Multifunctional Cell Regulation Activities of the Mussel Lectin SeviL: Induction of Macrophage Polarization toward the M1 Functional Phenotype.

SeviL, a galactoside-binding lectin previously isolated from the mussel Mytilisepta virgata, was demonstrated to trigger apoptosis in HeLa ovarian cancer cells. Here, we show that this lectin can promote the polarization of macrophage cell lines toward an M1 functional phenotype at low concentrations. The administration of SeviL to monocyte and basophil cell lines reduced their growth in a dose-dependent manner. However, low lectin concentrations induced proliferation in the RAW264.7 macrophage cell line, which was supported by the significant up-regulation of TOM22, a component of the mitochondrial outer membrane. Furthermore, the morphology of lectin-treated macrophage cells markedly changed, shifting from a spherical to an elongated shape. The ability of SeviL to induce the polarization of RAW264.7 cells to M1 macrophages at low concentrations is supported by the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, as well as by the enhancement in the expression of IL-6- and TNF-α-encoding mRNAs, both of which encode inflammatory molecular markers. Moreover, we also observed a number of accessory molecular alterations, such as the activation of MAP kinases and the JAK/STAT pathway and the phosphorylation of platelet-derived growth factor receptor-α, which altogether support the functional reprogramming of RAW264.7 following SeviL treatment. These results indicate that this mussel ß-trefoil lectin has a concentration-dependent multifunctional role in regulating cell proliferation, phenotype, and death in macrophages, suggesting its possible involvement in regulating hemocyte activity in vivo.

Crystal structure of Nanoarchaeum equitans tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase and its aminoacylation activity toward tRNATyr with an extra guanosine residue at the 5'-terminus.

tRNATyr of Nanoarchaeum equitans has a remarkable feature with an extra guanosine residue at the 5'-terminus. However, the N. equitans tRNATyr mutant without extra guanosine at the 5'-end was tyrosylated by tyrosyl-tRNA synthase (TyrRS). We solved the crystal structure of N. equitans TyrRS at 2.80 Å resolution. By comparing the present solved structure with the complex structures TyrRS with tRNATyr of Thermus thermophilus and Methanocaldococcus jannaschii, an arginine substitution mutant of N. equitans TyrRS at Ile200 (I200R), which is the putative closest candidate to the 5'-phosphate of C1 of N. equitans tRNATyr, was prepared. The I200R mutant tyrosylated not only wild-type tRNATyr but also the tRNA without the G-1 residue. Further tyrosylation analysis revealed that the second base of the anticodon (U35), discriminator base (A73), and C1:G72 base pair are strong recognition sites.

[Easy screening of outpatients for atrial fibrillation by analyzing fingertip pulse wave variation].

AIM: Atrial fibrillation (AF), which can lead to cardioembolic stroke, is often not properly diagnosed in hospital outpatient departments or medical clinics. We therefore used a pulse analysis to screen patients for AF, and examined the benefits of using this method in screening. METHODS: We performed screening of the hospital's first-visit and ambulatory patients during the afternoon in 2014 (total number, 50,875; true number, 16,356), mainly targeting patients older than 65 years of age. Among the true number of outpatients, the device was used on 5,013 patients, 8,656 times. We independently developed a pulse analysis software application which analyzed the pulse interval variation. We assessed the accuracy of this analytical method in the detection of AF. RESULTS: AF was detected in 56 patients, who were considered for or introduced to anticoagulation treatment. In their cases, the method was considered useful for detecting undiagnosed or untreated AF. This figure amounts to 0.34% of all outpatients and 1.1% of the patients who were screened in 2014. The average age was 76.9±7.7 years, 67.9% of the patients had a CHADS2 score of more than 2, half had a history of arrhythmia in the past, and 37.5% were first-visit patients. The sensitivity of the device used was 89.7%. CONCLUSIONS: Using the method described in this study, we detected asymptomatic AF in numerous patients, and demonstrated that this method is potentially useful in screening outpatients for asymptomatic AF.

Structural plasticity of a designer protein sheds light on ß-propeller protein evolution.

ß-propeller proteins are common in nature, where they are observed to adopt 4- to 10-fold internal rotational pseudo-symmetry. This size diversity can be explained by the evolutionary process of gene duplication and fusion. In this study, we investigated a distorted ß-propeller protein, an apparent intermediate between two symmetries. From this template, we created a perfectly symmetric 9-bladed ß-propeller named Cake, using computational design and ancestral sequence reconstruction. The designed repeat sequence was found to be capable of generating both 8-fold and 9-fold propellers which are highly stable. Cake variants with 2-10 identical copies of the repeat sequence were characterised by X-ray crystallography and in solution. They were found to be highly stable, and to self-assemble into 8- or 9-fold symmetrical propellers. These findings show that the ß-propeller fold allows sufficient structural plasticity to permit a given blade to assemble different forms, a transition from even to odd changes in blade number, and provide a potential explanation for the wide diversity of repeat numbers observed in natural propeller proteins. DATABASE: Structural data are available in Protein Data Bank database under the accession numbers 6TJB, 6TJC, 6TJD, 6TJE, 6TJF, 6TJG, 6TJH and 6TJI.

Hybrid assemblies of a symmetric designer protein and polyoxometalates with matching symmetry.

Novel bioinorganic hybrid materials based on proteins and inorganic clusters have enormous potential for the development of hybrid catalysts that synergistically combine properties of both materials. Here we report the creation of hybrid assemblies between a computationally designed symmetrical protein Pizza6-S and different polyoxometalates with matching symmetry: the tellurotungstic Anderson-Evans (Na6[TeW6O24]·22H2O) (TEW); Keggin (H4[SiW12O40]·6H2O) (STA); and 1 : 2 CeIII-substituted Keggin (K11[CeIII[PW11O39]2]·20H2O) (Ce-K). This results in the formation of complexes with clearly defined stoichiometries in solution. Crystal structures validate the complexes as building blocks for the formation of larger assemblies.

The structure of SeviL, a GM1b/asialo-GM1 binding R-type lectin from the mussel Mytilisepta virgata.

SeviL is a recently isolated lectin found to bind to the linear saccharides of the ganglioside GM1b (Neu5Ac[Formula: see text](2-3)Gal[Formula: see text](1-3)GalNAc[Formula: see text](1-4)Gal[Formula: see text](1-4)Glc) and its precursor, asialo-GM1 (Gal[Formula: see text](1-3)GalNAc[Formula: see text](1-4)Gal[Formula: see text](1-4)Glc). The crystal structures of recombinant SeviL have been determined in the presence and absence of ligand. The protein belongs to the [Formula: see text]-trefoil family, but shows only weak sequence similarity to known structures. SeviL forms a dimer in solution, with one binding site per subunit, close to the subunit interface. Molecular details of glycan recognition by SeviL in solution were analysed by ligand- and protein-based NMR techniques as well as ligand binding assays. SeviL shows no interaction with GM1 due to steric hindrance with the sialic acid branch that is absent from GM1b. This unusual specificity makes SeviL of great interest for the detection and control of certain cancer cells, and cells of the immune system, that display asialo-GM1.

A GM1b/asialo-GM1 oligosaccharide-binding R-type lectin from purplish bifurcate mussels Mytilisepta virgata and its effect on MAP kinases.

A 15-kDa lectin, termed SeviL, was isolated from Mytilisepta virgata (purplish bifurcate mussel). SeviL forms a noncovalent dimer that binds strongly to ganglio-series GM1b oligosaccharide (Neu5Acɑ2-3Galß1-3GalNAcß1-4Galß1-4Glc) and its precursor, asialo-GM1 (Galß1-3GalNAcß1-4Galß1-4Glc). SeviL also interacts weakly with the glycan moiety of SSEA-4 hexaose (Neu5Acα2-3Galß1-3GalNAcß1-3Galα1-4Galß1-4Glc). A partial protein sequence of the lectin was determined by mass spectrometry, and the complete sequence was identified from transcriptomic analysis. SeviL, consisting of 129 amino acids, was classified as an R(icin B)-type lectin, based on the presence of the QxW motif characteristic of this fold. SeviL mRNA is highly expressed in gills and, in particular, mantle rim tissues. Orthologue sequences were identified in other species of the family Mytilidae, including Mytilus galloprovincialis, from which lectin MytiLec-1 was isolated and characterized in our previous studies. Thus, mytilid species contain lectins belonging to at least two distinct families (R-type lectins and mytilectins) that have a common ß-trefoil fold structure but differing glycan-binding specificities. SeviL displayed notable cytotoxic (apoptotic) effects against various cultured cell lines (human breast, ovarian, and colonic cancer; dog kidney) that possess asialo-GM1 oligosaccharide at the cell surface. This cytotoxic effect was inhibited by the presence of anti-asialo-GM1 oligosaccharide antibodies. With HeLa ovarian cancer cells, SeviL showed dose- and time-dependent activation of kinase MKK3/6, p38 MAPK, and caspase-3/9. The transduction pathways activated by SeviL via the glycosphingolipid oligosaccharide were triggered apoptosis. DATABASE: Nucleotide sequence data have been deposited in the GenBank database under accession numbers MK434191, MK434192, MK434193, MK434194, MK434195, MK434196, MK434197, MK434198, MK434199, MK434200, and MK434201.

Computational design of a symmetrical ß-trefoil lectin with cancer cell binding activity.

Computational protein design has advanced very rapidly over the last decade, but there remain few examples of artificial proteins with direct medical applications. This study describes a new artificial ß-trefoil lectin that recognises Burkitt's lymphoma cells, and which was designed with the intention of finding a basis for novel cancer treatments or diagnostics. The new protein, called "Mitsuba", is based on the structure of the natural shellfish lectin MytiLec-1, a member of a small lectin family that uses unique sequence motifs to bind α-D-galactose. The three subdomains of MytiLec-1 each carry one galactose binding site, and the 149-residue protein forms a tight dimer in solution. Mitsuba (meaning "three-leaf" in Japanese) was created by symmetry constraining the structure of a MytiLec-1 subunit, resulting in a 150-residue sequence that contains three identical tandem repeats. Mitsuba-1 was expressed and crystallised to confirm the X-ray structure matches the predicted model. Mitsuba-1 recognises cancer cells that express globotriose (Galα(1,4)Galß(1,4)Glc) on the surface, but the cytotoxicity is abolished.

[Prospects of CyberKnife stereotactic radiation therapy for cerebral vascular malformations and functional diseases].

Minimally invasive stereotactic radiation therapy has become one of the promising options for treating patients with intracranial diseases. Among the currently available instruments, the CyberKnife system (Accuray Inc., Sunnyvale, CA) is a unique apparatus equipped with image-guided target locating system. Because this system does not rely on rigid frame immobilization with screws, it has several distinct advantages over frame-based systems, including improved patient comfort and increased treatment degrees of freedom. In particular, this system has enabled selection of single-session and multi-session stereotactic radiation therapies, depending on the size, shape, and position of the lesions. Furthermore, this device is expected to aid stereotactic radiation therapy for large lesions that cannot be treated because of the size; moreover, it causes less damage to normal structures. In this article, we describe the advantages of the Cyberknife system for the management of vascular malformations and functional diseases.