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Volume 36 (2011)
- Issue 2 Pages 145-
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Volume 36, Issue 2
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Nobuhisa Ishida, Yuichi Nakamura, Kenji Tanabe, Shun-Ai Li, Kohji Take ...2011 Volume 36 Issue 2 Pages 145-154
Published: 2011
Released on J-STAGE: August 09, 2011
Advance online publication: December 08, 2010JOURNAL FREE ACCESS FULL-TEXT HTML
Supplementary materialDynamin, a ~100 kDa large GTPase, is known as a key player for membrane traffic. Recent evidence shows that dynamin also regulates the dynamic instability of microtubules by a mechanism independent of membrane traffic. As microtubules are highly dynamic during mitosis, we investigated whether the regulation of microtubules by dynamin is essential for cell cycle progression. Dynamin 2 intensely localized at the mitotic spindle, and the localization depended on its proline-rich domain (PRD), which is required for microtubule association. The deletion of PRD resulted in the impairment of cytokinesis, whereby the mutant had less effect on endocytosis. Interestingly, dominant-negative dynamin (K44A), which blocks membrane traffic but has no effect on microtubules, also blocked cytokinesis. On the other hand, the deletion of the middle domain, which binds to γ-tubulin, impaired the entry into mitosis. As both deletion mutants had no significant effect on endocytosis, dynamin 2 may participate in cell cycle progression by regulating the microtubules. These data suggest that dynamin may play a key role for cell cycle progression by two distinct pathways, membrane traffic and cytoskeleton.
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Mitsunori Fukuda, Hotaka Kobayashi, Koutaro Ishibashi, Norihiko Ohbaya ...2011 Volume 36 Issue 2 Pages 155-170
Published: 2011
Released on J-STAGE: September 01, 2011
Advance online publication: July 07, 2011JOURNAL FREE ACCESS FULL-TEXT HTML
Supplementary materialThe RUN domain is a less conserved protein motif that consists of approximately 70 amino acids, and because RUN domains are often found in proteins involved in the regulation of Rab small GTPases, the RUN domain has been suggested to be involved in Rab-mediated membrane trafficking, possibly as a Rab-binding site. However, since the Rab binding activity of most RUN domains has never been investigated, in this study we performed a genome-wide analysis of the Rab binding activity of the RUN domains of 19 different RUN domain-containing proteins by yeast two-hybrid assays with 60 different Rabs as bait. The results showed that only six of them interact with specific Rab isoforms with different Rab binding specificity, i.e., DENND5A/B with Rab6A/B, PLEKHM2 with Rab1A, RUFY2/3 with Rab33, and RUSC2 with Rab1/Rab35/Rab41. We also identified the minimal functional Rab35-binding site of RUSC2 (amino acid residues 982–1199) and succeeded in developing a novel GTP-Rab35-specific trapper, which we named RBD35 (Rab-binding domain specific for Rab35). Recombinant RBD35 was found to trap GTP-Rab35 specifically both in vitro and in PC12 cells, and overexpression of fluorescently tagged RBD35 in PC12 cells strongly inhibited nerve growth factor-dependent neurite outgrowth.
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Kouji Tanimoto, Kurumi Suzuki, Eija Jokitalo, Noriko Sakai, Tomoaki Sa ...2011 Volume 36 Issue 2 Pages 171-185
Published: 2011
Released on J-STAGE: September 01, 2011
Advance online publication: July 14, 2011JOURNAL FREE ACCESS FULL-TEXT HTML
Supplementary materialThe Yip1 domain family (YIPF) proteins are homologues of yeast Yip1p and Yif1p, which are proposed to function in ER to Golgi transport. Here, we report the characterization of YIPF3 and YIPF4, homologues of human Yif1p and Yip1p, respectively. Immunofluorescence and immuno-electron microscopy showed that both YIPF3 and YIPF4 are clearly concentrated in the cis-Golgi. While YIPF4 was detected as a single mobility form consistent with its predicted molecular weight, three different mobility forms of YIPF3 were detected by western blotting. Biochemical and immunofluorescence experiments strongly indicated that YIPF3 is synthesized in the ER as a N-glycosylated form (40 kDa), is then O-glycosylated in the Golgi apparatus to become a lower mobility form (46 kDa) and finally becomes a higher mobility form cleaved at its C-terminal luminal domain (36 kDa). YIPF3 and YIPF4 form a complex in the Golgi apparatus, and this was suggested to be important for their proper localization and function. The knockdown of YIPF3 or YIPF4 in HeLa cells induced fragmentation of the Golgi apparatus, suggesting their involvement in the maintenance of the Golgi structure.
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Satoshi Ninagawa, Tetsuya Okada, Shunichi Takeda, Kazutoshi Mori2011 Volume 36 Issue 2 Pages 187-195
Published: 2011
Released on J-STAGE: September 16, 2011
Advance online publication: August 20, 2011JOURNAL FREE ACCESS FULL-TEXT HTMLProteins misfolded in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are degraded in the cytosol by a ubiquitin-dependent proteasome system, a process collectively termed ER-associated degradation (ERAD). Unraveling the molecular mechanisms of mammalian ERAD progresses more slowly than that of yeast ERAD due to the laborious procedures required for gene targeting and the redundancy of components. Here, we utilized the chicken B lymphocyte-derived DT40 cell line, which exhibits an extremely high homologous recombination frequency, to analyze ERAD mechanisms in higher eukaryotes. We disrupted the SEL1L gene, which encodes the sole homologue of yeast Hrd3p in both chickens and mammals; Hrd3p is a binding partner of yeast Hrd1p, an E3 ubiquitin ligase. SEL1L-knockout cells grew only slightly more slowly than the wild-type cells. Pulse chase experiments revealed that chicken SEL1L was required for ERAD of misfolded luminal proteins such as glycosylated NHK and unglycosylated NHK-QQQ but dispensable for that of misfolded transmembrane proteins such as NHKBACE and CD3-δ, as in mammals. The defect of SEL1L-knockout cells in NHK degradation was restored by introduction of not only chicken SEL1L but also mouse and human SEL1L. Deletion analysis showed the importance of Sel1-like tetratricopeptide repeats but not the fibronectin II domain in the function of SEL1L. Thus, our reverse genetic approach using the chicken DT40 cell line will provide highly useful information regarding ERAD mechanisms in higher eukaryotes which express ERAD components redundantly.
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Regulation of Intestinal Stem Cell Proliferation by Human Methyl-CpG-binding Protein-2 in DrosophilaShin-Hae Lee, In-Joo Kim, Joong-Gook Kim, Joung-Sun Park, Young-Shin K ...2011 Volume 36 Issue 2 Pages 197-208
Published: 2011
Released on J-STAGE: November 17, 2011
Advance online publication: October 06, 2011JOURNAL FREE ACCESS FULL-TEXT HTMLRecent studies have suggested the involvement of epigenetic factors such as methyl-CpG-binding protein-2 (MeCP2) in tumorigenesis. In addition, cancer may represent a stem cell-based disease, suggesting that understanding of stem cell regulation could provide valuable insights into the mechanisms of tumorigenesis. However, the function of epigenetic factors in stem cell regulation in adult tissues remains poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated the role of human MeCP2 (hMeCP2), a bridge factor linked to DNA modification and histone modification, in stem cell proliferation using adult Drosophila midgut, which appears to be an excellent model system to study stem cell biology. Results show that enterocyte (EC)-specific expression of hMeCP2 in adult midgut using an exogenous GAL4/UAS expression system induced intestinal stem cell (ISC) proliferation marked by staining with anti-phospho-histone H3 antibody and BrdU incorporation assays. In addition, hMeCP2 expression in ECs activated extracellular stress-response kinase signals in ISCs. Furthermore, expression of hMeCP2 modulated the distribution of heterochromatin protein-1 in ECs. Our data suggests the hypothesis that the expression of hMeCP2 in differentiated ECs stimulates ISC proliferation, implying a role of MeCP2 as a stem cell regulator.
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Yoko Takata, Hiroe Kishine, Takefumi Sone, Taichi Andoh, Masami Nozaki ...2011 Volume 36 Issue 2 Pages 209-222
Published: 2011
Released on J-STAGE: November 17, 2011
Advance online publication: October 06, 2011JOURNAL FREE ACCESS FULL-TEXT HTMLGeneration of iPS cells from mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) was achieved using a BacMam transduction system containing a polycistronic plasmid expression vector for coincident and optimized expression of four defined reprogramming transcription factors. The sequences for Oct4, Klf4, Sox2 and c-Myc, were cloned as a fusion gene (OKSM) in a single open reading frame (ORF) via self-cleaving 2A peptides and expressed under the control of the CAG promoter. The transduction efficiency of primary MEF cells with BacMam particles carrying CAG-directed Venus reporter gene is 64–98%. After three successive transductions (at intervals of 3 days) of MEF cells with BacMam particles carrying a OKSM or OSKM cassette, the iPS cell colonies are observed in 15–24 days. A single transduction of MEF cells is also effective in generating sufficiently reprogrammed iPS cell lines. The iPS cell lines from colonies picked were positively stained by Nanog, SSEA-1 immunofluorescence and alkaline phosphatase substrate markers. The advantage of using the EOS-S(4+)-EmGFP reporter to identify sufficiently reprogrammed iPS cell lines is discussed by representing experimental results obtained with electroporated plasmids, such as a mixture of 2 tandem OS and KM plasmids and a polycistronic OKSM expression plasmid.
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Kouhei Takashima, Akina Saitoh, Shohei Hirose, Waka Nakai, Yumika Kond ...2011 Volume 36 Issue 2 Pages 223-235
Published: 2011
Released on J-STAGE: December 16, 2011
JOURNAL FREE ACCESS FULL-TEXT HTML
Supplementary materialEukaryotic cells store neutral lipids and cholesteryl esters in cytoplasmic lipid droplets (LDs), which are generated from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Accumulating lines of evidence have indicated that Golgi-to-ER–retrograde transport mediated by COPI-coated vesicles under the control of Arf small GTPases is implicated in LD formation and utilization. However, the detailed mechanism underlying the regulation of lipid homeostasis by COPI-dependent transport has been poorly understood. Here we show that LD deposition and the cellular triacylglycerol content are significantly increased by siRNA-mediated depletion of not only β-COP (a subunit of the COPI coat complex) but also GBF1 (a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Arfs), Arf4 and Arf5 (class II Arfs), and ArfGAP1-ArfGAP3 (GTPase-activating proteins for Arfs). Although a previous proteomic study suggested the presence of COPI subunits and Arfs on LDs, we have failed to show that components of the GBF1-Arf-COPI-ArfGAP retrograde transport machinery are directly associated with and closely apposed to LDs. Furthermore, although recent studies suggested that COPI-mediated transport and GBF1 participated in delivery of adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) onto the LD surface, we have found that depletion of β-COP or GBF1 does not affect association of ATGL with LDs or ATGL-mediated lipolysis. On the basis of these results, we propose other mechanisms how the GBF1-Arf-COPI-ArfGAP transport machinery is implicated in the regulation of lipid homeostasis.
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Kenta Saito, Yoshiyuki Arai, Jize Zhang, Kentaro Kobayashi, Tomomi Tan ...2011 Volume 36 Issue 2 Pages 237-246
Published: 2011
Released on J-STAGE: December 16, 2011
Advance online publication: October 29, 2011JOURNAL FREE ACCESS FULL-TEXT HTML
Supplementary materialLaser-scanning confocal microscopy has been employed for exploring structures at subcellular, cellular and tissue level in three dimensions. To acquire the confocal image, a coherent light source, such as laser, is generally required in conventional single-point scanning microscopy. The illuminating beam must be focused onto a small spot with diffraction-limited size, and this determines the spatial resolution of the microscopy system. In contrast, multipoint scanning confocal microscopy using a Nipkow disk enables the use of an incoherent light source. We previously demonstrated successful application of a 100 W mercury arc lamp as a light source for the Yokogawa confocal scanner unit in which a microlens array was coupled with a Nipkow disk to focus the collimated incident light onto a pinhole (Saito et al., Cell Struct. Funct., 33: 133–141, 2008). However, transmission efficiency of incident light through the pinhole array was low because off-axis light, the major component of the incident light, was blocked by the non-aperture area of the disk. To improve transmission efficiency, we propose an optical system in which off-axis light is able to be transmitted through pinholes surrounding the pinhole located on the optical axis of the collimator lens. This optical system facilitates the use of not only the on-axis but also the off-axis light such that the available incident light is considerably improved. As a result, we apply the proposed system to high-speed confocal and multicolor imaging both with a satisfactory signal-to-noise ratio.
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Tokiro Ishikawa, Yoshihito Taniguchi, Tetsuya Okada, Shunichi Takeda, ...2011 Volume 36 Issue 2 Pages 247-259
Published: 2011
Released on J-STAGE: December 16, 2011
Advance online publication: November 08, 2011JOURNAL FREE ACCESS FULL-TEXT HTMLThe accumulation of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) activates the unfolded protein response (UPR). The ER stress signal is sensed and transmitted by a transmembrane protein(s) in the ER. The number of these transducers has increased with evolution, one in yeast, three in worm and fly, and five in mammals. Here, we examined medaka fish, Oryzias latipes, as a vertebrate model organism, and found that the medaka genome encodes five UPR transducers. Analysis of a medaka embryonic cell line revealed that the mammalian UPR signaling mechanisms are very well conserved. Thus, XBP1 mRNA, which encodes the transcription factor XBP1 downstream of the IRE1 pathway, was spliced in response to ER stress, resulting in production of the active form of XBP1. Translation was generally attenuated in response to ER stress, which paradoxically induced the translation of ATF4, the transcription factor downstream of the PERK pathway. ATF6 was constitutively synthesized as a transmembrane protein and activated by ER stress-induced proteolysis. Results obtained with the overexpression of active ATF6α, ATF6β, and XBP1 strongly suggested that ATF6α plays a major role in upregulating the major ER chaperone BiP, contrary to the case in non-vertebrates, in which the IRE1 pathway is essential to the induction of BiP. Physiological ER stress occurring during embryonic development was visualized using transgenic medaka carrying the enhanced green fluorescent protein gene under the control of the BiP promoter. Thus, analysis of the vertebrate UPR using medaka will help provide a more comprehensive understanding of the biology and physiology of the UPR.
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Natsuko Masuda, Tetsuhiro Shimodaira, Shu-Jen Shiu, Noriko Tokai-Nishi ...2011 Volume 36 Issue 2 Pages 261-267
Published: 2011
Released on J-STAGE: December 27, 2011
Advance online publication: November 19, 2011JOURNAL FREE ACCESS FULL-TEXT HTMLThe precise control of spindle microtubule (MT) dynamics is essential for chromosome capture and alignment. Kif18A/kinesin-8, an essential regulator of kinetochore MT dynamics, accumulates at its plus-ends in metaphase but not prometaphase cells. The underlying mechanism of time-dependent and kinetochore MT-specific plus-end accumulation of Kif18A is unknown. Here, we examined the factors required for the MT plus-end accumulation of Kif18A. In Eg5 inhibitor-treated cells, Kif18A localized along the MTs in the monopolar spindle and rarely accumulated at their plus-ends, indicating that MT-kinetochore association was not sufficient to induce Kif18A accumulation. In contrast, taxol treatment triggered the rapid MT plus-end accumulation of Kif18A regardless of kinetochore association. Furthermore, Aurora B inhibitor-induced stabilization of the plus-ends of kinetochore MTs promoted the plus-end accumulation of Kif18A. In the absence of Kif18A, treatment with taxol but not Eg5 inhibitor causes highly elongated mitotic MTs, suggesting the importance of plus-end accumulation for the MT length-controlling activity of Kif18A. Taken together, we propose that there is a mutual regulation of kinetochore MT plus-end dynamics and Kif18A accumulation, which may contribute to the highly regulated and ordered changes in kinetochore MT dynamics during chromosome congression and oscillation.
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