LAMMER Kinase Governs the Expression and Cellular Localization of Gas2, a Key Regulator of Flocculation in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

It was reported that LAMMER kinase in Schizosaccharomyces pombe plays an important role in cation-dependent and galactose-specific flocculation. Analogous to other flocculating yeasts, when cell wall extracts of the Δlkh1 strain were treated to the wild-type strain, it displayed flocculation. Gas2, a 1,3-ß-glucanosyl transferase, was isolated from the EDTA-extracted cell-surface proteins in the Δlkh1 strain. While disruption of the gas2+ gene was not lethal and reduced the flocculation activity of the ∆lkh1 strain, the expression of a secreted form of Gas2, in which the GPI anchor addition sequences had been removed, conferred the ability to flocculate upon the WT strain. The Gas2-mediated flocculation was strongly inhibited by galactose but not by glucose. Immunostaining analysis showed that the cell surface localization of Gas2 was crucial for the flocculation of fission yeast. In addition, we identified the regulation of mbx2+ expression by Lkh1 using RT-qPCR. Taken together, we found that Lkh1 induces asexual flocculation by regulating not only the localization of Gas2 but also the transcription of gas2+ through Mbx2.

The effect and safety of polylactic acid and adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction cell as an injectable bulking agent in urologic field: a 24-week follow-up study.

The aim of this study is to evaluate whether polylactic acid (PLA) microspheres and adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells have appropriate properties as an injectable bulking agent in urologic field. Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats (2-week-old) were randomized into two groups. A total of 0.05 mL of PLA microsphere suspension and 0.05 mL of PLA microsphere suspension mixed with PKH26-labeled SVF cells were injected into bladder wall in group I and group II, respectively. At 2, 8, 16, and 24 weeks of PLA microspheres injection, the volumes of implants were measured and bladder tissues including implants were analyzed and compared grossly and histologically between groups. The distant organs were examined histologically to determine migration of PLA microspheres. At 24 weeks of implantation, 65-70% of injected volume was maintained and there was no significant difference between groups. In histological analyses, injected PLA microspheres were localized in muscular layer of bladder without infiltration into adjacent layer. From 8 to 16 weeks of injection, hybrid tissues contained collagen and actin were observed between PLA microspheres and these findings were more clear in group II. PHK26-labeled SVF cells were identified by fluorescence microscopy at all time points. There was no migration of PLA microspheres to other organs and no abnormality in weight gain and hematologic values. These results suggest the possibility of PLA microspheres as a potentially useful bulking agent in urologic field. And further investigation is needed to know synergic effect of SVF cells.

Fission yeast LAMMER kinase Lkh1 regulates the cell cycle by phosphorylating the CDK-inhibitor Rum1.

In eukaryotes, LAMMER kinases are involved in various cellular events, including the cell cycle. However, no attempt has been made to investigate the mechanisms that underlie the involvement of LAMMER kinase. In this study, we performed a functional analysis of LAMMER kinase using the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe. FACS analyses revealed that deletion of the gene that encodes the LAMMER kinase Lkh1 made mutant cells pass through the G1/S phase faster than their wild-type counterparts. Co-immunoprecipitation and an in vitro kinase assay also revealed that Lkh1 can interact with and phosphorylate Rum1 to activate this molecule as a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, which blocks cell cycle progression from the G1 phase to the S phase. Peptide mass fingerprinting and kinase assay with Rum1(T110A) confirmed T110 as the Lkh1-dependent phosphorylation residue. In this report we present for the first time a positive acting mechanism that is responsible for the CKI activity of Rum1, in which the LAMMER kinase-mediated phosphorylation of Rum1 is involved.

Repair of rabbit ulna segmental bone defect using freshly isolated adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction.

BACKGROUND AIMS: Stromal vascular fractions (SVF) from adipose tissue have heterogeneous cell populations, and include multipotent adipose-derived stem cells. The advantages of using of SVF include the avoidance of an additional culture period, a reduced risk of extensive cell contamination, and cost-effectiveness. METHODS: Unilateral 20-mm mid-diaphyseal segmental defects in rabbit ulna were treated with one of the following: polylactic glycolic acid (PLGA) scaffold alone (group 1, control), a PLGA scaffold with undifferentiated SVF cells (group 2), or a PLGA scaffold with osteogenically differentiated SVF cells (group 3). At 8 weeks after implantation, five rabbits in each treatment group were killed to assess bone defect healing by plain radiography, quantitative microcomputed tomography and histology. RESULTS: The SVF cells were well grown on PLGA scaffolds and expressed type I collagen and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). The intensity of ALP and OPN gene expressions in osteogenic medium culture were increased from 14 days to 28 days. In vivo evaluations at 8 weeks showed that treatment of SVF cells with or without osteogenic differentiation resulted in more bone formation in the critically sized segmental defects than PLGA scaffold alone. Osteogenically differentiated SVF cells significantly enhanced bone healing compared with undifferentiated SVF cells. CONCLUSIONS: Adipose-derived stromal SVF showed osteogenic potential in vitro. Accordingly, SVF could provide a cell source for bone tissue engineering. However, treatment with uncultured SVF cells on bone healing was not satisfactory in the in vivo animal model.

The LAMMER kinase homolog, Lkh1, regulates Tup transcriptional repressors through phosphorylation in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Disruption of the fission yeast LAMMER kinase, Lkh1, gene resulted in diverse phenotypes, including adhesive filamentous growth and oxidative stress sensitivity, but an exact cellular function had not been assigned to Lkh1. Through an in vitro pull-down approach, a transcriptional repressor, Tup12, was identified as an Lkh1 binding partner. Interactions between Lkh1 and Tup11 or Tup12 were confirmed by in vitro and in vivo binding assays. Tup proteins were phosphorylated by Lkh1 in a LAMMER motif-dependent manner. The LAMMER motif was also necessary for substrate recognition in vitro and cellular function in vivo. Transcriptional activity assays using promoters negatively regulated by Tup11 and Tup12 showed 6 or 2 times higher activity in the Delta lkh1 mutant than the wild type, respectively. Northern analysis revealed derepressed expression of the fbp1(+) mRNA in Delta lkh1 and in Delta tup11 Delta tup12 mutant cells under repressed conditions. Delta lkh1 and Delta tup11 Delta tup12 mutant cells showed flocculation, which was reversed by co-expression of Tup11 and -12 with Ssn6. Here, we presented a new aspect of the LAMMER kinase by demonstrating that the activities of global transcriptional repressors, Tup11 and Tup12, were positively regulated by Lkh1-mediated phosphorylation.

RNA-binding protein Csx1 is phosphorylated by LAMMER kinase, Lkh1, in response to oxidative stress in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Recent studies have shown that global gene expression during oxidative stress in Schizosaccharomyces pombe is regulated by stress-induced activation and binding of Csx1 to atf1(+) mRNA. However, the kinase responsible for the activation of Csx1 has not been identified. Here, we describe, for the first time, that Csx1 is phosphorylated by S. pombe LAMMER kinase, Lkh1, under oxidative conditions and that the stress-activated binding of the Csx1 to the atf1(+) mRNA was also affected by Lkh1 and Spc1. These data indicate that concerted actions of Spc1 and Lkh1 are required for the activation of Csx1 during oxidative condition in the fission yeast S. pombe.

LAMMER kinase homolog, Lkh1, is involved in oxidative-stress response of fission yeast.

Previously, we reported that the LAMMER kinase homolog, Lkh1, is a negative regulator of filamentous growth and asexual flocculation in the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Here, we report that the lkh1(+) null mutant is sensitive to oxidative stress because of a reduction in the expression of genes for antioxidant enzymes such as catalase (ctt1(+)) and Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (sod1(+)). Furthermore, the lkh1(+) null mutant shows increased levels of intracellular peroxides under conditions of oxidative stress compared with wild-type cells. Interestingly, expression of the gene for the transcription factor Atf1 is reduced in the lkh1(+) null mutant under oxidative stress, whereas expression of the transcription factor Pap1 is not. We report the novel finding that Lkh1 is involved in the oxidative-stress response of the fission yeast, S. pombe, and regulates the expression of antioxidant enzymes via the transcription factor Atf1.