Biology subjects

Harada, Y.

Publications and source records attributed to Harada, Y..

24 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

bioRxiv2021

The ulcerative colitis associated gene FUT8 regulates the quantity and quality of secreted mucins

Fucosylation of mucins, the main macrocomponents of the mucus layer that protects the digestive tract from pathogens, increases their viscoelasticity and shear stress resistance. These properties are altered in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), which is marked by a chronic inflammation of the distal part of the colon. Here we show that the levels of Fucosyltransferase 8 (FUT8) and specific mucins are increased in the distal inflamed colon of UC patients compared to normal individuals. Overexpressing FUT8, as observed in UC, in mucin-producing HT29-18N2 colonic cell line increases trafficking of MUC1 to plasma membrane and secretion of MUC2/MUC5AC. FUT8 depletion (FUT8 KD), instead, causes intracellular accumulation of MUC1 and alters the ratio of secreted MUC2 to MUC5AC. Mucins secreted by FUT8 overexpressing cells are more resistant to shear stress compared to mucins secreted by FUT8 KD cells. These data fit well with the Fut8-/- mice phenotype, which are protected against UC. Fut8-/- mice exhibit a thinner proximal colon mucus layer with an altered ratio of neutral to acidic mucins compared to Fut8+/+ mice. Together, these data reveal that FUT8 optimizes the viscoelastic properties of the extracellular mucous by controlling the quantities of mucins secreted. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTMucins, the major components of the mucous barrier that protects our body from pathogens, are heavily glycosylated proteins. Changes their amounts and properties will alter the viscosity of mucous. Here we show that FUT8, a glycosylation enzyme of the Golgi apparatus, can control the viscosity of secreted mucins. Mucin secreting cells of the distal colon express FUT8, but their levels are altered in Ulcerative colitis patients. As a result, mucous produced by these cells is easily washed away, which exposes them to pathogens. We suggest that a defective mucous production is the main cause of initial inflammation observed in disease. Our findings help in understanding how cells control the quality of mucins and provide a means to prevent Ulcerative colitis.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2021

An improved molecular crowding sensor CRONOS for detection of crowding changes in membrane-less organelles under pathological conditions.

Membrane-less organelles (MLOs) formed by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) play pivotal roles in biological processes. During LLPS, proteins and nucleotides are extremely condensed, resulting in changes of their conformation and biological functions. Disturbed LLPS homeostasis in MLOs cause fatal diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Therefore, it is important to detect changes of the degree of crowding in MLOs. However, it has not been investigated well due to lack of an appropriate method. To address this, we developed a genetically-encoded molecular crowding sensor CRONOS that senses the degree of macromolecular crowding in MLOs using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) system. CRONOS is a very bright biosensor with wider dynamic range and detect changes in the macromolecular volume fraction better than the previously reported mCer-mCit sensor in solution. By fusing to scaffold protein of each MLO, we successfully delivered CRONOS to MLO of interest and detected previously undescribed difference of the degree of crowding in each MLO. If not tagged, CRONOS localized to interstitial space of MLOs, giving us the crowding information of inspace. CRONOS also detected changes of degree of macromolecular crowding in nucleolus induced by environmental stress or inhibition of transcription. These findings suggest that CRONOS can be a useful tool for determination of molecular crowding and detection of pathological changes in MLOs in live cells.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2020

Heat hypersensitivity of ryanodine receptor type 1 mutants implicated in malignant hyperthermia

Cellular heat-sensing is a universal strategy for avoiding thermal damage and adapting to environments by regulating thermogenic activities. If heat-sensing results in the acceleration of processes governing cellular thermogenesis, hyperthermia can occur. However, how this positive feedback loop contributes to hyperthermia development, especially the gap between heat-sensing and thermogenesis, remains largely unknown. Here, we show that an optically controlled local heat pulse induces an intracellular Ca2+ burst in cultured HEK 293 cells overexpressing ryanodine-receptor-type-1 (RyR1) mutants related to the life-threatening illness malignant hyperthermia (MH), and that the Ca2+ burst originates from heat-induced Ca2+-release (HICR) because of the mutant channels heat hypersensitivity. Furthermore, the heat hypersensitivity of the four RyR1 mutants was ranked, highlighting the complexity of MH. Our findings reveal the novel cellular heat-sensing mechanism, HICR, is essential for the functional positive feedback loop causing MH, suggesting a well-tuned HICR is fundamental for heat-mediated intracellular signaling.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2020

In situ measurement of intracellular thermal conductivity using heater-thermometer hybrid diamond nanosensor

Understanding heat dissipation processes at nanoscale during cellular thermogenesis is essential to clarify the relationships between the heat and biological processes in cells and organisms. A key parameter determining the heat flux inside a cell is the local thermal conductivity, a factor poorly investigated both experimentally and theoretically. Here, using a nanoheater/nanothermometer hybrid based on a polydopamine shell encapsulating a fluorescent diamond nanocrystal, we measured the intracellular thermal conductivity of HeLa cell with a spatial resolution of about 200 nm. Its mean value of 0.11 Wm-1K-1 determined for the first time is significantly smaller than that of water. Bayesian analysis of the data strongly supports the existence of variation of the intracellular thermal conductivity of about 40%. These results present a major milestone towards understanding the intracellular heat transfer phenomena at nanoscale.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2018

Homologous expression and characterization of gassericin T and gassericin S, a novel class IIb bacteriocin produced by Lactobacillus gasseri LA327

Lactobacillus gasseri LA327 isolated from the large intestine tissue in humans is a bacteriocinogenic strain and is predicted to produce two kinds of class IIb bacteriocins, i.e. gassericin T (GT) and acidocin LF221A (Acd LF221A). In this study, DNA sequencing of the genes for GT and Acd LF221A on Lb. gasseri LA327 revealed that the amino acid sequences for GT completely corresponded with those of gat except for GatK (histidine kinase). However, those for the Acd LF221A had analogues which differed in at least one amino acid residue to be a putative class IIb bacteriocin designated as gassericin S (GS). By deletion test of GT structural genes (gatAX), the LA327 strain retained the bacteriocin activity, and the LA327 mutant strain lacking the ABC-type transporter gene (gatT) completely lost the bacteriocin activity. This indicates that LA327 strain is a GS producer, and GS production is performed via gat with the inclusion of gatT. Homologous expression using deletion mutants for GS and GT containing each single peptide elucidated that GS (GasAX) and GT (GatAX) showed synergistic activity as class IIb bacteriocins, respectively, and no synergistic activity was observed between each peptide of GS and GT. The molecular mass of GS was estimated to be theoretical ca. 5,400 Da by in situ activity assay after SDS-PAGE, clarifying that GS was actually expressed as an active class IIb bacteriocin. Furthermore, stability of GS expressed against pH, heat and protease was determined.\n\nImportanceWe determined the complete DNA sequence for GS, a novel class IIb bacteriocin of Lb. gasseri, and succeeded to express GS as active bacteriocins. Our results clarified the interaction of each class IIb component peptide for GT in addition to GS via construction of homologous mutants which were not dependent on the purification. These data may demonstrate the characteristics of class IIb bacteriocins for Lb. gasseri.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2017

Deciphering The Developmental Program In The Ascidian Ciona intestinalis Just Prior To Gastrulation

The embryo of the ascidian Ciona intestinalis displays striking anatomical simplicity, with an invariant cleavage pattern during development. It has a monoploid genome like the model organisms Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans, whereas vertebrates generally exhibit tetraploidy. In this study, I took advantage of these characteristics to investigate the development of the organism as one reverse-engineers an industrial product. First, the spatial expression of 211 genes was digitalized. Some genes showed variable expression patterns, which might reflect multiple snapshots of a single temporally dynamic expression at different times. Several developmental territories of the embryo were considered to be very similar to each other; however, this digitalization of gene expression patterns showed that differences occurred between individual blastomeres even within a single developmental territory. Furthermore, Ciona Brachyury (Ci-Bra) was expressed in those blastomeres in which both Fox (forkhead-box) A-a and Zic (zinc-finger) L were expressed, these proteins being upstream regulators of Ci-Bra. The approach described enables the developmental program to be studied in silico.\n\nSUMMARY STATEMENTA detailed expansion of our knowledge on an animal developmental program by using already published gene expression data with the aid of computers

developmental biology↗