In mammalian skeletal muscle, phosphorylation of TOMM22 by protein kinase CSNK2/CK2 controls mitophagy.

In yeast, Tom22, the central component of the TOMM (translocase of outer mitochondrial membrane) receptor complex, is responsible for the recognition and translocation of synthesized mitochondrial precursor proteins, and its protein kinase CK2-dependent phosphorylation is mandatory for TOMM complex biogenesis and proper mitochondrial protein import. In mammals, the biological function of protein kinase CSNK2/CK2 remains vastly elusive and it is unknown whether CSNK2-dependent phosphorylation of TOMM protein subunits has a similar role as that in yeast. To address this issue, we used a skeletal muscle-specific Csnk2b/Ck2ß-conditional knockout (cKO) mouse model. Phenotypically, these skeletal muscle Csnk2b cKO mice showed reduced muscle strength and abnormal metabolic activity of mainly oxidative muscle fibers, which point towards mitochondrial dysfunction. Enzymatically, active muscle lysates from skeletal muscle Csnk2b cKO mice phosphorylate murine TOMM22, the mammalian ortholog of yeast Tom22, to a lower extent than lysates prepared from controls. Mechanistically, CSNK2-mediated phosphorylation of TOMM22 changes its binding affinity for mitochondrial precursor proteins. However, in contrast to yeast, mitochondrial protein import seems not to be affected in vitro using mitochondria isolated from muscles of skeletal muscle Csnk2b cKO mice. PINK1, a mitochondrial health sensor that undergoes constitutive import under physiological conditions, accumulates within skeletal muscle Csnk2b cKO fibers and labels abnormal mitochondria for removal by mitophagy as demonstrated by the appearance of mitochondria-containing autophagosomes through electron microscopy. Mitophagy can be normalized by either introduction of a phosphomimetic TOMM22 mutant in cultured myotubes, or by in vivo electroporation of phosphomimetic Tomm22 into muscles of mice. Importantly, transfection of the phosphomimetic Tomm22 mutant in muscle cells with ablated Csnk2b restored their oxygen consumption rate comparable to wild-type levels. In sum, our data show that mammalian CSNK2-dependent phosphorylation of TOMM22 is a critical switch for mitophagy and reveal CSNK2-dependent physiological implications on metabolism, muscle integrity and behavior.

Urinary Concentrations and Antibacterial Activity of BAL30072, a Novel Siderophore Monosulfactam, against Uropathogens after Intravenous Administration in Healthy Subjects.

This annex study to a phase 1 study aimed to correlate urinary concentrations and bactericidal titers (UBTs) of BAL30072, a novel siderophore monosulfactam, in healthy subjects in order to evaluate which dosage of BAL30072 should be investigated in a clinical study on complicated urinary tract infection (UTI). Three cohorts of a total of 19 healthy male subjects were included in the add-on study and received the following BAL30072 dosages. The 1st cohort received 1 g once a day (q.d.) intravenously (i.v.) (1 h) on day 1 and 1 g thrice daily (t.i.d.) on day 2, the 2nd cohort received 2 g q.d. i.v. (1 h) on day 1 and 2 g t.i.d. on day 2, and the 3rd cohort received 1 g q.d. i.v. (4-h infusion) on day 8. Urine was collected up to 24 h after drug administration. UBTs were determined for seven Escherichia coli isolates (three wild type [WT], CTX-M-15, TEM-3, TEM-5, NDM-1), two Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates (WT, KPC), one Proteus mirabilis isolate (WT), and two Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates (WT, VIM-1 plus AmpC). Urine drug concentrations were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The median urinary excretions of BAL30072 ranged between 38% and 46% (3 cohorts). The median UBTs after i.v. administration of 1 or 2 g q.d. and after 1 or 2 g t.i.d. showed positive UBTs for 24 h after the lowest dosage (1 g q.d.) for 5 of 7 of the Enterobacteriaceae strains and after the higher dosage of 2 g administered i.v. t.i.d. for all strains tested. After i.v. infusion of 1 g over 4 h, positive UBTs were demonstrated for three E. coli strains for up to 12 h, for the K. pneumoniae (KPC) strain for up to 8 h, and for the P. aeruginosa (VIM-1 plus AmpC) strain for up to only 4 h. The minimal bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) of the E. coli (NDM-1) strain and the K. pneumoniae (WT) strain correlated well between broth and urine but did not correlate well for the two P. aeruginosa strains. BAL30072 exhibits positive UBTs for 24 h even after a dosage of 1 g administered i.v. q.d. for 5 of 7 Enterobacteriaceae strains and after 2 g administered i.v. t.i.d. for all strains except one P. aeruginosa strain (50% of the time). In general, the UBTs correlated well with the MICs of the Enterobacteriaceae but were lower for P. aeruginosa The clinical efficacy with a dosage regimen of BAL30072 of 2 g administered i.v. t.i.d. should be evaluated in the treatment of complicated UTI.

Protein kinase CK2 interacts at the neuromuscular synapse with Rapsyn, Rac1, 14-3-3γ, and Dok-7 proteins and phosphorylates the latter two.

Previously, we demonstrated that the protein kinase CK2 associates with and phosphorylates the receptor tyrosine kinase MuSK (muscle specific receptor tyrosine kinase) at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), thereby preventing fragmentation of the NMJs (Cheusova, T., Khan, M. A., Schubert, S. W., Gavin, A. C., Buchou, T., Jacob, G., Sticht, H., Allende, J., Boldyreff, B., Brenner, H. R., and Hashemolhosseini, S. (2006) Genes Dev. 20, 1800-1816). Here, we asked whether CK2 interacts with other proteins involved in processes at the NMJ, which would be consistent with the previous observation that CK2 appears enriched at the NMJ. We identified the following proteins to interact with protein kinase CK2: (a) the α and ß subunits of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors with weak interaction, (b) dishevelled (Dsh), and (c) another four proteins, Rapsyn, Rac1, 14-3-3γ, and Dok-7, with strong interaction. CK2 phosphorylated 14-3-3γ at serine residue 235 and Dok-7 at several serine residues but does not phosphorylate Rapsyn or Rac1. Furthermore, phosphomimetic Dok-7 mutants aggregated nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in C2C12 myotubes with significantly higher frequency than wild type Dok-7. Additionally, we mapped the interacting epitopes of all four binding partners to CK2 and thereby gained insights into the potential role of the CK2/Rapsyn interaction.

Urinary concentrations and antibacterial activities of nitroxoline at 250 milligrams versus trimethoprim at 200 milligrams against uropathogens in healthy volunteers.

Because of the increasing bacterial resistance of uropathogens against standard antibiotics, such as trimethoprim (TMP), older antimicrobial drugs, such as nitroxoline (NTX), should be reevaluated. This randomized crossover study investigated the urinary concentrations of parent drugs and their metabolites and their antibacterial activities (urinary inhibitory titers [UITs] and urinary bactericidal titers [UBTs]) against uropathogens at three different urinary pH values within 24 h in six healthy volunteers after a single oral dose of NTX at 250 mg versus TMP at 200 mg. In three additional volunteers, urinary bactericidal kinetics (UBK) were studied after oral administration of NTX at 250 mg three times a day. The mean urinary concentrations of NTX and NTX sulfate in 24 h were 0.012 to 0.507 mg/liter and 0.28 to 27.83 mg/liter, respectively. The mean urinary concentrations of TMP were 18.79 to 41.59 mg/liter. The antibacterial activity of NTX was higher in acidic urine than in alkaline urine, and that of TMP was higher in alkaline urine than in acidic urine. The UITs and UBTs of NTX were generally lower than those of TMP except for a TMP-resistant Escherichia coli strain, for which NTX showed higher UITs/UBTs than did TMP. UBK showed mainly bacteriostatic activity of NTX in urine. NTX exhibits mainly bacteriostatic activity and TMP also shows bactericidal activity in urine against susceptible strains. NTX is a more active antibacterial in acidic urine, and TMP is more active in alkaline urine. The cumulative effects of multiple doses or inhibition of bacterial adherence could not be evaluated. (This study has been registered at EudraCT under registration no. 2009-015631-32.).

Identification of Erbin interlinking MuSK and ErbB2 and its impact on acetylcholine receptor aggregation at the neuromuscular junction.

Erbin, a binding partner of ErbB2, was identified as the first member of the LAP family of proteins. Erbin was shown at postsynaptic membranes of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) or in cultured C2C12 myotubes (1) to be concentrated, (2) to regulate the Ras-Raf-Mek pathway, and (3) to inhibit TGF-beta signaling. In the CNS, Erbin interacts with PSD-95. Furthermore, agrin-MuSK signaling initiates formation of AChR aggregates at the postsynaptic membrane. In search of proteins interacting with MuSK, we identified Erbin as a MuSK binding protein. We verified the interaction of MuSK with Erbin, or both concomitantly with ErbB2 by coimmunoprecipitation, and we mapped the interacting epitopes between Erbin and MuSK. We demonstrated elevated mRNA levels of Erbin at synaptic nuclei and colocalized Erbin and MuSK at postsynaptic membranes. We identified several Erbin isoforms at the NMJ, all of which contained the MuSK binding domain. By knocking down Erbin, we observed agrin-dependent AChR aggregates on murine primary skeletal myotubes and C2C12 cells, and in the absence of agrin, microclusters, both of significantly lower density. Complementary, AChR-epsilon-reporter expression was reduced in myotubes overexpressing Erbin. We show that myotubes also express other LAP protein family members, namely Scribble and Lano, and that both affect physical dimensions of agrin-dependent AChR aggregates and density of microclusters formed in the absence of agrin. Moreover, MuSK-Erbin-ErbB2 signaling influences TGF-beta signaling. Our data define the requirement of Erbin on the cross talk between agrin and neuregulin signaling pathways at the NMJ.