Modulation of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling in IL-17A-mediated macrophage polarization of RAW264.7 cells.

Macrophages play pivotal roles in host defense and immune homeostasis, which have two major functional polarization states, the classically activated M1 and the alternatively activated M2. Interleukin (IL)-17A is an immune modulator able to shape macrophage phenotypes. Wnt/ß-catenin is a developmental signaling pathway that plays crucial roles in morphogenesis and tissue homeostasis, which has also been recently demonstrated playing roles in immune regulation. A growing amount of evidence suggests that both Wnt and IL-17A signaling are involved in macrophage polarization. However, their interaction in macrophage polarization remains elusive. The aim of present study was to explore impacts of Wnt/ß-catenin on IL-17A-mediated macrophage M1/M2 polarization in murine monocyte/macrophage-like cell line RAW264.7. Results revealed that IL-17A activated Wnt/ß-catenin signaling and induced macrophage M1 polarization, but inhibited M2 polarization. In contrast, the activation of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling led to the inhibition of M1 macrophage polarization but the promotion of M2 polarization. Importantly, the activation of Wnt/ß-catenin also showed abilities to inhibit the IL-17A-induced M1 macrophage polarization while diminishing the IL-17A-inhibited M2 polarization. Molecular analysis further uncovered that the JAK/STAT signaling pathway was involved in the interaction of Wnt/ß-catenin and IL-17A in the modulation of macrophage polarization. These results suggested that the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling modulated IL-17A-altered macrophage polarization in part by regulating the JAK/STAT signaling pathway. This study thus revealed a novel function of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling in regulating IL-17A-altered macrophage polarization.

Modulation of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling in IL-17A-mediated macrophage polarization of RAW264. 7 cells

Macrophages play pivotal roles in host defense and immune homeostasis, which have two major functional polarization states, the classically activated M1 and the alternatively activated M2. Interleukin (IL)-17A is an immune modulator able to shape macrophage phenotypes. Wnt/β-catenin is a developmental signaling pathway that plays crucial roles in morphogenesis and tissue homeostasis, which has also been recently demonstrated playing roles in immune regulation. A growing amount of evidence suggests that both Wnt and IL-17A signaling are involved in macrophage polarization. However, their interaction in macrophage polarization remains elusive. The aim of present study was to explore impacts of Wnt/β-catenin on IL-17A-mediated macrophage M1/M2 polarization in murine monocyte/macrophage-like cell line RAW264.7. Results revealed that IL-17A activated Wnt/β-catenin signaling and induced macrophage M1 polarization, but inhibited M2 polarization. In contrast, the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling led to the inhibition of M1 macrophage polarization but the promotion of M2 polarization. Importantly, the activation of Wnt/β-catenin also showed abilities to inhibit the IL-17A-induced M1 macrophage polarization while diminishing the IL-17A-inhibited M2 polarization. Molecular analysis further uncovered that the JAK/STAT signaling pathway was involved in the interaction of Wnt/β-catenin and IL-17A in the modulation of macrophage polarization. These results suggested that the Wnt/β-catenin signaling modulated IL-17A-altered macrophage polarization in part by regulating the JAK/STAT signaling pathway. This study thus revealed a novel function of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in regulating IL-17A-altered macrophage polarization.

VPS37A directs ESCRT recruitment for phagophore closure.

The process of phagophore closure requires the endosomal sorting complex required for transport III (ESCRT-III) subunit CHMP2A and the AAA ATPase VPS4, but their regulatory mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we establish a FACS-based HaloTag-LC3 autophagosome completion assay to screen a genome-wide CRISPR library and identify the ESCRT-I subunit VPS37A as a critical component for phagophore closure. VPS37A localizes on the phagophore through the N-terminal putative ubiquitin E2 variant domain, which is found to be required for autophagosome completion but dispensable for ESCRT-I complex formation and the degradation of epidermal growth factor receptor in the multivesicular body pathway. Notably, loss of VPS37A abrogates the phagophore recruitment of the ESCRT-I subunit VPS28 and CHMP2A, whereas inhibition of membrane closure by CHMP2A depletion or VPS4 inhibition accumulates VPS37A on the phagophore. These observations suggest that VPS37A coordinates the recruitment of a unique set of ESCRT machinery components for phagophore closure in mammalian cells.

Translational signatures and mRNA levels are highly correlated in human stably expressed genes.

BACKGROUND: Gene expression is one of the most relevant biological processes of living cells. Due to the relative small population sizes, it is predicted that human gene sequences are not strongly influenced by selection towards expression efficiency. One of the major problems in estimating to what extent gene characteristics can be selected to maximize expression efficiency is the wide variation that exists in RNA and protein levels among physiological states and different tissues. Analyses of datasets of stably expressed genes (i.e. with consistent expression between physiological states and tissues) would provide more accurate and reliable measurements of associations between variations of a specific gene characteristic and expression, and how distinct gene features work to optimize gene expression. RESULTS: Using a dataset of human genes with consistent expression between physiological states we selected gene sequence signatures related to translation that can predict about 42% of mRNA variation. The prediction can be increased to 51% when selecting genes that are stably expressed in more than 1 tissue. These genes are enriched for translation and ribosome biosynthesis processes and have higher translation efficiency scores, smaller coding sequences and 3' UTR sizes and lower folding energies when compared to other datasets. Additionally, the amino acid frequencies weighted by expression showed higher correlations with isoacceptor tRNA gene copy number, and smaller absolute correlation values with biosynthetic costs. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that human gene sequence characteristics related to transcription and translation processes can co-evolve in an integrated manner in order to optimize gene expression.

Reactions of copper(II) salts with 3[5]-tert-butylpyrazole: double-cubane complexes with bound exogenous anions, and a novel pyrazole coordination mode.

Reaction of CuX(2) (X(-)=Cl(-), Br(-), NO(3) (-)), NaOH, and 3[5]-tert-butylpyrazole (Hpz(tBu)) in a 1:1:2 molar ratio in MeOH at 293 K for three days affords [[Cu(3)(Hpz(tBu))(6)(mu(3)-X)(mu(3)-OH)(3)](2)Cu]X(6) (X(-)=Cl(-), 1; X(-)=Br(-), 2; X(-)=NO(3)(-), 3) in moderate yields. These compounds contain a centrosymmetric, vertex-sharing double-cubane [[Cu(3)(Hpz(tBu))(6)(mu(3)-X)(mu(3)-OH)(3)](2)Cu](6+) core, surrounded by a belt of six hydrogen-bonded X(-) ions. For 1 and 2, the ring of guest anions has near C(3) symmetry, that is slightly distorted owing to the axis of Jahn-Teller elongation at the central Cu ion. For 3 only, the NO(3)(-) guest ions are crystallographically disordered, reflecting their poor complimentarity with complex host. A similar reaction employing CuF(2) yields [[Cu(3)(Hpz(tBu))(4)(mu-pz(tBu))(2)(mu-F)(2)(mu(3)-F)](2)]F(2) (4), whose structure contains a cyclic hexacopper core with approximate C(2v) symmetry. Finally, an analogous reaction using Cu(NCS)(2) gives a mixture of trans-[Cu(NCS)(2)(Hpz(tBu))(2)] (5) and [Cu(2)(NCS)(2)(mu-pz(tBu))(2)(mu-Hpz(tBu))(Hpz(tBu))(2)] (6). The latter compound contains a Hpzt(Bu) ligand bridging the two Cu ions in an unusual kappa(1),mu-coordination mode. The variable temperature magnetic properties of 1-3 show antiferromagnetic behavior, leading to a S=1/2 ground state in which the seven copper(II) ions are associated into three mutually independent distinct spin systems. In confirmation of this interpretation, Q-band EPR spectra of solid 1 and 2 at 5 K also demonstrate a S= 1/2 spin system and exhibit hyperfine coupling to three (63,65)Cu nuclei. Unusually, the coupling is manifest as an eight-line splitting of the parallel feature, rather than the usual 10 lines. This has been rationalized by a spin-projection calculation, and results from the relative magnitudes of coupling to the three Cu nuclei. UV/Vis and mass spectrometric data show that 1-4 decompose to lower nuclearity species in solution.