Paraxial protocadherin mediates cell sorting and tissue morphogenesis by regulating C-cadherin adhesion activity

Little is known about how protocadherins function in cell adhesion and tissue development. Paraxial protocadherin (PAPC) controls cell sorting and morphogenetic movements in the Xenopus laevis embryo. We find that PAPC mediates these functions by down-regulating the adhesion activity of C-cadherin. Expression of exogenous C-cadherin reverses PAPC-induced cell sorting and gastrulation defects. Moreover, loss of endogenous PAPC results in elevated C-cadherin adhesion activity in the dorsal mesoderm and interferes with the normal blastopore closure, a defect that can be rescued by a dominant-negative C-cadherin mutant. Importantly, activin induces PAPC expression, and PAPC is required for activin-induced regulation of C-cadherin adhesion activity and explant morphogenesis. Signaling through Frizzled-7 is not required for PAPC regulation of C-cadherin, suggesting that C-cadherin regulation and Frizzled-7 signaling are two distinct branches of the PAPC pathway that induce morphogenetic movements. Thus, spatial regulation of classical cadherin adhesive function by local expression of a protocadherin is a novel mechanism for controlling cell sorting and tissue morphogenesis.     

Phosphorylation-Dependent Ubiquitination of Paraxial Protocadherin (PAPC) Controls Gastrulation Cell Movements

Paraxial protocadherin (PAPC) has been shown to be involved in gastrulation cell movements during early embryogenesis. It is first expressed in the dorsal marginal zone at the early gastrula stage and subsequently restricted to the paraxial mesoderm in Xenopus and zebrafish. Using Xenopus embryos, we found that PAPC is also regulated at the protein level and is degraded and excluded from the plasma membrane in the axial mesoderm by the late gastrula stage. Regulation of PAPC requires poly-ubiquitination that is dependent on phosphorylation. PAPC is phosphorylated by GKS3 in the evolutionarily conserved cytoplasmic domain, and this in turn is necessary for poly-ubiquitination by an E3 ubiquitin ligase β-TrCP. We also show that precise control of PAPC by phosphorylation/ubiquitination is essential for normal Xenopus gastrulation cell movements. Taken together, our findings unveil a novel mechanism of regulation of a cell adhesion protein and show that this system plays a crucial role in vertebrate embryogenesis.     

Protocadherin PAPC is expressed in the CNC and can compensate for the loss of PCNS

Protocadherins represent the biggest subgroup within the cadherin superfamily of transmembrane glycoproteins. In contrast to classical type I cadherins, protocadherins in general exhibit only moderate adhesive activity. During embryogenesis, they are involved in cell signaling and regulate diverse morphogenetic processes, including morphogenetic movements during gastrulation and neural crest migration. The two protocadherins paraxial protocadherin (PAPC) and axial protocadherin (AXPC) are indispensable for proper gastrulation movements in Xenopus and zebrafish. The closest relative PCNS instead, is required for neural crest and somite formation. Here, we show that cranial neural crest (CNC) cells in addition to PCNS express PAPC, but not AXPC. Overexpression of PAPC resulted in comparable migration defects as knockdown of PCNS. Moreover, reconstitution experiments revealed that PAPC is able to replace PCNS in CNC cells, indicating that both protocadherins can regulate CNC migration. genesis 52:120–126. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Xenopus paraxial protocadherin inhibits Wnt/β-catenin signalling via casein kinase 2β

Xenopus paraxial protocadherin (PAPC) regulates cadherin-mediated cell adhesion and promotes the planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway. Here we report that PAPC functions in the Xenopus gastrula as an inhibitor of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. The intracellular domain of PAPC interacts with casein kinase 2 beta (CK2β), which is part of the CK2 holoenzyme. The CK2α/β complex stimulates Wnt/β-catenin signalling, and the physical interaction of CK2β with PAPC antagonizes this activity. By this mechanism, PAPC restricts the expression of Wnt target genes during gastrulation. These experiments identify a novel function of protocadherins as regulators of the Wnt pathway.     

The protocadherin PAPC establishes segmental boundaries during somitogenesis in xenopus embryos

BACKGROUND: One prominent example of segmentation in vertebrate embryos is the subdivision of the paraxial mesoderm into repeating, metameric structures called somites. During this process, cells in the presomitic mesoderm (PSM) are first patterned into segments leading secondarily to differences required for somite morphogenesis such as the formation of segmental boundaries. Recent studies have shown that a segmental pattern is generated in the PSM of Xenopus embryos by genes encoding a Mesp-like bHLH protein called Thylacine 1 and components of the Notch signaling pathway. These genes establish a repeating pattern of gene expression that subdivides cells in the PSM into anterior and posterior half segments, but how this pattern of gene expression leads to segmental boundaries is unknown. Recently, a member of the protocadherin family of cell adhesion molecules, called PAPC, has been shown to be expressed in the PSM of Xenopus embryos in a half segment pattern, suggesting that it could play a role in restricting cell mixing at the anterior segmental boundary. RESULTS: Here, we examine the expression and function of PAPC during segmentation of the paraxial mesoderm in Xenopus embryos. We show that Thylacine 1 and the Notch pathway establish segment identity one segment prior to the segmental expression of PAPC. Altering segmental identity in embryos by perturbing the activity of Thylacine 1 and the Notch pathway, or by treatment with a protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide, leads to the predicted changes in the segmental expression of PAPC. By disrupting PAPC function in embryos using a putative dominant-negative or an activated form of PAPC, we show that segmental PAPC activity is required for proper somite formation as well as for maintaining segmental gene expression within the PSM. CONCLUSIONS: Segmental expression of PAPC is established in the PSM as a downstream consequence of segmental patterning by Thylacine 1 and the Notch pathway. We propose that PAPC is part of the mechanism that establishes the segmental boundaries between posterior and anterior cells in adjacent segments.     

Xenopus paraxial protocadherin has signaling functions and is involved in tissue separation

Protocadherins have homophilic adhesion properties and mediate selective cell-cell adhesion and cell sorting. Knockdown of paraxial protocadherin (PAPC) function in the Xenopus embryo impairs tissue separation, a process that regulates separation of cells of ectodermal and mesodermal origin during gastrulation. We show that PAPC can modulate the activity of the Rho GTPase and c-jun N-terminal kinase, two regulators of the cytoskeletal architecture and effectors of the planar cell polarity pathway. This novel signaling function of PAPC is essential for the regulation of tissue separation. In addition, PAPC can interact with the Xenopus Frizzled 7 receptor, and both proteins contribute to the development of separation behavior by activating Rho and protein kinase Calpha.     

Oxidized phospatidylcholine but not native phosphatidylcholine inhibits inducible nitric oxide synthase in RAW 264.7 macrophages

This study was designed to compare the effects of oxidized 1-palmitoyl-2-arachidonyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine (PAPC) and native PAPC on the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the macrophage cell line RAW 264.7. Macrophages stimulated by bacterial lipopolysaccharide (1 microg/ml) were incubated with increasing amounts of native or oxidized PAPC (oxPAPC, 10-20 microg/ml). Cells incubated with oxPAPC showed a dose-dependent inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthesis, as well as reduced iNOS protein expression and mRNA levels. Additionally, chromatin immunoprecipitation assay revealed that oxPAPC reduced the interaction of the active NF-kappaB subunit p65 with the iNOS promoter region when compared to native PAPC.     

Phospholipid composition of reconstituted high density lipoproteins influences their ability to inhibit endothelial cell adhesion molecule expression

The ability of different phosphatidylcholine (PC) species to inhibit cytokine-induced expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was investigated. PC species containing palmitoyl- in the sn-1 position and palmitoyl- (DPPC), arachidonyl- (PAPC), linoleoyl- (PLPC) or oleoyl- (POPC) in the sn-2 position were compared. These PC species were studied as components of reconstituted high density lipoproteins (rHDL) (containing apolipoprotein A-I [apoA-I] as the sole protein) or as small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs). The rHDL containing PLPC and PAPC inhibited VCAM-1 expression in activated HUVECs by 95 and 70%, respectively, at an apoA-I concentration of 16 micrometer. At this concentration of apoA-I, POPC rHDL inhibited by only 16% and DPPC rHDL did not inhibit at all. These differences could not be explained by differential binding of the rHDL to HUVECs. The same hierarchy of inhibitory activity was observed when these PC species were presented to the cells as SUVs but only when the SUVs also contained an antioxidant. It was concluded that rHDL PC is responsible for their inhibitory activity and that this varies widely with different PC species.     

ANR5, an FGF target gene product, regulates gastrulation in Xenopus

Gastrulation is a morphogenetic process in which tightly coordinated cell and tissue movements establish the three germ layers (ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm) to define the anterior-to-posterior embryonic organization [1]. To elicit this movement, cells modulate membrane protrusions and undergo dynamic cell interactions. Here we report that ankyrin repeats domain protein 5 (xANR5), a novel FGF target gene product, regulates cell-protrusion formation and tissue separation, a process that develops the boundary between the ectoderm and mesoderm [2, 3], during Xenopus gastrulation. Loss of xANR5 function by antisense morpholino oligonucleotide (MO) caused a short trunk and spina bifida without affecting mesodermal gene expressions. xANR5-MO also blocked elongation of activin-treated animal caps (ACs) and tissue separation. The dorsal cells of xANR5-MO-injected embryos exhibited markedly reduced membrane protrusions, which could be restored by coinjecting active Rho. Active Rho also rescued the xANR5-MO-inhibited tissue separation. We further demonstrated that xANR5 interacted physically and functionally with paraxial protocadherin (PAPC), which has known functions in cell-sorting behavior, tissue separation, and gastrulation cell movements [4-6], to regulate early morphogenesis. Our findings reveal for the first time that xANR5 acts through Rho to regulate gastrulation and is an important cytoplasmic partner of PAPC, whose cytoplasmic partner was previously unknown.     

Structural elements necessary for oligomerization, trafficking, and cell sorting function of paraxial protocadherin

Protocadherins have been shown to regulate cell adhesion, cell migration, cell survival, and tissue morphogenesis in the embryo and the central nervous system, but little is known about the mechanism of protocadherin function. We previously showed that Xenopus paraxial protocadherin (PAPC) mediates cell sorting and morphogenesis by down-regulating the adhesion activity of a classical cadherin, C-cadherin. Classical cadherins function by forming lateral dimers that are necessary for their adhesive function. However, it is not known whether oligomerization also plays a role in protocadherin function. We show here that PAPC forms oligomers that are stabilized by disulfide bonds formed between conserved Cys residues in the extracellular domain. Disruption of these disulfide bonds by dithiothreitol or mutation of the conserved cysteines results in defects in oligomerization, post-translational modification, trafficking to the cell surface and cell sorting function of PAPC. Furthermore, none of the residues in the cytoplasmic domain of PAPC is required for its cell sorting activity, whereas both the transmembrane domain and the extracellular domain are necessary. Therefore, protein oligomerization and/or protein interactions via the extracellular and transmembrane domains of PAPC are required for its cell sorting function.     

A Protocadherin-Cadherin-FLRT3 Complex Controls Cell Adhesion and Morphogenesis

Background

Paraxial protocadherin (PAPC) and fibronectin leucine-rich domain transmembrane protein-3 (FLRT3) are induced by TGFβ signaling in Xenopus embryos and both regulate morphogenesis by inhibiting C-cadherin mediated cell adhesion.

Principal Findings

We have investigated the functional and physical relationships between PAPC, FLRT3, and C-cadherin. Although neither PAPC nor FLRT3 are required for each other to regulate C-cadherin adhesion, they do interact functionally and physically, and they form a complex with cadherins. By itself PAPC reduces cell adhesion physiologically to induce cell sorting, while FLRT3 disrupts adhesion excessively to cause cell dissociation. However, when expressed together PAPC limits the cell dissociating and tissue disrupting activity of FLRT3 to make it effective in physiological cell sorting. PAPC counteracts FLRT3 function by inhibiting the recruitment of the GTPase RND1 to the FLRT3 cytoplasmic domain.

Conclusions/Significance

PAPC and FLRT3 form a functional complex with cadherins and PAPC functions as a molecular “governor” to maintain FLRT3 activity at the optimal level for physiological regulation of C-cadherin adhesion, cell sorting, and morphogenesis.     

非洲爪蟾PAPC多克隆抗体的制备及其特异性鉴定

非洲爪蟾ParaxialProtocadherin(PAPC)是一个在爪蟾Spemann组织者特异表达的膜蛋白.它在爪蟾原肠运动阶段的汇聚延伸运动和体节发生阶段的体节边界形成,以及早期听泡的形态发生和细胞特化过程中都有重要的作用.为了研究PAPC基因在早期胚胎发育过程中的表达及其生物学功能,需要制备PAPC抗体.应用谷胱甘肽S-转移酶(glutathioneStransferase,GST)表达系统表达GST-PAPC融合蛋白,亲和纯化后用以免疫新西兰大白兔,获得PAPC多克隆抗体.免疫印迹分析发现,以1∶3000稀释的该多克隆抗体为一抗时,能够在转染了全长PAPC质粒的HEK293T细胞的蛋白质抽提物中,特异地识别出150ku的印迹条带.同时,GST-PAPC融合蛋白可以竞争性抑制该抗体对全长PAPC质粒转染细胞的蛋白质抽提物的特异性条带.用1∶500稀释的该抗体为一抗进行免疫荧光分析时,发现,PAPC多克隆抗体能够识别在HEK293T细胞中过表达以及爪蟾动物极细胞中过表达的PAPC蛋白,荧光信号定位在细胞膜上.免疫印迹分析证明,PAPC抗体能够识别爪蟾胚胎中内源表达的PAPC蛋白.     

Wnt-11 and Fz7 reduce cell adhesion in convergent extension by sequestration of PAPC and C-cadherin

Wnt-11/planar cell polarity signaling polarizes mesodermal cells undergoing convergent extension during Xenopus laevis gastrulation. These shape changes associated with lateral intercalation behavior require a dynamic modulation of cell adhesion. In this paper, we report that Wnt-11/frizzled-7 (Fz7) controls cell adhesion by forming separate adhesion-modulating complexes (AMCs) with the paraxial protocadherin (PAPC; denoted as AMCP) and C-cadherin (denoted as AMCC) via distinct Fz7 interaction domains. When PAPC was part of a Wnt-11-Fz7 complex, its Dynamin1- and clathrin-dependent internalization was blocked. This membrane stabilization of AMCP (Fz7/PAPC) by Wnt-11 prevented C-cadherin clustering, resulting in reduced cell adhesion and modified cell sorting activity. Importantly, Wnt-11 did not influence C-cadherin internalization; instead, it promoted the formation of AMCC (Fz7/Cadherin), which competed with cis-dimerization of C-cadherin. Because PAPC and C-cadherin did not directly interact and did not form a joint complex with Fz7, we suggest that Wnt-11 triggers the formation of two distinct complexes, AMCC and AMCP, that act in parallel to reduce cell adhesion by hampering lateral clustering of C-cadherin.     

Membrane fluidity is a key modulator of membrane binding, insertion, and activity of 5-lipoxygenase

Mammalian 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) catalyzes conversion of arachidonic acid to leukotrienes, potent mediators of inflammation and allergy. Upon cell stimulation, 5-LO selectively binds to nuclear membranes and becomes activated, yet the mechanism of recruitment of 5-LO to nuclear membranes and the mode of 5-LO-membrane interactions are poorly understood. Here we show that membrane fluidity is an important determinant of membrane binding strength of 5-LO, penetration into the membrane hydrophobic core, and activity of the enzyme. The membrane binding strength and activity of 5-LO increase with the degree of lipid acyl chain cis-unsaturation and reach a plateau with 1-palmitoyl-2-arachidonolyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (PAPC). A fraction of tryptophans of 5-LO penetrate into the hydrocarbon region of fluid PAPC membranes, but not into solid 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine membranes. Our data lead to a novel concept of membrane binding and activation of 5-LO, suggesting that arachidonic-acid-containing lipids, which are present in nuclear membranes at higher fractions than in other cellular membranes, may facilitate preferential membrane binding and insertion of 5-LO through increased membrane fluidity and may thereby modulate the activity of the enzyme. The data presented in this article and earlier data allow construction of a model for membrane-bound 5-LO, including the angular orientation and membrane insertion of the protein.     

CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase activation by oxidized phosphatidylcholines correlates with a decrease in lipid order: a 2H NMR analysis

The enzyme CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase (CT) binds reversibly to membranes and is active only in its membrane-bound form. Membrane lipid composition influences the equilibrium between its soluble and membrane-bound forms. Whereas the enzyme is not activated by phosphatidylcholine (PC) vesicles, it is activated by PC vesicles that have been oxidized with HClO(4) [Drobnies, A. E., et al. (1998) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1393, 90-98]. Here we explore the mechanism of activation of CT by a PC oxidized with lipoxidase. Multilamellar vesicles (MLVs) containing > or =5 mol % oxidized 1-palmitoyl-2-arachidonoylPC (PAPC) progressively activated the enzyme, which was fully activated by 25 mol % oxidized PC. The effect of oxidized PAPC on lipid order was investigated by (2)H NMR, using MLVs containing PAPC perdeuterated on the palmitoyl chain. Spectral depaking generated order parameter profiles along the sn-1 chain. The average order parameter (S(CD)) in the plateau region at 37 degrees C decreased from 0.18 to 0.15 with increasing percent of oxidized PAPC (0-25%). The change in S(CD) was even greater near the end of the palmitoyl chain. CT activation was inversely related to lipid order. The major component of the lipoxidase-oxidized PAPC was purified and characterized by mass spectrometry and NMR. This component, 1-palmitoyl-2-(11,15-dihydroxy)eicosatrienoylPC (dihydroxyPAPC), incorporated into PAPC MLVs, also stimulated CT activity and reduced the lipid order parameter. Both effects were reversed by egg sphingomyelin. We propose that CT activation by oxidized PAPC is mediated by effects on lipid packing perturbations. This is the first study to report the effects of a purified oxidized PC on the orientational order along the acyl chain and to correlate the lipid disordering of the oxidized PC with the activation of a membrane-associated regulatory enzyme.     

Inhibition of LPS- and CpG DNA-induced TNF-alpha response by oxidized phospholipids

Lipid oxidation is commonly seen in the innate immune response, in which reactive oxygen intermediates are generated to kill pathogenic microorganisms. Although oxidation products of phospholipids have generally been regarded to play a role in a number of chronic inflammatory processes, several studies have shown that oxidized phospholipids inhibit the LPS-induced acute proinflammatory response in cultured macrophages and endothelial cells. We report in this study that oxidized 1-palmitoyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine (PAPC), but not nonoxidized PAPC, significantly inhibits the LPS-induced TNF-alpha response in intact mice. Oxidized PAPC also inhibits the 2'-deoxyribo(cytidine-phosphate-guanosine) (CpG) DNA-induced TNF-alpha response in cultured macrophages and intact mice. To elucidate the mechanisms of action, we show that oxidized PAPC, but not nonoxidized PAPC, inhibits the LPS- and CpG-induced activation of p38 MAPK and the NF-kappaB cascade. These results suggest a role for oxidized lipids as a negative regulator in controlling the magnitude of the innate immune response. Further studies on the mechanisms of action may lead to development of a new type of anti-inflammatory drug for treatment of acute inflammatory diseases such as sepsis.