Expression analysis of the family of 14-3-3 proteins in zebrafish development.

14-3-3 proteins comprise a family of dimeric multi-functional proteins present in all eukaryotes, that are important in a whelm of ubiquitous biological processes. We have analyzed the genomic structure of all 14-3-3s from zebrafish comprising 11 genes and have analyzed their phylogeny. The gene family was cloned and its expression pattern in zebrafish embryogenesis was analyzed by whole mount in situ hybridization and microarray analysis with gene specific probes. We demonstrate that maternal mRNA of 14-3-3s is expressed evenly at the first cell division. At later stage all genes are expressed in a patterned way with, in most cases, intricate patterns in the developing brain. Our result shows distinct expression patterns of various genes. Microarray results show that differences in expression levels of highly similar 14-3-3 genes also occur in the adult stage.

The viral capping enzyme nsP1: a novel target for the inhibition of chikungunya virus infection.

The chikungunya virus (CHIKV) has become a substantial global health threat due to its massive re-emergence, the considerable disease burden and the lack of vaccines or therapeutics. We discovered a novel class of small molecules ([1,2,3]triazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidin-7(6H)-ones) with potent in vitro activity against CHIKV isolates from different geographical regions. Drug-resistant variants were selected and these carried a P34S substitution in non-structural protein 1 (nsP1), the main enzyme involved in alphavirus RNA capping. Biochemical assays using nsP1 of the related Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus revealed that the compounds specifically inhibit the guanylylation of nsP1. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first report demonstrating that the alphavirus capping machinery is an excellent antiviral drug target. Considering the lack of options to treat CHIKV infections, this series of compounds with their unique (alphavirus-specific) target offers promise for the development of therapy for CHIKV infections.

14-3-3 proteins: key regulators of cell division, signalling and apoptosis.

The 14-3-3 proteins constitute a family of conserved proteins present in all eukaryotic organisms so far investigated. These proteins have attracted interest because they are involved in important cellular processes such as signal transduction, cell-cycle control, apoptosis, stress response and malignant transformation and because at least 100 different binding partners for the 14-3-3 proteins have been reported. Although the exact function of 14-3-3 proteins is still unknown, they are known to (1) act as adaptor molecules stimulating protein-protein interactions, (2) regulate the subcellular localisation of proteins and (3) activate or inhibit enzymes. In this review, we discuss the role of the 14-3-3 proteins in three cellular processes: cell cycle control, signal transduction and apoptosis. These processes are regulated by the 14-3-3 proteins at multiple steps. The 14-3-3 proteins have an overall inhibitory effect on cell cycle progression and apoptosis, whereas in signal transduction they may act as stimulatory or inhibitory factors. This article contains supplementary material which may be viewed at the BioEssays website at http://www.interscience.wiley.com/jpages/0265-9247/Suppmat/23/v23_10.936.