Insulin-induced myosin light-chain phosphorylation during receptor capping in IM-9 human B-lymphoblasts.

We have examined further the interaction between insulin surface receptors and the cytoskeleton of IM-9 human lymphoblasts. Using immunocytochemical techniques, we determined that actin, myosin, calmodulin and myosin light-chain kinase (MLCK) are all accumulated directly underneath insulin-receptor caps. In addition, we have now established that the concentration of intracellular Ca2+ (as measured by fura-2 fluorescence) increases just before insulin-induced receptor capping. Most importantly, we found that the binding of insulin to its receptor induces phosphorylation of myosin light chain in vivo. Furthermore, a number of drugs known to abolish the activation properties of calmodulin, such as trifluoperazine (TFP) or W-7, strongly inhibit insulin-receptor capping and myosin light-chain phosphorylation. These data imply that an actomyosin cytoskeletal contraction, regulated by Ca2+/calmodulin and MLCK, is involved in insulin-receptor capping. Biochemical analysis in vitro has revealed that IM-9 insulin receptors are physically associated with actin and myosin; and most interestingly, the binding of insulin-receptor/cytoskeletal complex significantly enhances the phosphorylation of the 20 kDa myosin light chain. This insulin-induced phosphorylation is inhibited by calmodulin antagonists (e.g. TFP and W-7), suggesting that the phosphorylation is catalysed by MLCK. Together, these results strongly suggest that MLCK-mediated myosin light-chain phosphorylation plays an important role in regulating the membrane-associated actomyosin contraction required for the collection of insulin receptors into caps.     

Mouse T lymphoma cells contain a transmembrane glycoprotein (GP85) that binds ankyrin

In this study we have used complementary biochemical and immunological techniques to establish that the lymphoma GP85 membrane glycoprotein is a transmembrane protein with a cytoplasmic domain that binds directly to ankyrin, a molecule known to link the membrane to the cytoskeleton. The evidence supporting our conclusion that the GP85 is a transmembrane glycoprotein is as follows: (a) GP85 can be surface-labeled with Na 125I and contains wheat germ agglutinin-binding sites, indicating that it has an extracellular domain; (b) GP85 can be phosphorylated by intracellular kinases, indicating that it has an intracellular domain; and (c) GP85 can be successfully incorporated into phospholipid vesicles, indicating the existence of a hydrophobic domain in the molecule. Further studies show that GP85 displays immunological cross-reactivity with the lymphocyte Pgp-1 (differentiation-specific) membrane glycoprotein, and with the erythrocyte anion transport membrane protein, band 3. Immunocytochemical studies indicate that an ankyrin-like protein accumulates underneath the lymphoma GP85 cap structure, suggesting an association of the ankyrin-like protein and GP85. This relationship has been further confirmed by the following results of binding and reconstitution experiments: (a) purified GP85 binds directly to an ankyrin-Sepharose column; (b) purified GP85 inserts into phospholipid vesicles in both the normal (right side out) and reversed (inside out) orientation (and with only the reversed configuration permits binding of ankyrin to GP85); and (c) cleavage of GP85 with trypsin yields a 40-kD peptide fragment that is part of the cytoplasmic domain and contains the ankyrin binding site(s). Based on these findings, we suggest that the lymphoma GP85 transmembrane glycoprotein contains a cytoplasmic domain that is directly involved in linking ankyrin to the cytoskeleton. This transmembrane linkage may play a pivotal role in receptor capping and cell activation in lymphocytes.     

Tyrosine phosphatase activity of lymphoma CD45 (GP180) is regulated by a direct interaction with the cytoskeleton.

GP180 is one of the major transmembrane glycoproteins in mouse T-lymphoma cells. This molecule is an isoform of CD45 and is known to contain an intrinsic protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTPase) activity. Using several complementary biochemical techniques, we have found that fodrin (a spectrin-like protein) is preferentially co-isolated with CD45 (GP180), suggesting that a complex between CD45 (GP180) and the cytoskeleton exists in mouse T-lymphoma cells. Furthermore, we have determined that this CD45 (GP180)-fodrin complex is dissociated by high salt treatment. Using in vitro binding assays, we have shown that CD45 (GP180) binds directly and specifically to fodrin (Kd approximately 1.1 nM) or spectrin (Kd approximately 3.2 nM) in a saturable manner. Additional analyses indicate that a 48-kDa phosphopeptide of CD45 (GP180) contains the fodrin/spectrin-binding domain. Most importantly, the direct binding of fodrin/spectrin to CD45 (GP180) is found to significantly stimulate the PTPase activity of CD45. Enzyme kinetic analysis indicates that fodrin and spectrin increase the Vmax of CD45 (GP180)-mediated dephosphorylation by 7.5 and 3.2-fold, respectively, without significantly changing the Km value. These results strongly suggest that the cytoskeletal proteins, fodrin and spectrin, play an important role in the regulation of the CD45 (GP180) PTPase activity during lymphocyte activation.