Intracellular Na + /H + (NHX) antiporters have important roles in cellular pH and Na + , K + homeostasis. The six Arabidopsis thaliana intracellular NHX members are divided into two groups, endosomal (NHX5 and NHX6) and vacuolar (NHX1 to NHX4). Of the vacuolar members, NHX1 has been characterized functionally, but the remaining members have largely unknown roles. Using reverse genetics, we show that, unlike the single knockouts nhx1 or nhx2, the double knockout nhx1 nhx2 had significantly reduced growth, smaller cells, shorter hypocotyls in etiolated seedlings and abnormal stamens in mature flowers. Filaments of nhx1 nhx2 did not elongate and lacked the ability to dehisce and release pollen, resulting in a near lack of silique formation. Pollen viability and germination was not affected. Quantification of vacuolar pH and intravacuolar K + concentrations indicated that nhx1 nhx2 vacuoles were more acidic and accumulated only 30% of the wild-type K + concentration, highlighting the roles of NHX1 and NHX2 in mediating vacuolar K + /H + exchange. Growth under added Na + , but not K + , partly rescued the flower and growth phenotypes. Our results demonstrate the roles of NHX1 and NHX2 in regulating intravacuolar K + and pH, which are essential to cell expansion and flower development.

Intracellular Na + /H + antiporters (NHXs) play important roles in cellular pH and Na + and K + homeostasis in all eukaryotes. Based on sequence similarity, the six intracellular Arabidopsis thaliana members are divided into two groups. Unlike the vacuolar NHX1-4, NHX5 and NHX6 are believed to be endosomal; however, little data exist to support either their function or localization. Using reverse genetics, we show that whereas single knockouts nhx5 or nhx6 did not differ from the wild type, the double knockout nhx5 nhx6 showed reduced growth, with smaller and fewer cells and increased sensitivity to salinity. Reduced growth of nhx5 nhx6 was due to slowed cell expansion. Transcriptome analysis indicated that nhx5, nhx6, and the wild type had similar gene expression profiles, whereas transcripts related to vesicular trafficking and abiotic stress were enriched in nhx5 nhx6. We show that unlike other intracellular NHX proteins, NHX5 and NHX6 are associated with punctate, motile cytosolic vesicles, sensitive to Brefeldin A, that colocalize to known Golgi and trans-Golgi network markers. We provide data to show that vacuolar trafficking is affected in nhx5 nhx6. Possible involvements of NHX5 and NHX6 in maintaining organelle pH and ion homeostasis with implications in endosomal sorting and cellular stress responses are discussed.

Protein trafficking requires proper ion and pH homeostasis of the endomembrane system. The NHX-type Na + /H + antiporters NHX5 and NHX6 localize to the Golgi, trans-Golgi network, and prevacuolar compartments and are required for growth and trafficking to the vacuole. In the nhx5 nhx6 T-DNA insertional knockouts, the precursors of the 2S albumin and 12S globulin storage proteins accumulated and were missorted to the apoplast. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed the presence of vesicle clusters containing storage protein precursors and vacuolar sorting receptors (VSRs). Isolation and identification of complexes of VSRs with unprocessed 12S globulin by 2D blue-native PAGE/SDS-PAGE indicated that the nhx5 nhx6 knockouts showed compromised receptor-cargo association. In vivo interaction studies using bimolecular fluorescence complementation between VSR2;1, aleurain, and 12S globulin suggested that nhx5 nhx6 knockouts showed a significant reduction of VSR binding to both cargoes. In vivo pH measurements indicated that the lumens of VSR compartments containing aleurain, as well as the trans-Golgi network and prevacuolar compartments, were significantly more acidic in nhx5 nhx6 knockouts. This work demonstrates the importance of NHX5 and NHX6 in maintaining endomembrane luminal pH and supports the notion that proper vacuolar trafficking and proteolytic processing of storage proteins require endomembrane pH homeostasis.

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Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH)2 is a classic glycolytic enzyme that also mediates cell death by its nuclear translocation under oxidative stress. Meanwhile, we previously presented that oxidative stress induced disulfide-bonded GAPDH aggregation in vitro. Here, we propose that GAPDH aggregate formation might participate in oxidative stress-induced cell death both in vitro and in vivo. We show that human GAPDH amyloidlike aggregate formation depends on the active site cysteine-152 (Cys-152) in vitro. In SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma, treatment with dopamine decreases the cell viability concentration-dependently (IC 50 ‫؍‬ 202 M). Low concentrations of dopamine (50 -100 M) mainly cause nuclear translocation of GAPDH, whereas the levels of GAPDH aggregates correlate with high concentrations of dopamine (200 -300 M)-induced cell death. Doxycycline-inducible overexpression of wild-type GAPDH in SH-SY5Y, but not the Cys-152-substituted mutant (C152A-GAPDH), accelerates cell death accompanying both endogenous and exogenous GAPDH aggregate formation in response to high concentrations of dopamine. Deprenyl, a blocker of GAPDH nuclear translocation, fails to inhibit the aggregation both in vitro and in cells but reduced cell death in SH-SY5Y treated with only a low concentration of dopamine (100 M). These results suggest that GAPDH participates in oxidative stress-induced cell death via an alternative mechanism in which aggregation but not nuclear translocation of GAPDH plays a role. Moreover, we observe endogenous GAPDH aggregate formation in nigra-striatum dopaminergic neurons after methamphetamine treatment in mice. In transgenic mice overexpressing wildtype GAPDH, increased dopaminergic neuron loss and GAPDH aggregate formation are observed. These data suggest a critical role of GAPDH aggregates in oxidative stress-induced brain damage.Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) is a classic glycolytic enzyme that is also involved in cell death and neuropsychiatric conditions (1, 2). GAPDH mediates cell death under oxidative stress conditions at least in part through nuclear translocation together with Siah (3). In the nucleus, GAPDH activates p300/CBP and regulates gene transcription (4). The pathway can be blocked by deprenyl (Selegiline), a neuroprotective compound (5). Although nuclear translocation of GAPDH is known to cause cell death, other mechanisms of GAPDH-associated cell death may also exist.Several neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the accumulation of misfolded proteins, resulting in intracellular and extracellular protein aggregates (6, 7). For instance, conformational changes in ␤-amyloid (A␤) in Alzheimer disease and ␣-synuclein in Parkinson disease lead to the formation of abnormal oligomers and amyloid fibrils (8). Similar to A␤ and ␣-synuclein, GAPDH is also amyloidogenic (9 -14). We previously reported the molecular mechanism underlying oxidative stressinduced amyloid-like aggregation of GAPDH using the purified rabbit GAPDH and demonstrated the critical role of the act...

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) has potent mltogemc actlvlty for mature hepatocytes and various normal eplthehal cells We now have evidence that HGF at I-IO @ml, strongly mhlblts the growth of I-lepG2 hepatocelluldr carcmoma cells, B6/Fl melanoma cells and KB squamous cdrcmomn cells These tumor cells express high affimty receptors for HGF with d & of 25-28 pM, slmllar to findmgs with hepatocytes HGF at l-100 @ml had no slgmficant cytolytlc effect on tumor cells Therefore, the nntl-prohferatlve effect of HGF on tumor cells seems to be cytostatic, not cytolytlcAs HGF apparently has bldlrcctlonal effects on ccl1 growth. the posslblhty that It can serve as an anti-tumor agent merits attentionHepntocyte growth factor (HGF), Anti-tumor agent, Growth mhlbltlon, WGF receptor

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