Quantitative colocalization analysis of fluorescence microscopy images

Evidence of 14-3-3 proteins contributing to kinetochore integrity and chromosome congression during mitosis

The 14-3-3 family of proteins are conserved across eukaryotes and serve myriad important regulatory functions in the cell. Homo- and hetero-dimers of these proteins mainly recognize their ligands via conserved motifs to modulate the localization and functions of those effector ligands. In most of the genetic backgrounds of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, disruption of both 14-3-3 homologs (Bmh1 and Bmh2) are either lethal or cells survive with severe growth defects, including gross chromosomal missegregation and prolonged cell cycle arrest. To elucidate their contributions to chromosome segregation, in this work, we investigated their centromere- and kinetochore-related functions of Bmh1 and Bmh2. Analysis of appropriate deletion mutants shows that Bmh isoforms have cumulative and non-shared isoform-specific contributions in maintaining the proper integrity of the kinetochore ensemble. Consequently, Bmh mutant cells exhibited perturbations in kinetochore-microtubule (KT-MT) dynamics, characterized by kinetochore declustering, mis-localization of kinetochore proteins and Mad2-mediated transient G2/M arrest. These defects also caused an asynchronous chromosome congression in bmh mutants during metaphase. In summary, this report advances the knowledge on contributions of budding yeast 14-3-3 proteins in chromosome segregation by demonstrating their roles in kinetochore integrity and chromosome congression.

Impaired mitochondrial morphological plasticity and failure of mitophagy associated with the G11778A mutation of LHON

Mitochondrial dynamics were examined in human dermal fibroblasts biopsied from a confirmed Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) patient with a homoplasmic G11778A mutation of the mitochondrial genome. Expression of the G11778A mutation did not impart any discernible difference in mitochondrial network morphology using widefield fluorescence microscopy. However, at the ultrastructural level, cells expressing this mutation exhibited an impairment of mitochondrial morphological plasticity when forced to utilize oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) by transition to glucose-free, galactose-containing media. LHON fibroblasts also displayed a transient increase in mitophagy upon transition to galactose media. These results provide new insights into the consequences of the G11778A mutation of LHON and the pathological mechanisms underlying this disease.

Endogenous EWSR1 Exists in Two Visual Modalities That Reflect Its Associations with Nucleic Acids and Concentration at Sites of Active Transcription

EWSR1 is a member of the FET family of nucleic acid binding proteins that includes FUS and TAF15. Here, we report the systematic analysis of endogenous EWSR1's cellular organization in human cells. We demonstrate that EWSR1, which contains low complexity and nucleic acid binding domains, is present in cells in faster and slower-recovering fractions, indicative of a protein undergoing both rapid exchange and longer-term interactions. The employment of complementary high-resolution imaging approaches shows EWSR1 exists in two visual modalities, a distributed state which is present throughout the nucleoplasm, and a concentrated state consistent with the formation of foci. Both EWSR1 visual modalities localize with nascent RNA. EWSR1 foci concentrate in regions of euchromatin, adjacent to protein markers of transcriptional activation, and significantly colocalize with phosphorylated RNA polymerase II. Our results contribute to bridging the gap between our understanding of the biophysical and biochemical properties of FET proteins, including EWSR1, their functions as transcriptional regulators, and the participation of these proteins in tumorigenesis and neurodegenerative disease.

Novel Tools to Measure Single Molecules Colocalization in Fluorescence Nanoscopy by Image Cross Correlation Spectroscopy

Super Resolution Microscopy revolutionized the approach to the study of molecular interactions by providing new quantitative tools to describe the scale below 100 nanometers. Single Molecule Localization Microscopy (SMLM) reaches a spatial resolution less than 50 nm with a precision in calculating molecule coordinates between 10 and 20 nanometers. However new procedures are required to analyze data from the list of molecular coordinates created by SMLM. We propose new tools based on Image Cross Correlation Spectroscopy (ICCS) to quantify the colocalization of fluorescent signals at single molecule level. These analysis procedures have been inserted into an experimental pipeline to optimize the produced results. We show that Fluorescent NanoDiamonds targeted to an intracellular compartment can be employed (i) to correct spatial drift to maximize the localization precision and (ii) to register confocal and SMLM images in correlative multiresolution, multimodal imaging. We validated the ICCS based approach on defined biological control samples and showed its ability to quantitatively map area of interactions inside the cell. The produced results show that the ICCS analysis is an efficient tool to measure relative spatial distribution of different molecular species at the nanoscale.

Colocalization for super-resolution microscopy via optimal transport

Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy is a widely used technique in cell biology. Stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy enables the recording of multiple-color images with subdiffraction resolution. The enhanced resolution leads to new challenges regarding colocalization analysis of macromolecule distributions. We demonstrate that well-established methods for the analysis of colocalization in diffraction-limited datasets and for coordinate-stochastic nanoscopy are not equally well suited for the analysis of high-resolution STED images. We propose optimal transport colocalization, which measures the minimal transporting cost below a given spatial scale to match two protein intensity distributions. Its validity on simulated data as well as on dual-color STED recordings of yeast and mammalian cells is demonstrated. We also extend the optimal transport colocalization methodology to coordinate-stochastic nanoscopy.

Oxytocin-like signal regulates Lh cells directly but not Fsh cells in the ricefield eel Monopterus albus†

The synthesis and release of LH and FSH in the pituitary of vertebrates are differentially regulated during gonadal development and maturation. However, the underlying neuroendocrine mechanisms remain to be fully elucidated. The present study examined the possible involvement of isotocin (Ist), an oxytocin-like neuropeptide, in the regulation of Lh and Fsh in a teleost, the ricefield eel Monopterus albus. The immunoreactive isotocin receptor 2 (Istr2) was shown to be localized to Lh but not Fsh cells. In contrast, immunoreactive isotocin receptor 1 (Istr1) was not observed in either Lh or Fsh cells in the pituitary. Interestingly, Lh cells in female ricefield eels expressed Istr2 and secreted Lh in response to Ist challenge stage-dependently and in correlation with ovarian vitellogenesis. Moreover, Ist decreased Lh contents in the pituitary of female fish, indicating its stimulatory roles on Lh release in vivo. The induction of Lh release by Ist in dispersed pituitary cells was blocked by a PLC or IP3R inhibitor but not by a PKA or PKC inhibitor, indicating the involvement of the IP3/Ca2+ pathway. Collectively, the above results indicate that isotocin may bind to Istr2 to stimulate Lh release via the IP3/Ca2+ pathway, and play important roles in the ovarian maturation in ricefield eels. Furthermore, the present study suggests a novel neuroendocrine mechanism underlying the differential regulation of Lh and Fsh in vertebrates.

β-Arrestin2 is a critical component of the GPCR-eNOS signalosome

Endothelial cell nitric oxide (NO) synthase (eNOS), the enzyme responsible for synthesis of NO in endothelial cells, is regulated by complex posttranslational mechanisms. Sinusoidal portal hypertension, a disorder characterized by liver sinusoidal endothelial cell (SEC) injury with resultant reduced eNOS activity and NO production within the liver, has been associated with defects in eNOS protein-protein interactions and posttranslational modifications. We and others have previously identified novel eNOS interactors, including G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) kinase interactor 1 (GIT1), which we found to play an unexpected stimulatory role in GPCR-mediated eNOS signaling. Here we report that β-arrestin 2 (β-Arr2), a canonical GPCR signaling partner, localizes in SECs with eNOS in a GIT1/eNOS/NO signaling module. Most importantly, we show that β-Arr2 stimulates eNOS activity, and that β-Arr2 expression is reduced and formation of the GIT1/eNOS/NO signaling module is interrupted during liver injury. In β-Arr2-deficient mice, bile duct ligation injury (BDL) led to significantly reduced eNOS activity and to a dramatic increase in portal hypertension compared to BDL in wild-type mice. Overexpression of β-Arr2 in injured or β-Arr2-deficient SECs rescued eNOS function by increasing eNOS complex formation and NO production. We also found that β-Arr2-mediated GIT1/eNOS complex formation is dependent on Erk1/2 and Src, two kinases known to interact with and be activated by β-Arr2 in response to GCPR activation. Our data emphasize that β-Arr2 is an integral component of the GIT1/eNOS/NO signaling pathway and have implications for the pathogenesis of sinusoidal portal hypertension.

A schizophrenia associated CMYA5 allele displays differential binding with desmin

CMYA5 is a candidate gene for schizophrenia because of the genetic association of variant rs10043986 (C > T) to this severe mental disorder. Studies of CMYA5 and its gene product, myospryn, in the brain and neuronal cells have not been previously reported. The SNP rs10043986 changes the 4,063rd amino acid from Pro to Leu, which is likely to alter protein function. To understand its potential role in the brain, we examined the neuronal expression of myospryn and its binding partner, desmin, an intermediate filament (IF) protein, and investigated how the two alleles of myospryn affect its binding to desmin. Myospryn and desmin are shown to be expressed in the brain and myospryn is shown to localize to the cytoplasm and nucleus of myoblast, neuroblastoma, and glioblastoma cell lines. Peripherin and vimentin, known brain IF proteins, have high protein similarity to desmin but were found not to interact with myospryn using yeast two-hybrid (Y2H). Using a quantitative Y2H assay and surface plasmon resonance, the T allele (Leu) of rs10043986 was found to have stronger binding to desmin than the C allele (Pro). Based on findings described in this report, we hypothesize that the interaction between myospryn to IF provides structural support and efficient rearrangement of the cytoskeleton network during early neuritogenesis.

Quantitative colocalization analysis of DNA delivery by PEI-mediated cationic polymers in mammalian cells

Although cationic polymers are widely used for DNA delivery, the relationship between the properties of the formed complexes and their biological activity is not fully understood. Here, we propose a novel procedure consisting of superresolved images coupled with quantitative colocalization to analyse DNA release in living cells. This work compares the different workflows available in a quantitative colocalization study of DNA delivery using polyethylenimine as transfection reagent. A nimble workflow with deconvolution in three-dimensional images was developed. Among the different colocalization coefficients, Manders' colocalization coefficient was the best to track the complexes. Results showed that DNA/polyethylenimine complexes were tightly interacting at the time of transfection and their disassembly was observed between 2 and 10 h after their uptake. Heterogenicity was found in the intracellular fate of each complex. At 24 h, some complexes were still present underneath the nuclear envelope. Overall, this study opens the door for particle tracking assessment with three-dimensional imaging at intracellular level. LAY DESCRIPTION: DNA delivery technologies in living cells are of high relevance in the biotechnology field. The transient expression of a gene of interest enables the production of a wide range of new therapeutic candidates for clinical purposes. However, the introduction of an exogenous DNA construct into a cell culture requires the use of certain vehicles that protect the DNA from host cell DNases and deliver it into the cell nucleus. From the different systems available, polyethylenimine (PEI) has been extensively used in transient gene expression strategies for the last three decades. However, the intracellular fate of the formed DNA/PEI complexes and the DNA release from the complexes is still poorly understood. In this work, we propose the application of combined superresolved images through mathematical deconvolution to colocalization studies of DNA/PEI complexes evolution in living mammalian cell cultures. Both specimens were covalently labelled with Cy3 and Cy5 dye, respectively, and the kinetics of its disassembly process within the cells was tracked over the time. Because of the specific features of the formed-complexes, a comparative study of the different colocalization coefficients was performed towards optimizing the analysis of these particles with confocal microscopy. Besides, the 3D imaging of the process allowed the direct visualization of a partial DNA/PEI complexes disassembly and the location of those complexes underneath the nuclear envelope during the cell production phase (24 h after the uptake).

Cell Adhesion Activity of Peptides Conjugated to Polysaccharides

Many cell-adhesive peptides have been identified from extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, such as collagen, fibronectin, laminin, and vitronectin. ECM proteins have various cell-adhesive sequences. Most peptides demonstrate cell-adhesive activity when simply coated on a tissue culture plate, but solubility, conformation, and coating efficiency of the peptides can significantly alter their biological function. Evaluation of peptide cell-adhesive activity using peptide-conjugated polysaccharide constructs is a useful strategy for overcoming peptide solubility and conformation problems. After a simple modification of the polysaccharides, various polysaccharides (chitosan, alginate, and hyaluronate) can fix the peptides on the tissue culture plate quantitatively. The peptide-polysaccharide strategy can be used to fix different active peptides to the polysaccharide at same time, thus, mimicking the biological functions of the ECM. This paper describes the modification of polysaccharides that are suitable for covalently coupling the peptides and evaluation of the cell-adhesive activity of peptide as a peptide-polysaccharide matrix. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Visualization of Double-Stranded RNA Colocalizing With Pattern Recognition Receptors in Arenavirus Infected Cells

An important step in the initiation of the innate immune response to virus infection is the recognition of non-self, viral RNA, including double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), by cytoplasmic pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). For many positive-sense RNA viruses and DNA viruses, the production of viral dsRNA, and the interaction of viral dsRNA and PRRs are well characterized. However, for negative-sense RNA viruses, viral dsRNA was thought to be produced at low to undetectable levels and PRR recognition of viral dsRNA is still largely unclear. In the case of arenaviruses, the nucleocaspid protein (NP) has been identified to contain an exoribonuclease activity that preferentially degrades dsRNA in biochemical studies. Nevertheless, pathogenic New World (NW) arenavirus infections readily induce an interferon (IFN) response in a RIG-I dependent manner, and also activate the dsRNA-dependent Protein Kinase R (PKR). To better understand the innate immune response to pathogenic arenavirus infection, we used a newly identified dsRNA-specific antibody that efficiently detects viral dsRNA in negative-sense RNA virus infected cells. dsRNA was detected in NW arenavirus infected cells colocalizing with virus NP in immunofluorescence assay. Importantly, the dsRNA signals also colocalized with cytoplasmic PRRs, namely, PKR, RIG-I and MDA-5, as well as with the phosphorylated, activated form of PKR in infected cells. Our data clearly demonstrate the PRR recognition of dsRNA and their activation in NW arenavirus infected cells. These findings provide new insights into the interaction between NW arenaviruses and the host innate immune response.

Cathepsin B plays a key role in optimal production of the influenza A virus

Background

Influenza A virus (IAV) is the etiologic agent of the febrile respiratory illness, commonly referred to as 'flu'. The lysosomal protease cathepsin B (CTSB) has shown to be involved in the lifecycle of various viruses. Here, we examined the role of CTSB in the IAV lifecycle.

Methods

CTSB-deficient (CTSB^-/-) macrophages and the human lung epithelial cell line A549 cells treated with CA-074Me were infected with the A/Puerto Rico/8/34 strain of IAV (IAV-PR8). Viral entry and propagation were measured through quantitative real-time RT-PCR; production and localization of hemagglutinin (HA) protein in the infected host cells were analysed by Western blots, flow cytometry and confocal microscopy; production of progeny viruses were measured by a hemagglutination assay.

Results

CTSB^-/- macrophages and CA-074Me-treated A549 cells had no defects in incorporating IAV-PR8 virions and permitting viral RNA synthesis. However, these cells produced significantly lower amounts of HA protein and progeny virions than wild-type or untreated cells.

Conclusion

These data indicate that CTSB is involved in the expression of IAV-PR8 HA protein and subsequent optimal production of IAV-PR8 progeny virions. Targeting CTSB can be a novel therapeutic strategy for treating IAV infection.

Neurons of the rat cervical spinal cord express vimentin and neurofilament after intraparenchymal injection of kainic acid

Intermediate filaments (IF) can be altered under disorders such as neurodegenerative diseases. Kainic acid (KA) induce behavioral changes and histopathological alterations of the spinal cord of injected rats. Our goal was to evaluate the IF expression in neurons during this injury model. Animals were injected with KA at the C5 segment of the cervical spinal cord and euthanized at 1, 3 and 7 post injection (pi) days. Neuronal cell counting showed a significant loss of neurons at the injection site when compared with those of sham and non-operated animals. Immunohistochemistry for vimentin and neurofilament showed positive labeling of perikarya in sham and KA-injected animals since day 1 pi that lasted for the remaining experimental days. Colocalization analysis between enolase and vimentin or neurofilament confirmed a high index of colocalization in both experimental groups at day 1 pi. This index decreased in sham animals by day 3 pi whereas that of KA-injected animals remained high throughout the experiment. These results may suggest that perikarya initiate an unconventional IF expression, which may respond to the neuronal damage induced by the mechanical injury and the excitotoxic effect of KA. It seems that vimentin and neurofilament expression may be a necessary change to promote recovery of the damaged tissue.

Fluorescence colocalization microscopy analysis can be improved by combining object-recognition with pixel-intensity-correlation

The question whether two proteins interact with each other or whether a protein localizes to a certain region of the cell is often addressed with fluorescence microscopy and analysis of a potential colocalization of fluorescence markers. Since a mere visual estimation does not allow quantification of the degree of colocalization, different statistical methods of pixel-intensity correlation are commonly used to score it. We observed that these correlation coefficients are prone to false positive results and tend to show high values even for molecules that reside in different organelles. Our aim was to improve this type of analysis and we developed a novel method combining object-recognition based colocalization analysis with pixel-intensity correlation to calculate an object-corrected Pearson coefficient. We designed a macro for the Fiji-version of the software ImageJ and tested the performance systematically with various organelle markers revealing an improved robustness of our approach over classical methods. In order to prove that colocalization does not necessarily mean a physical interaction, we performed FRET (fluorescence resonance energy transfer) microscopy. This confirmed that non-interacting molecules can exhibit a nearly complete colocalization, but that they do not show any significant FRET signal in contrast to proteins that are bound to each other.

Actin activates Pseudomonas aeruginosa ExoY nucleotidyl cyclase toxin and ExoY-like effector domains from MARTX toxins

The nucleotidyl cyclase toxin ExoY is one of the virulence factors injected by the Pseudomonas aeruginosa type III secretion system into host cells. Inside cells, it is activated by an unknown eukaryotic cofactor to synthesize various cyclic nucleotide monophosphates. ExoY-like adenylate cyclases are also found in Multifunctional-Autoprocessing Repeats-in-ToXin (MARTX) toxins produced by various Gram-negative pathogens. Here we demonstrate that filamentous actin (F-actin) is the hitherto unknown cofactor of ExoY. Association with F-actin stimulates ExoY activity more than 10,000 fold in vitro and results in stabilization of actin filaments. ExoY is recruited to actin filaments in transfected cells and alters F-actin turnover. Actin also activates an ExoY-like adenylate cyclase MARTX effector domain from Vibrio nigripulchritudo. Finally, using a yeast genetic screen, we identify actin mutants that no longer activate ExoY. Our results thus reveal a new sub-group within the class II adenylyl cyclase family, namely actin-activated nucleotidyl cyclase (AA-NC) toxins.

Silencing of hepatitis C virus replication by a non-viral vector based on solid lipid nanoparticles containing a shRNA targeted to the internal ribosome entry site (IRES)

Gene silencing mediated by RNAi has gained increasing interest as an alternative for the treatment of infectious diseases such as refractory hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. In this work we have designed and evaluated a non-viral vector based on solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) bearing hyaluronic acid, protamine and a short hairpin RNA (shRNA74) targeted to the Internal Ribosome Entry Site (IRES) of the HCV. The vector was able to inhibit the expression of the HCV IRES in Huh-7 cells, with the inhibition level dependent on the shRNA74 to SLN ratio and on the shRNA74 dose added to the culture cells. The nanocarrier was also able to inhibit the replication in human hepatoma cells supporting a subgenomic HCV replicon (Huh-7 NS3-3'). The vector was quickly and efficiently internalized by the cells, and endocytosis was the most productive uptake mechanism for silencing. Clathrin-mediated endocytosis and to a lesser extent caveolae/lipid raft-mediated endocytosis were identified as endocytic mechanisms involved in the cell uptake. Internalization via the CD44 receptor was also involved, although this entry route seems to be less productive for silencing than endocytosis. The vector did not induce either hemolysis or agglutination of red cells in vitro, which was indicative of good biocompatibility. In summary, we have shown for the first time the ability of a non-viral SLN-based vector to silence a HCV replicon.

Stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy-based relative localization analysis (STORM-RLA) for quantitative nanoscale assessment of spatial protein organization

Stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy–based relative localization analysis (STORM-RLA) is a novel method for the high-throughput quantification of spatial protein organization from three-dimensional single-molecule positional data.

The spatial association between proteins is crucial to understanding how they function in biological systems. Colocalization analysis of fluorescence microscopy images is widely used to assess this. However, colocalization analysis performed on two-dimensional images with diffraction-limited resolution merely indicates that the proteins are within 200–300 nm of each other in the xy-plane and within 500–700 nm of each other along the z-axis. Here we demonstrate a novel three-dimensional quantitative analysis applicable to single-molecule positional data: stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy–based relative localization analysis (STORM-RLA). This method offers significant advantages: 1) STORM imaging affords 20-nm resolution in the xy-plane and <50 nm along the z-axis; 2) STORM-RLA provides a quantitative assessment of the frequency and degree of overlap between clusters of colabeled proteins; and 3) STORM-RLA also calculates the precise distances between both overlapping and nonoverlapping clusters in three dimensions. Thus STORM-RLA represents a significant advance in the high-throughput quantitative assessment of the spatial organization of proteins.

Unparalleled Ease of Access to a Library of Biheteroaryl Fluorophores via Oxidative Cross-Coupling Reactions: Discovery of Photostable NIR Probe for Mitochondria

The development of straightforward accesses to organic functional materials through C-H activation is a revolutionary trend in organic synthesis. In this article, we propose a concise strategy to construct a large library of donor-acceptor-type biheteroaryl fluorophores via the palladium-catalyzed oxidative C-H/C-H cross-coupling of electron-deficient 2H-indazoles with electron-rich heteroarenes. The directly coupled biheteroaryl fluorophores, named Indazo-Fluors, exhibit continuously tunable full-color emissions with quantum yields up to 93% and large Stokes shifts up to 8705 cm(-1) in CH2Cl2. By further fine-tuning of the substituent on the core skeleton, Indazo-Fluor 3l (FW = 274; λem = 725 nm) is obtained as the lowest molecular weight near-infrared (NIR) fluorophore with emission wavelength over 720 nm in the solid state. The NIR dye 5h specifically lights up mitochondria in living cells with bright red luminescence. Typically, commercially available mitochondria trackers suffer from poor photostability. Indazo-Fluor 5h exhibits superior photostability and very low cytotoxicity, which would be a prominent reagent for in vivo mitochondria imaging.

The Sec2 translocase of the chloroplast inner envelope contains a unique and dedicated SECE2 component

Biogenesis of chloroplasts involves a series of protein trafficking events. Nuclear-encoded proteins are imported into the organelle, and then trafficked to various chloroplast locations by systems that are directly homologous to bacterial systems. Although the thylakoid-based systems have been studied extensively, much less is known about the systems that reside and function in the inner envelope membrane. One such system, the Sec2 system, is homologous to both the thylakoid-based Sec1 system and bacterial Sec systems, and may mediate both integration and translocation across the inner envelope. At a minimum, this system is expected to include three components, but only two, SCY2 and SECA2, have been identified in Arabidopsis. Bioinformatics and protein modeling were used to identify the protein encoded by At4g38490 as a candidate for the missing component (SECE2). Cellular localization, biochemistry, protein interaction assays in yeast, and co-immunoprecipitation experiments were used to establish that this protein is an integral membrane protein of the inner envelope, and specifically interacts with the SCY2 component in vivo. Sequence analyses indicated that SECE2 proteins are found in a variety of plants, and differ from the thylakoid SECE1 proteins in a stroma-exposed helical domain, which may contribute to their specificity. Finally, a genetic analysis indicated that SECE2 plays an essential role in plant growth and development.

Dehydroepiandrosterone prevents linoleic acid-induced endothelial cell senescence by increasing autophagy

BACKGROUND

Autophagy has emerged as a potentially important factor in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is an adrenal steroid of great recent interest due to its anti-aging and anti-atherogenic effects; however, little is known about its role in autophagy and endothelial senescence.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate whether DHEA prevents linoleic acid (LA)-induced endothelial senescence by enhancing autophagy.

MATERIALS/METHODS

After pre-treatement with or without DHEA prior to LA treatment in human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs), the level of senescence was compared by senescence-associated acidic β-galactosidase (SA-β-Gal) staining and hyperphosphorylated pRB (ppRB) protein level. Autophagy was detected by LC3 conversion and measuring the level of p62/SQSTM1 (sequestosome 1), a protein degraded by autophagy. The fusion of autophagosome and lysosome was confirmed by fluorescence microscopy.

RESULTS

Pre-treatment with DHEA inhibited LA-induced endothelial senescence. DHEA increased the conversion of LC3-I to LC3-II and decreased the level of p62 in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Although both DHEA and LA treatment increased the conversion of LC3-I to LC3-II, treatment of LA increased p62 and decreased fusion of autophagosome and lysosome, which reflected decreased autophagic flux. However, pre-treatment with DHEA restored autophagic flux inhibited by LA. When we evaluated signaling pathways, we found that JNK activation involved in LC3 conversion induced by DHEA.

CONCLUSION

DHEA prevents LA-induced endothelial senescence by restoring autophagy and autophagic flux through JNK activation.

Conserved expression of the GPR151 receptor in habenular axonal projections of vertebrates

The habenula is a phylogenetically conserved brain structure in the epithalamus. It is a major node in the information flow between fronto-limbic brain regions and monoaminergic brainstem nuclei, and is thus anatomically and functionally ideally positioned to regulate emotional, motivational, and cognitive behaviors. Consequently, the habenula may be critically important in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders such as addiction and depression. Here we investigated the expression pattern of GPR151, a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), whose mRNA has been identified as highly and specifically enriched in habenular neurons by in situ hybridization and translating ribosome affinity purification (TRAP). In the present immunohistochemical study we demonstrate a pronounced and highly specific expression of the GPR151 protein in the medial and lateral habenula of rodent brain. Specific expression was also seen in efferent habenular fibers projecting to the interpeduncular nucleus, the rostromedial tegmental area, the rhabdoid nucleus, the mesencephalic raphe nuclei, and the dorsal tegmental nucleus. Using confocal microscopy and quantitative colocalization analysis, we found that GPR151-expressing axons and terminals overlap with cholinergic, substance P-ergic, and glutamatergic markers. Virtually identical expression patterns were observed in rat, mouse, and zebrafish brains. Our data demonstrate that GPR151 is highly conserved, specific for a subdivision of the habenular neurocircuitry, and constitutes a promising novel target for psychiatric drug development.