Role of serotonin in the hepato-gastroIntestinal tract: an old molecule for new perspectives

Beside its role as a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, serotonin appears to be a central physiologic mediator of many gastrointestinal (GI) functions and a mediator of the brain-gut connection. By acting directly and via modulation of the enteric nervous system, serotonin has numerous effects on the GI tract. The main gut disturbances in which serotonin is involved are acute chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, carcinoid syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome. Serotonin also has mitogenic properties. Platelet-derived serotonin is involved in liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy. In diseased liver, serotonin may play a crucial role in the progression of hepatic fibrosis and the pathogenesis of steatohepatitis. Better understanding of the role of the serotonin receptor subtypes and serotonin mechanisms of action in the liver and gut may open new therapeutic strategies in hepato-gastrointestinal diseases. Received 15 August 2007; received after revision 1 November 2007; accepted 5 November 2007     

MYH9 is associated with nondiabetic end-stage renal disease in African Americans

As end-stage renal disease (ESRD) has a four times higher incidence in African Americans compared to European Americans, we hypothesized that susceptibility alleles for ESRD have a higher frequency in the West African than the European gene pool. We carried out a genome-wide admixture scan in 1,372 ESRD cases and 806 controls and found a highly significant association between excess African ancestry and nondiabetic ESRD (lod score = 5.70) but not diabetic ESRD (lod = 0.47) on chromosome 22q12. Each copy of the European ancestral allele conferred a relative risk of 0.50 (95% CI = 0.39-0.63) compared to African ancestry. Multiple common SNPs (allele frequencies ranging from 0.2 to 0.6) in the gene encoding nonmuscle myosin heavy chain type II isoform A (MYH9) were associated with two to four times greater risk of nondiabetic ESRD and accounted for a large proportion of the excess risk of ESRD observed in African compared to European Americans.     

Olfactory receptor trafficking to the plasma membrane

Olfactory receptors typically exhibit poor plasma membrane localization and functionality when heterologously expressed in most cell types. It has therefore proven difficult to effectively study olfactory receptor pharmacology and signaling mechanisms using traditional cell culture systems. Over the past few years, a variety of distinct proteins have been reported to interact with olfactory receptors and facilitate olfactory receptor trafficking to the plasma membrane in heterologous cells. Advances in this area have shed significant light on the fundamental factors governing the cell-specific control of olfactory receptor trafficking.     

Zinc binding to peptide analogs of the structural zinc site in alcohol dehydrogenase: Implications for an entatic state

Zinc binding to the peptide replica and analogs to residues 93–115 of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) was examined by competition of the peptides and the chromophoric chelator 4-(2- pyridylazo)resorcinol for zinc and X-ray absorption fine structure analysis of the zinc ligands. In the enzyme, zinc is coordinated by four Cys residues. In the peptide replica, zinc is bound to three Cys and one His residue. A four-Cys zinc coordination is observed only when His is removed, leading to increased zinc stability. ADH crystal structures reveal that the ε-amino group of the conserved residue Lys323 is within H-bond distance of the backbone amide oxygens of residues 103, 105 and 108, likely stabilizing the zinc coordination in the enzyme. The peptide data thus indicate structural strain and increased energy in the zinc-binding site in the protein, characteristic of an entatic state, implying a functional nature for this zinc site. Received 3 July 2008; received after revision 11 August 2008; accepted 1 September 2008     

MicroRNA Mirn140 modulates Pdgf signaling during palatogenesis

Disruption of signaling pathways such as those mediated by sonic hedgehog (Shh) or platelet-derived growth factor (Pdgf) causes craniofacial abnormalities, including cleft palate. The role that microRNAs play in modulating palatogenesis, however, is completely unknown. We show that, in zebrafish, the microRNA Mirn140 negatively regulates Pdgf signaling during palatal development, and we provide a mechanism for how disruption of Pdgf signaling causes palatal clefting. The pdgf receptor alpha (pdgfra) 3' UTR contained a Mirn140 binding site functioning in the negative regulation of Pdgfra protein levels in vivo. pdgfra mutants and Mirn140-injected embryos shared a range of facial defects, including clefting of the crest-derived cartilages that develop in the roof of the larval mouth. Concomitantly, the oral ectoderm beneath where these cartilages develop lost pitx2 and shha expression. Mirn140 modulated Pdgf-mediated attraction of cranial neural crest cells to the oral ectoderm, where crest-derived signals were necessary for oral ectodermal gene expression. Mirn140 loss of function elevated Pdgfra protein levels, altered palatal shape and caused neural crest cells to accumulate around the optic stalk, a source of the ligand Pdgfaa. These results suggest that the conserved regulatory interactions of mirn140 and pdgfra define an ancient mechanism of palatogenesis, and they provide candidate genes for cleft palate.     

What everybody should know about the rat genome and its online resources

It has been four years since the original publication of the draft sequence of the rat genome. Five groups are now working together to assemble, annotate and release an updated version of the rat genome. As the prevailing model for physiology, complex disease and pharmacological studies, there is an acute need for the rat's genomic resources to keep pace with the rat's prominence in the laboratory. In this commentary, we describe the current status of the rat genome sequence and the plans for its impending 'upgrade'. We then cover the key online resources providing access to the rat genome, including the new SNP views at Ensembl, the RefSeq and Genes databases at the US National Center for Biotechnology Information, Genome Browser at the University of California Santa Cruz and the disease portals for cardiovascular disease and obesity at the Rat Genome Database.     

DNA deletions and clonal mutations drive premature aging in mitochondrial mutator mice

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations are thought to have a causal role in many age-related pathologies. Here we identify mtDNA deletions as a driving force behind the premature aging phenotype of mitochondrial mutator mice, and provide evidence for a homology-directed DNA repair mechanism in mitochondria that is directly linked to the formation of mtDNA deletions. In addition, our results demonstrate that the rate at which mtDNA mutations reach phenotypic expression differs markedly among tissues, which may be an important factor in determining the tolerance of a tissue to random mitochondrial mutagenesis.     

Putting science over supposition in the arena of personalized genomics

Colleen McBride and colleagues argue that progress on a multifaceted research agenda is necessary to reap the full benefits and avoid the potential pitfalls of the emerging area of personalized genomics. They also outline one element of this agenda, the Multiplex Initiative, which has been underway since 2006.