The role of jab1, a putative downstream effector of the neurotrophic cytokine macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in zebrafish inner ear hair cell development.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a neurotrophic cytokine essential for inner ear hair cell (HC) development and statoacoustic ganglion (SAG) neurite outgrowth, and SAG survival in mouse, chick and zebrafish. Another neurotrophic cytokine, Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP1) is known to synergize with MIF; but MCP1 alone is insufficient to support mouse/chick SAG neurite outgrowth or neuronal survival. Because of the relatively short time over which the zebrafish inner ear develops (~30hpf), the living zebrafish embryo is an ideal system to examine mif and mcp1 cytokine pathways and interactions. We used a novel technique: direct delivery of antisense oligonucleotide morpholinos (MOs) into the embryonic zebrafish otocyst to discover downstream effectors of mif as well as to clarify the relationship between mif and mcp1 in inner ear development. MOs for mif, mcp1 and the presumptive mif and mcp1 effector, c-Jun activation domain-binding protein-1 (jab1), were injected and then electroporated into the zebrafish otocyst 25-48hours post fertilization (hpf). We found that although mif is important at early stages (before 30hpf) for auditory macular HC development, jab1 is more critical for vestibular macular HC development before 30hpf. After 30hpf, mcp1 becomes important for HC development in both maculae.

CcpA-independent glucose regulation of lactate dehydrogenase 1 in Staphylococcus aureus.

Lactate Dehydrogenase 1 (Ldh1) is a key enzyme involved in Staphylococcus aureus NO·-resistance. Full ldh1-induction requires the presence of glucose, and mutants lacking the Carbon-Catabolite Protein (CcpA) exhibit decreased ldh1 transcription and diminished Ldh1 activity. The redox-regulator Rex represses ldh1 directly by binding to Rex-sites within the ldh1 promoter (P(ldh1)). In the absence of Rex, neither glucose nor CcpA affect ldh1 expression implying that glucose/CcpA-mediated activation requires Rex activity. Rex-mediated repression of ldh1 depends on cellular redox status and is maximal when NADH levels are low. However, compared to WT cells, the ΔccpA mutant exhibited impaired redox balance with relatively high NADH levels, yet ldh1 was still poorly expressed. Furthermore, CcpA did not drastically alter Rex transcript levels, nor did glucose or CcpA affect the expression of other Rex-regulated genes indicating that the glucose/CcpA effect is specific for P(ldh1). A putative catabolite response element (CRE) is located ∼30 bp upstream of the promoter-distal Rex-binding site in P(ldh1). However, CcpA had no affinity for P(ldh1) in vitro and a genomic mutation of CRE upstream of P(ldh1) in S. aureus had no affect on Ldh1 expression in vivo. In contrast to WT, ΔccpA S. aureus preferentially consumes non-glycolytic carbon sources. However when grown in defined medium with glucose as the primary carbon source, ΔccpA mutants express high levels of Ldh1 compared to growth in media devoid of glucose. Thus, the actual consumption of glucose stimulates Ldh1 expression rather than direct CcpA interaction at P(ldh1).