Aberrant Splice Variants of HAS1 (Hyaluronan Synthase 1) Multimerize with and Modulate Normally Spliced HAS1 Protein: A POTENTIAL MECHANISM PROMOTING HUMAN CANCER*

Most human genes undergo alternative splicing, but aberrant splice forms are hallmarks of many cancers, usually resulting from mutations initiating abnormal exon skipping, intron retention, or the introduction of a new splice sites. We have identified a family of aberrant splice variants of HAS1 (the hyaluronan synthase 1 gene) in some B lineage cancers, characterized by exon skipping and/or partial intron retention events that occur either together or independently in different variants, apparently due to accumulation of inherited and acquired mutations. Cellular, biochemical, and oncogenic properties of full-length HAS1 (HAS1-FL) and HAS1 splice variants Va, Vb, and Vc (HAS1-Vs) are compared and characterized. When co-expressed, the properties of HAS1-Vs are dominant over those of HAS1-FL. HAS1-FL appears to be diffusely expressed in the cell, but HAS1-Vs are concentrated in the cytoplasm and/or Golgi apparatus. HAS1-Vs synthesize detectable de novo HA intracellularly. Each of the HAS1-Vs is able to relocalize HAS1-FL protein from diffuse cytoskeleton-anchored locations to deeper cytoplasmic spaces. This HAS1-Vs-mediated relocalization occurs through strong molecular interactions, which also serve to protect HAS1-FL from its otherwise high turnover kinetics. In co-transfected cells, HAS1-FL and HAS1-Vs interact with themselves and with each other to form heteromeric multiprotein assemblies. HAS1-Vc was found to be transforming in vitro and tumorigenic in vivo when introduced as a single oncogene to untransformed cells. The altered distribution and half-life of HAS1-FL, coupled with the characteristics of the HAS1-Vs suggest possible mechanisms whereby the aberrant splicing observed in human cancer may contribute to oncogenesis and disease progression.About 70–80% of human genes undergo alternative splicing, contributing to proteomic diversity and regulatory complexities in normal development (1). About 10% of mutations listed so far in the Human Gene Mutation Database (HGMD) of “gene lesions responsible for human inherited disease” were found to be located within splice sites. Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly apparent that aberrant splice variants, generated mostly due to splicing defects, play a key role in cancer. Germ line or acquired genomic changes (mutations) in/around splicing elements (2–4) promote aberrant splicing and aberrant protein isoforms.Hyaluronan (HA)³ is synthesized by three different plasma membrane-bound hyaluronan synthases (1, 2, and 3). HAS1 undergoes alternative and aberrant intronic splicing in multiple myeloma, producing truncated variants termed Va, Vb, and Vc (5, 6), which predicted for poor survival in a cohort of multiple myeloma patients (5). Our work suggests that this aberrant splicing arises due to inherited predispositions and acquired mutations in the HAS1 gene (7). Cancer-related, defective mRNA splicing caused by polymorphisms and/or mutations in splicing elements often results in inactivation of tumor suppressor activity (e.g. HRPT2 (8, 9), PTEN (10), MLHI (11–14), and ATR (15)) or generation of dominant negative inhibitors (e.g. CHEK2 (16) and VWOX (17)). In breast cancer, aberrantly spliced forms of progesterone and estrogen receptors are found (reviewed in Ref. 3). Intronic mutations inactivate p53 through aberrant splicing and intron retention (18). Somatic mutations with the potential to alter splicing are frequent in some cancers (19–25). Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the cyclin D1 proto-oncogene predispose to aberrant splicing and the cyclin D1b intronic splice variant (26–29). Cyclin D1b confers anchorage independence, is tumorogenic in vivo, and is detectable in human tumors (30), but as yet no clinical studies have confirmed an impact on outcome. On the other hand, aberrant splicing of HAS1 shows an association between aberrant splice variants and malignancy, suggesting that such variants may be potential therapeutic targets and diagnostic indicators (19, 31–33). Increased HA expression has been associated with malignant progression of multiple tumor types, including breast, prostate, colon, glioma, mesothelioma, and multiple myeloma (34). The three mammalian HA synthase (HAS) isoenzymes synthesize HA and are integral transmembrane proteins with a probable porelike structural assembly (35–39). Although in humans, the three HAS genes are located on different chromosomes (hCh19, hCh8, and hCh16, respectively) (40), they share a high degree of sequence homology (41, 42). HAS isoenzymes synthesize a different size range of HA molecules, which exhibit different functions (43, 44). HASs contribute to a variety of cancers (45–55). Overexpression of HASs promotes growth and/or metastatic development in fibrosarcoma, prostate, and mammary carcinoma, and the removal of the HA matrix from a migratory cell membrane inhibits cell movement (45, 53). HAS2 confers anchorage independence (56). Our work has shown aberrant HAS1 splicing in multiple myeloma (5) and Waldenstrom''s macroglobulinemia (6). HAS1 is overexpressed in colon (57), ovarian (58), endometrial (59), mesothelioma (60), and bladder cancers (61). A HAS1 splice variant is detected in bladder cancer (61).Here, we characterize molecular and biochemical characteristics of HAS1 variants (HAS1-Vs) (5), generated by aberrant splicing. Using transient transfectants and tagged HAS1 family constructs, we show that HAS1-Vs differ in cellular localization, de novo HA localization, and turnover kinetics, as compared with HAS1-FL, and dominantly influence HAS1-FL when co-expressed. HAS1-Vs proteins form intra- and intermolecular associations among themselves and with HAS1-FL, including covalent interactions and multimer formation. HAS1-Vc supports vigorous cellular transformation of NIH3T3 cells in vitro, and HAS1-Vc-transformed NIH3T3 cells are tumorogenic in vivo.     

Sip1, a Novel RS Domain-Containing Protein Essential for Pre-mRNA Splicing

Previous studies have shown that protein-protein interactions among splicing factors may play an important role in pre-mRNA splicing. We report here identification and functional characterization of a new splicing factor, Sip1 (SC35-interacting protein 1). Sip1 was initially identified by virtue of its interaction with SC35, a splicing factor of the SR family. Sip1 interacts with not only several SR proteins but also with U1-70K and U2AF65, proteins associated with 5′ and 3′ splice sites, respectively. The predicted Sip1 sequence contains an arginine-serine-rich (RS) domain but does not have any known RNA-binding motifs, indicating that it is not a member of the SR family. Sip1 also contains a region with weak sequence similarity to the Drosophila splicing regulator suppressor of white apricot (SWAP). An essential role for Sip1 in pre-mRNA splicing was suggested by the observation that anti-Sip1 antibodies depleted splicing activity from HeLa nuclear extract. Purified recombinant Sip1 protein, but not other RS domain-containing proteins such as SC35, ASF/SF2, and U2AF65, restored the splicing activity of the Sip1-immunodepleted extract. Addition of U2AF65 protein further enhanced the splicing reconstitution by the Sip1 protein. Deficiency in the formation of both A and B splicing complexes in the Sip1-depleted nuclear extract indicates an important role of Sip1 in spliceosome assembly. Together, these results demonstrate that Sip1 is a novel RS domain-containing protein required for pre-mRNA splicing and that the functional role of Sip1 in splicing is distinct from those of known RS domain-containing splicing factors.Pre-mRNA splicing takes place in spliceosomes, the large RNA-protein complexes containing pre-mRNA, U1, U2, U4/6, and U5 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles (snRNPs), and a large number of accessory protein factors (for reviews, see references 21, 22, 37, 44, and 48). It is increasingly clear that the protein factors are important for pre-mRNA splicing and that studies of these factors are essential for further understanding of molecular mechanisms of pre-mRNA splicing.Most mammalian splicing factors have been identified by biochemical fractionation and purification (3, 15, 19, 31–36, 45, 69–71, 73), by using antibodies recognizing splicing factors (8, 9, 16, 17, 61, 66, 67, 74), and by sequence homology (25, 52, 74).Splicing factors containing arginine-serine-rich (RS) domains have emerged as important players in pre-mRNA splicing. These include members of the SR family, both subunits of U2 auxiliary factor (U2AF), and the U1 snRNP protein U1-70K (for reviews, see references 18, 41, and 59). Drosophila alternative splicing regulators transformer (Tra), transformer 2 (Tra2), and suppressor of white apricot (SWAP) also contain RS domains (20, 40, 42). RS domains in these proteins play important roles in pre-mRNA splicing (7, 71, 75), in nuclear localization of these splicing proteins (23, 40), and in protein-RNA interactions (56, 60, 64). Previous studies by us and others have demonstrated that one mechanism whereby SR proteins function in splicing is to mediate specific protein-protein interactions among spliceosomal components and between general splicing factors and alternative splicing regulators (1, 1a, 6, 10, 27, 63, 74, 77). Such protein-protein interactions may play critical roles in splice site recognition and association (for reviews, see references 4, 18, 37, 41, 47 and 59). Specific interactions among the splicing factors also suggest that it is possible to identify new splicing factors by their interactions with known splicing factors.Here we report identification of a new splicing factor, Sip1, by its interaction with the essential splicing factor SC35. The predicted Sip1 protein sequence contains an RS domain and a region with sequence similarity to the Drosophila splicing regulator, SWAP. We have expressed and purified recombinant Sip1 protein and raised polyclonal antibodies against the recombinant Sip1 protein. The anti-Sip1 antibodies specifically recognize a protein migrating at a molecular mass of approximately 210 kDa in HeLa nuclear extract. The anti-Sip1 antibodies sufficiently deplete Sip1 protein from the nuclear extract, and the Sip1-depleted extract is inactive in pre-mRNA splicing. Addition of recombinant Sip1 protein can partially restore splicing activity to the Sip1-depleted nuclear extract, indicating an essential role of Sip1 in pre-mRNA splicing. Other RS domain-containing proteins, including SC35, ASF/SF2, and U2AF65, cannot substitute for Sip1 in reconstituting splicing activity of the Sip1-depleted nuclear extract. However, addition of U2AF65 further increases splicing activity of Sip1-reconstituted nuclear extract, suggesting that there may be a functional interaction between Sip1 and U2AF65 in nuclear extract.     

Human Disease-causing Mutations Disrupt an N-C-terminal Interaction and Channel Function of Bestrophin 1

Mutations in the human bestrophin 1 (hBest1) chloride channel cause Best vitelliform macular dystrophy. Although mutations in its transmembrane domains were found to alter biophysical properties of the channel, the mechanism for disease-causing mutations in its N and C termini remains elusive. We hypothesized that these mutations lead to channel dysfunction through disruption of an N-C-terminal interaction. Here, we present data demonstrating that hBest1 N and C termini indeed interact both in vivo and in vitro. In addition, using a spectrum-based fluorescence resonance energy transfer method, we showed that functional hBest1 channels in the plasma membrane were multimers. Disease-causing mutations in the N terminus (R19C, R25C, and K30C) and the C terminus (G299E, D301N, and D312N) caused channel dysfunction and disruption of the N-C interaction. Consistent with the functional and biochemical results, mutants D301N and D312N clearly reduced fluorescence resonance energy transfer signal, indicating that the N-C interaction was indeed perturbed. These results suggest that hBest1 functions as a multimer in the plasma membrane, and disruption of the N-C interaction by mutations leads to hBest1 channel dysfunction.Extensive evidence has shown that bestrophins are anion channels when expressed heterologously in cell lines (1–9) and represent a type of endogenous calcium-activated chlorine channel in several cell types (10–12). Mutations disrupting hBest1 channel function lead to Best vitelliform macular dystrophy (Best disease) (13). Bestrophin 1 channels have been reported to exist as oligomers (2, 14). Results from immunoprecipitation experiments suggested that hBest1 exists as tetramers or pentamers when expressed heterologously (2), whereas a hydrodynamic study based on the calculations of the molecular mass of the Best1-detergent complex concluded that native porcine Best1 channels are dimers (14). Besides the uncertainty about the subunit stoichiometry, it is still unclear how bestrophin subunits assemble and interact in functional channels.Understanding how disease-causing mutations might adversely affect the assembly and interaction of bestrophin subunits is important for elucidating the molecular mechanism underlying the Best disease. The hBest1 protein contains six transmembrane domains (TMD1–6) with intracellularly located N and C termini. There are three “hot spots” of disease-causing mutations in hBest1: the N-terminal region, TMD2, and the C terminus proximal to TMD6 (13, 15). Multiple lines of evidence support that mutations in TMD2 alter the biophysical properties of the channel (3, 4, 7). How mutations distributed around the N- and C-terminal regions cause Best disease is less clear, although strong evidence recently suggested that certain mutations in the C terminus disrupt hBest1 channel gating by Ca²⁺ (16). N-C-terminal interaction of multimeric channels has been demonstrated to be involved in the activation of many channel types including inward rectifier K⁺ channels (17) and cyclic nucleotide-gated channels (18–20). In the present study we tested the hypothesis that an interaction between the N and C termini plays an important role in normal hBest1 channel function, and weakening or disruption of this interaction by mutations leads to channel dysfunction.To test our hypothesis, we introduced disease-causing mutations into the N- or C-terminal regions of hBest1 expressed in HEK293 cells and tested the effects of mutations on subunit interaction and channel function with a combination of electrophysiological, biochemical, and optical methods. We found that these mutations not only disrupted channel function but also caused N- and C-terminal dissociation both in vitro and in vivo. The findings suggest a novel molecular mechanism for the mutations in hBest1 to cause human Best disease.     

Multifunctional Role of His159in the Catalytic Reaction of Serine Palmitoyltransferase

Serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT) belongs to the fold type I family of the pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme and forms 3-ketodihydrosphingosine (KDS) from l-serine and palmitoyl-CoA. Like other α-oxamine synthase subfamily enzymes, SPT is different from most of the fold type I enzymes in that its re face of the PLP-Lys aldimine is occupied by a His residue (His¹⁵⁹) instead of an aromatic amino acid residue. His¹⁵⁹ was changed into alanine or aromatic amino acid residues to examine its role during catalysis. All mutant SPTs formed the PLP-l-serine aldimine with dissociation constants several 10-fold higher than that of the wild type SPT and catalyzed the abortive transamination of l-serine. These results indicate that His¹⁵⁹ is not only the anchoring site for l-serine but regulates the α-deprotonation of l-serine by fixing the conformation of the PLP-l-serine aldimine to prevent unwanted side reactions. Only H159A SPT retained activity and showed a prominent 505-nm absorption band of the quinonoid species during catalysis. Global analysis of the time-resolved spectra suggested the presence of the two quinonoid intermediates, the first formed from the PLP-l-serine aldimine and the second from the PLP-KDS aldimine. Accumulation of these quinonoid intermediates indicated that His¹⁵⁹ promotes both the Claisen-type condensation as an acid catalyst and the protonation at Cα of the second quinonoid to form the PLP-KDS aldimine. These results, combined with the previous model building study (Ikushiro, H., Fujii, S., Shiraiwa, Y., and Hayashi, H. (2008) J. Biol. Chem. 283, 7542–7553), lead us to propose a novel mechanism, in which His¹⁵⁹ plays multiple roles by exploiting the stereochemistry of Dunathan''s conjecture.Coenzymes act as catalysts in biological systems, and many enzymes require coenzymes as the important catalytic group. In most cases, coenzymes can carry out the catalysis in the absence of the enzyme protein. However, the reaction rate is much lower than the rate in the system containing the enzyme protein. Furthermore, the reaction specificity is reduced in the nonenzymatic system; coenzymes without the enzyme protein tend to undergo side reactions. A remarkable example is the coenzyme pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP).³ PLP is a versatile catalyst catalyzing transamination, decarboxylation, elimination, aldol cleavage, Claisen-type condensation, etc. of amino acids. Therefore, a pyridoxal enzyme is required to have a structure that enables elaborated chemical mechanism by which only a specific reaction proceeds at each catalytic step.Serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT) catalyzes the condensation reaction of l-serine and palmitoyl-CoA to produce 3-ketodihydrosphingosine (KDS) (1). This is the first step in the sphingolipid biosynthesis. SPT belongs to the PLP-dependent α-oxamine synthase subfamily containing 5-aminolevulinate synthase, 8-amino-7-oxononanoate synthase, and 2-amino-3-ketobutyrate CoA ligase (2–6). All of them have been successfully crystallized, and their three-dimensional structures have been determined (7–12). These enzymes belong to the fold type I family of the PLP-dependent enzymes according to their folding pattern (5, 6). The commonly known fold type I PLP-dependent enzymes have an aromatic amino acid residue locating at the re face of the PLP-Lys internal aldimine and stacking with the pyridine ring of PLP. On the other hand, all members of the PLP-dependent α-oxamine synthase subfamily known to date have a His residue in this position. Therefore, the His residue is expected to play unique roles in the reaction mechanism of the PLP-dependent α-oxamine synthase subfamily enzymes.Scheme 1 shows the chemical reaction mechanism of SPT (1, 13). At the active site of SPT, PLP forms an aldimine with the ϵ-amino group of Lys²⁶⁵ (internal aldimine, I). The internal aldimine undergoes transaldimination with the first substrate l-serine to yield the PLP-l-serine aldimine (external aldimine, II). After binding of the second substrate palmitoyl-CoA, α-deprotonation occurs to form the first quinonoid intermediate (III). The carbanionic Cα of III attacks palmitoyl-CoA (Claisen-type condensation) to generate a condensation product (IV), which, by decarboxylation, yields the second quinonoid intermediate (V). Protonation at Cα of V gives the external aldimine of PLP-KDS (VI). Finally, release of KDS regenerates the internal aldimine (I). For this reaction mechanism, we proposed by model building studies that His¹⁵⁹ of SPT is the anchoring site for both l-serine and palmitoyl-CoA and possibly involved in the catalytic steps (13). However, no experimental analyses have been made to confirm this proposal or to gain further insight into the function of the residue. To determine the catalytic role of His¹⁵⁹, especially its role in the reaction specificity of PLP-dependent α-oxamine synthase subfamily enzymes, we constructed mutant Sphingomonas paucimobilis SPTs, in which His¹⁵⁹ was replaced by Ala and aromatic amino acid residues, and analyzed the reaction of these mutant enzymes. The results showed that His¹⁵⁹ has at least two additional distinct functions: one as a residue that controls the reaction pathway by adjusting the conformation of the PLP-l-serine external aldimine and the other as an acid catalyst that promotes the reactions of the Claisen-type condensation and the following steps.Open in a separate windowSCHEME 1.Reaction mechanism of SPT. The results were taken from Refs. 1 and 13 with modifications.     

The Mouse C2C12 Myoblast Cell Surface N-Linked Glycoproteome: IDENTIFICATION, GLYCOSITE OCCUPANCY, AND MEMBRANE ORIENTATION*

Endogenous regeneration and repair mechanisms are responsible for replacing dead and damaged cells to maintain or enhance tissue and organ function, and one of the best examples of endogenous repair mechanisms involves skeletal muscle. Although the molecular mechanisms that regulate the differentiation of satellite cells and myoblasts toward myofibers are not fully understood, cell surface proteins that sense and respond to their environment play an important role. The cell surface capturing technology was used here to uncover the cell surface N-linked glycoprotein subproteome of myoblasts and to identify potential markers of myoblast differentiation. 128 bona fide cell surface-exposed N-linked glycoproteins, including 117 transmembrane, four glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored, five extracellular matrix, and two membrane-associated proteins were identified from mouse C2C12 myoblasts. The data set revealed 36 cluster of differentiation-annotated proteins and confirmed the occupancy for 235 N-linked glycosylation sites. The identification of the N-glycosylation sites on the extracellular domain of the proteins allowed for the determination of the orientation of the identified proteins within the plasma membrane. One glycoprotein transmembrane orientation was found to be inconsistent with Swiss-Prot annotations, whereas ambiguous annotations for 14 other proteins were resolved. Several of the identified N-linked glycoproteins, including aquaporin-1 and β-sarcoglycan, were found in validation experiments to change in overall abundance as the myoblasts differentiate toward myotubes. Therefore, the strategy and data presented shed new light on the complexity of the myoblast cell surface subproteome and reveal new targets for the clinically important characterization of cell intermediates during myoblast differentiation into myotubes.Endogenous regeneration and repair mechanisms are responsible for replacing dead and damaged cells to maintain or enhance tissue and organ function. One of the best examples of endogenous repair mechanisms involves skeletal muscle, which has innate regenerative capacity (for reviews, see Refs. 1–4). Skeletal muscle repair begins with satellite cells, a heterogeneous population of mitotically quiescent cells located in the basal lamina that surrounds adult skeletal myofibers (5, 6), that, when activated, rapidly proliferate (7). The progeny of activated satellite cells, known as myogenic precursor cells or myoblasts, undergo several rounds of division prior to withdrawal from the cell cycle. This is followed by fusion to form terminally differentiated multinucleated myotubes and skeletal myofibers (7, 8). These cells effectively repair or replace damaged cells or contribute to an increase in skeletal muscle mass.The molecular mechanisms that regulate differentiation of satellite cells and myoblasts toward myofibers are not fully understood, although it is known that the cell surface proteome plays an important biological role in skeletal muscle differentiation. Examples include how cell surface proteins modulate myoblast elongation, orientation, and fusion (for a review, see Ref. 8). The organization and fusion of myoblasts is mediated, in part, by cadherins (for reviews, see Refs. 9 and 10), which enhance skeletal muscle differentiation and are implicated in myoblast fusion (11). Neogenin, another cell surface protein, is also a likely regulator of myotube formation via the netrin ligand signal transduction pathway (12, 13), and the family of sphingosine 1-phosphate receptors (Edg receptors) are known key signal transduction molecules involved in regulating myogenic differentiation (14–17). Given the important role of these proteins, identifying and characterizing the cell surface proteins present on myoblasts in a more comprehensive approach could provide insights into the molecular mechanisms involved in skeletal muscle development and repair. The identification of naturally occurring cell surface proteins (i.e. markers) could also foster the enrichment and/or characterization of cell intermediates during differentiation that could be useful therapeutically.Although it is possible to use techniques such as flow cytometry, antibody arrays, and microscopy to probe for known proteins on the cell surface in discrete populations, these methods rely on a priori knowledge of the proteins present on the cell surface and the availability/specificity of an antibody. Proteomics approaches coupled with mass spectrometry offer an alternative approach that is antibody-independent and allows for the de novo discovery of proteins on the surface. One approach, which was used in the current study, exploits the fact that a majority of the cell surface proteins are glycosylated (18). The method uses hydrazide chemistry (19) to immobilize and enrich for glycoproteins/glycopeptides, and previous studies using this chemistry have successfully identified soluble glycoproteins (20–24) as well as cell surface glycoproteins (25–28). A recently optimized hydrazide chemistry strategy by Wollscheid et al. (29) termed cell surface capturing (CSC)¹ technology, reports the ability to identify cell surface (plasma membrane) proteins specifically with little (<15%) contamination from non-cell surface proteins. The specificity stems from the fact that the oligosaccharide structure is labeled using membrane-impermeable reagents while the cells are intact rather than after cell lysis. Consequently, only extracellular oligosaccharides are labeled and subsequently captured. Utilizing information regarding the glycosylation site then allows for a rapid elimination of nonspecifically captured proteins (i.e. non-cell surface proteins) during the data analysis process, a feature that makes this approach unique to methods where no label or tag is used. Additionally, the CSC technology provides information about glycosylation site occupancy (i.e. whether a potential N-linked glycosylation site is actually glycosylated), which is important for determining the protein orientation within the membrane and, therefore, antigen selection and antibody design.To uncover information about the cell surface of myoblasts and to identify potential markers of myoblast differentiation, we used the CSC technology on the mouse myoblast C2C12 cell line model system (30, 31). This adherent cell line derived from satellite cells has routinely been used as a model for skeletal muscle development (e.g. Refs. 1, 32, and 33), skeletal muscle differentiation (e.g. Refs. 34–36), and studying muscular dystrophy (e.g. Refs. 37–39). Additionally, these cells have been used in cell-based therapies (e.g. Refs. 40–42). Using the CSC technology, 128 cell surface N-linked glycoproteins were identified, including several that were found to change in overall abundance as the myoblasts differentiate toward myotubes. The current data also confirmed the occupancy of 235 N-linked glycosites of which 226 were previously unconfirmed. The new information provided by the current study is expected to facilitate the development of useful tools for studying the differentiation of myoblasts toward myotubes.     

Liver-specific Deficiency of Serine Palmitoyltransferase Subunit 2 Decreases Plasma Sphingomyelin and Increases Apolipoprotein E Levels

Sphingomyelin (SM) is one of the major lipid components of plasma lipoproteins. Serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT) is the key enzyme in SM biosynthesis. Mice totally lacking in SPT are embryonic lethal. The liver is the major site for plasma lipoprotein biosynthesis, secretion, and degradation, and in this study we utilized a liver-specific knock-out approach for evaluating liver SPT activity and also its role in plasma SM and lipoprotein metabolism. We found that a deficiency of liver-specific Sptlc2 (a subunit of SPT) decreased liver SPT protein mass and activity by 95 and 92%, respectively, but had no effect on other tissues. Liver Sptlc2 deficiency decreased plasma SM levels (in both high density lipoprotein and non-high density lipoprotein fractions) by 36 and 35% (p < 0.01), respectively, and increased phosphatidylcholine levels by 19% (p < 0.05), thus increasing the phosphatidylcholine/SM ratio by 77% (p < 0.001), compared with controls. This deficiency also decreased SM levels in the liver by 38% (p < 0.01) and in the hepatocyte plasma membranes (based on a lysenin-mediated cell lysis assay). Liver-specific Sptlc2 deficiency significantly increased hepatocyte apoE secretion and thus increased plasma apoE levels 3.5-fold (p < 0.0001). Furthermore, plasma from Sptlc2 knock-out mice had a significantly stronger potential for promoting cholesterol efflux from macrophages than from wild-type mice (p < 0.01) because of a greater amount of apoE in the circulation. As a result of these findings, we believe that the ability to control liver SPT activity could result in regulation of lipoprotein metabolism and might have an impact on the development of atherosclerosis.Sphingomyelin (SM),² an amphipathic phospholipid located in the surface monolayer of all classes of plasma lipoproteins (LDL/very low density lipoprotein, 70–75%; HDL, 25–30%) (1), has significant effects on lipoprotein metabolism.A number of studies indicate that plasma SM levels influence the metabolism of apoB-containing lipoproteins. It has been reported that SM, but not cholesterol, significantly inhibits triglyceride lipolysis by lipoprotein lipase (2, 3). It has also been found that SM in lipoproteins delays remnant clearance by decreasing the binding of apoE to cell membrane receptors (4).Plasma SM levels also influence high density lipoprotein (HDL) metabolism. There have been reports that SM affects the structure of discoidal and spherical HDL (5). SM can inhibit lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase by decreasing its binding to HDL (6). A negative correlation between the SM content of HDL and lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase activity was observed in studies with proteoliposomes or reconstituted HDL (7). SM-rich recombinant HDL can inhibit scavenger receptor class B type I-mediated cholesterol ester-selective uptake in HepG2 cells (8).It is known that subendothelial retention and aggregation of atherogenic lipoproteins play an important role in atherogenesis (9). LDL extracted from human atherosclerotic lesions is highly enriched in SM than in plasma LDL (10–13). LDL retained in atherosclerotic lesions is acted on by an arterial wall sphingomyelinase, which promotes aggregation by converting SM to ceramide (10–12). Sphingomyelinase deficiency diminishes lipoprotein retention within early atheromata and prevents lesion progression (14). The ratio of SM to PC is increased 5-fold in very low density lipoprotein from hypercholesterolemic rabbits (15). ApoE knock-out (KO) mice are a well known atherogenic model. It has been shown that plasma SM levels in these mice are 4-fold higher than in WT animals (16), and this may contribute to increased atherosclerosis (17, 18). It has also been shown that in humans, higher plasma SM levels and SM/PC ratios are independent risk factors for coronary heart disease (19, 20). All these data suggest that plasma SM plays a critical role in the development of atherosclerosis.The interaction of SM, cholesterol, and glycosphingolipids drives the formation of plasma membrane rafts (21). These rafts, formed in the Golgi apparatus, are targeted to the plasma membranes, where they are thought to exist as islands within the sea of bulk membrane. Although there is disagreement as to their content, rafts are considered in most reports to include about 3500 lipid molecules and 30 proteins (22). As much as 65% of the total cellular SM is located in these rafts (23). Manipulation of membrane SM levels by sphingomyelinase can alter lipid raft composition, thus modifying cell function. For example, cholesterol efflux from macrophage foam cells, a key step in reverse cholesterol transport, requires trafficking of cholesterol from intracellular sites to the plasma membranes. Sphingomyelinase deficiency decreases cholesterol efflux through promoting cholesterol sequestration by SM (24).The biochemical synthesis of SM occurs through the actions of serine palmitoyl-CoA transferase (SPT), 3-ketosphinganine reductase, ceramide synthase, dihydroceramide desaturase, and sphingomyelin synthase. Located in the endoplasmic reticulum membranes, SPT is the rate-limiting enzyme in the pathway (25). Mammalian SPT contains two subunits, Sptlc1 and Sptlc2, encoding 53- and 63-kDa proteins, respectively (26, 27). Data from in vivo and in vitro studies suggest that each subunit is stabilized by forming a dimer (or possibly larger multimer) with the other (28). Another subunit, Sptlc3, has been reported (29), and it is important that its functions be further characterized.Mice totally lacking Sptlc1 or Sptlc2 are embryonic lethal (30). Because the liver is the major site for plasma lipoprotein biosynthesis, secretion, and degradation, we utilized a liver-specific knock-out approach for evaluating liver SPT activity and its role in plasma SM and lipoprotein metabolism. We found that Sptlc2 deficiency in the liver decreases plasma SM and increases apoE levels.     

Tyrosine Phosphorylation of Growth Factor Receptor-bound Protein-7 by Focal Adhesion Kinase in the Regulation of Cell Migration, Proliferation, and Tumorigenesis

We have previously reported that growth factor receptor-bound protein-7 (Grb7), an Src-homology 2 (SH2)-containing adaptor protein, enables interaction with focal adhesion kinase (FAK) to regulate cell migration in response to integrin activation. To further elucidate the signaling events mediated by FAK·Grb7 complexes in promoting cell migration and other cellular functions, we firstly examined the phos pho ryl a ted tyrosine site(s) of Grb7 by FAK using an in vivo mutagenesis. We found that FAK was capable of phos pho rylating at least 2 of 12 tyrosine residues within Grb7, Tyr-188 and Tyr-338. Moreover, mutations converting the identified Tyr to Phe inhibited integrin-dependent cell migration as well as impaired cell proliferation but not survival compared with the wild-type control. Interestingly, the above inhibitory effects caused by the tyrosine phos pho ryl a tion-deficient mutants are probably attributed to their down-regulation of phospho-Tyr-397 of FAK, thereby implying a mechanism by competing with wild-type Grb7 for binding to FAK. Consequently, these tyrosine phos pho ryl a tion-deficient mutants evidently altered the phospho-Tyr-118 of paxillin and phos pho ryl a tion of ERK1/2 but less on phospho-Ser-473 of AKT, implying their involvement in the FAK·Grb7-mediated cellular functions. Additionally, we also illustrated that the formation of FAK·Grb7 complexes and Grb7 phos pho ryl a tion by FAK in an integrin-dependent manner were essential for cell migration, proliferation and anchorage-independent growth in A431 epidermal carcinoma cells, indicating the importance of FAK·Grb7 complexes in tumorigenesis. Our data provide a better understanding on the signal transduction event for FAK·Grb7-mediated cellular functions as well as to shed light on a potential therapeutic in cancers.Growth factor receptor bound protein-7 (Grb7)² is initially identified as a SH2 domain-containing adaptor protein bound to the activated EGF receptor (1). Grb7 is composed of an N-terminal proline-rich region, following a putative RA (Ras-associating) domain and a central PH (pleckstrin homology) domain and a BPS motif (between PH and SH2 domains), and a C-terminal SH2 domain (2–6). Despite the lack of enzymatic activity, the presence of multiple protein-protein interaction domains allows Grb7 family adaptor proteins to participate in versatile signal transduction pathways and, therefore, to regulate many cellular functions (4–6). A number of signaling molecules has been reported to interact with these featured domains, although most of the identified Grb7 binding partners are mediated through its SH2 domain. For example, the SH2 domain of Grb7 has been demonstrated to be capable of binding to the phospho-tyrosine sites of EGF receptor (1), ErbB2 (7), ErbB3 and ErbB4 (8), Ret (9), platelet-derived growth factor receptor (10), insulin receptor (11), SHPTP2 (12), Tek/Tie2 (13), caveolin (14), c-Kit (15), EphB1 (16), G6f immunoreceptor protein (17), Rnd1 (18), Shc (7), FAK (19), and so on. The proceeding α-helix of the PH domain of Grb7 is the calmodulin-binding domain responsible for recruiting Grb7 to plasma membrane in a Ca²⁺-dependent manner (20), and the association between the PH domain of Grb7 and phosphoinositides is required for the phosphorylation by FAK (21). Two additional proteins, NIK (nuclear factor κB-inducing kinase) and FHL2 (four and half lim domains isoform 2), in association with the GM region (Grb and Mig homology region) of Grb7 are also reported, although the physiological functions for these interactions remain unknown (22, 23). Recently, other novel roles in translational controls and stress responses through the N terminus of Grb7 are implicated for the findings of Grb7 interacting with the 5′-untranslated region of capped targeted KOR (kappa opioid receptor) mRNA and the Hu antigen R of stress granules in an FAK-mediated phosphorylation manner (24, 25).Unlike its member proteins Grb10 and Grb14, the role of Grb7 in cell migration is unambiguous and well documented. This is supported by a series of studies. Firstly, Grb7 family members share a significantly conserved molecular architecture with the Caenorhabditis elegans Mig-10 protein, which is involved in neuronal cell migration during embryonic development (4, 5, 26), suggesting that Grb7 may play a role in cell migration. Moreover, Grb7 is often co-amplified with Her2/ErbB2 in certain human cancers and tumor cell lines (7, 27, 28), and its overexpression resulted in invasive and metastatic consequences of various cancers and tumor cells (23, 29–33). On the contrary, knocking down Grb7 by RNA interference conferred to an inhibitory outcome of the breast cancer motility (34). Furthermore, interaction of Grb7 with autophosphorylated FAK at Tyr-397 could promote integrin-mediated cell migration in NIH 3T3 and CHO cells, whereas overexpression of its SH2 domain, an dominant negative mutant of Grb7, inhibited cell migration (19, 35). Recruitment and phosphorylation of Grb7 by EphB1 receptors enhanced cell migration in an ephrin-dependent manner (16). Recently, G7–18NATE, a selective Grb7-SH2 domain affinity cyclic peptide, was demonstrated to efficiently block cell migration of tumor cells (32, 36). In addition to cell migration, Grb7 has been shown to play a role in a variety of physiological and pathological events, for instance, kidney development (37), tumorigenesis (7, 14, 38–41), angiogenic activity (20), proliferation (34, 42, 43), anti-apoptosis (44), gene expression regulation (24), Silver-Russell syndrome (45), rheumatoid arthritis (46), atopic dermatitis (47), and T-cell activation (17, 48). Nevertheless, it remains largely unknown regarding the downstream signaling events of Grb7-mediated various functions. In particular, given the role of Grb7 as an adaptor molecule and its SH2 domain mainly interacting with upstream regulators, it will be interesting to identify potential downstream effectors through interacting with the functional GM region or N-terminal proline-rich region.In this report, we identified two tyrosine phosphorylated sites of Grb7 by FAK and deciphered the signaling targets downstream through these phosphorylated tyrosine sites to regulate various cellular functions such as cell migration, proliferation, and survival. In addition, our study sheds light on tyrosine phosphorylation of Grb7 by FAK involved in tumorigenesis.     

Splitting the BLOSUM Score into Numbers of Biological Significance

Mathematical tools developed in the context of Shannon information theory were used to analyze the meaning of the BLOSUM score, which was split into three components termed as the BLOSUM spectrum (or BLOSpectrum). These relate respectively to the sequence convergence (the stochastic similarity of the two protein sequences), to the background frequency divergence (typicality of the amino acid probability distribution in each sequence), and to the target frequency divergence (compliance of the amino acid variations between the two sequences to the protein model implicit in the BLOCKS database). This treatment sharpens the protein sequence comparison, providing a rationale for the biological significance of the obtained score, and helps to identify weakly related sequences. Moreover, the BLOSpectrum can guide the choice of the most appropriate scoring matrix, tailoring it to the evolutionary divergence associated with the two sequences, or indicate if a compositionally adjusted matrix could perform better.[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29]