Dipeptidyl-peptidase-like-proteins confer high sensitivity to the scorpion toxin AmmTX3 to Kv4-mediated A-type K+ channels
JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LONDON
Authors: Maffie, Jon K.; Dvoretskova, Elena; Bougis, Pierre Edouard; Martin-Eauclaire, Marie-France; Rudy, Bernardo
Abstract
Key points center dot AmmTX3, a member of the -KTX15 family of scorpion toxins, efficiently and specifically blocks the subthreshold-operating A-type K+ current in cerebellar granule neurons from wild-type mice but not in neurons from mice lacking the Kv4 channel-associated protein DPP6. center dot In heterologous cells high-affinity blockade of Kv4.2 and Kv4.3 channels by AmmTX3 requires the presence of the associated proteins DPP6 and DPP10. center dot These results validate AmmTX3 as a specific blocker of Kv4 channels in CNS neurons and explain the discrepancy between previous observations in neurons and heterologous cells. center dot They contribute a powerful tool to investigate the physiological role of A-type K+ currents, believed to be important in dendritic integration and plasticity and to be involved in a number of diseases. center dot Our results demonstrate that, in addition to changing the kinetics and voltage dependence of Kv4 channel complexes, DDP-like Kv4-associated proteins also affect their pharmacological profile. Abstract K+ channels containing Kv4.2 and Kv4.3 pore-forming subunits mediate most of the subthreshold-operating somatodendritic A-type K+ current in CNS neurons. These channels are believed to be important in regulating the frequency of repetitive firing, the backpropagation of action potential into dendrites, and dendritic integration and plasticity. Moreover, they have been implicated in several diseases from pain to epilepsy and autism spectrum disorders. The lack of toxins that specifically and efficiently block these channels has hampered studies aimed at confirming their functional role and their involvement in disease. AmmTX3 and other related members of the -KTX15 family of scorpion toxins have been shown to block the A-type K+ current in cultured neurons, but their specificity has been questioned because the toxins do not efficiently block the currents mediated by Kv4.2 or Kv4.3 subunits expressed in heterologous cells. Here we show that the high-affinity blockade of Kv4.2 and Kv4.3 channels by AmmTX3 depends on the presence of the auxiliary subunits DPP6 and DPP10. These proteins are thought to be components of the Kv4 channel complex in neurons and to be important for channel expression in dendrites. These studies validate the use of AmmTX3 as a blocker of the Kv4-mediated A-type K+ current in neurons.
Second Generation Sequencing of the Mesothelioma Tumor Genome
PLOS ONE
Authors: Bueno, Raphael; De Rienzo, Assunta; Dong, Lingsheng; Gordon, Gavin J.; Hercus, Colin F.; Richards, William G.; Jensen, Roderick V.; Anwar, Arif; Maulik, Gautam; Chirieac, Lucian R.; Ho, Kim-Fong; Taillon, Bruce E.; Turcotte, Cynthia L.; Hercus, Robert G.; Gullans, Steven R.; Sugarbaker, David J.
Abstract
The current paradigm for elucidating the molecular etiology of cancers relies on the interrogation of small numbers of genes, which limits the scope of investigation. Emerging second-generation massively parallel DNA sequencing technologies have enabled more precise definition of the cancer genome on a global scale. We examined the genome of a human primary malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) tumor and matched normal tissue by using a combination of sequencing-by-synthesis and pyrosequencing methodologies to a 9.6X depth of coverage. Read density analysis uncovered significant aneuploidy and numerous rearrangements. Method-dependent informatics rules, which combined the results of different sequencing platforms, were developed to identify and validate candidate mutations of multiple types. Many more tumor-specific rearrangements than point mutations were uncovered at this depth of sequencing, resulting in novel, large-scale, inter-and intra-chromosomal deletions, inversions, and translocations. Nearly all candidate point mutations appeared to be previously unknown SNPs. Thirty tumor-specific fusions/translocations were independently validated with PCR and Sanger sequencing. Of these, 15 represented disrupted gene-encoding regions, including kinases, transcription factors, and growth factors. One large deletion in DPP10 resulted in altered transcription and expression of DPP10 transcripts in a set of 53 additional MPM tumors correlated with survival. Additionally, three point mutations were observed in the coding regions of NKX6-2, a transcription regulator, and NFRKB, a DNA-binding protein involved in modulating NFKB1. Several regions containing genes such as PCBD2 and DHFR, which are involved in growth factor signaling and nucleotide synthesis, respectively, were selectively amplified in the tumor. Second-generation sequencing uncovered all types of mutations in this MPM tumor, with DNA rearrangements representing the dominant type.