Free fatty acid receptor 2 (FFAR2, also known as GPR43) is a G-protein-coupled receptor activated by short-chain fatty acids that are produced by gut microbiota through fermentation of nondigestible carbohydrates. FFAR2 functions as a metabolic sensor and is expressed in metabolically active tissues, such as adipose tissue. Earlier studies proved the connection between FFAR2 and adipocyte differentiation in mice. The aim of this study was to investigate the implication of FFAR2 receptor in adipogenesis in human chorion-derived mesenchymal stem cells (cMSCs). The short-chain fatty acid, propionate, and phenylacetamide a selective FFAR2 agonist resulted in a marked suppression of lipid droplet accumulation during the adipogenic differentiation of cMSCs. Western blot studies revealed that FFAR2 was detectable at any time point of the differentiation period. The direct involvement of FFAR2 in the differentiation into adipocytes was proven by the downregulation of its gene expression in cMSCs by lentiviral messenger RNA (mRNA) silencing transduction particles. Our results showed that a significant suppression in lipid accumulation upon FFAR2 agonist treatments was elicited by FFAR2-silencing. Based on these results we suggest that propionate inhibits the formation of adipocytes from MSCs and acts on adipogenesis predominantly via FFAR2.

Myosin phosphatase (MP) holoenzyme is a protein phosphatase-1 (PP1) type Ser/Thr specific enzyme that consists of a PP1 catalytic (PP1c) and a myosin phosphatase target subunit-1 (MYPT1). MYPT1 is an ubiquitously expressed isoform and it targets PP1c to its substrates. We identified the protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) enzyme of the methylosome complex as a MYPT1-binding protein uncovering the nuclear MYPT1-interactome of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. It is shown that PRMT5 is regulated by phosphorylation at Thr80 by RhoA-associated protein kinase and MP. Silencing of MYPT1 increased the level of the PRMT5-specific symmetric dimethylation on arginine residues of histone 2 A/4, a repressing gene expression mark, and it resulted in a global change in the expression of genes affecting cellular processes like growth, proliferation and cell death, also affecting the expression of the retinoblastoma protein and c-Myc. The phosphorylation of the MP inhibitory MYPT1T850 and the regulatory PRMT5T80 residues as well as the symmetric dimethylation of H2A/4 were elevated in human hepatocellular carcinoma and in other types of cancers. These changes correlated positively with the grade and state of the tumors. Our results suggest the tumor suppressor role of MP via inhibition of PRMT5 thereby regulating gene expression through histone arginine dimethylation.

The appearance of very virulent strains of infectious bursal disease (IBD) virus at the end of the 1980s made it necessary to develop more effective immunization procedures. To facilitate this, the immunogenicity and the immunosuppressive effect of a mild (G-87), an intermediate (LIBD) and an intermediate-plus (IBDV 2512) IBDV strain were tested after the in ovo inoculation of 18-day-old SPF and broiler chicken embryos. It was established that no noteworthy difference existed between the immunized and the control embryos in hatching rate and hatching weight. The higher the virulence of the vaccine virus strain, the more severe damage it caused to the lymphocytes of the bursa of Fabricius. In SPF chickens, the haemagglutination inhibition (HI) titres induced by a Newcastle disease (ND) vaccine administered at day old decreased in inverse ratio to the virulence of the IBD vaccine strain, while in broiler chickens this was not observed. Despite the decrease of the HI titre, the level of protection did not decline, or did so only after the use of the 'hot' strain. SPF chickens immunized in ovo with a complex vaccine prepared from strain IBDV 2512 and IBD antibody showed the same protection against Newcastle disease as the broilers. In broiler chicken embryos immunized in ovo, only strain IBDV 2512 induced antibody production, and such chickens were protected against IBD at 3 weeks of age. The complex vaccine administered in ovo has been used successfully at farm hatcheries as well.

No abstract

Reversible phosphorylation of neuronal proteins plays an important role in the regulation of neurotransmitter release. Myosin phosphatase holoenzyme (MP) consists of a protein phosphatase-1 (PP1) catalytic subunit (PP1c) and a regulatory subunit, termed myosin phosphatase targeting subunit (MYPT1). The primary function of MP is to regulate the phosphorylation level of contractile proteins; however, recent studies have shown that MP is localized to neurons, and is also involved in the mediation of neuronal processes. Our goal was to investigate the effect of RhoA-activated kinase (ROK) and MP on the phosphorylation of one potential neuronal substrate, the synaptosomal-associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP-25). SNAP-25 is a member of the SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor attachment protein receptor) complex, along with synaptobrevin and syntaxin, and the primary role of SNAP25 is to mediate vesicle fusion. We showed that MYPT1 interacts with SNAP-25, as revealed by immunoprecipitation and surface plasmon resonance based binding studies. Mass spectrometry analysis and in vitro phosphorylation/dephosphorylation assays demonstrated that ROK phosphorylates, while MP dephosphorylates, SNAP-25 at Thr138. Silencing MYPT1 in B50 neuroblastoma cells increased phosphorylation of SNAP-25 at Thr138. Inhibition of PP1 with tautomycetin increased, whereas inhibition of ROK by H1152, decreased the phosphorylation of SNAP-25 at Thr138 in B50 cells, in cortical synaptosomes, and in brain slices. In response to the transduction of the MP inhibitor, kinase-enhanced PP1 inhibitor (KEPI), into synaptosomes, an increase in phosphorylation of SNAP-25 and a decrease in the extent of neurotransmitter release were detected. The interaction between SNAP-25 and syntaxin increased with decreasing phosphorylation of SNAP-25 at Thr138, upon inhibition of ROK. Our data suggest that ROK/MP play a crucial role in vesicle trafficking, fusion, and neurotransmitter release by oppositely regulating the phosphorylation of SNAP-25 at Thr138.