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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Dictyostelium Myosin-Ie Is A Fast Molecular Motor Involved In Phagocytosis, Ulrike Durrwang, Setsuko Fujita-Becker, Muriel Erent, F. Jon Kull Oct 2006

Dictyostelium Myosin-Ie Is A Fast Molecular Motor Involved In Phagocytosis, Ulrike Durrwang, Setsuko Fujita-Becker, Muriel Erent, F. Jon Kull

Dartmouth Scholarship

Class I myosins are single-headed motor proteins, implicated in various motile processes including organelle translocation, ion-channel gating, and cytoskeleton reorganization. Here we describe the cellular localization of myosin-IE and its role in the phagocytic uptake of solid particles and cells. A complete analysis of the kinetic and motor properties of Dictyostelium discoideum myosin-IE was achieved by the use of motor domain constructs with artificial lever arms. Class I myosins belonging to subclass IC like myosin-IE are thought to be tuned for tension maintenance or stress sensing. In contrast to this prediction, our results show myosin-IE to be a fast motor. …


An Essential Role For Endocytosis Of Rhodopsin Through Interaction Of Visual Arrestin With The Ap-2 Adaptor, Nicholas R. Orem, Luxi Xia, Patrick J. Dolph May 2006

An Essential Role For Endocytosis Of Rhodopsin Through Interaction Of Visual Arrestin With The Ap-2 Adaptor, Nicholas R. Orem, Luxi Xia, Patrick J. Dolph

Dartmouth Scholarship

Previously, we have identified a class of retinal degeneration mutants in Drosophila in which the normally transient interaction between arrestin2 (Arr2) and rhodopsin is stabilized and the complexes are rapidly internalized into the cell body by receptor-mediated endocytosis. The accumulation of protein complexes in the cytoplasm eventually results in photoreceptor cell death. We now show that the endocytic adapter protein AP-2 is essential for rhodopsin endocytosis through an Arr2-AP-2beta interaction, and mutations in Arr2 that disrupt its interaction with the beta subunit of AP-2 prevent endocytosis-induced retinal degeneration. We further demonstrate that if the interaction between Arr2 and AP-2 is …


Talking To Themselves: Autoregulation And Quorum Sensing In Fungi, Deborah A. Hogan Apr 2006

Talking To Themselves: Autoregulation And Quorum Sensing In Fungi, Deborah A. Hogan

Dartmouth Scholarship

Extracellular autoinducing compounds in the supernatants of microbial cultures were first recognized for their roles in the induction of genetic competence in gram-positive bacteria and in the regulation of light production in marine vibrios. In 1994, this form of population-level regulation in microbes was dubbed “quorum sensing” since it enabled bacterial cells to chemically measure the density of the surrounding population. Subsequently, many examples of cell density-dependent regulation by extracellular factors have been found in diverse microorganisms. The widespread incidence of diverse quorum-sensing systems strongly suggests that regulation in accordance with cell density is important for the success of microbes …


Genetic And Molecular Analysis Of Phytochromes From The Filamentous Fungus Neurospora Crassa, Allan C. Froehlich, Bosl Noh, Richard D. Vierstra, Jennifer Loros, Jay C. Dunlap Dec 2005

Genetic And Molecular Analysis Of Phytochromes From The Filamentous Fungus Neurospora Crassa, Allan C. Froehlich, Bosl Noh, Richard D. Vierstra, Jennifer Loros, Jay C. Dunlap

Dartmouth Scholarship

Phytochromes (Phys) comprise a superfamily of red-/far-red-light-sensing proteins. Whereas higher-plant Phys that control numerous growth and developmental processes have been well described, the biochemical characteristics and functions of the microbial forms are largely unknown. Here, we describe analyses of the expression, regulation, and activities of two Phys in the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa. In addition to containing the signature N-terminal domain predicted to covalently associate with a bilin chromophore, PHY-1 and PHY-2 contain C-terminal histidine kinase and response regulator motifs, implying that they function as hybrid two-component sensor kinases activated by light. A bacterially expressed N-terminal fragment of PHY-2 covalently …


Growth Factor–Induced Shedding Of Syndecan-1 Confers Glypican-1 Dependence On Mitogenic Responses Of Cancer Cells, Kan Ding, Martha Lopez-Burks, José A. Sánchez-Duran, Murray Korc, Arthur D. Lander Nov 2005

Growth Factor–Induced Shedding Of Syndecan-1 Confers Glypican-1 Dependence On Mitogenic Responses Of Cancer Cells, Kan Ding, Martha Lopez-Burks, José A. Sánchez-Duran, Murray Korc, Arthur D. Lander

Dartmouth Scholarship

The cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) glypican-1 is up-regulated by pancreatic and breast cancer cells, and its removal renders such cells insensitive to many growth factors. We sought to explain why the cell surface HSPG syndecan-1, which is also up-regulated by these cells and is a known growth factor coreceptor, does not compensate for glypican-1 loss. We show that the initial responses of these cells to the growth factor FGF2 are not glypican dependent, but they become so over time as FGF2 induces shedding of syndecan-1. Manipulations that retain syndecan-1 on the cell surface make long-term FGF2 responses glypican …


Calmodulin And Pf6 Are Components Of A Complex That Localizes To The C1 Microtubule Of The Flagellar Central Apparatus, Matthew J. Wargo, Erin E. Dymek, Elizabeth F. Smith Jul 2005

Calmodulin And Pf6 Are Components Of A Complex That Localizes To The C1 Microtubule Of The Flagellar Central Apparatus, Matthew J. Wargo, Erin E. Dymek, Elizabeth F. Smith

Dartmouth Scholarship

Studies of flagellar motility in Chlamydomonas mutants lacking specific central apparatus components have supported the hypothesis that the inherent asymmetry of this structure provides important spatial cues for asymmetric regulation of dynein activity. These studies have also suggested that specific projections associated with the C1 and C2 central tubules make unique contributions to modulating motility; yet, we still do not know the identities of most polypeptides associated with the central tubules. To identify components of the C1a projection, we took an immunoprecipitation approach using antibodies generated against PF6. The pf6 mutant lacks the C1a projection and possesses flagella that only …


Crystal Structure Of The Gtpase Domain Of Rat Dynamin 1, Thomas F. Reubold, Susanne Eschenburg, Andreas Becker, Marilyn Leonard, Sandra L. Schmid, Richard B. Vallee, F. Jon Kull, Dietmar J. Manstein Jan 2005

Crystal Structure Of The Gtpase Domain Of Rat Dynamin 1, Thomas F. Reubold, Susanne Eschenburg, Andreas Becker, Marilyn Leonard, Sandra L. Schmid, Richard B. Vallee, F. Jon Kull, Dietmar J. Manstein

Dartmouth Scholarship

Here, we present the 1.9-A crystal structure of the nucleotide-free GTPase domain of dynamin 1 from Rattus norvegicus. The structure corresponds to an extended form of the canonical GTPase fold observed in Ras proteins. Both nucleotide-binding switch motifs are well resolved, adopting conformations that closely resemble a GTP-bound state not previously observed for nucleotide-free GTPases. Two highly conserved arginines, Arg-66 and Arg-67, greatly restrict the mobility of switch I and are ideally positioned to relay information about the nucleotide state to other parts of the protein. Our results support a model in which switch I residue Arg-59 gates GTP binding …


The Caenorhabditis Elegans F-Box Protein Sel-10 Promotes Female Development And May Target Fem-1 And Fem-3 For Degradation By The Proteasome, Sibylle Jager, Hillel T. Schwartz, H. Robert Horvitz, Barbara Conradt Aug 2004

The Caenorhabditis Elegans F-Box Protein Sel-10 Promotes Female Development And May Target Fem-1 And Fem-3 For Degradation By The Proteasome, Sibylle Jager, Hillel T. Schwartz, H. Robert Horvitz, Barbara Conradt

Dartmouth Scholarship

The Caenorhabditis elegans F-box protein SEL-10 and its human homolog have been proposed to regulate LIN-12 Notch signaling by targeting for ubiquitin-mediated proteasomal degradation LIN-12 Notch proteins and SEL-12 PS1 presenilins, the latter of which have been implicated in Alzheimer's disease. We found that sel-10 is the same gene as egl-41, which previously had been defined by gain-of-function mutations that semidominantly cause masculinization of the hermaphrodite soma. Our results demonstrate that mutations causing loss-of-function of sel-10 also have masculinizing activity, indicating that sel-10 functions to promote female development. Genetically, sel-10 acts upstream of the genes fem-1, fem-2, and fem-3 and …


A Role For Yip1p In Copii Vesicle Biogenesis, Matthew Heidtman, Catherine Z. Chen, Ruth N. Collins, Charles Barlowe Oct 2003

A Role For Yip1p In Copii Vesicle Biogenesis, Matthew Heidtman, Catherine Z. Chen, Ruth N. Collins, Charles Barlowe

Dartmouth Scholarship

Yeast Ypt1p-interacting protein (Yip1p) belongs to a conserved family of transmembrane proteins that interact with Rab GTPases. We encountered Yip1p as a constituent of ER-derived transport vesicles, leading us to hypothesize a direct role for this protein in transport through the early secretory pathway. Using a cell-free assay that recapitulates protein transport from the ER to the Golgi complex, we find that affinity-purified antibodies directed against the hydrophilic amino terminus of Yip1p potently inhibit transport. Surprisingly, inhibition is specific to the COPII-dependent budding stage. In support of this in vitro observation, strains bearing the temperature-sensitive yip1-4 allele accumulate ER membranes …


Minus-End Capture Of Preformed Kinetochore Fibers Contributes To Spindle Morphogenesis, Alexey Khodjakov, Lily Copenagle, Michael B. Gordon, Duane A. Compton, Tarun M. Kapoor Mar 2003

Minus-End Capture Of Preformed Kinetochore Fibers Contributes To Spindle Morphogenesis, Alexey Khodjakov, Lily Copenagle, Michael B. Gordon, Duane A. Compton, Tarun M. Kapoor

Dartmouth Scholarship

Near-simultaneous three-dimensional fluorescence/differential interference contrast microscopy was used to follow the behavior of microtubules and chromosomes in living alpha-tubulin/GFP-expressing cells after inhibition of the mitotic kinesin Eg5 with monastrol. Kinetochore fibers (K-fibers) were frequently observed forming in association with chromosomes both during monastrol treatment and after monastrol removal. Surprisingly, these K-fibers were oriented away from, and not directly connected to, centrosomes and incorporated into the spindle by the sliding of their distal ends toward centrosomes via a NuMA-dependent mechanism. Similar preformed K-fibers were also observed during spindle formation in untreated cells. In addition, upon monastrol removal, centrosomes established a transient …


Ube1l Is A Retinoid Target That Triggers Pml/Rarα Degradation And Apoptosis In Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia, Sutisak Kitareewan, Ian Pitha-Rowe, David Sekula, Christopher H. Lowrey, Michael J. Nemeth, Todd R. Golub, Sarah J. Freemantle, Ethan Dmitrovsky Mar 2002

Ube1l Is A Retinoid Target That Triggers Pml/Rarα Degradation And Apoptosis In Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia, Sutisak Kitareewan, Ian Pitha-Rowe, David Sekula, Christopher H. Lowrey, Michael J. Nemeth, Todd R. Golub, Sarah J. Freemantle, Ethan Dmitrovsky

Dartmouth Scholarship

All-trans-retinoic acid (RA) treatment induces remissions in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) cases expressing the t(15;17) product, promyelocytic leukemia (PML)/RA receptor α (RARα). Microarray analyses previously revealed induction of UBE1L (ubiquitin-activating enzyme E1-like) after RA treatment of NB4 APL cells. We report here that this occurs within 3 h in RA-sensitive but not RA-resistant APL cells, implicating UBE1L as a direct retinoid target. A 1.3-kb fragment of the UBE1L promoter was capable of mediating transcriptional response to RA in a retinoid receptor-selective manner. PML/RARα, a repressor of RA target genes, abolished this UBE1L promoter activity. A hallmark of …


Nuclear Export Of 60s Ribosomal Subunits Depends On Xpo1p And Requires A Nuclear Export Sequence-Containing Factor, Nmd3p, That Associates With The Large Subunit Protein Rpl10p, Olivier Gadal, Daniela Strau, Jacques Kessl, Bernard Trumpower Feb 2001

Nuclear Export Of 60s Ribosomal Subunits Depends On Xpo1p And Requires A Nuclear Export Sequence-Containing Factor, Nmd3p, That Associates With The Large Subunit Protein Rpl10p, Olivier Gadal, Daniela Strau, Jacques Kessl, Bernard Trumpower

Dartmouth Scholarship

Nuclear export of ribosomes requires a subset of nucleoporins and the Ran system, but specific transport factors have not been identified. Using a large subunit reporter (Rpl25p-eGFP), we have isolated several temperature-sensitive ribosomal export (rix) mutants. One of these corresponds to the ribosomal protein Rpl10p, which interacts directly with Nmd3p, a conserved and essential protein associated with 60S subunits. We find that thermosensitive nmd3 mutants are impaired in large subunit export. Strikingly, Nmd3p shuttles between the nucleus and cytoplasm and is exported by the nuclear export receptor Xpo1p. Moreover, we show that export of 60S subunits is Xpo1p dependent. We …


A Thyroid Hormone-Regulated Gene In Xenopus Laevis Encodes A Type Iii Iodothyronine 5-Deiodinase., Donald L. St Germain, Robert Schwartzman, Walburga Croteau, Akira Kanamori, Zhou Wang, Donald D. Brown, Valerie Galton Aug 1994

A Thyroid Hormone-Regulated Gene In Xenopus Laevis Encodes A Type Iii Iodothyronine 5-Deiodinase., Donald L. St Germain, Robert Schwartzman, Walburga Croteau, Akira Kanamori, Zhou Wang, Donald D. Brown, Valerie Galton

Dartmouth Scholarship

The type III iodothyronine 5-deiodinase metabolizes thyroxine and 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine to inactive metabolites by catalyzing the removal of iodine from the inner ring. The enzyme is expressed in a tissue-specific pattern during particular stages of development in amphibia, birds, and mammals. Recently, a PCR-based subtractive hybridization technique has been used to isolate cDNAs prepared from Xenopus laevis tadpole tail mRNA that represent genes upregulated by thyroid hormone during metamorphosis. Sequence analysis of one of these cDNAs (XL-15) revealed regions of homology to the mRNA encoding the rat type I (outer ring) 5'-deiodinase, including a conserved UGA codon that encodes selenocysteine in …


Binding Of Matrix Attachment Regions To Lamin Polymers Involves Single-Stranded Regions And The Minor Groove., M. E. Eva Ludérus, Jan L. Den Blaauwen, Oncko J. De Smit, Duane A. Compton, Roel Van Driel Jan 1994

Binding Of Matrix Attachment Regions To Lamin Polymers Involves Single-Stranded Regions And The Minor Groove., M. E. Eva Ludérus, Jan L. Den Blaauwen, Oncko J. De Smit, Duane A. Compton, Roel Van Driel

Dartmouth Scholarship

Chromatin in eukaryotic nuclei is thought to be partitioned into functional loop domains that are generated by the binding of defined DNA sequences, named MARs (matrix attachment regions), to the nuclear matrix. We have previously identified B-type lamins as MAR-binding matrix components (M. E. E. Ludérus, A. de Graaf, E. Mattia, J. L. den Blaauwen, M. A. Grande, L. de Jong, and R. van Driel, Cell 70:949-959, 1992). Here we show that A-type lamins and the structurally related proteins desmin and NuMA also specifically bind MARs in vitro. We studied the interaction between MARs and lamin polymers in molecular detail …


Atp-Dependent Formation And Motility Of Aster-Like Structures With Isolated Calf Brain Microtubule Proteins., Richard C. Weisenberg, Robert D. Allen, Shinya Inoue Mar 1986

Atp-Dependent Formation And Motility Of Aster-Like Structures With Isolated Calf Brain Microtubule Proteins., Richard C. Weisenberg, Robert D. Allen, Shinya Inoue

Dartmouth Scholarship

Microtubule proteins isolated from calf brain will undergo gelation-contraction in the presence of ATP. We have now examined this process by video-enhanced contrast microscopy. After ATP addition to steady-state microtubules, slow (1-5 micron/min), linear movements of particles and microtubules toward aggregation centers occur. The resulting structures resemble mitotic spindle asters. During the time when gel contraction occurs, asters move (at 1-5 micron/min) toward other nearby asters. This is accompanied by the apparent shortening of the microtubules running between the asters. This is the first example of isolated microtubules undergoing a process that has similarities to half-spindle shortening during anaphase A. …


Detergent Extraction Of A Presumptive Gating Component From The Voltage-Dependent Sodium Channel, W J. Culp, D T. Mckenzie Nov 1981

Detergent Extraction Of A Presumptive Gating Component From The Voltage-Dependent Sodium Channel, W J. Culp, D T. Mckenzie

Dartmouth Scholarship

A physiologically characterized radiolabeled neurotoxin complex obtained from venom of the scorpion Leiurus quinquestriatus has been used to identify detergent-solubilized presumptive sodium channel components in sucrose gradients. This toxin-binding component is found in extracts prepared from three sources of excitable membrane but appears to be absent from similar extracts prepared from nonexcitable membrane or from Torpedo californica membrane. Procedures that destroy the physiological activity of the Leiurus neurotoxin lead to a corresponding loss of toxin binding to the putative sodium channel component. The major component recognized by the Leiurus toxin sediments at 6.5 S. Scatchard analysis of quantitative binding experiments …