Fish keratocytes can generate rearward directed traction forces within front portions of the lamellipodium, suggesting that a retrograde flow of actin may also occur here but this was not detected by previous photoactivation experiments. To investigate the relationship between retrograde flow and traction force generation, we have transfected keratocytes with GFP-actin and used fluorescent speckle microscopy, to observe speckle flow. We detected a retrograde flow of actin within the leading lamellipodium that is inversely proportional to both protrusion rate and cell speed. To observe the effect of reducing contractility, we treated transfected cells with ML7, a potent inhibitor of myosin II. Surprisingly, ML7 treatment led to an increase in retrograde flow rate, together with a decrease in protrusion and cell speed, but only in rapidly moving cells. In slower moving cells, retrograde flow decreased, whereas protrusion rate and cell speed increased. These results suggest that there are two mechanisms for producing retrograde flow. One involves slippage between the cytoskeleton and adhesions, that decreases traction force production. The other involves slippage between adhesions and the substratum, which increases traction force production. We conclude that a biphasic relationship exists between retrograde actin flow and adhesiveness in moving keratocytes.

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular parasite that causes disseminated infections in fetuses and immunocompromised individuals. Although gene regulation is important for parasite differentiation and pathogenesis, little is known about protein organization in the nucleus. Here we show that the fucose-binding Aleuria aurantia lectin (AAL) binds to numerous punctate structures in the nuclei of tachyzoites, bradyzoites, and sporozoites but not oocysts. AAL also binds to Hammondia and Neospora nuclei but not to more distantly related apicomplexans. Analyses of the AAL-enriched fraction indicate that AAL binds O-linked fucose added to Ser/Thr residues present in or adjacent to Ser-rich domains (SRDs). Sixty-nine Ser-rich proteins were reproducibly enriched with AAL, including nucleoporins, mRNA-processing enzymes, and cell-signaling proteins. Two endogenous SRDs-containing proteins and an SRD-YFP fusion localize with AAL to the nuclear membrane. Superresolution microscopy showed that the majority of the AAL signal localizes in proximity to nuclear pore complexes. Host cells modify secreted proteins with O-fucose; here we describe the O-fucosylation pathway in the nucleocytosol of a eukaryote. Furthermore, these results suggest O-fucosylation is a mechanism by which proteins involved in gene expression accumulate near the NPC.toxoplasma | fucose | nuclear glycosylation | nuclear pore complex T he apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii causes disseminated infections in humans, and these infections can lead to severe damage in immunocompromised individuals and fetuses (1, 2). There is no human vaccine against T. gondii, and recently the price of pyrimethamine, the drug used to treat toxoplasmosis in the United States, has increased more than 50-fold (2).T. gondii has a complex life cycle, and the parasite's ability to differentiate through its life stages in response to stresses and environmental conditions is fundamental for its pathogenicity and transmission (3). Transcriptome analyses have revealed that a large percentage of mRNAs show life stage-specific expression (4) and/or cell cycle regulation (5). Recent studies have increased our understanding of gene expression in T. gondii by identifying the AP2 family of transcription factors (6-8) and by describing posttranslational modifications (PTMs) of histones and some of the enzymes responsible for them (9-11). However, little is known about protein organization at the nuclear periphery, a subnuclear compartment that plays a critical role in transcriptional regulation in many eukaryotes. In particular, the gene-gating model (12) suggests that the nuclear pore complex (NPC) has a role in transcriptional regulation and chromatin organization as well as in protein and mRNA transport (13,14).In T. gondii chromodomain protein 1 localizes with heterochromatin at the nuclear periphery (15), and centromeres sequester to an apical nuclear region (16). Although the nuclear localization signal (NLS) and importin-α system are present, key nuclear import and export molecules are...

Glycomics and glycoproteomics analyses by mass spectrometry require efficient front-end separation methods to enable deep characterization of heterogeneous glycoform populations. Chromatography methods are generally limited in their ability to resolve glycoforms using mobile phases that are compatible with online liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The adoption of capillary electrophoresis–mass spectrometry methods (CE-MS) for glycomics and glycoproteomics is limited by the lack of convenient interfaces for coupling the CE devices to mass spectrometers. Here, we describe the application of a microfluidics-based CE-MS system for analysis of released glycans, glycopeptides and monosaccharides. We demonstrate a single CE method for three different modalities, thus contributing to comprehensive glycoproteomics analyses. In addition, we explored compatible sample derivatization methods. We used glycan TMT-labeling to improve electrophoretic migration and enable multiplexed quantitation by tandem MS. We used sialic acid linkage-specific derivatization methods to improve separation and the level of information obtained from a single analytical step. Capillary electrophoresis greatly improved glycoform separation for both released glycans and glycopeptides over that reported for chromatography modes more frequently employed for such analyses. Overall, the CE-MS method described here enables rapid setup and analysis of glycans and glycopeptides using mass spectrometry.

Background Acanthamoeba castellanii , which causes keratitis and blindness in under-resourced countries, is an emerging pathogen worldwide, because of its association with contact lens use. The wall makes cysts resistant to sterilizing reagents in lens solutions and to antibiotics applied to the eye. Methodology/Principal findings Transmission electron microscopy and structured illumination microscopy (SIM) showed purified cyst walls of A . castellanii retained an outer ectocyst layer, an inner endocyst layer, and conical ostioles that connect them. Mass spectrometry showed candidate cyst wall proteins were dominated by three families of lectins (named here Jonah, Luke, and Leo), which bound well to cellulose and less well to chitin. An abundant Jonah lectin, which has one choice-of-anchor A (CAA) domain, was made early during encystation and localized to the ectocyst layer of cyst walls. An abundant Luke lectin, which has two carbohydrate-binding modules (CBM49), outlined small, flat ostioles in a single-layered primordial wall and localized to the endocyst layer and ostioles of mature walls. An abundant Leo lectin, which has two unique domains with eight Cys residues each (8-Cys), localized to the endocyst layer and ostioles. The Jonah lectin and glycopolymers, to which it binds, were accessible in the ectocyst layer. In contrast, Luke and Leo lectins and the glycopolymers, to which they bind, were mostly inaccessible in the endocyst layer and ostioles. Conclusions/Significance The most abundant A . castellanii cyst wall proteins are three sets of lectins, which have carbohydrate-binding modules that are conserved (CBM49s of Luke), newly characterized (CAA of Jonah), or unique to Acanthamoebae (8-Cys of Leo). Cyst wall formation is a tightly choreographed event, in which lectins and glycopolymers combine to form a mature wall with a protected endocyst layer. Because of its accessibility in the ectocyst layer, an abundant Jonah lectin is an excellent diagnostic target.

causes severe diarrhea in infants in developing countries and in immunosuppressed persons, including those with AIDS. We are interested in the Asn-linked glycans (-glycans) of , because (1) the-glycan precursor is predicted to contain five mannose and two glucose residues on a single long arm nine mannose and three glucose residues on the three-armed structure common in host-glycans, (2) is a rare eukaryote that lacks the machinery for-glycan-dependent quality control of protein folding in the lumen of the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER), and (3) ER and Golgi mannosidases, as well as glycosyltransferases that build complex -glycans, are absent from the predicted proteome. The-glycans reported here, which were determined using a combination of collision-induced dissociation and electronic excitation dissociation, contain a single, unprocessed mannose arm ± terminal glucose on the trimannosyl chitobiose core. Upon nanoUPLC-MS/MS separation and analysis of the tryptic peptides, the total ion and extracted oxonium ion chromatograms delineated 32 peptides with occupied-glycan sites; these were derived from 16 glycoproteins. Although the number of potential -glycan sites with Thr (NxT) is only about twice that with Ser (NxS), almost 90% of the occupied-glycan sites contain NxT. The two most abundant proteins modified with-glycans were an immunodominant antigen on the surface of sporozoites (gp900) and the possible oocyst wall protein 1 (POWP1). Seven other glycoproteins with -glycans were unique to; five shared common ancestry with other apicomplexans; two glycoproteins shared common ancestry with many organisms. In summary, -glycans are remarkable for the absence of ER and Golgi modification and for the strong bias toward occupancy of-glycan motifs containing Thr.