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Karasev MM, Baloban M, Verkhusha VV, Shcherbakova DM. Nuclear Localization Signals for Optimization of Genetically Encoded Tools in Neurons. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:931237. [PMID: 35927988 PMCID: PMC9344056 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.931237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Nuclear transport in neurons differs from that in non-neuronal cells. Here we developed a non-opsin optogenetic tool (OT) for the nuclear export of a protein of interest induced by near-infrared (NIR) light. In darkness, nuclear import reverses the OT action. We used this tool for comparative analysis of nuclear transport dynamics mediated by nuclear localization signals (NLSs) with different importin specificities. We found that widely used KPNA2-binding NLSs, such as Myc and SV40, are suboptimal in neurons. We identified uncommon NLSs mediating fast nuclear import and demonstrated that the performance of the OT for nuclear export can be adjusted by varying NLSs. Using these NLSs, we optimized the NIR OT for light-controlled gene expression for lower background and higher contrast in neurons. The selected NLSs binding importins abundant in neurons could improve performance of genetically encoded tools in these cells, including OTs and gene-editing tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maksim M. Karasev
- Medicum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mikhail Baloban
- Department of Genetics and Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
| | - Vladislav V. Verkhusha
- Medicum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Genetics and Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
| | - Daria M. Shcherbakova
- Department of Genetics and Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
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C/EBPα-mediated transcriptional activation of miR-134-5p entails KPNA3 inhibition and modulates focal hypoxic-ischemic brain damage in neonatal rats. Brain Res Bull 2020; 164:350-360. [PMID: 32814091 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2020.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Revised: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) is a frequent cause of mortality and neurological handicaps in infants and children worldwide. To understand better the pathogenesis and management of HIBD, we established a HIBD model by common carotid artery ligation followed by systemic hypoxia in neonatal rats, and in other studies induced neuronal death in rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells by 12 h of oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD). The level of KPNA3 declined in rats following experimental HIBD and in PC12 cells following OGD. KPNA3 overexpression protected neonatal rats against HIBD and PC12 cells against OGD-induced cell death. KPNA3 demonstrated to be the target of miR-134-5p could be activated by the transcriptional factor CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha (C/EBPα). The expression of miR-134-5p and C/EBPα was elevated in rats following experimental HIBD and in PC12 cells following OGD. In the parallel experiments, C/EBPα knockdown and miR-134 inhibition protected against HIBD pathology in neonatal rats and against OGD-induced neuronal death in PC12 cells. These findings reveal that the C/EBPα/miR-134-5p/KPNA3 axis mediates hypoxic-ischemic brain damage and neuronal death, thus presenting a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of human newborns at risk for HIBD.
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Zhang D, Xu Z, Tao T, Liu X, Sun X, Ji Y, Han L, Qiu H, Zhu G, Shen Y, Zhu L, Shen A. Modification of TAK1 by O-linked N-acetylglucosamine facilitates TAK1 activation and promotes M1 macrophage polarization. Cell Signal 2016; 28:1742-52. [PMID: 27542620 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2016.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2016] [Revised: 08/03/2016] [Accepted: 08/14/2016] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Macrophages play many different roles in tissue inflammation and immunity, and the plasticity of macrophage polarization is closely associated with acute inflammatory responses. O-GlcNAcylation is an important type of post-translational modification, which subtly modulates inflammation responses. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β-activated kinase 1 (TAK1) is a key serine/threonine protein kinase that mediates signals transduced by pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TGF-β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and interleukin-1 (IL-1). It is here reported that TGFβ-activated kinase (TAK1) is modified with N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) on S427. Both IL-1 and osmotic stress, which are known as the TAK1-signaling inducers, significantly trigger the O-GlcNAcylation of TAK1 in macrophages. By overexpressing wild-type (WT) or S427A TAK1 mutant into macrophages, it was determined that O-GlcNAcylation of TAK1 on S427 is required for T187/S192 phosphorylation and full activation of TAK1 upon stimulation with IL-1α and NaCl. Aborting O-GlcNAcylation of TAK1 on S427 was found to inhibit the downstream JNK and nuclear factor-κB activation and reduce the final amount of cytokines produced in activated macrophages to a great extent. Results also showed that overexpression of the O-GlcNAcylation-deficient mutant of TAK1 promotes LPS-mediated apoptosis in macrophages. Importantly, TAK1 O-GlcNAcylation was found to promote M1 macrophage polarization in activated macrophages. Taken together, these data demonstrate that O-GlcNAcylation of TAK1 on S427 critically regulates the pro-inflammatory activation and M1 polarization of macrophages via modulation of the TAK1/JNK/NF-κB signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongmei Zhang
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Medical College, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu Province, China; Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Inflammation and Molecular Drug Target, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Zhiwei Xu
- Department of Immunology, Medical College, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu Province, China; Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Inflammation and Molecular Drug Target, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Tao Tao
- Department of Immunology, Medical College, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu Province, China; Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Inflammation and Molecular Drug Target, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Xiaojuan Liu
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Medical College, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu Province, China; Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Inflammation and Molecular Drug Target, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Xiaolei Sun
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Medical College, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu Province, China; Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Inflammation and Molecular Drug Target, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Yuhong Ji
- Department of Immunology, Medical College, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Lijian Han
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Inflammation and Molecular Drug Target, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Huiyuan Qiu
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Inflammation and Molecular Drug Target, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Guizhou Zhu
- Department of Immunology, Medical College, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Yifen Shen
- Department of Immunology, Medical College, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Liang Zhu
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Inflammation and Molecular Drug Target, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Aiguo Shen
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Inflammation and Molecular Drug Target, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu Province, China; Coinnovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu Province, China.
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CD109 Mediates Cell Survival in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells. Dig Dis Sci 2016; 61:2303-2314. [PMID: 27074923 DOI: 10.1007/s10620-016-4149-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2015] [Accepted: 03/28/2016] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for 75-80 % of primary liver cancer, and usually arises after years of liver disease. Thus it is important to understand the molecular mechanisms which drive or mediate the development of HCC. AIM In this work, we examined whether CD109 was associated with a poor prognosis in HCC and explored possible underlying mechanisms. METHODS We examined the CD109 and Ki67 expression levels in 97 patients with HCC using immunohistochemistry. CD109 levels in HCC cells were down-regulated by shRNA transfection. The cycle progression and cell proliferation status of HCC cells were evaluated by flow cytometry and CCK-8 assay. The effect of CD109 on proliferation and apoptosis was investigated by western blot and TUNEL activity assays. RESULTS The CD109 protein was up-regulated in HCC tissue compared with adjacent noncancerous tissue. CD109 expression levels in the 97 patients with HCC were positively correlated with histological grade. Univariate and multivariate survival analysis revealed that CD109 was a significant predictor of overall survival among HCC patients. CD109 shRNA knockdown delayed the G1-S phase transition, abrogated cell proliferation, and increased cell apoptosis. Furthermore, CD109 impaired TGF-β/Smad signaling through control of p-smad2. CONCLUSIONS CD109 promoted HCC proliferation and predicted poor prognosis. In addition, CD109 expression was associated with anti-apoptosis in HCC cells.
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