| 41521. |
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| 41522. |
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| 41523. |
- Kleino, Anni, et al.
(författare)
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Inhibitor of apoptosis 2 and TAK1-binding protein are components of the Drosophila Imd pathway.
- 2005
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Ingår i: EMBO J. - 0261-4189. ; 24:19, s. 3423-34
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Imd signaling cascade, similar to the mammalian TNF-receptor pathway, controls antimicrobial peptide expression in Drosophila. We performed a large-scale RNAi screen to identify novel components of the Imd pathway in Drosophila S2 cells. In all, 6713 dsRNAs from an S2 cell-derived cDNA library were analyzed for their effect on Attacin promoter activity in response to Escherichia coli. We identified seven gene products required for the Attacin response in vitro, including two novel Imd pathway components: inhibitor of apoptosis 2 (Iap2) and transforming growth factor-activated kinase 1 (TAK1)-binding protein (TAB). Iap2 is required for antimicrobial peptide response also by the fat body in vivo. Both these factors function downstream of Imd. Neither TAB nor Iap2 is required for Relish cleavage, but may be involved in Relish nuclear localization in vitro, suggesting a novel mode of regulation of the Imd pathway. Our results show that an RNAi-based approach is suitable to identify genes in conserved signaling cascades.
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| 41524. |
- Kleino, Anni, et al.
(författare)
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Pirk is a negative regulator of the Drosophila Imd pathway.
- 2008
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Ingår i: J Immunol. - 0022-1767. ; 180:8, s. 5413-22
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- NF-kappaB transcription factors are involved in evolutionarily conserved signaling pathways controlling multiple cellular processes including apoptosis and immune and inflammatory responses. Immune response of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster to Gram-negative bacteria is primarily mediated via the Imd (immune deficiency) pathway, which closely resembles the mammalian TNFR signaling pathway. Instead of cytokines, the main outcome of Imd signaling is the production of antimicrobial peptides. The pathway activity is delicately regulated. Although many of the Imd pathway components are known, the mechanisms of negative regulation are more elusive. In this study we report that a previously uncharacterized gene, pirk, is highly induced upon Gram-negative bacterial infection in Drosophila in vitro and in vivo. pirk encodes a cytoplasmic protein that coimmunoprecipitates with Imd and the cytoplasmic tail of peptidoglycan recognition protein LC (PGRP-LC). RNA interference-mediated down-regulation of Pirk caused Imd pathway hyperactivation upon infection with Gram-negative bacteria, while overexpression of pirk reduced the Imd pathway response both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, pirk-overexpressing flies were more susceptible to Gram-negative bacterial infection than wild-type flies. We conclude that Pirk is a negative regulator of the Imd pathway.
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| 41525. |
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| 41526. |
- Klemenčič, Marina, et al.
(författare)
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Evolution and structural diversity of metacaspases
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of Experimental Botany. - : Oxford University Press. - 0022-0957 .- 1460-2431. ; 70:7, s. 2039-2047
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Caspases are metazoan proteases, best known for their involvement in programmed cell death in animals. In higher plants genetically controlled mechanisms leading to the selective death of individual cells also involve the regulated interplay of various types of proteases. Some of these enzymes are structurally homologous to caspases and have therefore been termed metacaspases. In addition to the two well-studied metacaspase variants found in higher plants, type I and type II, biochemical data have recently become available for metacaspases of type III and metacaspase-like proteases, which are present only in certain algae. Although increasing in vitro and in vivo data suggest the existence of further sub-types, a lack of structural information hampers the interpretation of their distinct functional properties. However, the identification of key amino acid residues involved in the proteolytic mechanism of metacaspases, as well as the increased availability of plant genomic and transcriptomic data, is increasingly enabling in-depth analysis of all metacaspase types found in plastid-containing organisms. Here, we review the structural distribution and diversification of metacaspases and in doing so try to provide comprehensive guidelines for further analyses of this versatile family of proteases in organisms ranging from simple unicellular species to flowering plants.
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| 41527. |
- Klemenčič, Marina, et al.
(författare)
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Phylogenetic distribution and diversity of bacterial pseudo-orthocaspases underline their putative role in photosynthesis
- 2019
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Plant Science. - : FRONTIERS MEDIA SA. - 1664-462X. ; 10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Orthocaspases are prokaryotic caspase homologs – proteases, which cleave their substrates after positively charged residues using a conserved histidine – cysteine (HC) dyad situated in a catalytic p20 domain. However, in orthocaspases pseudo-variants have been identified, which instead of the catalytic HC residues contain tyrosine and serine, respectively. The presence and distribution of these presumably proteolytically inactive p20-containing enzymes has until now escaped attention. We have performed a detailed analysis of orthocaspases in all available prokaryotic genomes, focusing on pseudo-orthocaspases. Surprisingly we identified type I metacaspase homologs in filamentous cyanobacteria. While genes encoding pseudo-orthocaspases seem to be absent in Archaea, our results show conservation of these genes in organisms performing either anoxygenic photosynthesis (orders Rhizobiales, Rhodobacterales, and Rhodospirillales in Alphaproteobacteria) or oxygenic photosynthesis (all sequenced cyanobacteria, except Gloeobacter, Prochlorococcus, and Cyanobium). Contrary to earlier reports, we were able to detect pseudo-orthocaspases in all sequenced strains of the unicellular cyanobacteria Synechococcus and Synechocystis. In silico comparisons of the primary as well as tertiary structures of pseudo-p20 domains with their presumably proteolytically active homologs suggest that differences in their amino acid sequences have no influence on the overall structures. Mutations therefore affect most likely only the proteolytic activity. Our data provide an insight into diversification of pseudo-orthocaspases in Prokaryotes, their taxa-specific distribution, and allow suggestions on their taxa-specific function.
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| 41528. |
- Klemenčič, Marina, et al.
(författare)
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Structural and functional diversity of caspase homologues in non-metazoan organisms
- 2018
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Ingår i: Protoplasma. - : Springer Publishing Company. - 0033-183X .- 1615-6102. ; 255:1, s. 387-397
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Caspases, the proteases involved in initiation and execution of metazoan programmed cell death, are only present in animals, while their structural homologues can be found in all domains of life, spanning from simple prokaryotes (orthocaspases) to yeast and plants (metacaspases). All members of this wide protease family contain the p20 domain, which harbours the catalytic dyad formed by the two amino acid residues, histidine and cysteine. Despite the high structural similarity of the p20 domain, metacaspases and orthocaspases were found to exhibit different substrate specificities than caspases. While the former cleave their substrates after basic amino acid residues, the latter accommodate substrates with negative charge. This observation is crucial for the re-evaluation of non-metazoan caspase homologues being involved in processes of programmed cell death. In this review, we analyse the structural diversity of enzymes containing the p20 domain, with focus on the orthocaspases, and summarise recent advances in research of orthocaspases and metacaspases of cyanobacteria, algae and higher plants. Although caspase homologues were initially proposed to be involved in execution of cell death, accumulating evidence supports the role of metacaspases and orthocaspases as important contributors to cell homeostasis during normal physiological conditions or cell differentiation and ageing.
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| 41529. |
- Klemenčič, Marina, et al.
(författare)
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Type III metacaspases : calcium-dependent activity proposes new function for the p10 domain
- 2018
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Ingår i: New Phytologist. - Hoboken : John Wiley & Sons. - 0028-646X .- 1469-8137. ; 218:3 Special issue, s. 1179-1191
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Metacaspases are a subgroup of caspase homologues represented in bacteria, algae and plants. Although type I and type II metacaspases are present in plants, recently discovered and uncharacterized type III metacaspases can only be found in algae which have undergone secondary endosymbiosis. We analysed the expression levels of all 13 caspase homologues in the cryptophyte Guillardia theta in vivo and biochemically characterized its only type III metacaspase, GtMC2, in vitro. Type III metacaspase GtMC2 was shown to be an endopeptidase with a preference for basic amino acids in the P1 position, which exhibited specific N-terminal proteolytic cleavage for full catalytic efficiency. Autolytic processing, as well as the activity of the mature enzyme, required the presence of calcium ions in low millimolar concentrations. In GtMC2, two calcium-binding sites were identified, one with a dissociation constant at low and the other at high micromolar concentrations. We show high functional relatedness of type III metacaspases to type I metacaspases. Moreover, our data suggest that the low-affinity calcium-binding site is located in the p10 domain, which contains a well-conserved N-terminal region. This region can only be found in type I/II/III metacaspases, but is absent in calcium-independent caspase homologues.
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| 41530. |
- Klemens, Patrick A. W., et al.
(författare)
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Overexpression of the Vacuolar Sugar Carrier AtSWEET16 Modifies Germination, Growth, and Stress Tolerance in Arabidopsis
- 2013
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Ingår i: Plant Physiology. - : American Society of Plant Biologists. - 0032-0889 .- 1532-2548. ; 163:3, s. 1338-1352
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Here, we report that SUGARS WILL EVENTUALLY BE EXPORTED TRANSPORTER (SWEET16) from Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) is a vacuole-located carrier, transporting glucose (Glc), fructose (Fru), and sucrose (Suc) after heterologous expression in Xenopus laevis oocytes. The SWEET16 gene, similar to the homologs gene SWEET17, is mainly expressed in vascular parenchyma cells. Application of Glc, Fru, or Suc, as well as cold, osmotic stress, or low nitrogen, provoke the down-regulation of SWEET16 messenger RNA accumulation. SWEET16 overexpressors (35S(Pro):SWEET16) showed a number of peculiarities related to differences in sugar accumulation, such as less Glc, Fru, and Suc at the end of the night. Under cold stress, 35S(Pro):SWEET16 plants are unable to accumulate Fru, while under nitrogen starvation, both Glc and Fru, but not Suc, were less abundant. These changes of individual sugars indicate that the consequences of an increased SWEET16 activity are dependent upon the type of external stimulus. Remarkably, 35S(Pro):SWEET16 lines showed improved germination and increased freezing tolerance. The latter observation, in combination with the modified sugar levels, points to a superior function of Glc and Suc for frost tolerance. 35S(Pro):SWEET16 plants exhibited increased growth efficiency when cultivated on soil and showed improved nitrogen use efficiency when nitrate was sufficiently available, while under conditions of limiting nitrogen, wild-type biomasses were higher than those of 35S(Pro):SWEET16 plants. Our results identify SWEET16 as a vacuolar sugar facilitator, demonstrate the substantial impact of SWEET16 overexpression on various critical plant traits, and imply that SWEET16 activity must be tightly regulated to allow optimal Arabidopsis development under nonfavorable conditions.
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