A Highlights from MBoC Selection: EHBP-1 Functions with RAB-10 during Endocytic Recycling in Caenorhabditis elegans

Caenorhabditis elegans RAB-10 functions in endocytic recycling in polarized cells, regulating basolateral cargo transport in the intestinal epithelia and postsynaptic cargo transport in interneurons. A similar role was found for mammalian Rab10 in MDCK cells, suggesting that a conserved mechanism regulates these related pathways in metazoans. In a yeast two-hybrid screen for binding partners of RAB-10 we identified EHBP-1, a calponin homology domain (CH) protein, whose mammalian homolog Ehbp1 was previously shown to function during endocytic transport of GLUT4 in adipocytes. In vivo we find that EHBP-1-GFP colocalizes with RFP-RAB-10 on endosomal structures of the intestine and interneurons and that ehbp-1 loss-of-function mutants share with rab-10 mutants specific endosome morphology and cargo localization defects. We also show that loss of EHBP-1 disrupts transport of membrane proteins to the plasma membrane of the nonpolarized germline cells, a defect that can be phenocopied by codepletion of RAB-10 and its closest paralog RAB-8. These results indicate that RAB-10 and EHBP-1 function together in many cell types and suggests that there are differences in the level of redundancy among Rab family members in polarized versus nonpolarized cells.     

A Highlights from MBoC Selection: A novel function for the Caenorhabditis elegans torsin OOC-5 in nucleoporin localization and nuclear import

Torsin proteins are AAA+ ATPases that localize to the endoplasmic reticular/nuclear envelope (ER/NE) lumen. A mutation that markedly impairs torsinA function causes the CNS disorder DYT1 dystonia. Abnormalities of NE membranes have been linked to torsinA loss of function and the pathogenesis of DYT1 dystonia, leading us to investigate the role of the Caenorhabditis elegans torsinA homologue OOC-5 at the NE. We report a novel role for torsin in nuclear pore biology. In ooc-5–mutant germ cell nuclei, nucleoporins (Nups) were mislocalized in large plaques beginning at meiotic entry and persisted throughout meiosis. Moreover, the KASH protein ZYG-12 was mislocalized in ooc-5 gonads. Nups were mislocalized in adult intestinal nuclei and in embryos from mutant mothers. EM analysis revealed vesicle-like structures in the perinuclear space of intestinal and germ cell nuclei, similar to defects reported in torsin-mutant flies and mice. Consistent with a functional disruption of Nups, ooc-5–mutant embryos displayed impaired nuclear import kinetics, although the nuclear pore-size exclusion barrier was maintained. Our data are the first to demonstrate a requirement for a torsin for normal Nup localization and function and suggest that these functions are likely conserved.     

A Highlights from MBoC Selection: Mitochondrial Fragmentation Leads to Intracellular Acidification in Caenorhabditis elegans and Mammalian Cells

Mitochondrial structural dynamics are regulated through the opposing processes of membrane fission and fusion, which are conserved from yeast to man. The chronic inhibition of mitochondrial fusion as a result of genetic mutation is the cause of human autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA) and Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome type 2A (CMT-2A). Here, we demonstrate that genetic fragmentation of the mitochondrial network in Caenorhabditis elegans induces cellular acidification in a broad range of tissues from the intestine, to body wall muscles, and neurons. Genetic epistasis analyses demonstrate that fragmentation itself, and not the loss of a particular protein, leads to acidosis, and the worm''s fitness matches the extent of acidification. We suggest that fragmentation may cause acidification through two distinct processes: oxidative signaling after the loss of the ability of the mitochondrial inner membrane to undergo fusion and lactic acidosis after the loss of outer membrane fusion. Finally, experiments in cultured mammalian cells demonstrate a conserved link between mitochondrial morphology and cell pH homeostasis. Taken together these data reveal a potential role for acidosis in the differing etiology of diseases associated with mitochondrial morphology defects such as ADOA and CMT-2A.     

A Highlights from MBoC Selection: Inflammation-induced desmoglein-2 ectodomain shedding compromises the mucosal barrier

Desmosomal cadherins mediate intercellular adhesion and control epithelial homeostasis. Recent studies show that proteinases play an important role in the pathobiology of cancer by targeting epithelial intercellular junction proteins such as cadherins. Here we describe the proinflammatory cytokine-induced activation of matrix metalloproteinase 9 and a disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain–containing protein 10, which promote the shedding of desmosomal cadherin desmoglein-2 (Dsg2) ectodomains in intestinal epithelial cells. Epithelial exposure to Dsg2 ectodomains compromises intercellular adhesion by promoting the relocalization of endogenous Dsg2 and E-cadherin from the plasma membrane while also promoting proliferation by activation of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2/3 signaling. Cadherin ectodomains were detected in the inflamed intestinal mucosa of mice with colitis and patients with ulcerative colitis. Taken together, our findings reveal a novel response pathway in which inflammation-induced modification of columnar epithelial cell cadherins decreases intercellular adhesion while enhancing cellular proliferation, which may serve as a compensatory mechanism to promote repair.     

A Highlights from MBoC Selection: Cdk1 promotes cytokinesis in fission yeast through activation of the septation initiation network

In Schizosaccharomyces pombe, late mitotic events are coordinated with cytokinesis by the septation initiation network (SIN), an essential spindle pole body (SPB)–associated kinase cascade, which controls the formation, maintenance, and constriction of the cytokinetic ring. It is not fully understood how SIN initiation is temporally regulated, but it depends on the activation of the GTPase Spg1, which is inhibited during interphase by the essential bipartite GTPase-activating protein Byr4-Cdc16. Cells are particularly sensitive to the modulation of Byr4, which undergoes cell cycle–dependent phosphorylation presumed to regulate its function. Polo-like kinase, which promotes SIN activation, is partially responsible for Byr4 phosphorylation. Here we show that Byr4 is also controlled by cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk1)–mediated phosphorylation. A Cdk1 nonphosphorylatable Byr4 phosphomutant displays severe cell division defects, including the formation of elongated, multinucleate cells, failure to maintain the cytokinetic ring, and compromised SPB association of the SIN kinase Cdc7. Our analyses show that Cdk1-mediated phosphoregulation of Byr4 facilitates complete removal of Byr4 from metaphase SPBs in concert with Plo1, revealing an unexpected role for Cdk1 in promoting cytokinesis through activation of the SIN pathway.     

A Highlights from MBoC Selection: Nonmuscle myosin-2 contractility-dependent actin turnover limits the length of epithelial microvilli

Brush border microvilli enable functions that are critical for epithelial homeostasis, including solute uptake and host defense. However, the mechanisms that regulate the assembly and morphology of these protrusions are poorly understood. The parallel actin bundles that support microvilli have their pointed-end rootlets anchored in a filamentous meshwork referred to as the “terminal web.” Although classic electron microscopy studies revealed complex ultrastructure, the composition and function of the terminal web remain unclear. Here we identify nonmuscle myosin-2C (NM2C) as a component of the terminal web. NM2C is found in a dense, isotropic layer of puncta across the subapical domain, which transects the rootlets of microvillar actin bundles. Puncta are separated by ∼210 nm, the expected size of filaments formed by NM2C. In intestinal organoid cultures, the terminal web NM2C network is highly dynamic and exhibits continuous remodeling. Using pharmacological and genetic perturbations in cultured intestinal epithelial cells, we found that NM2C controls the length of growing microvilli by regulating actin turnover in a manner that requires a fully active motor domain. Our findings answer a decades-old question on the function of terminal web myosin and hold broad implications for understanding apical morphogenesis in diverse epithelial systems.     

A Highlights from MBoC Selection: Subcellular optogenetic inhibition of G proteins generates signaling gradients and cell migration

Cells sense gradients of extracellular cues and generate polarized responses such as cell migration and neurite initiation. There is static information on the intracellular signaling molecules involved in these responses, but how they dynamically orchestrate polarized cell behaviors is not well understood. A limitation has been the lack of methods to exert spatial and temporal control over specific signaling molecules inside a living cell. Here we introduce optogenetic tools that act downstream of native G protein–coupled receptor (GPCRs) and provide direct control over the activity of endogenous heterotrimeric G protein subunits. Light-triggered recruitment of a truncated regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) protein or a Gβγ-sequestering domain to a selected region on the plasma membrane results in localized inhibition of G protein signaling. In immune cells exposed to spatially uniform chemoattractants, these optogenetic tools allow us to create reversible gradients of signaling activity. Migratory responses generated by this approach show that a gradient of active G protein αi and βγ subunits is sufficient to generate directed cell migration. They also provide the most direct evidence so for a global inhibition pathway triggered by Gi signaling in directional sensing and adaptation. These optogenetic tools can be applied to interrogate the mechanistic basis of other GPCR-modulated cellular functions.     

A Highlights from MBoC Selection: Radil controls neutrophil adhesion and motility through β2-integrin activation

Integrin activation is required to facilitate multiple adhesion-dependent functions of neutrophils, such as chemotaxis, which is critical for inflammatory responses to injury and pathogens. However, little is known about the mechanisms that mediate integrin activation in neutrophils. We show that Radil, a novel Rap1 effector, regulates β1- and β2-integrin activation and controls neutrophil chemotaxis. On activation and chemotactic migration of neutrophils, Radil quickly translocates from the cytoplasm to the plasma membrane in a Rap1a-GTP–dependent manner. Cells overexpressing Radil show a substantial increase in cell adhesion, as well as in integrin/focal adhesion kinase (FAK) activation, and exhibit an elongated morphology, with severe tail retraction defects. This phenotype is effectively rescued by treatment with either β2-integrin inhibitory antibodies or FAK inhibitors. Conversely, knockdown of Radil causes severe inhibition of cell adhesion, β2-integrin activation, and chemotaxis. Furthermore, we found that inhibition of Rap activity by RapGAP coexpression inhibits Radil-mediated integrin and FAK activation, decreases cell adhesion, and abrogates the long-tail phenotype of Radil cells. Overall, these studies establish that Radil regulates neutrophil adhesion and motility by linking Rap1 to β2-integrin activation.     

A Highlights from MBoC Selection: Induction of focal adhesions and motility in Drosophila S2 cells

Focal adhesions are dynamic structures that interact with the extracellular matrix on the cell exterior and actin filaments on the cell interior, enabling cells to adhere and crawl along surfaces. We describe a system for inducing the formation of focal adhesions in normally non–ECM-adherent, nonmotile Drosophila S2 cells. These focal adhesions contain the expected molecular markers such as talin, vinculin, and p130Cas, and they require talin for their formation. The S2 cells with induced focal adhesions also display a nonpolarized form of motility on vitronectin-coated substrates. Consistent with findings in mammalian cells, the degree of motility can be tuned by changing the stiffness of the substrate and was increased after the depletion of PAK3, a p21-activated kinase. A subset of nonmotile, nonpolarized cells also exhibited focal adhesions that rapidly assembled and disassembled around the cell perimeter. Such cooperative and dynamic fluctuations of focal adhesions were decreased by RNA interference (RNAi) depletion of myosin II and focal adhesion kinase, suggesting that this behavior requires force and focal adhesion maturation. These results demonstrate that S2 cells, a cell line that is well studied for cytoskeletal dynamics and readily amenable to protein manipulation by RNAi, can be used to study the assembly and dynamics of focal adhesions and mechanosensitive cell motility.     

A Highlights from MBoC Selection: FHIP and FTS proteins are critical for dynein-mediated transport of early endosomes in Aspergillus

The minus end–directed microtubule motor cytoplasmic dynein transports various cellular cargoes, including early endosomes, but how dynein binds to its cargo remains unclear. Recently fungal Hook homologues were found to link dynein to early endosomes for their transport. Here we identified FhipA in Aspergillus nidulans as a key player for HookA (A. nidulans Hook) function via a genome-wide screen for mutants defective in early-endosome distribution. The human homologue of FhipA, FHIP, is a protein in the previously discovered FTS/Hook/FHIP (FHF) complex, which contains, besides FHIP and Hook proteins, Fused Toes (FTS). Although this complex was not previously shown to be involved in dynein-mediated transport, we show here that loss of either FhipA or FtsA (A. nidulans FTS homologue) disrupts HookA–early endosome association and inhibits early endosome movement. Both FhipA and FtsA associate with early endosomes, and interestingly, while FtsA–early endosome association requires FhipA and HookA, FhipA–early endosome association is independent of HookA and FtsA. Thus FhipA is more directly linked to early endosomes than HookA and FtsA. However, in the absence of HookA or FtsA, FhipA protein level is significantly reduced. Our results indicate that all three proteins in the FtsA/HookA/FhipA complex are important for dynein-mediated early endosome movement.     

A Highlights from MBoC Selection: Phosphatidylserine translocation at the yeast trans-Golgi network regulates protein sorting into exocytic vesicles

Sorting of plasma membrane proteins into exocytic vesicles at the yeast trans-Golgi network (TGN) is believed to be mediated by their coalescence with specific lipids, but how these membrane-remodeling events are regulated is poorly understood. Here we show that the ATP-dependent phospholipid flippase Drs2 is required for efficient segregation of cargo into exocytic vesicles. The plasma membrane proteins Pma1 and Can1 are missorted from the TGN to the vacuole in drs2∆ cells. We also used a combination of flippase mutants that either gain or lose the ability to flip phosphatidylserine (PS) to determine that PS flip by Drs2 is its critical function in this sorting event. The primary role of PS flip at the TGN appears to be to control the oxysterol-binding protein homologue Kes1/Osh4 and regulate ergosterol subcellular distribution. Deletion of KES1 suppresses plasma membrane–missorting defects and the accumulation of intracellular ergosterol in drs2 mutants. We propose that PS flip is part of a homeostatic mechanism that controls sterol loading and lateral segregation of protein and lipid domains at the TGN.     

A Highlights from MBoC Selection: Analyzing the Effects of Delaying Aster Separation on Furrow Formation during Cytokinesis in the Caenorhabditis elegans Embryo

Signaling by the centrosomal asters and spindle midzone coordinately directs formation of the cytokinetic furrow. Here, we explore the contribution of the asters by analyzing the consequences of altering interaster distance during the first cytokinesis of the Caenorhabditis elegans embryo. Delaying aster separation, by using TPXL-1 depletion to shorten the metaphase spindle, leads to a corresponding delay in furrow formation, but results in a single furrow that ingresses at a normal rate. Preventing aster separation, by simultaneously inhibiting TPXL-1 and Gα signaling-based cortical forces pulling on the asters, delays furrow formation and leads to the formation of multiple furrows that ingress toward the midzone. Disrupting midzone-based signaling, by depleting conserved midzone complexes, results in a converse phenotype: neither the timing nor the number of furrows is affected, but the rate of furrow ingression is decreased threefold. Simultaneously delaying aster separation and disrupting midzone-based signaling leads to complete failure of furrow formation. Based on these results, we propose that signaling by the separated asters executes two critical functions: 1) it couples furrow formation to anaphase onset by concentrating contractile ring proteins on the equatorial cortex in a midzone-independent manner and 2) it subsequently refines spindle midzone-based signaling to restrict furrowing to a single site.     

A Highlights from MBoC Selection: CGEF-1 and CHIN-1 Regulate CDC-42 Activity during Asymmetric Division in the Caenorhabditis elegans Embryo

The anterior–posterior axis of the Caenorhabditis elegans embryo is elaborated at the one-cell stage by the polarization of the partitioning (PAR) proteins at the cell cortex. Polarization is established under the control of the Rho GTPase RHO-1 and is maintained by the Rho GTPase CDC-42. To understand more clearly the role of the Rho family GTPases in polarization and division of the early embryo, we constructed a fluorescent biosensor to determine the localization of CDC-42 activity in the living embryo. A genetic screen using this biosensor identified one positive (putative guanine nucleotide exchange factor [GEF]) and one negative (putative GTPase activating protein [GAP]) regulator of CDC-42 activity: CGEF-1 and CHIN-1. CGEF-1 was required for robust activation, whereas CHIN-1 restricted the spatial extent of CDC-42 activity. Genetic studies placed CHIN-1 in a novel regulatory loop, parallel to loop described previously, that maintains cortical PAR polarity. We found that polarized distributions of the nonmuscle myosin NMY-2 at the cell cortex are independently produced by the actions of RHO-1, and its effector kinase LET-502, during establishment phase and CDC-42, and its effector kinase MRCK-1, during maintenance phase. CHIN-1 restricted NMY-2 recruitment to the anterior during maintenance phase, consistent with its role in polarizing CDC-42 activity during this phase.     

A Highlights from MBoC Selection: Hect E3 ubiquitin ligase Tom1 controls Dia2 degradation during the cell cycle

The ubiquitin proteasome system plays a pivotal role in controlling the cell cycle. The budding yeast F-box protein Dia2 is required for genomic stability and is targeted for ubiquitin-dependent degradation in a cell cycle–dependent manner, but the identity of the ubiquitination pathway is unknown. We demonstrate that the Hect domain E3 ubiquitin ligase Tom1 is required for Dia2 protein degradation. Deletion of DIA2 partially suppresses the temperature-sensitive phenotype of tom1 mutants. Tom1 is required for Dia2 ubiquitination and degradation during G1 and G2/M phases of the cell cycle, whereas the Dia2 protein is stabilized during S phase. We find that Tom1 binding to Dia2 is enhanced in G1 and reduced in S phase, suggesting a mechanism for this proteolytic switch. Tom1 recognizes specific, positively charged residues in a Dia2 degradation/NLS domain. Loss of these residues blocks Tom1-mediated turnover of Dia2 and causes a delay in G1–to–S phase progression. Deletion of DIA2 rescues a delay in the G1–to–S phase transition in the tom1Δ mutant. Together our results suggest that Tom1 targets Dia2 for degradation during the cell cycle by recognizing positively charged residues in the Dia2 degradation/NLS domain and that Dia2 protein degradation contributes to G1–to–S phase progression.     

A Highlights from MBoC Selection: The Hydrophobic Core of the Sec61 Translocon Defines the Hydrophobicity Threshold for Membrane Integration

The Sec61 translocon mediates the translocation of proteins across the endoplasmic reticulum membrane and the lateral integration of transmembrane segments into the lipid bilayer. The structure of the idle translocon is closed by a lumenal plug domain and a hydrophobic constriction ring. To test the function of the apolar constriction, we have mutated all six ring residues of yeast Sec61p to more hydrophilic, bulky, or even charged amino acids (alanines, glycines, serines, tryptophans, lysines, or aspartates). The translocon was found to be surprisingly tolerant even to the charge mutations in the constriction ring, because growth and translocation efficiency were not drastically affected. Most interestingly, ring mutants were found to affect the integration of hydrophobic sequences into the lipid bilayer, indicating that the translocon does not simply catalyze the partitioning of potential transmembrane segments between an aqueous environment and the lipid bilayer but that it also plays an active role in setting the hydrophobicity threshold for membrane integration.     

A Highlights from MBoC Selection: Dynamin recruitment and membrane scission at the neck of a clathrin-coated pit

Dynamin, the GTPase required for clathrin-mediated endocytosis, is recruited to clathrin-coated pits in two sequential phases. The first is associated with coated pit maturation; the second, with fission of the membrane neck of a coated pit. Using gene-edited cells that express dynamin2-EGFP instead of dynamin2 and live-cell TIRF imaging with single-molecule EGFP sensitivity and high temporal resolution, we detected the arrival of dynamin at coated pits and defined dynamin dimers as the preferred assembly unit. We also used live-cell spinning-disk confocal microscopy calibrated by single-molecule EGFP detection to determine the number of dynamins recruited to the coated pits. A large fraction of budding coated pits recruit between 26 and 40 dynamins (between 1 and 1.5 helical turns of a dynamin collar) during the recruitment phase associated with neck fission; 26 are enough for coated vesicle release in cells partially depleted of dynamin by RNA interference. We discuss how these results restrict models for the mechanism of dynamin-mediated membrane scission.     

A Highlights from MBoC Selection: Formation of membrane ridges and scallops by the F-BAR protein Nervous Wreck

Eukaryotic cells are defined by extensive intracellular compartmentalization, which requires dynamic membrane remodeling. FER/Cip4 homology-Bin/amphiphysin/Rvs (F-BAR) domain family proteins form crescent-shaped dimers, which can bend membranes into buds and tubules of defined geometry and lipid composition. However, these proteins exhibit an unexplained wide diversity of membrane-deforming activities in vitro and functions in vivo. We find that the F-BAR domain of the neuronal protein Nervous Wreck (Nwk) has a novel higher-order structure and membrane-deforming activity that distinguishes it from previously described F-BAR proteins. The Nwk F-BAR domain assembles into zigzags, creating ridges and periodic scallops on membranes in vitro. This activity depends on structural determinants at the tips of the F-BAR dimer and on electrostatic interactions of the membrane with the F-BAR concave surface. In cells, Nwk-induced scallops can be extended by cytoskeletal forces to produce protrusions at the plasma membrane. Our results define a new F-BAR membrane-deforming activity and illustrate a molecular mechanism by which positively curved F-BAR domains can produce a variety of membrane curvatures. These findings expand the repertoire of F-BAR domain mediated membrane deformation and suggest that unique modes of higher-order assembly can define how these proteins sculpt the membrane.     

A Highlights from MBoC Selection: The stoichiometry of the nucleoporin 62 subcomplex of the nuclear pore in solution

The nuclear pore complex (NPC) regulates transport between the nucleus and cytoplasm. Soluble cargo-protein complexes navigate through the pore by binding to phenylalanine-glycine (FG)-repeat proteins attached to the channel walls. The Nup62 complex contains the FG-repeat proteins Nup62, Nup54, and Nup58 and is located in the center of the NPC. The three proteins bind each other via conserved coiled-coil segments. To determine the stoichiometry of the Nup62 complex, we undertook an in vitro study using gel filtration and analytical ultracentrifugation. Our results reveal a 1:1:1 stoichiometry of the Nup62 complex, where Nup54 is central with direct binding to Nup62 and Nup58. At high protein concentration, the complex forms larger assemblies while maintaining the Nup62:Nup54:Nup58 ratio. For the homologous Nsp1 complex from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we determine the same stoichiometry, indicating evolutionary conservation. Furthermore, we observe that eliminating one binding partner can result in the formation of complexes with noncanonical stoichiometry, presumably because unpaired coiled-coil elements tend to find a promiscuous binding partner. We suggest that these noncanonical stoichiometries observed in vitro are unlikely to be physiologically relevant.     

A Highlights from MBoC Selection: Functional analysis of the interface between the tandem C2 domains of synaptotagmin-1

C2 domains are widespread motifs that often serve as Ca²⁺-binding modules; some proteins have more than one copy. An open issue is whether these domains, when duplicated within the same parent protein, interact with one another to regulate function. In the present study, we address the functional significance of interfacial residues between the tandem C2 domains of synaptotagmin (syt)-1, a Ca²⁺ sensor for neuronal exocytosis. Substitution of four residues, YHRD, at the domain interface, disrupted the interaction between the tandem C2 domains, altered the intrinsic affinity of syt-1 for Ca²⁺, and shifted the Ca²⁺ dependency for binding to membranes and driving membrane fusion in vitro. When expressed in syt-1 knockout neurons, the YHRD mutant yielded reductions in synaptic transmission, as compared with the wild-type protein. These results indicate that physical interactions between the tandem C2 domains of syt-1 contribute to excitation–secretion coupling.