Project description:For this experiment, WT and Viperin KO fish were used and fish were injected with either PBS or VHSV and the gene expression was analyzed
Project description:Many enveloped viruses bud from cholesterol-rich lipid rafts on the cell membrane. Depleting cellular cholesterol impedes this process and results in viral particles with reduced viability. Viperin (virus inhibitory protein endoplasmic reticulum-associated, interferon-induced) is an ER membrane-associated enzyme that when expressed in response to viral infections exerts broad-ranging antiviral effects, including inhibiting the budding of some enveloped viruses. Here we have investigated the effect of viperin expression on cholesterol biosynthesis. We found that viperin expression reduces cholesterol levels by 20 – 30 % in HEK293T cells. A proteomic screen of the viperin interactome identified several cholesterol biosynthetic enzymes among the top hits. The two most highly enriched proteins were lanosterol synthase and squalene monooxygenase, enzymes that catalyze key steps establishing the sterol carbon skeleton. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments established that viperin, lanosterol synthase and squalene monooxygenase form a complex at the ER membrane. Co-expression of viperin was found to significantly inhibit the specific activity of lanosterol synthase in HEK293T cell lysates. Co-expression of viperin had no effect on the specific activity of squalene monooxygenase, but reduced its expression levels in the cells by approximately 30 %. Despite these inhibitory effects, co-expression of either LS or SM failed to reverse the viperin-induced depletion of cellular cholesterol levels in HEK293T cells. Our results establish a clear link between the down-regulation of cholesterol biosynthesis and viperin, although at this point the effect cannot be unambiguously attributed interactions between viperin and a specific biosynthetic enzyme.
Project description:Mutations in the RMRP gene are the origin of cartilage-hair hypoplasia. Cartilage-hair hypoplasia is associated with severe dwarfism caused by impaired skeletal development. However, it is not clear why mutations in the RMRP gene lead to skeletal dysplasia. Viperin is a known substrate of RMRP. Since chondrogenic differentiation of the growth plate is required for development of the long bones, we hypothesized that viperin functions as a chondrogenic regulator downstream of RMRP. Viperin protein is expressed throughout the stages of chondrogenic differentiation in vivo. Viperin gene expression is increased during knockdown of Rmrp RNA in the ATDC5 model for chondrogenic differentiation. Viperin is expressed during ATDC5 chondrogenic differentiation. Viperin knockdown reduces, while viperin overexpression increases overall protein secretion, with CXCL10 identified as a potential target via mass spectrometry-proteomics. CXCL10 protein expression is reduced during knockdown and increased during overexpression of viperin and CXCL10 protein expression coincides with viperin expression in ATDC5 chondrogenic differentiation. Viperin knockdown induces, while viperin overexpression reduces TGFβ activity. Furthermore, viperin knockdown conditioned media increases, while viperin overexpression conditioned media reduces chondrogenic differentiation of ATDC5 cells. TGFβ target genes Pai1 and Smad7 are increased during knockdown and reduced during overexpression of viperin. Moreover, TGFβ activity is reduced when differentiating ATDC5 cells are exposed to CXCL10 and, acting as a viperin overexpression mimic, CXCL10 similarly reduces chondrogenic differentiation of ATDC5. Lastly, we show that in CHH patient cells, RMRP expression is reduced and viperin expression is increased, coinciding with reduced chondrogenic differentiation and increased CXCL10 expression, possibly explaining the CHH phenotype. Together our data show that viperin may play a pivotal role in chondrogenic differentiation, with potential consequences for cartilage-hair hypoplasia pathobiology.
Project description:Innate immune responses induce hundreds of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), many of which play an important role in antiviral immunity. Viperin, a member of the radical SAM superfamily of enzymes, is the product of one such ISG and it restricts the replication of a broad spectrum of DNA and RNA viruses. However, a general mechanism that explains all the roles proposed for viperin in the innate immune response remains to be defined. Here we report a previously unknown antiviral mechanism, in which viperin represses translation of viral RNA. We show that viperin interacts with the translation machinery and, primarily through its radical SAM enzymatic activity, inhibits global translation during the interferon response by activating the eIF2 pathway. In cell based-infection assays, viperin inhibits viral protein synthesis and viral replication of Zika virus and Kunjin virus. This study illustrates the importance of translational repression in the antiviral response and identifies viperin as a central translational regulator in innate immunity.
Project description:Hordeum vulgare (barley) hordoindolines (HINs), HINa, HINb1 and HINb2, are orthologous proteins of wheat puroindolines (PINs) that are small, basic, cysteine-rich seed-specific proteins and responsible for grain hardness. Grain hardness, is, next to its protein content, a major quality trait. In barley, HINb is most highly expressed in the mid-stage developed endosperm and is associated with both major endosperm texture and grain hardness. However, data required tounderstand the spatio-temporal dynamics of HIN transcripts and HIN protein regulation during grain filling processes are missing. Using reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and proteomics we analyzed HIN transcript and HIN protein abundance from whole seeds (WSs) at four ((6 days after pollination (dap), 10 dap, 12 dap and ≥ 20 dap)) as well as from aleurone, subaleurone and starchy endosperm at two (12 dap and ≥ 20 dap) developmental stages. At the WS level, results from RT-qPCR, proteomics and western blot showed a continuous increase of HIN transcript and HIN protein abundance across these four developmental stages. Miroscopic studies revealed HIN localization mainly at the vacuolar membrane in the aleurone, at protein bodies (PBs) in subaleurone and at the periphery of starch granules in the starchy endosperm. Laser microdissetion (LMD) proteomic analyses identified HINb2 as the most prominent HIN protein in starchy endosperm at ≥ 20 dap. Additionally, our quantification data revealed a poor correlation between transcript and protein levels of HINs in subaleurone during development. Here, we correlated data achieved by RT-qPCR, proteomics and microscopy that reveal different expression and localization pattern of HINs in each layer during barley endosperm development. This indicats a contribution of each tissue to the regulation of HINs during grain filling. The effect of the high protein abundance of HINs in the starchy endosperm and their localization at the periphery of starch granules at late development stages at the high end-product quality is discussed. Understanding the spatio-temporal regulated HINs is essential to improve barley quality traits for high end-product quality, as hard texture of the barley grain is regulated by the ratio between HINb/HINa.
Project description:Organoids containing 4T1 TNBC and matched splenocytes were exposed to the metabolites hippuric acid or pyocyanin and/or a-CTLA-4 and a-PD-1 for 5 days run on RT² Profiler™ PCR Array Mouse Cancer Inflammation & Immunity Crosstalk [PMAM-181Z]
Project description:Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) form a new class of RNA molecules implicated in various aspects of protein coding gene expression regulation. To study lncRNAs in cancer, we generated expression profiles for 1708 human lncRNAs in the NCI60 cancer cell line panel using a high-throughput nanowell RT-qPCR platform. We describe how qPCR assays were designed and validated and provide processed and normalized expression data for further analysis. Data quality is demonstrated by matching the lncRNA expression profiles with phenotypic and genomic characteristics of the cancer cell lines. This data set can be integrated with publicly available omics and pharmacological data sets to uncover novel associations between lncRNA expression and mRNA expression, miRNA expression, DNA copy number, protein coding gene mutation status or drug response. lncRNA expression profiling of 60 cancer cell lines