Showing papers by "Howard Hughes Medical Institute published in 2001"
TL;DR: It is found that human pVHL binds to a short HIF-derived peptide when a conserved proline residue at the core of this peptide is hydroxylated, which may play a key role in mammalian oxygen sensing.
Abstract: HIF (hypoxia-inducible factor) is a transcription factor that plays a pivotal role in cellular adaptation to changes in oxygen availability. In the presence of oxygen, HIF is targeted for destruction by an E3 ubiquitin ligase containing the von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor protein (pVHL). We found that human pVHL binds to a short HIF-derived peptide when a conserved proline residue at the core of this peptide is hydroxylated. Because proline hydroxylation requires molecular oxygen and Fe(2+), this protein modification may play a key role in mammalian oxygen sensing.
4,480 citations
TL;DR: This work has shown that activation of inflammatory and antimicrobial innate immune responses through recognition of Toll-like receptors expressed on dendritic cells triggers functional maturation of dendrites and leads to initiation of antigen-specific adaptive immune responses.
Abstract: Toll-like receptors have a crucial role in the detection of microbial infection in mammals and insects. In mammals, these receptors have evolved to recognize conserved products unique to microbial metabolism. This specificity allows the Toll proteins to detect the presence of infection and to induce activation of inflammatory and antimicrobial innate immune responses. Recognition of microbial products by Toll-like receptors expressed on dendritic cells triggers functional maturation of dendritic cells and leads to initiation of antigen-specific adaptive immune responses.
4,102 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors found that doubly deficient cells are resistant to multiple apoptotic stimuli that act through disruption of mitochondrial function: staurosporine, ultraviolet radiation, growth factor deprivation, etoposide, and the endoplasmic reticulum stress stimuli thapsigargin and tunicamycin.
Abstract: Multiple death signals influence mitochondria during apoptosis, yet the critical initiating event for mitochondrial dysfunction in vivo has been unclear. tBID, the caspase-activated form of a "BH3-domain-only" BCL-2 family member, triggers the homooligomerization of "multidomain" conserved proapoptotic family members BAK or BAX, resulting in the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria. We find that cells lacking both Bax and Bak, but not cells lacking only one of these components, are completely resistant to tBID-induced cytochrome c release and apoptosis. Moreover, doubly deficient cells are resistant to multiple apoptotic stimuli that act through disruption of mitochondrial function: staurosporine, ultraviolet radiation, growth factor deprivation, etoposide, and the endoplasmic reticulum stress stimuli thapsigargin and tunicamycin. Thus, activation of a "multidomain" proapoptotic member, BAX or BAK, appears to be an essential gateway to mitochondrial dysfunction required for cell death in response to diverse stimuli.
3,942 citations
TL;DR: This book aims to investigate elementary forms of learning and memory at a cellular molecular level—as specific molecular activities within identified nerve cells withinidentified nerve cells.
Abstract: One of the most remarkable aspects of an animal's behavior is the ability to modify that behavior by learning, an ability that reaches its highest form in human beings. For me, learning and memory have proven to be endlessly fascinating mental processes because they address one of the fundamental features of human activity: our ability to acquire new ideas from experience and to retain these ideas over time in memory. Moreover, unlike other mental processes such as thought, language, and consciousness, learning seemed from the outset to be readily accessible to cellular and molecular analysis. I, therefore, have been curious to know: What changes in the brain when we learn? And, once something is learned, how is that information retained in the brain? I have tried to address these questions through a reductionist approach that would allow me to investigate elementary forms of learning and memory at a cellular molecular level-as specific molecular activities within identified nerve cells.
3,609 citations
TL;DR: In contrast to existing lacZ reporter lines, where lacZ expression cannot easily be detected in living tissue, the EYFP and ECFP reporter strains are useful for monitoring the expression of Cre and tracing the lineage of these cells and their descendants in cultured embryos or organs.
Abstract: Background
Several Cre reporter strains of mice have been described, in which a lacZ gene is turned on in cells expressing Cre recombinase, as well as their daughter cells, following Cre-mediated excision of a loxP-flanked transcriptional "stop" sequence. These mice are useful for cell lineage tracing experiments as well as for monitoring the expression of Cre transgenes. The green fluorescent protein (GFP) and variants such as EYFP and ECFP offer an advantage over lacZ as a reporter, in that they can be easily visualized without recourse to the vital substrates required to visualize β-gal in living tissue.
2,941 citations
TL;DR: The Database of Interacting Proteins (DIP; http://dip.doe-mbi.ucla. edu) is a database that documents experimentally determined protein-protein interactions.
Abstract: The Database of Interacting Proteins (http://dip.doe-mbi.ucla.edu) aims to integrate the diverse body of experimental evidence on protein-protein interactions into a single, easily accessible online database. Because the reliability of experimental evidence varies widely, methods of quality assessment have been developed and utilized to identify the most reliable subset of the interactions. This CORE set can be used as a reference when evaluating the reliability of high-throughput protein-protein interaction data sets, for development of prediction methods, as well as in the studies of the properties of protein interaction networks.
2,131 citations
TL;DR: Here it is shown how the K+ channel displaces water molecules around an ion at its extracellular entryway, and how it holds a K+ ion in a square antiprism of water molecules in a cavity near its intracellular entry way.
Abstract: Ion transport proteins must remove an ion's hydration shell to coordinate the ion selectively on the basis of its size and charge. To discover how the K+ channel solves this fundamental aspect of ion conduction, we solved the structure of the KcsA K+ channel in complex with a monoclonal Fab antibody fragment at 2.0 A resolution. Here we show how the K+ channel displaces water molecules around an ion at its extracellular entryway, and how it holds a K+ ion in a square antiprism of water molecules in a cavity near its intracellular entryway. Carbonyl oxygen atoms within the selectivity filter form a very similar square antiprism around each K+ binding site, as if to mimic the waters of hydration. The selectivity filter changes its ion coordination structure in low K+ solutions. This structural change is crucial to the operation of the selectivity filter in the cellular context, where the K+ ion concentration near the selectivity filter varies in response to channel gating.
1,990 citations
TL;DR: An antigen delivery system targeting these specialized antigen presenting cells in vivo using a monoclonal antibody to a DC-restricted endocytic receptor is devised, which concludes that in the absence of additional stimuli DCs induce transient antigen-specific T cell activation followed by T cell deletion and unresponsiveness.
Abstract: Dendritic cells (DCs) have the capacity to initiate immune responses, but it has been postulated that they may also be involved in inducing peripheral tolerance. To examine the function of DCs in the steady state we devised an antigen delivery system targeting these specialized antigen presenting cells in vivo using a monoclonal antibody to a DC-restricted endocytic receptor, DEC-205. Our experiments show that this route of antigen delivery to DCs is several orders of magnitude more efficient than free peptide in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) in inducing T cell activation and cell division. However, T cells activated by antigen delivered to DCs are not polarized to produce T helper type 1 cytokine interferon γ and the activation response is not sustained. Within 7 d the number of antigen-specific T cells is severely reduced, and the residual T cells become unresponsive to systemic challenge with antigen in CFA. Coinjection of the DC-targeted antigen and anti-CD40 agonistic antibody changes the outcome from tolerance to prolonged T cell activation and immunity. We conclude that in the absence of additional stimuli DCs induce transient antigen-specific T cell activation followed by T cell deletion and unresponsiveness.
1,903 citations
TL;DR: It is shown that mice deficient in Akt2 are impaired in the ability of insulin to lower blood glucose because of defects in the action of the hormone on liver and skeletal muscle, establishing Akt 2 as an essential gene in the maintenance of normal glucose homeostasis.
Abstract: Glucose homeostasis depends on insulin responsiveness in target tissues, most importantly, muscle and liver. The critical initial steps in insulin action include phosphorylation of scaffolding proteins and activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. These early events lead to activation of the serine-threonine protein kinase Akt, also known as protein kinase B. We show that mice deficient in Akt2 are impaired in the ability of insulin to lower blood glucose because of defects in the action of the hormone on liver and skeletal muscle. These data establish Akt2 as an essential gene in the maintenance of normal glucose homeostasis.
1,755 citations
TL;DR: In mammals, BH3 domain-only molecules activate multidomain proapoptotic members to trigger a mitochondrial pathway, which both releases cytochrome c to activate caspases and initiates caspase-independent mitochondrial dysfunction.
1,708 citations
TL;DR: It is shown that MyD88-deficient mice have a profound defect in the activation of antigen-specific T helper type 1 (TH1) but not TH2 immune responses, suggesting that distinct pathways of the innate immune system control activation of the two effector arms of adaptive immunity.
Abstract: Mechanisms that control the activation of antigen-specific immune responses in vivo are poorly understood. It has been suggested that the initiation of adaptive immune responses is controlled by innate immune recognition. Mammalian Toll-like receptors play an essential role in innate immunity by recognizing conserved pathogen-associated molecular patterns and initiating the activation of NF-κB and other signaling pathways through the adapter protein, MyD88. Here we show that MyD88-deficient mice have a profound defect in the activation of antigen-specific T helper type 1 (TH1) but not TH2 immune responses. These results suggest that distinct pathways of the innate immune system control activation of the two effector arms of adaptive immunity.
TL;DR: The results of expression analysis with MSN2/MSN4 mutants support the model that the Msn2/Msn4 activators induce the common response to environmental change and extend the understanding of the role of activators in effecting this response.
Abstract: We used genome-wide expression analysis to explore how gene expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is remodeled in response to various changes in extracellular environment, including changes in temperature, oxidation, nutrients, pH, and osmolarity. The results demonstrate that more than half of the genome is involved in various responses to environmental change and identify the global set of genes induced and repressed by each condition. These data implicate a substantial number of previously uncharacterized genes in these responses and reveal a signature common to environmental responses that involves approximately 10% of yeast genes. The results of expression analysis with MSN2/MSN4 mutants support the model that the Msn2/Msn4 activators induce the common response to environmental change. These results provide a global description of the transcriptional response to environmental change and extend our understanding of the role of activators in effecting this response.
TL;DR: A variant in human sleep behavior can be attributed to a missense mutation in a clock component, hPER2, which alters the circadian period.
Abstract: Familial advanced sleep phase syndrome (FASPS) is an autosomal dominant circadian rhythm variant; affected individuals are "morning larks" with a 4-hour advance of the sleep, temperature, and melatonin rhythms. Here we report localization of the FASPS gene near the telomere of chromosome 2q. A strong candidate gene (hPer2), a human homolog of the period gene in Drosophila, maps to the same locus. Affected individuals have a serine to glycine mutation within the casein kinase Iepsilon (CKIepsilon) binding region of hPER2, which causes hypophosphorylation by CKIepsilon in vitro. Thus, a variant in human sleep behavior can be attributed to a missense mutation in a clock component, hPER2, which alters the circadian period.
TL;DR: Through global profiling of genes that were expressed soon after p53 expression, a novel gene termed PUMA (p53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis) was identified and it was found to be exclusively mitochondrial and to bind to Bcl-2 and Bcl(L) through a BH3 domain.
TL;DR: Whereas phosphorylation clearly Spain lies at the heart of many signal transduction pathways, has been expanded re-translational modification of proteins, are conserved cently by the discovery of an enzymatic function for throughout evolution and influence most aspects of cel-hemoglobin.
TL;DR: PDZ domains are modular protein interaction domains that bind in a sequence-specific fashion to short C-terminal peptides or internal peptides that fold in a beta-finger.
Abstract: ▪ Abstract PDZ domains are modular protein interaction domains that bind in a sequence-specific fashion to short C-terminal peptides or internal peptides that fold in a β-finger. The diversity of PDZ binding specificities can be explained by variable amino acids lining the peptide-binding groove of the PDZ domain. Abundantly represented in Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, and mammalian genomes, PDZ domains are frequently found in multiple copies or are associated with other protein-binding motifs in multidomain scaffold proteins. PDZ-containing proteins are typically involved in the assembly of supramolecular complexes that perform localized signaling functions at particular subcellular locations. Organization around a PDZ-based scaffold allows the stable localization of interacting proteins and enhances the rate and fidelity of signal transduction within the complex. Some PDZ-containing proteins are more dynamically regulated in distribution and may also be involved in the trafficking of ...
TL;DR: It is proposed that PPARγ coordinates a complex physiologic response to oxLDL that involves particle uptake, processing, and cholesterol removal through ABCA1.
TL;DR: Cross-repressive interactions between class I and class II proteins appear to refine and maintain these progenitor domains, which generate a distinct class of postmitotic neurons in the ventral third of the neural tube.
TL;DR: The annotated DNA sequence of the α-proteobacteriumSinorhizobium meliloti, the symbiont of alfalfa, is presented, indicating that all three elements contribute, in varying degrees, to symbiosis and reveals how this genome may have emerged during evolution.
Abstract: The scarcity of usable nitrogen frequently limits plant growth. A tight metabolic association with rhizobial bacteria allows legumes to obtain nitrogen compounds by bacterial reduction of dinitrogen (N2) to ammonium (NH4+). We present here the annotated DNA sequence of the alpha-proteobacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti, the symbiont of alfalfa. The tripartite 6.7-megabase (Mb) genome comprises a 3.65-Mb chromosome, and 1.35-Mb pSymA and 1.68-Mb pSymB megaplasmids. Genome sequence analysis indicates that all three elements contribute, in varying degrees, to symbiosis and reveals how this genome may have emerged during evolution. The genome sequence will be useful in understanding the dynamics of interkingdom associations and of life in soil environments.
TL;DR: It is shown that mice carrying mutations in the tumour suppressor gene p53 were highly predisposed to a range of tumour types, predominantly early onset lung cancer.
Abstract: About 30% of human tumours carry ras gene mutations. Of the three genes in this family (composed of K-ras, N-ras and H-ras), K-ras is the most frequently mutated member in human tumours, including adenocarcinomas of the pancreas ( approximately 70-90% incidence), colon ( approximately 50%) and lung ( approximately 25-50%). To construct mouse tumour models involving K-ras, we used a new gene targeting procedure to create mouse strains carrying oncogenic alleles of K-ras that can be activated only on a spontaneous recombination event in the whole animal. Here we show that mice carrying these mutations were highly predisposed to a range of tumour types, predominantly early onset lung cancer. This model was further characterized by examining the effects of germline mutations in the tumour suppressor gene p53, which is known to be mutated along with K-ras in human tumours. This approach has several advantages over traditional transgenic strategies, including that it more closely recapitulates spontaneous oncogene activation as seen in human cancers.
TL;DR: Functional studies have provided exciting insights into how SNARE proteins interact with each other to generate the driving force needed to fuse lipid bilayers.
Abstract: SNARE proteins have been proposed to mediate all intracellular membrane fusion events. There are over 30 SNARE family members in mammalian cells and each is found in a distinct subcellular compartment. It is likely that SNAREs encode aspects of membrane transport specificity but the mechanism by which this specificity is achieved remains controversial. Functional studies have provided exciting insights into how SNARE proteins interact with each other to generate the driving force needed to fuse lipid bilayers.
TL;DR: Three subgroups comprise the TRP channel family; the best understood of these mediates responses to painful stimuli, and other proposed functions include repletion of intracellular calcium stores, receptor-mediated excitation and modulation of the cell cycle.
Abstract: Mammalian homologues of the Drosophila transient receptor potential (TRP) channel gene encode a family of at least 20 ion channel proteins. They are widely distributed in mammalian tissues, but their specific physiological functions are largely unknown. A common theme that links the TRP channels is their activation or modulation by phosphatidylinositol signal transduction pathways. The channel subunits have six transmembrane domains that most probably assemble into tetramers to form non-selective cationic channels, which allow for the influx of calcium ions into cells. Three subgroups comprise the TRP channel family; the best understood of these mediates responses to painful stimuli. Other proposed functions include repletion of intracellular calcium stores, receptor-mediated excitation and modulation of the cell cycle.
TL;DR: The fundamental structural principles of the retina give a bottom-up view of the strategies used in the retina's processing of visual information and suggest new questions for physiological experiments and modeling.
Abstract: The retina, like many other central nervous system structures, contains a huge diversity of neuronal types. Mammalian retinas contain approximately 55 distinct cell types, each with a different function. The census of cell types is nearing completion, as the development of quantitative methods makes it possible to be reasonably confident that few additional types exist. Although much remains to be learned, the fundamental structural principles are now becoming clear. They give a bottom-up view of the strategies used in the retina’s processing of visual information and suggest new questions for physiological experiments and modeling.
TL;DR: It is concluded that translational dysregulation of mRNAs normally associated with FMRP may be the proximal cause of fragile X syndrome, and candidate genes relevant to this phenotype are identified.
TL;DR: In this paper, a refined model of the alpha-beta-tubulin dimer was presented, which includes residues alpha: 2-34, alpha:61-439, beta:2-437, one molecule of GTP, one of GDP, and one of taxol, as well as one magnesium ion near the M-loop in the alpha subunit.
TL;DR: Results from tryptophan analog feeding experiments and biochemical assays indicate that YUCCA catalyzes hydroxylation of the amino group of tryptamine, a rate-limiting step in tryptophile-dependent auxin biosynthesis.
Abstract: Although auxin is known to regulate many processes in plant development and has been studied for over a century, the mechanisms whereby plants produce it have remained elusive. Here we report the characterization of a dominant Arabidopsis mutant, yucca, which contains elevated levels of free auxin. YUCCA encodes a flavin monooxygenase-like enzyme and belongs to a family that includes at least nine other homologous Arabidopsis genes, a subset of which appears to have redundant functions. Results from tryptophan analog feeding experiments and biochemical assays indicate that YUCCA catalyzes hydroxylation of the amino group of tryptamine, a rate-limiting step in tryptophan-dependent auxin biosynthesis.
[...]
TL;DR: Since it was identified a decade ago, cyclin-dependent kinase 5 has emerged as a crucial regulator of neuronal migration in the developing central nervous system.
Abstract: Since it was identified a decade ago, cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) has emerged as a crucial regulator of neuronal migration in the developing central nervous system. CDK5 phosphorylates a diverse list of substrates, implicating it in the regulation of a range of cellular processes - from adhesion and motility, to synaptic plasticity and drug addiction. Recent evidence indicates that deregulation of this kinase is involved in the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases.
TL;DR: This work was supported by grants from N.H.B.I.L. and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
TL;DR: A role for blood vessels as a source of developmental signals during pancreatic organogenesis is demonstrated and results indicate that vessels not only provide metabolic sustenance, but also provide inductive signals for organ development.
Abstract: Blood vessels supply developing organs with metabolic sustenance. Here, we demonstrate a role for blood vessels as a source of developmental signals during pancreatic organogenesis. In vitro experiments with embryonic mouse tissues demonstrate that blood vessel endothelium induces insulin expression in isolated endoderm. Removal of the dorsal aorta in Xenopus laevis embryos results in the failure of insulin expression in vivo. Furthermore, using transgenic mice, we show that ectopic vascularization in the posterior foregut leads to ectopic insulin expression and islet hyperplasia. These results indicate that vessels not only provide metabolic sustenance, but also provide inductive signals for organ development.
TL;DR: It now appears that the protein that caps the ends of chromosomes is widely dispersed throughout the eukaryotic kingdom.
Abstract: Telomere proteins from ciliated protozoa bind to the single-stranded G-rich DNA extensions at the ends of macronuclear chromosomes We have now identified homologous proteins in fission yeast and in humans These Pot1 (protection of telomeres) proteins each bind the G-rich strand of their own telomeric repeat sequence, consistent with a direct role in protecting chromosome ends Deletion of the fission yeast pot1+ gene has an immediate effect on chromosome stability, causing rapid loss of telomeric DNA and chromosome circularization It now appears that the protein that caps the ends of chromosomes is widely dispersed throughout the eukaryotic kingdom