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In vivo calcium imaging in zebrafish provides the ability to investigate calcium dynamics within neurons. Utilizing genetically encoded calcium sensors it is possible to monitor calcium signals within a single axon during axon injury and degeneration with high temporal and spatial resolution. Here we will describe in vivo, time-lapse confocal imaging methods of calcium imaging. Imaging of calcium dynamics with genetically encoded calcium sensors (GECS) within living axons can serve as a method to assess axonal physiology and effects of pharmacologic and genetic manipulation, as well as characterize responses to different injury models.

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A desnutrição proteica continua sendo um dos principais problemas nutricionais do mundo. Trabalhos de nosso laboratório e de outros autores evidenciam que entre as alterações presentes na desnutrição proteica, está a alteração do tecido hemopoético, com modificações em componentes da matriz extracelular, alterações no ciclo celular da célula tronco/progenitora hemopoética, redução da produção de precursores hemopoéticos, tanto na série eritrocitária como na série leucocitária, levando a anemia e leucopenia. Os mecanismos de participação do Ca2+ nas células da medula óssea são pouco conhecidos, porém, sabe-se que ele atua no processo de hemopoese. Têm sido descrito que elevações da concentração de Ca2+ citoplasmático induzem a proliferação e diferenciação de células mielóides. A ação dessa via em indivíduos desnutridos também é pouco conhecida. Este estudo tem como objetivo avaliar o estabelecimento da celularidade medular in vitro, bem como investigar mecanismos moleculares envolvidos na proliferação e diferenciação dessa celularidade, além de avaliar a ação do cálcio na presença da interleucina-3 em células-tronco hemopoéticas murinas e sua modulação para avaliar alterações na via das MAPKs. Camundongos C57BL/6, machos e adultos foram submetidos à desnutrição proteica e, após a perda de aproximadamente 20% de seu peso corporal, as células da medula óssea foram colhidas. Essas células foram imunofenotipadas, além de reagirem com anticorpos específicos para caracterização da célula-tronco hemopoética e proteínas da via de sinalização de cálcio intracelular. Observamos que a celularidade do estroma medular em cultura de longa duração de animais desnutridos é alterada, principalmente em células de origem mesenquimal, que aparecem em maior número em desnutridos ao longo dos dias de cultura. Além disso, as ondas de cálcio intracelular estavam diminuídas em animais desnutridos, bem como as proteínas p-PKC, p-PLCy, CAMKII, p-AKT e p-STAT5 não respondem ao estímulo de IL-3, levando a uma deficiência da expressão das MAPK: ERK 1/2, JNK e p38. A desnutrição proteica pode causar alterações na celularidade estromal da medula óssea e na diferenciação das células tronco hemopoéticas pela via das MAPKs estimulada por IL-3

Protein malnutrition remains one of the world's major nutritional problems. Studies from our laboratory and others shown that alterations in protein malnutrition include hemopoietic tissue alterations, changes in extracellular matrix components, changes in the hemopoietic stem/progenitor cell tissue, reduction in the production of hemopoietic precursors, in the erythroid series as in the mieloyd series, leading to anemia and leukopenia. Mechanisms of Ca2+ participation in bone marrow cells are poorly understood, but no hemopoiesis has been developed. Elevations of cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration in proliferation and differentiation of myeloid cells were included. Such an action through malnourished animals is also a little known. This study aims to evaluate the establishment of cellularity in vitro as well as investigate the molecular involvement in cell proliferation and differentiation, as well as to evaluate the action of calcium in the presence of IL-3 in hemopoietic stem cells and its modulation by analytical evaluations in the MAPKs pathway. C57BL/6, male adult mices were subjected to protein restriction and, after loss of approximately 20% of their body weight, bone marrow cells were harvested. These were immunophenotyped in addition to specific activation terms for the hemopoietic stem cell and intracellular signaling pathway proteins. We observed that the bone marrow cells in long-term culture of malnourished animals is altered, mainly in cells of mesenchymal origin, which appears in greater numbers in undernourished throughout the days of culture. In addition, as intracellular calcium waves decreased in malnourished animals, as well as the p-PKC, p-PLC, CAMKII, p-AKT and p-STAT5 proteins did not respond to IL-3, sugesting expression of the expression of MAPK: ERK 1/2, JNK and p38. Protein malnutrition may have changes in bone marrow capacity and differentiation of hemopoietic stem cells through IL-3-stimulated MAPKs

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Los canales paracelulares que se encuentran en las uniones estrechas tienen un papel fundamental en los flujos iónicos transepiteliales. Esta vía está formada por un gran número de proteínas, entre ellas, las claudinas. En el epitelio renal, las claudinas confieren selectividad iónica a la unión estrecha. La rama gruesa ascendente de Henle (RGAH) es el segmento tubular renal más importante en la reabsorción tubular de calcio. Sus células forman una barrera impermeable al agua, transportan activamente sodio y cloro por la vía transcelular y proveen una vía paracelular para la reabsorción selectiva de calcio. Varios estudios han llevado a un modelo en el que distintas claudinas forman el canal paracelular, especialmente la claudina 16 y 19. La claudina 16 media la permeabilidad paracelular catiónica en la RGAH mientras que la claudina 19 incrementa la selectividad catiónica de la claudina 16 bloqueando la permeabilidad aniónica. Recientemente se ha encontrado que la actividad promotora de la claudina 14 está localizada exclusivamente en la RAGH. Cuando se coexpresa con la claudina 16, la claudina 14 inhibe la permeabilidad de la claudina 16, reduciendo la permeabilidad paracelular al calcio. El proceso de reabsorción de calcio en la RGAH está estrechamente regulado por el receptor sensor de calcio (CaSR) que monitorea los niveles circulantes de Ca ajustando la tasa de excreción renal de forma acorde. Dos micro-ARN, los mir-9 y mir-374, son regulados directamente por el CaSR. Los miR-9 y miR-374 suprimen la traslación del ARNm de la claudina 14 e inducen su decaimiento (AU)

Paracellular channels occurring in tight junctions play a major role in transepithelial ionic flows. This pathway includes a high number of proteins, such as claudins. Within renal epithelium, claudins result in an ionic selectivity in tight junctions. Ascending thick limb of loop of Henle (ATLH) is the most important segment for calcium reabsorption in renal tubules. Its cells create a water-proof barrier, actively transport sodium and chlorine through a transcellular pathway, and provide a paracellular pathway for selective calcium reabsorption. Several studies have led to a model of paracellular channel consisting of various claudins, particularly claudin-16 and 19. Claudin-16 mediates cationic paracellular permeability in ATLH, whereas claudin-19 increases cationic selectivity of claudin-16 by blocking anionic permeability. Recent studies have shown that claudin-14 promoting activity is only located in ATLH. When co-expressed with claudin-16, claudin-14 inhibits the permeability of claudin-16 and reduces paracellular permeability to calcium. Calcium reabsorption process in ATLH is closely regulated by calcium sensor receptor (CaSR), which monitors circulating Ca levels and adjusts renal excretion rate accordingly. Two microRNA, miR-9 and miR-374, are directly regulated by CaSR. Thus, miR-9 and miR-374 suppress mRNA translation for claudin-14 and induce claudin-14 decline (AU)

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Fundamental components of signaling pathways are switch modes in key proteins that control start, duration, and ending of diverse signal transduction events. A large group of switch proteins are Ca(2+) sensors, which undergo conformational changes in response to oscillating intracellular Ca(2+) concentrations. Here we use dynamic light scattering and a recently developed approach based on surface plasmon resonance to compare the protein dynamics of a diverse set of prototypical Ca(2+)-binding proteins including calmodulin, troponin C, recoverin, and guanylate cyclase-activating protein. Surface plasmon resonance biosensor technology allows monitoring conformational changes under molecular crowding conditions, yielding for each Ca(2+)-sensor protein a fingerprint profile that reflects different hydrodynamic properties under changing Ca(2+) conditions and is extremely sensitive to even fine alterations induced by point mutations. We see, for example, a correlation between surface plasmon resonance, dynamic light scattering, and size-exclusion chromatography data. Thus, changes in protein conformation correlate not only with the hydrodynamic size, but also with a rearrangement of the protein hydration shell and a change of the dielectric constant of water or of the protein-water interface. Our study provides insight into how rather small signaling proteins that have very similar three-dimensional folding patterns differ in their Ca(2+)-occupied functional state under crowding conditions.

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Here, we describe novel puromycin derivatives conjugated with iminobiotin and a fluorescent dye that can be linked covalently to the C-terminus of full-length proteins during cell-free translation. The iminobiotin-labeled proteins can be highly purified by affinity purification with streptavidin beads. We confirmed that the purified fluorescence-labeled proteins are useful for quantitative protein-protein interaction analysis based on fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy (FCCS). The apparent dissociation constants of model protein pairs such as proto-oncogenes c-Fos/c-Jun and archetypes of the family of Ca2+-modulated calmodulin/related binding proteins were in accordance with the reported values. Further, detailed analysis of the interactions of the components of polycomb group complex, Bmi1, M33, Ring1A and RYBP, was successfully conducted by means of interaction assay for all combinatorial pairs. The results indicate that FCCS analysis with puromycin-based labeling and purification of proteins is effective and convenient for in vitro protein-protein interaction assay, and the method should contribute to a better understanding of protein functions by using the resource of available nucleotide sequences.

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