爪蟾p21活化激酶2参与卵母细胞胞质分裂过程不依赖于Cdc42

研究p21活化激酶2(p21-activated kinase2,PAK2)在卵母细胞成熟过程中的作用.以爪蟾卵母细胞为模型,分别向爪蟾卵母细胞显微注射PAK2-N端(PAK2-N-terminal,PAK2-NT)和PAK2-N端突变体(PAK2-N-terminal mutation,PAK2-NTm)mRNA,荧光显微镜下观察胚泡破裂发生.采用共聚焦显微镜,时间延迟摄影法观察正常卵母细胞、PAK2-NTmRNA注射组和PAK2-NTm mRNA注射组卵母细胞胞质分裂、极体形成及与Cdc42活性的关系.结果表明,PAK2-NTmRNA和PAK2-NTm mRNA注射组的卵母细胞与正常卵母细胞胚泡破裂发生相似,但PAK2-NTmRNA和PAK2-NTm mRNA注射组未见胞质分裂和极体形成.结果提示,PAK2参与卵母细胞胞质分裂和极体形成可能不依赖于Cdc42的调节过程.     

蛋白激酶C在小鼠卵母细胞体外成熟和受精中的作用

蛋白激酶是一类重要的丝/苏氨酸蛋白激酶。本实验以小鼠为实验动物,研究了PKC在卵母细胞体外成熟、活化和受精中的可能作用,及两种PKC亚型在卵母细胞中的定位。PKC激活剂PMA可以阻止CV期卵母细胞在体外恢复减数分裂,该作用可被PKC抑制剂calphostin C抵消,但不能被PLCγ抑制剂U73122或PKCδ专一性抑制剂Rottlerin所克服。Western印迹显示PKCα和βⅠ在卵母细胞发育过程中恒量表达。激光共聚焦显微术研究发现,受精或受到活化刺激后PKCα转位到卵母细胞膜上,同时皮质颗粒排放,说明PKCα可能参与调节卵皮质反应。本实验首次在小鼠中研究了PLCγ与受精的关系,发现不存在PKC对PLCγ的正反馈调节。此外,本研究还对小鼠卵巢中对PKCα和βⅠ进行了蛋白定位研究。     

丝裂原活化蛋白激酶对卵母细胞减数分裂成熟和排卵的调控作用及机制

丝裂原活化蛋白激酶(mitogen-activated protein kinase, MAPK)信号通路是一条从酵母到人中都高度保守的信号转导途径,广泛地存在于各种真核细胞中。近30多年来的研究表明,在几乎所有物种的雌性生殖细胞发育和减数分裂成熟过程中,该信号通路都发挥着至关重要的作用。特别是在包括人、小鼠和家畜的哺乳动物中,MAPK信号通路在卵母细胞恢复减数第一次分裂过程中被激活,调控纺锤体组装和细胞周期进程,并在颗粒细胞中介导促性腺激素的生理作用,促进卵丘扩展、排卵和黄体形成。虽然MAPK信号通路在雌性生殖过程中发挥着如此广泛的生理功能,并且这些功能在进化过程中高度保守,但是对于其作用机制,特别是其直接作用靶分子,在很长一段时间没有被充分研究清楚。近些年,基于一些新的基因编辑小鼠模型和理论研究成果,以及各种组学技术的广泛应用,人们进一步揭示了MAPK在减数分裂恢复过程中直接磷酸化激活RNA结合蛋白——胞质聚腺苷酸化原件结合蛋白1 (cytoplasmic polyadenylation element-binding protein-1,CPEB1),促进母源m RNA的poly(A)尾延伸,介导蛋白翻译激活。这些研究结果不但构成了目前本领域哺乳动物卵母细胞成熟和排卵机制的基本理论,也对本领域其他相关研究提供了可借鉴的研究思路。结合本研究组和其他科学家近年来的系统研究工作,我们对MAPK与卵母细胞成熟和排卵的研究进行了历史回顾,介绍了当前研究进展,提出了新近出现但尚未解决的科学问题,包括MAPK在颗粒细胞中对m RNA翻译和降解的调控,以及对翻译起始复合体、m RNA加尾酶的直接磷酸化激活等。     

蛋白激酶C在小鼠卵母细胞体外成熟和受精中的作用

蛋白激酶是一类重要的丝／苏氨酸蛋白激酶。本实验以小鼠为实验动物,研究了PKC在卵母细胞体外成熟、活化和受精中的可能作用,及两种PKC亚型在卵母细胞中的定位。PKC激活剂PMA可以阻止GV期卵母细胞在体外恢复减数分裂,该作用可被PKC抑制剂CalphostinC抵消,但不能被PLCγ抑制剂U73122或PKCδ专一性抑制剂Rottlerin所克服。Western印迹显示PKCα和βI在卵母细胞发育过程中恒量表达。激光共聚焦显微术研究发现,受精或受到活化刺激后PKCα转位到卵母细胞膜上,同时皮质颗粒排放,说明PKCα可能参与调节卵皮质反应。本实验首次在小鼠中研究了PLCγ与受精的关系,发现不存在PKC对PLCγ的正反馈调节。此外,本研究还对小鼠卵巢中对PKCα和βI进行了蛋白定位研究。     

原癌基因c-erbB2和c-myb经丝裂原活化蛋白激酶和成熟促进因子途径调节卵母细胞的成熟

本研究探讨了原癌基因c-erbB:和c-myb对小鼠卵母细胞成熟的影响及其在调控卵母细胞成熟中与丝裂原活化蛋白激酶(mitogen-activated protein kinase,MAPK)和成熟促进因子(mamration promoting factor,MPF)的上下游关系.c-erbB2反义寡脱氧核苷酸(antisense oligodeoxynucleotide,ASODN)和c.myb ASODN均呈剂量依赖方式抑制卵母细胞的生发泡破裂(germinalvesicle breakdown,GVBD)率和第一极体(first polar body,PBl)排放率,并显著延迟其成熟时间.小鼠卵母细胞显微注射重组人c-erbB2蛋白和c-myb蛋白后,培养6 h其GVBD率分别比对照组上升了23.1%(P<0.05)和32.2%(P<0.05),.培养12 h其PBl排放率分别比对照组上升了17.3%(P<0.05)和23.5%(P<0.05).RT-PCR结果显示,小鼠卵母细胞中存在c-erbB2mRNA和c-myb mRNA表达;c-erbB2ASODN能明显抑制卵母细胞中c-erbB2mRNA和c-myb mRNA的表达,c-myb ASODN能明显抑制卵母细胞中c-myb mRNA的表达,对c-erbB2 mRNA无明显影响;MAPK抑制剂PD98059以及MPF抑制剂roscovitine在抑制卵母细胞成熟的同时,均能阻断显微注射重组人c-erbB:蛋白和重组人c-myb蛋白对卵母细胞成熟的促进作用,但对卵母细胞中c-erbB2mRNA和c-myb mRNA表达无明显影响.Western blot结果显示,c-erbB2ASODN、c-mybASODN、PD98059、roscovitine均使卵母细胞中MAPK磷酸化水平和cyclinB 1含量下降.结果提示,原癌基因c-erbB2、c-myb在卵母细胞成熟中起重要作用,可能是调控卵母细胞成熟中关键蛋白激酶如MAPK、MPF的上游激活物.     

蛋白激酶在卵母细胞减数分裂和受精中的作用

脊椎动物卵母细胞的减数分裂和受精过程受到多种蛋白激酶的调节。近年来对于卵母细胞成熟、活化和受精的分子机制研究取得了长足进步 ,发现促成熟因子 (MPF)和促分裂原活化蛋白激酶 (MAPK)是调节卵母细胞细胞周期的关键分子 ,二者的激活和失活导致了减数分裂的恢复、阻滞和完成。许多蛋白激酶通过调节MPF和MAPK活性来影响减数分裂。Polo like激酶活化MPF ,Mos激活MAPK而启动成熟分裂并维持中期阻滞。CaMKII通过泛素途径灭活MPF使卵突破MII期阻滞。另外 ,p90 rsk作为MAPK的下游分子参与减数分裂调节 ,蛋白激酶C(PKC)诱导皮质颗粒排放并抑制MAPK激活 ,酪氨酸蛋白激酶家族成员介导受精诱发的Ca2 释放。这些蛋白激酶的协同作用推动了卵母细胞正常的成熟与受精     

p38丝裂原活化蛋白激酶在不同细胞内定位的研究

用共聚焦显微镜对不同原代培养细胞的ｐ３８丝裂原活化蛋白激酶（ｍｉｔｏｇｅｎ－ａｃｔｉｖａｔｅｄ ｐｒｏｔｅｉｎ ｋｉｎａｓｅ,ＭＡＰＫ）进行定位,以探讨ｐ３８激活后入核在不同的细胞中是否具有普遍性。发现与单核细胞相似,未受刺激静止的心肌细胞、平滑肌细胞和内皮细胞的ｐ３８荧光强度呈弥散性分布;脂多糖（ｌｉｐｏｐｏｌｙｓａｃｃｈａｒｉｄｅ,ＬＰＳ）刺激后,细胞核区荧光强度均明显增加,胞浆荧光强度均降低     

Cdc42和球形肌动蛋白在卵母细胞胞质分裂中的定位分析

研究活性Cdc42与球形肌动蛋白(G-actin)在爪蟾卵母细胞胞质分裂中的定位关系。分别用GFP-wGBDmRNA与罗丹明-594-微管蛋白、Alexa-488-球形肌动蛋白与罗丹明-594-微管蛋白、GFP-wGBDmRNA与Alexa-594-球形肌动蛋白共同显微注射爪蟾卵母细胞。利用共聚焦显微镜,时间延迟摄影方法,分别观察活体卵母细胞中活性Cdc42、球形肌动蛋白在胞质分裂过程中的定位,以及活性Cdc42与球形肌动蛋白在胞质分裂中的定位关系。在卵母细胞胞质分裂中,活性Cdc42与球形肌动蛋白存在空间上共定位现象,并且在时相上具有一致性。结果提示活性Cdc42和球形肌动蛋白在卵母细胞胞质分裂过程中密切相关。     

p38丝裂原活化蛋白激酶的功能与调控机制

丝裂原活化蛋白激酶家族可以在一系列细胞外刺激下调控细胞的行为。作为该家族的四个亚家族之一,p38亚族在许多生理过程中扮演着重要角色。p38信号通路可以在紫外照射、热击、高渗透压、炎症因子、生长因子等细胞外刺激时被激活,调控细胞分化、细胞周期、炎症反应等多种生理过程。文章重点讨论了p38亚族各个成员的特性、该信号通路的组成部分、调控机制以及生物学功能。另外,还分析了p38与其他信号通路的联系以及对一些生理过程的影响。     

PB-10, a thiazolo[4,5-d] pyrimidine derivative,targets p21-activated kinase 4 in human colorectal cancer cells

Targeting p21-activated kinase 4 (PAK4) is a potential therapeutic strategy against human colorectal cancer (CRC). In this study, we synthesized a series of novel thiazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidine derivatives (PB-1–12) and identified PB-10 (PAK4 IC₅₀ = 15.12 μM) as a potential and potent PAK4 inhibitor. Our results showed that PB-10 significantly suppressed the proliferation and colony formation of human CRC cells. PB-10 also arrested HCT-116 CRC cells at sub G0/G1 phase while promoting the expression of proapoptotic proteins. In addition, PB-10 inhibited migration, invasion, and adhesion as well as the PAK4 downstream signaling pathway in HCT-116 cells. Molecular docking analysis showed possible binding modes between PB-10 and PAK4. Our study provides a novel compound that may block the PAK4 signaling in CRC cells.     

p21-Activated kinase 5: A pleiotropic kinase

The PAKs (p21-activated kinases) are highly conserved serine/threonine protein kinases which comprise six mammalian PAKs. PAK5 (p21-activated kinase 5) is the least understood member of PAKs that regulate many intracellular processes when they are stimulated by activated forms of the small GTPases Cdc42 and Rac. PAK5 takes an important part in multiple signal pathways in mammalian cells and controls a variety of cellular functions including cytoskeleton organization, cell motility and apoptosis. The main goal of this review is to describe the structure, mechanisms underlying its activity regulation, its role in apoptosis and the likely directions of further research.     

p21-activated kinase 1 (Pak1) regulates cell motility in mammalian fibroblasts.

The p21 (Cdc42/Rac) activated kinase Pak1 regulates cell morphology and polarity in most, if not all, eukaryotic cells. We and others have established that Pak's effects on these parameters are mediated by changes in the organization of cortical actin. Because cell motility requires polarized rearrangements of the actin/myosin cytoskeleton, we examined the role of Pak1 in regulating cell movement. We established clonal tetracycline-regulated NIH-3T3 cell lines that inducibly express either wild-type Pak1, a kinase-dead, or constitutively-active forms of this enzyme, and examined the morphology, F-actin organization, and motility of these cells. Expression of any of these forms of Pak1 induced dramatic changes in actin organization which were not inhibited by coexpression of a dominant-negative form of Rac1. Cells inducibly expressing wild-type or constitutively-active Pak1 had large, polarized lamellipodia at the leading edge, were more motile than their normal counterparts when plated on a fibronectin-coated surface, and displayed enhanced directional movement in response to an immobilized collagen gradient. In contrast, cells expressing a kinase-dead form of Pak1 projected multiple lamellipodia emerging from different parts of the cell simultaneously. These cells, though highly motile, displayed reduced persistence of movement when plated on a fibronectin-coated surface and had defects in directed motility toward immobilized collagen. Expression of constitutively activated Pak1 was accompanied by increased myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation, whereas expression of kinase-dead Pak1 had no effect on MLC. These results suggest that Pak1 affects the phosphorylation state of MLC, thus linking this kinase to a molecule that directly affects cell movement.     

c-Abl-binding protein interacts with p21-activated kinase 2 (PAK-2) to regulate PDGF-induced membrane ruffles

p21-Activated kinases (PAKs) are serine/threonine kinases involved in multiple cellular functions including cytoskeleton regulation, proliferation and apoptosis. We performed a screen for proteins interacting with PAK-2, a ubiquitously expressed kinase involved in apoptotic signaling. Among the PAK-2 interacting proteins were different members of the Abl-binding protein family. Abl-binding proteins bound to a proline-rich region of PAK-2 located in the regulatory N terminus. Moreover, active PAK-2 phosphorylated Abl-binding proteins in vitro. Interestingly, we show that PAK-2 also interacted with c-Abl but via a different domain than with the Abl-binding proteins. PAK-2 and Abi-1 co-localized in the cytoplasm and to membrane dorsal ruffles induced by PDGF treatment. Expression of mutant PAK-2 deficient in binding to Abl-binding proteins or silencing of PAK-2 expression prevented the formation of membrane dorsal ruffles in response to PDGF. Our findings define a new class of PAK-interacting proteins, which play an important role in actin cytoskeletal reorganization.     

Identification of dynein light chain 2 as an interaction partner of p21-activated kinase 1

p21-Activated kinase 1 (PAK1), a member of the evolutionarily conserved PAK family of serine/threonine kinases, is essential for a variety of cellular functions. Our previous studies showed that PAK1 participated in the apoptotic pathway mediated by p110C. To further investigate its functions, we used the yeast two-hybrid system to screen a human fetal brain cDNA library and identified dynein light chain 2 (DLC2)/myosin light chain (MLC) as an interacting partner of PAK1. The association of PAK1 with DLC2 was further confirmed by in vitro binding assay. With the stimulation of EGF, PAK1 interacted with HA-DLC2 in vivo and relocalized in cytoplasm near the perinuclear location in confocal microscope analysis. The deletion analysis showed that the interaction of DLC2 with PAK1 occurred within the residues 210-332 of PAK1. For that studies showed that DLC2 was a subunit of myosin complex, so it is possible that PAK1 binds to DLC2 and transports by myosin complex.     

Cell surface receptors activate p21-activated kinase 1 via multiple Ras and PI3-kinase-dependent pathways

p21-activated kinases (PAKs) were the first identified mammalian members of a growing family of Ste20-like serine–threonine protein kinases. In this study, we show that PAK1 can be stimulated by carbachol, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), epidermal growth factor (EGF), and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) by multiple independent and overlapping pathways. Dominant-negative Ras, Rac, and Cdc42 inhibited PAK1 activation by all of these agonists, while active Rac1 and Cdc42 were sufficient to maximally activate PAK1 in the absence of any treatment. Active Ras induced only a weak activation of PAK1 that could be potentiated by muscarinic receptor stimulation. Studies using inhibitors of the EGF receptor tyrosine kinase, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-kinase) and protein kinase C (PKC) revealed that all of the cell surface agonists could activate PAK1 through pathways independent of PKC, that EGF stimulated a PI3-kinase dependent pathway to stimulate PAK1, and that muscarinic receptor stimulation of PAK1 was predominantly mediated through this EGF-R-dependent mechanism. Activation of PAK1 by LPA was independent of PI3-kinase and the EGF receptor, but was inhibited by dominant-negative RhoA. These results identify multiple Ras-dependent pathways to activation of PAK1.     

p21活化激酶的生物学活性及其与肿瘤的关系

p21活化激酶(p21-activatedkinase,PAK),为一类进化上保守的丝氨酸/苏氨酸蛋白激酶。PAK在许多组织中广泛表达,作为小G蛋白Rho家族Cdc42和Rac1的下游靶蛋白,可以被生长因子及其他胞外信号通过GTP酶依赖的信号通路或非GTP酶依赖的信号通路活化,发挥多种生物学效应。PAK作为一种重要的生物学调节因子,在哺乳动物一系列细胞功能中具有重要作用,如:细胞运动、细胞生存、细胞周期、血管生成、基因转录调节及癌细胞的侵袭转移。通过对PAK家族成员信号转导机制的研究,为癌症治疗提供分子靶标。     

P21-activated kinase 4 – Not just one of the PAK

P21-activated kinase 4 (PAK4) is a member of the p21-activated kinase (PAK) family. Historically much of the attention has been directed towards founding family member PAK1 but the focus is now shifting towards PAK4. It is a pluripotent serine/threonine kinase traditionally recognised as a downstream effector of the Rho-family GTPases. However, emerging research over the last few years has revealed that this kinase is much more than that. New findings have shed light on the molecular mechanism of PAK4 activation and how this kinase is critical for early development. Moreover, the number of PAK4 substrates and binding partners is rapidly expanding highlighting the increasing amount of cellular functions controlled by PAK4. We propose that PAK4 should be considered a signalling integrator regulating numerous fundamental cellular processes, including actin cytoskeletal dynamics, cell morphology and motility, cell survival, embryonic development, immune defence and oncogenic transformation. This review will outline our current understanding of PAK4 biology.     

Phosphorylation of CPI17 and myosin binding subunit of type 1 protein phosphatase by p21-activated kinase

CPI17 and myosin binding subunit of type 1 protein phosphatase (MBS) are the regulators of myosin light chain phosphatase (MLCP). The function of both regulators is controlled by phosphorylation. The phosphorylation of CPI17 at Thr38 significantly enhances the inhibitory activity of CPI17 and the phosphorylation at Thr641 of MBS decreases the MLCP activity. Here, we found that p21-activated protein kinase (PAK) phosphorylates both CPI17 at Thr38 and MBS at Thr641. For CPI17, PAK specifically phosphorylated at Thr38, since the mutation of Thr38 to Ala completely abolished the phosphorylation. On the other hand, PAK phosphorylated Thr641 but not Thr799 of MBS, the site phosphorylated by Rho kinase. Because PAK phosphorylates MBS more than 1 mol/mol, it is anticipated that PAK also phosphorylates other sites in addition to Thr641. CPI17 phosphorylation induced by PAK significantly enhanced the inhibitory activity of CPI17. On the other hand, the phosphorylation of MBS by PAK also decreased the MLCP activity. These results raise the possibility that the PAK pathway plays a role in MLCP regulation.