Search bioRxiv⌕ Search

Biology subjects

Seo, S.

Publications and source records attributed to Seo, S..

42 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Naa12 rescues embryonic lethality in Naa10-Deficient Mice in the amino-terminal acetylation pathway

Amino-terminal acetylation is catalyzed by a set of N-terminal acetyltransferases (NATs). The NatA complex (including X-linked Naa10 and Naa15) is the major acetyltransferase, with 40-50% of all mammalian proteins being potential substrates. However, the overall role of amino-terminal acetylation on a whole-organism level is poorly understood, particularly in mammals. Male mice lacking Naa10 show no globally apparent in vivo amino-terminal acetylation impairment and do not exhibit complete embryonic lethality. Rather Naa10 nulls display increased neonatal lethality, and the majority of surviving undersized mutants exhibit a combination of hydrocephaly, cardiac defects, homeotic anterior transformation, piebaldism and urogenital anomalies. Naa12 is a previously unannotated Naa10-like paralogue with NAT activity that genetically compensates for Naa10. Mice deficient for Naa12 have no apparent phenotype, whereas mice deficient for Naa10 and Naa12 display embryonic lethality. The discovery of Naa12 adds to the currently known machinery involved in amino-terminal acetylation in mice.

developmental biology↗

Differential integrin adhesome expression defines human natural killer cell residency and developmental stage

Natural killer (NK) cells are innate immune cells that reside within tissue and circulate in peripheral blood. As such, they interact with a variety of complex microenvironments, yet how NK cells engage with these varied microenvironments is not well documented. The integrin adhesome represents a molecular network of defined and predicted integrin-mediated signaling interactions. Here, we define the integrin adhesome expression profile of NK cells from tonsil, peripheral blood and those derived from hematopoietic precursors through stromal cell coculture systems. We report that the site of cell isolation and NK cell developmental stage dictate differences in expression of adhesome associated genes and proteins. Furthermore, we define differences in cortical actin content associated with differential expression of actin regulating proteins, suggesting that differences in adhesome expression are associated with differences in cortical actin homeostasis. Together, these data provide new understanding into the diversity of human NK cell populations and how they engage with their microenvironment.

cell biology↗

Limited time window for retinal gene therapy in a preclinical model of ciliopathy

Retinal degeneration is a common clinical feature of ciliopathies, a group of genetic diseases linked to ciliary dysfunction, and gene therapy is an attractive treatment option to prevent vision loss. Although the efficacy of retinal gene therapy is well established by multiple proof-of-concept preclinical studies, its long-term effect, particularly when treatments are given at advanced disease stages, is controversial. Incomplete treatment and intrinsic variability of gene delivery methods may contribute to the variable outcomes. Here, we used a genetic rescue approach to "optimally" treat retinal degeneration at various disease stages and examined the long-term efficacy of gene therapy in a mouse model of ciliopathy. We used a Bardet-Biedl syndrome type 17 (BBS17) mouse model, in which the gene-trap that suppresses Bbs17 (also known as Lztfl1) expression can be removed by tamoxifen administration, restoring normal gene expression systemically. Our data indicate that therapeutic effects of retinal gene therapy decrease gradually as treatments are given at later stages. These results suggest the presence of limited time window for successful gene therapy in certain retinal degenerations. Our study also implies that the long-term efficacy of retinal gene therapy may depend on not only the timing of treatment but also other factors such as the function of mutated genes and residual activities of mutant alleles.

neuroscience↗

CEP290 myosin-tail homology domain is essential for protein confinement between inner and outer segments in photoreceptors

Mutations in CEP290 cause various ciliopathies involving retinal degeneration. CEP290 proteins localize to the ciliary transition zone and are thought to act as a gatekeeper that controls ciliary protein trafficking. However, precise roles of CEP290 in photoreceptors and pathomechanisms of retinal degeneration in CEP290-associated ciliopathies are not sufficiently understood. Using Cep290 conditional mutant mice, in which the C-terminal myosin-tail homology domain is disrupted after the connecting cilium is assembled, we show that CEP290, more specifically the myosin-tail homology domain of CEP290, is essential for protein confinement between the inner and the outer segments. Inner segment plasma membrane proteins including STX3, SNAP25, and IMPG2 rapidly accumulate in the outer segment upon disruption of the myosin-tail homology domain. In contrast, localization of endomembrane proteins is not altered. Trafficking and confinement of most outer segment-resident proteins appear to be unaffected or only minimally affected in this mouse model. One notable exception is RHO, which exhibits severe mislocalization to inner segments from the initial stage of degeneration. Similar mislocalization phenotypes were observed in rd16 mice. These results suggest that failure of protein confinement at the connecting cilium and consequent accumulation of inner segment membrane proteins in the outer segment combined with insufficient RHO delivery is part of the disease mechanisms that cause retinal degeneration in CEP290-associated ciliopathies. Our study provides insights into the pathomechanisms of retinal degenerations associated with compromised ciliary gates.

cell biology↗

Human cortical neural stem cells generate regional organizer states in vitro before committing to excitatory neuronal fates

Better understanding the progression of neural stem cells (NSCs) in the developing cerebral cortex is important for modeling neurogenesis and defining the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders. Here we used RNA-sequencing, cell imaging and lineage tracing of mouse and human in vitro NSCs to model the generation of cortical neuronal fates. We show that conserved signaling mechanisms regulate the acute transition from proliferative NSCs to committed glutamatergic excitatory neurons. As human telencephalic NSCs developed from pluripotency in vitro, they first transitioned through organizer states that spatially pattern the cortex before generating glutamatergic precursor fates. NSCs derived from multiple human pluripotent lines varied in these early patterning states leading differentially to dorsal or ventral telencephalic fates. This work furthers systematic analysis of the earliest patterning events that generate the major neuronal trajectories of the human telencephalon.

neuroscience↗

Multi-scale model of the proteomic and metabolic consequences of reactive oxygen species

Catalysis using iron-sulfur clusters and transition metals can be traced back to the last universal common ancestor. The damage to metalloproteins caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) can completely inhibit cell growth when unmanaged and thus elicits an essential stress response that is universal and fundamental in biology. We develop a computable multi-scale description of the ROS stress response in Escherichia coli. We show that this quantitative framework allows for the understanding and prediction of ROS stress responses at three levels: 1) pathways: amino acid auxotrophies, 2) networks: the systemic response to ROS stress, and 3) genetic basis: adaptation to ROS stress during laboratory evolution. These results show that we can now develop fundamental and quantitative genotype-phenotype relationships for stress responses on a genome-wide basis.

systems biology↗