Disease severity and thin filament regulation in M9R TPM3 nemaline myopathy.

The mechanism of muscle weakness was investigated in an Australian family with an M9R mutation in TPM3 (alpha-tropomyosin(slow)). Detailed protein analyses of 5 muscle samples from 2 patients showed that nemaline bodies are restricted to atrophied Type 1 (slow) fibers in which the TPM3 gene is expressed. Developmental expression studies showed that alpha-tropomyosin(slow) is not expressed at significant levels until after birth, thereby likely explaining the childhood (rather than congenital) disease onset in TPM3 nemaline myopathy. Isoelectric focusing demonstrated that alpha-tropomyosin(slow) dimers, composed of equal ratios of wild-type and M9R-alpha-tropomyosin(slow), are the dominant tropomyosin species in 3 separate muscle groups from an affected patient. These findings suggest that myopathy-related slow fiber predominance likely contributes to the severity of weakness in TPM3 nemaline myopathy because of increased proportions of fibers that express the mutant protein. Using recombinant proteins and far Western blot, we demonstrated a higher affinity of tropomodulin for alpha-tropomyosin(slow) compared with beta-tropomyosin; the M9R substitution within alpha-tropomyosin(slow) greatly reduced this interaction. Finally, transfection of the M9R mutated and wild-type alpha-tropomyosin(slow) into myoblasts revealed reduced incorporation into stress fibers and disruption of the filamentous actin network by the mutant protein. Collectively, these results provide insights into the clinical features and pathogenesis of M9R-TPM3 nemaline myopathy.

Localization of RNAs to the mitochondrial cloud in Xenopus oocytes through entrapment and association with endoplasmic reticulum.

The germ cell lineage in Xenopus is specified by the inheritance of germ plasm, which originates within a distinct "mitochondrial cloud" (MC) in previtellogenic oocytes. Germ plasm contains localized RNAs implicated in germ cell development, including Xcat2 and Xdazl. To understand the mechanism of the early pathway through which RNAs localize to the MC, we applied live confocal imaging and photobleaching analysis to oocytes microinjected with fluorescent Xcat2 and Xdazl RNA constructs. These RNAs dispersed evenly throughout the cytoplasm through diffusion and then became progressively immobilized and formed aggregates in the MC. Entrapment in the MC was not prevented by microtubule disruption and did not require localization to germinal granules. Immobilized RNA constructs codistributed and showed coordinated movement with densely packed endoplasmic reticulum (ER) concentrated in the MC, as revealed with Dil16(3) labeling and immunofluorescence analysis. Vg1RBP/Vera protein, which has been implicated in linking late pathway RNAs to vegetal ER, was shown to bind specifically both wild-type Xcat2 3' untranslated region and localization-defective constructs. We found endogenous Vg1RBP/Vera and Vg1RBP/Vera-green fluorescent protein to be largely excluded from the MC but subsequently to codistribute with Xcat2 and ER at the vegetal cortex. We conclude that germ line RNAs localize into the MC through a diffusion/entrapment mechanism involving Vg1RBP/Vera-independent association with ER.

Conserved and clustered RNA recognition sequences are a critical feature of signals directing RNA localization in Xenopus oocytes.

Although it is widely regarded that the targeting of RNA molecules to subcellular destinations depends upon the recognition of cis-elements found within their 3' untranslated regions (UTR), relatively little is known about the specific features of these cis-sequences that underlie their function. Interaction between specific repeated motifs within the 3' UTR and RNA-binding proteins has been proposed as a critical step in the localization of Vg1 RNA to the vegetal pole of Xenopus oocytes. To understand the relative contributions of repeated localization element (LE) sequences, we used comparative functional analysis of Vg1 LEs from two frog species, Xenopus laevis and Xenopus borealis. We show that clusters of repeated VM1 and E2 motifs are required for efficient localization. However, groups of either site alone are not sufficient for localization. In addition, we present evidence that the X. borealis Vg1 LE is recognized by the same set of RNA-binding proteins as the X. laevis Vg1 LE and is capable of productive interactions with the X. laevis transport machinery as it is sufficient to direct vegetal localization in X. laevis oocytes. These results suggest that clustered sets of cis-acting sites within the LE direct vegetal transport through specific interactions with the localization machinery.

Functional effects of mutations in the tropomyosin-binding sites of tropomodulin1 and tropomodulin3.

Tropomodulins (Tmods) interact with tropomyosins (TMs) via two TM-binding sites and cap the pointed ends of TM-coated actin filaments. To study the functional interplay between TM binding and TM-actin filament capping by Tmods, we introduced disabling mutations into the first, second, or both TM-binding sites of full-length Tmod1 (Tmod1-L27G, Tmod1-I131D, and Tmod1-L27G/I131D, respectively) and full-length Tmod3 (Tmod3-L29G, Tmod3-L134D, and Tmod3-L29G/L134D, respectively). Tmod1 and Tmod3 showed somewhat different TM-binding site utilization, but nearly all TM binding was abolished in Tmod1-L27G/I131D and Tmod3-L29G/L134D. Disruption of Tmod-TM binding had a modest effect on Tmod1's ability and no effect on Tmod3's ability to stabilize TM-actin pointed ends against latrunculin A-induced depolymerization. However, disruption of Tmod-TM binding did significantly impair the ability of Tmod3 to reduce elongation rates at pointed ends with α/ßTM, albeit less so with TM5NM1, and not at all with TM5b. For Tmod1, disruption of Tmod-TM binding only slightly impaired its ability to reduce elongation rates with α/ßTM and TM5NM1, but not at all with TM5b. Thus, Tmod-TM binding has a greater influence on Tmods' ability to inhibit subunit association as compared to dissociation from TM-actin pointed ends, particularly for α/ßTM, with Tmod3's activity being more dependent on TM binding than Tmod1's activity. Nevertheless, disruption of Tmod1-TM binding precluded Tmod1 targeting to thin filament pointed ends in cardiac myocytes, suggesting that the functional effects of Tmod-TM binding on TM-coated actin filament capping can be significantly modulated by the in vivo conformation of the pointed end or other factors in the intracellular environment.

Evaluation of a minimally invasive renal cooling device using heat transfer analysis and an in vivo porcine model.

Partial nephrectomy is the gold standard treatment for renal cell carcinoma. This procedure requires temporary occlusion of the renal artery, which can cause irreversible damage due to warm ischemia after 30 min. Open surgical procedures use crushed ice to induce a mild hypothermia of 20°C in the kidney, which can increase allowable ischemia time up to 2.5 h. The Kidney Cooler device was developed previously by the authors to achieve renal cooling using a minimally invasive approach. In the present study an analytical model of kidney cooling in situ was developed using heat transfer equations to determine the effect of kidney thickness on cooling time. In vivo porcine testing was conducted to evaluate the cooling performance of this device and to identify opportunities for improved surgical handling. Renal temperature was measured continuously at 6 points using probes placed orthogonally to each other within the kidney. Results showed that the device can cool the core of the kidney to 20°C in 10-20 min. Design enhancements were made based on surgeon feedback; it was determined that the addition of an insulating air layer below the device increased difficulty of positioning the device around the kidney and did not significantly enhance cooling performance. The Kidney Cooler has been shown to effectively induce mild renal hypothermia of 20°C in an in vivo porcine model.

Estimates of nuclear DNA content in 98 species of brown algae (Phaeophyta).

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Brown algae are critical components of marine ecosystems around the world. However, the genome of only one species of the class has so far been sequenced. This contrasts with numerous sequences available for model organisms such as higher plants, flies or worms. The present communication expands our coverage of DNA content information to 98 species of brown algae with a view to facilitating further genomic investigations of the class. METHODOLOGY: The DNA-localizing fluorochrome DAPI (4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) and the red blood cell (chicken erythrocyte) standard were used to estimate 2C values by static microspectrophotometry. PRINCIPAL RESULTS: 2C DNA contents are reported for 98 species of brown algae, almost doubling the number of estimates available for the class. The present results also expand the reported DNA content range to 0.2-3.6 pg, with several species of Fucales and Laminariales containing apparent polyploid genomes with 2C = 1.8-3.6 pg. CONCLUSIONS: The data provide DNA content values for 12 of the 19 recognized orders of brown algae spanning the breadth of the class. Despite earlier contentions concerning DNA content and the presence of oogamy, the present results do not support a correlation between phylogenetic placement and genome size. The closest sister groups to the brown algae have genome sizes on the order of 0.3 pg (e.g. Schizocladiophyceae), suggesting that this may be the ancestral genome size. However, DNA content ranges widely across the class.

Tropomodulin isoforms regulate thin filament pointed-end capping and skeletal muscle physiology.

During myofibril assembly, thin filament lengths are precisely specified to optimize skeletal muscle function. Tropomodulins (Tmods) are capping proteins that specify thin filament lengths by controlling actin dynamics at pointed ends. In this study, we use a genetic targeting approach to explore the effects of deleting Tmod1 from skeletal muscle. Myofibril assembly, skeletal muscle structure, and thin filament lengths are normal in the absence of Tmod1. Tmod4 localizes to thin filament pointed ends in Tmod1-null embryonic muscle, whereas both Tmod3 and -4 localize to pointed ends in Tmod1-null adult muscle. Substitution by Tmod3 and -4 occurs despite their weaker interactions with striated muscle tropomyosins. However, the absence of Tmod1 results in depressed isometric stress production during muscle contraction, systemic locomotor deficits, and a shift to a faster fiber type distribution. Thus, Tmod3 and -4 compensate for the absence of Tmod1 structurally but not functionally. We conclude that Tmod1 is a novel regulator of skeletal muscle physiology.

PTB/hnRNP I is required for RNP remodeling during RNA localization in Xenopus oocytes.

Transport of specific mRNAs to defined regions within the cell cytoplasm is a fundamental mechanism for regulating cell and developmental polarity. In the Xenopus oocyte, Vg1 RNA is transported to the vegetal cytoplasm, where localized expression of the encoded protein is critical for embryonic polarity. The Vg1 localization pathway is directed by interactions between key motifs within Vg1 RNA and protein factors recognizing those RNA sequences. We have investigated how RNA-protein interactions could be modulated to trigger distinct steps in the localization pathway and found that the Vg1 RNP is remodeled during cytoplasmic RNA transport. Our results implicate two RNA-binding proteins with key roles in Vg1 RNA localization, PTB/hnRNP I and Vg1RBP/vera, in this process. We show that PTB/hnRNP I is required for remodeling of the interaction between Vg1 RNA and Vg1RBP/vera. Critically, mutations that block this remodeling event also eliminate vegetal localization of the RNA, suggesting that RNP remodeling is required for localization.

Ribonucleoprotein remodeling during RNA localization.

Cytoplasmic RNA localization is a means to create polarity by restricting protein expression to a discrete subcellular location. RNA localization is a multistep process that begins with the recognition of cis-acting sequences within the RNA by specific trans-factors, and RNAs are localized in ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes that contain both the RNA and numerous protein components. Components of the localization machinery transport the RNP complex, usually in a translationally repressed state, to a distinct subcellular region, resulting in spatially restricted gene expression. Recent efforts to identify both the cis- and trans-factors required for RNA localization have elucidated RNA-protein interactions that are remodeled during localization.