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Wang B, Xiao Q, Li X, Wang J, Zhu J. Proteinaceous Venom Expression of the Yellow Meadow Ant, Lasius flavus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Toxins (Basel) 2023; 15:toxins15020106. [PMID: 36828420 PMCID: PMC9961005 DOI: 10.3390/toxins15020106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Ants are one of the important groups of venomous animals with about 14,000 described species. Studies so far focused on the discovery of venom proteins are only available for limited stinging ants, and the proteinaceous compositions of the stingless ants are completely unknown. Here, we used the transcriptomic approach to identify venom components from the yellow meadow ant, Lasius flavus, a stingless ant. The transcriptomic analysis yielded an extraordinary simplicity of the venom expression profile, with 17 venom proteins, such as phospholipase B, odorant binding protein, and apolipoprotein D. Ten of them were discovered as novel toxins for future functional investigations. Quantitative real time PCR analysis revealed that genes encoding the identified venom proteins display exclusively or highly expression profiles in venom glands, validating them as venom compositions. Our findings contribute to the understanding of the evolutional diversity of toxins between stinging and stingless ants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binwei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Forest Disaster Warning and Control of Yunnan Province, College of Biodiversity Conservation, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China
| | - Qiaoli Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Forest Disaster Warning and Control of Yunnan Province, College of Biodiversity Conservation, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China
| | - Xun Li
- Key Laboratory of Forest Disaster Warning and Control of Yunnan Province, College of Biodiversity Conservation, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China
| | - Jun Wang
- Key Laboratory of Forest Disaster Warning and Control of Yunnan Province, College of Biodiversity Conservation, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China
| | - Jiaying Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Forest Disaster Warning and Control of Yunnan Province, College of Biodiversity Conservation, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China
- Key Laboratory for Forest Resources Conservation and Utilization in the Southwest Mountains of China, Ministry of Education, College of Biodiversity Conservation, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China
- Correspondence:
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Barwell T, DeVeale B, Poirier L, Zheng J, Seroude F, Seroude L. Regulating the UAS/GAL4 system in adult Drosophila with Tet-off GAL80 transgenes. PeerJ 2017; 5:e4167. [PMID: 29259847 PMCID: PMC5733373 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2017] [Accepted: 11/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The UAS/GAL4 system is the most used method in Drosophila melanogaster for directing the expression of a gene of interest to a specific tissue. However, the ability to control the temporal activity of GAL4 with this system is very limited. This study constructed and characterized Tet-off GAL80 transgenes designed to allow temporal control of GAL4 activity in aging adult muscles. By placing GAL80 under the control of a Tet-off promoter, GAL4 activity is regulated by the presence or absence of tetracycline in the diet. Almost complete inhibition of the expression of UAS transgenes during the pre-adult stages of the life cycle is obtained by using four copies and two types of Tet-off GAL80 transgenes. Upon treatment of newly emerged adults with tetracycline, induction of GAL4 activity is observed but the level of induction is influenced by the concentration of the inducer, the age, the sex and the anatomical location of the expression. The inhibition of GAL4 activity and the maintenance of induced expression are altered in old animals. This study reveals that the repressive ability of GAL80 is affected by the age and sex of the animal which is a major limitation to regulate gene expression with GAL80 in aged Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor Barwell
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Brian DeVeale
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.,Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Luc Poirier
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Jie Zheng
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.,Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | | | - Laurent Seroude
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
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Selenoprotein H is an essential regulator of redox homeostasis that cooperates with p53 in development and tumorigenesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:E5562-71. [PMID: 27588899 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1600204113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Selenium, an essential micronutrient known for its cancer prevention properties, is incorporated into a class of selenocysteine-containing proteins (selenoproteins). Selenoprotein H (SepH) is a recently identified nucleolar oxidoreductase whose function is not well understood. Here we report that seph is an essential gene regulating organ development in zebrafish. Metabolite profiling by targeted LC-MS/MS demonstrated that SepH deficiency impairs redox balance by reducing the levels of ascorbate and methionine, while increasing methionine sulfoxide. Transcriptome analysis revealed that SepH deficiency induces an inflammatory response and activates the p53 pathway. Consequently, loss of seph renders larvae susceptible to oxidative stress and DNA damage. Finally, we demonstrate that seph interacts with p53 deficiency in adulthood to accelerate gastrointestinal tumor development. Overall, our findings establish that seph regulates redox homeostasis and suppresses DNA damage. We hypothesize that SepH deficiency may contribute to the increased cancer risk observed in cohorts with low selenium levels.
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Ben SB, Wang QY, Xia L, Xia JZ, Cui J, Wang J, Yang F, Bai H, Shim MS, Lee BJ, Sun LG, Chen CL. Selenoprotein dSelK in Drosophila elevates release of Ca2+ from endoplasmic reticulum by upregulating expression of inositol 1,4,5-tris-phosphate receptor. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2012; 76:1030-6. [PMID: 22082272 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297911090070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
dSelK (G-rich), a homolog of human and mouse SelK, is one of three selenoproteins in Drosophila melanogaster. It is the only trans-membrane selenoprotein in D. melanogaster integrated into both the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane and the Golgi apparatus. The gene expression profile of Drosophila Schneider 2 (S2) cells after the dsRNA interference (dsRNAi) targeting of dSelK was examined with the GeneChip Drosophila Genome 2.0 Array (Affymetrix), a high-density oligonucleotide microarray encompassing nearly the full Drosophila genome. The results showed that the transcriptional expression of eight genes whose proteins are located on (or related to) the ER or the Golgi apparatus was highly induced or repressed by the dsRNAi treatment. The mRNA levels of the inositol 1,4,5-tris-phosphate receptor (IP3 receptor), whose gene product is integrated into the ER membrane and regulates the release of Ca2+ from the ER to the cytosol, were significantly downregulated. In contrast, the expression of inositol 1,4,5-tris-phosphate kinase 1, which is a cytosolic protein with opposing functions to the IP3 receptor, was significantly upregulated. Quantitative real-time PCR verified these results. The concentration of intracellular free Ca2+ of the Drosophila S2 cells was significantly decreased after the knockdown of dSelK, whereas overexpression of dSelK significantly increased the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration. These results indicate that dSelK in D. melanogaster is involved in regulating the release of Ca2+ from the ER to the cytosol and may play important roles in the signal transduction pathways involving Ca2+ mobilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- S B Ben
- School of Life Science, Liaoning University, Shenyang, China.
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Shchedrina VA, Kabil H, Vorbruggen G, Lee BC, Turanov AA, Hirosawa-Takamori M, Kim HY, Harshman LG, Hatfield DL, Gladyshev VN. Analyses of fruit flies that do not express selenoproteins or express the mouse selenoprotein, methionine sulfoxide reductase B1, reveal a role of selenoproteins in stress resistance. J Biol Chem 2011; 286:29449-61. [PMID: 21622567 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m111.257600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Selenoproteins are essential in vertebrates because of their crucial role in cellular redox homeostasis, but some invertebrates that lack selenoproteins have recently been identified. Genetic disruption of selenoprotein biosynthesis had no effect on lifespan and oxidative stress resistance of Drosophila melanogaster. In the current study, fruit flies with knock-out of the selenocysteine-specific elongation factor were metabolically labeled with (75)Se; they did not incorporate selenium into proteins and had the same lifespan on a chemically defined diet with or without selenium supplementation. These flies were, however, more susceptible to starvation than controls, and this effect could be ascribed to the function of selenoprotein K. We further expressed mouse methionine sulfoxide reductase B1 (MsrB1), a selenoenzyme that catalyzes the reduction of oxidized methionine residues and has protein repair function, in the whole body or the nervous system of fruit flies. This exogenous selenoprotein could only be expressed when the Drosophila selenocysteine insertion sequence element was used, whereas the corresponding mouse element did not support selenoprotein synthesis. Ectopic expression of MsrB1 in the nervous system led to an increase in the resistance against oxidative stress and starvation, but did not affect lifespan and reproduction, whereas ubiquitous MsrB1 expression had no effect. Dietary selenium did not influence lifespan of MsrB1-expressing flies. Thus, in contrast to vertebrates, fruit flies preserve only three selenoproteins, which are not essential and play a role only under certain stress conditions, thereby limiting the use of the micronutrient selenium by these organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina A Shchedrina
- Department of Medicine, Division of Genetics, Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
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Kocan KM, Zivkovic Z, Blouin EF, Naranjo V, Almazán C, Mitra R, de la Fuente J. Silencing of genes involved in Anaplasma marginale-tick interactions affects the pathogen developmental cycle in Dermacentor variabilis. BMC DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY 2009; 9:42. [PMID: 19607704 PMCID: PMC2714835 DOI: 10.1186/1471-213x-9-42] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2009] [Accepted: 07/16/2009] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The cattle pathogen, Anaplasma marginale, undergoes a developmental cycle in ticks that begins in gut cells. Transmission to cattle occurs from salivary glands during a second tick feeding. At each site of development two forms of A. marginale (reticulated and dense) occur within a parasitophorous vacuole in the host cell cytoplasm. However, the role of tick genes in pathogen development is unknown. Four genes, found in previous studies to be differentially expressed in Dermacentor variabilis ticks in response to infection with A. marginale, were silenced by RNA interference (RNAi) to determine the effect of silencing on the A. marginale developmental cycle. These four genes encoded for putative glutathione S-transferase (GST), salivary selenoprotein M (SelM), H+ transporting lysosomal vacuolar proton pump (vATPase) and subolesin. RESULTS The impact of gene knockdown on A. marginale tick infections, both after acquiring infection and after a second transmission feeding, was determined and studied by light microscopy. Silencing of these genes had a different impact on A. marginale development in different tick tissues by affecting infection levels, the densities of colonies containing reticulated or dense forms and tissue morphology. Salivary gland infections were not seen in any of the gene-silenced ticks, raising the question of whether these ticks were able to transmit the pathogen. CONCLUSION The results of this RNAi and light microscopic analyses of tick tissues infected with A. marginale after the silencing of genes functionally important for pathogen development suggest a role for these molecules during pathogen life cycle in ticks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine M Kocan
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA.
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Chapple CE, Guigó R. Relaxation of selective constraints causes independent selenoprotein extinction in insect genomes. PLoS One 2008; 3:e2968. [PMID: 18698431 PMCID: PMC2500217 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2008] [Accepted: 07/24/2008] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Selenoproteins are a diverse family of proteins notable for the presence of the 21st amino acid, selenocysteine. Until very recently, all metazoan genomes investigated encoded selenoproteins, and these proteins had therefore been believed to be essential for animal life. Challenging this assumption, recent comparative analyses of insect genomes have revealed that some insect genomes appear to have lost selenoprotein genes. Methodology/Principal Findings In this paper we investigate in detail the fate of selenoproteins, and that of selenoprotein factors, in all available arthropod genomes. We use a variety of in silico comparative genomics approaches to look for known selenoprotein genes and factors involved in selenoprotein biosynthesis. We have found that five insect species have completely lost the ability to encode selenoproteins and that selenoprotein loss in these species, although so far confined to the Endopterygota infraclass, cannot be attributed to a single evolutionary event, but rather to multiple, independent events. Loss of selenoproteins and selenoprotein factors is usually coupled to the deletion of the entire no-longer functional genomic region, rather than to sequence degradation and consequent pseudogenisation. Such dynamics of gene extinction are consistent with the high rate of genome rearrangements observed in Drosophila. We have also found that, while many selenoprotein factors are concomitantly lost with the selenoproteins, others are present and conserved in all investigated genomes, irrespective of whether they code for selenoproteins or not, suggesting that they are involved in additional, non-selenoprotein related functions. Conclusions/Significance Selenoproteins have been independently lost in several insect species, possibly as a consequence of the relaxation in insects of the selective constraints acting across metazoans to maintain selenoproteins. The dispensability of selenoproteins in insects may be related to the fundamental differences in antioxidant defense between these animals and other metazoans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles E. Chapple
- Center for Genomic Regulation, Universitat Pompeu Fabra and Institut Municipal d'Investigació Mèdica, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Roderic Guigó
- Center for Genomic Regulation, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- * E-mail:
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Panee J, Stoytcheva ZR, Liu W, Berry MJ. Selenoprotein H Is a Redox-sensing High Mobility Group Family DNA-binding Protein That Up-regulates Genes Involved in Glutathione Synthesis and Phase II Detoxification. J Biol Chem 2007; 282:23759-65. [PMID: 17526492 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m702267200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Selenoprotein H is a recently identified member of the selenoprotein family whose function is not fully known. Previous studies from our laboratory and others showed that Drosophila melanogaster selenoprotein H is essential for viability and antioxidant defense. In this study we investigated the function of human selenoprotein H in murine hippocampal HT22 cells engineered to stably overexpress the protein. After treatment of cells with L-buthionine-(S,R)-sulfoximine to deplete glutathione, selenoprotein H-overexpressing cells exhibited higher levels of total glutathione, total antioxidant capacities, and glutathione peroxidase enzymatic activity than did vector control cells. Overexpression of selenoprotein H also up-regulated the mRNA levels of endogenous selenoprotein H, glutamylcysteine synthetase heavy and light chains, and glutathione S-transferases Alpha 2, Alpha 4, and Omega 1. The amino acid sequence of selenoprotein H contains four putative nuclear localization sequences and an AT-hook motif, a small DNA-binding domain first identified in high mobility group proteins. Chromatin immunoprecipitation using a green fluorescent protein-selenoprotein H fusion revealed binding to sequences containing heat shock and/or stress response elements. Thus, selenoprotein H is a redox-responsive DNA-binding protein of the AT-hook family and functions in regulating expression levels of genes involved in de novo glutathione synthesis and phase II detoxification in response to redox status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Panee
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813, USA
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Ralston CR, Lloyd Blackwell J, Ralston NV. Effects of Dietary Selenium and Mercury on House Crickets (Acheta domesticusL.): Implications of Environmental Co-exposures. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1080/15555270600605436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Jin JS, Baek S, Lee H, Oh MY, Koo YE, Shim MS, Kwon SY, Jeon I, Park SY, Baek K, Yoo MA, Hatfield DL, Lee BJ. A DNA replication-related element downstream from the initiation site of Drosophila selenophosphate synthetase 2 gene is essential for its transcription. Nucleic Acids Res 2004; 32:2482-93. [PMID: 15121905 PMCID: PMC419457 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkh569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2004] [Revised: 03/27/2004] [Accepted: 04/06/2004] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Selenophosphate synthetase catalyzes the synthesis of selenophosphate which is a selenium donor for Sec biosynthesis. In Drosophila melanogaster, there are two types of selenophosphate synthetases designated dSPS1 and dSPS2, where dSPS2 is a selenoprotein. The mechanism of gene expression of dSPS2 as well as other selenoproteins in Drosophila has not been elucidated. Herein, we report an essential regulator system that regulates the transcription of the dSPS2 gene (dsps2). Through deletion/substitution mutagenesis, the downstream DNA replication-related element (DRE) located at +71 has been identified as an essential element for dsps2 promoter activity. Furthermore, double-stranded RNA interference (dsRNAi) experiments were performed to ablate transcription factors such as TBP, TRF1, TRF2 and DREF in Schneider cells. The dsRNAi experiments showed that dsps2 promoter activities in DREF- and TRF2-depleted cells were significantly decreased by 90% and 50%, respectively. However, the depletion of TBP or TRF1 did not affect the expression level of dsps2 even though there is a putative TATA box at -20. These results strongly suggest that the DRE/DREF system controls the basal level of transcription of dsps2 by interacting with TRF2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Shun Jin
- School of Biological Sciences and Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Seoul National University, Korea
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Hirosawa-Takamori M, Chung HR, Jäckle H. Conserved selenoprotein synthesis is not critical for oxidative stress defence and the lifespan of Drosophila. EMBO Rep 2004; 5:317-22. [PMID: 14978508 PMCID: PMC1299008 DOI: 10.1038/sj.embor.7400097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2003] [Revised: 01/09/2004] [Accepted: 01/13/2004] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Selenoprotein synthesis is conserved from bacteria to man. It involves the differential decoding of the UGA stop codon as selenocysteine. The proteomes of both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, with the exception of yeast, contain only few selenoproteins. This low number is explained by a counterselection of readily oxidized selenocysteine after the introduction of oxygen into the atmosphere and the need to conserve selenoenzymes that control redox homeostasis of cells. Lack of selenoprotein synthesis in vertebrates impairs the oxidative stress defence and causes lethality. Here we show that Drosophila mutants that lack the translation elongation factor SelB/eEFsec fail to decode the UGA codon as selenocysteine, but they are viable and fertile. Oxidative stress responses and the lifespan of these flies are not affected. Protecting cells from oxidative stress can therefore not account for the selection pressure that conserves selenoprotein biosynthesis during the course of evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitsuko Hirosawa-Takamori
- Max-Planck-Institut für Biophysikalische Chemie, Abteilung Molekulare Entwicklungsbiologie, Am Fassberg, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ho-Ryun Chung
- Max-Planck-Institut für Biophysikalische Chemie, Abteilung Molekulare Entwicklungsbiologie, Am Fassberg, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Herbert Jäckle
- Max-Planck-Institut für Biophysikalische Chemie, Abteilung Molekulare Entwicklungsbiologie, Am Fassberg, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Tel: +49 551 2011482; Fax: +49 551 2011755; E-mail:
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