Vol. 04, 2017

Mitochondrial energy metabolism is required for lifespan extension by the spastic paraplegia-associated protein spartin

Julia Ring¹, Patrick Rockenfeller^{1, 3}, Claudia Abraham¹, Jelena Tadic¹, Michael Poglitsch¹, Katherina Schimmel^{1, 4}, Julia Westermayer¹, Simon Schauer¹, Bettina Achleitner¹, Christa Schimpel^{1, 5}, Barbara Moitzi¹, Gerald N. Rechberger^{1, 6}, Stephan J. Sigrist^{7, 8}, Didac Carmona-Gutierrez¹, Guido Kroemer^{9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15}, Sabrina Büttner^{1, 16}, Tobias Eisenberg^{1, 2}, Frank Madeo^{1, 2}

This article indicates that spartin, a protein linked to hereditary spastic paraplegias, extends yeast lifespan and reduces age-related damage by associating with mitochondria and interacting with key metabolic proteins, implicating energy metabolism in its protective role during aging.

A new role for the nuclear basket network

Paola Gallardo¹, Silvia Salas-Pino¹ and Rafael R. Daga¹

This article comments on work published by Salas-Pino et al. (J Cell Biol, 2017), which describes a novel function of the fission yeast nuclear basket component - the translocated promoter region (TPR) nucleoporin Alm1 - in proper localization of the proteasome to the nuclear envelope.

A genome-wide screen for FTY720-sensitive mutants reveals genes required for ROS homeostasis

Kanako Hagihara¹, Kanako Kinoshita¹, Kouki Ishida¹, Shihomi Hojo¹, Yoshinori Kameoka¹, Ryosuke Satoh¹, Teruaki Takasaki¹ and Reiko Sugiura¹

Fingolimod hydrochloride (FTY720) is an immune modulator for multiple sclerosis that also induces cancer cell apoptosis through reactive oxygen species generation, with a new study using fission yeast uncovering a gene network related to ROS homeostasis as a possible mechanism of FTY720's toxicity.

VAMP8 mucin exocytosis attenuates intestinal pathogenesis by Entamoeba histolytica

Steve Cornick¹, France Moreau¹, Herbert Y. Gaisano², Kris Chadee¹

This article comments on work published by Cornick et al. (mBio, 2017), which nominates SNARE-mediated exocytosis as the putative mechanism responsible for pathogen-induced mucus secretion from goblet cells.

Aminoglycoside resistance profile and structural architecture of the aminoglycoside acetyltransferase AAC(6’)-Im

Clyde A. Smith¹, Monolekha Bhattacharya², Marta Toth², Nichole K. Stewart² and Sergei B. Vakulenko²

AAC(6')-Im, a monofunctional acetyltransferase, imparts increased resistance to certain aminoglycosides compared to its bifunctional homolog AAC(6')-Ie, with structural studies revealing differences in substrate binding that explain the discrepancies in their enzymatic activity and resistance profiles.

Shutdown of interferon signaling by a viral-hijacked E3 ubiquitin ligase

Kaitlin A. Davis¹ and John T. Patton²

This article comments on work published by Davis et al. (mBio, 2017), which describes molecular requirements that govern NSP1 recognition of β-TrCP, including an essential degron phosphorylation event, and the step-wise incorporation of NSP1 into hijacked cullin-RING E3 ligases (CRLs) that ubiquitinate and tag β-TrCP for degradation.

Cross-species complementation of bacterial- and eukaryotic-type cardiolipin synthases

Petra Gottier¹, Mauro Serricchio¹, Rita Vitale², Angela Corcelli², and Peter Bütikofer¹

This article shows that cardiolipin is crucial for cellular respiration and membrane integrity, with cardiolipin synthase enzymes like TbCLS in Trypanosoma brucei being potential drug targets due to their essential role in survival. The study demonstrates TbCLS's ability to restore cardiolipin production in yeast, highlighting the specificity and potential co-localization required for cardiolipin synthesis and remodeling, and underscoring the differences between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cardiolipin synthase mechanisms.

Breaking the bad: Bacillus blocks fungal virulence factors

François L. Mayer¹ and James W. Kronstad¹

This article comments on work published by Mayer & Kronstad (mBio, 2017), which identified the soil bacterium, Bacillus safensis as a potent inhibitor of virulence factor production by two major fungal pathogens of humans, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Candida albicans.

The integrated stress response in budding yeast lifespan extension
Spike D.L. Postnikoff¹, Jay E. Johnson² and Jessica K. Tyler¹

This article summarizes how the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been instrumental in unraveling the molecular and cellular determinants of aging, and how the induction of cellular stress responses has been associated with experimental lifespan extension, thus underscoring the value of yeast as a model for developing potential aging therapies for humans.

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Mitochondrial energy metabolism is required for lifespan extension by the spastic paraplegia-associated protein spartin
Julia Ring¹, Patrick Rockenfeller^{1, 3}, Claudia Abraham¹, Jelena Tadic¹, Michael Poglitsch¹, Katherina Schimmel^{1, 4}, Julia Westermayer¹, Simon Schauer¹, Bettina Achleitner¹, Christa Schimpel^{1, 5}, Barbara Moitzi¹, Gerald N. Rechberger^{1, 6}, Stephan J. Sigrist^{7, 8}, Didac Carmona-Gutierrez¹, Guido Kroemer^{9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15}, Sabrina Büttner^{1, 16}, Tobias Eisenberg^{1, 2}, Frank Madeo^{1, 2}

This article indicates that spartin, a protein linked to hereditary spastic paraplegias, extends yeast lifespan and reduces age-related damage by associating with mitochondria and interacting with key metabolic proteins, implicating energy metabolism in its protective role during aging.

A new role for the nuclear basket network
Paola Gallardo¹, Silvia Salas-Pino¹ and Rafael R. Daga¹

This article comments on work published by Salas-Pino et al. (J Cell Biol, 2017), which describes a novel function of the fission yeast nuclear basket component - the translocated promoter region (TPR) nucleoporin Alm1 - in proper localization of the proteasome to the nuclear envelope.

A genome-wide screen for FTY720-sensitive mutants reveals genes required for ROS homeostasis
Kanako Hagihara¹, Kanako Kinoshita¹, Kouki Ishida¹, Shihomi Hojo¹, Yoshinori Kameoka¹, Ryosuke Satoh¹, Teruaki Takasaki¹ and Reiko Sugiura¹

Fingolimod hydrochloride (FTY720) is an immune modulator for multiple sclerosis that also induces cancer cell apoptosis through reactive oxygen species generation, with a new study using fission yeast uncovering a gene network related to ROS homeostasis as a possible mechanism of FTY720's toxicity.

VAMP8 mucin exocytosis attenuates intestinal pathogenesis by Entamoeba histolytica
Steve Cornick¹, France Moreau¹, Herbert Y. Gaisano², Kris Chadee¹

This article comments on work published by Cornick et al. (mBio, 2017), which nominates SNARE-mediated exocytosis as the putative mechanism responsible for pathogen-induced mucus secretion from goblet cells.

Aminoglycoside resistance profile and structural architecture of the aminoglycoside acetyltransferase AAC(6’)-Im
Clyde A. Smith¹, Monolekha Bhattacharya², Marta Toth², Nichole K. Stewart² and Sergei B. Vakulenko²

AAC(6')-Im, a monofunctional acetyltransferase, imparts increased resistance to certain aminoglycosides compared to its bifunctional homolog AAC(6')-Ie, with structural studies revealing differences in substrate binding that explain the discrepancies in their enzymatic activity and resistance profiles.

Shutdown of interferon signaling by a viral-hijacked E3 ubiquitin ligase
Kaitlin A. Davis¹ and John T. Patton²

This article comments on work published by Davis et al. (mBio, 2017), which describes molecular requirements that govern NSP1 recognition of β-TrCP, including an essential degron phosphorylation event, and the step-wise incorporation of NSP1 into hijacked cullin-RING E3 ligases (CRLs) that ubiquitinate and tag β-TrCP for degradation.

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Live fast, die fast principle in a single cell of fission yeast
Hidenori Nakaoka¹

This article comments on a recent study (Nakaoka and Wakamoto, PLoS Biol, 2017), which developed a microfluidics-based platform to track multiple single cell lineages until death.

Out with the old: Hsp90 finds amino acid residue more useful than co-chaperone protein
Abbey D. Zuehlke¹ and Leonard Neckers¹

This article comments on work published by Zuehlke et al (Nat Commun, 2017), which demonstrates that the function of one co-chaperone in yeast is replaced by posttranslational modification (PTM) of a single amino acid within Hsp90 in higher eukaryotes.

Having your cake and eating it – Staphylococcus aureus small colony variants can evolve faster growth rate without losing their antibiotic resistance
Gerrit Brandis¹, Sha Cao¹, Douglas L. Huseby¹ and Diarmaid Hughes¹

This article comments on work published by Cao et al. (mBio, 2027), which shows that Staphylococcus aureus can produce small colony variants (SCVs) that are challenging to detect and lead to persistent infections due to mutations affecting respiration and ATP production, with recent findings indicating various evolutionary paths for SCVs to increase growth rate while maintaining antibiotic resistance, suggesting greater adaptability and clinical challenge.

Integrative metabolomics as emerging tool to study autophagy regulation
Sarah Stryeck¹, Ruth Birner-Gruenberger², Tobias Madl^1,*

This review summarizes the advancements in metabolomics, particularly using NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, and its increasing role in biological research, offering insights into autophagy regulation with a focus on key metabolites, recent studies, and future prospects in elucidating complex regulatory mechanisms of autophagy and related diseases.

The interplay between transcription and mRNA degradation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Subhadeep Das¹, Debasish Sarkar² and Biswadip Das¹

This review summarizes how the integration of mRNA synthesis and degradation, mediated by specialized promoters and "coordinators," shapes the cellular transcriptome and plays a significant role in regulating gene expression profiles in various biological processes and potentially enhances evolutionary rates.

Inhibitors of glycosomal protein import provide new leads against trypanosomiasis
Vishal C. Kalel¹, Leonidas Emmanouilidis^2,3, Maciej Dawidowski^2,3,4, Wolfgang Schliebs¹, Michael Sattler^2,3, Grzegorz M. Popowicz^2,3, Ralf Erdmann¹

This article comments on work published by Dawidowski et al. (Science, 2017), which provides the grounds for further development of the glycosome inhibitors into clinical candidates and validates the parasite protein-protein interactions as drug targets.

Impact of the host on Toxoplasma stage differentiation
Carsten G.K. Lüder¹ and Taibur Rahman¹

This review summarizes how Toxoplasma gondii transitions from an acute to a chronic infection in warm-blooded animals and humans through a developmental switch influenced by host cell physiology, which determines parasite persistence mainly in neural and muscular tissues.

Chlamydia and mitochondria – an unfragmented relationship
Suvagata Roy Chowdhury¹ and Thomas Rudel¹

This article comments on work published by Chowdhury et al (J Cell Biol, 2017), which demonstrated that Chlamydia infection induces and requires an upregulation of the host miRNA, miR-30c-5p (miR-30c) to ameliorate infection induced stress on the host mitochondrial architecture and hinders induction of apoptosis.

Protein aggregation triggers a declining libido in elder yeasts that still have a lust for life
Fabrice Caudron

This article comments on work published by Schlissel et al (Science 2017), showing that aging in yeast does not lead to the expected loss of heterochromatin silencing due to Sir2 inactivity, but rather to reduced mating pheromone sensitivity caused by the aggregation of the RNA-binding protein Whi3, which can be reversed by eliminating Whi3's polyglutamine domain.

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Uncovering the hidden: complexity and strategies for diagnosing latent tuberculosis
Mario Alberto Flores-Valdez

This editorial postulates that advanced proteomic and transcriptomic techniques are evolving and may enhance the detection of latent tuberculosis, thereby distinguishing true M. tuberculosis infections from other conditions, which is vital for controlling potential reactivation and transmission.

The Yin & Yang of Mitochondrial Architecture – Interplay of MICOS and F₁F_o-ATP synthase in cristae formation
Heike Rampelt¹ and Martin van der Laan²

This Editorial posits that mitochondrial cristae architecture is shaped by the interplay of MICOS and ATP synthase, with a recent study illuminating their roles in cristae formation and maintenance.

When a ribosomal protein grows up – the ribosome assembly path of Rps3
Brigitte Pertschy

This article comments on two papers by Mitterer et al., which followed yeast protein Rps3, highlighting the sophisticated mechanisms for protein protection, nuclear transport, and integration into pre-ribosomal particles for final assembly with 40S subunits.

Staphylococcus aureus type I signal peptidase: essential or not essential, that’s the question
Wouter L.W. Hazenbos¹, Elizabeth Skippington² and Man-Wah Tan¹

This article comments on work published by Morisaki et al. (mBio, 2016), which characterized a novel ABC transporter. This transporter apparently compensates for SpsB’s essential function by mediating alternative cleavage of a subset of proteins at a site distinct from the SpsB-cleavage site, leading to SpsB-independent secretion.

Transceptors as a functional link of transporters and receptors
George Diallinas

A relative newcomer in environment sensing are the so called transceptors, membrane proteins that possess both solute transport and receptor-like signaling activities. Now, the transceptor concept is further enlarged to include micronutrient sensing via the iron and zinc high-affinity transporters of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

S. pombe placed on the prion map
Jacqueline Hayles

This article comments on work published by Sideri et al. (Microbial Cell, 2017), which identified the Ctr4 prion in S. pombe.

Using microbes as a key tool to unravel the mechanism of autophagy and the functions of the ATG proteins
Mario Mauthe^1,2 and Fulvio Reggiori^1,2

Microbes have served to discover and characterize unconventional functions of the ATG proteins, which are uncoupled from their role in autophagy. In our recent study, we have taken advantage of viruses as a screening tool to determine the extent of the unconventional functions of the ATG proteome and characterize one of them.

Mitochondrial energy metabolism is required for lifespan extension by the spastic paraplegia-associated protein spartin

November 30, 2017

This article indicates that spartin, a protein linked to hereditary spastic paraplegias, extends yeast lifespan and reduces age-related damage by associating with mitochondria and interacting with key metabolic proteins, implicating energy metabolism in its protective role during aging.

A new role for the nuclear basket network

November 28, 2017

This article comments on work published by Salas-Pino et al. (J Cell Biol, 2017), which describes a novel function of the fission yeast nuclear basket component - the translocated promoter region (TPR) nucleoporin Alm1 - in proper localization of the proteasome to the nuclear envelope.

A genome-wide screen for FTY720-sensitive mutants reveals genes required for ROS homeostasis

November 27, 2017

Fingolimod hydrochloride (FTY720) is an immune modulator for multiple sclerosis that also induces cancer cell apoptosis through reactive oxygen species generation, with a new study using fission yeast uncovering a gene network related to ROS homeostasis as a possible mechanism of FTY720's toxicity.

VAMP8 mucin exocytosis attenuates intestinal pathogenesis by Entamoeba histolytica

November 24, 2017

This article comments on work published by Cornick et al. (mBio, 2017), which nominates SNARE-mediated exocytosis as the putative mechanism responsible for pathogen-induced mucus secretion from goblet cells.

Aminoglycoside resistance profile and structural architecture of the aminoglycoside acetyltransferase AAC(6’)-Im

November 9, 2017

AAC(6')-Im, a monofunctional acetyltransferase, imparts increased resistance to certain aminoglycosides compared to its bifunctional homolog AAC(6')-Ie, with structural studies revealing differences in substrate binding that explain the discrepancies in their enzymatic activity and resistance profiles.

Shutdown of interferon signaling by a viral-hijacked E3 ubiquitin ligase

November 3, 2017

This article comments on work published by Davis et al. (mBio, 2017), which describes molecular requirements that govern NSP1 recognition of β-TrCP, including an essential degron phosphorylation event, and the step-wise incorporation of NSP1 into hijacked cullin-RING E3 ligases (CRLs) that ubiquitinate and tag β-TrCP for degradation.

Cross-species complementation of bacterial- and eukaryotic-type cardiolipin synthases

November 3, 2017

This article shows that cardiolipin is crucial for cellular respiration and membrane integrity, with cardiolipin synthase enzymes like TbCLS in Trypanosoma brucei being potential drug targets due to their essential role in survival. The study demonstrates TbCLS's ability to restore cardiolipin production in yeast, highlighting the specificity and potential co-localization required for cardiolipin synthesis and remodeling, and underscoring the differences between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cardiolipin synthase mechanisms.

Breaking the bad: Bacillus blocks fungal virulence factors

October 30, 2017

This article comments on work published by Mayer & Kronstad (mBio, 2017), which identified the soil bacterium, Bacillus safensis as a potent inhibitor of virulence factor production by two major fungal pathogens of humans, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Candida albicans.

The integrated stress response in budding yeast lifespan extension

October 24, 2017

This article summarizes how the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been instrumental in unraveling the molecular and cellular determinants of aging, and how the induction of cellular stress responses has been associated with experimental lifespan extension, thus underscoring the value of yeast as a model for developing potential aging therapies for humans.

Uncovering the hidden: complexity and strategies for diagnosing latent tuberculosis

October 24, 2017

This editorial postulates that advanced proteomic and transcriptomic techniques are evolving and may enhance the detection of latent tuberculosis, thereby distinguishing true M. tuberculosis infections from other conditions, which is vital for controlling potential reactivation and transmission.

1 2 3 4 … 6
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