Conserved requirement for a plant host cell protein in powdery mildew pathogenesis

In the fungal phylum Ascomycota, the ability to cause disease in plants and animals has been gained and lost repeatedly during phylogenesis. In monocotyledonous barley, loss-of-function mlo alleles result in effective immunity against the Ascomycete Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei, the causal agent of powdery mildew disease. However, mlo-based disease resistance has been considered a barley-specific phenomenon to date. Here, we demonstrate a conserved requirement for MLO proteins in powdery mildew pathogenesis in the dicotyledonous plant species Arabidopsis thaliana. Epistasis analysis showed that mlo resistance in A. thaliana does not involve the signaling molecules ethylene, jasmonic acid or salicylic acid, but requires a syntaxin, glycosyl hydrolase and ABC transporter. These findings imply that a common host cell entry mechanism of powdery mildew fungi evolved once and at least 200 million years ago, suggesting that within the Erysiphales (powdery mildews) the ability to cause disease has been a stable trait throughout phylogenesis.     

Myelin basic protein: a multifunctional protein

Myelin basic protein (MBP), the second most abundant protein in central nervous system myelin, is responsible for adhesion of the cytosolic surfaces of multilayered compact myelin. A member of the ‘intrinsically disordered’ or conformationally adaptable protein family, it also appears to have several other functions. It can interact with a number of polyanionic proteins including actin, tubulin, Ca²⁺-calmodulin, and clathrin, and negatively charged lipids, and acquires structure on binding to them. It may act as a membrane actin-binding protein, which might allow it to participate in transmission of extracellular signals to the cytoskeleton in oligodendrocytes and tight junctions in myelin. Some size isoforms of MBP are transported into the nucleus and thus they may also bind polynucleotides. Extracellular signals received by myelin or cultured oligodendrocytes cause changes in phosphorylation of MBP, suggesting that MBP is also involved in signaling. Further study of this very abundant protein will reveal how it is utilized by the oligodendrocyte and myelin for different purposes. Received 2 March 2006; received after revision 12 April 2006; accepted 16 May 2006     

Biological weapons

Anthrax has been a major cause of death in grazing animals and an occasional cause of death in humans for thousands of years. Since the late 1800s there has been an exceptional international history of anthrax vaccine development. Due to animal vaccinations, the rate of infection has dropped dramatically. Anthrax vaccines have progressed from uncharacterized whole-cell vaccines in 1881, to pXO2-negative spores in the 1930s, to culture filtrates absorbed to aluminum hydroxide in 1970, and likely to recombinant protective antigen in the near future. Each of these refinements has increased safety without significant loss of efficacy. The threat of genetically engineered, antibiotic and vaccine resistant strains of Bacillus anthracis is fueling hypothesis-driven research and global techniques--including genomics, proteomics and transposon site hybridization--to facilitate the discovery of novel vaccine targets. This review highlights historical achievements and new developments in anthrax vaccine research.     

Impact of biofilm matrix components on interaction of commensal Escherichia coli with the gastrointestinal cell line HT-29

Commensal Escherichia coli form biofilms at body temperature by expressing the extracellular matrix components curli fimbriae and cellulose. The role of curli fimbriae and cellulose in the interaction of commensal E. coli with the intestinal epithelial cell line HT-29 was investigated. Expression of curli fimbriae by the typical commensal isolate E. coli TOB1 caused adherence and internalization of the bacteria and triggered IL-8 production in HT-29 cells. In particular, induction of IL-8 production was complex and involved curli-bound flagellin. While cellulose alone had no effect on the interaction of TOB1 with HT-29 cells, co-expression of cellulose with curli fimbriae decreased adherence to, internalization and IL-8 induction of HT-29 cells. Investigation of a panel of commensal isolates showed a partial correlation between expression of curli fimbriae and enhanced internalization and IL-8 production. In addition, a high immunostimulatory flagellin was identified. Thus, the consequences of expression of extracellular matrix components on commensal bacterial-host interactions are complex.     

Isoprenylated proteins

Isoprenoids are synthesized in all living organisms and are incorporated into diverse classes of end-products that participate in a multitude of cellular processes relating to cell growth, differentiation, cytoskeletal function and vesicle trafficking. In humans, the non-sterol isoprenoids, farnesyl pyrophosphate and geranylgeranyl-pyrophosphate, are synthesized via the mevalonate pathway and are covalently added to members of the small G protein superfamily. Isoprenylated proteins have key roles in membrane attachment and protein functionality, have been shown to have a central role in some cancers and are likely also to be involved in the pathogenesis and progression of atherosclerosis and Alzheimer disease. This review details current knowledge on the biosynthesis of isoprenoids, their incorporation into proteins by the process known as prenylation and the complex regulatory network that controls these proteins. An improved understanding of these processe is likely to lead to the development of novel therapies that will have important implications for human health and disease. Received 5 July 2005; received after revision 17 October 2005; accepted 22 October 2005     

Activation and inactivation of thyroid hormone by deiodinases: Local action with general consequences

The thyroid hormone plays a fundamental role in the development, growth, and metabolic homeostasis in all vertebrates by affecting the expression of different sets of genes. A group of thioredoxin fold-containing selenoproteins known as deiodinases control thyroid hormone action by activating or inactivating the precursor molecule thyroxine that is secreted by the thyroid gland. These pathways ensure regulation of the availability of the biologically active molecule T3, which occurs in a time-and tissue-specific fashion. In addition, because cells and plasma are in equilibrium and deiodination affects central thyroid hormone regulation, these local deiodinase-mediated events can also affect systemic thyroid hormone economy, such as in the case of non-thyroidal illness. Heightened interest in the field has been generated following the discovery that the deiodinases can be a component in both the Sonic hedgehog signaling pathway and the TGR-5 signaling cascade, a G-protein-coupled receptor for bile acids. These new mechanisms involved in deiodinase regulation indicate that local thyroid hormone activation and inactivation play a much broader role than previously thought. Received 29 August 2007; received after revision 11 October 2007; accepted 16 October 2007     

Biosynthesis, immunity, regulation, mode of action and engineering of the model lantibiotic nisin

This review discusses the state-of-the-art in molecular research on the most prominent and widely applied lantibiotic, i.e., nisin. The developments in understanding its complex biosynthesis and mode of action are highlighted. Moreover, novel applications arising from engineering either nisin itself, or from the construction of totally novel dehydrated and/or lanthionine-containing peptides with desired bioactivities are described. Several challenges still exist in understanding the immunity system and the unique multiple reactions occurring on a single substrate molecule, carried out by the dehydratase NisB and the cyclization enzyme NisC. The recent elucidation of the 3-D structure of NisC forms the exciting beginning of further 3-D-structure determinations of the other biosynthetic enzymes, transporters and immunity proteins. Advances in achieving in vitro activities of lanthionine-forming enzymes will greatly enhance our understanding of the molecular characteristics of the biosynthesis process, opening up new avenues for developing unique and novel biocatalytic processes. Received 9 April 2007; received after revision 31 August 2007; accepted 28 September 2007     

Cholera toxin structure, gene regulation and pathophysiological and immunological aspects

Many notions regarding the function, structure and regulation of cholera toxin expression have remained essentially unaltered in the last 15 years. At the same time, recent findings have generated additional perspectives. For example, the cholera toxin genes are now known to be carried by a non-lytic bacteriophage, a previously unsuspected condition. Understanding of how the expression of cholera toxin genes is controlled by the bacterium at the molecular level has advanced significantly and relationships with cell-density-associated (quorum-sensing) responses have recently been discovered. Regarding the cell intoxication process, the mode of entry and intracellular transport of cholera toxin are becoming clearer. In the immunological field, the strong oral immunogenicity of the non-toxic B subunit of cholera toxin (CTB) has been exploited in the development of a now widely licensed oral cholera vaccine. Additionally, CTB has been shown to induce tolerance against co-administered (linked) foreign antigens in some autoimmune and allergic diseases. Received 25 October 2007; accepted 12 December 2007     

The cytotoxicity of eosinophil cationic protein/ribonuclease 3 on eukaryotic cell lines takes place through its aggregation on the cell membrane

Human eosinophil cationic protein (ECP)/ ribonuclease 3 (RNase 3) is a protein secreted from the secondary granules of activated eosinophils. Specific properties of ECP contribute to its cytotoxic activities associated with defense mechanisms. In this work the ECP cytotoxic activity on eukaryotic cell lines is analyzed. The ECP effects begin with its binding and aggregation to the cell surface, altering the cell membrane permeability and modifying the cell ionic equilibrium. No internalization of the protein is observed. These signals induce cell-specific morphological and biochemical changes such as chromatin condensation, reversion of membrane asymmetry, reactive oxygen species production and activation of caspase-3-like activity and, eventually, cell death. However, the ribonuclease activity component of ECP is not involved in this process as no RNA degradation is observed. In summary, the cytotoxic effect of ECP is attained through a mechanism different from that of other cytotoxic RNases and may be related with the ECP accumulation associated with the inflammatory processes, in which eosinophils are present. Received 26 October 2007; accepted 23 November 2007