The immunohistochemical expression pattern and the physiological role of transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) 4 in the endolymphatic sac were investigated. TRPV4 was expressed predominantly in the apical membrane of mitochondria-rich cells, and cell volume regulation by TRPV4 was observed in a tissue culture of the rat endolymphatic sac. TRPV4 was also present in the endolymphatic sacs of patients with vestibular schwannoma and with Ménière’s disease. TRPV4 is assumed to play a role as an osmoreceptor in cell and fluid volume regulation in the human endolymphatic sac.

Nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) is critical for the expression of multiple genes involved in inflammatory responses and cellular survival. NF-κB is normally sequestered in the cytoplasm through interaction with an inhibitor of NF-κB (IκB), but inflammatory stimulation induces proteasomal degradation of IκB, followed by NF-κB nuclear translocation. The degradation of IκB is mediated by a SCF (Skp1-Cullin1-F-box protein)-type ubiquitin ligase complex that is post-translationaly modified by a ubiquitin-like molecule Nedd8. In this study, we report that BRCA1-associated protein 2 (Brap2) is a novel Nedd8-binding protein that interacts with SCF complex, and is involved in NF-κB translocation following TNF-α stimulation. We also found a putative neddylation site in Brap2 associated with NF-κB activity. Our findings suggest that Brap2 is a novel modulator that associates with SCF complex and controls TNF-α-induced NF-κB nuclear translocation.

The cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor p21 is an unstructured protein regulated by multiple turnover pathways. p21 abundance is tightly regulated, and its defect causes tumor development. However, the mechanisms that underlie the control of p21 level are not fully understood. Here, we report a novel mechanism by which a component of the SCF ubiquitin ligase, Fbl12, augments p21 via the formation of atypical ubiquitin chains. We found that Fbl12 binds and ubiquitinates p21. Unexpectedly, Fbl12 increases the expression level of p21 by enhancing the mixed-type ubiquitination, including not only K48-but also K63-linked ubiquitin chains, followed by promotion of binding between p21 and CDK2. We also found that proteasome activator PA28␥ attenuates p21 ubiquitination by interacting with Fbl12. In addition, UV irradiation induces a dissociation of p21 from Fbl12 and decreases K63-linked ubiquitination, leading to p21 degradation. These data suggest that Fbl12 is a key factor that maintains adequate intracellular concentration of p21 under normal conditions. Our finding may provide a novel possibility that p21's fate is governed by diverse ubiquitin chains.

No abstract

We have developed and characterized a bacterial consortium that reductively dechlorinates trichloroethene to ethene. Quantitative PCR analysis for the 16S rRNA and reductive dehalogenase genes showed that the consortium is highly enriched with Dehalococcoides spp. that have two vinyl chloride reductive dehalogenase genes, bvcA and vcrA, and a trichloroethene reductive dehalogenase gene, tceA. The metagenome analysis of the consortium by the next generation sequencer SOLiD 3 Plus suggests that a Dehalococcoides sp. that is highly homologous to D. mccartyi 195 and equipped with vcrA and tceA exists in the consortium. We isolated this Dehalococcoides sp. and designated it as D. mccartyi UCH-ATV1. As the growth of D. mccartyi UCH-ATV1 is too slow under isolated conditions, we constructed a consortium by mixing D. mccartyi UCH-ATV1 with several other bacteria and performed metagenomic sequencing using the single molecule DNA sequencer PacBio RS II. We successfully determined the complete genome sequence of D. mccartyi UCH-ATV1. The strain is equipped with vcrA and tceA, but lacks bvcA. Comparison with tag sequences of SOLiD 3 Plus from the original consortium shows a few differences between the sequences. This suggests that a genome rearrangement of Dehalococcoides sp. occurred during culture.

Nrf2 is the pre-dominant transcription activator responsible for coordinated up-regulation of ARE-driven antioxidant and detoxification genes. The activity of Nrf2 is tightly regulated at basal levels through its ubiquitination by Cul3-Keap1 and consequential degradation. Upon exposure to stress, the Cul3-Keap1 ligase is inhibited, leading to Nrf2 stabilization and activation. Here we describe CACUL1/CAC1 as a positive regulator of the Nrf2 pathway. We found that CACUL1 is up-regulated by Nrf2-activating oxidative stresses in cells and in mice. The association of CACUL1 with the Cul3-Keap1 complex led to a decrease in Nrf2 ubiquitination levels at non-stressed as well as stressed conditions, and sensitized cells for higher Nrf2 activation. Furthermore, CACUL1 knock-down led to a decrease in Nrf2 activity and cell viability under stress. Our results show that CACUL1 is a regulator of Nrf2 ubiquitination, adding another regulatory layer to the Nrf2 antioxidant stress response.

The ubiquitin ligases, SCF complexes, consist of Cul1, Skp1, Rbx1 and the substrate recognition components F-box proteins. Previous studies have reported that one of these F-box proteins, Fbl12, which is produced by Fbxl12 gene, regulates both cell cycle and differentiation. In this paper, we show that the intronic region of Fbxl12 gene acts as an alternative promoter and induces expression of a short form of Fbl12 that lacks F-box domain (Fbl12ΔF). We also found that UV irradiation increases Fbl12ΔF mRNA in cells. Finally, Fbl12ΔF may promote the subcellular localization of Fbl12 from nucleus to cytoplasm through their binding. Our data provide the possibility that Fbl12ΔF induced by alternative promoter controls the SCFFbl12 activity in response to UV stimulation.