IITZ-01 activates NLRP3 inflammasome by inducing mitochondrial damage

NLRP3 inflammasome can be activated by a variety of pathogen activators (including components of bacteria, viruses and fungi) or “danger signals” (including abnormal metabolites and environmental components), so its activation mechanism is extremely complex. IITZ-01 is a lysosomotropic molecule that can disrupt lysosomal functions. We found that IITZ-01 can activate inflammasome at a low concentration. Then, we determined that IITZ-01 is a specific activator of NLRP3 inflammasome through inflammasome stimulation, ELISA, Western blot and other experiments. Mechanistically, NLRP3 inflammasome activation induced by IITZ-01 is independent of direct binding and ion flow but dependent on mitochondrial damage and mROS accumulation. This study suggests that a lysosomotropic compound can activate NLRP3 inflammasome by impairing mitochondrial functions.     

Raf-1 activates MAP kinase-kinase.

The normal cellular homologue of the acutely transforming oncogene v-raf is c-raf-1, which encodes a serine/threonine protein kinase that is activated by many extracellular stimuli. The physiological substrates of the protein c-Raf-1 are unknown. The mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases Erk1 and 2 are also activated by mitogens through phosphorylation of Erk tyrosine and threonine residues catalysed by a protein kinase of relative molecular mass 50,000, MAP kinase-kinase (MAPK-K). Here we report that MAPK-K as well as Erk1 and 2 are constitutively active in v-raf-transformed cells. MAPK-K partially purified from v-raf-transformed cells or from mitogen-treated cells can be deactivated by phosphatase 2A. c-Raf-1 purified after mitogen stimulation can reactivate the phosphatase 2A-inactivated MAPK-K over 30-fold in vitro. c-Raf-1 reactivation of MAPK-K coincides with the selective phosphorylation at serine/threonine residues of a polypeptide with M(r) 50,000 which coelutes precisely on cation-exchange chromatography with the MAPK-K activatable by c-Raf-1. These results indicate that c-Raf-1 is an immediate upstream activator of MAPK-K in vivo. To our knowledge, MAPK-K is the first physiological substrate of the c-raf-1 protooncogene product to be identified.     

Reversible uncoupling of inactivation in N-type calcium channels.

N-type calcium channels are thought to be expressed specifically in neuronal cells and to have a dominant role in the control of neurotransmitter release from sympathetic neurons. But their unitary properties are poorly understood and the separation of neuronal Ca2+ current into components carried by N-type or L-type Ca2+ channels is controversial. Here we show that individual N-type Ca2+ channels in sympathetic neurons can carry two kinetically distinct components of current, one that is rapidly transient and one that is long lasting. The mechanism that gives rise to these two components is unexpected for Ca2+ channels: a test depolarization elicits either a rapidly inactivating, single short burst with an average duration of 40 ms, or sustained, noninactivating channel activity lasting for over 1 s. The switching between inactivating and noninactivating activity is a slow process, the occurrence of each type of unitary kinetic behaviour remaining statistically correlated over several seconds. Variable coupling of inactivation in N-type Ca2+ channels could be an effective mechanism for the modulation of neuronal excitability and synaptic plasticity.     

A family of mitochondrial proteins involved in bioenergetICS and biogenesis

The respiratory chain complexes of mitochondria consist of many different subunits, of which only a few partake directly in electron transport. The functions of the subunits that do not contain prosthetic groups are largely unknown. The cytochrome reductase complex of Neurospora crassa, for examine, consists of nine different subunits, of which the peripheral membrane proteins I and II (ref.3) that are located on the matrix side of the mitochondrial inner membrane are the largest subunits devoid of redox centres. Significantly, a cytochrome reductase fraction lacking these two subunits was inactive in electron transfer, and in yeast mutants with defective genes for either of the two subunits, assembly of the reductase is disrupted. Most mitochondrial proteins are imported into the mitochondrion as precursor proteins, and two proteins are necessary for cleaving their presequences, namely the matrix processing peptidase (MPP) and the processing enhancing protein (PEP), the latter strongly stimulating the activity of the former. Temperature-sensitive yeast mutants, which are affected in PEP or MPP, accumulate precursors at the nonpermissive temperature. We report here that subunit I of the cytochrome reductase can be grouped as members of the same protein family.     

线粒体膜间隙蛋白质释放与细胞凋亡研究进展

近年来,国内外有关线粒体和肿瘤的关系研究的越来越多,开发与线粒体相关的新型药物并诱导肿瘤细胞凋亡逐渐成为热点.该文主要综述了近年来关于几种线粒体膜间隙蛋白质在细胞凋亡中的作用和由线粒体中释放的可能机制及其在肿瘤药物治疗中的最新进展,指出线粒体膜间隙蛋白质在诱导肿瘤细胞凋亡中具有重要作用.     

Bcl-2 family proteins regulate the release of apoptogenic cytochrome c by the mitochondrial channel VDAC.

During transduction of an apoptotic (death) signal into the cell, there is an alteration in the permeability of the membranes of the cell's mitochondria, which causes the translocation of the apoptogenic protein cytochrome c into the cytoplasm, which in turn activates death-driving proteolytic proteins known as caspases. The Bcl-2 family of proteins, whose members may be anti-apoptotic or pro-apoptotic, regulates cell death by controlling this mitochondrial membrane permeability during apoptosis, but how that is achieved is unclear. Here we create liposomes that carry the mitochondrial porin channel (also called the voltage-dependent anion channel, or VDAC) to show that the recombinant pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and Bak accelerate the opening of VDAC, whereas the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-x(L) closes VDAC by binding to it directly. Bax and Bak allow cytochrome c to pass through VDAC out of liposomes, but passage is prevented by Bcl-x(L). In agreement with this, VDAC1-deficient mitochondria from a mutant yeast did not exhibit a Bax/Bak-induced loss in membrane potential and cytochrome c release, both of which were inhibited by Bcl-x(L). Our results indicate that the Bcl-2 family of proteins bind to the VDAC in order to regulate the mitochondrial membrane potential and the release of cytochrome c during apoptosis.     

芥篮叶超氧化物歧化酶的分离提纯

本文建立硫酸铵分级沉淀、Sephadex G-100层析,DEAE 纤维素(DE-52)拄层析方法从芥篮(B.alboglabra Baileg)叶肉中提纯超氧化物歧化酶,纯化倍数45.2,比活力97.3u/mg-pr(肾上腺素测定).南 DEAE-DE52层折获得的 SOD 活性部分,按 Weber与 Osborn 法作 SDS-PAGE,呈现单一斑带,分子量为13,000.此酶对热稳定性不高,70℃保温90min,活力全部丧失.纯酶液的最大吸收波长为204nm,芥篮叶中有四种 SOD同工酶.     

芦荟超氧化物歧化酶稳定性研究

本文研究了在不同pH、温度条件下从芦荟中提取的超氧化物歧化酶的稳定性,结果表明:芦荟超氧化物歧化酶具有较好的热稳定性和pH稳定性,其作用的最适pH值为8.2,最适温度为40~55℃。     

A subfamily of stress proteins facilitates translocation of secretory and mitochondrial precursor polypeptides

Depletion of a subset of 70K stress proteins in yeast mutants shows that they are involved in the post-translational import of precursor polypeptides into both mitochondria and the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum. The identification of such a basic function may explain the remarkable evolutionary conservation of the gene family encoding these proteins.     

超氧物岐化酶提纯研究

采用氯仿—乙醇提取液盐析、丙酮沉淀及ＤＥ（３２）纤维素柱层析方法，从牛红细胞中分离得到纯品铜锌超氧物歧化酶（Ｃｕ、Ｚｎ—ＳＯＤ）．纯化的酶经聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳为一条蛋白带，活性染色在蛋白带的位置上呈现表示酶活性的亮斑，比活力为每毫克２４８７３单位，原子吸收测Ｃｕ、Ｚｎ含量及紫外吸收光谱测定结果制备样与标准ＳＯＤ样相同．     

超氧化物歧化酶的荧光分析法

对肾上腺素自氧化反应进行了研究, 发现反应中间产物能发出较强的荧光, 其生成量受超氧化物歧化酶的抑制． 据此建立了分析超氧化物歧化酶的新方法． 该方法线性范围为０ ～５２－６ｎｇ／ｍ Ｌ, 检测限为８－５６ｎｇ／ｍＬ, 相对标准偏差为１－６ ％ （ ｎ ＝ ６） ．     

超氧化物歧化酶的研究概况

超氧化物歧化酶（ＳＯＤ）是一种重要的金属酶，本文概述了ＳＯＤ的来源、种类、结构、性质、制备方法、活性测定、化学修饰和应用前景。     

Pharmacology: uncoupling the agony from ecstasy

The recreational use of amphetamine-type stimulants can produce a marked and sometimes lethal increase in body temperature. Here we show that mice deficient in a mitochondrial protein known as UCP-3 (for 'uncoupling protein-3') have a diminished thermogenic response to the drug MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, nicknamed 'ecstasy') and so are protected against this dangerously toxic effect. Our findings indicate that UCP-3 is important in MDMA-induced hyperthermia and point to a new therapeutic direction for solving an increasing public-health problem.     

Identification of a mitochondrial receptor complex required for recognition and membrane insertion of precursor proteins

The mitochondrial import receptors MOM19 and MOM72 form a complex with two other proteins of the mitochondrial outer membrane, MOM38 and MOM22. This receptor complex is involved in recognition, membrane insertion and translocation of precursor proteins with MOM38 constituting (at least part of) the general insertion site GIP.