bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Centrosome and spindle function of the Drosophila Ncd microtubule motor visualized in live embryos using Ncd-GFP fusion proteins
Authors: Endow Sharyn A. , Komma Donald J. 
Published: April 2021

ABSTRACT
The Ncd microtubule motor protein is required for meiotic and early mitotic chromosome distribution in Drosophila. Null mutant females expressing the Ncd motor fused to the Aequorea victoria green fluorescent protein (GFP), regulated by the wild-type ncd promoter, are rescued for chromosome segregation and embryo viability. Analysis of mitosis in live embryos shows cell cycle-dependent localization of Ncd-GFP to centrosomes and spindles. The distribution of Ncd-GFP in spindles during metaphase differs strikingly from that of tubulin: the tubulin staining is excluded by the chromosomes at the metaphase plate; in contrast, Ncd-GFP forms filaments along the spindle microtubules that extend across the chromosomes. The existence of Ncd-GFP fibers that cross the metaphase plate suggests that Ncd interacts functionally with chromosomes in metaphase. Differences are no longer observed in anaphase when the chromosomes have moved off the metaphase plate. A mutant form of Ncd fused to GFP also localizes to spindles in live embryos. Mutant embryos show frequent centrosome and spindle abnormalities, including free centrosomes that dissociate from interphase nuclei, precociously split centrosomes, and spindles with microtubule spurs or bridges to nearby spindles. The precociously split and free centrosomes indicate that the Ncd motor acts in cleavage stage embryos to maintain centrosome integrity and attachment to nuclei. The frequent spindle spurs of mutant embryos are associated with mis-segregating chromosomes that partially detach from the spindle in metaphase, but can be recaptured in early anaphase. This implies that the Ncd motor functions to prevent chromosome loss by maintaining chromosome attachment to the spindle in metaphase, consistent with the Ncd-GFP fibers that cross the metaphase plate.
Depletion of lysophosphatidic acid triggers a loss of oriented detyrosinated microtubules in motile fibroblasts
Authors: Nagasaki T. , Gundersen G. G. 
Published: April 2021

ABSTRACT
We reported earlier that isolated plasma membranes trigger a number of responses comprising contact inhibition of motility, including loss of oriented detyrosinated microtubules (Glu MTs) from the lamella of motile fibroblasts. In this study, we show that the membranes trigger this loss of Glu MTs, not by binding to cells, but by removing an essential component from the medium necessary to maintain oriented Glu MTs. Preincubation of membranes with medium containing serum followed by removal of the membranes by sedimentation rendered the membrane-treated medium capable of triggering the loss of oriented Glu MTs. Membrane activity was inhibited by high concentrations of serum and removal of serum from medium triggered the loss of oriented Glu MTs similar to that triggered by membranes. These results suggest that the membranes trigger the loss of Glu MTs by inactivating factors in serum that are required for the maintenance of oriented Glu MTs. By fractionating serum, we have identified lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) as the principal serum factor that is responsible for supporting oriented Glu MTs. The activity of LPA to maintain oriented Glu MTs upon serum withdrawal was half maximal at 100 nM and no activity was observed with structurally related phospholipids. Serum LPA levels were sufficient to account for the ability of serum to support oriented Glu MTs. Enzymatic degradation of serum LPA strongly reduced the ability of serum to support oriented Glu MTs. That membranes degrade LPA was shown by the ability of membranes to block LPA’s ability to maintain oriented Glu MTs, and by direct measurement of the loss of radiolabeled LPA after incubation with membranes in vitro. These results show that isolated plasma membranes trigger the loss of Glu MTs from the lamella of motile cells by degrading serum LPA. Coupled with earlier results showing that membranes trigger a number of contact inhibition responses, our data suggest a new model for contact inhibition of motility in which local degradation of LPA and/or interference with LPA-stimulated signalling pathways initiates a contact inhibition response in colliding cells.
Isolation and characterization of SYS genes from yeast, multicopy suppressors of the functional loss of the transport GTPase Ypt6p
Authors: Tsukada Miki , Gallwitz Dieter 
Published: April 2021

ABSTRACT
In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the YPT6 gene encodes the homologue of the mammalian Rab6 protein found in the Golgi apparatus. Deletion of YPT6 in yeast produces a phenotype showing temperature-sensitive growth and partial missorting of the vacuolar enzyme, carboxypeptidase Y. To identify proteins that might: (1) interact with Ypt6p; or (2) act in the same pathway, we have isolated four multicopy suppressors, named SYS1, SYS2, SYS3 and SYS5, that can complement the temperature-sensitive growth phenotype of the ypt6 null mutant. On high expression, these genes are also able to partially suppress the missorting of carboxypeptidase Y. SYS2 on a multicopy plasmid suppresses in addition the temperature-sensitive phenotype of sec7-1, a mutant defective in transport between and from the Golgi compartment. Gene disruption of SYS1 and SYS2 did not result in significant growth defects. However, deletion of SYS1 and/or SYS2 in the ypt6 null mutant enhances defects in vacuolar protein sorting and in cell growth. Whereas protein secretion was not significantly affected in these mutants, the processing of α-factor precursor by the Kex2 protease was inhibited, suggesting a function of YPT6 and its null mutant suppressors in transport between the late Golgi and a prevacuolar, endosome-like compartment.
The role of the cortical cytoskeleton: F-actin crosslinking proteins protect against osmotic stress, ensure cell size, cell shape and motility, and contribute to phagocytosis and development
Authors: Rivero Francisco , Köppel Bernd , Peracino Barbara , Bozzaro Salvatore , Siegert Florian , Weijer Cornelis J. , Schleicher Michael , Albrecht Richard , Noegel Angelika A. 
Published: April 2021

ABSTRACT
We generated Dictyostelium double mutants lacking the two F-actin crosslinking proteins α-actinin and gelation factor by inactivating the corresponding genes via homologous recombination. Here we investigated the consequences of these deficiencies both at the single cell level and at the multicellular stage. We found that loss of both proteins severely affected growth of the mutant cells in shaking suspension, and led to a reduction of cell size from 12 μm in wild-type cells to 9 μm in mutant cells. Moreover the cells did not exhibit the typical polarized morphology of aggregating Dictyostelium cells but had a more rounded cell shape, and also exhibited an increased sensitivity towards osmotic shock and a reduced rate of phagocytosis. Development was heavily impaired and never resulted in the formation of fruiting bodies. Expression of developmentally regulated genes and the final developmental stages that were reached varied, however, with the substrata on which the cells were deposited. On phosphate buffered agar plates the cells were able to form tight aggregates and mounds and to express prespore and prestalk cell specific genes. Under these conditions the cells could perform chemotactic signalling and cell behavior was normal at the onset of multicellular development as revealed by time-lapse video microscopy. Double mutant cells were motile but speed was reduced by approximately 30% as compared to wild type. These changes were reversed by expressing the gelation factor in the mutant cells. We conclude that the actin assemblies that are formed and/or stabilized by both F-actin crosslinking proteins have a protective function during osmotic stress and are essential for proper cell shape and motility.
Talin contains three actin-binding sites each of which is adjacent to a vinculin-binding site
Authors: Hemmings L. , Rees D. J. G. , Ohanian V. , Bolton S. J. , Gilmore A. P. , Patel B. , Priddle H. , Trevithick J. E. , Hynes R. O. , Critchley D. R. 
Published: April 2021

ABSTRACT
We have determined the sequence of chicken talin (2,541 amino acids, Mr 271,881) which is very similar (89% identity) to that of the mouse protein. Alignments with the Caenorhabditis elegans and Dictyostelium discoideum talin sequences show that the N- and C-terminal regions of the protein are conserved whereas the central part of the molecule is more divergent. By expressing overlapping talin polypeptides as fusion proteins, we have identified at least three regions of the protein which can bind F-actin: residues 102-497, 951-1,327 and 2,269-2,541. The N-terminal binding site contains a region with homology to the ERM family of actin-binding proteins, and the C-terminal site is homologous to the yeast actin-binding protein Sla2p. Each of the actin-binding sites is close to, but distinct from a binding site for vinculin, a protein which also binds actin. The Pro1176 to Thr substitution found in talin from Wistar-Furth rats does not destroy the capacity of this region of the protein to bind actin or vinculin. Microinjection studies showed that a fusion protein containing the N-terminal actin-binding site localised weakly to stress fibres, whereas one containing the C-terminal site initially localised predominantly to focal adhesions. The former was readily solubilised, and the latter was resistant to Triton extraction. The N-terminal talin polypeptide eventually disrupted actin stress fibres whereas the C-terminal polypeptide was without effect. However, a larger C-terminal fusion protein also containing a vinculinbinding site did disrupt stress fibres and focal adhesions. The results suggest that, although both the N- and C-terminal regions of talin bind actin, the properties of these two regions of the protein are distinct.
Dynamic properties of nucleated microtubules: GTP utilisation in the sub-critical concentration regime
Authors: Symmons Martyn F. , Martin Stephen R. , Bayley Peter M. 
Published: April 2021

ABSTRACT
Microtubule assembly kinetics have been studied quantitatively under solution conditions supporting microtubule dynamic instability. Purified GTP-tubulin (Tu-GTP) and covalently cross-linked short microtubule seeds (EGSseeds; Koshland et al. (1988)Nature 331, 499) were used with and without biotinylation. Under sub-critical concentration conditions ([Tu-GTP]&lt;5.3 μM), significant microtubule growth of limited length was observed on a proportion of the EGS-seeds by immuno-electron microscopy. A sensitive fluorescence assay for microtubule GDP production was developed for parallel assessment of GTP utilisation. This revealed a correlation between the detected microtubule growth and the production of tubulin-GDP, deriving from the shortening phase of the dynamic microtubules. This correlation was confirmed by the action of nocodazole, a specific inhibitor of microtubule assembly, that was found to abolish the GDP release. The variation of the GDP release with tubulin concentration (Jh(c) plot) was determined below the critical concentration (CC). The GDP production observed was consistent with the elongation of the observed seeded microtubules with an apparent rate constant of 1.5×106M−1 second−1 above a threshold of approximately 1 μM tubulin. The form of this Jh(c) plot for elongation below CC is reproduced by the Lateral Cap model for microtubule dynamic instability adapted for seeded assembly. The behaviour of the system is contrasted with that previously studied in the absence of detectable microtubule elongation (Caplow and Shanks (1990)J. Biol. Chem. 265, 8935-8941). The approach provides a means of monitoring microtubule dynamics at concentrations inaccessible to optical microscopy, and shows that essentially the same dynamic mechanisms apply at all concentrations. Numerical simulation of the subcritical concentration regime shows dynamic growth features applicable to the initiation of microtubule growth in vivo.
Assembly of ring canals in the male germ line from structural components of the contractile ring
Authors: Hime Gary R. , Brill Julie A. , Fuller Margaret T. 
Published: April 2021

ABSTRACT
Stable intercellular bridges called ring canals form following incomplete cytokinesis, and interconnect mitotically or meiotically related germ cells. We show that ring canals in Drosophila melanogaster males are surprisingly different from those previously described in females. Mature ring canal walls in males lack actin and appear to derive directly from structural proteins associated with the contractile ring. Ring canal assembly in males, as in females, initiates during cytokinesis with the appearance of a ring of phosphotyrosine epitopes at the site of the contractile ring. Following constriction, actin and myosin II disappear. However, at least four proteins present at the contractile ring remain: the three septins (Pnut, Sep1 and Sep2) and anillin. In sharp contrast, in ovarian ring canals, septins have not been detected, anillin is lost from mature ring canals and filamentous actin is a major component. In both males and females, a highly branched vesicular structure, termed the fusome, interconnects developing germ cells via the ring canals and is thought to coordinate mitotic germ cell divisions. We show that, in males, unlike females, the fusome persists and enlarges following cessation of the mitotic divisions, developing additional branches during meiosis. During differentiation, the fusome and its associated ring canals localize to the distal tip of the elongating spermatids.
The effects of cytochalasin D and phorbol myristate acetate on the apical endocytosis of ricin in polarised Caco-2 cells
Authors: Shurety Wenda , Bright Nicholas A. , Luzio J. Paul 
Published: April 2021

ABSTRACT
Apical endocytosis of 125I-ricin in Caco-2 cells was inhibited &gt;95% by hypertonic and/or acid media, consistent with the major uptake route being clathrin-mediated. The presence of apical cell surface bound ricin-gold in clathrin coated pits and vesicles was observed by electron microscopy. An electron microscopic investigation in which ricin-gold bound to the apical surface was quantitated, showed that cytochalasin D, which inhibits apical but not basolateral endocytosis, prevented movement of ricin-gold along the microvillar surface. This was consistent with an actin bound mechanochemical motor within microvilli driving the movement of membranous components towards the cell body. Cytochalasin D also caused an increase in the number of coated pits observed at the apical cell surface relative to the number observed in untreated cells. Stimulation of apical endocytosis of ricin by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate showed the characteristics of being mediated by protein kinase C, was not due to an effect on ricin movement along the microvillar surface, and may be explained by increases in formation and pinching off of clathrin coated pits at the apical cell surface.
GLUT4 in cultured skeletal myotubes is segregated from the transferrin receptor and stored in vesicles associated with the TGN
Authors: Ralston Evelyn , Ploug Thorkil 
Published: April 2021

ABSTRACT
There is little consensus on the nature of the storage compartment of the glucose transporter GLUT4, in non-stimulated cells of muscle and fat. More specifically, it is not known whether GLUT4 is localized to unique, specialized intracellular storage vesicles, or to vesicles that are part of the constitutive endosomal-lysosomal pathway. To address this question, we have investigated the localization of the endogenous GLUT4 in non-stimulated skeletal myotubes from the cell line C2, by immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy. We have used a panel of antibodies to markers of the Golgi complex (α mannosidase II and giantin), of the trans-Golgi network (TGN38), of lysosomes (lgp110), and of early and late endosomes (transferrin receptor and mannose-6-phosphate receptor, respectively), to define the position of their subcellular compartments. By immunofluorescence, GLUT4 appears concentrated in the core of the myotubes. It is primarily found around the nuclei, in a pattern suggesting an association with the Golgi complex, which is further supported by colocalization with giantin and by immunogold electron microscopy. GLUT4 appears to be in the trans-most cisternae of the Golgi complex and in vesicles just beyond, i.e. in the structures that constitute the trans-Golgi network (TGN). In myotubes treated with brefeldin A, the immunofluorescence pattern of GLUT4 is modified, but it differs from both Golgi complex markers and TGN38. Instead, it resembles the pattern of the transferrin receptor, which forms long tubules. In untreated cells, double staining for GLUT4 and transferrin receptor by immunofluorescence shows similar but distinct patterns. Immunoelectron microscopy localizes transferrin receptor, detected by immunoperoxidase, to large vesicles, presumably endosomes, very close to the GLUT4-containing tubulovesicular elements. In brefeldin A-treated cells, a network of tubules of ∼70 nm diameter, studded with varicosities, stains for both GLUT4 and transferrin receptor, suggesting that brefeldin A has caused fusion of the transferrin receptor and GLUT4-containing compartments. The results suggest that GLUT4 storage vesicles constitute a specialized compartment that is either a subset of the TGN, or is very closely linked to it. The link between GLUT4 vesicles and transferrin receptor containing endosomes, as revealed by brefeldin A, may be important for GLUT4 translocation in response to muscle stimulation.
Expression of a dominant negative cadherin mutant inhibits proliferation and stimulates terminal differentiation of human epidermal keratinocytes
Authors: Zhu Alan Jian , Watt Fiona M. 
Published: April 2021

ABSTRACT
Cell adhesion molecules are not only required for maintenance of tissue integrity, but also regulate many aspects of cell behaviour, including growth and differentiation. While the regulatory functions of integrin extracellular matrix receptors in keratinocytes are well established, such functions have not been investigated for the primary receptors that mediate keratinocyte intercellular adhesion, the cadherins. To examine cadherin function in normal human epidermal keratinocytes we used a retroviral vector to introduce a dominant negative E-cadherin mutant, consisting of the extracellular domain of H-2Kd and the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains of E-cadherin. As a control a vector containing the same construct, but with the catenin binding site destroyed, was prepared. High levels of expression of the constructs were achieved; the dominant negative mutant, but not the control, formed complexes with α-, β- and γ-catenin. In cells expressing the dominant negative mutant there was a 5-fold decrease in the level of endogenous cadherins and a 3-fold increase in the level of β-catenin. Cell-cell adhesion and stratification were inhibited by the dominant negative mutant and desmosome formation was reduced. Expression of the mutant resulted in reduced levels of the α2β1 and α3β1 integrins and increased cell motility, providing further evidence for cross-talk between cadherins and the β1 integrins. In view of the widely documented loss of E-cadherin in keratinocyte tumours it was surprising that the dominant negative mutant had an inhibitory effect on keratinocyte proliferation and stimulated terminal differentiation even under conditions in which intercellular adhesion was prevented. These results establish a role for cadherins in regulating keratinocyte growth and differentiation and raise interesting questions as to the relative importance of cell adhesion-dependent and-independent mechanisms.
The polarity of the plasma membrane protein RET-PE2 in retinal pigment epithelium is developmentally regulated
Authors: Marmorstein Alan D. , Bonilha Vera L. , Chiflet Silvia , Neill James M. , Rodriguez-Boulan Enrique 
Published: April 2021

ABSTRACT
The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) differs from other epithelia in that the apical surface is not free; instead, it interacts with both photoreceptors and a specialized extracellular material, the interphotoreceptor matrix. Biochemical characterization of the apical and basolateral surfaces of RPE in adult rat eye cups, using a novel in situ biotinylation assay, revealed very different protein compositions and identified a major surface antigen, RET-PE2, with a predominantly apical distribution (∼74%). The apical polarity of RET-PE2 was confirmed by immunofluorescence and laser scanning confocal microscopy. In striking contrast, RET-PE2 antigen was preferentially basolateral in primary cultures derived from adult rat RPE and in an immortalized RPE cell line (RPE-J). Under all conditions, RET-PE2 was highly soluble in Triton X-100 (&gt;81% at 4°C), suggesting that its redistribution was not dependent on changes in cytoskeletal interactions. Analysis of the localization of RET-PE2 in normal rats at postnatal (PN) days 1, 7, and 14 indicated that RET-PE2 redistributes from predominantly basolateral to predominantly apical during that time. Since photoreceptors develop during the first two weeks after birth in the rat, our results suggest that the apical redistribution of RET-PE2 is dependent on the establishment of adult interactions between the RPE and the neural retina and/or the interphotoreceptor matrix, either via direct contacts or through alterations in the intracellular sorting patterns of RPE cells.
A family of glycoproteins (GP55), which inhibit neurite outgrowth, are members of the Ig superfamily and are related to OBCAM, neurotrimin, LAMP and CEPU-1
Authors: Wilson D. J. A. , Kim D.-S. , Clarke G. A. , Marshall-Clarke S. , Moss D. J. 
Published: April 2021

ABSTRACT
We have previously identified a glycosylphosphatidylinosi-tol-linked glycoprotein of 55 kDa (Gp55) which inhibits neurite outgrowth. We now provide evidence that GP55, isolated from adult chick brain, consists of at least two bands, both of which are active, i.e. block outgrowth of neurites from chick dorsal root ganglion neurons. An antiserum raised against the adult proteins reverses the inhibition and preliminary experiments suggest that GP55 is restricted to the nervous system, increases during development from very low levels at embryonic day 10 and is most abundant after hatching. Immunofluorescence reveals that GP55 is expressed on neurons cultured from an embryonic day 14 chick brain but is barely detectable on embryonic day 10 dorsal root ganglion neurons or embryonic day 8 forebrain neurons; the neurons which respond to substratebound GP55. Peptide sequencing revealed considerable homology with OBCAM, a protein previously identified on the basis of binding opiates. Nested polymerase chain reaction using primers to the OBCAM sequence and internal primers to GP55 peptides produced two different polymerase chain reaction fragments with homology to OBCAM. A full length clone (E19S) corresponding to one polymerase chain reaction product and a partial length clone (E14S) corresponding to the second have been isolated from an embryonic chick brain library. Both are members of the immunoglobulin superfamily and have (or are expected to have) three C2 domains. E19S has 90% homology with LAMP at the amino acid level. This sequence only partially matches the peptides from the adult protein and hence is probably not a major component of the adult proteins. E14S (GP55-A) has 83% homology to OBCAM at the amino acid level over the region sequenced. The sequence matches several of the peptides from the adult protein and is hence likely to correspond to a major component of the adult proteins. Thus members of the GP55 family are related to OBCAM, neurotrimin, LAMP and a recently discovered chick protein CEPU-1. Our results suggest molecules within this family are capable of acting as cell adhesion molecules and inhibitors of neurite outgrowth.