Galectin-3 is a β-galactoside binding protein expressed by activated macrophages, epithelial cells, and certain other cell types. Galectin-3 has a C-terminal carbohydrate binding domain, an N-terminal part consisting of a proline- and glycine-rich repetitive domain, and a small N-terminal domain. Two independent LPS binding sites on galectin-3 were demonstrated by binding of biotinylated LPS to immobilized recombinant galectin-3. One appears to be the carbohydrate binding site in the C-terminal domain that confers binding of LPS from Klebsiella pneumoniae that has a β-galactoside-containing polysaccharide chain. This binding is best demonstrated using galectin-3 immunocaptured by a mAb to the N-terminal part (M3/38) and is inhibited by lactose. In contrast, Salmonella minnesota R7 LPS (Rd mutant), which is devoid of β-galactosides, appears to bind to a site within the N-terminal part of galectin-3. This interaction is best demonstrated using galectin-3 directly immobilized in wells, and it is inhibited by the Ab M3/38, but not by lactose. Binding inhibition by polymyxin B and the profile of inhibition by a panel of LPSs with different amounts of the inner and outer cores present indicate that this second binding site recognizes the lipid A/inner core region of LPSs.

In vertebrate embryos, the earliest definitive marker for the neural plate, which will give rise to the entire central nervous system, is the transcription factor Sox2. Although some of the extracellular signals that regulate neural plate fate have been identified, we know very little about the mechanisms controlling Sox2 expression and thus neural plate identity. Here, we use electroporation for gain- and loss-of-function in the chick embryo, in combination with bimolecular fluorescence complementation, two-hybrid screens, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and reporter assays to study protein interactions that regulate expression of N2, the earliest enhancer of Sox2 to be activated and which directs expression to the largest part of the neural plate. We show that interactions between three coiled-coil domain proteins (ERNI, Geminin, and BERT), the heterochromatin proteins HP1α and HP1γ acting as repressors, and the chromatin-remodeling enzyme Brm acting as activator control the N2 enhancer. We propose that this mechanism regulates the timing of Sox2 expression as part of the process of establishing neural plate identity. During early development, when the embryo has three layers of cells (ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm), a region of the ectoderm called the neural plate becomes specified to generate the entire nervous system. One of the earliest molecular markers for the neural plate is the transcription factor Sox2, which is critical for cells to acquire their neural fates and also defines neural progenitor character. We know very little about the intracellular mechanisms by which the neural plate cells acquire these fates. Here, we show that recruitment of transcriptional repressors to chromatin-remodeling complexes regulate the onset of Sox2 expression. Competitive interactions between three proteins, ERNI, BERT, and Geminin, modulate the choice of repressors and regulate Sox2 expression. During gastrulation, when the three embryonic cell layers form, ERNI recruits the repressor HP1γ to prevent Geminin from activating Sox2 prematurely. By the end of gastrulation, this repression is counteracted by competitive binding of BERT to ERNI and Geminin, causing activation of Sox2. We propose that this mechanism regulates the timing of Sox2 activation in the very early neural plate and thus helps to define the domain that will give rise to the nervous system.

The unique properties of embryonic stem cells (ESC) rely on long-lasting self-renewal and their ability to switch in all adult cell type programs. Recent advances have shown that regulations at the chromatin level sustain both ESC properties along with transcription factors. We have focused our interest on the epigenetic modulator HP1γ (Heterochromatin Protein 1, isoform γ) that binds histones H3 methylated at lysine 9 (meH3K9) and is highly plastic in its distribution and association with the transcriptional regulation of specific genes during cell fate transitions. These characteristics of HP1γ make it a good candidate to sustain the ESC flexibility required for rapid program changes during differentiation. Using RNA interference, we describe the functional role of HP1γ in mouse ESC. The analysis of HP1γ deprived cells in proliferative and in various differentiating conditions was performed combining functional assays with molecular approaches (RT-qPCR, microarray). We show that HP1γ deprivation slows down the cell cycle of ESC and decreases their resistance to differentiating conditions, rendering the cells poised to differentiate. In addition, HP1γ depletion hampers the differentiation to the endoderm as compared with the differentiation to the neurectoderm or the mesoderm. Altogether, our results reveal the role of HP1γ in ESC self-renewal and in the balance between the pluripotent and the differentiation programs.

White adipose tissues are functionally heterogeneous and differently manage the excess of energy supply. While the expansion of subcutaneous adipose tissues (SAT) is protective in obesity, that of visceral adipose tissues (VAT) correlates with the emergence of metabolic diseases. Maintained in fat pads throughout life, adipose stem cells (ASC) are mesenchymal-like stem cells with adipogenesis and multipotent differentiation potential. ASC from distinct fat pads have long been reported to present distinct proliferation and differentiation potentials that are maintained in culture, yet the origins of these intrinsic differences are still unknown. Metabolism is central to stem cell fate decision in line with environmental changes. In this study, we performed high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomic analyses of ASC culture supernatants in order to characterize their metabolic phenotype in culture. We identified and quantified 29 ASC exometabolites and evaluated their consumption or secretion over 72 h of cell culture. Both ASC used glycolysis and mitochondrial metabolism, as evidenced by the high secretions of lactate and citrate, respectively, but V-ASC mostly used glycolysis. By varying the composition of the cell culture medium, we showed that glutaminolysis, rather than glycolysis, supported the secretion of pyruvate, alanine, and citrate, evidencing a peculiar metabolism in ASC cells. The comparison of the two types of ASC in glutamine-free culture conditions also revealed the role of glutaminolysis in the limitation of pyruvate routing towards the lactate synthesis, in S-ASC but not in V-ASC. Altogether, our results suggest a difference between depots in the capacity of ASC mitochondria to assimilate pyruvate, with probable consequences on their differentiation potential in pathways requiring an increased mitochondrial activity. These results highlight a pivotal role of metabolic mechanisms in the discrimination between ASC and provide new perspectives in the understanding of their functional differences.

Obesity is associated with both chronic and acute respiratory illnesses, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or increased susceptibility to infectious diseases. Anatomical but also systemic and local metabolic alterations are proposed contributors to the pathophysiology of lung diseases in the context of obesity. To bring perspective to this discussion, we used NMR to compare the obesity-associated metabolomic profiles of the lung with those of the liver, heart, skeletal muscles, kidneys, brain and serum from male C57Bl/6J mice fed with a high-fat and high-sucrose (HFHSD) diet vs. standard (SD) chow for 14 weeks. Our results showed that the lung was the second most affected organ after the liver, and that the two organs shared reduced one-carbon (1C) metabolism and increased lipid accumulation. Altered 1C metabolism was found in all organs and in the serum, but serine levels were increased only in the lung of HFHSD compared to SD. Lastly, tricarboxylic acid (TCA)-derived metabolites were specifically and oppositely regulated in the serum and kidneys but not in other organs. Collectively, our data highlighted that HFHSD induced specific metabolic changes in all organs, the lung being the second most affected organ, the main alterations affecting metabolite concentrations of the 1C pathway and, to a minor extend, TCA. The absolute metabolite quantification performed in this study reveals some metabolic specificities affecting both the liver and the lung, that may reveal common metabolic determinants to the ongoing pathological process.