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Sakai K, Aoki K, Goto Y. Live-cell fluorescence imaging and optogenetic control of PKA kinase activity in fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Yeast 2024; 41:349-363. [PMID: 38583078 DOI: 10.1002/yea.3937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024] Open
Abstract
The cAMP-PKA signaling pathway plays a crucial role in sensing and responding to nutrient availability in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. This pathway monitors external glucose levels to control cell growth and sexual differentiation. However, the temporal dynamics of the cAMP-PKA pathway in response to external stimuli remains unclear mainly due to the lack of tools to quantitatively visualize the activity of the pathway. Here, we report the development of the kinase translocation reporter (KTR)-based biosensor spPKA-KTR1.0, which allows us to measure the dynamics of PKA activity in fission yeast cells. The spPKA-KTR1.0 is derived from the transcription factor Rst2, which translocates from the nucleus to the cytoplasm upon PKA activation. We found that spPKA-KTR1.0 translocates between the nucleus and cytoplasm in a cAMP-PKA pathway-dependent manner, indicating that the spPKA-KTR1.0 is a reliable indicator of the PKA activity in fission yeast cells. In addition, we implemented a system that simultaneously visualizes and manipulates the cAMP-PKA signaling dynamics by introducing bPAC, a photoactivatable adenylate cyclase, in combination with spPKA-KTR1.0. This system offers an opportunity for investigating the role of the signaling dynamics of the cAMP-PKA pathway in fission yeast cells with higher temporal resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keiichiro Sakai
- Quantitative Biology Research Group, Department of Creative Research, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
- Division of Quantitative Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Aoki
- Quantitative Biology Research Group, Department of Creative Research, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
- Division of Quantitative Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
- Department of Basic Biology, School of Life Science, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
- Center for Living Systems Information Science, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Division of Integrated Life Science, Department of Gene Mechanisms, Laboratory of Cell Cycle Regulation, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Yuhei Goto
- Quantitative Biology Research Group, Department of Creative Research, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
- Division of Quantitative Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
- Department of Basic Biology, School of Life Science, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
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2
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Vettorazzi M, Díaz I, Angelina E, Salido S, Gutierrez L, Alvarez SE, Cobo J, Enriz RD. Second generation of pyrimidin-quinolone hybrids obtained from virtual screening acting as sphingosine kinase 1 inhibitors and potential anticancer agents. Bioorg Chem 2024; 144:107112. [PMID: 38237390 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2024.107112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
We report here the virtual screening design, synthesis and activity of eight new inhibitors of SphK1. For this study we used a pre-trained Graph Convolutional Network (GCN) combined with docking calculations. This exploratory analysis proposed nine compounds from which eight displayed significant inhibitory effect against sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1) demonstrating a high level of efficacy for this approach. Four of these compounds also displayed anticancer activity against different tumor cell lines, and three of them (5), (6) and (7) have shown a wide inhibitory action against many of the cancer cell line tested, with GI50 below 5 µM, being (5) the most promising with TGI below 10 µM for the half of cell lines. Our results suggest that the three most promising compounds reported here are the pyrimidine-quinolone hybrids (1) and (6) linked by p-aminophenylsulfanyl and o-aminophenol fragments respectively, and (8) without such aryl linker. We also performed an exhaustive study about the molecular interactions that stabilize the different ligands at the binding site of SphK1. This molecular modeling analysis was carried out by using combined techniques: docking calculations, MD simulations and QTAIM analysis. In this study we also included PF543, as reference compound, in order to better understand the molecular behavior of these ligands at the binding site of SphK1.These results provide useful information for the design of new inhibitors of SphK1 possessing these structural scaffolds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcela Vettorazzi
- Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Ejercito de los Andes 950, (5700) San Luis, Argentina; Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas (IMIBIO-SL), Ejercito de los Andes 950, (5700) San Luis, Argentina
| | - Iván Díaz
- Universidad de Jaén, Departamento de Química Inorgánica y Orgánica, Campus Las Lagunillas s/n, 23071 Jaén, Spain
| | - Emilio Angelina
- Universidad Nacional del Nordeste, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales y Agrimensura, Departamento de Química, Área de Química Física, Laboratorio de Estructura Molecular y Propiedades, Avda. Libertad 5460, 3400 Corrientes, Argentina
| | - Sofía Salido
- Universidad de Jaén, Departamento de Química Inorgánica y Orgánica, Campus Las Lagunillas s/n, 23071 Jaén, Spain
| | - Lucas Gutierrez
- Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Ejercito de los Andes 950, (5700) San Luis, Argentina; Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas (IMIBIO-SL), Ejercito de los Andes 950, (5700) San Luis, Argentina
| | - Sergio E Alvarez
- Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Ejercito de los Andes 950, (5700) San Luis, Argentina; Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas (IMIBIO-SL), Ejercito de los Andes 950, (5700) San Luis, Argentina
| | - Justo Cobo
- Universidad de Jaén, Departamento de Química Inorgánica y Orgánica, Campus Las Lagunillas s/n, 23071 Jaén, Spain.
| | - Ricardo D Enriz
- Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Ejercito de los Andes 950, (5700) San Luis, Argentina; Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas (IMIBIO-SL), Ejercito de los Andes 950, (5700) San Luis, Argentina.
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Maekawa Y, Matsui K, Okamoto K, Shimasaki T, Ohtsuka H, Tani M, Ihara K, Aiba H. Identification of plb1 mutation that extends longevity via activating Sty1 MAPK in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Mol Genet Genomics 2024; 299:20. [PMID: 38424265 DOI: 10.1007/s00438-024-02107-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
To understand the lifespan of higher organisms, including humans, it is important to understand lifespan at the cellular level as a prerequisite. So, fission yeast is a good model organism for the study of lifespan. To identify the novel factors involved in longevity, we are conducting a large-scale screening of long-lived mutant strains that extend chronological lifespan (cell survival in the stationary phase) using fission yeast. One of the newly acquired long-lived mutant strains (No.98 mutant) was selected for analysis and found that the long-lived phenotype was due to a missense mutation (92Phe → Ile) in the plb1+ gene. plb1+ gene in fission yeast is a nonessential gene encoding a homolog of phospholipase B, but its functions under normal growth conditions, as well as phospholipase B activity, remain unresolved. Our analysis of the No.98 mutant revealed that the plb1 mutation reduces the integrity of the cellular membrane and cell wall and activates Sty1 via phosphorylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasukichi Maekawa
- Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya University, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Kotaro Matsui
- Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya University, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Keisuke Okamoto
- Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya University, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Takafumi Shimasaki
- Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya University, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Hokuto Ohtsuka
- Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya University, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Motohiro Tani
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Kyushu University, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Kunio Ihara
- Center for Gene Research, Nagoya University, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Hirofumi Aiba
- Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya University, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8601, Japan.
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Sugiyama H, Goto Y, Kondo Y, Coudreuse D, Aoki K. Live-cell imaging defines a threshold in CDK activity at the G2/M transition. Dev Cell 2024; 59:545-557.e4. [PMID: 38228139 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2023.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) determines the temporal ordering of the cell cycle phases. However, despite significant progress in studying regulators of CDK and phosphorylation patterns of CDK substrates at the population level, it remains elusive how CDK regulators coordinately affect CDK activity at the single-cell level and how CDK controls the temporal order of cell cycle events. Here, we elucidate the dynamics of CDK activity in fission yeast and mammalian cells by developing a CDK activity biosensor, Eevee-spCDK. We find that although CDK activity does not necessarily correlate with cyclin levels, it converges to the same level around mitotic onset in several mutant backgrounds, including pom1Δ cells and wee1 or cdc25 overexpressing cells. These data provide direct evidence that cells enter the M phase when CDK activity reaches a high threshold, consistent with the quantitative model of cell cycle progression in fission yeast.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hironori Sugiyama
- Quantitative Biology Research Group, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
| | - Yuhei Goto
- Quantitative Biology Research Group, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan; Division of Quantitative Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan; Basic Biology Program, Graduate Institute for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
| | - Yohei Kondo
- Quantitative Biology Research Group, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan; Division of Quantitative Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan; Basic Biology Program, Graduate Institute for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
| | - Damien Coudreuse
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cellular Genetics, UMR 5095, CNRS, Bordeaux University, 33077 Bordeaux, France
| | - Kazuhiro Aoki
- Quantitative Biology Research Group, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan; Division of Quantitative Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan; Basic Biology Program, Graduate Institute for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan.
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5
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Nakamura A, Goto Y, Sugiyama H, Tsukiji S, Aoki K. Chemogenetic Manipulation of Endogenous Proteins in Fission Yeast Using a Self-Localizing Ligand-Induced Protein Translocation System. ACS Chem Biol 2023; 18:2506-2515. [PMID: 37990966 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.3c00478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Cells sense extracellular stimuli through membrane receptors and process information through an intracellular signaling network. Protein translocation triggers intracellular signaling, and techniques such as chemically induced dimerization (CID) have been used to manipulate signaling pathways by altering the subcellular localization of signaling molecules. However, in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the commonly used FKBP-FRB system has technical limitations, and therefore, perturbation tools with low cytotoxicity and high temporal resolution are needed. We here applied our recently developed self-localizing ligand-induced protein translocation (SLIPT) system to S. pombe and successfully perturbed several cell cycle-related proteins. The SLIPT system utilizes self-localizing ligands to recruit binding partners to specific subcellular compartments such as the plasma membrane or nucleus. We optimized the self-localizing ligands to maintain the long-term recruitment of target molecules to the plasma membrane. By knocking in genes encoding the binding partners for self-localizing ligands, we observed changes in the localization of several endogenous molecules and found perturbations in the cell cycle and associated phenotypes. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of the SLIPT system as a chemogenetic tool for rapid perturbation of endogenous molecules in S. pombe, providing a valuable approach for studying intracellular signaling and cell cycle regulation with an improved temporal resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akinobu Nakamura
- Quantitative Biology Research Group, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
| | - Yuhei Goto
- Quantitative Biology Research Group, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
- Division of Quantitative Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
- Department of Basic Biology, School of Life Science, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
| | - Hironori Sugiyama
- Quantitative Biology Research Group, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
| | - Shinya Tsukiji
- Department of Nanopharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Gokiso-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8555, Japan
- Department of Life Science and Applied Chemistry, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Gokiso-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8555, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Aoki
- Quantitative Biology Research Group, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
- Division of Quantitative Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
- Department of Basic Biology, School of Life Science, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji-cho, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
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6
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Otsubo Y, Yamashita A, Goto Y, Sakai K, Iida T, Yoshimura S, Johzuka K. Cellular responses to compound stress induced by atmospheric-pressure plasma in fission yeast. J Cell Sci 2023; 136:jcs261292. [PMID: 37990810 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.261292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The stress response is one of the most fundamental cellular processes. Although the molecular mechanisms underlying responses to a single stressor have been extensively studied, cellular responses to multiple stresses remain largely unknown. Here, we characterized fission yeast cellular responses to a novel stress inducer, non-thermal atmospheric-pressure plasma. Plasma irradiation generates ultraviolet radiation, electromagnetic fields and a variety of chemically reactive species simultaneously, and thus can impose multiple stresses on cells. We applied direct plasma irradiation to fission yeast and showed that strong plasma irradiation inhibited fission yeast growth. We demonstrated that mutants lacking sep1 and ace2, both of which encode transcription factors required for proper cell separation, were resistant to plasma irradiation. Sep1-target transcripts were downregulated by mild plasma irradiation. We also demonstrated that plasma irradiation inhibited the target of rapamycin kinase complex 1 (TORC1). These observations indicate that two pathways, namely the Sep1-Ace2 cell separation pathway and TORC1 pathway, operate when fission yeast cope with multiple stresses induced by plasma irradiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoko Otsubo
- Interdisciplinary Research Unit, National Institute for Basic Biology, Nishigonaka 38, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan
| | - Akira Yamashita
- Interdisciplinary Research Unit, National Institute for Basic Biology, Nishigonaka 38, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan
- Center for Low-temperature Plasma Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan
| | - Yuhei Goto
- Quantitative Biology Research Group, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
- Division of Quantitative Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
- Department of Basic Biology, School of Life Science, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Nishigonaka 38, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan
| | - Keiichiro Sakai
- Quantitative Biology Research Group, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
- Division of Quantitative Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
- Department of Basic Biology, School of Life Science, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Nishigonaka 38, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan
| | - Tetsushi Iida
- Gene Engineering Division, RIKEN BioResource Research Center (BRC), 3-1-1 Koyadai, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki 305-0074, Japan
| | - Shinji Yoshimura
- Center for Low-temperature Plasma Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan
- National Institute for Fusion Science, 322-6 Oroshi, Toki, Gifu 509-5292, Japan
| | - Katsuki Johzuka
- Interdisciplinary Research Unit, National Institute for Basic Biology, Nishigonaka 38, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan
- Department of Basic Biology, School of Life Science, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Nishigonaka 38, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan
- Astrobiology Center, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Nishigonaka 38, Myodaiji, Aichi 444-8585, Japan
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7
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Oda S, Sato-Ebine E, Nakamura A, Kimura KD, Aoki K. Optical Control of Cell Signaling with Red/Far-Red Light-Responsive Optogenetic Tools in Caenorhabditis elegans. ACS Synth Biol 2023; 12:700-708. [PMID: 36802521 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.2c00461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2023]
Abstract
Optogenetic techniques have been intensively applied to the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to investigate its neural functions. However, as most of these optogenetics are responsive to blue light and the animal exhibits avoidance behavior to blue light, the application of optogenetic tools responsive to longer wavelength light has been eagerly anticipated. In this study, we report the implementation in C. elegans of a phytochrome-based optogenetic tool that responds to red/near-infrared light and manipulates cell signaling. We first introduced the SynPCB system, which enabled us to synthesize phycocyanobilin (PCB), a chromophore for phytochrome, and confirmed the biosynthesis of PCB in neurons, muscles, and intestinal cells. We further confirmed that the amount of PCBs synthesized by the SynPCB system was sufficient for photoswitching of phytochrome B (PhyB)-phytochrome interacting factor 3 (PIF3). In addition, optogenetic elevation of intracellular Ca2+ levels in intestinal cells induced a defecation motor program. These SynPCB system and phytochrome-based optogenetic techniques would be of great value in elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying C. elegans behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shigekazu Oda
- Division of Quantitative Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki 444-8787, Japan
| | - Emi Sato-Ebine
- Division of Quantitative Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki 444-8787, Japan
| | - Akinobu Nakamura
- Quantitative Biology Research Group, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki 444-8787, Japan
| | - Koutarou D Kimura
- Graduate School of Science, Nagoya City University, Nagoya 467-8501, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Aoki
- Division of Quantitative Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki 444-8787, Japan.,Quantitative Biology Research Group, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki 444-8787, Japan.,Department of Basic Biology, Faculty of Life Science, SOKENDAI (Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Okazaki 444-8787, Japan
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8
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A chemogenetic platform for controlling plasma membrane signaling and synthetic signal oscillation. Cell Chem Biol 2022; 29:1446-1464.e10. [PMID: 35835118 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2022.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Chemogenetic methods enabling the rapid translocation of specific proteins to the plasma membrane (PM) in a single protein-single ligand manner are useful tools in cell biology. We recently developed a technique, in which proteins fused to an Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase (eDHFR) variant carrying N-terminal hexalysine residues are recruited from the cytoplasm to the PM using the synthetic myristoyl-d-Cys-tethered trimethoprim (mDcTMP) ligand. However, this system achieved PM-specific translocation only when the eDHFR tag was fused to the N terminus of proteins, thereby limiting its application. In this report, we engineered a universal PM-targeting tag for mDcTMP-induced protein translocation by grafting the hexalysine motif into an intra-loop region of eDHFR. We demonstrate the broad applicability of the new loop-engineered eDHFR tag and mDcTMP pair for conditional PM recruitment and activation of various tag-fused signaling proteins with different fusion configurations and for reversibly and repeatedly controlling protein localization to generate synthetic signal oscillations.
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Franchina V, Bonfanti RC, Lo Coco G, Salerno L. The Role of Existential Concerns in the Individual's Decisions regarding COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake: A Survey among Non-Vaccinated Italian Adults during the Third Wave of the Pandemic. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:1079. [PMID: 35891243 PMCID: PMC9319079 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10071079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have suggested that health constructs embraced by the Terror Management Theory (TMT) and the Basic Psychological Needs Theory (BPNT) may drive individuals' COVID-19 health-related decisions. This study examines the relationships between existential concerns (ECs; within the TMT), basic psychological needs (BPNs; within the BPNT) and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (VH), as well as the mediating role of negative attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines. A cross-sectional survey was carried out from April to May 2021 on a sample of two hundred and eighty-seven adults (Mage = 36.04 ± 12.07; 59.9% females). Participants provided information regarding existential concerns, basic psychological needs, attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine hesitancy for Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccines separately. Higher vaccine hesitancy (32.1%) and vaccine resistance (32.8%) rates were found for AstraZeneca than for Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (22.3% and 10.1%, respectively). Structural equation modeling showed that existential concerns were related to Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccine hesitancy both directly and indirectly through negative attitudes toward potential side effects of COVID-19 vaccines. The findings of the study confirm that the TMT is efficient in explaining COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Targeted efforts are needed to increase the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vittoria Franchina
- Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria;
| | - Rubinia Celeste Bonfanti
- Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Edificio 15, 90128 Palermo, Italy; (R.C.B.); (G.L.C.)
| | - Gianluca Lo Coco
- Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Edificio 15, 90128 Palermo, Italy; (R.C.B.); (G.L.C.)
| | - Laura Salerno
- Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Edificio 15, 90128 Palermo, Italy; (R.C.B.); (G.L.C.)
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10
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First person – Keiichiro Sakai. J Cell Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1242/jcs.259652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT
First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Journal of Cell Science, helping early-career researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Keiichiro Sakai is first author on ‘ Near-infrared imaging in fission yeast using a genetically encoded phycocyanobilin biosynthesis system’, published in JCS. Keiichiro is a PhD student in the lab of Kazuhiro Aoki at the Quantitative Biology Research Group, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan, investigating how phycocyanobilin, a linear tetrapyrrole, brightens near-infrared fluorescent proteins, including iRFP, as a chromophore more efficiently than biliverdin in fission yeast.
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