Epigenetic gene expression links heart failure to memory impairment

In current clinical practice, care of diseased patients is often restricted to separated disciplines. However, such an organ-centered approach is not always suitable. For example, cognitive dysfunction is a severe burden in heart failure patients. Moreover, these patients have an increased risk for age-associated dementias. The underlying molecular mechanisms are presently unknown, and thus, corresponding therapeutic strategies to improve cognition in heart failure patients are missing. Using mice as model organisms, we show that heart failure leads to specific changes in hippocampal gene expression, a brain region intimately linked to cognition. These changes reflect increased cellular stress pathways which eventually lead to loss of neuronal euchromatin and reduced expression of a hippocampal gene cluster essential for cognition. Consequently, mice suffering from heart failure exhibit impaired memory function. These pathological changes are ameliorated via the administration of a drug that promotes neuronal euchromatin formation. Our study provides first insight to the molecular processes by which heart failure contributes to neuronal dysfunction and point to novel therapeutic avenues to treat cognitive defects in heart failure patients.

Pancreatic beta cell function persists in many patients with chronic type 1 diabetes, but is not dramatically improved by prolonged immunosuppression and euglycaemia from a beta cell allograft

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

We measured serum C-peptide (at least 0.167 nmol/l) in 54 of 141 (38%) patients with chronic type 1 diabetes and sought factors that might differentiate those with detectable C-peptide from those without it. Finding no differences, and in view of the persistent anti-beta cell autoimmunity in such patients, we speculated that the immunosuppression (to weaken autoimmune attack) and euglycaemia accompanying transplant-based treatments of type 1 diabetes might promote recovery of native pancreatic beta cell function.

METHODS

We performed arginine stimulation tests in three islet transplant and four whole-pancreas transplant recipients, and measured stimulated C-peptide in select venous sampling sites. On the basis of each sampling site's C-peptide concentration and kinetics, we differentiated insulin secreted from the individual's native pancreatic beta cells and that secreted from allografted beta cells.

RESULTS

Selective venous sampling demonstrated that despite long-standing type 1 diabetes, all seven beta cell allograft recipients displayed evidence that their native pancreas secreted C-peptide. Yet even if chronic immunosuppression coupled with near normal glycaemia did improve native pancreatic C-peptide production, the magnitude of the effect was quite small.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

Some native pancreatic beta cell function persists even years after disease onset in most type 1 diabetic patients. However, if prolonged euglycaemia plus anti-rejection immunosuppressive therapy improves native pancreatic insulin production, the effect in our participants was small. We may have underestimated pancreatic regenerative capacity by studying only a limited number of participants or by creating conditions (e.g. high circulating insulin concentrations or immunosuppressive agents toxic to beta cells) that impair beta cell function.

Fluorescent monitoring of kinase activity in real time: development of a robust fluorescence-based assay for Abl tyrosine kinase activity

Fluorescent biosensors hold great promise for drug discovery. Using a solid-phase version of protein semi-synthesis, we incorporated two fluorophores at specific sites within a truncated version of the c-Crk-II protein. The resulting fluorescent protein biosensor permits the real-time monitoring of Abl kinase activity and provides a robust and rapid method for assaying Abl kinase inhibitors.

In Vitro Assembly and Recognition of Lys-63 Polyubiquitin Chains

Polyubiquitin chains assembled through lysine 48 (Lys-48) of ubiquitin act as a signal for substrate proteolysis by 26 S proteasomes, whereas chains assembled through Lys-63 play a mechanistically undefined role in post-replicative DNA repair. We showed previously that the products of the UBC13 and MMS2 genes function in error-free post-replicative DNA repair in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and form a complex that assembles Lys-63-linked polyubiquitin chains in vitro. Here we confirm that the Mms2.Ubc13 complex functions as a high affinity heterodimer in the chain assembly reaction in vitro and report the results of a kinetic characterization of the polyubiquitin chain assembly reaction. To test whether a Lys-63-linked polyubiquitin chain can signal degradation, we conjugated Lys-63-linked tetra-ubiquitin to a model substrate of 26 S proteasomes. Although the noncanonical chain effectively signaled substrate degradation, the results of new genetic epistasis studies agree with previous genetic data in suggesting that the proteolytic activity of proteasomes is not required for error-free post-replicative repair.

Molecular insights into polyubiquitin chain assembly: crystal structure of the Mms2/Ubc13 heterodimer

While the signaling properties of ubiquitin depend on the topology of polyubiquitin chains, little is known concerning the molecular basis of specificity in chain assembly and recognition. UEV/Ubc complexes have been implicated in the assembly of Lys63-linked polyubiquitin chains that act as a novel signal in postreplicative DNA repair and I kappa B alpha kinase activation. The crystal structure of the Mms2/Ubc13 heterodimer shows the active site of Ubc13 at the intersection of two channels that are potential binding sites for the two substrate ubiquitins. Mutations that destabilize the heterodimer interface confer a marked UV sensitivity, providing direct evidence that the intact heterodimer is necessary for DNA repair. Selective mutations in the channels suggest a molecular model for specificity in the assembly of Lys63-linked polyubiquitin signals.

Noncanonical MMS2-encoded ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme functions in assembly of novel polyubiquitin chains for DNA repair

Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme variant (UEV) proteins resemble ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes (E2s) but lack the defining E2 active-site residue. The MMS2-encoded UEV protein has been genetically implicated in error-free postreplicative DNA repair in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We show that Mms2p forms a specific heteromeric complex with the UBC13-encoded E2 and is required for the Ubc13p-dependent assembly of polyubiquitin chains linked through lysine 63. A ubc13 yeast strain is UV sensitive, and single, double, and triple mutants of the UBC13, MMS2, and ubiquitin (ubiK63R) genes display a comparable phenotype. These findings support a model in which an Mms2p/Ubc13p complex assembles novel polyubiquitin chains for signaling in DNA repair, and they suggest that UEV proteins may act to increase diversity and selectivity in ubiquitin conjugation.