maeda, Kazuhisa; Kihara, Shinji; Funahashi, Tohru; Matsuzawa, Yuji

    2003-06-20

    Adiponectin, an adipocyte-derived protein, consists of collagen-like fibrous and complement C1q-like globular domains, and circulates in human plasma in a multimeric form. The protein exhibits anti-diabetic and anti-atherogenic activities. However, adiponectin plasma concentrations are low in obese subjects, and hypoadiponectinemia is associated with the metabolic syndrome, which is a cluster of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. We have recently reported a missense mutation in the adiponectin gene, in which isoleucine at position 164 in the globular domain is substituted with threonine (I164T). Subjects with this mutation showed markedly low level of plasma adiponectin and clinical features of the metabolic syndrome. Here, we examined the molecular characteristics of the mutant protein associated with a genetic cause of hypoadiponectinemia. The current study revealed (1) the mutant protein showed an oligomerization state similar to the wild-type as determined by gel filtration chromatography and, (2) the mutant protein exhibited normal insulin-sensitizing activity, but (3) pulse-chase study showed abnormal secretion of the mutant protein from adipose tissues. Our results suggest that I164T mutation is associated with hypoadiponectinemia through disturbed secretion into plasma, which may contribute to the development of the metabolic syndrome.

  17. SECRET domain of variola virus CrmB protein can be a member of poxviral type II chemokine-binding proteins family.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antonets, Denis V; Nepomnyashchikh, Tatyana S; Shchelkunov, Sergei N

    2010-10-27

    Variola virus (VARV) the causative agent of smallpox, eradicated in 1980, have wide spectrum of immunomodulatory proteins to evade host immunity. Recently additional biological activity was discovered for VARV CrmB protein, known to bind and inhibit tumour necrosis factor (TNF) through its N-terminal domain homologous to cellular TNF receptors. Besides binding TNF, this protein was also shown to bind with high affinity several chemokines which recruit B- and T-lymphocytes and dendritic cells to sites of viral entry and replication. Ability to bind chemokines was shown to be associated with unique C-terminal domain of CrmB protein. This domain named SECRET (Smallpox virus-Encoded Chemokine Receptor) is unrelated to the host proteins and lacks significant homology with other known viral chemokine-binding proteins or any other known protein. De novo modelling of VARV-CrmB SECRET domain spatial structure revealed its apparent structural homology with cowpox virus CC-chemokine binding protein (vCCI) and vaccinia virus A41 protein, despite low sequence identity between these three proteins. Potential ligand-binding surface of modelled VARV-CrmB SECRET domain was also predicted to bear prominent electronegative charge which is characteristic to known orthopoxviral chemokine-binding proteins. Our results suggest that SECRET should be included into the family of poxviral type II chemokine-binding proteins and that it might have been evolved from the vCCI-like predecessor protein.

  18. Ectosomes: a new mechanism for non-exosomal secretion of tau protein.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simon Dujardin

    Full Text Available Tau is a microtubule-associated protein that aggregates in neurodegenerative disorders known as tauopathies. Recently, studies have suggested that Tau may be secreted and play a role in neural network signalling. However, once deregulated, secreted Tau may also participate in the spreading of Tau pathology in hierarchical pathways of neurodegeneration. The mechanisms underlying neuron-to-neuron Tau transfer are still unknown; given the known role of extra-cellular vesicles in cell-to-cell communication, we wondered whether these vesicles could carry secreted Tau. We found, among vesicles, that Tau is predominately secreted in ectosomes, which are plasma membrane-originating vesicles, and when it accumulates, the exosomal pathway is activated.

  19. Engineering signal peptides for enhanced protein secretion from Lactococcus lactis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ng, Daphne T W; Sarkar, Casim A

    2013-01-01

    Lactococcus lactis is an attractive vehicle for biotechnological production of proteins and clinical delivery of therapeutics. In many such applications using this host, it is desirable to maximize secretion of recombinant proteins into the extracellular space, which is typically achieved by using the native signal peptide from a major secreted lactococcal protein, Usp45. In order to further increase protein secretion from L. lactis, inherent limitations of the Usp45 signal peptide (Usp45sp) must be elucidated. Here, we performed extensive mutagenesis on Usp45sp to probe the effects of both the mRNA sequence (silent mutations) and the peptide sequence (amino acid substitutions) on secretion. We screened signal peptides based on their resulting secretion levels of Staphylococcus aureus nuclease and further evaluated them for secretion of Bacillus subtilis α-amylase. Silent mutations alone gave an increase of up to 16% in the secretion of α-amylase through a mechanism consistent with relaxed mRNA folding around the ribosome binding site and enhanced translation. Targeted amino acid mutagenesis in Usp45sp, combined with additional silent mutations from the best clone in the initial screen, yielded an increase of up to 51% in maximum secretion of α-amylase while maintaining secretion at lower induction levels. The best sequence from our screen preserves the tripartite structure of the native signal peptide but increases the positive charge of the n-region. Our study presents the first example of an engineered L. lactis signal peptide with a higher secretion yield than Usp45sp and, more generally, provides strategies for further enhancing protein secretion in bacterial hosts.

  20. SECRET domain of variola virus CrmB protein can be a member of poxviral type II chemokine-binding proteins family

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shchelkunov Sergei N

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Variola virus (VARV the causative agent of smallpox, eradicated in 1980, have wide spectrum of immunomodulatory proteins to evade host immunity. Recently additional biological activity was discovered for VARV CrmB protein, known to bind and inhibit tumour necrosis factor (TNF through its N-terminal domain homologous to cellular TNF receptors. Besides binding TNF, this protein was also shown to bind with high affinity several chemokines which recruit B- and T-lymphocytes and dendritic cells to sites of viral entry and replication. Ability to bind chemokines was shown to be associated with unique C-terminal domain of CrmB protein. This domain named SECRET (Smallpox virus-Encoded Chemokine Receptor is unrelated to the host proteins and lacks significant homology with other known viral chemokine-binding proteins or any other known protein. Findings De novo modelling of VARV-CrmB SECRET domain spatial structure revealed its apparent structural homology with cowpox virus CC-chemokine binding protein (vCCI and vaccinia virus A41 protein, despite low sequence identity between these three proteins. Potential ligand-binding surface of modelled VARV-CrmB SECRET domain was also predicted to bear prominent electronegative charge which is characteristic to known orthopoxviral chemokine-binding proteins. Conclusions Our results suggest that SECRET should be included into the family of poxviral type II chemokine-binding proteins and that it might have been evolved from the vCCI-like predecessor protein.

  1. Apparent inhibition of β-fructosidase secretion by tunicamycin may be explained by breakdown of the unglycosylated protein during secretion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Faye, L.; Chrispeels, M.J.

    1989-01-01

    Suspension-cultured carrot (Daucus carota) cells synthesize and secrete β-fructosidase, a glycoprotein with asparagine-linked glycans. Treatment of the cells with tunicamycin completely inhibits the apparent secretion of β-fructosidase as measured by the accumulation of the 35 S-labelled protein in the cell wall or the culture medium. In the past, such a result has been interpreted as an inhibition of secretion by tunicamycin, but we suggest another explanation based on the following results. In the presence of tunicamycin, unglycosylated β-fructosidase is synthesized and is associated with an endoplasmic-reticulum-rich microsomal fraction. Pulse-chase experiments show that the unglycosylated β-fructosidase does not remain in the cells and appears to be secreted in the same way as glycosylated β-fructosidase; however, no radioactive, unglycosylated β-fructosidase accumulates extracellularly (cell wall or medium). Protoplasts obtained from carrot cells secrete β-fructosidase protein and activity, and treatment of the protoplasts with tunicamycin results in the synthesis of unglycosylated β-fructosidase. In the presence of tunicamycin, there is no accumulation of β-fructosidase activity or unglycosylated β-fructosidase polypeptide in the protoplast incubation medium. These results are consistent with the interpretation that the glycans of β-fructosidase are necessary for its stability, and that in these suspension-cultured cells, the unglycosylated enzyme is degraded during the last stage(s) of secretion, or immediately after its arrival in the wall

  2. Secreted Immunomodulatory Proteins of Staphylococcus aureus Activate Platelets and Induce Platelet Aggregation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Binsker, Ulrike; Palankar, Raghavendra; Wesche, Jan; Kohler, Thomas P; Prucha, Josephine; Burchhardt, Gerhard; Rohde, Manfred; Schmidt, Frank; Bröker, Barbara M; Mamat, Uwe; Pané-Farré, Jan; Graf, Anica; Ebner, Patrick; Greinacher, Andreas; Hammerschmidt, Sven

    2018-04-01

    Staphylococcus aureus can cause bloodstream infections associated with infective endocarditis (IE) and disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC). Both complications involve platelets. In view of an increasing number of antibiotic-resistant strains, new approaches to control systemic S. aureus infection are gaining importance. Using a repertoire of 52 recombinant S. aureus proteins in flow cytometry-based platelet activation and aggregation assays, we identified, in addition to the extracellular adherence protein Eap, three secreted staphylococcal proteins as novel platelet activating proteins. Eap and the chemotaxis inhibitory protein of S. aureus (CHIPS), the formyl peptide receptor-like 1 inhibitory protein (FLIPr) and the major autolysin Atl induced P-selectin expression in washed platelets and platelet-rich plasma. Similarly, AtlA, CHIPS and Eap induced platelet aggregation in whole blood. Fluorescence microscopy illustrated that P-selectin expression is associated with calcium mobilization and re-organization of the platelet actin cytoskeleton. Characterization of the functionally active domains of the major autolysin AtlA and Eap indicates that the amidase domain of Atl and the tandem repeats 3 and 4 of Eap are crucial for platelet activation. These results provide new insights in S. aureus protein interactions with platelets and identify secreted proteins as potential treatment targets in case of antibiotic-resistant S. aureus infection. Schattauer GmbH Stuttgart.

  3. Impact of protein uptake and degradation on recombinant protein secretion in yeast

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tyo, Keith E. J.; Liu, Zihe; Magnusson, Ylva

    2014-01-01

    Protein titers, a key bioprocessing metric, depend both on the synthesis of protein and the degradation of protein. Secreted recombinant protein production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an attractive platform as minimal media can be used for cultivation, thus reducing fermentation costs...... and transcriptomics, we identify metabolic and regulatory markers that are consistent with uptake of whole proteins by endocytosis, followed by intracellular degradation and catabolism of substituent amino acids. Uptake and degradation of recombinant protein products may be common in S. cerevisiae protein secretion...... and simplifying downstream purification, compared to other systems that require complex media. As such, engineering S. cerevisiae to improve titers has been then the subject of significant attention, but the majority of previous efforts have been focused on improving protein synthesis. Here, we characterize...

  4. The calcium-binding protein ALG-2 regulates protein secretion and trafficking via interactions with MISSL and MAP1B proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takahara, Terunao; Inoue, Kuniko; Arai, Yumika; Kuwata, Keiko; Shibata, Hideki; Maki, Masatoshi

    2017-10-13

    Mobilization of intracellular calcium is essential for a wide range of cellular processes, including signal transduction, apoptosis, and vesicular trafficking. Several lines of evidence have suggested that apoptosis-linked gene 2 (ALG-2, also known as PDCD6 ), a calcium-binding protein, acts as a calcium sensor linking calcium levels with efficient vesicular trafficking, especially at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-to-Golgi transport step. However, how ALG-2 regulates these processes remains largely unclear. Here, we report that M APK1- i nteracting and s pindle- s tabilizing (MISS)- l ike (MISSL), a previously uncharacterized protein, interacts with ALG-2 in a calcium-dependent manner. Live-cell imaging revealed that upon a rise in intracellular calcium levels, GFP-tagged MISSL (GFP-MISSL) dynamically relocalizes in a punctate pattern and colocalizes with ALG-2. MISSL knockdown caused disorganization of the components of the ER exit site, the ER-Golgi intermediate compartment, and Golgi. Importantly, knockdown of either MISSL or ALG-2 attenuated the secretion of se creted a lkaline p hosphatase (SEAP), a model secreted cargo protein, with similar reductions in secretion by single- and double-protein knockdowns, suggesting that MISSL and ALG-2 act in the same pathway to regulate the secretion process. Furthermore, ALG-2 or MISSL knockdown delayed ER-to-Golgi transport of procollagen type I. We also found that ALG-2 and MISSL interact with microtubule-associated protein 1B (MAP1B) and that MAP1B knockdown reverts the reduced secretion of SEAP caused by MISSL or ALG-2 depletion. These results suggest that a change in the intracellular calcium level plays a role in regulation of the secretory pathway via interaction of ALG-2 with MISSL and MAP1B. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  5. Proteomic analysis of rutin-induced secreted proteins from Aspergillus flavus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Medina, Martha L; Kiernan, Urban A; Francisco, Wilson A

    2004-03-01

    Few studies have been conducted to identify the extracellular proteins and enzymes secreted by filamentous fungi, particularly with respect to dispensable metabolic pathways. Proteomic analysis has proven to be the most powerful method for identification of proteins in complex mixtures and is suitable for the study of the alteration of protein expression under different environmental conditions. The filamentous fungus Aspergillus flavus can degrade the flavonoid rutin as the only source of carbon via an extracellular enzyme system. In this study, a proteomic analysis was used to differentiate and identify the extracellular rutin-induced and non-induced proteins secreted by A. flavus. The secreted proteins were analyzed by two-dimensional electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. While 15 rutin-induced proteins and 7 non-induced proteins were identified, more than 90 protein spots remain unidentified, indicating that these proteins are either novel proteins or proteins that have not yet been sequenced.

  6. A protein secretion system linked to bacteroidete gliding motility and pathogenesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sato, Keiko; Naito, Mariko; Yukitake, Hideharu; Hirakawa, Hideki; Shoji, Mikio; McBride, Mark J.; Rhodes, Ryan G.; Nakayama, Koji

    2009-01-01

    Porphyromonas gingivalis secretes strong proteases called gingipains that are implicated in periodontal pathogenesis. Protein secretion systems common to other Gram-negative bacteria are lacking in P. gingivalis, but several proteins, including PorT, have been linked to gingipain secretion. Comparative genome analysis and genetic experiments revealed 11 additional proteins involved in gingipain secretion. Six of these (PorK, PorL, PorM, PorN, PorW, and Sov) were similar in sequence to Flavobacterium johnsoniae gliding motility proteins, and two others (PorX and PorY) were putative two-component system regulatory proteins. Real-time RT-PCR analysis revealed that porK, porL, porM, porN, porP, porT, and sov were down-regulated in P. gingivalis porX and porY mutants. Disruption of the F. johnsoniae porT ortholog resulted in defects in motility, chitinase secretion, and translocation of a gliding motility protein, SprB adhesin, to the cell surface, providing a link between a unique protein translocation system and a motility apparatus in members of the Bacteroidetes phylum. PMID:19966289

  7. Sphingomyelin synthases regulate protein trafficking and secretion.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marimuthu Subathra

    Full Text Available Sphingomyelin synthases (SMS1 and 2 represent a class of enzymes that transfer a phosphocholine moiety from phosphatidylcholine onto ceramide thus producing sphingomyelin and diacylglycerol (DAG. SMS1 localizes at the Golgi while SMS2 localizes both at the Golgi and the plasma membrane. Previous studies from our laboratory showed that modulation of SMS1 and, to a lesser extent, of SMS2 affected the formation of DAG at the Golgi apparatus. As a consequence, down-regulation of SMS1 and SMS2 reduced the localization of the DAG-binding protein, protein kinase D (PKD, to the Golgi. Since PKD recruitment to the Golgi has been implicated in cellular secretion through the trans golgi network (TGN, the effect of down-regulation of SMSs on TGN-to-plasma membrane trafficking was studied. Down regulation of either SMS1 or SMS2 significantly retarded trafficking of the reporter protein vesicular stomatitis virus G protein tagged with GFP (VSVG-GFP from the TGN to the cell surface. Inhibition of SMSs also induced tubular protrusions from the trans Golgi network reminiscent of inhibited TGN membrane fission. Since a recent study demonstrated the requirement of PKD activity for insulin secretion in beta cells, we tested the function of SMS in this model. Inhibition of SMS significantly reduced insulin secretion in rat INS-1 cells. Taken together these results provide the first direct evidence that both enzymes (SMS1 and 2 are capable of regulating TGN-mediated protein trafficking and secretion, functions that are compatible with PKD being a down-stream target for SMSs in the Golgi.

  8. Application of native signal sequences for recombinant proteins secretion in Pichia pastoris

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Borodina, Irina; Do, Duy Duc; Eriksen, Jens C.

    Background Methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris is widely used for recombinant protein production, largely due to its ability to secrete correctly folded heterologous proteins to the fermentation medium. Secretion is usually achieved by cloning the recombinant gene after a leader sequence, where...... alpha‐mating factor (MF) prepropeptide from Saccharomyces cerevisiae is most commonly used. Our aim was to test whether signal peptides from P. pastoris native secreted proteins could be used to direct secretion of recombinant proteins. Results Eleven native signal peptides from P. pastoris were tested...... by optimization of expression of three different proteins in P. pastoris. Conclusions Native signal peptides from P. pastoris can be used to direct secretion of recombinant proteins. A novel USER‐based P. pastoris system allows easy cloning of protein‐coding gene with the promoter and leader sequence of choice....

  9. Identification of secreted proteins of Aspergillus oryzae associated with growth on solid cereal substrates

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Biesebeke, R. te; Boussier, A.; Biezen, N. van; Hondel, C.A.M.J.J. van den; Punt, P.J.

    2006-01-01

    Filamentous growth of Aspergillus oryzae on solid cereal substrates involves secretion of substrate converting enzymes and a solid substrate specific polarised hyphal growth phenotype. To identify proteins produced under these specific conditions, the extracts of A. oryzae grown on wheat-based media

  10. Heterologous protein secretion in Lactococcus lactis: a novel antigen delivery system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Langella P.

    1999-01-01

    Full Text Available Lactic acid bacteria (LAB are Gram-positive bacteria and are generally regarded as safe (GRAS organisms. Therefore, LAB could be used for heterologous protein secretion and they are good potential candidates as antigen delivery vehicles. To develop such live vaccines, a better control of protein secretion is required. We developed an efficient secretion system in the model LAB, Lactococcus lactis. Staphylococcal nuclease (Nuc was used as the reporter protein. We first observed that the quantity of secreted Nuc correlated with the copy number of the cloning vector. The nuc gene was cloned on a high-copy number cloning vector and no perturbation of the metabolism of the secreting strain was observed. Replacement of nuc native promoter by a strong lactococcal one led to a significant increase of nuc expression. Secretion efficiency (SE of Nuc in L. lactis was low, i.e., only 60% of the synthesized Nuc was secreted. Insertion of a synthetic propeptide between the signal peptide and the mature moiety of Nuc increased the SE of Nuc. On the basis of these results, we developed a secretion system and we applied it to the construction of an L. lactis strain which secretes a bovine coronavirus (BCV epitope-protein fusion (BCV-Nuc. BCV-Nuc was recognized by both anti-BCV and anti-Nuc antibodies. Secretion of this antigenic fusion is the first step towards the development of a novel antigen delivery system based on LAB-secreting strains.

  11. Fluoride induces endoplasmic reticulum stress and inhibits protein synthesis and secretion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Ramaswamy; Tsuchiya, Masahiro; Bartlett, John D

    2008-09-01

    Exposure to excessive amounts of fluoride (F(-)) causes dental fluorosis in susceptible individuals; however, the mechanism of F(-)-induced toxicity is unclear. Previously, we have shown that high-dose F(-) activates the unfolded protein response (UPR) in ameloblasts that are responsible for dental enamel formation. The UPR is a signaling pathway responsible for either alleviating endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress or for inducing apoptosis of the stressed cells. In this study we determined if low-dose F(-) causes ER stress and activates the UPR, and we also determined whether F(-) interferes with the secretion of proteins from the ER. We stably transfected the ameloblast-derived LS8 cell line with secreted alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) and determined activity and localization of SEAP and F(-)-mediated induction of UPR proteins. Also, incisors from mice given drinking water containing various concentrations of F(-) were examined for eucaryotic initiation factor-2, subunit alpha (eIF2alpha) phosphorylation. We found that F(-) decreases the extracellular secretion of SEAP in a linear, dose-dependent manner. We also found a corresponding increase in the intracellular accumulation of SEAP after exposure to F(-). These changes are associated with the induction of UPR proteins such as the molecular chaperone BiP and phosphorylation of the UPR sensor PKR-like ER kinase, and its substrate, eIF2alpha. Importantly, F(-)-induced phosphorylation of eIF2alphawas confirmed in vivo. These data suggest that F(-) initiates an ER stress response in ameloblasts that interferes with protein synthesis and secretion. Consequently, ameloblast function during enamel development may be impaired, and this may culminate in dental fluorosis.

  12. Proteins are secreted from heterogeneous prestored sources in the exocrine pancreas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, P.E.; Adelson, J.W.

    1987-01-01

    Recent studies demonstrating nonparallel regulated secretion of prestored digestive enzymes in tightly linked groups consistent with the exocytosis mechanisms led the authors to predict that digestive enzymes would be found to be secreted from heterogeneous sources within the exocrine pancreas. They explored whether the gland was heterogeneous with respect to its sources of prestored secretory proteins with a double isotopic label method not dependent on activity of secreted digestive enzymes. Rabbit pancreatic proteins were double labeled in vivo by injection of each animal with chemically identical but isotopically distinct mixtures of 3 H- and 14 C-labeled amino acids, which were administered separately or together on consecutive days after partial depletion of prestored proteins by administration of cholecystokinin (CCK), methacholine chloride, or saline in a protocol in which order of both isotope and secretagogue administration was varied. Three days after labeling, proteins were recovered by collection from cannulated pancreatic ducts of anesthetized animals after stimulation with alternating increasing doses of CCK and methacholine chloride. Correlation and regression analysis of isotopic outputs and variance analysis of specific radioactivities of secreted proteins showed sequestration into and secretion from heterogeneous pools of secretory proteins, directly confirming the hypothesis. These results provide a cell biological mechanism explaining regulated nonparallel secretion of digestive enzymes

  13. Constitutive protein secretion from the exocrine pancreas of fetal rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arvan, P.; Chang, A.

    1987-01-01

    Two general kinds of exocytotic secretion of proteins are known: that which is stimulated by secretagogues; and constitutive exocytosis, which is unable to be stimulated. The exocrine pancreas has often been cited as a model system for the first kind of secretion. However, the release of digestive enzymes from the exocrine pancreas of 1-day prenatal rats cannot be stimulated by secretagogues; therefore, its secretion is constitutive. To gain insight into the intracellular pathways which mediate secretion in the fetal gland, we examined the kinetics of release of newly synthesized proteins. We find that fetal pancreas in a steady state of secretion releases pulse-labeled secretory proteins in two kinetically distinct phases. The first phase occurring during 0-6.5 h of chase comprises approximately 12% of total incorporated radioactivity, the second phase beginning at greater than 7 h of chase comprises the remainder. Based on analysis by electron microscope autoradiography, radiolabel is localized during the first phase of secretion in immature granules/condensing vacuoles, Golgi compartments, and few mature granules. The second phase of secretion occurs when radiolabel is predominantly in mature granules. We propose that secretion occurs via (at least) 2 exocytotic routes, both of which are constitutive in fetal pancreatic tissue

  14. Characterization of Pseudomonas aeruginosa chitinase, a gradually secreted protein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Folders, J; Algra, J; Roelofs, M S; van Loon, L C; Tommassen, J; Bitter, W

    2001-12-01

    The gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa secretes many proteins into its extracellular environment via the type I, II, and III secretion systems. In this study, a gene, chiC, coding for an extracellular chitinolytic enzyme, was identified. The chiC gene encodes a polypeptide of 483 amino acid residues, without a typical N-terminal signal sequence. Nevertheless, an N-terminal segment of 11 residues was found to be cleaved off in the secreted protein. The protein shows sequence similarity to the secreted chitinases ChiC of Serratia marcescens, ChiA of Vibrio harveyi, and ChiD of Bacillus circulans and consists of an activity domain and a chitin-binding domain, which are separated by a fibronectin type III domain. ChiC was able to bind and degrade colloidal chitin and was active on the artificial substrates carboxymethyl-chitin-Remazol Brilliant Violet and p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-N,N',N"-triacetylchitotriose, but not on p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-N-acetylglucosamine, indicating that it is an endochitinase. Expression of the chiC gene appears to be regulated by the quorum-sensing system of P. aeruginosa, since this gene was not expressed in a lasIR vsmI mutant. After overnight growth, the majority of the ChiC produced was found intracellularly, whereas only small amounts were detected in the culture medium. However, after several days, the cellular pool of ChiC was largely depleted, and the protein was found in the culture medium. This release could not be ascribed to cell lysis. Since ChiC did not appear to be secreted via any of the known secretion systems, a novel secretion pathway seems to be involved.

  15. Loss of Cln3 impacts protein secretion in the social amoeba Dictyostelium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huber, Robert J

    2017-07-01

    Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL), also referred to as Batten disease, is the most common form of childhood neurodegeneration. Mutations in CLN3 cause the most prevalent subtype of the disease, which manifests during early childhood and is currently untreatable. The precise function of the CLN3 protein is still not known, which has inhibited the development of targeted therapies. In the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum, loss of the CLN3 homolog, Cln3, reduces adhesion during early development, which delays streaming and aggregation. The results of the present study indicate that this phenotype may be at least partly due to aberrant protein secretion in cln3 - cells. It is well-established that Cln3 localizes primarily to the contractile vacuole (CV) system in Dictyostelium, and to a lesser extent, compartments of the endocytic pathway. Intriguingly, the CV system has been linked to the secretion of proteins that do not contain a signal peptide for secretion (i.e., unconventional protein secretion). Proteins that do contain a signal peptide are secreted via a conventional mechanism involving the endoplasmic reticulum, transport through the Golgi, and secretion via vesicle release. In this study, Cln3 was observed to co-localize with the Golgi marker wheat germ agglutinin suggesting that Cln3 participates in both secretion mechanisms. Chimeras of wild-type (WT) and cln3 - cells displayed delayed streaming and aggregation, and interestingly, cln3 - cells starved in conditioned media (CM) harvested from starving WT cells showed near normal timing of streaming and aggregation suggesting aberrant protein secretion in Cln3-deficient cells. Based on these observations, LC-MS/MS was used to reveal the protein content of CM from starved cells (mass spectrometry data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD004897). A total of 450 proteins were detected in WT and cln3 - CM, of which 3 were absent in cln3 - CM. Moreover, 12 proteins that were present in

  16. Proteomic identification of secreted proteins of Propionibacterium acnes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Holland Carsten

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The anaerobic Gram-positive bacterium Propionibacterium acnes is a human skin commensal that resides preferentially within sebaceous follicles; however, it also exhibits many traits of an opportunistic pathogen, playing roles in a variety of inflammatory diseases such as acne vulgaris. To date, the underlying disease-causing mechanisms remain ill-defined and knowledge of P. acnes virulence factors remains scarce. Here, we identified proteins secreted during anaerobic cultivation of a range of skin and clinical P. acnes isolates, spanning the four known phylogenetic groups. Results Culture supernatant proteins of P. acnes were separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE and all Coomassie-stained spots were subsequently identified by MALDI mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS. A set of 20 proteins was secreted in the mid-exponential growth phase by the majority of strains tested. Functional annotation revealed that many of these common proteins possess degrading activities, including glycoside hydrolases with similarities to endoglycoceramidase, β-N-acetylglucosaminidase and muramidase; esterases such as lysophospholipase and triacylglycerol lipase; and several proteases. Other secreted factors included Christie-Atkins-Munch-Petersen (CAMP factors, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH, and several hypothetical proteins, a few of which are unique to P. acnes. Strain-specific differences were apparent, mostly in the secretion of putative adhesins, whose genes exhibit variable phase variation-like sequence signatures. Conclusions Our proteomic investigations have revealed that the P. acnes secretome harbors several proteins likely to play a role in host-tissue degradation and inflammation. Despite a large overlap between the secretomes of all four P. acnes phylotypes, distinct differences between predicted host-tissue interacting proteins were identified, providing potential insight into the differential virulence

  17. Proteomic analysis of secreted proteins by human bronchial epithelial cells in response to cadmium toxicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, De-Ju; Xu, Yan-Ming; Zheng, Wei; Huang, Dong-Yang; Wong, Wing-Yan; Tai, William Chi-Shing; Cho, Yong-Yeon; Lau, Andy T Y

    2015-09-01

    For years, many studies have been conducted to investigate the intracellular response of cells challenged with toxic metal(s), yet, the corresponding secretome responses, especially in human lung cells, are largely unexplored. Here, we provide a secretome analysis of human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) treated with cadmium chloride (CdCl2 ), with the aim of identifying secreted proteins in response to Cd toxicity. Proteins from control and spent media were separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis and visualized by silver staining. Differentially-secreted proteins were identified by MALDI-TOF-MS analysis and database searching. We characterized, for the first time, the extracellular proteome changes of BEAS-2B dosed with Cd. Our results unveiled that Cd treatment led to the marked upregulation of molecular chaperones, antioxidant enzymes, enzymes associated with glutathione metabolic process, proteins involved in cellular energy metabolism, as well as tumor-suppressors. Pretreatment of cells with the thiol antioxidant glutathione before Cd treatment effectively abrogated the secretion of these proteins and prevented cell death. Taken together, our results demonstrate that Cd causes oxidative stress-induced cytotoxicity; and the differentially-secreted protein signatures could be considered as targets for potential use as extracellular biomarkers upon Cd exposure. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  18. Intraspecies Competition in Serratia marcescens Is Mediated by Type VI-Secreted Rhs Effectors and a Conserved Effector-Associated Accessory Protein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alcoforado Diniz, Juliana; Coulthurst, Sarah J

    2015-07-01

    The type VI secretion system (T6SS) is widespread in Gram-negative bacteria and can deliver toxic effector proteins into eukaryotic cells or competitor bacteria. Antibacterial T6SSs are increasingly recognized as key mediators of interbacterial competition and may contribute to the outcome of many polymicrobial infections. Multiple antibacterial effectors can be delivered by these systems, with diverse activities against target cells and distinct modes of secretion. Polymorphic toxins containing Rhs repeat domains represent a recently identified and as-yet poorly characterized class of T6SS-dependent effectors. Previous work had revealed that the potent antibacterial T6SS of the opportunistic pathogen Serratia marcescens promotes intraspecies as well as interspecies competition (S. L. Murdoch, K. Trunk, G. English, M. J. Fritsch, E. Pourkarimi, and S. J. Coulthurst, J Bacteriol 193:6057-6069, 2011, http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JB.05671-11). In this study, two new Rhs family antibacterial effectors delivered by this T6SS have been identified. One of these was shown to act as a DNase toxin, while the other contains a novel, cytoplasmic-acting toxin domain. Importantly, using S. marcescens, it has been demonstrated for the first time that Rhs proteins, rather than other T6SS-secreted effectors, can be the primary determinant of intraspecies competition. Furthermore, a new family of accessory proteins associated with T6SS effectors has been identified, exemplified by S. marcescens EagR1, which is specifically required for deployment of its associated Rhs effector. Together, these findings provide new insight into how bacteria can use the T6SS to deploy Rhs-family effectors and mediate different types of interbacterial interactions. Infectious diseases caused by bacterial pathogens represent a continuing threat to health and economic prosperity. To counter this threat, we must understand how such organisms survive and prosper. The type VI secretion system is a weapon that

  19. Mechanism of Action of Secreted Newt Anterior Gradient Protein.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kathrin S Grassme

    Full Text Available Anterior gradient (AG proteins have a thioredoxin fold and are targeted to the secretory pathway where they may act in the ER, as well as after secretion into the extracellular space. A newt member of the family (nAG was previously identified as interacting with the GPI-anchored salamander-specific three-finger protein called Prod1. Expression of nAG has been implicated in the nerve dependence of limb regeneration in salamanders, and nAG acted as a growth factor for cultured newt limb blastemal (progenitor cells, but the mechanism of action was not understood. Here we show that addition of a peptide antibody to Prod1 specifically inhibit the proliferation of blastema cells, suggesting that Prod1 acts as a cell surface receptor for secreted nAG, leading to S phase entry. Mutation of the single cysteine residue in the canonical active site of nAG to alanine or serine leads to protein degradation, but addition of residues at the C terminus stabilises the secreted protein. The mutation of the cysteine residue led to no detectable activity on S phase entry in cultured newt limb blastemal cells. In addition, our phylogenetic analyses have identified a new Caudata AG protein called AG4. A comparison of the AG proteins in a cell culture assay indicates that nAG secretion is significantly higher than AGR2 or AG4, suggesting that this property may vary in different members of the family.

  20. High-yield secretion of recombinant proteins from the microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ramos Martinez, Erick Miguel; Fimognari, Lorenzo; Sakuragi, Yumiko

    2017-01-01

    Microalga-based biomanufacturing of recombinant proteins is attracting growing attention due to its advantages in safety, metabolic diversity, scalability and sustainability. Secretion of recombinant proteins can accelerate the use of microalgal platforms by allowing post......-translational modifications and easy recovery of products from the culture media. However, currently, the yields of secreted recombinant proteins are low, which hampers the commercial application of this strategy. This study aimed at expanding the genetic tools for enhancing secretion of recombinant proteins in Chlamydomonas...... in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Taken together, the results demonstrate the utility of the gametolysin signal sequence and (SP)n glycomodule to promote a more efficient biomanufacturing of microalgae-based recombinant proteins....

  1. Identification and characterization of a type III secretion-associated chaperone in the type III secretion system 1 of Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akeda, Yukihiro; Okayama, Kanna; Kimura, Tomomi; Dryselius, Rikard; Kodama, Toshio; Oishi, Kazunori; Iida, Tetsuya; Honda, Takeshi

    2009-07-01

    Vibrio parahaemolyticus causes human gastroenteritis. Genomic sequencing of this organism has revealed that it has two sets of type III secretion systems, T3SS1 and T3SS2, both of which are important for its pathogenicity. However, the mechanism of protein secretion via T3SSs is unknown. A characteristic of many effectors is that they require specific chaperones for efficient delivery via T3SSs; however, no chaperone has been experimentally identified in the T3SSs of V. parahaemolyticus. In this study, we identified candidate T3SS1-associated chaperones from genomic sequence data and examined their roles in effector secretion/translocation and binding to their cognate substrates. From these experiments, we concluded that there is a T3S-associated chaperone, VecA, for a cytotoxic T3SS1-dependent effector, VepA. Further analysis using pulldown and secretion assays characterized the chaperone-binding domain encompassing the first 30-100 amino acids and an amino terminal secretion signal encompassing the first 5-20 amino acids on VepA. These findings will provide a strategy to clarify how the T3SS1 of V. parahaemolyticus secretes its specific effectors.

  2. Multiplexed Quantitation of Intraphagocyte Mycobacterium tuberculosis Secreted Protein Effectors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fadel Sayes

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Summary: The pathogenic potential of Mycobacterium tuberculosis largely depends on ESX secretion systems exporting members of the multigenic Esx, Esp, and PE/PPE protein families. To study the secretion and regulation patterns of these proteins while circumventing immune cross-reactions due to their extensive sequence homologies, we developed an approach that relies on the recognition of their MHC class II epitopes by highly discriminative T cell receptors (TCRs of a panel of T cell hybridomas. The latter were engineered so that each expresses a unique fluorescent reporter linked to specific antigen recognition. The resulting polychromatic and multiplexed imaging assay enabled us to measure the secretion of mycobacterial effectors inside infected host cells. We applied this novel technology to a large panel of mutants, clinical isolates, and host-cell types to explore the host-mycobacteria interplay and its impact on the intracellular bacterial secretome, which also revealed the unexpected capacity of phagocytes from lung granuloma to present mycobacterial antigens via MHC class II. : Sayes et al. develop an approach to express distinct fluorescent reporters that is based on the recognition of specific Mycobacterium tuberculosis MHC class II epitopes by highly discriminative T cell hybridomas. This multiplexed technology allows the study of secretion, subcellular location, and regulation patterns of these instrumental protein members. Keywords: mycobacterium tuberculosis, type VII secretion systems, intracellular bacteria, T-cell hybridomas, mycobacterial virulence factors, bacterial antigen presentation, lentiviral vectors, reporter T cells, in vivo antigen presentation, protein localization

  3. Influence of secretagogues on asynchronous secretion of newly synthesized pancreatic proteins in the conscious rat

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keim, V.; Rohr, G.

    1987-01-01

    The secretion of newly synthesized pancreatic enzymes was studied in pancreatic duct cannulated rats after intravenous injection of 100 microCi of [ 35 S]methionine. Secretion rate was stimulated by intravenous infusion of either cerulein (0.2 microgram/kg h) or carbachol (10 nmol/kg h) starting simultaneously with or 180 min before the injection of the labeled methionine. Secretory proteins were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) gel electrophoresis or by nondenaturing gel electrophoresis followed by determination of the radioactivity associated with the individual proteins. Similar to unstimulated controls in all experiments, an early secretion of newly synthesized trypsinogen and chymotrypsinogen was found, whereas amylase and lipase were secreted only after a certain lag period. The results suggest that the intracellular transit of endoproteases is faster than that of other enzymes, irrespective of whether or not secretagogues were applied

  4. Two-partner secretion systems of Neisseria meningitidis associated with invasive clonal complexes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Ulsen, Peter; Rutten, Lucy; Feller, Moniek; Tommassen, Jan; van der Ende, Arie

    2008-01-01

    The two-partner secretion (TPS) pathway is widespread among gram-negative bacteria and facilitates the secretion of very large and often virulence-related proteins. TPS systems consist of a secreted TpsA protein and a TpsB protein involved in TpsA transport across the outer membrane. Sequenced

  5. How early studies on secreted and membrane protein quality control gave rise to the ER associated degradation (ERAD) pathway: the early history of ERAD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Needham, Patrick G; Brodsky, Jeffrey L

    2013-11-01

    All newly synthesized proteins are subject to quality control check-points, which prevent aberrant polypeptides from harming the cell. For proteins that ultimately reside in the cytoplasm, components that also reside in the cytoplasm were known for many years to mediate quality control. Early biochemical and genetic data indicated that misfolded proteins were selected by molecular chaperones and then targeted to the proteasome (in eukaryotes) or to proteasome-like particles (in bacteria) for degradation. What was less clear was how secreted and integral membrane proteins, which in eukaryotes enter the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), were subject to quality control decisions. In this review, we highlight early studies that ultimately led to the discovery that secreted and integral membrane proteins also utilize several components that constitute the cytoplasmic quality control machinery. This component of the cellular quality control pathway is known as ER associated degradation, or ERAD. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Functional and structural diversity of endoplasmic reticulum. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Genome-scale analysis of the high-efficient protein secretion system of Aspergillus oryzae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Lifang; Feizi, Amir; Österlund, Tobias; Hjort, Carsten; Nielsen, Jens

    2014-06-24

    The koji mold, Aspergillus oryzae is widely used for the production of industrial enzymes due to its particularly high protein secretion capacity and ability to perform post-translational modifications. However, systemic analysis of its secretion system is lacking, generally due to the poorly annotated proteome. Here we defined a functional protein secretory component list of A. oryzae using a previously reported secretory model of S. cerevisiae as scaffold. Additional secretory components were obtained by blast search with the functional components reported in other closely related fungal species such as Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus niger. To evaluate the defined component list, we performed transcriptome analysis on three α-amylase over-producing strains with varying levels of secretion capacities. Specifically, secretory components involved in the ER-associated processes (including components involved in the regulation of transport between ER and Golgi) were significantly up-regulated, with many of them never been identified for A. oryzae before. Furthermore, we defined a complete list of the putative A. oryzae secretome and monitored how it was affected by overproducing amylase. In combination with the transcriptome data, the most complete secretory component list and the putative secretome, we improved the systemic understanding of the secretory machinery of A. oryzae in response to high levels of protein secretion. The roles of many newly predicted secretory components were experimentally validated and the enriched component list provides a better platform for driving more mechanistic studies of the protein secretory pathway in this industrially important fungus.

  7. Secretion of Rhoptry and Dense Granule Effector Proteins by Nonreplicating Toxoplasma gondii Uracil Auxotrophs Controls the Development of Antitumor Immunity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barbara A Fox

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Nonreplicating type I uracil auxotrophic mutants of Toxoplasma gondii possess a potent ability to activate therapeutic immunity to established solid tumors by reversing immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment. Here we engineered targeted deletions of parasite secreted effector proteins using a genetically tractable Δku80 vaccine strain to show that the secretion of specific rhoptry (ROP and dense granule (GRA proteins by uracil auxotrophic mutants of T. gondii in conjunction with host cell invasion activates antitumor immunity through host responses involving CD8α+ dendritic cells, the IL-12/interferon-gamma (IFN-γ TH1 axis, as well as CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Deletion of parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM associated proteins ROP5, ROP17, ROP18, ROP35 or ROP38, intravacuolar network associated dense granule proteins GRA2 or GRA12, and GRA24 which traffics past the PVM to the host cell nucleus severely abrogated the antitumor response. In contrast, deletion of other secreted effector molecules such as GRA15, GRA16, or ROP16 that manipulate host cell signaling and transcriptional pathways, or deletion of PVM associated ROP21 or GRA3 molecules did not affect the antitumor activity. Association of ROP18 with the PVM was found to be essential for the development of the antitumor responses. Surprisingly, the ROP18 kinase activity required for resistance to IFN-γ activated host innate immunity related GTPases and virulence was not essential for the antitumor response. These data show that PVM functions of parasite secreted effector molecules, including ROP18, manipulate host cell responses through ROP18 kinase virulence independent mechanisms to activate potent antitumor responses. Our results demonstrate that PVM associated rhoptry effector proteins secreted prior to host cell invasion and dense granule effector proteins localized to the intravacuolar network and host nucleus that are secreted after host cell invasion coordinately

  8. The Chlamydia type III secretion system C-ring engages a chaperone-effector protein complex.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kris E Spaeth

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available In Gram-negative bacterial pathogens, specialized chaperones bind to secreted effector proteins and maintain them in a partially unfolded form competent for translocation by type III secretion systems/injectisomes. How diverse sets of effector-chaperone complexes are recognized by injectisomes is unclear. Here we describe a new mechanism of effector-chaperone recognition by the Chlamydia injectisome, a unique and ancestral line of these evolutionarily conserved secretion systems. By yeast two-hybrid analysis we identified networks of Chlamydia-specific proteins that interacted with the basal structure of the injectisome, including two hubs of protein-protein interactions that linked known secreted effector proteins to CdsQ, the putative cytoplasmic C-ring component of the secretion apparatus. One of these protein-interaction hubs is defined by Ct260/Mcsc (Multiple cargo secretion chaperone. Mcsc binds to and stabilizes at least two secreted hydrophobic proteins, Cap1 and Ct618, that localize to the membrane of the pathogenic vacuole ("inclusion". The resulting complexes bind to CdsQ, suggesting that in Chlamydia, the C-ring of the injectisome mediates the recognition of a subset of inclusion membrane proteins in complex with their chaperone. The selective recognition of inclusion membrane proteins by chaperones may provide a mechanism to co-ordinate the translocation of subsets of inclusion membrane proteins at different stages in infection.

  9. The cardiokine story unfolds: ischemic stress-induced protein secretion in the heart.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doroudgar, Shirin; Glembotski, Christopher C

    2011-04-01

    Intercellular communication depends on many factors, including proteins released via the classical or non-classical secretory pathways, many of which must be properly folded to be functional. Owing to their adverse effects on the secretion machinery, stresses such as ischemia can impair the folding of secreted proteins. Paradoxically, cells rely on secreted proteins to mount a response designed to resist stress-induced damage. This review examines this paradox using proteins secreted from the heart, cardiokines, as examples, and focuses on how the ischemic heart maintains or even increases the release of select cardiokines that regulate important cellular processes in the heart, including excitation-contraction coupling, hypertrophic growth, myocardial remodeling and stem cell function, in ways that moderate ischemic damage and enhance cardiac repair. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Identification of Secreted Proteins from Ionizing Radiation-Induced Senescent MCF7 Cells Using Comparative Proteomics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han, Na Kyung; Kim, Han Na; Hong, Mi Na; Park, Su Min; Lee, Jae Seon; Chi, Seong Gil

    2010-01-01

    Cellular senescence was first described by Hayflick and Moorhead in 1961 who observed that cultures of normal human fibroblasts had a limited replicative potential and eventually became irreversibly arrest. The majority of senescent cells assume a characteristic flattened and enlarged morphological change, senescence associated β-galactosidase positivity and over the years a large number of molecular phenotypes have been described, such as changes in gene expression, protein processing and chromatin organization. In contrast to apoptosis, senescence does not destroy the cells but leaves them metabolically and synthetically active and therefore able to affect their microenvironment. In particular, senescent fibroblasts and some cancer cells were found to secrete proteins with known or putative tumor-promoting functions such as growth factors or proteolytic enzymes. However, the knowledge about secreted proteins from senescent tumor cells and their functions to surrounding cells is still lacking. In this study, changes of senescence-associated secretory protein expression profile were observed in MCF7 human breast cancer cells exposed to gamma-ray radiation using two dimensional electrophoresis. Also, we identified up-regulated secretory proteins during ionizing radiation-induced cellular senescence

  11. Identification of Secreted Proteins from Ionizing Radiation-Induced Senescent MCF7 Cells Using Comparative Proteomics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Han, Na Kyung; Kim, Han Na; Hong, Mi Na; Park, Su Min; Lee, Jae Seon [Korea Institue of Radiological and Medical Sciences, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Chi, Seong Gil [Korea University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2010-05-15

    Cellular senescence was first described by Hayflick and Moorhead in 1961 who observed that cultures of normal human fibroblasts had a limited replicative potential and eventually became irreversibly arrest. The majority of senescent cells assume a characteristic flattened and enlarged morphological change, senescence associated beta-galactosidase positivity and over the years a large number of molecular phenotypes have been described, such as changes in gene expression, protein processing and chromatin organization. In contrast to apoptosis, senescence does not destroy the cells but leaves them metabolically and synthetically active and therefore able to affect their microenvironment. In particular, senescent fibroblasts and some cancer cells were found to secrete proteins with known or putative tumor-promoting functions such as growth factors or proteolytic enzymes. However, the knowledge about secreted proteins from senescent tumor cells and their functions to surrounding cells is still lacking. In this study, changes of senescence-associated secretory protein expression profile were observed in MCF7 human breast cancer cells exposed to gamma-ray radiation using two dimensional electrophoresis. Also, we identified up-regulated secretory proteins during ionizing radiation-induced cellular senescence

  12. Characterization of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Chitinase, a Gradually Secreted Protein

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Folders, J. (Jindra); Algra, J. (Jon); Roelofs, M.S. (Marc); Loon, L.C. van; Tommassen, J.P.M.; Bitter, Wilbert

    2001-01-01

    The gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa secretes many proteins into its extracellular environment via the type I, II, and III secretion systems. In this study, a gene, chiC, coding for an extracellular chitinolytic enzyme, was identified. The chiC gene encodes a polypeptide of 483 amino

  13. Por secretion system-dependent secretion and glycosylation of Porphyromonas gingivalis hemin-binding protein 35.

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    Mikio Shoji

    Full Text Available The anaerobic Gram-negative bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis is a major pathogen in severe forms of periodontal disease and refractory periapical perodontitis. We have recently found that P. gingivalis has a novel secretion system named the Por secretion system (PorSS, which is responsible for secretion of major extracellular proteinases, Arg-gingipains (Rgps and Lys-gingipain. These proteinases contain conserved C-terminal domains (CTDs in their C-termini. Hemin-binding protein 35 (HBP35, which is one of the outer membrane proteins of P. gingivalis and contributes to its haem utilization, also contains a CTD, suggesting that HBP35 is translocated to the cell surface via the PorSS. In this study, immunoblot analysis of P. gingivalis mutants deficient in the PorSS or in the biosynthesis of anionic polysaccharide-lipopolysaccharide (A-LPS revealed that HBP35 is translocated to the cell surface via the PorSS and is glycosylated with A-LPS. From deletion analysis with a GFP-CTD[HBP35] green fluorescent protein fusion, the C-terminal 22 amino acid residues of CTD[HBP35] were found to be required for cell surface translocation and glycosylation. The GFP-CTD fusion study also revealed that the CTDs of CPG70, peptidylarginine deiminase, P27 and RgpB play roles in PorSS-dependent translocation and glycosylation. However, CTD-region peptides were not found in samples of glycosylated HBP35 protein by peptide map fingerprinting analysis, and antibodies against CTD-regions peptides did not react with glycosylated HBP35 protein. These results suggest both that the CTD region functions as a recognition signal for the PorSS and that glycosylation of CTD proteins occurs after removal of the CTD region. Rabbits were used for making antisera against bacterial proteins in this study.

  14. A lower isoelectric point increases signal sequence-mediated secretion of recombinant proteins through a bacterial ABC transporter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Byun, Hyunjong; Park, Jiyeon; Kim, Sun Chang; Ahn, Jung Hoon

    2017-12-01

    Efficient protein production for industrial and academic purposes often involves engineering microorganisms to produce and secrete target proteins into the culture. Pseudomonas fluorescens has a TliDEF ATP-binding cassette transporter, a type I secretion system, which recognizes C-terminal LARD3 signal sequence of thermostable lipase TliA. Many proteins are secreted by TliDEF in vivo when recombined with LARD3, but there are still others that cannot be secreted by TliDEF even when LARD3 is attached. However, the factors that determine whether or not a recombinant protein can be secreted through TliDEF are still unknown. Here, we recombined LARD3 with several proteins and examined their secretion through TliDEF. We found that the proteins secreted via LARD3 are highly negatively charged with highly-acidic isoelectric points (pI) lower than 5.5. Attaching oligo-aspartate to lower the pI of negatively-charged recombinant proteins improved their secretion, and attaching oligo-arginine to negatively-charged proteins blocked their secretion by LARD3. In addition, negatively supercharged green fluorescent protein (GFP) showed improved secretion, whereas positively supercharged GFP did not secrete. These results disclosed that proteins' acidic pI and net negative charge are major factors that determine their secretion through TliDEF. Homology modeling for TliDEF revealed that TliD dimer forms evolutionarily-conserved positively-charged clusters in its pore and substrate entrance site, which also partially explains the pI dependence of the TliDEF-dependent secretions. In conclusion, lowering the isoelectric point improved LARD3-mediated protein secretion, both widening the range of protein targets for efficient production via secretion and signifying an important aspect of ABC transporter-mediated secretions. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  15. Protein Export According to Schedule: Architecture, Assembly, and Regulation of Type III Secretion Systems from Plant- and Animal-Pathogenic Bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-01

    Summary: Flagellar and translocation-associated type III secretion (T3S) systems are present in most Gram-negative plant- and animal-pathogenic bacteria and are often essential for bacterial motility or pathogenicity. The architectures of the complex membrane-spanning secretion apparatuses of both systems are similar, but they are associated with different extracellular appendages, including the flagellar hook and filament or the needle/pilus structures of translocation-associated T3S systems. The needle/pilus is connected to a bacterial translocon that is inserted into the host plasma membrane and mediates the transkingdom transport of bacterial effector proteins into eukaryotic cells. During the last 3 to 5 years, significant progress has been made in the characterization of membrane-associated core components and extracellular structures of T3S systems. Furthermore, transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulators that control T3S gene expression and substrate specificity have been described. Given the architecture of the T3S system, it is assumed that extracellular components of the secretion apparatus are secreted prior to effector proteins, suggesting that there is a hierarchy in T3S. The aim of this review is to summarize our current knowledge of T3S system components and associated control proteins from both plant- and animal-pathogenic bacteria. PMID:22688814

  16. Protein kinase C mediates platelet secretion and thrombus formation through protein kinase D2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Konopatskaya, Olga; Matthews, Sharon A; Harper, Matthew T; Gilio, Karen; Cosemans, Judith M E M; Williams, Christopher M; Navarro, Maria N; Carter, Deborah A; Heemskerk, Johan W M; Leitges, Michael; Cantrell, Doreen; Poole, Alastair W

    2011-07-14

    Platelets are highly specialized blood cells critically involved in hemostasis and thrombosis. Members of the protein kinase C (PKC) family have established roles in regulating platelet function and thrombosis, but the molecular mechanisms are not clearly understood. In particular, the conventional PKC isoform, PKCα, is a major regulator of platelet granule secretion, but the molecular pathway from PKCα to secretion is not defined. Protein kinase D (PKD) is a family of 3 kinases activated by PKC, which may represent a step in the PKC signaling pathway to secretion. In the present study, we show that PKD2 is the sole PKD member regulated downstream of PKC in platelets, and that the conventional, but not novel, PKC isoforms provide the upstream signal. Platelets from a gene knock-in mouse in which 2 key phosphorylation sites in PKD2 have been mutated (Ser707Ala/Ser711Ala) show a significant reduction in agonist-induced dense granule secretion, but not in α-granule secretion. This deficiency in dense granule release was responsible for a reduced platelet aggregation and a marked reduction in thrombus formation. Our results show that in the molecular pathway to secretion, PKD2 is a key component of the PKC-mediated pathway to platelet activation and thrombus formation through its selective regulation of dense granule secretion.

  17. A novel genetic system for recombinant protein secretion in the Antarctic Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis TAC125

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marino Gennaro

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The final aim of recombinant protein production is both to have a high specific production rate and a high product quality. It was already shown that using cold-adapted bacteria as host vectors, some "intractable" proteins can be efficiently produced at temperature as low as 4°C. Results A novel genetic system for the production and secretion of recombinant proteins in the Antarctic Gram-negative bacterium Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis TAC125 was set up. This system aims at combining the low temperature recombinant product production with the advantages of extra-cellular protein targeting. The psychrophilic α-amylase from Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis TAB23 was used as secretion carrier. Three chimerical proteins were produced by fusing intra-cellular proteins to C-terminus of the psychrophilic α-amylase and their secretion was analysed. Data reported in this paper demonstrate that all tested chimeras were translocated with a secretion yield always higher than 80%. Conclusion Data presented here demonstrate that the "cold" gene-expression system is efficient since the secretion yield of tested chimeras is always above 80%. These secretion performances place the α-amylase derived secretion system amongst the best heterologous secretion systems in Gram-negative bacteria reported so far. As for the quality of the secreted passenger proteins, data presented suggest that the system also allows the correct disulphide bond formation of chimera components, secreting a fully active passenger.

  18. The ESX system in Bacillus subtilis mediates protein secretion.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura A Huppert

    Full Text Available Esat-6 protein secretion systems (ESX or Ess are required for the virulence of several human pathogens, most notably Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Staphylococcus aureus. These secretion systems are defined by a conserved FtsK/SpoIIIE family ATPase and one or more WXG100 family secreted substrates. Gene clusters coding for ESX systems have been identified amongst many organisms including the highly tractable model system, Bacillus subtilis. In this study, we demonstrate that the B. subtilis yuk/yue locus codes for a nonessential ESX secretion system. We develop a functional secretion assay to demonstrate that each of the locus gene products is specifically required for secretion of the WXG100 virulence factor homolog, YukE. We then employ an unbiased approach to search for additional secreted substrates. By quantitative profiling of culture supernatants, we find that YukE may be the sole substrate that depends on the FtsK/SpoIIIE family ATPase for secretion. We discuss potential functional implications for secretion of a unique substrate.

  19. Caught in the act: discovering secreted proteins from fungi and oomycetes in action

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Roth, Doris; Grell, Morten Nedergaard; Jensen, Annette Bruun

    Host-microbe relationships largely rely on secreted proteins like enzymes, virulence factors and antimicrobial peptides. To discover proteins secreted by microbe and host during the interaction with each other, we produced dual-organism cDNA libraries from three different fungus- or oomycete-infe......, by applying a similar strategy with a fungus-only library. As a result, we will show that our approach is widely applicable and allows us to deepen the understanding a variety of different host-microbe systems.......Host-microbe relationships largely rely on secreted proteins like enzymes, virulence factors and antimicrobial peptides. To discover proteins secreted by microbe and host during the interaction with each other, we produced dual-organism cDNA libraries from three different fungus- or oomycete...

  20. Human surfactant protein A2 gene mutations impair dimmer/trimer assembly leading to deficiency in protein sialylation and secretion.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yi Song

    Full Text Available Surfactant protein A2 (SP-A2 plays an essential role in surfactant metabolism and lung host defense. SP-A2 mutations in the carbohydrate recognition domain have been related to familial pulmonary fibrosis and can lead to a recombinant protein secretion deficiency in vitro. In this study, we explored the molecular mechanism of protein secretion deficiency and the subsequent biological effects in CHO-K1 cells expressing both wild-type and several different mutant forms of SP-A2. We demonstrate that the SP-A2 G231V and F198S mutants impair the formation of dimmer/trimer SP-A2 which contributes to the protein secretion defect. A deficiency in sialylation, but not N-linked glycosylation, is critical to the observed dimmer/trimer impairment-induced secretion defect. Furthermore, both mutant forms accumulate in the ER and form NP-40-insoluble aggregates. In addition, the soluble mutant SP-A2 could be partially degraded through the proteasome pathway but not the lysosome or autophagy pathway. Intriguingly, 4-phenylbutyrate acid (4-PBA, a chemical chaperone, alleviates aggregate formation and partially rescued the protein secretion of SP-A2 mutants. In conclusion, SP-A2 G231V and F198S mutants impair the dimmer/trimer assembly, which contributes to the protein sialylation and secretion deficiency. The intracellular protein mutants could be partially degraded through the proteasome pathway and also formed aggregates. The treatment of the cells with 4-PBA resulted in reduced aggregation and rescued the secretion of mutant SP-A2.

  1. Roles of silkworm endoplasmic reticulum chaperones in the secretion of recombinant proteins expressed by baculovirus system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Imai, Saki; Kusakabe, Takahiro; Xu, Jian; Li, Zhiqing; Shirai, Shintaro; Mon, Hiroaki; Morokuma, Daisuke; Lee, Jae Man

    2015-11-01

    Baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS) is widely used for production of recombinant eukaryotic proteins in insect larvae or cultured cells. BEVS has advantages over bacterial expression system in producing post-translationally modified secreted proteins. However, for some unknown reason, it is very difficult for insects to secrete sufficiently for certain proteins of interest. To understand the reasons why insect cells fail to secrete some kinds of recombinant proteins, we here employed three mammalian proteins as targets, EPO, HGF, and Wnt3A, with different secretion levels in BEVS and investigated their mRNA transcriptions from the viral genome, subcellular localizations, and interactions with silkworm ER chaperones. Moreover, we observed that no significantly influence on the secretion amounts of all three proteins when depleting or overexpressing most endogenous ER chaperone genes in cultured silkworm cells. However, among all detected ER chaperones, the depletion of BiP severely decreased the recombinant protein secretion in BEVS, indicating the possible central role of Bip in silkworm secretion pathway.

  2. Novel insulin from the bullfrog: its structure and function in protein secretion by hepatocytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hulsebus, J.J.

    1987-01-01

    Bullfrog insulin was extracted and purified from the pancreas of Rana catesbeiana adults using gel filtration and reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography. Amino acid analysis of bullfrog insulin revealed 52 amino acids instead of the most common number of 51. The most unique features of bullfrog insulin is a two amino acid extension on the amino terminus (A1) of the A chain. This is the only insulin to date that has an extension at this position. Bullfrog and porcine insulin increase protein secretion from bullfrog adult and three developmental stages of tadpole hepatocytes in a totally defined, serum-free culture system. The hormone slightly stimulates protein secretion by premetamorphic and early prometamorphic tadpoles. Late prometamorphic tadpoles respond to bullfrog and porcine insulin with higher concentrations of secreted protein than either of the two previous developmental stages. Insulin treated adult hepatocytes secrete significantly higher concentrations of protein than any of the tadpole stages. 35 S-methionine and 35 S-cysteine were added to the culture medium for twelve hours. Proteins secreted into the medium were separated using SDS polyacrylamide linear gradient gels. Densitometer scans of autoradiograms did not show an increases in any specific proteins, but did show a generalized increase in all secreted proteins for both adults, and tadpoles

  3. Super-Resolution Imaging of Protein Secretion Systems and the Cell Surface of Gram-Negative Bacteria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sachith D. Gunasinghe

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Gram-negative bacteria have a highly evolved cell wall with two membranes composed of complex arrays of integral and peripheral proteins, as well as phospholipids and glycolipids. In order to sense changes in, respond to, and exploit their environmental niches, bacteria rely on structures assembled into or onto the outer membrane. Protein secretion across the cell wall is a key process in virulence and other fundamental aspects of bacterial cell biology. The final stage of protein secretion in Gram-negative bacteria, translocation across the outer membrane, is energetically challenging so sophisticated nanomachines have evolved to meet this challenge. Advances in fluorescence microscopy now allow for the direct visualization of the protein secretion process, detailing the dynamics of (i outer membrane biogenesis and the assembly of protein secretion systems into the outer membrane, (ii the spatial distribution of these and other membrane proteins on the bacterial cell surface, and (iii translocation of effector proteins, toxins and enzymes by these protein secretion systems. Here we review the frontier research imaging the process of secretion, particularly new studies that are applying various modes of super-resolution microscopy.

  4. Enhanced resistance in Theobroma cacao against oomycete and fungal pathogens by secretion of phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate-binding proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Helliwell, Emily E; Vega-Arreguín, Julio; Shi, Zi; Bailey, Bryan; Xiao, Shunyuan; Maximova, Siela N; Tyler, Brett M; Guiltinan, Mark J

    2016-03-01

    The internalization of some oomycete and fungal pathogen effectors into host plant cells has been reported to be blocked by proteins that bind to the effectors' cell entry receptor, phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate (PI3P). This finding suggested a novel strategy for disease control by engineering plants to secrete PI3P-binding proteins. In this study, we tested this strategy using the chocolate tree Theobroma cacao. Transient expression and secretion of four different PI3P-binding proteins in detached leaves of T. cacao greatly reduced infection by two oomycete pathogens, Phytophthora tropicalis and Phytophthora palmivora, which cause black pod disease. Lesion size and pathogen growth were reduced by up to 85%. Resistance was not conferred by proteins lacking a secretory leader, by proteins with mutations in their PI3P-binding site, or by a secreted PI4P-binding protein. Stably transformed, transgenic T. cacao plants expressing two different PI3P-binding proteins showed substantially enhanced resistance to both P. tropicalis and P. palmivora, as well as to the fungal pathogen Colletotrichum theobromicola. These results demonstrate that secretion of PI3P-binding proteins is an effective way to increase disease resistance in T. cacao, and potentially in other plants, against a broad spectrum of pathogens. © 2015 Society for Experimental Biology, Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  5. Preliminary identification of secreted proteins by Leptospira interrogans serovar Kennewicki strain Pomona Fromm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ricardi, L.M.P.; Portaro, F.C.; Abreu, P.A.E.; Barbosa, A.S.; Morais, Z.M.; Vasconcellos, S.A.

    2012-01-01

    Full text: This project aimed to identify secreted proteins by pathogenic Leptospira interrogans serovar Kennewicki strain Pomona Fromm (LPF) by proteomic analyses. The strain LPF, whose virulence was maintained by passages in hamsters, were cultured in EMJH medium. The supernatants were centrifuged, dialyzed and subjected to lyophilization. Protein samples were resolved first by IEF at pH 3 to 10, immobilized pH gradient 13-cm strips. Strips were then processed for the second-dimension separation on SDS-polyacrylamide gels. Proteins from gel spots were subjected to reduction, cysteine-alkylation, and in-gel tryptic digestion, and analyzed by LC/MS/MS spectrometry. Liquid chromatography-based separation followed by automated tandem mass spectrometry was also used to identify secreted proteins. In silico analyses were performed using the PSORTbV.3.0 program and SignalP server. One major obstacle to secretome studies is the difficulty to obtain extracts of secreted proteins without citoplasmatic contamination. In addition, the extraction of low concentration proteins from large volumes of culture media, which are rich in salts, BSA and other compounds, frequently interfere with most proteomics techniques. For these reasons, several experimental approaches were used to optimize the protocol applied. In spite of this fact, our analysis resulted in the identification of 200 proteins with high confidence. Only 5 of 63 secreted proteins predicted by in silico analysis were found. Other classes identified included proteins that possess signal peptide but whose cellular localization prediction is unknown or may have multiple localization sites, and proteins that lack signal peptide and are thus thought to be secreted via non conventional mechanisms or resulting from cytoplasmic contamination by cell lysis. Many of these are hypothetical proteins with no putative conserved domains detected. To our knowledge, this is the first study to identify secreted proteins by

  6. Preliminary identification of secreted proteins by Leptospira interrogans serovar Kennewicki strain Pomona Fromm

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ricardi, L.M.P.; Portaro, F.C.; Abreu, P.A.E.; Barbosa, A.S. [Instituto Butantan, Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil); Morais, Z.M.; Vasconcellos, S.A. [Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP), SP (Brazil)

    2012-07-01

    Full text: This project aimed to identify secreted proteins by pathogenic Leptospira interrogans serovar Kennewicki strain Pomona Fromm (LPF) by proteomic analyses. The strain LPF, whose virulence was maintained by passages in hamsters, were cultured in EMJH medium. The supernatants were centrifuged, dialyzed and subjected to lyophilization. Protein samples were resolved first by IEF at pH 3 to 10, immobilized pH gradient 13-cm strips. Strips were then processed for the second-dimension separation on SDS-polyacrylamide gels. Proteins from gel spots were subjected to reduction, cysteine-alkylation, and in-gel tryptic digestion, and analyzed by LC/MS/MS spectrometry. Liquid chromatography-based separation followed by automated tandem mass spectrometry was also used to identify secreted proteins. In silico analyses were performed using the PSORTbV.3.0 program and SignalP server. One major obstacle to secretome studies is the difficulty to obtain extracts of secreted proteins without citoplasmatic contamination. In addition, the extraction of low concentration proteins from large volumes of culture media, which are rich in salts, BSA and other compounds, frequently interfere with most proteomics techniques. For these reasons, several experimental approaches were used to optimize the protocol applied. In spite of this fact, our analysis resulted in the identification of 200 proteins with high confidence. Only 5 of 63 secreted proteins predicted by in silico analysis were found. Other classes identified included proteins that possess signal peptide but whose cellular localization prediction is unknown or may have multiple localization sites, and proteins that lack signal peptide and are thus thought to be secreted via non conventional mechanisms or resulting from cytoplasmic contamination by cell lysis. Many of these are hypothetical proteins with no putative conserved domains detected. To our knowledge, this is the first study to identify secreted proteins by

  7. Heterologous protein secretion in Lactobacilli with modified pSIP vectors.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ingrid Lea Karlskås

    Full Text Available We describe new variants of the modular pSIP-vectors for inducible gene expression and protein secretion in lactobacilli. The basic functionality of the pSIP system was tested in Lactobacillus strains representing 14 species using pSIP411, which harbors the broad-host-range Lactococcus lactis SH71rep replicon and a β-glucuronidase encoding reporter gene. In 10 species, the inducible gene expression system was functional. Based on these results, three pSIP vectors with different signal peptides were modified by replacing their narrow-host-range L. plantarum 256rep replicon with SH71rep and transformed into strains of five different species of Lactobacillus. All recombinant strains secreted the target protein NucA, albeit with varying production levels and secretion efficiencies. The Lp_3050 derived signal peptide generally resulted in the highest levels of secreted NucA. These modified pSIP vectors are useful tools for engineering a wide variety of Lactobacillus species.

  8. Comparative transcriptional analysis of Bacillus subtilis cells overproducing either secreted proteins, lipoproteins or membrane proteins

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    Marciniak Bogumiła C

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Bacillus subtilis is a favorable host for the production of industrially relevant proteins because of its capacity of secreting proteins into the medium to high levels, its GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe status, its genetic accessibility and its capacity to grow in large fermentations. However, production of heterologous proteins still faces limitations. Results This study aimed at the identification of bottlenecks in secretory protein production by analyzing the response of B. subtilis at the transcriptome level to overproduction of eight secretory proteins of endogenous and heterologous origin and with different subcellular or extracellular destination: secreted proteins (NprE and XynA of B. subtilis, Usp45 of Lactococcus lactis, TEM-1 β-lactamase of Escherichia coli, membrane proteins (LmrA of L. lactis and XylP of Lactobacillus pentosus and lipoproteins (MntA and YcdH of B. subtilis. Responses specific for proteins with a common localization as well as more general stress responses were observed. The latter include upregulation of genes encoding intracellular stress proteins (groES/EL, CtsR regulated genes. Specific responses include upregulation of the liaIHGFSR operon under Usp45 and TEM-1 β-lactamase overproduction; cssRS, htrA and htrB under all secreted proteins overproduction; sigW and SigW-regulated genes mainly under membrane proteins overproduction; and ykrL (encoding an HtpX homologue specifically under membrane proteins overproduction. Conclusions The results give better insights into B. subtilis responses to protein overproduction stress and provide potential targets for genetic engineering in order to further improve B. subtilis as a protein production host.

  9. Comparative genome analysis of entomopathogenic fungi reveals a complex set of secreted proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Staats, Charley Christian; Junges, Angela; Guedes, Rafael Lucas Muniz; Thompson, Claudia Elizabeth; de Morais, Guilherme Loss; Boldo, Juliano Tomazzoni; de Almeida, Luiz Gonzaga Paula; Andreis, Fábio Carrer; Gerber, Alexandra Lehmkuhl; Sbaraini, Nicolau; da Paixão, Rana Louise de Andrade; Broetto, Leonardo; Landell, Melissa; Santi, Lucélia; Beys-da-Silva, Walter Orlando; Silveira, Carolina Pereira; Serrano, Thaiane Rispoli; de Oliveira, Eder Silva; Kmetzsch, Lívia; Vainstein, Marilene Henning; de Vasconcelos, Ana Tereza Ribeiro; Schrank, Augusto

    2014-09-29

    Metarhizium anisopliae is an entomopathogenic fungus used in the biological control of some agricultural insect pests, and efforts are underway to use this fungus in the control of insect-borne human diseases. A large repertoire of proteins must be secreted by M. anisopliae to cope with the various available nutrients as this fungus switches through different lifestyles, i.e., from a saprophytic, to an infectious, to a plant endophytic stage. To further evaluate the predicted secretome of M. anisopliae, we employed genomic and transcriptomic analyses, coupled with phylogenomic analysis, focusing on the identification and characterization of secreted proteins. We determined the M. anisopliae E6 genome sequence and compared this sequence to other entomopathogenic fungi genomes. A robust pipeline was generated to evaluate the predicted secretomes of M. anisopliae and 15 other filamentous fungi, leading to the identification of a core of secreted proteins. Transcriptomic analysis using the tick Rhipicephalus microplus cuticle as an infection model during two periods of infection (48 and 144 h) allowed the identification of several differentially expressed genes. This analysis concluded that a large proportion of the predicted secretome coding genes contained altered transcript levels in the conditions analyzed in this study. In addition, some specific secreted proteins from Metarhizium have an evolutionary history similar to orthologs found in Beauveria/Cordyceps. This similarity suggests that a set of secreted proteins has evolved to participate in entomopathogenicity. The data presented represents an important step to the characterization of the role of secreted proteins in the virulence and pathogenicity of M. anisopliae.

  10. Nuclear Engineering of Microalgae for High Yield Secretion of Recombinant Proteins

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ramos Martinez, Erick Miguel

    biotechnology hosts including safety, metabolic diversity, scalability, sustainability and low production cost. Over the past decades, considerable improvement has been made to express and secrete recombinant proteins in high levels: however current yields are still low. The first research project presented...... to the glycomodules, accumulation of a fusion protein was dramatically increased by up to 12 folds, with the maximum yield of 15 mg L-1. Characterization of the secreted Venus showed the presence of glycosylations and increased resistance to proteolytic degradation. The results from this thesis demonstrate...... the potential of microalgae as a cell factory for secretion of recombinant proteins. The second research project presented in this thesis aimed to establish a new robust method to allow in vivo measurements of metabolic enzyme activities in cyanobacteria, with a hope that the method would facilitate further...

  11. Proteomic analysis of proteins secreted by the extra-embryonic membranes of the preimplantation sheep conceptus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, R.S.F.

    2001-01-01

    The extraembryonic membranes (EEM) of the preimplantation sheep conceptus play a major role in the supply of nutrition to the embryo and subsequently participate in the formation of the placentomes. Such functions are likely to be mediated by proteins secreted by the EEM. These proteins may mediate maternal-embryonic interactions or provide the embryo with essential nutrients during the period of early organogenesis and rapid growth and differentiation of the EEM, leading up to implantation. Large format (40 x 40 cm) 2-D gels were used to analyze proteins secreted by the trophoblast, allantois and the yolk sac of day 17 or 18 conceptuses after incubation separately for 3h in the presence of [ 35 S]-methionine. Hundreds of proteins were detected, many of which have not been identified. Each of these EEM secreted different compositions of proteins, as did the two cell layers of the trophoblast. Several proteins that were secreted by the trophectoderm were absent in proteins secreted by the mesoderm layer of the trophoblast. Two of those were identified as interferon-τ and aldose reductase. The proteins secreted by the yolk sac differed markedly from those secreted by the allantois even though both of these membranes were derived from endodermal and mesodermal lineages and are both vascularized. Many of the yolk sac secretory proteins were glycoproteins similar to those found in serum that are normally synthesized by the adult liver; one of these was identified as transferrin. Northern analysis showed that the transferrin mRNA in the yolk sac was even more abundant than it was in adult liver. The similarity between the set of proteins secreted by the yolk sac and those in serum that are attributable to the liver suggests that the yolk sac performs in part, the function of the liver in the synthesis of these proteins. Many proteins secreted by the trophoblast and yolk Sac were detectable in the allantoic fluid even though these membranes were not in contact with the

  12. HK2 Proximal Tubule Epithelial Cells Synthesize and Secrete Plasma Proteins Predominantly Through the Apical Surface.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Ke-Wei; Murray, Elsa J Brochmann; Murray, Samuel S

    2017-04-01

    Renal proximal tubule epithelial cells (PTECs) are known to reabsorb salts and small plasma proteins filtered through Bowman's capsule. Following acute kidney injury, PTECs assume some characteristics of hepatocytes in producing various plasma proteins. We now demonstrate that even at a resting state, a PTEC cell line, HK2 expresses mRNAs for and synthesizes and secretes plasma proteins in a complex with complement C3, an α 2 -macroglobulin family chaperone, including albumin, transferrin, α 1 -antitrypsin, α 1 -antichymotrypsin, α 2 -HS-glycoprotein, ceruloplasmin, haptoglobin, C1-inhibitor, secreted phosphoprotein-24, and insulin-like growth factor-1. When grown on transwell inserts, HK2 cells predominantly secrete (∼90%) plasma proteins into the apical side and a smaller fraction into the basolateral side as determined by ELISA assays. When cultured in the presence of exogenous cytokines such as IL1β, IL6, TNFα, BMP2, or TGFβ1, HK2 cell mRNA expressions for plasma proteins were variably affected whereas basolateral secretions were elevated to or in excess of those of the apical level. In addition, HK2 cells produce proTGFβ1 with its intact N-terminal latency associated peptide and latent-TGF-β-binding proteins. The complex cannot be dissociated under conditions of SDS, heating, and electrophoresis. Moreover, HK2 cells maintain their ability to quickly uptake exogenously added serum proteins from the culture medium, as if they are recognized differently by the endocytic receptors. These results provide new insight into the hepatization of PTECs. In addition to their unique uptake of plasma proteins and salts from the filtrate, they are a source of urinary proteins under normal conditions as wells as in chronic and acute kidney diseases. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 924-933, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Legionella pneumophila secretes a mitochondrial carrier protein during infection.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pavel Dolezal

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The Mitochondrial Carrier Family (MCF is a signature group of integral membrane proteins that transport metabolites across the mitochondrial inner membrane in eukaryotes. MCF proteins are characterized by six transmembrane segments that assemble to form a highly-selective channel for metabolite transport. We discovered a novel MCF member, termed Legionellanucleotide carrier Protein (LncP, encoded in the genome of Legionella pneumophila, the causative agent of Legionnaire's disease. LncP was secreted via the bacterial Dot/Icm type IV secretion system into macrophages and assembled in the mitochondrial inner membrane. In a yeast cellular system, LncP induced a dominant-negative phenotype that was rescued by deleting an endogenous ATP carrier. Substrate transport studies on purified LncP reconstituted in liposomes revealed that it catalyzes unidirectional transport and exchange of ATP transport across membranes, thereby supporting a role for LncP as an ATP transporter. A hidden Markov model revealed further MCF proteins in the intracellular pathogens, Legionella longbeachae and Neorickettsia sennetsu, thereby challenging the notion that MCF proteins exist exclusively in eukaryotic organisms.

  14. Correlation of secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine with diabetic nephropathy

    OpenAIRE

    Li, Lei; Song, Hai-Yan; Liu, Kai; An, Meng-Meng

    2015-01-01

    To detect the serum concentrations of secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) in patients with diabetic nephropathy and SPARC mRNA and protein expressions in renal tissue of db/db mice (C57BL/KsJ, diabetic nephropathy mice), thus preliminary exploration on the role of secreted protein acidic riches in cysteine in the development of diabetic nephropathy were carried out. Serum SPARC levels in normal subjects, patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (without diabetic nephropathy), c...

  15. Biotrophy at Its Best: Novel Findings and Unsolved Mysteries of the Arabidopsis-Powdery Mildew Pathosystem.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuhn, Hannah; Kwaaitaal, Mark; Kusch, Stefan; Acevedo-Garcia, Johanna; Wu, Hongpo; Panstruga, Ralph

    2016-01-01

    It is generally accepted in plant-microbe interactions research that disease is the exception rather than a common outcome of pathogen attack. However, in nature, plants with symptoms that signify colonization by obligate biotrophic powdery mildew fungi are omnipresent. The pervasiveness of the disease and the fact that many economically important plants are prone to infection by powdery mildew fungi drives research on this interaction. The competence of powdery mildew fungi to establish and maintain true biotrophic relationships renders the interaction a paramount example of a pathogenic plant-microbe biotrophy. However, molecular details underlying the interaction are in many respects still a mystery. Since its introduction in 1990, the Arabidopsis-powdery mildew pathosystem has become a popular model to study molecular processes governing powdery mildew infection. Due to the many advantages that the host Arabidopsis offers in terms of molecular and genetic tools this pathosystem has great capacity to answer some of the questions of how biotrophic pathogens overcome plant defense and establish a persistent interaction that nourishes the invader while in parallel maintaining viability of the plant host.

  16. AUP1 (Ancient Ubiquitous Protein 1) Is a Key Determinant of Hepatic Very-Low-Density Lipoprotein Assembly and Secretion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Jing; Zamani, Mostafa; Thiele, Christoph; Taher, Jennifer; Amir Alipour, Mohsen; Yao, Zemin; Adeli, Khosrow

    2017-04-01

    AUP1 (ancient ubiquitous protein 1) is an endoplasmic reticulum-associated protein that also localizes to the surface of lipid droplets (LDs), with dual role in protein quality control and LD regulation. Here, we investigated the role of AUP1 in hepatic lipid mobilization and demonstrate critical roles in intracellular biogenesis of apoB100 (apolipoprotein B-100), LD mobilization, and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) assembly and secretion. APPROACH AND RESULTS: siRNA (short/small interfering RNA) knockdown of AUP1 significantly increased secretion of VLDL-sized apoB100-containing particles from HepG2 cells, correcting a key metabolic defect in these cells that normally do not secrete much VLDL. Secreted particles contained higher levels of metabolically labeled triglyceride, and AUP1-deficient cells displayed a larger average size of LDs, suggesting a role for AUP1 in lipid mobilization. Importantly, AUP1 was also found to directly interact with apoB100, and this interaction was enhanced with proteasomal inhibition. Knockdown of AUP1 reduced apoB100 ubiquitination, decreased intracellular degradation of newly synthesized apoB100, and enhanced extracellular apoB100 secretion. Interestingly, the stimulatory effect of AUP1 knockdown on VLDL assembly was reminiscent of the effect previously observed after MEK-ERK (mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase-extracellular signal-regulated kinase) inhibition; however, further studies indicated that the AUP1 effect was independent of MEK-ERK signaling. In summary, our findings reveal an important role for AUP1 as a regulator of apoB100 stability, hepatic LD metabolism, and intracellular lipidation of VLDL particles. AUP1 may be a crucial factor in apoB100 quality control, determining the rate at which apoB100 is degraded or lipidated to enable VLDL particle assembly and secretion. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

  17. Identification of Anaplasma marginale type IV secretion system effector proteins.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Svetlana Lockwood

    Full Text Available Anaplasma marginale, an obligate intracellular alphaproteobacterium in the order Rickettsiales, is a tick-borne pathogen and the leading cause of anaplasmosis in cattle worldwide. Complete genome sequencing of A. marginale revealed that it has a type IV secretion system (T4SS. The T4SS is one of seven known types of secretion systems utilized by bacteria, with the type III and IV secretion systems particularly prevalent among pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria. The T4SS is predicted to play an important role in the invasion and pathogenesis of A. marginale by translocating effector proteins across its membrane into eukaryotic target cells. However, T4SS effector proteins have not been identified and tested in the laboratory until now.By combining computational methods with phylogenetic analysis and sequence identity searches, we identified a subset of potential T4SS effectors in A. marginale strain St. Maries and chose six for laboratory testing. Four (AM185, AM470, AM705 [AnkA], and AM1141 of these six proteins were translocated in a T4SS-dependent manner using Legionella pneumophila as a reporter system.The algorithm employed to find T4SS effector proteins in A. marginale identified four such proteins that were verified by laboratory testing. L. pneumophila was shown to work as a model system for A. marginale and thus can be used as a screening tool for A. marginale effector proteins. The first T4SS effector proteins for A. marginale have been identified in this work.

  18. Glycosylation in secreted proteins from yeast Kluyveromyces lactis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Santos, A.V.; Passos, F.M.L. [Universidade Federal de Vicosa (UFV), MG (Brazil). Dept. de Microbiologia. Lab. de Fisiologia de Microrganismos; Azevedo, B.R.; Pimenta, A.M.C.; Santoro, M.M. [Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil). Dept. de Bioquimica e Imunologia. Lab. de Enzimologia e Fisico-Quimica de Proteina

    2008-07-01

    Full text: The nutritional status of a cell culture affects either the expression or the traffic of a number of proteins. The identification of the physiological conditions which favor protein secretion has important biotechnological consequences in designing systems for recombinant extracellular protein industrial production. Yeast Kluyvromyces lactis has been cultured in a continuous stirring tank bioreactor (CSTR) under nitrogen limitation at growth rates (0.03 h{sup -1} and 0.09 h{sup -1}) close to either exponential or stationary batch growth phases, respectively the objective was to investigate the extracellular glycoproteins at these two level of nitrogen limitation. Proteins from free cell extracts were separated by gradient SDS-PAGE (5-15%) and two-dimensional chromatography, and were analyzed by mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-TOF-MS). In SDS-PAGE analysis, differences in extracellular proteome were visualized: different proteins profiles at these two growth rates. The 0.09 h-1 growth rate showed larger number of bands using colloidal Coma ssie Blue staining. Different bands were detected at these two growth rates when the PAS assay for glycoprotein detection in polyacrylamide gel was used. The two-dimensional chromatogram profiles were comparatively distinguished between the 0.03 h{sup -1} and 0.09 h{sup -1} growth rate samples. Protein peaks from the second dimension, were subjected to mass spectrometry. The mass spectrums visualized showed glycosylated proteins with N-acetylglucosamine molecules and 8, 9 or 15 hexoses molecules. Comparisons between the proteins averaged mass values with the deduced proteins masses from K. lactis secreted proteins database indicated possible post-translational modifications, such as post-translational proteolysis, acetylation, deamidation and myristoylation.

  19. Glycosylation in secreted proteins from yeast Kluyveromyces lactis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santos, A.V.; Passos, F.M.L.; Azevedo, B.R.; Pimenta, A.M.C.; Santoro, M.M.

    2008-01-01

    Full text: The nutritional status of a cell culture affects either the expression or the traffic of a number of proteins. The identification of the physiological conditions which favor protein secretion has important biotechnological consequences in designing systems for recombinant extracellular protein industrial production. Yeast Kluyvromyces lactis has been cultured in a continuous stirring tank bioreactor (CSTR) under nitrogen limitation at growth rates (0.03 h -1 and 0.09 h -1 ) close to either exponential or stationary batch growth phases, respectively the objective was to investigate the extracellular glycoproteins at these two level of nitrogen limitation. Proteins from free cell extracts were separated by gradient SDS-PAGE (5-15%) and two-dimensional chromatography, and were analyzed by mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-TOF-MS). In SDS-PAGE analysis, differences in extracellular proteome were visualized: different proteins profiles at these two growth rates. The 0.09 h-1 growth rate showed larger number of bands using colloidal Coma ssie Blue staining. Different bands were detected at these two growth rates when the PAS assay for glycoprotein detection in polyacrylamide gel was used. The two-dimensional chromatogram profiles were comparatively distinguished between the 0.03 h -1 and 0.09 h -1 growth rate samples. Protein peaks from the second dimension, were subjected to mass spectrometry. The mass spectrums visualized showed glycosylated proteins with N-acetylglucosamine molecules and 8, 9 or 15 hexoses molecules. Comparisons between the proteins averaged mass values with the deduced proteins masses from K. lactis secreted proteins database indicated possible post-translational modifications, such as post-translational proteolysis, acetylation, deamidation and myristoylation

  20. Small proteins of plant-pathogenic fungi secreted during host colonization.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rep, M.

    2005-01-01

    Small proteins secreted by plant pathogenic fungi in their hosts have been implicated in disease symptom development as well as in R-gene mediated disease resistance. Characteristically, this class of proteins shows very limited phylogenetic distribution, possibly due to accelerated evolution

  1. Balanced trafficking between the ER and the Golgi apparatus increases protein secretion in yeast

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bao, Jichen; Huang, Mingtao; Petranovic, Dina

    2018-01-01

    of ADP-ribosylation factor GTP activating proteins, Gcs1p and Glo3p, which are involved in the process of COPI-coated vesicle formation. Engineering the retrograde trafficking increased the secretion of alpha-amylase but did not induce production of reactive oxygen species. An expanded ER membrane......The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is widely used as a cell factory to produce recombinant proteins. However, S. cerevisiae naturally secretes only a few proteins, such as invertase and the mating alpha factor, and its secretory capacity is limited. It has been reported that engineering protein...... recombinant proteins, endoglucanase I from Trichoderma reesei and glucan-1,4-alpha-glucosidase from Rhizopus oryzae, indicating overexpression of GLO3 in a SEC16 moderate overexpression strain might be a general strategy for improving production of secreted proteins by yeast....

  2. The type III protein secretion system contributes to Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri biofilm formation

    KAUST Repository

    Zimaro, Tamara; Thomas, Ludivine; Marondedze, Claudius; Sgro, Germá n G; Garofalo, Cecilia G; Ficarra, Florencia A; Gehring, Christoph A; Ottado, Jorgelina; Gottig, Natalia

    2014-01-01

    Background: Several bacterial plant pathogens colonize their hosts through the secretion of effector proteins by a Type III protein secretion system (T3SS). The role of T3SS in bacterial pathogenesis is well established but whether this system

  3. Protein thiophosphorylation associated with secretory inhibition in permeabilized chromaffin cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brooks, J.C.; Brooks, M.

    1985-01-01

    Permeabilized cells treated with the adenosine triphosphate analog, ( 35 S)adenosine-5'-0-3(3-thiotriphosphate) ((γ- 35 S)ATP), showed thiophosphorylation of a small number of cellular proteins. A 54 kilodalton (kDa) protein was heavily thiophosphorylated in unstimulated control cells and a 43 kilodalton protein was more heavily thiophosphorylated in calcium stimulated cells. Intact cells incorporated 35 S into a series of higher molecular weight proteins. Stimulation of prelabelled, permeabilized cells resulted in a loss of 35 S from the cells over a 20 min period. Treatment of permeabilized cells with ATPγS inhibited secretion and 35 S incorporation into the cells. Pretreatment with ATPγS resulted in subsequent inhibition of both secretion and the ability of the cells to incorporate 35 S from (γ- 35 S)ATP. These results indicate that the sites normally available for phosphorylation were inactivated by thiophosphorylation and were unavailable to participate in the secretory process. The inhibition of secretion associated with thiophosphorylation of these proteins suggests that they may play a role in the control of secretion by chromaffin cells. 15 references, 1 figure, 3 tables

  4. The type III protein secretion system contributes to Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri biofilm formation

    KAUST Repository

    Zimaro, Tamara

    2014-04-18

    Background: Several bacterial plant pathogens colonize their hosts through the secretion of effector proteins by a Type III protein secretion system (T3SS). The role of T3SS in bacterial pathogenesis is well established but whether this system is involved in multicellular processes, such as bacterial biofilm formation has not been elucidated. Here, the phytopathogen Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (X. citri) was used as a model to gain further insights about the role of the T3SS in biofilm formation. Results: The capacity of biofilm formation of different X. citri T3SS mutants was compared to the wild type strain and it was observed that this secretion system was necessary for this process. Moreover, the T3SS mutants adhered proficiently to leaf surfaces but were impaired in leaf-associated growth. A proteomic study of biofilm cells showed that the lack of the T3SS causes changes in the expression of proteins involved in metabolic processes, energy generation, exopolysaccharide (EPS) production and bacterial motility as well as outer membrane proteins. Furthermore, EPS production and bacterial motility were also altered in the T3SS mutants. Conclusions: Our results indicate a novel role for T3SS in X. citri in the modulation of biofilm formation. Since this process increases X. citri virulence, this study reveals new functions of T3SS in pathogenesis. 2014 Zimaro et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

  5. Moderate expression of SEC16 increases protein secretion by Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bao, Jichen; Huang, Mingtao; Petranovic, Dina

    2017-01-01

    in yeast, by moderately overexpressing SEC16, which is involved in protein translocation from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi apparatus. The moderate overexpression of SEC16 increased α-amylase secretion by generating more endoplasmic reticulum exit sites. The production of reactive oxygen species...... were observed. Finally, the moderate overexpression of SEC16 was shown to improve the secretion of two other recombinant proteins, Trichoderma reesei endoglucanase I and Rhizopus oryzae glucan-1,4-α-glucosidase, indicating that this mechanism is of general relevance....

  6. Transfection of primary brain capillary endothelial cells for protein synthesis and secretion of recombinant erythropoietin: a strategy to enable protein delivery to the brain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Burkhart, Annette; Andresen, Thomas Lars; Aigner, Achim

    2017-01-01

    , as turning BCECs into recombinant protein factories by transfection could result in protein secretion further into the brain. The present study aims to investigate the possibility of transfecting primary rat brain endothelial cells (RBECs) for recombinant protein synthesis and secretion...... of the neuroprotective protein erythropoietin (EPO). We previously showed that 4% of RBECs with BBB properties can be transfected without disrupting the BBB integrity in vitro, but it can be questioned whether this is sufficient to enable protein secretion at therapeutic levels. The present study examined various......-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF). In conclusion, non-viral gene therapy to RBECs leads to protein secretion and signifies a method for therapeutic proteins to target cells inside the CNS otherwise omitted due to the BBB....

  7. Burkholderia cenocepacia type VI secretion system mediates escape of type II secreted proteins into the cytoplasm of infected macrophages.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roberto Rosales-Reyes

    Full Text Available Burkholderia cenocepacia is an opportunistic pathogen that survives intracellularly in macrophages and causes serious respiratory infections in patients with cystic fibrosis. We have previously shown that bacterial survival occurs in bacteria-containing membrane vacuoles (BcCVs resembling arrested autophagosomes. Intracellular bacteria stimulate IL-1β secretion in a caspase-1-dependent manner and induce dramatic changes to the actin cytoskeleton and the assembly of the NADPH oxidase complex onto the BcCV membrane. A Type 6 secretion system (T6SS is required for these phenotypes but surprisingly it is not required for the maturation arrest of the BcCV. Here, we show that macrophages infected with B. cenocepacia employ the NLRP3 inflammasome to induce IL-1β secretion and pyroptosis. Moreover, IL-1β secretion by B. cenocepacia-infected macrophages is suppressed in deletion mutants unable to produce functional Type VI, Type IV, and Type 2 secretion systems (SS. We provide evidence that the T6SS mediates the disruption of the BcCV membrane, which allows the escape of proteins secreted by the T2SS into the macrophage cytoplasm. This was demonstrated by the activity of fusion derivatives of the T2SS-secreted metalloproteases ZmpA and ZmpB with adenylcyclase. Supporting this notion, ZmpA and ZmpB are required for efficient IL-1β secretion in a T6SS dependent manner. ZmpA and ZmpB are also required for the maturation arrest of the BcCVs and bacterial intra-macrophage survival in a T6SS-independent fashion. Our results uncover a novel mechanism for inflammasome activation that involves cooperation between two bacterial secretory pathways, and an unanticipated role for T2SS-secreted proteins in intracellular bacterial survival.

  8. N-Glycosylation of Carnosinase Influences Protein Secretion and Enzyme Activity Implications for Hyperglycemia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Riedl, Eva; Koeppel, Hannes; Pfister, Frederick; Peters, Verena; Sauerhoefer, Sibylle; Sternik, Paula; Brinkkoetter, Paul; Zentgraf, Hanswalter; Navis, Gerjan; Henning, Robert H.; Van Den Born, Jacob; Bakker, Stephan J. L.; Janssen, Bart; van der Woude, Fokko J.; Yard, Benito A.

    OBJECTIVE-The (CTG)(n) polymorphism in the serum carnosinase (CN-1) gene affects CN-1 secretion Since CN-1 is heavily glycosylated and glycosylation might influence protein secretion as well, we tested the role of N-glycosylation for CN-1 secretion and enzyme activity. We also tested whether CN-1

  9. Comparative transcriptional analysis of Bacillus subtilis cells overproducing either secreted proteins, lipoproteins or membrane proteins

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Marciniak, Bogumila C.; Trip, Hein; van-der Veek, Patricia J.; Kuipers, Oscar P.; Marciniak, Bogumiła C.

    2012-01-01

    Background: Bacillus subtilis is a favorable host for the production of industrially relevant proteins because of its capacity of secreting proteins into the medium to high levels, its GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status, its genetic accessibility and its capacity to grow in large

  10. Suppression or activation of immune responses by predicted secreted proteins of the soybean rust pathogen Phakopsora pachyrhizi

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rust fungi, such as Phakopsora pachyrhizi, are major threats to crop production. They form specialized haustoria that are intimately associated with plant cells. These haustoria have roles in acquiring nutrients and secreting effector proteins that manipulate host immune systems. Functional characte...

  11. Association of Factor V Secretion with Protein Kinase B Signaling in Platelets from Horses with Atypical Equine Thrombasthenia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norris, J W; Pombo, M; Shirley, E; Blevins, G; Tablin, F

    2015-01-01

    Two congenital bleeding diatheses have been identified in Thoroughbred horses: Glanzmann thrombasthenia (GT) and a second, novel diathesis associated with abnormal platelet function in response to collagen and thrombin stimulation. Platelet dysfunction in horses with this second thrombasthenia results from a secretory defect. Two affected and 6 clinically normal horses. Ex vivo study. Washed platelets were examined for (1) expression of the αIIb-β3 integrin; (2) fibrinogen binding capacity in response to ADP and thrombin; (3) secretion of dense and α-granules; (4) activation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)-protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathway; and (5) cellular distribution of phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate-3-kinase, class 2B (PIK3C2B) and SH2 containing inositol-5'-phosphatase 1 (SHIP1). Platelets from affected horses expressed normal amounts of αIIb-β3 integrin and bound fibrinogen normally in response to ADP, but bound 80% less fibrinogen in response to thrombin. α-granules only released 50% as much Factor V as control platelets, but dense granules released their contents normally. Protein kinase B (AKT) phosphorylation was reduced after thrombin activation, but mTOR Complex 2 (mTORC2) and phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 (PDK1) signaling were normal. SH2-containing inositol-5'-phosphatase 1 (SHIP1) did not localize to the cytoskeleton of affected platelets and was decreased overall consistent with reduced AKT phosphorylation. Defects in fibrinogen binding, granule secretion, and signal transduction are unique to this thrombasthenia, which we designate as atypical equine thrombasthenia. Copyright © The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

  12. Characterization of a Mycobacterium leprae antigen related to the secreted Mycobacterium tuberculosis protein MPT32

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wieles, B.; van Agterveld, M.; Janson, A.; Clark-Curtiss, J.; Rinke de Wit, T.; Harboe, M.; Thole, J.

    1994-01-01

    Secreted proteins may serve as major targets in the immune response to mycobacteria. To identify potentially secreted Mycobacterium leprae antigens, antisera specific for culture filtrate proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis were used to screen a panel of recombinant antigens selected previously

  13. New insights in Trichoderma harzianum antagonism of fungal plant pathogens by secreted protein analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monteiro, Valdirene Neves; do Nascimento Silva, Roberto; Steindorff, Andrei Stecca; Costa, Fabio Teles; Noronha, Eliane Ferreira; Ricart, Carlos André Ornelas; de Sousa, Marcelo Valle; Vainstein, Marilene Henning; Ulhoa, Cirano José

    2010-10-01

    Trichoderma harzianum ALL42 were capable of overgrowing and degrading Rhizoctonia solani and Macrophomina phaseolina mycelia, coiling around the hyphae with formation of apressoria and hook-like structures. Hyphae of T. harzianum ALL42 did not show any coiling around Fusarium sp. hyphae suggesting that mycoparasitism may be different among the plant pathogens. In this study, a secretome analysis was used to identify some extracellular proteins secreted by T. harzianum ALL42 after growth on cell wall of M. phaseolina, Fusarium sp., and R. solani. The secreted proteins were analyzed by two-dimensional electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. A total of 60 T. harzianum ALL42 secreted proteins excised from the gel were analyzed from the three growth conditions. While seven cell wall-induced proteins were identified, more than 53 proteins spots remain unidentified, indicating that these proteins are either novel proteins or proteins that have not yet been sequenced. Endochitinase, β-glucosidase, α-mannosidase, acid phosphatase, α-1,3-glucanase, and proteases were identified in the gel and also detected in the supernatant of culture.

  14. Structural characterization of the α-mating factor prepro-peptide for secretion of recombinant proteins in Pichia pastoris.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chahal, Sabreen; Wei, Peter; Moua, Pachai; Park, Sung Pil James; Kwon, Janet; Patel, Arth; Vu, Anthony T; Catolico, Jason A; Tsai, Yu Fang Tina; Shaheen, Nadia; Chu, Tiffany T; Tam, Vivian; Khan, Zill-E-Huma; Joo, Hyun Henry; Xue, Liang; Lin-Cereghino, Joan; Tsai, Jerry W; Lin-Cereghino, Geoff P

    2017-01-20

    The methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris has been used extensively for expressing recombinant proteins because it combines the ease of genetic manipulation, the ability to provide complex posttranslational modifications and the capacity for efficient protein secretion. The most successful and commonly used secretion signal leader in Pichia pastoris has been the alpha mating factor (MATα) prepro secretion signal. However, limitations exist as some proteins cannot be secreted efficiently, leading to strategies to enhance secretion efficiency by modifying the secretion signal leader. Based on a Jpred secondary structure prediction and knob-socket modeling of tertiary structure, numerous deletions and duplications of the MATα prepro leader were engineered to evaluate the correlation between predicted secondary structure and the secretion level of the reporters horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and Candida antarctica lipase B. In addition, circular dichroism analyses were completed for the wild type and several mutant pro-peptides to evaluate actual differences in secondary structure. The results lead to a new model of MATα pro-peptide signal leader, which suggests that the N and C-termini of MATα pro-peptide need to be presented in a specific orientation for proper interaction with the cellular secretion machinery and for efficient protein secretion. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Effect of secretory pathway gene overexpression on secretion of a fluorescent reporter protein in Aspergillus nidulans

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schalén, Martin; Anyaogu, Diana Chinyere; Hoof, Jakob Blæsbjerg

    2016-01-01

    roles in the process have been identified through transcriptomics. The assignment of function to these genes has been enabled in combination with gene deletion studies. In this work, 14 genes known to play a role in protein secretion in filamentous fungi were overexpressed in Aspergillus nidulans....... The background strain was a fluorescent reporter secreting mRFP. The overall effect of the overexpressions could thus be easily monitored through fluorescence measurements, while the effects on physiology were determined in batch cultivations and surface growth studies. Results: Fourteen protein secretion...... pathway related genes were overexpressed with a tet-ON promoter in the RFP-secreting reporter strain and macromorphology, physiology and protein secretion were monitored when the secretory genes were induced. Overexpression of several of the chosen genes was shown to cause anomalies on growth, micro...

  16. Presep: predicting the propensity of a protein being secreted into the supernatant when expressed in Pichia pastoris.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jian Tian

    Full Text Available Pichia pastoris is commonly used for the production of recombinant proteins due to its preferential secretion of recombinant proteins, resulting in lower production costs and increased yields of target proteins. However, not all recombinant proteins can be successfully secreted in P. pastoris. A computational method that predicts the likelihood of a protein being secreted into the supernatant would be of considerable value; however, to the best of our knowledge, no such tool has yet been developed. We present a machine-learning approach called Presep to assess the likelihood of a recombinant protein being secreted by P. pastoris based on its pseudo amino acid composition (PseAA. Using a 20-fold cross validation, Presep demonstrated a high degree of accuracy, with Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC and overall accuracy (Q2 scores of 0.78 and 95%, respectively. Computational results were validated experimentally, with six β-galactosidase genes expressed in P. pastoris strain GS115 to verify Presep model predictions. A strong correlation (R(2 = 0.967 was observed between Presep prediction secretion propensity and the experimental secretion percentage. Together, these results demonstrate the ability of the Presep model for predicting the secretion propensity of P. pastoris for a given protein. This model may serve as a valuable tool for determining the utility of P. pastoris as a host organism prior to initiating biological experiments. The Presep prediction tool can be freely downloaded at http://www.mobioinfor.cn/Presep.

  17. Secreted proteins as a fundamental source for biomarker discovery

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Šťastná, Miroslava; Van Eyk, J.E.

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 12, 4-5 (2012), s. 722-735 ISSN 1615-9853 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40310501 Keywords : conditioned media * secreted proteins * proteomics * biomarker discovery Subject RIV: CB - Analytical Chemistry, Separation Impact factor: 4.132, year: 2012

  18. Comparison of secretory signal peptides for heterologous protein expression in microalgae: Expanding the secretion portfolio for Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    João Vitor Dutra Molino

    Full Text Available Efficient protein secretion is a desirable trait for any recombinant protein expression system, together with simple, low-cost, and defined media, such as the typical media used for photosynthetic cultures of microalgae. However, low titers of secreted heterologous proteins are usually obtained, even with the most extensively studied microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, preventing their industrial application. In this study, we aimed to expand and evaluate secretory signal peptides (SP for heterologous protein secretion in C. reinhardtii by comparing previously described SP with untested sequences. We compared the SPs from arylsulfatase 1 and carbonic anhydrase 1, with those of untried SPs from binding protein 1, an ice-binding protein, and six sequences identified in silico. We identified over 2000 unique SPs using the SignalP 4.0 software. mCherry fluorescence was used to compare the protein secretion of up to 96 colonies for each construct, non-secretion construct, and parental wild-type cc1690 cells. Supernatant fluorescence varied according to the SP used, with a 10-fold difference observed between the highest and lowest secretors. Moreover, two SPs identified in silico secreted the highest amount of mCherry. Our results demonstrate that the SP should be carefully selected and that efficient sequences can be coded in the C. reinhardtii genome. The SPs described here expand the portfolio available for research on heterologous protein secretion and for biomanufacturing applications.

  19. Decidual-secreted factors alter invasive trophoblast membrane and secreted proteins implying a role for decidual cell regulation of placentation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ellen Melaleuca Menkhorst

    Full Text Available Inadequate or inappropriate implantation and placentation during the establishment of human pregnancy is thought to lead to first trimester miscarriage, placental insufficiency and other obstetric complications. To create the placental blood supply, specialized cells, the 'extravillous trophoblast' (EVT invade through the differentiated uterine endometrium (the decidua to engraft and remodel uterine spiral arteries. We hypothesized that decidual factors would regulate EVT function by altering the production of EVT membrane and secreted factors. We used a proteomics approach to identify EVT membrane and secreted proteins regulated by decidual cell factors. Human endometrial stromal cells were decidualized in vitro by treatment with estradiol (10(-8 M, medroxyprogesterone acetate (10(-7 M and cAMP (0.5 mM for 14 days. Conditioned media (CM was collected on day 2 (non-decidualized CM and 14 (decidualized CM of treatment. Isolated primary EVT cultured on Matrigel™ were treated with media control, non-decidualized or decidualized CM for 16 h. EVT CM was fractionated for proteins <30 kDa using size-exclusion affinity nanoparticles (SEAN before trypsin digestion and HPLC-MS/MS. 43 proteins produced by EVT were identified; 14 not previously known to be expressed in the placenta and 12 which had previously been associated with diseases of pregnancy including preeclampsia. Profilin 1, lysosome associated membrane glycoprotein 1 (LAMP1, dipeptidyl peptidase 1 (DPP1/cathepsin C and annexin A2 expression by interstitial EVT in vivo was validated by immunhistochemistry. Decidual CM regulation in vitro was validated by western blotting: decidualized CM upregulated profilin 1 in EVT CM and non-decidualized CM upregulated annexin A2 in EVT CM and pro-DPP1 in EVT cell lysate. Here, non-decidualized factors induced protease expression by EVT suggesting that non-decidualized factors may induce a pro-inflammatory cascade. Preeclampsia is a pro

  20. MAMP (microbe-associated molecular pattern)-induced changes in plasma membrane-associated proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uhlíková, Hana; Solanský, Martin; Hrdinová, Vendula; Šedo, Ondrej; Kašparovský, Tomáš; Hejátko, Jan; Lochman, Jan

    2017-03-01

    Plant plasma membrane associated proteins play significant roles in Microbe-Associated Molecular Pattern (MAMP) mediated defence responses including signal transduction, membrane transport or energetic metabolism. To elucidate the dynamics of proteins associated with plasma membrane in response to cryptogein, a well-known MAMP of defence reaction secreted by the oomycete Phytophthora cryptogea, 2D-Blue Native/SDS gel electrophoresis of plasma membrane fractions was employed. This approach revealed 21 up- or down-regulated protein spots of which 15 were successfully identified as proteins related to transport through plasma membrane, vesicle trafficking, and metabolic enzymes including cytosolic NADP-malic enzyme and glutamine synthetase. Observed changes in proteins were also confirmed on transcriptional level by qRT-PCR analysis. In addition, a significantly decreased accumulation of transcripts observed after employment of a mutant variant of cryptogein Leu41Phe, exhibiting a conspicuous defect in induction of resistance, sustains the contribution of identified proteins in cryptogein-triggered cellular responses. Our data provide further evidence for dynamic MAMP-induced changes in plasma membrane associated proteins. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  1. Dietary protein-induced hepatic IGF-1 secretion mediated by PPARγ activation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wan, Xiaojuan; Wang, Songbo; Xu, Jingren; Zhuang, Lu; Xing, Kongping; Zhang, Mengyuan; Zhu, Xiaotong; Wang, Lina; Gao, Ping; Xi, Qianyun; Sun, Jiajie; Zhang, Yongliang; Li, Tiejun; Shu, Gang; Jiang, Qingyan

    2017-01-01

    Dietary protein or amino acid (AA) is a crucial nutritional factor to regulate hepatic insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) expression and secretion. However, the underlying intracellular mechanism by which dietary protein or AA induces IGF-1 expression remains unknown. We compared the IGF-1 gene expression and plasma IGF-1 level of pigs fed with normal crude protein (CP, 20%) and low-protein levels (LP, 14%). RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed to detect transcript expression in the liver in response to dietary protein. The results showed that serum concentrations and mRNA levels of IGF-1 in the liver were higher in the CP group than in the LP group. RNA-seq analysis identified a total of 1319 differentially expressed transcripts (667 upregulated and 652 downregulated), among which the terms "oxidative phosphorylation", "ribosome", "gap junction", "PPAR signaling pathway", and "focal adhesion" were enriched. In addition, the porcine primary hepatocyte and HepG2 cell models also demonstrated that the mRNA and protein levels of IGF-1 and PPARγ increased with the increasing AA concentration in the culture. The PPARγ activator troglitazone increased IGF-1 gene expression and secretion in a dose dependent manner. Furthermore, inhibition of PPARγ effectively reversed the effects of the high AA concentration on the mRNA expression of IGF-1 and IGFBP-1 in HepG2 cells. Moreover, the protein levels of IGF-1 and PPARγ, as well as the phosphorylation of mTOR, significantly increased in HepG2 cells under high AA concentrations. mTOR phosphorylation can be decreased by the mTOR antagonist, rapamycin. The immunoprecipitation results also showed that high AA concentrations significantly increased the interaction of mTOR and PPARγ. In summary, PPARγ plays an important role in the regulation of IGF-1 secretion and gene expression in response to dietary protein.

  2. Quantification of the physiochemical constraints on the export of spider silk proteins by Salmonella type III secretion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Voigt Christopher A

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The type III secretion system (T3SS is a molecular machine in gram negative bacteria that exports proteins through both membranes to the extracellular environment. It has been previously demonstrated that the T3SS encoded in Salmonella Pathogenicity Island 1 (SPI-1 can be harnessed to export recombinant proteins. Here, we demonstrate the secretion of a variety of unfolded spider silk proteins and use these data to quantify the constraints of this system with respect to the export of recombinant protein. Results To test how the timing and level of protein expression affects secretion, we designed a hybrid promoter that combines an IPTG-inducible system with a natural genetic circuit that controls effector expression in Salmonella (psicA. LacO operators are placed in various locations in the psicA promoter and the optimal induction occurs when a single operator is placed at the +5nt (234-fold and a lower basal level of expression is achieved when a second operator is placed at -63nt to take advantage of DNA looping. Using this tool, we find that the secretion efficiency (protein secreted divided by total expressed is constant as a function of total expressed. We also demonstrate that the secretion flux peaks at 8 hours. We then use whole gene DNA synthesis to construct codon optimized spider silk genes for full-length (3129 amino acids Latrodectus hesperus dragline silk, Bombyx mori cocoon silk, and Nephila clavipes flagelliform silk and PCR is used to create eight truncations of these genes. These proteins are all unfolded polypeptides and they encompass a variety of length, charge, and amino acid compositions. We find those proteins fewer than 550 amino acids reliably secrete and the probability declines significantly after ~700 amino acids. There also is a charge optimum at -2.4, and secretion efficiency declines for very positively or negatively charged proteins. There is no significant correlation with hydrophobicity

  3. Nicotinic Acid Increases Adiponectin Secretion from Differentiated Bovine Preadipocytes through G-Protein Coupled Receptor Signaling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christina Kopp

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available The transition period in dairy cows (3 weeks prepartum until 3 weeks postpartum is associated with substantial mobilization of energy stores, which is often associated with metabolic diseases. Nicotinic acid (NA is an antilipolytic and lipid-lowering compound used to treat dyslipidaemia in humans, and it also reduces non-esterified fatty acids in cattle. In mice the G-protein coupled receptor 109A (GPR109A ligand NA positively affects the secretion of adiponectin, an important modulator of glucose and fat metabolism. In cattle, the corresponding data linking NA to adiponectin are missing. Our objective was to examine the effects of NA on adiponectin and AMPK protein abundance and the expression of mRNAs of related genes such as chemerin, an adipokine that enhances adiponectin secretion in vitro. Differentiated bovine adipocytes were incubated with pertussis toxin (PTX to verify the involvement of GPR signaling, and treated with 10 or 15 µM NA for 12 or 24 h. NA increased adiponectin concentrations (p ≤ 0.001 and the mRNA abundances of GPR109A (p ≤ 0.05 and chemerin (p ≤ 0.01. Pre-incubation with PTX reduced the adiponectin response to NA (p ≤ 0.001. The NA-stimulated secretion of adiponectin and the mRNA expression of chemerin in the bovine adipocytes were suggestive of GPR signaling-dependent improved insulin sensitivity and/or adipocyte metabolism in dairy cows.

  4. Lactobacillus proteins are associated with the bactericidal activity against E. coli of female genital tract secretions.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sabah Kalyoussef

    Full Text Available Female genital tract secretions are bactericidal for Escherichia (E. coli ex vivo. However, the intersubject variability and molecules that contribute to this activity have not been defined.The bactericidal activity and concentration of immune mediators in cervicovaginal lavage (CVL collected from 99 healthy women were determined.CVL reduced the number of E. coli colonies by 68% [-26, 100] (median [range]. CVL were active against laboratory and clinical isolates of E. coli, but were inactive against Lactobacillus species. Bactericidal activity correlated with the concentration of protein recovered (p90% inhibitory activity (active and two with<30% activity were subjected to MS/MS proteomic analysis. 215 proteins were identified and six were found exclusively in active samples. Four of these corresponded to Lactobacillus crispatus or jensenii proteins. Moreover, culture supernatants from Lactobacillus jensenii were bactericidal for E. coli.Both host and commensal microbiota proteins contribute to mucosal defense. Identification of these proteins will facilitate the development of strategies to maintain a healthy vaginal microbiome and prevent colonization with pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli that increase the risk for urinary tract infections, preterm labor and perinatal infection.

  5. Brucella Modulates Secretory Trafficking via Multiple Type IV Secretion Effector Proteins

    Science.gov (United States)

    Myeni, Sebenzile; Child, Robert; Ng, Tony W.; Kupko, John J.; Wehrly, Tara D.; Porcella, Stephen F.; Knodler, Leigh A.; Celli, Jean

    2013-01-01

    The intracellular pathogenic bacterium Brucella generates a replicative vacuole (rBCV) derived from the endoplasmic reticulum via subversion of the host cell secretory pathway. rBCV biogenesis requires the expression of the Type IV secretion system (T4SS) VirB, which is thought to translocate effector proteins that modulate membrane trafficking along the endocytic and secretory pathways. To date, only a few T4SS substrates have been identified, whose molecular functions remain unknown. Here, we used an in silico screen to identify putative T4SS effector candidate proteins using criteria such as limited homology in other bacterial genera, the presence of features similar to known VirB T4SS effectors, GC content and presence of eukaryotic-like motifs. Using β-lactamase and CyaA adenylate cyclase reporter assays, we identified eleven proteins translocated into host cells by Brucella, five in a VirB T4SS-dependent manner, namely BAB1_0678 (BspA), BAB1_0712 (BspB), BAB1_0847 (BspC), BAB1_1671 (BspE) and BAB1_1948 (BspF). A subset of the translocated proteins targeted secretory pathway compartments when ectopically expressed in HeLa cells, and the VirB effectors BspA, BspB and BspF inhibited protein secretion. Brucella infection also impaired host protein secretion in a process requiring BspA, BspB and BspF. Single or combined deletions of bspA, bspB and bspF affected Brucella ability to replicate in macrophages and persist in the liver of infected mice. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that Brucella modulates secretory trafficking via multiple T4SS effector proteins that likely act coordinately to promote Brucella pathogenesis. PMID:23950720

  6. Efficient Secretion of Recombinant Proteins from Rice Suspension-Cultured Cells Modulated by the Choice of Signal Peptide.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Li-Fen; Tan, Chia-Chun; Yeh, Ju-Fang; Liu, Hsin-Yi; Liu, Yu-Kuo; Ho, Shin-Lon; Lu, Chung-An

    2015-01-01

    Plant-based expression systems have emerged as a competitive platform in the large-scale production of recombinant proteins. By adding a signal peptide, αAmy3sp, the desired recombinant proteins can be secreted outside transgenic rice cells, making them easy to harvest. In this work, to improve the secretion efficiency of recombinant proteins in rice expression systems, various signal peptides including αAmy3sp, CIN1sp, and 33KDsp have been fused to the N-terminus of green fluorescent protein (GFP) and introduced into rice cells to explore the efficiency of secretion of foreign proteins. 33KDsp had better efficiency than αAmy3sp and CIN1sp for the secretion of GFP from calli and suspension-cultured cells. 33KDsp was further applied for the secretion of mouse granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (mGM-CSF) from transgenic rice suspension-cultured cells; approximately 76%-92% of total rice-derived mGM-CSF (rmGM-CSF) was detected in the culture medium. The rmGM-CSF was bioactive and could stimulate the proliferation of a murine myeloblastic leukemia cell line, NSF-60. The extracellular yield of rmGM-CSF reached 31.7 mg/L. Our study indicates that 33KDsp is better at promoting the secretion of recombinant proteins in rice suspension-cultured cell systems than the commonly used αAmy3sp.

  7. Molecular characterization of the porcine surfactant, pulmonary-associated protein C gene

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cirera, S.; Nygård, A.B.; Jensen, H.E.

    2006-01-01

    The surfactant, pulmonary-associated protein C (SFTPC) is a peptide secreted by the alveolar type II pneumocytes of the lung. We have characterized the porcine SFTPC gene at genomic, transcriptional, and protein levels. The porcine SFTPC is a single-copy gene on pig chromosome 14. Two transcripts...

  8. Proteins Related to the Type I Secretion System Are Associated with Secondary SecA_DEAD Domain Proteins in Some Species of Planctomycetes, Verrucomicrobia, Proteobacteria, Nitrospirae and Chlorobi.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olga K Kamneva

    Full Text Available A number of bacteria belonging to the PVC (Planctomycetes-Verrucomicrobia-Chlamydiae super-phylum contain unusual ribosome-bearing intracellular membranes. The evolutionary origins and functions of these membranes are unknown. Some proteins putatively associated with the presence of intracellular membranes in PVC bacteria contain signal peptides. Signal peptides mark proteins for translocation across the cytoplasmic membrane in prokaryotes, and the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum in eukaryotes, by highly conserved Sec machinery. This suggests that proteins might be targeted to intracellular membranes in PVC bacteria via the Sec pathway. Here, we show that canonical signal peptides are significantly over-represented in proteins preferentially present in PVC bacteria possessing intracellular membranes, indicating involvement of Sec translocase in their cellular targeting. We also characterized Sec proteins using comparative genomics approaches, focusing on the PVC super-phylum. While we were unable to detect unique changes in Sec proteins conserved among membrane-bearing PVC species, we identified (1 SecA ATPase domain re-arrangements in some Planctomycetes, and (2 secondary SecA_DEAD domain proteins in the genomes of some Planctomycetes, Verrucomicrobia, Proteobacteria, Nitrospirae and Chlorobi. This is the first report of potentially duplicated SecA in Gram-negative bacteria. The phylogenetic distribution of secondary SecA_DEAD domain proteins suggests that the presence of these proteins is not related to the occurrence of PVC endomembranes. Further genomic analysis showed that secondary SecA_DEAD domain proteins are located within genomic neighborhoods that also encode three proteins possessing domains specific for the Type I secretion system.

  9. Protein secretion in human mammary epithelial cells following HER1 receptor activation: influence of HER2 and HER3 expression

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Yi; Gonzalez, Rachel M; Zangar, Richard C

    2011-01-01

    Protein secretion by mammary cells results in autocrine and paracrine signaling that defines cell growth, migration and the extracellular environment. Even so, we have a limited understanding of the cellular processes that regulate protein secretion. In this study, we utilize human epithelial mammary cell (HMEC) lines that were engineered to express different levels of HER1, HER2 and HER3. Using an ELISA microarray platform, we evaluate the effects of epidermal growth factor family receptor (HER) expression on protein secretion in the HMEC lines upon initiation of HER1 receptor activation. The secreted proteins include three HER1 ligands, interleukins 1α and 18, RANTES, vascular-endothelial and platelet-derived growth factors, matrix metalloproteases 1, 2 and 9, and the extracellular portion of the HER1 and HER2 proteins. In addition, we investigate whether MAPK/Erk and PI3K/Akt signaling regulate protein secretion in these cell lines and if so, whether the involvement of HER2 or HER3 receptor alters their response to MAPK/Erk and PI3K/Akt signal pathway inhibition in terms of protein secretion. Differential expression of HER2 and HER3 receptors alters the secretion of a variety of growth factors, cytokines, and proteases. Some alterations in protein secretion are still observed when MAPK/Erk or PI3K/Akt signaling is inhibited. This study suggests that HER overexpression orchestrates broad changes in the tumor microenvironment by altering the secretion of a diverse variety of biologically active proteins

  10. Genome-scale analysis of the high-efficient protein secretion system of Aspergillus oryzae

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Liu, Lifang; Feizi, Amir; Osterlund, Tobias

    2014-01-01

    related fungal species such as Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus niger. To evaluate the defined component list, we performed transcriptome analysis on three a-amylase over-producing strains with varying levels of secretion capacities. Specifically, secretory components involved in the ER......Background: The koji mold, Aspergillus oryzae is widely used for the production of industrial enzymes due to its particularly high protein secretion capacity and ability to perform post-translational modifications. However, systemic analysis of its secretion system is lacking, generally due...... to the poorly annotated proteome. Results: Here we defined a functional protein secretory component list of A. oryzae using a previously reported secretory model of S. cerevisiae as scaffold. Additional secretory components were obtained by blast search with the functional components reported in other closely...

  11. Quantitative determination of in vitro immunoglobulin secretion with protein A from Staphylococcus aureus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manciulea, M.

    1982-01-01

    A micromethod for the quantitative determination of Ig secreted in vitro by mice lymphocytes isolated from the spleen of normal animals is described. The indicator system consists in sheep erythrocytes radiolabelled with sodium chromate ( 51 Cr) and coated with protein A of Staphylococcus aureus ( 51 Cr-labelled ES). When splenocytes were incubated in fluid phase at 37 0 C for 7/2 h with rabbit antisera to mouse Ig (IgM and IgG) and with guinea pig complement, the immune complexes formed between the secreted Ig and its specific IgG antibody are bound to protein A on the erythrocyte surface allowing the complement-mediated lysis of 51 Cr-labelled ES. The degree of haemolysis produced in this experimental system, which reflects the amount of in vitro secreted Ig, was quantitatively measured by radioactive determination of 51 Cr release. In combination with the ES plaque assay the method also gives information as immunoglobulin secretion per plaque forming cell. (Auth.)

  12. Insulin Stimulates S100B Secretion and These Proteins Antagonistically Modulate Brain Glucose Metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wartchow, Krista Minéia; Tramontina, Ana Carolina; de Souza, Daniela F; Biasibetti, Regina; Bobermin, Larissa D; Gonçalves, Carlos-Alberto

    2016-06-01

    Brain metabolism is highly dependent on glucose, which is derived from the blood circulation and metabolized by the astrocytes and other neural cells via several pathways. Glucose uptake in the brain does not involve insulin-dependent glucose transporters; however, this hormone affects the glucose influx to the brain. Changes in cerebrospinal fluid levels of S100B (an astrocyte-derived protein) have been associated with alterations in glucose metabolism; however, there is no evidence whether insulin modulates glucose metabolism and S100B secretion. Herein, we investigated the effect of S100B on glucose metabolism, measuring D-(3)H-glucose incorporation in two preparations, C6 glioma cells and acute hippocampal slices, and we also investigated the effect of insulin on S100B secretion. Our results showed that: (a) S100B at physiological levels decreases glucose uptake, through the multiligand receptor RAGE and mitogen-activated protein kinase/ERK signaling, and (b) insulin stimulated S100B secretion via PI3K signaling. Our findings indicate the existence of insulin-S100B modulation of glucose utilization in the brain tissue, and may improve our understanding of glucose metabolism in several conditions such as ketosis, streptozotocin-induced dementia and pharmacological exposure to antipsychotics, situations that lead to changes in insulin signaling and extracellular levels of S100B.

  13. The DotA protein from Legionella pneumophila is secreted by a novel process that requires the Dot/Icm transporter

    OpenAIRE

    Nagai, Hiroki; Roy, Craig R.

    2001-01-01

    Legionella pneumophila requires the dot/icm genes to create an organelle inside eukaryotic host cells that will support bacterial replication. The dot/icm genes are predicted to encode a type IV-related secretion apparatus. However, no proteins have been identified that require the dot/icm genes for secretion. In this study we show that the DotA protein, which was previously found to be a polytopic membrane protein, is secreted by the Dot/Icm transporter into culture supernatants. Secreted Do...

  14. HpARI Protein Secreted by a Helminth Parasite Suppresses Interleukin-33.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osbourn, Megan; Soares, Dinesh C; Vacca, Francesco; Cohen, E Suzanne; Scott, Ian C; Gregory, William F; Smyth, Danielle J; Toivakka, Matilda; Kemter, Andrea M; le Bihan, Thierry; Wear, Martin; Hoving, Dennis; Filbey, Kara J; Hewitson, James P; Henderson, Holly; Gonzàlez-Cìscar, Andrea; Errington, Claire; Vermeren, Sonja; Astier, Anne L; Wallace, William A; Schwarze, Jürgen; Ivens, Alasdair C; Maizels, Rick M; McSorley, Henry J

    2017-10-17

    Infection by helminth parasites is associated with amelioration of allergic reactivity, but mechanistic insights into this association are lacking. Products secreted by the mouse parasite Heligmosomoides polygyrus suppress type 2 (allergic) immune responses through interference in the interleukin-33 (IL-33) pathway. Here, we identified H. polygyrus Alarmin Release Inhibitor (HpARI), an IL-33-suppressive 26-kDa protein, containing three predicted complement control protein (CCP) modules. In vivo, recombinant HpARI abrogated IL-33, group 2 innate lymphoid cell (ILC2) and eosinophilic responses to Alternaria allergen administration, and diminished eosinophilic responses to Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, increasing parasite burden. HpARI bound directly to both mouse and human IL-33 (in the cytokine's activated state) and also to nuclear DNA via its N-terminal CCP module pair (CCP1/2), tethering active IL-33 within necrotic cells, preventing its release, and forestalling initiation of type 2 allergic responses. Thus, HpARI employs a novel molecular strategy to suppress type 2 immunity in both infection and allergy. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Autoradiographic and cytochemical studies on the intracellular transport of secreted proteins in the lacrimal ducts (glandula extraorbitalis) of the rat

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vogel, H.

    1982-01-01

    Azini was isolated from the glandula lacrimalis of the rat. Its vitality was proven by oxygen use measurements. In autoradiographic studies isolated Azini was marked with L-(4,5- 3 H)-leucine and fixed at various times thereafter. The light microscopic autoradiography showed a time dependent distribution of the silver grains whose association with membrane-enclosed compartments made the electron microscopic autoradiography possible. This distribution allows an analysis of the kinetics of the intracellular transport of secreted proteins. Because of its limited spatial resolution the autoradiographic research methods were combined with the cytochemical presentation of the peroxidase, a secreted protein, of the lacrimal duct. (orig./MG) [de

  16. Effects of peptides derived from dietary proteins on mucus secretion in rat jejunum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Claustre, Jean; Toumi, Férial; Trompette, Aurélien; Jourdan, Gérard; Guignard, Henri; Chayvialle, Jean Alain; Plaisancié, Pascale

    2002-09-01

    The hypothesis that dietary proteins or their hydrolysates may regulate intestinal mucin discharge was investigated in the isolated vascularly perfused rat jejunum using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for rat intestinal mucins. On luminal administration, casein hydrolysate [0.05-5% (wt/vol)] stimulated mucin secretion in rat jejunum (maximal response at 417% of controls). Lactalbumin hydrolysate (5%) also evoked mucin discharge. In contrast, casein, and a mixture of amino acids was without effect. Chicken egg albumin and its hydrolysate or meat hydrolysate also did not modify mucin release. Interestingly, casein hydrolysate-induced mucin secretion was abolished by intra-arterial TTX or naloxone (an opioid antagonist). beta-Casomorphin-7, an opioid peptide released from beta-casein on milk ingestion, induced a strong mucin secretion (response at 563% of controls) that was inhibited by naloxone. Intra-arterial beta-casomorphin-7 also markedly increased mucin secretion (410% of controls). In conclusion, two enzymatic milk protein hydrolysates (casein and lactalbumin hydrolysates) and beta-casomorphin-7, specifically, induced mucin release in rat jejunum. The casein hydrolysate-induced mucin secretion is triggered by a neural pathway and mediated by opioid receptor activation.

  17. Gene delivery of therapeutic polypeptides to brain capillary endothelial cells for protein secretion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Annette Burkhart; Thomsen, Louiza Bohn; Moos, Torben

    . Results: mRNA expression of proteins with neuroprotective potential in RBEC were enabled. Their expression patters were compared with those of RBE4 and HeLa cells using RT-qPCR analyzes. The evidence for protein synthesis and secretion was obtained by detection of FLAG-tagged to the C-terminal of any......Background: The potential for treatment of chronic disorders affecting the CNS is complicated by the inability of several drugs to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). None-viral gene therapy applied to brain capillary endothelial cells (BCECs) denotes a novel approach to overcome the restraints...... in this passage, as turning BCECs into recombinant protein factories by transfection could result in protein secretion into the brain. Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate the possibility of transfection to primary rat brain capillary endothelial cells (RBEC) for recombinant protein synthesis...

  18. Modulating Endoplasmic Reticulum-Golgi Cargo Receptors for Improving Secretion of Carrier-Fused Heterologous Proteins in the Filamentous Fungus Aspergillus oryzae

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoang, Huy-Dung; Maruyama, Jun-ichi

    2014-01-01

    Filamentous fungi are excellent hosts for industrial protein production due to their superior secretory capacity; however, the yield of heterologous eukaryotic proteins is generally lower than that of fungal or endogenous proteins. Although activating protein folding machinery in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) improves the yield, the importance of intracellular transport machinery for heterologous protein secretion is poorly understood. Here, using Aspergillus oryzae as a model filamentous fungus, we studied the involvement of two putative lectin-like cargo receptors, A. oryzae Vip36 (AoVip36) and AoEmp47, in the secretion of heterologous proteins expressed in fusion with the endogenous enzyme α-amylase as the carrier. Fluorescence microscopy revealed that mDsRed-tagged AoVip36 localized in the Golgi compartment, whereas AoEmp47 showed localization in both the ER and the Golgi compartment. Deletion of AoVip36 and AoEmp47 improved heterologous protein secretion, but only AoVip36 deletion had a negative effect on the secretion of α-amylase. Analysis of ER-enriched cell fractions revealed that AoVip36 and AoEmp47 were involved in the retention of heterologous proteins in the ER. However, the overexpression of each cargo receptor had a different effect on heterologous protein secretion: AoVip36 enhanced the secretion, whereas AoEmp47 promoted the intracellular retention. Taken together, our data suggest that AoVip36 and AoEmp47 hinder the secretion of heterologous proteins by promoting their retention in the ER but that AoVip36 also promotes the secretion of heterologous proteins. Moreover, we found that genetic deletion of these putative ER-Golgi cargo receptors significantly improves heterologous protein production. The present study is the first to propose that ER-Golgi transport is a bottleneck for heterologous protein production in filamentous fungi. PMID:25362068

  19. Exploring Sequence Characteristics Related to High- Level Production of Secreted Proteins in Aspergillus niger

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van den Berg, B.A.; Reinders, M.J.T.; Hulsman, M.; Wu, L.; Pel, H.J.; Roubos, J.A.; De Ridder, D.

    2012-01-01

    Protein sequence features are explored in relation to the production of over-expressed extracellular proteins by fungi. Knowledge on features influencing protein production and secretion could be employed to improve enzyme production levels in industrial bioprocesses via protein engineering. A large

  20. Generation and evaluation of mammalian secreted and membrane protein expression libraries for high-throughput target discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panavas, Tadas; Lu, Jin; Liu, Xuesong; Winkis, Ann-Marie; Powers, Gordon; Naso, Michael F; Amegadzie, Bernard

    2011-09-01

    Expressed protein libraries are becoming a critical tool for new target discovery in the pharmaceutical industry. In order to get the most meaningful and comprehensive results from protein library screens, it is essential to have library proteins in their native conformation with proper post-translation modifications. This goal is achieved by expressing untagged human proteins in a human cell background. We optimized the transfection and cell culture conditions to maximize protein expression in a 96-well format so that the expression levels were comparable with the levels observed in shake flasks. For detection purposes, we engineered a 'tag after stop codon' system. Depending on the expression conditions, it was possible to express either native or tagged proteins from the same expression vector set. We created a human secretion protein library of 1432 candidates and a small plasma membrane protein set of about 500 candidates. Utilizing the optimized expression conditions, we expressed and analyzed both libraries by SDS-PAGE gel electrophoresis and Western blotting. Two thirds of secreted proteins could be detected by Western-blot analyses; almost half of them were visible on Coomassie stained gels. In this paper, we describe protein expression libraries that can be easily produced in mammalian expression systems in a 96-well format, with one protein expressed per well. The libraries and methods described allow for the development of robust, high-throughput functional screens designed to assay for protein specific functions associated with a relevant disease-specific activity. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. The Expression of Genes Encoding Secreted Proteins in Medicago truncatula A17 Inoculated Roots

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    LUCIA KUSUMAWATI

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Subtilisin-like serine protease (MtSBT, serine carboxypeptidase (MtSCP, MtN5, non-specific lipid transfer protein (MtnsLTP, early nodulin2-like protein (MtENOD2-like, FAD-binding domain containing protein (MtFAD-BP1, and rhicadhesin receptor protein (MtRHRE1 were among 34 proteins found in the supernatant of M. truncatula 2HA and sickle cell suspension cultures. This study investigated the expression of genes encoding those proteins in roots and developing nodules. Two methods were used: quantitative real time RT-PCR and gene expression analysis (with promoter:GUS fusion in roots. Those proteins are predicted as secreted proteins which is indirectly supported by the findings that promoter:GUS fusions of six of the seven genes encoding secreted proteins were strongly expressed in the vascular bundle of transgenic hairy roots. All six genes have expressed in 14-day old nodule. The expression levels of the selected seven genes were quantified in Sinorhizobium-inoculated and control plants using quantitative real time RT-PCR. In conclusion, among seven genes encoding secreted proteins analyzed, the expression level of only one gene, MtN5, was up-regulated significantly in inoculated root segments compared to controls. The expression of MtSBT1, MtSCP1, MtnsLTP, MtFAD-BP1, MtRHRE1 and MtN5 were higher in root tip than in other tissues examined.

  2. Rapid evolution of the sequences and gene repertoires of secreted proteins in bacteria.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Teresa Nogueira

    Full Text Available Proteins secreted to the extracellular environment or to the periphery of the cell envelope, the secretome, play essential roles in foraging, antagonistic and mutualistic interactions. We hypothesize that arms races, genetic conflicts and varying selective pressures should lead to the rapid change of sequences and gene repertoires of the secretome. The analysis of 42 bacterial pan-genomes shows that secreted, and especially extracellular proteins, are predominantly encoded in the accessory genome, i.e. among genes not ubiquitous within the clade. Genes encoding outer membrane proteins might engage more frequently in intra-chromosomal gene conversion because they are more often in multi-genic families. The gene sequences encoding the secretome evolve faster than the rest of the genome and in particular at non-synonymous positions. Cell wall proteins in Firmicutes evolve particularly fast when compared with outer membrane proteins of Proteobacteria. Virulence factors are over-represented in the secretome, notably in outer membrane proteins, but cell localization explains more of the variance in substitution rates and gene repertoires than sequence homology to known virulence factors. Accordingly, the repertoires and sequences of the genes encoding the secretome change fast in the clades of obligatory and facultative pathogens and also in the clades of mutualists and free-living bacteria. Our study shows that cell localization shapes genome evolution. In agreement with our hypothesis, the repertoires and the sequences of genes encoding secreted proteins evolve fast. The particularly rapid change of extracellular proteins suggests that these public goods are key players in bacterial adaptation.

  3. A proteomic approach for identification of secreted proteins during the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes to adipocytes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kratchmarova, Irina; Kalume, Dario E; Blagoev, Blagoy

    2002-01-01

    molecules that have not been shown previously to be expressed differentially during the process of adipogenesis. Pigment epithelium-derived factor, a soluble molecule with potent antiangiogenic properties, was found to be highly secreted by preadipocytes but not adipocytes. Conversely, we found hippocampal...... cholinergic neurostimulating peptide, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, and haptoglobin to be expressed highly by mature adipocytes. We also used liquid chromatography-based separation followed by automated tandem mass spectrometry to identify proteins secreted by mature adipocytes. Several...

  4. Systems and methods for the secretion of recombinant proteins in gram negative bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Withers, III, Sydnor T.; Dominguez, Miguel A; DeLisa, Matthew P.; Haitjema, Charles H.

    2016-08-09

    Disclosed herein are systems and methods for producing recombinant proteins utilizing mutant E. coli strains containing expression vectors carrying nucleic acids encoding the proteins, and secretory signal sequences to direct the secretion of the proteins to the culture medium. Host cells transformed with the expression vectors are also provided.

  5. Systems and methods for the secretion of recombinant proteins in gram negative bacteria

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Withers, III, Sydnor T.; Dominguez, Miguel A.; DeLisa, Matthew P.; Haitjema, Charles H.

    2017-02-21

    Disclosed herein are systems and methods for producing recombinant proteins utilizing mutant E. coli strains containing expression vectors carrying nucleic acids encoding the proteins, and secretory signal sequences to direct the secretion of the proteins to the culture medium. Host cells transformed with the expression vectors are also provided.

  6. Huntingtin-interacting protein 14 is a type 1 diabetes candidate protein regulating insulin secretion and β-cell apoptosis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Berchtold, Lukas Adrian; Størling, Zenia Marian; Ortis, Fernanda

    2011-01-01

    Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a complex disease characterized by the loss of insulin-secreting β-cells. Although the disease has a strong genetic component, and several loci are known to increase T1D susceptibility risk, only few causal genes have currently been identified. To identify disease...... genes in T1D, including the INS gene. An unexpected top-scoring candidate gene was huntingtin-interacting protein (HIP)-14/ZDHHC17. Immunohistochemical analysis of pancreatic sections demonstrated that HIP14 is almost exclusively expressed in insulin-positive cells in islets of Langerhans. RNAi...... knockdown experiments established that HIP14 is an antiapoptotic protein required for β-cell survival and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and IFN-γ) that mediate β-cell dysfunction in T1D down-regulated HIP14 expression in insulin-secreting INS-1 cells and in isolated...

  7. The effects of stress-induced blood components on protein synthesis and secretion in isolated rat hepatocytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ritchie, A.L.

    1990-01-01

    The effect of stress-induced blood components were examined, specifically adrenaline and noradrenaline, in the presence and absence of rabbit serum or foetal calf serum, on soluble protein synthesis and secretion by isolated hepatocytes maintained in monolayer culture. Rabbit serum and low doses of adrenaline stimulated soluble protein synthesis and secretion whereas foetal calf serum and high doses of noradrenaline were inhibitory. The effect of noradrenaline on soluble protein synthesis and secretion ocurred in the first 12 hours of incubation. The stimulatory effect of adrenaline was still present after 24 hours of incubation. Preloading of the medium with [ 3 H]-leucine i.e. before the addition of sera and/or catecholamines, showed the [ 3 H]-leucine uptake to have occured to a large extent within the first hour of incubation. Noradrenaline supplementation of the medium at two hourly intervals showed no effect on protein synthesis and secretion. The stability of the cetecholamines and the status of the receptors need to be determined for the effective analysis of the results at any point during the incubation. 17 figs., 15 tabs., 83 refs

  8. Phenolic Compounds from Fermented Berry Beverages Modulated Gene and Protein Expression To Increase Insulin Secretion from Pancreatic β-Cells in Vitro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Michelle H; de Mejia, Elvira Gonzalez

    2016-03-30

    Berries are a rich source of bioactive phenolic compounds that are able to bind and inhibit the enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV), a current target for type-2 diabetes therapy. The objectives were to determine the role of berry phenolic compounds to modulate incretin-cleaving DPP-IV and its substrate glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells, and genes and proteins involved in the insulin secretion pathway using cell culture. Anthocyanins (ANC) from 50% blueberry-50% blackberry (Blu-Bla) and 100% blackberry (Bla) fermented beverages at 50 μM cyanidin-3-glucoside equivalents increased (p beverages have the potential to modulate DPP-IV and its substrate GLP-1, to increase insulin secretion, and to upregulate expression of mRNA of insulin-receptor associated genes and proteins in pancreatic β-cells.

  9. Multiple Ca2+ sensors in secretion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Walter, Alexander M; Groffen, Alexander J; Sørensen, Jakob Balslev

    2011-01-01

    Regulated neurotransmitter secretion depends on Ca(2+) sensors, C2 domain proteins that associate with phospholipids and soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion attachment protein receptor (SNARE) complexes to trigger release upon Ca(2+) binding. Ca(2+) sensors are thought to prevent spontaneous...

  10. On the presence of prostatic secretion protein in rat seminal fluid

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Borgstroem, E.; Pousette, A.; Bjoerk, P.; Hoegberg, B.; Carlstroem, K.; Sundelin, B.; Gustafsson, J.A.

    1981-01-01

    The copulating plug collected from the tip of the penis from rats immediately after decapitation contains a protein very similar and probably identical to PSP (prostatic secretion protein); this protein has earlier been purified from rat prostatic cytosol and characterized. The protein present in the copulating plug interacts with [3H]estramustine and binds to the antibody raised against rat PSP. The concentration of the protein in the copulating plug is 400 ng/mg of total protein, when measured using the radioimmunoassay technique developed earlier for measurement of PSP in rat prostate. The [3H]estramustine-protein complex formed in a preparation of the copulating plug has an apparent molecular weight of about 50,000 and a sedimentation coefficient of about 3S when analyzed using sucrose density gradient centrifugation. The complex was retained on Concanavalin-A Sepharose indicating that the protein is a glycoprotein. Binding of the complex was also observed on hydroxylapatite and DEAE-Sephadex columns, from which it was eluted at 0.18 M KCl. Light microscope autoradiograms of rat sperms incubated with 125I-labeled PSP indicated that PSP is bound to all parts of the sperms. A macromolecule interacting with the PSP-antibodies is also present in human seminal fluid but at a concentration considerably lower than in rat seminal fluid. The present study shows that a macromolecule probably identical to prostatic secretion protein is present in the copulating plug from the rat. The biological role of this protein in normal male fertility is discussed

  11. CK2 Secreted by Leishmania braziliensis Mediates Macrophage Association Invasion: A Comparative Study between Virulent and Avirulent Promastigotes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Madeira Brito Zylbersztejn

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available CK2 is a protein kinase distributed in different compartments of Leishmania braziliensis: an externally oriented ecto-CK2, an intracellular CK2, and a secreted CK2. This latter form is constitutively secreted from the parasite (CsCK2, but such secretion may be highly enhanced by the association of specific molecules, including enzyme substrates, which lead to a higher enzymatic activity, called inductively secreted CK2 (IsCK2. Here, we examined the influence of secreted CK2 (sCK2 activity on the infectivity of a virulent L. braziliensis strain. The virulent strain presented 121-fold higher total CK2 activity than those found in an avirulent strain. The use of specific CK2 inhibitors (TBB, DRB, or heparin inhibited virulent parasite growth, whereas no effect was observed in the avirulent parasites. When these inhibitors were added to the interaction assays between the virulent L. braziliensis strain and macrophages, association index was drastically inhibited. Polyamines enhanced sCK2 activity and increased the association index between parasites and macrophages. Finally, sCK2 and the supernatant of the virulent strain increased the association index between the avirulent strain and macrophages, which was inhibited by TBB. Thus, the kinase enzyme CK2 seems to be important to invasion mechanisms of L. braziliensis.

  12. A novel strategy to improve protein secretion via overexpression of the SppA signal peptide peptidase in Bacillus licheniformis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Dongbo; Wang, Hao; He, Penghui; Zhu, Chengjun; Wang, Qin; Wei, Xuetuan; Nomura, Christopher T; Chen, Shouwen

    2017-04-24

    Signal peptide peptidases play an important role in the removal of remnant signal peptides in the cell membrane, a critical step for extracellular protein production. Although these proteins are likely a central component for extracellular protein production, there has been a lack of research on whether protein secretion could be enhanced via overexpression of signal peptide peptidases. In this study, both nattokinase and α-amylase were employed as prototypical secreted target proteins to evaluate the function of putative signal peptide peptidases (SppA and TepA) in Bacillus licheniformis. We observed dramatic decreases in the concentrations of both target proteins (45 and 49%, respectively) in a sppA deficient strain, while the extracellular protein yields of nattokinase and α-amylase were increased by 30 and 67% respectively in a strain overexpressing SppA. In addition, biomass, specific enzyme activities and the relative gene transcriptional levels were also enhanced due to the overexpression of sppA, while altering the expression levels of tepA had no effect on the concentrations of the secreted target proteins. Our results confirm that SppA, but not TepA, plays an important functional role for protein secretion in B. licheniformis. Our results indicate that the sppA overexpression strain, B. licheniformis BL10GS, could be used as a promising host strain for the industrial production of heterologous secreted proteins.

  13. Using hierarchical clustering of secreted protein families to classify and rank candidate effectors of rust fungi.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diane G O Saunders

    Full Text Available Rust fungi are obligate biotrophic pathogens that cause considerable damage on crop plants. Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici, the causal agent of wheat stem rust, and Melampsora larici-populina, the poplar leaf rust pathogen, have strong deleterious impacts on wheat and poplar wood production, respectively. Filamentous pathogens such as rust fungi secrete molecules called disease effectors that act as modulators of host cell physiology and can suppress or trigger host immunity. Current knowledge on effectors from other filamentous plant pathogens can be exploited for the characterisation of effectors in the genome of recently sequenced rust fungi. We designed a comprehensive in silico analysis pipeline to identify the putative effector repertoire from the genome of two plant pathogenic rust fungi. The pipeline is based on the observation that known effector proteins from filamentous pathogens have at least one of the following properties: (i contain a secretion signal, (ii are encoded by in planta induced genes, (iii have similarity to haustorial proteins, (iv are small and cysteine rich, (v contain a known effector motif or a nuclear localization signal, (vi are encoded by genes with long intergenic regions, (vii contain internal repeats, and (viii do not contain PFAM domains, except those associated with pathogenicity. We used Markov clustering and hierarchical clustering to classify protein families of rust pathogens and rank them according to their likelihood of being effectors. Using this approach, we identified eight families of candidate effectors that we consider of high value for functional characterization. This study revealed a diverse set of candidate effectors, including families of haustorial expressed secreted proteins and small cysteine-rich proteins. This comprehensive classification of candidate effectors from these devastating rust pathogens is an initial step towards probing plant germplasm for novel resistance components.

  14. Transfection of primary brain capillary endothelial cells for protein synthesis and secretion of recombinant erythropoietin: a strategy to enable protein delivery to the brain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burkhart, Annette; Andresen, Thomas Lars; Aigner, Achim; Thomsen, Louiza Bohn; Moos, Torben

    2017-07-01

    Treatment of chronic disorders affecting the central nervous system (CNS) is complicated by the inability of drugs to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Non-viral gene therapy applied to brain capillary endothelial cells (BCECs) denotes a novel approach to overcome the restraints in this passage, as turning BCECs into recombinant protein factories by transfection could result in protein secretion further into the brain. The present study aims to investigate the possibility of transfecting primary rat brain endothelial cells (RBECs) for recombinant protein synthesis and secretion of the neuroprotective protein erythropoietin (EPO). We previously showed that 4% of RBECs with BBB properties can be transfected without disrupting the BBB integrity in vitro, but it can be questioned whether this is sufficient to enable protein secretion at therapeutic levels. The present study examined various transfection vectors, with regard to increasing the transfection efficiency without disrupting the BBB integrity. Lipofectamine 3000™ was the most potent vector compared to polyethylenimine (PEI) and Turbofect. When co-cultured with astrocytes, the genetically modified RBECs secreted recombinant EPO into the cell culture medium both luminally and abluminally, and despite lower levels of EPO reaching the abluminal chamber, the amount of recombinant EPO was sufficient to evolve a biological effect on astrocytes cultured at the abluminal side in terms of upregulated gene expression of brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF). In conclusion, non-viral gene therapy to RBECs leads to protein secretion and signifies a method for therapeutic proteins to target cells inside the CNS otherwise omitted due to the BBB.

  15. Electrolyte and protein secretion by the perfused rabbit mandibular gland stimulated with acetylcholine or catecholamines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Case, R M; Conigrave, A D; Novak, I

    1980-01-01

    stimulation, the rate of protein secretion fell off much faster than the rate of fluid secretion.7. The beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol evoked a fluid secretory response only equal to about 5% of that evoked by acetylcholine, but still the response declined during continued stimulation. The electrolyte...... composition of isoproterenol-evoked saliva was vastly different from that evoked by acetylcholine, being particularly rich in K and HCO(3). The isoproterenol-evoked saliva was also extremely rich in protein so that the total protein secretion evoked by isoproterenol was much greater than that evoked...... unstimulated or evoked by acetylcholine or eserine, could be blocked completely by atropine.4. During prolonged stimulation with acetylcholine, the fluid secretory response declined rapidly over a period of about 15 min from an initial high value to a much lower plateau value. After 3 or more hours...

  16. Control of Secreted Protein Gene Expression and the Mammalian Secretome by the Metabolic Regulator PGC-1α.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Minsky, Neri; Roeder, Robert G

    2017-01-06

    Secreted proteins serve pivotal roles in the development of multicellular organisms, acting as structural matrix, extracellular enzymes, and signal molecules. However, how the secretome is regulated remains incompletely understood. Here we demonstrate, unexpectedly, that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1-α (PGC-1α), a critical transcriptional co-activator of metabolic gene expression, functions to down-regulate the expression of diverse genes encoding secreted molecules and extracellular matrix components to modulate the secretome. Using cell lines, primary cells, and mice, we show that both endogenous and exogenous PGC-1α down-regulate the expression of numerous genes encoding secreted molecules. Mechanistically, results obtained using mRNA stability measurements as well as intronic RNA expression analysis are consistent with a transcriptional effect of PGC-1α on the expression of genes encoding secreted proteins. Interestingly, PGC-1α requires the central heat shock response regulator heat shock factor protein 1 (HSF1) to affect some of its targets, and both factors co-reside on several target genes encoding secreted molecules in cells. Finally, using a mass spectrometric analysis of secreted proteins, we demonstrate that PGC-1α modulates the secretome of mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Our results define a link between a key pathway controlling metabolic regulation and the regulation of the mammalian secretome. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  17. Phytophthora capsici-tomato interaction features dramatic shifts in gene expression associated with a hemi-biotrophic lifestyle

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Background Plant-microbe interactions feature complex signal interplay between pathogens and their hosts. Phytophthora species comprise a destructive group of fungus-like plant pathogens, collectively affecting a wide range of plants important to agriculture and natural ecosystems. Despite the availability of genome sequences of both hosts and microbes, little is known about the signal interplay between them during infection. In particular, accurate descriptions of coordinate relationships between host and microbe transcriptional programs are lacking. Results Here, we explore the molecular interaction between the hemi-biotrophic broad host range pathogen Phytophthora capsici and tomato. Infection assays and use of a composite microarray allowed us to unveil distinct changes in both P. capsici and tomato transcriptomes, associated with biotrophy and the subsequent switch to necrotrophy. These included two distinct transcriptional changes associated with early infection and the biotrophy to necrotrophy transition that may contribute to infection and completion of the P. capsici lifecycle Conclusions Our results suggest dynamic but highly regulated transcriptional programming in both host and pathogen that underpin P. capsici disease and hemi-biotrophy. Dynamic expression changes of both effector-coding genes and host factors involved in immunity, suggests modulation of host immune signaling by both host and pathogen. With new unprecedented detail on transcriptional reprogramming, we can now explore the coordinate relationships that drive host-microbe interactions and the basic processes that underpin pathogen lifestyles. Deliberate alteration of lifestyle-associated transcriptional changes may allow prevention or perhaps disruption of hemi-biotrophic disease cycles and limit damage caused by epidemics. PMID:23799990

  18. Application of a nitrocellulose immunoassay for quantitation of proteins secreted in cultured media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    LaDuca, F.M.; Dang, C.V.; Bell, W.R.

    1986-01-01

    A macro immunoassay was developed to quantitate proteins (antigens) secreted in the culture media of primary rat hepatocytes. Dilutions of protein standards and undiluted spent culture media were applied to numbered sheets of nitrocellulose (NC) paper by vacuum filtration (in volumes up to 1 ml) through a specially designed macrofiltration apparatus constructed of plexiglas. Sequential incubation of the NC with bovine serum albumin blocking buffer, monospecific antibody, and 125 I Protein A enabled quantitation of protein concentration by determination of NC bound radioactivity. Linear and reproducible standard curves were obtained with fibrinogen, albumin, transferrin, and haptoglobin. A high degree of coefficient of correlation between radioactivity (cmp) and protein concentration was found. Intra- and inter-test reproducibility was excellent. By using monospecific antibodies, single proteins (i.e., fibrinogen), as low as 32 ng/ml, could be quantified in heterogeneous protein mixtures and in spent culture media. The assay was sensitive to the difference of fibrinogen secretion under nonstimulatory (serum-free hormonally define medium, SFHD) and stimulatory (SFHD plus hydrocortisone) culture conditions. The procedure and techniques described are applicable to the quantitation of any protein in a suitable buffer

  19. Dissection of an old protein reveals a novel application: domain D of Staphylococcus aureus Protein A (sSpAD as a secretion - tag

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paal Michael

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Escherichia coli as a frequently utilized host organism for recombinant protein production offers different cellular locations with distinct qualities. The periplasmic space is often favored for the production of complex proteins due to enhanced disulfide bond formation, increased target product stability and simplified downstream processing. To direct proteins to the periplasmic space rather small proteinaceus tags that can be used for affinity purification would be advantageous. Results We discovered that domain D of the Staphylococcus aureus protein A was sufficient for the secretion of various target proteins into the periplasmic space of E. coli. Our experiments indicated the Sec pathway as the mode of secretion, although N-terminal processing was not observed. Furthermore, the solubility of recombinant fusion proteins was improved for proteins prone to aggregation. The tag allowed a straightforward affinity purification of recombinant fusion protein via an IgG column, which was exemplified for the target protein human superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD. Conclusions In this work we present a new secretion tag that combines several advantages for the production of recombinant proteins in E. coli. Domain D of S. aureus protein A protects the protein of interest against N-terminal degradation, increases target protein solubility and enables a straight-forward purification of the recombinant protein using of IgG columns.

  20. Maltose-binding protein enhances secretion of recombinant human granzyme B accompanied by in vivo processing of a precursor MBP fusion protein.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benjamin Dälken

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The apoptosis-inducing serine protease granzyme B (GrB is an important factor contributing to lysis of target cells by cytotoxic lymphocytes. Expression of enzymatically active GrB in recombinant form is a prerequisite for functional analysis and application of GrB for therapeutic purposes. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We investigated the influence of bacterial maltose-binding protein (MBP fused to GrB via a synthetic furin recognition motif on the expression of the MBP fusion protein also containing an N-terminal α-factor signal peptide in the yeast Pichia pastoris. MBP markedly enhanced the amount of GrB secreted into culture supernatant, which was not the case when GrB was fused to GST. MBP-GrB fusion protein was cleaved during secretion by an endogenous furin-like proteolytic activity in vivo, liberating enzymatically active GrB without the need of subsequent in vitro processing. Similar results were obtained upon expression of a recombinant fragment of the ErbB2/HER2 receptor protein or GST as MBP fusions. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that combination of MBP as a solubility enhancer with specific in vivo cleavage augments secretion of processed and functionally active proteins from yeast. This strategy may be generally applicable to improve folding and increase yields of recombinant proteins.

  1. Maltose-Binding Protein Enhances Secretion of Recombinant Human Granzyme B Accompanied by In Vivo Processing of a Precursor MBP Fusion Protein

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dälken, Benjamin; Jabulowsky, Robert A.; Oberoi, Pranav; Benhar, Itai; Wels, Winfried S.

    2010-01-01

    Background The apoptosis-inducing serine protease granzyme B (GrB) is an important factor contributing to lysis of target cells by cytotoxic lymphocytes. Expression of enzymatically active GrB in recombinant form is a prerequisite for functional analysis and application of GrB for therapeutic purposes. Methods and Findings We investigated the influence of bacterial maltose-binding protein (MBP) fused to GrB via a synthetic furin recognition motif on the expression of the MBP fusion protein also containing an N-terminal α-factor signal peptide in the yeast Pichia pastoris. MBP markedly enhanced the amount of GrB secreted into culture supernatant, which was not the case when GrB was fused to GST. MBP-GrB fusion protein was cleaved during secretion by an endogenous furin-like proteolytic activity in vivo, liberating enzymatically active GrB without the need of subsequent in vitro processing. Similar results were obtained upon expression of a recombinant fragment of the ErbB2/HER2 receptor protein or GST as MBP fusions. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that combination of MBP as a solubility enhancer with specific in vivo cleavage augments secretion of processed and functionally active proteins from yeast. This strategy may be generally applicable to improve folding and increase yields of recombinant proteins. PMID:21203542

  2. Isthmin 1 Is a Secreted Protein Expressed in Skin, Mucosal Tissues, and NK, NKT, and Th17 Cells

    OpenAIRE

    Valle-Rios, Ricardo; Maravillas-Montero, José L.; Burkhardt, Amanda M.; Martinez, Cynthia; Buhren, Bettina Alexandra; Homey, Bernhard; Gerber, Peter Arne; Robinson, Octavio; Hevezi, Peter; Zlotnik, Albert

    2014-01-01

    Using a comprehensive microarray database of human gene expression, we identified that in mammals, a secreted protein known as isthmin 1 (ISM1) is expressed in skin, mucosal tissues, and selected lymphocyte populations. ISM1 was originally identified in Xenopus brain during development, and it encodes a predicted ∼50-kDa protein containing a signal peptide, a thrombospondin domain, and an adhesion-associated domain. We confirmed the pattern of expression of ISM1 in both human and mouse tissue...

  3. Overexpression of the transcription factor Yap1 modifies intracellular redox conditions and enhances recombinant protein secretion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marizela Delic

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Oxidative folding of secretory proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER is a redox active process, which also impacts the redox conditions in the cytosol. As the transcription factor Yap1 is involved in the transcriptional response to oxidative stress, we investigate its role upon the production of secretory proteins, using the yeast Pichia pastoris as model, and report a novel important role of Yap1 during oxidative protein folding. Yap1 is needed for the detoxification of reactive oxygen species (ROS caused by increased oxidative protein folding. Constitutive co-overexpression of PpYAP1 leads to increased levels of secreted recombinant protein, while a lowered Yap1 function leads to accumulation of ROS and strong flocculation. Transcriptional analysis revealed that more than 150 genes were affected by overexpression of YAP1, in particular genes coding for antioxidant enzymes or involved in oxidation-reduction processes. By monitoring intracellular redox conditions within the cytosol and the ER using redox-sensitive roGFP1 variants, we could show that overexpression of YAP1 restores cellular redox conditions of protein-secreting P. pastoris by reoxidizing the cytosolic redox state to the levels of the wild type. These alterations are also reflected by increased levels of oxidized intracellular glutathione (GSSG in the YAP1 co-overexpressing strain. Taken together, these data indicate a strong impact of intracellular redox balance on the secretion of (recombinant proteins without affecting protein folding per se. Re-establishing suitable redox conditions by tuning the antioxidant capacity of the cell reduces metabolic load and cell stress caused by high oxidative protein folding load, thereby increasing the secretion capacity.

  4. FAM20: an evolutionarily conserved family of secreted proteins expressed in hematopoietic cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cobos Everardo

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Hematopoiesis is a complex developmental process controlled by a large number of factors that regulate stem cell renewal, lineage commitment and differentiation. Secreted proteins, including the hematopoietic growth factors, play critical roles in these processes and have important biological and clinical significance. We have employed representational difference analysis to identify genes that are differentially expressed during experimentally induced myeloid differentiation in the murine EML hematopoietic stem cell line. Results One identified clone encoded a previously unidentified protein of 541 amino acids that contains an amino terminal signal sequence but no other characterized domains. This protein is a member of family of related proteins that has been named family with sequence similarity 20 (FAM20 with three members (FAM20A, FAM20B and FAM20C in mammals. Evolutionary comparisons revealed the existence of a single FAM20 gene in the simple vertebrate Ciona intestinalis and the invertebrate worm Caenorhabditis elegans and two genes in two insect species, Drosophila melanogaster and Anopheles gambiae. Six FAM20 family members were identified in the genome of the pufferfish, Fugu rubripes and five members in the zebrafish, Danio rerio. The mouse Fam20a protein was ectopically expressed in a mammalian cell line and found to be a bona fide secreted protein and efficient secretion was dependent on the integrity of the signal sequence. Expression analysis revealed that the Fam20a gene was indeed differentially expressed during hematopoietic differentiation and that the other two family members (Fam20b and Fam20c were also expressed during hematcpoiesis but that their mRNA levels did not vary significantly. Likewise FAM20A was expressed in more limited set of human tissues than the other two family members. Conclusions The FAM20 family represents a new family of secreted proteins with potential functions in regulating

  5. Visualization and characterization of individual type III protein secretion machines in live bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yongdeng; Lara-Tejero, María; Bewersdorf, Jörg; Galán, Jorge E

    2017-06-06

    Type III protein secretion machines have evolved to deliver bacterially encoded effector proteins into eukaryotic cells. Although electron microscopy has provided a detailed view of these machines in isolation or fixed samples, little is known about their organization in live bacteria. Here we report the visualization and characterization of the Salmonella type III secretion machine in live bacteria by 2D and 3D single-molecule switching superresolution microscopy. This approach provided access to transient components of this machine, which previously could not be analyzed. We determined the subcellular distribution of individual machines, the stoichiometry of the different components of this machine in situ, and the spatial distribution of the substrates of this machine before secretion. Furthermore, by visualizing this machine in Salmonella mutants we obtained major insights into the machine's assembly. This study bridges a major resolution gap in the visualization of this nanomachine and may serve as a paradigm for the examination of other bacterially encoded molecular machines.

  6. No Effect of the Transforming Growth Factor {beta}1 Promoter Polymorphism C-509T on TGFB1 Gene Expression, Protein Secretion, or Cellular Radiosensitivity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reuther, Sebastian; Metzke, Elisabeth [Laboratory of Radiobiology and Experimental Radiooncology, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg (Germany); Bonin, Michael [Department of Medical Genetics, University of Tuebingen (Germany); Petersen, Cordula [Clinic of Radiotherapy and Radiooncology, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg (Germany); Dikomey, Ekkehard, E-mail: dikomey@uke.de [Laboratory of Radiobiology and Experimental Radiooncology, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg (Germany); Raabe, Annette [Laboratory of Radiobiology and Experimental Radiooncology, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg (Germany)

    2013-02-01

    Purpose: To study whether the promoter polymorphism (C-509T) affects transforming growth factor {beta}1 gene (TGFB1) expression, protein secretion, and/or cellular radiosensitivity for both human lymphocytes and fibroblasts. Methods and Materials: Experiments were performed with lymphocytes taken either from 124 breast cancer patients or 59 pairs of normal monozygotic twins. We used 15 normal human primary fibroblast strains as controls. The C-509T genotype was determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism or TaqMan single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping assay. The cellular radiosensitivity of lymphocytes was measured by G0/1 assay and that of fibroblasts by colony assay. The amount of extracellular TGFB1 protein was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and TGFB1 expression was assessed via microarray analysis or reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Results: The C-509T genotype was found not to be associated with cellular radiosensitivity, neither for lymphocytes (breast cancer patients, P=.811; healthy donors, P=.181) nor for fibroblasts (P=.589). Both TGFB1 expression and TGFB1 protein secretion showed considerable variation, which, however, did not depend on the C-509T genotype (protein secretion: P=.879; gene expression: lymphocytes, P=.134, fibroblasts, P=.605). There was also no general correlation between TGFB1 expression and cellular radiosensitivity (lymphocytes, P=.632; fibroblasts, P=.573). Conclusion: Our data indicate that any association between the SNP C-509T of TGFB1 and risk of normal tissue toxicity cannot be ascribed to a functional consequence of this SNP, either on the level of gene expression, protein secretion, or cellular radiosensitivity.

  7. Motile hepatocellular carcinoma cells preferentially secret sugar metabolism regulatory proteins via exosomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Jing; Lu, Shaohua; Zhou, Ye; Meng, Kun; Chen, Zhipeng; Cui, Yizhi; Shi, Yunfeng; Wang, Tong; He, Qing-Yu

    2017-07-01

    Exosomes are deliverers of critically functional proteins, capable of transforming target cells in numerous cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We hypothesize that the motility of HCC cells can be featured by comparative proteome of exosomes. Hence, we performed the super-SILAC-based MS analysis on the exosomes secreted by three human HCC cell lines, including the non-motile Hep3B cell, and the motile 97H and LM3 cells. More than 1400 exosomal proteins were confidently quantified in each MS analysis with highly biological reproducibility. We justified that 469 and 443 exosomal proteins represented differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the 97H/Hep3B and LM3/Hep3B comparisons, respectively. These DEPs focused on sugar metabolism-centric canonical pathways per ingenuity pathway analysis, which was consistent with the gene ontology analysis on biological process enrichment. These pathways included glycolysis I, gluconeogenesis I and pentose phosphate pathways; and the DEPs enriched in these pathways could form a tightly connected network. By analyzing the relative abundance of proteins and translating mRNAs, we found significantly positive correlation between exosomes and cells. The involved exosomal proteins were again focusing on sugar metabolism. In conclusion, motile HCC cells tend to preferentially export more sugar metabolism-associated proteins via exosomes that differentiate them from non-motile HCC cells. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  8. A Rapid Method for Determining the Concentration of Recombinant Protein Secreted from Pichia pastoris

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun, L W; Zhao, Y; Jiang, R; Song, Y; Feng, H; Feng, K; Niu, L P; Qi, C

    2011-01-01

    Pichia secretive expression system is one of powerful eukaryotic expression systems in genetic engineering, which is especially suitable for industrial utilization. Because of the low concentration of the target protein in initial experiment, the methods and conditions for expression of the target protein should be optimized according to the protein yield repetitively. It is necessary to set up a rapid, simple and convenient analysis method for protein expression levels instead of the generally used method such as ultrafiltration, purification, dialysis, lyophilization and so on. In this paper, acetone precipitation method was chosen to concentrate the recombinant protein firstly after comparing with four different protein precipitation methods systematically, and then the protein was analyzed by SDS-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis. The recombinant protein was determined with the feature of protein band by the Automated Image Capture and 1-D Analysis Software directly. With this method, the optimized expression conditions of basic fibroblast growth factor secreted from pichia were obtained, which is as the same as using traditional methods. Hence, a convenient tool to determine the optimized conditions for the expression of recombinant proteins in Pichia was established.

  9. Isolation and Identification of Proteins Secreted by Cells Cultured within Synthetic Hydrogel-Based Matrices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sawicki, Lisa A; Choe, Leila H; Wiley, Katherine L; Lee, Kelvin H; Kloxin, April M

    2018-03-12

    Cells interact with and remodel their microenvironment, degrading large extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins (e.g., fibronectin, collagens) and secreting new ECM proteins and small soluble factors (e.g., growth factors, cytokines). Synthetic mimics of the ECM have been developed as controlled cell culture platforms for use in both fundamental and applied studies. However, how cells broadly remodel these initially well-defined matrices remains poorly understood and difficult to probe. In this work, we have established methods for widely examining both large and small proteins that are secreted by cells within synthetic matrices. Specifically, human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs), a model primary cell type, were cultured within well-defined poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-peptide hydrogels, and these cell-matrix constructs were decellularized and degraded for subsequent isolation and analysis of deposited proteins. Shotgun proteomics using liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry identified a variety of proteins, including the large ECM proteins fibronectin and collagen VI. Immunostaining and confocal imaging confirmed these results and provided visualization of protein organization within the synthetic matrices. Additionally, culture medium was collected from the encapsulated hMSCs, and a Luminex assay was performed to identify secreted soluble factors, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), endothelial growth factor (EGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2), interleukin 8 (IL-8), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). Together, these methods provide a unique approach for studying dynamic reciprocity between cells and synthetic microenvironments and have the potential to provide new biological insights into cell responses during three-dimensional (3D) controlled cell culture.

  10. Characterization of a secreted Chlamydia protease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Shaw, A.C.; Vandahl, B.B.; Larsen, M.R.

    2002-01-01

    Chlamydiae are obligate intracellular bacteria that are important human pathogens. The Chlamydia genomes contain orthologues to secretion apparatus proteins from other intracellular bacteria, but only a few secreted proteins have been identified. Most likely, effector proteins are secreted in order...... to promote infection. Effector proteins cannot be identified by motif or similarity searches. As a new strategy for identification of secreted proteins we have compared 2D-PAGE profiles of [35S]-labelled Chlamydia proteins from whole lysates of infected cells to 2D-PAGE profiles of proteins from purified...... Chlamydia. Several secretion candidates from Chlamydia trachomatis D and Chlamydia pneumoniae were detected by this method. Two protein spots were identified among the candidates. These represent fragments of the 'chlamydial protease- or proteasome-like activity factor' (CPAF) and were clearly present in 2D...

  11. Glucose Tolerance, Lipids, and GLP-1 Secretion in JCR:LA-cp Rats Fed a High Protein Fiber Diet

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reimer, Raylene A.; Russell, James C.

    2013-01-01

    Background We have shown that individually, dietary fiber and protein increase secretion of the anorexigenic and insulinotropic hormone, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). Objective Our objective was to combine, in one diet, high levels of fiber and protein to maximize GLP-1 secretion, improve glucose tolerance, and reduce weight gain. Methods and Procedures Lean (+/?) and obese (cp/cp) male James C Russell corpulent (JCR:LA-cp) rats lacking a functional leptin receptor were fed one of four experimental diets (control, high protein (HP), high fiber (HF, prebiotic fiber inulin), or combination (CB)) for 3 weeks. An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed to evaluate plasma GLP-1, insulin and glucose. Plasma lipids and intestinal proglucagon mRNA expression were determined. Results Energy intake was lower with the HF diet in lean and obese rats. Weight gain did not differ between diets. Higher colonic proglucagon mRNA in lean rats fed a CB diet was associated with higher GLP-1 secretion during OGTT. The HP diet significantly reduced plasma glucose area under the curve (AUC) during OGTT in obese rats, which reflected both an increased GLP-1 AUC and higher fasting insulin. Diets containing inulin resulted in the lowest plasma triglyceride and total cholesterol levels. Discussion Overall, combining HP with HF in the diet increased GLP-1 secretion in response to oral glucose, but did not improve glucose tolerance or lipid profiles more than the HF diet alone did. We also suggest that glycemic and insulinemic response to prebiotics differ among rat models and future research work should examine their role in improving glucose tolerance in diet-induced vs. genetic obesity with overt hyperleptinemia. PMID:18223610

  12. Unfolded Protein Response (UPR Regulator Cib1 Controls Expression of Genes Encoding Secreted Virulence Factors in Ustilago maydis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin Hampel

    Full Text Available The unfolded protein response (UPR, a conserved eukaryotic signaling pathway to ensure protein homeostasis in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER, coordinates biotrophic development in the corn smut fungus Ustilago maydis. Exact timing of UPR activation is required for virulence and presumably connected to the elevated expression of secreted effector proteins during infection of the host plant Zea mays. In the baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, expression of UPR target genes is induced upon binding of the central regulator Hac1 to unfolded protein response elements (UPREs in their promoters. While a role of the UPR in effector secretion has been described previously, we investigated a potential UPR-dependent regulation of genes encoding secreted effector proteins. In silico prediction of UPREs in promoter regions identified the previously characterized effector genes pit2 and tin1-1, as bona fide UPR target genes. Furthermore, direct binding of the Hac1-homolog Cib1 to the UPRE containing promoter fragments of both genes was confirmed by quantitative chromatin immunoprecipitation (qChIP analysis. Targeted deletion of the UPRE abolished Cib1-dependent expression of pit2 and significantly affected virulence. Furthermore, ER stress strongly increased Pit2 expression and secretion. This study expands the role of the UPR as a signal hub in fungal virulence and illustrates, how biotrophic fungi can coordinate cellular physiology, development and regulation of secreted virulence factors.

  13. Temporal Profiling and Pulsed SILAC Labeling Identify Novel Secreted Proteins During Ex Vivo Osteoblast Differentiation of Human Stromal Stem Cells*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kristensen, Lars P.; Chen, Li; Nielsen, Maria Overbeck; Qanie, Diyako W.; Kratchmarova, Irina; Kassem, Moustapha; Andersen, Jens S.

    2012-01-01

    It is well established that bone forming cells (osteoblasts) secrete proteins with autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine function. However, the identity and functional role for the majority of these secreted and differentially expressed proteins during the osteoblast (OB) differentiation process, is not fully established. To address these questions, we quantified the temporal dynamics of the human stromal (mesenchymal, skeletal) stem cell (hMSC) secretome during ex vivo OB differentiation using stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC). In addition, we employed pulsed SILAC labeling to distinguish genuine secreted proteins from intracellular contaminants. We identified 466 potentially secreted proteins that were quantified at 5 time-points during 14-days ex vivo OB differentiation including 41 proteins known to be involved in OB functions. Among these, 315 proteins exhibited more than 2-fold up or down-regulation. The pulsed SILAC method revealed a strong correlation between the fraction of isotope labeling and the subset of proteins known to be secreted and involved in OB differentiation. We verified SILAC data using qRT-PCR analysis of 9 identified potential novel regulators of OB differentiation. Furthermore, we studied the biological effects of one of these proteins, the hormone stanniocalcin 2 (STC2) and demonstrated its autocrine effects in enhancing osteoblastic differentiation of hMSC. In conclusion, combining complete and pulsed SILAC labeling facilitated the identification of novel factors produced by hMSC with potential role in OB differentiation. Our study demonstrates that the secretome of osteoblastic cells is more complex than previously reported and supports the emerging evidence that osteoblastic cells secrete proteins with endocrine functions and regulate cellular processes beyond bone formation. PMID:22801418

  14. Duplications and losses in gene families of rust pathogens highlight putative effectors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pendleton, Amanda L; Smith, Katherine E; Feau, Nicolas; Martin, Francis M; Grigoriev, Igor V; Hamelin, Richard; Nelson, C Dana; Burleigh, J Gordon; Davis, John M

    2014-01-01

    Rust fungi are a group of fungal pathogens that cause some of the world's most destructive diseases of trees and crops. A shared characteristic among rust fungi is obligate biotrophy, the inability to complete a lifecycle without a host. This dependence on a host species likely affects patterns of gene expansion, contraction, and innovation within rust pathogen genomes. The establishment of disease by biotrophic pathogens is reliant upon effector proteins that are encoded in the fungal genome and secreted from the pathogen into the host's cell apoplast or within the cells. This study uses a comparative genomic approach to elucidate putative effectors and determine their evolutionary histories. We used OrthoMCL to identify nearly 20,000 gene families in proteomes of 16 diverse fungal species, which include 15 basidiomycetes and one ascomycete. We inferred patterns of duplication and loss for each gene family and identified families with distinctive patterns of expansion/contraction associated with the evolution of rust fungal genomes. To recognize potential contributors for the unique features of rust pathogens, we identified families harboring secreted proteins that: (i) arose or expanded in rust pathogens relative to other fungi, or (ii) contracted or were lost in rust fungal genomes. While the origin of rust fungi appears to be associated with considerable gene loss, there are many gene duplications associated with each sampled rust fungal genome. We also highlight two putative effector gene families that have expanded in Cqf that we hypothesize have roles in pathogenicity.

  15. Analysis of an acyl-CoA binding protein in Aspergillus oryzae that undergoes unconventional secretion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwon, Hee Su; Kawaguchi, Kouhei; Kikuma, Takashi; Takegawa, Kaoru; Kitamoto, Katsuhiko; Higuchi, Yujiro

    2017-11-04

    Acyl-CoA binding protein (ACBP) plays important roles in the metabolism of lipids in eukaryotic cells. In the industrially important filamentous fungus Aspergillus oryzae, although we have previously demonstrated that the A. oryzae ACBP (AoACBP) localizes to punctate structures and exhibits long-range motility, which is dependent on autophagy-related proteins, the physiological role of AoACBP remains elusive. Here, we describe identification and characterization of another ACBP from A. oryzae; we named this ACBP as AoAcb2 and accordingly renamed AoACBP as AoAcb1. The deduced amino acid sequence of AoAcb2 lacked a signal peptide. Phylogenetic analysis classified AoAcb2 into a clade that was same as the ACBP Acb1 of the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but was different from that of AoAcb1. In contrast to punctate localization of AoAcb1, AoAcb2 was found to be dispersedly distributed in the cytoplasm, as was previously observed for the S. cerevisiae Acb1. Since we could not generate an Aoacb2 disruptant, we created an Aoacb2 conditional mutant that exhibited less growth under Aoacb2-repressed condition, suggesting that Aoacb2 is an essential gene for growth. Moreover, we observed that A. oryzae AoAcb2, but not A. oryzae AoAcb1, was secreted under carbon-starved condition, suggesting that AoAcb2 might be secreted via the unconventional protein secretion (UPS) pathway, just like S. cerevisiae Acb1. We also demonstrated that the unconventional secretion of AoAcb2 was dependent on the t-SNARE AoSso1, but was independent of the autophagy-related protein AoAtg1, suggesting that the unconventional secretion of AoAcb2, unlike that of S. cerevisiae Acb1, via the UPS pathway, is not regulated by the autophagy machinery. Thus, the filamentous fungus A. oryzae harbors two types of ACBPs, one of which appears to be essential for growth and undergoes unconventional secretion. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Strigolactone-Induced Putative Secreted Protein 1 Is Required for the Establishment of Symbiosis by the Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus Rhizophagus irregularis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsuzuki, Syusaku; Handa, Yoshihiro; Takeda, Naoya; Kawaguchi, Masayoshi

    2016-04-01

    Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis is the most widespread association between plants and fungi. To provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms of AM symbiosis, we screened and investigated genes of the AM fungus Rhizophagus irregularis that contribute to the infection of host plants. R. irregularis genes involved in the infection were explored by RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis. One of the identified genes was then characterized by a reverse genetic approach using host-induced gene silencing (HIGS), which causes RNA interference in the fungus via the host plant. The RNA-seq analysis revealed that 19 genes are up-regulated by both treatment with strigolactone (SL) (a plant symbiotic signal) and symbiosis. Eleven of the 19 genes were predicted to encode secreted proteins and, of these, SL-induced putative secreted protein 1 (SIS1) showed the largest induction under both conditions. In hairy roots of Medicago truncatula, SIS1 expression is knocked down by HIGS, resulting in significant suppression of colonization and formation of stunted arbuscules. These results suggest that SIS1 is a putative secreted protein that is induced in a wide spatiotemporal range including both the presymbiotic and symbiotic stages and that SIS1 positively regulates colonization of host plants by R. irregularis.

  17. Mammalian protein secretion without signal peptide removal. Biosynthesis of plasminogen activator inhibitor-2 in U-937 cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ye, R.D.; Wun, T.C.; Sadler, J.E.

    1988-01-01

    Plasminogen activator inhibitor-2 (PAI-2) is a serine protease inhibitor that regulates plasmin generation by inhibiting urokinase and tissue plasminogen activator. The primary structure of PAI-2 suggests that it may be secreted without cleavage of a single peptide. To confirm this hypothesis we have studied the glycosylation and secretion of PAI-2 in human monocytic U-937 cells by metabolic labeling, immunoprecipitation, glycosidase digestion, and protein sequencing. PAI-2 is variably glycosylated on asparagine residues to yield intracellular intermediates with zero, one, two, or three high mannose-type oligosaccharide units. Secretion of the N-glycosylated species began by 1 h of chase and the secreted molecules contained both complex-type N-linked and O-linked oligosaccharides. Enzymatically deglycosylated PAI-2 had an electrophoretic mobility identical to that of the nonglycosylated precursor and also to that of PAI-2 synthesized in vitro in a rabbit reticulocyte lysate from synthetic mRNA derived from full length PAI-2 cDNA. The amino-terminal protein sequence of secreted PAI-2 began with the initiator methionine residue. These results indicate that PAI-2 is glycosylated and secreted efficiently without the cleavage of a signal peptide. PAI-2 shares this property with its nearest homologue in the serine protease inhibitor family, chicken ovalbumin, and appears to be the first well characterized example of this phenomenon among natural mammalian proteins

  18. Proteomes of the barley aleurone layer: A model system for plant signalling and protein secretion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Finnie, Christine; Andersen, Birgit; Shahpiri, Azar

    2011-01-01

    molecules in an isolated system. These properties have led to its use as a model system for the study of plant signalling and germination. More recently, proteome analysis of the aleurone layer has provided new insight into this unique tissue including identification of plasma membrane proteins and targeted...... analysis of germination-related changes and the thioredoxin system. Here, analysis of intracellular and secreted proteomes reveals features of the aleurone layer system that makes it promising for investigations of plant protein secretion mechanisms....... to gibberellic acid produced by the embryo, the aleurone layer synthesises hydrolases that are secreted to the endosperm for the degradation of storage products. The barley aleurone layer can be separated from the other seed tissues and maintained in culture, allowing the study of the effect of added signalling...

  19. Two major secreted proteins as probiotic effectors of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Claes, I.; Segers, M.; Ossowski, von I.; Reunanen, J.; Palva, A.; Vos, de W.M.

    2011-01-01

    The well-documented probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) produces two major secreted proteins, named Msp1 (LGG_00324 or p75) and Msp2 (LGG_00031 or p40), which have been previously reported to promote the survival and growth of intestinal epithelial cells. We could demonstrate that

  20. Gibberellic Acid-Induced Aleurone Layers Responding to Heat Shock or Tunicamycin Provide Insight into the N-Glycoproteome, Protein Secretion, and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Barba Espin, Gregorio; Dedvisitsakul, Plaipol; Hägglund, Per

    2014-01-01

    respond to gibberellic acid by secreting an array of proteins and provide a unique system for the analysis of plant protein secretion. Perturbation of protein secretion in gibberellic acid-induced aleurone layers by two independent mechanisms, heat shock and tunicamycin treatment, demonstrated overlapping...... and secretion, such as calreticulin, protein disulfide isomerase, proteasome subunits, and isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase. Sixteen heat shock proteins in 29 spots showed diverse responses to the treatments, with only a minority increasing in response to heat shock. The majority, all of which were small heat...... shock proteins, decreased in heat-shocked aleurone layers. Additionally, glycopeptide enrichment and N-glycosylation analysis identified 73 glycosylation sites in 65 aleurone layer proteins, with 53 of the glycoproteins found in extracellular fractions and 36 found in intracellular fractions...

  1. Casein phosphopeptides drastically increase the secretion of extracellular proteins in Aspergillus awamori. Proteomics studies reveal changes in the secretory pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kosalková, Katarina; García-Estrada, Carlos; Barreiro, Carlos; Flórez, Martha G; Jami, Mohammad S; Paniagua, Miguel A; Martín, Juan F

    2012-01-10

    The secretion of heterologous animal proteins in filamentous fungi is usually limited by bottlenecks in the vesicle-mediated secretory pathway. Using the secretion of bovine chymosin in Aspergillus awamori as a model, we found a drastic increase (40 to 80-fold) in cells grown with casein or casein phosphopeptides (CPPs). CPPs are rich in phosphoserine, but phosphoserine itself did not increase the secretion of chymosin. The stimulatory effect is reduced about 50% using partially dephosphorylated casein and is not exerted by casamino acids. The phosphopeptides effect was not exerted at transcriptional level, but instead, it was clearly observed on the secretion of chymosin by immunodetection analysis. Proteomics studies revealed very interesting metabolic changes in response to phosphopeptides supplementation. The oxidative metabolism was reduced, since enzymes involved in fermentative processes were overrepresented. An oxygen-binding hemoglobin-like protein was overrepresented in the proteome following phosphopeptides addition. Most interestingly, the intracellular pre-protein enzymes, including pre-prochymosin, were depleted (most of them are underrepresented in the intracellular proteome after the addition of CPPs), whereas the extracellular mature form of several of these secretable proteins and cell-wall biosynthetic enzymes was greatly overrepresented in the secretome of phosphopeptides-supplemented cells. Another important 'moonlighting' protein (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase), which has been described to have vesicle fusogenic and cytoskeleton formation modulating activities, was clearly overrepresented in phosphopeptides-supplemented cells. In summary, CPPs cause the reprogramming of cellular metabolism, which leads to massive secretion of extracellular proteins.

  2. High-yield secretion of recombinant proteins expressed in tobacco cell culture with a designer glycopeptide tag: Process development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Ningning; Gonzalez, Maria; Savary, Brett; Xu, Jianfeng

    2016-03-01

    Low-yield protein production remains the most significant economic hurdle with plant cell culture technology. Fusions of recombinant proteins with hydroxyproline-O-glycosylated designer glycopeptide tags have consistently boosted secreted protein yields. This prompted us to study the process development of this technology aiming to achieve productivity levels necessary for commercial viability. We used a tobacco BY-2 cell culture expressing EGFP as fusion with a glycopeptide tag comprised of 32 repeat of "Ser-Pro" dipeptide, or (SP)32 , to study cell growth and protein secretion, culture scale-up, and establishment of perfusion cultures for continuous production. The BY-2 cells accumulated low levels of cell biomass (~7.5 g DW/L) in Schenk & Hildebrandt medium, but secreted high yields of (SP)32 -tagged EGFP (125 mg/L). Protein productivity of the cell culture has been stable for 6.0 years. The BY-2 cells cultured in a 5-L bioreactor similarly produced high secreted protein yield at 131 mg/L. Successful operation of a cell perfusion culture for 30 days was achieved under the perfusion rate of 0.25 and 0.5 day(-1) , generating a protein volumetric productivity of 17.6 and 28.9 mg/day/L, respectively. This research demonstrates the great potential of the designer glycopeptide technology for use in commercial production of valuable proteins with plant cell cultures. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  3. Unconventional Pathways of Secretion Contribute to Inflammation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael J. D. Daniels

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In the conventional pathway of protein secretion, leader sequence-containing proteins leave the cell following processing through the endoplasmic reticulum (ER and Golgi body. However, leaderless proteins also enter the extracellular space through mechanisms collectively known as unconventional secretion. Unconventionally secreted proteins often have vital roles in cell and organism function such as inflammation. Amongst the best-studied inflammatory unconventionally secreted proteins are interleukin (IL-1β, IL-1α, IL-33 and high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1. In this review we discuss the current understanding of the unconventional secretion of these proteins and highlight future areas of research such as the role of nuclear localisation.

  4. A regulator of G Protein signaling, RGS3, inhibits gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH-stimulated luteinizing hormone (LH secretion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Musgrove Lois C

    2001-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Luteinizing hormone secreted by the anterior pituitary gland regulates gonadal function. Luteinizing hormone secretion is regulated both by alterations in gonadotrope responsiveness to hypothalamic gonadotropin releasing hormone and by alterations in gonadotropin releasing hormone secretion. The mechanisms that determine gonadotrope responsiveness are unknown but may involve regulators of G protein signaling (RGSs. These proteins act by antagonizing or abbreviating interaction of Gα proteins with effectors such as phospholipase Cβ. Previously, we reported that gonadotropin releasing hormone-stimulated second messenger inositol trisphosphate production was inhibited when RGS3 and gonadotropin releasing hormone receptor cDNAs were co-transfected into the COS cell line. Here, we present evidence for RGS3 inhibition of gonadotropin releasing hormone-induced luteinizing hormone secretion from cultured rat pituitary cells. Results A truncated version of RGS3 (RGS3T = RGS3 314–519 inhibited gonadotropin releasing hormone-stimulated inositol trisphosphate production more potently than did RSG3 in gonadotropin releasing hormone receptor-bearing COS cells. An RSG3/glutathione-S-transferase fusion protein bound more 35S-Gqα than any other member of the G protein family tested. Adenoviral-mediated RGS3 gene transfer in pituitary gonadotropes inhibited gonadotropin releasing hormone-stimulated luteinizing hormone secretion in a dose-related fashion. Adeno-RGS3 also inhibited gonadotropin releasing hormone stimulated 3H-inositol phosphate accumulation, consistent with a molecular site of action at the Gqα protein. Conclusions RGS3 inhibits gonadotropin releasing hormone-stimulated second messenger production (inositol trisphosphate as well as luteinizing hormone secretion from rat pituitary gonadotropes apparently by binding and suppressing the transduction properties of Gqα protein function. A version of RGS3 that is amino

  5. Heat shock response improves heterologous protein secretion in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hou, Jin; Österlund, Tobias; Liu, Zihe

    2013-01-01

    The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a widely used platform for the production of heterologous proteins of medical or industrial interest. However, heterologous protein productivity is often low due to limitations of the host strain. Heat shock response (HSR) is an inducible, global, cellular...... stress response, which facilitates the cell recovery from many forms of stress, e.g., heat stress. In S. cerevisiae, HSR is regulated mainly by the transcription factor heat shock factor (Hsf1p) and many of its targets are genes coding for molecular chaperones that promote protein folding and prevent...... the accumulation of mis-folded or aggregated proteins. In this work, we over-expressed a mutant HSF1 gene HSF1-R206S which can constitutively activate HSR, so the heat shock response was induced at different levels, and we studied the impact of HSR on heterologous protein secretion. We found that moderate and high...

  6. Urea impairs β cell glycolysis and insulin secretion in chronic kidney disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koppe, Laetitia; Nyam, Elsa; Vivot, Kevin; Manning Fox, Jocelyn E.; Dai, Xiao-Qing; Nguyen, Bich N.; Attané, Camille; Moullé, Valentine S.; MacDonald, Patrick E.; Ghislain, Julien

    2016-01-01

    Disorders of glucose homeostasis are common in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and are associated with increased mortality, but the mechanisms of impaired insulin secretion in this disease remain unclear. Here, we tested the hypothesis that defective insulin secretion in CKD is caused by a direct effect of urea on pancreatic β cells. In a murine model in which CKD is induced by 5/6 nephrectomy (CKD mice), we observed defects in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in vivo and in isolated islets. Similarly, insulin secretion was impaired in normal mouse and human islets that were cultured with disease-relevant concentrations of urea and in islets from normal mice treated orally with urea for 3 weeks. In CKD mouse islets as well as urea-exposed normal islets, we observed an increase in oxidative stress and protein O-GlcNAcylation. Protein O-GlcNAcylation was also observed in pancreatic sections from CKD patients. Impairment of insulin secretion in both CKD mouse and urea-exposed islets was associated with reduced glucose utilization and activity of phosphofructokinase 1 (PFK-1), which could be reversed by inhibiting O-GlcNAcylation. Inhibition of O-GlcNAcylation also restored insulin secretion in both mouse models. These results suggest that insulin secretory defects associated with CKD arise from elevated circulating levels of urea that increase islet protein O-GlcNAcylation and impair glycolysis. PMID:27525435

  7. The crystal structure of Erwinia amylovora AmyR, a member of the YbjN protein family, shows similarity to type III secretion chaperones but suggests different cellular functions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartho, Joseph D; Bellini, Dom; Wuerges, Jochen; Demitri, Nicola; Toccafondi, Mirco; Schmitt, Armin O; Zhao, Youfu; Walsh, Martin A; Benini, Stefano

    2017-01-01

    AmyR is a stress and virulence associated protein from the plant pathogenic Enterobacteriaceae species Erwinia amylovora, and is a functionally conserved ortholog of YbjN from Escherichia coli. The crystal structure of E. amylovora AmyR reveals a class I type III secretion chaperone-like fold, despite the lack of sequence similarity between these two classes of protein and lacking any evidence of a secretion-associated role. The results indicate that AmyR, and YbjN proteins in general, function through protein-protein interactions without any enzymatic action. The YbjN proteins of Enterobacteriaceae show remarkably low sequence similarity with other members of the YbjN protein family in Eubacteria, yet a high level of structural conservation is observed. Across the YbjN protein family sequence conservation is limited to residues stabilising the protein core and dimerization interface, while interacting regions are only conserved between closely related species. This study presents the first structure of a YbjN protein from Enterobacteriaceae, the most highly divergent and well-studied subgroup of YbjN proteins, and an in-depth sequence and structural analysis of this important but poorly understood protein family.

  8. Quantitative proteomic analysis reveals effects of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) on invasion-promoting proteins secreted by glioblastoma cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sangar, Vineet; Funk, Cory C; Kusebauch, Ulrike; Campbell, David S; Moritz, Robert L; Price, Nathan D

    2014-10-01

    Glioblastoma multiforme is a highly invasive and aggressive brain tumor with an invariably poor prognosis. The overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a primary influencer of invasion and proliferation in tumor cells and the constitutively active EGFRvIII mutant, found in 30-65% of Glioblastoma multiforme, confers more aggressive invasion. To better understand how EGFR contributes to tumor aggressiveness, we investigated the effect of EGFR on the secreted levels of 65 rationally selected proteins involved in invasion. We employed selected reaction monitoring targeted mass spectrometry using stable isotope labeled internal peptide standards to quantity proteins in the secretome from five GBM (U87) isogenic cell lines in which EGFR, EGFRvIII, and/or PTEN were expressed. Our results show that cell lines with EGFR overexpression and constitutive EGFRvIII expression differ remarkably in the expression profiles for both secreted and intracellular signaling proteins, and alterations in EGFR signaling result in reproducible changes in concentrations of secreted proteins. Furthermore, the EGFRvIII-expressing mutant cell line secretes the majority of the selected invasion-promoting proteins at higher levels than other cell lines tested. Additionally, the intracellular and extracellular protein measurements indicate elevated oxidative stress in the EGFRvIII-expressing cell line. In conclusion, the results of our study demonstrate that EGFR signaling has a significant effect on the levels of secreted invasion-promoting proteins, likely contributing to the aggressiveness of Glioblastoma multiforme. Further characterization of these proteins may provide candidates for new therapeutic strategies and targets as well as biomarkers for this aggressive disease. © 2014 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  9. Enhanced detection of single-cell-secreted proteins using a fluorescent immunoassay on the protein-G-terminated glass substrate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeong Y

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Yoon Jeong,1,2 Kwan Hong Lee,1,2 Hansoo Park,3 Jonghoon Choi1,2 1Department of Bionano Technology, Graduate School, Hanyang University, Seoul, 2Department of Bionano Engineering, Hanyang University ERICA, Ansan, 3School of Integrative Engineering, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, South Korea Abstract: We present an evaluation of protein-G-terminated glass slides that may contain a suitable substrate for aligning the orientation of antibodies to obtain better binding moiety to the target antigen. The results of the protein-G-terminated slides were compared with those obtained with epoxy-based slides to evaluate signal enhancement for human immunoglobulin G (IgG targets, and an increase in the average fluorescence intensity was observed for the lowest measurable amount of IgG target in the assay using protein-G-terminated slides. Applying this strategy for signal amplification to single-cell assays improves the limits of detection for human IgG protein and cytokines (interleukin-2 and interferon-γ captured from hybridomas. Our data indicate that protein-G-terminated slides have a higher binding capacity for antigens and have better spot-to-spot consistency than that of traditional epoxy-based slides. These properties would be beneficial in the detection of fine amounts of single-cell-secreted proteins, which may provide key insights into cell–cell communication and immune responses. Keywords: microwell array, antibody’s orientation, single cell analysis, secreted cytokine, protein-G-terminated surface

  10. RNA-seq based expression analysis of the CHO cell protein secretion pathway

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lund, Anne Mathilde; Kaas, Christian Schrøder; Kildegaard, Helene Faustrup

    The Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell-line is the predominant mammalian industrial cell line being used to produce recombinant therapeutic proteins. Although CHO cells have been used for more than 25 years, the genome sequence was first published in 2011. So far there have been limited studies...... of the cell biology of the CHO cell and the potential of cell line engineering. To elucidate the poorly understood cellular processes that control and limit recombinant protein production and secretion, a system-wide study was initiated to identify possible engineering targets relevant for therapeutic protein...

  11. Casein phosphopeptides drastically increase the secretion of extracellular proteins in Aspergillus awamori. Proteomics studies reveal changes in the secretory pathway

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kosalková Katarina

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The secretion of heterologous animal proteins in filamentous fungi is usually limited by bottlenecks in the vesicle-mediated secretory pathway. Results Using the secretion of bovine chymosin in Aspergillus awamori as a model, we found a drastic increase (40 to 80-fold in cells grown with casein or casein phosphopeptides (CPPs. CPPs are rich in phosphoserine, but phosphoserine itself did not increase the secretion of chymosin. The stimulatory effect is reduced about 50% using partially dephosphorylated casein and is not exerted by casamino acids. The phosphopeptides effect was not exerted at transcriptional level, but instead, it was clearly observed on the secretion of chymosin by immunodetection analysis. Proteomics studies revealed very interesting metabolic changes in response to phosphopeptides supplementation. The oxidative metabolism was reduced, since enzymes involved in fermentative processes were overrepresented. An oxygen-binding hemoglobin-like protein was overrepresented in the proteome following phosphopeptides addition. Most interestingly, the intracellular pre-protein enzymes, including pre-prochymosin, were depleted (most of them are underrepresented in the intracellular proteome after the addition of CPPs, whereas the extracellular mature form of several of these secretable proteins and cell-wall biosynthetic enzymes was greatly overrepresented in the secretome of phosphopeptides-supplemented cells. Another important 'moonlighting' protein (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, which has been described to have vesicle fusogenic and cytoskeleton formation modulating activities, was clearly overrepresented in phosphopeptides-supplemented cells. Conclusions In summary, CPPs cause the reprogramming of cellular metabolism, which leads to massive secretion of extracellular proteins.

  12. Maximized Autotransporter-Mediated Expression (MATE for Surface Display and Secretion of Recombinant Proteins in Escherichia coli

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shanna Sichwart

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available A new optimized system for the surface display and secretion of recombinant proteins is described, termed MATE (maximized autotransporter-mediated expression. It is based on an artificial gene consisting of the coding region for the signal peptide of CtxB, a multiple cloning site for passenger gene insertion, flanked by coding sequences for linear epitopes for monoclonal antibodies and OmpT, and factor Xa protease cleavage sites followed by a codon-optimized DNA sequence of the linker and the β-barrel of the type V autotransporter EhaA from Escherichia coli under control of an IPTG-inducible T5 promoter. The MATE system enabled the continuous secretion of recombinant passenger mCherry via OmpT-mediated cleavage, using native OmpT protease activity in E. coli when grown at 37 °C. It is the first example to show that native OmpT activity is sufficient to facilitate the secretion of a correctly folded target protein in preparative amounts obtaining 240 μg of purified mCherry from 800 mL of crude culture supernatant. Because the release of mCherry was achieved by a simple transfer of the encoding plasmid from an OmpT-negative to an OmpT-positive strain, it bears the option to use surface display for screening purposes and secretion for production of the selected variant. A single plasmid could therefore be used for continuous secretion in OmpT-positive strains or surface display in OmpT-negative strains. In conclusion, the MATE system appears to be a versatile tool for the surface display and for the secretion of target proteins in E. coli.

  13. Association between dietary protein and change in body composition among children (EYHS)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    van Vught, Anneke J A H; Heitmann, Berit L; Nieuwenhuizen, Arie G

    2009-01-01

    BACKGROUND & AIMS: Growth hormone (GH) affects body composition by a relatively reduced fat mass and increased fat free mass. The intake of protein as well as the specific amino acids arginine and lysine potently stimulate GH secretion. This study investigated associations between intakes of prot...

  14. Comparative analysis of twin-arginine (Tat)-dependent protein secretion of a heterologous model protein (GFP) in three different Gram-positive bacteria

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Meissner, Daniel; Vollstedt, Angela; van Dijl, Jan Maarten; Freudl, Roland

    In contrast to the general protein secretion (Sec) system, the twin-arginine translocation (Tat) export pathway allows the translocation of proteins across the bacterial plasma membrane in a fully folded conformation. Due to this feature, the Tat pathway provides an attractive alternative to the

  15. Ubiquilin 1 modulates amyloid precursor protein trafficking and Abeta secretion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hiltunen, Mikko; Lu, Alice; Thomas, Anne V; Romano, Donna M; Kim, Minji; Jones, Phill B; Xie, Zhongcong; Kounnas, Maria Z; Wagner, Steven L; Berezovska, Oksana; Hyman, Bradley T; Tesco, Giuseppina; Bertram, Lars; Tanzi, Rudolph E

    2006-10-27

    Ubiquilin 1 (UBQLN1) is a ubiquitin-like protein, which has been shown to play a central role in regulating the proteasomal degradation of various proteins, including the presenilins. We recently reported that DNA variants in UBQLN1 increase the risk for Alzheimer disease, by influencing expression of this gene in brain. Here we present the first assessment of the effects of UBQLN1 on the metabolism of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). For this purpose, we employed RNA interference to down-regulate UBQLN1 in a variety of neuronal and non-neuronal cell lines. We demonstrate that down-regulation of UBQLN1 accelerates the maturation and intracellular trafficking of APP, while not interfering with alpha-, beta-, or gamma-secretase levels or activity. UBQLN1 knockdown increased the ratio of APP mature/immature, increased levels of full-length APP on the cell surface, and enhanced the secretion of sAPP (alpha- and beta-forms). Moreover, UBQLN1 knockdown increased levels of secreted Abeta40 and Abeta42. Finally, employing a fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based assay, we show that UBQLN1 and APP come into close proximity in intact cells, independently of the presence of the presenilins. Collectively, our findings suggest that UBQLN1 may normally serve as a cytoplasmic "gatekeeper" that may control APP trafficking from intracellular compartments to the cell surface. These findings suggest that changes in UBQLN1 steady-state levels affect APP trafficking and processing, thereby influencing the generation of Abeta.

  16. Metabolic flux profiling of recombinant protein secreting Pichia pastoris growing on glucose:methanol mixtures

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-01

    methanol:multicarbon sources has been implemented, thus providing a new tool for the investigation of the relationships between central metabolism and protein production. Specifically, the study points at a limited but significant impact of the conformational stress associated to secretion of recombinant proteins on the central metabolism, occurring even at modest production levels. PMID:22569166

  17. Metabolic flux profiling of recombinant protein secreting Pichia pastoris growing on glucose:methanol mixtures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jordà Joel

    2012-05-01

    yeasts when growing on mixed methanol:multicarbon sources has been implemented, thus providing a new tool for the investigation of the relationships between central metabolism and protein production. Specifically, the study points at a limited but significant impact of the conformational stress associated to secretion of recombinant proteins on the central metabolism, occurring even at modest production levels.

  18. A new class of ubiquitin extension proteins secreted by the dorsal pharyngeal gland in plant parasitic cyst nematodes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tytgat, Tom; Vanholme, Bartel; De Meutter, Jan; Claeys, Myriam; Couvreur, Marjolein; Vanhoutte, Isabelle; Gheysen, Greetje; Van Criekinge, Wim; Borgonie, Gaetan; Coomans, August; Gheysen, Godelieve

    2004-08-01

    By performing cDNA AFLP on pre- and early parasitic juveniles, we identified genes encoding a novel type of ubiquitin extension proteins secreted by the dorsal pharyngeal gland in the cyst nematode Heterodera schachtii. The proteins consist of three domains, a signal peptide for secretion, a mono-ubiquitin domain, and a short C-terminal positively charged domain. A gfp-fusion of this protein is targeted to the nucleolus in tobacco BY-2 cells. We hypothesize that the C-terminal peptide might have a regulatory function during syncytium formation in plant roots.

  19. Comparative genomics of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis reveals the secreted protein recognized by the Fom-2 resistance gene in melon

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schmidt, S.M.; Lukasiewicz, J.; Farrer, R.; van Dam, P.; Bertoldo, C.; Rep, M.

    Development of resistant crops is the most effective way to control plant diseases to safeguard food and feed production. Disease resistance is commonly based on resistance genes, which generally mediate the recognition of small proteins secreted by invading pathogens. These proteins secreted by

  20. Efficient secretion of small proteins in mammalian cells relies on Sec62-dependent posttranslational translocation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lakkaraju, Asvin K. K.; Thankappan, Ratheeshkumar; Mary, Camille; Garrison, Jennifer L.; Taunton, Jack; Strub, Katharina

    2012-01-01

    Mammalian cells secrete a large number of small proteins, but their mode of translocation into the endoplasmic reticulum is not fully understood. Cotranslational translocation was expected to be inefficient due to the small time window for signal sequence recognition by the signal recognition particle (SRP). Impairing the SRP pathway and reducing cellular levels of the translocon component Sec62 by RNA interference, we found an alternate, Sec62-dependent translocation path in mammalian cells required for the efficient translocation of small proteins with N-terminal signal sequences. The Sec62-dependent translocation occurs posttranslationally via the Sec61 translocon and requires ATP. We classified preproteins into three groups: 1) those that comprise ≤100 amino acids are strongly dependent on Sec62 for efficient translocation; 2) those in the size range of 120–160 amino acids use the SRP pathway, albeit inefficiently, and therefore rely on Sec62 for efficient translocation; and 3) those larger than 160 amino acids depend on the SRP pathway to preserve a transient translocation competence independent of Sec62. Thus, unlike in yeast, the Sec62-dependent translocation pathway in mammalian cells serves mainly as a fail-safe mechanism to ensure efficient secretion of small proteins and provides cells with an opportunity to regulate secretion of small proteins independent of the SRP pathway. PMID:22648169

  1. A Secreted SPRY Domain-Containing Protein (SPRYSEC) from the Plant-Parasitic Nematode Globodera rostochiensis Interacts with a CC-NB-LRR Protein from a Susceptible Tomato

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rehman, S.; Postma, W.J.; Tytgat, T.O.G.; Prins, J.C.P.; Qin Ling,; Overmars, H.A.; Vossen, J.; Spiridon, L.N.; Petrescu, A.J.; Goverse, A.; Bakker, J.; Smant, G.

    2009-01-01

    Esophageal gland secretions from nematodes are believed to include effectors that play important roles in plant parasitism. We have identified a novel gene family encoding secreted proteins specifically expressed in the dorsal esophageal gland of Globodera rostochiensis early in the parasitic cycle,

  2. Modulation of protein synthesis and secretion by substratum in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sudhakaran, P.R.; Stamatoglou, S.C.; Hughes, R.C.

    1986-01-01

    Hepatocytes isolated by perfusion of adult rat liver and cultured on substrata consisting of one or more of the major components of the liver biomatrix (fibronectin, laminin, type IV collagen) have been examined for the synthesis of defined proteins. Under these conditions, tyrosine amino transferase, a marker of hepatocyte function, is maintained at similar levels in response to dexamethasone over 5 days in culture on each substratum, and total cellular protein synthesis remains constant. By contrast, there is a rapid decrease in synthesis and secretion of albumin and a 3-7-fold increase in synthesis and section of α-fetoprotein which are most marked on a laminin substratum, but least evident on type IV collagen, and an increased synthesis of fibronectin and type IV collagen. The newly synthesized matrix proteins are present in the cell layer as well as in cell secretions. The enhanced synthesis of fibronectin is less in cells seeded onto a fibronectin substratum than on laminin or type IV collagen substrata. These results indicate that hepatocytes cultured in serum-free medium on substrata composed of components of the liver biomatrix maintain certain functions of the differentiated state (tyrosine amino transferase), lose others (albumin secretion) and switch to increased synthesis of matrix components as well as fetal markers such as α-fetoprotein. The magnitude of these effects depends on the substratum on which the hepatocytes are cultured

  3. Progesterone-associated proteins PP12 and PP14 in the human endometrium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rutanen, E M; Koistinen, R; Seppälä, M; Julkunen, M; Suikkari, A M; Huhtala, M L

    1987-01-01

    Two proteins, designated as PP12 and PP14 were originally isolated from soluble extracts of the human placenta and its adjacent membranes. We have shown that they are synthesized by decidualized/secretory endometrium and not by placenta. Both proteins occur at high concentrations in human amniotic fluid, which is therefore an excellent source for purification. PP12 is a 34-kDa glycoprotein, which has an N-terminal amino acid sequence of Ala-Pro-Trp-Gln-Cys-Ala-Pro-Cys-Ser-Ala. This is identical with that of somatomedin-binding protein purified from the amniotic fluid. PP12 too binds somatomedin-C, or IGF-I (insulin-like growth factor-I). Human secretory endometrium synthesizes and secretes PP12, and progesterone stimulates its secretion. PP14 is a 28-kDa glycoprotein. Its N-terminal sequence shows homology to that of beta-lactoglobulins from various species. We have found PP14 in the human endometrium, serum and milk. Immunologically, PP14 is related to progestagen-associated endometrial protein (PEP), alpha-2 pregnancy-associated endometrial protein (alpha-2, PEG), endometrial protein 15 (EP15), alpha-uterine protein (AUP) and chorionic alpha-2 microglobulin (CAG-2). In ovulatory menstrual cycles, the concentration of PP14 increases in endometrial tissue as the secretory changes advance. In serum, the PP14 concentration begins to rise later than the progesterone levels, and high serum PP14 levels are maintained for the first days of the next cycle. By contrast, no elevation of serum PP14 level is seen in anovulatory cycles. Our results show that progesterone-associated proteins are synthesized by the human endometrium and appear in the peripheral circulation, where they can be quantitatively measured using immunochemical techniques.

  4. Identification and Characterization of Outer Membrane Vesicle-Associated Proteins in Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bai, Jaewoo; Kim, Seul I; Ryu, Sangryeol

    2014-01-01

    Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is a primary cause of enteric diseases and has acquired a variety of virulence factors during its evolution into a pathogen. Secreted virulence factors interact with commensal flora and host cells and enable Salmonella to survive and thrive in hostile environments. Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) released from many Gram-negative bacteria function as a mechanism for the secretion of complex mixtures, including virulence factors. We performed a proteomic analysis of OMVs that were isolated under standard laboratory and acidic minimal medium conditions and identified 14 OMV-associated proteins that were observed in the OMV fraction isolated only under the acidic minimal medium conditions, which reproduced the nutrient-deficient intracellular milieu. The inferred roles of these 14 proteins were diverse, including transporter, enzyme, and transcriptional regulator. The absence of these proteins influenced Salmonella survival inside murine macrophages. Eleven of these proteins were predicted to possess secretion signal sequences at their N termini, and three (HupA, GlnH, and PhoN) of the proteins were found to be translocated into the cytoplasm of host cells. The comparative proteomic profiling of OMVs performed in this study revealed different protein compositions in the OMVs isolated under the two different conditions, which indicates that the OMV cargo depends on the growth conditions and provides a deeper insight into how Salmonella utilizes OMVs to adapt to environmental changes. PMID:24935973

  5. Identification of Secreted Proteins Involved in Nonspecific dsRNA-Mediated Lutzomyia longipalpis LL5 Cell Antiviral Response

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrea Martins-da-Silva

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Hematophagous insects transmit infectious diseases. Sand flies are vectors of leishmaniasis, but can also transmit viruses. We have been studying immune responses of Lutzomyia longipalpis, the main vector of visceral leishmaniasis in the Americas. We identified a non-specific antiviral response in L. longipalpis LL5 embryonic cells when treated with non-specific double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs. This response is reminiscent of interferon response in mammals. We are investigating putative effectors for this antiviral response. Secreted molecules have been implicated in immune responses, including interferon-related responses. We conducted a mass spectrometry analysis of conditioned medium from LL5 cells 24 and 48 h after dsRNA or mock treatment. We identified 304 proteins. At 24 h, 19 proteins had an abundance equal or greater than 2-fold change, while the levels of 17 proteins were reduced when compared to control cells. At the 48 h time point, these numbers were 33 and 71, respectively. The two most abundant secreted peptides at 24 h in the dsRNA-transfected group were phospholipid scramblase, an interferon-inducible protein that mediates antiviral activity, and forskolin-binding protein (FKBP, a member of the immunophilin family, which mediates the effect of immunosuppressive drugs. The transcription profile of most candidates did not follow the pattern of secreted protein abundance.

  6. Intercellular signaling through secreted proteins induces free-energy gradient-directed cell movement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kravchenko-Balasha, Nataly; Shin, Young Shik; Sutherland, Alex; Levine, R D; Heath, James R

    2016-05-17

    Controlling cell migration is important in tissue engineering and medicine. Cell motility depends on factors such as nutrient concentration gradients and soluble factor signaling. In particular, cell-cell signaling can depend on cell-cell separation distance and can influence cellular arrangements in bulk cultures. Here, we seek a physical-based approach, which identifies a potential governed by cell-cell signaling that induces a directed cell-cell motion. A single-cell barcode chip (SCBC) was used to experimentally interrogate secreted proteins in hundreds of isolated glioblastoma brain cancer cell pairs and to monitor their relative motions over time. We used these trajectories to identify a range of cell-cell separation distances where the signaling was most stable. We then used a thermodynamics-motivated analysis of secreted protein levels to characterize free-energy changes for different cell-cell distances. We show that glioblastoma cell-cell movement can be described as Brownian motion biased by cell-cell potential. To demonstrate that the free-energy potential as determined by the signaling is the driver of motion, we inhibited two proteins most involved in maintaining the free-energy gradient. Following inhibition, cell pairs showed an essentially random Brownian motion, similar to the case for untreated, isolated single cells.

  7. Duplications and losses in gene families of rust pathogens highlight putative effectors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amanda L. Pendleton

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Rust fungi are a group of fungal pathogens that cause some of the world’s most destructive diseases of trees and crops. A shared characteristic among rust fungi is obligate biotrophy, the inability to complete a lifecycle without a host. This dependence on a host species likely affects patterns of gene expansion, contraction, and innovation within rust pathogen genomes. The establishment of disease by biotrophic pathogens is reliant upon effector proteins that are encoded in the fungal genome and secreted from the pathogen into the host’s cell apoplast or within the cells. This study uses a comparative genomic approach to elucidate putative effectors and determine their evolutionary histories. We used OrthoMCL to identify nearly 20,000 gene families in proteomes of sixteen diverse fungal species, which include fifteen basidiomycetes and one ascomycete. We inferred patterns of duplication and loss for each gene family and identified families with distinctive patterns of expansion/contraction associated with the evolution of rust fungal genomes. To recognize potential contributors for the unique features of rust pathogens, we identified families harboring secreted proteins that: i arose or expanded in rust pathogens relative to other fungi, or ii contracted or were lost in rust fungal genomes. While the origin of rust fungi appears to be associated with considerable gene loss, there are many gene duplications associated with each sampled rust fungal genome. We also highlight two putative effector gene families that have expanded in Cqf that we hypothesize have roles in pathogenicity.

  8. Dissecting the Wnt secretion pathway: key questions on the modification and intracellular trafficking of Wnt proteins

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Harterink, M.; Korswagen, H.C.

    2012-01-01

    The Wnt family of signalling proteins has essential functions in development and adult tissue homoeostasis throughout the animal kingdom. Although signalling cascades triggered by Wnt proteins have been extensively studied, much remains to be learned about how Wnts are produced and secreted. Over

  9. LcrG secretion is not required for blocking of Yops secretion in Yersinia pestis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matson Jyl S

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background LcrG, a negative regulator of the Yersinia type III secretion apparatus has been shown to be primarily a cytoplasmic protein, but is secreted at least in Y. pestis. LcrG secretion has not been functionally analyzed and the relevance of LcrG secretion on LcrG function is unknown. Results An LcrG-GAL4AD chimera, originally constructed for two-hybrid analyses to analyze LcrG protein interactions, appeared to be not secreted but the LcrG-GAL4AD chimera retained the ability to regulate Yops secretion. This result led to further investigation to determine the significance of LcrG secretion on LcrG function. Additional analyses including deletion and substitution mutations of amino acids 2–6 in the N-terminus of LcrG were constructed to analyze LcrG secretion and LcrG's ability to control secretion. Some changes to the N-terminus of LcrG were found to not affect LcrG's secretion or LcrG's secretion-controlling activity. However, substitution of poly-isoleucine in the N-terminus of LcrG did eliminate LcrG secretion but did not affect LcrG's secretion controlling activity. Conclusion These results indicate that secretion of LcrG, while observable and T3SS mediated, is not relevant for LcrG's ability to control secretion.

  10. Reelin secreted by GABAergic neurons regulates glutamate receptor homeostasis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cecilia Gonzalez Campo

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Reelin is a large secreted protein of the extracellular matrix that has been proposed to participate to the etiology of schizophrenia. During development, reelin is crucial for the correct cytoarchitecture of laminated brain structures and is produced by a subset of neurons named Cajal-Retzius. After birth, most of these cells degenerate and reelin expression persists in postnatal and adult brain. The phenotype of neurons that bind secreted reelin and whether the continuous secretion of reelin is required for physiological functions at postnatal stages remain unknown. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Combining immunocytochemical and pharmacological approaches, we first report that two distinct patterns of reelin expression are present in cultured hippocampal neurons. We show that in hippocampal cultures, reelin is secreted by GABAergic neurons displaying an intense reelin immunoreactivity (IR. We demonstrate that secreted reelin binds to receptors of the lipoprotein family on neurons with a punctate reelin IR. Secondly, using calcium imaging techniques, we examined the physiological consequences of reelin secretion blockade. Blocking protein secretion rapidly and reversibly changes the subunit composition of N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate receptors (NMDARs to a predominance of NR2B-containing NMDARs. Addition of recombinant or endogenously secreted reelin rescues the effects of protein secretion blockade and reverts the fraction of NR2B-containing NMDARs to control levels. Therefore, the continuous secretion of reelin is necessary to control the subunit composition of NMDARs in hippocampal neurons. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our data show that the heterogeneity of reelin immunoreactivity correlates with distinct functional populations: neurons synthesizing and secreting reelin and/or neurons binding reelin. Furthermore, we show that continuous reelin secretion is a strict requirement to maintain the composition of NMDARs. We propose

  11. High mobility group box-1 is phosphorylated by protein kinase C zeta and secreted in colon cancer cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Hanna; Park, Minhee; Shin, Nara; Kim, Gamin; Kim, Yun Gi; Shin, Jeon-Soo; Kim, Hoguen

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Specific enzyme for HMGB1 phosphorylation and its secretion is proposed. ► Inhibition of PKC-ζ leads to significant reduction of the secreted HMGB1. ► Phosphorylation of specific site of HMGB1 redirects its secretion in cancer cells. ► Activation of PKC-ζ in cancers explains the enhanced HMGB1 secretion. -- Abstract: High mobility group box-1 (HMGB1), a nuclear protein, is overexpressed and secreted in cancer cells. Phosphorylation on two different nuclear localization signal regions are known to be important for the nuclear-to-cytoplasmic transport and secretion of HMGB1. However, little is known about the biochemical mechanism of HMGB1 modifications and its subsequent secretion from cancer cells. To identify the specific enzyme and important sites for HMGB1 phosphorylation, we screened the protein kinase C (PKC) family in a colon cancer cell line (HCT116) for HMGB1 binding by pull-down experiments using a 3XFLAG-HMGB1 construct. Strong interactions between atypical PKCs (PKC-ζ, λ, and ι) and cytoplasmic HMGB1 were observed in HCT116 cells. We further identified the most critical PKC isotype that regulates HMGB1 secretion is PKC-ζ by using PKC inhibitors and siRNA experiments. The serine residues at S39, S53 and S181 of HMGB1 were related to enhancing HMGB1 secretion. We also demonstrated overexpression and activation of PKC-ζ in colon cancer tissues. Our findings suggest that PKC-ζ is involved in the phosphorylation of HMGB1, and the phosphorylation of specific serine residues in the nuclear localization signal regions is related to enhanced HMGB1 secretion in colon cancer cells.

  12. Secretion of the endoplasmic reticulum stress protein, GRP78, into the BALF is increased in cigarette smokers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aksoy, Mark O; Kim, Victor; Cornwell, William D; Rogers, Thomas J; Kosmider, Beata; Bahmed, Karim; Barrero, Carlos; Merali, Salim; Shetty, Neena; Kelsen, Steven G

    2017-05-02

    Identification of biomarkers of cigarette smoke -induced lung damage and early COPD is an area of intense interest. Glucose regulated protein of 78 kD (i.e., GRP78), a multi-functional protein which mediates cell responses to oxidant stress, is increased in the lungs of cigarette smokers and in the serum of subjects with COPD. We have suggested that secretion of GRP78 by lung cells may explain the increase in serum GRP78 in COPD. To assess GRP78 secretion by the lung, we assayed GRP78 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in chronic smokers and non-smokers. We also directly assessed the acute effect of cigarette smoke material on GRP78 secretion in isolated human airway epithelial cells (HAEC). GRP78 was measured in BALF of smokers (S; n = 13) and non-smokers (NS; n = 11) by Western blotting. GRP78 secretion by HAEC was assessed by comparing its concentration in cell culture medium and cell lysates. Cells were treated for 24 h with either the volatile phase of cigarette smoke (cigarette smoke extract (CSE) or the particulate phase (cigarette smoke condensate (CSC)). GRP78 was present in the BALF of both NS and S but levels were significantly greater in S (p = 0.04). GRP78 was secreted constitutively in HAEC. CSE 15% X 24 h increased GRP78 in cell-conditioned medium without affecting its intracellular concentration. In contrast, CSC X 24 h increased intracellular GRP78 expression but did not affect GRP78 secretion. Brefeldin A, an inhibitor of classical Golgi secretion pathways, did not inhibit GRP78 secretion indicating that non-classical pathways were involved. The present study indicates that GRP78 is increased in BALF in cigarette smokers; that HAEC secrete GRP78; and that GRP78 secretion by HAEC is augmented by cigarette smoke particulates. Enhanced secretion of GRP78 by lung cells makes it a potential biomarker of cigarette smoke-induced lung injury.

  13. Secretion of intact proteins and peptide fragments by lysosomal pathways of protein degradation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Isenman, L.D.; Dice, J.F.

    1989-01-01

    We report that degradation of proteins microinjected into human fibroblasts is accompanied by release into the culture medium of peptide fragments and intact proteins as well as single amino acids. For the nine proteins and polypeptides microinjected, acid-precipitable radioactivity, i.e. peptide fragments and/or intact proteins, ranged from 10 to 67% of the total released radioactivity. Peptide fragments and/or intact protein accounted for 60% of the radioactivity released into the medium by cells microinjected with ribonuclease A. Two major radiolabeled peptide fragments were found, and one was of an appropriate size to function as an antigen in antigen-presenting cells. The peptides released from microinjected ribonuclease A were derived from lysosomal pathways of proteolysis based on several lines of evidence. Previous studies have shown that microinjected ribonuclease A is degraded to single amino acids entirely within lysosomes. We show that release of free amino acids and peptide fragments and/or intact protein was equivalently stimulated by serum deprivation and equivalently inhibited by NH4Cl. We also show that lysosomal degradation of endocytosed [3H]ribonuclease A was accompanied by the release of two peptide fragments similar in size and charge to those from microinjected [ 3 H]ribonuclease A. These findings demonstrate that degradation within lysosomes occurs in a manner that spares specific peptides; they also suggest a previously unsuspected pathway by which cells can secrete cytosol-derived polypeptides

  14. Secretion of whey acidic protein and cystatin is down regulated at mid-lactation in the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nicholas, K.R.; Fisher, J.A.; Muths, E.; Trott, J.; Janssens, P.A.; Reich, C.; Shaw, D.C.

    2001-01-01

    Milk collected from the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) between day 100 and 260 of lactation showed major changes in milk composition at around day 200 of lactation, the time at which the pouch young begins to temporarily exit the pouch and eat herbage. The carbohydrate content of milk declined abruptly at this time and although there was only a small increase in total protein content, SDS PAGE analysis of milk revealed asynchrony in the secretory pattern of individual proteins. The levels of ??-lactalbumin, ??-lactoglobulin, serum albumin and transferrin remain unchanged during lactation. In contrast, the protease inhibitor cystatin, and the putative protease inhibitor whey acidic protein (WAP) first appeared in milk at elevated concentrations after approximately 150 days of lactation and then ceased to be secreted at approximately 200 days. In addition, a major whey protein, late lactation protein, was first detected in milk around the time whey acidic protein and cystatin cease to be secreted and was present at least until day 260 of lactation. The co-ordinated, but asynchronous secretion of putative protease inhibitors in milk may have several roles during lactation including tissue remodelling in the mammary gland and protecting specific proteins in milk required for physiological development of the dependent young. ?? 2001 Elsevier Science Inc.

  15. A translocator-specific export signal establishes the translocator-effector secretion hierarchy that is important for type III secretion system function

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tomalka, Amanda G.; Stopford, Charles M.; Lee, Pei-Chung; Rietsch, Arne

    2012-01-01

    Summary Type III secretion systems are used by many Gram-negative pathogens to directly deliver effector proteins into the cytoplasm of host cells. To accomplish this, bacteria secrete translocator proteins that form a pore in the host-cell membrane through which the effector proteins are then introduced into the host cell. Evidence from multiple systems indicates that the pore-forming translocator proteins are exported before effectors, but how this secretion hierarchy is established is unclear. Here we used the P. aeruginosa translocator protein PopD as a model to identify its export signals. The amino-terminal secretion signal and chaperone, PcrH, are required for export under all conditions. Two novel signals in PopD, one proximal to the chaperone-binding site and one at the very C-terminus of the protein, are required for export of PopD before effector proteins. These novel export signals establish the translocator-effector secretion hierarchy, which in turn, is critical for the delivery of effectors into host cells. PMID:23121689

  16. Secretion of 35SO4-labeled proteins from isolated rat hepatocytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    von Wuertemberg, M.M.F.; Fries, E.

    1989-01-01

    Sulfation is a Golgi-specific modification of secretory proteins. We have characterized the proteins that are labeled with 35 SO 4 in cultures of rat hepatocytes and studied their transport to the medium. Analysis by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that of the five most heavily labeled proteins, four had well-defined mobilities--apparent molecular masses of 188, 142, 125, and 82 kDa--whereas one was electrophoretically heterogeneous--apparent molecular mass of 35-45 kDa. Judging by their relatively high resistance to acid treatment, the sulfate residues in the 125- and 35-45-kDa proteins were linked to carbohydrate. Some of the secreted proteins were sialylated. In samples of pulse-labeled cells, there appeared to be no unsialylated forms, indicating that sulfation occurred after sialylation, presumably in the trans Golgi. Kinetic experiments showed that the cellular half-life was the same for all the sulfated proteins--about 8 min--consistent with the idea that transport from the Golgi complex to the cell surface occurs by liquid bulk flow

  17. Secretion of a recombinant protein without a signal peptide by the exocrine glands of transgenic rabbits.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrea Kerekes

    Full Text Available Transgenic rabbits carrying mammary gland specific gene constructs are extensively used for excreting recombinant proteins into the milk. Here, we report refined phenotyping of previously generated Venus transposon-carrying transgenic rabbits with particular emphasis on the secretion of the reporter protein by exocrine glands, such as mammary, salivary, tear and seminal glands. The Sleeping Beauty (SB transposon transgenic construct contains the Venus fluorophore cDNA, but without a signal peptide for the secretory pathway, driven by the ubiquitous CAGGS (CAG promoter. Despite the absence of a signal peptide, the fluorophore protein was readily detected in milk, tear, saliva and seminal fluids. The expression pattern was verified by Western blot analysis. Mammary gland epithelial cells of SB-CAG-Venus transgenic lactating does also showed Venus-specific expression by tissue histology and fluorescence microscopy. In summary, the SB-CAG-Venus transgenic rabbits secrete the recombinant protein by different glands. This finding has relevance not only for the understanding of the biological function of exocrine glands, but also for the design of constructs for expression of recombinant proteins in dairy animals.

  18. Secretion of a recombinant protein without a signal peptide by the exocrine glands of transgenic rabbits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kerekes, Andrea; Hoffmann, Orsolya Ivett; Iski, Gergely; Lipták, Nándor; Gócza, Elen; Kues, Wilfried A; Bősze, Zsuzsanna; Hiripi, László

    2017-01-01

    Transgenic rabbits carrying mammary gland specific gene constructs are extensively used for excreting recombinant proteins into the milk. Here, we report refined phenotyping of previously generated Venus transposon-carrying transgenic rabbits with particular emphasis on the secretion of the reporter protein by exocrine glands, such as mammary, salivary, tear and seminal glands. The Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon transgenic construct contains the Venus fluorophore cDNA, but without a signal peptide for the secretory pathway, driven by the ubiquitous CAGGS (CAG) promoter. Despite the absence of a signal peptide, the fluorophore protein was readily detected in milk, tear, saliva and seminal fluids. The expression pattern was verified by Western blot analysis. Mammary gland epithelial cells of SB-CAG-Venus transgenic lactating does also showed Venus-specific expression by tissue histology and fluorescence microscopy. In summary, the SB-CAG-Venus transgenic rabbits secrete the recombinant protein by different glands. This finding has relevance not only for the understanding of the biological function of exocrine glands, but also for the design of constructs for expression of recombinant proteins in dairy animals.

  19. High mobility group box-1 is phosphorylated by protein kinase C zeta and secreted in colon cancer cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Hanna; Park, Minhee; Shin, Nara; Kim, Gamin [Department of Pathology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 134 Shinchon-Dong, Seodaemoon-Ku, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Brain Korea 21 Project for Medical Sciences, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 134 Shinchon-Dong, Seodaemoon-Ku, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Yun Gi [Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 28 Yongon-dong, Chongno-gu, Seoul 110-744 (Korea, Republic of); Shin, Jeon-Soo [Department of Microbiology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 134 Shinchon-Dong, Seodaemoon-Ku, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Hoguen, E-mail: hkyonsei@yuhs.ac [Department of Pathology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 134 Shinchon-Dong, Seodaemoon-Ku, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Brain Korea 21 Project for Medical Sciences, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 134 Shinchon-Dong, Seodaemoon-Ku, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-07-27

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Specific enzyme for HMGB1 phosphorylation and its secretion is proposed. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Inhibition of PKC-{zeta} leads to significant reduction of the secreted HMGB1. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Phosphorylation of specific site of HMGB1 redirects its secretion in cancer cells. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Activation of PKC-{zeta} in cancers explains the enhanced HMGB1 secretion. -- Abstract: High mobility group box-1 (HMGB1), a nuclear protein, is overexpressed and secreted in cancer cells. Phosphorylation on two different nuclear localization signal regions are known to be important for the nuclear-to-cytoplasmic transport and secretion of HMGB1. However, little is known about the biochemical mechanism of HMGB1 modifications and its subsequent secretion from cancer cells. To identify the specific enzyme and important sites for HMGB1 phosphorylation, we screened the protein kinase C (PKC) family in a colon cancer cell line (HCT116) for HMGB1 binding by pull-down experiments using a 3XFLAG-HMGB1 construct. Strong interactions between atypical PKCs (PKC-{zeta}, {lambda}, and {iota}) and cytoplasmic HMGB1 were observed in HCT116 cells. We further identified the most critical PKC isotype that regulates HMGB1 secretion is PKC-{zeta} by using PKC inhibitors and siRNA experiments. The serine residues at S39, S53 and S181 of HMGB1 were related to enhancing HMGB1 secretion. We also demonstrated overexpression and activation of PKC-{zeta} in colon cancer tissues. Our findings suggest that PKC-{zeta} is involved in the phosphorylation of HMGB1, and the phosphorylation of specific serine residues in the nuclear localization signal regions is related to enhanced HMGB1 secretion in colon cancer cells.

  20. Structural Characterization and Oligomerization of the TssL Protein, a Component Shared by Bacterial Type VI and Type IVb Secretion Systems*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durand, Eric; Zoued, Abdelrahim; Spinelli, Silvia; Watson, Paul J. H.; Aschtgen, Marie-Stéphanie; Journet, Laure; Cambillau, Christian; Cascales, Eric

    2012-01-01

    The Type VI secretion system (T6SS) is a macromolecular system distributed in Gram-negative bacteria, responsible for the secretion of effector proteins into target cells. The T6SS has a broad versatility as it can target both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. It is therefore involved in host pathogenesis or killing neighboring bacterial cells to colonize a new niche. At the architecture level, the T6SS core apparatus is composed of 13 proteins, which assemble in two subcomplexes. One of these subcomplexes, composed of subunits that share structural similarities with bacteriophage tail and baseplate components, is anchored to the cell envelope by the membrane subcomplex. This latter is constituted of at least three proteins, TssL, TssM, and TssJ. The crystal structure of the TssJ outer membrane lipoprotein and its interaction with the inner membrane TssM protein have been recently reported. TssL and TssM share sequence homology and characteristics with two components of the Type IVb secretion system (T4bSS), IcmH/DotU and IcmF, respectively. In this study, we report the crystal structure of the cytoplasmic domain of the TssL inner membrane protein from the enteroaggregative Escherichia coli Sci-1 T6SS. It folds as a hook-like structure composed of two three-helix bundles. Two TssL molecules associate to form a functional complex. Although the TssL trans-membrane segment is the main determinant of self-interaction, contacts between the cytoplasmic domains are required for TssL function. Based on sequence homology and secondary structure prediction, we propose that the TssL structure is the prototype for the members of the TssL and IcmH/DotU families. PMID:22371492

  1. Highly active promoters and native secretion signals for protein production during extremely low growth rates in Aspergillus niger.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wanka, Franziska; Arentshorst, Mark; Cairns, Timothy C; Jørgensen, Thomas; Ram, Arthur F J; Meyer, Vera

    2016-08-20

    The filamentous ascomycete Aspergillus niger is used in many industrial processes for the production of enzymes and organic acids by batch and fed-batch cultivation. An alternative technique is continuous cultivation, which promises improved yield and optimized pipeline efficiency. In this work, we have used perfusion (retentostat) cultivation to validate two promoters that are suitable for A. niger continuous cultivation of industrially relevant products. Firstly, promoters of genes encoding either an antifungal protein (Panafp) or putative hydrophobin (PhfbD) were confirmed as active throughout retentostat culture by assessing mRNA and protein levels using a luciferase (mluc) reporter system. This demonstrated the anafp promoter mediates a high but temporally variable expression profile, whereas the hfbD promoter mediates a semi-constant, moderate-to-high protein expression during retentostat culture. In order to assess whether these promoters were suitable to produce heterologous proteins during retentostat cultivation, the secreted antifungal protein (AFP) from Aspergillus giganteus, which has many potential biotechnological applications, was expressed in A. niger during retentostat cultivation. Additionally, this assay was used to concomitantly validate that native secretion signals encoded in anafp and hfbD genes can be harnessed for secretion of heterologous proteins. Afp mRNA and protein abundance were comparable to luciferase measurements throughout retentostat cultivation, validating the use of Panafp and PhfbD for perfusion cultivation. Finally, a gene encoding the highly commercially relevant thermal hysteresis protein (THP) was expressed in this system, which did not yield detectable protein. Both hfbD and anafp promoters are suitable for production of useful products in A. niger during perfusion cultivation. These findings provide a platform for further optimisations for high production of heterologous proteins with industrial relevance.

  2. Associations Between Secret-Keeping and Quality of Life in Older Adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maas, Joyce; Wismeijer, Andreas A J; Van Assen, Marcel A L M

    2018-01-01

    This study examined the effects of secrecy on quality of life in a sample consisting of older adults (>50 years; N = 301). Three key components of secrecy were examined with the Tilburg Secrecy Scale-25 (TSS25; possession of a secret, self-concealment, and cognitive preoccupation). The TSS25 distinguishes between the tendency to conceal personal information (self-concealment) and the tendency to worry or ruminate about the secret (cognitive preoccupation), thereby enabling investigation of the effects of secrecy on quality of life in detail. Confirming previous findings in younger samples, we found a positive effect of possession of a secret on quality of life, after controlling for both TSS25's self-concealment and cognitive preoccupation. This suggests that keeping secrets may have a positive association with quality of life in older adults as well, as long as they do not have the tendency to self-conceal and are not cognitively preoccupied with their secret.

  3. Detergent Isolation Stabilizes and Activates the Shigella Type III Secretion System Translocator Protein IpaC.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernard, Abram R; Duarte, Shari M; Kumar, Prashant; Dickenson, Nicholas E

    2016-07-01

    Shigella rely on a type III secretion system as the primary virulence factor for invasion and colonization of human hosts. Although there are an estimated 90 million Shigella infections, annually responsible for more than 100,000 deaths worldwide, challenges isolating and stabilizing many type III secretion system proteins have prevented a full understanding of the Shigella invasion mechanism and additionally slowed progress toward a much needed Shigella vaccine. Here, we show that the non-denaturing zwitterionic detergent N, N-dimethyldodecylamine N-oxide (LDAO) and non-ionic detergent n-octyl-oligo-oxyethylene efficiently isolated the hydrophobic Shigella translocator protein IpaC from the co-purified IpaC/IpgC chaperone-bound complex. Both detergents resulted in monomeric IpaC that exhibits strong membrane binding and lysis characteristics while the chaperone-bound complex does not, suggesting that the stabilizing detergents provide a means of following IpaC "activation" in vitro. Additionally, biophysical characterization found that LDAO provides significant thermal and temporal stability to IpaC, protecting it for several days at room temperature and brief exposure to temperatures reaching 90°C. In summary, this work identified and characterized conditions that provide stable, membrane active IpaC, providing insight into key interactions with membranes and laying a strong foundation for future vaccine formulation studies taking advantage of the native immunogenicity of IpaC and the stability provided by LDAO. Copyright © 2016 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Cloned Erwinia chrysanthemi out genes enable Escherichia coli to selectively secrete a diverse family of heterologous proteins to its milieu.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, S Y; Lindeberg, M; Chatterjee, A K; Collmer, A

    1991-02-01

    The out genes of the enterobacterial plant pathogen Erwinia chrysanthemi are responsible for the efficient extracellular secretion of multiple plant cell wall-degrading enzymes, including four isozymes of pectate lyase, exo-poly-alpha-D-galacturonosidase, pectin methylesterase, and cellulase. Out- mutants of Er. chrysanthemi are unable to export any of these proteins beyond the periplasm and are severely reduced in virulence. We have cloned out genes from Er. chrysanthemi in the stable, low-copy-number cosmid pCPP19 by complementing several transposon-induced mutations. The cloned out genes were clustered in a 12-kilobase chromosomal DNA region, complemented all existing out mutations in Er. chrysanthemi EC16, and enabled Escherichia coli strains to efficiently secrete the extracellular pectic enzymes produced from cloned Er. chrysanthemi genes, while retaining the periplasmic marker protein beta-lactamase. DNA sequencing of a 2.4-kilobase EcoRI fragment within the out cluster revealed four genes arranged colinearly and sharing substantial similarity with the Klebsiella pneumoniae genes pulH, pulI, pulJ, and pulK, which are necessary for pullulanase secretion. However, K. pneumoniae cells harboring the cloned Er. chrysanthemi pelE gene were unable to secrete the Erwinia pectate lyase. Furthermore, the Er. chrysanthemi Out system was unable to secrete an extracellular pectate lyase encoded by a gene from a closely related plant pathogen. Erwinia carotovora ssp. carotovora. The results suggest that these enterobacteria secrete polysaccharidases by a conserved mechanism whose protein-recognition capacities have diverged.

  5. Protein malnutrition blunts the increment of taurine transporter expression by a high-fat diet and impairs taurine reestablishment of insulin secretion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Branco, Renato Chaves Souto; Camargo, Rafael Ludemann; Batista, Thiago Martins; Vettorazzi, Jean Franciesco; Borck, Patrícia Cristine; Dos Santos-Silva, Junia Carolina Rebelo; Boschero, Antonio Carlos; Zoppi, Cláudio Cesar; Carneiro, Everardo Magalhães

    2017-09-01

    Taurine (Tau) restores β-cell function in obesity; however, its action is lost in malnourished obese rodents. Here, we investigated the mechanisms involved in the lack of effects of Tau in this model. C57BL/6 mice were fed a control diet (CD) (14% protein) or a protein-restricted diet (RD) (6% protein) for 6 wk. Afterward, mice received a high-fat diet (HFD) for 8 wk [CD + HFD (CH) and RD + HFD (RH)] with or without 5% Tau supplementation after weaning on their drinking water [CH + Tau (CHT) and RH + Tau (RHT)]. The HFD increased insulin secretion through mitochondrial metabolism in CH and RH. Tau prevented all those alterations in CHT only. The expression of the taurine transporter (Tau-T), as well as Tau content in pancreatic islets, was increased in CH but had no effect on RH. Protein malnutrition programs β cells and impairs Tau-induced restoration of mitochondrial metabolism and biogenesis. This may be associated with modulation of the expression of Tau-T in pancreatic islets, which may be responsible for the absence of effect of Tau in protein-malnourished obese mice.-Branco, R. C. S., Camargo, R. L., Batista, T. M., Vettorazzi, J. F., Borck, P. C., dos Santos-Silva, J. C. R., Boschero, A. C., Zoppi, C. C., Carneiro, E. M. Protein malnutrition blunts the increment of taurine transporter expression by a high-fat diet and impairs taurine reestablishment of insulin secretion. © FASEB.

  6. Double mutation of cell wall proteins CspB and PBP1a increases secretion of the antibody Fab fragment from Corynebacterium glutamicum

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-01-01

    Background Among other advantages, recombinant antibody-binding fragments (Fabs) hold great clinical and commercial potential, owing to their efficient tissue penetration compared to that of full-length IgGs. Although production of recombinant Fab using microbial expression systems has been reported, yields of active Fab have not been satisfactory. We recently developed the Corynebacterium glutamicum protein expression system (CORYNEX®) and demonstrated improved yield and purity for some applications, although the system has not been applied to Fab production. Results The Fab fragment of human anti-HER2 was successfully secreted by the CORYNEX® system using the conventional C. glutamicum strain YDK010, but the productivity was very low. To improve the secretion efficiency, we investigated the effects of deleting cell wall-related genes. Fab secretion was increased 5.2 times by deletion of pbp1a, encoding one of the penicillin-binding proteins (PBP1a), mediating cell wall peptidoglycan (PG) synthesis. However, this Δpbp1a mutation did not improve Fab secretion in the wild-type ATCC13869 strain. Because YDK010 carries a mutation in the cspB gene encoding a surface (S)-layer protein, we evaluated the effect of ΔcspB mutation on Fab secretion from ATCC13869. The Δpbp1a mutation showed a positive effect on Fab secretion only in combination with the ΔcspB mutation. The ΔcspBΔpbp1a double mutant showed much greater sensitivity to lysozyme than either single mutant or the wild-type strain, suggesting that these mutations reduced cell wall resistance to protein secretion. Conclusion There are at least two crucial permeability barriers to Fab secretion in the cell surface structure of C. glutamicum, the PG layer, and the S-layer. The ΔcspBΔpbp1a double mutant allows efficient Fab production using the CORYNEX® system. PMID:24731213

  7. Secreted protein eco-corona mediates uptake and impacts of polystyrene nanoparticles on Daphnia magna.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nasser, Fatima; Lynch, Iseult

    2016-03-30

    Nanoparticles (NPs) are defined as having at least one external dimension between 1 and 100 nm. Due to their small size, NPs have a large surface area to volume ratio giving them unique characteristics that differ from bulk material of the same chemical composition. As a result these novel materials have found numerous applications in medical and industrial fields with the result that environmental exposure to NPs is increasingly likely. Similarly, increased reliance on plastic, which degrades extremely slowly in the environment, is resulting in increased accumulation of micro-/nano-plastics in fresh and marine waters, whose ecotoxicological impacts are as yet poorly understood. Although NPs are well known to adsorb macromolecules from their environment, forming a biomolecule corona which changes the NP identity and how it interacts with organisms, significantly less research has been performed on the ecological corona (eco-corona). Secretion of biomolecules is a well established predator-prey response in aquatic food chains, raising the question of whether NPs interact with secreted proteins, and the impact of such interaction on NP uptake and ecotoxicity. We report here initial studies, including optimisation of protocols using carboxylic-acid and amino modified spherical polystyrene NPs, to assess interaction of NPs with biomolecules secreted by Daphnia magna and the impact of these interactions on NP uptake, retention and toxicity towards Daphnia magna. Daphnia magna are an important environmental indicator species who may be especially sensitive to nanoparticles (NPs) as a result of being filter-feeders. This paper demonstrates for the first time that proteins released by Daphnia magna create an eco-corona around polystyrene NPs which causes heightened uptake of the NPs and consequently increases toxicity. The secreted protein eco-corona also causes the NPs to be less efficiently removed from the gut of D. magna and NPs remaining in the gut of D. magna

  8. Fluorescence microscopy visualization of halomucin, a secreted 927 kDa protein surrounding Haloquadratum walsbyi cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ralf eZenke

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available At the time of its first publication, halomucin from Haloquadratum walsbyi strain HBSQ001 was the largest archaeal protein known (9159 aa. It has a predicted signal sequence, making it likely to be an extracellular or secreted protein. Best BLAST matches were found to be mammalian mucins that protect tissues to dehydration and chemical stress. It was hypothesized that halomucin participates in protection against desiccation by retaining water in a hull around the halophilic organisms that live at the limits of water activity. We visualized Haloquadratum cells by staining their intracellular polyhydroxybutyrate granules using Nile Blue. Halomucin was stained by immunofluorescence with antibodies generated against synthetic peptides derived from the halomucin amino acid sequence. Polyhydroxybutyrate stained cells were reconstructed in 3D which highlights not only the highly regular square shape but also the extreme flatness of Haloquadratum. Double-staining proves halomucin to be extracellular but to be only loosely associated to cells in agreement with its hypothesized function.

  9. Analysis of the role of the gene bipA, encoding the major endoplasmic reticulum chaperone protein in the secretion of homologous and heterologous proteins in black Aspergilli

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Punt, P.J.; Gemeren, I.A. van; Drint-Kuijvenhoven, J.; Hessing, J.G.M.; Muijlwijk van - Harteveld, G.M.; Beijersbergen, A.; Verrips, C.T.; Hondel, C.A.M.J.J. van den

    1998-01-01

    The function of the endoplasmic-reticulum-localized chaperone binding protein (BiP) in relation to protein secretion in filamentous fungi was studied. It was shown that the overproduction of several homologous and heterologous recombinant proteins by Aspergillus strains induces the expression of

  10. Efficient protein production by yeast requires global tuning of metabolism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Huang, Mingtao; Bao, Jichen; Hallstrom, Bjorn M.

    2017-01-01

    The biotech industry relies on cell factories for production of pharmaceutical proteins, of which several are among the top-selling medicines. There is, therefore, considerable interest in improving the efficiency of protein production by cell factories. Protein secretion involves numerous...... intracellular processes with many underlying mechanisms still remaining unclear. Here, we use RNA-seq to study the genome-wide transcriptional response to protein secretion in mutant yeast strains. We find that many cellular processes have to be attuned to support efficient protein secretion. In particular...... that by tuning metabolism cells are able to efficiently secrete recombinant proteins. Our findings provide increased understanding of which cellular regulations and pathways are associated with efficient protein secretion....

  11. Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC is associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma metastasis and poor prognosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wang Hai-Yun

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The aim of the present study was to analyse the expression of Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC specimens, and to evaluate its correlation with clinicopathologic features, including survival of patients with NPC Methods NPC tissue microarrays (TMAs were constructed from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (SYSUCC, another three centers on mainland China, Singapore and Hong Kong. Using quantitative RT-PCR and Western-blotting techniques, we detected mRNA and protein expression of SPARC in NPC cell lines and immortalized nasopharyngeal epithelial cells (NPECs induced by Bmi-1 (NPEC2 Bmi-1. The difference of SPARC expression in the cell lines was tested using a t-test method. The relationship between the SPARC expression and clinicopathological data was assessed by chi-square. Survival analysis was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier approach with log-rank test. Univariate and multivariate analyses of clinical variables were performed using Cox proportional hazards regression models. Results The expression levels of SPARC mRNA and protein were markedly higher in NPC cell lines than in NPEC2 Bmi-1. Especially, the expression levels of SPARC mRNA and protein were much lower in the 6-10B than in the 5-8 F (P = 0.002, P = 0.001. SPARC immunostaining revealed cytoplasmic localization in NPC cells and no staining in the stroma and epithelium. In addition, high level of SPARC positively correlated with the status of distant metastasis (P = 0.001 and WHO histological classification (P = 0.023. NPC patients with high SPARC expression also had a significantly poorer prognosis than patients with low SPARC expression (log-rank test, P P P Conclusions SPARC expression is common in NPC patients. Our data shows that elevated SPARC expression is a potential unfavorable prognostic factor for patients with NPC.

  12. Plasma kisspeptin levels are associated with insulin secretion in nondiabetic individuals.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francesco Andreozzi

    Full Text Available To evaluate if plasma kisspeptin concentrations are associated with insulin secretion, as suggested by recent in vitro studies, independently of confounders. 261 nondiabetic subjects were stratified into tertiles according to kisspeptin values. Insulin secretion was assessed using indexes derived from oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT. After adjusting for age, gender, and BMI, subjects in the highest (tertile 3 kisspeptin group exhibited significantly lower values of insulinogenic index, corrected insulin response (CIR30, and Stumvoll indexes for first-phase and second-phase insulin release as compared with low (tertile 1 or intermediate (tertile 2 kisspeptin groups. Univariate correlations between kisspeptin concentration and metabolic variables showed that kisspeptin concentration was significantly and positively correlated with age, blood pressure, and 2-h post-load glucose, and inversely correlated with BMI, and waist circumference. There was an inverse relationship between kisspeptin levels and OGTT-derived indexes of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. A multivariable regression analysis in a model including all the variables significantly correlated with kisspeptin concentration showed thar age (β = -0.338, P<0.0001, BMI (β = 0.272, P<0.0001, 2-h post-load glucose (β = -0.229, P<0.0001, and kisspeptin (β = -0.105, P = 0.03 remained associated with insulinogenic index. These factors explained 34.6% of the variance of the insulinogenic index. In conclusion, kisspeptin concentrations are associated with insulin secretion independently of important determinants of glucose homeostasis such as gender, age, adiposity, 2-h post-load glucose, and insulin sensitivity.

  13. Genome-wide analysis of gene expression and protein secretion of Babesia canis during virulent infection identifies potential pathogenicity factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eichenberger, Ramon M; Ramakrishnan, Chandra; Russo, Giancarlo; Deplazes, Peter; Hehl, Adrian B

    2017-06-13

    Infections of dogs with virulent strains of Babesia canis are characterized by rapid onset and high mortality, comparable to complicated human malaria. As in other apicomplexan parasites, most Babesia virulence factors responsible for survival and pathogenicity are secreted to the host cell surface and beyond where they remodel and biochemically modify the infected cell interacting with host proteins in a very specific manner. Here, we investigated factors secreted by B. canis during acute infections in dogs and report on in silico predictions and experimental analysis of the parasite's exportome. As a backdrop, we generated a fully annotated B. canis genome sequence of a virulent Hungarian field isolate (strain BcH-CHIPZ) underpinned by extensive genome-wide RNA-seq analysis. We find evidence for conserved factors in apicomplexan hemoparasites involved in immune-evasion (e.g. VESA-protein family), proteins secreted across the iRBC membrane into the host bloodstream (e.g. SA- and Bc28 protein families), potential moonlighting proteins (e.g. profilin and histones), and uncharacterized antigens present during acute crisis in dogs. The combined data provides a first predicted and partially validated set of potential virulence factors exported during fatal infections, which can be exploited for urgently needed innovative intervention strategies aimed at facilitating diagnosis and management of canine babesiosis.

  14. Comparative characterization of proteins secreted by Neurospora sitophila in solid-state and submerged fermentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yanjun; Peng, Xiaowei; Chen, Hongzhang

    2013-10-01

    Although submerged fermentation (SmF) accounts for most of current enzyme industries, it has been reported that solid-state fermentation (SSF) can produce higher enzyme yields in laboratory scale. In order to understand the reasons contributing to high enzyme production in SSF, this study compared the cellulase activities and secretomes of Neurospora sitophila cultured in SSF and SmF using steam exploded wheat straw as carbon source and enzyme inducer. The total amounts of protein and biomass (glucosamine content) in SSF were respectively 30 and 2.8 times of those in SmF. The CMCase, FPA and β-glucoside activities in SSF were 53-181 times of those in SmF. Both in SSF and SmF, N. sitophila secreted the most critical cellulases and hemicellulases known for Trichoderma reesei, although a β-xylosidase was exclusively identified in SSF. Six endoglucanases were identified in N. sitophila secretion with the high CMCase activity. The non-enzyme proteins in SSF were involved in fungal mycelia growth and conidiation; while those in SmF were more related to glycometabolism and stress tolerance. This revealed that SSF more likely serves as a natural habitat for filamentous fungi to facilitate the enzyme secretion. Copyright © 2013 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Blood-based biomarkers of age-associated epigenetic changes in human islets associate with insulin secretion and diabetes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bacos, Karl; Gillberg, Linn; Volkov, Petr

    2016-01-01

    identified in human islets (for example, KLF14, FHL2, ZNF518B and FAM123C) and some associate with insulin secretion and T2D. DNA methylation correlates with islet expression of multiple genes, including FHL2, ZNF518B, GNPNAT1 and HLTF. Silencing these genes in β-cells alter insulin secretion. Together, we...

  16. The signaling cascades of Ganoderma lucidum extracts in stimulating non-amyloidogenic protein secretion in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell lines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pinweha, Sirinthorn; Wanikiat, Payong; Sanvarinda, Yupin; Supavilai, Porntip

    2008-12-19

    Ganoderma lucidum (GL) is a medicinal mushroom that possesses various pharmacological properties which are also documented in the ancient reports where GL is praised for its effects on the promotion of health and longevity. In this study, we have investigated the effect of GL mycelia extracts on the non-amyloidogenic protein secretion (sAPPalpha) and the amyloid precursor protein (APP) expression in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. In order to characterize the signaling pathway which mediates GL-enhanced sAPPalpha secretion, we used inhibitors of nerve growth factor (NGF) signaling pathways, phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K), phospholipase Cgamma1 (PLCgamma1), protein kinase C (PKC) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2), to block GL-mediated sAPPalpha secretion as well as ERK1/2 and PKC activation by using Western blot analysis. Our results provided for the first time evidence that GL mycelia extracts increased APP expression and promoted sAPPalpha secretion. In addition, GL extracts activated ERK1/2 and PKC phosphorylation. The complex signaling cascades of PI3K and ERK may be responsible for GL-mediated sAPPalpha secretion.

  17. Integrative network analysis highlights biological processes underlying GLP-1 stimulated insulin secretion: A DIRECT study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gudmundsdottir, Valborg; Pedersen, Helle Krogh; Allebrandt, Karla Viviani

    2018-01-01

    Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) stimulated insulin secretion has a considerable heritable component as estimated from twin studies, yet few genetic variants influencing this phenotype have been identified. We performed the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) of GLP-1 stimulated insulin...... secretion in non-diabetic individuals from the Netherlands Twin register (n = 126). This GWAS was enhanced using a tissue-specific protein-protein interaction network approach. We identified a beta-cell protein-protein interaction module that was significantly enriched for low gene scores based on the GWAS...... P-values and found support at the network level in an independent cohort from Tübingen, Germany (n = 100). Additionally, a polygenic risk score based on SNPs prioritized from the network was associated (P

  18. Central effects of humanin on hepatic triglyceride secretion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gong, Zhenwei; Su, Kai; Cui, Lingguang; Tas, Emir; Zhang, Ting; Dong, H Henry; Yakar, Shoshana; Muzumdar, Radhika H

    2015-08-01

    Humanin (HN) is an endogenous mitochondria-associated peptide that has been shown to protect against various Alzheimer's disease-associated insults, myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury, and reactive oxygen species-induced cell death. We have shown previously that HN improves whole body glucose homeostasis by improving insulin sensitivity and increasing glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) from the β-cells. Here, we report that intraperitoneal treatment with one of HN analogs, HNG, decreases body weight gain, visceral fat, and hepatic triglyceride (TG) accumulation in high-fat diet-fed mice. The decrease in hepatic TG accumulation is due to increased activity of hepatic microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTTP) and increased hepatic TG secretion. Both intravenous (iv) and intracerebroventricular (icv) infusion of HNG acutely increase TG secretion from the liver. Vagotomy blocks the effect on both iv and icv HNG on TG secretion, suggesting that the effects of HNG on hepatic TG flux are centrally mediated. Our data suggest that HN is a new player in central regulation of peripheral lipid metabolism. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

  19. UV-C Adaptation of Shigella: Morphological, Outer Membrane Proteins, Secreted Proteins, and Lipopolysaccharides Effects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chourabi, Kalthoum; Campoy, Susana; Rodriguez, Jesus A; Kloula, Salma; Landoulsi, Ahmed; Chatti, Abdelwaheb

    2017-11-01

    Water UV disinfection remains extremely important, particularly in developing countries where drinking and reclaimed crop irrigation water may spread devastating infectious diseases. Enteric bacterial pathogens, among which Shigella, are possible contaminants of drinking and bathing water and foods. To study the effect of UV light on Shigella, four strains were exposed to different doses in a laboratory-made irradiation device, given that the ultraviolet radiation degree of inactivation is directly related to the UV dose applied to water. Our results showed that the UV-C rays are effective against all the tested Shigella strains. However, UV-C doses appeared as determinant factors for Shigella eradication. On the other hand, Shigella-survived strains changed their outer membrane protein profiles, secreted proteins, and lipopolysaccharides. Also, as shown by electron microscopy transmission, morphological alterations were manifested by an internal cytoplasm disorganized and membrane envelope breaks. Taken together, the focus of interest of our study is to know the adaptive mechanism of UV-C resistance of Shigella strains.

  20. Ionizing energy effect on microbiology and proteins of snail secretion which is used to elaborate cosmetic products

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zarate, Herman; Aguirre, Paulina; Silva, Samy [Comision Chilena de Energia Nuclear, Las Condes, Santiago (Chile). Dept. de Aplicaciones Nucleares], e-mail: hzarate@cchen.cl; Manzano, Juan

    2009-07-01

    The snail (Helix aspersa mueller) secretion or its filtrating is an emerging raw material utilized to elaborate different cosmetics products in Chile. This secretion has properties such as regeneration and healing of tissues, elimination of spots in the body, among others. All of them are associated to some of its own components, like the glycolic acid and alantoine. However, working with the secretion has not been free of complications nor sanitary difficulties due to the great manipulation to which it is exposed to, making it vulnerable to microbiological contaminations and causing it not to qualify according to the sanitary criteria stated by cosmetics laboratories, resulting in the material loss for the producer. The ionizing energy from radioactive sources appears to be an efficient alternative to control and reduce the microorganisms of these raw materials destined to the cosmetology industry. The proposed study to determine irradiation benefits required cooled secretion samples obtained from a snail hatchery. The samples were irradiated with doses of 3.0, 5.0 and 7.0 kGy, in order to verify the microbiological reduction and to establish a reduction probability of chemical components that are important in cosmetic products. Our results have allowed to determine that doses of 5.0 and 7.0 kGy reduce the total count of mesophyles in 4 and 5 logarithmic cycles, respectively, These reduction values allow the secretion to be accepted by the laboratories dedicated to process it and elaborate the cosmetic products. On the other hand, to evaluate the effects of chemical components, like total proteins, alantoine and glycolic acid, samples irradiated were used with doses of 7.0 and 10 kGy. The result values from the chemical analysis were not affected by the irradiation and these were similar to the ones which were not irradiate. The study shows the benefits that this technology could provide to reduce the microbiological burden without affecting the properties of the

  1. Ionizing energy effect on microbiology and proteins of snail secretion which is used to elaborate cosmetic products

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zarate, Herman; Aguirre, Paulina; Silva, Samy; Manzano, Juan

    2009-01-01

    The snail (Helix aspersa mueller) secretion or its filtrating is an emerging raw material utilized to elaborate different cosmetics products in Chile. This secretion has properties such as regeneration and healing of tissues, elimination of spots in the body, among others. All of them are associated to some of its own components, like the glycolic acid and alantoine. However, working with the secretion has not been free of complications nor sanitary difficulties due to the great manipulation to which it is exposed to, making it vulnerable to microbiological contaminations and causing it not to qualify according to the sanitary criteria stated by cosmetics laboratories, resulting in the material loss for the producer. The ionizing energy from radioactive sources appears to be an efficient alternative to control and reduce the microorganisms of these raw materials destined to the cosmetology industry. The proposed study to determine irradiation benefits required cooled secretion samples obtained from a snail hatchery. The samples were irradiated with doses of 3.0, 5.0 and 7.0 kGy, in order to verify the microbiological reduction and to establish a reduction probability of chemical components that are important in cosmetic products. Our results have allowed to determine that doses of 5.0 and 7.0 kGy reduce the total count of mesophyles in 4 and 5 logarithmic cycles, respectively, These reduction values allow the secretion to be accepted by the laboratories dedicated to process it and elaborate the cosmetic products. On the other hand, to evaluate the effects of chemical components, like total proteins, alantoine and glycolic acid, samples irradiated were used with doses of 7.0 and 10 kGy. The result values from the chemical analysis were not affected by the irradiation and these were similar to the ones which were not irradiate. The study shows the benefits that this technology could provide to reduce the microbiological burden without affecting the properties of the

  2. Subglottic secretion drainage for the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muscedere, John; Rewa, Oleksa; McKechnie, Kyle; Jiang, Xuran; Laporta, Denny; Heyland, Daren K

    2011-08-01

    Aspiration of secretions containing bacterial pathogens into the lower respiratory tract is the main cause of ventilator-associated pneumonia. Endotracheal tubes with subglottic secretion drainage can potentially reduce this and, therefore, the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia. New evidence on subglottic secretion drainage as a preventive measure for ventilator-associated pneumonia has been recently published and to consider the evidence in totality, we conducted an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched computerized databases, reference lists, and personal files. We included randomized clinical trials of mechanically ventilated patients comparing standard endotracheal tubes to those with subglottic secretion drainage and reporting on the occurrence of ventilator-associated pneumonia. Studies were meta-analyzed for the primary outcome of ventilator-associated pneumonia and secondary clinical outcomes. We identified 13 randomized clinical trials that met the inclusion criteria with a total of 2442 randomized patients. Of the 13 studies, 12 reported a reduction in ventilator-associated pneumonia rates in the subglottic secretion drainage arm; in meta-analysis, the overall risk ratio for ventilator-associated pneumonia was 0.55 (95% confidence interval, 0.46-0.66; p drainage was associated with reduced intensive care unit length of stay (-1.52 days; 95% confidence interval, -2.94 to -0.11; p = .03); decreased duration of mechanically ventilated (-1.08 days; 95% confidence interval, -2.04 to -0.12; p = .03), and increased time to first episode of ventilator-associated pneumonia (2.66 days; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-4.26; p = .001). There was no effect on adverse events or on hospital or intensive care unit mortality. In those at risk for ventilator-associated pneumonia, the use of endotracheal tubes with subglottic secretion drainage is effective for the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia and may be associated with reduced

  3. Structural and Biochemical Characterization of SrcA, a Multi-cargo Type III Secretion Chaperone in Salmonella Required for Pathogenic Association with a Host

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cooper, C.; Zhang, K; Andres, S; Fnag, Y; Kaniuk, N; Hannemann, M; Brumell, J; Foster, L; Junop, M; Coombes, B

    2010-01-01

    Many Gram-negative bacteria colonize and exploit host niches using a protein apparatus called a type III secretion system (T3SS) that translocates bacterial effector proteins into host cells where their functions are essential for pathogenesis. A suite of T3SS-associated chaperone proteins bind cargo in the bacterial cytosol, establishing protein interaction networks needed for effector translocation into host cells. In Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, a T3SS encoded in a large genomic island (SPI-2) is required for intracellular infection, but the chaperone complement required for effector translocation by this system is not known. Using a reverse genetics approach, we identified a multi-cargo secretion chaperone that is functionally integrated with the SPI-2-encoded T3SS and required for systemic infection in mice. Crystallographic analysis of SrcA at a resolution of 2.5 {angstrom} revealed a dimer similar to the CesT chaperone from enteropathogenic E. coli but lacking a 17-amino acid extension at the carboxyl terminus. Further biochemical and quantitative proteomics data revealed three protein interactions with SrcA, including two effector cargos (SseL and PipB2) and the type III-associated ATPase, SsaN, that increases the efficiency of effector translocation. Using competitive infections in mice we show that SrcA increases bacterial fitness during host infection, highlighting the in vivo importance of effector chaperones for the SPI-2 T3SS.

  4. Structural and biochemical characterization of SrcA, a multi-cargo type III secretion chaperone in Salmonella required for pathogenic association with a host.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Colin A Cooper

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available Many Gram-negative bacteria colonize and exploit host niches using a protein apparatus called a type III secretion system (T3SS that translocates bacterial effector proteins into host cells where their functions are essential for pathogenesis. A suite of T3SS-associated chaperone proteins bind cargo in the bacterial cytosol, establishing protein interaction networks needed for effector translocation into host cells. In Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, a T3SS encoded in a large genomic island (SPI-2 is required for intracellular infection, but the chaperone complement required for effector translocation by this system is not known. Using a reverse genetics approach, we identified a multi-cargo secretion chaperone that is functionally integrated with the SPI-2-encoded T3SS and required for systemic infection in mice. Crystallographic analysis of SrcA at a resolution of 2.5 A revealed a dimer similar to the CesT chaperone from enteropathogenic E. coli but lacking a 17-amino acid extension at the carboxyl terminus. Further biochemical and quantitative proteomics data revealed three protein interactions with SrcA, including two effector cargos (SseL and PipB2 and the type III-associated ATPase, SsaN, that increases the efficiency of effector translocation. Using competitive infections in mice we show that SrcA increases bacterial fitness during host infection, highlighting the in vivo importance of effector chaperones for the SPI-2 T3SS.

  5. Discovery of the type VII ESX-1 secretion needle?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ates, Louis S; Brosch, Roland

    2017-01-01

    Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the etiological agent of human tuberculosis, harbours five ESAT-6/type VII secretion (ESX/T7S) systems. The first esx gene clusters were identified during the genome-sequencing project of M. tuberculosis H37Rv. Follow-up studies revealed additional genes playing important roles in ESX/T7S systems. Among the latter genes, one can find those that encode Pro-Glu (PE) and Pro-Pro-Glu (PPE) proteins as well as a gene cluster that is encoded >260 kb upstream of the esx-1 locus and encodes ESX-1 secretion-associated proteins EspA (Rv3616c), EspC (Rv3615c) and EspD (Rv3614c). The espACD cluster has been suggested to have an important function in ESX-1 secretion since EspA-EspC and EsxA-EsxB are mutually co-dependent on each other for secretion. However, the molecular mechanism of this co-dependence and interaction between the substrates remained unknown. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology, Lou and colleagues show that EspC forms high-molecular weight polymerization complexes that resemble selected components of type II, III and/or IV secretion systems of Gram-negative bacteria. Indeed, EspC-multimeric complexes form filamentous structures that could well represent a secretion needle of ESX-1 type VII secretion systems. This exciting observation opens new avenues for research to discover and characterize ESX/T7S components and elucidates the co-dependence of EsxA/B secretion with EspA/C. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  6. High level heterologous protein production in Lactococcus and Lactobacillus using a new secretion system based on the Lactobacillus brevis S-layer signals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savijoki, K; Kahala, M; Palva, A

    1997-02-28

    A secretion cassette, based on the expression and secretion signals of a S-layer protein (SlpA) from Lactobacillus brevis, was constructed. E. coli beta-lactamase (Bla) was used as the reporter protein to determine the functionality of the S-layer signals for heterologous expression and secretion in Lactococcus lactis, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus gasseri and Lactobacillus casei using a low-copy-number plasmid derived from pGK12. In all hosts tested, the bla gene was expressed under the slpA signals and all Bla activity was secreted to the culture medium. The Lb. brevis S-layer promoters were very efficiently recognized in L. lactis, Lb. brevis and Lb. plantarum, whereas in Lb. gasseri the slpA promoter region appeared to be recognized at a lower level and in Lb. casei the level of transcripts was below the detection limit. The production of Bla was mainly restricted to the exponential phase of growth. The highest yield of Bla was obtained with L. lactis and Lb. brevis. Without pH control, substantial degradation of Bla occurred during prolonged cultivations with all lactic acid bacteria (LAB) tested. When growing L. lactis and Lb. brevis under pH control, the Bla activity could be stabilized also at the stationary phase. L. lactis produced up to 80 mg/l of Bla which to our knowledge represents the highest amount of a heterologous protein secreted by LAB so far. The short production phase implied a very high rate of secretion with a calculated value of 5 x 10(5) Bla molecules/cell per h. Such a high rate was also observed with Lb. plantarum, whereas in Lb. brevis the competition between the wild type slpA gene and the secretion construct probably lowered the rate of Bla production. The results obtained indicate wide applicability of the Lb. brevis slpA signals for efficient protein production and secretion in LAB.

  7. EseE of Edwardsiella tarda Augments Secretion of Translocon Protein EseC and Expression of the escC-eseE Operon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yi, Jia; Xiao, Shui Bing; Zeng, Zhi Xiong; Lu, Jin Fang; Liu, Lu Yi; Laghari, Zubair Ahmed; Nie, Pin; Yu, Hong Bing; Xie, Hai Xia

    2016-08-01

    Edwardsiella tarda is an important Gram-negative pathogen that employs a type III secretion system (T3SS) to deliver effectors into host cells to facilitate bacterial survival and replication. These effectors are translocated into host cells through a translocon complex composed of three secreted proteins, namely, EseB, EseC, and EseD. The secretion of EseB and EseD requires a chaperone protein called EscC, whereas the secretion of EseC requires the chaperone EscA. In this study, we identified a novel protein (EseE) that also regulates the secretion of EseC. An eseE deletion mutant secreted much less EseC into supernatants, accompanied by increased EseC levels within bacterial cells. We also demonstrated that EseE interacted directly with EseC in a pulldown assay. Interestingly, EseC, EseE, and EscA were able to form a ternary complex, as revealed by pulldown and gel filtration assays. Of particular importance, the deletion of eseE resulted in decreased levels of EseB and EseD proteins in both the bacterial pellet and supernatant fraction. Furthermore, real-time PCR assays showed that EseE positively regulated the transcription of the translocon operon escC-eseE, comprising escC, eseB, escA, eseC, eseD, and eseE These effects of EseE on the translocon components/operon appeared to have a functional consequence, since the ΔeseE strain was outcompeted by wild-type E. tarda in a mixed infection in blue gourami fish. Collectively, our results demonstrate that EseE not only functions as a chaperone for EseC but also acts as a positive regulator controlling the expression of the translocon operon escC-eseE, thus contributing to the pathogenesis of E. tarda in fish. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  8. Expression by Streptomyces lividans of the Rat α Integrin CD11b A-Domain as a Secreted and Soluble Recombinant Protein

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    Dorra Zouari Ayadi

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available We already reported the use of a long synthetic signal peptide (LSSP to secrete the Streptomyces sp. TO1 amylase by Streptomyces lividans strain. We herein report the expression and secretion of the rat CD11b A-domain using the same LSSP and S. lividans as host strain. We have used the Escherichia coli/Streptomyces shuttle vector pIJ699 for the cloning of the A-domain DNA sequence downstream of LSSP and under the control of the constitutive ermE-up promoter of Streptomyces erythraeus. Using this construct and S. lividans as a host strain, we achieved the expression of 8 mg/L of soluble secreted recombinant form of the A-domain of the rat leukocyte β2 integrin CD11/CD18 alpha M subunit (CD11b. This secreted recombinant CD11b A-domain reacted with a function blocking antibody showing that this protein is properly folded and probably functional. These data support the capability of Streptomyces to produce heterologous recombinant proteins as soluble secreted form using the “LSSP” synthetic signal peptide.

  9. Individual, household and community level factors associated with keeping tuberculosis status secret in Ghana

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joshua Amo-Adjei

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In tuberculosis (TB control, early disclosure is recommended for the purposes of treatment as well as a means of reducing or preventing person-to-person transmission of the bacteria. However, disclosure maybe avoided as a means of escaping stigma, and possible discrimination. This study aimed at providing insights into factors associated with intentions of Ghanaians to keep positive TB diagnosis in their families’ a secret. Methods The paper was based on data from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey. Descriptive statistics of proportions with Chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used to identify individual, household and community level factors that predicted the outcome variable (keeping TB secret. Results Women were more inclined (33% than men (25% to keep TB in the family a secret. Views about keeping TB secret declined with age for both sexes. For women, higher education had a positive association with whether TB in the family would be kept a secret or not but the same was not observed for men. In a multivariable regression model, the strongest predictor of keeping TB secret was whether the respondent would keep HIV secret, and this was uniform among women (OR = 6.992, p < 0.001 and men (OR = 9.870, p < 0.001. Conclusion Unwillingness towards disclosing TB status in Ghana is associated with varied socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, which may be driven by fears of stigma and discrimination. Addressing TB-related stigma and discrimination can enhance positive attitudes towards TB disclosure. For an infectious disease such as TB, openness towards status disclosure is important for public health.

  10. Expression analysis of the Theileria parva subtelomere-encoded variable secreted protein gene family.

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    Jacqueline Schmuckli-Maurer

    Full Text Available The intracellular protozoan parasite Theileria parva transforms bovine lymphocytes inducing uncontrolled proliferation. Proteins released from the parasite are assumed to contribute to phenotypic changes of the host cell and parasite persistence. With 85 members, genes encoding subtelomeric variable secreted proteins (SVSPs form the largest gene family in T. parva. The majority of SVSPs contain predicted signal peptides, suggesting secretion into the host cell cytoplasm.We analysed SVSP expression in T. parva-transformed cell lines established in vitro by infection of T or B lymphocytes with cloned T. parva parasites. Microarray and quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed mRNA expression for a wide range of SVSP genes. The pattern of mRNA expression was largely defined by the parasite genotype and not by host background or cell type, and found to be relatively stable in vitro over a period of two months. Interestingly, immunofluorescence analysis carried out on cell lines established from a cloned parasite showed that expression of a single SVSP encoded by TP03_0882 is limited to only a small percentage of parasites. Epitope-tagged TP03_0882 expressed in mammalian cells was found to translocate into the nucleus, a process that could be attributed to two different nuclear localisation signals.Our analysis reveals a complex pattern of Theileria SVSP mRNA expression, which depends on the parasite genotype. Whereas in cell lines established from a cloned parasite transcripts can be found corresponding to a wide range of SVSP genes, only a minority of parasites appear to express a particular SVSP protein. The fact that a number of SVSPs contain functional nuclear localisation signals suggests that proteins released from the parasite could contribute to phenotypic changes of the host cell. This initial characterisation will facilitate future studies on the regulation of SVSP gene expression and the potential biological role of these enigmatic

  11. The Yersinia enterocolitica type three secretion chaperone SycO is integrated into the Yop regulatory network and binds to the Yop secretion protein YscM1

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    Heesemann Jürgen

    2007-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Pathogenic yersiniae (Y. pestis, Y. pseudotuberculosis, Y. enterocolitica share a virulence plasmid encoding a type three secretion system (T3SS. This T3SS comprises more than 40 constituents. Among these are the transport substrates called Yops (Yersinia outer proteins, the specific Yop chaperones (Sycs, and the Ysc (Yop secretion proteins which form the transport machinery. The effectors YopO and YopP are encoded on an operon together with SycO, the chaperone of YopO. The characterization of SycO is the focus of this study. Results We have established the large-scale production of recombinant SycO in its outright form. We confirm that Y. enterocolitica SycO forms homodimers which is typical for Syc chaperones. SycO overproduction in Y. enterocolitica decreases secretion of Yops into the culture supernatant suggesting a regulatory role of SycO in type III secretion. We demonstrate that in vitro SycO interacts with YscM1, a negative regulator of Yop expression in Y. enterocolitica. However, the SycO overproduction phenotype was not mediated by YscM1, YscM2, YopO or YopP as revealed by analysis of isogenic deletion mutants. Conclusion We present evidence that SycO is integrated into the regulatory network of the Yersinia T3SS. Our picture of the Yersinia T3SS interactome is supplemented by identification of the SycO/YscM1 interaction. Further, our results suggest that at least one additional interaction partner of SycO has to be identified.

  12. A dynamic study of protein secretion and aggregation in the secretory pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mossuto, Maria Francesca; Sannino, Sara; Mazza, Davide; Fagioli, Claudio; Vitale, Milena; Yoboue, Edgar Djaha; Sitia, Roberto; Anelli, Tiziana

    2014-01-01

    Precise coordination of protein biogenesis, traffic and homeostasis within the early secretory compartment (ESC) is key for cell physiology. As a consequence, disturbances in these processes underlie many genetic and chronic diseases. Dynamic imaging methods are needed to follow the fate of cargo proteins and their interactions with resident enzymes and folding assistants. Here we applied the Halotag labelling system to study the behavior of proteins with different fates and roles in ESC: a chaperone, an ERAD substrate and an aggregation-prone molecule. Exploiting the Halo property of binding covalently ligands labelled with different fluorochromes, we developed and performed non-radioactive pulse and chase assays to follow sequential waves of proteins in ESC, discriminating between young and old molecules at the single cell level. In this way, we could monitor secretion and degradation of ER proteins in living cells. We can also follow the biogenesis, growth, accumulation and movements of protein aggregates in the ESC. Our data show that protein deposits within ESC grow by sequential apposition of molecules up to a given size, after which novel seeds are detected. The possibility of using ligands with distinct optical and physical properties offers a novel possibility to dynamically follow the fate of proteins in the ESC.

  13. A dynamic study of protein secretion and aggregation in the secretory pathway.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Francesca Mossuto

    Full Text Available Precise coordination of protein biogenesis, traffic and homeostasis within the early secretory compartment (ESC is key for cell physiology. As a consequence, disturbances in these processes underlie many genetic and chronic diseases. Dynamic imaging methods are needed to follow the fate of cargo proteins and their interactions with resident enzymes and folding assistants. Here we applied the Halotag labelling system to study the behavior of proteins with different fates and roles in ESC: a chaperone, an ERAD substrate and an aggregation-prone molecule. Exploiting the Halo property of binding covalently ligands labelled with different fluorochromes, we developed and performed non-radioactive pulse and chase assays to follow sequential waves of proteins in ESC, discriminating between young and old molecules at the single cell level. In this way, we could monitor secretion and degradation of ER proteins in living cells. We can also follow the biogenesis, growth, accumulation and movements of protein aggregates in the ESC. Our data show that protein deposits within ESC grow by sequential apposition of molecules up to a given size, after which novel seeds are detected. The possibility of using ligands with distinct optical and physical properties offers a novel possibility to dynamically follow the fate of proteins in the ESC.

  14. Myeloma cells suppress osteoblasts through sclerostin secretion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Colucci, S; Brunetti, G; Oranger, A [Department of Human Anatomy and Histology, University of Bari Medical School, Bari (Italy); Mori, G [Department of Biomedical Science, University of Foggia, Foggia (Italy); Sardone, F [Department of Human Anatomy and Histology, University of Bari Medical School, Bari (Italy); Specchia, G; Rinaldi, E; Curci, P; Liso, V [Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, Hematology Section, Bari University Medical School, Bari (Italy); Passeri, G [Department of Internal Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Center for Metabolic Bone Diseases, University of Parma, Parma (Italy); Zallone, A [Department of Human Anatomy and Histology, University of Bari Medical School, Bari (Italy); Rizzi, R [Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, Hematology Section, Bari University Medical School, Bari (Italy); Grano, M [Department of Human Anatomy and Histology, University of Bari Medical School, Bari (Italy)

    2011-06-01

    Wingless-type (Wnt) signaling through the secretion of Wnt inhibitors Dickkopf1, soluble frizzled-related protein-2 and -3 has a key role in the decreased osteoblast (OB) activity associated with multiple myeloma (MM) bone disease. We provide evidence that another Wnt antagonist, sclerostin, an osteocyte-expressed negative regulator of bone formation, is expressed by myeloma cells, that is, human myeloma cell lines (HMCLs) and plasma cells (CD138+ cells) obtained from the bone marrow (BM) of a large number of MM patients with bone disease. We demonstrated that BM stromal cells (BMSCs), differentiated into OBs and co-cultured with HMCLs showed, compared with BMSCs alone, reduced expression of major osteoblastic-specific proteins, decreased mineralized nodule formation and attenuated the expression of members of the activator protein 1 transcription factor family (Fra-1, Fra-2 and Jun-D). Moreover, in the same co-culture system, the addition of neutralizing anti-sclerostin antibodies restored OB functions by inducing nuclear accumulation of β-catenin. We further demonstrated that the upregulation of receptor activator of nuclear factor κ-B ligand and the downregulation of osteoprotegerin in OBs were also sclerostin mediated. Our data indicated that sclerostin secretion by myeloma cells contribute to the suppression of bone formation in the osteolytic bone disease associated to MM.

  15. The Burkholderia pseudomallei Proteins BapA and BapC Are Secreted TTSS3 Effectors and BapB Levels Modulate Expression of BopE.

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    Puthayalai Treerat

    Full Text Available Many Gram-negative pathogens use a type III secretion system (TTSS for the injection of bacterial effector proteins into host cells. The injected effector proteins play direct roles in modulation of host cell pathways for bacterial benefit. Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, expresses three different TTSSs. One of these systems, the TTSS3, is essential for escape from host endosomes and therefore intracellular survival and replication. Here we have characterized three putative TTSS3 proteins; namely BapA, BapB and BapC. By employing a tetracysteine (TC-FlAsH™ labelling technique to monitor the secretion of TC-tagged fusion proteins, BapA and BapC were shown to be secreted during in vitro growth in a TTSS3-dependant manner, suggesting a role as TTSS3 effectors. Furthermore, we constructed B. pseudomallei bapA, bapB and bapC mutants and used the well-characterized TTSS3 effector BopE as a marker of secretion to show that BapA, BapB and BapC are not essential for the secretion process. However, BopE transcription and secretion were significantly increased in the bapB mutant, suggesting that BapB levels modulate BopE expression. In a BALB/c mouse model of acute melioidosis, the bapA, bapB and bapC mutants showed a minor reduction of in vivo fitness. Thus, this study defines BapA and BapC as novel TTSS3 effectors, BapB as a regulator of BopE production, and all three as necessary for full B. pseudomallei in vivo fitness.

  16. Construction of Lactococcus lactis expressing secreted and anchored Eimeria tenella 3-1E protein and comparison of protective immunity against homologous challenge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Chunli; Zhang, Lili; Gao, Mingyang; Ma, Dexing

    2017-07-01

    Two novel plasmids pTX8048-SP-Δ3-1E and pTX8048-SP-NAΔ3-1E-CWA were constructed. The plasmids were respectively electrotransformed into L. lactis NZ9000 to generate strain of L. lactis/pTX8048-SP-Δ3-1E in which 3-1E protein was expressed in secretion, and L. lactis/pTX8048-SP-NAΔ3-1E-CWA on which 3-1E protein was covalently anchored to the surface of bacteria cells. The expression of target proteins were examined by Western blot. The live lactococci expressing secreted 3-1E protein, anchored 3-1E protein, and cytoplasmic 3-1E protein was administered orally to chickens respectively, and the protective immunity and efficacy were compared by animal experiment. The results showed oral immunization to chickens with recombinant lactococci expressing anchored 3-1E protein elicited high 3-1E-specific serum IgG, increased high proportion of CD4 + and CD8α + cells in spleen, alleviated average lesion score in cecum, decreased the oocyst output per chicken compared to lactococci expressing cytoplasmic or secreted 3-1E protein. Taken together, these findings indicated the surface anchored Eimeria protein displayed by L. lacits can induce protective immunity and partial protection against homologous infection. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Intrathecal injection of naked plasmid DNA provides long-term expression of secreted proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hughes, Travis S; Langer, Stephen J; Johnson, Kirk W; Chavez, Raymond A; Watkins, Linda R; Milligan, Erin D; Leinwand, Leslie A

    2009-01-01

    Therapeutic benefit has been reported to result from intrathecal (i.t.) injection of transgene vectors, including naked DNA. However, most studies using naked DNA have measured only the transgene expression of intracellular proteins. Here we demonstrate that i.t. injection of naked DNA can result in long-term expression of secreted proteins. Plasmids expressing either secreted alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) or human interleukin-10 (hIL-10) were injected into the i.t. space in rats, and transgene products were repeatedly measured in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Both SEAP and hIL-10 were maximal at 1 and 2 days after the injection and still detectable at 4 months. The utilization of a plasmid having two features that are hypothesized to increase gene expression (matrix attachment regions (MARs) and lack of CpG dinucleotides) resulted in a significant increase in gene expression. Reinjection of SEAP or hIL-10 plasmids after 4 months significantly increased protein levels at 1 and 14 days after the reinjection. SEAP was uniformly distributed between the DNA delivery site (approximately vertebral level T13) and the lumbar puncture site (L5/L6 inter-vertebral space), was reduced at the cisterna magna, and was detectable, though at much lower levels, in serum. These data suggest that naked DNA has the potential to be used as a therapeutic tool for applications that require long-term release of transgenes into the CSF.

  18. MST4 kinase phosphorylates ACAP4 protein to orchestrate apical membrane remodeling during gastric acid secretion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Xiao; Yao, Phil Y; Jiang, Jiying; Zhang, Yin; Su, Zeqi; Yao, Wendy; Wang, Xueying; Gui, Ping; Mullen, McKay; Henry, Calmour; Ward, Tarsha; Wang, Wenwen; Brako, Larry; Tian, Ruijun; Zhao, Xuannv; Wang, Fengsong; Cao, Xinwang; Wang, Dongmei; Liu, Xing; Ding, Xia; Yao, Xuebiao

    2017-09-29

    Digestion in the stomach depends on acidification of the lumen. Histamine-elicited acid secretion is triggered by activation of the PKA cascade, which ultimately results in the insertion of gastric H,K-ATPases into the apical plasma membranes of parietal cells. Our recent study revealed the functional role of PKA-MST4-ezrin signaling axis in histamine-elicited acid secretion. However, it remains uncharacterized how the PKA-MST4-ezrin signaling axis operates the insertion of H,K-ATPases into the apical plasma membranes of gastric parietal cells. Here we show that MST4 phosphorylates ACAP4, an ARF6 GTPase-activating protein, at Thr 545 Histamine stimulation activates MST4 and promotes MST4 interaction with ACAP4. ACAP4 physically interacts with MST4 and is a cognate substrate of MST4 during parietal cell activation. The phosphorylation site of ACAP4 by MST4 was mapped to Thr 545 by mass spectrometric analyses. Importantly, phosphorylation of Thr 545 is essential for acid secretion in parietal cells because either suppression of ACAP4 or overexpression of non-phosphorylatable ACAP4 prevents the apical membrane reorganization and proton pump translocation elicited by histamine stimulation. In addition, persistent overexpression of MST4 phosphorylation-deficient ACAP4 results in inhibition of gastric acid secretion and blockage of tubulovesicle fusion to the apical membranes. Significantly, phosphorylation of Thr 545 enables ACAP4 to interact with ezrin. Given the location of Thr 545 between the GTPase-activating protein domain and the first ankyrin repeat, we reason that MST4 phosphorylation elicits a conformational change that enables ezrin-ACAP4 interaction. Taken together, these results define a novel molecular mechanism linking the PKA-MST4-ACAP4 signaling cascade to polarized acid secretion in gastric parietal cells. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  19. A multi-pronged search for a common structural motif in the secretion signal of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium type III effector proteins

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Buchko, Garry W.; Niemann, George; Baker, Erin Shammel; Belov, Mikhail E.; Smith, Richard D.; Heffron, Fred; Adkins, Joshua N.; McDermott, Jason E.

    2010-11-08

    Many pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria use a type III secretion system (T3SS) to deliver effector proteins into the host cell where they reprogram host defenses and facilitate pathogenesis. While it has been determined that the first 20 - 30 N-terminal residues usually contain the ‘secretion signal’ that targets effector proteins for translocation, the molecular basis for recognition of this signal is not understood. Recent machine-learning approaches, such as SVM-based Identification and Evaluation of Virulence Effectors (SIEVE), have improved the ability to identify effector proteins from genomics sequence information. While these methods all suggest that the T3SS secretion signal has a characteristic amino acid composition bias, it is still unclear if the amino acid pattern is important and if there are any unifying structural properties that direct recognition. To address these issues a peptide corresponding to the secretion signal for Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium effector SseJ was synthesized (residues 1-30, SseJ) along with scrambled peptides of the same amino acid composition that produced high (SseJ-H) and low (SseJ-L) SIEVE scores. The secretion properties of these three peptides were tested using a secretion signal-CyaA fusion assay and their structures systematically probed using circular dichroism, nuclear magnetic resonance, and ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry. The signal-CyaA fusion assay showed that the native and SseJ-H fusion constructs were secreted into J774 macrophage at similar levels via the SPI-2 secretion pathway while secretion of the SseJ-L fusion construct was substantially retarded, suggesting that the SseJ secretion signal was sequence order dependent. The structural studies showed that the SseJ, SseJ-H, and SseJ-L peptides were intrinsically disordered in aqueous solution with only a small predisposition to adopt nascent helical structure in the presence of the powerful structure stabilizing agent, 1

  20. Identification of the Vibrio parahaemolyticus type III secretion system 2-associated chaperone VocC for the T3SS2-specific effector VopC.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akeda, Yukihiro; Kodama, Toshio; Saito, Kazunobu; Iida, Tetsuya; Oishi, Kazunori; Honda, Takeshi

    2011-11-01

    The enteropathogen Vibrio parahaemolyticus possesses two sets of type III secretion systems, T3SS1 and T3SS2. Effector proteins secreted by these T3SSs are delivered into host cells, leading to cell death or diarrhea. However, it is not known how specific effectors are secreted through a specific T3SS when both T3SSs are expressed within bacteria. One molecule thought to determine secretion specificity is a T3SS-associated chaperone; however, no T3SS2-specific chaperone has been identified. Therefore, we screened T3SS2 chaperone candidates by a pull-down assay using T3SS2 effectors fused with glutathione-S-transferase. A secretion assay revealed that the newly identified cognate chaperone VocC for the T3SS2-specific effector VopC was required for the efficient secretion of the substrate through T3SS2. Further experiments determined the chaperone-binding domain and the amino-terminal secretion signal of the cognate effector. These findings, in addition to the previously identified T3SS1-specific chaperone, VecA, provide a strategy to clarify the specificity of effector secretion through T3SSs of V. parahaemolyticus. 2011 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Salmonella-secreted Virulence Factors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heffron, Fred; Niemann, George; Yoon, Hyunjin; Kidwai, Afshan S.; Brown, Roslyn N.; McDermott, Jason E.; Smith, Richard D.; Adkins, Joshua N.

    2011-05-01

    In this short review we discuss secreted virulence factors of Salmonella, which directly affect Salmonella interaction with its host. Salmonella secretes protein to subvert host defenses but also, as discussed, to reduce virulence thereby permitting the bacteria to persist longer and more successfully disperse. The type III secretion system (TTSS) is the best known and well studied of the mechanisms that enable secretion from the bacterial cytoplasm to the host cell cytoplasm. Other secretion systems include outer membrane vesicles, which are present in all Gram-negative bacteria examined to date, two-partner secretion, and type VI secretion will also be addressed. Excellent reviews of Salmonella secreted effectors have focused on themes such as actin rearrangements, vesicular trafficking, ubiquitination, and the activities of the virulence factors themselves. This short review is based on S. Typhimurium infection of mice because it is a model of typhoid like disease in humans. We have organized effectors in terms of events that happen during the infection cycle and how secreted effectors may be involved.

  2. Obligate Biotrophy Features Unraveled by the Genomic Analysis of the Rust Fungi, Melampsora larici-populina and Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Duplessis, Sebastien; Cuomo, Christina A.; Lin, Yao-Cheng; Aerts, Andrea; Tisserant, Emilie; Veneault-Fourrey, Claire; Joly, David L.; Hacquard, Stephane; Amselem, Joelle; Cantarel, Brandi; Chiu, Readman; Couthinho, Pedro; Feau, Nicolas; Field, Matthew; Frey, Pascal; Gelhaye, Eric; Goldberg, Jonathan; Grabherr, Manfred; Kodira, Chinnappa; Kohler, Annegret; Kues, Ursula; Lindquist, Erika; Lucas, Susan; Mago, Rohit; Mauceli, Evan; Morin, Emmanuelle; Murat, Claude; Pangilinan, Jasmyn L.; Park, Robert; Pearson, Matthew; Quesneville, Hadi; Rouhier, Nicolas; Sakthikumar, Sharadha; Salamov, Asaf A.; Schmutz, Jeremy; Selles, Benjamin; Shapiro, Harris; Tangay, Philippe; Tuskan, Gerald A.; Peer, Yves Van de; Henrissat, Bernard; Rouze, Pierre; Ellis, Jeffrey G.; Dodds, Peter N.; Schein, Jacqueline E.; Zhong, Shaobin; Hamelin, Richard C.; Grigoriev, Igor V.; Szabo, Les J.; Martin1, Francis

    2011-04-27

    Rust fungi are some of the most devastating pathogens of crop plants. They are obligate biotrophs, which extract nutrients only from living plant tissues and cannot grow apart from their hosts. Their lifestyle has slowed the dissection of molecular mechanisms underlying host invasion and avoidance or suppression of plant innate immunity. We sequenced the 101 mega base pair genome of Melampsora larici-populina, the causal agent of poplar leaf rust, and the 89 mega base pair genome of Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici, the causal agent of wheat and barley stem rust. We then compared the 16,841 predicted proteins of M. larici-populina to the 18,241 predicted proteins of P. graminis f. sp tritici. Genomic features related to their obligate biotrophic life-style include expanded lineage-specific gene families, a large repertoire of effector-like small secreted proteins (SSPs), impaired nitrogen and sulfur assimilation pathways, and expanded families of amino-acid, oligopeptide and hexose membrane transporters. The dramatic upregulation of transcripts coding for SSPs, secreted hydrolytic enzymes, and transporters in planta suggests that they play a role in host infection and nutrient acquisition. Some of these genomic hallmarks are mirrored in the genomes of other microbial eukaryotes that have independently evolved to infect plants, indicating convergent adaptation to a biotrophic existence inside plant cells

  3. Nasal secretions from patients with polyps and healthy individuals, collected with a new aspiration system: evaluation of total protein and immunoglobulin concentrations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Biewenga, J.; Stoop, A. E.; Baker, H. E.; Swart, S. J.; Nauta, J. J.; van Kamp, G. J.; van der Baan, S.

    1991-01-01

    This study was designed, first, to test a new system for aspiration of human nasal secretions and, secondly, to evaluate protein and immunoglobulin concentrations in these secretions at different levels of secretory activity. The direct aspiration system combines the advantages of minimal irritation

  4. Identification of membrane-associated proteins with pathogenic potential expressed by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis grown in animal serum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raynal, José Tadeu; Bastos, Bruno Lopes; Vilas-Boas, Priscilla Carolinne Bagano; Sousa, Thiago de Jesus; Costa-Silva, Marcos; de Sá, Maria da Conceição Aquino; Portela, Ricardo Wagner; Moura-Costa, Lília Ferreira; Azevedo, Vasco; Meyer, Roberto

    2018-01-25

    Previous works defining antigens that might be used as vaccine targets against Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, which is the causative agent of sheep and goat caseous lymphadenitis, have focused on secreted proteins produced in a chemically defined culture media. Considering that such antigens might not reflect the repertoire of proteins expressed during infection conditions, this experiment aimed to investigate the membrane-associated proteins with pathogenic potential expressed by C. pseudotuberculosis grown directly in animal serum. Its membrane-associated proteins have been extracted using an organic solvent enrichment methodology, followed by LC-MS/MS and bioinformatics analysis for protein identification and classification. The results revealed 22 membrane-associated proteins characterized as potentially pathogenic. An interaction network analysis indicated that the four potentially pathogenic proteins ciuA, fagA, OppA4 and OppCD were biologically connected within two distinct network pathways, which were both associated with the ABC Transporters KEGG pathway. These results suggest that C. pseudotuberculosis pathogenesis might be associated with the transport and uptake of nutrients; other seven identified potentially pathogenic membrane proteins also suggest that pathogenesis might involve events of bacterial resistance and adhesion. The proteins herein reported potentially reflect part of the protein repertoire expressed during real infection conditions and might be tested as vaccine antigens.

  5. Transporter-mediated biofuel secretion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doshi, Rupak; Nguyen, Tuan; Chang, Geoffrey

    2013-05-07

    Engineering microorganisms to produce biofuels is currently among the most promising strategies in renewable energy. However, harvesting these organisms for extracting biofuels is energy- and cost-intensive, limiting the commercial feasibility of large-scale production. Here, we demonstrate the use of a class of transport proteins of pharmacological interest to circumvent the need to harvest biomass during biofuel production. We show that membrane-embedded transporters, better known to efflux lipids and drugs, can be used to mediate the secretion of intracellularly synthesized model isoprenoid biofuel compounds to the extracellular milieu. Transporter-mediated biofuel secretion sustainably maintained an approximate three- to fivefold boost in biofuel production in our Escherichia coli test system. Because the transporters used in this study belong to the ubiquitous ATP-binding cassette protein family, we propose their use as "plug-and-play" biofuel-secreting systems in a variety of bacteria, cyanobacteria, diatoms, yeast, and algae used for biofuel production. This investigation showcases the potential of expressing desired membrane transport proteins in cell factories to achieve the export or import of substances of economic, environmental, or therapeutic importance.

  6. Structural basis for type VI secreted peptidoglycan dl-endopeptidase function, specificity and neutralization in Serratia marcescens

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Srikannathasan, Velupillai; English, Grant [University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, Scotland (United Kingdom); Bui, Nhat Khai [Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH (United Kingdom); Trunk, Katharina; O’Rourke, Patrick E. F.; Rao, Vincenzo A. [University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, Scotland (United Kingdom); Vollmer, Waldemar [Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH (United Kingdom); Coulthurst, Sarah J., E-mail: s.j.coulthurst@dundee.ac.uk; Hunter, William N., E-mail: s.j.coulthurst@dundee.ac.uk [University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, Scotland (United Kingdom)

    2013-12-01

    Crystal structures of type VI secretion system-associated immunity proteins, a peptidoglycan endopeptidase and a complex of the endopeptidase and its cognate immunity protein are reported together with assays of endopeptidase activity and functional assessment. Some Gram-negative bacteria target their competitors by exploiting the type VI secretion system to extrude toxic effector proteins. To prevent self-harm, these bacteria also produce highly specific immunity proteins that neutralize these antagonistic effectors. Here, the peptidoglycan endopeptidase specificity of two type VI secretion-system-associated effectors from Serratia marcescens is characterized. These small secreted proteins, Ssp1 and Ssp2, cleave between γ-d-glutamic acid and l-meso-diaminopimelic acid with different specificities. Ssp2 degrades the acceptor part of cross-linked tetratetrapeptides. Ssp1 displays greater promiscuity and cleaves monomeric tripeptides, tetrapeptides and pentapeptides and dimeric tetratetra and tetrapenta muropeptides on both the acceptor and donor strands. Functional assays confirm the identity of a catalytic cysteine in these endopeptidases and crystal structures provide information on the structure–activity relationships of Ssp1 and, by comparison, of related effectors. Functional assays also reveal that neutralization of these effectors by their cognate immunity proteins, which are called resistance-associated proteins (Raps), contributes an essential role to cell fitness. The structures of two immunity proteins, Rap1a and Rap2a, responsible for the neutralization of Ssp1 and Ssp2-like endopeptidases, respectively, revealed two distinct folds, with that of Rap1a not having previously been observed. The structure of the Ssp1–Rap1a complex revealed a tightly bound heteromeric assembly with two effector molecules flanking a Rap1a dimer. A highly effective steric block of the Ssp1 active site forms the basis of effector neutralization. Comparisons with Ssp2–Rap2

  7. Structural basis for type VI secreted peptidoglycan dl-endopeptidase function, specificity and neutralization in Serratia marcescens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Srikannathasan, Velupillai; English, Grant; Bui, Nhat Khai; Trunk, Katharina; O’Rourke, Patrick E. F.; Rao, Vincenzo A.; Vollmer, Waldemar; Coulthurst, Sarah J.; Hunter, William N.

    2013-01-01

    Crystal structures of type VI secretion system-associated immunity proteins, a peptidoglycan endopeptidase and a complex of the endopeptidase and its cognate immunity protein are reported together with assays of endopeptidase activity and functional assessment. Some Gram-negative bacteria target their competitors by exploiting the type VI secretion system to extrude toxic effector proteins. To prevent self-harm, these bacteria also produce highly specific immunity proteins that neutralize these antagonistic effectors. Here, the peptidoglycan endopeptidase specificity of two type VI secretion-system-associated effectors from Serratia marcescens is characterized. These small secreted proteins, Ssp1 and Ssp2, cleave between γ-d-glutamic acid and l-meso-diaminopimelic acid with different specificities. Ssp2 degrades the acceptor part of cross-linked tetratetrapeptides. Ssp1 displays greater promiscuity and cleaves monomeric tripeptides, tetrapeptides and pentapeptides and dimeric tetratetra and tetrapenta muropeptides on both the acceptor and donor strands. Functional assays confirm the identity of a catalytic cysteine in these endopeptidases and crystal structures provide information on the structure–activity relationships of Ssp1 and, by comparison, of related effectors. Functional assays also reveal that neutralization of these effectors by their cognate immunity proteins, which are called resistance-associated proteins (Raps), contributes an essential role to cell fitness. The structures of two immunity proteins, Rap1a and Rap2a, responsible for the neutralization of Ssp1 and Ssp2-like endopeptidases, respectively, revealed two distinct folds, with that of Rap1a not having previously been observed. The structure of the Ssp1–Rap1a complex revealed a tightly bound heteromeric assembly with two effector molecules flanking a Rap1a dimer. A highly effective steric block of the Ssp1 active site forms the basis of effector neutralization. Comparisons with Ssp2–Rap2

  8. Elongation Factor Tu and Heat Shock Protein 70 Are Membrane-Associated Proteins from Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae Capable of Inducing Strong Immune Response in Mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fei Jiang

    Full Text Available Chronic non-progressive pneumonia, a disease that has become a worldwide epidemic has caused considerable loss to sheep industry. Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (M. ovipneumoniae is the causative agent of interstitial pneumonia in sheep, goat and bighorn. We here have identified by immunogold and immunoblotting that elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu and heat shock protein 70 (HSP 70 are membrane-associated proteins on M. ovipneumonaiea. We have evaluated the humoral and cellular immune responses in vivo by immunizing BALB/c mice with both purified recombinant proteins rEF-Tu and rHSP70. The sera of both rEF-Tu and rHSP70 treated BALB/c mice demonstrated increased levels of IgG, IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-12(p70, IL-4, IL-5 and IL-6. In addition, ELISPOT assay showed significant increase in IFN-γ+ secreting lymphocytes in the rHSP70 group when compared to other groups. Collectively our study reveals that rHSP70 induces a significantly better cellular immune response in mice, and may act as a Th1 cytokine-like adjuvant in immune response induction. Finally, growth inhibition test (GIT of M. ovipneumoniae strain Y98 showed that sera from rHSP70 or rEF-Tu-immunized mice inhibited in vitro growth of M. ovipneumoniae. Our data strongly suggest that EF-Tu and HSP70 of M. ovipneumoniae are membrane-associated proteins capable of inducing antibody production, and cytokine secretion. Therefore, these two proteins may be potential candidates for vaccine development against M. ovipneumoniae infection in sheep.

  9. Genetic and biochemical characterization of the cell wall hydrolase activity of the major secreted protein of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Claes, I.J.; Schoofs, G.; Regulski, K.; Vos, de W.M.

    2012-01-01

    Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) produces two major secreted proteins, designated here Msp1 (LGG_00324 or p75) and Msp2 (LGG_00031 or p40), which have been reported to promote the survival and growth of intestinal epithelial cells. Intriguingly, although each of these proteins shares homology with

  10. Integrative network analysis highlights biological processes underlying GLP-1 stimulated insulin secretion: A DIRECT study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valborg Gudmundsdottir

    Full Text Available Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1 stimulated insulin secretion has a considerable heritable component as estimated from twin studies, yet few genetic variants influencing this phenotype have been identified. We performed the first genome-wide association study (GWAS of GLP-1 stimulated insulin secretion in non-diabetic individuals from the Netherlands Twin register (n = 126. This GWAS was enhanced using a tissue-specific protein-protein interaction network approach. We identified a beta-cell protein-protein interaction module that was significantly enriched for low gene scores based on the GWAS P-values and found support at the network level in an independent cohort from Tübingen, Germany (n = 100. Additionally, a polygenic risk score based on SNPs prioritized from the network was associated (P < 0.05 with glucose-stimulated insulin secretion phenotypes in up to 5,318 individuals in MAGIC cohorts. The network contains both known and novel genes in the context of insulin secretion and is enriched for members of the focal adhesion, extracellular-matrix receptor interaction, actin cytoskeleton regulation, Rap1 and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways. Adipose tissue is, like the beta-cell, one of the target tissues of GLP-1 and we thus hypothesized that similar networks might be functional in both tissues. In order to verify peripheral effects of GLP-1 stimulation, we compared the transcriptome profiling of ob/ob mice treated with liraglutide, a clinically used GLP-1 receptor agonist, versus baseline controls. Some of the upstream regulators of differentially expressed genes in the white adipose tissue of ob/ob mice were also detected in the human beta-cell network of genes associated with GLP-1 stimulated insulin secretion. The findings provide biological insight into the mechanisms through which the effects of GLP-1 may be modulated and highlight a potential role of the beta-cell expressed genes RYR2, GDI2, KIAA0232, COL4A1 and COL4A2 in GLP-1 stimulated

  11. Selective condensation drives partitioning and sequential secretion of cyst wall proteins in differentiating Giardia lamblia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christian Konrad

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available Controlled secretion of a protective extracellular matrix is required for transmission of the infective stage of a large number of protozoan and metazoan parasites. Differentiating trophozoites of the highly minimized protozoan parasite Giardia lamblia secrete the proteinaceous portion of the cyst wall material (CWM consisting of three paralogous cyst wall proteins (CWP1-3 via organelles termed encystation-specific vesicles (ESVs. Phylogenetic and molecular data indicate that Diplomonads have lost a classical Golgi during reductive evolution. However, neogenesis of ESVs in encysting Giardia trophozoites transiently provides basic Golgi functions by accumulating presorted CWM exported from the ER for maturation. Based on this "minimal Golgi" hypothesis we predicted maturation of ESVs to a trans Golgi-like stage, which would manifest as a sorting event before regulated secretion of the CWM. Here we show that proteolytic processing of pro-CWP2 in maturing ESVs coincides with partitioning of CWM into two fractions, which are sorted and secreted sequentially with different kinetics. This novel sorting function leads to rapid assembly of a structurally defined outer cyst wall, followed by slow secretion of the remaining components. Using live cell microscopy we find direct evidence for condensed core formation in maturing ESVs. Core formation suggests that a mechanism controlled by phase transitions of the CWM from fluid to condensed and back likely drives CWM partitioning and makes sorting and sequential secretion possible. Blocking of CWP2 processing by a protease inhibitor leads to mis-sorting of a CWP2 reporter. Nevertheless, partitioning and sequential secretion of two portions of the CWM are unaffected in these cells. Although these cysts have a normal appearance they are not water resistant and therefore not infective. Our findings suggest that sequential assembly is a basic architectural principle of protective wall formation and requires

  12. Secretion of hepatitis C virus envelope glycoproteins depends on assembly of apolipoprotein B positive lipoproteins.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vinca Icard

    Full Text Available The density of circulating hepatitis C virus (HCV particles in the blood of chronically infected patients is very heterogeneous. The very low density of some particles has been attributed to an association of the virus with apolipoprotein B (apoB positive and triglyceride rich lipoproteins (TRL likely resulting in hybrid lipoproteins known as lipo-viro-particles (LVP containing the viral envelope glycoproteins E1 and E2, capsid and viral RNA. The specific infectivity of these particles has been shown to be higher than the infectivity of particles of higher density. The nature of the association of HCV particles with lipoproteins remains elusive and the role of apolipoproteins in the synthesis and assembly of the viral particles is unknown. The human intestinal Caco-2 cell line differentiates in vitro into polarized and apoB secreting cells during asymmetric culture on porous filters. By using this cell culture system, cells stably expressing E1 and E2 secreted the glycoproteins into the basal culture medium after one week of differentiation concomitantly with TRL secretion. Secreted glycoproteins were only detected in apoB containing density fractions. The E1-E2 and apoB containing particles were unique complexes bearing the envelope glycoproteins at their surface since apoB could be co-immunoprecipitated with E2-specific antibodies. Envelope protein secretion was reduced by inhibiting the lipidation of apoB with an inhibitor of the microsomal triglyceride transfer protein. HCV glycoproteins were similarly secreted in association with TRL from the human liver cell line HepG2 but not by Huh-7 and Huh-7.5 hepatoma cells that proved deficient for lipoprotein assembly. These data indicate that HCV envelope glycoproteins have the intrinsic capacity to utilize apoB synthesis and lipoprotein assembly machinery even in the absence of the other HCV proteins. A model for LVP assembly is proposed.

  13. Visualization of glucagon secretion from pancreatic α cells by bioluminescence video microscopy: Identification of secretion sites in the intercellular contact regions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yokawa, Satoru; Suzuki, Takahiro; Inouye, Satoshi; Inoh, Yoshikazu; Suzuki, Ryo; Kanamori, Takao; Furuno, Tadahide; Hirashima, Naohide

    2017-01-01

    We have firstly visualized glucagon secretion using a method of video-rate bioluminescence imaging. The fusion protein of proglucagon and Gaussia luciferase (PGCG-GLase) was used as a reporter to detect glucagon secretion and was efficiently expressed in mouse pancreatic α cells (αTC1.6) using a preferred human codon-optimized gene. In the culture medium of the cells expressing PGCG-GLase, luminescence activity determined with a luminometer was increased with low glucose stimulation and KCl-induced depolarization, as observed for glucagon secretion. From immunochemical analyses, PGCG-GLase stably expressed in clonal αTC1.6 cells was correctly processed and released by secretory granules. Luminescence signals of the secreted PGCG-GLase from the stable cells were visualized by video-rate bioluminescence microscopy. The video images showed an increase in glucagon secretion from clustered cells in response to stimulation by KCl. The secretory events were observed frequently at the intercellular contact regions. Thus, the localization and frequency of glucagon secretion might be regulated by cell-cell adhesion. - Highlights: • The fused protein of proglucagon to Gaussia luciferase was used as a reporter. • The fusion protein was highly expressed using a preferred human-codon optimized gene. • Glucagon secretion stimulated by depolarization was determined by luminescence. • Glucagon secretion in α cells was visualized by bioluminescence imaging. • Glucagon secretion sites were localized in the intercellular contact regions.

  14. Compatibility in the Ustilago maydis-maize interaction requires inhibition of host cysteine proteases by the fungal effector Pit2.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    André N Mueller

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available The basidiomycete Ustilago maydis causes smut disease in maize, with large plant tumors being formed as the most prominent disease symptoms. During all steps of infection, U. maydis depends on a biotrophic interaction, which requires an efficient suppression of plant immunity. In a previous study, we identified the secreted effector protein Pit2, which is essential for maintenance of biotrophy and induction of tumors. Deletion mutants for pit2 successfully penetrate host cells but elicit various defense responses, which stops further fungal proliferation. We now show that Pit2 functions as an inhibitor of a set of apoplastic maize cysteine proteases, whose activity is directly linked with salicylic-acid-associated plant defenses. Consequently, protease inhibition by Pit2 is required for U. maydis virulence. Sequence comparisons with Pit2 orthologs from related smut fungi identified a conserved sequence motif. Mutation of this sequence caused loss of Pit2 function. Consequently, expression of the mutated protein in U. maydis could not restore virulence of the pit2 deletion mutant, indicating that the protease inhibition by Pit2 is essential for fungal virulence. Moreover, synthetic peptides of the conserved sequence motif showed full activity as protease inhibitor, which identifies this domain as a new, minimal protease inhibitor domain in plant-pathogenic fungi.

  15. Onset of apoprotein E secretion during differentiation of mouse bone marrow-derived mononuclear phagocytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Werb, Z.; Chin, J.R.

    1983-01-01

    A number of macrophage functions were sequentially expressed when the bone marrow precursors of mononuclear phagocytes differentiated in culture in the presence of a specific growth factor, colony-stimulating factor-1. The authors defined the expression of apoprotein E (ApoE), a major secreted protein of resident peritoneal macrophages, during maturation of adherent bone marrow-derived mononuclear phagocytes into macrophages. By 5 d the bone marrow macrophages were active secretory cells, but few cells contained intracellular immunoreactive ApoE, and little, if any, ApoE was secreted. ApoE secretion was initiated at 9 d, and this correlated with an increase in the percentage of macrophages containing intracellular ApoE. The onset of ApoE secretion was selective, and little change occurred in the other major secreted proteins detected by [ 35 S]methionine incorporation. In parallel, the high rate of plasminogen activator secretion, which peaked at 7 d, decreased markedly. ApoE secretion was not associated with altered expression of the macrophage surface antigen, la, or with secretion of fibronectin. Virtually all cells in independent colonies of bone marrow-derived macrophages eventually expressed ApoE. The proliferating monocyte/macrophage-like cell lines P388D1, J774.2, WHEI-3, RAW 264.1, and MGI.D + secreted little or no ApoE. These data establish that ApoE secretion is developmentally regulated

  16. WISP3 (CCN6 Is a Secreted Tumor-Suppressor Protein that Modulates IGF Signaling in Inflammatory Breast Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Celina G. Kleer

    2004-03-01

    Full Text Available Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC is the most lethal form of locally advanced breast cancer. We have found that WISP3 is lost in 80% of human IBC tumors and that it has growth- and angiogenesis-inhibitory functions in breast cancer in vitro and in vivo. WISP3 is a cysteine-rich, putatively secreted protein that belongs to the CCN family. It contains a signal peptide at the N-terminus and four highly conserved motifs. Here, for the first time, we investigate the function of WISP3 protein in relationship to its structural features. We found that WISP3 is secreted into the conditioned media and into the lumens of normal breast ducts. Once secreted, WISP3 was able to decrease, directly or through induction of other molecule(s, the IGF-1-induced activation of the IGF-IR, and two of its main downstream signaling molecules, IRS1 and ERK-1/2, in SUM149 IBC cells. Furthermore, WISP3 containing conditioned media decreased the growth rate of SUM149 cells. This work sheds light into the mechanism of WISP3 function by demonstrating that it is secreted and that, once in the extracellular media, it induces a series of molecular events that leads to modulation of IGF-IR signaling pathways and cellular growth in IBC cells.

  17. Knocking out Bcsas1 in Botrytis cinerea impacts growth, development, and secretion of extracellular proteins, which decreases virulence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Zhanquan; Qin, Guozheng; Li, Boqiang; Tian, Shiping

    2014-06-01

    Pathogenic fungi usually secrete a series of virulence factors to the extracellular environment to facilitate infection. Rab GTPases play a central role in the secretory pathway. To explore the function of Rab/GTPase in filamentous fungi, we knocked out a Rab/GTPase family gene, Bcsas1, in Botrytis cinerea, an aggressive fungal pathogen that infects more than 200 plant species. A detailed analysis was conducted on the virulence and the secretory capability of the mutants. The results indicated that knockout of Bcsas1 inhibited hyphal development and reduced sporulation of B. cinerea on potato dextrose agar plates resulting in reduced virulence on various fruit hosts. Knocking out the Bcsas1 gene led to an accumulation of transport vesicles at the hyphal tip, significantly reduced extracellular protein content, and lowered the activity of polygalacturonase and xylanase in the extracellular medium. However, mutation of Bcsas1 did not affect the expression of genes encoding polygalacturonase and xylanase, suggesting the secretion of these two family enzymes was suppressed in the mutant. Moreover, a comparative analysis of the secretome provided further evidence that the disruption of Bcsas1 in mutant strains significantly depressed the secretion of polysaccharide hydrolases and proteases. The results indicate that Bcsas1, the Rab8/SEC4-like gene, plays a crucial role in development, protein secretion, and virulence of B. cinerea.

  18. Signal sequence and keyword trap in silico for selection of full-length human cDNAs encoding secretion or membrane proteins from oligo-capped cDNA libraries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Otsuki, Tetsuji; Ota, Toshio; Nishikawa, Tetsuo; Hayashi, Koji; Suzuki, Yutaka; Yamamoto, Jun-ichi; Wakamatsu, Ai; Kimura, Kouichi; Sakamoto, Katsuhiko; Hatano, Naoto; Kawai, Yuri; Ishii, Shizuko; Saito, Kaoru; Kojima, Shin-ichi; Sugiyama, Tomoyasu; Ono, Tetsuyoshi; Okano, Kazunori; Yoshikawa, Yoko; Aotsuka, Satoshi; Sasaki, Naokazu; Hattori, Atsushi; Okumura, Koji; Nagai, Keiichi; Sugano, Sumio; Isogai, Takao

    2005-01-01

    We have developed an in silico method of selection of human full-length cDNAs encoding secretion or membrane proteins from oligo-capped cDNA libraries. Fullness rates were increased to about 80% by combination of the oligo-capping method and ATGpr, software for prediction of translation start point and the coding potential. Then, using 5'-end single-pass sequences, cDNAs having the signal sequence were selected by PSORT ('signal sequence trap'). We also applied 'secretion or membrane protein-related keyword trap' based on the result of BLAST search against the SWISS-PROT database for the cDNAs which could not be selected by PSORT. Using the above procedures, 789 cDNAs were primarily selected and subjected to full-length sequencing, and 334 of these cDNAs were finally selected as novel. Most of the cDNAs (295 cDNAs: 88.3%) were predicted to encode secretion or membrane proteins. In particular, 165(80.5%) of the 205 cDNAs selected by PSORT were predicted to have signal sequences, while 70 (54.2%) of the 129 cDNAs selected by 'keyword trap' preserved the secretion or membrane protein-related keywords. Many important cDNAs were obtained, including transporters, receptors, and ligands, involved in significant cellular functions. Thus, an efficient method of selecting secretion or membrane protein-encoding cDNAs was developed by combining the above four procedures.

  19. Exploring sequence characteristics related to high-level production of secreted proteins in Aspergillus niger.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bastiaan A van den Berg

    Full Text Available Protein sequence features are explored in relation to the production of over-expressed extracellular proteins by fungi. Knowledge on features influencing protein production and secretion could be employed to improve enzyme production levels in industrial bioprocesses via protein engineering. A large set, over 600 homologous and nearly 2,000 heterologous fungal genes, were overexpressed in Aspergillus niger using a standardized expression cassette and scored for high versus no production. Subsequently, sequence-based machine learning techniques were applied for identifying relevant DNA and protein sequence features. The amino-acid composition of the protein sequence was found to be most predictive and interpretation revealed that, for both homologous and heterologous gene expression, the same features are important: tyrosine and asparagine composition was found to have a positive correlation with high-level production, whereas for unsuccessful production, contributions were found for methionine and lysine composition. The predictor is available online at http://bioinformatics.tudelft.nl/hipsec. Subsequent work aims at validating these findings by protein engineering as a method for increasing expression levels per gene copy.

  20. Mass spectrometry-based proteomic exploration of the human immune system: focus on the inflammasome, global protein secretion, and T cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nyman, Tuula A; Lorey, Martina B; Cypryk, Wojciech; Matikainen, Sampsa

    2017-05-01

    The immune system is our defense system against microbial infections and tissue injury, and understanding how it works in detail is essential for developing drugs for different diseases. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics can provide in-depth information on the molecular mechanisms involved in immune responses. Areas covered: Summarized are the key immunology findings obtained with MS-based proteomics in the past five years, with a focus on inflammasome activation, global protein secretion, mucosal immunology, immunopeptidome and T cells. Special focus is on extracellular vesicle-mediated protein secretion and its role in immune responses. Expert commentary: Proteomics is an essential part of modern omics-scale immunology research. To date, MS-based proteomics has been used in immunology to study protein expression levels, their subcellular localization, secretion, post-translational modifications, and interactions in immune cells upon activation by different stimuli. These studies have made major contributions to understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in innate and adaptive immune responses. New developments in proteomics offer constantly novel possibilities for exploring the immune system. Examples of these techniques include mass cytometry and different MS-based imaging approaches which can be widely used in immunology.

  1. Wrapped up in Covers: Preschoolers' Secrets and Secret Hiding Places

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corson, Kimberly; Colwell, Malinda J.; Bell, Nancy J.; Trejos-Castillo, Elizabeth

    2014-01-01

    In this qualitative study, interviews about children's secret hiding places were conducted with 3-5-year-olds (n?=?17) in a university sponsored preschool programme using art narratives. Since prior studies indicate that children understand the concept of a secret as early as five and that they associate secrets with hiding places, the purpose of…

  2. Functional characterization of the protein C A267T mutation: evidence for impaired secretion due to defective intracellular transport

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tjeldhorn Lena

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Activated protein C (PC is a serine protease that regulates blood coagulation by inactivating coagulation factors Va and VIIIa. PC deficiency is an autosomally inherited disorder associated with a high risk of recurrent venous thrombosis. The aim of the study was to explore the mechanisms responsible for severe PC deficiency in a patient with the protein C A267T mutation by in-vitro expression studies. Results Huh7 and CHO-K1 cells were transiently transfected with expression vectors containing wild-type (WT PC and mutated PC (A267T PC cDNAs. PC mRNA levels were assessed by qRT-PCR and the PC protein levels were measured by ELISA. The mRNA levels of WT PC and A267T PC were similar, while the intracellular protein level of A267T PC was moderately decreased compared to WT PC. The secretion of A267T PC into the medium was severely impaired. No differences in molecular weights were observed between WT and A267T PC before and after treatment with endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase. Proteasomal and lysosomal degradations were examined using lactacystin and bafilomycin, respectively, and revealed that A267T PC was slightly more susceptible for proteasomal degradation than WT PC. Intracellular co-localization analysis indicated that A267T PC was mainly located in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER, whereas WT PC was observed in both ER and Golgi. Conclusions In contrast to what has been reported for other PC mutants, intracellular degradation of A267T PC was not the main/dominant mechanism underlying the reduced intracellular and secretion levels of PC. Our results indicate that the A267T mutation most likely caused misfolding of PC, which might lead to increased retention of the mutated PC in ER.

  3. Interleukin 1 induces early protein phosphorylation and requires only a short exposure for late induced secretion of β-endorphin in a mouse pituitary cell line

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fagarasan, M.O.; Axelrod, J.; Bishop, J.F.; Rinaudo, M.S.

    1990-01-01

    Previous work has shown that prolonged pretreatment of a mouse anterior pituitary cell line, AtT-20 cells, with the cytokine interleukin 1 (IL-1) stimulates β-endorphin release and potentiates the secretion induced by many secretagogues. Desensitization of protein kinase C (PKC) by pretreatment with phorbol ester [phorbol 12-tetradecanoate 13-acetate (TPA)] for 8 hr abolished the secretion induced by TPA as well as the enhancement of TPA-induced β-endorphin release produced by IL-1. Desensitization of PKC only partly abolished the potentiating effects of IL-1 on corticotropin-releasing factor-induced β-endorphin secretion. In contrast, IL-1-induced β-endorphin release was independent of PKC. The authors observed that treatment of AtT-20 cells with IL-1 markedly phosphorylated 19-, 20-, and 60-kDa proteins within minutes, presumably by early activation of protein kinases. Prolonged treatment with TPA, which was shown to desensitize an 87-kDa protein (a substrate for PKC), had no effect on IL-1-induced phosphorylation of 20-, 60-, and 87-kDa proteins, indicating that the phosphorylation of these proteins does not involve PKC. IL-1 does not generate cAMP in AtT-20 cells, suggesting that a cAMP-dependent protein kinase is also not involved. These observations indicate that once IL-1 generates an early signal, its presence is no longer necessary for the subsequent secretion of β-endorphin

  4. Exploring the Plant–Microbe Interface by Profiling the Surface-Associated Proteins of Barley Grains

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sultan, Abida; Andersen, Birgit; Svensson, Birte

    2016-01-01

    Cereal grains are colonized by a microbial community that actively interacts with the plant via secretion of various enzymes, hormones, and metabolites. Microorganisms decompose plant tissues by a collection of depolymerizing enzymes, including β-1,4-xylanases, that are in turn inhibited by plant...... xylanase inhibitors. To gain insight into the importance of the microbial consortia and their interaction with barley grains, we used a combined gel-based (2-DE coupled to MALDI-TOF-TOF MS) and gel-free (LC–MS/MS) proteomics approach complemented with enzyme activity assays to profile the surface......-associated proteins and xylanolytic activities of two barley cultivars. The surface-associated proteome was dominated by plant proteins with roles in defense and stress-responses, while the relatively less abundant microbial (bacterial and fungal) proteins were involved in cell-wall and polysaccharide degradation...

  5. A secreted factor represses cell proliferation in Dictyostelium

    OpenAIRE

    Brock, Debra A.; Gomer, Richard H.

    2005-01-01

    Many cells appear to secrete factors called chalones that limit their proliferation, but in most cases the factors have not been identified. We found that growing Dictyostelium cells secrete a 60 kDa protein called AprA for autocrine proliferation repressor. AprA has similarity to putative bacterial proteins of unknown function. Compared with wild-type cells, aprA-null cells proliferate faster, while AprA overexpressing cells proliferate slower. Growing wild-type cells secrete a factor that i...

  6. Isthmin is a novel secreted protein expressed as part of the Fgf-8 synexpression group in the Xenopus midbrain-hindbrain organizer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pera, Edgar M; Kim, James I; Martinez, Sarah L; Brechner, Mariel; Li, Su Yu; Wessely, Oliver; De Robertis, E M

    2002-08-01

    Patterning of the central nervous system is regulated by a signaling center located at the midbrain-hindbrain boundary (MHB), or isthmus organizer. Fibroblast growth factors secreted from the MHB are required and sufficient to direct the ordered growth and regionalization of the midbrain and anterior hindbrain. In an unbiased secretion cloning screen of Xenopus gastrula embryos we identified a novel gene, which we designated as Isthmin (xIsm) due to its prominent expression at the MHB. xIsm encodes a secreted protein of 449 amino acids containing one copy of the thrombospondin type 1 repeat (TSR). We also found orthologous Isthmin genes in human (hIsm) and mouse (mIsm), as well as a gene encoding an Isthmin-like human unknown protein (hIsm-l). The conservation of a unique carboxy-terminal region between hIsm and hIsm-l suggests that Isthmin is the founding member of a new family of secreted proteins. xIsm was strongly expressed maternally in the Xenopus egg and showed zygotic expression in the ventral blastopore lip, notochord, and MHB. Additional expression domains were detected in neural crest, ear vesicle, and developing blood islands. Interestingly, xIsm was co-expressed with Fibroblast growth factor-8 (xFgf-8) at multiple sites including the MHB, indicating that these two genes are part of a synexpression group which also includes sprouty and sef homologs.

  7. Phorbol-ester-induced down-regulation of protein kinase C in mouse pancreatic islets. Potentiation of phase 1 and inhibition of phase 2 of glucose-induced insulin secretion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thams, P; Capito, K; Hedeskov, C J

    1990-01-01

    and potentiated phase 1 of glucose-induced secretion. Furthermore, perifusion of islets in the presence of staurosporine (1 microM), an inhibitor of protein kinase C, potentiated phase 1 and inhibited phase 2 of glucose-induced secretion. In addition, down-regulation of protein kinase C potentiated phase 1...

  8. Role of adipose secreted factors and kisspeptin in the metabolic control of gonadotropin secretion and puberty

    Science.gov (United States)

    Factors secreted by adipose tissue continue to be discovered. Evidence indicates a strong link between neural influences and adipocyte expression and secretion of a wide array of cytokines, neurotrophic factors, growth factors, binding proteins, and neuropeptides. These “adipokines” are linked to im...

  9. Venom allergen-like proteins in secretions of plant-parasitic nematodes activate and suppress extracellular plant immune receptors

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lozano Torres, J.L.

    2014-01-01

    Parasitic worms threaten human, animal and plant health by infecting people, livestock and crops worldwide. Animals and plants share an anciently evolved innate immune system. Parasites modulate this immune system by secreting proteins to maintain their parasitic lifestyle. This thesis

  10. Casein phosphopeptides drastically increase the secretion of extracellular proteins in Aspergillus awamori. Proteomics studies reveal changes in the secretory pathway

    OpenAIRE

    Kosalková Katarina; García-Estrada Carlos; Barreiro Carlos; Flórez Martha G; Jami Mohammad S; Paniagua Miguel A; Martín Juan F

    2012-01-01

    Abstract Background The secretion of heterologous animal proteins in filamentous fungi is usually limited by bottlenecks in the vesicle-mediated secretory pathway. Results Using the secretion of bovine chymosin in Aspergillus awamori as a model, we found a drastic increase (40 to 80-fold) in cells grown with casein or casein phosphopeptides (CPPs). CPPs are rich in phosphoserine, but phosphoserine itself did not increase the secretion of chymosin. The stimulatory effect is reduced about 50% u...

  11. Whey proteins have beneficial effects on intestinal enteroendocrine cells stimulating cell growth and increasing the production and secretion of incretin hormones.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gillespie, Anna L; Calderwood, Danielle; Hobson, Laura; Green, Brian D

    2015-12-15

    Whey protein has been indicated to curb diet-induced obesity, glucose intolerance and delay the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Here the effects of intact crude whey, intact individual whey proteins and beta-lactoglobulin hydrolysates on an enteroendocrine (EE) cell model were examined. STC-1 pGIP/neo cells were incubated with several concentrations of yogurt whey (YW), cheese whey (CW), beta-lactoglobulin (BLG), alpha-lactalbumin (ALA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA). The findings demonstrate that BLG stimulates EE cell proliferation, and also GLP-1 secretion (an effect which is lost following hydrolysis with chymotrypsin or trypsin). ALA is a highly potent GLP-1 secretagogue which also increases the intracellular levels of GLP-1. Conversely, whey proteins and hydrolysates had little impact on GIP secretion. This appears to be the first investigation of the effects of the three major proteins of YW and CW on EE cells. The anti-diabetic potential of whey proteins should be further investigated. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. WhiB6 is required for the secretion-dependent regulation of ESX-1 substrates in pathogenic mycobacteria.

    KAUST Repository

    Abdallah, Abdallah

    2018-04-09

    The mycobacterial type VII secretion system ESX-1 is responsible for the secretion of a number of proteins that play important roles during host infection. The regulation of the expression of secreted proteins is often essential to establish successful infection. Using transcriptome sequencing, we found that the abrogation of ESX-1 function in Mycobacterium marinum leads to a pronounced increase in gene expression levels of the espA operon during the infection of macrophages, suggesting an important role in ESX-1-mediated virulence during the early phase of infection. In addition, the disruption of ESX-1-mediated protein secretion also leads to a specific down-regulation of the ESX-1 substrates, but not of the structural components of this system, during growth in culture medium. This effect is observed in both M. marinum and M. tuberculosis. We established that down-regulation of ESX-1 substrates is the result of a regulatory process that is influenced by the putative transcriptional regulator whib6, which is located adjacent to the esx-1 locus. In addition, the overexpression of the ESX-1-associated PE35/PPE68 protein pair resulted in a significantly increased secretion of the ESX-1 substrate EsxA, demonstrating a functional link between these proteins. Taken together, these data show that WhiB6 is required for the secretion-dependent regulation of ESX-1 substrates and that ESX-1 substrates are regulated independently from the structural components, both during infection and as a result of active secretion.

  13. WhiB6 is required for the secretion-dependent regulation of ESX-1 substrates in pathogenic mycobacteria.

    KAUST Repository

    Abdallah, Abdallah; Weerdenburg, Eveline; Guan, Qingtian; Ummels, Roy; Borggreve, S; Adroub, Sabir; Malas, Tareq; Naeem, Raeece; Zhang, Huoming; Otto, Thomas; Bitter, Wilbert; Pain, Arnab

    2018-01-01

    The mycobacterial type VII secretion system ESX-1 is responsible for the secretion of a number of proteins that play important roles during host infection. The regulation of the expression of secreted proteins is often essential to establish successful infection. Using transcriptome sequencing, we found that the abrogation of ESX-1 function in Mycobacterium marinum leads to a pronounced increase in gene expression levels of the espA operon during the infection of macrophages, suggesting an important role in ESX-1-mediated virulence during the early phase of infection. In addition, the disruption of ESX-1-mediated protein secretion also leads to a specific down-regulation of the ESX-1 substrates, but not of the structural components of this system, during growth in culture medium. This effect is observed in both M. marinum and M. tuberculosis. We established that down-regulation of ESX-1 substrates is the result of a regulatory process that is influenced by the putative transcriptional regulator whib6, which is located adjacent to the esx-1 locus. In addition, the overexpression of the ESX-1-associated PE35/PPE68 protein pair resulted in a significantly increased secretion of the ESX-1 substrate EsxA, demonstrating a functional link between these proteins. Taken together, these data show that WhiB6 is required for the secretion-dependent regulation of ESX-1 substrates and that ESX-1 substrates are regulated independently from the structural components, both during infection and as a result of active secretion.

  14. Shigella IpaD has a dual role: signal transduction from the type III secretion system needle tip and intracellular secretion regulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roehrich, A Dorothea; Guillossou, Enora; Blocker, Ariel J; Martinez-Argudo, Isabel

    2013-02-01

    Type III secretion systems (T3SSs) are protein injection devices essential for the interaction of many Gram-negative bacteria with eukaryotic cells. While Shigella assembles its T3SS when the environmental conditions are appropriate for invasion, secretion is only activated after physical contact with a host cell. First, the translocators are secreted to form a pore in the host cell membrane, followed by effectors which manipulate the host cell. Secretion activation is tightly controlled by conserved T3SS components: the needle tip proteins IpaD and IpaB, the needle itself and the intracellular gatekeeper protein MxiC. To further characterize the role of IpaD during activation, we combined random mutagenesis with a genetic screen to identify ipaD mutant strains unable to respond to host cell contact. Class II mutants have an overall defect in secretion induction. They map to IpaD's C-terminal helix and likely affect activation signal generation or transmission. The Class I mutant secretes translocators prematurely and is specifically defective in IpaD secretion upon activation. A phenotypically equivalent mutant was found in mxiC. We show that IpaD and MxiC act in the same intracellular pathway. In summary, we demonstrate that IpaD has a dual role and acts at two distinct locations during secretion activation. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  15. The Structure of the Neurotoxin- Associated Protein HA33/A from Clostridium botulinum Suggests a Reoccurring Beta-Trefoil Fold in the Progenitor Toxin Complex

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Arndt, Joseph W; Gu, Jenny; Jaroszewski, Lukasz; Schwarzenbacher, Robert; Hanson, Michael A; Lebeda, Frank L; Stevens, Raymond C

    2004-01-01

    The hemagglutinating protein HA33 from Clostridium botulinum is associated with the large botulinum neurotoxin secreted complexes and is critical in toxin protection, internalization, and possibly activation...

  16. Plasma HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides, but not LDL-cholesterol, are associated with insulin secretion in non-diabetic subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Natali, Andrea; Baldi, Simona; Bonnet, Fabrice; Petrie, John; Trifirò, Silvia; Tricò, Domenico; Mari, Andrea

    2017-04-01

    Experimental data support the notion that lipoproteins might directly affect beta cell function, however clinical data are sparse and inconsistent. We aimed at verifying whether, independently of major confounders, serum lipids are associated with alterations in insulin secretion or clearance non-diabetic subjects. Cross sectional and observational prospective (3.5yrs), multicentre study in which 1016 non-diabetic volunteers aged 30-60yrs. and with a wide range of BMI (20.0-39.9kg/m 2 ) were recruited in a setting of University hospital ambulatory care (RISC study). baseline fasting lipids, fasting and OGTT-induced insulin secretion and clearance (measured by glucose and C-peptide modeling), peripheral insulin sensitivity (by the euglycemic clamp). Lipids and OGTT were repeated in 980 subjects after 3.5years. LDL-cholesterol did not show independent associations with fasting or stimulated insulin secretion or clearance. After accounting for potential confounders, HDL-cholesterol displayed negative and triglycerides positive independent associations with fasting and OGTT insulin secretion; neither with insulin clearance. Low HDL-cholesterol and high triglycerides were associated with an increase in glucose-dependent and a decrease in non-glucose-dependent insulin secretion. Over 3.5years both an HDL-cholesterol decline and a triglycerides rise were associated with an increase in fasting insulin secretion independent of changes in body weight or plasma glucose. LDL-cholesterol does not seem to influence any major determinant of insulin bioavailability while low HDL-cholesterol and high triglycerides might contribute to sustain the abnormalities in insulin secretion that characterize the pre-diabetic state. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. CD109 is a component of exosome secreted from cultured cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakakura, Hiroki; Mii, Shinji; Hagiwara, Sumitaka; Kato, Takuya; Yamamoto, Noriyuki; Hibi, Hideharu; Takahashi, Masahide; Murakumo, Yoshiki

    2016-01-01

    Exosomes are 50–100-nm-diameter membrane vesicles released from various types of cells. Exosomes retain proteins, mRNAs and miRNAs, which can be transported to surrounding cells. CD109 is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored glycoprotein, and is released from the cell surface to the culture medium in vitro. Recently, it was reported that secreted CD109 from the cell surface downregulates transforming growth factor-β signaling in human keratinocytes. In this study, we revealed that CD109 is a component of the exosome in conditioned medium. FLAG-tagged human CD109 (FLAG-CD109) in conditioned medium secreted from HEK293 cells expressing FLAG-CD109 (293/FLAG-CD109) was immunoprecipitated with anti-FLAG affinity gel, and the co-precipitated proteins were analyzed by mass spectrometry and western blotting. Exosomal proteins were associated with CD109. We revealed the presence of CD109 in exosome fractions from conditioned medium of 293/FLAG-CD109. Moreover, the localization of CD109 in the exosome was demonstrated using immuno-electron microscopy. When we used HEK293 cells expressing FLAG-tagged truncated CD109, which does not contain the C-terminal region, the association of truncated CD109 with exosomes was not detected in conditioned medium. These findings indicate that CD109 is an exosomal protein and that the C-terminal region of CD109 is required for its presence in the exosome. - Highlights: • CD109 is an exosomal protein. • The C-terminal region of CD109 is required for its presence in the exosome. • Part of the secreted CD109 is present in the exosome-free fraction in the conditioned medium.

  18. CD109 is a component of exosome secreted from cultured cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sakakura, Hiroki [Department of Pathology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya (Japan); Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya (Japan); Mii, Shinji [Department of Pathology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya (Japan); Hagiwara, Sumitaka [Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya (Japan); Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Nagoya (Japan); Kato, Takuya [Department of Pathology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya (Japan); Yamamoto, Noriyuki; Hibi, Hideharu [Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya (Japan); Takahashi, Masahide, E-mail: mtakaha@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp [Department of Pathology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya (Japan); Murakumo, Yoshiki, E-mail: murakumo@med.kitasato-u.ac.jp [Department of Pathology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya (Japan); Department of Pathology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Kanagawa (Japan)

    2016-01-22

    Exosomes are 50–100-nm-diameter membrane vesicles released from various types of cells. Exosomes retain proteins, mRNAs and miRNAs, which can be transported to surrounding cells. CD109 is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored glycoprotein, and is released from the cell surface to the culture medium in vitro. Recently, it was reported that secreted CD109 from the cell surface downregulates transforming growth factor-β signaling in human keratinocytes. In this study, we revealed that CD109 is a component of the exosome in conditioned medium. FLAG-tagged human CD109 (FLAG-CD109) in conditioned medium secreted from HEK293 cells expressing FLAG-CD109 (293/FLAG-CD109) was immunoprecipitated with anti-FLAG affinity gel, and the co-precipitated proteins were analyzed by mass spectrometry and western blotting. Exosomal proteins were associated with CD109. We revealed the presence of CD109 in exosome fractions from conditioned medium of 293/FLAG-CD109. Moreover, the localization of CD109 in the exosome was demonstrated using immuno-electron microscopy. When we used HEK293 cells expressing FLAG-tagged truncated CD109, which does not contain the C-terminal region, the association of truncated CD109 with exosomes was not detected in conditioned medium. These findings indicate that CD109 is an exosomal protein and that the C-terminal region of CD109 is required for its presence in the exosome. - Highlights: • CD109 is an exosomal protein. • The C-terminal region of CD109 is required for its presence in the exosome. • Part of the secreted CD109 is present in the exosome-free fraction in the conditioned medium.

  19. Mechanisms of estradiol-induced insulin secretion by the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor GPR30/GPER in pancreatic beta-cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Geetanjali; Prossnitz, Eric R

    2011-08-01

    Sexual dimorphism and supplementation studies suggest an important role for estrogens in the amelioration of glucose intolerance and diabetes. Because little is known regarding the signaling mechanisms involved in estradiol-mediated insulin secretion, we investigated the role of the G protein-coupled receptor 30, now designated G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER), in activating signal transduction cascades in β-cells, leading to secretion of insulin. GPER function in estradiol-induced signaling in the pancreatic β-cell line MIN6 was assessed using small interfering RNA and GPER-selective ligands (G-1 and G15) and in islets isolated from wild-type and GPER knockout mice. GPER is expressed in MIN6 cells, where estradiol and the GPER-selective agonist G-1 mediate calcium mobilization and activation of ERK and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. Both estradiol and G-1 induced insulin secretion under low- and high-glucose conditions, which was inhibited by pretreatment with GPER antagonist G15 as well as depletion of GPER by small interfering RNA. Insulin secretion in response to estradiol and G-1 was dependent on epidermal growth factor receptor and ERK activation and further modulated by phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activity. In islets isolated from wild-type mice, the GPER antagonist G15 inhibited insulin secretion induced by estradiol and G-1, both of which failed to induce insulin secretion in islets obtained from GPER knockout mice. Our results indicate that GPER activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor and ERK in response to estradiol treatment plays a critical role in the secretion of insulin from β-cells. The results of this study suggest that the activation of downstream signaling pathways by the GPER-selective ligand G-1 could represent a novel therapeutic strategy in the treatment of diabetes.

  20. Mechanisms of Estradiol-Induced Insulin Secretion by the G Protein-Coupled Estrogen Receptor GPR30/GPER in Pancreatic β-Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Geetanjali

    2011-01-01

    Sexual dimorphism and supplementation studies suggest an important role for estrogens in the amelioration of glucose intolerance and diabetes. Because little is known regarding the signaling mechanisms involved in estradiol-mediated insulin secretion, we investigated the role of the G protein-coupled receptor 30, now designated G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER), in activating signal transduction cascades in β-cells, leading to secretion of insulin. GPER function in estradiol-induced signaling in the pancreatic β-cell line MIN6 was assessed using small interfering RNA and GPER-selective ligands (G-1 and G15) and in islets isolated from wild-type and GPER knockout mice. GPER is expressed in MIN6 cells, where estradiol and the GPER-selective agonist G-1 mediate calcium mobilization and activation of ERK and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. Both estradiol and G-1 induced insulin secretion under low- and high-glucose conditions, which was inhibited by pretreatment with GPER antagonist G15 as well as depletion of GPER by small interfering RNA. Insulin secretion in response to estradiol and G-1 was dependent on epidermal growth factor receptor and ERK activation and further modulated by phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activity. In islets isolated from wild-type mice, the GPER antagonist G15 inhibited insulin secretion induced by estradiol and G-1, both of which failed to induce insulin secretion in islets obtained from GPER knockout mice. Our results indicate that GPER activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor and ERK in response to estradiol treatment plays a critical role in the secretion of insulin from β-cells. The results of this study suggest that the activation of downstream signaling pathways by the GPER-selective ligand G-1 could represent a novel therapeutic strategy in the treatment of diabetes. PMID:21673097

  1. Endophytic life strategies decoded by genome and transcriptome analyses of the mutualistic root symbiont Piriformospora indica.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alga Zuccaro

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Recent sequencing projects have provided deep insight into fungal lifestyle-associated genomic adaptations. Here we report on the 25 Mb genome of the mutualistic root symbiont Piriformospora indica (Sebacinales, Basidiomycota and provide a global characterization of fungal transcriptional responses associated with the colonization of living and dead barley roots. Extensive comparative analysis of the P. indica genome with other Basidiomycota and Ascomycota fungi that have diverse lifestyle strategies identified features typically associated with both, biotrophism and saprotrophism. The tightly controlled expression of the lifestyle-associated gene sets during the onset of the symbiosis, revealed by microarray analysis, argues for a biphasic root colonization strategy of P. indica. This is supported by a cytological study that shows an early biotrophic growth followed by a cell death-associated phase. About 10% of the fungal genes induced during the biotrophic colonization encoded putative small secreted proteins (SSP, including several lectin-like proteins and members of a P. indica-specific gene family (DELD with a conserved novel seven-amino acids motif at the C-terminus. Similar to effectors found in other filamentous organisms, the occurrence of the DELDs correlated with the presence of transposable elements in gene-poor repeat-rich regions of the genome. This is the first in depth genomic study describing a mutualistic symbiont with a biphasic lifestyle. Our findings provide a significant advance in understanding development of biotrophic plant symbionts and suggest a series of incremental shifts along the continuum from saprotrophy towards biotrophy in the evolution of mycorrhizal association from decomposer fungi.

  2. Comparative Genomics Identifies a Novel Conserved Protein, HpaT, in Proteobacterial Type III Secretion Systems that Do Not Possess the Putative Translocon Protein HrpF

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    Céline Pesce

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Xanthomonas translucens is the causal agent of bacterial leaf streak, the most common bacterial disease of wheat and barley. To cause disease, most xanthomonads depend on a highly conserved type III secretion system, which translocates type III effectors into host plant cells. Mutagenesis of the conserved type III secretion gene hrcT confirmed that the X. translucens type III secretion system is required to cause disease on the host plant barley and to trigger a non-host hypersensitive response (HR in pepper leaves. Type III effectors are delivered to the host cell by a surface appendage, the Hrp pilus, and a translocon protein complex that inserts into the plant cell plasma membrane. Homologs of the Xanthomonas HrpF protein, including PopF from Ralstonia solanacearum and NolX from rhizobia, are thought to act as a translocon protein. Comparative genomics revealed that X. translucens strains harbor a noncanonical hrp gene cluster, which rather shares features with type III secretion systems from Ralstonia solanacearum, Paraburkholderia andropogonis, Collimonas fungivorans, and Uliginosibacterium gangwonense than other Xanthomonas spp. Surprisingly, none of these bacteria, except R. solanacearum, encode a homolog of the HrpF translocon. Here, we aimed at identifying a candidate translocon from X. translucens. Notably, genomes from strains that lacked hrpF/popF/nolX instead encode another gene, called hpaT, adjacent to and co-regulated with the type III secretion system gene cluster. An insertional mutant in the X. translucens hpaT gene, which is the first gene of a two-gene operon, hpaT-hpaH, was non-pathogenic on barley and did not cause the HR or programmed cell death in non-host pepper similar to the hrcT mutant. The hpaT mutant phenotypes were partially complemented by either hpaT or the downstream gene, hpaH, which has been described as a facilitator of translocation in Xanthomonas oryzae. Interestingly, the hpaT mutant was also complemented

  3. Resveratrol increases F508del-CFTR dependent salivary secretion in cystic fibrosis mice

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    Barbara Dhooghe

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Cystic fibrosis (CF is a fatal genetic disease associated with widespread exocrine gland dysfunction. Studies have suggested activating effects of resveratrol, a naturally-occurring polyphenol compound with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, on CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR protein function. We assayed, in F508del-CFTR homozygous (CF and in wild-type mice, the effect of resveratrol on salivary secretion in basal conditions, in response to inhibition by atropine (basal β-adrenergic-dependent component and to stimulation by isoprenaline (CFTR-dependent component. Both components of the salivary secretion were smaller in CF mice than in controls. Two hours after intraperitoneal administration of resveratrol (50 mg/kg dissolved in DMSO, the compound was detected in salivary glands. As in both CF and in wild-type mice, DMSO alone increased the response to isoprenaline in males but not in females, the effect of resveratrol was only measured in females. In wild-type mice, isoprenaline increased secretion by more than half. In CF mice, resveratrol rescued the response to isoprenaline, eliciting a 2.5-fold increase of β-adrenergic-stimulated secretion. We conclude that the salivary secretion assay is suitable to test DMSO-soluble CFTR modulators in female mice. We show that resveratrol applied in vivo to mice reaches salivary glands and increases β-adrenergic secretion. Immunolabelling of CFTR in human bronchial epithelial cells suggests that the effect is associated with increased CFTR protein expression. Our data support the view that resveratrol is beneficial for treating CF. The salivary secretion assay has a potential application to test efficacy of novel CF therapies.

  4. Overcoming the Refractory Expression of Secreted Recombinant Proteins in Mammalian Cells through Modification of the Signal Peptide and Adjacent Amino Acids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Güler-Gane, Gülin; Kidd, Sara; Sridharan, Sudharsan; Vaughan, Tristan J; Wilkinson, Trevor C I; Tigue, Natalie J

    2016-01-01

    The expression and subsequent purification of mammalian recombinant proteins is of critical importance to many areas of biological science. To maintain the appropriate tertiary structure and post-translational modifications of such proteins, transient mammalian expression systems are often adopted. The successful utilisation of these systems is, however, not always forthcoming and some recombinant proteins prove refractory to expression in mammalian hosts. In this study we focussed on the role of different N-terminal signal peptides and residues immediately downstream, in influencing the level of secreted recombinant protein obtained from suspension HEK293 cells. Using secreted alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) as a model protein, we identified that the +1/+2 downstream residues flanking a heterologous signal peptide significantly affect secreted levels. By incorporating these findings we conducted a comparison of different signal peptide sequences and identified the most productive as secrecon, a computationally-designed sequence. Importantly, in the context of the secrecon signal peptide and SEAP, we also demonstrated a clear preference for specific amino acid residues at the +1 position (e.g. alanine), and a detrimental effect of others (cysteine, proline, tyrosine and glutamine). When proteins that naturally contain these "undesirable" residues at the +1 position were expressed with their native signal peptide, the heterologous secrecon signal peptide, or secrecon with an additional alanine at the +1 or +1 and +2 position, the level of expression differed significantly and in an unpredictable manner. For each protein, however, at least one of the panel of signal peptide/adjacent amino acid combinations enabled successful recombinant expression. In this study, we highlight the important interplay between a signal peptide and its adjacent amino acids in enabling protein expression, and we describe a strategy that could enable recombinant proteins that have so far

  5. Label-free detection of protein biomolecules secreted from a heart-on-a-chip model for drug cardiotoxicity evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeLuna, Frank; Zhang, Yu Shrike; Bustamante, Gilbert; Li, Le; Lauderdale, Matthew; Dokmeci, Mehmet R.; Khademhosseini, Ali; Ye, Jing Yong

    2018-02-01

    Efficient methods for the accurate analysis of drug toxicities are in urgent demand as failures of newly discovered drug candidates due to toxic side effects have resulted in about 30% of clinical attrition. The high failure rate is partly due to current inadequate models to study drug side effects, i.e., common animal models may fail due to its misrepresentation of human physiology. Therefore, much effort has been allocated in the development of organ-on-a-chip models which offer a variety of human organ models mimicking a multitude of human physiological conditions. However, it is extremely challenging to analyze the transient and long-term response of the organ models to drug treatments during drug toxicity tests, as the proteins secreted from the organ-on-a-chip model are minute due to its volumetric size, and current methods for detecting said biomolecules are not suitable for real-time monitoring. As protein biomolecules are being continuously secreted from the human organ model, fluorescence techniques are practically impossible to achieve real-time fluorescence labeling in the dynamically changing environment, thus making a label-free approach highly desirable for the organ-on-achip applications. In this paper, we report the use of a photonic-crystal biosensor integrated with a microfluidic system for sensitive label-free bioassays of secreted protein biomolecules from a heart-on-the-chip model created with cardiomyocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells.

  6. Comparing autotransporter β-domain configurations for their capacity to secrete heterologous proteins to the cell surface.

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    Wouter S P Jong

    Full Text Available Monomeric autotransporters have been extensively used for export of recombinant proteins to the cell surface of Gram-negative bacteria. A bottleneck in the biosynthesis of such constructs is the passage of the outer membrane, which is facilitated by the β-domain at the C terminus of an autotransporter in conjunction with the Bam complex in the outer membrane. We have evaluated eight β-domain constructs for their capacity to secrete fused proteins to the cell surface. These constructs derive from the monomeric autotransporters Hbp, IgA protease, Ag43 and EstA and the trimeric autotransporter Hia, which all were selected because they have been previously used for secretion of recombinant proteins. We fused three different protein domains to the eight β-domain constructs, being a Myc-tag, the Hbp passenger and a nanobody or VHH domain, and assessed expression, membrane insertion and surface exposure. Our results show that expression levels differed considerably between the constructs tested. The constructs that included the β-domains of Hbp and IgA protease appeared the most efficient and resulted in expression levels that were detectable on Coomassie-stained SDS-PAGE gels. The VHH domain appeared the most difficult fusion partner to export, probably due to its complex immunoglobulin-like structure with a tertiary structure stabilized by an intramolecular disulfide bond. Overall, the Hbp β-domain compared favorably in exporting the fused recombinant proteins, because it showed in every instance tested a good level of expression, stable membrane insertion and clear surface exposure.

  7. Investment in secreted enzymes during nutrient-limited growth is utility dependent.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cezairliyan, Brent; Ausubel, Frederick M

    2017-09-12

    Pathogenic bacteria secrete toxins and degradative enzymes that facilitate their growth by liberating nutrients from the environment. To understand bacterial growth under nutrient-limited conditions, we studied resource allocation between cellular and secreted components by the pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa during growth on a protein substrate that requires extracellular digestion by secreted proteases. We identified a quantitative relationship between the rate of increase of cellular biomass under nutrient-limiting growth conditions and the rate of increase in investment in secreted proteases. Production of secreted proteases is stimulated by secreted signals that convey information about the utility of secreted proteins during nutrient-limited growth. Growth modeling using this relationship recapitulated the observed kinetics of bacterial growth on a protein substrate. The proposed regulatory strategy suggests a rationale for quorum-sensing-dependent stimulation of the production of secreted enzymes whereby investment in secreted enzymes occurs in proportion to the utility they confer. Our model provides a framework that can be applied toward understanding bacterial growth in many environments where growth rate is limited by the availability of nutrients.

  8. Proteomic Identification of Novel Secreted Antibacterial Toxins of the Serratia marcescens Type VI Secretion System*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fritsch, Maximilian J.; Trunk, Katharina; Diniz, Juliana Alcoforado; Guo, Manman; Trost, Matthias; Coulthurst, Sarah J.

    2013-01-01

    It has recently become apparent that the Type VI secretion system (T6SS) is a complex macromolecular machine used by many bacterial species to inject effector proteins into eukaryotic or bacterial cells, with significant implications for virulence and interbacterial competition. “Antibacterial” T6SSs, such as the one elaborated by the opportunistic human pathogen, Serratia marcescens, confer on the secreting bacterium the ability to rapidly and efficiently kill rival bacteria. Identification of secreted substrates of the T6SS is critical to understanding its role and ability to kill other cells, but only a limited number of effectors have been reported so far. Here we report the successful use of label-free quantitative mass spectrometry to identify at least eleven substrates of the S. marcescens T6SS, including four novel effector proteins which are distinct from other T6SS-secreted proteins reported to date. These new effectors were confirmed as antibacterial toxins and self-protecting immunity proteins able to neutralize their cognate toxins were identified. The global secretomic study also unexpectedly revealed that protein phosphorylation-based post-translational regulation of the S. marcescens T6SS differs from that of the paradigm, H1-T6SS of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Combined phosphoproteomic and genetic analyses demonstrated that conserved PpkA-dependent threonine phosphorylation of the T6SS structural component Fha is required for T6SS activation in S. marcescens and that the phosphatase PppA can reverse this modification. However, the signal and mechanism of PpkA activation is distinct from that observed previously and does not appear to require cell–cell contact. Hence this study has not only demonstrated that new and species-specific portfolios of antibacterial effectors are secreted by the T6SS, but also shown for the first time that PpkA-dependent post-translational regulation of the T6SS is tailored to fit the needs of different bacterial

  9. Exocrine pancreas glutamate secretion help to sustain enterocyte nutritional needs under protein restriction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Araya, S; Kuster, E; Gluch, D; Mariotta, L; Lutz, C; Reding, T V; Graf, R; Verrey, F; Camargo, S M R

    2018-04-01

    Glutamine (Gln) is the most concentrated amino acid in blood and considered conditionally essential. Its requirement is increased during physiological stress, such as malnutrition or illness, despite its production by muscle and other organs. In the malnourished state, Gln has been suggested to have a trophic effect on the exocrine pancreas and small intestine. However, the Gln transport capacity, the functional relationship of these two organs, and the potential role of the Gln-glutamate (Glu) cycle are unknown. We observed that pancreatic acinar cells express lower levels of Glu than Gln transporters. Consistent with this expression pattern, the rate of Glu influx into acinar cells was approximately sixfold lower than that of Gln. During protein restriction, acinar cell glutaminase expression was increased and Gln accumulation was maintained. Moreover, Glu secretion by acinar cells into pancreatic juice and thus into the lumen of the small intestine was maintained. In the intestinal lumen, Glu absorption was preserved and Glu dehydrogenase expression was augmented, potentially providing the substrates for increasing energy production via the TCA cycle. Our findings suggest that one mechanism by which Gln exerts a positive effect on exocrine pancreas and small intestine involves the Gln metabolism in acinar cells and the secretion of Glu into the small intestine lumen. The exocrine pancreas acinar cells not only avidly accumulate Gln but metabolize Gln to generate energy and to synthesize Glu for secretion in the pancreatic juice. Secreted Glu is suggested to play an important role during malnourishment in sustaining small intestinal homeostasis. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Glutamine (Gln) has been suggested to have a trophic effect on exocrine pancreas and small intestine in malnourished states, but the mechanism is unknown. In this study, we suggest that this trophic effect derives from an interorgan relationship between exocrine pancreas and small intestine for Gln

  10. Elicitation of strong immune responses by a DNA vaccine expressing a secreted form of hepatitis C virus envelope protein E2 in murine and porcine animal models

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Li, Yiping; Kang, H.N.; Babiuk, L.A.

    2006-01-01

    boosting with a recombinant E2 protein vaccine formulated with CpG ODN and 10% Emulsigen. The immunogenicity of HCV E2 vaccines was analyzed by ELISA for antibody responses, MTT assay for lymphocyte proliferation, ELISPOT for the number of interferon-gamma secreting cells, and cytotoxic T lymphocyte assays...... and shifted the immune response towards Th2-like ones in piglets. CONCLUSION: A DNA vaccine expressing a secreted form of HCV E2 protein elicited E2-specific immune responses in mice and piglets. Recombinant E2 protein vaccination following DNA immunization significantly increased the antibody response......AIM: To characterize the immunogenicity of a hepatitis C virus (HCV) E2 DNA vaccine alone or with a protein vaccine boost in murine and porcine animal models. METHODS: A DNA vaccine expressing a secreted form of HCV E2 protein was constructed and used to vaccinate mice and piglets with or without...

  11. McCune Albright syndrome in association with excessive GH secretion: case report

    OpenAIRE

    Özsu, Elif; Mutlu, Gül Yeşiltepe; Çizmecioğlu, Filiz Mine; Hatun, Şükrü

    2015-01-01

    McCune-Albright Syndrome is a rare syndrome characterized with excessive function of peripheral endocrine organs and activating mutations of the stimulatory G protein alpha subunit are involved in the pathogenesis. The three main findings of the disease include hyperpigmented café au lait spots, fibrous dysplasia and increased endocrine functions and excessive secretion of growth hormone is observed in 21% of the patients. Clinical signs may be missed in these patients because of precocious p...

  12. The Bordetella pertussis Type III Secretion System Tip Complex Protein Bsp22 Is Not a Protective Antigen and Fails To Elicit Serum Antibody Responses during Infection of Humans and Mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Villarino Romero, Rodrigo; Bibova, Ilona; Cerny, Ondrej; Vecerek, Branislav; Wald, Tomas; Benada, Oldrich; Zavadilova, Jana; Sebo, Peter

    2013-01-01

    The type III secretion system (T3SS) of pathogenic bordetellae employs a self-associating tip complex protein Bsp22. This protein is immunogenic during infections by Bordetella bronchiseptica and could be used as a protective antigen to immunize mice against B. bronchiseptica challenge. Since low-passage clinical isolates of the human pathogen Bordetella pertussis produce a highly homologous Bsp22 protein (97% homology), we examined its vaccine and diagnostic potential. No Bsp22-specific antibodies were, however, detected in serum samples from 36 patients with clinically and serologically confirmed whooping cough disease (pertussis syndrome). Moreover, although the induction of Bsp22 secretion by the laboratory-adapted 18323 strain in the course of mice lung infection was observed, the B. pertussis 18323-infected mice did not mount any detectable serum antibody response against Bsp22. Furthermore, immunization with recombinant Bsp22 protein yielded induction of high Bsp22-specific serum antibody titers but did not protect mice against an intranasal challenge with B. pertussis 18323. Unlike for B. bronchiseptica, hence, the Bsp22 protein is nonimmunogenic, and/or the serum antibody response to it is suppressed, during B. pertussis infections of humans and mice. PMID:23690400

  13. Intracellular mediators of potassium-induced aldosterone secretion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ganguly, A.; Chiou, S.; Davis, J.S.

    1990-01-01

    We have investigated the intracellular messengers of potassium in eliciting aldosterone secretion in calf adrenal glomerulosa cells since there were unresolved issues relating to the role of phosphoinositides, cAMP and protein kinases. We observed no evidence of hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP 2 ) in 3 H-inositol labeled alf adrenal cells or increase of cAMP in response to potassium. Addition of calcium channel blocker, nitrendipine after stimulating adrenal glomerulosa cells with potassium, markedly inhibited aldosterone secretion. A calmodulin inhibitor (W-7) produced greater reduction of aldosterone secretion than an inhibitor of protein kinase C (H-7). These results suggest that a rise in cytosolic free calcium concentration through voltage-dependent calcium channel and calmodulin are the critical determinants of aldosterone secretion stimulated by potassium

  14. Effect of adrenal hormones on thyroid secretion and thyroid hormones on adrenal secretion in the sheep.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Falconer, I R; Jacks, F

    1975-01-01

    1. Previous work has shown that after stressful stimuli, sheep initially secrete increased amounts of thyroid hormone, at a time when adrenal secretion is also elevated. 2. This study was designed to evaluate (a) any short-term activation or inhibition of thyroid secretion by exogenous cortisol or ACTH administered in quantities comparable to those secreted after stress in sheep and (b) any short-term effect that exogenous thyroxine or triiodothyronine may have on the concentration of plasma cortisol in the sheep. 3. Thyroid activity was measured by determination of plasma protein bound 125I (PB125I) and total 125I in thyroid vein and mixed venous (jugular) blood. Plasma cortisol and thyroxine concentrations were measured by a competitive protein-binding assay at intervals for up to 5 hr after commencement of the experiment. 4. No evidence of an activation of thyroid secretion was found during cortisol or ACTH infusion, as monitored by thyroid vein PB125I. Similarly there was no evidence of any inhibition of thyroid function, as measured by continued secretion of thyroid hormones into thyroid vein blood. 5. No effect on plasma cortisol concentration due to thyroid hormone treatment was observed. 6. It was concluded that (a) elevated circulating corticosteroids in physiological concentrations have no short-term effects on thyroid activity in the sheep and (b) the short-term alterations in thyroid and adrenal cortical secretion observed during stress in the sheep could not be attributed to direct interaction of elevated thyroid hormone concentrations with adrenal cortical secretion. PMID:170400

  15. Porphyromonas gingivalis and related bacteria: from colonial pigmentation to the type IX secretion system and gliding motility

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakayama, K

    2015-01-01

    Porphyromonas gingivalis is a gram-negative, non-motile, anaerobic bacterium implicated as a major pathogen in periodontal disease. P. gingivalis grows as black-pigmented colonies on blood agar, and many bacteriologists have shown interest in this property. Studies of colonial pigmentation have revealed a number of important findings, including an association with the highly active extracellular and surface proteinases called gingipains that are found in P. gingivalis. The Por secretion system, a novel type IX secretion system (T9SS), has been implicated in gingipain secretion in studies using non-pigmented mutants. In addition, many potent virulence proteins, including the metallocarboxypeptidase CPG70, 35 kDa hemin-binding protein HBP35, peptidylarginine deiminase PAD and Lys-specific serine endopeptidase PepK, are secreted through the T9SS. These findings have not been limited to P. gingivalis but have been extended to other bacteria belonging to the phylum Bacteroidetes. Many Bacteroidetes species possess the T9SS, which is associated with gliding motility for some of these bacteria. PMID:25546073

  16. Regulation of retinoschisin secretion in Weri-Rb1 cells by the F-actin and microtubule cytoskeleton.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eiko Kitamura

    Full Text Available Retinoschisin is encoded by the gene responsible for X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS, an early onset macular degeneration that results in a splitting of the inner layers of the retina and severe loss in vision. Retinoschisin is predominantly expressed and secreted from photoreceptor cells as a homo-oligomer protein; it then associates with the surface of retinal cells and maintains the retina cellular architecture. Many missense mutations in the XLRS1 gene are known to cause intracellular retention of retinoschisin, indicating that the secretion process of the protein is a critical step for its normal function in the retina. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying retinoschisin's secretion remain to be fully elucidated. In this study, we investigated the role of the F-actin cytoskeleton in the secretion of retinoschisin by treating Weri-Rb1 cells, which are known to secrete retinoschisin, with cytochalasin D, jasplakinolide, Y-27632, and dibutyryl cGMP. Our results show that cytochalasin D and jasplakinolide inhibit retinoschisin secretion, whereas Y-27632 and dibutyryl cGMP enhance secretion causing F-actin alterations. We also demonstrate that high concentrations of taxol, which hyperpolymerizes microtubules, inhibit retinoschisin secretion. Our data suggest that retinoschisin secretion is regulated by the F-actin cytoskeleton, that cGMP or inhibition of ROCK alters F-actin structure enhancing the secretion, and that the microtubule cytoskeleton is also involved in this process.

  17. Regulation of Retinoschisin Secretion in Weri-Rb1 Cells by the F-Actin and Microtubule Cytoskeleton

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitamura, Eiko; Gribanova, Yekaterina E.; Farber, Debora B.

    2011-01-01

    Retinoschisin is encoded by the gene responsible for X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS), an early onset macular degeneration that results in a splitting of the inner layers of the retina and severe loss in vision. Retinoschisin is predominantly expressed and secreted from photoreceptor cells as a homo-oligomer protein; it then associates with the surface of retinal cells and maintains the retina cellular architecture. Many missense mutations in the XLRS1 gene are known to cause intracellular retention of retinoschisin, indicating that the secretion process of the protein is a critical step for its normal function in the retina. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying retinoschisin's secretion remain to be fully elucidated. In this study, we investigated the role of the F-actin cytoskeleton in the secretion of retinoschisin by treating Weri-Rb1 cells, which are known to secrete retinoschisin, with cytochalasin D, jasplakinolide, Y-27632, and dibutyryl cGMP. Our results show that cytochalasin D and jasplakinolide inhibit retinoschisin secretion, whereas Y-27632 and dibutyryl cGMP enhance secretion causing F-actin alterations. We also demonstrate that high concentrations of taxol, which hyperpolymerizes microtubules, inhibit retinoschisin secretion. Our data suggest that retinoschisin secretion is regulated by the F-actin cytoskeleton, that cGMP or inhibition of ROCK alters F-actin structure enhancing the secretion, and that the microtubule cytoskeleton is also involved in this process. PMID:21738583

  18. The dynamics of secretion during sea urchin embryonic skeleton formation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilt, Fred H.; Killian, Christopher E.; Hamilton, Patricia; Croker, Lindsay

    2008-01-01

    Skeleton formation involves secretion of massive amounts of mineral precursor, usually a calcium salt, and matrix proteins, many of which are deposited on, or even occluded within, the mineral. The cell biological underpinnings of this secretion and subsequent assembly of the biomineralized skeletal element is not well understood. We ask here what is the relationship of the trafficking and secretion of the mineral and matrix within the primary mesenchyme cells of the sea urchin embryo, cells that deposit the endoskeletal spicule. Fluorescent labeling of intracellular calcium deposits show mineral precursors are present in granules visible by light microscopy, from whence they are deposited in the endoskeletal spicule, especially at its tip. In contrast, two different matrix proteins tagged with GFP are present in smaller post-Golgi vesicles only seen by electron microscopy, and the secreted protein are only incorporated into the spicule in the vicinity of the cell of origin. The matrix protein, SpSM30B, is post-translationally modified during secretion, and this processing continues after its incorporation into the spicule. Our findings also indicate that the mineral precursor and two well characterized matrix proteins are trafficked by different cellular routes

  19. CNC-bZIP protein Nrf1-dependent regulation of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Hongzhi; Fu, Jingqi; Xue, Peng; Zhao, Rui; Dong, Jian; Liu, Dianxin; Yamamoto, Masayuki; Tong, Qingchun; Teng, Weiping; Qu, Weidong; Zhang, Qiang; Andersen, Melvin E; Pi, Jingbo

    2015-04-01

    The inability of pancreatic β-cells to secrete sufficient insulin in response to glucose stimulation is a major contributing factor to the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D). We investigated both the in vitro and in vivo effects of deficiency of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 1 (Nrf1) in β-cells on β-cell function and glucose homeostasis. Silencing of Nrf1 in β-cells leads to a pre-T2D phenotype with disrupted glucose metabolism and impaired insulin secretion. Specifically, MIN6 β-cells with stable knockdown of Nrf1 (Nrf1-KD) and isolated islets from β-cell-specific Nrf1-knockout [Nrf1(b)-KO] mice displayed impaired glucose responsiveness, including elevated basal insulin release and decreased glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). Nrf1(b)-KO mice exhibited severe fasting hyperinsulinemia, reduced GSIS, and glucose intolerance. Silencing of Nrf1 in MIN6 cells resulted in oxidative stress and altered glucose metabolism, with increases in both glucose uptake and aerobic glycolysis, which is associated with the elevated basal insulin release and reduced glucose responsiveness. The elevated glycolysis and reduced glucose responsiveness due to Nrf1 silencing likely result from altered expression of glucose metabolic enzymes, with induction of high-affinity hexokinase 1 and suppression of low-affinity glucokinase. Our study demonstrated a novel role of Nrf1 in regulating glucose metabolism and insulin secretion in β-cells and characterized Nrf1 as a key transcription factor that regulates the coupling of glycolysis and mitochondrial metabolism and GSIS. Nrf1 plays critical roles in regulating glucose metabolism, mitochondrial function, and insulin secretion, suggesting that Nrf1 may be a novel target to improve the function of insulin-secreting β-cells.

  20. Pharmacokinetics of natural and engineered secreted factors delivered by mesenchymal stromal cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jessica S Elman

    Full Text Available Transient cell therapy is an emerging drug class that requires new approaches for pharmacological monitoring during use. Human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs are a clinically-tested transient cell therapeutic that naturally secrete anti-inflammatory factors to attenuate immune-mediated diseases. MSCs were used as a proof-of-concept with the hypothesis that measuring the release of secreted factors after cell transplantation, rather than the biodistribution of the cells alone, would be an alternative monitoring tool to understand the exposure of a subject to MSCs. By comparing cellular engraftment and the associated serum concentration of secreted factors released from the graft, we observed clear differences between the pharmacokinetics of MSCs and their secreted factors. Exploration of the effects of natural or engineered secreted proteins, active cellular secretion pathways, and clearance mechanisms revealed novel aspects that affect the systemic exposure of the host to secreted factors from a cellular therapeutic. We assert that a combined consideration of cell delivery strategies and molecular pharmacokinetics can provide a more predictive model for outcomes of MSC transplantation and potentially other transient cell therapeutics.

  1. Secretion and activation of the Serratia marcescens hemolysin by structurally defined ShlB mutants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pramanik, Avijit; Könninger, Ulrich; Selvam, Arun; Braun, Volkmar

    2014-05-01

    The ShlA hemolysin of Serratia marcescens is secreted across the outer membrane by the ShlB protein; ShlB belongs to the two-partner secretion system (type Vb), a subfamily of the Omp85 outer membrane protein assembly and secretion superfamily. During secretion, ShlA is converted from an inactive non-hemolytic form into an active hemolytic form. The structure of ShlB is predicted to consist of the N-terminal α-helix H1, followed by the two polypeptide-transport-associated domains POTRA P1 and P2, and the β-barrel of 16 β-strands. H1 is inserted into the pore of the β-barrel in the outer membrane; P1 and P2 are located in the periplasm. To obtain insights into the secretion and activation of ShlA by ShlB, we isolated ShlB mutants impaired in secretion and/or activation. The triple H1 P1 P2 mutant did not secrete ShlA. The P1 and P2 deletion derivatives secreted reduced amounts of ShlA, of which P1 showed some hemolysis, whereas P2 was inactive. Deletion of loop 6 (L6), which is conserved among exporters of the Omp85 family, compromised activation but retained low secretion. Secretion-negative mutants generated by random mutagenesis were located in loop 6. The inactive secreted ShlA derivatives were complemented in vitro to active ShlA by an N-terminal ShlA fragment (ShlA242) secreted by ShlB. Deletion of H1 did not impair secretion of hemolytic ShlA. The study defines domains of ShlB which are important for ShlA secretion and activation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  2. Influence of Flavonoids on Mechanism of Modulation of Insulin Secretion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soares, Juliana Mikaelly Dias; Pereira Leal, Ana Ediléia Barbosa; Silva, Juliane Cabral; Almeida, Jackson R G S; de Oliveira, Helinando Pequeno

    2017-01-01

    The development of alternatives for insulin secretion control in vivo or in vitro represents an important aspect to be investigated. In this direction, natural products have been progressively explored with this aim. In particular, flavonoids are potential candidates to act as insulin secretagogue. To study the influence of flavonoid on overall modulation mechanisms of insulin secretion. The research was conducted in the following databases and platforms: PubMed, Scopus, ISI Web of Knowledge, SciELO, LILACS, and ScienceDirect, and the MeSH terms used for the search were flavonoids, flavones, islets of Langerhans, and insulin-secreting cells. Twelve articles were included and represent the basis of discussion on mechanisms of insulin secretion of flavonoids. Papers in ISI Web of Knowledge were in number of 1, Scopus 44, PubMed 264, ScienceDirect 511, and no papers from LILACS and SciELO databases. According to the literature, the majority of flavonoid subclasses can modulate insulin secretion through several pathways, in an indication that corresponding molecule is a potential candidate for active materials to be applied in the treatment of diabetes. The action of natural products on insulin secretion represents an important investigation topic due to their importance in the diabetes controlIn addition to their typical antioxidant properties, flavonoids contribute to the insulin secretionThe modulation of insulin secretion is induced by flavonoids according to different mechanisms. Abbreviations used: K ATP channels: ATP-sensitive K + channels, GLUT4: Glucose transporter 4, ERK1/2: Extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases 1 and 2, L-VDCCs: L-type voltage-dependent Ca +2 channels, GLUT1: Glucose transporter 1, AMPK: Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, PTP1B: Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B, GLUT2: Glucose transporter 2, cAMP: Cyclic adenosine monophosphate, PKA: Protein kinase A, PTK: Protein tyrosine kinase, CaMK II: Ca 2+ /calmodulin

  3. Impact of Secreted Protein Acidic and Rich in Cysteine (SPARC) Expression on Prognosis After Surgical Resection for Biliary Carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toyota, Kazuhiro; Murakami, Yoshiaki; Kondo, Naru; Uemura, Kenichiro; Nakagawa, Naoya; Takahashi, Shinya; Sueda, Taijiro

    2017-06-01

    Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) is a matricellular protein that influences chemotherapy effectiveness and prognosis. The aim of this study was to investigate whether SPARC expression correlates with the postoperative survival of patients treated with surgical resection for biliary carcinoma. SPARC expression in resected biliary carcinoma specimens was investigated immunohistochemically in 175 patients. The relationship between SPARC expression and prognosis after surgery was evaluated using univariate and multivariate analyses. High SPARC expression in peritumoral stroma was found in 61 (35%) patients. In all patients, stromal SPARC expression was significantly associated with overall survival (OS) (P = 0.006). Multivariate analysis revealed that high stromal SPARC expression was an independent risk factor for poor OS (HR 1.81, P = 0.006). Moreover, high stromal SPARC expression was independently associated with poor prognosis in a subset of 118 patients treated with gemcitabine-based adjuvant chemotherapy (HR 2.04, P = 0.010) but not in the 57 patients who did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy (P = 0.21). Stromal SPARC expression correlated with the prognosis of patients with resectable biliary carcinoma, and its significance was enhanced in patients treated with adjuvant gemcitabine-based chemotherapy.

  4. Osteopontin and MMP9: Associations with VEGF Expression/Secretion and Angiogenesis in PC3 Prostate Cancer Cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gupta, Aditi; Zhou, Cindy Q.; Chellaiah, Meenakshi A., E-mail: mchellaiah@umaryland.edu [Department of Oncology and Diagnostic Sciences, Dental School, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD 21201 (United States)

    2013-05-27

    Osteopontin and MMP9 are implicated in angiogenesis and cancer progression. The objective of this study is to gain insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying angiogenesis, and to elucidate the role of osteopontin in this process. We report here that osteopontin/αvβ3 signaling pathway which involves ERK1/2 phosphorylation regulates the expression of VEGF. An inhibitor to MEK or curcumin significantly suppressed the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and expression of VEGF. MMP9 knockdown reduces the secretion but not the expression of VEGF. Moreover, MMP9 knockdown increases the release of angiostatin, a key protein that suppresses angiogenesis. Conditioned media from PC3 cells treated with curcumin or MEK inhibitor inhibited tube formation in vitro in human microvascular endothelial cells. Similar inhibitory effect on tube formation was found with conditioned media collected from PC3 cells expressing mutant-osteopontin at integrin-binding site and knockdown of osteopontin or MMP9. We conclude that MMP9 activation is associated with angiogenesis via regulation of secretion of VEGF and angiostatin in PC3 cells. Curcumin is thus a potential drug for cancer treatment because it demonstrated anti-angiogenic and anti-invasive properties.

  5. Proteomic analysis of lipid droplets from Caco-2/TC7 enterocytes identifies novel modulators of lipid secretion.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Frauke Beilstein

    Full Text Available In enterocytes, the dynamic accumulation and depletion of triacylglycerol (TAG in lipid droplets (LD during fat absorption suggests that cytosolic LD-associated TAG contribute to TAG-rich lipoprotein (TRL production. To get insight into the mechanisms controlling the storage/secretion balance of TAG, we used as a tool hepatitis C virus core protein, which localizes onto LDs, and thus may modify their protein coat and decrease TRL secretion. We compared the proteome of LD fractions isolated from Caco-2/TC7 enterocytes expressing or not hepatitis C virus core protein by a differential proteomic approach (isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ labeling coupled with liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. We identified 42 proteins, 21 being involved in lipid metabolism. Perilipin-2/ADRP, which is suggested to stabilize long term-stored TAG, was enriched in LD fractions isolated from Caco-2/TC7 expressing core protein while perilipin-3/TIP47, which is involved in LD synthesis from newly synthesized TAG, was decreased. Endoplasmic reticulum-associated proteins were strongly decreased, suggesting reduced interactions between LD and endoplasmic reticulum, where TRL assembly occurs. For the first time, we show that 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2 (DHB2, which catalyzes the conversion of 17-keto to 17 β-hydroxysteroids and which was the most highly enriched protein in core expressing cells, is localized to LD and interferes with TAG secretion, probably through its capacity to inactivate testosterone. Overall, we identified potential new players of lipid droplet dynamics, which may be involved in the balance between lipid storage and secretion, and may be altered in enterocytes in pathological conditions such as insulin resistance, type II diabetes and obesity.

  6. A panel of recombinant monoclonal antibodies against zebrafish neural receptors and secreted proteins suitable for wholemount immunostaining.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Staudt, Nicole; Müller-Sienerth, Nicole; Fane-Dremucheva, Alla; Yusaf, Shahnaz P; Millrine, David; Wright, Gavin J

    2015-01-02

    Cell surface receptors and secreted proteins play important roles in neural recognition processes, but because their site of action can be a long distance from neuron cell bodies, antibodies that label these proteins are valuable to understand their function. The zebrafish embryo is a popular vertebrate model for neurobiology, but suffers from a paucity of validated antibody reagents. Here, we use the entire ectodomain of neural zebrafish cell surface or secreted proteins expressed in mammalian cells to select monoclonal antibodies to ten different antigens. The antibodies were characterised by Western blotting and the sensitivity of their epitopes to formalin fixation was determined. The rearranged antigen binding regions of the antibodies were amplified and cloned which enabled expression in a recombinant form from a single plasmid. All ten antibodies gave specific staining patterns within formalin-treated embryonic zebrafish brains, demonstrating that this generalised approach is particularly efficient to elicit antibodies that stain native antigen in fixed wholemount tissue. Finally, we show that additional tags can be easily added to the recombinant antibodies for convenient multiplex staining. The antibodies and the approaches described here will help to address the lack of well-defined antibody reagents in zebrafish research. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Interleukin 10 in Helicobacter pylori associated gastritis: immunohistochemical localisation and in vitro effects on cytokine secretion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bodger, K; Bromelow, K; Wyatt, J; Heatley, R

    2001-01-01

    Background/Aims—Interleukin 10 (IL-10) is a counterinflammatory peptide implicated in the downregulation of human intestinal immune responses. Enhanced secretion of IL-10 has been documented in gastric biopsy organ culture in Helicobacter pylori infection. This study aimed to define the cellular origins of IL-10 in H pylori associated gastritis, and to determine the effects of endogenous IL-10 on proinflammatory cytokine secretion in vitro. Methods—Endoscopic biopsies were obtained from the gastric antrum at endoscopy from patients with dyspepsia. Two pairs of antral biopsies were cultured in vitro for 24 hours, one pair in the presence of neutralising anti-IL-10 monoclonal antibody, the other pair as controls. The cytokine content of culture supernatants (tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α), IL-6, and IL-8) was determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and corrected for biopsy weight. Helicobacter pylori status was established by histology and biopsy urease test, and histopathology graded by the Sydney system. In a subgroup of patients, western blotting was used to establish CagA serological status. Immunohistochemistry for IL-10 was performed on formalin fixed tissues using a combination of microwave antigen retrieval and the indirect avidin–biotin technique. Immunoreactivity was scored semiquantitatively. Results—In vitro culture was performed in 41 patients: 31 with H pylori positive chronic gastritis and 10 H pylori negative. In vitro secretion of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-8 for "control" biopsies was significantly higher in H pylori positive versus negative samples, with values of TNF-α and IL-6 correlating with the degree of active and chronic inflammation and being higher in CagA seropositive cases. No evidence for enhanced cytokine secretion was seen in biopsies cocultured in the presence of anti-IL-10 monoclonal antibody. Immunohistochemistry was performed in 29 patients, of whom 13 were H pylori positive. IL-10 immunoreactivity was observed in

  8. Glucose, other secretagogues, and nerve growth factor stimulate mitogen-activated protein kinase in the insulin-secreting beta-cell line, INS-1

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frödin, M; Sekine, N; Roche, E

    1995-01-01

    The signaling pathways whereby glucose and hormonal secretagogues regulate insulin-secretory function, gene transcription, and proliferation of pancreatic beta-cells are not well defined. We show that in the glucose-responsive beta-cell line INS-1, major secretagogue-stimulated signaling pathways...... converge to activate 44-kDa mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. Thus, glucose-induced insulin secretion was found to be associated with a small stimulatory effect on 44-kDa MAP kinase, which was synergistically enhanced by increased levels of intracellular cAMP and by the hormonal secretagogues......-1. Phorbol ester, an activator of protein kinase C, stimulated 44-kDa MAP kinase by both Ca(2+)-dependent and -independent pathways. Nerve growth factor, independently of changes in cytosolic Ca2+, efficiently stimulated 44-kDa MAP kinase without causing insulin release, indicating that activation...

  9. Unraveling the Wnt secretion pathway

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Harterink, M.

    2011-01-01

    The Wnt family of signaling proteins has essential functions in development and adult tissue homeostasis throughout the animal kingdom. Although signaling cascades triggered by Wnt proteins have been extensively studied, much remains to be learned about how Wnts are produced and secreted and how

  10. Small-Molecule Inhibitors of the Type III Secretion System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lingling Gu

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Drug-resistant pathogens have presented increasing challenges to the discovery and development of new antibacterial agents. The type III secretion system (T3SS, existing in bacterial chromosomes or plasmids, is one of the most complicated protein secretion systems. T3SSs of animal and plant pathogens possess many highly conserved main structural components comprised of about 20 proteins. Many Gram-negative bacteria carry T3SS as a major virulence determinant, and using the T3SS, the bacteria secrete and inject effector proteins into target host cells, triggering disease symptoms. Therefore, T3SS has emerged as an attractive target for antimicrobial therapeutics. In recent years, many T3SS-targeting small-molecule inhibitors have been discovered; these inhibitors prevent the bacteria from injecting effector proteins and from causing pathophysiology in host cells. Targeting the virulence of Gram-negative pathogens, rather than their survival, is an innovative and promising approach that may greatly reduce selection pressures on pathogens to develop drug-resistant mutations. This article summarizes recent progress in the search for promising small-molecule T3SS inhibitors that target the secretion and translocation of bacterial effector proteins.

  11. Distinct activities of Bartonella henselae type IV secretion effector proteins modulate capillary-like sprout formation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scheidegger, F; Ellner, Y; Guye, P; Rhomberg, T A; Weber, H; Augustin, H G; Dehio, C

    2009-07-01

    The zoonotic pathogen Bartonella henselae (Bh) can lead to vasoproliferative tumour lesions in the skin and inner organs known as bacillary angiomatosis and bacillary peliosis. The knowledge on the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in this pathogen-triggered angiogenic process is confined by the lack of a suitable animal model and a physiologically relevant cell culture model of angiogenesis. Here we employed a three-dimensional in vitro angiogenesis assay of collagen gel-embedded endothelial cell (EC) spheroids to study the angiogenic properties of Bh. Spheroids generated from Bh-infected ECs displayed a high capacity to form sprouts, which represent capillary-like projections into the collagen gel. The VirB/VirD4 type IV secretion system and a subset of its translocated Bartonella effector proteins (Beps) were found to profoundly modulate this Bh-induced sprouting activity. BepA, known to protect ECs from apoptosis, strongly promoted sprout formation. In contrast, BepG, triggering cytoskeletal rearrangements, potently inhibited sprouting. Hence, the here established in vitro model of Bartonella- induced angiogenesis revealed distinct and opposing activities of type IV secretion system effector proteins, which together with a VirB/VirD4-independent effect may control the angiogenic activity of Bh during chronic infection of the vasculature.

  12. A Phytase-Based Reporter System for Identification of Functional Secretion Signals in Bifidobacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osswald, Annika; Westermann, Christina; Sun, Zhongke; Riedel, Christian U.

    2015-01-01

    Health-promoting effects have been attributed to a number of Bifidobacterium sp. strains. These effects as well as the ability to colonise the host depend on secreted proteins. Moreover, rational design of protein secretion systems bears the potential for the generation of novel probiotic bifidobacteria with improved health-promoting or therapeutic properties. To date, there is only very limited data on secretion signals of bifidobacteria available. Using in silico analysis, we demonstrate that all bifidobacteria encode the major components of Sec-dependent secretion machineries but only B. longum strains harbour Tat protein translocation systems. A reporter plasmid for secretion signals in bifidobacteria was established by fusing the coding sequence of the signal peptide of a sialidase of Bifidobacterium bifidum S17 to the phytase gene appA of E. coli. The recombinant strain showed increased phytase activity in spent culture supernatants and reduced phytase levels in crude extracts compared to the control indicating efficient phytase secretion. The reporter plasmid was used to screen seven predicted signal peptides in B. bifidum S17 and B. longum E18. The tested signal peptides differed substantially in their efficacy to mediate protein secretion in different host strains. An efficient signal peptide was used for expression and secretion of a therapeutically relevant protein in B. bifidum S17. Expression of a secreted cytosine deaminase led to a 100-fold reduced sensitivity of B. bifidum S17 to 5-fluorocytosine compared to the non-secreted cytosine deaminase suggesting efficient conversion of 5-fluorocytosine to the cytotoxic cancer drug 5-fluorouracil by cytosine deaminase occurred outside the bacterial cell. Selection of appropriate signal peptides for defined protein secretion might improve therapeutic efficacy as well as probiotic properties of bifidobacteria. PMID:26086721

  13. A Phytase-Based Reporter System for Identification of Functional Secretion Signals in Bifidobacteria.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Annika Osswald

    Full Text Available Health-promoting effects have been attributed to a number of Bifidobacterium sp. strains. These effects as well as the ability to colonise the host depend on secreted proteins. Moreover, rational design of protein secretion systems bears the potential for the generation of novel probiotic bifidobacteria with improved health-promoting or therapeutic properties. To date, there is only very limited data on secretion signals of bifidobacteria available. Using in silico analysis, we demonstrate that all bifidobacteria encode the major components of Sec-dependent secretion machineries but only B. longum strains harbour Tat protein translocation systems. A reporter plasmid for secretion signals in bifidobacteria was established by fusing the coding sequence of the signal peptide of a sialidase of Bifidobacterium bifidum S17 to the phytase gene appA of E. coli. The recombinant strain showed increased phytase activity in spent culture supernatants and reduced phytase levels in crude extracts compared to the control indicating efficient phytase secretion. The reporter plasmid was used to screen seven predicted signal peptides in B. bifidum S17 and B. longum E18. The tested signal peptides differed substantially in their efficacy to mediate protein secretion in different host strains. An efficient signal peptide was used for expression and secretion of a therapeutically relevant protein in B. bifidum S17. Expression of a secreted cytosine deaminase led to a 100-fold reduced sensitivity of B. bifidum S17 to 5-fluorocytosine compared to the non-secreted cytosine deaminase suggesting efficient conversion of 5-fluorocytosine to the cytotoxic cancer drug 5-fluorouracil by cytosine deaminase occurred outside the bacterial cell. Selection of appropriate signal peptides for defined protein secretion might improve therapeutic efficacy as well as probiotic properties of bifidobacteria.

  14. Near-atomic resolution analysis of BipD, a component of the type III secretion system of Burkholderia pseudomallei

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pal, M.; Erskine, P. T.; Gill, R. S.; Wood, S. P.; Cooper, J. B.

    2010-01-01

    The type III secretion system needle-tip protein BipD has been crystallized in a form that diffracts X-rays to 1.5 Å resolution and the structure has been refined to an R factor of 16.1% and an R free of 19.8% at this resolution. The putative antiparallel dimer interface that was observed in earlier structures is conserved. Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, possesses a type III protein secretion apparatus that is similar to those found in Salmonella and Shigella. A major function of these secretion systems is to inject virulence-associated proteins into target cells of the host organism. The bipD gene of B. pseudomallei encodes a secreted virulence factor that is similar in sequence and is most likely to be functionally analogous to IpaD from Shigella and SipD from Salmonella. Proteins in this family are thought to act as extracellular chaperones at the tip of the secretion needle to help the hydrophobic translocator proteins enter the target cell membrane, where they form a pore and may also link the translocon pore with the secretion needle. BipD has been crystallized in a monoclinic crystal form that diffracted X-rays to 1.5 Å resolution and the structure was refined to an R factor of 16.1% and an R free of 19.8% at this resolution. The putative dimer interface that was observed in previous crystal structures was retained and a larger surface area was buried in the new crystal form

  15. A genome-wide RNAi screen identifies regulators of cholesterol-modified hedgehog secretion in Drosophila.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reid Aikin

    Full Text Available Hedgehog (Hh proteins are secreted molecules that function as organizers in animal development. In addition to being palmitoylated, Hh is the only metazoan protein known to possess a covalently-linked cholesterol moiety. The absence of either modification severely disrupts the organization of numerous tissues during development. It is currently not known how lipid-modified Hh is secreted and released from producing cells. We have performed a genome-wide RNAi screen in Drosophila melanogaster cells to identify regulators of Hh secretion. We found that cholesterol-modified Hh secretion is strongly dependent on coat protein complex I (COPI but not COPII vesicles, suggesting that cholesterol modification alters the movement of Hh through the early secretory pathway. We provide evidence that both proteolysis and cholesterol modification are necessary for the efficient trafficking of Hh through the ER and Golgi. Finally, we identified several putative regulators of protein secretion and demonstrate a role for some of these genes in Hh and Wingless (Wg morphogen secretion in vivo. These data open new perspectives for studying how morphogen secretion is regulated, as well as provide insight into regulation of lipid-modified protein secretion.

  16. Bridging the Gap Between Protein Carboxyl Methylation and Phospholipid Methylation to Understand Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Secretion From the Pancreatic β Cell

    OpenAIRE

    Kowluru, Anjaneyulu

    2007-01-01

    Recent findings have implicated post-translational modifications at C-terminal cysteines [e.g., methylation] of specific proteins [e.g., G-proteins] in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion [GSIS]. Furthermore, methylation at the C-terminal leucine of the catalytic subunit of protein phosphatase 2A [PP2Ac] has also been shown to be relevant for GSIS. In addition to these two classes of protein methyl transferases, a novel class of glucose-activated phospholipid methyl transferases have also be...

  17. Computational prediction of secretion systems and secretomes of Brucella: identification of novel type IV effectors and their interaction with the host.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sankarasubramanian, Jagadesan; Vishnu, Udayakumar S; Dinakaran, Vasudevan; Sridhar, Jayavel; Gunasekaran, Paramasamy; Rajendhran, Jeyaprakash

    2016-01-01

    Brucella spp. are facultative intracellular pathogens that cause brucellosis in various mammals including humans. Brucella survive inside the host cells by forming vacuoles and subverting host defence systems. This study was aimed to predict the secretion systems and the secretomes of Brucella spp. from 39 complete genome sequences available in the databases. Furthermore, an attempt was made to identify the type IV secretion effectors and their interactions with host proteins. We predicted the secretion systems of Brucella by the KEGG pathway and SecReT4. Brucella secretomes and type IV effectors (T4SEs) were predicted through genome-wide screening using JVirGel and S4TE, respectively. Protein-protein interactions of Brucella T4SEs with their hosts were analyzed by HPIDB 2.0. Genes coding for Sec and Tat pathways of secretion and type I (T1SS), type IV (T4SS) and type V (T5SS) secretion systems were identified and they are conserved in all the species of Brucella. In addition to the well-known VirB operon coding for the type IV secretion system (T4SS), we have identified the presence of additional genes showing homology with T4SS of other organisms. On the whole, 10.26 to 14.94% of total proteomes were found to be either secreted (secretome) or membrane associated (membrane proteome). Approximately, 1.7 to 3.0% of total proteomes were identified as type IV secretion effectors (T4SEs). Prediction of protein-protein interactions showed 29 and 36 host-pathogen specific interactions between Bos taurus (cattle)-B. abortus and Ovis aries (sheep)-B. melitensis, respectively. Functional characterization of the predicted T4SEs and their interactions with their respective hosts may reveal the secrets of host specificity of Brucella.

  18. Collagen and Stretch Modulate Autocrine Secretion of Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 and Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Proteins from Differentiated Skeletal Muscle Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perrone, Carmen E.; Fenwick-Smith, Daniela; Vandenburgh, Herman H.

    1995-01-01

    Stretch-induced skeletal muscle growth may involve increased autocrine secretion of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) since IGF-1 is a potent growth factor for skeletal muscle hypertrophy, and stretch elevates IGF-1 mRNA levels in vivo. In tissue cultures of differentiated avian pectoralis skeletal muscle cells, nanomolar concentrations of exogenous IGF-1 stimulated growth in mechanically stretched but not static cultures. These cultures released up to 100 pg of endogenously produced IGF-1/micro-g of protein/day, as well as three major IGF binding proteins of 31, 36, and 43 kilodaltons (kDa). IGF-1 was secreted from both myofibers and fibroblasts coexisting in the muscle cultures. Repetitive stretch/relaxation of the differentiated skeletal muscle cells stimulated the acute release of IGF-1 during the first 4 h after initiating mechanical activity, but caused no increase in the long-term secretion over 24-72 h of IGF-1, or its binding proteins. Varying the intensity and frequency of stretch had no effect on the long-term efflux of IGF-1. In contrast to stretch, embedding the differentiated muscle cells in a three-dimensional collagen (Type I) matrix resulted in a 2-5-fold increase in long-term IGF-1 efflux over 24-72 h. Collagen also caused a 2-5-fold increase in the release of the IGF binding proteins. Thus, both the extracellular matrix protein type I collagen and stretch stimulate the autocrine secretion of IGF-1, but with different time kinetics. This endogenously produced growth factor may be important for the growth response of skeletal myofibers to both types of external stimuli.

  19. Isthmin 1 is a secreted protein expressed in skin, mucosal tissues, and NK, NKT, and th17 cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valle-Rios, Ricardo; Maravillas-Montero, José L; Burkhardt, Amanda M; Martinez, Cynthia; Buhren, Bettina Alexandra; Homey, Bernhard; Gerber, Peter Arne; Robinson, Octavio; Hevezi, Peter; Zlotnik, Albert

    2014-10-01

    Using a comprehensive microarray database of human gene expression, we identified that in mammals, a secreted protein known as isthmin 1 (ISM1) is expressed in skin, mucosal tissues, and selected lymphocyte populations. ISM1 was originally identified in Xenopus brain during development, and it encodes a predicted ∼50-kDa protein containing a signal peptide, a thrombospondin domain, and an adhesion-associated domain. We confirmed the pattern of expression of ISM1 in both human and mouse tissues. ISM1 is expressed by DX5(+) lung lymphocytes that include NK and NKT-like cells, and is also expressed by some CD4(+) T cells upon activation but its expression increases significantly when CD4(+) T cells were polarized to the Th17 lineage in vitro. The presence of IFN-γ during CD4(+) T cell polarization inhibits ISM1 expression. Given that ISM1 has been reported to have anti-angiogenic properties, these observations suggest that ISM1 is a mediator of lymphocyte effector functions and may participate in both innate and acquired immune responses.

  20. Proprotein Convertases Process Pmel17 during Secretion*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leonhardt, Ralf M.; Vigneron, Nathalie; Rahner, Christoph; Cresswell, Peter

    2011-01-01

    Pmel17 is a melanocyte/melanoma-specific protein that traffics to melanosomes where it forms a fibrillar matrix on which melanin gets deposited. Before being cleaved into smaller fibrillogenic fragments the protein undergoes processing by proprotein convertases, a class of serine proteases that typically recognize the canonical motif RX(R/K)R↓. The current model of Pmel17 maturation states that this processing step occurs in melanosomes, but in light of recent reports this issue has become controversial. We therefore addressed this question by thoroughly assessing the processing kinetics of either wild-type Pmel17 or a secreted soluble Pmel17 derivative. Our results demonstrate clearly that processing of Pmel17 occurs during secretion and that it does not require entry of the protein into the endocytic system. Strikingly, processing proceeds even in the presence of the secretion inhibitor monensin, suggesting that Pmel17 is an exceptionally good substrate. In line with this, we find that newly synthesized surface Pmel17 is already quantitatively cleaved. Moreover, we demonstrate that Pmel17 function is independent of the sequence identity of its unconventional proprotein convertase-cleavage motif that lacks arginine in P4 position. The data alter the current view of Pmel17 maturation and suggest that the multistep processing of Pmel17 begins with an early cleavage during secretion that primes the protein for later functional processing. PMID:21247888

  1. THE BUFFER CAPACITY OF AIRWAY EPITHELIAL SECRETIONS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dusik eKim

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available The pH of airway epithelial secretions influences bacterial killing and mucus properties and is reduced by acidic pollutants, gastric reflux, and respiratory diseases such as cystic fibrosis (CF. The effect of acute acid loads depends on buffer capacity, however the buffering of airway secretions has not been well characterized. In this work we develop a method for titrating micro-scale (30 µl volumes and use it to study fluid secreted by the human airway epithelial cell line Calu-3, a widely used model for submucosal gland serous cells. Microtitration curves revealed that HCO3- is the major buffer. Peak buffer capacity (β increased from 17 to 28 mM/pH during forskolin stimulation, and was reduced by >50% in fluid secreted by cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR-deficient Calu-3 monolayers, confirming an important role of CFTR in HCO3- secretion. Back-titration with NaOH revealed non-volatile buffer capacity due to proteins synthesized and released by the epithelial cells. Lysozyme and mucin concentrations were too low to buffer Calu-3 fluid significantly, however model titrations of porcine gastric mucins at concentrations near the sol-gel transition suggest that mucins may contribute to the buffer capacity of ASL in vivo. We conclude that CFTR-dependent HCO3- secretion and epithelially-derived proteins are the predominant buffers in Calu-3 secretions.

  2. The PsB glycoprotein complex is secreted as a preassembled precursor of the spore coat in Dictyostelium discoideum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watson, N; McGuire, V; Alexander, S

    1994-09-01

    The PsB glycoprotein in Dictyostelium discoideum is one of a diverse group of developmentally regulated, prespore-cell-specific proteins, that contain a common O-linked oligosaccharide. This post-translational modification is dependent on the wild-type modB allele. The PsB protein exists as part of a multiprotein complex of six different proteins, which have different post-translational modifications and are held together by both covalent and non-covalent interactions (Watson et al. (1993). J. Biol. Chem. 268, 22634-22641). In this study we have used microscopic and biochemical analyses to examine the cellular localization and function of the PsB complex during development. We found that the PsB complex first accumulates in prespore vesicles in slug cells and is secreted later during culmination and becomes localized to both the extracellular matrix of the apical spore mass of mature fruiting bodies and to the inner layer of the spore coat. The PsB associated with the spore coat is covalently bound by disulfide bridges. The PsB protein always exists in a multiprotein complex, but the composition of the PsB complex changes during secretion and spore maturation. Some of the PsB complex proteins have been identified as spore coat proteins. These data demonstrate that some of the proteins that form the spore coat exist as a preassembled precursor complex. The PsB complex is secreted in a developmentally regulated manner during the process of spore differentiation, at which time proteins of the complex, as well as additional spore coat proteins, become covalently associated in at least two forms of extracellular matrix: the interspore matrix and the spore coat. These and other studies show that proteins with modB dependent O-linked oligosaccharides are involved in a wide variety of processes underlying morphogenesis in this organism. These developmental processes are the direct result of cellular mechanisms regulating protein targeting, assembly and secretion, and the

  3. Comparative genomics of the type VI secretion systems of Pantoea and Erwinia species reveals the presence of putative effector islands that may be translocated by the VgrG and Hcp proteins

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    De Maayer Pieter

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The Type VI secretion apparatus is assembled by a conserved set of proteins encoded within a distinct locus. The putative effector proteins Hcp and VgrG are also encoded within these loci. We have identified numerous distinct Type VI secretion system (T6SS loci in the genomes of several ecologically diverse Pantoea and Erwinia species and detected the presence of putative effector islands associated with the hcp and vgrG genes. Results Between two and four T6SS loci occur among the Pantoea and Erwinia species. While two of the loci (T6SS-1 and T6SS-2 are well conserved among the various strains, the third (T6SS-3 locus is not universally distributed. Additional orthologous loci are present in Pantoea sp. aB-valens and Erwinia billingiae Eb661. Comparative analysis of the T6SS-1 and T6SS-3 loci showed non-conserved islands associated with the vgrG and hcp, and vgrG genes, respectively. These regions had a G+C content far lower than the conserved portions of the loci. Many of the proteins encoded within the hcp and vgrG islands carry conserved domains, which suggests they may serve as effector proteins for the T6SS. A number of the proteins also show homology to the C-terminal extensions of evolved VgrG proteins. Conclusions Extensive diversity was observed in the number and content of the T6SS loci among the Pantoea and Erwinia species. Genomic islands could be observed within some of T6SS loci, which are associated with the hcp and vgrG proteins and carry putative effector domain proteins. We propose new hypotheses concerning a role for these islands in the acquisition of T6SS effectors and the development of novel evolved VgrG and Hcp proteins.

  4. Secreted Clusterin protein inhibits osteoblast differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by suppressing ERK1/2 signaling pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdallah, Basem M; Alzahrani, Abdullah M; Kassem, Moustapha

    2018-05-01

    Secreted Clusterin (sCLU, also known as Apolipoprotein J) is an anti-apoptotic glycoprotein involved in the regulation of cell proliferation, lipid transport, extracellular tissue remodeling and apoptosis. sCLU is expressed and secreted by mouse bone marrow-derived skeletal (stromal or mesenchymal) stem cells (mBMSCs), but its functional role in MSC biology is not known. In this study, we demonstrated that Clusterin mRNA expression and protein secretion in conditioned medium increased during adipocyte differentiation and decreased during osteoblast differentiation of mBMSCs. Treatment of mBMSC cultures with recombinant sCLU protein increased cell proliferation and exerted an inhibitory effect on the osteoblast differentiation while stimulated adipocyte differentiation in a dose-dependent manner. siRNA-mediated silencing of Clu expression in mBMSCs reduced adipocyte differentiation and stimulated osteoblast differentiation of mBMSCs. Furthermore, the inhibitory effect of sCLU on the osteoblast differentiation of mBMSCs was mediated by the suppression of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) phosphorylation. In conclusion, we identified sCLU as a regulator of mBMSCs lineage commitment to osteoblasts versus adipocytes through a mechanism mediated by ERK1/2 signaling. Inhibiting sCLU is a possible therapeutic approach for enhancing osteoblast differentiation and consequently bone formation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Dispatched and Scube Mediate the Efficient Secretion of the Cholesterol-Modified Hedgehog Ligand

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    Hanna Tukachinsky

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available The Hedgehog (Hh signaling pathway plays critical roles in metazoan development and in cancer. How the Hh ligand is secreted and spreads to distant cells is unclear, given its covalent modification with a hydrophobic cholesterol molecule, which makes it stick to membranes. We demonstrate that Hh ligand secretion from vertebrate cells is accomplished via two distinct and synergistic cholesterol-dependent binding events, mediated by two proteins that are essential for vertebrate Hh signaling: the membrane protein Dispatched (Disp and a member of the Scube family of secreted proteins. Cholesterol modification is sufficient for a heterologous protein to interact with Scube and to be secreted in a Scube-dependent manner. Disp and Scube recognize different structural aspects of cholesterol similarly to how Niemann-Pick disease proteins 1 and 2 interact with cholesterol, suggesting a hand-off mechanism for transferring Hh from Disp to Scube. Thus, Disp and Scube cooperate to dramatically enhance the secretion and solubility of the cholesterol-modified Hh ligand.

  6. Vacuolar ATPase regulates surfactant secretion in rat alveolar type II cells by modulating lamellar body calcium.

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    Narendranath Reddy Chintagari

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available Lung surfactant reduces surface tension and maintains the stability of alveoli. How surfactant is released from alveolar epithelial type II cells is not fully understood. Vacuolar ATPase (V-ATPase is the enzyme responsible for pumping H(+ into lamellar bodies and is required for the processing of surfactant proteins and the packaging of surfactant lipids. However, its role in lung surfactant secretion is unknown. Proteomic analysis revealed that vacuolar ATPase (V-ATPase dominated the alveolar type II cell lipid raft proteome. Western blotting confirmed the association of V-ATPase a1 and B1/2 subunits with lipid rafts and their enrichment in lamellar bodies. The dissipation of lamellar body pH gradient by Bafilomycin A1 (Baf A1, an inhibitor of V-ATPase, increased surfactant secretion. Baf A1-stimulated secretion was blocked by the intracellular Ca(2+ chelator, BAPTA-AM, the protein kinase C (PKC inhibitor, staurosporine, and the Ca(2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII, KN-62. Baf A1 induced Ca(2+ release from isolated lamellar bodies. Thapsigargin reduced the Baf A1-induced secretion, indicating cross-talk between lamellar body and endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+ pools. Stimulation of type II cells with surfactant secretagogues dissipated the pH gradient across lamellar bodies and disassembled the V-ATPase complex, indicating the physiological relevance of the V-ATPase-mediated surfactant secretion. Finally, silencing of V-ATPase a1 and B2 subunits decreased stimulated surfactant secretion, indicating that these subunits were crucial for surfactant secretion. We conclude that V-ATPase regulates surfactant secretion via an increased Ca(2+ mobilization from lamellar bodies and endoplasmic reticulum, and the activation of PKC and CaMKII. Our finding revealed a previously unrealized role of V-ATPase in surfactant secretion.

  7. The Apoplastic Secretome of Trichoderma virens During Interaction With Maize Roots Shows an Inhibition of Plant Defence and Scavenging Oxidative Stress Secreted Proteins

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    Guillermo Nogueira-Lopez

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available In Nature, almost every plant is colonized by fungi. Trichoderma virens is a biocontrol fungus which has the capacity to behave as an opportunistic plant endophyte. Even though many plants are colonized by this symbiont, the exact mechanisms by which Trichoderma masks its entrance into its plant host remain unknown, but likely involve the secretion of different families of proteins into the apoplast that may play crucial roles in the suppression of plant immune responses. In this study, we investigated T. virens colonization of maize roots under hydroponic conditions, evidencing inter- and intracellular colonization by the fungus and modifications in root morphology and coloration. Moreover, we show that upon host penetration, T. virens secretes into the apoplast an arsenal of proteins to facilitate inter- and intracellular colonization of maize root tissues. Using a gel-free shotgun proteomics approach, 95 and 43 secretory proteins were identified from maize and T. virens, respectively. A reduction in the maize secretome (36% was induced by T. virens, including two major groups, glycosyl hydrolases and peroxidases. Furthermore, T. virens secreted proteins were mainly involved in cell wall hydrolysis, scavenging of reactive oxygen species and secondary metabolism, as well as putative effector-like proteins. Levels of peroxidase activity were reduced in the inoculated roots, suggesting a strategy used by T. virens to manipulate host immune responses. The results provide an insight into the crosstalk in the apoplast which is essential to maintain the T. virens-plant interaction.

  8. Cancer associated aberrant protein o-glycosylation can modify antigen processing and immune response

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Caroline B; Petersen, Cecilie; Lavrsen, Kirstine

    2012-01-01

    Aberrant glycosylation of mucins and other extracellular proteins is an important event in carcinogenesis and the resulting cancer associated glycans have been suggested as targets in cancer immunotherapy. We assessed the role of O-linked GalNAc glycosylation on antigen uptake, processing......, and presentation on MHC class I and II molecules. The effect of GalNAc O-glycosylation was monitored with a model system based on ovalbumin (OVA)-MUC1 fusion peptides (+/- glycosylation) loaded onto dendritic cells co-cultured with IL-2 secreting OVA peptide-specific T cell hybridomas. To evaluate the in vivo...

  9. The marine bacteria Shewanella frigidimarina NCIMB400 upregulates the type VI secretion system during early biofilm formation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Linares, Denis; Jean, Natacha; Van Overtvelt, Perrine; Ouidir, Tassadit; Hardouin, Julie; Blache, Yves; Molmeret, Maëlle

    2016-02-01

    Shewanella sp. are facultative anaerobic Gram-negative bacteria, extensively studied for their electron transfer ability. Shewanella frigidimarina has been detected and isolated from marine environments, and in particular, from biofilms. However, its ability to adhere to surfaces and form a biofilm is poorly understood. In this study, we show that the ability to adhere and to form a biofilm of S. frigidimarina NCIMB400 is significantly higher than that of Shewanella oneidensis in our conditions. We also show that this strain forms a biofilm in artificial seawater, whereas in Luria-Bertani, this capacity is reduced. To identify proteins involved in early biofilm formation, a proteomic analysis of sessile versus planktonic membrane-enriched fractions allowed the identification of several components of the same type VI secretion system gene cluster: putative Hcp1 and ImpB proteins as well as a forkhead-associated domain-containing protein. The upregulation of Hcp1 a marker of active translocation has been confirmed using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Our data demonstrated the presence of a single and complete type VI secretion system in S. frigidimarina NCIMB400 genome, upregulated in sessile compared with planktonic conditions. The fact that three proteins including the secreted protein Hcp1 have been identified may suggest that this type VI secretion system is functional. © 2015 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  10. Direct identification of the Meloidogyne incognita secretome reveals proteins with host cell reprogramming potential.

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    Stéphane Bellafiore

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available The root knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita, is an obligate parasite that causes significant damage to a broad range of host plants. Infection is associated with secretion of proteins surrounded by proliferating cells. Many parasites are known to secrete effectors that interfere with plant innate immunity, enabling infection to occur; they can also release pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs, e.g., flagellin that trigger basal immunity through the nematode stylet into the plant cell. This leads to suppression of innate immunity and reprogramming of plant cells to form a feeding structure containing multinucleate giant cells. Effectors have generally been discovered using genetics or bioinformatics, but M. incognita is non-sexual and its genome sequence has not yet been reported. To partially overcome these limitations, we have used mass spectrometry to directly identify 486 proteins secreted by M. incognita. These proteins contain at least segmental sequence identity to those found in our 3 reference databases (published nematode proteins; unpublished M. incognita ESTs; published plant proteins. Several secreted proteins are homologous to plant proteins, which they may mimic, and they contain domains that suggest known effector functions (e.g., regulating the plant cell cycle or growth. Others have regulatory domains that could reprogram cells. Using in situ hybridization we observed that most secreted proteins were produced by the subventral glands, but we found that phasmids also secreted proteins. We annotated the functions of the secreted proteins and classified them according to roles they may play in the development of root knot disease. Our results show that parasite secretomes can be partially characterized without cognate genomic DNA sequence. We observed that the M. incognita secretome overlaps the reported secretome of mammalian parasitic nematodes (e.g., Brugia malayi, suggesting a common parasitic behavior and a possible

  11. LcrQ and SycH function together at the Ysc type III secretion system in Yersinia pestis to impose a hierarchy of secretion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wulff-Strobel, Christine R; Williams, Andrew W; Straley, Susan C

    2002-01-01

    LcrQ is a regulatory protein unique to Yersinia. Previous study in Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Yersinia enterocolitica prompted the model in which LcrQ negatively regulates the expression of a set of virulence proteins called Yops, and its secretion upon activation of the Yop secretion (Ysc) type III secretion system permits full induction of Yops expression. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that LcrQ's effects on Yops expression might be indirect. Excess LcrQ was found to exert an inhibitory effect specifically at the level of Yops secretion, independent of production, and a normal inner Ysc gate protein LcrG was required for this activity. However, overexpression of LcrQ did not prevent YopH secretion, suggesting that LcrQ's effects at the Ysc discriminate among the Yops. We tested this idea by determining the effects of deletion or overexpression of LcrQ, YopH and their common chaperone SycH on early Yop secretion through the Ysc. Together, our findings indicated that LcrQ is not a negative regulator directly, but it acts in partnership with SycH at the Ysc gate to control the entry of a set of Ysc secretion substrates. A hierarchy of YopH secretion before YopE appears to be imposed by SycH in conjunction with both LcrQ and YopH. LcrQ and SycH in addition influenced the deployment of LcrV, a component of the Yops delivery mechanism. Accordingly, LcrQ appears to be a central player in determining the substrate specificity of the Ysc.

  12. Comparison of soy-protein and egg albumin on endogenously secreted zinc

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oberleas, D.; Smith, J.C.

    1986-01-01

    Male albino rats (Charles River) were maintained on a basal soy-protein diet, unsupplemented with Zn and with 1.6% Ca for 4 weeks [Ca][Phy]/[Zn] = 9.4(molar). Animals were subdivided in 2 expts. between soy-protein 0.8% Ca, 11.24 mg Zn/Kg diet [4.2(molar)] or 1.6% Ca, 11.21 mg Zn/Kg [9.4(molar)] and egg albumin 0.8% Ca, 0.46 mg Zn/Kg diet and 1.6% Ca, 0.37 mg Zn/Kg diet at which time each animal was injected with 10 μCi 65 Zn. Daily fecal collections were made for 14 days and ratios of 65 Zn Soy:Egg alb. calculated. The very low concentration of Zn in the egg albumin diet restricted the pancreatic secretion of Zn and the differential effect of phytate on these diets was not apparent as shown earlier with soy and casein diets. This was also reflected in the growth rates of the exptl. groups in that the egg albumin fed rats gained -4.4 and -9.0 g/wk; soy fed rats gained 28.0 and 17.3 g/wk

  13. Bacillus anthracis secretome time course under host-simulated conditions and identification of immunogenic proteins

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    Whittington Jessica

    2007-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The secretion time course of Bacillus anthracis strain RA3R (pXO1+/pXO2- during early, mid, and late log phase were investigated under conditions that simulate those encountered in the host. All of the identified proteins were analyzed by different software algorithms to characterize their predicted mode of secretion and cellular localization. In addition, immunogenic proteins were identified using sera from humans with cutaneous anthrax. Results A total of 275 extracellular proteins were identified by a combination of LC MS/MS and MALDI-TOF MS. All of the identified proteins were analyzed by SignalP, SecretomeP, PSORT, LipoP, TMHMM, and PROSITE to characterize their predicted mode of secretion, cellular localization, and protein domains. Fifty-three proteins were predicted by SignalP to harbor the cleavable N-terminal signal peptides and were therefore secreted via the classical Sec pathway. Twenty-three proteins were predicted by SecretomeP for secretion by the alternative Sec pathway characterized by the lack of typical export signal. In contrast to SignalP and SecretomeP predictions, PSORT predicted 171 extracellular proteins, 7 cell wall-associated proteins, and 6 cytoplasmic proteins. Moreover, 51 proteins were predicted by LipoP to contain putative Sec signal peptides (38 have SpI sites, lipoprotein signal peptides (13 have SpII sites, and N-terminal membrane helices (9 have transmembrane helices. The TMHMM algorithm predicted 25 membrane-associated proteins with one to ten transmembrane helices. Immunogenic proteins were also identified using sera from patients who have recovered from anthrax. The charge variants (83 and 63 kDa of protective antigen (PA were the most immunodominant secreted antigens, followed by charge variants of enolase and transketolase. Conclusion This is the first description of the time course of protein secretion for the pathogen Bacillus anthracis. Time course studies of protein secretion and

  14. Aberrant expression and secretion of heat shock protein 90 in patients with bullous pemphigoid.

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    Stefan Tukaj

    Full Text Available The cell stress chaperone heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90 has been implicated in inflammatory responses and its inhibition has proven successful in different mouse models of autoimmune diseases, including epidermolysis bullosa acquisita. Here, we investigated expression levels and secretory responses of Hsp90 in patients with bullous pemphigoid (BP, the most common subepidermal autoimmune blistering skin disease. In comparison to healthy controls, the following observations were made: (i Hsp90 was highly expressed in the skin of BP patients, whereas its serum levels were decreased and inversely associated with IgG autoantibody levels against the NC16A immunodominant region of the BP180 autoantigen, (ii in contrast, neither aberrant levels of circulating Hsp90 nor any correlation of this protein with serum autoantibodies was found in a control cohort of autoimmune bullous disease patients with pemphigus vulgaris, (iii Hsp90 was highly expressed in and restrictedly released from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of BP patients, and (iv Hsp90 was potently induced in and restrictedly secreted from human keratinocyte (HaCaT cells by BP serum and isolated anti-BP180 NC16A IgG autoantibodies, respectively. Our results reveal an upregulated Hsp90 expression at the site of inflammation and an autoantibody-mediated dysregulation of the intracellular and extracellular distribution of this chaperone in BP patients. These findings suggest that Hsp90 may play a pathophysiological role and represent a novel potential treatment target in BP.

  15. Impact of alg3 gene deletion on growth, development, pigment production, protein secretion, and functions of recombinant Trichoderma reesei cellobiohydrolases in Aspergillus niger

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dai, Ziyu; Aryal, Uma K.; Shukla, Anil; Qian, Wei-Jun; Smith, Richard D.; Magnuson, Jon K.; Adney, William S.; Beckham, Gregg T.; Brunecky, Roman; Himmel, Michael E.; Decker, Stephen R.; Ju, Xiaohui; Zhang, Xiao; Baker, Scott E.

    2013-12-01

    ALG3 is a Family 58 glycosyltransferase enzyme involved in early N-linked glycan synthesis. Here, we investigated the effect of the alg3 gene disruption on growth, development, metabolism, and protein secretion in Aspergillus niger. The alg3 gene deletion resulted in a significant reduction of growth on complete (CM) and potato dextrose agar (PDA) media and a substantial reduction of spore production on CM. It also delayed spore germination in the liquid cultures of both CM and PDA media, but led to a significant accumulation of red pigment on both CM and liquid modified minimal medium (MM) supplemented with yeast extract. The relative abundance of 55 proteins of the total 190 proteins identified in the secretome was significantly different as a result of alg3 gene deletion. Comparison of a Trichoderma reesei cellobiohydrolase (Cel7A) heterologously expressed in A. niger parental and Δalg3 strains showed that the recombinant Cel7A expressed in the mutant background was smaller in size than that from the parental strains. This study suggests that ALG3 is critical for growth and development, pigment production, and protein secretion in A. niger. Functional analysis of recombinant Cel7A with aberrant glycosylation demonstrates the feasibility of this alternative approach to evaluate the role of N-linked glycosylation in glycoprotein secretion and function.

  16. Reduced NK cell IFN-γ secretion and psychological stress are independently associated with herpes zoster.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Choon Kwan; Choi, Youn Mi; Bae, Eunsin; Jue, Mihn Sook; So, Hyung Seok; Hwang, Eung-Soo

    2018-01-01

    The pathogenesis of herpes zoster is closely linked to reduced varicella-zoster virus-specific cell-mediated immunity. However, little is known about the interplay between natural killer cells and psychological stress in the pathogenesis of herpes zoster. This study aimed to investigate possible associations among natural killer cells, T cells and psychological stress in herpes zoster. Interferon-gamma secretion from natural killer cell, psychological stress events, stress cognition scale scores and cytomegalovirus-specific cell-mediated immunity were compared between 44 patients with herpes zoster and 44 age- and gender-matched control subjects. A significantly lower median level of interferon-gamma secreted by natural killer cells was observed in patients with a recent diagnosis of herpes zoster than in control subjects (582.7 pg/ml vs. 1783 pg/ml; P = 0.004), whereas cytomegalovirus-specific cell-mediated immunity was not associated with herpes zoster. Psychological stress events and high stress cognition scale scores were significantly associated in patients with herpes zoster (Pherpes zoster display reduced interferon-gamma secretion from natural killer cells and frequent previous psychological stress events compared with controls. However, reduced natural killer cell activity is not an immunological mediator between psychological stress and herpes zoster.

  17. Functional interaction between type III-secreted protein IncA of Chlamydophila psittaci and human G3BP1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borth, Nicole; Litsche, Katrin; Franke, Claudia; Sachse, Konrad; Saluz, Hans Peter; Hänel, Frank

    2011-01-31

    Chlamydophila (Cp.) psittaci, the causative agent of psittacosis in birds and humans, is the most important zoonotic pathogen of the family Chlamydiaceae. These obligate intracellular bacteria are distinguished by a unique biphasic developmental cycle, which includes proliferation in a membrane-bound compartment termed inclusion. All Chlamydiaceae spp. possess a coding capacity for core components of a Type III secretion apparatus, which mediates specific delivery of anti-host effector proteins either into the chlamydial inclusion membrane or into the cytoplasm of target eukaryotic cells. Here we describe the interaction between Type III-secreted protein IncA of Cp. psittaci and host protein G3BP1 in a yeast two-hybrid system. In GST-pull down and co-immunoprecipitation experiments both in vitro and in vivo interaction between full-length IncA and G3BP1 were shown. Using fluorescence microscopy, the localization of G3BP1 near the inclusion membrane of Cp. psittaci-infected Hep-2 cells was demonstrated. Notably, infection of Hep-2 cells with Cp. psittaci and overexpression of IncA in HEK293 cells led to a decrease in c-Myc protein concentration. This effect could be ascribed to the interaction between IncA and G3BP1 since overexpression of an IncA mutant construct disabled to interact with G3BP1 failed to reduce c-Myc concentration. We hypothesize that lowering the host cell c-Myc protein concentration may be part of a strategy employed by Cp. psittaci to avoid apoptosis and scale down host cell proliferation.

  18. Quantitative proteomics unravels that the post-transcriptional regulator Crc modulates the generation of vesicles and secreted virulence determinants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reales-Calderón, Jose Antonio; Corona, Fernando; Monteoliva, Lucía; Gil, Concha; Martínez, Jose Luis

    2015-09-08

    Recent research indicates that the post-transcriptional regulator Crc modulates susceptibility to antibiotics and virulence in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Several P. aeruginosa virulence factors are secreted or engulfed in vesicles. To decipher the Crc modulation of P. aeruginosa virulence, we constructed a crc deficient mutant and measure the proteome associated extracellular vesicles and the vesicle-free secretome using iTRAQ. Fifty vesicle-associated proteins were more abundant and 14 less abundant in the crc-defective strain, whereas 37 were more abundant and 17 less abundant in the vesicle-free secretome. Among them, virulence determinants, such as ToxA, protease IV, azurin, chitin-binding protein, PlcB and Hcp1, were less abundant in the crc-defective mutant. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that some of the observed changes were post-transcriptional and, thus, could be attributed to a direct Crc regulatory role; whereas, for other differentially secreted proteins, the regulatory role was likely indirect. We also observed that the crc mutant presented an impaired vesicle-associated secretion of quorum sensing signal molecules and less cytotoxicity than its wild-type strain. Our results offer new insights into the mechanisms by which Crc regulates P. aeruginosa virulence, through the modulation of vesicle formation and secretion of both virulence determinants and quorum sensing signals. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: HUPO 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  19. Apical secretion of apolipoproteins from enterocytes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Danielsen, E M; Hansen, Gert Helge; Poulsen, Mona Dam

    1993-01-01

    Synthesis and secretion of apolipoproteins in pig small intestine was studied by pulse-chase labeling of jejunal segments, kept in organ culture. Apo A-1 and apo B-48 were the two major proteins released, constituting 25 and 10%, respectively, of the total amount of labeled protein in the mucosal...... in the soluble fraction, suggesting a basolateral secretion into the intercellular space, and both this accumulation and the release to the medium was prevented by culture at 20 degrees C. The specific radioactivity of apo A-1 and apo B-48 released to the medium was significantly higher than...... that enterocytes release most of their newly made free apo A-1 and a significant portion of apo B-48 by exocytosis via the brush border membrane into the intestinal lumen. Fat absorption reduced apolipoprotein secretion to the medium and induced the formation of chylomicrons, containing apo A-1 at their surface...

  20. Blimp-1 controls plasma cell function through regulation of immunoglobulin secretion and the unfolded protein response

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tellier, Julie; Shi, Wei; Minnich, Martina; Liao, Yang; Crawford, Simon; Smyth, Gordon K; Kallies, Axel; Busslinger, Meinrad; Nutt, Stephen L

    2015-01-01

    Plasma cell differentiation requires silencing of B cell transcription, while establishing antibody-secretory function and long-term survival. The transcription factors Blimp-1 and IRF4 are essential for plasma cell generation, however their function in mature plasma cells has remained elusive. We have found that while IRF4 was essential for plasma cell survival, Blimp-1 was dispensable. Blimp-1-deficient plasma cells retained their transcriptional identity, but lost the ability to secrete antibody. Blimp-1 regulated many components of the unfolded protein response (UPR), including XBP-1 and ATF6. The overlap of Blimp-1 and XBP-1 function was restricted to the UPR, with Blimp-1 uniquely regulating mTOR activity and plasma cell size. Thus, Blimp-1 is required for the unique physiological capacity of plasma cells that enables the secretion of protective antibody. PMID:26779600

  1. Gene expression and protein secretion of apolipoprotein B100 (ApoB100 in transition dairy cows under hot or thermoneutral environments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alessandro Nardone

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of hot season on gene expression and protein secretion of ApoB100 in transition dairy cows. Hot season strongly down-regulated ApoB100 gene and protein expression. This condition and the higher circulating NEFA were responsible for the higher lipid accumulation in liver of heat-stressed transition cows.

  2. Interaction of HTLV-1 Tax protein with calreticulin: implications for Tax nuclear export and secretion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alefantis, Timothy; Flaig, Katherine E; Wigdahl, Brian; Jain, Pooja

    2007-05-01

    Human T cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is the etiologic agent of adult T cell leukemia (ATL) and HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). The HTLV-1 transcriptional transactivator protein Tax plays an integral role in virus replication and disease progression. Traditionally, Tax is described as a nuclear protein where it performs its primary role as a transcriptional transactivator. However, recent studies have clearly shown that Tax can also be localized to the cytoplasm where it has been shown to interact with a number of host transcription factors most notably NF-kappaB, constitutive expression of which is directly related to the T cell transforming properties of Tax in ATL patients. The presence of a functional nuclear export signal (NES) within Tax and the secretion of full-length Tax have also been demonstrated previously. Additionally, release of Tax from HTLV-1-infected cells and the presence of cell-free Tax was demonstrated in the CSF of HAM/TSP patients suggesting that the progression to HAM/TSP might be mediated by the ability of Tax to function as an extracellular cytokine. Therefore, in both ATL and HAM/TSP Tax nuclear export and nucleocytoplasmic shuttling may play a critical role, the mechanism of which remains unknown. In this study, we have demonstrated that the calcium binding protein calreticulin interacts with Tax by co-immunoprecipitation. This interaction was found to localize to a region at or near the nuclear membrane. In addition, differential expression of calreticulin was demonstrated in various cell types that correlated with their ability to retain cytoplasmic Tax, particularly in astrocytes. Finally, a comparison of a number of HTLV-1-infected T cell lines to non-infected T cells revealed higher expression of calreticulin in infected cells implicating a direct role for this protein in HTLV-1 infection.

  3. Normal and abnormal secretion by haemopoietic cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    STINCHCOMBE, JANE C; GRIFFITHS, GILLIAN M

    2001-01-01

    The secretory lysosomes found in haemopoietic cells provide a very efficient mechanism for delivering the effector proteins of many immune cells in response to antigen recognition. Although secretion shows some similarities to the secretion of specialized granules in other secretory cell types, some aspects of secretory lysosome release appear to be unique to melanocytes and cells of the haemopoietic lineage. Mast cells and platelets have provided excellent models for studying secretion, but recent advances in characterizing the immunological synapse allow a very fine dissection of the secretory process in T lymphocytes. These studies show that secretory lysosomes are secreted from the centre of the talin ring at the synapse. Proper secretion requires a series of Rab and cytoskeletal elements which play critical roles in the specialized secretion of lysosomes in haemopoietic cells. PMID:11380687

  4. Lactobacillus casei BL23 Produces Microvesicles Carrying Proteins That Have Been Associated with Its Probiotic Effect

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    A. Paula Domínguez Rubio

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Archaea, bacteria, and eukarya secrete membrane microvesicles (MVs as a mechanism for intercellular communication. We report the isolation and characterization of MVs from the probiotic strain Lactobacillus casei BL23. MVs were characterized using analytical high performance techniques, DLS, AFM and TEM. Similar to what has been described for other Gram-positive bacteria, MVs were on the nanometric size range (30–50 nm. MVs carried cytoplasmic components such as DNA, RNA and proteins. Using a proteomic approach (LC-MS, we identified a total of 103 proteins; 13 exclusively present in the MVs. The MVs content included cell envelope associated and secretory proteins, heat and cold shock proteins, several metabolic enzymes, proteases, structural components of the ribosome, membrane transporters, cell wall-associated hydrolases and phage related proteins. In particular, we identified proteins described as mediators of Lactobacillus’ probiotic effects such as p40, p75 and the product of LCABL_31160, annotated as an adhesion protein. The presence of these proteins suggests a role for the MVs in the bacteria-gastrointestinal cells interface. The expression and further encapsulation of proteins into MVs of GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe bacteria could represent a scientific novelty, with applications in food, nutraceuticals and clinical therapies.

  5. Morvan syndrome: a rare cause of syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Demirbas, Seref; Aykan, Musa Baris; Zengin, Haydar; Mazman, Semir; Saglam, Kenan

    2017-01-01

    The syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) accounts for an important part of hyponatremia cases. The causes of SIADH can be detected almost always. As a rare disorder, Morvan Syndrome can be defined by the sum of peripheral nerve hyperexcitability, autonomic instability and neuropsychiatric features. Antibodies to voltage-gated potassium channels (Anti - VGKC-Ab) including contactin associated protein-like 2 antibodies (CASPR2-Ab) and leucine-rich glioma inactivated protein 1 antibodies (LGI1-Ab) were previously known for the potential association with this condition. We present a Morvan Syndrome in a patient who presented with various neuropsychiatric symptoms and SIADH.

  6. Identification of genes encoding the type IX secretion system and secreted proteins in Flavobacterium columnare IA-S-4

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flavobacterium columnare, a member of the phylum Bacteroidetes, causes columnaris disease in wild and aquaculture-reared freshwater fish. The mechanisms responsible for columnaris disease are not known. Many members of the phylum Bacteroidetes use type IX secretion systems (T9SSs) to secrete enzymes...

  7. The role of secreted heat shock protein-90 (Hsp90) in wound healing - how could it shape future therapeutics?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Jiacong; Chang, Cheng; Li, Wei

    2017-08-01

    Defects in tissue repair or wound healing pose a clinical, economic and social problem worldwide. Despite decades of studies, there have been few effective therapeutic treatments. Areas covered: We discuss the possible reasons for why growth factor therapy did not succeed. We point out the lack of human disorder-relevant animal models as another blockade for therapeutic development. We summarize the recent discovery of secreted heat shock protein-90 (Hsp90) as a novel wound healing agent. Expert commentary: Wound healing is a highly complex and multistep process that requires participations of many cell types, extracellular matrices and soluble molecules to work together in a spatial and temporal fashion within the wound microenvironment. The time that wounds remain open directly correlates with the clinical mortality associated with wounds. This time urgency makes the healing process impossible to regenerate back to the unwounded stage, rather forces it to take many shortcuts in order to protect life. Therefore, for therapeutic purpose, it is crucial to identify so-called 'driver genes' for the life-saving phase of wound closure. Keratinocyte-secreted Hsp90α was discovered in 2007 and has shown the promise by overcoming several key hurdles that have blocked the effectiveness of growth factors during wound healing.

  8. The Evolution of the Secreted Regulatory Protein Progranulin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palfree, Roger G E; Bennett, Hugh P J; Bateman, Andrew

    2015-01-01

    Progranulin is a secreted growth factor that is active in tumorigenesis, wound repair, and inflammation. Haploinsufficiency of the human progranulin gene, GRN, causes frontotemporal dementia. Progranulins are composed of chains of cysteine-rich granulin modules. Modules may be released from progranulin by proteolysis as 6kDa granulin polypeptides. Both intact progranulin and some of the granulin polypeptides are biologically active. The granulin module occurs in certain plant proteases and progranulins are present in early diverging metazoan clades such as the sponges, indicating their ancient evolutionary origin. There is only one Grn gene in mammalian genomes. More gene-rich Grn families occur in teleost fish with between 3 and 6 members per species including short-form Grns that have no tetrapod counterparts. Our goals are to elucidate progranulin and granulin module evolution by investigating (i): the origins of metazoan progranulins (ii): the evolutionary relationships between the single Grn of tetrapods and the multiple Grn genes of fish (iii): the evolution of granulin module architectures of vertebrate progranulins (iv): the conservation of mammalian granulin polypeptide sequences and how the conserved granulin amino acid sequences map to the known three dimensional structures of granulin modules. We report that progranulin-like proteins are present in unicellular eukaryotes that are closely related to metazoa suggesting that progranulin is among the earliest extracellular regulatory proteins still employed by multicellular animals. From the genomes of the elephant shark and coelacanth we identified contemporary representatives of a precursor for short-from Grn genes of ray-finned fish that is lost in tetrapods. In vertebrate Grns pathways of exon duplication resulted in a conserved module architecture at the amino-terminus that is frequently accompanied by an unusual pattern of tandem nearly identical module repeats near the carboxyl-terminus. Polypeptide

  9. Dispatched and scube mediate the efficient secretion of the cholesterol-modified hedgehog ligand.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tukachinsky, Hanna; Kuzmickas, Ryan P; Jao, Cindy Y; Liu, Jing; Salic, Adrian

    2012-08-30

    The Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway plays critical roles in metazoan development and in cancer. How the Hh ligand is secreted and spreads to distant cells is unclear, given its covalent modification with a hydrophobic cholesterol molecule, which makes it stick to membranes. We demonstrate that Hh ligand secretion from vertebrate cells is accomplished via two distinct and synergistic cholesterol-dependent binding events, mediated by two proteins that are essential for vertebrate Hh signaling: the membrane protein Dispatched (Disp) and a member of the Scube family of secreted proteins. Cholesterol modification is sufficient for a heterologous protein to interact with Scube and to be secreted in a Scube-dependent manner. Disp and Scube recognize different structural aspects of cholesterol similarly to how Niemann-Pick disease proteins 1 and 2 interact with cholesterol, suggesting a hand-off mechanism for transferring Hh from Disp to Scube. Thus, Disp and Scube cooperate to dramatically enhance the secretion and solubility of the cholesterol-modified Hh ligand. Copyright © 2012 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Mechanism of cellular secretion studied by high resolution soft-x-ray microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Loo, B.W. Jr.; Meyer-Ilse, W.; Rothman, S.S.

    1997-01-01

    The secretion of proteins is a fundamental cellular process. The physical and biochemical mechanisms that underlie this process have been studied with the view that they can serve as a general model for how cells transport many different substances to and through their various compartments and to the external environment. In this work, the authors study the secretion of digestive enzymes by the acinar cell of the mammalian pancreas. This is the classical system for studying such processes. The proteins that digest food are stored in approximately micrometer sized vesicles, zymogen granules, within these cells. There are two explanations for how these proteins are transported from within the granules to the exterior of the cell during the process of secretion. One proposes that whole granules are lost from the cell in discrete events, and the other proposes that partial and gradual emptying of the granules accounts for protein secretion. Of course, both mechanisms may occur. The authors are attempting to assess to what degree each of these mechanisms account for protein secretion by the organ. In order to do so, the authors have been determining whether physical changes in the granules, such as mass loss, occur during secretion as the second model predicts, or if there is a simple reduction in the number of granules as predicted by the first model

  11. Active and separate secretion of fiber and penton base during the early phase of Ad2 or Ad5 infection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yan, Yuhua; Zhang, Bo; Hou, Weihong; Lin, Hongyu [Beijing Key Laboratory of Gene Resource and Molecular Development, Beijing Normal University, Beijing (China); Rebetz, Johan [The Rausing Laboratory, Department of Neurosurgery, Lund University, Lund (Sweden); Hong, Saw-See [Viral Infections & Comparative Pathology, UMR-754 UCBL-INRA-EPHE, Université Lyon 1, Lyon Cedex 07 (France); Wang, Youjun; Ran, Liang [Beijing Key Laboratory of Gene Resource and Molecular Development, Beijing Normal University, Beijing (China); Fan, Xiaolong, E-mail: XFan@bnu.edu.cn [Beijing Key Laboratory of Gene Resource and Molecular Development, Beijing Normal University, Beijing (China)

    2017-05-15

    Fiber and penton base overproduced in adenovirus (Ad) infected cells can be secreted prior to progeny release and thereby regulate progeny spread. We aimed to investigate the mechanisms of fiber and penton base secretion in Ad2- or Ad5-infected A549 cells. Our flow cytometry analyses detected abundant surface fiber molecules, but little penton base molecules at 12 h post infection. Immunogold staining combined with transmission electron microscopic analyses revealed separate, non-co-localized release of fiber and penton base in the proximity of the plasma membrane. Depolymerization of microtubule and actin cytoskeletons, and inhibition of Rock kinase and myosin II activity together demonstrated cytoskeletal network-dependent fiber secretion. Inhibition of intracellular calcium [Ca{sup 2+}]{sub i} signaling caused diminished fiber secretion, which was associated with diminished progeny production. Thus, fiber and penton base are actively and separately secreted during the early stages of Ad2 or Ad5 infection, their secretion may play important role in Ad life cycle. - Highlights: •Excessive production of structural proteins is common to viral infection, which may regulate the host-virus equilibrium and the spreading of viruses. •The adenovirus (Ad) structural proteins, fiber and penton base, are respectively important for Ad binding to its receptor and subsequent internalization in host cells. In Ad infected cells, these two structural proteins are excessively produced. •The mechanisms underlying the release of fiber and penton base molecules at the early phase of Ad infection is yet poorly understood. •Our studies show that in Ad5 or Ad2 infected A549 cells, fiber and penton base molecules are actively and separately secreted. •Fiber secretion is dependent on cytoskeleton-mediated protein traffic. •Inhibition of myosin II motor and Ca{sup 2+} signaling activity significantly diminishes fiber secretion. •These findings could contribute to our

  12. Active and separate secretion of fiber and penton base during the early phase of Ad2 or Ad5 infection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yan, Yuhua; Zhang, Bo; Hou, Weihong; Lin, Hongyu; Rebetz, Johan; Hong, Saw-See; Wang, Youjun; Ran, Liang; Fan, Xiaolong

    2017-01-01

    Fiber and penton base overproduced in adenovirus (Ad) infected cells can be secreted prior to progeny release and thereby regulate progeny spread. We aimed to investigate the mechanisms of fiber and penton base secretion in Ad2- or Ad5-infected A549 cells. Our flow cytometry analyses detected abundant surface fiber molecules, but little penton base molecules at 12 h post infection. Immunogold staining combined with transmission electron microscopic analyses revealed separate, non-co-localized release of fiber and penton base in the proximity of the plasma membrane. Depolymerization of microtubule and actin cytoskeletons, and inhibition of Rock kinase and myosin II activity together demonstrated cytoskeletal network-dependent fiber secretion. Inhibition of intracellular calcium [Ca 2+ ] i signaling caused diminished fiber secretion, which was associated with diminished progeny production. Thus, fiber and penton base are actively and separately secreted during the early stages of Ad2 or Ad5 infection, their secretion may play important role in Ad life cycle. - Highlights: •Excessive production of structural proteins is common to viral infection, which may regulate the host-virus equilibrium and the spreading of viruses. •The adenovirus (Ad) structural proteins, fiber and penton base, are respectively important for Ad binding to its receptor and subsequent internalization in host cells. In Ad infected cells, these two structural proteins are excessively produced. •The mechanisms underlying the release of fiber and penton base molecules at the early phase of Ad infection is yet poorly understood. •Our studies show that in Ad5 or Ad2 infected A549 cells, fiber and penton base molecules are actively and separately secreted. •Fiber secretion is dependent on cytoskeleton-mediated protein traffic. •Inhibition of myosin II motor and Ca 2+ signaling activity significantly diminishes fiber secretion. •These findings could contribute to our understanding of Ad

  13. The bioactive effects of casein proteins on enteroendocrine cell health, proliferation and incretin hormone secretion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gillespie, Anna L; Green, Brian D

    2016-11-15

    Previous studies suggest that casein exerts various anti-diabetic effects. However, it is not known which casein proteins are bioactive, nor their effects on enteroendocrine cells. This study evaluated the effects of intact whole casein, intact individual proteins (alpha, beta and kappa casein) and hydrolysates on an enteroendocrine cell line. High content analysis accurately monitored changes in cell health and intracellular glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) content. Cheese ripening duration and GLP-1 secretory responses were also considered. Beta casein significantly stimulated enteroendocrine cell proliferation and all caseins were potent GLP-1 secretagogues (except kappa casein). Interestingly the GLP-1 secretory activity was almost always lost or significantly reduced upon hydrolysis with proteolytic enzymes. Only pepsin-derived beta casein hydrolysates had significantly increased potency compared with the intact protein, but this was diminished with prolonged hydrolysis. In conclusion casein proteins are not detrimental to enteroendocrine cells, and alpha and beta casein are particularly beneficial stimulating proliferation and GLP-1 secretion. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Nef exosomes isolated from the plasma of individuals with HIV-associated dementia (HAD) can induce Aβ(1-42) secretion in SH-SY5Y neural cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Mahfuz B; Lang, Michelle J; Huang, Ming-Bo; Raymond, Andrea; Bond, Vincent C; Shiramizu, Bruce; Powell, Michael D

    2016-04-01

    In the era of combined antiretroviral therapy (CART), many of the complications due to HIV-1 infection have diminished. One exception is HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND). HAND is a spectrum of disorders in cognitive function that ranges from asymptomatic disease to severe dementia (HAD). The milder form of HAND has actually remained the same or slightly increased in prevalence in the CART era. Even in individuals who have maintained undetectable HIV RNA loads, viral proteins such as Nef and Tat can continue to be expressed. In this report, we show that Nef protein and nef messenger RNA (mRNA) are packaged into exosomes that remain in circulation in patients with HAD. Plasma-derived Nef exosomes from patients with HAD have the ability to interact with the neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y and deliver nef mRNA. The mRNA can induce expression of Nef in target cells and subsequently increase expression and secretion of beta-amyloid (Aβ) and Aβ peptides. Increase secretion of amyloid peptide could contribute to cognitive impairment seen in HAND.

  15. Inhibitory Effects of Anthocyanins on Secretion of Helicobacter pylori CagA and VacA Toxins

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Sa-Hyun; Park, Min; Woo, Hyunjun; Tharmalingam, Nagendran; Lee, Gyusang; Rhee, Ki-Jong; Eom, Yong Bin; Han, Sang Ik; Seo, Woo Duck; Kim, Jong Bae

    2012-01-01

    Anthocyanins have been studied as potential antimicrobial agents against Helicobacter pylori. We investigated whether the biosynthesis and secretion of cytotoxin-associated protein A (CagA) and vacuolating cytotoxin A (VacA) could be suppressed by anthocyanin treatment in vitro. H. pylori reference strain 60190 (CagA+/VacA+) was used in this study to investigate the inhibitory effects of anthocyanins; cyanidin 3-O-glucoside (C3G), peonidin 3-O-glucoside (Peo3G), pelargonidin 3-O-glucoside (Pel3G), and malvidin 3-O-glucoside (M3G) on expression and secretion of H. pylori toxins. Anthocyanins were added to bacterial cultures and Western blotting was used to determine secretion of CagA and VacA. Among them, we found that C3G inhibited secretion of CagA and VacA resulting in intracellular accumulation of CagA and VacA. C3G had no effect on cagA and vacA expression but suppressed secA transcription. As SecA is involved in translocation of bacterial proteins, the down-regulation of secA expression by C3G offers a mechanistic explanation for the inhibition of toxin secretion. To our knowledge, this is the first report suggesting that C3G inhibits secretion of the H. pylori toxins CagA and VacA via suppression of secA transcription. PMID:23155357

  16. Activation of AMP-activated protein kinase rapidly suppresses multiple pro-inflammatory pathways in adipocytes including IL-1 receptor-associated kinase-4 phosphorylation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mancini, Sarah J; White, Anna D; Bijland, Silvia

    2017-01-01

    Inflammation of adipose tissue in obesity is associated with increased IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α secretion and proposed to contribute to insulin resistance. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) regulates nutrient metabolism and is reported to have anti-inflammatory actions in adipose tissue, yet the m...

  17. Wolbachia lipoproteins: abundance, localisation and serology of Wolbachia peptidoglycan associated lipoprotein and the Type IV Secretion System component, VirB6 from Brugia malayi and Aedes albopictus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Voronin, Denis; Guimarães, Ana F; Molyneux, Gemma R; Johnston, Kelly L; Ford, Louise; Taylor, Mark J

    2014-10-06

    Lipoproteins are the major agonists of Wolbachia-dependent inflammatory pathogenesis in filariasis and a validated target for drug discovery. Here we characterise the abundance, localisation and serology of the Wolbachia lipoproteins: Wolbachia peptidoglycan associated lipoprotein and the Type IV Secretion System component, VirB6. We used proteomics to confirm lipoprotein presence and relative abundance; fractionation, immunoblotting and confocal and electron immuno-microscopy for localisation and ELISA for serological analysis. Proteomic analysis of Brugia malayi adult female protein extracts confirmed the presence of two lipoproteins, previously predicted through bioinformatics: Wolbachia peptidoglycan associated lipoprotein (wBmPAL) and the Type IV Secretion System component, VirB6 (wBmVirB6). wBmPAL was among the most abundant Wolbachia proteins present in an extract of adult female worms with wBmVirB6 only detected at a much lower abundance. This differential abundance was reflected in the immunogold-labelling, which showed wBmPAL localised at numerous sites within the bacterial membranes, whereas wBmVirB6 was present as a single cluster on each bacterial cell and also located within the bacterial membranes. Immunoblotting of fractionated extracts confirmed the localisation of wBmPAL to membranes and its absence from cytosolic fractions of C6/36 mosquito cells infected with wAlbB. In whole worm mounts, antibody labelling of both lipoproteins were associated with Wolbachia. Serological analysis showed that both proteins were immunogenic and raised antibody responses in the majority of individuals infected with Wuchereria bancrofti. Two Wolbachia lipoproteins, wBmPAL and wBmVirB6, are present in extracts of Brugia malayi with wBmPAL among the most abundant of Wolbachia proteins. Both lipoproteins localised to bacterial membranes with wBmVirB6 present as a single cluster suggesting a single Type IV Secretory System on each Wolbachia cell.

  18. Progranulin, a major secreted protein of mouse adipose-derived stem cells, inhibits light-induced retinal degeneration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsuruma, Kazuhiro; Yamauchi, Mika; Sugitani, Sou; Otsuka, Tomohiro; Ohno, Yuta; Nagahara, Yuki; Ikegame, Yuka; Shimazawa, Masamitsu; Yoshimura, Shinichi; Iwama, Toru; Hara, Hideaki

    2014-01-01

    Adipose tissue stromal vascular fraction contains mesenchymal stem cells, which show protective effects when administered to damaged tissues, mainly through secreted trophic factors. We examined the protective effects of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) and ASC-conditioned medium (ASC-CM) against retinal damage and identified the neuroprotective factors in ASC-CM. ASCs and mature adipocytes were isolated from mouse subcutaneous tissue. ASCs were injected intravitreally in a mouse model of light-induced retinal damage, and ASC injection recovered retinal function as measured by electroretinogram and inhibited outer nuclear layer, thinning, without engraftment of ASCs. ASC-CM and mature adipocyte-conditioned medium were collected after 72 hours of culture. In vitro, H2O2- and light-induced cell death was reduced in a photoreceptor cell line with ASC-CM but not with mature adipocyte-conditioned medium. In vivo, light-induced photoreceptor damage was evaluated by measurement of outer nuclear layer thickness at 5 days after light exposure and by electroretinogram recording. ASC-CM significantly inhibited photoreceptor degeneration and retinal dysfunction after light exposure. Progranulin was identified as a major secreted protein of ASCs that showed protective effects against retinal damage in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, progranulin phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase, cAMP response element binding protein, and hepatocyte growth factor receptor, and protein kinase C signaling pathways were involved in the protective effects of progranulin. These findings suggest that ASC-CM and progranulin have neuroprotective effects in the light-induced retinal-damage model. Progranulin may be a potential target for the treatment of the degenerative diseases of the retina.

  19. Effects of chronic ethanol administration on hepatic glycoprotein secretion in the rat

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sorrell, M.F.; Nauss, J.M.; Donohue, T.M. Jr.; Tuma, D.J.

    1983-01-01

    The effects of chronic ethanol feeding on protein and glycoprotein synthesis and secretion were studied in rat liver slices. Liver slices from rats fed ethanol for 4-5 wk showed a decreased ability to incorporate [ 14 C]glucosamine into medium trichloracetic acid-precipitable proteins when compared to the pair-fed controls; however, the labeling of hepatocellular glycoproteins was unaffected by chronic ethanol treatment. Immunoprecipitation of radiolabeled secretory (serum) glycoproteins with antiserum against rat serum proteins showed a similar marked inhibition in the appearance of glucosamine-labeled proteins in the medium of slices from ethanol-fed rats. Minimal effects, however, were noted in the labeling of intracellular secretory glycoproteins. Protein synthesis, as determined by measuring [ 14 C]leucine incorporation into medium and liver proteins, was decreased in liver slices from ethanol-fed rats as compared to the pair-fed controls. This was the case for both total proteins as well as immunoprecipitable secretory proteins, although the labeling of secretory proteins retained in the liver slices was reduced to a lesser extent than total radiolabeled hepatic proteins. When the terminal sugar, [ 14 C]fucose, was employed as a precursor in order to more closely focus on the final steps of hepatic glycoprotein secretion, liver slices obtained from chronic ethanol-fed rats exhibited impaired secretion of fucose-labeled proteins into the medium. When ethanol (5 or 10 mM) was added to the incubation medium containing liver slices from the ethanol-fed rats, the alterations in protein and glycoprotein synthesis and secretion caused by the chronic ethanol treatment were further potentiated. The results of this study indicate that liver slices prepared from chronic ethanol-fed rats exhibit both impaired synthesis and secretion of proteins and glycoproteins, and these defects are further potentiated by acute ethanol administration

  20. Differential effects of D-mannose and 2-deoxym-D-glucose on attempted powdery mildew fungal infection of inappropriate and appropriate Gramineae

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zeyen, R.J.; Kruger, W.M.; Lyngkjær, Michael Foged

    2002-01-01

    -mannose had little effect on autofluorescence or HR. DDG arrested the development of fungal haustoria and apparently prohibited biotrophy leading to secondary hyphae. D-mannose allowed haustorial development and functional biotrophy leading to the production of elongating secondary hyphae. This suggests...

  1. Regulation of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) secretion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruskoaho, H.; Toth, M.; Lang, R.E.; Unger, Th.; Garten, D.

    1986-01-01

    To investigate the role of calcium, protein kinase C and adenylate cyclase in the ANP secretion, the secretory responses from isolated perfused rat hearts to a calcium channel activator, Bay k8644 (methyl-1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-3-nitro-4-(2-trifluomethylphenyl)-2-pyridine-5-carboxylate), the calcium ionophore (A23187), the phorbol ester (12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, TPA), and to forskolin were studied. ANP in perfusate was measured by radioimmunoassay 10 min before and during the infusion (30 min) of various agents at 2 min intervals. A23187 (5.7 x 10 -7 ) induced a sharp increase, whereas TPA (0.15 - 1.6 x 10 -7 ) caused a slowly progressive increase in ANP secretion. 4a-phorbol-12,13-didecanoate, a non-active phorbol ester, had no effect on ANP secretion. Bay k8644 (4 x 10 -7 ) and forskolin (1 x 10 -6 ) alone caused small but sustained increase in ANP secretion. The combination of TPA with Bay k8644, forskolin or A23187 stimulated ANP secretion higher than the calculated additive value for each agent. Dibuturyl-cAMP (1.6 x 10 -4 ) pretreatment also enhanced TPA-induced ANP release. 8-Bromo-cGMP (1.3 x 10 -4 ) and sodium nitroprusside (9 x 10 -5 ) alone had no effect, but both attenuated the TPA-induced ANP secretion. The results suggest that atrial cardiocytes possess at least two different secretory pathways for ANP secretion, which are probably dependent on protein kinase C and cyclic AMP

  2. A genome-wide association study identifies protein quantitative trait loci (pQTLs.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Melzer

    2008-05-01

    Full Text Available There is considerable evidence that human genetic variation influences gene expression. Genome-wide studies have revealed that mRNA levels are associated with genetic variation in or close to the gene coding for those mRNA transcripts - cis effects, and elsewhere in the genome - trans effects. The role of genetic variation in determining protein levels has not been systematically assessed. Using a genome-wide association approach we show that common genetic variation influences levels of clinically relevant proteins in human serum and plasma. We evaluated the role of 496,032 polymorphisms on levels of 42 proteins measured in 1200 fasting individuals from the population based InCHIANTI study. Proteins included insulin, several interleukins, adipokines, chemokines, and liver function markers that are implicated in many common diseases including metabolic, inflammatory, and infectious conditions. We identified eight Cis effects, including variants in or near the IL6R (p = 1.8x10(-57, CCL4L1 (p = 3.9x10(-21, IL18 (p = 6.8x10(-13, LPA (p = 4.4x10(-10, GGT1 (p = 1.5x10(-7, SHBG (p = 3.1x10(-7, CRP (p = 6.4x10(-6 and IL1RN (p = 7.3x10(-6 genes, all associated with their respective protein products with effect sizes ranging from 0.19 to 0.69 standard deviations per allele. Mechanisms implicated include altered rates of cleavage of bound to unbound soluble receptor (IL6R, altered secretion rates of different sized proteins (LPA, variation in gene copy number (CCL4L1 and altered transcription (GGT1. We identified one novel trans effect that was an association between ABO blood group and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha levels (p = 6.8x10(-40, but this finding was not present when TNF-alpha was measured using a different assay , or in a second study, suggesting an assay-specific association. Our results show that protein levels share some of the features of the genetics of gene expression. These include the presence of strong genetic effects in cis

  3. Dystrophin deficiency leads to disturbance of LAMP1-vesicle-associated protein secretion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Duguez, S.; Duddy, W.; Johnston, H.

    2013-01-01

    Duchenne muscular dystrophy results from loss of the protein dystrophin, which links the intracellular cytoskeletal network with the extracellular matrix, but deficiency in this function does not fully explain the onset or progression of the disease. While some intracellular events involved...... in the degeneration of dystrophin-deficient muscle fibers have been well characterized, changes in their secretory profile are undescribed. To analyze the secretome profile of mdx myotubes independently of myonecrosis, we labeled the proteins of mdx and wild-type myotubes with stable isotope-labeled amino acids...

  4. Water-Protein Interactions: The Secret of Protein Dynamics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silvia Martini

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Water-protein interactions help to maintain flexible conformation conditions which are required for multifunctional protein recognition processes. The intimate relationship between the protein surface and hydration water can be analyzed by studying experimental water properties measured in protein systems in solution. In particular, proteins in solution modify the structure and the dynamics of the bulk water at the solute-solvent interface. The ordering effects of proteins on hydration water are extended for several angstroms. In this paper we propose a method for analyzing the dynamical properties of the water molecules present in the hydration shells of proteins. The approach is based on the analysis of the effects of protein-solvent interactions on water protons NMR relaxation parameters. NMR relaxation parameters, especially the nonselective (R1NS and selective (R1SE spin-lattice relaxation rates of water protons, are useful for investigating the solvent dynamics at the macromolecule-solvent interfaces as well as the perturbation effects caused by the water-macromolecule interactions on the solvent dynamical properties. In this paper we demonstrate that Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy can be used to determine the dynamical contributions of proteins to the water molecules belonging to their hydration shells.

  5. Endometrial proteins: a reappraisal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seppälä, M; Julkunen, M; Riittinen, L; Koistinen, R

    1992-06-01

    Uterine factors influence reproduction at the macro-anatomy level, and the effects of hormonal steroids on endometrial morphology are well recognized in the histopathological diagnosis of dysfunctional bleeding and infertility. During the past decade, attention has been paid to endometrial protein synthesis and secretion with respect to endocrine stimuli and implantation, and to the paracrine/autocrine effects of endometrial peptide growth factors, their binding proteins and other factors. The emphasis of this presentation is on protein secretion of the secretory endometrium, in which progesterone plays a pivotal role. Insulin-like growth factors have receptors on the endometrium, and IGF-binding proteins, stimulated by progesterone, modulate the effects of IGFs locally. Also other protein products of the secretory endometrium have been reviewed in this communication, with special emphasis on studies of a progesterone-associated endometrial protein which has many names in the literature, such as PEP, PP14, alpha 2-PEG and AUP. Extensive studies are ongoing in many laboratories to elucidate the regulation, function, interplay at tissue and cellular levels, and clinical significance of these proteins.

  6. Postprandial oxytocin secretion is associated with severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms in anorexia nervosa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawson, Elizabeth A; Holsen, Laura M; Santin, McKale; DeSanti, Rebecca; Meenaghan, Erinne; Eddy, Kamryn T; Herzog, David B; Goldstein, Jill M; Klibanski, Anne

    2013-05-01

    Anorexia nervosa, a psychiatric disorder characterized by self-induced starvation, is associated with endocrine dysfunction and comorbid anxiety and depression. Animal data suggest that oxytocin may have anxiolytic and antidepressant effects. We have reported increased postprandial oxytocin levels in women with active anorexia nervosa and decreased levels in weight-recovered women with anorexia nervosa compared to healthy controls. A meal may represent a significant source of stress in patients with disordered eating. We therefore investigated the association between postprandial oxytocin secretion and symptoms of anxiety and depression in anorexia nervosa. We performed a cross-sectional study of 35 women (13 women with active anorexia nervosa, 9 with weight-recovered anorexia nervosa, and 13 healthy controls). Anorexia nervosa was diagnosed according to DSM-IV-TR criteria. Serum oxytocin and cortisol and plasma leptin levels were measured fasting and 30, 60, and 120 minutes after a standardized mixed meal. The area under the curve (AUC) and, for oxytocin, postprandial nadir and peak levels were determined. Anxiety and depressive symptoms were assessed using the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II). The study was conducted from January 2009 to March 2011. In women with anorexia nervosa, oxytocin AUC and postprandial nadir and peak levels were positively associated with STAI trait and STAI premeal and postmeal state scores. Oxytocin AUC and nadir levels were positively associated with BDI-II scores. After controlling for cortisol AUC, all of the relationships remained significant. After controlling for leptin AUC, most of the relationships remained significant. Oxytocin secretion explained up to 51% of the variance in STAI trait and 24% of the variance in BDI-II scores. Abnormal postprandial oxytocin secretion in women with anorexia nervosa is associated with increased symptoms of anxiety and depression. This

  7. Amylase and chymotrypsinogen synthesis and secretion by the anesthetized rat pancreas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iovanna, J.; Giorgi, D.; Dagorn, J.C.

    1987-01-01

    To investigate the origin of nonparallel secretion, pancreatic juice was collected in the anesthetized rat, during infusion of [ 3 H]phenylalanine. In the basal state, the amylase to chymotrypsinogen ratios of activities and of [ 3 H] incorporations were 3.5 and 2.5 times higher than in the homogenate, respectively. Both ratios decreased to the value in the homogenate upon caerulein stimulation (600 ng/kg). Inhibition of protein synthesis by cycloheximide (15 ng/kg) did not alter enzyme secretion ratios, and depressed basal protein output only partly, suggesting similar secretory pathways for basal and stimulated secretion. Finally, when [ 3 H]phenylalanine was given before anesthesia, the amylase to chymotrypsinogen ratio of incorporations was again higher in basal secretion than in homogenate, even when further protein synthesis was blocked by cycloheximide before urethane injection. Hence, basal secretion comes from a pancreatic compartment which is functional, although minor, in the conscious animal, and shows a higher rate of amylase synthesis, compared to chymotrypsinogen, than the rest of the gland. It could consist of a subpopulation of acinar cells

  8. Lipoidal labellar secretions in Maxillaria ruiz & pav. (Orchidaceae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davies, K L; Turner, M P; Gregg, A

    2003-03-01

    The labella of Maxillaria acuminata Lindl., M. cerifera Barb. Rodr. and M. notylioglossa Rchb.f., all members of the M. acuminata alliance, produce a viscid wax-like secretion. Histochemical analysis revealed that the chemical composition of the secretion is similar in all three species, consisting largely of lipid and protein. Light microscopy and low-vacuum scanning electron microscopy were used to investigate the secretory process. In a fourth taxon, M. cf. notylioglossa, transmission electron microscopy showed that lipid bodies are associated with smooth endoplasmic reticulum or occur as plastoglobuli within plastids. Lipid bodies vary in appearance and this may reflect differences in chemical composition. They become associated with the plasmalemma and eventually accumulate between the latter and the cell wall. The wall contains no pits or ectodesmata, and it is speculated that lipid passes through the wall as small lipid moieties before eventually reassembling to form lipid globules on the external surface of the cuticle. These globules are able to coalesce forming extensive viscid areas on the labellum. The possible significance of this process to pollination is discussed.

  9. The Protein Component of Sow Colostrum and Milk

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Theil, Peter Kappel; Hurley, W L

    2016-01-01

    The production of colostrum and milk by the sow are primary limiting factors affecting survival, growth and development of the piglets. The proteins of colostrum and milk provide not only a supply of amino acids to the neonate but also a wide range of bioactive factors. Proteins in sow mammary...... secretions include those associated with the milk fat membranes, caseins, mammary-derived whey proteins, immunoglobulins, hormones and growth factors, enzymes, and a wide range of other proteins. Concentrations of most milk-specific proteins typically are lower in colostrum than in milk, while concentrations...... of immunoglobulins and other bioactive proteins often are enriched in colostrum compared with mature milk. Dietary protein is utilized for milk protein production with approximately 50% efficiency. During both the colostrum period and at peak lactation as much as 700–800 g of protein is secreted daily by today...

  10. Differential effect of combined lipase deficiency (cld/cld) on human hepatic lipase and lipoprotein lipase secretion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boedeker, J C; Doolittle, M H; White, A L

    2001-11-01

    Combined lipase deficiency (cld) is a recessively inherited disorder in mice associated with a deficiency of LPL and hepatic lipase (HL) activity. LPL is synthesized in cld tissues but is retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), whereas mouse HL (mHL) is secreted but inactive. In this study we investigated the effect of cld on the secretion of human HL (hHL) protein mass and activity. Differentiated liver cell lines were derived from cld mice and their normal heterozygous (het) littermates by transformation of hepatocytes with SV40 large T antigen. After transient transfection with lipase expression constructs, secretion of hLPL activity from cld cells was only 12% of that from het cells. In contrast, the rate of secretion of hHL activity and protein mass per unit of expressed hHL mRNA was identical for the two cell lines. An intermediate effect was observed for mHL, with a 46% reduction in secretion of activity from cld cells. The ER glucosidase inhibitor, castanospermine, decreased secretion of both hLPL and hHL from het cells by approximately 70%, but by only approximately 45% from cld cells. This is consistent with data suggesting that cld may result from a reduced concentration of the ER chaperone calnexin. In conclusion, our results demonstrate a differential effect of cld on hLPL, mHL, and hHL secretion, suggesting differential requirements for activation and exit of the enzymes from the ER.

  11. Shared Secrets versus Secrets Kept Private Are Linked to Better Adolescent Adjustment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frijns, Tom; Finkenauer, Catrin; Keijsers, Loes

    2013-01-01

    It is a household notion that secrecy is bad while sharing is good. But what about shared secrets? The present research adopts a functional analysis of sharing secrets, arguing that it should negate harmful consequences generally associated with secrecy and serves important interpersonal functions in adolescence. A survey study among 790 Dutch…

  12. Impact of neutrophil-secreted myeloid related proteins 8 and 14 (MRP 8/14) on leishmaniasis progression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Contreras, Irazú; Shio, Marina T; Cesaro, Annabelle; Tessier, Philippe A; Olivier, Martin

    2013-01-01

    The myeloid-related proteins (MRPs) 8/14 are small proteins mainly produced by neutrophils, which have been reported to induce NO production in macrophages. On the other hand, Leishmania survives and multiplies within phagocytes by inactivating several of their microbicidal functions. Whereas MRPs are rapidly released during the innate immune response, their role in the regulation of Leishmaniasis is still unknown. In vitro experiments revealed that Leishmania infection alters MRP-induced signaling, leading to inhibition of macrophage functions (NO, TNF-α). In contrast, MRP-primed cells showed normal signaling activation and NO production in response to Leishmania infection. Using a murine air-pouch model, we observed that infection with L. major induced leukocyte recruitment and MRP secretion comparable to LPS-treated mice. Depletion of MRPs significantly reduced these inflammatory events and augmented both parasite load and footpad swelling during the first 8 weeks post-infection, as also observed in MRP KO mice. On the contrary, mouse treatment with recombinant MRPs (rMRPs) had the opposite effect. Collectively, our results suggest that rapid secretion of MRPs by neutrophils at the site of infection may protect uninfected macrophages and favor a more efficient innate inflammatory response against Leishmania infection. In summary, our study reveals the critical role played by MRPs in the regulation of Leishmania infection and how this pathogen can subvert its action.

  13. The Cell Wall-Associated Proteins in the Dimorphic Pathogenic Species of Paracoccidioides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puccia, Rosana; Vallejo, Milene C; Longo, Larissa V G

    2017-01-01

    Paracoccidioides brasiliensis and P. lutzii cause human paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM). They are dimorphic ascomycetes that grow as filaments at mild temperatures up to 28oC and as multibudding pathogenic yeast cells at 37oC. Components of the fungal cell wall have an important role in the interaction with the host because they compose the cell outermost layer. The Paracoccidioides cell wall is composed mainly of polysaccharides, but it also contains proportionally smaller rates of proteins, lipids, and melanin. The polysaccharide cell wall composition and structure of Paracoccidioides yeast cells, filamentous and transition phases were studied in detail in the past. Other cell wall components have been better analyzed in the last decades. The present work gives to the readers a detailed updated view of cell wall-associated proteins. Proteins that have been localized at the cell wall compartment using antibodies are individually addressed. We also make an overview about PCM, the Paracoccidioides cell wall structure, secretion mechanisms, and fungal extracellular vesicles. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  14. An Intracellular Peptidyl-Prolyl cis/trans Isomerase Is Required for Folding and Activity of the Staphylococcus aureus Secreted Virulence Factor Nuclease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiemels, Richard E; Cech, Stephanie M; Meyer, Nikki M; Burke, Caleb A; Weiss, Andy; Parks, Anastacia R; Shaw, Lindsey N; Carroll, Ronan K

    2017-01-01

    Staphylococcus aureus is an important human pathogen that relies on a large repertoire of secreted and cell wall-associated proteins for pathogenesis. Consequently, the ability of the organism to cause disease is absolutely dependent on its ability to synthesize and successfully secrete these proteins. In this study, we investigate the role of peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerases (PPIases) on the activity of the S. aureus secreted virulence factor nuclease (Nuc). We identify a staphylococcal cyclophilin-type PPIase (PpiB) that is required for optimal activity of Nuc. Disruption of ppiB results in decreased nuclease activity in culture supernatants; however, the levels of Nuc protein are not altered, suggesting that the decrease in activity results from misfolding of Nuc in the absence of PpiB. We go on to demonstrate that PpiB exhibits PPIase activity in vitro, is localized to the bacterial cytosol, and directly interacts with Nuc in vitro to accelerate the rate of Nuc refolding. Finally, we demonstrate an additional role for PpiB in S. aureus hemolysis and demonstrate that the S. aureus parvulin-type PPIase PrsA also plays a role in the activity of secreted virulence factors. The deletion of prsA leads to a decrease in secreted protease and phospholipase activity, similar to that observed in other Gram-positive pathogens. Together, these results demonstrate, for the first time to our knowledge, that PPIases play an important role in the secretion of virulence factors in S. aureus IMPORTANCE: Staphylococcus aureus is a highly dangerous bacterial pathogen capable of causing a variety of infections throughout the human body. The ability of S. aureus to cause disease is largely due to an extensive repertoire of secreted and cell wall-associated proteins, including adhesins, toxins, exoenzymes, and superantigens. These virulence factors, once produced, are typically transported across the cell membrane by the secretory (Sec) system in a denatured state. Consequently

  15. Differential effects of low-fat and high-fat diets on fed-state hepatic triacylglycerol secretion, hepatic fatty acid profiles, and DGAT-1 protein expression in obese-prone Sprague–Dawley rats

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heden, Timothy D.; Morris, E. Matthew; Kearney, Monica L.; Liu, Tzu-Wen; Park, Young-min; Kanaley, Jill A.; Thyfault, John P.

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of short-term low-fat (LF) and high-fat (HF) diets on fed-state hepatic triacylglycerol (TAG) secretion, the content of proteins involved in TAG assembly and secretion, fatty acid oxidation (FAO), and the fatty acid profile of stored TAG. Using selectively bred obese-prone Sprague–Dawley rats, we directly measured fed-state hepatic TAG secretion, using Tyloxapol (a lipoprotein lipase inhibitor) and a standardized oral mixed meal (45% carbohydrate, 40% fat, 15% protein) bolus in animals fed a HF or LF diet for 2 weeks, after which the rats were maintained on their respective diet for 1 week (washout) prior to the liver being excised to measure protein content, FAO, and TAG fatty acid profiles. Hepatic DGAT-1 protein expression was ~27% lower in HF- than in LF-fed animals (p < 0.05); the protein expression of all other molecules was similar in the 2 diets. The fed-state hepatic TAG secretion rate was ~39% lower (p < 0.05) in HF- (4.62 ± 0.18 mmol·h−1) than in LF- (7.60 ± 0.57 mmol·h−1) fed animals. Hepatic TAG content was ~2-fold higher (p < 0.05) in HF- (1.07 ± 0.15 nmol·g−1 tissue) than in LF- (0.50 ± 0.16 nmol·g−1 tissue) fed animals. In addition, the fatty acid profile of liver TAG in HF-fed animals closely resembled the diet, whereas in LF-fed animals, the fatty acid profile consisted of mostly de novo synthesized fatty acids. FAO was not altered by diet. LF and HF diets differentially alter fed-state hepatic TAG secretion, hepatic fatty acid profiles, and DGAT-1 protein expression. PMID:24669989

  16. Differential effects of low-fat and high-fat diets on fed-state hepatic triacylglycerol secretion, hepatic fatty acid profiles, and DGAT-1 protein expression in obese-prone Sprague-Dawley rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heden, Timothy D; Morris, E Matthew; Kearney, Monica L; Liu, Tzu-Wen; Park, Young-Min; Kanaley, Jill A; Thyfault, John P

    2014-04-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of short-term low-fat (LF) and high-fat (HF) diets on fed-state hepatic triacylglycerol (TAG) secretion, the content of proteins involved in TAG assembly and secretion, fatty acid oxidation (FAO), and the fatty acid profile of stored TAG. Using selectively bred obese-prone Sprague-Dawley rats, we directly measured fed-state hepatic TAG secretion, using Tyloxapol (a lipoprotein lipase inhibitor) and a standardized oral mixed meal (45% carbohydrate, 40% fat, 15% protein) bolus in animals fed a HF or LF diet for 2 weeks, after which the rats were maintained on their respective diet for 1 week (washout) prior to the liver being excised to measure protein content, FAO, and TAG fatty acid profiles. Hepatic DGAT-1 protein expression was ∼27% lower in HF- than in LF-fed animals (p < 0.05); the protein expression of all other molecules was similar in the 2 diets. The fed-state hepatic TAG secretion rate was ∼39% lower (p < 0.05) in HF- (4.62 ± 0.18 mmol·h(-1)) than in LF- (7.60 ± 0.57 mmol·h(-1)) fed animals. Hepatic TAG content was ∼2-fold higher (p < 0.05) in HF- (1.07 ± 0.15 nmol·g(-1) tissue) than in LF- (0.50 ± 0.16 nmol·g(-1) tissue) fed animals. In addition, the fatty acid profile of liver TAG in HF-fed animals closely resembled the diet, whereas in LF-fed animals, the fatty acid profile consisted of mostly de novo synthesized fatty acids. FAO was not altered by diet. LF and HF diets differentially alter fed-state hepatic TAG secretion, hepatic fatty acid profiles, and DGAT-1 protein expression.

  17. A secreted protein is an endogenous chemorepellant in Dictyostelium discoideum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phillips, Jonathan E; Gomer, Richard H

    2012-07-03

    Chemorepellants may play multiple roles in physiological and pathological processes. However, few endogenous chemorepellants have been identified, and how they function is unclear. We found that the autocrine signal AprA, which is produced by growing Dictyostelium discoideum cells and inhibits their proliferation, also functions as a chemorepellant. Wild-type cells at the edge of a colony show directed movement outward from the colony, whereas cells lacking AprA do not. Cells show directed movement away from a source of recombinant AprA and dialyzed conditioned media from wild-type cells, but not dialyzed conditioned media from aprA(-) cells. The secreted protein CfaD, the G protein Gα8, and the kinase QkgA are necessary for the chemorepellant activity of AprA as well as its proliferation-inhibiting activity, whereas the putative transcription factor BzpN is dispensable for the chemorepellant activity of AprA but necessary for inhibition of proliferation. Phospholipase C and PI3 kinases 1 and 2, which are necessary for the activity of at least one other chemorepellant in Dictyostelium, are not necessary for recombinant AprA chemorepellant activity. Starved cells are not repelled by recombinant AprA, suggesting that aggregation-phase cells are not sensitive to the chemorepellant effect. Cell tracking indicates that AprA affects the directional bias of cell movement, but not cell velocity or the persistence of cell movement. Together, our data indicate that the endogenous signal AprA acts as an autocrine chemorepellant for Dictyostelium cells.

  18. Meningococcal Two-Partner Secretion Systems and Their Association with Outcome in Patients with Meningitis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piet, Jurgen R.; van Ulsen, Peter; ur Rahman, Sadeeq; Bovenkerk, Sandra; Bentley, Stephen D.

    2016-01-01

    Two-partner secretion (TPS) systems export large TpsA proteins to the surface and extracellular milieu. In meningococci, three different TPS systems exist, and of these, TPS system 2 (TPS2) and TPS3 can be detected by the host's immune system. We evaluated the distribution of TPS systems among clinical isolates from two prospective cohort studies comprising 373 patients with meningococcal meningitis. TPS system 1 was present in 91% of isolates, and system 2 and/or 3 was present in 67%. The TPS system distribution was related to clonal complexes. Infection with strains with TPS2 and/or TPS3 resulted in less severe disease and better outcomes than infection with strains without these systems. Using whole-blood stimulation experiments, we found no differences in the host cytokine response between patients infected with TPS system 2 and 3 knockout strains and patients infected with a wild-type strain. In conclusion, meningococcal TPS system 2 and/or 3 is associated with disease severity and outcome in patients with meningitis. PMID:27324486

  19. High-fat diet with stress impaired islets' insulin secretion by reducing plasma estradiol and pancreatic GLUT2 protein levels in rats' proestrus phase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salimi, M; Zardooz, H; Khodagholi, F; Rostamkhani, F; Shaerzadeh, F

    2016-10-01

    This study was conducted to determine whether two estrus phases (proestrus and diestrus) in female rats may influence the metabolic response to a high-fat diet and/or stress, focusing on pancreatic insulin secretion and content. Animals were divided into high-fat and normal diet groups, then each group was subdivided into stress and non-stress groups, and finally, each one of these was divided into proestrus and diestrus subgroups. At the end of high-fat diet treatment, foot-shock stress was applied to the animals. Then, blood samples were taken to measure plasma factors. Finally, the pancreas was removed for determination of glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2) protein levels and assessment of insulin content and secretion of the isolated islets. In the normal and high-fat diet groups, stress increased plasma corticosterone concentration in both phases. In both study phases, high-fat diet consumption decreased estradiol and increased leptin plasma levels. In the high-fat diet group in response to high glucose concentration, a reduction in insulin secretion was observed in the proestrus phase compared with the same phase in the normal diet group in the presence and absence of stress. Also, high-fat diet decreased the insulin content of islets in the proestrus phase compared with the normal diet. High-fat diet and/or stress caused a reduction in islet GLUT2 protein levels in both phases. In conclusion, it seems possible that high-fat diet alone or combined with foot-shock, predispose female rats to impaired insulin secretion, at least in part, by interfering with estradiol levels in the proestrus phase and decreasing pancreatic GLUT2 protein levels.

  20. Applying Unconventional Secretion in Ustilago maydis for the Export of Functional Nanobodies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marius Terfrüchte

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Exploiting secretory pathways for production of heterologous proteins is highly advantageous with respect to efficient downstream processing. In eukaryotic systems the vast majority of heterologous proteins for biotechnological application is exported via the canonical endoplasmic reticulum–Golgi pathway. In the endomembrane system target proteins are often glycosylated and may thus be modified with foreign glycan patterns. This can be destructive for their activity or cause immune reactions against therapeutic proteins. Hence, using unconventional secretion for protein expression is an attractive alternative. In the fungal model Ustilago maydis, chitinase Cts1 is secreted via an unconventional pathway connected to cell separation which can be used to co-export heterologous proteins. Here, we apply this mechanism for the production of nanobodies. First, we achieved expression and unconventional secretion of a functional nanobody directed against green fluorescent protein (Gfp. Second, we found that Cts1 binds to chitin and that this feature can be applied to generate a Gfp-trap. Thus, we demonstrated the dual use of Cts1 serving both as export vehicle and as purification tag. Finally, we established and optimized the production of a nanobody against botulinum toxin A and hence describe the first pharmaceutically relevant target exported by Cts1-mediated unconventional secretion.

  1. Type V secretion: From biogenesis to biotechnology

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Ulsen, P.; Rahman, S.U.; Jong, W.S.P.; Daleke, M.H.; Luirink, J.

    2014-01-01

    The two membranes of Gram-negative bacteria contain protein machines that have a general function in their assembly. To interact with the extra-cellular milieu, Gram-negatives target proteins to their cell surface and beyond. Many specialized secretion systems have evolved with dedicated

  2. Proteomic analysis of pig (Sus scrofa olfactory soluble proteome reveals O-GlcNAcylation of secreted odorant-binding proteins

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patricia eNAGNAN-LE MEILLOUR

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The diversity of olfactory binding proteins (OBPs is a key point to understand their role in molecular olfaction. Since only few different sequences were characterized in each mammalian species, they have been considered as passive carriers of odors and pheromones. We have explored the soluble proteome of pig nasal mucus, taking benefit of the powerful tools of proteomics. Combining two-dimensional electrophoresis, mass spectrometry and western-blot with specific antibodies, our analyses revealed for the first time that the pig nasal mucus is mainly composed of secreted OBP isoforms, some of them being potentially modified by O-GlcNAcylation. An ortholog gene of the glycosyltransferase responsible of the O-GlcNAc linking on extracellular proteins in Drosophila and Mouse (EOGT was amplified from tissues of pigs of different ages and sex. The sequence was used in a phylogenetic analysis, which evidenced conservation of EOGT in insect and mammalian models studied in molecular olfaction. Extracellular O-GlcNAcylation of secreted OBPs could finely modulate their binding specificities to odors and pheromones. This constitutes a new mechanism for extracellular signaling by OBPs, suggesting that they act as the first step of odor discrimination.

  3. Oligomeric states of the Shigella translocator protein IpaB provide structural insights into formation of the type III secretion translocon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dickenson, Nicholas E; Choudhari, Shyamal P; Adam, Philip R; Kramer, Ryan M; Joshi, Sangeeta B; Middaugh, C Russell; Picking, Wendy L; Picking, William D

    2013-01-01

    The Shigella flexneri Type III secretion system (T3SS) senses contact with human intestinal cells and injects effector proteins that promote pathogen entry as the first step in causing life threatening bacillary dysentery (shigellosis). The Shigella Type III secretion apparatus (T3SA) consists of an anchoring basal body, an exposed needle, and a temporally assembled tip complex. Exposure to environmental small molecules recruits IpaB, the first hydrophobic translocator protein, to the maturing tip complex. IpaB then senses contact with a host cell membrane, forming the translocon pore through which effectors are delivered to the host cytoplasm. Within the bacterium, IpaB exists as a heterodimer with its chaperone IpgC; however, IpaB's structural state following secretion is unknown due to difficulties isolating stable protein. We have overcome this by coexpressing the IpaB/IpgC heterodimer and isolating IpaB by incubating the complex in mild detergents. Interestingly, preparation of IpaB with n-octyl-oligo-oxyethylene (OPOE) results in the assembly of discrete oligomers while purification in N,N-dimethyldodecylamine N-oxide (LDAO) maintains IpaB as a monomer. In this study, we demonstrate that IpaB tetramers penetrate phospholipid membranes to allow a size-dependent release of small molecules, suggesting the formation of discrete pores. Monomeric IpaB also interacts with liposomes but fails to disrupt them. From these and additional findings, we propose that IpaB can exist as a tetramer having inherent flexibility, which allows it to cooperatively interact with and insert into host cell membranes. This event may then lay the foundation for formation of the Shigella T3SS translocon pore. PMID:23456854

  4. A ubiquitin carboxyl extension protein secreted from a plant-parasitic nematode Globodera rostochiensis is cleaved in planta to promote plant parasitism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chronis, Demosthenis; Chen, Shiyan; Lu, Shunwen; Hewezi, Tarek; Carpenter, Sara C D; Loria, Rosemary; Baum, Thomas J; Wang, Xiaohong

    2013-04-01

    Nematode effector proteins originating from esophageal gland cells play central roles in suppressing plant defenses and in formation of the plant feeding cells that are required for growth and development of cyst nematodes. A gene (GrUBCEP12) encoding a unique ubiquitin carboxyl extension protein (UBCEP) that consists of a signal peptide for secretion, a mono-ubiquitin domain, and a 12 amino acid carboxyl extension protein (CEP12) domain was cloned from the potato cyst nematode Globodera rostochiensis. This GrUBCEP12 gene was expressed exclusively within the nematode's dorsal esophageal gland cell, and was up-regulated in the parasitic second-stage juvenile, correlating with the time when feeding cell formation is initiated. We showed that specific GrUBCEP12 knockdown via RNA interference reduced nematode parasitic success, and that over-expression of the secreted Gr(Δ) (SP) UBCEP12 protein in potato resulted in increased nematode susceptibility, providing direct evidence that this secreted effector is involved in plant parasitism. Using transient expression assays in Nicotiana benthamiana, we found that Gr(Δ) (SP) UBCEP12 is processed into free ubiquitin and a CEP12 peptide (GrCEP12) in planta, and that GrCEP12 suppresses resistance gene-mediated cell death. A target search showed that expression of RPN2a, a gene encoding a subunit of the 26S proteasome, was dramatically suppressed in Gr(Δ) (SP) UBCEP12 but not GrCEP12 over-expression plants when compared with control plants. Together, these results suggest that, when delivered into host plant cells, Gr(Δ) (SP) UBCEP12 becomes two functional units, one acting to suppress plant immunity and the other potentially affecting the host 26S proteasome, to promote feeding cell formation. © 2013 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  5. Multi-genome identification and characterization of chlamydiae-specific type III secretion substrates: the Inc proteins

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhong Guangming

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Chlamydiae are obligate intracellular bacteria that multiply in a vacuolar compartment, the inclusion. Several chlamydial proteins containing a bilobal hydrophobic domain are translocated by a type III secretion (TTS mechanism into the inclusion membrane. They form the family of Inc proteins, which is specific to this phylum. Based on their localization, Inc proteins likely play important roles in the interactions between the microbe and the host. In this paper we sought to identify and analyze, using bioinformatics tools, all putative Inc proteins in published chlamydial genomes, including an environmental species. Results Inc proteins contain at least one bilobal hydrophobic domain made of two transmembrane helices separated by a loop of less than 30 amino acids. Using bioinformatics tools we identified 537 putative Inc proteins across seven chlamydial proteomes. The amino-terminal segment of the putative Inc proteins was recognized as a functional TTS signal in 90% of the C. trachomatis and C. pneumoniae sequences tested, validating the data obtained in silico. We identified a macro domain in several putative Inc proteins, and observed that Inc proteins are enriched in segments predicted to form coiled coils. A surprisingly large proportion of the putative Inc proteins are not constitutively translocated to the inclusion membrane in culture conditions. Conclusions The Inc proteins represent 7 to 10% of each proteome and show a great degree of sequence diversity between species. The abundance of segments with a high probability for coiled coil conformation in Inc proteins support the hypothesis that they interact with host proteins. While the large majority of Inc proteins possess a functional TTS signal, less than half may be constitutively translocated to the inclusion surface in some species. This suggests the novel finding that translocation of Inc proteins may be regulated by as-yet undetermined mechanisms.

  6. Synthesis and structural insight into ESX-1 Substrate Protein C, an immunodominant Mycobacterium tuberculosis-secreted antigen.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Son, Soo Jung; Harris, Paul W R; Squire, Chris J; Baker, Edward N; Brimble, Margaret A

    2016-05-01

    Tuberculosis, the second leading cause of death from a single infectious agent, is recognized as a major threat to human health due to a lack of practicable vaccines against the disease and the widespread occurrence of drug resistance. With a pressing need for a novel protein target as a platform for new vaccine development, ESX-1 Substrate Protein C (EspC) was recently identified as a novel Mycobacterium tuberculosis-secreted antigen that is as immunodominant as the two specific immunodiagnostic T-cell antigens, CFP-10 and ESAT-6. Here, we present the first chemical total synthesis, folding conditions, and circular dichroism data of EspC. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers (Pept Sci) 106: 267-274, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. Longitudinal Associations between Keeping a Secret and Psychosocial Adjustment in Adolescence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frijns, Tom; Finkenauer, Catrin

    2009-01-01

    Increasing bodies of evidence suggest that keeping secrets may be detrimental to well-being and adjustment, whereas confiding secrets may alleviate the detriments of secrecy and benefit well-being and adjustment. However, few studies have addressed the consequences of keeping and confiding secrets simultaneously, and even fewer have done so…

  8. The amyR-deletion strain of Aspergillus niger CICC2462 is a suitable host strain to express secreted protein with a low background.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Hui; Wang, Shuang; Zhang, Xiang Xiang; Ji, Wei; Song, Fuping; Zhao, Yue; Li, Jie

    2016-04-28

    The filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger is widely exploited as an important expression host for industrial production. The glucoamylase high-producing strain A. niger CICC2462 has been used as a host strain for the establishment of a secretion expression system. It expresses recombinant xylanase, mannase and asparaginase at a high level, but some high secretory background proteins in these recombinant strains still remain, such as alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase; lead to a low-purity of fermentation products. The aim was to construct an A. niger host strain with a low background of protein secretion. The transcription factor amyR was deleted in A. niger CICC2462, and the results from enzyme activity assays and SDS-PAGE analysis showed that the glucoamylase and amylase activities of the ∆amyR strains were significantly lower than those of the wild-type strain. High-throughput RNA-sequencing and shotgun LC-MS/MS proteomic technology analysis demonstrated that the expression of amylolytic enzymes was decreased at both the transcriptional and translational levels in the ∆amyR strain. Interestingly, the ∆amyR strain growth rate better than the wild-type strain. Our findings clearly indicated that the ∆amyR strain of A. niger CICC2462 can be used as a host strain with a low background of protein secretion.

  9. Preliminary observation of genital secretions, growth rate and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Cane rats are large terrestial rodents which have the potential to increase animal protein intake. There is paucity of information on the genital secretions and growth rate of caged cane rats. This study observed the genital secretions, growth rate, feeds, feeding and the behaviour of caged cane rats. When animals adjusted to ...

  10. Unconventional secretion of tissue transglutaminase involves phospholipid-dependent delivery into recycling endosomes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Evgeny A Zemskov

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Although endosomal compartments have been suggested to play a role in unconventional protein secretion, there is scarce experimental evidence for such involvement. Here we report that recycling endosomes are essential for externalization of cytoplasmic secretory protein tissue transglutaminase (tTG. The de novo synthesized cytoplasmic tTG does not follow the classical ER/Golgi-dependent secretion pathway, but is targeted to perinuclear recycling endosomes, and is delivered inside these vesicles prior to externalization. On its route to the cell surface tTG interacts with internalized β1 integrins inside the recycling endosomes and is secreted as a complex with recycled β1 integrins. Inactivation of recycling endosomes, blocking endosome fusion with the plasma membrane, or downregulation of Rab11 GTPase that controls outbound trafficking of perinuclear recycling endosomes, all abrogate tTG secretion. The initial recruitment of cytoplasmic tTG to recycling endosomes and subsequent externalization depend on its binding to phosphoinositides on endosomal membranes. These findings begin to unravel the unconventional mechanism of tTG secretion which utilizes the long loop of endosomal recycling pathway and indicate involvement of endosomal trafficking in non-classical protein secretion.

  11. Growth hormone secretion is diminished and tightly controlled in humans enriched for familial longevity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    van der Spoel, Evie; Jansen, Steffy W; Akintola, Abimbola A

    2016-01-01

    Reduced growth hormone (GH) signaling has been consistently associated with increased health and lifespan in various mouse models. Here, we assessed GH secretion and its control in relation with human familial longevity. We frequently sampled blood over 24 h in 19 middle-aged offspring of long......-living families from the Leiden Longevity Study together with 18 of their partners as controls. Circulating GH concentrations were measured every 10 min and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP3) every 4 h. Using deconvolution analysis, we found that 24-h.......39-0.53)] compared with controls [0.66 (0.56-0.77)], indicating tighter control of GH secretion. No significant differences were observed in circulating levels of IGF-1 and IGFBP3 between offspring and controls. In conclusion, GH secretion in human familial longevity is characterized by diminished secretion rate...

  12. Gene Expression of Type VI Secretion System Associated with Environmental Survival in Acidovorax avenae subsp. avenae by Principle Component Analysis

    OpenAIRE

    Cui, Zhouqi; Jin, Guoqiang; Li, Bin; Kakar, Kaleem; Ojaghian, Mohammad; Wang, Yangli; Xie, Guanlin; Sun, Guochang

    2015-01-01

    Valine glycine repeat G (VgrG) proteins are regarded as one of two effectors of Type VI secretion system (T6SS) which is a complex multi-component secretion system. In this study, potential biological roles of T6SS structural and VgrG genes in a rice bacterial pathogen, Acidovorax avenae subsp. avenae (Aaa) RS-1, were evaluated under seven stress conditions using principle component analysis of gene expression. The results showed that growth of the pathogen was reduced by H2O2 and paraquat-i...

  13. Monocytes/macrophages support mammary tumor invasivity by co-secreting lineage-specific EGFR ligands and a STAT3 activator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vlaicu, Philip; Mertins, Philipp; Mayr, Thomas; Widschwendter, Peter; Ataseven, Beyhan; Högel, Bernhard; Eiermann, Wolfgang; Knyazev, Pjotr; Ullrich, Axel

    2013-01-01

    Tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) promote malignant progression, yet the repertoire of oncogenic factors secreted by TAM has not been clearly defined. We sought to analyze which EGFR- and STAT3-activating factors are secreted by monocytes/macrophages exposed to tumor cell-secreted factors. Following exposure of primary human monocytes and macrophages to supernatants of a variety of tumor cell lines, we have analyzed transcript and secreted protein levels of EGFR family ligands and of STAT3 activators. To validate our findings, we have analyzed TAM infiltration levels, systemic and local protein levels as well as clinical data of primary breast cancer patients. Primary human monocytes and macrophages respond to tumor cell-derived factors by secreting EGFR- and STAT3-activating ligands, thus inducing two important oncogenic pathways in carcinoma cells. Tumor cell-secreted factors trigger two stereotype secretory profiles in peripheral blood monocytes and differentiated macrophages: monocytes secrete epiregulin (EREG) and oncostatin-M (OSM), while macrophages secrete heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) and OSM. HB-EGF and OSM cooperatively induce tumor cell chemotaxis. HB-EGF and OSM are co-expressed by TAM in breast carcinoma patients, and plasma levels of both ligands correlate strongly. Elevated HB-EGF levels accompany TAM infiltration, tumor growth and dissemination in patients with invasive disease. Our work identifies systemic markers for TAM involvement in cancer progression, with the potential to be developed into molecular targets in cancer therapy

  14. Impact of alg3 gene deletion on growth, development, pigment production, protein secretion, and functions of recombinant Trichoderma reesei cellobiohydrolases in Aspergillus niger.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dai, Ziyu; Aryal, Uma K; Shukla, Anil; Qian, Wei-Jun; Smith, Richard D; Magnuson, Jon K; Adney, William S; Beckham, Gregg T; Brunecky, Roman; Himmel, Michael E; Decker, Stephen R; Ju, Xiaohui; Zhang, Xiao; Baker, Scott E

    2013-12-01

    Dolichyl-P-Man:Man(5)GlcNAc(2)-PP-dolichyl α-1,3-mannosyltransferase (also known as "asparagine-linked glycosylation 3", or ALG3) is involved in early N-linked glycan synthesis and thus is essential for formation of N-linked protein glycosylation. In this study, we examined the effects of alg3 gene deletion (alg3Δ) on growth, development, pigment production, protein secretion and recombinant Trichoderma reesei cellobiohydrolase (rCel7A) expressed in Aspergillus niger. The alg3Δ delayed spore germination in liquid cultures of complete medium (CM), potato dextrose (PD), minimal medium (MM) and CM with addition of cAMP (CM+cAMP), and resulted in significant reduction of hyphal growth on CM, potato dextrose agar (PDA), and CM+cAMP and spore production on CM. The alg3Δ also led to a significant accumulation of red pigment on both liquid and solid CM cultures. The relative abundances of 54 of the total 215 proteins identified in the secretome were significantly altered as a result of alg3Δ, 63% of which were secreted at higher levels in alg3Δ strain than the parent. The rCel7A expressed in the alg3Δ mutant was smaller in size than that expressed in both wild-type and parental strains, but still larger than T. reesei Cel7A. The circular dichroism (CD)-melt scans indicated that change in glycosylation of rCel7A does not appear to impact the secondary structure or folding. Enzyme assays of Cel7A and rCel7A on nanocrystalline cellulose and bleached kraft pulp demonstrated that the rCel7As have improved activities on hydrolyzing the nanocrystalline cellulose. Overall, the results suggest that alg3 is critical for growth, sporulation, pigment production, and protein secretion in A. niger, and demonstrate the feasibility of this alternative approach to evaluate the roles of N-linked glycosylation in glycoprotein secretion and function. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Pure Androgen-Secreting Adrenal Adenoma Associated with Resistant Hypertension

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    René Rodríguez-Gutiérrez

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Pure androgen-secreting adrenal adenoma is very rare, and its diagnosis remains a clinical challenge. Its association with resistant hypertension is uncommon and not well understood. We present an 18-year-old female with a 10-year history of hirsutism that was accidentally diagnosed with an adrenal mass during the evaluation of a hypertensive crisis. She had a long-standing history of hirsutism, clitorimegaly, deepening of the voice, and primary amenorrhea. She was phenotypically and socially a male. FSH, LH, prolactin, estradiol, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, and progesterone were normal. Total testosterone and DHEA-S were elevated. Cushing syndrome, primary aldosteronism, pheochromocytoma, and nonclassic congenital adrenal hyperplasia were ruled out. She underwent adrenalectomy and pathology reported an adenoma. At 2-month followup, hirsutism and virilizing symptoms clearly improved and blood pressure normalized without antihypertensive medications, current literature of this unusual illness and it association with hypertension is presented and discussed.

  16. The Evolution of the Secreted Regulatory Protein Progranulin.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roger G E Palfree

    Full Text Available Progranulin is a secreted growth factor that is active in tumorigenesis, wound repair, and inflammation. Haploinsufficiency of the human progranulin gene, GRN, causes frontotemporal dementia. Progranulins are composed of chains of cysteine-rich granulin modules. Modules may be released from progranulin by proteolysis as 6kDa granulin polypeptides. Both intact progranulin and some of the granulin polypeptides are biologically active. The granulin module occurs in certain plant proteases and progranulins are present in early diverging metazoan clades such as the sponges, indicating their ancient evolutionary origin. There is only one Grn gene in mammalian genomes. More gene-rich Grn families occur in teleost fish with between 3 and 6 members per species including short-form Grns that have no tetrapod counterparts. Our goals are to elucidate progranulin and granulin module evolution by investigating (i: the origins of metazoan progranulins (ii: the evolutionary relationships between the single Grn of tetrapods and the multiple Grn genes of fish (iii: the evolution of granulin module architectures of vertebrate progranulins (iv: the conservation of mammalian granulin polypeptide sequences and how the conserved granulin amino acid sequences map to the known three dimensional structures of granulin modules. We report that progranulin-like proteins are present in unicellular eukaryotes that are closely related to metazoa suggesting that progranulin is among the earliest extracellular regulatory proteins still employed by multicellular animals. From the genomes of the elephant shark and coelacanth we identified contemporary representatives of a precursor for short-from Grn genes of ray-finned fish that is lost in tetrapods. In vertebrate Grns pathways of exon duplication resulted in a conserved module architecture at the amino-terminus that is frequently accompanied by an unusual pattern of tandem nearly identical module repeats near the carboxyl

  17. A secreted factor represses cell proliferation in Dictyostelium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brock, Debra A; Gomer, Richard H

    2005-10-01

    Many cells appear to secrete factors called chalones that limit their proliferation, but in most cases the factors have not been identified. We found that growing Dictyostelium cells secrete a 60 kDa protein called AprA for autocrine proliferation repressor. AprA has similarity to putative bacterial proteins of unknown function. Compared with wild-type cells, aprA-null cells proliferate faster, while AprA overexpressing cells proliferate slower. Growing wild-type cells secrete a factor that inhibits the proliferation of wild-type and aprA- cells; this activity is not secreted by aprA- cells. AprA purified by immunoprecipitation also slows the proliferation of wild-type and aprA- cells. Compared with wild type, there is a higher percentage of multinucleate cells in the aprA- population, and when starved, aprA- cells form abnormal structures that contain fewer spores. AprA may thus decrease the number of multinucleate cells and increase spore production. Together, the data suggest that AprA functions as part of a Dictyostelium chalone.

  18. Trehalose Alters Subcellular Trafficking and the Metabolism of the Alzheimer-associated Amyloid Precursor Protein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tien, Nguyen T; Karaca, Ilker; Tamboli, Irfan Y; Walter, Jochen

    2016-05-13

    The disaccharide trehalose is commonly considered to stimulate autophagy. Cell treatment with trehalose could decrease cytosolic aggregates of potentially pathogenic proteins, including mutant huntingtin, α-synuclein, and phosphorylated tau that are associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we demonstrate that trehalose also alters the metabolism of the Alzheimer disease-related amyloid precursor protein (APP). Cell treatment with trehalose decreased the degradation of full-length APP and its C-terminal fragments. Trehalose also reduced the secretion of the amyloid-β peptide. Biochemical and cell biological experiments revealed that trehalose alters the subcellular distribution and decreases the degradation of APP C-terminal fragments in endolysosomal compartments. Trehalose also led to strong accumulation of the autophagic marker proteins LC3-II and p62, and decreased the proteolytic activation of the lysosomal hydrolase cathepsin D. The combined data indicate that trehalose decreases the lysosomal metabolism of APP by altering its endocytic vesicular transport. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  19. Fibromyalgia--a syndrome associated with decreased nocturnal melatonin secretion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wikner, J; Hirsch, U; Wetterberg, L; Röjdmark, S

    1998-08-01

    Most patients with fibromyalgic syndrome (FMS) complain of sleep disturbances, fatigue, and pain. These symptoms might be a consequence of changed melatonin (MT) secretion, since MT is known to have sleep promoting properties. Moreover, serum concentrations of two MT precursors (tryptophan and serotonin)--affecting both sleep and pain perception--appear to be low in patients with FMS. Therefore, the objective of this investigation was to study whether serum MT (s-MT) level is also low in these patients. Eight patients with FMS and 8 healthy sex-, BMI-, and age-matched controls were included in the study. s-MT concentrations were determined every second hour between 1800 and 0800 h. Urine was collected between 2200 and 0700 h for determination of urinary MT excretion. To evaluate total MT secretion between 1800 and 0800 h and MT secretion during the hours of darkness (between 23 and 07 h) individual MT areas under the curve (AUC) were calculated and expressed as group means. The FMS patients had a 31% lower MT secretion than healthy subjects during the hours of darkness (MT AUC 2300-0700 h (mean +/- SEM): 1.70 +/- 0.17 vs 2.48 +/- 0.38 nmol/l; P < 0.05). Also the s-MT peak value was significantly lower in the patient group: 0.28 +/- 0.03 vs 0.44 +/- 0.06 nmol/l; P < 0.05). Patients with fibromyalgic syndrome have a lower melatonin secretion during the hours of darkness than healthy subjects. This may contribute to impaired sleep at night, fatigue during the day, and changed pain perception.

  20. Common variants related to serum uric acid concentrations are associated with glucose metabolism and insulin secretion in a Chinese population.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xue Sun

    Full Text Available Elevated serum uric acid concentration is an independent risk factor and predictor of type 2 diabetes (T2D. Whether the uric acid-associated genes have an impact on T2D remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the effects of the uric acid-associated genes on the risk of T2D as well as glucose metabolism and insulin secretion.We recruited 2,199 normal glucose tolerance subjects from the Shanghai Diabetes Study I and II and 2,999 T2D patients from the inpatient database of Shanghai Diabetes Institute. Fifteen single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs mapped in or near 11 loci (PDZK1, GCKR, LRP2, SLC2A9, ABCG2, LRRC16A, SLC17A1, SLC17A3, SLC22A11, SLC22A12 and SF1 were genotyped and serum biochemical parameters related to uric acid and T2D were determined.SF1 rs606458 showed strong association to T2D in both males and females (p = 0.034 and 0.0008. In the males, LRRC16A was associated with 2-h insulin and insulin secretion (p = 0.009 and 0.009. SLC22A11 was correlated with HOMA-B and insulin secretion (p = 0.048 and 0.029. SLC2A9 rs3775948 was associated with 2-h glucose (p = 0.043. In the females, LRP2 rs2544390 and rs1333049 showed correlations with fasting insulin, HOMA-IR and insulin secretion (p = 0.028, 0.033 and 0.052 and p = 0.034, 0.047 and 0.038, respectively. SLC2A9 rs11722228 was correlated with 2-h glucose, 2-h insulin and insulin secretion (p = 0.024, 0.049 and 0.049, respectively.Our results indicated that the uric acid-associated genes have an impact on the risk of T2D, glucose metabolism and insulin secretion in a Chinese population.

  1. Deoxycholate-Enhanced Shigella Virulence Is Regulated by a Rare π-Helix in the Type Three Secretion System Tip Protein IpaD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernard, Abram R; Jessop, T Carson; Kumar, Prashant; Dickenson, Nicholas E

    2017-12-12

    Type three secretion systems (T3SS) are specialized nanomachines that support infection by injecting bacterial proteins directly into host cells. The Shigella T3SS has uniquely evolved to sense environmental levels of the bile salt deoxycholate (DOC) and upregulate virulence in response to DOC. In this study, we describe a rare i + 5 hydrogen bonding secondary structure element (π-helix) within the type three secretion system tip protein IpaD that plays a critical role in DOC-enhanced virulence. Specifically, engineered mutations within the π-helix altered the pathogen's response to DOC, with one mutant construct in particular exhibiting an unprecedented reduction in virulence following DOC exposure. Fluorescence polarization binding assays showed that these altered DOC responses are not the result of differences in affinity between IpaD and DOC, but rather differences in the DOC-dependent T3SS tip maturation resulting from binding of IpaD to translocator/effector protein IpaB. Together, these findings begin to uncover the complex mechanism of DOC-enhanced Shigella virulence while identifying an uncommon structural element that may provide a much needed target for non-antibiotic treatment of Shigella infection.

  2. High-level secretion of native recombinant human calreticulin in yeast

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Čiplys, Evaldas; Žitkus, Eimantas; Gold, Leslie I.

    2015-01-01

    , Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia pastoris. RESULTS: Expression of a full-length human CRT precursor including its native signal sequence resulted in high-level secretion of mature recombinant protein into the culture medium by both S. cerevisiae and P. pastoris. To ensure the structural and functional...... by non-denaturing PAGE. Moreover, limited trypsin digestion yielded identical fragment patterns of calcium-binding recombinant and native CRT suggesting that the yeast-derived CRT was correctly folded. Furthermore, both native and recombinant CRT induced cellular proliferation (MTS assay) and migration...... recombinant CRT protein with yields reaching 75 % of total secreted protein and with production levels of 60 and 200 mg/l from S. cerevisiae and P. pastoris, respectively. Finally, cultivation of P. pastoris in a bioreactor yielded CRT secretion titer to exceed 1.5 g/l of culture medium. CONCLUSIONS: Yeasts...

  3. A conserved domain in type III secretion links the cytoplasmic domain of InvA to elements of the basal body

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lilic, Mirjana; Quezada, Cindy M.; Stebbins, C. Erec

    2010-01-01

    The cytoplasmic domain of Salmonella InvA shares homology to a recurring scaffold in the membrane-spanning components of the type II and type III secretion systems. Protein type III secretion systems (T3SSs) are organic nanosyringes that achieve an energy-dependent translocation of bacterial proteins through the two membranes of Gram-negative organisms. Examples include the pathogenic systems of animals, plants and symbiotic bacteria that inject factors into eukaryotic cells, and the flagellar export system that secretes flagellin. T3SSs possess a core of several membrane-associated proteins that are conserved across all known bacterial species that use this system. The Salmonella protein InvA is one of the most highly conserved proteins of this core of critical T3SS components. The crystal structure of a C-terminal domain of InvA reveals an unexpected homology to domains that have been repeatedly found as building blocks of other elements of the T3SS apparatus. This suggests the surprising hypothesis that evolution has produced a significant component of the apparatus structure through a series of gene-duplication and gene-rearrangement events

  4. Fusobacterium nucleatum binding to complement regulatory protein CD46 modulates the expression and secretion of cytokines and matrix metalloproteinases by oral epithelial cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahtout, Hayette; Chandad, Fatiha; Rojo, Jose M; Grenier, Daniel

    2011-02-01

    Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that results in the destruction of the supporting tissues of the teeth. Gingival epithelial cells are an important mechanical barrier and participate in the host inflammatory response to periodontopathogens. The aim of the present study is to investigate the capacity of Fusobacterium nucleatum to bind to the complement regulatory protein CD46 expressed by oral epithelial cells and to determine the impact of the binding on the gene expression and protein secretion of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 by oral epithelial cells. Binding of recombinant human CD46 to the surface of F. nucleatum was demonstrated by immunologic assays. After stimulation of oral epithelial cells with F. nucleatum, gene expression was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis while protein secretion was monitored by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Heat and protease treatments of bacterial cells reduced CD46 binding. F. nucleatum-bound CD46 mediated the cleavage of C3b in the presence of factor I. Stimulating oral epithelial cells with F. nucleatum at a multiplicity of infection of 50 resulted in a significant upregulation of the gene expression and protein secretion of IL-6, IL-8, and MMP-9 by oral epithelial cells. However, pretreating the epithelial cells with an anti-CD46 polyclonal antibody attenuated the production of IL-6, IL-8, and MMP-9 in response to F. nucleatum. Such an inhibitory effect was not observed with non-specific antibodies. The present study demonstrates that F. nucleatum can bind the complement regulatory protein CD46. The interaction of F. nucleatum with epithelial cell surface CD46 may contribute to increasing the levels of proinflammatory mediators and MMPs in periodontal sites and consequently modulate tissue destruction.

  5. Cdk1-Cyclin B1-mediated Phosphorylation of Tumor-associated Microtubule-associated Protein/Cytoskeleton-associated Protein 2 in Mitosis*

    OpenAIRE

    Uk Hong, Kyung; Kim, Hyun-Jun; Kim, Hyo-Sil; Seong, Yeon-Sun; Hong, Kyeong-Man; Bae, Chang-Dae; Park, Joobae

    2009-01-01

    During mitosis, establishment of structurally and functionally sound bipolar spindles is necessary for maintaining the fidelity of chromosome segregation. Tumor-associated microtubule-associated protein (TMAP), also known as cytoskeleton-associated protein 2 (CKAP2), is a mitotic spindle-associated protein whose level is frequently up-regulated in various malignancies. Previous reports have suggested that TMAP is a potential regulator of mitotic spindle assembly and dynamics and that it is re...

  6. Astrocyte-secreted thrombospondin-1 modulates synapse and spine defects in the fragile X mouse model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Connie; Lau, Sally K M; Doering, Laurie C

    2016-08-02

    Astrocytes are key participants in various aspects of brain development and function, many of which are executed via secreted proteins. Defects in astrocyte signaling are implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by abnormal neural circuitry such as Fragile X syndrome (FXS). In animal models of FXS, the loss in expression of the Fragile X mental retardation 1 protein (FMRP) from astrocytes is associated with delayed dendrite maturation and improper synapse formation; however, the effect of astrocyte-derived factors on the development of neurons is not known. Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) is an important astrocyte-secreted protein that is involved in the regulation of spine development and synaptogenesis. In this study, we found that cultured astrocytes isolated from an Fmr1 knockout (Fmr1 KO) mouse model of FXS displayed a significant decrease in TSP-1 protein expression compared to the wildtype (WT) astrocytes. Correspondingly, Fmr1 KO hippocampal neurons exhibited morphological deficits in dendritic spines and alterations in excitatory synapse formation following long-term culture. All spine and synaptic abnormalities were prevented in the presence of either astrocyte-conditioned media or a feeder layer derived from FMRP-expressing astrocytes, or following the application of exogenous TSP-1. Importantly, this work demonstrates the integral role of astrocyte-secreted signals in the establishment of neuronal communication and identifies soluble TSP-1 as a potential therapeutic target for Fragile X syndrome.

  7. Social and cognitive factors associated with children's secret-keeping for a parent.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gordon, Heidi M; Lyon, Thomas D; Lee, Kang

    2014-01-01

    This study examined children's secret-keeping for a parent and its relation to trust, theory of mind, secrecy endorsement, and executive functioning (EF). Children (N = 107) between 4 and 12 years of age participated in a procedure wherein parents broke a toy and asked children to promise secrecy. Responses to open-ended and direct questions were examined. Overall, secret-keeping increased with age and promising to keep the secret was related to fewer disclosures in open-ended questioning. Children who kept the secret in direct questioning exhibited greater trust and better parental ratings of EF than children who disclosed the secret. Findings highlight the importance of both social and cognitive factors in secret-keeping development. © 2014 The Authors. Child Development © 2014 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

  8. Mutations in ppe38 block PE_PGRS secretion and increase virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ates, Louis S; Dippenaar, Anzaan; Ummels, Roy; Piersma, Sander R; van der Woude, Aniek D; van der Kuij, Kim; Le Chevalier, Fabien; Mata-Espinosa, Dulce; Barrios-Payán, Jorge; Marquina-Castillo, Brenda; Guapillo, Carolina; Jiménez, Connie R; Pain, Arnab; Houben, Edith N G; Warren, Robin M; Brosch, Roland; Hernández-Pando, Rogelio; Bitter, Wilbert

    2018-02-01

    Mycobacterium tuberculosis requires a large number of secreted and exported proteins for its virulence, immune modulation and nutrient uptake. Most of these proteins are transported by the different type VII secretion systems 1,2 . The most recently evolved type VII secretion system, ESX-5, secretes dozens of substrates belonging to the PE and PPE families, which are named for conserved proline and glutamic acid residues close to the amino terminus 3,4 . However, the role of these proteins remains largely elusive 1 . Here, we show that mutations of ppe38 completely block the secretion of two large subsets of ESX-5 substrates, that is, PPE-MPTR and PE_PGRS, together comprising >80 proteins. Importantly, hypervirulent clinical M. tuberculosis strains of the Beijing lineage have such a mutation and a concomitant loss of secretion 5 . Restoration of PPE38-dependent secretion partially reverted the hypervirulence phenotype of a Beijing strain, and deletion of ppe38 in moderately virulent M. tuberculosis increased virulence. This indicates that these ESX-5 substrates have an important role in virulence attenuation. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that deletion of ppe38 occurred at the branching point of the 'modern' Beijing sublineage and is shared by Beijing outbreak strains worldwide, suggesting that this deletion may have contributed to their success and global distribution 6,7 .

  9. Mutations in ppe38 block PE_PGRS secretion and increase virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

    KAUST Repository

    Ates, Louis S.

    2018-01-12

    Mycobacterium tuberculosis requires a large number of secreted and exported proteins for its virulence, immune modulation and nutrient uptake. Most of these proteins are transported by the different type VII secretion systems1,2. The most recently evolved type VII secretion system, ESX-5, secretes dozens of substrates belonging to the PE and PPE families, which are named for conserved proline and glutamic acid residues close to the amino terminus3,4. However, the role of these proteins remains largely elusive1. Here, we show that mutations of ppe38 completely block the secretion of two large subsets of ESX-5 substrates, that is, PPE-MPTR and PE_PGRS, together comprising >80 proteins. Importantly, hypervirulent clinical M. tuberculosis strains of the Beijing lineage have such a mutation and a concomitant loss of secretion5. Restoration of PPE38-dependent secretion partially reverted the hypervirulence phenotype of a Beijing strain, and deletion of ppe38 in moderately virulent M. tuberculosis increased virulence. This indicates that these ESX-5 substrates have an important role in virulence attenuation. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that deletion of ppe38 occurred at the branching point of the ‘modern’ Beijing sublineage and is shared by Beijing outbreak strains worldwide, suggesting that this deletion may have contributed to their success and global distribution6,7.

  10. Mutations in ppe38 block PE_PGRS secretion and increase virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

    KAUST Repository

    Ates, Louis S.; Dippenaar, Anzaan; Ummels, Roy; Piersma, Sander R.; van der Woude, Aniek D.; van der Kuij, Kim; Le Chevalier, Fabien; Mata-Espinosa, Dulce; Barrios-Payá n, Jorge; Marquina-Castillo, Brenda; Guapillo, Carolina; Jimé nez, Connie R.; Pain, Arnab; Houben, Edith N. G.; Warren, Robin M.; Brosch, Roland; Herná ndez-Pando, Rogelio; Bitter, Wilbert

    2018-01-01

    Mycobacterium tuberculosis requires a large number of secreted and exported proteins for its virulence, immune modulation and nutrient uptake. Most of these proteins are transported by the different type VII secretion systems1,2. The most recently evolved type VII secretion system, ESX-5, secretes dozens of substrates belonging to the PE and PPE families, which are named for conserved proline and glutamic acid residues close to the amino terminus3,4. However, the role of these proteins remains largely elusive1. Here, we show that mutations of ppe38 completely block the secretion of two large subsets of ESX-5 substrates, that is, PPE-MPTR and PE_PGRS, together comprising >80 proteins. Importantly, hypervirulent clinical M. tuberculosis strains of the Beijing lineage have such a mutation and a concomitant loss of secretion5. Restoration of PPE38-dependent secretion partially reverted the hypervirulence phenotype of a Beijing strain, and deletion of ppe38 in moderately virulent M. tuberculosis increased virulence. This indicates that these ESX-5 substrates have an important role in virulence attenuation. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that deletion of ppe38 occurred at the branching point of the ‘modern’ Beijing sublineage and is shared by Beijing outbreak strains worldwide, suggesting that this deletion may have contributed to their success and global distribution6,7.

  11. p38 Mitogen-activated protein kinase modulates exocrine secretion in rabbit lacrimal gland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carlsson, Stina K; Gierow, J Peter

    2012-03-01

    The lacrimal gland (LG) is an exocrine gland important for secretion of the tear film. The kinase p38 has important signal transduction functions, e.g. in gene transcription, but has previously not been known to modulate exocrine secretion. The aim of the current study was to investigate the role of p38 in carbachol (Cch)-induced LG secretion in LG acinar cells in vitro. Western blotting was used to determine the phosphorylation status of p38 and p42/44 and determine expression of p38 isoforms. To determine the effect of p38 inhibition on LG secretion, PD 169316, a general p38 inhibitor, and SB 239063, an inhibitor of p38α and β, were added to the cells prior to secretion measurements. The results revealed activation of p38 mediated by Cch stimulation and inhibition of Cch-induced secretion as a result of p38 inhibition. The inhibition was observed with PD 169316 isoforms, but not with SB 239063. The p38δ isoform was shown to have robust expression both by Western blotting of acinar cells and immunofluorescence of the whole gland. In conclusion, p38 activation mediates secretion in cholinergic stimulation of rabbit LG cells.

  12. Identification and functional analysis of secreted effectors from phytoparasitic nematodes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rehman, Sajid; Gupta, Vijai K; Goyal, Aakash K

    2016-03-21

    Plant parasitic nematodes develop an intimate and long-term feeding relationship with their host plants. They induce a multi-nucleate feeding site close to the vascular bundle in the roots of their host plant and remain sessile for the rest of their life. Nematode secretions, produced in the oesophageal glands and secreted through a hollow stylet into the host plant cytoplasm, are believed to play key role in pathogenesis. To combat these persistent pathogens, the identity and functional analysis of secreted effectors can serve as a key to devise durable control measures. In this review, we will recapitulate the knowledge over the identification and functional characterization of secreted nematode effector repertoire from phytoparasitic nematodes. Despite considerable efforts, the identity of genes encoding nematode secreted proteins has long been severely hampered because of their microscopic size, long generation time and obligate biotrophic nature. The methodologies such as bioinformatics, protein structure modeling, in situ hybridization microscopy, and protein-protein interaction have been used to identify and to attribute functions to the effectors. In addition, RNA interference (RNAi) has been instrumental to decipher the role of the genes encoding secreted effectors necessary for parasitism and genes attributed to normal development. Recent comparative and functional genomic approaches have accelerated the identification of effectors from phytoparasitic nematodes and offers opportunities to control these pathogens. Plant parasitic nematodes pose a serious threat to global food security of various economically important crops. There is a wealth of genomic and transcriptomic information available on plant parasitic nematodes and comparative genomics has identified many effectors. Bioengineering crops with dsRNA of phytonematode genes can disrupt the life cycle of parasitic nematodes and therefore holds great promise to develop resistant crops against plant

  13. Contraction induced secretion of VEGF from skeletal muscle cells is mediated by adenosine

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Høier, Birgitte; Olsen, Karina; Nyberg, Michael Permin

    2010-01-01

    and that the contraction induced secretion of VEGF is partially mediated via adenosine acting on A(2B) adenosine receptors. Moreover, the contraction induced secretion of VEGF protein from muscle is dependent on both PKA and MAPK activation, but only the MAPK pathway appears to be adenosine dependent.......The role of adenosine and contraction for secretion of VEGF in skeletal muscle was investigated in human subjects and rat primary skeletal muscle cells. Microdialysis probes were inserted into the thigh muscle of seven male subjects and dialysate was collected at rest, during infusion of adenosine...... and contraction caused secretion of VEGF (pcontraction induced secretion of VEGF protein was abolished by the A(2B) antagonist enprofyllin and markedly reduced by inhibition of PKA or MAPK. The results demonstrate that adenosine causes secretion of VEGF from human skeletal muscle cells...

  14. Improving the secretion of a methyl parathion hydrolase in Pichia pastoris by modifying its N-terminal sequence.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ping Wang

    Full Text Available Pichia pastoris is commonly used to express and secrete target proteins, although not all recombinant proteins can be successfully produced. In this study, we used methyl parathion hydrolase (MPH from Ochrobactrum sp. M231 as a model to study the importance of the N-terminus of the protein for its secretion. While MPH can be efficiently expressed intracellularly in P. pastoris, it is not secreted into the extracellular environment. Three MPH mutants (N66-MPH, D10-MPH, and N9-MPH were constructed through modification of its N-terminus, and the secretion of each by P. pastoris was improved when compared to wild-type MPH. The level of secreted D10-MPH was increased to 0.21 U/mL, while that of N9-MPH was enhanced to 0.16 U/mL. Although N66-MPH was not enzymatically active, it was secreted efficiently, and was identified by SDS-PAGE. These results demonstrate that the secretion of heterologous proteins in P. pastoris may be improved by modifying their N-terminal structures.

  15. Bovine NK cells can produce gamma interferon in response to the secreted mycobacterial proteins ESAT-6 and MPP14 but not in response to MPB70

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olsen, Ingrid; Boysen, P.; Kulberg, S.

    2005-01-01

    to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex-specific protein ESAT-6, MPP14 from Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis, and purified protein derivative (PPD) from M. tuberculosis. In contrast, no response was induced by MPB70, which is another M. tuberculosis complex-specific secreted antigen. The production of IFN...

  16. N-terminus of IpaB provides a potential anchor to the Shigella type III secretion system tip complex protein IpaD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dickenson, Nicholas E; Arizmendi, Olivia; Patil, Mrinalini K; Toth, Ronald T; Middaugh, C Russell; Picking, William D; Picking, Wendy L

    2013-12-10

    The type III secretion system (T3SS) is an essential virulence factor for Shigella flexneri , providing a conduit through which host-altering effectors are injected directly into a host cell to promote uptake. The type III secretion apparatus (T3SA) is composed of a basal body, external needle, and regulatory tip complex. The nascent needle is a polymer of MxiH capped by a pentamer of invasion plasmid antigen D (IpaD). Exposure to bile salts (e.g., deoxycholate) causes a conformational change in IpaD and promotes recruitment of IpaB to the needle tip. It has been proposed that IpaB senses contact with host cell membranes, recruiting IpaC and inducing full secretion of T3SS effectors. Although the steps of T3SA maturation and their external triggers have been identified, details of specific protein interactions and mechanisms have remained difficult to study because of the hydrophobic nature of the IpaB and IpaC translocator proteins. Here, we explored the ability for a series of soluble N-terminal IpaB peptides to interact with IpaD. We found that DOC is required for the interaction and that a region of IpaB between residues 11-27 is required for maximum binding, which was confirmed in vivo. Furthermore, intramolecular FRET measurements indicated that movement of the IpaD distal domain away from the protein core accompanied the binding of IpaB11-226. Together, these new findings provide important new insight into the interactions and potential mechanisms that define the maturation of the Shigella T3SA needle tip complex and provide a foundation for further studies probing T3SS activation.

  17. The Endoplasmic Reticulum Coat Protein II Transport Machinery Coordinates Cellular Lipid Secretion and Cholesterol Biosynthesis*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fryer, Lee G. D.; Jones, Bethan; Duncan, Emma J.; Hutchison, Claire E.; Ozkan, Tozen; Williams, Paul A.; Alder, Olivia; Nieuwdorp, Max; Townley, Anna K.; Mensenkamp, Arjen R.; Stephens, David J.; Dallinga-Thie, Geesje M.; Shoulders, Carol C.

    2014-01-01

    Triglycerides and cholesterol are essential for life in most organisms. Triglycerides serve as the principal energy storage depot and, where vascular systems exist, as a means of energy transport. Cholesterol is essential for the functional integrity of all cellular membrane systems. The endoplasmic reticulum is the site of secretory lipoprotein production and de novo cholesterol synthesis, yet little is known about how these activities are coordinated with each other or with the activity of the COPII machinery, which transports endoplasmic reticulum cargo to the Golgi. The Sar1B component of this machinery is mutated in chylomicron retention disorder, indicating that this Sar1 isoform secures delivery of dietary lipids into the circulation. However, it is not known why some patients with chylomicron retention disorder develop hepatic steatosis, despite impaired intestinal fat malabsorption, and why very severe hypocholesterolemia develops in this condition. Here, we show that Sar1B also promotes hepatic apolipoprotein (apo) B lipoprotein secretion and that this promoting activity is coordinated with the processes regulating apoB expression and the transfer of triglycerides/cholesterol moieties onto this large lipid transport protein. We also show that although Sar1A antagonizes the lipoprotein secretion-promoting activity of Sar1B, both isoforms modulate the expression of genes encoding cholesterol biosynthetic enzymes and the synthesis of cholesterol de novo. These results not only establish that Sar1B promotes the secretion of hepatic lipids but also adds regulation of cholesterol synthesis to Sar1B's repertoire of transport functions. PMID:24338480

  18. Association of type 2 diabetes candidate polymorphisms in KCNQ1 with incretin and insulin secretion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Müssig, Karsten; Staiger, Harald; Machicao, Fausto

    2009-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: KCNQ1 gene polymorphisms are associated with type 2 diabetes. This linkage appears to be mediated by altered beta-cell function. In an attempt to study underlying mechanisms, we examined the effect of four KCNQ1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on insulin secretion upon different...... stimuli. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We genotyped 1,578 nondiabetic subjects at increased risk of type 2 diabetes for rs151290, rs2237892, rs2237895, and rs2237897. All participants underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT); glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 and gastric inhibitory peptide secretion...... was measured in 170 participants. In 519 participants, a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp was performed, in 314 participants an intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT), and in 102 subjects a hyperglycemic clamp combined with GLP-1 and arginine stimuli. RESULTS: rs151290 was nominally associated with 30-min...

  19. Heat Shock Protein HSP27 Secretion by Ovarian Cancer Cells Is Linked to Intracellular Expression Levels, Occurs Independently of the Endoplasmic Reticulum Pathway and HSP27’s Phosphorylation Status, and Is Mediated by Exosome Liberation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matthias B. Stope

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The heat shock protein HSP27 has been correlated in ovarian cancer (OC patients with aggressiveness and chemoresistance and, therefore, represents a promising potential biomarker for OC diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment response. Notably, secretion of soluble HSP27 has been described by a few cell types and may take place as well in OC cells. Therefore, we studied HSP27 secretion mechanisms under diverse cellular conditions in an OC cell model system. Secretion of HSP27 was characterized after overexpression of HSP27 by transfected plasmids and after heat shock. Intra- and extracellular HSP27 amounts were assessed by Western blotting and ELISA. Protein secretion was blocked by brefeldin A and the impact of the HSP27 phosphorylation status was analyzed overexpressing HSP27 phosphomutants. The present study demonstrated that HSP27 secretion by OVCAR-3 and SK-OV-3 cells depends on intracellular HSP27 concentrations. Moreover, HSP27 secretion is independent of the endoplasmic reticulum secretory pathway and HSP27 phosphorylation. Notably, analysis of OC cell-born exosomes not only confirmed the concentration-dependent correlation of HSP27 expression and secretion but also demonstrated a concentration-dependent incorporation of HSP27 protein into exosomes. Thus, secreted HSP27 may become more important as an extracellular factor which controls the tumor microenvironment and might be a noninvasive biomarker.

  20. A novel two-component system involved in secretion stress response in Streptomyces lividans.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sonia Gullón

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Misfolded proteins accumulating outside the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane can interfere with the secretory machinery, hence the existence of quality factors to eliminate these misfolded proteins is of capital importance in bacteria that are efficient producers of secretory proteins. These bacteria normally use a specific two-component system to respond to the stress produced by the accumulation of the misfolded proteins, by activating the expression of HtrA-like proteases to specifically eliminate the incorrectly folded proteins. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Overproduction of alpha-amylase in S. lividans causing secretion stress permitted the identification of a two-component system (SCO4156-SCO4155 that regulates three HtrA-like proteases which appear to be involved in secretion stress response. Mutants in each of the genes forming part of the two-genes operon that encodes the sensor and regulator protein components accumulated misfolded proteins outside the cell, strongly suggesting the involvement of this two-component system in the S. lividans secretion stress response. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: To our knowledge this is the first time that a specific secretion stress response two-component system is found to control the expression of three HtrA-like protease genes in S. lividans, a bacterium that has been repeatedly used as a host for the synthesis of homologous and heterologous secretory proteins of industrial application.

  1. Actin Cytoskeleton Manipulation by Effector Proteins Secreted by Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli Pathotypes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fernando Navarro-Garcia

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The actin cytoskeleton is a dynamic structure necessary for cell and tissue organization, including the maintenance of epithelial barriers. Disruption of the epithelial barrier coincides with alterations of the actin cytoskeleton in several disease states. These disruptions primarily affect the paracellular space, which is normally regulated by tight junctions. Thereby, the actin cytoskeleton is a common and recurring target of bacterial virulence factors. In order to manipulate the actin cytoskeleton, bacteria secrete and inject toxins and effectors to hijack the host cell machinery, which interferes with host-cell pathways and with a number of actin binding proteins. An interesting model to study actin manipulation by bacterial effectors is Escherichia coli since due to its genome plasticity it has acquired diverse genetic mobile elements, which allow having different E. coli varieties in one bacterial species. These E. coli pathotypes, including intracellular and extracellular bacteria, interact with epithelial cells, and their interactions depend on a specific combination of virulence factors. In this paper we focus on E. coli effectors that mimic host cell proteins to manipulate the actin cytoskeleton. The study of bacterial effector-cytoskeleton interaction will contribute not only to the comprehension of the molecular causes of infectious diseases but also to increase our knowledge of cell biology.

  2. Inhibition of a type III secretion system by the deletion of a short loop in one of its membrane proteins

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Meshcheryakov, Vladimir A. [Okinawa Instiute of Science and Technology, Okinawa 904-0495 (Japan); Kitao, Akio [University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0032 (Japan); Core Research for Evolutionary Science and Technology, Tokyo 113-0032 (Japan); Matsunami, Hideyuki; Samatey, Fadel A., E-mail: f.a.samatey@oist.jp [Okinawa Instiute of Science and Technology, Okinawa 904-0495 (Japan)

    2013-05-01

    Crystal structures of the cytoplasmic domain of FlhB from S. typhimurium and A. aeolicus were solved at 2.45 and 2.55 Å resolution, respectively. The deletion of a short loop in the cytoplasmic domain of Salmonella FlhB completely abolishes secretion by the type III secretion system. A molecular-dynamics simulation shows that the deletion of the loop affects the flexibility of a linker between the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains of FlhB. The membrane protein FlhB is a highly conserved component of the flagellar secretion system. It is composed of an N-terminal transmembrane domain and a C-terminal cytoplasmic domain (FlhB{sub C}). Here, the crystal structures of FlhB{sub C} from Salmonella typhimurium and Aquifex aeolicus are described at 2.45 and 2.55 Å resolution, respectively. These flagellar FlhB{sub C} structures are similar to those of paralogues from the needle type III secretion system, with the major difference being in a linker that connects the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains of FlhB. It was found that deletion of a short flexible loop in a globular part of Salmonella FlhB{sub C} leads to complete inhibition of secretion by the flagellar secretion system. Molecular-dynamics calculations demonstrate that the linker region is the most flexible part of FlhB{sub C} and that the deletion of the loop reduces this flexibility. These results are in good agreement with previous studies showing the importance of the linker in the function of FlhB and provide new insight into the relationship between the different parts of the FlhB{sub C} molecule.

  3. Pseudomonas aeruginosa lipopolysaccharide induces CF-like alteration of protein secretion by human tracheal gland cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kammouni, W; Figarella, C; Baeza, N; Marchand, S; Merten, M D

    1997-12-18

    Human tracheal gland (HTG) serous cells are now believed to play a major role in the physiopathology of cystic fibrosis. Because of the persistent inflammation and the specific infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the lung, we looked for the action of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of this bacteria on human tracheal gland cells in culture by studying the secretion of the secretory leukocyte proteinase inhibitor (SLPI) which is a specific serous secretory marker of these cells. Treatment with Pseudomonas aeruginosa LPS resulted in a significant dose-dependent increase in the basal production of SLPI (+ 250 +/- 25%) whilst the SLPI transcript mRNA levels remained unchanged. This LPS-induced increase in secretion was inhibited by glucocorticoides. Furthermore, LPS treatment of HTG cells induces a loss of responsiveness to carbachol and isoproterenol but not to adenosine triphosphate. These findings indicate that HTG cells treated by Pseudomonas aeruginosa LPS have the same behavior as those previously observed with CF-HTG cells. Exploration by using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction amplification showed that LPS downregulated cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mRNA expression in HTG cells indicative of a link between CFTR function and consequent CF-like alteration in protein secretory process.

  4. Global transcriptional profiling of Burkholderia pseudomallei under salt stress reveals differential effects on the Bsa type III secretion system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Singsuksawat Ekapot

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Burkholderia pseudomallei is the causative agent of melioidosis where the highest reported incidence world wide is in the Northeast of Thailand, where saline soil and water are prevalent. Moreover, recent reports indicate a potential pathogenic role for B. pseudomallei in cystic fibrosis lung disease, where an increased sodium chloride (NaCl concentration in airway surface liquid has been proposed. These observations raise the possibility that high salinity may represent a favorable niche for B. pseudomallei. We therefore investigated the global transcriptional response of B. pseudomallei to increased salinity using microarray analysis. Results Transcriptome analysis of B. pseudomallei under salt stress revealed several genes significantly up-regulated in the presence of 320 mM NaCl including genes associated with the bsa-derived Type III secretion system (T3SS. Microarray data were verified by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCR. Western blot analysis confirmed the increased expression and secretion of the invasion-associated type III secreted proteins BipD and BopE in B. pseudomallei cultures at 170 and 320 mM NaCl relative to salt-free medium. Furthermore, salt-treated B. pseudomallei exhibited greater invasion efficiency into the lung epithelial cell line A549 in a manner partly dependent on a functional Bsa system. Conclusions B. pseudomallei responds to salt stress by modulating the transcription of a relatively small set of genes, among which is the bsa locus associated with invasion and virulence. Expression and secretion of Bsa-secreted proteins was elevated in the presence of exogenous salt and the invasion efficiency was enhanced. Our data indicate that salinity has the potential to influence the virulence of B. pseudomallei.

  5. Lifestyle transitions in plant pathogenic Colletotrichum fungi deciphered by genome and transcriptome analyses

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    O'Connell, R.J.; Thon, M.R.; Hacquard, S.; Amyotte, S.G.; Kleemann, J.; Torres, M.F.; Damm, U.; Buiate, E.A.; Epstein, L.; Alkan, N.; Altmuller, J.; Alvarado-Balderrama, L.; Bauser, C.A.; Becker, C.; Birren, B.W.; Chen, Z.; Choi, J.; Crouch, J.A.; Duvick, J.P.; Farman, M.A.; Gan, P.; Heiman, D.; Henrissat, B.; Howard, R.J.; Kabbage, M.; Koch, C.; Kracher, B.; Kubo, Y.; Law, A.D.; Lebrun, M.-H.; Lee, Y.-H.; Miyara, I.; Moore, N.; Neumann, U.; Nordstrom, K.; Panaccione, D.G.; Panstruga, R.; Place, M.; Proctor, R.H.; Prusky, D.; Rech, G.; Reinhardt, R.; Rollins, J.A.; Rounsley, S.; Schardl, C.L.; Schwartz, D.C.; Shenoy, N.; Shirasu, K.; Sikhakolli, U.R.; Stuber, K.; Sukno, S.A.; Sweigard, J.A.; Takano, Y.; Takahara, H.; Trail, F.; Does, H.C.; Voll, L.M.; Will, I.; Young, S.; Zeng, Q.; Zhang, Jingze; Zhou, S.; Dickman, M.B.; Schulze-Lefert, P.; Verloren van Themaat, E.; Ma, L.-J.; Vaillancourt, L.J.

    2012-01-01

    Colletotrichum species are fungal pathogens that devastate crop plants worldwide. Host infection involves the differentiation of specialized cell types that are associated with penetration, growth inside living host cells (biotrophy) and tissue destruction (necrotrophy). We report here genome and

  6. Melatonin Secretion Pattern in Critically Ill Patients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Boyko, Yuliya; Holst, René; Jennum, Poul

    2017-01-01

    effect of remifentanil on melatonin secretion. We found that the risk of atypical sleep compared to normal sleep was significantly lower (p REM) sleep was only observed during the nonsedation period. We found preserved diurnal pattern of melatonin...... secretion in these patients. Remifentanil did not affect melatonin secretion but was associated with lower risk of atypical sleep pattern. REM sleep was only registered during the period of nonsedation.......Critically ill patients have abnormal circadian and sleep homeostasis. This may be associated with higher morbidity and mortality. The aims of this pilot study were (1) to describe melatonin secretion in conscious critically ill mechanically ventilated patients and (2) to describe whether melatonin...

  7. Decreased insulin secretion in pregnant rats fed a low protein diet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Haijun; Ho, Eric; Balakrishnan, Meena; Yechoor, Vijay; Yallampalli, Chandra

    2017-10-01

    Low protein (LP) diet during pregnancy leads to reduced plasma insulin levels in rodents, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Glucose is the primary insulin secretagogue, and enhanced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) in beta cells contributes to compensation for insulin resistance and maintenance of glucose homeostasis during pregnancy. In this study, we hypothesized that plasma insulin levels in pregnant rats fed LP diet are reduced due to disrupted GSIS of pancreatic islets. We first confirmed reduced plasma insulin levels, then investigated in vivo insulin secretion by glucose tolerance test and ex vivo GSIS of pancreatic islets in the presence of glucose at different doses, and KCl, glibenclamide, and L-arginine. Main findings include (1) plasma insulin levels were unaltered on day 10, but significantly reduced on days 14-22 of pregnancy in rats fed LP diet compared to those of control (CT) rats; (2) insulin sensitivity was unchanged, but glucose intolerance was more severe in pregnant rats fed LP diet; (3) GSIS in pancreatic islets was lower in LP rats compared to CT rats in the presence of glucose, KCl, and glibenclamide, and the response to L-arginine was abolished in LP rats; and (4) the total insulin content in pancreatic islets and expression of Ins2 were reduced in LP rats, but expression of Gcg was unaltered. These studies demonstrate that decreased GSIS in beta cells of LP rats contributes to reduced plasma insulin levels, which may lead to placental and fetal growth restriction and programs hypertension and other metabolic diseases in offspring. © The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Society for the Study of Reproduction. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  8. Pathways of Unconventional Protein Secretion

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rabouille, Catherine

    2017-01-01

    Secretory proteins are conventionally transported through the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi and then to the plasma membrane where they are released into the extracellular space. However, numerous substrates also reach these destinations using unconventional pathways. Unconventional protein

  9. Pathways of Unconventional Protein Secretion

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rabouille, Catherine

    2016-01-01

    Secretory proteins are conventionally transported through the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi and then to the plasma membrane where they are released into the extracellular space. However, numerous substrates also reach these destinations using unconventional pathways. Unconventional protein

  10. Deletion of flbA results in increased secretome complexity and reduced secretion heterogeneity in colonies of Aspergillus niger.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krijgsheld, Pauline; Nitsche, Benjamin M; Post, Harm; Levin, Ana M; Müller, Wally H; Heck, Albert J R; Ram, Arthur F J; Altelaar, A F Maarten; Wösten, Han A B

    2013-04-05

    Aspergillus niger is a cell factory for the production of enzymes. This fungus secretes proteins in the central part and at the periphery of the colony. The sporulating zone of the colony overlapped with the nonsecreting subperipheral zone, indicating that sporulation inhibits protein secretion. Indeed, strain ΔflbA that is affected early in the sporulation program secreted proteins throughout the colony. In contrast, the ΔbrlA strain that initiates but not completes sporulation did not show altered spatial secretion. The secretome of 5 concentric zones of xylose-grown ΔflbA colonies was assessed by quantitative proteomics. In total 138 proteins with a signal sequence for secretion were identified in the medium of ΔflbA colonies. Of these, 18 proteins had never been reported to be part of the secretome of A. niger, while 101 proteins had previously not been identified in the culture medium of xylose-grown wild type colonies. Taken together, inactivation of flbA results in spatial changes in secretion and in a more complex secretome. The latter may be explained by the fact that strain ΔflbA has a thinner cell wall compared to the wild type, enabling efficient release of proteins. These results are of interest to improve A. niger as a cell factory.

  11. Lysosomal-associated Transmembrane Protein 4B (LAPTM4B) Decreases Transforming Growth Factor β1 (TGF-β1) Production in Human Regulatory T Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huygens, Caroline; Liénart, Stéphanie; Dedobbeleer, Olivier; Stockis, Julie; Gauthy, Emilie; Coulie, Pierre G; Lucas, Sophie

    2015-08-14

    Production of active TGF-β1 is one mechanism by which human regulatory T cells (Tregs) suppress immune responses. This production is regulated by glycoprotein A repetitions predominant (GARP), a transmembrane protein present on stimulated Tregs but not on other T lymphocytes (Th and CTLs). GARP forms disulfide bonds with proTGF-β1, favors its cleavage into latent inactive TGF-β1, induces the secretion and surface presentation of GARP·latent TGF-β1 complexes, and is required for activation of the cytokine in Tregs. We explored whether additional Treg-specific protein(s) associated with GARP·TGF-β1 complexes regulate TGF-β1 production in Tregs. We searched for such proteins by yeast two-hybrid assay, using GARP as a bait to screen a human Treg cDNA library. We identified lysosomal-associated transmembrane protein 4B (LAPTM4B), which interacts with GARP in mammalian cells and is expressed at higher levels in Tregs than in Th cells. LAPTM4B decreases cleavage of proTGF-β1, secretion of soluble latent TGF-β1, and surface presentation of GARP·TGF-β1 complexes by Tregs but does not contribute to TGF-β1 activation. Therefore, LAPTM4B binds to GARP and is a negative regulator of TGF-β1 production in human Tregs. It may play a role in the control of immune responses by decreasing Treg immunosuppression. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  12. The evolution of milk secretion and its ancient origins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oftedal, O T

    2012-03-01

    Lactation represents an important element of the life history strategies of all mammals, whether monotreme, marsupial, or eutherian. Milk originated as a glandular skin secretion in synapsids (the lineage ancestral to mammals), perhaps as early as the Pennsylvanian period, that is, approximately 310 million years ago (mya). Early synapsids laid eggs with parchment-like shells intolerant of desiccation and apparently dependent on glandular skin secretions for moisture. Mammary glands probably evolved from apocrine-like glands that combined multiple modes of secretion and developed in association with hair follicles. Comparative analyses of the evolutionary origin of milk constituents support a scenario in which these secretions evolved into a nutrient-rich milk long before mammals arose. A variety of antimicrobial and secretory constituents were co-opted into novel roles related to nutrition of the young. Secretory calcium-binding phosphoproteins may originally have had a role in calcium delivery to eggs; however, by evolving into large, complex casein micelles, they took on an important role in transport of amino acids, calcium and phosphorus. Several proteins involved in immunity, including an ancestral butyrophilin and xanthine oxidoreductase, were incorporated into a novel membrane-bound lipid droplet (the milk fat globule) that became a primary mode of energy transfer. An ancestral c-lysozyme lost its lytic functions in favor of a role as α-lactalbumin, which modifies a galactosyltransferase to recognize glucose as an acceptor, leading to the synthesis of novel milk sugars, of which free oligosaccharides may have predated free lactose. An ancestral lipocalin and an ancestral whey acidic protein four-disulphide core protein apparently lost their original transport and antimicrobial functions when they became the whey proteins β-lactoglobulin and whey acidic protein, which with α-lactalbumin provide limiting sulfur amino acids to the young. By the late

  13. High dietary protein intake, reducing or eliciting insulin resistance?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rietman, A.; Schwarz, J.; Tome, D.; Kok, F.J.; Mensink, M.R.

    2014-01-01

    Dietary proteins have an insulinotropic effect and thus promote insulin secretion, which indeed leads to enhanced glucose clearance from the blood. In the long term, however, a high dietary protein intake is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Moreover, branched-chain amino acids

  14. Morvan syndrome: a rare cause of syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion

    OpenAIRE

    DEMIRBAS, SEREF; AYKAN, MUSA BARIS; ZENGIN, HAYDAR; MAZMAN, SEMIR; SAGLAM, KENAN

    2017-01-01

    The syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) accounts for an important part of hyponatremia cases. The causes of SIADH can be detected almost always. As a rare disorder, Morvan Syndrome can be defined by the sum of peripheral nerve hyperexcitability, autonomic instability and neuropsychiatric features. Antibodies to voltage-gated potassium channels (Anti ? VGKC-Ab) including contactin associated protein-like 2 antibodies (CASPR2-Ab) and leucine-rich glioma inactivated ...

  15. The proteolytic activity of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A is potentially regulated by stanniocalcin-1 and -2 during human ovarian follicle development

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jepsen, Malene R.; Kløverpris, Søren; Bøtkjær, Jane A.

    2016-01-01

    STUDY QUESTION: Is the proteolytic activity of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) regulated by the stanniocalcins (STC1 and STC2) during human follicle maturation? SUMMARY ANSWER: The STCs and PAPP-A show similar expression by immunohistochemistry in developing follicles, and regulation...... of PAPP-A proteolytic activity is suggested by the identification of inhibited protein complexes between PAPP-A and STC1 or STC2 in human follicular fluid (FF). WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: The insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-regulating proteinase PAPP-A is secreted by the granulosa cells of estrogen...

  16. N-Glycosylation of Lipocalin 2 Is Not Required for Secretion or Exosome Targeting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erawan Borkham-Kamphorst

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Lipocalin 2 (LCN2 is a highly conserved secreted adipokine acting as a serum transport protein for small hydrophobic molecules such as fatty acids and steroids. In addition, LCN2 limits bacterial growth by sequestering iron-containing siderophores and further protects against intestinal inflammation and tumorigenesis associated with alterations in the microbiota. Human LCN2 contains one N-glycosylation site conserved in other species. It was postulated that this post-translational modification could facilitate protein folding, protects from proteolysis, is required for proper trafficking from the Golgi apparatus to the cell surface, and might be relevant for effective secretion. We here show that the homologous nucleoside antibiotic tunicamycin blocks N-linked glycosylation but not secretion of LCN2 in primary murine hepatocytes, derivatives thereof, human lung carcinoma cell line A549, and human prostate cancer cell line PC-3. Moreover, both the glycosylated and the non-glycosylated LCN2 variants are equally targeted to exosomes, demonstrating that this post-translational modification is not necessary for proper trafficking of LCN2 into these membranous extracellular vesicles. Furthermore, a hydrophobic cluster analysis revealed that the N-glycosylation site is embedded in a highly hydrophobic evolutionarily conserved surrounding. In sum, our data indicate that the N-glycosylation of LCN2 is not required for proper secretion and exosome cargo recruitment in different cell types, but might be relevant to increase overall solubility.

  17. Social and cognitive factors associated with children’s secret-keeping for a parent

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gordon, Heidi M.; Lyon, Thomas D.; Lee, Kang

    2014-01-01

    This study examined children’s secret-keeping for a parent and its relationship to trust, theory of mind, secrecy endorsement, and executive functioning (EF). Children (N = 107) between 4 and 12 years of age participated in a procedure wherein parents broke a toy and asked children to promise secrecy. Responses to open-ended and direct questions were examined. Overall, secret-keeping increased with age and promising to keep the secret was related to fewer disclosures in open-ended questioning. Children who kept the secret in direct questioning exhibited greater trust and better parental ratings of EF than children who disclosed the secret. Findings highlight the importance of both social and cognitive factors in secret-keeping development. PMID:25291258

  18. Crystal Structure of Hcp from Acinetobacter baumannii: A Component of the Type VI Secretion System.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Federico M Ruiz

    Full Text Available The type VI secretion system (T6SS is a bacterial macromolecular machine widely distributed in Gram-negative bacteria, which transports effector proteins into eukaryotic host cells or other bacteria. Membrane complexes and a central tubular structure, which resembles the tail of contractile bacteriophages, compose the T6SS. One of the proteins forming this tube is the hemolysin co-regulated protein (Hcp, which acts as virulence factor, as transporter of effectors and as a chaperone. In this study, we present the structure of Hcp from Acinetobacter baumannii, together with functional and oligomerization studies. The structure of this protein exhibits a tight β barrel formed by two β sheets and flanked at one side by a short α-helix. Six Hcp molecules associate to form a donut-shaped hexamer, as observed in both the crystal structure and solution. These results emphasize the importance of this oligomerization state in this family of proteins, despite the low similarity of sequence among them. The structure presented in this study is the first one for a protein forming part of a functional T6SS from A. baumannii. These results will help us to understand the mechanism and function of this secretion system in this opportunistic nosocomial pathogen.

  19. Secreted Klotho Attenuates Inflammation-Associated Aortic Valve Fibrosis in Senescence-Accelerated Mice P1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Jianglei; Fan, Jun; Wang, Shirley; Sun, Zhongjie

    2018-05-01

    Senescence-accelerated mice P1 (SAMP1) is an aging model characterized by shortened lifespan and early signs of senescence. Klotho is an aging-suppressor gene. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether in vivo expression of secreted klotho ( Skl ) gene attenuates aortic valve fibrosis in SAMP1 mice. SAMP1 mice and age-matched (AKR/J) control mice were used. SAMP1 mice developed obvious fibrosis in aortic valves, namely fibrotic aortic valve disease. Serum level of Skl was decreased drastically in SAMP1 mice. Expression of MCP-1 (monocyte chemoattractant protein 1), ICAM-1 (intercellular adhesion molecule 1), F4/80, and CD68 was increased in aortic valves of SAMP1 mice, indicating inflammation. An increase in expression of α-smooth muscle actin (myofibroblast marker), transforming growth factorβ-1, and scleraxis (a transcription factor of collagen synthesis) was also found in aortic valves of SAMP1 mice, suggesting that accelerated aging is associated with myofibroblast transition and collagen gene activation. We constructed adeno-associated virus 2 carrying mouse Skl cDNA for in vivo expression of Skl. Skl gene delivery effectively increased serum Skl of SAMP1 mice to the control level. Skl gene delivery inhibited inflammation and myofibroblastic transition in aortic valves and attenuated fibrotic aortic valve disease in SAMP1 mice. It is concluded that senescence-related fibrotic aortic valve disease in SAMP1 mice is associated with a decrease in serum klotho leading to inflammation, including macrophage infiltration and transforming growth factorβ-1/scleraxis-driven myofibroblast differentiation in aortic valves. Restoration of serum Skl levels by adeno-associated virus 2 carrying mouse Skl cDNA effectively suppresses inflammation and myofibroblastic transition and attenuates aortic valve fibrosis. Skl may be a potential therapeutic target for fibrotic aortic valve disease. © 2018 American Heart Association, Inc.

  20. Uteroglobin, an apically secreted protein of the uterine epithelium, is secreted non-polarized form MDCK cells and mainly basolaterally from Caco-2 cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vogel, L K; Suske, G; Beato, M

    1993-01-01

    A complete cDNA encoding rabbit uteroglobin was constructed and expressed in MDCK and Caco-2 cells. The MDCK cells secrete uteroglobin in approximately equal amounts to the apical and the basolateral side, whereas the Caco-2 cells secrete uteroglobin mainly to the basolateral side. Both MDCK...... and Caco-2 cells thus secrete uteroglobin in a non-sorted manner. It has, however, previously been shown that uteroglobin is secreted exclusively at the apical membrane in primary cell culture of endometrial epithelial cells [S.K. Mani et al. (1991) Endocrinology 128, 1563-1573]. This suggests that either...... the endometrial epithelium has an apical default pathway or recognises a sorting signal not recognised by MDCK cells and Caco-2 cells. Our data thus show that a soluble molecule can be secreted at the apical, the basolateral or both membranes depending on the cell type....

  1. Efficient production and secretion of bovine beta-lactoglobulin by Lactobacillus casei.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hazebrouck, Stéphane; Pothelune, Laetitia; Azevedo, Vasco; Corthier, Gérard; Wal, Jean-Michel; Langella, Philippe

    2007-04-06

    Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are attractive tools to deliver therapeutic molecules at the mucosal level. The model LAB Lactococcus lactis has been intensively used to produce and deliver such heterologous proteins. However, compared to recombinant lactococci, lactobacilli offer some advantages such as better survival in the digestive tract and immunomodulatory properties. Here, we compared different strategies to optimize the production of bovine beta-lactoglobulin (BLG), a major cow's milk allergen, in the probiotic strain Lactobacillus casei BL23. Using a nisin-inducible plasmid system, we first showed that L. casei BL23 strain could efficiently secrete a reporter protein, the staphylococcal nuclease (Nuc), with the lactococcal signal peptide SPUsp45 fused to its N-terminus. The fusion of SPUsp45 failed to drive BLG secretion but led to a 10-fold increase of intracellular BLG production. Secretion was significantly improved when the synthetic propeptide LEISSTCDA (hereafter called LEISS) was added to the N-terminus of the mature moiety of BLG. Secretion rate of LEISS-BLG was 6-fold higher than that of BLG alone while intracellular production reached then about 1 mg/L of culture. The highest yield of secretion was obtained by using Nuc as carrier protein. Insertion of Nuc between LEISS and BLG resulted in a 20-fold increase in BLG secretion, up to 27 microg/L of culture. Furthermore, the lactococcal nisRK regulatory genes were integrated into the BL23 chromosome. The nisRK insertion allowed a decrease of BLG synthesis in uninduced cultures while BLG production increased by 50% after nisin induction. Moreover, modification of the induction protocol led to increase the proportion of soluble BLG to around 74% of the total BLG production. BLG production and secretion in L. casei were significantly improved by fusions to a propeptide enhancer and a carrier protein. The resulting recombinant strains will be further tested for their ability to modulate the immune response

  2. Efficient production and secretion of bovine β-lactoglobulin by Lactobacillus casei

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wal Jean-Michel

    2007-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Lactic acid bacteria (LAB are attractive tools to deliver therapeutic molecules at the mucosal level. The model LAB Lactococcus lactis has been intensively used to produce and deliver such heterologous proteins. However, compared to recombinant lactococci, lactobacilli offer some advantages such as better survival in the digestive tract and immunomodulatory properties. Here, we compared different strategies to optimize the production of bovine β-lactoglobulin (BLG, a major cow's milk allergen, in the probiotic strain Lactobacillus casei BL23. Results Using a nisin-inducible plasmid system, we first showed that L. casei BL23 strain could efficiently secrete a reporter protein, the staphylococcal nuclease (Nuc, with the lactococcal signal peptide SPUsp45 fused to its N-terminus. The fusion of SPUsp45 failed to drive BLG secretion but led to a 10-fold increase of intracellular BLG production. Secretion was significantly improved when the synthetic propeptide LEISSTCDA (hereafter called LEISS was added to the N-terminus of the mature moiety of BLG. Secretion rate of LEISS-BLG was 6-fold higher than that of BLG alone while intracellular production reached then about 1 mg/L of culture. The highest yield of secretion was obtained by using Nuc as carrier protein. Insertion of Nuc between LEISS and BLG resulted in a 20-fold increase in BLG secretion, up to 27 μg/L of culture. Furthermore, the lactococcal nisRK regulatory genes were integrated into the BL23 chromosome. The nisRK insertion allowed a decrease of BLG synthesis in uninduced cultures while BLG production increased by 50% after nisin induction. Moreover, modification of the induction protocol led to increase the proportion of soluble BLG to around 74% of the total BLG production. Conclusion BLG production and secretion in L. casei were significantly improved by fusions to a propeptide enhancer and a carrier protein. The resulting recombinant strains will be further tested

  3. Secretion Of Methionine By Microorganisms Associated With ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    methionine were secreted after 96 hours and 72 hours respectively by the lactobacilli and Leuconostoc sp. Since lactic acid bacteria are micro-aerophilic, it is suggested that lactic acid bacteria (the two lactobacilli and Leuconostoc sp.), which are the major organisms involved in cassava fermentation for garri production, ...

  4. Intracellular serotonin modulates insulin secretion from pancreatic beta-cells by protein serotonylation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nils Paulmann

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available While serotonin (5-HT co-localization with insulin in granules of pancreatic beta-cells was demonstrated more than three decades ago, its physiological role in the etiology of diabetes is still unclear. We combined biochemical and electrophysiological analyses of mice selectively deficient in peripheral tryptophan hydroxylase (Tph1-/- and 5-HT to show that intracellular 5-HT regulates insulin secretion. We found that these mice are diabetic and have an impaired insulin secretion due to the lack of 5-HT in the pancreas. The pharmacological restoration of peripheral 5-HT levels rescued the impaired insulin secretion in vivo. These findings were further evidenced by patch clamp experiments with isolated Tph1-/- beta-cells, which clearly showed that the secretory defect is downstream of Ca(2+-signaling and can be rescued by direct intracellular application of 5-HT via the clamp pipette. In elucidating the underlying mechanism further, we demonstrate the covalent coupling of 5-HT by transglutaminases during insulin exocytosis to two key players in insulin secretion, the small GTPases Rab3a and Rab27a. This renders them constitutively active in a receptor-independent signaling mechanism we have recently termed serotonylation. Concordantly, an inhibition of such activating serotonylation in beta-cells abates insulin secretion. We also observed inactivation of serotonylated Rab3a by enhanced proteasomal degradation, which is in line with the inactivation of other serotonylated GTPases. Our results demonstrate that 5-HT regulates insulin secretion by serotonylation of GTPases within pancreatic beta-cells and suggest that intracellular 5-HT functions in various microenvironments via this mechanism in concert with the known receptor-mediated signaling.

  5. Incretin hormone secretion over the day

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ahren, B; Carr, RD; Deacon, Carolyn F.

    2010-01-01

    The two incretin hormones glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) are key factors in the regulation of islet function and glucose metabolism, and incretin-based therapy for type 2 diabetes has gained considerable interest during recent years. Regulat......The two incretin hormones glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) are key factors in the regulation of islet function and glucose metabolism, and incretin-based therapy for type 2 diabetes has gained considerable interest during recent years....... Regulation of incretin hormone secretion is less well characterized. The main stimulus for incretin hormone secretion is presence of nutrients in the intestinal lumen, and carbohydrate, fat as well as protein all have the capacity to stimulate GIP and GLP-1 secretion. More recently, it has been established...... that a diurnal regulation exists with incretin hormone secretion to an identical meal being greater when the meal is served in the morning compared to in the afternoon. Finally, whether incretin hormone secretion is altered in disease states is an area with, so far, controversial results in different studies...

  6. Phosphate starvation triggers production and secretion of an extracellular lipoprotein in Caulobacter crescentus.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sophie Le Blastier

    Full Text Available Life in oligotrophic environments necessitates quick adaptive responses to a sudden lack of nutrients. Secretion of specific degradative enzymes into the extracellular medium is a means to mobilize the required nutrient from nearby sources. The aquatic bacterium Caulobacter crescentus must often face changes in its environment such as phosphate limitation. Evidence reported in this paper indicates that under phosphate starvation, C. crescentus produces a membrane surface-anchored lipoprotein named ElpS subsequently released into the extracellular medium. A complete set of 12 genes encoding a type II secretion system (T2SS is located adjacent to the elpS locus in the C. crescentus genome. Deletion of this T2SS impairs release of ElpS in the environment, which surprisingly remains present at the cell surface, indicating that the T2SS is not involved in the translocation of ElpS to the outer membrane but rather in its release. Accordingly, treatment with protease inhibitors prevents release of ElpS in the extracellular medium suggesting that ElpS secretion relies on a T2SS-secreted protease. Finally, secretion of ElpS is associated with an increase in alkaline phosphatase activity in culture supernatants, suggesting a role of the secreted protein in inorganic phosphate mobilization. In conclusion, we have shown that upon phosphate starvation, C. crescentus produces an outer membrane bound lipoprotein, ElpS, which is further cleaved and released in the extracellular medium in a T2SS-dependent manner. Our data suggest that ElpS is associated with an alkaline phosphatase activity, thereby allowing the bacterium to gather inorganic phosphates from a poor environment.

  7. Measurement of backbone hydrogen-deuterium exchange in the type III secretion system needle protein PrgI by solid-state NMR

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chevelkov, Veniamin; Giller, Karin; Becker, Stefan; Lange, Adam

    2017-10-01

    In this report we present site-specific measurements of amide hydrogen-deuterium exchange rates in a protein in the solid state phase by MAS NMR. Employing perdeuteration, proton detection and a high external magnetic field we could adopt the highly efficient Relax-EXSY protocol previously developed for liquid state NMR. According to this method, we measured the contribution of hydrogen exchange on apparent 15N longitudinal relaxation rates in samples with differing D2O buffer content. Differences in the apparent T1 times allowed us to derive exchange rates for multiple residues in the type III secretion system needle protein.

  8. Exosomes: vehicles for the transfer of toxic proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bellingham, Shayne A; Guo, Belinda B; Coleman, Bradley M; Hill, Andrew F

    2012-01-01

    Exosomes are small membranous vesicles secreted by a number of cell types including neurons and can be isolated from conditioned cell media or bodily fluids such as urine and plasma. Exosome biogenesis involves the inward budding of endosomes to form multivesicular bodies (MVB). When fused with the plasma membrane, the MVB releases the vesicles into the extracellular environment as exosomes. Proposed functions of these vesicles include roles in cell-cell signaling, removal of unwanted proteins, and the transfer of pathogens between cells. One such pathogen which exploits this pathway is the prion, the infectious particle responsible for the transmissible neurodegenerative diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) of humans or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) of cattle. Similarly, exosomes are also involved in the processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) which is associated with Alzheimer's disease. Exosomes have been shown to contain full-length APP and several distinct proteolytically cleaved products of APP, including Aβ. In addition, these fragments can be modulated using inhibitors of the proteases involved in APP cleavage. These observations provide further evidence for a novel pathway in which PrP and APP fragments are released from cells. Other proteins such as superoxide dismutase I and alpha-synuclein (involved in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson's disease, respectively) are also found associated with exosomes. This review will focus on the role of exosomes in neurodegenerative disorders and discuss the potential of these vesicles for the spread of neurotoxicity, therapeutics, and diagnostics for these diseases.

  9. Regulated Mucin Secretion from Airway Epithelial Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kenneth Bruce Adler

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Secretory epithelial cells of the proximal airways synthesize and secrete gel-forming polymeric mucins. The secreted mucins adsorb water to form mucus that is propelled by neighboring ciliated cells, providing a mobile barrier which removes inhaled particles and pathogens from the lungs. Several features of the intracellular trafficking of mucins make the airway secretory cell an interesting comparator for the cell biology of regulated exocytosis. Polymeric mucins are exceedingly large molecules (up to 3x10^6 D per monomer whose folding and initial polymerization in the ER requires the protein disulfide isomerase Agr2. In the Golgi, mucins further polymerize to form chains and possibly branched networks comprising more than 20 monomers. The large size of mucin polymers imposes constraints on their packaging into transport vesicles along the secretory pathway. Sugar side chains account for >70% of the mass of mucins, and their attachment to the protein core by O-glycosylation occurs in the Golgi. Mature polymeric mucins are stored in large secretory granules ~1 um in diameter. These are translocated to the apical membrane to be positioned for exocytosis by cooperative interactions among MARCKS, cysteine string protein (CSP, HSP70 and the cytoskeleton. Mucin granules undergo exocytic fusion with the plasma membrane at a low basal rate and a high stimulated rate. Both rates are mediated by a regulated exocytic mechanism as indicated by phenotypes in both basal and stimulated secretion in mice lacking Munc13-2, a sensor of the second messengers calcium and diacylglycerol (DAG. Basal secretion is induced by low levels of activation of P2Y2 purinergic and A3 adenosine receptors by extracellular ATP released in paracrine fashion and its metabolite adenosine. Stimulated secretion is induced by high levels of the same ligands, and possibly by inflammatory mediators as well. Activated receptors are coupled to phospholipase C by Gq, resulting in the

  10. Bone morphogenetic protein 4 inhibits insulin secretion from rodent beta cells through regulation of calbindin1 expression and reduced voltage-dependent calcium currents

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Gitte L.; Jacobsen, Maria L. B.; Wendt, Anna

    2015-01-01

    AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Type 2 diabetes is characterised by progressive loss of pancreatic beta cell mass and function. Therefore, it is of therapeutic interest to identify factors with the potential to improve beta cell proliferation and insulin secretion. Bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) expression...

  11. Heterogenic expression of genes encoding secreted proteins at the periphery of Aspergillus niger colonies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vinck, Arman; de Bekker, Charissa; Ossin, Adam; Ohm, Robin A; de Vries, Ronald P; Wösten, Han A B

    2011-01-01

    Colonization of a substrate by fungi starts with the invasion of exploring hyphae. These hyphae secrete enzymes that degrade the organic material into small molecules that can be taken up by the fungus to serve as nutrients. We previously showed that only part of the exploring hyphae of Aspergillus niger highly express the glucoamylase gene glaA. This was an unexpected finding since all exploring hyphae are exposed to the same environmental conditions. Using GFP as a reporter, we here demonstrate that the acid amylase gene aamA, the α-glucuronidase gene aguA, and the feruloyl esterase gene faeA of A. niger are also subject to heterogenic expression within the exploring mycelium. Coexpression studies using GFP and dTomato as reporters showed that hyphae that highly express one of these genes also highly express the other genes encoding secreted proteins. Moreover, these hyphae also highly express the amylolytic regulatory gene amyR, and the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene gpdA. In situ hybridization demonstrated that the high expressers are characterized by a high 18S rRNA content. Taken together, it is concluded that two subpopulations of hyphae can be distinguished within the exploring mycelium of A. niger. The experimental data indicate that these subpopulations differ in their transcriptional and translational activity. © 2010 Society for Applied Microbiology and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  12. FluG affects secretion in colonies of Aspergillus niger.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Fengfeng; Krijgsheld, Pauline; Hulsman, Marc; de Bekker, Charissa; Müller, Wally H; Reinders, Marcel; de Vries, Ronald P; Wösten, Han A B

    2015-01-01

    Colonies of Aspergillus niger are characterized by zonal heterogeneity in growth, sporulation, gene expression and secretion. For instance, the glucoamylase gene glaA is more highly expressed at the periphery of colonies when compared to the center. As a consequence, its encoded protein GlaA is mainly secreted at the outer part of the colony. Here, multiple copies of amyR were introduced in A. niger. Most transformants over-expressing this regulatory gene of amylolytic genes still displayed heterogeneous glaA expression and GlaA secretion. However, heterogeneity was abolished in transformant UU-A001.13 by expressing glaA and secreting GlaA throughout the mycelium. Sequencing the genome of UU-A001.13 revealed that transformation had been accompanied by deletion of part of the fluG gene and disrupting its 3' end by integration of a transformation vector. Inactivation of fluG in the wild-type background of A. niger also resulted in breakdown of starch under the whole colony. Asexual development of the ∆fluG strain was not affected, unlike what was previously shown in Aspergillus nidulans. Genes encoding proteins with a signal sequence for secretion, including part of the amylolytic genes, were more often downregulated in the central zone of maltose-grown ∆fluG colonies and upregulated in the intermediate part and periphery when compared to the wild-type. Together, these data indicate that FluG of A. niger is a repressor of secretion.

  13. Targeting tumor antigens to secreted membrane vesicles in vivo induces efficient antitumor immune responses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeelenberg, Ingrid S; Ostrowski, Matias; Krumeich, Sophie; Bobrie, Angélique; Jancic, Carolina; Boissonnas, Alexandre; Delcayre, Alain; Le Pecq, Jean-Bernard; Combadière, Béhazine; Amigorena, Sebastian; Théry, Clotilde

    2008-02-15

    Expression of non-self antigens by tumors can induce activation of T cells in vivo, although this activation can lead to either immunity or tolerance. CD8+ T-cell activation can be direct (if the tumor expresses MHC class I molecules) or indirect (after the capture and cross-presentation of tumor antigens by dendritic cells). The modes of tumor antigen capture by dendritic cells in vivo remain unclear. Here we examine the immunogenicity of the same model antigen secreted by live tumors either in association with membrane vesicles (exosomes) or as a soluble protein. We have artificially addressed the antigen to secreted vesicles by coupling it to the factor VIII-like C1C2 domain of milk fat globule epidermal growth factor-factor VIII (MFG-E8)/lactadherin. We show that murine fibrosarcoma tumor cells that secrete vesicle-bound antigen grow slower than tumors that secrete soluble antigen in immunocompetent, but not in immunodeficient, host mice. This growth difference is due to the induction of a more potent antigen-specific antitumor immune response in vivo by the vesicle-bound than by the soluble antigen. Finally, in vivo secretion of the vesicle-bound antigen either by tumors or by vaccination with naked DNA protects against soluble antigen-secreting tumors. We conclude that the mode of secretion can determine the immunogenicity of tumor antigens and that manipulation of the mode of antigen secretion may be used to optimize antitumor vaccination protocols.

  14. Improvement of bovine ß-lactoglobulin production and secretion by Lactococcus lactis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Nouaille

    2005-03-01

    Full Text Available The stabilizing effects of staphylococcal nuclease (Nuc and of a synthetic propeptide (LEISSTCDA, hereafter called LEISS on the production of a model food allergen, bovine ß-lactoglobulin (BLG, in Lactococcus lactis were investigated. The fusion of Nuc to BLG (Nuc-BLG results in higher production and secretion of the hybrid protein. When LEISS was fused to BLG, the production of the resulting protein LEISS-BLG was only slightly improved compared to the one obtained with Nuc-BLG. However, the secretion of LEISS-BLG was dramatically enhanced (~10- and 4-fold higher than BLG and Nuc-BLG, respectively. Finally, the fusion of LEISS to Nuc-BLG resulting in the protein LEISS-Nuc-BLG led to the highest production of the hybrid protein, estimated at ~8 µg/ml (~2-fold higher than Nuc-BLG. In conclusion, the fusions described here led to the improvement of the production and secretion of BLG. These tools will be used to modulate the immune response against BLG via delivery of recombinant lactococci at the mucosal level, in a mouse model of cow's milk allergy.

  15. Brugia malayi excreted/secreted proteins at the host/parasite interface: stage- and gender-specific proteomic profiling.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sasisekhar Bennuru

    Full Text Available Relatively little is known about the filarial proteins that interact with the human host. Although the filarial genome has recently been completed, protein profiles have been limited to only a few recombinants or purified proteins of interest. Here, we describe a large-scale proteomic analysis using microcapillary reverse-phase liquid chromatography-tandem-mass spectrometry to identify the excretory-secretory (ES products of the L3, L3 to L4 molting ES, adult male, adult female, and microfilarial stages of the filarial parasite Brugia malayi. The analysis of the ES products from adult male, adult female, microfilariae (Mf, L3, and molting L3 larvae identified 852 proteins. Annotation suggests that the functional and component distribution was very similar across each of the stages studied; however, the Mf contributed a higher proportion to the total number of identified proteins than the other stages. Of the 852 proteins identified in the ES, only 229 had previous confirmatory expressed sequence tags (ESTs in the available databases. Moreover, this analysis was able to confirm the presence of 274 "hypothetical" proteins inferred from gene prediction algorithms applied to the B. malayi (Bm genome. Not surprisingly, the majority (160/274 of these "hypothetical" proteins were predicted to be secreted by Signal IP and/or SecretomeP 2.0 analysis. Of major interest is the abundance of previously characterized immunomodulatory proteins such as ES-62 (leucyl aminopeptidase, MIF-1, SERPIN, glutathione peroxidase, and galectin in the ES of microfilariae (and Mf-containing adult females compared to the adult males. In addition, searching the ES protein spectra against the Wolbachia database resulted in the identification of 90 Wolbachia-specific proteins, most of which were metabolic enzymes that have not been shown to be immunogenic. This proteomic analysis extends our knowledge of the ES and provides insight into the host-parasite interaction.

  16. Hepatic metabolism of 11C-methionine and secretion of 11C-protein measured by PET in pigs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Horsager, Jacob; Lausten, Susanne Bach; Bender, Dirk

    2017-01-01

    Hepatic amino acid metabolism and protein secretion are essential liver functions that may be altered during metabolic stress, e.g. after surgery. We wished to develop a dynamic liver PET method using the radiolabeled amino acid 11C-methionine to examine this question. Eleven 40-kg pigs were...... allocated to either laparotomy or pneumoperitoneum. 24 hours after surgery a 70-min dynamic PET scanning of the liver with arterial blood sampling was performed immediately after intravenous injection of 11C-methionine. Time course of arterial plasma 11C-methionine concentration was used as input function...

  17. Identification of a secreted casein kinase 1 in Leishmania donovani: effect of protein over expression on parasite growth and virulence.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mary Dan-Goor

    Full Text Available Casein kinase 1 (CK1 plays an important role in eukaryotic signaling pathways, and their substrates include key regulatory proteins involved in cell differentiation, proliferation and chromosome segregation. The Leishmania genome encodes six potential CK1 isoforms, of which five have orthologs in other trypanosomatidae. Leishmania donovani CK1 isoform 4 (Ldck1.4, orthologous to LmjF27.1780 is unique to Leishmania and contains a putative secretion signal peptide. The full-length gene and three shorter constructs were cloned and expressed in E. coli as His-tag proteins. Only the full-length 62.3 kDa protein showed protein kinase activity indicating that the N-terminal and C-terminal domains are essential for protein activity. LdCK1.4-FLAG was stably over expressed in L. donovani, and shown by immunofluorescence to be localized primarily in the cytosol. Western blotting using anti-FLAG and anti-CK1.4 antibodies showed that this CK1 isoform is expressed and secreted by promastigotes. Over expression of LdCK1.4 had a significant effect on promastigote growth in culture with these parasites growing to higher cell densities than the control parasites (wild-type or Ld:luciferase, P<0.001. Analysis by flow cytometry showed a higher percentage, ∼4-5-fold, of virulent metacyclic promastigotes on day 3 among the LdCK1.4 parasites. Finally, parasites over expressing LdCK1.4 gave significantly higher infections of mouse peritoneal macrophages compared to wild-type parasites, 28.6% versus 6.3%, respectively (p = 0.0005. These results suggest that LdCK1.4 plays an important role in parasite survival and virulence. Further studies are needed to validate CK1.4 as a therapeutic target in Leishmania.

  18. Extracellular vesicles secreted from cancer cell lines stimulate secretion of MMP-9, IL-6, TGF-β1 and EMMPRIN.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jasmina S Redzic

    Full Text Available Extracellular vesicles (EVs are key contributors to cancer where they play an integral role in cell-cell communication and transfer pro-oncogenic molecules to recipient cells thereby conferring a cancerous phenotype. Here, we purified EVs using straightforward biochemical approaches from multiple cancer cell lines and subsequently characterized these EVs via multiple biochemical and biophysical methods. In addition, we used fluorescence microscopy to directly show internalization of EVs into the recipient cells within a few minutes upon addition of EVs to recipient cells. We confirmed that the transmembrane protein EMMPRIN, postulated to be a marker of EVs, was indeed secreted from all cell lines studied here. We evaluated the response to EV stimulation in several different types of recipient cells lines and measured the ability of these purified EVs to induce secretion of several factors highly upregulated in human cancers. Our data indicate that purified EVs preferentially stimulate secretion of several proteins implicated in driving cancer in monocytic cells but only harbor limited activity in epithelial cells. Specifically, we show that EVs are potent stimulators of MMP-9, IL-6, TGF-β1 and induce the secretion of extracellular EMMPRIN, which all play a role in driving immune evasion, invasion and inflammation in the tumor microenvironment. Thus, by using a comprehensive approach that includes biochemical, biological, and spectroscopic methods, we have begun to elucidate the stimulatory roles.

  19. Pro-region engineering for improved yeast display and secretion of brain derived neurotrophic factor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burns, Michael L; Malott, Thomas M; Metcalf, Kevin J; Puguh, Arthya; Chan, Jonah R; Shusta, Eric V

    2016-03-01

    Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a promising therapeutic candidate for a variety of neurological diseases. However, it is difficult to produce as a recombinant protein. In its native mammalian context, BDNF is first produced as a pro-protein with subsequent proteolytic removal of the pro-region to yield mature BDNF protein. Therefore, in an attempt to improve yeast as a host for heterologous BDNF production, the BDNF pro-region was first evaluated for its effects on BDNF surface display and secretion. Addition of the wild-type pro-region to yeast BDNF production constructs improved BDNF folding both as a surface-displayed and secreted protein in terms of binding its natural receptors TrkB and p75, but titers remained low. Looking to further enhance the chaperone-like functions provided by the pro-region, two rounds of directed evolution were performed, yielding mutated pro-regions that further improved the display and secretion properties of BDNF. Subsequent optimization of the protease recognition site was used to control whether the produced protein was in pro- or mature BDNF forms. Taken together, we have demonstrated an effective strategy for improving BDNF compatibility with yeast protein engineering and secretion platforms. Copyright © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  20. Interleukin-6 secreted by oral cancer- associated fibroblast accelerated VEGF expression in tumor and stroma cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mirkeshavarz, M; Ganjibakhsh, M; Aminishakib, P; Farzaneh, P; Mahdavi, N; Vakhshiteh, F; Karimi, A; Gohari, N S; Kamali, F; Kharazifard, M J; Shahzadeh Fazeli, S A; Nasimian, A

    2017-10-31

    Oral cancer represents the sixth most common cancer type worldwide. Patients with oral cancer express high levels of IL-6 which is associated with very poor prognosis. Previous studies illustrated that IL-6 cytokine induces angiogenesis. It has also been reported that the presence of Cancer- Associated Fibroblasts (CAFs) is essential for angiogenesis. In this study, we examined the correlation between IL-6 and CAF and the role of this correlation on VEGF production. In this study, quantitative expression level of IL-6 and VEGF in CAF and Oral Cancer Cells (OCCs) examined through Real Time PCR and ELISA and western blot analysis. In addition, maintenance and retention of IL-6 and VEGF checked out in co-culture experiment of CAF and OCC cells. These experiments demonstrated that in oral cancer, CAF cell line secretes significantly more IL-6 than OCC. Also IL-6 is a factor that causes VEGF secretion in CAF cell line. CAF is the basic and the most essential source for producing IL-6 in patients with oral cancer. Secreted IL-6 is able to induce VEGF production in both CAF and OCCs. Correlation between CAF, IL-6 and VEGF could be considered as an approach for cancer therapy.

  1. Neuropeptide delivery to the brain: a von Willebrand factor signal peptide to direct neuropeptide secretion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    de Backer Marijke WA

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Multiple neuropeptides, sometimes with opposing functions, can be produced from one precursor gene. To study the roles of the different neuropeptides encoded by one large precursor we developed a method to overexpress minigenes and establish local secretion. Results We fused the signal peptide from the Von Willebrand Factor (VWF to a furin site followed by a processed form of the Agouti related protein (AgRP, AgRP83-132 or α-melanocyte stimulating hormone. In vitro, these minigenes were secreted and biologically active. Additionally, the proteins of the minigenes were not transported into projections of primary neurons, thereby ensuring local release. In vivo administration of VWF-AgRP83-132 , using an adeno-associated viral vector as a delivery vehicle, into the paraventricular hypothalamus increased body weight and food intake of these rats compared to rats which received a control vector. Conclusions This study demonstrated that removal of the N-terminal part of full length AgRP and addition of a VWF signal peptide is a successful strategy to deliver neuropeptide minigenes to the brain and establish local neuropeptide secretion.

  2. Overexpression of binding protein and disruption of the PMR1 gene synergistically stimulate secretion of bovine prochymosin but not plant thaumatin in yeast.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Harmsen, M.M.; Bruyne, M.I.; Raué, H.A.; Maat, J.

    1996-01-01

    When the heterologous proteins thaumatin and bovine prochymosin are produced in yeast cells as a fusion with the yeast invertase secretory signal peptide, less than 2% of the product is secreted in a biologically active form into the medium. The remainder accumulates intracellularly in a misfolded

  3. Creation of a Human Secretome: A Novel Composite Library of Human Secreted Proteins: Validation Using Ovarian Cancer Gene Expression Data and a Virtual Secretome Array.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vathipadiekal, Vinod; Wang, Victoria; Wei, Wei; Waldron, Levi; Drapkin, Ronny; Gillette, Michael; Skates, Steven; Birrer, Michael

    2015-11-01

    To generate a comprehensive "Secretome" of proteins potentially found in the blood and derive a virtual Affymetrix array. To validate the utility of this database for the discovery of novel serum-based biomarkers using ovarian cancer transcriptomic data. The secretome was constructed by aggregating the data from databases of known secreted proteins, transmembrane or membrane proteins, signal peptides, G-protein coupled receptors, or proteins existing in the extracellular region, and the virtual array was generated by mapping them to Affymetrix probeset identifiers. Whole-genome microarray data from ovarian cancer, normal ovarian surface epithelium, and fallopian tube epithelium were used to identify transcripts upregulated in ovarian cancer. We established the secretome from eight public databases and a virtual array consisting of 16,521 Affymetrix U133 Plus 2.0 probesets. Using ovarian cancer transcriptomic data, we identified candidate blood-based biomarkers for ovarian cancer and performed bioinformatic validation by demonstrating rediscovery of known biomarkers including CA125 and HE4. Two novel top biomarkers (FGF18 and GPR172A) were validated in serum samples from an independent patient cohort. We present the secretome, comprising the most comprehensive resource available for protein products that are potentially found in the blood. The associated virtual array can be used to translate gene-expression data into cancer biomarker discovery. A list of blood-based biomarkers for ovarian cancer detection is reported and includes CA125 and HE4. FGF18 and GPR172A were identified and validated by ELISA as being differentially expressed in the serum of ovarian cancer patients compared with controls. ©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.

  4. Sirt1 regulates insulin secretion by repressing UCP2 in pancreatic beta cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Bordone

    2006-02-01

    Full Text Available Sir2 and insulin/IGF-1 are the major pathways that impinge upon aging in lower organisms. In Caenorhabditis elegans a possible genetic link between Sir2 and the insulin/IGF-1 pathway has been reported. Here we investigate such a link in mammals. We show that Sirt1 positively regulates insulin secretion in pancreatic beta cells. Sirt1 represses the uncoupling protein (UCP gene UCP2 by binding directly to the UCP2 promoter. In beta cell lines in which Sirt1 is reduced by SiRNA, UCP2 levels are elevated and insulin secretion is blunted. The up-regulation of UCP2 is associated with a failure of cells to increase ATP levels after glucose stimulation. Knockdown of UCP2 restores the ability to secrete insulin in cells with reduced Sirt1, showing that UCP2 causes the defect in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Food deprivation induces UCP2 in mouse pancreas, which may occur via a reduction in NAD (a derivative of niacin levels in the pancreas and down-regulation of Sirt1. Sirt1 knockout mice display constitutively high UCP2 expression. Our findings show that Sirt1 regulates UCP2 in beta cells to affect insulin secretion.

  5. The moderate essential amino acid restriction entailed by low-protein vegan diets may promote vascular health by stimulating FGF21 secretion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCarty, Mark F

    2016-02-12

    The serum total and LDL cholesterol levels of long-term vegans tend to be very low. The characteristically low ratio of saturated to unsaturated fat in vegan diets, and the absence of cholesterol in such diets, clearly contribute to this effect. But there is reason to suspect that the quantity and composition of dietary protein also play a role in this regard. Vegan diets of moderate protein intake tend to be relatively low in certain essential amino acids, and as a result may increase hepatic activity of the kinase GCN2, which functions as a gauge of amino acid status. GCN2 activation boosts the liver's production of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), a factor which favorably affects serum lipids and metabolic syndrome. The ability of FGF21 to decrease LDL cholesterol has now been traced to at least two mechanisms: a suppression of hepatocyte expression of sterol response element-binding protein-2 (SREBP-2), which in turn leads to a reduction in cholesterol synthesis; and up-regulated expression of hepatocyte LDL receptors, reflecting inhibition of a mechanism that promotes proteasomal degradation of these receptors. In mice, the vascular benefits of FGF21 are also mediated by favorable effects on adipocyte function - most notably, increased adipocyte secretion of adiponectin, which directly exerts anti-inflammatory effects on the vasculature which complement the concurrent reduction in LDL particles in preventing or reversing atherosclerosis. If, as has been proposed, plant proteins preferentially stimulate glucagon secretion owing to their amino acid composition, this would represent an additional mechanism whereby plant protein promotes FGF21 activity, as glucagon acts on the liver to boost transcription of the FGF21 gene.

  6. Protein homology network families reveal step-wise diversification of Type III and Type IV secretion systems.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Duccio Medini

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available From the analysis of 251 prokaryotic genomes stored in public databases, the 761,260 deduced proteins were used to reconstruct a complete set of bacterial proteic families. Using the new Overlap algorithm, we have partitioned the Protein Homology Network (PHN, where the proteins are the nodes and the links represent homology relationships. The algorithm identifies the densely connected regions of the PHN that define the families of homologous proteins, here called PHN-Families, recognizing the phylogenetic relationships embedded in the network. By direct comparison with a manually curated dataset, we assessed that this classification algorithm generates data of quality similar to a human expert. Then, we explored the network to identify families involved in the assembly of Type III and Type IV secretion systems (T3SS and T4SS. We noticed that, beside a core of conserved functions (eight proteins for T3SS, seven for T4SS, a variable set of accessory components is always present (one to nine for T3SS, one to five for T4SS. Each member of the core corresponds to a single PHN-Family, while accessory proteins are distributed among different pure families. The PHN-Family classification suggests that T3SS and T4SS have been assembled through a step-wise, discontinuous process, by complementing the conserved core with subgroups of nonconserved proteins. Such genetic modules, independently recruited and probably tuned on specific effectors, contribute to the functional specialization of these organelles to different microenvironments.

  7. 1,5-anhydroglucitol is associated with early-phase insulin secretion in chinese patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Xiaojing; Hao, Yaping; Hu, Xiang; Luo, Yuqi; Deng, Zixuan; Zhou, Jian; Bao, Yuqian; Jia, Weiping

    2015-05-01

    The goal of the present study was to explore the correlations of 1,5-anhydroglucitol (l,5-AG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and glycated albumin (GA) with insulin sensitivity and secretion. In total, 302 patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (166 men, 136 women) were enrolled in this study. The homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and homeostasis model assessment for β-cell function (HOMA-β) were calculated to determine the basal insulin sensitivity and secretion. The insulinogenic index (IGI) was used to evaluate early-phase insulin secretion. 1,5-AG and GA were assayed via the enzymatic method, and HbA1c was detected by high-pressure liquid chromatography. Among all 302 subjects, the serum 1,5-AG level was 13.1±7.2 μg/mL, and the HbA1c and GA levels [median (interquartile range)] were 6.7% (6.2-7.3%) and 17.7% (16.0-19.5%), respectively. Increased 1,5-AG quartiles were accompanied by trends toward a decreased HOMA-IR and an increased HOMA-β and IGI (for all trends, P1). 1,5-AG was negatively associated with HOMA-IR (r=-0.200, P1) and positively associated with HOMA-β and IGI (r=0.210 and 0.413, respectively; both P1). 1,5-AG was independently related to HOMA-IR and HOMA-β and exhibited an independent positive association with IGI (standardized β=0.242, P1). Additionally, both HbA1c and GA were independently correlated with HOMA-IR and HOMA-β. 1,5-AG is not only correlated with basal insulin sensitivity and secretion, but also closely associated with early-phase insulin secretion in Chinese patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus.

  8. Orientia tsutsugamushi ankyrin repeat-containing protein family members are Type 1 secretion system substrates that traffic to the host cell endoplasmic reticulum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    VieBrock, Lauren; Evans, Sean M; Beyer, Andrea R; Larson, Charles L; Beare, Paul A; Ge, Hong; Singh, Smita; Rodino, Kyle G; Heinzen, Robert A; Richards, Allen L; Carlyon, Jason A

    2014-01-01

    Scrub typhus is an understudied, potentially fatal infection that threatens one billion persons in the Asia-Pacific region. How the causative obligate intracellular bacterium, Orientia tsutsugamushi, facilitates its intracellular survival and pathogenesis is poorly understood. Many intracellular bacterial pathogens utilize the Type 1 (T1SS) or Type 4 secretion system (T4SS) to translocate ankyrin repeat-containing proteins (Anks) that traffic to distinct subcellular locations and modulate host cell processes. The O. tsutsugamushi genome encodes one of the largest known bacterial Ank repertoires plus T1SS and T4SS components. Whether these potential virulence factors are expressed during infection, how the Anks are potentially secreted, and to where they localize in the host cell are not known. We determined that O. tsutsugamushi transcriptionally expresses 20 unique ank genes as well as genes for both T1SS and T4SS during infection of mammalian host cells. Examination of the Anks' C-termini revealed that the majority of them resemble T1SS substrates. Escherichia coli expressing a functional T1SS was able to secrete chimeric hemolysin proteins bearing the C-termini of 19 of 20 O. tsutsugamushi Anks in an HlyBD-dependent manner. Thus, O. tsutsugamushi Anks C-termini are T1SS-compatible. Conversely, Coxiella burnetii could not secrete heterologously expressed Anks in a T4SS-dependent manner. Analysis of the subcellular distribution patterns of 20 ectopically expressed Anks revealed that, while 6 remained cytosolic or trafficked to the nucleus, 14 localized to, and in some cases, altered the morphology of the endoplasmic reticulum. This study identifies O. tsutsugamushi Anks as T1SS substrates and indicates that many display a tropism for the host cell secretory pathway.

  9. Lipoidal Labellar Secretions in Maxillaria Ruiz & Pav. (Orchidaceae)

    OpenAIRE

    DAVIES, K. L.; TURNER, M. P.; GREGG, A.

    2003-01-01

    The labella of Maxillaria acuminata Lindl., M. cerifera Barb. Rodr. and M. notylioglossa Rchb.f., all members of the M. acuminata alliance, produce a viscid wax‐like secretion. Histochemical analysis revealed that the chemical composition of the secretion is similar in all three species, consisting largely of lipid and protein. Light microscopy and low‐vacuum scanning electron microscopy were used to investigate the secretory process. In a fourth taxon, M. cf. notylioglossa, transmission elec...

  10. Calreticulin-mutant proteins induce megakaryocytic signaling to transform hematopoietic cells and undergo accelerated degradation and Golgi-mediated secretion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lijuan Han

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Somatic calreticulin (CALR, Janus kinase 2 (JAK2, and thrombopoietin receptor (MPL mutations essentially show mutual exclusion in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN, suggesting that they activate common oncogenic pathways. Recent data have shown that MPL function is essential for CALR mutant-driven MPN. However, the exact role and the mechanisms of action of CALR mutants have not been fully elucidated. Methods The murine myeloid cell line 32D and human HL60 cells overexpressing the most frequent CALR type 1 and type 2 frameshift mutants were generated to analyze the first steps of cellular transformation, in the presence and absence of MPL expression. Furthermore, mutant CALR protein stability and secretion were examined using brefeldin A, MG132, spautin-1, and tunicamycin treatment. Results The present study demonstrates that the expression of endogenous Mpl, CD41, and the key megakaryocytic transcription factor NF-E2 is stimulated by type 1 and type 2 CALR mutants, even in the absence of exogenous MPL. Mutant CALR expressing 32D cells spontaneously acquired cytokine independence, and this was associated with increased Mpl mRNA expression, CD41, and NF-E2 protein as well as constitutive activation of downstream signaling and response to JAK inhibitor treatment. Exogenous expression of MPL led to constitutive activation of STAT3 and 5, ERK1/2, and AKT, cytokine-independent growth, and reduction of apoptosis similar to the effects seen in the spontaneously outgrown cells. We observed low CALR-mutant protein amounts in cellular lysates of stably transduced cells, and this was due to accelerated protein degradation that occurred independently from the ubiquitin-proteasome system as well as autophagy. CALR-mutant degradation was attenuated by MPL expression. Interestingly, we found high levels of mutated CALR and loss of downstream signaling after blockage of the secretory pathway and protein glycosylation. Conclusions These

  11. Evaluation of immunogenicity and protective efficacy of orally delivered Shigella type III secretion system proteins IpaB and IpaD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heine, Shannon J; Diaz-McNair, Jovita; Martinez-Becerra, Francisco J; Choudhari, Shyamal P; Clements, John D; Picking, Wendy L; Pasetti, Marcela F

    2013-06-19

    Shigella spp. are food- and water-borne pathogens that cause shigellosis, a severe diarrheal and dysenteric disease that is associated with a high morbidity and mortality in resource-poor countries. No licensed vaccine is available to prevent shigellosis. We have recently demonstrated that Shigella invasion plasmid antigens (Ipas), IpaB and IpaD, which are components of the bacterial type III secretion system (TTSS), can prevent infection in a mouse model of intranasal immunization and lethal pulmonary challenge. Because they are conserved across Shigella spp. and highly immunogenic, these proteins are excellent candidates for a cross-protective vaccine. Ideally, such a vaccine could be administered to humans orally to induce mucosal and systemic immunity. In this study, we investigated the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of Shigella IpaB and IpaD administered orally with a double mutant of the Escherichia coli heat labile toxin (dmLT) as a mucosal adjuvant. We characterized the immune responses induced by oral vs. intranasal immunization and the protective efficacy using a mouse pulmonary infection model. Serum IgG and fecal IgA against IpaB were induced after oral immunization. These responses, however, were lower than those obtained after intranasal immunization despite a 100-fold dosage increase. The level of protection induced by oral immunization with IpaB and IpaD was 40%, while intranasal immunization resulted in 90% protective efficacy. IpaB- and IpaD-specific IgA antibody-secreting cells in the lungs and spleen and T-cell-derived IL-2, IL-5, IL-17 and IL-10 were associated with protection. These results demonstrate the immunogenicity of orally administered IpaB and IpaD and support further studies in humans. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Hoopoes color their eggs with antimicrobial uropygial secretions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soler, Juan J.; Martín-Vivaldi, M.; Peralta-Sánchez, J. M.; Arco, L.; Juárez-García-Pelayo, N.

    2014-09-01

    Uropygial gland secretions are used as cosmetics by some species of birds to color and enhance properties of feathers and teguments, which may signal individual quality. Uropygial secretions also reach eggshells during incubation and, therefore, may influence the coloration of birds' eggs, a trait that has attracted the attention of evolutionary biologists for more than one century. The color of hoopoe eggs typically changes along incubation, from bluish-gray to greenish-brown. Here, we test experimentally the hypothesis that dark uropygial secretion of females is responsible for such drastic color change. Moreover, since uropygial secretion of hoopoes has antimicrobial properties, we also explore the association between color and antimicrobial activity of the uropygial secretion of females. We found that eggs stayed bluish-gray in nests where female access to the uropygial secretion was experimentally blocked. Furthermore, experimental eggs that were maintained in incubators and manually smeared with uropygial secretion experienced similar color changes that naturally incubated eggs did, while control eggs that were not in contact with the secretions did not experience such color changes. All these results strongly support the hypothesis that female hoopoes use their uropygial gland secretion to color the eggs. Moreover, saturation of the uropygial secretion was associated with antimicrobial activity against Bacillus licheniformis. Given the known antimicrobial potential of uropygial secretions of birds, this finding opens the possibility that in scenarios of sexual selection, hoopoes in particular and birds in general signal antimicrobial properties of their uropygial secretion by mean of changes in egg coloration along incubation.

  13. The N-terminus of IpaB provides a potential anchor to the Shigella type III secretion system tip complex protein IpaD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dickenson, Nicholas E.; Arizmendi, Olivia; Patil, Mrinalini K.; Toth, Ronald T.; Middaugh, C. Russell; Picking, William D.; Picking, Wendy L.

    2014-01-01

    The type III secretion system (T3SS) is an essential virulence factor for Shigella flexneri, providing a conduit through which host-altering effectors are injected directly into a host cell to promote uptake. The type III secretion apparatus (T3SA) is comprised of a basal body, external needle, and regulatory tip complex. The nascent needle is a polymer of MxiH capped by a pentamer of invasion plasmid antigen D (IpaD). Exposure to bile salts (e.g. deoxycholate) causes a conformational change in IpaD and promotes recruitment of IpaB to the needle tip. It has been proposed that IpaB senses contact with host cell membranes, recruiting IpaC and inducing full secretion of T3SS effectors. While the steps of T3SA maturation and their external triggers have been identified, details of specific protein interactions and mechanisms have remained difficult to study due to the hydrophobic nature of the IpaB and IpaC translocator proteins. Here we explored the ability for a series of soluble N-terminal IpaB peptides to interact with IpaD. We found that DOC is required for the interaction and that a region of IpaB between residues 11–27 is required for maximum binding, which was confirmed in vivo. Furthermore, intramolecular FRET measurements indicated that movement of the IpaD distal domain away from the protein core accompanied the binding of IpaB11-226. Together these new findings provide important new insight into the interactions and potential mechanisms that define the maturation of the Shigella T3SA needle tip complex and provide a foundation for further studies probing T3SS activation. PMID:24236510

  14. Syntaxin-4 is essential for IgE secretion by plasma cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rahman, Arman; DeCourcey, Joseph; Larbi, Nadia Ben [Immunomodulation Group, School of Biotechnology, Dublin City University (Ireland); Loughran, Sinéad T.; Walls, Dermot [School of Biotechnology and National Centre for Sensor Research, Dublin City University (Ireland); Loscher, Christine E., E-mail: christine.loscher@dcu.ie [Immunomodulation Group, School of Biotechnology, Dublin City University (Ireland)

    2013-10-11

    Highlights: •Knock-down of syntaxin-4 in U266 plasma cells resulted in reduction of IgE secretion. •Knock-down of syntaxin-4 also leads to the accumulation of IgE in the cell. •Immuno-fluorescence staining shows co-localisation of IgE and syntaxin-4 in U266 cells. •Findings suggest a critical requirement for syntaxin-4 in IgE secretion from plasma cells. -- Abstract: The humoral immune system provides a crucial first defense against the invasion of microbial pathogens via the secretion of antigen specific immunoglobulins (Ig). The secretion of Ig is carried out by terminally differentiated B-lymphocytes called plasma cells. Despite the key role of plasma cells in the immune response, the mechanisms by which they constitutively traffic large volumes of Ig out of the cell is poorly understood. The involvement of Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins in the regulation of protein trafficking from cells has been well documented. Syntaxin-4, a member of the Qa SNARE syntaxin family has been implicated in fusion events at the plasma membrane in a number of cells in the immune system. In this work we show that knock-down of syntaxin-4 in the multiple myeloma U266 human plasma cell line results in a loss of IgE secretion and accumulation of IgE within the cells. Furthermore, we show that IgE co-localises with syntaxin-4 in U266 plasma cells suggesting direct involvement in secretion at the plasma membrane. This study demonstrates that syntaxin-4 plays a critical role in the secretion of IgE from plasma cells and sheds some light on the mechanisms by which these cells constitutively traffic vesicles to the surface for secretion. An understanding of this machinery may be beneficial in identifying potential therapeutic targets in multiple myeloma and autoimmune disease where over-production of Ig leads to severe pathology in patients.

  15. Syntaxin-4 is essential for IgE secretion by plasma cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rahman, Arman; DeCourcey, Joseph; Larbi, Nadia Ben; Loughran, Sinéad T.; Walls, Dermot; Loscher, Christine E.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •Knock-down of syntaxin-4 in U266 plasma cells resulted in reduction of IgE secretion. •Knock-down of syntaxin-4 also leads to the accumulation of IgE in the cell. •Immuno-fluorescence staining shows co-localisation of IgE and syntaxin-4 in U266 cells. •Findings suggest a critical requirement for syntaxin-4 in IgE secretion from plasma cells. -- Abstract: The humoral immune system provides a crucial first defense against the invasion of microbial pathogens via the secretion of antigen specific immunoglobulins (Ig). The secretion of Ig is carried out by terminally differentiated B-lymphocytes called plasma cells. Despite the key role of plasma cells in the immune response, the mechanisms by which they constitutively traffic large volumes of Ig out of the cell is poorly understood. The involvement of Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins in the regulation of protein trafficking from cells has been well documented. Syntaxin-4, a member of the Qa SNARE syntaxin family has been implicated in fusion events at the plasma membrane in a number of cells in the immune system. In this work we show that knock-down of syntaxin-4 in the multiple myeloma U266 human plasma cell line results in a loss of IgE secretion and accumulation of IgE within the cells. Furthermore, we show that IgE co-localises with syntaxin-4 in U266 plasma cells suggesting direct involvement in secretion at the plasma membrane. This study demonstrates that syntaxin-4 plays a critical role in the secretion of IgE from plasma cells and sheds some light on the mechanisms by which these cells constitutively traffic vesicles to the surface for secretion. An understanding of this machinery may be beneficial in identifying potential therapeutic targets in multiple myeloma and autoimmune disease where over-production of Ig leads to severe pathology in patients

  16. Production, secretion, and stability of human secreted alkaline phosphatase in tobacco NT1 cell suspension cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Becerra-Arteaga, Alejandro; Mason, Hugh S; Shuler, Michael L

    2006-01-01

    Tobacco NT1 cell suspension cultures secreting active human secreted alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) were generated for the first time as a model system to study recombinant protein production, secretion, and stability in plant cell cultures. The SEAP gene encodes a secreted form of the human placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP). During batch culture, the highest level of active SEAP in the culture medium (0.4 U/mL, corresponding to approximately 27 mg/L) was observed at the end of the exponential growth phase. Although the level of active SEAP decreased during the stationary phase, the activity loss did not appear to be due to SEAP degradation (based on Western blots) but due to SEAP denaturation. The protein-stabilizing agents polyvinylpirrolidone (PVP) and bacitracin were added extracellularly to test for their ability to reduce the loss of SEAP activity during the stationary phase. Bacitracin (100 mg/L) was the most effective treatment at sustaining activity levels for up to 17 days post-subculture. Commercially available human placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) was used to probe the mechanism of SEAP deactivation. Experiments with PLAP in sterile and conditioned medium corroborated the denaturation of SEAP by factors generated by cell growth and not due to simple proteolysis. We also show for the first time that the factors promoting activity loss are heat labile at 95 degrees C but not at 70 degrees C, and they are not inactivated after a 5 day incubation period under normal culture conditions (27 degrees C). In addition, there were no significant changes in pH or redox potential when comparing sterile and cell-free conditioned medium during PLAP incubation, indicating that these factors were unimportant.

  17. Role of alpha-crystallin, early-secreted antigenic target 6-kDa protein and culture filtrate protein 10 as novel diagnostic markers in osteoarticular tuberculosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nazia Rizvi

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Osteoarticular tuberculosis constitutes about 3% of all tuberculosis cases. Early and accurate diagnosis of tuberculosis is a challenging problem especially in the case of osteoarticular tuberculosis owing to the lower number of bacilli. However, an accurate and timely diagnosis of the disease results in an improved efficacy of the given treatment. Besides the limitations of conventional methods, nowadays molecular diagnostic techniques have emerged as a major breakthrough for the early diagnosis of tuberculosis with high sensitivity and specificity. Alpha-crystallin is a dominantly expressed protein responsible for the long viability of the pathogen during the latent phase under certain stress conditions such as hypoxia and nitric oxide stress. Two other proteins—early secreted antigenic target-6 and culture filtrate protein-10—show high expression in the active infective phase of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In this article, we focus on the different proteins expressed dominantly in latent/active tuberculosis, and which may be further used as prognostic biomarkers for diagnosing tuberculosis, both in latent and active phases.

  18. Type VI Secretion System Toxins Horizontally Shared between Marine Bacteria.

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    Dor Salomon

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available The type VI secretion system (T6SS is a widespread protein secretion apparatus used by Gram-negative bacteria to deliver toxic effector proteins into adjacent bacterial or host cells. Here, we uncovered a role in interbacterial competition for the two T6SSs encoded by the marine pathogen Vibrio alginolyticus. Using comparative proteomics and genetics, we identified their effector repertoires. In addition to the previously described effector V12G01_02265, we identified three new effectors secreted by T6SS1, indicating that the T6SS1 secretes at least four antibacterial effectors, of which three are members of the MIX-effector class. We also showed that the T6SS2 secretes at least three antibacterial effectors. Our findings revealed that many MIX-effectors belonging to clan V are "orphan" effectors that neighbor mobile elements and are shared between marine bacteria via horizontal gene transfer. We demonstrated that a MIX V-effector from V. alginolyticus is a functional T6SS effector when ectopically expressed in another Vibrio species. We propose that mobile MIX V-effectors serve as an environmental reservoir of T6SS effectors that are shared and used to diversify antibacterial toxin repertoires in marine bacteria, resulting in enhanced competitive fitness.

  19. Zebrafish genetics gets the Scube on Hedgehog secretion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ingham, Philip W

    2012-11-15

    Inspired by a zebrafish mutation, two recent studies by Creanga and colleagues (pp. 1312-1325) and Tukachinsky and colleagues have shed new light on the way in which lipidated Hedgehog proteins are secreted and released from expressing cells, suggesting a model for the sequential action of the Disp and Scube2 proteins in this process.

  20. Inhibition of Histone Deacetylases Permits Lipopolysaccharide-Mediated Secretion of Bioactive IL-1β via a Caspase-1-Independent Mechanism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stammler, Dominik; Eigenbrod, Tatjana; Menz, Sarah; Frick, Julia S; Sweet, Matthew J; Shakespear, Melanie R; Jantsch, Jonathan; Siegert, Isabel; Wölfle, Sabine; Langer, Julian D; Oehme, Ina; Schaefer, Liliana; Fischer, Andre; Knievel, Judith; Heeg, Klaus; Dalpke, Alexander H; Bode, Konrad A

    2015-12-01

    Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors (HDACi) are clinically approved anticancer drugs that have important immune-modulatory properties. We report the surprising finding that HDACi promote LPS-induced IL-1β processing and secretion in human and murine dendritic cells and murine macrophages. HDACi/LPS-induced IL-1β maturation and secretion kinetics differed completely from those observed upon inflammasome activation. Moreover, this pathway of IL-1β secretion was dependent on caspase-8 but was independent of the inflammasome components NACHT, LRR, and PYD domains-containing protein 3, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a carboxyl-terminal caspase-recruitment domain, and caspase-1. Genetic studies excluded HDAC6 and HDAC10 as relevant HDAC targets in this pathway, whereas pharmacological inhibitor studies implicated the involvement of HDAC11. Treatment of mice with HDACi in a dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis model resulted in a strong increase in intestinal IL-1β, confirming that this pathway is also operative in vivo. Thus, in addition to the conventional inflammasome-dependent IL-1β cleavage pathway, dendritic cells and macrophages are capable of generating, secreting, and processing bioactive IL-1β by a novel, caspase-8-dependent mechanism. Given the widespread interest in the therapeutic targeting of IL-1β, as well as the use of HDACi for anti-inflammatory applications, these findings have substantial clinical implications. Copyright © 2015 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.