LINKIN, a new transmembrane protein necessary for cell adhesion.

In epithelial collective migration, leader and follower cells migrate while maintaining cell-cell adhesion and tissue polarity. We have identified a conserved protein and interactors required for maintaining cell adhesion during a simple collective migration in the developing C. elegans male gonad.

The LIN-15A and LIN-56 transcriptional regulators interact to negatively regulate EGF/Ras signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans vulval cell-fate determination.

The restricted expression of epidermal growth factor (EGF) family ligands is important for proper development and for preventing cancerous growth in mammals. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the class A and B synthetic multivulva (synMuv) genes redundantly repress expression of lin-3 EGF to negatively regulate Ras-mediated vulval development. The class B synMuv genes encode proteins homologous to components of the NuRD and Myb-MuvB/dREAM transcriptional repressor complexes, indicating that they likely silence lin-3 EGF through chromatin remodeling.

Implementation of a color-capable optofluidic microscope on a RGB CMOS color sensor chip substrate.

We report the implementation of a color-capable on-chip lensless microscope system, termed color optofluidic microscope (color OFM), and demonstrate imaging of double stained Caenorhabditis elegans with lacZ gene expression at a light intensity about 10 mW/cm(2).

RNA Pol II accumulates at promoters of growth genes during developmental arrest.

When Caenorhabditis elegans larvae hatch from the egg case in the absence of food, their development is arrested (L1 arrest), and they show increased stress resistance until food becomes available. To study nutritional control of larval development, we analyzed growth and gene expression profiles during L1 arrest and recovery. Larvae that were fed responded relatively slowly to starvation compared with the rapid response of arrested larvae to feeding.

Multigenome DNA sequence conservation identifies Hox cis-regulatory elements.

To learn how well ungapped sequence comparisons of multiple species can predict cis-regulatory elements in Caenorhabditis elegans, we made such predictions across the large, complex ceh-13/lin-39 locus and tested them transgenically. We also examined how prediction quality varied with different genomes and parameters in our comparisons. Specifically, we sequenced approximately 0.

The Caenorhabditis elegans autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease gene homologs lov-1 and pkd-2 act in the same pathway.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) strikes 1 in 1000 individuals and often results in end-stage renal failure. Mutations in either PKD1 or PKD2 account for 95% of all cases [1-3]. It has recently been demonstrated that polycystin-1 and polycystin-2 (encoded by PKD1 and PKD2, respectively) assemble to form a cation channel in vitro [4].

Net1 stimulates RNA polymerase I transcription and regulates nucleolar structure independently of controlling mitotic exit.

The budding yeast RENT complex, consisting of at least three proteins (Net1, Cdc14, Sir2), is anchored to the nucleolus by Net1. RENT controls mitotic exit, nucleolar silencing, and nucleolar localization of Nop1. Here, we report two new functions of Net1.

Inositol trisphosphate mediates a RAS-independent response to LET-23 receptor tyrosine kinase activation in C. elegans.

Activity of LET-23, the C. elegans homolog of the epidermal growth factor receptor, is required in multiple tissues. RAS activation is necessary and sufficient for certain LET-23 functions.

The production of cephalosporin C by Acremonium chrysogenum is improved by the intracellular expression of a bacterial hemoglobin.

A DNA vector for expressing an oxygen-binding heme protein (Vitreoscilla hemoglobin, or VHb) in filamentous fungi was constructed and introduced into a cephalosporin C-producing strain of Acremonium chrysogenum. Expression of VHb in transformants was demonstrated by Western immunoblot analysis and by increased carbon monoxide binding activity of cell extracts. Several VHb-expressing transformants produced significantly higher yields of cephalosporin C than control strains in batch culture experiments.

Actinorhodin production by Streptomyces coelicolor and growth of Streptomyces lividans are improved by the expression of a bacterial hemoglobin.

Secondary metabolite production by Streptomyces is often highly sensitive to oxygen supply, which can be limiting in large-scale fermentations. In an attempt to improve oxygen utilization by the cells, we expressed a heterologous bacterial hemoglobin gene in Streptomyces coelicolor and Streptomyces lividans. Hemoglobin expression was demonstrated by immunoblot analysis and carbon monoxide binding activity.

A novel protein kinase homolog essential for protein sorting to the yeast lysosome-like vacuole.

The VPS15 gene encodes a novel protein kinase homolog that is essential for the efficient delivery of soluble hydrolases to the yeast vacuole. Point mutations altering highly conserved residues within the Vps15p kinase domain result in the secretion of multiple vacuolar proteases. In addition, the in vivo phosphorylation of Vps15p is defective in these kinase domain mutants, suggesting that Vps15p may regulate specific protein phosphorylation reactions required for protein sorting to the yeast vacuole.

Expression of intracellular hemoglobin improves protein synthesis in oxygen-limited Escherichia coli.

We have previously cloned the Vitreoscilla hemoglobin gene (VHb) and expressed the protein in Escherichia coli in its active form. Under oxygen-limited conditions the presence of VHb improves protein synthesis as indicated by both total protein content and the activity of an enzyme expressed from a cloned gene present on a multicopy plasmid. Measurements of nitrogen utilization rates corroborate the observation of enhanced protein synthesis; however, the rates of carbon consumption and acid synthesis remain unchanged.