Re-viewing the 3D Organization of mRNPs.

In this issue of Molecular Cell, using leading-edge technologies, Metkar et al. (2018) and Adivarahan et al. (2018) revisit the spatial organization of mRNPs, showing that they form flexible rod-like structures prior to translation that decompact during translation while the closed-loop conformation is rarely observed.

Functional Domains of NEAT1 Architectural lncRNA Induce Paraspeckle Assembly through Phase Separation.

A class of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) has architectural functions in nuclear body construction; however, specific RNA domains dictating their architectural functions remain uninvestigated. Here, we identified the domains of the architectural NEAT1 lncRNA that construct paraspeckles. Systematic deletion of NEAT1 portions using CRISPR/Cas9 in haploid cells revealed modular domains of NEAT1 important for RNA stability, isoform switching, and paraspeckle assembly. The middle domain, containing functionally redundant subdomains, was responsible for paraspeckle assembly. Artificial tethering of the NONO protein to a NEAT1_2 mutant lacking the functional subdomains rescued paraspeckle assembly, and this required the NOPS dimerization domain of NONO. Paraspeckles exhibit phase-separated properties including susceptibility to 1,6-hexanediol treatment. RNA fragments of the NEAT1_2 subdomains preferentially bound NONO/SFPQ, leading to phase-separated aggregates in vitro. Thus, we demonstrate that the enrichment of NONO dimers on the redundant NEAT1_2 subdomains initiates construction of phase-separated paraspeckles, providing mechanistic insights into lncRNA-based nuclear body formation.

Paraspeckles are constructed as block copolymer micelles.

Paraspeckles are constructed by NEAT1_2 architectural long noncoding RNAs. Their characteristic cylindrical shapes, with highly ordered internal organization, distinguish them from typical liquid-liquid phase-separated condensates. We experimentally and theoretically investigated how the shape and organization of paraspeckles are determined. We identified the NEAT1_2 RNA domains responsible for shell localization of the NEAT1_2 ends, which determine the characteristic internal organization. Using the soft matter physics, we then applied a theoretical framework to understand the principles that determine NEAT1_2 organization as well as shape, number, and size of paraspeckles. By treating paraspeckles as amphipathic block copolymer micelles, we could explain and predict the experimentally observed behaviors of paraspeckles upon NEAT1_2 domain deletions or transcriptional modulation. Thus, we propose that paraspeckles are block copolymer micelles assembled through a type of microphase separation, micellization. This work provides an experiment-based theoretical framework for the concept that ribonucleoprotein complexes (RNPs) can act as block copolymers to form RNA-scaffolding biomolecular condensates with optimal sizes and structures in cells.

Sodium-dependent phosphate transporter PiT1/SLC20A1 as the receptor for the endogenous retroviral envelope syncytin-B involved in mouse placenta formation.

Syncytins are envelope genes of retroviral origin that play a critical role in the formation of a syncytial structure at the fetomaternal interface via their fusogenic activity. The mouse placenta is unique among placental mammals since the fetomaternal interface comprises two syncytiotrophoblast layers (ST-I and ST-II) instead of one observed in all other hemochorial placentae. Each layer specifically expresses a distinct mouse syncytin, namely syncytin-A (SynA) for ST-I and syncytin-B (SynB) for ST-II, which have been shown to be essential to placentogenesis and embryonic development. The cellular receptor for SynA has been identified as the membrane protein LY6E and is not the receptor for SynB. Here, by combining a cell-cell fusion assay with the screening of a human ORFeome-derived expression library, we identified the transmembrane multipass sodium-dependent phosphate transporter 1 PiT1/SLC20A1 as the receptor for SynB. Transfection of cells with the cloned receptor, but not the closely related PiT2/SLC20A2, leads to their fusion with cells expressing SynB, with no cross-reactive fusion activity with SynA. The interaction between the two partners was further demonstrated by immunoprecipitation. PiT1/PiT2 chimera and truncation experiments identified the PiT1 N-terminus as the major determinant for SynB-mediated fusion. RT-qPCR analysis of PiT1 expression on a panel of mouse adult and fetal tissues revealed a concomitant increase of PiT1 and SynB specifically in the developing placenta. Finally, electron microscopy analysis of the placenta of PiT1 null embryo before they die (E11.5) disclosed default of ST-II formation with lack of syncytialization, as previously observed in cognate SynB null placenta, and consistent with the present identification of PiT1 as the SynB partner.IMPORTANCESyncytins are envelope genes of endogenous retroviruses, coopted for a physiological function in placentation. They are fusogenic proteins that mediate cell-cell fusion by interacting with receptors present on the partner cells. Here, by devising an in vitro fusion assay that enables the screening of an ORFeome-derived expression library, we identified the long-sought receptor for syncytin-B (SynB), a mouse syncytin responsible for syncytiotrophoblast formation at the fetomaternal interface of the mouse placenta. This protein - PiT1/SLC20A1 - is a multipass transmembrane protein, also known as the receptor for a series of infectious retroviruses. Its profile of expression is consistent with a role in both ancestral endogenization of a SynB founder retrovirus and present-day mouse placenta formation, with evidence-in PiT1 knockout mice-of unfused cells at the level of the cognate placental syncytiotrophoblast layer.

P-Body Purification Reveals the Condensation of Repressed mRNA Regulons.

Within cells, soluble RNPs can switch states to coassemble and condense into liquid or solid bodies. Although these phase transitions have been reconstituted in vitro, for endogenous bodies the diversity of the components, the specificity of the interaction networks, and the function of the coassemblies remain to be characterized. Here, by developing a fluorescence-activated particle sorting (FAPS) method to purify cytosolic processing bodies (P-bodies) from human epithelial cells, we identified hundreds of proteins and thousands of mRNAs that structure a dense network of interactions, separating P-body from non-P-body RNPs. mRNAs segregating into P-bodies are translationally repressed, but not decayed, and this repression explains part of the poor genome-wide correlation between RNA and protein abundance. P-bodies condense thousands of mRNAs that strikingly encode regulatory processes. Thus, we uncovered how P-bodies, by condensing and segregating repressed mRNAs, provide a physical substrate for the coordinated regulation of posttranscriptional mRNA regulons.

Patient-derived organoids identify an apico-basolateral polarity switch associated with survival in colorectal cancer.

The metastatic progression of cancer remains a major issue in patient treatment. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying this process remain unclear. Here, we use primary explants and organoids from patients harboring mucinous colorectal carcinoma (MUC CRC), a poor-prognosis histological form of digestive cancer, to study the architecture, invasive behavior and chemoresistance of tumor cell intermediates. We report that these tumors maintain a robust apico-basolateral polarity as they spread in the peritumoral stroma or organotypic collagen-I gels. We identified two distinct topologies - MUC CRCs either display a conventional 'apical-in' polarity or, more frequently, harbor an inverted 'apical-out' topology. Transcriptomic analyses combined with interference experiments on organoids showed that TGFß and focal adhesion signaling pathways are the main drivers of polarity orientation. Finally, we show that the apical-out topology is associated with increased resistance to chemotherapeutic treatments in organoids and decreased patient survival in the clinic. Thus, studies on patient-derived organoids have the potential to bridge histological, cellular and molecular analyses to decrypt onco-morphogenic programs and stratify cancer patients. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.

Caspase Inhibition Modulates Monocyte-Derived Macrophage Polarization in Damaged Tissues.

Circulating monocytes are recruited in damaged tissues to generate macrophages that modulate disease progression. Colony-stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1) promotes the generation of monocyte-derived macrophages, which involves caspase activation. Here, we demonstrate that activated caspase-3 and caspase-7 are located to the vicinity of the mitochondria in CSF1-treated human monocytes. Active caspase-7 cleaves p47PHOX at aspartate 34, which promotes the formation of the NADPH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) oxidase complex NOX2 and the production of cytosolic superoxide anions. Monocyte response to CSF-1 is altered in patients with a chronic granulomatous disease, which are constitutively defective in NOX2. Both caspase-7 down-regulation and radical oxygen species scavenging decrease the migration of CSF-1-induced macrophages. Inhibition or deletion of caspases prevents the development of lung fibrosis in mice exposed to bleomycin. Altogether, a non-conventional pathway that involves caspases and activates NOX2 is involved in CSF1-driven monocyte differentiation and could be therapeutically targeted to modulate macrophage polarization in damaged tissues.

Mutations in the SRP54 gene cause severe congenital neutropenia as well as Shwachman-Diamond-like syndrome.

Congenital neutropenias (CNs) are rare heterogeneous genetic disorders, with about 25% of patients without known genetic defects. Using whole-exome sequencing, we identified a heterozygous mutation in the SRP54 gene, encoding the signal recognition particle (SRP) 54 GTPase protein, in 3 sporadic cases and 1 autosomal dominant family. We subsequently sequenced the SRP54 gene in 66 probands from the French CN registry. In total, we identified 23 mutated cases (16 sporadic, 7 familial) with 7 distinct germ line SRP54 mutations including a recurrent in-frame deletion (Thr117del) in 14 cases. In nearly all patients, neutropenia was chronic and profound with promyelocytic maturation arrest, occurring within the first months of life, and required long-term granulocyte colony-stimulating factor therapy with a poor response. Neutropenia was sometimes associated with a severe neurodevelopmental delay (n = 5) and/or an exocrine pancreatic insufficiency requiring enzyme supplementation (n = 3). The SRP54 protein is a key component of the ribonucleoprotein complex that mediates the co-translational targeting of secretory and membrane proteins to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). We showed that SRP54 was specifically upregulated during the in vitro granulocytic differentiation, and that SRP54 mutations or knockdown led to a drastically reduced proliferation of granulocytic cells associated with an enhanced P53-dependent apoptosis. Bone marrow examination of SRP54-mutated patients revealed a major dysgranulopoiesis and features of cellular ER stress and autophagy that were confirmed using SRP54-mutated primary cells and SRP54 knockdown cells. In conclusion, we characterized a pathological pathway, which represents the second most common cause of CN with maturation arrest in the French CN registry.

Cytoplasmic STAT3 represses autophagy by inhibiting PKR activity.

In a screen designed to identify novel inducers of autophagy, we discovered that STAT3 inhibitors potently stimulate the autophagic flux. Accordingly, genetic inhibition of STAT3 stimulated autophagy in vitro and in vivo, while overexpression of STAT3 variants, encompassing wild-type, nonphosphorylatable, and extranuclear STAT3, inhibited starvation-induced autophagy. The SH2 domain of STAT3 was found to interact with the catalytic domain of the eIF2α kinase 2 EIF2AK2, best known as protein kinase R (PKR). Pharmacological and genetic inhibition of STAT3 stimulated the activating phosphorylation of PKR and consequent eIF2α hyperphosphorylation. Moreover, PKR depletion inhibited autophagy as initiated by chemical STAT3 inhibitors or free fatty acids like palmitate. STAT3-targeting chemicals and palmitate caused the disruption of inhibitory STAT3-PKR interactions, followed by PKR-dependent eIF2α phosphorylation, which facilitates autophagy induction. These results unravel an unsuspected mechanism of autophagy control that involves STAT3 and PKR as interacting partners.

Huntingtin proteolysis releases non-polyQ fragments that cause toxicity through dynamin 1 dysregulation.

Cleavage of mutant huntingtin (HTT) is an essential process in Huntington's disease (HD), an inherited neurodegenerative disorder. Cleavage generates N-ter fragments that contain the polyQ stretch and whose nuclear toxicity is well established. However, the functional defects induced by cleavage of full-length HTT remain elusive. Moreover, the contribution of non-polyQ C-terminal fragments is unknown. Using time- and site-specific control of full-length HTT proteolysis, we show that specific cleavages are required to disrupt intramolecular interactions within HTT and to cause toxicity in cells and flies. Surprisingly, in addition to the canonical pathogenic N-ter fragments, the C-ter fragments generated, that do not contain the polyQ stretch, induced toxicity via dilation of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and increased ER stress. C-ter HTT bound to dynamin 1 and subsequently impaired its activity at ER membranes. Our findings support a role for HTT on dynamin 1 function and ER homoeostasis. Proteolysis-induced alteration of this function may be relevant to disease.

Unsaturated fatty acids induce non-canonical autophagy.

To obtain mechanistic insights into the cross talk between lipolysis and autophagy, two key metabolic responses to starvation, we screened the autophagy-inducing potential of a panel of fatty acids in human cancer cells. Both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids such as palmitate and oleate, respectively, triggered autophagy, but the underlying molecular mechanisms differed. Oleate, but not palmitate, stimulated an autophagic response that required an intact Golgi apparatus. Conversely, autophagy triggered by palmitate, but not oleate, required AMPK, PKR and JNK1 and involved the activation of the BECN1/PIK3C3 lipid kinase complex. Accordingly, the downregulation of BECN1 and PIK3C3 abolished palmitate-induced, but not oleate-induced, autophagy in human cancer cells. Moreover, Becn1(+/-) mice as well as yeast cells and nematodes lacking the ortholog of human BECN1 mounted an autophagic response to oleate, but not palmitate. Thus, unsaturated fatty acids induce a non-canonical, phylogenetically conserved, autophagic response that in mammalian cells relies on the Golgi apparatus.

SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complexes function in noncoding RNA-dependent assembly of nuclear bodies.

Paraspeckles are subnuclear structures that form around nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 (NEAT1) long noncoding RNA (lncRNA). Recently, paraspeckles were shown to be functional nuclear bodies involved in stress responses and the development of specific organs. Paraspeckle formation is initiated by transcription of the NEAT1 chromosomal locus and proceeds in conjunction with NEAT1 lncRNA biogenesis and a subsequent assembly step involving >40 paraspeckle proteins (PSPs). In this study, subunits of SWItch/Sucrose NonFermentable (SWI/SNF) chromatin-remodeling complexes were identified as paraspeckle components that interact with PSPs and NEAT1 lncRNA. EM observations revealed that SWI/SNF complexes were enriched in paraspeckle subdomains depleted of chromatin. Knockdown of SWI/SNF components resulted in paraspeckle disintegration, but mutation of the ATPase domain of the catalytic subunit BRG1 did not affect paraspeckle integrity, indicating that the essential role of SWI/SNF complexes in paraspeckle formation does not require their canonical activity. Knockdown of SWI/SNF complexes barely affected the levels of known essential paraspeckle components, but markedly diminished the interactions between essential PSPs, suggesting that SWI/SNF complexes facilitate organization of the PSP interaction network required for intact paraspeckle assembly. The interactions between SWI/SNF components and essential PSPs were maintained in NEAT1-depleted cells, suggesting that SWI/SNF complexes not only facilitate interactions between PSPs, but also recruit PSPs during paraspeckle assembly. SWI/SNF complexes were also required for Satellite III lncRNA-dependent formation of nuclear stress bodies under heat-shock conditions. Our data suggest the existence of a common mechanism underlying the formation of lncRNA-dependent nuclear body architectures in mammalian cells.

Retroviral envelope gene captures and syncytin exaptation for placentation in marsupials.

Syncytins are genes of retroviral origin captured by eutherian mammals, with a role in placentation. Here we show that some marsupials-which are the closest living relatives to eutherian mammals, although they diverged from the latter ∼190 Mya-also possess a syncytin gene. The gene identified in the South American marsupial opossum and dubbed syncytin-Opo1 has all of the characteristic features of a bona fide syncytin gene: It is fusogenic in an ex vivo cell-cell fusion assay; it is specifically expressed in the short-lived placenta at the level of the syncytial feto-maternal interface; and it is conserved in a functional state in a series of Monodelphis species. We further identify a nonfusogenic retroviral envelope gene that has been conserved for >80 My of evolution among all marsupials (including the opossum and the Australian tammar wallaby), with evidence for purifying selection and conservation of a canonical immunosuppressive domain, but with only limited expression in the placenta. This unusual captured gene, together with a third class of envelope genes from recently endogenized retroviruses-displaying strong expression in the uterine glands where retroviral particles can be detected-plausibly correspond to the different evolutionary statuses of a captured retroviral envelope gene, with only syncytin-Opo1 being the present-day bona fide syncytin active in the opossum and related species. This study would accordingly recapitulate the natural history of syncytin exaptation and evolution in a single species, and definitely extends the presence of such genes to all major placental mammalian clades.

Retroviral envelope syncytin capture in an ancestrally diverged mammalian clade for placentation in the primitive Afrotherian tenrecs.

Syncytins are fusogenic envelope (env) genes of retroviral origin that have been captured for a function in placentation. Syncytins have been identified in Euarchontoglires (primates, rodents, Leporidae) and Laurasiatheria (Carnivora, ruminants) placental mammals. Here, we searched for similar genes in species that retained characteristic features of primitive mammals, namely the Malagasy and mainland African Tenrecidae. They belong to the superorder Afrotheria, an early lineage that diverged from Euarchotonglires and Laurasiatheria 100 Mya, during the Cretaceous terrestrial revolution. An in silico search for env genes with full coding capacity within a Tenrecidae genome identified several candidates, with one displaying placenta-specific expression as revealed by RT-PCR analysis of a large panel of Setifer setosus tissues. Cloning of this endogenous retroviral env gene demonstrated fusogenicity in an ex vivo cell-cell fusion assay on a panel of mammalian cells. Refined analysis of placental architecture and ultrastructure combined with in situ hybridization demonstrated specific expression of the gene in multinucleate cellular masses and layers at the materno-fetal interface, consistent with a role in syncytium formation. This gene, which we named "syncytin-Ten1," is conserved among Tenrecidae, with evidence of purifying selection and conservation of fusogenic activity. To our knowledge, it is the first syncytin identified to date within the ancestrally diverged Afrotheria superorder.

A new form of macrothrombocytopenia induced by a germ-line mutation in the PRKACG gene.

Macrothrombocytopenias are the most important subgroup of inherited thrombocytopenias. This subgroup is particularly heterogeneous because the affected genes are involved in various functions such as cell signaling, cytoskeleton organization, and gene expression. Herein we describe the clinical and hematological features of a consanguineous family with a severe autosomal recessive macrothrombocytopenia associated with a thrombocytopathy inducing a bleeding tendency in the homozygous mutated patients. Platelet activation and cytoskeleton reorganization were impaired in these homozygous patients. Exome sequencing identified a c.222C>G mutation (missense p.74Ile>Met) in PRKACG, a gene encoding the γ-catalytic subunit of the cyclic adenosine monophosphate-dependent protein kinase, the mutated allele cosegregating with the macrothrombocytopenia. We demonstrate that the p.74Ile>Met PRKACG mutation is associated with a marked defect in proplatelet formation and a low level in filamin A in megakaryocytes (MKs). The defect in proplatelet formation was rescued in vitro by lentiviral vector-mediated overexpression of wild-type PRKACG in patient MKs. We thus conclude that PRKACG is a new central actor in platelet biogenesis and a new gene involved in inherited thrombocytopenia with giant platelets associated with a thrombocytopathy.

Functional conservation of the lncRNA NEAT1 in the ancestrally diverged marsupial lineage: Evidence for NEAT1 expression and associated paraspeckle assembly during late gestation in the opossum Monodelphis domestica.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are widely expressed and play various roles in cell homeostasis. However, because of their low conservation at the sequence level, recapitulating lncRNA evolutionary history is often challenging. While performing an ultrastructural analysis of viral particles present in uterine glands of gestating opossum females, we serendipitously noticed the presence of numerous structures similar to paraspeckles, nuclear bodies which in human and mouse cells are assembled around an architectural NEAT1/MENϵ/ß lncRNA. Here, using an opossum kidney (OK) cell line, we confirmed by immuno-electron microscopy the presence of paraspeckles in marsupials. We then identified the orthologous opossum NEAT1 gene which, although poorly conserved at the sequence level, displays NEAT1 characteristic features such as short and long isoforms expressed from a unique promoter and for the latter an RNase P cleavage site at its 3'-end. Combining tissue-specific qRT-PCR, in situ hybridization at the optical and electron microscopic levels, we show that (i) NEAT1 is paraspeckle-associated in opossum (ii) NEAT1 expression is strongly induced in late gestation in uterine/placental extracts (iii) NEAT1 induction occurs in the uterine gland nuclei in which paraspeckles were detected. Finally, treatment of OK cells with proteasome inhibitors induces paraspeckle assembly, as previously observed in human cells. Altogether, these results demonstrate that paraspeckles are tissue-specific, stress-responding nuclear bodies in marsupials, illustrating their structural and functional continuity over 200 My of evolution throughout the mammalian lineage. In contrast, the rapid evolution of the NEAT1 transcripts highlights the relaxed constraint that, despite functional conservation, is exerted on this lncRNA.

Inhibition of autophagy by TAB2 and TAB3.

Autophagic responses are coupled to the activation of the inhibitor of NF-κB kinase (IKK). Here, we report that the essential autophagy mediator Beclin 1 and TGFß-activated kinase 1 (TAK1)-binding proteins 2 and 3 (TAB2 and TAB3), two upstream activators of the TAK1-IKK signalling axis, constitutively interact with each other via their coiled-coil domains (CCDs). Upon autophagy induction, TAB2 and TAB3 dissociate from Beclin 1 and bind TAK1. Moreover, overexpression of TAB2 and TAB3 suppresses, while their depletion triggers, autophagy. The expression of the C-terminal domain of TAB2 or TAB3 or that of the CCD of Beclin 1 competitively disrupts the interaction between endogenous Beclin 1, TAB2 and TAB3, hence stimulating autophagy through a pathway that requires endogenous Beclin 1, TAK1 and IKK to be optimally efficient. These results point to the existence of an autophagy-stimulatory 'switch' whereby TAB2 and TAB3 abandon inhibitory interactions with Beclin 1 to engage in a stimulatory liaison with TAK1.

The HERV-K human endogenous retrovirus envelope protein antagonizes Tetherin antiviral activity.

UNLABELLED: Endogenous retroviruses are the remnants of past retroviral infections that are scattered within mammalian genomes. In humans, most of these elements are old degenerate sequences that have lost their coding properties. The HERV-K(HML2) family is an exception: it recently amplified in the human genome and corresponds to the most active proviruses, with some intact open reading frames and the potential to encode viral particles. Here, using a reconstructed consensus element, we show that HERV-K(HML2) proviruses are able to inhibit Tetherin, a cellular restriction factor that is active against most enveloped viruses and acts by keeping the viral particles attached to the cell surface. More precisely, we identify the Envelope protein (Env) as the viral effector active against Tetherin. Through immunoprecipitation experiments, we show that the recognition of Tetherin is mediated by the surface subunit of Env. Similar to Ebola glycoprotein, HERV-K(HML2) Env does not mediate Tetherin degradation or cell surface removal; therefore, it uses a yet-undescribed mechanism to inactivate Tetherin. We also assessed all natural complete alleles of endogenous HERV-K(HML2) Env described to date for their ability to inhibit Tetherin and found that two of them (out of six) can block Tetherin restriction. However, due to their recent amplification, HERV-K(HML2) elements are extremely polymorphic in the human population, and it is likely that individuals will not all possess the same anti-Tetherin potential. Because of Tetherin's role as a restriction factor capable of inducing innate immune responses, this could have functional consequences for individual responses to infection. IMPORTANCE: Tetherin, a cellular protein initially characterized for its role against HIV-1, has been proven to counteract numerous enveloped viruses. It blocks the release of viral particles from producer cells, keeping them tethered to the cell surface. Several viruses have developed strategies to inhibit Tetherin activity, allowing them to efficiently infect and replicate in their host. Here, we show that human HERV-K(HML2) elements, the remnants of an ancient retroviral infection, possess an anti-Tetherin activity which is mediated by the envelope protein. It is likely that this activity was an important factor that contributed to the recent, human-specific amplification of this family of elements. Also, due to their recent amplification, HERV-K(HML2) elements are highly polymorphic in the human population. Since Tetherin is a mediator of innate immunity, interindividual variations among HERV-K(HML2) Env genes may result in differences in immune responses to infection.

The IKK complex contributes to the induction of autophagy.

In response to stress, cells start transcriptional and transcription-independent programs that can lead to adaptation or death. Here, we show that multiple inducers of autophagy, including nutrient depletion, trigger the activation of the IKK (IkappaB kinase) complex that is best known for its essential role in the activation of the transcription factor NF-kappaB by stress. Constitutively active IKK subunits stimulated autophagy and transduced multiple signals that operate in starvation-induced autophagy, including the phosphorylation of AMPK and JNK1. Genetic inhibition of the nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB or ablation of the p65/RelA NF-kappaB subunit failed to suppress IKK-induced autophagy, indicating that IKK can promote the autophagic pathway in an NF-kappaB-independent manner. In murine and human cells, knockout and/or knockdown of IKK subunits (but not that of p65) prevented the induction of autophagy in response to multiple stimuli. Moreover, the knockout of IKK-beta suppressed the activation of autophagy by food deprivation or rapamycin injections in vivo, in mice. Altogether, these results indicate that IKK has a cardinal role in the stimulation of autophagy by physiological and pharmacological stimuli.

The captured retroviral envelope syncytin-A and syncytin-B genes are conserved in the Spalacidae together with hemotrichorial placentation.

Syncytins are fusogenic envelope (env) genes of retroviral origin that have been captured for a function in placentation. Multiple independent events of syncytin gene capture were found to have occurred in primates, rodents, lagomorphs, carnivores, and ruminants. In the mouse, two syncytin-A and -B genes are present, which trigger the formation of the two-layered placental syncytiotrophoblast at the maternal-fetal interface, a structure classified as hemotrichorial. Here, we identified syncytin-A and -B orthologous genes in the genome of all Muroidea species analyzed, thus dating their capture back to about at least 40 million years ago, with evidence that they evolved under strong purifying selection. We further show, in the divergent Spalacidae lineage (blind mole rats [Spalax]), that both syncytins have conserved placenta-specific expression, as revealed by RT-PCR analysis of a panel of Spalax galili tissues, and display fusogenic activity, using ex vivo cell-cell fusion assays. Refined analysis of the placental architecture and ultrastructure revealed that the Spalax placenta displays a hemotrichorial organization of the interhemal membranes, as similarly observed for other Muroidea species, yet with only one trophoblastic cell layer being clearly syncytialized. In situ hybridization experiments further localized syncytin transcripts at the level of these differentiated interhemal membranes. These findings argue for a role of syncytin gene capture in the establishment of the original hemotrichorial placenta of Muroidea, and more generally in the diversity of placental structures among mammals.