Copper delivery to the CNS by CuATSM effectively treats motor neuron disease in SOD(G93A) mice co-expressing the Copper-Chaperone-for-SOD.

Over-expression of mutant copper, zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD) in mice induces ALS and has become the most widely used model of neurodegeneration. However, no pharmaceutical agent in 20 years has extended lifespan by more than a few weeks. The Copper-Chaperone-for-SOD (CCS) protein completes the maturation of SOD by inserting copper, but paradoxically human CCS causes mice co-expressing mutant SOD to die within two weeks of birth. Hypothesizing that co-expression of CCS created copper deficiency in spinal cord, we treated these pups with the PET-imaging agent CuATSM, which is known to deliver copper into the CNS within minutes. CuATSM prevented the early mortality of CCSxSOD mice, while markedly increasing Cu, Zn SOD protein in their ventral spinal cord. Remarkably, continued treatment with CuATSM extended the survival of these mice by an average of 18 months. When CuATSM treatment was stopped, these mice developed ALS-related symptoms and died within 3 months. Restoring CuATSM treatment could rescue these mice after they became symptomatic, providing a means to start and stop disease progression. All ALS patients also express human CCS, raising the hope that familial SOD ALS patients could respond to CuATSM treatment similarly to the CCSxSOD mice.

PEP3 overexpression shortens lag phase but does not alter growth rate in Saccharomyces cerevisiae exposed to acetic acid stress.

In fungi, two recognized mechanisms contribute to pH homeostasis: the plasma membrane proton-pumping ATPase that exports excess protons and the vacuolar proton-pumping ATPase (V-ATPase) that mediates vacuolar proton uptake. Here, we report that overexpression of PEP3 which encodes a component of the HOPS and CORVET complexes involved in vacuolar biogenesis, shortened lag phase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae exposed to acetic acid stress. By confocal microscopy, PEP3-overexpressing cells stained with the vacuolar membrane-specific dye, FM4-64 had more fragmented vacuoles than the wild-type control. The stained overexpression mutant was also found to exhibit about 3.6-fold more FM4-64 fluorescence than the wild-type control as determined by flow cytometry. While the vacuolar pH of the wild-type strain grown in the presence of 80 mM acetic acid was significantly higher than in the absence of added acid, no significant difference was observed in vacuolar pH of the overexpression strain grown either in the presence or absence of 80 mM acetic acid. Based on an indirect growth assay, the PEP3-overexpression strain exhibited higher V-ATPase activity. We hypothesize that PEP3 overexpression provides protection from acid stress by increasing vacuolar surface area and V-ATPase activity and, hence, proton-sequestering capacity.

Identification and characterization of mesotocin and V1a-like vasotocin receptors in a urodele amphibian, Taricha granulosa.

The cDNA sequences encoding the mesotocin receptor (MTR) and vasotocin 1a receptor (VTR-1a) were identified in a urodele amphibian, the rough-skinned newt, Taricha granulosa. Saturation binding of [(3)H]oxytocin (OT) to the Taricha MTR (tMTR) was best fit by a two-state model; a high affinity-low abundance site and a lower affinity-high abundance site. Competition-binding studies found the following rank-order affinities for the tMTR: mesotocin (MT)>OT≈vasotocin (VT)>vasopressin (VP)>isotocin (IT). Inositol phosphate (IP) accumulation studies demonstrated functional activity of both the tMTR and Taricha VTR-1a (tVTR-1a) in a heterologous cell culture system. The rank-order potencies for the tMTR were MT>OT>VT≈VP>IT. The combined binding and IP results indicate that VT may act as a partial agonist of the tMTR. Rank-order potencies for the tVTR-1a were VT>VP>MT≈OT>IT. For both receptors, stimulation of IP accumulation was blocked by d(CH(2))(5)[Tyr(Me)(2)]AVP (Manning compound) and d(CH(2))(5)[Tyr(Me)(2),Thr(4),Tyr-NH(2)]OVT (OTA). OTA was a more potent antagonist for the transiently expressed tMTR while Manning compound was relatively more potent at inhibiting IP accumulation in tVTR-1a expressing cells. In contradiction to earlier assumptions, the absolute IC(50) of Manning compound was lower for the tMTR (27nM±13) than the tVTR-1a (586nM±166) indicating its potential higher affinity for the tMTR, a finding with special relevance to interpretation of comparative studies investigating the behavioral and physiological actions of neurohypophysial peptides in non-mammalian species.

Reciprocal regulation of BMF and BIRC5 (Survivin) linked to Eomes overexpression in colorectal cancer.

Eomesodermin (Eomes) is a T-box transcription factor that has been implicated in the etiology of colorectal cancer and other human malignancies. We screened a panel of human primary colon cancers and patient-matched controls (n = 30) and detected Eomes overexpression at the mRNA and protein level. Similar results were obtained in a panel of rat colon tumors and adjacent normal-looking colonic mucosa (n = 24). In human colon cancer cells, forced overexpression of Eomes enhanced cell viability and protected against staurosporine-induced apoptosis. On the other hand, knocking down Eomes resulted in reduced cell viability, G2/M cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis induction. The apoptotic mechanism centered on the reciprocal downregulation of anti-apoptotic BIRC5 (Survivin) and upregulation of proapoptotic Bcl-2 modifying factor (BMF). In patients with colorectal cancer, high EOMES expression (n = 95) was associated with poor overall survival compared with individuals exhibiting low EOMES levels (n = 80). We conclude from the current investigation, and prior literature, that Eomes has a divergent role in cancer development, with evidence for tumor suppressor and oncogenic functions, depending on stage and tissue context. Further studies are warranted on the apoptotic mechanisms linked to the reciprocal regulation of BMF and BIRC5 in human colorectal cancers characterized by Eomes overexpression.

Cloning, pharmacological characterization and tissue distribution of an ORL1 opioid receptor from an amphibian, the rough-skinned newt Taricha granulosa.

We have cloned and characterized an opioid receptor-like (ORL1; also referred to as NOP) receptor from a urodele amphibian, the rough-skinned newt Taricha granulosa The cDNA clone encodes a protein of 368 amino acids that contains the seven hydrophobic domains characteristic of G-protein-coupled receptors, and has the highest sequence identity to the frog (Rana pipiens) nociceptin-like and human ORL1 opioid receptors (79.6 and 68.4%, respectively). Saturation binding assays on membranes from COS-7 cells transiently expressing the newt ORL1 (nORL) receptor revealed a single, high-affinity (estimated Kd, 0.1974 nM) binding site for the ORL1-specific agonist [3H]orphanin FQ analog ([3H]oFQ). In competition binding assays, the [3H]oFQ-binding site, like the mammalian ORL1 receptor, had no affinity for the non-selective opioid receptor antagonist naloxone, the kappa-selective agonists U69593 and U50488, or the mu- and delta-selective opioid receptor agonists DAMGO and DPDPE, respectively. However, the nORL receptor displayed higher affinities for the kappa-selective agonists dynorphin A (1-13), dynorphin B, and dynorphin A (1-8) (Ki values, 2.8, 151.8, and 183.0 nM, respectively) than its mammalian homologue. The tissue distribution of the nORL receptor, as determined by reverse transcriptase PCR, was also found to differ from reports on the mammalian ORL1 receptor, with mRNA detected in brain, spinal cord, and lung, but not detected in a number of other peripheral tissues reported to express the receptor in mammals. This is the first report describing the expression and characterization of an amphibian ORL1 receptor, and contributes to our understanding of the evolution of the opioid system.

Cloning, heterologous expression and pharmacological characterization of a kappa opioid receptor from the brain of the rough-skinned newt, Taricha granulosa.

A full-length cDNA that encodes a kappa (kappa) opioid receptor has been isolated from the brain of a urodele amphibian, the rough-skinned newt Taricha granulosa. The deduced protein contains 385 amino acids and possesses features commonly attributed to G protein-coupled receptors, such as seven putative transmembrane domains. The newt kappa receptor has 75% sequence identity to kappa opioid receptors cloned from mammals, and 66% sequence identity to the kappa opioid receptor reported for the zebrafish, with the greatest divergence in the extracellular N-terminus, the second and third extracellular loops and the intracellular C-terminus. Membranes isolated from COS-7 cells expressing the newt kappa receptor possessed a single, high-affinity (Kd = 1.5 nM) binding site for the kappa-selective agonist U69593. In competition binding assays, the expressed newt kappa receptor displayed high affinity for the kappa-selective agonists GR89696, dynorphin A(1-13), U69593, U50488 and BRL52537, as well as the kappa-selective antagonist nor-binaltorphimine and the non-selective antagonist naloxone. Rank order potencies and affinity constants were similar in competition binding studies that used either whole brain homogenates or membranes isolated from COS-7 cells expressing the newt kappa receptor. The expressed receptor displayed essentially no affinity for the delta-selective agonist DPDPE ([d-penicillamine, d-penicillamine]enkephalin), but showed moderate affinity for the mu-selective agonist DAMGO ([d-Ala-MePhe, Gly-ol]enkephalin) and moderately high affinity for nociceptin (orphanin FQ), the endogenous ligand for the opioid receptor-like (ORL)1 receptor. These findings support the conclusions that a gene for the kappa opioid receptor is expressed in amphibians and that the pharmacology of the newt kappa receptor closely matches mammalian kappa opioid receptors. However, the functional dichotomy between the classic opioid receptors (kappa, delta, mu) and ORL1 appears less strict in amphibians than in mammals.

Using theoretical protein isotopic distributions to parse small-mass-difference post-translational modifications via mass spectrometry.

Small-mass-difference modifications to proteins are obscured in mass spectrometry by the natural abundance of stable isotopes such as (13)C that broaden the isotopic distribution of an intact protein. Using a ZipTip (Millipore, Billerica, MA, USA) to remove salt from proteins in preparation for high-resolution mass spectrometry, the theoretical isotopic distribution intensities calculated from the protein's empirical formula could be fit to experimentally acquired data and used to differentiate between multiple low-mass modifications to proteins. We could readily distinguish copper from zinc bound to a single-metal superoxide dismutase (SOD1) species; copper and zinc only differ by an average mass of 1.8 Da and have overlapping stable isotope patterns. In addition, proteins could be directly modified while bound to the ZipTip. For example, washing 11 mM S-methyl methanethiosulfonate over the ZipTip allowed the number of free cysteines on proteins to be detected as S-methyl adducts. Alternatively, washing with the sulfhydryl oxidant diamide could quickly reestablish disulfide bridges. Using these methods, we could resolve the relative contributions of copper and zinc binding, as well as disulfide reduction to intact SOD1 protein present from <100 µg of the lumbar spinal cord of a transgenic, SOD1 overexpressing mouse. Although techniques like ICP-MS can measure total metal in solution, this is the first method able to assess the metal-binding and sulfhydryl reduction of SOD1 at the individual subunit level and is applicable to many other proteins.

Phenotypic transition of microglia into astrocyte-like cells associated with disease onset in a model of inherited ALS.

Microglia and reactive astrocytes accumulate in the spinal cord of rats expressing the Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)-linked SOD1 (G93A) mutation. We previously reported that the rapid progression of paralysis in ALS rats is associated with the appearance of proliferative astrocyte-like cells that surround motor neurons. These cells, designated as Aberrant Astrocytes (AbA cells) because of their atypical astrocytic phenotype, exhibit high toxicity to motor neurons. However, the cellular origin of AbA cells remains unknown. Because AbA cells are labeled with the proliferation marker Ki67, we analyzed the phenotypic makers of proliferating glial cells that surround motor neurons by immunohistochemistry. The number of Ki67 (+)AbA cells sharply increased in symptomatic rats, displaying large cell bodies with processes embracing motor neurons. Most were co-labeled with astrocytic marker GFAP concurrently with the microglial markers Iba1 and CD163. Cultures of spinal cord prepared from symptomatic SOD1 (G93A) rats yielded large numbers of microglia expressing Iba1, CD11b, and CD68. Cells sorted for CD11b expression by flow cytometry transformed into AbA cells within two weeks. During these two weeks, the expression of microglial markers largely disappeared, while GFAP and S100ß expression increased. The phenotypic transition to AbA cells was stimulated by forskolin. These findings provide evidence for a subpopulation of proliferating microglial cells in SOD1 (G93A) rats that undergo a phenotypic transition into AbA cells after onset of paralysis that may promote the fulminant disease progression. These cells could be a therapeutic target for slowing paralysis progression in ALS.

Delta and mu opioid receptors from the brain of a urodele amphibian, the rough-skinned newt Taricha granulosa: cloning, heterologous expression, and pharmacological characterization.

Two full-length cDNAs, encoding delta (delta) and mu (mu) opioid receptors, were cloned from the brain of the rough-skinned newt Taricha granulosa, complementing previous work from our laboratory describing the cloning of newt brain kappa (kappa) and ORL1 opioid receptors. The newt delta receptor shares 82% amino acid sequence identity with a frog delta receptor and lower (68-70%) identity with orthologous receptors cloned from mammals and zebrafish. The newt mu receptor shares 79% sequence identity with a frog mu receptor, 72% identity with mammalian mu receptors, and 66-69% identity with mu receptors cloned from teleost fishes. Membranes isolated from COS-7 cells transiently expressing the newt delta receptor possessed a single, high-affinity (Kd = 2.4 nM) binding site for the nonselective opioid antagonist [3H]naloxone. In competition binding assays, the newt delta receptor displayed highest affinity for Met-enkephalin, relatively low affinity for Leu-enkephalin, beta-endorphin, and [D-penicillamine, D-penicillamine] enkephalin (DPDPE) (a delta-selective agonist in mammals), and very low affinity for mu-, kappa-, or ORL1-selective agonists. COS-7 cells expressing the newt mu receptor also possessed a high-affinity (Kd = 0.44 nM) naloxone-binding site that showed highest affinity for beta-endorphin, moderate-to-low affinity for Met-enkephalin and Leu-enkephalin and DAMGO (a mu-selective agonist in mammals), and very low affinity for DPDPE and kappa- or ORL1-selective agonists. COS-7 cells expressing either receptor type (delta or mu) showed very high affinity (Kd = 0.1-0.3 nM) for the nonselective opioid antagonist diprenorphine. Taricha granulosa expresses the same four subtypes (delta, mu, kappa, and ORL1) of opioid receptors found in other vertebrate classes, but ligand selectivity appears less stringent in the newt than has been documented in mammals.