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Choice for signaled over unsignaled shock as a function of signal length.

Subjects chose between signaled and unsignaled shock conditions while signal length was varied between .5 and 2.0 seconds in steps of .5 seconds in both ascending and descending series. Preference for the signaled condition failed to develop initially for five of six subjects when signals were .5 or 1.0 seconds but became strong for all subjects when signals were 2.0 seconds (ascending series). Preference declined when signals were shortened, but for most subjects this decline was small (descending series). Since discriminable shock-free periods were present in the signaled condition at all signal lengths, these results suggest that safety may not be a sufficient condition for preference to develop for signaled shock.

Acoustic Stimulation

Molecular mechanisms of plant thermal response: from signal transduction and epigenetic regulation to signaling integration.

Global warming intensification elevates heat stress to one of the major threats to crop productivity. This review synthesizes recent advances in understanding the mechanisms governing plant responses to both moderate and acute heat stress, with a focus on the integration of epigenetic regulation and signaling networks that underpin thermal adaptation. This review highlights how transcription factors PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTOR 4 (PIF4, during thermomorphogenesis) and HEAT SHOCK FACTOR A1s (HSFA1s, in heat shock responses) orchestrate plant adaptive growth through crosstalk among light, circadian, and hormone signaling pathways. Importantly, epigenetic mechanisms, including histone variant H2A.Z dynamics and histone modification reprogramming, function as central regulators of thermal plasticity. Key among these processes are HSFA2-mediated chromatin remodeling and small interfering RNA (siRNA)-dependent control of transgenerational thermomemory. Despite this progress, fundamental questions persist regarding temperature sensing, HSFA1s activation dynamics, and stress signal integration. Multi-omics and synthetic biology approaches are proposed to be pivotal in deciphering conserved principles of plant thermal resilience, ultimately providing a theoretical foundation and molecular breeding strategies for climate-smart crops.

Epigenesis, Genetic

Diosmetin Inhibits Bladder Cancer through Suppression of the PI3K-AKT Signaling Pathway and Activation of the p53 Signal Pathway Revealed by Network Pharmacology and In Vitro Experimental Verification.

INTRODUCTION: Diosmetin, a naturally occurring flavonoid abundant in plants such as chrysanthemums, lemons, and oranges, has been reported to exhibit diverse antitumor properties. However, its potential efficacy against bladder cancer remains unexplored. This study aims to investigate the anti-bladder cancer effects of Diosmetin and elucidate the underlying mechanisms using network pharmacology combined with in vitro experiments. METHODS: Public databases were employed to identify shared targets between Diosmetin and bladder cancer. A Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) network was constructed, followed by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses to predict core targets and signaling pathways. The predicted mechanisms were subsequently validated through in vitro assays. RESULTS: A total of 48 common targets were identified. PPI network analysis revealed 22 hub genes, including AKT1 and MDM2. GO analysis indicated enrichment in 208 biological processes, 23 cellular components, and 38 molecular functions. KEGG analysis suggested that Diosmetin exerts anti-bladder cancer effects primarily through pathways such as Pathways in cancer, PI3K-AKT signaling, and Proteoglycans in cancer. Notably, the PI3K-AKT pathway showed the highest gene enrichment, indicating its potential prominence. In vitro experiments demonstrated that Diosmetin suppresses bladder cancer cell proliferation and induces apoptosis. Additionally, Diosmetin reduced the expression of p-PI3K, p-AKT, and MDM2, while upregulating p53 expression, suggesting involvement of both the PI3K-AKT and p53 pathways. DISCUSSION: These findings align with network pharmacology predictions and highlight the potential of Diosmetin as a multi-target agent against bladder cancer, warranting further in vivo investigation. CONCLUSION: Diosmetin inhibits bladder cancer cell proliferation and promotes apoptosis by suppressing the PI3K-AKT pathway and activating the p53 pathway.

Diosmetin

The effect of signal probability, food intake, sex, and smoking on gustation, as measured by the theory of signal detection.

The possibility of applying Signal Detection Theory (SDT) to gustation was investigated by testing the effect of three variables--smoking, signal probability, and food intake (confounded with time of day)--on the taste sensitivity to sucrose of 24 male and 24 female Ss. No main effects or interactions were significant. The study indicated a "warm-up" effect, while adaptation was questionable. An analysis of false alarm (FA) reports was undertaken and discussed. Correlations were obtained between numerous variables and sensitivity. None of the correlations was statistically significant. It was concluded that although SDT is theoretically applicable to the gustatory modality, it is not practical for large-scale research.

Differential Threshold

Signal emission and signal propagation during early aggregation in Dictyostelium discoideum.

Waves of chemotactic movement during the early phase of aggregation in Dictyostelium discoideum are of 2 kinds, concentric waves produced by cells that emit cyclic AMP signals spontaneously, and spirals generated by excitations relayed continuously around loops of excitable cells. The period of a spiral wave is the time taken for the excitation to make one complete circuit of the pacemaker loop. We have compared signal emission from the 2 types of source in time-lapse films made at a variety of temperatures. Our results show that spiral waves have a characteristic period length throughout most if not all of the early phase of aggregation, and that the period of concentric waves is generally longer and more variable. Temperature has a pronounced effect on period length and a lesser effect on propagation velocity. We find that each individual wave is propagated at constant velocity over distances of 1-2 cm but that the velocity of successive waves declines. This decline probably reflects some cumulative effect of the chemotactic excitations on the excitable properties of the aggregating cells.

Analysis of Variance

A signal sequence for the insertion of a transmembrane glycoprotein. Similarities to the signals of secretory proteins in primary structure and function.

The biosynthesis of a secretory protein and a transmembrane viral glycoprotein are compared by two different experimental approaches. (a) NH2-terminal sequence analysis has been performed on various forms of the transmembrane glycoprotein of vesicular stomatitis virus synthesized in cell-free systems. The sequence data presented demonstrate that the nascent precursor of the glycoprotein contains a "signal sequence" of 16 amino acids at the NH2 terminus, whose sequence is Met-Lys-Cys-Leu-Leu-Tyr-Leu-Ala-Phe-Leu-Phe-Ile-(His-Val-Asn)-Cys. This signal sequence is proteolytically cleaved during the process of insertion into microsomal membranes prior to chain completion. The new NH2 terminus of the inserted, cleaved, and glycosylated membrane protein is located within the lumen of the microsomal vesicles and is identical to that of the authentic glycoprotein from virions. (b) Nascent chain competition experiments were performed between this glycoprotein, bovine pituitary prolactin (a secretory protein), and rabbit globin (a cytosolic protein). It was found that the nascent membrane glycoprotein, but not nascent globin, competed with nascent prolactin for membrane sites involved in the early biosynthetic event of transfer across membranes. These data suggest that an initially common pathway is involved in the biogenesis of secretory proteins and at least one class of integral membrane proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence

Signal probability, reinforcement and signal detection.

Five pigeons were trained to detect differences in light intensity. Two stimuli, S1 and S2, differing in intensity, were arranged on the center key of a three-key chamber according to set probabilities. A peck on the center key turned on the two side keys. When S1 was presented on the center key, a peck on the left key was "correct" and when S2 was presented, a peck on the right key was "correct." Correct responses produced reinforcement and incorrect responses produced 3-second blackout. Detection performance was measured under three procedures. The first was a standard signal-detection design in which the probability of S1 was varied and the number of reinforcements obtained for correct responses to S1 was allowed to covary. In the second procedure, the probability of S1 was again varied but the distribution of reinforcements between the two choices was kept equal. In the third procedure, probability of S1 was held constant while the distribution of reinforcements was varied between the two choices. Changes in response bias were a function of variations in the relative reinforcement ratio for the choice responses and not a function of variations in the probability of stimulus presentation. Discriminability remained constant across the three procedures.

Animals

Small-signal analysis of response of mammalian muscle spindles with fusimotor stimulation and a comparison with large-signal responses.

1. Response dynamics of primary and secondary muscle spindle endings to small-amplitude sinusoidal stretches were found to be unaltered by tonic repetitive stimulation of fusistatic or fusidynamic fibers. 2. Overall sensitivity of these receptors is decreased by fusistatic stimulation and either unchanged, increased, or decreased by fusidynamic stimulation at rates of 75/s or greater. 3. In the case of primary endings, the results obtained with small-amplitude sinusoidal stretches are not compatible with the response of these receptors to large-amplitude ramp stretches. The difference is explained by dependence of receptor dynamics on stretch amplitude. Fusistatic stimulation tends to prevent those changes in dynamics, whereas fusidynamic stimulation tends to enhance them. 4. In the case of secondary endings, the results obtained with small- and large-amplitude stretches appear to be compatible with a linear model for this receptor (i.e., one with dynamics independent of input parameters). 5. By modulating the frequency of stimulation applied to fusimotor fibers and comparing the resulting afferent response to the receptor response to stretch dynamic characteristics of intrafusal muscle contraction can be deduced. The results suggest that the dynamics of fusiastatic and fusidynamic contraction are the same and, furthermore, that they are the same as those of extrafusal muscle. We note that the result is incompatible with measurements of the time course of twitch and tetanus development and suggest, therefore, that muscle dynamics are a function of contractile state.

Adaptation, Physiological

ER proteostasis failure in HYOU1 deficiency alters B cells, neutrophils, and interferon signalling.

Hypoxia upregulated 1 (HYOU1) is a stress-inducible ER chaperone. We investigated 2 unrelated patients carrying biallelic HYOU1 variants and presenting with primary immunodeficiency. Patient 1, homozygous for p.Pro444His, displayed failure to thrive, hypoglycemia, B cell lymphopenia, and neutropenia. Patient 2, compound heterozygous for p.Arg262Gln and p.Pro757_Glu758insAla, exhibited recurrent infections, enteropathy, and hypogammaglobulinemia. In Patient 1, while HYOU1 transcription was preserved, the protein was severely reduced. Tunicamycin treatment of dermal fibroblasts showed a blunted unfolded protein response and defective induction of ER stress-responsive genes. Immunophenotyping showed near-absence of circulating B cells, and single-cell RNA sequencing of bone marrow identified an arrest at the pro-B cell stage. Neutrophils displayed hypogranulation and dysregulated IFN- and apoptosis-associated transcriptional signatures, unresponsive to G-CSF. HYOU1 deficiency hence results in ER stress-induced proteostasis failure that simultaneously impairs adaptive immunity through B cell developmental arrest and innate immunity through neutrophil dysfunction and IFN pathway imbalance. This work expands the spectrum of HYOU1 deficiency and further identifies ER proteostasis as a central determinant of immune homeostasis.

Journal Article

Crosstalk between the Wnt pathway and other signaling pathways.

The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is a deeply conserved regulatory network that governs embryonic development, stem cell maintenance, and tissue homeostasis. Aberrant activation of the Wingless/Integrated protein (Wnt) signaling is a hallmark of numerous human diseases, most prominently in colorectal cancer, where it cooperates with additional oncogenic pathways to drive tumor initiation, progression, and therapeutic resistance (See Supplementary Table 1 for a list of the abbreviations used in this manuscript and their definitions.). Increasing evidence indicates that Wnt signaling does not function as an isolated linear cascade but rather as an integrative signaling hub that dynamically interfaces with major signaling pathways, including the RAS-RAF-MAPK and PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathways. Rat Sarcoma protein (RAS)- Rapidly Accelerated Fibrosarcoma protein (RAF)- Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) and Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase (PI3K)- Ak strain transforming protein (AKT)- Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) pathways. These interactions occur at multiple molecular levels, encompassing shared kinases, transcriptional regulators, metabolic nodes, and cytoskeletal components, thereby coordinating proliferative, metabolic, and migratory programs. In this review, we synthesize current mechanistic and clinical insights into the crosstalk between Wnt signaling and the RAS-RAF-MAPK and PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathways, with particular emphasis on colorectal cancer. We discuss how these signaling networks converge to regulate β-catenin stability, transcriptional activity, cell adhesion, and metabolic reprogramming, thereby generating oncogenic phenotypes that cannot be explained by activation of individual pathways alone. To illustrate the evolutionary conservation and biological significance of these interactions, we integrate developmental paradigms from early Xenopus embryogenesis, where Wnt signaling governs zygotic genome activation, body axis formation, and the regulation of cell growth, protein stability, and biomass accumulation. Finally, we examine how an improved understanding of Wnt-centered signaling networks is informing emerging therapeutic strategies, including combinatorial pathway inhibition and nanoparticle-based drug delivery. Collectively, this review highlights Wnt signaling as a central integrator of developmental and oncogenic programs, providing a conceptual framework for understanding signaling network crosstalk and identifying new therapeutic opportunities in cancer.

Humans

Stromal Hedgehog Signaling Drives Segment-Specific Malignant Transformation of Gastrointestinal Stem Cells by Producing Bone Morphogenetic Protein Antagonists.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Hedgehog signaling plays a complex role in epithelial-stromal interactions, but its effects on gastrointestinal stem cells mediated by heterogeneous stromal cell populations remain incompletely defined. Here, we investigate how stromal Hedgehog signaling regulates gastric stem cells and tumorigenesis in a segment-specific manner. METHODS: We genetically activated Hedgehog signaling in distinct stromal cell lineages using Col1a2-, Pdgfra-, Gli1-, Acta2-, and Prrx1-CreERT mouse lines, combined with lineage tracing, RNA sequencing, chromatin immunoprecipitation-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and pharmacologic interventions. Human gastric cancer data from The Cancer Genome Atlas were also analyzed. RESULTS: We show that genetic activation of Hedgehog signaling in stromal cells marked by Col1a2, Pdgfra, or Gli1, but not by Acta2, induces tumorigenesis in the stomach and gastroesophageal junction, but not in the small or large intestine. Hedgehog signaling increases the expression of multiple bone morphogenetic protein antagonists in gastric but not colonic stromal cells, via Gli1-mediated transcription. These bone morphogenetic protein antagonists, in turn, activate Wnt/β-catenin signaling in gastric stem cells, driving their proliferation and initiating gastric cancer expressing CD44 and Sox9, but not Lgr5. Activating bone morphogenetic protein or inhibiting Wnt signaling blocks tumor initiation. Analysis of patient data from The Cancer Genome Atlas reveals elevated Hedgehog signaling in gastric cancers, which correlates with suppressed bone morphogenetic protein signaling. CONCLUSIONS: These findings uncover a gastrointestinal segment-specific oncogenic role for Hedgehog signaling in Col1a2+Acta2- stromal cells, mediated through the bone morphogenetic protein-Wnt-β-catenin axis.

BMP Antagonists

Biological signal detection by the autocorrelogram and a recurrence frequency method.

The signal detection property of the autocorrelation function (ACF) is conventionally derived on the assumption of two conditions that may not be present in biological time sequences: (1) the measured variable is assumed to be the sum of a noise and a signal function; (2) the signal function is assumed to continue throughout the sequence. In neuroelectric sequences of all-or-none responses the first assumption would not be appropriate if most of the elements seen by the recording electrode were accessible to the signal input. The sensitivity of the ACF was investigated in simulated sequences in which the random noise was entirely replaced by a periodic square wave signal function for a small number of repetitions and the results compared with a recurrence frequency function (RFF) developed during this work; under these conditions the ACF proved to be significantly inferior. Sensitivity of the ACF was the same for a pure signal function as for an additive function of signal and noise but sensitivity of the RFF was severely degraded for the latter. A variety of neuroelectric sequences was studied and many were found in which strong rhythmic processes revealed by RFF were not detected by the ACF. It is suggested that both methods be used when the signal function may be present during only a small part of the data-collection period and when it is not known to what degree the measured variable may be the sum of a noise and signal function. When an additive function is known to exist, the ACF will be the method of choice; for pure signal functions REF will be more sensitive.

Animals

Study of an asymmetric ESR signal in x-irradiated human tooth enamel.

An asymmetric ESR signal and an outer doublet signal centered at g = 2.00 produced in human tooth enamel by X-irradiation have been studied over a temperature range from liquid helium temperature to 380 degrees K. The line shape of the asymmetric signal for an enamel crystallite is Lorentzian at room temperature. The temperature dependence of the integrated intensity of the asymmetric signal suggests that the signal follows a singlet-triplet model with the exchange interaction of 0.022 eV. Below about 60 degrees K the asymmetric signal becomes broad as the temperature is decreased. The ENDOR line of the asymmetric signal shows that there exists interaction between the centers and protons. The temperature dependence of the integrated intensity of the double signal is analogous to that of the asymmetric signal.

Absorption

Systematic identification and characterization of regulators of aryl hydrocarbon receptor signaling.

The human aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) integrates chemical signals derived from the environment, gut microbes, and endogenous sources to regulate processes ranging from intestinal barrier integrity to xenobiotic detoxification. Despite strong evidence that dysregulation of AHR signaling is a causal factor in metabolic and autoimmune disorders, we currently lack a comprehensive understanding of the factors that regulate AHR activity in human cells. Here, we use genome-scale CRISPR screening to systematically identify regulators of AHR signaling in hepatocytes. The resulting datasets recapitulate the core AHR signaling pathway and identify a large network of regulators. Many of these factors have roles beyond AHR signaling, reflecting that AHR signaling is deeply integrated into human cell biology. We further dissect this network to reveal novel modes of regulation of AHR expression, protein levels, and signaling. For example, we find that the E3 ubiquitin ligase UBR5 sustains AHR signaling by counteracting degradation of ligand-bound AHR. Finally, we identify components of the AHR regulatory network that are specific to cell types and ligands as potential nodes to manipulate AHR signaling in a targeted manner for therapeutic benefit. Overall, our results define the regulatory network that underpins AHR activation, with implications for our understanding of host-microbe interactions and integrative chemosensation and the etiology of metabolic and inflammatory disorders.

Journal Article