Rbbp4 loss disrupts neural progenitor cell cycle regulation independent of Rb and leads to Tp53 acetylation and apoptosis.

BACKGROUND: Retinoblastoma binding protein 4 (Rbbp4) is a component of transcription regulatory complexes that control cell cycle gene expression. Previous work indicated that Rbbp4 cooperates with the Rb tumor suppressor to block cell cycle entry. Here, we use genetic analysis to examine the interactions of Rbbp4, Rb, and Tp53 in zebrafish neural progenitor cell cycle regulation and survival. RESULTS: Rbbp4 is upregulated across the spectrum of human embryonal and glial brain cancers. Transgenic rescue of rbbp4 mutant embryos shows Rbbp4 is essential for zebrafish neurogenesis. Rbbp4 loss leads to apoptosis and γ-H2AX in the developing brain that is suppressed by tp53 knockdown or maternal zygotic deletion. Mutant retinal neural precursors accumulate in M phase and fail to initiate G0 gene expression. rbbp4; rb1 mutants show an additive effect on the number of M phase cells. In rbbp4 mutants, Tp53 acetylation is detected; however, Rbbp4 overexpression did not rescue DNA damage-induced apoptosis. CONCLUSION: Rbbp4 is necessary for neural progenitor cell cycle progression and initiation of G0 independent of Rb. Tp53-dependent apoptosis in the absence of Rbpb4 correlates with Tp53 acetylation. Together these results suggest that Rbbp4 is required for cell cycle exit and contributes to neural progenitor survival through the regulation of Tp53 acetylation.

CMF70 is a subunit of the dynein regulatory complex.

Flagellar motility drives propulsion of several important pathogens and is essential for human development and physiology. Motility of the eukaryotic flagellum requires coordinate regulation of thousands of dynein motors arrayed along the axoneme, but the proteins underlying dynein regulation are largely unknown. The dynein regulatory complex, DRC, is recognized as a focal point of axonemal dynein regulation, but only a single DRC subunit, trypanin/PF2, is currently known. The component of motile flagella 70 protein, CMF70, is broadly and uniquely conserved among organisms with motile flagella, suggesting a role in axonemal motility. Here we demonstrate that CMF70 is part of the DRC from Trypanosoma brucei. CMF70 is located along the flagellum, co-sediments with trypanin in sucrose gradients and co-immunoprecipitates with trypanin. RNAi knockdown of CMF70 causes motility defects in a wild-type background and suppresses flagellar paralysis in cells with central pair defects, thus meeting the functional definition of a DRC subunit. Trypanin and CMF70 are mutually conserved in at least five of six extant eukaryotic clades, indicating that the DRC was probably present in the last common eukaryotic ancestor. We have identified only the second known subunit of this ubiquitous dynein regulatory system, highlighting the utility of combined genomic and functional analyses for identifying novel subunits of axonemal sub-complexes.

Propulsion of African trypanosomes is driven by bihelical waves with alternating chirality separated by kinks.

Trypanosoma brucei, a parasitic protist with a single flagellum, is the causative agent of African sleeping sickness. Propulsion of T. brucei was long believed to be by a drill-like, helical motion. Using millisecond differential interference-contrast microscopy and analyzing image sequences of cultured procyclic-form and bloodstream-form parasites, as well as bloodstream-form cells in infected mouse blood, we find that, instead, motility of T. brucei is by the propagation of kinks, separating left-handed and right-handed helical waves. Kink-driven motility, previously encountered in prokaryotes, permits T. brucei a helical propagation mechanism while avoiding the large viscous drag associated with a net rotation of the broad end of its tapering body. Our study demonstrates that millisecond differential interference-contrast microscopy can be a useful tool for uncovering important short-time features of microorganism locomotion.

Growth phase-dependent gene regulation in vivo in Sulfolobus solfataricus.

Ribosomal genes are strongly regulated dependent on growth phase in all organisms, but this regulation is poorly understood in Archaea. Moreover, very little is known about growth phase-dependent gene regulation in Archaea. SSV1-based lacS reporter gene constructs containing the Sulfolobus 16S/23S rRNA gene core promoter, the TF55α core promoter, or the native lacS promoter were tested in Sulfolobus solfataricus cells lacking the lacS gene. The 42-bp 16S/23S rRNA gene and 39-bp TF55α core promoters are sufficient for gene expression in S. solfataricus. However, only gene expression driven by the 16S/23S rRNA gene core promoter is dependent on the culture growth phase. This is the smallest known regulated promoter in Sulfolobus. To our knowledge, this is the first study to show growth phase-dependent rRNA gene regulation in Archaea.