| 1. |
- Chauhan, S., et al.
(författare)
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Cdk2 catalytic activity is essential for meiotic cell division in vivo
- 2016
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Ingår i: Biochemical Journal. - : Portland Press Ltd.. - 0264-6021 .- 1470-8728. ; 473, s. 2783-2798
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) control the eukaryotic cell cycle by phosphorylating serine and threonine residues in key regulatory proteins, but some Cdk family members may exert kinase-independent functions that cannot easily be assessed using gene knockout approaches. While Cdk2-deficient mice display near-normal mitotic cell proliferation due to the compensatory activities of Cdk1 and Cdk4, they are unable to undergo meiotic generation of gametes and are consequently sterile. To investigate whether Cdk2 regulates meiosis via protein phosphorylation or by alternative kinase-independent mechanisms, we generated two different knockin mouse strains in which Cdk2 point mutations ablated enzyme activity without altering protein expression levels. Mice homozygous for the mutations Cdk2(D145N/D145N) or Cdk2(T160A/T160A) expressed only 'kinase-dead' variants of Cdk2 under the control of the endogenous promoter, and despite exhibiting normal expression of cell cycle regulatory proteins and complexes, both mutations rendered mice sterile. Mouse cells that expressed only 'kinase-dead' variants of Cdk2 displayed normal mitotic cell cycle progression and proliferation both in vitro and in vivo, indicating that loss of Cdk2 kinase activity exerted little effect on this mode of cell division. In contrast, the reproductive organs of Cdk2 mutant mice exhibited abnormal morphology and impaired function associated with defective meiotic cell division and inability to produce gametes. Cdk2 mutant animals were therefore comparable to gene knockout mice, which completely lack the Cdk2 protein. Together, our data indicate that the essential meiotic functions of Cdk2 depend on its kinase activity, without which the generation of haploid cells is disrupted, resulting in sterility of otherwise healthy animals.
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| 2. |
- Johansson, Jan, et al.
(författare)
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BRICHOS binds to a designed amyloid-forming beta-protein and reduces proteasomal inhibition and aggresome formation
- 2016
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Ingår i: Biochemical Journal. - 0264-6021 .- 1470-8728. ; 473, s. 167-178
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The BRICHOS domain is associated with proliferative, degenerative and amyloid diseases, and it has been shown to inhibit fibril formation and toxicity of the Alzheimer's disease-associated amyloid beta-peptide. ProSP-C (prosurfactant protein C) BRICHOS binds to stretches of hydrophobic amino acid residues, which are unfolded or in beta-strand conformation, suggesting that it may have broad anti-amyloid activity. We have studied the effect of the proSP-C BRICHOS domain on the designed amyloidogenic beta-sheet proteins beta 17 and beta 23. beta 17 expressed in the secretory pathway of HEK (human embryonic kidney)-293 cells forms intracellular inclusions, whereas beta 23 is rapidly degraded. Co-expression of BRICHOS leads to a reduction in beta 17 inclusion size and increased levels of soluble beta 17 and beta 23. Furthermore, BRICHOS interacts with the beta-proteins intracellularly, reduces their ubiquitination and decreases aggresome formation and proteasomal inhibition. Collectively, these data suggest that BRICHOS is capable of delaying the aggregation process and toxicity of amyloidogenic proteins in a generic manner.
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| 3. |
- Jufvas, Åsa, et al.
(författare)
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Scaffolding protein IQGAP1: an insulin-dependent link between caveolae and the cytoskeleton in primary human adipocytes?
- 2016
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Ingår i: Biochemical Journal. - : Portland Press. - 0264-6021 .- 1470-8728. ; 473:19, s. 3177-3188
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The ubiquitously expressed IQ motif-containing GTPase activating protein-1 (IQGAP1) is a scaffolding protein implicated in an array of cellular functions, in particular by binding to cytoskeletal elements and signaling proteins. A role of IQGAP1 in adipocytes has not been reported. We therefore investigated the cellular IQGAP1 interactome in primary human adipocytes. Immunoprecipitation and quantitative mass spectrometry identified caveolae and caveolae-associated proteins as the major IQGAP1 interactors alongside cytoskeletal proteins. We confirmed co-localization of IQGAP1 with the defining caveolar marker protein caveolin-1 by confocal microscopy and proximity ligation assay. Most interestingly, insulin enhanced the number of IQGAP1 interactions with caveolin-1 by five-fold. Moreover, we found a significantly reduced abundance of IQGAP1 in adipocytes from patients with type 2 diabetes compared with cells from nondiabetic control subjects. Both the abundance of IQGAP1 protein and mRNA were reduced, indicating a transcriptional defect in diabetes. Our findings suggest a novel role of IQGAP1 in insulin-regulated interaction between caveolae and cytoskeletal elements of the adipocyte, and that this is quelled in the diabetic state.
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| 4. |
- Mishima, Eriko, et al.
(författare)
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The topogenic function of S4 promotes membrane insertion of the voltage-sensor domain in the KvAP channel
- 2016
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Ingår i: Biochemical Journal. - 0264-6021 .- 1470-8728. ; 473, s. 4361-4372
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Voltage-dependent K+ (K-V) channels control K+ permeability in response to shifts in the membrane potential. Voltage sensing in K-V channels is mediated by the positively charged transmembrane domain S4. The best-characterized K-V channel, KvAP, lacks the distinct hydrophilic region corresponding to the S3-S4 extracellular loop that is found in other K+ channels. In the present study, we evaluated the topogenic properties of the transmembrane regions within the voltage-sensing domain in KvAP. S3 had low membrane insertion activity, whereas S4 possessed a unique type-I signal anchor (SA-I) function, which enabled it to insert into the membrane by itself. S4 was also found to function as a stop-transfer signal for retention in the membrane. The length and structural nature of the extracellular S3-S4 loop affected the membrane insertion of S3 and S4, suggesting that S3 membrane insertion was dependent on S4. Replacement of charged residues within the transmembrane regions with residues of opposite charge revealed that Asp(72) in S2 and Glu(93) in S3 contributed to membrane insertion of S3 and S4, and increased the stability of S4 in the membrane. These results indicate that the SA-I function of S4, unique among K+ channels studied to date, promotes the insertion of S3 into the membrane, and that the charged residues essential for voltage sensing contribute to the membrane-insertion of the voltage sensor domain in KvAP.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Silkstone, Gary G A, et al.
(författare)
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Engineering tyrosine electron transfer pathways decreases oxidative toxicity in hemoglobin : Implications for blood substitute design
- 2016
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Ingår i: Biochemical Journal. - 0264-6021. ; 473:19, s. 3371-3383
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hemoglobin (Hb)-based oxygen carriers (HBOC) have been engineered to replace or augment the oxygen-carrying capacity of erythrocytes. However, clinical results have generally been disappointing due to adverse side effects linked to intrinsic hememediated oxidative toxicity and nitric oxide (NO) scavenging. Redox-Active tyrosine residues can facilitate electron transfer between endogenous antioxidants and oxidative ferryl heme species. A suitable residue is present in the α-subunit (Y42) of Hb, but absent from the homologous position in the β-subunit (F41). We therefore replaced this residue with a tyrosine (βF41Y, Hb Mequon). The βF41Y mutation had no effect on the intrinsic rate of lipid peroxidation as measured by conjugated diene and singlet oxygen formation following the addition of ferric(met) Hb to liposomes. However, βF41Y significantly decreased these rates in the presence of physiological levels of ascorbate. Additionally, heme damage in the β-subunit following the addition of the lipid peroxide hydroperoxyoctadecadieoic acid was five-fold slower in βF41Y. NO bioavailability was enhanced in βF41Y by a combination of a 20% decrease in NO dioxygenase activity and a doubling of the rate of nitrite reductase activity. The intrinsic rate of heme loss from methemoglobin was doubled in the β-subunit, but unchanged in the α-subunit. We conclude that the addition of a redox-Active tyrosine mutation in Hb able to transfer electrons from plasma antioxidants decreases heme-mediated oxidative reactivity and enhances NO bioavailability. This class of mutations has the potential to decrease adverse side effects as one component of a HBOC product.
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