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Shiosaka S. Kallikrein 8: A key sheddase to strengthen and stabilize neural plasticity. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 140:104774. [PMID: 35820483 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Neural networks are modified and reorganized throughout life, even in the matured brain. Synapses in the networks form, change, or disappear dynamically in the plasticity state. The pre- and postsynaptic signaling, transmission, and structural dynamics have been studied considerably well. However, not many studies have shed light on the events in the synaptic cleft and intercellular space. Neural activity-dependent protein shedding is a phenomenon in which (1) presynaptic excitation evokes secretion or activation of sheddases, (2) sheddases are involved not only in cleavage of membrane- or matrix-bound proteins but also in mechanical modulation of cell-to-cell connectivity, and (3) freed activity domains of protein factors play a role in receptor-mediated or non-mediated biological actions. Kallikrein 8/neuropsin (KLK8) is a kallikrein family serine protease rich in the mammalian limbic brain. Accumulated evidence has suggested that KLK8 is an important modulator of neural plasticity and consequently, cognition. Insufficiency, as well as excess of KLK8 may have detrimental effects on limbic functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sadao Shiosaka
- Osaka Psychiatric Research Center, Osaka Psychiatric Medical Center, Osaka Prefectural Hospital Organization, Miyanosaka 3-16-21, Hirakata-shi, Osaka 573-0022, Japan.
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Jiang Y, Cao X, Wang H. Comparative genomic analysis of a naturally born serpentized pig reveals putative mutations related to limb and bone development. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:629. [PMID: 34454433 PMCID: PMC8399796 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07925-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND It is believed that natural selection acts on the phenotypical changes caused by mutations. Phenotypically, from fishes to amphibians to reptiles, the emergence of limbs greatly facilitates the landing of ancient vertebrates, but the causal mutations and evolutionary trajectory of this process remain unclear. RESULTS We serendipitously obtained a pig of limbless phenotype. Mutations specific to this handicapped pig were identified using genome re-sequencing and comparative genomic analysis. We narrowed down the causal mutations to particular chromosomes and even several candidate genes and sites, such like a mutation-containing codon in gene BMP7 (bone morphogenetic protein) which was conserved in mammals but variable in lower vertebrates. CONCLUSIONS We parsed the limbless-related mutations in the light of evolution. The limbless pig shows phenocopy of the clades before legs were evolved. Our findings might help deduce the emergence of limbs during vertebrate evolution and should be appealing to the broad community of human genetics and evolutionary biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yankai Jiang
- Department of Joint Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, Shandong, China
| | - Xinyue Cao
- School of Medicine and Nursing, Dezhou University, Dezhou, 253023, Shandong, China
| | - Haibin Wang
- Department of Joint Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, Shandong, China.
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Athreya S, Hopkins A. Conceptual issues in hominin taxonomy: Homo heidelbergensis and an ethnobiological reframing of species. Am J Phys Anthropol 2021; 175 Suppl 72:4-26. [PMID: 34117636 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Efforts to name and classify Middle Pleistocene Homo, often referred to as "Homo heidelbergensis" are hampered by confusing patterns of morphology but also by conflicting paleoanthropological ideologies that are embedded in approaches to hominin taxonomy, nomenclature, and the species concept. We deconstruct these issues to show how the field's search for a "real" species relies on strict adherence to pre-Darwinian essentialist naming rules in a post-typological world. We then examine Middle Pleistocene Homo through the framework of ethnobiology, which examines on how Indigenous societies perceive, classify, and name biological organisms. This research reminds us that across human societies, taxonomies function to (1) identify and classify organisms based on consensus pattern recognition and (2) construct a stable nomenclature for effective storage, retrieval and communication of information. Naming Middle Pleistocene Homo as a "real" species cannot be verified with the current data; and separating regional groups into distinct evolutionary lineages creates taxa that are not defined by readily perceptible or universally salient differences. Based on ethnobiological studies of this kind of patterning, referring to these hominins above the level of the species according to their generic category with modifiers (e.g., "European Middle Pleistocene Homo") is consistent with observed human capabilities for cognitive differentiation, is both necessary and sufficient given the current data, and will allow for the most clear communication across ideologies going forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheela Athreya
- Liberal Arts Program, Texas A&M University-Qatar, Doha, Qatar.,Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Allison Hopkins
- Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
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Chang S, Li J, Li Q, Yu CP, Xie LL, Wang S. Retrieving the deleterious mutations before extinction: genome-wide comparison of shared derived mutations in liver cancer and normal population. Postgrad Med J 2021; 98:584-590. [PMID: 33837126 DOI: 10.1136/postgradmedj-2021-139993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
STUDY PURPOSE Deleterious mutations would be rapidly purged from natural populations along with the extinction of their carriers. The currently observed mutations in existing species are mostly neutral. The inaccessibility of deleterious mutations impedes the functional studies on how these mutations affect the fitness at individual level. STUDY DESIGN The connection between the deleterious genotype and the non-adaptive phenotype could be bridged by sequencing the genome before extinction. Although this approach is no longer feasible for evolutionary biologists, it is feasible for cancer biologists by profiling the mutations in tumour samples which are so deleterious that the carriers hardly live. RESULTS By comparing the derived mutation profile between normal populations and patients with liver cancer, we found that the shared mutations, which are highly deleterious, are suppressed to low allele frequencies in normal populations and tissues, but show remarkably high frequency in tumours. The density of shared mutations is negatively correlated with gene conservation and expression levels. CONCLUSIONS Deleterious mutations are suppressed in functionally important genes as well as in normal populations. This work deepened our understanding on how natural selection act on deleterious mutations by analogising the cancer evolution to species evolution, which are essentially the same molecular process but at different time scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Chang
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Jian Li
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Qun Li
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Chun-Peng Yu
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Ling-Ling Xie
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Song Wang
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
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Breyl M. Triangulating Neanderthal cognition: A tale of not seeing the forest for the trees. Wiley Interdiscip Rev Cogn Sci 2020; 12:e1545. [PMID: 32918796 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Revised: 08/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The inference of Neanderthal cognition, including their cultural and linguistic capabilities, has persisted as a fiercely debated research topic for decades. This lack of consensus is substantially based on inherent uncertainties in reconstructing prehistory out of indirect evidence as well as other methodological limitations. Further factors include systemic difficulties within interdisciplinary discourse, data artifacts, historic research biases, and the sheer scope of the relevant research. Given the degrees of freedom in interpretation ensuing from these complications, any attempt to find approximate answers to the yet unsettled pertinent discourse may not rest on single studies, but instead a careful and comprehensive interdisciplinary synthesis of findings. Triangulating Neanderthals' cognition by considering the plethora of data, diverse perspectives and aforementioned complexities present within the literature constitutes the currently most reliable pathway to tentative conclusions. While some uncertainties remain, such an approach paints the picture of an extensive shared humanity between anatomically modern humans and Neanderthals. This article is categorized under: Cognitive Biology > Evolutionary Roots of Cognition Linguistics > Evolution of Language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Breyl
- Germanistik, Komparatistik, Nordistik, Deutsch als Fremdsprache, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich (LMU), Munich, Germany
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Debela M, Magdolen V, Skala W, Elsässer B, Schneider EL, Craik CS, Biniossek ML, Schilling O, Bode W, Brandstetter H, Goettig P. Structural determinants of specificity and regulation of activity in the allosteric loop network of human KLK8/neuropsin. Sci Rep 2018; 8:10705. [PMID: 30013126 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-29058-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2018] [Accepted: 06/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Human KLK8/neuropsin, a kallikrein-related serine peptidase, is mostly expressed in skin and the hippocampus regions of the brain, where it regulates memory formation by synaptic remodeling. Substrate profiles of recombinant KLK8 were analyzed with positional scanning using fluorogenic tetrapeptides and the proteomic PICS approach, which revealed the prime side specificity. Enzyme kinetics with optimized substrates showed stimulation by Ca2+ and inhibition by Zn2+, which are physiological regulators. Crystal structures of KLK8 with a ligand-free active site and with the inhibitor leupeptin explain the subsite specificity and display Ca2+ bound to the 75-loop. The variants D70K and H99A confirmed the antagonistic role of the cation binding sites. Molecular docking and dynamics calculations provided insights in substrate binding and the dual regulation of activity by Ca2+ and Zn2+, which are important in neuron and skin physiology. Both cations participate in the allosteric surface loop network present in related serine proteases. A comparison of the positional scanning data with substrates from brain suggests an adaptive recognition by KLK8, based on the tertiary structures of its targets. These combined findings provide a comprehensive picture of the molecular mechanisms underlying the enzyme activity of KLK8.
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Sorimachi K, Okayasu T, Ohhira S. Normalization of Complete Genome Characteristics: Application to Evolution from Primitive Organisms to Homo sapiens. Curr Genomics 2015; 16:99-106. [PMID: 26085808 PMCID: PMC4467310 DOI: 10.2174/1389202916666150119215716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2014] [Revised: 01/09/2015] [Accepted: 01/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Normalized nucleotide and amino acid contents of complete genome sequences can be visualized as radar charts. The shapes of these charts depict the characteristics of an organism's genome. The normalized values calculated from the genome sequence theoretically exclude experimental errors. Further, because normalization is independent of both target size and kind, this procedure is applicable not only to single genes but also to whole genomes, which consist of a huge number of different genes. In this review, we discuss the applications of the normalization of the nucleotide and predicted amino acid contents of complete genomes to the investigation of genome structure and to evolutionary research from primitive organisms to Homo sapiens. Some of the results could never have been obtained from the analysis of individual nucleotide or amino acid sequences but were revealed only after the normalization of nucleotide and amino acid contents was applied to genome research. The discovery that genome structure was homogeneous was obtained only after normalization methods were applied to the nucleotide or predicted amino acid contents of genome sequences. Normalization procedures are also applicable to evolutionary research. Thus, normalization of the contents of whole genomes is a useful procedure that can help to characterize organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenji Sorimachi
- Educational Support Center, Dokkyo Medical University, Mibu, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan
- Life Science
Research Center, Higashi-Kaizawa, Takasaki, Gunma 370-0041, Japan
| | - Teiji Okayasu
- Center for Medical Informatics,
Dokkyo Medical University, Mibu, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan
| | - Shuji Ohhira
- Laboratory for International Environmental
Health, Dokkyo Medical University, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan
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Paixão-Côrtes VR, Viscardi LH, Salzano FM, Cátira Bortolini M, Hünemeier T. The cognitive ability of extinct hominins: bringing down the hierarchy using genomic evidences. Am J Hum Biol 2013; 25:702-5. [PMID: 23907779 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.22426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2013] [Revised: 06/03/2013] [Accepted: 06/11/2013] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The availability of the full genomes of Homo sapiens, Homo neanderthalensis, and Denisovans, as well as modern bioinformatic tools, are opening new possibilities for the understanding of the differences and similarities present in these taxa. METHODS We searched for cognitive genes, examined their status in the genomes of these three entities. All substitutions present among them were retrieved. RESULTS We found 93 nonsynonymous substitutions in 51 cognitive genes, in which the derived allele was present in archaic and modern humans and the ancestral allele in other nonhuman primates. CONCLUSIONS The general picture obtained is of similarity in cognitive genes between extinct and extant humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa R Paixão-Côrtes
- Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
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