Global and local functions of the Fused kinase ortholog CdaH in intracellular patterning in Tetrahymena.

Ciliates assemble numerous microtubular structures into complex cortical patterns. During ciliate division, the pattern is duplicated by intracellular segmentation that produces a tandem of daughter cells. In Tetrahymena thermophila, the induction and positioning of the division boundary involves two mutually antagonistic factors: posterior CdaA (cyclin E) and anterior CdaI (Hippo kinase). Here, we characterized the related cdaH-1 allele, which confers a pleiotropic patterning phenotype including an absence of the division boundary and an anterior-posterior mispositioning of the new oral apparatus. CdaH is a Fused or Stk36 kinase ortholog that localizes to multiple sites that correlate with the effects of its loss, including the division boundary and the new oral apparatus. CdaH acts downstream of CdaA to induce the division boundary and drives asymmetric cytokinesis at the tip of the posterior daughter. CdaH both maintains the anterior-posterior position of the new oral apparatus and interacts with CdaI to pattern ciliary rows within the oral apparatus. Thus, CdaH acts at multiple scales, from induction and positioning of structures on the cell-wide polarity axis to local organelle-level patterning.

Encyclopedia of Family A DNA Polymerases Localized in Organelles: Evolutionary Contribution of Bacteria Including the Proto-Mitochondrion.

DNA polymerases synthesize DNA from deoxyribonucleotides in a semiconservative manner and serve as the core of DNA replication and repair machinery. In eukaryotic cells, there are 2 genome-containing organelles, mitochondria, and plastids, which were derived from an alphaproteobacterium and a cyanobacterium, respectively. Except for rare cases of genome-lacking mitochondria and plastids, both organelles must be served by nucleus-encoded DNA polymerases that localize and work in them to maintain their genomes. The evolution of organellar DNA polymerases has yet to be fully understood because of 2 unsettled issues. First, the diversity of organellar DNA polymerases has not been elucidated in the full spectrum of eukaryotes. Second, it is unclear when the DNA polymerases that were used originally in the endosymbiotic bacteria giving rise to mitochondria and plastids were discarded, as the organellar DNA polymerases known to date show no phylogenetic affinity to those of the extant alphaproteobacteria or cyanobacteria. In this study, we identified from diverse eukaryotes 134 family A DNA polymerase sequences, which were classified into 10 novel types, and explored their evolutionary origins. The subcellular localizations of selected DNA polymerases were further examined experimentally. The results presented here suggest that the diversity of organellar DNA polymerases has been shaped by multiple transfers of the PolI gene from phylogenetically broad bacteria, and their occurrence in eukaryotes was additionally impacted by secondary plastid endosymbioses. Finally, we propose that the last eukaryotic common ancestor may have possessed 2 mitochondrial DNA polymerases, POP, and a candidate of the direct descendant of the proto-mitochondrial DNA polymerase I, rdxPolA, identified in this study.

Fumagillin inhibits growth of the enteric protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica by covalently binding to and selectively inhibiting methionine aminopeptidase 2.

Amebiasis is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and caused by infection with the protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica. Metronidazole is currently the first-line drug despite adverse effects and concerns on the emergence of drug resistance. Fumagillin, a fungal metabolite from Aspergillus fumigatus, and its structurally related natural and synthetic compounds have been previously explored as potential anti-angiogenesis inhibitors for cancers, anti-microbial, and anti-obese compounds. Although fumagillin was used for human amebiasis in clinical trials in 1950s, the mode of action of fumagillin remains elusive until now. In this report, we showed that fumagillin covalently binds to methionine aminopeptidase 2 (MetAP2) and non-covalently but abundantly binds to patatin family phospholipase A (PLA). Susceptibility against fumagillin of the amebic strains in which expression of E. histolytica MetAP2 (EhMetAP2) gene was silenced increased compared to control strain. Conversely, overexpression of EhMetAP2 mutants that harbors amino acid substitutions responsible for resistance to ovalicin, a fumagillin analog, in human MetAP2, also resulted in decrease in fumagillin susceptibility. In contrast, neither gene silencing nor overexpression of E. histolytica PLA (EhPLA) affected fumagillin susceptibility. These data suggest that EhPLA is not essential and not the target of fumagillin for its amebicidal activity. Taken together, our data have demonstrated that EhMetAP2 is the primary target for amebicidal activity of fumagillin, and EhMetAP2 represents a rational explorable target for the development of alternative therapeutic agents against amebiasis.

Effect of inhaled corticosteroids on bone mineral density in patients with asthma.

BACKGROUND: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are a safe treatment for asthma. However, at higher doses, ICS use has been reported to inhibit adrenocortical function. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of ICS on bone mineral density (BMD) in adult patients with asthma. METHODS: Ultrasonic bone densitometry was performed in 40 patients (14 men, 26 women, mean age 61.2 years, mean duration of asthma 6.19 years) who were receiving ICS for asthma, and the whole bone density, thickness of cortical bone, and density of cancellous bone of the radius was measured. The age-matched mean was set as 100%. Lifetime cumulative dose of ICS was calculated using all past prescriptions. RESULTS: No significant correlations were observed between lifetime cumulative ICS dose and whole bone density (r² = 0.011), cortical bone thickness (r² = 0.022), and cancellous bone density (r² = 0.004). No significant differences were observed between lower and higher lifetime cumulative ICS dose among these BMD parameters (104% vs 97%, 103% vs 99%, and 106% vs 91%, respectively). No significant correlations or differences in lifetime cumulative ICS dose were observed by asthma severity, asthma duration, and pulmonary function. Also, serum markers of bone metabolism showed no significant correlations or differences with lifetime cumulative ICS dose. CONCLUSIONS: In the entire study population, long-term ICS use was safe and was not associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis.

Cell cycle-dependent phosphorylation of IQGAP is involved in assembly and stability of the contractile ring in fission yeast.

Cytokinesis is the final step in cell division and is driven by the constriction of the medial actomyosin-based contractile ring (CR) in many eukaryotic cells. In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the IQGAP-like protein Rng2 is required for assembly and constriction of the CR, and specifically interacts with actin filaments (F-actin) in the CR after anaphase. However, the mechanism that timely activates Rng2 has not yet been elucidated. We herein tested the hypothesis that the cytokinetic function of Rng2 is regulated by phosphorylation by examining phenotypes of a series of non-phosphorylatable and phosphomimetic rng2 mutant strains. In phosphomimetic mutant cells, F-actin in the CR was unstable. Genetic analyses indicated that phosphorylated Rng2 was involved in CR assembly in cooperation with myosin-II, whereas the phosphomimetic mutation attenuated the localization of Rng2 to CR F-actin. The present results suggest that Rng2 is phosphorylated during CR assembly and then dephosphorylated, which enhances the interaction between Rng2 and CR F-actin to stabilize the ring, thereby ensuring secure cytokinesis.

An actin-myosin-II interaction is involved in maintaining the contractile ring in fission yeast.

The actomyosin-based contractile ring, which assembles at the cell equator, maintains its circularity during cytokinesis in many eukaryotic cells, ensuring its efficient constriction. Although consistent maintenance of the ring is one of the mechanisms underpinning cytokinesis, it has not yet been fully addressed. We here investigated the roles of fission yeast myosin-II proteins [Myo2 and Myo3 (also known as Myp2)] in ring maintenance during cytokinesis, with a focus on Myo3. A site-directed mutational analysis showed that the motor properties of Myo3 were involved in its accumulation in the contractile ring. The assembled ring was often deformed and not properly maintained under conditions in which the activities of myosin-II proteins localizing to the contractile ring were decreased, leading to inefficient cell division. Moreover, Myo3 appeared to form motile clusters on the ring. We propose that large assemblies of myosin-II proteins consolidate the contractile ring by continuously binding to F-actin in the ring, thereby contributing to its maintenance.

Anillin-related protein Mid1 regulates timely formation of the contractile ring in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces japonicus.

In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe (Sp), Mid1/Dmf1 plays an important role in positioning the division site by inducing formation of the contractile ring (CR). Mid1, emanating from the nucleus located in the cell center, forms a dozen of nodes in the middle cell cortex ahead of mitosis, and actin filaments and myosin II accumulated at each node interact and assemble the CR in metaphase. Curiously, in another fission yeast S. japonicus (Sj), CR formation begins after nuclear segregation in late anaphase. Here, we investigated the role of S. japonicus Mid1 during mitosis to compare the molecular mechanisms that determine the cell division site in Schizosaccharomyces. Similar to Sp Mid1, Sj Mid1 often accumulated in the nucleus of interphase cells. Moreover, Sj Mid1 localized to cortical dots with myosin II in the future division site and formed a medial ring in mitotic cells. However, S. japonicus cells without Mid1 function still carried out symmetrical binary division. Therefore, the Mid1 dependency for positional control of the cell division site is possibly different between the two species. Meanwhile, we found that Sj Mid1 enhanced CR formation, in a manner possibly similar to that by Sp Mid1.

Kinesin-14 is Important for Chromosome Segregation During Mitosis and Meiosis in the Ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila.

Ciliates such as Tetrahymena thermophila have two distinct nuclei within one cell: the micronucleus that undergoes mitosis and meiosis and the macronucleus that undergoes amitosis, a type of nuclear division that does not involve a bipolar spindle, but still relies on intranuclear microtubules. Ciliates provide an opportunity for the discovery of factors that specifically contribute to chromosome segregation based on a bipolar spindle, by identification of factors that affect the micronuclear but not the macronuclear division. Kinesin-14 is a conserved minus-end directed microtubule motor that cross-links microtubules and contributes to the bipolar spindle sizing and organization. Here, we use homologous DNA recombination to knock out genes that encode kinesin-14 orthologues (KIN141, KIN142) in Tetrahymena. A loss of KIN141 led to severe defects in the chromosome segregation during both mitosis and meiosis but did not affect amitosis. A loss of KIN141 altered the shape of the meiotic spindle in a way consistent with the KIN141's contribution to the organization of the spindle poles. EGFP-tagged KIN141 preferentially accumulated at the spindle poles during the meiotic prophase and metaphase I. Thus, in ciliates, kinesin-14 is important for nuclear divisions that involve a bipolar spindle.

The meiosis-specific nuclear passenger protein is required for proper assembly of forespore membrane in fission yeast.

Sporulation, gametogenesis in yeast, consists of meiotic nuclear division and spore morphogenesis. In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the four haploid nuclei produced after meiosis II are encapsulated by the forespore membrane (FSM), which is newly synthesized from spindle pole bodies (SPBs) in the cytoplasm of the mother cell as spore precursors. Although the coordination between meiosis and FSM assembly is vital for proper sporulation, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In the present study, we identified a new meiosis-specific protein Npg1, and found that it was involved in the efficient formation of spores and spore viability. The accumulation and organization of the FSM was compromised in npg1-null cells, leading to the error-prone envelopment of nuclei. Npg1 was first seen as internuclear dots and translocated to the SPBs before the FSM assembled. Genetic analysis revealed that Npg1 worked in conjunction with the FSM proteins Spo3 and Meu14. These results suggest a possible signaling link from the nucleus to the meiotic SPBs in order to associate the onset of FSM assembly with meiosis II, which ensures the successful partitioning of gametic nuclei.

Geranylgeranyltransferase Cwg2-Rho4/Rho5 module is implicated in the Pmk1 MAP kinase-mediated cell wall integrity pathway in fission yeast.

Pmk1, a fission yeast homologue of mammalian ERK MAPK, regulates cell wall integrity, cytokinesis, RNA granule formation and ion homeostasis. Our screen for vic (viable in the presence of immunosuppressant and chloride ion) mutants identified regulators of the Pmk1 MAPK signaling, including Cpp1 and Rho2, based on the genetic interaction between calcineurin and Pmk1 MAPK. Here, we identified the vic2-1 mutants carrying a mis-sense mutation in the cwg2(+) gene encoding a beta subunit of geranylgeranyltransferase I (GGTase I), which participates in the post-translational C-terminal modification of several small GTPases, allowing their targeting to the membrane. Analysis of the vic2-1/cwg2-v2 mutant strain showed that the localization of Rho1, Rho4, Rho5 and Cdc42, both at the plasma and vacuolar membranes, was impaired in the vic2-1/cwg2-v2 mutant cells. In addition, Rho4 and Rho5 deletion cells exhibited the vic phenotype and cell wall integrity defects, shared phenotypes among the components of the Pmk1 MAPK pathway. Consistently, the phosphorylation of Pmk1 MAPK on heat shock was decreased in the cwg2-v2 mutants, and rho4- and rho5-null cells. Moreover, Rho4 and Rho5 associate with Pck1/Pck2. Possible roles of Cwg2, Rho4 and Rho5 in the Pmk1 signaling will be discussed.

Asparagine synthetase1, but not asparagine synthetase2, is responsible for the biosynthesis of asparagine following the supply of ammonium to rice roots.

Asparagine is synthesized from glutamine by the reaction of asparagine synthetase (AS) and is the major nitrogen form in both xylem and phloem sap in rice (Oryza sativa L.). There are two genes encoding AS, OsAS1 and OsAS2, in rice, but the functions of individual AS isoenzymes are largely unknown. Cell type- and NH4(+)-inducible expression of OsAS1 as well as analyses of knockout mutants were carried out in this study to characterize AS1. OsAS1 was mainly expressed in the roots, with in situ hybridization showing that the corresponding mRNA was specifically accumulated in the three cell layers of the root surface (epidermis, exodermis and sclerenchyma) in an NH4(+)-dependent manner. Conversely, OsAS2 mRNA was abundant in leaf blades and sheathes of rice. Although OsAS2 mRNA was detectable in the roots, its content decreased when NH4(+) was supplied. Retrotransposon-mediated knockout mutants lacking AS1 showed slight stimulation of shoot length and slight reduction in root length at the seedling stage. On the other hand, the mutation caused an approximately 80-90% reduction in free asparagine content in both roots and xylem sap. These results suggest that AS1 is responsible for the synthesis of asparagine in rice roots following the supply of NH4(+). Characteristics of the NH4(+)-dependent increase and the root surface cell-specific expression of OsAS1 gene are very similar to our previous results on cytosolic glutamine synthetase1;2 and NADH-glutamate synthase1 in rice roots. Thus, AS1 is apparently coupled with the primary assimilation of NH4(+) in rice roots.

Fission yeast IQGAP maintains F-actin-independent localization of myosin-II in the contractile ring.

During cytokinesis in many eukaryotic cells, myosin-II concentrates at the equatorial cortex with actin filaments (F-actin) and is supposed to generate forces to divide the cell into two, which is called the contractile ring (CR) hypothesis. Several lines of evidence indicate that the myosin-II is recruited independently of F-actin and interacts specifically with the equatorial F-actin. Molecular details of these mechanisms are still unknown. We used the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe to investigate the regulation of myosin-II localization. We demonstrate that the CR myosin-II was composed of F-actin-dependent and -independent fractions by simultaneously observing F-actin and myosin. The F-actin-independent fraction was visualized as cortical dots in the absence of F-actin. IQGAP Rng2, an indispensable element of CR, was implicated in maintenance of the F-actin-independent fraction of myosin-II, whereas anillin Mid1 was required for assembly but not for maintenance of the fraction. In the CR of the rng2 mutant, myosin-II was less concentrated, unstable, and nonhomogeneous, which often resulted in cytokinesis failure. These results suggest that Rng2 tethers myosin-II to the cortex along the CR independently of F-actin to provide a sufficient concentration. The robust localization of myosin-II would ensure successful cytokinesis.

Dynamic Change of Cellular Localization of Microtubule-Organizing Center During Conjugation of Ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila.

To obtain a comprehensive picture of microtubule dynamics during conjugation, the mode of sexual reproduction in ciliates, we combined indirect immunofluorescence and three-dimensional imaging using confocal laser-scanning microscope to visualize the cellular localization of DNA, microtubules, and γ-tubulin, the main component of the microtubule-organizing center in mating Tetrahymena cells. As the conjugational stages proceeded, the distribution of γ-tubulin changed drastically and microtubules showed dynamic appearance and disappearance during meiosis, nuclear selection, nuclear exchange, and the development of new macronuclei. This study highlights the involvement of cytoskeletal regulation in the modulation of germline nuclear motilities required for ciliate reproduction.

Outcome of corticosteroid administration in autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Although no report has demonstrated the efficacy of corticosteroid therapy for autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (aPAP), we sometimes encounter patients who have received this therapy for various reasons. However, as corticosteroids can suppress alveolar macrophage function, corticosteroid therapy might worsen disease severity and increase the risk of infections. METHODS: For this retrospective cohort study, we sent a screening form to 165 institutions asking for information on aPAP patients treated with corticosteroids. Of the resulting 45 patients screened, 31 were enrolled in this study. We collected demographic data and information about corticosteroid treatment period, dose, disease severity score (DSS) over the treatment period, and complications. RESULTS: DSS deteriorated during corticosteroid therapy in 23 cases (74.1 %) and the estimated overall cumulative worsening rate was 80.8 % for the total observation period. The worsening rate was significantly higher in patients treated with high-dose prednisolone (>18.9 mg/day, n = 16) than treated with low-dose prednisolone (≤18.9 mg/day, n = 15) divided by median daily dose (p < 0.02). Of patients with worsening, one died of disseminated aspergillosis and another of respiratory failure. Infections newly emerged in 6 cases during corticosteroid therapy (p < 0.05). Median serum granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) autoantibody levels were similar to previously reported data in a large cohort study. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate that corticosteroid therapy may worsen DSS of aPAP, increasing the risk for infections.

ADF/cofilin is not essential but is critically important for actin activities during phagocytosis in Tetrahymena thermophila.

ADF/cofilin is a highly conserved actin-modulating protein. Reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton in vivo through severing and depolymerizing of F-actin by this protein is essential for various cellular events, such as endocytosis, phagocytosis, cytokinesis, and cell migration. We show that in the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila, the ADF/cofilin homologue Adf73p associates with actin on nascent food vacuoles. Overexpression of Adf73p disrupted the proper localization of actin and inhibited the formation of food vacuoles. In vitro, recombinant Adf73p promoted the depolymerization of filaments made of T. thermophila actin (Act1p). Knockout cells lacking the ADF73 gene are viable but grow extremely slowly and have a severely decreased rate of food vacuole formation. Knockout cells have abnormal aggregates of actin in the cytoplasm. Surprisingly, unlike the case in animals and yeasts, in Tetrahymena, ADF/cofilin is not required for cytokinesis. Thus, the Tetrahymena model shows promise for future studies of the role of ADF/cofilin in vivo.

Pob1 ensures cylindrical cell shape by coupling two distinct rho signaling events during secretory vesicle targeting.

Proper cell morphogenesis requires the co-ordination of cell polarity, cytoskeletal organization and vesicle trafficking. The Schizosaccharomyces pombe mutant pob1-664 has a curious lemon-like shape, the basis of which is not understood. Here, we found abundant vesicle accumulation in these cells, suggesting that Pob1 plays a role in vesicle trafficking. We identified Rho3 as a multicopy suppressor of this phenotype. Because Rho3 function is related to For3, an actin-polymerizing protein, and Sec8, a component of the exocyst complex, we analyzed their functional relationship with Pob1. Pob1 was essential for the formation of actin cables (by interacting with For3) and for the polarized localization of Sec8. Although neither For3 nor Sec8 is essential for polarized growth, their simultaneous disruption prevented tip growth and yielded a lemon-like cell morphology similar to pob1-664. Thus, Pob1 may ensure cylindrical cell shape of S. pombe by coupling actin-mediated vesicle transport and exocyst-mediated vesicle tethering during secretory vesicle targeting.

Fission yeast IQGAP arranges actin filaments into the cytokinetic contractile ring.

The contractile ring (CR) consists of bundled actin filaments and myosin II; however, the actin-bundling factor remains elusive. We show that the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe IQGAP Rng2 is involved in the generation of CR F-actin and required for its arrangement into a ring. An N-terminal fragment of Rng2 is necessary for the function of Rng2 and is localized to CR F-actin. In vitro the fragment promotes actin polymerization and forms linear arrays of F-actin, which are resistant to the depolymerization induced by the actin-depolymerizing factor Adf1. Our findings indicate that Rng2 is involved in the generation of CR F-actin and simultaneously bundles the filaments and regulates its dynamics by counteracting the effects of Adf1, thus enabling the reconstruction of CR F-actin bundles, which provides an insight into the physical properties of the building blocks that comprise the CR.

Formation and ingression of division furrow can progress under the inhibitory condition of actin polymerization in ciliate Tetrahymena pyriformis.

In eukaryotic cells that multiply by binary fission, the interaction of actin filaments with myosin II in the contractile ring is widely recognized to generate force for membrane ingression into the cleavage furrow; however, the expression of myosin II is restricted in animals, yeast, fungi, and amoeba (collectively, unikonts). No corresponding motor protein capable of forming mini-filaments that could exert sufficient tension to cleave the cell body is found in bikonts, consisting of planta, algae, and most protozoa; however, cells in some bikont lineages multiply by binary fission, as do animal cells. Of these, the ciliate Tetrahymena is known to form an actin ring beneath the division furrow in cytokinesis. Here, we investigated the role of filamentous actin in the cytokinesis of Tetrahymena pyriformis by treating synchronized dividing cells with an actin-inhibiting drug, Latrunculin-A. Video microscopic observation of live cells undergoing cytokinesis was performed, and contrary to expectation, we found that initiation of furrow ingression and its progress are not suppressed under the inhibitory condition of actin polymerization in Tetrahymena cells. We suggest that an actin filament-independent mechanism of binary fission may have been acquired during the evolution in this organism.

Actin-binding domain of Rng2 sparsely bound on F-actin strongly inhibits actin movement on myosin II.

We report a case in which sub-stoichiometric binding of an actin-binding protein has profound structural and functional consequences, providing an insight into the fundamental properties of actin regulation. Rng2 is an IQGAP contained in contractile rings in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe Here, we used high-speed atomic force microscopy and electron microscopy and found that sub-stoichiometric binding of the calponin-homology actin-binding domain of Rng2 (Rng2CHD) induces global structural changes in skeletal muscle actin filaments, including shortening of the filament helical pitch. Sub-stoichiometric binding of Rng2CHD also reduced the affinity between actin filaments and muscle myosin II carrying ADP and strongly inhibited the motility of actin filaments on myosin II in vitro. On skeletal muscle myosin II-coated surfaces, Rng2CHD stopped the actin movements at a binding ratio of 11%. Rng2CHD also inhibited actin movements on myosin II of the amoeba Dictyostelium, but in this case, by detaching actin filaments from myosin II-coated surfaces. Thus, sparsely bound Rng2CHD induces apparently cooperative structural changes in actin filaments and inhibits force generation by actomyosin II.

Black tea high-molecular-weight polyphenol increases the motility of sea urchin sperm by activating mitochondrial respiration.

Mitochondria activation factor (MAF) is a high-molecular-weight polyphenol purified from black tea that activates mitochondrial respiration. It increased the mitochondrial membrane potential and motility of sea urchin sperm, by up to 8%, to the same extent as sperm-activating peptides (SAPs) secreted by the egg. Unlike SAPs, MAF had no effect on sperm swimming behavior, suggesting that the mechanism of sperm activation by MAF is different from that of SAPs.