AMPK上游激酶——肿瘤抑制因子LKB1

AMPK是哺乳动物细胞中高度保守的蛋白质,是细胞的“代谢感受器”。AMPK的活化需要上游激酶(AMPKK)对AMPKα亚基活化环上Thr172进行磷酸化来完成。最近的研究发现,肿瘤抑制因子LKB1可以磷酸化Thr172进而激活AMPK,因此认为它是AMPKK家族的成员。     

Genome-Wide Identification and Analysis of Expression Profiles of Maize Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinase Kinase

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are highly conserved signal transduction model in animals, yeast and plants. Plant MAPK cascades have been implicated in development and stress responses. Although MAPKKKs have been investigated in several plant species including Arabidopsis and rice, no systematic analysis has been conducted in maize. In this study, we performed a bioinformatics analysis of the entire maize genome and identified 74 MAPKKK genes. Phylogenetic analyses of MAPKKKs from maize, rice and Arabidopsis have classified them into three subgroups, which included Raf, ZIK and MEKK. Evolutionary relationships within subfamilies were also supported by exon-intron organizations and the conserved protein motifs. Further expression analysis of the MAPKKKs in microarray databases revealed that MAPKKKs were involved in important signaling pathways in maize different organs and developmental stages. Our genomics analysis of maize MAPKKK genes provides important information for evolutionary and functional characterization of this family in maize.     

Comparison of Peptide Array Substrate Phosphorylation of c-Raf and Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase Kinase Kinase 8

Kinases are pivotal regulators of cellular physiology. The human genome contains more than 500 putative kinases, which exert their action via the phosphorylation of specific substrates. The determinants of this specificity are still only partly understood and as a consequence it is difficult to predict kinase substrate preferences from the primary structure, hampering the understanding of kinase function in physiology and prompting the development of technologies that allow easy assessment of kinase substrate consensus sequences. Hence, we decided to explore the usefulness of phosphorylation of peptide arrays comprising of 1176 different peptide substrates with recombinant kinases for determining kinase substrate preferences, based on the contribution of individual amino acids to total array phosphorylation. Employing this technology, we were able to determine the consensus peptide sequences for substrates of both c-Raf and Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase Kinase Kinase 8, two highly homologous kinases with distinct signalling roles in cellular physiology. The results show that although consensus sequences for these two kinases identified through our analysis share important chemical similarities, there is still some sequence specificity that could explain the different biological action of the two enzymes. Thus peptide arrays are a useful instrument for deducing substrate consensus sequences and highly homologous kinases can differ in their requirement for phosphorylation events.     

Tyr728 in the Kinase Domain of the Murine Kinase Suppressor of RAS 1 Regulates Binding and Activation of the Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Kinase

In metazoans, the highly conserved MAPK signaling pathway regulates cell fate decision. Aberrant activation of this pathway has been implicated in multiple human cancers and some developmental disorders. KSR1 functions as an essential scaffold that binds the individual components of the cascade and coordinates their assembly into multiprotein signaling platforms. The mechanism of KSR1 regulation is highly complex and not completely understood. In this study, we identified Tyr⁷²⁸ as a novel regulatory phosphorylation site in KSR1. We show that Tyr⁷²⁸ is phosphorylated by LCK, uncovering an additional and unexpected link between Src kinases and MAPK signaling. To understand how phosphorylation of Tyr⁷²⁸ may regulate the role of KSR1 in signal transduction, we integrated structural modeling and biochemical studies. We demonstrate that Tyr⁷²⁸ is involved in maintaining the conformation of the KSR1 kinase domain required for binding to MEK. It also affects phosphorylation and activation of MEK by RAF kinases and consequently influences cell proliferation. Moreover, our studies suggest that phosphorylation of Tyr⁷²⁸ may affect the intrinsic kinase activity of KSR1. Together, we propose that phosphorylation of Tyr⁷²⁸ may regulate the transition between the scaffolding and the catalytic function of KSR1 serving as a control point used to fine-tune cellular responses.     

Kinase clamping

Using a directed evolution approach, researchers demonstrate a way of creating 'designer' receptors that are specifically activated by a ligand with no other biological activity in the cell.     

Physiological Phosphorylation of Protein Kinase A at Thr-197 Is by a Protein Kinase A Kinase

Phosphorylation of the catalytic subunit of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, or protein kinase A, on Thr-197 is required for optimal enzyme activity, and enzyme isolated from either animal sources or bacterial expression strains is found phosphorylated at this site. Autophosphorylation of Thr-197 occurs in Escherichia coli and in vitro but is an inefficient intermolecular reaction catalyzed primarily by active, previously phosphorylated molecules. In contrast, the Thr-197 phosphorylation of newly synthesized protein kinase A in intact S49 mouse lymphoma cells is both efficient and insensitive to activators or inhibitors of intracellular protein kinase A. Using [³⁵S]methionine-labeled, nonphosphorylated, recombinant catalytic subunit as the substrate in a gel mobility shift assay, we have identified an activity in extracts of protein kinase A-deficient S49 cells that phosphorylates catalytic subunit on Thr-197. The protein kinase A kinase activity partially purified by anion-exchange and hydroxylapatite chromatography is an efficient catalyst of protein kinase A phosphorylation in terms of both a low K_m for ATP and a rapid time course. Phosphorylation of wild-type catalytic subunit by the kinase kinase activates the subunit for binding to a pseudosubstrate peptide inhibitor of protein kinase A. By both the gel shift assay and a [γ-³²P]ATP incorporation assay, the enzyme is active on wild-type catalytic subunit and on an inactive mutant with Met substituted for Lys-72 but inactive on a mutant with Ala substituted for Thr-197. Combined with the results from mutant subunits, phosphoamino acid analysis suggests that the enzyme is specific for phosphorylation of Thr-197.     

Reciprocal Regulation of Protein Kinase and Pyruvate Kinase Activities of Pyruvate Kinase M2 by Growth Signals

Pyruvate kinase isoform M2 (PKM2) is an enzyme-catalyzing conversion of phosphoenolpyruvate to pyruvate in the glycolysis pathway. It was demonstrated that PKM2 interacts with tyrosine phosphopeptide, and the interaction with the tyrosine phosphopeptide affects the pyruvate kinase activity of PKM2. Our experiments suggest that PKM2 is also an active protein kinase (Gao, X., Wang, H., Yang, J. J., Liu, X., and Liu, Z. R. (2012) Mol. Cell 45, 598–609). We report here that growth signals reciprocally regulate the pyruvate kinase and protein kinase activities of PKM2 by different mechanisms. On the one hand, growth signals induce protein tyrosine phosphorylations. The tyrosine-phosphorylated protein(s) regulates the conversion of pyruvate kinase and protein kinase of PKM2 by directly interacting with PKM2. Binding of the tyrosyl-phosphorylated proteins at the fructose 1,6-bisphosphate-binding site converts the tetrameric PKM2 to a dimer. On the other hand, growth stimulations also lead to PKM2 phosphorylation, which consequently regulates the conversion of protein kinase and pyruvate kinase activities. Growth factor stimulations significantly increase the dimer/tetramer PKM2 ratio in cells and consequently activate the protein kinase activity of PKM2. Our study suggests that the conversion between the pyruvate kinase and protein kinase activities of PKM2 may be an important mechanism mediating the effects of growth signals in promoting cell proliferation.     

草菇MAPKKK同源基因的克隆及序列分析

根据担子菌丝裂原活化蛋白质激酶激酶激酶(MAPKKK)蛋白的保守序列设计两对简并引物,通过巢式简并PCR方法获得草菇VV-MAPKKK基因中的保守片段,然后通过和草菇基因组信息比对,获得了VV-MAPKKK基因全长序列。VV-MAPKKK基因长度为4434bp,包含4个内含子,编码1405个氨基酸残基,推定的氨基酸序列与新型隐球菌(Cryptococcus neoformans)、巴西芽生菌(Paracoccidioides brasiliensis)和异旋孢腔菌(Cochliobolus heterostrophus)的MAPKKK同源蛋白相似性分别为58%、57%和56%。对VV-MAPKKK蛋白的系统发生学分析的结果表明,VV-MAPKKK与担子菌中的Hog信号传导途径的MAPKKK同源蛋白聚在同一进化支上,这些数据都支持所获得的VV-MAPKKK为Hog-MAPKKK蛋白在草菇中的同源物的推定。     

Dominant Mutations of Drosophila Map Kinase Kinase and Their Activities in Drosophila and Yeast Map Kinase Cascades

Eight alleles of Dsor1 encoding a Drosophila homologue of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase were obtained as dominant suppressors of the MAP kinase kinase kinase D-raf. These Dsor1 alleles themselves showed no obvious phenotypic consequences nor any effect on the viability of the flies, although they were highly sensitive to upstream signals and strongly interacted with gain-of-function mutations of upstream factors. They suppressed mutations for receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs); torso (tor), sevenless (sev) and to a lesser extent Drosophila EGF receptor (DER). Furthermore, the Dsor1 alleles showed no significant interaction with gain-of-function mutations of DER. The observed difference in activity of the Dsor1 alleles among the RTK pathways suggests Dsor1 is one of the components of the pathway that regulates signal specificity. Expression of Dsor1 in budding yeast demonstrated that Dsor1 can activate yeast MAP kinase homologues if a proper activator of Dsor1 is coexpressed. Nucleotide sequencing of the Dsor1 mutant genes revealed that most of the mutations are associated with amino acid changes at highly conserved residues in the kinase domain. The results suggest that they function as suppressors due to increased reactivity to upstream factors.     

ErbB2受体酪氨酸激酶激酶区的表达与纯化

以GFP融合表达的形式在毕赤酵母中表达具有生物活性的受体酪氨酸激酶ErbB2的激酶区.构建受体酪氨酸激酶激酶区与GFP的融合表达载体pPIC3.5K,转化毕赤酵母GS115,通过组氨酸营养缺陷型筛选,G418高拷贝菌株筛选,以及摇瓶诱导表达筛选,选取较高水平表达菌株进行5升罐培养,以镍亲和层析手段纯化得到蛋白表达产物,进行SDS-PAGE分析和酶联免疫反应检测酶活.结果表明在毕赤酵母中成功诱导表达了约100kD的激酶融合蛋白并具有激酶活性.该研究为筛选ErbB2的抑制剂奠定了基础.     

The Fission Yeast Mitotic Regulator win1+ Encodes an MAP Kinase Kinase Kinase That Phosphorylates and Activates Wis1 MAP Kinase Kinase in Response to High Osmolarity

The Schizosaccharomyces pombe win1-1 mutant has a defect in the G2-M transition of the cell cycle. Although the defect is suppressed by wis1⁺ and wis4⁺, which are components of a stress-activated MAP kinase pathway that links stress response and cell cycle control, the molecular identity of Win1 has not been known. We show here that win1⁺ encodes a polypeptide of 1436 residues with an apparent molecular size of 180 kDa and demonstrate that Win1 is a MAP kinase kinase kinase that phosphorylates and activates Wis1. Despite extensive similarities between Win1 and Wis4, the two MAP kinase kinase kinases have distinct functions. Wis4 is able to compensate for loss of Win1 only under unstressed conditions to maintain basal Wis1 activity, but it fails to suppress the osmosignaling defect conferred by win1 mutations. The win1-1 mutation is a spontaneous duplication of 16 nucleotides, which leads to a frameshift and production of a truncated protein lacking the kinase domain. We discuss the cell cycle phenotype of the win1-1 cdc25-22 wee1-50 mutant and its suppression by wis genes.     

Plant Pyruvate Kinase

Pyruvate kinase is an important enzyme of glycolytic pathway that also functions in providing carbon skeleton for fatty acid biosynthesis. It has been purified to near homogeneity from Ricinus communis, Selenastrum minutum, Cynodon dactylon, Brassica campestris and B. napus, and characterised. Partially purified preparations are reported from several other sources. A phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) phosphatase accompanies pyruvate kinase. In plants, two isozymes of pyruvate kinase are reported, namely cytosolic and plastidic. Isoforms of cytosolic pyruvate kinase have also been reported from spinach. In most cases pyruvate kinase is a tetrameric protein and the molecular mass lies between 200 to 250 kDa. The pH optimum is in the range of 6.2 to 7.5. It requires both Mg²⁺ and K⁺ for maximum activity. ATP, citrate, and oxalate inhibit pyruvate kinase in most cases. A sequential compulsory ordered mechanism of binding of substrates to the enzyme has been proposed.     

焦点粘着激酶的研究进展

焦点粘着激酶是依赖于整合素的细胞信号转导通路的基础性信号传递分子.通过磷酸化酪氨酸位点和富脯氨酸序列,活化的焦点粘着激酶与细胞骨架蛋白、Src族激酶、磷酸肌醇-3激酶、Graf以及多种衔接子蛋白相互作用,调节细胞的粘附、迁移、增殖和分化.