Biology subjects

Kim, S.-J.

Publications and source records attributed to Kim, S.-J..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2018

Lrfn2-mutant mice display suppressed synaptic plasticity and inhibitory synapse development and abnormal social communication and startle response

SALM1, also known as LRFN2, is a PSD-95-interacting synaptic adhesion molecule implicated in the regulation of NMDA receptor (NMDAR) clustering largely based on in vitro data, although its in vivo functions remain unclear. Here, we found that mice lacking SALM1/LRFN2 (Lrfn2-/- mice) show a normal density of excitatory synapses but altered excitatory synaptic function, including enhanced NMDAR-dependent synaptic transmission but suppressed NMDAR-dependent synaptic plasticity in the hippocampal CA1 region. Unexpectedly, SALM1 expression is detected in both glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons, and Lrfn2-/- CA1 pyramidal neurons show decreases in the density of inhibitory synapses and frequency of spontaneous inhibitory synaptic transmission. Behaviorally, ultrasonic vocalization was suppressed in Lrfn2-/- pups separated from their mothers, and acoustic startle was enhanced, but locomotion, anxiety-like behavior, social interaction, repetitive behaviors, and learning and memory were largely normal in adult Lrfn2-/- mice. These results suggest that SALM1/LRFN2 regulates excitatory synapse function, inhibitory synapse development, and social communication and startle behaviors in mice.\n\nSignificance StatementSynaptic adhesion molecules regulate synapse development and function, which govern neural circuit and brain functions. The SALM/LRFN family of synaptic adhesion proteins consists of five known members whose in vivo functions are largely unknown. Here we characterized mice lacking SALM1/LRFN2 (SALM1 knockout) known to associate with NMDA receptors and found that these mice showed altered NMDA receptor-dependent synaptic transmission and plasticity, as expected, but unexpectedly also exhibited suppressed inhibitory synapse development and synaptic transmission. Behaviorally, SALM1 knockout pups showed suppressed ultrasonic vocalization upon separation from their mothers, and SALM1 knockout adults showed enhanced responses to loud acoustic stimuli. These results suggest that SALM1/LRFN2 regulates excitatory synapse function, inhibitory synapse development, social communication, and acoustic startle behavior.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2018

Quantum chemistry reveals the thermodynamic principles of redoxbiochemistry

Thermodynamics dictates the structure and function of metabolism. Redox reactions drive cellular energy and material flow. Hence, accurately quantifying the thermodynamics of redox reactions should reveal key design principles that shape cellular metabolism. However, only a limited number of redox potentials have been measured experimentally, and mostly with inconsistent, poorly-reported experimental setups. Here, we develop a quantum chemistry approach for the calculation of redox potentials of biochemical reactions. We demonstrate that our method predicts experimentally measured potentials with unparalleled accuracy. We calculate the reduction potentials of all redox pairs that can be generated from biochemically relevant compounds and highlight fundamental thermodynamic trends that define cellular redox biochemistry. We further use the calculated potentials to address the question of why NAD/NADP are used as the primary cellular electron carriers, demonstrating how their physiological redox range specifically fits the reactions of central metabolism and minimizes the concentration of reactive carbonyls. The use of quantum chemistry tools, as demonstrated in this study, can revolutionize our understanding of key biochemical phenomena by enabling fast and accurate calculation of large datasets of thermodynamic values.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2017

Deep-learning based hologram classification for molecular diagnostics

Lens-free digital in-line holography (LDIH) is a promising microscopic tool that overcomes several drawbacks (e.g., limited field of view) of traditional lens-based microcopy. However, extensive computation is required to reconstruct object images from the complex diffraction patterns produced by LDIH, which limits LDIH utility for point-of-care applications, particularly in resource limited settings. Here, we describe a deep transfer learning (DTL) based approach to process LDIH images in the context of cellular analyses. Specifically, we captured holograms of cells labeled with molecular-specific microbeads and trained neural networks to classify these holograms without reconstruction. Using raw holograms as input, the trained networks were able to classify individual cells according to the number of cell-bound microbeads. The DTL-based approach including a VGG19 pretrained network showed robust performance even with noisy experimental data. Combined with the developed DTL approach, LDIH could be realized as a low-cost, portable tool for point-of-care diagnostics.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2017

Deconvolution Of Subcellular Protrusion Heterogeneity And The Underlying Actin Regulator Dynamics From Live Cell Imaging

Cell protrusion is morphodynamically heterogeneous at the subcellular level. However, the mechanistic understanding of protrusion activities is usually based on the ensemble average of actin regulator dynamics at the cellular or population levels. Here, we establish a machine learning-based computational framework called HACKS (deconvolution of Heterogeneous Activity Coordination in cytosKeleton at a Subcellular level) to deconvolve the subcellular heterogeneity of lamellipodial protrusion in migrating cells. HACKS quantitatively identifies distinct subcellular protrusion phenotypes from highly heterogeneous protrusion activities and reveals their underlying actin regulator dynamics at the leading edge. Furthermore, it can identify specific subcellular protrusion phenotypes susceptible to pharmacological perturbation and reveal how actin regulator dynamics are changed by the perturbation. Using our method, we discovered accelerating protrusion phenotype in addition to fluctuating and periodic protrusions. Intriguingly, the accelerating protrusion was driven by the temporally coordinated actions between Arp2/3 and VASP: initiated by Arp2/3-mediated actin nucleation, and then accelerated by VASP-mediated actin elongation. We were able to confirm it by pharmacological perturbations using CK666 and Cytochalasin D, which specifically reduced strong accelerating protrusion activities. Taken together, we have demonstrated that HACKS allows us to discover the fine differential coordination of molecular dynamics underlying subcellular protrusion heterogeneity via a machine learning analysis of live cell imaging data.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2017

The industrial anaerobe Clostridium acetobutylicum uses polyketides to regulate butanol production and differentiation

Polyketides are an important class of bioactive small molecules valued not only for their diverse therapeutic applications, but also for their role in controlling interesting biological phenotypes in their producing organisms. While numerous examples of polyketides derived from aerobic organisms exist, only a single family of polyketides has been identified from anaerobic organisms. Here we uncover a novel family of polyketides native to the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium acetobutylicum, an organism well-known for its historical use as an industrial producer of the organic solvents acetone, butanol, and ethanol. Through mutational analysis and chemical complementation assays, we demonstrate that these polyketides influence butanol production and act as chemical triggers of sporulation and granulose accumulation in this strain. This study represents a significant addition to the body of work demonstrating the existence and importance of polyketides in anaerobes, and showcases a novel strategy of manipulating the secondary metabolism of an organism to improve traits significant for industrial applications.

microbiology↗