Novel phosphorelay-dependent control of ZFP36L1 protein during the cell cycle.

The ZFP36 family is a prototypical member of a highly conserved group of proteins with CCCH-type RNA-binding domains, whose functional role and regulatory mechanism in mitotic cells remain obscure. In this study, we provide the first evidence that ZFP36L1 phosphorylation is modulated in a cell cycle-dependent manner. The C-terminal region of ZFP36L1 is critical for its cell cycle-dependent phosphorylation of this protein.

A conserved island of BAG6/Scythe is related to ubiquitin domains and participates in short hydrophobicity recognition.

BAG6 (also called Scythe) interacts with the exposed hydrophobic regions of newly synthesized proteins and escorts them to the degradation machinery through mechanisms that remain to be elucidated. In this study, we provide evidence that BAG6 physically interacts with the model defective protein substrate CL1 in a manner that depends directly on its short hydrophobicity. We found that the N terminus of BAG6 contains an evolutionarily conserved island tentatively designated the BAG6 ubiquitin-linked domain.

A novel signaling pathway mediated by the nuclear targeting of C-terminal fragments of mammalian Patched 1.

Background: Patched 1 (Ptc1) is a polytopic receptor protein that is essential for growth and differentiation. Its extracellular domains accept its ligand, Sonic Hedgehog, while the function of its C-terminal intracellular domain is largely obscure.

Principal Findings: In this study, we stably expressed human Ptc1 protein in HeLa cells and found that it is subjected to proteolytic cleavage at the C-terminus, resulting in the generation of soluble C-terminal fragments.

Association of Rpn10 with high molecular weight complex is enhanced during retinoic acid-induced differentiation of neuroblastoma cells.

The ubiquitin-binding Rpn10 protein serves as an ubiquitin receptor that delivers client proteins to the 26S proteasome, the protein degradation complex. It has been suggested that the ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation is critical for neuronal differentiation and for preventing neurodegenerative diseases. Our previous study indicated the importance of Rpn10 in control of cellular differentiation (Shimada et al.

Proteasomal ubiquitin receptor RPN-10 controls sex determination in Caenorhabditis elegans.

The ubiquitin-binding RPN-10 protein serves as a ubiquitin receptor that delivers client proteins to the 26S proteasome. Although ubiquitin recognition is an essential step for proteasomal destruction, deletion of the rpn-10 gene in yeast does not influence viability, indicating redundancy of the substrate delivery pathway. However, their specificity and biological relevance in higher eukaryotes is still enigmatic.

OMA-1 is a P granules-associated protein that is required for germline specification in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos.

In Caenorhabditis elegans, CCCH-type zinc-finger proteins have been shown to be involved in the differentiation of germ cells during embryonic development. Previously, we and others have identified novel redundant CCCH-type zinc-finger proteins, OMA-1 and OMA-2, that are involved in oocyte maturation. In this study, we report that the cytoplasmic expression level of OMA-1 protein was largely reduced after fertilization.

Unique proteasome subunit Xrpn10c is a specific receptor for the antiapoptotic ubiquitin-like protein Scythe.

The Rpn10 subunit of the 26S proteasome can bind to polyubiquitinoylated and/or ubiquitin-like proteins via ubiquitin-interacting motifs (UIMs). Vertebrate Rpn10 consists of five distinct spliced isoforms, but the specific functions of these variants remain largely unknown. We report here that one of the alternative products of Xenopus Rpn10, named Xrpn10c, functions as a specific receptor for Scythe/BAG-6, which has been reported to regulate Reaper-induced apoptosis.

Neuropsychosocial features of very mild Alzheimer's disease (CDR 0.5) and progression to dementia in a community: the Tajiri project.

The borderline condition between normal aging and dementia should be detected to predict further deterioration. The authors cross-sectionally analyzed neuropsychological data, memory complaints, and social activities for community-dwelling older adults. The rate of decline from Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) 0.

Intracellularly inducible, ubiquitin hydrolase-insensitive tandem ubiquitins inhibit the 26S proteasome activity and cell division.

We constructed polyubiquitin derivatives that contain a tandem repeat of ubiquitins and were insensitive to ubiquitin hydrolases. They were designated tandem ubiquitin (tUb) with the number of repeats, such as tUb2. When tUbs were expressed under the control of the GAL1 promoter in the wild-type yeast strain, growth was strongly inhibited.

Regulation of ascidian Rel by its alternative splice variant.

The Rel/NF-kappaB family of transcription factors play key roles in morphogenesis and immune responses. We reported previously that As-rel1 and As-rel2 of the ascidian Halocynthia roretzi are involved in notochord formation. The As-rel1 protein is a typical Rel/NF-kappaB family member, whereas the As-rel2 protein is a novel truncated product of As-rel1 that lacks a nuclear localization signal and the unique C-terminal region.

[A case of probable dementia with Lewy bodies presenting with geographic mislocation and nurturing syndrome].

A 83-year-old right handed man developed nurturing syndrome and geographical mislocation (misidentification of places) as a result of dementia with Lewy bodies. He showed parkinsonism, fluctuating cognition, repeated falls, systematic delusions (delusional jealousy with vivid feeling of witness), rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, and mild dementia. His brain MRI showed atrophy of bilateral temporal tips and amygdala.

Corpus callosum atrophy, white matter lesions, and frontal executive dysfunction in normal aging and Alzheimer's disease. A community-based study: the Tajiri Project.

Background And Objectives: Cerebral MRIs of normal aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD) frequently reveal corpus callosum (CC) atrophy, white matter hyperintensity (WMH), and hippocampal atrophy. However, their relationship or the relationship between these findings and cognitive function has not been fully studied. We investigated the relationship between CC atrophy, WMH, and hippocampal atrophy, together with frontal executive dysfunction in both normal aging and AD.

cDNA cloning and characterization of an osmotically sensitive TRP channel from ascidian eggs.

The transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels are thought to be involved in the entry of calcium ion into cells. In this study, we isolated a cDNA clone, HrTRPV, that shows high homology to Caenorhabditis elegans OSM-9, a TRPV subfamily member of the TRP family, from a Halocynthia roretzi fertilized egg cDNA library. We analyzed its properties using HrTRPV-transfected cells.

The 26S proteasome Rpn10 gene encoding splicing isoforms: evolutional conservation of the genomic organization in vertebrates.

Recognition of polyubiquitinated substrates by the 26S proteasome is a key step in the selective degradation of various cellular proteins. The Rpn10 subunit of the 26S proteasome can bind polyubiquitin conjugates in vitro. We have previously reported the unique diversity of Rpn10, which differs from other multiple proteasome subunits, and that the mouse Rpn10 mRNA family is generated from a single gene by developmentally regulated alternative splicing.

Novel family of CCCH-type zinc-finger proteins, MOE-1, -2 and -3, participates in C. elegans oocyte maturation.

Background: Oocyte maturation is an important prerequisite for the production of progeny. Although several germ-line mutations have been reported, the precise mechanism by which the last step of oocyte maturation is controlled remains unclear. In Caenorhabditis elegans, CCCH-type zinc-finger proteins have been shown to be involved in germ cell formation, although their involvement in oocyte maturation has not been fully investigated.

Prevalence of dementia and dementing diseases in Japan: the Tajiri project.

Background: Vascular dementia (VaD) has been considered to be more prevalent than Alzheimer disease in Japan. However, this might be the result of overdiagnosis stemming from some problematic diagnosis of VaD or of the frequent use of magnetic resonance imaging to detect cerebrovascular disease in older adults.

Objectives: We investigated the prevalence of dementia and the ratios of dementing diseases.

Discrepancy between mental rotation and perspective-taking abilities in normal aging assessed by Piaget's Three-mountain task.

In a cross-sectional study, we examined age-related differences in visuo-spatial ability associated with image rotation, using two variants of Piaget's 'Three-Mountain Task.' The object-mental rotation (OMR) task detects the ability to mentally rotate an image, whereas the subject-mental rotation (SMR) task reveals the ability to mentally change one's perspective. A group of 33 young adults, 26 middle-aged adults, and 31 elderly normal adults were studied.

Expression of genes for two C-type lectins during budding of the ascidian Polyandrocarpa misakiensis.

Two closely related cDNA fragments, named pTC14-1 and pTC14-2, encoding C-type lectins were cloned from the budding ascidian Polyandrocarpa misakiensis by means of the polymerase chain reaction. The amino acid sequence deduced from pTC14-1 was identical to that of a 14-kDa calcium-dependent galactose-binding lectin, TC-14, that had been purified from this species. Between the two clones, nucleotide sequence similarity was 90%, whilst that of the deduced amino acid sequences was 82%.