Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Aline Chessel, Noemie De Croze, Maria Dolores Molina, Laura Taberner, Philippe Dru, Luc Martin, Thierry Lepage
Summary: During early development of the sea urchin embryo, ERK signalling is activated in mesodermal precursors through a cell-autonomous mechanism involving the transcriptional activation of the gene encoding KSR3. KSR3 is an allosteric activator of RAF and can activate ERK signalling independently of RAS in non-chordate metazoa. The findings provide insights into the evolution and co-option of the ERK signalling pathway.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dayana Rodriguez-Contreras, Alec F. Condon, David C. Buck, Naeem Asad, Timothy M. Dore, Dineke S. Verbeek, Marina A. J. Tijssen, Ujwal Shinde, John T. Williams, Kim A. Neve
Summary: A novel dopamine D2 receptor mutation was found to be constitutively active and signaling-biased, with enhanced basal activation and reduced arrestin recruitment compared to the wild type receptor. The impact of this variant in a specific brain region may vary depending on the expression levels of G proteins and GRK.
ACS CHEMICAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Elise Marechal, Anne Poliard, Kilian Henry, Mathias Moreno, Mathilde Legrix, Nicolas Macagno, Gregoire Mondielli, Teddy Fauquier, Anne Barlier, Heather C. Etchevers
Summary: Recurrent missense mutations of the PIK3CA oncogene are common drivers of human cancers. These mutations lead to constitutive activation of the p110 alpha subunit, resulting in a broad range of cancers and related disorders. Activation of PI3K signaling within endothelial cells causes vascular malformations, while neural crest cells and related lineages are affected in PIK3CA-related disorders. The study found that Pik3ca-mutant neural crest cells are associated with cephalic vascular anomalies, and constitutive Pik3ca activity affects the development of vascular connective tissues. Schwann cell precursors with PI3K activation are also linked to vascular and other tumors.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Laura B. Kuhn, Stefanie Valentin, Kristina Stojanovic, Daniel C. Strobl, Tea Babushku, Yan Wang, Ursula Rambold, Laura Scheffler, Sonja Grath, Dorothy John-Robbert, Helmut Blum, Annette Feuchtinger, Andreas Blutke, Falk Weih, Daisuke Kitamura, Roland Rad, Lothar J. Strobl, Ursula Zimber-Strobl
Summary: Activation of CD40-signaling plays a crucial role in the development of B cell lymphomas. This study demonstrates that RelB accelerates lymphomagenesis of long-term CD40-stimulated B cells by regulating genes involved in migration, survival, and cytokine signaling.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Michael Riefler, Tobias Bruegmann, Matthias Fladung, Thomas Schmuelling
Summary: This study explores genetic engineering approaches to enhance cambial activity in poplar plants, specifically through the ectopic expression of a cytokinin biosynthesis gene or a constitutively active cytokinin receptor gene. The findings suggest that these genes can alter the growth characteristics and stem diameter of poplar trees.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Emma J. Montgomery, Enming Xing, Moray J. Campbell, Pui-Kai Li, James S. Blachly, Allan Tsung, Christopher C. Coss
Summary: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common type of liver cancer and a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. The androgen receptor (AR) has been found to play an important role in HCC, although current AR-targeted therapies have not shown efficacy in HCC. However, by building upon research in prostate cancer (PCa), potential AR-targeted therapeutic approaches for HCC could be developed.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
David B. Jaffe, Payam Shahi, Bruce A. Adams, Ashley M. Chrisman, Peter M. Finnegan, Nandhini Raman, Ariel E. Royall, FuNien Tsai, Thomas Vollbrecht, Daniel S. Reyes, N. Lance Hepler, Wyatt J. McDonnell
Summary: Research shows that for naive antibodies, the probability of using the same light chain V gene is around 10%, while for memory (functional) antibodies, even if only one cell per clonotype is used, this probability can reach up to 80%. This property of functional antibodies is referred to as light chain coherence.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Daipayan Banerjee, Kurt Langberg, Salar Abbas, Eric Odermatt, Praveen Yerramothu, Martin Volaric, Matthew A. Reidenbach, Kathy J. Krentz, C. Dustin Rubinstein, David L. Brautigan, Tarek Abbas, Bradley D. Gelfand, Jayakrishna Ambati, Nagaraj Kerur
Summary: cGAMP, in addition to activating interferon pathways for protection against pathogens, also activates DNA damage response signaling and suppresses homology-directed repair.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sosuke Miyasato, Kurumi Iwata, Reika Mura, Shou Nakamura, Keisuke Yanagida, Hideo Shindou, Yosuke Nagata, Masahiro Kawahara, Satoshi Yamaguchi, Junken Aoki, Asuka Inoue, Teruyuki Nagamune, Takao Shimizu, Motonao Nakamura
Summary: GPR43 and GPR41 are G protein-coupled receptors activated by short-chain fatty acids and their expression is enhanced in human blood cells and leukemia cell lines. GPR43 is constitutively active and coupled with G alpha(i) and G alpha(12/13). Enhanced GPR43 expression leads to growth arrest in HL-60 cells through G alpha(12/13), and blocking GPR43 activity impairs cell adhesion. These results suggest that GPR43 is crucial for growth arrest and differentiation of leukocytes.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Galina N. Veremeichik, Dmitry V. Bulgakov, Yuliya A. Konnova, Evgenia V. Brodovskaya, Valeria P. Grigorchuk, Victor P. Bulgakov
Summary: The overexpression of AtCPK1-Ca form increases pathogenesis-related protein levels in Vitis amurensis cell cultures.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Anna Hebda, Aleksandra Liszka, Aleksandra Lewandowska, Jan J. Lyczakowski, Halina Gabrys, Weronika Krzeszowiec
Summary: In this study, the researchers found that both red and blue light can stimulate the expression of GLR channels in Arabidopsis. They also found that phytochromes and cryptochromes play important roles in the light-dependent up-regulation of GLR expression. These findings provide insights into how light influences plant growth and development.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Quinton M. Dowling, Hannah E. Volkman, Elizabeth E. Gray, Sergey Ovchinnikov, Stephanie Cambier, Asim K. Bera, Banumathi Sankaran, Max R. Johnson, Matthew J. Bick, Alex Kang, Daniel B. Stetson, Neil P. King
Summary: Cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) is an important pattern recognition receptor involved in the innate immune response. By binding to dsDNA, cGAS is activated to produce cGAMP, which triggers a strong interferon response. Researchers have successfully designed constitutively active cGAS variants that can function independently of dsDNA. These variants showed therapeutic activity in tumor regression when expressed in tumor cells. This study provides insights into enzyme stabilization and offers potential applications in understanding inflammatory diseases.
NATURE STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Zsuzsanna Merai, Fei Xu, Andreas Musilek, Florian Ackerl, Sarhan Khalil, Luz Mayela Soto-Jimenez, Katarina Lalatovic, Cornelia Klose, Danuse Tarkowska, Veronika Tureckova, Miroslav Strnad, Ortrun Mittelsten Scheid
Summary: The role of light in seed germination differs among plants. In Arabidopsis, light is required to initiate germination, while in Aethionema arabicum, white light inhibits germination. This study identified a mutant, koy-1, in A. arabicum that lost light inhibition of germination due to a mutation in the HEME OXYGENASE 1 gene, a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of the phytochrome chromophore.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Emilie Ceraudo, Mizuho Horioka, Jordan M. Mattheisen, Tyler D. Hitchman, Amanda R. Moore, Manija A. Kazmi, Ping Chi, Yu Chen, Thomas P. Sakmar, Thomas Huber
Summary: Uveal melanoma, the most common eye cancer in adults, is found to be distinct from skin cutaneous melanoma at clinical and genetic levels. A mutant form of CYSLTR2, encoding the CysLTR2-L129Q receptor, was identified as a driver oncogene, exhibiting constitutive activity in Gq/11 signaling pathways while escaping beta-arrestin-mediated down-regulation. This discovery highlights CYSLTR2 as a potential therapeutic target in uveal melanoma.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sachiko Sugioka, Shinya Ikeda, Masayuki Harada, Masako Kishihata, Isehaq Al-Huseini, Takeshi Kimura, Noboru Ashida
Summary: NF-kappa B, a major transcription factor, has a role in cardiac development that has been inadequately explored. The activation of NF-kappa B affects embryonic cardiomyocytes, leading to abnormal myocardial morphology and altered expression of cardiac development-related genes.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)