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The C-type lectin family with the signature C-type lectin–like domain promotes antibacterial host defense within the animal kingdom. We examined the role of Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis (H. Milne-Edwards) (Decapoda: Grapsidae) Ig domain–containing C-type lectin (EsIgLectin), a novel and poorly understood member of the C-type lectin family. EsIgLectin was expressed primarily by both hemocytes (E. sinensis) and intestines, with significantly induced mRNA expression on intestinal or hemolymph bacterial infections. As a soluble protein, both its C-type lectin–like domain and the Ig domain were required for bacterial binding, bacterial agglutination, bacterial growth inhibition, and in vivo bacterial clearance. Polymeric EsIgLectin could be constructed via the disulfide bond in the Ig domain, significantly enhancing EsIgLectin antibacterial activity. EsIgLectin promoted bacterial phagocytosis in an Ig domain–dependent manner in hemocytes, while it controlled microbial homeostasis and protected against bacteria-induced inflammation in the intestine. Protein interaction studies revealed that the EsIgLectin Ig domain bound to the first Ig domain of the polymeric Ig receptor, which was essential for EsIgLectin-induced bacterial phagocytosis. The temporal sequence of cell interactions during intestinal inflammation is only beginning to be understood. In this article, we show that hemocyte-derived EsIgLectin entered the intestinal wall at the later phase of intestinal inflammation. Moreover, EsIgLectin protected the host against intestinal and hemolymph infections in a polymeric Ig receptor–dependent manner. Therefore, the EsIgLectin promoted bacterial clearance and protected against inflammatory disease through an independent or synergistic effect of hemocytes and intestines in invertebrates.

The GATOR2-GATOR1 signaling axis is essential for amino-acid-dependent mTORC1 activation. However, the molecular function of the GATOR2 complex remains unknown. Here, we report that disruption of the Ring domains of Mios, WDR24, or WDR59 completely impedes amino-acid-mediated mTORC1 activation. Mechanistically, via interacting with Ring domains of WDR59 and WDR24, the Ring domain of Mios acts as a hub to maintain GATOR2 integrity, disruption of which leads to self-ubiquitination of WDR24. Physiologically, leucine stimulation dissociates Sestrin2 from the Ring domain of WDR24 and confers its availability to UBE2D3 and subsequent ubiquitination of NPRL2, contributing to GATOR2-mediated GATOR1 inactivation. As such, WDR24 ablation or Ring deletion prevents mTORC1 activation, leading to severe growth defects and embryonic lethality at E10.5 in mice. Hence, our findings demonstrate that Ring domains are essential for GATOR2 to transmit amino acid availability to mTORC1 and further reveal the essentiality of nutrient sensing during embryonic development.

Mechanistic target of rapamycin mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) plays a key role in the integration of various environmental signals to regulate cell growth and metabolism. mTORC1 is recruited to the lysosome where it is activated by its interaction with GTP-bound Rheb GTPase. However, the regulatory mechanism of Rheb activity remains largely unknown. Here, we show that ubiquitination governs the nucleotide-bound status of Rheb. Lysosome-anchored E3 ligase RNF152 catalyzes Rheb ubiquitination and promotes its binding to the TSC complex. EGF enhances the deubiquitination of Rheb through AKT-dependent USP4 phosphorylation, leading to the release of Rheb from the TSC complex. Functionally, ubiquitination of Rheb is linked to mTORC1-mediated signaling and consequently regulates tumor growth. Thus, we propose a mechanistic model whereby Rheb–mediated mTORC1 activation is dictated by a dynamic opposing act between Rheb ubiquitination and deubiquitination that are catalyzed by RNF152 and USP4 respectively.

The urbanization effect on extreme temperature related to heat wave events in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) of China is investigated using a regional model. Several experiments with different urbanization levels are carried out. Results indicate that the air temperature of heat wave events is sensitive to urban land cover and the urbanized warming intensifies along with urban expansion. The regional model performs better on the simulations of maximum and minimum 2-m air temperature when urban land cover is close to the observed value. Because of the urbanization effect, the surface skin temperature shows a maximum warming (~2.5 °C) at daytime, while the maximum warming of 2-m air temperature (~1.5 °C) occurs at nighttime. Consequently, an increased (a decreased) diurnal range in surface skin temperature (2-m air temperature) is induced. According to the diagnostic equations, the 2-m air temperature is not only related to surface skin temperature, but also regulated by surface sensible heat flux. At daytime, although the increased solar absorption and the decreased upward latent heat flux (due to the deficit of surface evaporation) sharply enhance the surface skin temperature in the higher urbanization experiment, the simultaneously increased sensible heat flux suppresses the 2-m air temperature. At nighttime, however, the difference in surface sensible heat flux is relatively small, thus 2-m air temperature largely depends on surface skin temperature influenced by ground heat release. This study emphasizes the different variations and physical mechanisms of surface skin temperature and 2-m air temperature under the urbanization in the PRD region.

Mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) complex 1 (mTORC1) integrates various environmental signals to regulate cell growth and metabolism. DEPTOR, also termed DEPDC6, is an endogenous inhibitor of mTORC1 and mTORC2 activities. The abundance of DEPTOR centrally orchestrates the mTOR signaling network. However, the mechanisms by which DEPTOR stability is regulated are still elusive. Here, we report that OTU domain–containing ubiquitin aldehyde-binding protein 1 (OTUB1) specifically deubiquitinates DEPTOR in a deubiquitination assay. We found that OTUB1 directly interacted with DEPTOR via its N-terminal domain, deubiquitinated DEPTOR, and thereby stabilized DEPTOR in a Cys-91–independent but Asp-88–dependent manner, suggesting that OTUB1 targets DEPTOR for deubiquitination via a deubiquitinase activity–independent non-canonical mechanism. The interaction between OTUB1 and DEPTOR was enhanced when the cells were treated with amino acids. Moreover, OTUB1 suppressed amino acid–induced activation of mTORC1 in a DEPTOR-dependent manner and thereby ultimately controlled cellular autophagy, cell proliferation, and size. Our findings reveal a mechanism that stabilizes the mTORC1 inhibitor DEPTOR via OTUB1's deubiquitinase activity. Our insights may inform research into various mTOR activity–related diseases, such as cancer, and may contribute to the identification of new diagnostic markers and therapeutic strategies for cancer treatments.

Chen et al. show that USP21 is a deubiquitinating enzyme for the adaptor protein STING and that it negatively regulates the DNA virus–induced production of type I interferons. HSV-1 infection recruited USP21 to STING at a late stage by p38-mediated phosphorylation of USP21 at Ser538., Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) is a central adaptor protein that mediates the innate immune responses to DNA virus infection. Although ubiquitination is essential for STING function, how the ubiquitination/deubiquitination system is regulated by virus infection to control STING activity remains unknown. In this study, we found that USP21 is an important deubiquitinating enzyme for STING and that it negatively regulates the DNA virus–induced production of type I interferons by hydrolyzing K27/63-linked polyubiquitin chain on STING. HSV-1 infection recruited USP21 to STING at late stage by p38-mediated phosphorylation of USP21 at Ser538. Inhibition of p38 MAPK enhanced the production of IFNs in response to virus infection and protected mice from lethal HSV-1 infection. Thus, our study reveals a critical role of p38-mediated USP21 phosphorylation in regulating STING-mediated antiviral functions and identifies p38-USP21 axis as an important pathway that DNA virus adopts to avoid innate immunity responses.

Oral cancer is one of the prevalent types of cancer and has been reported to responsible for significant mortality and morbidity. Since treatment options for oral cancer are limited, there is need to explore novel molecules for treatment of oral cancer. In the current study we evaluated the anticancer activity of a plant derived monoterpene, Linalool against oral cancer cell line, OECM-1.Cell viability was determined by MTT assay. Apoptosis was detected by DAPI and annexin V/PI staining. Cell cycle analysis was carried out by flow cytometry. Cell migration was assessed by wound healing assay and the expression of the proteins was determined by western blotting.The results showed that Linalool inhibited the viability of oral cancer OECM-1 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. The IC50 of Linalool against OECM-1 oral cancer cells was 10 µM as compared to its IC50 of 65 µM against non-cancer FR-2 cells. The anticancer effects were due to the induction of the apoptosis and sub-G1 cell cycle arrest. The results of annexin V/PI further revealed that the apoptotic cell populations increased from 2.6% in the control to 61.3% at 20 µM concentrations. It was observed that Linalool decreased the expression of p-PI3K and p-AKT in a concentration-dependent manner. However, the expression of PI3K and AKT remained almost unaltered.Taken together it was shown that Linalool monoterpene exerted significant anticancer effects in OECM-1 human oral cancer cells via inducing cell cycle arrest, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and suppressing PI3K/AKT signalling pathway.

Summary NANOG is an essential transcriptional factor for the maintenance of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and cancer stem cells (CSCs) in prostate cancer (PCa). However, the regulation mechanism of NANOG protein stability in cancer progression is still elusive. Here, we report that NANOG is degraded by SPOP, a frequently mutated tumor suppressor of PCa. Cancer-associated mutations of SPOP or the mutation of NANOG at S68Y abrogates the SPOP-mediated NANOG degradation, leading to elevated PCa cancer stemness and poor prognosis. In addition, SPOP-mediated NANOG degradation is controlled by the AMPK-BRAF signal axis through the phosphorylation of NANOG at Ser68, which blocked the interaction between SPOP and NANOG. Thus, our study provides a regulation mechanism of PCa stemness controlled by phosphorylation-mediated NANOG stability, which helps to identify novel drug targets and improve therapeutic strategy for PCa.

FBW7, a key component of SCFFBW7 E3 ubiquitin ligase, targets various proteins for degradation via the conserved Cdc4 phosphodegron (CPD) in substrates. In this study, we report that KLF10 is degraded by FBW7 via a conserved CPD. Through systematic analysis of the degradation of KLF transcription factors by FBW7, we identified KLF10 as a novel degradation target of FBW7. Ectopic expression of FBW7 markedly promoted the degradation of KLF10 while knockdown of endogenous FBW7 increased the protein levels of KLF10. In addition, simultaneous mutations of both threonine 82 (T82) and serine 86 (S86) significantly reduced the FBW7-mediated KLF10 degradation. Moreover, KLF10 containing a conserved putative CPD (TPPXSP) from amino acids 82 to 87, directly interacted with WD40 domain of FBW7 in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. Importantly, FBW7 could reverse the KLF10-mediated inhibition of Smad7 activity. Thus, our study uncovers a novel regulatory mechanism underlying which KLF10 stability and its biological function are mediated by FBW7.

mTORC1 is essential for regulating cell growth and metabolism in response to various environmental stimuli. Heterodimeric Rag GTPases are required for amino-acid-mediated mTORC1 activation at the lysosome. However, the mechanism by which amino acids regulate Rag activation remains not fully understood. Here, we identified the lysosome-anchored E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF152 as an essential negative regulator of the mTORC1 pathway by targeting RagA for K63-linked ubiquitination. RNF152 interacts with and ubiquitinates RagA in an amino-acid-sensitive manner. The mutation of RagA ubiquitination sites abolishes this effect of RNF152 and enhances the RagA-mediated activation of mTORC1. Ubiquitination by RNF152 generates an anchor on RagA to recruit its inhibitor GATOR1, a GAP complex for Rag GTPases. RNF152 knockout results in the hyperactivation of mTORC1 and protects cells from amino-acid-starvation-induced autophagy. Thus, this study reveals a mechanism for regulation of mTORC1 signaling by RNF152-mediated K63-linked polyubiquitination of RagA.

Nanog is a master pluripotency factor of embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Stable expression of Nanog is essential to maintain the stemness of ESCs. However, Nanog is a short-lived protein and quickly degraded by the ubiquitin-dependent proteasome system. Here we report that the deubiquitinase USP21 interacts with, deubiquitinates and stabilizes Nanog, and therefore maintains the protein level of Nanog in mouse ESCs (mESCs). Loss of USP21 results in Nanog degradation, mESCs differentiation and reduces somatic cell reprogramming efficiency. USP21 is a transcriptional target of the LIF/STAT3 pathway and is downregulated upon differentiation. Moreover, differentiation cues promote ERK-mediated phosphorylation and dissociation of USP21 from Nanog, thus leading to Nanog degradation. In addition, USP21 is recruited to gene promoters by Nanog to deubiquitinate histone H2A at K119 and thus facilitates Nanog-mediated gene expression. Together, our findings provide a regulatory mechanism by which extrinsic signals regulate mESC fate via deubiquitinating Nanog., Nanog regulates embryonic stem cell (ESC) pluripotency but what controls Nanog protein stability is unclear. Here, the authors show that in mouse ESCs, Nanog protein is ubiquitinated and stabilized by the deubiquitinase USP21, which in turn is regulated by extrinsic signals, STAT3 and ERK.

qnr , aac(6 ′ )-Ib-cr , qepA , and oqxAB genes were detected in 5.7%, 4.9%, 2.6%, and 20.2% of 1,022 Escherichia coli isolates from humans, animals, and the environment, respectively, collected between 1993 and 2010 in China. The prevalence of oqxAB in porcine isolates (51.0%) was significantly higher than that in other isolates. This is the first report of oqxAB -positive isolates from ducks and geese and as early as 1994 from chickens.

A total of 363 Escherichia coli and 224 Salmonella spp. were isolated from diseased chickens during 1993-2008 in China. The susceptibility to eight quinolones and prevalence of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) determinants was investigated in these isolates. Among the E. coli isolates obtained during 1993-1999, 65.2% were resistant to nalidixic acid, while more than 50% of the E. coli isolates collected during 2000-2008 were resistant to 7 quinolones. All 101 Salmonella spp. isolates obtained during 1993-1999 were susceptible to quinolones, while more than 50% of the Salmonellaspp. isolates collected during 2000-2008 were resistant to only nalidixic acid (82.9%). Among the 363 E. coli isolates, 4 (1.1%) were positive for aac(6′)-Ib-cr, 3 (0.8%) for qepAand 1 (0.3%) for qnrB10. No PMQR gene was identified in 224 Salmonella spp. isolates. The resistance of E. coli and Salmonella spp. to quinolones has been increasing in the past twenty years and the resistance of Salmonella spp. was much lower than that of E. coli, although they were separated in the same period. There is a rising trend of avian isolates harboring PMQR genes in China. Key words: Quinolone resistance, qnr; aac(6′)-Ib-cr; qepA, chicken.

There are few data available for the trends of antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Pullorum (S. Pullorum) in China and other parts of the world. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the changes in antimicrobial resistance of S. Pullorum isolated from diseased chickens in China from 1962 to 2007. A total of 450 S. Pullorum isolates were tested for their susceptibility to 17 antimicrobials in a disk diffusion method. 39–95% of the isolates displayed a high level of resistance, particularly against ampicillin, carbenicillin, streptomycin, tetracycline, trimethoprim and sulfafurazole. Isolates exhibited increased resistance to carbenicillin, spectinomycin, trimethoprim, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and nalidixic acid during the study period. Moreover, 56.2% of the isolates exhibited multiple drug resistance (MDR; resistance ≥ 4 antimicrobials) and showed an increasing trend between 1970–1979 and 2000–2007. Therefore, the results suggest that certain measures, including continued surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and the rational use of antimicrobials, are necessary and important in order to control the rapid increase in antimicrobial resistance in S. Pullorum.

Summary Objective Associations between type 2 diabetes mellitus (type 2 DM) and risk of oral cancer and precancerous lesions have been reported with controversial findings. We performed a meta-analysis to explore these associations. Methods We identified studies by a literature search of MEDLINE and EMBASE through May 31, 2014, and by searching the reference lists of pertinent articles. Summary relative risk (SRR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated with a random-effects model. Between- study heterogeneity was assessed using the Cochran’s Q and I 2 statistics. Results A total of 13 studies (4 case-control and 9 cohort studies) on the association between type 2 DM and oral cancer were included. Overall analysis found that compared with non-diabetic individuals, individuals with type 2 DM had a significantly elevated incidence of oral cancer (SRR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.02–1.29; P heterogeneity = 0.277, I 2 = 15.4%; 10 studies). Subgroup analyses found that duration of follow-up (⩾11 years) significantly altered this positive association. Type 2 DM was associated with increased oral cancer mortality (SRR = 1.41, 95% CI: 1.16–1.72; 4 studies). Meta-analysis of the four case-control studies showed a positive association between type 2 DM and risk of oral precancerous lesions (SRR = 1.85, 95%CI: 1.23–2.80; P heterogeneity = 0.038, I 2 = 57.5%). No significant public bias was found across these studies. Conclusions These findings of this meta-analysis indicate that compared with non-diabetic individuals, individuals with type 2 DM have an elevated risk of oral cancer and precancerous lesions development.

qnr, aac(6′)-Ib-cr, qepA, and oqxAB genes were detected in 5.7%, 4.9%, 2.6%, and 20.2% of 1,022 Escherichia coli isolates from humans, animals, and the environment, respectively, collected between 1993 and 2010 in China. The prevalence of oqxAB in porcine isolates (51.0%) was significantly higher than that in other isolates. This is the first report of oqxAB-positive isolates from ducks and geese and as early as 1994 from chickens.