A major conformational change of N-terminal helices of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ab insecticidal protein is necessary for membrane insertion and toxicity.

Pore forming toxins rely on oligomerization for membrane insertion to kill their targets. Bacillus thuringiensis produces insecticidal Cry-proteins composed of three domains that form pores that kill the insect larvae. Domain I is involved in oligomerization and membrane insertion, whereas Domains II and III participate in receptor binding and specificity. However, the structural changes involved in membrane insertion of these proteins remain unsolved. The most widely accepted model for membrane insertion, the 'umbrella model', proposed that the α-4/α-5 hairpin of Domain I swings away and is inserted into the membrane. To determine the topology of Cry1Ab in the membrane, disulfide bonds linking α-helices of Domain I were introduced to restrict their movement. Disulfide bonds between helices α-2/α-3 or α-3/α-4 lost oligomerization and toxicity, indicating that movement of these helices is needed for insecticidal activity. By contrast, disulfide bonds linking helices α-5/α-6 did not affect toxicity, which contradicts the 'umbrella model'. Additionally, Föster resonance energy transfer closest approach analyses measuring distances of different points in the toxin to the membrane plane and collisional quenching assays analysing the protection of specific fluorescent-labeled residues to the soluble potassium iodide quencher in the membrane inserted state were performed. Overall, the data show that Domain I from Cry1Ab may undergo a major conformational change during its membrane insertion, where the N-terminal region (helices α-1 to α-4) participates in oligomerization and toxicity, probably forming an extended helix. These data break a paradigm, showing a new 'folding white-cane model', which better explains the structural changes of Cry toxins during insertion into the membrane.

Septins, a cytoskeletal protein family, with emerging role in striated muscle.

Appropriate organization of cytoskeletal components are required for normal distribution and intracellular localization of different ion channels and proteins involved in calcium homeostasis, signal transduction, and contractile function of striated muscle. Proteins of the contractile system are in direct or indirect connection with the extrasarcomeric cytoskeleton. A number of other molecules which have essential role in regulating stretch-, voltage-, and chemical signal transduction from the surface into the cytoplasm or other intracellular compartments are already well characterized. Sarcomere, the basic contractile unit, is comprised of a precisely organized system of thin (actin), and thick (myosin) filaments. Intermediate filaments connect the sarcomeres and other organelles (mitochondria and nucleus), and are responsible for the cellular integrity. Interacting proteins have a very diverse function in coupling of the intracellular assembly components and regulating the normal physiological function. Despite the more and more intense investigations of a new cytoskeletal protein family, the septins, only limited information is available regarding their expression and role in striated, especially in skeletal muscles. In this review we collected basic and specified knowledge regarding this protein group and emphasize the importance of this emerging field in skeletal muscle biology.

Rearrangement of N-Terminal α-Helices of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ab Toxin Essential for Oligomer Assembly and Toxicity.

Cry proteins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis are pore-forming toxins that disrupt the membrane integrity of insect midgut cells. The structure of such pore is unknown, but it has been shown that domain I is responsible for oligomerization, membrane insertion and pore formation activity. Specifically, it was proposed that some N-terminal α-helices are lost, leading to conformational changes that trigger oligomerization. We designed a series of mutants to further analyze the molecular rearrangements at the N-terminal region of Cry1Ab toxin that lead to oligomer assembly. For this purpose, we introduced Cys residues at specific positions within α-helices of domain I for their specific labeling with extrinsic fluorophores to perform Föster resonance energy transfer analysis to fluorescent labeled Lys residues located in Domains II-III, or for disulfide bridges formation to restrict mobility of conformational changes. Our data support that helix α-1 of domain I is cleaved out and swings away from the toxin core upon binding with Manduca sexta brush border membrane vesicles. That movement of helix α-2b is also required for the conformational changes involved in oligomerization. These observations are consistent with a model proposing that helices α-2b and α-3 form an extended helix α-3 necessary for oligomer assembly of Cry toxins.

Nanoscopic Insights of Amphiphilic Peptide against the Oligomer Assembly Process to Treat Huntington's Disease.

Finding an effective therapeutic regimen is an urgent demand for various neurodegenerative disorders including Huntington's disease (HD). For the difficulties in observing the dynamic aggregation and oligomerization process of mutant Huntingtin (mHtt) in vivo, the evaluation of potential drugs at the molecular protein level is usually restricted. By combing lifetime-based fluorescence microscopies and biophysical tools, it is showcased that a designed amphiphilic peptide, which targets the mHtt at an early stage, can perturb the oligomer assembly process nanoscopically, suppress the amyloid property of mHtt, conformationally transform the oligomers and/or aggregates of mHtt, and ameliorate mHtt-induced neurological damage and aggregation in cell and HD mouse models. It is also found that this amphiphilic peptide is able to transport to the brain and rescue the memory deficit through intranasal administration, indicating its targeting specificity in vivo. In summary, a biophotonic platform is provided to investigate the oligomerization/aggregation process in detail that offers insight into the design and effect of a targeted therapeutic agent for Huntington's disease.

In situ biodegradable crosslinking of cationic oligomer coating on mesoporous silica nanoparticles for drug delivery.

Although layer-by-layer assembly using anionic and cationic polymer has been a popular way to develop core-shell nanoparticles, the strong electrostatic interactions may limit shell degradability, thus hampering their application as a platform for controlled therapeutic delivery. In this study, we demonstrate a simple approach to developing mesoporous nanohybrids via a process of pre-drug loading (using doxorubicin (DOX) as a model drug) into mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN), followed by surface functionalization with a kind of cationic oligomer (low molecular weight polyethylene imine, LPEI) and in situ crosslinking by degradable N,N'-bis(acryloyl)cystamine (BAC). The presence of LPEI shell affords the nanohybrids with charge-reversal ability, which means that the acidic tumor extracellular microenvironment can transform the negative surface charge at neutral conditions into positive-charged ones. The nanohybrids displayed a pH- and redox-dual sensitivity in DOX release under conditions that mimic intracellular reductive conditions and acidic tumor microenvironments. The nanohybrids can be effectively internalized into A549 cells (a carcinomic human alveolar basal epithelial cell line), resulting in a high DOX intracellular accumulation and an improved anticancer cytotoxicity when compared with free DOX, suggesting their high potential as a new platform for therapeutic delivery.

Fatty acids increase adiponectin secretion through both classical and exosome pathways.

Little is known about the effects of fatty acids on adiponectin oligomer assembly and trafficking. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of different fatty acids on adiponectin transport and secretion in differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Subcellular fractionation and immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that the majority of cellular adiponectin was located in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Adiponectin secretion was increased by treatment with fatty acids, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and several fatty acids changed the cellular localization of adiponectin. Adiponectin secretion has been shown to be altered by ER stress and interactions with ER chaperone proteins. However these mechanisms were not influenced by fatty acids, suggesting that alternative mechanisms must be responsible for the increased secretion of adiponectin observed with fatty acid treatment. Secretion of adiponectin was blocked by Brefeldin A, but we identified a minor pool of adiponectin that could be secreted from beyond the Brefeldin A block. Exosomes appeared to contribute to a minor amount of adiponectin secreted from the cell, and exosome release was increased by treatment with DHA. These data suggest that the ER is an important site of adiponectin accumulation and that treatment with long chain omega-3 fatty acids increases adiponectin release. Furthermore, the secretory pathway of adiponectin is complex, involving both the classical ER-Golgi pathway as well as unconventional secretory mechanisms such as an exosome-mediated pathway.