Project description:All except one cytokine of the Interleukin (IL-)6 family share glycoprotein (gp) 130 as the common b receptor chain. Whereas Interleukin (IL-)11 signal via the non-signaling IL-11 receptor (IL-11R) and gp130 homodimers, leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) recruits gp130:LIF receptor (LIFR) heterodimers. Using IL-11 as a framework, we exchange the gp130 binding site III of IL-11 with the LIFR binding site III of LIF. The resulting synthetic cytokimera GIL-11 efficiently recruits the non-natural receptor signaling complex consisting of gp130, IL-11R and LIFR resulting in signal transduction and proliferation of factor-depending Ba/F3 cells. Besides LIF and IL-11, GIL-11 does not activate receptor complexes consisting of gp130:LIFR or gp130:IL-11R, respectively. Human GIL-11 shows cross-reactivity to mouse and rescued IL-6R deficient mice following partial hepatectomy, demonstrating gp130:IL-11R:LIFR signaling efficiently induced liver regeneration. With the development of the cytokimera GIL-11, we devise the functional assembly of the non-natural cytokine receptor complex of gp130:IL-11R:LIFR.
Project description:RNA polymerases IV and V (Pol IV and Pol V) are plant-specific polymerases required for the generation of noncoding RNAs in RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) and transcriptional gene silencing. Their subunit compositions largely resemble that of Pol II. However, the mechanism and accessory factors involved in their assembly remain largely unknown. In this study, we performed a forward genetic screen and identified novel mutant alleles of MINIYO (IYO), QUATRE-QUART 2 (QQT2) and NUCLEAR RNA POLYMERASE B/D/E 11 (NRPB/D/E11) that are defective in RdDM. We found that Pol IV-dependent small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and Pol V-dependent transcripts were greatly reduced in the mutants. NRPE1, the largest subunit of Pol V, dissociated from other Pol V subunits in the iyo and qqt2 mutants, suggesting the involvement of IYO and QQT2 in Pol V assembly. Furthermore, we found that IYO and QQT2 were mutually dependent for their binding to the NRPE3 subassembly to facilitate the assembly of Pol V holoenzyme. Our findings reveal IYO and QQT2 as cofactors for Pol V assembly and provide mechanistic insights into how RNA polymerases are assembled in Arabidopsis.
Project description:Colorectal carcinoma is one of the most aggressive malignant epithelial neoplasms affecting the gastrointestinal tract. The incidence of colorectal carcinoma is obviously increasing in developing countries, where the physical inactivity and the consumption of animal fat-rich food became more evident. Colorectal tumorigenesis is a multistep process which is initiated by adenoma and is terminated by carcinoma, the latter shows variable degrees of tumor differentiation and invasiveness. During the adenoma-carcinoma process; a series of genetic mutations occur. Detection of these genetic mutations will help in the development of novel therapeutic agents, which in turn will improve patients’ outcomes. Cortactin (CTTN) is a Src kinase substrate, encoded by a gene located on chromosome 11. CTTN binds to and activates Arp 2/3 and stabilizes the dynamic actin assembly after its formation. So, it become clear that CTTN is involved in the formation of the leading-edges cellular protrusions.