Lis1 slows force-induced detachment of cytoplasmic dynein from microtubules.

Lis1 is a key cofactor for the assembly of active cytoplasmic dynein complexes that transport cargo along microtubules. Lis1 binds to the AAA+ ring and stalk of dynein and slows dynein motility, but the underlying mechanism has remained unclear. Using single-molecule imaging and optical trapping assays, we investigated how Lis1 binding affects the motility and force generation of yeast dynein in vitro. We showed that Lis1 slows motility by binding to the AAA+ ring of dynein, not by serving as a roadblock or tethering dynein to microtubules. Lis1 binding also does not affect force generation, but it induces prolonged stalls and reduces the asymmetry in the force-induced detachment of dynein from microtubules. The mutagenesis of the Lis1-binding sites on the dynein stalk partially recovers this asymmetry but does not restore dynein velocity. These results suggest that Lis1-stalk interaction slows the detachment of dynein from microtubules by interfering with the stalk sliding mechanism.

Ubiquitin modulates 26S proteasome conformational dynamics and promotes substrate degradation.

The 26S proteasome recognizes thousands of appropriate protein substrates in eukaryotic cells through attached ubiquitin chains and uses its adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) motor for mechanical unfolding and translocation into a proteolytic chamber. Here, we used single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer measurements to monitor the conformational dynamics of the proteasome, observe individual substrates during their progression toward degradation, and elucidate how these processes are regulated by ubiquitin chains. Rapid transitions between engagement- and processing-competent proteasome conformations control substrate access to the ATPase motor. Ubiquitin chain binding functions as an allosteric regulator to slow these transitions, stabilize the engagement-competent state, and aid substrate capture to accelerate degradation initiation. Upon substrate engagement, the proteasome remains in processing-competent states for translocation and unfolding, except for apparent motor slips when encountering stably folded domains. Our studies revealed how ubiquitin chains allosterically regulate degradation initiation, which ensures substrate selectivity in a crowded cellular environment.

Structural basis for cytoplasmic dynein-1 regulation by Lis1.

The lissencephaly 1 gene, LIS1, is mutated in patients with the neurodevelopmental disease lissencephaly. The Lis1 protein is conserved from fungi to mammals and is a key regulator of cytoplasmic dynein-1, the major minus-end-directed microtubule motor in many eukaryotes. Lis1 is the only dynein regulator known to bind directly to dynein's motor domain, and by doing so alters dynein's mechanochemistry. Lis1 is required for the formation of fully active dynein complexes, which also contain essential cofactors: dynactin and an activating adaptor. Here, we report the first high-resolution structure of the yeast dynein-Lis1 complex. Our 3.1 Å structure reveals, in molecular detail, the major contacts between dynein and Lis1 and between Lis1's ß-propellers. Structure-guided mutations in Lis1 and dynein show that these contacts are required for Lis1's ability to form fully active human dynein complexes and to regulate yeast dynein's mechanochemistry and in vivo function.

Self-repair protects microtubules from destruction by molecular motors.

Microtubule instability stems from the low energy of tubulin dimer interactions, which sets the growing polymer close to its disassembly conditions. Molecular motors use ATP hydrolysis to produce mechanical work and move on microtubules. This raises the possibility that the mechanical work produced by walking motors can break dimer interactions and trigger microtubule disassembly. We tested this hypothesis by studying the interplay between microtubules and moving molecular motors in vitro. Our results show that molecular motors can remove tubulin dimers from the lattice and rapidly destroy microtubules. We also found that dimer removal by motors was compensated for by the insertion of free tubulin dimers into the microtubule lattice. This self-repair mechanism allows microtubules to survive the damage induced by molecular motors as they move along their tracks. Our study reveals the existence of coupling between the motion of molecular motors and the renewal of the microtubule lattice.

Proteasome interaction with ubiquitinated substrates: from mechanisms to therapies.

The 26S proteasome is responsible for regulated proteolysis in eukaryotic cells. Its substrates are diverse in structure, function, sequence length, and amino acid composition, and are targeted to the proteasome by post-translational modification with ubiquitin. Ubiquitination occurs through a complex enzymatic cascade and can also signal for other cellular events, unrelated to proteasome-catalyzed degradation. Like other post-translational protein modifications, ubiquitination is reversible, with ubiquitin chain hydrolysis catalyzed by the action of deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs), ~ 90 of which exist in humans and allow for temporal events and dynamic ubiquitin-chain remodeling. DUBs have been known for decades to be an integral part of the proteasome, as deubiquitination is coupled to substrate unfolding and translocation into the internal degradation chamber. Moreover, the proteasome also binds several ubiquitinating enzymes and shuttle factors that recruit ubiquitinated substrates. The role of this intricate machinery and how ubiquitinated substrates interact with proteasomes remains an area of active investigation. Here, we review what has been learned about the mechanisms used by the proteasome to bind ubiquitinated substrates, substrate shuttle factors, ubiquitination machinery, and DUBs. We also discuss many open questions that require further study or the development of innovative approaches to be answered. Finally, we address the promise of expanded therapeutic targeting that could benefit from such new discoveries.

LIS1 promotes the formation of activated cytoplasmic dynein-1 complexes.

Cytoplasmic dynein-1 is a molecular motor that drives nearly all minus-end-directed microtubule-based transport in human cells, performing functions that range from retrograde axonal transport to mitotic spindle assembly1,2. Activated dynein complexes consist of one or two dynein dimers, the dynactin complex and an 'activating adaptor', and they show faster velocity when two dynein dimers are present3-6. Little is known about the assembly process of this massive ~4 MDa complex. Here, using purified recombinant human proteins, we uncover a role for the dynein-binding protein LIS1 in promoting the formation of activated dynein-dynactin complexes that contain two dynein dimers. Complexes activated by proteins representing three families of activating adaptors-BicD2, Hook3 and Ninl-all show enhanced motile properties in the presence of LIS1. Activated dynein complexes do not require sustained LIS1 binding for fast velocity. Using cryo-electron microscopy, we show that human LIS1 binds to dynein at two sites on the motor domain of dynein. Our research suggests that LIS1 binding at these sites functions in multiple stages of assembling the motile dynein-dynactin-activating adaptor complex.

Evaluation of in vitro antioxidant, antiglycation and antimicrobial potential of indigenous Myanmar medicinal plants.

OBJECTIVE: Myanmar has a long history of using medicinal plants for treatment of various diseases. To the best of our knowledge there are no previous reports on antiglycation activities of medicinal plants from Myanmar. Therefore, this study was aimed to evaluate the antioxidant, antiglycation and antimicrobial properties of 20 ethanolic extracts from 17 medicinal plants indigenous to Myanmar. METHODS: In vitro scavenging assays of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), nitric oxide (NO), superoxide (SO) radicals were used to determine the antioxidant activities. Folin-Ciocalteu's method was performed to determine the total phenolic content. Antiglycation and antimicrobial activities were detected by bovine serum albumin-fluorescent assay and agar well diffusion method. RESULTS: Terminalia chebula Retz. (Fruit), containing the highest total phenolic content, showed high antioxidant activities with inhibition of 77.98% ±â€¯0.92%, 88.95% ±â€¯2.42%, 88.56% ±â€¯1.87% and 70.74%±â€¯2.57% for DPPH, NO, SO assays and antiglycation activity respectively. It also showed the antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans with inhibition zone of 19, 18, 17, 25 and 15 mm, respectively. Garcinia mangostana Linn. showed the strongest activities for SO and antiglycation assays with inhibition of 93.68% ±â€¯2.63% and 82.37% ±â€¯1.78%. Bark of Melia sp. was the best NO radical scavenger with inhibition rate of 89.39%±â€¯0.60%. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that these plants are potential sources of antioxidants with free radical-scavenging and antiglycation activities and could be useful for decreasing the oxidative stress and glycation end-product formation in glycation-related diseases.

Lis1 Has Two Opposing Modes of Regulating Cytoplasmic Dynein.

Regulation is central to the functional versatility of cytoplasmic dynein, a motor involved in intracellular transport, cell division, and neurodevelopment. Previous work established that Lis1, a conserved regulator of dynein, binds to its motor domain and induces a tight microtubule-binding state in dynein. The work we present here-a combination of biochemistry, single-molecule assays, and cryoelectron microscopy-led to the surprising discovery that Lis1 has two opposing modes of regulating dynein, being capable of inducing both low and high affinity for the microtubule. We show that these opposing modes depend on the stoichiometry of Lis1 binding to dynein and that this stoichiometry is regulated by the nucleotide state of dynein's AAA3 domain. The low-affinity state requires Lis1 to also bind to dynein at a novel conserved site, mutation of which disrupts Lis1's function in vivo. We propose a new model for the regulation of dynein by Lis1.

The human cytoplasmic dynein interactome reveals novel activators of motility.

In human cells, cytoplasmic dynein-1 is essential for long-distance transport of many cargos, including organelles, RNAs, proteins, and viruses, towards microtubule minus ends. To understand how a single motor achieves cargo specificity, we identified the human dynein interactome by attaching a promiscuous biotin ligase ('BioID') to seven components of the dynein machinery, including a subunit of the essential cofactor dynactin. This method reported spatial information about the large cytosolic dynein/dynactin complex in living cells. To achieve maximal motile activity and to bind its cargos, human dynein/dynactin requires 'activators', of which only five have been described. We developed methods to identify new activators in our BioID data, and discovered that ninein and ninein-like are a new family of dynein activators. Analysis of the protein interactomes for six activators, including ninein and ninein-like, suggests that each dynein activator has multiple cargos.

Tension on the linker gates the ATP-dependent release of dynein from microtubules.

Cytoplasmic dynein is a dimeric motor that transports intracellular cargoes towards the minus end of microtubules (MTs). In contrast to other processive motors, stepping of the dynein motor domains (heads) is not precisely coordinated. Therefore, the mechanism of dynein processivity remains unclear. Here, by engineering the mechanical and catalytic properties of the motor, we show that dynein processivity minimally requires a single active head and a second inert MT-binding domain. Processivity arises from a high ratio of MT-bound to unbound time, and not from interhead communication. In addition, nucleotide-dependent microtubule release is gated by tension on the linker domain. Intramolecular tension sensing is observed in dynein's stepping motion at high interhead separations. On the basis of these results, we propose a quantitative model for the stepping characteristics of dynein and its response to chemical and mechanical perturbation.

Reliability of ultrasound duplex for detection of hemodynamically significant stenosis in hemodialysis access.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the accuracy of AVF and AVG duplex ultrasound (US) compared to angiographic findings in patients with suspected failing dialysis access. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From July 2008 to December 2010, US was performed on 35 hemodialysis patients with 51 vascular accesses having clinical feature or dialysis parameter suspicious of access problem. Peak systolic velocity ratio of ≥2 was the criteria for diagnosing stenosis ≥50%. Fistulogram was performed in all these patients. Results of US and fistulogram were compared using Kappa and Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) analyses. RESULTS: In 51 accesses (35 AVF, 16 AVG), US diagnosed significant stenosis in 45 accesses according to the criteria and angiogram confirmed 44 significant stenoses. In AVF lesions, Kappa was 0.533 with 93.3% sensitivity and 60% specificity for US whereas in AVG lesions, Kappa was 0.636 with 100% sensitivity and 50% specificity. Overall Kappa value of 0.56 meant fair to good agreement. ROC demonstrated area under the curve being 0.79 for all cases and was significant (p = 0.016). Using the ≥50% criteria for stenosis diagnosed by US yielded the best sensitivity (95.5%) and specificity (57.1%). CONCLUSION: Duplex ultrasound study, using ≥50% criteria, is a sensitive tool for stenosis detection in patients with suspected failing AVF and AVG.