Loss of green color in leaves results from chlorophyll (Chl) degradation in chloroplasts, but little is known about how Chl catabolism is regulated throughout leaf development. Using the staygreen (sgr) mutant in rice (Oryza sativa), which maintains greenness during leaf senescence, we identified Sgr, a senescence-associated gene encoding a novel chloroplast protein. Transgenic rice overexpressing Sgr produces yellowish-brown leaves, and Arabidopsis thaliana pheophorbide a oxygenase-impaired mutants exhibiting a stay-green phenotype during dark-induced senescence have reduced expression of Sgr homologs, indicating that Sgr regulates Chl degradation at the transcriptional level. We show that the leaf staygreenness of the sgr mutant is associated with a failure in the destabilization of the light-harvesting chlorophyll binding protein (LHCP) complexes of the thylakoid membranes, which is a prerequisite event for the degradation of Chls and LHCPs during senescence. Transient overexpression of Sgr in Nicotiana benthamiana and an in vivo pull-down assay show that Sgr interacts with LHCPII, indicating that the Sgr-LHCPII complexes are formed in the thylakoid membranes. Thus, we propose that in senescing leaves, Sgr regulates Chl degradation by inducing LHCPII disassembly through direct interaction, leading to the degradation of Chls and Chl-free LHCPII by catabolic enzymes and proteases, respectively.

The activation of innate immunity requires the amplification of signals induced by pattern-recognition receptors for bacterial products. We have investigated the role of the newly described cytokine IL-32 in the amplification of cytokine production induced by the two most clinically relevant families of microbial receptors, the cell-surface Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and the intracellular nuclear oligomerization domain (NOD) receptor family. IL-32 synergized with the NOD1-and NOD2-specific muropeptides of peptidoglycans for the release of IL-1␤ and IL-6 (a 3-to 10-fold increase). In contrast, IL-32 did not influence the cytokine production induced via TLRs. The synergistic effect of IL-32 and synthetic muramyl dipeptide (MDP) on cytokine production was absent in the cells of patients with Crohn's disease bearing the NOD2 frameshift mutation 3020insC, demonstrating that the IL-32͞MDP synergism depends on NOD2. This in vitro synergism between IL-32 and NOD2 ligands was consistent with a marked constitutive expression of IL-32 in human colon epithelial tissue. In addition, the potentiating effect of IL-32 on the cytokine production induced by the synthetic muropeptide FK-156 was absent in NOD1-deficient macrophages, supporting the interaction between IL-32 and NOD1 pathways. When specific caspase inhibitors were used, the synergism between IL-32 and MDP͞NOD2 depended on the activation of caspase 1. Only additive effects of IL-32 and muropeptides were observed for TNF-␣ production. The modulation of intracellular NOD2 pathways by IL-32, but not cell-surface TLRs, and the marked expression of IL-32 in colon mucosa suggest a role of IL-32 in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease.Toll-like receptors ͉ cytokines

Sol-gel-derived Mg(OH)(2) gel was coated onto TiO(2) nanoparticles, and the subsequent thermal topotactic decomposition of the gel formed a highly nanoporous MgO crystalline coating. The specific surface area of the electrode that was prepared from the core-shell-structured TiO(2) nanoparticles significantly increased compared with that of the uncoated TiO(2) electrode. The increase in the specific surface area of the MgO-coated TiO(2) electrode was attributed to the highly nanoporous MgO coating layer that resulted from the topotactic reaction. Dye adsorption behavior and solar cell performance were significantly enhanced by employing the MgO-coated TiO(2) electrode. Optimized coating of a MgO layer on TiO(2) nanoparticles enhanced the energy conversion efficiency as much as 45% compared to that of the uncoated TiO(2) electrode. This indicates that controlling the extrinsic parameters such as the specific surface area is very important to improve the energy conversion efficiency of TiO(2)-based solar cells.

Neutrophils are critical initiators and effectors of the innate immune system and express Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and TLR4. Although signaling through pathways involving phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3-K) and the downstream kinase Akt (protein kinase B) plays a central role in modulating neutrophil chemotaxis and superoxide generation in response to engagement of G protein-coupled receptors, the importance of these kinases in affecting inflammatory responses of neutrophils stimulated through TLR2 has not been examined. In these experiments, we found activation of Akt in neutrophils stimulated with the TLR2-specific ligands peptidoglycan and the lipopeptide tri-palmitoyl-S-glyceryl-Cys-Ser-(Lys)4 that occurred earlier and was of greater magnitude than that present after exposure to the TLR4 agonist LPS. The release of the proinflammatory mediators TNF-α and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by PI3-K blockade. The IC50 for inhibition of peptidoglycan-stimulated Akt activation and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 release correlated closely, indicating linkage of these two events. PI3-K blockade did not inhibit nuclear translocation of NF-κB, but did prevent Ser536 phosphorylation of the p65 subunit of NF-κB, an event required for maximal transcriptional activity of NF-κB. Inhibition of PI3-K also prevented activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and extracellular receptor-activated kinase 1/2 in TLR2-stimulated neutrophils. These results demonstrate that the PI3-K-Akt axis occupies a central role in TLR2-induced activation of neutrophils.

BACE1 is the rate-limiting enzyme for amyloid-β peptides (Aβ) generation, a key event in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). By an unknown mechanism, levels of BACE1 and a BACE1 mRNA-stabilizing antisense RNA (BACE1-AS) are elevated in the brains of AD patients, implicating that dysregulation of BACE1 expression plays an important role in AD pathogenesis. We found that nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-related factor 2 (NRF2/ NFE2L2) represses the expression of BACE1 and BACE1-AS through binding to antioxidant response elements (AREs) in their promoters of mouse and human. NRF2-mediated inhibition of BACE1 and BACE1-AS expression is independent of redox regulation. NRF2 activation decreases production of BACE1 and BACE1-AS transcripts and Aβ production and ameliorates cognitive deficits in animal models of AD. Depletion of NRF2 increases BACE1 and BACE1-AS expression and Aβ production and worsens cognitive deficits. Our findings suggest that activation of NRF2 can prevent a key early pathogenic process in AD.A lzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia and is characterized by accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, synaptic and neuronal loss, and cognitive decline. BACE1 is the only β-secretase responsible for the production of Aβ and therefore plays a key role in the pathogenesis of AD (1-3). A long noncoding RNA transcribed from the opposite strand of BACE1 (BACE1-AS) stabilizes BACE1 mRNA by forming a heteromeric RNA duplex (4). BACE1 mRNA and protein levels as well as BACE1-AS transcript are abnormally elevated in postmortem brain tissue from patients with AD (4-8). A small increase in BACE1 induces a dramatic increase in Aβ production (9), and inhibitors of BACE1 enzyme activity are being pursued as a therapeutic strategy for AD (10). Genetic reduction of BACE1 or BACE1-AS levels reduces Aβ plaque pathology in mouse models of AD (4, 11-13), suggesting that identification of transcriptional repressors of BACE1 gene expression could provide an avenue for intervention in AD.Nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-related factor 2 (NRF2/ NFE2L2) is a transcription factor that binds to the antioxidant response elements (AREs) and regulates a variety of cytoprotective and detoxification genes (14). In the inactive state, kelch-like ECHassociated protein1 (KEAP1) binds to NRF2 and retains it in the cytoplasm where it is degraded by proteasomes (15, 16). NRF2 activators, such as sulforaphane and tert-butylhydroquinone (tBHQ), modify cysteine residues of KEAP1, leading to conformational change and disrupting the KEAP1-NRF2 interaction, and accumulated NRF2 then translocates to the nucleus and transactivates target genes by binding to their AREs (17,18). NRF2 levels are reduced, and NRF2 is localized predominately in the cytoplasm of hippocampal neurons of AD patients (19). In addition, altered expression of NRF2 target genes is associated with Aβ pathology in AD animal models (20)(21)(22). Here we show that NRF2 is a negative regulator of BACE1 expression that can am...

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Summary The cause of elevated level of amyloid β-peptide (Aβ42) in common late-onset sporadic (AD) has not been established. Here we show that the membrane lipid peroxidation product 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE) is associated with amyloid and neurodegenerative pathologies in AD, and that it enhances γ-secretase activity and Aβ42 production in neurons. The γ-secretase substrate receptor, nicastrin was found to be modified by HNE in cultured neurons and in brain specimens from AD patients, in which HNE-nicastrin levels were found to be correlated with increased γ-secretase activity and Aβ plaque burden. Furthermore, HNE modification of nicastrin enhanced its binding to the γ-secretase substrate, amyloid precursor protein (APP) C99. In addition, the stimulation of γ-secretase activity and Aβ42 production by HNE were blocked by an HNE-scavenging histidine analog in a 3xTgAD mouse model of AD. These findings suggest a specific molecular mechanism by which oxidative stress increases Aβ42 production in AD, and identify HNE as a novel therapeutic target upstream of the γ-secretase cleavage of APP.

ObjectiveTo test the hypothesis that Notch signalling plays a role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to determine whether pharmacological inhibition of Notch signalling with γ-secretase inhibitors can ameliorate the RA disease process in an animal model.MethodsCollagen-induced arthritis was induced in C57BL/6 or Notch antisense transgenic mice by immunisation with chicken type II collagen (CII). C57BL/6 mice were administered with different doses of inhibitors of γ-secretase, an enzyme required for Notch activation, at disease onset or after onset of symptoms. Severity of arthritis was monitored by clinical and histological scores, and in vivo non-invasive near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) images. Micro-CT was used to confirm joint destruction. The levels of CII antibodies and cytokines in serum were determined by ELISA and bead-based cytokine assay. The expression levels of cytokines were studied by quantitative PCR in rheumatoid synovial fibroblasts.ResultsThe data show that Notch signalling stimulates synoviocytes and accelerates their production of proinflammatory cytokines and immune responses involving the upregulation of IgG1 and IgG2a. Pharmacological inhibition of γ-secretase and antisense-mediated knockdown of Notch attenuates the severity of inflammatory arthritis, including arthritis indices, paw thickness, tissue damage and neutrophil infiltration, and reduces the levels of active NF-κB, ICAM-1, proinflammatory cytokines and matrix metalloproteinase-3 activity in the mouse model of RA.ConclusionsThese results suggest that Notch is involved in the pathogenesis of RA and that inhibition of Notch signalling is a novel approach for treating RA.