Specificity and mechanism of the histone methyltransferase Pr-Set7

Methylation of lysine residues of histones is an important epigenetic mark that correlates with functionally distinct regions of chromatin. We present here the crystal structure of a ternary complex of the enzyme Pr-Set7 (also known as Set8) that methylates Lys 20 of histone H4 (H4-K20). We show that the enzyme is exclusively a mono-methylase and is therefore responsible for a signaling role quite distinct from that established by other enzymes that target this histone residue. We provide evidence from NMR for the C-flanking domains of SET proteins becoming ordered upon addition of AdoMet cofactor and develop a model for the catalytic cycle of these enzymes. The crystal structure reveals the basis of the specificity of the enzyme for H4-K20 because a histidine residue within the substrate, close to the target lysine, is required for completion of the active site. We also show how a highly variable component of the SET domain is responsible for many of the enzymes' interactions with its target histone peptide and probably also how this part of the structure ensures that Pr-Set7 is nucleosome specific.     

LARP7 variants and further delineation of the Alazami syndrome phenotypic spectrum among primordial dwarfisms: 2 sisters

Alazami syndrome (AS) (MIM# 615071) is an autosomal recessive microcephalic primordial dwarfism (PD) with recognizable facial features and severe intellectual disability due to depletion or loss of function variants in LARP7. To date, 15 patients with AS have been reported. Here we describe two consanguineous Algerian sisters with Alazami PD due to LARP7 homozygous pathogenic variants detected by whole exome sequencing. By comparing these two additional cases with those previously reported, we strengthen the key features of AS: severe growth restriction, severe intellectual disability and some distinguishing facial features such as broad nose, malar hypoplasia, wide mouth, full lips and abnormally set teeth. We also report significant new findings enabling further delineation of this syndrome: disproportionately mild microcephaly, stereotypic hand wringing and severe anxiety, thickened skin over the hands and feet, and skeletal, eye and heart malformations. From previous reviews, we summarize the main etiologies of PD according to the involved mechanisms and cellular pathways, highlighting their clinical core features.     

重组小鼠干细胞逆转录病毒载体高效基因转染CD41+、UT7、U937和MDA-MB-435细胞

目的:研究重组小鼠干细胞逆转录病毒载体介导基因转染,探索一条高效基因转染的途径,为重组小鼠干细胞逆转录病毒载体在基因转染中的应用提供理论依据和奠定实验基础。方法:①逆转录病毒载体的构建:EC1-4(repeats1-4ofcadherin-5extracellulardomains)基因克隆产物和mutant(Ser222A)MEK1基因克隆产物,Bg1Ⅱ和EcoRⅠ限制性内切核酸酶切割后,克隆进入逆转录病毒表达载体pMSCV。②CD41⁺细胞的获取和细胞培养:从脐带血分离的CD34⁺细胞通过TPO诱导表达CD41,FACS分离CD41⁺细胞。高糖DMEM培养液培养NIH3T3和MDA-MB-435细胞,U937细胞培养在RPMI-1640培养液,UT7细胞是细胞因子依赖性细胞株,Iscove'smodifiedDulbeco's培养液中加入GM-CSF。③测定病毒滴度:逆转录病毒载体转入包装细胞293,36h后收集病毒上清液,感染NIH3T3细胞,流式细胞仪测定病毒滴度。④Westernblot:基因转染CD41⁺、UT7、U937和MDA-MB-435细胞,Westernblot检测基因产物的表达。结果:293细胞产生高滴度MEK1pMSCV病毒:3.1×10⁷,高滴度EC1-4pMSCV病毒:1.0×10⁸。用稀释8倍的病毒转染基因,重组逆转录病毒MEK1pMSCV转染白血病细胞株UT7和U973,GFP阳性细胞(转染阳性细胞)分别是60.73％、72.56％。重组逆转录病毒MEK1pMSCV转染原代培养细胞CD41⁺,GFP阳性细胞为30.57％。重组逆转录病毒EC1-4pMSCV转染人乳腺癌细胞株MDA-MB-435,GFP阳性细胞为97.54％。TPO作用CD41⁺和UT7细胞以及血清对U973细胞的作用,显示出外源mutationMEK基因的dominantnegative的效应,实验组磷酸化的MEK1减少。EC1-4基因转染的MDA-MB-435细胞表达了EC1-4基因产物。结论:重组小鼠干细胞逆转录病毒载体能高效基因转染CD41⁺、UT7、U937和MDA-MB-435细胞,转染的基因能稳定地表达。     

Morphine-6beta-glucuronide modulates the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase

The immunomodulatory effects of morphine are well established; however, suprisingly little is known about the immunomodulatory properties of the major metabolites of morphine. The present study tests the hypothesis that expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is modulated by the administration of the morphine metabolite, morphine-6-glucuronide. The initial study using rats shows that morphine-6-glucuronide administration (0, 1.0, 3.163, 10 mg/kg s.c.) results in a pronounced reduction in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced expression of iNOS (inducible nitricoxide synthease) in spleen, lung, and liver tissue as measured by western blotting. Morphine-6-glucuronide also produces a reduction in the level of plasma nitrite/nitrate, the more stable end-product of nitric oxide degradation. In a subsequent study, administration of the opioid receptor antagonist, naltrexone (0.1 mg/kg) prior to the injection of morphine-6-glucuronide (10 mg/kg) blocks the morphine-6-glucuronide induced reduction of iNOS expression and plasma nitrite/nitrite levels indicating that the effect is mediated via the opioid-receptor. This study provides the first evidence that morphine-6-glucuronide alters the expression of iNOS.     

Prion protein is ubiquitinated after developing protease resistance in the brains of scrapie-infected mice

Although the key event in the pathology of prion diseases is thought to be the conversion of cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) to the protease-resistant scrapie species termed PrP(Sc), the factors that contribute to neurodegeneration in scrapie-infected animals are poorly understood. One probable determinant could be when the accumulation of PrP(Sc) in infected brain overwhelms the ubiquitin-proteasome system and triggers the degenerative cascade. In the present study, it was found that in mouse brains infected with the ME7 scrapie strain, the level of ubiquitin protein conjugates increased significantly at approximately 144 days post-infection (pi) when clinical signs first become apparent. This elevation correlated with the detection of protease-resistant PrP(Sc) and a decline in two endopeptidase activities associated with proteasome function. However, ubiquitination of PrP was only detected at the terminal stage, 3 weeks after the development of clinical symptoms (approximately 165 days pi). These results suggest that ubiquitination of PrP is a late event phenomenon and this conjugation occurs after the formation of protease-resistant PrP(Sc). Whether this post-translational modification and the impairment of proteasome function are pivotal events in the pathogenesis of prion diseases remains to be determined.     

Mutation analysis of PEX7 in 60 probands with rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata and functional correlations of genotype with phenotype

PEX7 encodes the cytosolic receptor for the set of peroxisomal matrix enzymes targeted to the organelle by the peroxisome targeting signal 2 (PTS2). Mutations in PEX7 cause rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata (RCDP), a distinct peroxisome biogenesis disorder. In previous work we described three novel PEX7 mutant alleles, including one, L292X, with a high frequency due to a founder effect. We have now extended our analysis to 60 RCDP probands and identified a total of 24 PEX7 alleles, accounting for 95% of the mutant PEX7 genes in our sample. Of these, 50% are L292X, 13% are IVS9+1G>C, and the remainder are mostly private. IVS9+1G>C occurs on at least three different haplotypes and thus appears to result from recurrent mutation. The phenotypic spectrum of RCDP is broader than commonly recognized and includes minimally affected individuals at the mild end of the spectrum. To relate PEX7 genotype and phenotype, we evaluated the consequence of the disease mutation on PEX7 RNA by Northern analysis and RT/PCR. We evaluated the function of the encoded Pex7 protein (Pex7p) by expressing selected alleles in fibroblasts from RCDP patients and assaying their ability to restore import of a PTS2 marker protein. We find that residual activity of mutant Pex7p and reduced amounts of normal Pex7p are associated with milder and variant phenotypes.     

Angiotensin-(1-7)对血管平滑肌细胞钙化的影响及信号转导通路

目的:在钙化大鼠主动脉血管平滑肌细胞上观察血管紧张素-(1-7)[Angiotensin-(1-7)]对钙化的影响及其信号通道。方法:用β-磷酸甘油制备钙化的大鼠血管平滑肌细胞,再以血管紧张素-(1-7)、血管紧张素Ⅱ、血管紧张素Ⅱ 血管紧张素-(1-7)、选择性蛋白激酶A(PKA)或蛋白激酶C(PKC)抑制剂等干预,通过Von Kossa染色及检测钙含量、碱性磷酸酶活性、骨钙素浓度和Cbfa1 mRNA表达来探讨血管紧张素Ⅱ对钙化的影响及其信号通道。结果:血管紧张素-(1-7)抑制钙化大鼠血管平滑肌细胞的钙含量、碱性磷酸酶活性(P>0.05)、骨钙素浓度和Cbfa1 mRNA表达(P<0.05),也抑制血管紧张素Ⅱ对血管平滑肌细胞的钙含量、碱性磷酸酶活性、骨钙素浓度和Cbfa1 mRNA表达的促进作用(P<0.05);血管紧张素-(1-7)提高血管平滑肌细胞内cAMP浓度(P<0.05),PKA抑制剂可阻断血管紧张素-(1-7)对钙化血管平滑肌细胞的钙含量、碱性磷酸酶活性、骨钙素浓度和Cbfa1 mRNA表达的抑制作用(P<0.05)。结论:血管紧张素-(1-7)可抑制β-磷酸甘油诱导的血管平滑肌细胞钙化,并拮抗血管紧张素Ⅱ促进的血管平滑肌细胞钙化;这些效应与cAMP-PKA-Cbfa1信号途径有关。     

Rapid cytotoxicity of human B lymphocytes induced by VH4-34 (VH4.21) gene-encoded monoclonal antibodies, II

We have previously described complement-independent killing of human B lymphocytes by two IgM MoAbs derived from the VH4-34 (VH4.21) gene. Analysis of 17 independently derived VH4-34-encoded MoAbs shows that B cell toxicity is not limited to the two described MoAbs, but is a general property shared by a subset of MoAbs derived from the VH4-34 gene. As observed by two independent microscopy techniques, giant membrane pores were formed on target B cells within 10–15 min of exposure to cytotoxic VH4-34-derived MoAbs. Toxicity by individual MoAb correlated directly to its B cell binding intensity measured by FACS, i.e. stronger the binding greater the killing. Sequence analysis showed that V_H region in germ-line or in near germ-line configuration was necessary but not sufficient for B cell binding. In addition, a particular sequence motif enriched in basic amino acids in the CDR3 may be required to supplement the reactivity mediated by the V_H region of the MoAb molecule. VH4-34-encoded antibodies that fulfil the above sequence requirements have cold agglutinin activity towards the i antigen of cord erythrocytes. In vivo, such anti-i/anti-B cell antibodies are rarely detected in healthy adults, but serum levels are dramatically elevated in selective pathological conditions, such as systemic lupus erythematosus and infectious mononucleosis. This strict regulation may be related to the novel and rapid mechanism of human B cell toxicity demonstrated by antibodies encoded by a single human V_H gene.     

Renal function in relation to three candidate genes in a Chinese population

We recently found in a white population that the genes encoding angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE, I/D polymorphism), -adducin (Gly460Trp), and aldosterone synthase (–344C/T) jointly influence renal function. We therefore investigated in a Chinese population the associations between the serum concentrations of creatinine and uric acid and these three genetic polymorphisms. We genotyped 471 ethnic Han Chinese subjects from 125 nuclear families recruited in northern China via random population sampling (75%) and at specialized hypertension clinics (25%). We performed population-based and family-based association analyses using generalized estimating equations (GEE) and quantitative transmission disequilibrium test (QTDT), respectively, while controlling for covariables. The participants were 39.7 years old and included 235 women (49.9%). The blood pressure measured at the subjects homes averaged 126/80 mmHg. Mean values were 71 µmol/l for serum creatinine, 111 ml min^–1 1.73 m^–2 for calculated creatinine clearance, and 236 µmol/l for serum uric acid. With adjustment for covariables, GEE analyses of single genes demonstrated that serum uric acid, but not serum creatinine, was positively associated with the ACE D allele. Serum uric acid concentrations were 15.8 µmol/l (95% confidence interval 3.3–28.2) and 25.7 µmol/l (11.1–40.2) higher in DD homozygotes than in ID and II subjects, respectively. Further GEE analyses of the three genes combined showed that the association between serum uric acid and the ACE polymorphism was confined to carriers of the -adducin Gly and/or aldosterone synthase C alleles. Sensitivity analyses in parents and offspring separately as well as QTDT analyses were confirmatory. Among 114 informative offspring carrying the -adducin Gly allele serum uric acid was significantly and positively associated with the transmission of the ACE D allele (=20.7 µmol/l). In conclusion, the present study extends our previous findings on the combined effects of the three candidate genes and supports the concept that these genetic polymorphisms jointly influence renal function.