Asymmetric cell division is an important mechanism for creating diversity in a cellular population. Stem cells commonly perform asymmetric division to generate both a daughter stem cell for self-renewal and a more dif...Asymmetric cell division is an important mechanism for creating diversity in a cellular population. Stem cells commonly perform asymmetric division to generate both a daughter stem cell for self-renewal and a more differentiated daughter cell to populate the tissue. During asymmetric cell division, protein cell fate determinants asymmetrically localize to the opposite poles of a dividing cell to cause distinct cell fate. However, it remains unclear whether cell fate determination is robust to fluctuations and noise during this spatial allocation process. To answer this question, we engineered Caulobacter, a bacterial model for asymmetric division, to express synthetic scaffolds with modular protein interaction domains. These scaffolds perturbed the spatial distribution of the PleC-DivJ- DivK phospho-signaling network without changing their endogenous expression levels. Surprisingly, enforcing symmetrical distribution of these cell fate de terminants did not result in symmetric daughter fate or any morphological defects. Further computational analysis suggested that PleC and DivJ form a robust phospho-switch that can tolerate high amount of spatial variation. This insight may shed light on the presence of similar phospho-switches in stem cell asymmetric division regulation. Overall, our study demonstrates that synthetic protein scaffolds can provide a useful tool to probe biological systems for better understanding of their operating principles.展开更多
Recently,a number of studies reported that casein was composed of various multifunctional bioactive peptides such as casein phosphopeptide andβ-casochemotide-1 that bind calcium ions and induce macrophage chemotaxis,...Recently,a number of studies reported that casein was composed of various multifunctional bioactive peptides such as casein phosphopeptide andβ-casochemotide-1 that bind calcium ions and induce macrophage chemotaxis,which is crucial for bone homeostasis and bone fracture repair by cytokines secreted in the process.We hypothesized that the effects of the multifunctional biopeptides in casein would contribute to improving bone regeneration.Thus,we designed a tissue engineering platform that consisted of casein and polyvinyl alcohol,which was a physical-crosslinked scaffold(milk-derived protein;MDP),via simple freeze-thaw cycles and performed surface modification using 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine(DOPA),a mussel adhesive protein,for immobilizing adhesive proteins and cytokines for recruiting cells in vivo(MDP-DOPA).Both the MDP and MDP-DOPA groups proved indirectly contribution of macrophages migration as RAW 264.7 cells were highly migrated toward materials by contained bioactive peptides.We implanted MDP and MDP-DOPA in a mouse calvarial defect orthotopic model and evaluated whether MDP-DOPA showed much faster mineral deposition and higher bone density than that of the no-treatment and MDP groups.The MDP-DOPA group showed the accumulation of host M2 macrophages and mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs)around the scaffold,whereas MDP presented mostly M1 macrophages in the early stage.展开更多
Scaffold proteins play an important role in the promotion of signal transmission and specificity during cell signaling. In cells, signaling proteins that make up a pathway are often physically orgnaized into complexes...Scaffold proteins play an important role in the promotion of signal transmission and specificity during cell signaling. In cells, signaling proteins that make up a pathway are often physically orgnaized into complexes by scaffold proteins [1]. Previous work [2] has shown that spatial localization of scaffold can enhance signaling locally while simultaneously suppressing signaling at a distance, and the membrane confinement of scaffold proteins may result in a precipitous spatial gradient of the active product protein, high close to the membrane and low within the cell. However, cell-fate decisions critically depend on the temporal pattern of product protein close to the nucleus. In this paper, when phosphorylation signals cannot be transfered by diffusion only, two mechanisms have been proposed for long-range signaling within cells： multiple locations of scaffold proteins and dynamical movement of scaffold proteins. Thus, here we have unveiled how the spatial propagation of the phosphorylated product protein within a cell depends on the spatially and temporal localized scaffold proteins. A class of novel and fast numerical methods for solving stiff reaction diffusion equations with complex domains is briefly introduced.展开更多
Spinal cord injury results in the loss of motor and sensory pathways and spontaneous regeneration of adult mammalian spinal cord neurons is limited. Chitosan and sodium alginate have good biocompatibility, biodegradab...Spinal cord injury results in the loss of motor and sensory pathways and spontaneous regeneration of adult mammalian spinal cord neurons is limited. Chitosan and sodium alginate have good biocompatibility, biodegradability, and are suitable to assist the recovery of damaged tissues, such as skin, bone and nerve. Chitosan scaffolds, sodium alginate scaffolds and chitosan-sodium alginate scaffolds were separately transplanted into rats with spinal cord hemisection. Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan locomotor rating scale scores and electrophysiological results showed that chitosan scaffolds promoted recovery of locomotor capacity and nerve transduction of the experimental rats.Sixty days after surgery, chitosan scaffolds retained the original shape of the spinal cord. Compared with sodium alginate scaffolds- and chitosan-sodium alginate scaffolds-transplanted rats, more neurofilament-H-immunoreactive cells （regenerating nerve fibers） and less glial fibrillary acidic protein-immunoreactive cells （astrocytic scar tissue） were observed at the injury site of experimental rats in chitosan scaffold-transplanted rats. Due to the fast degradation rate of sodium alginate, sodium alginate scaffolds and composite material scaffolds did not have a supporting and bridging effect on the damaged tissue. Above all, compared with sodium alginate and composite material scaffolds, chitosan had better biocompatibility, could promote the regeneration of nerve fibers and prevent the formation of scar tissue,and as such, is more suitable to help the repair of spinal cord injury.展开更多
Plants have adopted versatile scaffold proteins to facilitate the crosstalk between multiple signaling pathways. Leaf senescence is a well-programmed developmental stage that is coordinated by various external and int...Plants have adopted versatile scaffold proteins to facilitate the crosstalk between multiple signaling pathways. Leaf senescence is a well-programmed developmental stage that is coordinated by various external and internal signals. However,the functions of plant scaffold proteins in response to senescence signals are not well understood. Here, we report that the scaffold protein RACK1A(RECEPTOR FOR ACTIVATED C KINASE1A) participates in leaf senescence mediated by ethylene signaling via the coordination of the EIN3-miR164-ORE1 transcriptional regulatory cascade. RACK1A is a novel positive regulator of ethylene-mediated leaf senescence. The rack1a mutant exhibits delayed leaf senescence, while transgenic lines overexpressing RACK1A display early leaf senescence. Moreover, RACK1A promotes EIN3(ETHYLENE INSENSITIVE 3) protein accumulation, and directly interacts with EIN3 to enhance its DNA-binding activity. Together, they then associate with the miR164 promoter to inhibit its transcription, leading to the release of the inhibition on downstream ORE1(ORESARA 1) transcription and the promotion of leaf senescence.This study reveals a mechanistic framework by which RACK1A promotes leaf senescence via the EIN3-miR164-ORE1 transcriptional cascade, and provides a paradigm for how scaffold proteins finely tune phytohormone signaling to control plant development.展开更多
文摘Asymmetric cell division is an important mechanism for creating diversity in a cellular population. Stem cells commonly perform asymmetric division to generate both a daughter stem cell for self-renewal and a more differentiated daughter cell to populate the tissue. During asymmetric cell division, protein cell fate determinants asymmetrically localize to the opposite poles of a dividing cell to cause distinct cell fate. However, it remains unclear whether cell fate determination is robust to fluctuations and noise during this spatial allocation process. To answer this question, we engineered Caulobacter, a bacterial model for asymmetric division, to express synthetic scaffolds with modular protein interaction domains. These scaffolds perturbed the spatial distribution of the PleC-DivJ- DivK phospho-signaling network without changing their endogenous expression levels. Surprisingly, enforcing symmetrical distribution of these cell fate de terminants did not result in symmetric daughter fate or any morphological defects. Further computational analysis suggested that PleC and DivJ form a robust phospho-switch that can tolerate high amount of spatial variation. This insight may shed light on the presence of similar phospho-switches in stem cell asymmetric division regulation. Overall, our study demonstrates that synthetic protein scaffolds can provide a useful tool to probe biological systems for better understanding of their operating principles.
基金supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF)funded by the Ministry of Education(2020R1A6A3A01098495,2020R1A6A1A03043283)by the Bio&Medical Technology Development Program of the National Research Foundation(NRF)funded by the Korean government(MSIT)(2018M3A9E2023259)supported by Basic Science Research Capacity Enhancement Project through Korea Basic Science Institute(National research Facilities and Equipment Center)grant funded by the Ministry of Education(2019R1A6C1010033).
文摘Recently,a number of studies reported that casein was composed of various multifunctional bioactive peptides such as casein phosphopeptide andβ-casochemotide-1 that bind calcium ions and induce macrophage chemotaxis,which is crucial for bone homeostasis and bone fracture repair by cytokines secreted in the process.We hypothesized that the effects of the multifunctional biopeptides in casein would contribute to improving bone regeneration.Thus,we designed a tissue engineering platform that consisted of casein and polyvinyl alcohol,which was a physical-crosslinked scaffold(milk-derived protein;MDP),via simple freeze-thaw cycles and performed surface modification using 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine(DOPA),a mussel adhesive protein,for immobilizing adhesive proteins and cytokines for recruiting cells in vivo(MDP-DOPA).Both the MDP and MDP-DOPA groups proved indirectly contribution of macrophages migration as RAW 264.7 cells were highly migrated toward materials by contained bioactive peptides.We implanted MDP and MDP-DOPA in a mouse calvarial defect orthotopic model and evaluated whether MDP-DOPA showed much faster mineral deposition and higher bone density than that of the no-treatment and MDP groups.The MDP-DOPA group showed the accumulation of host M2 macrophages and mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs)around the scaffold,whereas MDP presented mostly M1 macrophages in the early stage.
基金supported by the NSF/NIH initiative on Mathematical Biologythrough R01GM75309 R01GM67247 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciencesby NIHP50GM76516 and NSF DMS0917492
文摘Scaffold proteins play an important role in the promotion of signal transmission and specificity during cell signaling. In cells, signaling proteins that make up a pathway are often physically orgnaized into complexes by scaffold proteins [1]. Previous work [2] has shown that spatial localization of scaffold can enhance signaling locally while simultaneously suppressing signaling at a distance, and the membrane confinement of scaffold proteins may result in a precipitous spatial gradient of the active product protein, high close to the membrane and low within the cell. However, cell-fate decisions critically depend on the temporal pattern of product protein close to the nucleus. In this paper, when phosphorylation signals cannot be transfered by diffusion only, two mechanisms have been proposed for long-range signaling within cells： multiple locations of scaffold proteins and dynamical movement of scaffold proteins. Thus, here we have unveiled how the spatial propagation of the phosphorylated product protein within a cell depends on the spatially and temporal localized scaffold proteins. A class of novel and fast numerical methods for solving stiff reaction diffusion equations with complex domains is briefly introduced.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81671243 and 81373429
文摘Spinal cord injury results in the loss of motor and sensory pathways and spontaneous regeneration of adult mammalian spinal cord neurons is limited. Chitosan and sodium alginate have good biocompatibility, biodegradability, and are suitable to assist the recovery of damaged tissues, such as skin, bone and nerve. Chitosan scaffolds, sodium alginate scaffolds and chitosan-sodium alginate scaffolds were separately transplanted into rats with spinal cord hemisection. Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan locomotor rating scale scores and electrophysiological results showed that chitosan scaffolds promoted recovery of locomotor capacity and nerve transduction of the experimental rats.Sixty days after surgery, chitosan scaffolds retained the original shape of the spinal cord. Compared with sodium alginate scaffolds- and chitosan-sodium alginate scaffolds-transplanted rats, more neurofilament-H-immunoreactive cells （regenerating nerve fibers） and less glial fibrillary acidic protein-immunoreactive cells （astrocytic scar tissue） were observed at the injury site of experimental rats in chitosan scaffold-transplanted rats. Due to the fast degradation rate of sodium alginate, sodium alginate scaffolds and composite material scaffolds did not have a supporting and bridging effect on the damaged tissue. Above all, compared with sodium alginate and composite material scaffolds, chitosan had better biocompatibility, could promote the regeneration of nerve fibers and prevent the formation of scar tissue,and as such, is more suitable to help the repair of spinal cord injury.
基金supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32070292 to J.L.)Shenzhen Science and Technology Program (KQTD2019 0929173906742 to J.L.)+1 种基金The Key Laboratory of Molecular Design for Plant Cell Factory of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes (2019KSYS006 to J.L.)Scientific Research Funding for postdoctoral researchers staying at Shenzhen (K19227561, K21227504 to W.Z.)。
文摘Plants have adopted versatile scaffold proteins to facilitate the crosstalk between multiple signaling pathways. Leaf senescence is a well-programmed developmental stage that is coordinated by various external and internal signals. However,the functions of plant scaffold proteins in response to senescence signals are not well understood. Here, we report that the scaffold protein RACK1A(RECEPTOR FOR ACTIVATED C KINASE1A) participates in leaf senescence mediated by ethylene signaling via the coordination of the EIN3-miR164-ORE1 transcriptional regulatory cascade. RACK1A is a novel positive regulator of ethylene-mediated leaf senescence. The rack1a mutant exhibits delayed leaf senescence, while transgenic lines overexpressing RACK1A display early leaf senescence. Moreover, RACK1A promotes EIN3(ETHYLENE INSENSITIVE 3) protein accumulation, and directly interacts with EIN3 to enhance its DNA-binding activity. Together, they then associate with the miR164 promoter to inhibit its transcription, leading to the release of the inhibition on downstream ORE1(ORESARA 1) transcription and the promotion of leaf senescence.This study reveals a mechanistic framework by which RACK1A promotes leaf senescence via the EIN3-miR164-ORE1 transcriptional cascade, and provides a paradigm for how scaffold proteins finely tune phytohormone signaling to control plant development.
