Project description:Nuclear envelope budding (NEB) is a recently discovered alternative pathway for nucleocytoplasmic communication distinct from the movement of material through the nuclear pore complex. Through quantitative electron microscopy and tomography, we demonstrate how NEB is evolutionarily conserved from early protists to human cells. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, NEB events occur with higher frequency during heat shock, upon exposure to arsenite or hydrogen peroxide, and when the proteasome is inhibited. Yeast cells treated with azetidine-2-carboxylic acid, a proline analog that induces protein misfolding, display the most dramatic increase in NEB, suggesting a causal link to protein quality control. This link was further supported by both localization of ubiquitin and Hsp104 to protein aggregates and NEB events, and the evolution of these structures during heat shock. We hypothesize that NEB is part of normal cellular physiology in a vast range of species and that in S. cerevisiae NEB comprises a stress response aiding the transport of protein aggregates across the nuclear envelope.
Project description:Protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) regulate diverse biological processes and are increasingly being recognized for their potential as drug targets. Here we report the discovery of a potent, selective, and cell-active chemical probe for PRMT7. SGC3027 is a cell permeable prodrug, which in cells is converted to SGC8158, a potent, SAM-competitive PRMT7 inhibitor. Inhibition or knockout of cellular PRMT7 results in drastically reduced levels of arginine monomethylated HSP70 family stress-associated proteins. Structural and biochemical analyses reveal that PRMT7-driven in vitro methylation of HSP70 at R469 requires an ATP-bound, open conformation of HSP70. In cells, SGC3027 inhibits methylation of both constitutive and inducible forms of HSP70, and leads to decreased tolerance for perturbations of proteostasis including heat shock and proteasome inhibitors. These results demonstrate a role for PRMT7 and arginine methylation in stress response.
Project description:Neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) persist over the lifespan while encountering constant challenges from age or injury related brain environmental changes like elevated oxidative stress. But how oxidative stress regulates NSPC and its neurogenic differentiation is less clear. Here we report that acutely elevated cellular oxidative stress in NSPCs modulates neurogenic differentiation through induction of Forkhead box protein O3 (FOXO3)-mediated cGAS/STING and type I interferon (IFN-I) responses. We show that oxidative stress activates FOXO3 and its transcriptional target glycine-N-methyltransferase (GNMT) whose upregulation triggers depletion of s-adenosylmethionine (SAM), a key co-substrate involved in methyl group transfer reactions. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that reduced intracellular SAM availability disrupts carboxymethylation and maturation of nuclear lamin, which induce cytosolic release of chromatin fragments and subsequent activation of the cGAS/STING-IFN-I cascade to suppress neurogenic differentiation. Together, our findings suggest the FOXO3-GNMT/SAM-lamin-cGAS/STING-IFN-I signaling cascade as a critical stress response program that regulates long-term regenerative potential.
Project description:The idea that stem cell therapies work only via cell replacement is challenged by the observation of consistent intercellular molecule exchange between the graft and the host. Here we defined a mechanism of cellular signaling by which neural stem/precursor cells (NPCs) communicate with the microenvironment via extracellular vesicles (EVs), and we elucidated its molecular signature and function. We observed cytokine-regulated pathways that sort proteins and mRNAs into EVs. We described induction of interferon gamma (IFN-?) pathway in NPCs exposed to proinflammatory cytokines that is mirrored in EVs. We showed that IFN-? bound to EVs through Ifngr1 activates Stat1 in target cells. Finally, we demonstrated that endogenous Stat1 and Ifngr1 in target cells are indispensable to sustain the activation of Stat1 signaling by EV-associated IFN-?/Ifngr1 complexes. Our study identifies a mechanism of cellular signaling regulated by EV-associated IFN-?/Ifngr1 complexes, which grafted stem cells may use to communicate with the host immune system. polyA RNA profiling of Neural Stem/Progenitor cells (NPCs) cultured in basal/Th1/Th2 conditions, of Exosomes derived from NPCs cultured in basal/Th1/Th2 conditions and of EVs derived from NPCs cultured in Basal/Th1/Th2 conditions. Total RNA was purified using Trizol. Purity and integrity were confirmed by BioAnalyser (Agilent). Paired End library construction and poly-A selection were performed by EASIH (The Eastern Sequence and Informatics Hub, University of Cambridge, Cambridge) according to the Illumina standard protocol. Sequencing was performed by EASIH using Illumina GAII.
Project description:The association between macrocephaly and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) suggests that the mechanisms underlying excessive neural growth could contribute to ASD pathogenesis. Consistently, neural progenitor cells (NPCs) derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) of ASD individuals with early developmental brain enlargement are inherently more proliferative than control NPCs. Here, we show that hiPSC-derived NPCs from ASD individuals with macrocephaly display an altered DNA replication program and increased DNA damage. When compared to the control NPCs, high throughput genome-wide translocation sequencing (HTGTS) demonstrates that ASD-derived NPCs harbored elevated DNA double-strand breaks in replication stress-susceptible genes, some of which are associated with ASD pathogenesis. Our results provide a mechanism linking hyperproliferation of NPCs with the pathogenesis of ASD by disrupting long neural genes involved in cell-cell adhesion and migration.
Project description:The association between macrocephaly and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) suggests that the mechanisms underlying excessive neural growth could contribute to ASD pathogenesis. Consistently, neural progenitor cells (NPCs) derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) of ASD individuals with early developmental brain enlargement are inherently more proliferative than control NPCs. Here, we show that hiPSC-derived NPCs from ASD individuals with macrocephaly display an altered DNA replication program and increased DNA damage. When compared to the control NPCs, high throughput genome-wide translocation sequencing (HTGTS) demonstrates that ASD-derived NPCs harbored elevated DNA double-strand breaks in replication stress-susceptible genes, some of which are associated with ASD pathogenesis. Our results provide a mechanism linking hyperproliferation of NPCs with the pathogenesis of ASD by disrupting long neural genes involved in cell-cell adhesion and migration.
Project description:N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification of mRNA is emerging as a vital mechanism regulating RNA function. Here, we show that fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), an RNA-binding protein, reads m6A to regulate nuclear export of methylated mRNA targets during neural stem cell differentiation. In Fmr1 KO mice neural progenitors show delayed cell cycle exit and differentiation, resulting in their progressive accumulation in the ventricular and subventricular zones. RNA-seq of neural precursor cells (NPCs) from Fmr1 KO mice and m6A-seq uncovered nuclear retention of m6A-modified FMRP target mRNAs involved in regulating neural differentiation, including components of Notch and Hedgehog signaling pathways. Analysis of NPCs from Mettl14 cKO mice, which are devoid of m6A, revealed that methylation of RNAs promotes their nuclear export through CRM1. Altogether, our findings suggest that FMRP reads and facilitates nuclear export of m6A-modified mRNAs to regulate neural stem cell differentiation, contributing to Fragile X syndrome.
Project description:Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is a premature aging disease caused by a truncated lamin A protein (progerin) that drives cellular and organismal decline. HGPS patient-derived fibroblasts accumulate genomic instability, but its underlying mechanisms and contribution to disease remain poorly understood. Here, we show that progerin-induced replication stress (RS) drives genomic instability by eliciting replication fork (RF) stalling and nuclease-mediated degradation. Rampant RS is accompanied by upregulation of the cGAS/STING cytosolic DNA sensing pathway and activation of a robust STAT1-regulated interferon (IFN)-like response. Reducing RS and the IFN-like response, especially with calcitriol, improves the fitness of progeria cells and increases the efficiency of cellular reprogramming. Importantly, other compounds that improve HGPS phenotypes reduce RS and the IFN-like response. Our study reveals mechanisms underlying progerin toxicity, including RS-induced genomic instability and activation of IFN-like responses, and their relevance for cellular decline in HGPS.
Project description:Alzheimer's disease (AD) impairs memory and learning related behavioural performances of the affected person. Compared with the controls, memory and learning related behavioural performances of the AD model rats followed by hippocampal proteomics had been observed in the present study. In the eight armed radial maze, altered performance of the AD rats had been observed. Using liquid chromatography coupled tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), 822 proteins had been identified with protein threshold at 95.0%, minimum peptide of 2 and peptide threshold at 0.1% FDR. Among them, 329 proteins were differentially expressed with statistical significance (P < 0.05). Among the significantly regulated (P < 0.05) 329 proteins, 289 met the criteria of fold change (LogFC of 1.5) cut off value. Number of proteins linked with AD, oxidative stress (OS) and hypercholesterolemia was 59, 20 and 12, respectively. Number of commonly expressed proteins was 361. The highest amount of proteins differentially expressed in the AD rats were those involved in metabolic processes followed by those linked with OS. Most notable was the perturbed state of the cholesterol metabolizing proteins in the AD group. Current findings suggest that proteins associated with oxidative stress, glucose and cholesterol metabolism and cellular stress response are among the mostly affected proteins in AD subjects. Thus, novel therapeutic approaches targeting these proteins could be strategized to withstand the ever increasing global AD burden.