bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Roles for Ca2+ stores release and two Ca2+ influx pathways in the Fc epsilon R1-activated Ca2+ responses of RBL-2H3 mast cells.
Authors: Lee R J , Oliver J M
Published: August 2013

Cross-linking the high affinity IgE receptor, Fc epsilon R1, with multivalent antigen induces inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate [Ins(1,4,5)P3]-dependent release of intracellular Ca2+ stores, Ca2+ influx, and secretion of inflammatory mediators from RBL-2H3 mast cells. Here, fluorescence ratio imaging microscopy was used to characterize the antigen-induced Ca2+ responses of single fura-2-loaded RBL-2H3 cells in the presence and absence of extracellular Ca2+ (Ca2+o). As antigen concentration increases toward the optimum for secretion, more cells show a Ca2+ spike or an abrupt increase in [Ca2+]i and the lag time to onset of the response decreases both in the presence and the absence of Ca2+o. When Ca2+o is absent, fewer cells respond to low antigen and the lag times to response are longer than those measured in the presence of Ca2+o, indicating that Ca2+o contributes to Ca2+ stores release. Ins(1,4,5)P3 production is not impaired by the removal of Ca2+o, suggesting that extracellular Ca2+ influences Ca2+ stores release via an effect on the Ins(1,4,5)P3 receptor. Stimulation with low concentrations of antigen can lead, only in the presence of Ca2+o, to a small, gradual increase in [Ca2+]i before the abrupt spike response that indicates store release. We propose that this small, initial [Ca2+]i increase is due to receptor-activated Ca2+ influx that precedes and may facilitate Ca2+ stores release. A mechanism for capacitative Ca2+ entry also exists in RBL-2H3 cells. Our data suggest that a previously undescribed response to Fc epsilon R1 cross-linking, inhibition of Ca2+ stores refilling, may be involved in activating capacitative Ca2+ entry in antigen-stimulated RBL-2H3 cells, thus providing the elevated [Ca2+]i required for optimal secretion. The existence of both capacitative entry and Ca2+ influx that can precede Ca2+ release from intracellular stores suggests that at least two mechanisms of stimulated Ca2+ influx are present in RBL-2H3 cells.
Induction of carcinoma cell migration on vitronectin by NF-kappa B-dependent gene expression.
Authors: Yebra M , Filardo E J , Bayna E M , Kawahara E , Becker J C , Cheresh D A
Published: August 2013

Integrin alpha v beta 5 promotes FG carcinoma cell adhesion to vitronectin yet requires protein kinase C (PKC) activation for migration on this ligand. Here we report that this PKC-dependent cell motility event requires NF-kappaB-dependent transcription. Specifically, a component within nuclear extracts prepared from PKC-stimulated FG cells exhibited a significant increase in binding activity to a synthetic oligonucleotide containing a consensus kappa B sequence. These nuclear DNA-binding complexes were shown to be comprised of p65 and p50 NF-kappaB/rel family members and appeared functionally active because they promoted transcription of a reporter construct containing a kappa B site. The NF-kappa B activation event was directly linked to the alpha v beta 5 motility response because the NF-kappa B-binding oligonucleotide, when introduced into FG cells, inhibited cell migration on vitronectin but not on collagen and had no effect on cell adhesion to either ligand. These results suggest that the detected DNA-binding complexes interact with kappa B transcriptional elements to regulate gene expression required for alpha v beta 5-dependent cell motility on vitronectin.
A role for calmodulin in organelle membrane tubulation.
Authors: de Figueiredo P , Brown W J
Published: August 2013

Membrane tubules of uniform diameter (60-80 nm) and variable lengths have been seen to extend from the main bodies of the Golgi complex, trans Golgi network (TGN), and endosomes. In the case of endosomes, these tubules appear to mediate membrane and receptor recycling events. Brefeldin A (BFA) is a potent drug that completely blocks coated vesicle formation from the Golgi complex and TGN, but at the same time causes the enhanced formation of membrane tubules from these same organelles. Recently, experiments have shown that calmodulin antagonists inhibit the transport of receptors out of endosomes, perhaps by inhibiting the formation of recycling tubules. Using the potent calmodulin-specific antagonists N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulfonamide (W-7), N-(4-aminobutyl)-5-chloro-2-naphthalenesulfonamide (W-13), and N-(4-aminobutyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulfonamide (C-1), we found that the recycling of transferrin from endosomes to the cell surface was significantly inhibited, resulting in the formation of enlarged endosomal vacuoles. In addition, these same calmodulin antagonists also potently inhibited the formation of BFA-stimulated membrane tubules from the Golgi complex, TGN, and endosomes. In the case of the Golgi complex, failure to form tubules resulted in the inhibition of BFA-stimulated retrograde transport to the endoplasmic reticulum. These results suggest that calmodulin is a general regulator of membrane tubulation and is capable of influencing the morphology of several organelles.
VIP21-caveolin, a membrane protein constituent of the caveolar coat, oligomerizes in vivo and in vitro.
Authors: Monier S , Parton R G , Vogel F , Behlke J , Henske A , Kurzchalia T V
Published: August 2013

VIP21-caveolin is a membrane protein, proposed to be a component of the striated coat covering the cytoplasmic surface of caveolae. To investigate the biochemical composition of the caveolar coat, we used our previous observation that VIP21-caveolin is present in large complexes and insoluble in the detergents CHAPS or Triton X-114. The mild treatment of these insoluble structures with sodium dodecyl sulfate leads to the detection of high molecular mass complexes of approximately 200, 400, and 600 kDa. The 400-kDa complex purified to homogeneity from dog lung is shown to consist exclusive of the two isoforms of VIP21-caveolin. Pulse-chase experiments indicate that the oligomers form early after the protein is synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). VIP21-caveolin does indeed insert into the ER membrane through the classical translocation machinery. Its hydrophobic domain adopts an unusual loop configuration exposing the N- and C-flanking regions to the cytoplasm. Similar high molecular mass complexes can be produced from the in vitro-synthesized VIP21-caveolin. The complex formation occurs only if VIP21-caveolin isoforms are properly inserted into the membrane; formation is cytosol-dependent and does not involve a vesicle fusion step. We propose that high molecular mass oligomers of VIP21-caveolin represent the basic units forming the caveolar coat. They are formed in the ER and later, between the ER and the plasma membrane, these oligomers could associate into larger detergent-insoluble structures.
The rho-GAP encoded by BEM2 regulates cytoskeletal structure in budding yeast.
Authors: Wang T , Bretscher A
Published: August 2013

Microfilaments are required for polarized growth and morphogenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To accomplish this, actin cables and patches are redistributed during the cell cycle to direct secretory components to appropriate sites for cell growth. A major component of actin cables is tropomyosin I, encoded by TPM1, that determines or stabilizes these structures. Disruption of TPM1 is not lethal but results in the loss of actin cables and confers a partial defect in polarized secretion. Using a synthetic lethal screen, we have identified seven mutations residing in six genes whose products are required in the absence of Tpm1p. Each mutant exhibited a morphological defect, suggesting a functional link to the actin cytoskeleton. Complementation cloning of one mutation revealed that it lies in BEM2, which encodes a GTPase-activating protein for the RHO1 product. bem2 mutations also show synthetic lethality with rho1 and mutations in certain other cytoskeletal genes (ACT1, MYO1, MYO2, and SAC6) but not with mutations in several noncytoskeletal genes. These data therefore provide a genetic link between the GAP encoded by BEM2 and the functional organization of microfilaments. In addition, we show that bem2 mutations confer benomyl sensitivity and have abnormal microtubule arrays, suggesting that the BEM2 product may also be involved directly or indirectly in regulating microtubule function.
Ezrin self-association involves binding of an N-terminal domain to a normally masked C-terminal domain that includes the F-actin binding site.
Authors: Gary R , Bretscher A
Published: August 2013

Ezrin is a membrane-cytoskeletal linking protein that is concentrated in actin-rich surface structures. It is closely related to the microvillar proteins radixin and moesin and to the tumor suppressor merlin/schwannomin. Cell extracts contain ezrin dimers and ezrin-moesin heterodimers in addition to monomers. Truncated ezrin fusion proteins were assayed by blot overlay to determine which regions mediate self-association. Here we report that ezrin self-association occurs by head-to-tail joining of distinct N-terminal and C-terminal domains. It is likely that these domains, termed N- and C-ERMADs (ezrin-radixin-moesin association domain), are responsible for homotypic and heterotypic associations among ERM family members. The N-ERMAD of ezrin resided within amino acids 1-296; deletion of 10 additional residues resulted in loss of activity. The C-ERMAD was mapped to the last 107 amino acids of ezrin, residues 479-585. The two residues at the C-terminus were required for activity, and the region from 530-585 was insufficient. The C-ERMAD was masked in the native monomer. Exposure of this domain required unfolding ezrin with sodium dodecyl sulfate or expressing the domain as part of a truncated protein. Intermolecular association could not occur unless the C-ERMAD had been made accessible to its N-terminal partner. It can be inferred that dimerization in vivo requires an activation step that exposes this masked domain. The conformationally inaccessible C-terminal region included the F-actin binding site, suggesting that this activity is likewise regulated by masking.
Transformation and pp60v-src autophosphorylation correlate with SHC-GRB2 complex formation in rat and chicken cells expressing host-range and kinase-active, transformation-defective alleles of v-src.
Authors: Verderame M F , Guan J L , Woods Ignatoski K M
Published: August 2013

The biochemical properties of several pp60v-src substrates believed to participate in src-mediated transformation were examined in cells expressing a kinase-active, transformation-defective v-src allele (v-src-F172 delta/Y416F) and its parental allele, v-src-F172 delta, a host-range--dependent allele that transforms chicken cells to a fusiform morphology, but does not transform rat cells. Because pp60v-src-F172 delta is dependent on autophosphorylation for transforming ability, these alleles provide a unique opportunity to examine the role of pp60v-src autophosphorylation in regulating substrate interactions. Increased pp125FAK tyrosine phosphorylation and high levels of pp60v-src-associated phosphotidylinositol-3' kinase activity were detected specifically in chicken cells exhibiting round, refractile transformation but not in cells transformed to a fusiform morphology. Increased pp125FAK kinase activity, but not increased pp125FAK tyrosine-phosphorylation correlated with pp60v-src autophosphorylation and increased anchorage-independent growth. Thus, pp125FAK and PI3'K may participate in morphological transformation by v-src. Furthermore, association of phosphorylated SHC with the adapter GRB2 correlated with increased anchorage-independent growth (and autophosphorylation) in both rat and chicken cells independent of the morphological phenotype induced. Therefore, host-range dependence for transformation may be regulated through association of SHC with GRB2, thus implicating SHC as a crucial substrate for src-dependent transformation.
Phorbol ester induces the rapid processing of cell surface heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor: conversion from juxtacrine to paracrine growth factor activity.
Authors: Goishi K , Higashiyama S , Klagsbrun M , Nakano N , Umata T , Ishikawa M , Mekada E , Taniguchi N
Published: August 2013

Vero cell heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF) is synthesized as a 20- to 30-kDa membrane-anchored HB-EGF precursor (proHB-EGF). Localization and processing of proHB-EGF, both constitutive and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA)-inducible, was examined in Vero cells overexpressing recombinant HB-EGF (Vero H cells). Flow cytometry and fluorescence immunostaining demonstrated that Vero cell proHB-EGF is cell surface-associated and localized at the interface of cell to cell contact. Cell surface biotinylation and immunoprecipitation detected a 20- to 30-kDa heterogeneous proHB-EGF species. Vero H cell surface proHB-EGF turned over constitutively with a half-life of 1.5 h. Some of the 20- to 30-kDa cell surface-associated proHB-EGF was processed and a 14-kDa species of bioactive HB-EGF was released slowly, but most of the proHB-EGF was internalized, displaying a diffuse immunofluorescent staining pattern and accumulation of proHB-EGF in endosomes. Addition of TPA induced a rapid processing of proHB-EGF at a Pro148-Val149 site with a half-life of 7min. The TPA effect was abrogated by the protein kinase C inhibitors, staurosporine and H7. Kinetic analysis showed that loss of cell surface proHB-EGF is maximal at 30 min after addition of TPA and that proHB-EGF is resynthesized and the initial cell surface levels are regained within 12-24 h. Loss of cell surface proHB-EGF was concomitant with appearance of 14- and 19-kDa soluble HB-EGF species in conditioned medium. Vero H cell-associated proHB-EGF is a juxtacrine growth factor for EP170.7 cells in coculture. Processing of proHB-EGF resulted in loss of juxtacrine activity and a simultaneous increase in soluble HB-EGF paracrine mitogenic activity. It was concluded that processing regulates HB-EGF bioactivity by converting it from a cell-surface juxtacrine growth factor to a processed, released soluble paracrine growth factor.
The C. elegans sex-determining gene fem-2 encodes a putative protein phosphatase.
Authors: Pilgrim D , McGregor A , Jäckle P , Johnson T , Hansen D
Published: August 2013

The genetic and molecular analysis of genes involved in the regulation of sex determination in Caenorhabditis elegans suggests that the gene fem-2 plays an important role in regulating a pathway transducing a non-cell-autonomous signal to a nuclear transcription factor. The wild-type fem-2 gene was cloned by identifying sequences from the C. elegans physical map that could restore normal Fem-2 function to homozygous mutant fem-2 transgenic animals. cDNA sequences mapping to the minimal rescuing region correspond to an open reading frame with a sequence similar to protein phosphatase 2C enzymes from systems as diverse as yeast, humans, and plants, but the alignments suggest that FEM-2 falls into a separate class of proteins than the canonical homologues. Several fem-2 mutant alleles were sequenced, and the mutations are predicted to cause protein changes consistent with their observed phenotypes, such as missense mutations in conditional alleles, and a nonsense mutation in a predicted null allele. This is the first evidence implicating phosphorylation and/or dephosphorylation as a control mechanism in C. elegans sex determination.
Vinblastine suppresses dynamics of individual microtubules in living interphase cells.
Authors: Dhamodharan R , Jordan M A , Thrower D , Wilson L , Wadsworth P
Published: August 2013

We have characterized the effects of vinblastine on the dynamic instability behavior of individual microtubules in living BS-C-1 cells microinjected with rhodamine-labeled tubulin and have found that at low concentrations (3-64 nM), vinblastine potently suppresses dynamic instability without causing net microtubule depolymerization. Vinblastine suppressed the rates of microtubule growth and shortening, and decreased the frequency of transitions from growth or pause to shortening, also called catastrophe. In vinblastine-treated cells, both the average duration of a pause (a state of attenuated dynamics where neither growth nor shortening could be detected) and the percentage of total time spent in pause were significantly increased. Vinblastine potently decreased dynamicity, a measure of the overall dynamic activity of microtubules, reducing this parameter by 75% at 32 nM. The present work, consistent with earlier in vitro studies, demonstrates that vinblastine kinetically caps the ends of microtubules in living cells and supports the hypothesis that the potent chemotherapeutic action of vinblastine as an antitumor drug is suppression of mitotic spindle microtubule dynamics. Further, the results indicate that molecules that bind to microtubule ends can regulate microtubule dynamic behavior in living cells and suggest that endogenous regulators of microtubule dynamics that work by similar mechanisms may exist in living cells.
Microtubule stability in budding yeast: characterization and dosage suppression of a benomyl-dependent tubulin mutant.
Authors: Machin N A , Lee J M , Barnes G
Published: August 2013

To better understand the dynamic regulation of microtubule structures in yeast, we studied a conditional-lethal beta-tubulin mutation tub2-150. This mutation is unique among the hundreds of tubulin mutations isolated in Saccharomyces cerevisiae in that it appears to cause an increase in the stability of microtubules. We report here that this allele is a mutation of threonine 238 to alanine, and that tub2-150 prevents the spindle from elongating during anaphase, suggesting a nuclear microtubule defect. To identify regulators of microtubule stability and/or anaphase, yeast genes were selected that, when overexpressed, could suppress the tub2-150 temperature-sensitive phenotype. One of these genes, JSN1, encodes a protein of 125 kDa that has limited similarity to a number of proteins of unknown function. Overexpression of the JSN1 gene in a TUB2 strain causes that strain to become more sensitive to benomyl, a microtubule-destabilizing drug. Of a representative group of microtubule mutants, only one other mutation, tub2-404, could be suppressed by JSN1 overexpression, showing that JSN1 is an allele-specific suppressor. As tub2-404 mutants are also defective for spindle elongation, this provides additional support for a role for JSN1 during anaphase.
TOR controls translation initiation and early G1 progression in yeast.
Authors: Barbet N C , Schneider U , Helliwell S B , Stansfield I , Tuite M F , Hall M N
Published: August 2013

Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells treated with the immunosuppressant rapamycin or depleted for the targets of rapamycin TOR1 and TOR2 arrest growth in the early G1 phase of the cell cycle. Loss of TOR function also causes an early inhibition of translation initiation and induces several other physiological changes characteristic of starved cells entering stationary phase (G0). A G1 cyclin mRNA whose translational control is altered by substitution of the UBI4 5' leader region (UBI4 is normally translated under starvation conditions) suppresses the rapamycin-induced G1 arrest and confers starvation sensitivity. These results suggest that the block in translation initiation is a direct consequence of loss of TOR function and the cause of the G1 arrest. We propose that the TORs, two related phosphatidylinositol kinase homologues, are part of a novel signaling pathway that activates eIF-4E-dependent protein synthesis and, thereby, G1 progression in response to nutrient availability. Such a pathway may constitute a checkpoint that prevents early G1 progression and growth in the absence of nutrients.
Identification of seven rat axonemal dynein heavy chain genes: expression during ciliated cell differentiation.
Authors: Andrews K L , Nettesheim P , Asai D J , Ostrowski L E
Published: August 2013

Axonemal dyneins are molecular motors that drive the beating of cilia and flagella. We report here the identification and partial cloning of seven unique axonemal dynein heavy chains from rat tracheal epithelial (RTE) cells. Combinations of axonemal-specific and degenerate primers to conserved regions around the catalytic site of dynein heavy chains were used to obtain cDNA fragments of rat dynein heavy chains. Southern analysis indicates that these are single copy genes, with one possible exception, and Northern analysis of RNA from RTE cells shows a transcript of approximately 15 kb for each gene. Expression of these genes was restricted to tissues containing axonemes (trachea, testis, and brain). A time course analysis during ciliated cell differentiation of RTE cells in culture demonstrated that the expression of axonemal dynein heavy chains correlated with the development of ciliated cells, while cytoplasmic dynein heavy chain expression remained constant. In addition, factors that regulate the development of ciliated cells in culture regulated the expression of axonemal dynein heavy chains in a parallel fashion. These are the first mammalian dynein heavy chain genes shown to be expressed specifically in axonemal tissues. Identification of the mechanisms that regulate the cell-specific expression of these axonemal dynein heavy chains will further our understanding of the process of ciliated cell differentiation.
Inositol transport in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is regulated by transcriptional and degradative endocytic mechanisms during the growth cycle that are distinct from inositol-induced regulation.
Authors: Robinson K S , Lai K , Cannon T A , McGraw P
Published: August 2013

Regulation of inositol uptake activity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae during the growth cycle was examined. Activity increased as the cell population transited from lag phase to exponential growth, and continued to increase until late exponential phase. The increase in activity was due to increased transcription of the ITR1 gene and synthesis of the Itr1 permease. When the culture reached stationary phase, uptake activity decreased and dropped to a minimum within 4 h. The decrease was due to repression of ITR1 transcription, independent of the negative regulator Opi1p, and degradation of the existing permease. Degradation depended on delivery of the permease to the vacuole through the END3/END4 endocytic pathway. During exponential growth in inositol-containing medium the permease is also rapidly degraded, whereas in inositol-free medium the permease is highly stable. Rapid degradation of the permease at stationary phase occurred in inositol-free medium, indicating that there are two distinct mechanisms that trigger endocytosis and degradation in response to different physiological stimuli. In addition, the level of the enzyme required for inositol biosynthesis, inositol-1-phosphate synthase, encoded by INO1, is not reduced in stationary-phase cells, and this contrast in the regulation of inositol supply is discussed.
The membrane-cytoplasm interface of integrin alpha subunits is critical for receptor latency.
Authors: Briesewitz R , Kern A , Smilenov L B , David F S , Marcantonio E E
Published: August 2013

Localization of integrin receptors to focal contact sites occurs upon ligand binding. This activity is latent, since unoccupied integrin receptors do not localize to focal contacts. Deletion analysis has revealed that the alpha cytoplasmic domains is required for the maintenance of integrin receptor latency. Our current hypothesis for the mechanism of integrin post-ligand binding events is that there is a change in relationship of alpha and beta cytoplasmic domains, which overcomes receptor latency. One possible mechanism for such a change would involve the amino acid residues at the membrane-cytoplasm interface. To test this hypothesis, we have produced point mutations in the human integrin alpha 1 subunit. These mutations had no effect on the adhesion via alpha 1 beta 1 to its ligand, collagen IV. However, receptor latency is lost in one of these mutants, leading to constitutive focal contact localization. This effect did not occur in receptors with an exchange of intracellular domains, suggesting that the mechanism of loss of latency involves a relative motion of the integrin chains. These results suggest a model in which post-ligand binding events in integrin receptors are associated with changes in the position of the alpha and beta cytoplasmic domains.
Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent kinase is essential for both growth and nuclear division in Aspergillus nidulans.
Authors: Dayton J S , Means A R
Published: August 2013

The calmodulin gene has been shown to be essential for cell cycle progression in a number of eukaryotic organisms. In vertebrates and Aspergillus nidulans the calmodulin dependence also requires calcium. We demonstrate that the unique gene encoding a multifunctional calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaMK) is also essential in A. nidulans. This enzyme is required both for the nuclear division cycle and for hyphal growth, because spores containing the disrupted gene arrest with a single nucleus and fail to extend a germ tube. A strain conditional for the expression of CaMK was created. When grown under conditions that resulted in a 90% decrease in the enzyme, both nuclear division and growth were markedly slowed. The CaMK seems to be important for progression from G2 to mitosis.
Cloning and functional characterization of mammalian homologues of the COPII component Sec23.
Authors: Paccaud J P , Reith W , Carpentier J L , Ravazzola M , Amherdt M , Schekman R , Orci L
Published: August 2013

We screened a human cDNA library with a probe derived from a partial SEC23 mouse homologue and isolated two different cDNA clones (hSec23A and hSec23B) encoding proteins of a predicted molecular mass of 85 kDa. hSec23Ap and hSec23Bp were 85% identical and shared 48% identity with the yeast Sec23p. Affinity-purified anti-hSec23A recognized a protein of approximately 85 kDa on immunoblots of human, mouse, and rat cell extracts but did not recognize yeast Sec23p. Cytosolic hSec23Ap migrated with an apparent molecular weight of 350 kDa on a gel filtration column, suggesting that it is part of a protein complex. By immunoelectron microscopy, hSec23Ap was found essentially in the ribosome-free transitional face of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and associated vesicles. hSec23Ap is a functional homologue of the yeast Sec23p as the hSec23A isoform complemented the temperature sensitivity of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae sec23-1 mutation at a restrictive temperature of 34 degrees C. RNase protection assays indicated that both hSec23 isoforms are coexpressed in various human tissues, although at a variable ratio. Our data demonstrate that hSec23Ap is the functional human counterpart of the yeast COPII component Sec23p and suggest that it plays a similar role in mammalian protein export from the ER. The exact function of hSec23Bp remains to be determined.
The kinetochore microtubule minus-end disassembly associated with poleward flux produces a force that can do work.
Authors: Waters J C , Mitchison T J , Rieder C L , Salmon E D
Published: August 2013

During metaphase and anaphase in newt lung cells, tubulin subunits within the kinetochore microtubule (kMT) lattice flux slowly poleward as kMTs depolymerize at their minus-ends within in the pole. Very little is known about how and where the force that moves the tubulin subunits poleward is generated and what function it serves during mitosis. We found that treatment with the drug taxol (10 microM) caused separated centrosomes in metaphase newt lung cells to move toward one another with an average velocity of 0.89 microns/min, until the interpolar distance was reduced by 22-62%. This taxol-induced spindle shortening occurred as kMTs between the chromosomes and the poles shortened. Photoactivation of fluorescent marks on kMTs revealed that taxol inhibited kinetochore microtubule assembly/disassembly at kinetochores, whereas minus-end MT disassembly continued at a rate typical of poleward flux in untreated metaphase cells. This poleward flux was strong enough to stretch the centromeric chromatin between sister kinetochores as much as it is stretched in control metaphase cells. In anaphase, taxol blocked kMT disassembly/assembly at the kinetochore whereas minus-end disassembly continued at a rate similar to flux in control cells (approximately 0.2 microns/min). These results reveal that the mechanism for kMT poleward flux 1) is not dependent on kMT plus-end dynamics and 2) produces pulling forces capable of generating tension across the centromeres of bioriented chromosomes.
Characterization of novel mutations at the Schizosaccharomyces pombe cdc2 regulatory phosphorylation site, tyrosine 15.
Authors: Gould K L , Feoktistova A
Published: August 2013

The cdc2 protein kinase family is regulated negatively by phosphorylation in the glycine ATP-binding loop at a conserved tyrosine residue, Y15, alone or in combination with T14 phosphorylation. In Schizosaccharomyces pombe and other systems, substitution of these residues with structurally similar but nonphosphorylatable amino acids has generated proteins (Y15F or T14AY15F) that behave as constitutively tyrosine-dephosphorylated proteins or threonine and tyrosine-dephosphorylated proteins. Here we report the characteristics of three additional mutants at Y15--Y15E, Y15S, and Y15T--in S. pombe cdc2p. All three mutant proteins are active in in vitro kinase assays, but are unable to functionally complement cdc2 loss-of-function mutations in vivo. Additionally, all three mutants are dominant negatives. A more detailed analysis of the Y15T mutant indicates that it can initiate chromosome condensation and F-actin contractile ring formation, but is unable to drive the reorganization of microtubules into a mitotic spindle.
Cdc28 tyrosine phosphorylation and the morphogenesis checkpoint in budding yeast.
Authors: Sia R A , Herald H A , Lew D J
Published: August 2013

A morphogenesis checkpoint in budding yeast delays nuclear division (and subsequent cell cycle progression) in cells that have failed to make a bud. We show that the ability of this checkpoint to delay nuclear division requires the SWE1 gene, encoding a protein kinase that inhibits the master cell cycle regulatory kinase Cdc28. The timing of nuclear division in cells that cannot make a bud is exquisitely sensitive to the dosage of SWE1 and MIH1 genes, which control phosphorylation of Cdc28 at tyrosine 19. In contrast, the timing of nuclear division in budded cells does not rely on Cdc28 phosphorylation, suggesting that the morphogenesis checkpoint somehow turns on this regulatory pathway. We show that SWE1 mRNA levels fluctuate during the cell cycle and are elevated in cells that cannot make a bud. However, regulation of SWE1 mRNA levels by the checkpoint is indirect, acting through a feedback loop requiring Swe1 activity. Further, the checkpoint is capable of delaying nuclear division even when SWE1 transcription is deregulated. We propose that the checkpoint delays nuclear division through post-translational regulation of Swe1 and that transcriptional feedback loops enhance the efficacy of the checkpoint.
Sequence requirements for membrane assembly of polytopic membrane proteins: molecular dissection of the membrane insertion process and topogenesis of the human MDR3 P-glycoprotein.
Authors: Zhang J T
Published: August 2013

The biogenesis of membrane proteins with a single transmembrane (TM) segment is well understood. However, understanding the biogenesis and membrane assembly of membrane proteins with multiple TM segments is still incomplete because of the complexity and diversity of polytopic membrane proteins. In an attempt to investigate further the biogenesis of polytopic membrane proteins, I used the human MDR3 P-glycoprotein (Pgp) as a model polytopic membrane protein and expressed it in a coupled cell-free translation/translocation system. I showed that the topogenesis of the C-terminal half MDR3 Pgp molecule is different from that of the N-terminal half. This observation is similar to that of the human MDR1 Pgp. The membrane insertion properties of the TM1 and TM2 in the N-terminal half molecule are different. The proper membrane anchorage of both TM1 and TM2 of the MDR3 Pgp is affected by their C-terminal amino acid sequences, whereas only the membrane insertion of the TM1 is dependent on the N-terminal amino acid sequences. The efficient membrane insertion of TM3 and TM5 of MDR3 Pgp, on the other hand, requires the presence of the putative TM4 and TM6, respectively. The TM8 in the C-terminal half does not contain an efficient stop-transfer activity. These observations suggest that the membrane insertion of putative TM segments in the human MDR3 Pgp does not simply follow the prevailing sequential event of the membrane insertion by signal-anchor and stop-transfer sequences. These results, together with my previous findings, suggest that different isoforms of Pgp can be used in comparison as a model system to understand the molecular mechanism of topogenesis of polytopic membrane proteins.
Spatial organization of the Nim1-Wee1-Cdc2 mitotic control network in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.
Authors: Wu L , Shiozaki K , Aligue R , Russell P
Published: August 2013

In Schizosaccharomyces pombe the onset of mitosis is regulated by a network of protein kinases and phosphatases. The M-phase inducing Cdc2-Cdc13 cyclin-dependent kinase is inhibited by Wee1 tyrosine kinase and activated by Cdc25 phosphatase. Wee1 is negatively regulated by Nim1 protein kinase. Here, we describe investigations aimed at better understanding the role of Nim1 in the mitotic control. The most important finding to emerge from these studies is that Wee1 and Nim1 have different patterns of intracellular localization. Immunofluorescence confocal microscopy has revealed that Nim1 is localized in the cytoplasm, whereas it substrate Wee1 is predominantly localized in the nucleus. Previous studies showed that the Cdc2-Cdc13 complex is located in the nucleus. Diversion of Nim1 to the nucleus, accomplished by addition of the SV40 nuclear localization signal, caused the advancement of M, confirming that Nim1 has restricted access to Wee1 in vivo. We propose that the intracellular distribution of Nim1 and Wee1 may serve to coordinate the regulation of nuclear Cdc2-Cdc13 with cytoplasmic growth.
Novel members of the cdc2-related kinase family in Drosophila: cdk4/6, cdk5, PFTAIRE, and PITSLRE kinase.
Authors: Sauer K , Weigmann K , Sigrist S , Lehner C F
Published: August 2013

In addition to the previously identified Drosophila cdc2 and cdc2c genes, we have identified four additional cdc2-related genes with low stringency and polymerase chain reaction approaches. Sequence comparisons suggest that the four putative kinases represent the Drosophila homologues of vertebrate cdk4/6, cdk5, PCTAIRE, and PITSLRE kinases. Although the similarity between human and Drosophila homologues is extensive in the case of cdk5, PCTAIRE, and PITSLRE kinases (78%, 58%, and 65% identity in the kinase domain), only limited conservation is observed for Drosophila cdk4/6 (47% identity). However, like vertebrate cdk4 and cdk6, Drosophila cdk4/6 binds also to a D-type cyclin according to the results of two-hybrid experiments in yeast. Northern blot analysis indicated that the four Drosophila kinases are expressed throughout embryogenesis. Expression in early embryogenesis appeared to be ubiquitous according to in situ hybridization. Abundant expression already at the start of embryogenesis and long before neuron differentiation was also observed in the case of cdk5 protein, which has been described as predominantly neuron specific in mice. Sequence conservation and expression pattern, therefore, suggest that all of these kinases perform important cellular functions.
Distinct cellular locations of the syntaxin family of proteins in rat pancreatic acinar cells.
Authors: Gaisano H Y , Ghai M , Malkus P N , Sheu L , Bouquillon A , Bennett M K , Trimble W S
Published: August 2013

Syntaxins are cytoplasmically oriented integral membrane soluble NEM-sensitive factor receptors (SNAREs; soluble NEM-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors) thought to serve as targets for the assembly of protein complexes important in regulating membrane fusion. The SNARE hypothesis predicts that the fidelity of vesicle traffic is controlled in part by the correct recognition of vesicle SNAREs with their cognate target SNARE partner. Here, we show that in the exocrine acinar cell of the pancreas, multiple syntaxin isoforms are expressed and that they appear to reside in distinct membrane compartments. Syntaxin 2 is restricted to the apical plasma membrane whereas syntaxin 4 is found most abundantly on the basolateral membranes. Surprisingly, syntaxin 3 was found to be localized to a vesicular compartment, the zymogen granule membrane. In addition, we show that these proteins are capable of specific interaction with vesicle SNARE proteins. Their nonoverlapping locations support the general principle of the SNARE hypothesis and provide new insights into the mechanisms of polarized secretion in epithelial cells.
Role of 26S proteasome and HRD genes in the degradation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase, an integral endoplasmic reticulum membrane protein.
Authors: Hampton R Y , Gardner R G , Rine J
Published: August 2013

3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMG-R), a key enzyme of sterol synthesis, is an integral membrane protein of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In both humans and yeast, HMG-R is degraded at or in the ER. The degradation of HMG-R is regulated as part of feedback control of the mevalonate pathway. Neither the mechanism of degradation nor the nature of the signals that couple the degradation of HMG-R to the mevalonate pathway is known. We have launched a genetic analysis of the degradation of HMG-R in Saccharomyces cerevisiae using a selection for mutants that are deficient in the degradation of Hmg2p, an HMG-R isozyme. The underlying genes are called HRD (pronounced "herd"), for HMG-CoA reductase degradation. So far we have discovered mutants in three genes: HRD1, HRD2, and HRD3. The sequence of the HRD2 gene is homologous to the p97 activator of the 26S proteasome. This p97 protein, also called TRAP-2, has been proposed to be a component of the mature 26S proteasome. The hrd2-1 mutant had numerous pleiotropic phenotypes expected for cells with a compromised proteasome, and these phenotypes were complemented by the human TRAP-2/p97 coding region. In contrast, HRD1 and HRD3 genes encoded previously unknown proteins predicted to be membrane bound. The Hrd3p protein was homologous to the Caenorhabditis elegans sel-1 protein, a negative regulator of at least two different membrane proteins, and contained an HRD3 motif shared with several other proteins. Hrd1p had no full-length homologues, but contained an H2 ring finger motif. These data suggested a model of ER protein degradation in which the Hrd1p and Hrd3p proteins conspire to deliver HMG-R to the 26S proteasome. Moreover, our results lend in vivo support to the proposed role of the p97/TRAP-2/Hrd2p protein as a functionally important component of the 26S proteasome. Because the HRD genes were required for the degradation of both regulated and unregulated substrates of ER degradation, the HRD genes are the agents of HMG-R degradation but not the regulators of that degradation.
Signals from the spindle midzone are required for the stimulation of cytokinesis in cultured epithelial cells.
Authors: Cao L G , Wang Y L
Published: August 2013

The interaction between the mitotic spindle and the cellular cortex is thought to play a critical role in stimulating cell cleavage. However, little is understood about the nature of such interactions, particularly in tissue culture cells. We have investigated the role of the spindle midzone in signaling cytokinesis by creating a barrier in cultured epithelial cells with a blunted needle, to block signals that may emanate from this region. When the barrier was created during metaphase or early anaphase, cleavage took place only on the sides of the cortex facing the mitotic spindle. Microtubules on the cleaving side showed organization typical of that in normal dividing cells. On the noncleaving side, most microtubules passed from one side of the equator into the other without any apparent organization, and actin filaments failed to organize in the equatorial region. When the barrier was created after the first minute of anaphase, cells showed successful cytokinesis, with normal organization of microtubules and actin filaments on both sides of the barrier. Our study suggests that transient signals from the midzone of early anaphase spindles are required for equatorial contraction in cultured cells and that such signaling may involve the organization of microtubules near the equator.
M-phase-specific phosphorylation and structural rearrangement of the cytoplasmic cross-linking protein plectin involve p34cdc2 kinase.
Authors: Foisner R , Malecz N , Dressel N , Stadler C , Wiche G
Published: August 2013

Plectin, a widespread and abundant cytoskeletal cross-linking protein, serves as a target for protein kinases throughout the cell cycle, without any significant variation in overall phosphorylation level. One of the various phosphorylation sites of the molecule was found to be phosphorylated preferentially during mitosis. By in vivo phosphorylation of ectopically expressed plectin domains in stably transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells, this site was mapped to the C-terminal repeat 6 domain of the polypeptide. The same site has been identified as an in vitro target for p34cdc2 kinase. Mitosis-specific phosphorylation of plectin was accompanied by a rearrangement of plectin structures, changing from a filamentous, largely vimentin-associated state in interphase to a diffuse vimentin-independent distribution in mitosis as visualized by immunofluorescence microscopy. Subcellular fractionation studies showed that in interphase cells up to 80% of cellular plectin was found associated with an insoluble cell fraction mostly consisting of intermediate filaments, while during mitosis the majority of plectin (> 75%) became soluble. Furthermore, phosphorylation of purified plectin by p34cdc2 kinase decreased plectin's ability to interact with preassembled vimentin filaments in vitro. Together, our data suggest that a mitosis-specific phosphorylation involving p34cdc2 kinase regulates plectin's cross-linking activities and association with intermediate filaments during the cell cycle.
Biochemical and functional analysis of the YME1 gene product, an ATP and zinc-dependent mitochondrial protease from S. cerevisiae.
Authors: Weber E R , Hanekamp T , Thorsness P E
Published: August 2013

Inactivation of YME1 in yeast causes several distinct phenotypes: an increased rate of DNA escape from mitochondria, temperature-sensitive growth on nonfermentable carbon sources, extremely slow growth when mitochondrial DNA is completely absent from the cell, and altered morphology of the mitochondrial compartment. The protein encoded by YME1, Yme1p, contains two highly conserved sequence elements, one implicated in the binding and hydrolysis of ATP, and the second characteristic of active site residues found in neutral, zinc-dependent proteases. Both the putative ATPase and zinc-dependent protease elements are necessary for the function of Yme1p as genes having mutations in critical residues of either of these motifs are unable to suppress any of the phenotypes exhibited by yme1 deletion strains. Yme1p co-fractionates with proteins associated with the mitochondrial inner membrane, is tightly associated with this membrane, and is oriented with the bulk of the protein facing the matrix. Unassembled subunit II of cytochrome oxidase is stabilized in yme1 yeast strains. The data support a model in which Yme1p is an ATP and zinc-dependent protease associated with the matrix side of the inner mitochondrial membrane. Subunit II of cytochrome oxidase, when not assembled into a higher order complex, is a likely substrate of Yme1p.
A distinct basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2)/FGF receptor interaction distinguishes urokinase-type plasminogen activator induction from mitogenicity in endothelial cells.
Authors: Rusnati M , Dell'Era P , Urbinati C , Tanghetti E , Massardi M L , Nagamine Y , Monti E , Presta M
Published: August 2013

Basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2) induces cell proliferation and urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) production in fetal bovine aortic endothelial GM 7373 cells. In the present paper we investigated the role of the interaction of FGF-2 with tyrosine-kinase (TK) FGF receptors (FGFRs) in mediating uPA up-regulation in these cells. The results show that FGF-2 antagonists suramin, protamine, heparin, the synthetic peptide FGF-2(112-155), and a soluble form of FGFR-1 do not inhibit FGF-2-mediated uPA up-regulation at concentrations that affect growth factor binding to cell surface receptors and mitogenic activity. In contrast, tyrosine phosphorylation inhibitors and overexpression of a dominant negative TK- mutant of FGFR-1 abolish the uPA-inducing activity of FGF-2, indicating that FGFR and its TK activity are essential in mediating uPA induction. Accordingly, FGF-2 induces uPA up-regulation in Chinese hamster ovary cells transfected with wild-type FGFR-1, -2, -3, or -4 but not with TK- FGFR-1 mutant. Small unilamellar phosphatidyl choline:cholesterol vesicles loaded with FGF-2 increased uPA production in GM 7373 cells in the absence of a mitogenic response. Liposome-encapsulated FGF-2 showed a limited but significant capacity, relative to free FGF-2, to interact with FGFR both at 4 degrees C and 37 degrees C and to be internalized within the cell. uPA up-regulation by liposome-encapsulated FGF-2 was quenched by neutralizing anti-FGF-2 antibodies, indicating that the activity of liposome-delivered FGF-2 is mediated by an extracellular action of the growth factor. Taken together, the data indicate that a distinct interaction of FGF-2 with FGFR, quantitatively and/or qualitatively different from the one that leads to mitogenicity, is responsible for the uPA-inducing activity of the growth factor.
CD44/chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan and alpha 2 beta 1 integrin mediate human melanoma cell migration on type IV collagen and invasion of basement membranes.
Authors: Knutson J R , Iida J , Fields G B , McCarthy J B
Published: August 2013

Tumor cell invasion of basement membranes (BM) represents one of the critical steps in the metastatic process. Tumor cell recognition of individual BM matrix components may involve individual cell adhesion receptors, such as integrins or cell surface proteoglycans, or may involve a coordinate action of both types of receptors. In this study, we have focused on the identification of a cell surface CD44/chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG) and alpha 2 beta 1 integrin on human melanoma cells that are both directly involved in the in vitro invasion of reconstituted BM via a type IV collagen-dependent mechanism. Interfering with cell surface expression of human melanoma CSPG with either p-nitro-phenyl-beta-D-xylopyranoside treatment or anti-CD44 monoclonal antibody (mAb) preincubation (mAb) preincubation inhibits melanoma cell invasion through reconstituted BM. These treatments also strongly inhibit melanoma cell migration on type IV collagen, however, they are ineffective at inhibiting cell adhesion to type IV collagen. Purified melanoma cell surface CD44/CSPG, or purified chondroitin sulfate, bind to type IV collagen affinity columns, consistent with a role for CD44/CSPG-type IV collagen interactions in mediating tumor cell invasion. In contrast, melanoma cell migration on laminin (LM) does not involve CD44/CSPG, nor does CD44/CSPG bind to LM, suggesting that CD44/CSPG-type IV collagen interactions are specific in nature. Additionally, anti-alpha 2 and anti-beta 1 integrin mAbs are capable of blocking melanoma cell invasion of reconstituted BM. Both of these anti-integrin mAbs inhibit melanoma cell adhesion and migration on type IV collagen, whereas only anti-beta 1 mAb inhibits cell adhesion to LM. Collectively, these results indicate that melanoma cell adhesion to type IV collagen is an important consideration in invasion of reconstituted BM in vitro, and suggest that CD44/CSPG and alpha 2 beta 1 integrin may collaborate to promote human melanoma cell adhesion, migration, and invasion in vivo.