Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (Gsk-3) activity regulates multiple signal transduction pathways, and is also a key component of the network responsible for maintaining stem cell pluripotency. Genetic deletion of Gsk-3α and Gsk-3β or inhibition of Gsk-3 activity via small molecules promotes stem cell pluripotency, yet the mechanism underlying the role for Gsk-3 in this process remains ambiguous. Another cellular process that has been shown to affect stem cell pluripotency is mRNA methylation (m 6 A). Here, we describe an intersection between these components -the regulation of m 6 A by Gsk-3. We find that protein levels for the RNA demethylase, FTO (fat mass and obesity-associated protein), are elevated in Gsk-3α;Gsk-3β-deficient mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). FTO is normally phosphorylated by Gsk-3, and mass spectrometry identified the sites on FTO that are phosphorylated in a Gsk-3-dependent fashion. Gsk-3 phosphorylation of FTO leads to polyubiquitination, but in Gsk-3 knockout ESCs, that process is impaired, resulting in elevated levels of FTO protein. As a consequence of altered FTO protein levels, mRNAs in Gsk-3 knockout ESCs have 50% less m 6 A than wild-type ESCs, and m 6 A-seq analysis reveals the specific mRNAs that have reduced m 6 A modifications. Taken together, we provide the first evidence for how m 6 A demethylation is regulated in mammalian cells, and sheds light onto a possible novel mechanism by which Gsk-3 activity regulates stem cell pluripotency.Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (Gsk-3) activity is an important regulator of numerous signal transduction pathways (1). Gsk-3 activity is the sum of two largely redundant proteins, Gsk-3α and Gsk-3β, and in general, Gsk-3 is a negative regulator of cellular signaling (2). Rare among kinases, Gsk-3 is active at a basal state, while pathway activation from upstream signaling cascades results in the inhibition of Gsk-3 activity (2). Gsk-3α and Gsk-3β together regulate signal transduction pathways such as Wnt, protein kinase A (PKA), Hedgehog, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NF-AT) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-dependent insulin signaling in a variety of biological settings (3)(4)(5).Gsk-3 activity can be inhibited through the use of small molecule inhibitors, such as SB- (6)(7)(8), and the clinically relevant mood-stabilizer lithium (9,10); however, a drawback to the use of small molecules to study Gsk-3 function is the potential for off-target effects (11). Cells in which Gsk-3α and Gsk-3β have been genetically deleted allows for a more confident assessment of Gsk-3-specific functions. Therefore, we utilize mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) deficient in both Gsk-3α and Gsk-3β (Gsk-3α -/-; Gsk-3β -/-), i.e., Gsk-3 double knockout (DKO), to assess Gsk-3-specific functions (12,13). One prominent phenotype of Gsk-3 DKO ESCs is their persistent pluripotency, assessed by their inability to differentiate into all three germs layers in a teratoma assay, as well as by analysis of global gene expression ...

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The nonapeptide arginine vasotocin (AVT) regulates osmotic balance in teleost fishes, but its mechanisms of action are not fully understood. Recently, it was discovered that nonapeptide receptors in teleost fishes are differentiated into two V1a-type, several V2-type, and two isotocin (IT) receptors, but it remains unclear which receptors mediate AVT’s effects on gill osmoregulation. Here, we examined the role of nonapeptide receptors in the gill of the euryhaline Amargosa pupfish ( Cyprinodon nevadensis amargosae) during osmotic acclimation. Transcripts for the teleost V1a-type receptor v1a2 were upregulated over fourfold in gill 24 h after transferring pupfish from 7.5 ppt to seawater (35 ppt) or hypersaline (55 ppt) conditions and downregulated after transfer to freshwater (0.3 ppt). Gill transcripts for the nonapeptide degradation enzyme leucyl-cystinyl aminopeptidase (LNPEP) also increased in fish acclimating to 35 ppt. To test whether the effects of AVT on the gill might be mediated by a V1a-type receptor, we administered AVT or a V1-type receptor antagonist (Manning compound) intraperitoneally to pupfish before transfer to 0.4 ppt or 35 ppt. Pupfish transferred to 35 ppt exhibited elevated gill mRNA abundance for cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator ( cftr), but that upregulation diminished under V1-receptor inhibition. AVT inhibited the increase in gill Na+/Cl− cotransporter 2 ( ncc2) transcript abundance that occurs following transfer to hypoosmotic environments, whereas V1-type receptor antagonism increased ncc2 mRNAs even without a change in salinity. These findings indicate that AVT acts via a V1-type receptor to regulate gill Cl− transport by inhibiting Cl− uptake and facilitating Cl− secretion during seawater acclimation.

Mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) can be transfected by electroporation, liposomal reagents, and viral transduction methods. The cationic polymer polyethylenimine (PEI) has been shown to transfect a variety of differentiated mammalian cell types, including mouse ESCs, but existing methods require the use of additional equipment that is not readily accessible to most labs. Here we describe conditions that permit for the efficient transfection of mouse ESCs with low cytotoxicity and without the need for specialized equipment. Our goal was to devise a protocol for the PEI-mediated transfection of mouse ESCs that was comparable in ease to commercial transfection reagents. For these studies, we compared PEI transfection efficiency and cytotoxicity to a well-known liposomal transfection reagent, Lipofectamine2000™ (LF2K), using fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, cell viability assays, and western blotting. We provide evidence that PEI transfection of mouse ESCs compares favorably to LF2K. Our optimized protocol for efficient transfection of mouse ESCs with PEI is detailed in this report.

Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (Gsk-3) activity is an important regulator of numerous signal transduction pathways. Gsk-3 activity is the sum of two largely redundant proteins, Gsk-3α and Gsk-3β, and in general, Gsk-3 is a negative regulator of cellular signaling. Genetic deletion of both Gsk-3α and Gsk-3β in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) has previously been shown to lead to the constitutive activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. However, in addition to Wnt signaling, all Gsk-3-regulated pathways, such as insulin signaling, are also affected simultaneously in Gsk-3α−/−; Gsk-3β−/−ESCs. In an effort to better understand how specific signaling pathways contribute to the global pattern of gene expression in Gsk-3α−/−; Gsk-3β−/−ESCs, we compared the gene expression profiles in Gsk-3α−/−; Gsk-3β−/− ESCs to mouse ESCs in which either Wnt/β-catenin signaling or phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-dependent insulin signaling are constitutively active. Our results show that Wnt signaling has a greater effect on up-regulated genes in the Gsk-3α−/−; Gsk-3β−/−ESCs, whereas PI3K-dependent insulin signaling is more responsible for the down-regulation of genes in the same cells. These data show the importance of Gsk-3 activity on gene expression in mouse ESCs, and that these effects are due to the combined effects of multiple signaling pathways.