Sortin2 enhances endocytic trafficking towards the vacuole in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

BACKGROUND: A highly regulated trafficking of cargo vesicles in eukaryotes performs protein delivery to a variety of cellular compartments of endomembrane system. The two main routes, the secretory and the endocytic pathways have pivotal functions in uni- and multi-cellular organisms. Protein delivery and targeting includes cargo recognition, vesicle formation and fusion. Developing new tools to modulate protein trafficking allows better understanding the endomembrane system mechanisms and their regulation. The compound Sortin2 has been described as a protein trafficking modulator affecting targeting of the vacuolar protein carboxypeptidase Y (CPY), triggering its secretion in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. RESULTS: A reverse chemical-genetics approach was used to identify key proteins for Sortin2 bioactivity. A genome-wide Sortin2 resistance screen revealed six yeast deletion mutants that do not secrete CPY when grown at Sortin2 condition where the parental strain does: met18, sla1, clc1, dfg10, dpl1 and yjl175w. Integrating mutant phenotype and gene ontology annotation of the corresponding genes and their interactome pointed towards a high representation of genes involved in the endocytic process. In wild type yeast endocytosis towards the vacuole was faster in presence of Sortin2, which further validates the data of the genome-wide screen. This effect of Sortin2 depends on structural features of the molecule, suggesting compound specificity. Sortin2 did not affect endocytic trafficking in Sortin2-resistant mutants, strongly suggesting that the Sortin2 effects on the secretory and endocytic pathways are linked. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the results reveal that Sortin2 enhances the endocytic transport pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This cellular effect is most likely at the level where secretory and endocytic pathways are merged. Them Sortin2 specificity over the endomembrane system places it as a powerful biological modulator for cell biology.

Culture of mouse peritoneal macrophages with mouse serum induces lipid bodies that associate with the parasitophorous vacuole and decrease their microbicidal capacity against Toxoplasma gondii

Lipid bodies [lipid droplets (LBs)] are lipid-rich organelles involved in lipid metabolism, signalling and inflammation. Recent findings suggest a role for LBs in host response to infection; however, the potential functions of this organelle in Toxoplasma gondii infection and how it alters macrophage microbicidal capacity during infection are not well understood. Here, we investigated the role of host LBs in T. gondii infection in mouse peritoneal macrophages in vitro. Macrophages cultured with mouse serum (MS) had higher numbers of LBs than those cultured in foetal bovine serum and can function as a model to study the role of LBs during intracellular pathogen infection. LBs were found in association with the parasitophorous vacuole, suggesting that T. gondii may benefit from this lipid source. Moreover, increased numbers of macrophage LBs correlated with high prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production and decreased nitric oxide (NO) synthesis. Accordingly, LB-enriched macrophages cultured with MS were less efficient at controlling T. gondii growth. Treatment of macrophages cultured with MS with indomethacin, an inhibitor of PGE2 production, increased the microbicidal capacity against T. gondii. Collectively, these results suggest that culture with MS caused a decrease in microbicidal activity of macrophages against T. gondii by increasing PGE2 while lowering NO production.

Autofagia del cardiomiocito: ¿un nuevo mecanismo de adaptación al estrés o de muerte celular? / Cardiomyocyte autophagy: a new adaptative mechanism to stress or new form of cell death?

Históricamente, la apoptosis y la necrosis han sido consideradas como las dos formas fundamentales de muerte celular. Sin embargo, evidencias recientes sugieren que la muerte celular programada no está confinada sólo a la apoptosis sino que las células disponen de distintos mecanismos de autodestrucción, entre los que se cuenta la autofagia. Esta última se define como un proceso dinámico y programado que procede con el secuestro de proteínas citoplasmáticas y organelos enteros dentro de vacuolas de doble membrana, que se contactan y se fusionan con los lisosomas, formando los autolisosomas. Los elementos capturados en las vacuolas son degradados por proteasas lisosomales y removidos de la célula por exocitosis. La autofagia se describió inicialmente como un proceso fisiológico clave para la sobrevida celular en respuesta al estrés derivado de la privación de nutrientes. Además, la autofagia también se ha observado en algunas patologías cardiovasculares, especialmente aquellas asociadas a procesos de isquemia/reperfusión. En esta revisión se sintetiza el conocimiento actual de la autofagia, sus implicancias y proyecciones en el área cardiovascular.

An ultrastructural study on cytotoxic effects of mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) on testes in Shiba goat in vitro

In this study, the effects of mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP), one of metabolites of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, on immature Shiba goat testes in vitro were examined. The testes of 2-month-old Shiba goats were cut into smaller pieces, and seeded in medium. At 1, 3, 6 and 9 hr after administration of MEHP at various concentrations (0, 100 nmol ml-1, 1 nmol ml-1, and 1 x 10-3 nmol ml-1, respectively), the specimens were obtained for light and transmission electron microscopic observations. As a result, at 1 hr after exposure to MEHP, the vacuolization and nuclear membrane rupture appeared in Sertoli cells. Such alterations tended to gradually increase in number in timeand dose-dependent manners. Moreover, by MEHP treatment, apoptotic spermatogenic cells (characterized with chromatin condensation, cytoplasm shrinkage without membrane rupture, still functioning cell organelles, and packed cell contents in membrane-bounded bodies), apoptotic Sertoli cells (characterized with nuclear membrane lysis, nuclear condensation), necrotic spermatogenic cells (characterized with swollen and ruptured mitochondria, plasma membrane lysis, spilt cell contents, and chromatin clumps), and necrotic Sertoli cells (characterized with marginated chromatins along the nuclear membrane, ruptured vesicles within the MNB, some swollen and ruptured cell organelles, e.g. mitochondria) could be identified. Conclusively, ultrastructurally the treatment with MEHP at low concentration tends to lead spermatogenic and Sertoli cells to apoptosis, whereas that at high concentration tends to lead spermatogenic and Sertoli cells to necrosis. Thus, the testicular tissue culture is advantageous for screening testicular toxicity of chemicals.

Protein targeting to the plant vacuole: a historical perspective

Although many properties of the targeting of plant endomembrane proteins are similar to mammalian and yeast systems, several clear diferentes are found that will be stressed in this review. In the past few years, we have seen an advancement in our understanding of the signals for vacuolar protein targeting and some insights into the mechanisms of transport to the vacuole in the plant cell. This work will form the basis for elucidation of the fundamental principles that govern protein trafficking through the secretory system to the vacuole.

Phagolysosomes induits par Leishmania amazonensis et Coxiella burnetii: modèle pour l´étude de fusion entre grandes vacuoles de pahgocytose / Phagolysosomes induced by Leishmania amazonensis and Coxiella burnetii: a model for the study of merger between large vacuoles of pahgocytose

Actuellement, les connaissances sur l'interaction entre grandes vacuoles de phagocytose sont tres limitées. Il est important de signaler, les travaux pionniers sur la fusion entre les vacuoles contenant différents types des particu1es chez les Acantamcebas et les études sur l'interaction entre les phagosomes contenant le Staphylococcus aureus et les endosomes. L'objectif du travail ici présenté était d'étudier l'interaction entre grandes vacuoles de phagocytose en utilisant les cellules intactes de mammifere, les macrophages ou les cellules CHO ("chinese hamster ovary"). Nous avons utilisé comme vacuoles réceptrices deux types de phagolysosomes, la vacuole parasitophore induite par le parasite Leishmania amazonensis et celle induite par la bactérie Coxiella burnetii (vacuole de Coxiella). Ces grands phagolysosomes ont été choisis parce qu'elles sont facilement repérable au microscope optique et partagent entre elles des caractéristiques similaires. La vacuole parasitophore et la vacuole de Coxiella sont addifiées, contiennent des enzymes hydrolytiques, et il est connu que, les deux vacuoles se fusionnent avec les compartiments tardifs d'endocytose. Dans um premier temps, les vacuoles contenant les particu1es inertes, comme celles dérivées de la levure, les billes de latex ainsi que, les globules rouges fixés ou opsonisés, ont été utilisées comme les vacuoles donatrices. Nous avons démontré que les particu1es dérivées de la levure, le zymosan ou la levure tuée, étaient sélectivement transférées aux vacuoles parasitophores, puisque les billes de latex ou les globules rouges également phagocytés par les macrophages, étaient exc1us de ces vacuoles. D'abord, nous avons établi une méthode en pulse-chasse pour étudier le transfert de particules zymosan aux vacuoles parasitophores dans les macrophages infectés par L. amazonensis. Nous avons démontré que le transfert était vectoriel et quantal. Les études pharmacologiques ont montré que l'alcalinisation, par des bases faibles ou l'ionophore monensine, augmentait le transfert. Nous avons également démontré que la toxine cholérique augmentait le transfert probablement par des mécanismes, au moins en partie, dépendants de sa sous-unité B et indépendants de l' AMPc intracellulaire. Nous avons alors montré que la sous-unité B purifiée ou recombinante stimulait le transfert et que d'autres molécu1es qui augmentent l'AMPc intracellulaire, comme les inhibiteurs de phosphodiesterases, la forskoline ou le Br-AMPc réduisaient le transfert. Deuxiemement, nous avons comparé la capadté de fusion entre les vacuoles induites par L. amazonensis ou par C. burnetii dans les cellules CHO, et les vacuoles contenant différents particu1es inertes...