Intracellular NAD(H) levels control motility and invasion of glioma cells

Oncogenic transformation involves reprogramming of cell metabolism, whereby steady-state levels of intracellular NAD⁺ and NADH can undergo dramatic changes while ATP concentration is generally well maintained. Altered expression of nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT), the rate-limiting enzyme of NAD⁺-salvage, accompanies the changes in NAD(H) during tumorigenesis. Here, we show by genetic and pharmacological inhibition of NAMPT in glioma cells that fluctuation in intracellular [NAD(H)] differentially affects cell growth and morphodynamics, with motility/invasion capacity showing the highest sensitivity to [NAD(H)] decrease. Extracellular supplementation of NAD⁺ or re-expression of NAMPT abolished the effects. The effects of NAD(H) decrease on cell motility appeared parallel coupled with diminished pyruvate-lactate conversion by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and with changes in intracellular and extracellular pH. The addition of lactic acid rescued and knockdown of LDH-A replicated the effects of [NAD(H)] on motility. Combined, our observations demonstrate that [NAD(H)] is an important metabolic component of cancer cell motility. Nutrient or drug-mediated modulation of NAD(H) levels may therefore represent a new option for blocking the invasive behavior of tumors.     

Target mimicry provides a new mechanism for regulation of microRNA activity

MicroRNAs (miRNA) regulate key aspects of development and physiology in animals and plants. These regulatory RNAs act as guides of effector complexes to recognize specific mRNA sequences based on sequence complementarity, resulting in translational repression or site-specific cleavage. In plants, most miRNA targets are cleaved and show almost perfect complementarity with the miRNAs around the cleavage site. Here, we examined the non-protein coding gene IPS1 (INDUCED BY PHOSPHATE STARVATION 1) from Arabidopsis thaliana. IPS1 contains a motif with sequence complementarity to the phosphate (Pi) starvation-induced miRNA miR-399, but the pairing is interrupted by a mismatched loop at the expected miRNA cleavage site. We show that IPS1 RNA is not cleaved but instead sequesters miR-399. Thus, IPS1 overexpression results in increased accumulation of the miR-399 target PHO2 mRNA and, concomitantly, in reduced shoot Pi content. Engineering of IPS1 to be cleavable abolishes its inhibitory activity on miR-399. We coin the term 'target mimicry' to define this mechanism of inhibition of miRNA activity. Target mimicry can be generalized beyond the control of Pi homeostasis, as demonstrated using artificial target mimics.     

Mutant frizzled-4 disrupts retinal angiogenesis in familial exudative vitreoretinopathy

Familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR) is a hereditary ocular disorder characterized by a failure of peripheral retinal vascularization. Loci associated with FEVR map to 11q13-q23 (EVR1; OMIM 133780, ref. 1), Xp11.4 (EVR2; OMIM 305390, ref. 2) and 11p13-12 (EVR3; OMIM 605750, ref. 3). Here we have confirmed linkage to the 11q13-23 locus for autosomal dominant FEVR in one large multigenerational family and refined the disease locus to a genomic region spanning 1.55 Mb. Mutations in FZD4, encoding the putative Wnt receptor frizzled-4, segregated completely with affected individuals in the family and were detected in affected individuals from an additional unrelated family, but not in normal controls. FZD genes encode Wnt receptors, which are implicated in development and carcinogenesis. Injection of wildtype and mutated FZD4 into Xenopus laevis embryos revealed that wildtype, but not mutant, frizzled-4 activated calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CAMKII) and protein kinase C (PKC), components of the Wnt/Ca(2+) signaling pathway. In one of the mutants, altered subcellular trafficking led to defective signaling. These findings support a function for frizzled-4 in retinal angiogenesis and establish the first association between a Wnt receptor and human disease.     

A mutation creating a potential illegitimate microRNA target site in the myostatin gene affects muscularity in sheep

Texel sheep are renowned for their exceptional meatiness. To identify the genes underlying this economically important feature, we performed a whole-genome scan in a Romanov x Texel F2 population. We mapped a quantitative trait locus with a major effect on muscle mass to chromosome 2 and subsequently fine-mapped it to a chromosome interval encompassing the myostatin (GDF8) gene. We herein demonstrate that the GDF8 allele of Texel sheep is characterized by a G to A transition in the 3' UTR that creates a target site for mir1 and mir206, microRNAs (miRNAs) that are highly expressed in skeletal muscle. This causes translational inhibition of the myostatin gene and hence contributes to the muscular hypertrophy of Texel sheep. Analysis of SNP databases for humans and mice demonstrates that mutations creating or destroying putative miRNA target sites are abundant and might be important effectors of phenotypic variation.     

Myelin-associated proteins block the migration of olfactory ensheathing cells: an in vitro study using single-cell tracking and traction force microscopy

Newly generated olfactory receptor axons grow from the peripheral to the central nervous system aided by olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs). Thus, OEC transplantation has emerged as a promising therapy for spinal cord injuries and for other neural diseases. However, these cells do not present a uniform population, but instead a functionally heterogeneous population that exhibits a variety of responses including adhesion, repulsion, and crossover during cell–cell and cell–matrix interactions. Some studies report that the migratory properties of OECs are compromised by inhibitory molecules and potentiated by chemical gradients. Here, we demonstrated that rodent OECs express all the components of the Nogo receptor complex and that their migration is blocked by myelin. Next, we used cell tracking and traction force microscopy to analyze OEC migration and its mechanical properties over myelin. Our data relate the decrease of traction force of OEC with lower migratory capacity over myelin, which correlates with changes in the F-actin cytoskeleton and focal adhesion distribution. Lastly, OEC traction force and migratory capacity is enhanced after cell incubation with the Nogo receptor inhibitor NEP1-40.     

Chymotrypsin C (CTRC) variants that diminish activity or secretion are associated with chronic pancreatitis

Chronic pancreatitis is a persistent inflammatory disease of the pancreas, in which the digestive protease trypsin has a fundamental pathogenetic role. Here we have analyzed the gene encoding the trypsin-degrading enzyme chymotrypsin C (CTRC) in German subjects with idiopathic or hereditary chronic pancreatitis. Two alterations in this gene, p.R254W and p.K247_R254del, were significantly overrepresented in the pancreatitis group, being present in 30 of 901 (3.3%) affected individuals but only 21 of 2,804 (0.7%) controls (odds ratio (OR) = 4.6; confidence interval (CI) = 2.6-8.0; P = 1.3 x 10(-7)). A replication study identified these two variants in 10 of 348 (2.9%) individuals with alcoholic chronic pancreatitis but only 3 of 432 (0.7%) subjects with alcoholic liver disease (OR = 4.2; CI = 1.2-15.5; P = 0.02). CTRC variants were also found in 10 of 71 (14.1%) Indian subjects with tropical pancreatitis but only 1 of 84 (1.2%) healthy controls (OR = 13.6; CI = 1.7-109.2; P = 0.0028). Functional analysis of the CTRC variants showed impaired activity and/or reduced secretion. The results indicate that loss-of-function alterations in CTRC predispose to pancreatitis by diminishing its protective trypsin-degrading activity.     

Identification of the gene responsible for methylmalonic aciduria and homocystinuria, cblC type

Methylmalonic aciduria and homocystinuria, cblC type (OMIM 277400), is the most common inborn error of vitamin B(12) (cobalamin) metabolism, with about 250 known cases. Affected individuals have developmental, hematological, neurological, metabolic, ophthalmologic and dermatologic clinical findings. Although considered a disease of infancy or childhood, some individuals develop symptoms in adulthood. The cblC locus was mapped to chromosome region 1p by linkage analysis. We refined the chromosomal interval using homozygosity mapping and haplotype analyses and identified the MMACHC gene. In 204 individuals, 42 different mutations were identified, many consistent with a loss of function of the protein product. One mutation, 271dupA, accounted for 40% of all disease alleles. Transduction of wild-type MMACHC into immortalized cblC fibroblast cell lines corrected the cellular phenotype. Molecular modeling predicts that the C-terminal region of the gene product folds similarly to TonB, a bacterial protein involved in energy transduction for cobalamin uptake.