Research Outputs

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14288/2

Browse

Filters

2014 - 20204

Advanced Search

Filter by

Settings

Quartile: search.filters.quartile.Q2Subject: search.filters.subject.Molecular biology and genetics

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Thumbnail Image
    PublicationOpen Access
    A common genetic variation of melanoma inhibitory activity-2 labels a subtype of pancreatic adenocarcinoma with high endoplasmic reticulum stress levels.
    (Nature Publishing Group (NPG), 2015) Kong, Bo; Wu, Weiwei; Valkovska, Nataliya; Jager, Carsten; Hong, Xin; Nitsche, Ulrich; Friess, Helmut; Esposito, Irene; Kleeff, Joerg; Michalski, Christoph W.; N/A; Erkan, Murat Mert; Faculty Member; School of Medicine; 214689
    HNF1 homeoboxA(HNF1A)-mediated gene expression constitutes an essential component of the secretory pathway in the exocrine pancreas. Melanoma inhibitory activity 2 (MIA2), a protein facilitating protein secretion, is an HNF1A target. Protein secretion is precisely coordinated by the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress/unfolded protein response (UPR) system. Here, we demonstrate that HNFA and MIA2 are expressed in a subset of human PDAC tissues and that HNF1A induced MIA2 in vitro. We identified a common germline variant of MIA2 (c.A617G:p.I141M) associated with a secretory defect of the MIA2 protein in PDAC cells. Patients carrying MIA2(I141M) survived longer after tumor resection but the survival benefit was restricted to those patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy. The MIA2(I141M) variant was associated with high expression of ER stress/UPR genes - in particular those of the ERN1/XBP arm - in human PDAC samples. Accordingly, PDAC cell lines expressing the MIA2(I141M) variant expressed high levels of ERN1 and were more sensitive to gemcitabine. These findings define an interaction between the common MIA2(I141M) variant and the ER stress/UPR system and specify a subgroup of PDAC patients who are more likely to benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy.
  • Thumbnail Image
    PublicationOpen Access
    Mitochondrial dysfunction plus high-sugar diet provokes a metabolic crisis that inhibits growth
    (Public Library of Science, 2016) Kemppainen, Esko; George, Jack; Garipler, Görkem; Tuomela, Tea; Kiviranta, Essi; Soga, Tomoyoshi; Jacobs, Howard T.; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; Dunn, Cory David; Faculty Member; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; College of Sciences
    The Drosophila mutant tko(25t) exhibits a deficiency ofmitochondrial protein synthesis, leading to a global insufficiency of respiration and oxidative phosphorylation. This entrains an organismal phenotype of developmental delay and sensitivity to seizures induced bymechanical stress. We found that the mutant phenotype is exacerbated in a dose-dependent fashion by high dietary sugar levels. tko(25t) larvae were found to exhibit severe metabolic abnormalities that were further accentuated by high-sugar diet. These include elevated pyruvate and lactate, decreased ATP and NADPH. Dietary pyruvate or lactate supplementation phenocopied the effects of high sugar. Based on tissue-specific rescue, the crucial tissue in which this metabolic crisis initiates is the gut. It is accompanied by down-regulation of the apparatus of cytosolic protein synthesis and secretion at both the RNA and post-translational levels, including a novel regulation of S6 kinase at the protein level.
  • Thumbnail Image
    PublicationOpen Access
    The Arg293 of Cryptochrome1 is responsible for the allosteric regulation of CLOCK-CRY1 binding in circadian rhythm
    (American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), 2020) Aydın, Cihan; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; Gül, Şeref; Özcan, Onur; Gürkan, Berke; Sürme, Saliha; Barış, İbrahim; Kavaklı, İbrahim Halil; Researcher; Teaching Faculty; Teaching Faculty; Faculty Member; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; Graduate School of Sciences and Engineering; N/A; N/A; N/A; N/A; 111629; 40319
    Mammalian circadian clocks are driven by transcription/ translation feedback loops composed of positive transcriptional activators (BMAL1 and CLOCK) and negative repressors (CRYPTOCHROMEs (CRYs) and PERIODs (PERs)). CRYs, in complex with PERs, bind to the BMAL1/CLOCK complex and repress E-box-driven transcription of clock-associated genes. There are two individual CRYs, with CRY1 exhibiting higher affinity to the BMAL1/CLOCK complex than CRY2. It is known that this differential binding is regulated by a dynamic serine-rich loop adjacent to the secondary pocket of both CRYs, but the underlying features controlling loop dynamics are not known. Here we report that allosteric regulation of the serine-rich loop is mediated by Arg-293 of CRY1, identified as a rare CRY1 SNP in the Ensembl and 1000 Genomes databases. The p.Arg293His CRY1 variant caused a shortened circadian period in a Cry1-/-Cry2-/-double knockout mouse embryonic fibroblast cell line. Moreover, the variant displayed reduced repressor activity on BMAL1/CLOCK driven transcription, which is explained by reduced affinity to BMAL1/ CLOCK in the absence of PER2 compared with CRY1.Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the p.Arg293His CRY1 variant altered a communication pathway between Arg-293 and the serine loop by reducing its dynamicity. Collectively, this study provides direct evidence that allosterism in CRY1 is critical for the regulation of circadian rhythm.
  • Thumbnail Image
    PublicationOpen Access
    The epithelial-mesenchymal transition factor SNAIL paradoxically enhances reprogramming
    (Elsevier, 2014) Unternaehrer, Juli J.; Zhao, Rui; Kim, Kitai; Cesana, Marcella; Powers, John T.; Ratanasirintrawoot, Sutheera; Shibue, Tsukasa; Weinberg, Robert A.; Daley, George Q.; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; Önder, Tamer Tevfik; Faculty Member; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; School of Medicine; 42946
    Reprogramming of fibroblasts to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) entails a mesenchymal to epithelial transition (MET). While attempting to dissect the mechanism of MET during reprogramming, we observed that knockdown (KD) of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) factor SNAI1 (SNAIL) paradoxically reduced, while overexpression enhanced, reprogramming efficiency in human cells and in mouse cells, depending on strain. We observed nuclear localization of SNAI1 at an early stage of fibroblast reprogramming and using mouse fibroblasts expressing a knockin SNAI1-YFP reporter found cells expressing SNAI1 reprogrammed at higher efficiency. We further demonstrated that SNAI1 binds the let-7 promoter, which may play a role in reduced expression of let-7 microRNAs, enforced expression of which, early in the reprogramming process, compromises efficiency. Our data reveal an unexpected role for the EMT factor SNAI1 in reprogramming somatic cells to pluripotency.