The melanocortin receptor accessory protein 2 (MRAP2) plays an essential role in the regulation of metabolic homeostasis and deletion of which results in severe obesity syndrome in mice and human. Mammalian MRAP2 is recognized as an endogenous physiological mediator through the potentiation of the MC4R signaling in vivo. Two isoforms of MRAP2 are identified in zebrafish genome, zMRAP2a and zMRAP2b. However, the mechanism of assembling dual topology and the regulatory roles of each complex on the melanocortin cascades remains unclear. In this study, we showed the bidirectional homo-and hetero-dimeric topologies of two zebrafish MRAP2 isoforms on the plasma membrane. Orientation fixed chimeric proteins could affect the trafficking and pharmacological properties of zMC4R signaling.Reciprocal replacement of zMRAP2a and zMRAP2b proteins elucidated the major participation of the carboxyl terminal as the functional domain for modulating zMC4R signaling. Our findings revealed the complex and dynamic conformational regulation of dual zebrafish MRAP2 proteins in vitro.
Background: As Oryza sativa ssp. indica and Oryza sativa ssp. japonica are the two major subspecies of Asian cultivated rice, the adaptative evolution of these varieties in divergent environments is an important topic in both theoretical and practical studies. However, the cell type-specific differentiation between indica and japonica rice varieties in response to divergent habitat environments, which facilitates an understanding of the genetic basis underlying differentiation and environmental adaptation between rice subspecies at the cellular level, is little known.Methods: We analyzed a published single-cell RNA sequencing dataset to explore the differentially expressed genes between indica and japonica rice varieties in each cell type. To estimate the relationship between cell type-specific differentiation and environmental adaptation, we focused on genes in the WRKY, NAC, and BZIP transcription factor families, which are closely related to abiotic stress responses. In addition, we integrated five bulk RNA sequencing datasets obtained under conditions of abiotic stress, including cold, drought and salinity, in this study. Furthermore, we analyzed quiescent center cells in rice root tips based on orthologous markers in Arabidopsis.Results: We found differentially expressed genes between indica and japonica rice varieties with cell type-specific patterns, which were enriched in the pathways related to root development and stress reposes. Some of these genes were members of the WRKY, NAC, and BZIP transcription factor families and were differentially expressed under cold, drought or salinity stress. In addition, LOC_Os01g16810, LOC_Os01g18670, LOC_Os04g52960, and LOC_Os08g09350 may be potential markers of quiescent center cells in rice root tips.Conclusion: These results identified cell type-specific differentially expressed genes between indica-japonica rice varieties that were related to various environmental stresses and provided putative markers of quiescent center cells. This study provides new clues for understanding the development and physiology of plants during the process of adaptative divergence, in addition to identifying potential target genes for the improvement of stress tolerance in rice breeding applications.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.