Cooperation of the metalloprotease, disintegrin, and cysteine-rich domains of ADAM12 during inhibition of myogenic differentiation

The extracellular domain of the mature form of ADAM12 consists of the metalloprotease, disintegrin, cysteine-rich, and epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like domains. The disintegrin, cysteine-rich, and EGF-like fragments have been shown previously to support cell adhesion via activated integrins or proteoglycans. In this study, we report that the entire extracellular domain of mouse ADAM12 produced in Drosophila S2 cells supported efficient adhesion and spreading of C2C12 myoblasts even in the absence of exogenous integrin activators. This adhesion was not mediated by beta1 integrins or proteoglycans, was myoblast-specific, and required the presence of both the metalloprotease and disintegrin/cysteine-rich domains of ADAM12. Analysis of the recombinant proteins by far-UV circular dichroism suggested that the secondary structures of the autonomously expressed metalloprotease domain and the disintegrin/cysteine-rich/EGF-like domains differ from the structures present in the intact extracellular domain. Furthermore, the intact extracellular domain (but not the metalloprotease domain or the disintegrin/cysteine-rich/EGF-like fragment alone) decreased the expression of the cell cycle inhibitor p21 and myogenin, two markers of differentiation, and inhibited C2C12 myoblast fusion. Thus, the novel protein-protein interaction reported here involving the extracellular domain of ADAM12 may have important biological consequences during myoblast differentiation.     

Analysis of fertilin alpha (ADAM1)-mediated sperm-egg cell adhesion during fertilization and identification of an adhesion-mediating sequence in the disintegrin-like domain

Fertilin alpha (also known as ADAM1) is a member of the ADAM (A disintegrin and A metalloprotease domain) family of proteins. In this study, we examine the mechanism of mouse fertilin alpha's in adhesion of sperm to the egg plasma membrane during fertilization. We find that recombinant forms of fertilin alpha corresponding to either the disintegrin-like domain or the cysteine-rich domain and the EGF-like repeat can perturb sperm-egg binding, suggesting that both of these domains can participate in fertilin alpha-mediated adhesion events. In further examination of the fertilin alpha disintegrin-like domain, we find that a subdomain of disintegrin-like domain with the sequence DLEECDCG outside the putative disintegrin loop but with homology to the fertilin beta disintegrin loop can inhibit the binding of both sperm and recombinant fertilin alpha to eggs, suggesting that this is an adhesion-mediating motif of the fertilin alpha disintegrin-like domain. This sequence also inhibits the binding of recombinant fertilin beta to eggs and thus is the first peptide sequence found to block two different sperm ligands. Finally, a monoclonal antibody to the tetraspanin protein CD9, KMC.8, inhibited the binding of recombinant fertilin alpha to eggs in one type of binding assay, suggesting that, under certain conditions, fertilin alpha may interact with a KMC.8-sensitive binding site on the egg plasma membrane.     

The ADAMDEC1 (decysin) gene structure: evolution by duplication in a metalloprotease gene cluster on chromosome 8p12

Members of the ADAM superfamily of metalloprotease genes are involved in a number of biological processes, including fertilization, neurogenesis, muscle development, and the immune response. These proteins have been classified into several groups. The prototypic ADAM family is comprised of a pro-domain, a metalloprotease domain, a disintegrin domain, a cysteine-rich region, a transmembrane domain, and a variable cytoplasmic tail. We recently identified a novel member of this superfamily, ADAMDEC1 (decysin). Due to the partial lack of a disintegrin domain and the total lack of a cysteine-rich domain, this protein has been placed in a novel subclass of the ADAM gene family. We have investigated the gene structure of the human and mouse ADAMDEC1 and have revealed a metalloprotease gene cluster on human Chromosome 8p12 comprising ADAMDEC1, ADAM7, and ADAM28. Our results suggest that ADAMDEC1 has arisen by partial gene duplication from an ancestral gene at this locus and has acquired a novel function. ADAMDEC1 is expressed in the immune system, by dendritic cells and macrophages. The relatedness of ADAMDEC1, ADAM7, and ADAM28 suggests that these proteases share a similar function.     

Identification of candidate substrates for ectodomain shedding by the metalloprotease-disintegrin ADAM8

ADAM proteases are type I transmembrane proteins with extracellular metalloprotease domains. As for most ADAM family members, ADAM8 (CD156a, MS2) is involved in ectodomain shedding of membrane proteins and is linked to inflammation and neurodegeneration. To identify potential substrates released under these pathologic conditions, we screened 10-mer peptides representing amino acid sequences from extracellular domains of various membrane proteins using the ProteaseSpot system. A soluble ADAM8 protease containing a pro- and metalloprotease domain was expressed in E. coli and purified as active protease owing to autocatalytic prodomain removal. From 34 peptides tested in the peptide cleavage assay, significant cleavage by soluble ADAM8 was observed for 14 peptides representing membrane proteins with functions in inflammation and neurodegeneration, among them the beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP). The in vivo relevance of the ProteaseSpot method was confirmed by cleavage of full-length APP with ADAM8 in human embryonic kidney 293 cells expressing tagged APP. ADAM8 cleaved APP with similar efficiency as ADAM10, whereas the inactive ADAM8 mutant did not. Exchanging amino acids at defined positions in the cleavage sequence of myelin basic protein (MBP) revealed sequence criteria for ADAM8 cleavage. Taken together, the results allowed us to identify novel candidate substrates that could be cleaved by ADAM8 in vivo under pathologic conditions.     

Disintegrin-like/Cysteine-Rich Region of ADAM 12 Is an Active Cell Adhesion Domain

ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloprotease) proteins contain structural homology to the P-III class of snake venom metalloproteases (SVMPs) and are postulated to function, by analogy to these SMVPs, as cell adhesion molecules. ADAM 12 has been implicated in fusion of myoblasts, but its mechanism of action is not known. Instead of the RGD-like cell-binding motif present in SVMP disintegrins, the disintegrin domain of ADAM 12 contains a unique SNS sequence and therefore its adhesive potential has been controversial. In this report we demonstrate that the disintegrin-like/cysteine-rich (DC) domain of ADAM 12 constitutes a functional cell adhesion domain. We have expressed the DC domain of mouse ADAM 12 in insect cells and shown that the recombinant protein supported adhesion of C2C12 myoblasts and NIH 3T3 fibroblasts in a divalent cation-dependent manner. A sulfhydryl-specific biotinylation reagent revealed, however, that the overall conformation and flexibility of the cell-binding region of ADAM 12 DC domain may be significantly different from those of the SVMP disintegrins. Moreover, the disulfide bond structure of the DC domain was critical for its function, as incubation of the recombinant protein with reducing agents abolished subsequent cell adhesion. Recombinant DC bound to C2C12 cells with high affinity (K(D) approximately 0.10 microM, total number of binding sites n approximately 4.6 x 10(5)/cell). Adhesive properties of the DC domain of ADAM 12 produced in insect cells were further confirmed by cell surface binding of the DC domain expressed in C2C12 cells and secreted to the medium, consistent with the role of ADAM 12 in cell-cell interactions and myoblast fusion.     

ADAM19 autolysis is activated by LPS and promotes non-classical secretion of cysteine-rich protein 2

ADAM family proteins are type I transmembrane, zinc-dependent metalloproteases. This family has multiple conserved domains, including a signal peptide, a pro-domain, a metalloprotease domain, a disintegrin (DI) domain, a cysteine-rich (Cys) domain, an EGF-like domain, a transmembrane domain, and a cytoplasmic domain. The Cys and DI domains may play active roles in regulating proteolytic activity or substrate specificity. ADAM19 has an autolytic processing activity within its Cys domain, and the processing is necessary for its proteolytic activity. To identify a new physiological function of ADAM19, we screened for associating proteins by using the extracellular domain of ADAM19 in a yeast two-hybrid system. Cysteine-rich protein 2 (CRIP2) showed an association with ADAM19 through its DI and Cys domains. Sequence analysis revealed that CRIP2 is a secretable protein without a classical signal. CRIP2 secretion was increased by overexpression of ADAM19 and decreased by suppression of ADAM19 expression. Moreover, CRIP2 secretion increased in parallel with the autolytic processing of ADAM19 stimulated by lipopolysaccharide. These findings suggest that ADAM19 autolysis is activated by lipopolysaccharide and that ADAM19 promotes the secretion of CRIP2.     

Comparative analysis of the ADAM and ADAMTS families

The "A Disintegrin And Metalloproteinase" (ADAM) protein family and the "A Disintegrin-like And Metalloproteinase with ThromboSpondin motifs" (ADAMTS) protein family are two related families of human proteins. The similarities and differences between these two families have been investigated using phylogenetic trees and homology modeling. The phylogenetic analysis indicates that the two families are well differentiated, even when only the common metalloprotease domain is taken into account. Within the ADAM family, several proteins are lacking the binding motif for the catalytic zinc in the active site and thus presumably lack any catalytic activity. These proteins tend to cluster within the ADAM phylogenetic tree and are expressed in specific tissues, suggesting a functional differentiation. The present analysis allows us to propose the following: (i) ADAMTS proteins have a conserved role in the human organism as proteases, with some differentiation in terms of substrate specificity; (ii) ADAM proteins can act as proteases and/or mediators of intermolecular interactions; (iii) proteolytically active ADAMs tend to be more ubiquitously expressed than the inactive ones.     

Molecular cloning and mapping of a novel ADAM gene (ADAM29) to human chromosome 4

Members of the ADAM family (type I integral membrane protein with a disintegrin and metalloprotease domain) have been implicated in many important biological processes involving cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, such as fertilization and myoblast fusion. We report here the cDNA sequence of a novel human ADAM gene (ADAM29) that contains a putative fusion peptide. Northern blot analysis revealed that the mRNA of ADAM29 is highly expressed in the testis. By radiation hybrid panel mapping, the ADAM29 gene was assigned to human chromosome 4q34.2-qter.     

ADAM 23/MDC3, a human disintegrin that promotes cell adhesion via interaction with the alphavbeta3 integrin through an RGD-independent mechanism

ADAM 23 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain)/MDC3 (metalloprotease, disintegrin, and cysteine-rich domain) is a member of the disintegrin family of proteins expressed in fetal and adult brain. In this work we show that the disintegrin-like domain of ADAM 23 produced in Escherichia coli and immobilized on culture dishes promotes attachment of different human cells of neural origin, such as neuroblastoma cells (NB100 and SH-S(y)5(y)) or astrocytoma cells (U373 and U87 MG). Analysis of ADAM 23 binding to integrins revealed a specific interaction with alphavbeta3, mediated by a short amino acid sequence present in its putative disintegrin loop. This sequence lacks any RGD motif, which is a common structural determinant supporting alphavbeta3-mediated interactions of diverse proteins, including other disintegrins. alphavbeta3 also supported adhesion of HeLa cells transfected with a full-length cDNA for ADAM 23, extending the results obtained with the recombinant protein containing the disintegrin domain of ADAM 23. On the basis of these results, we propose that ADAM 23, through its disintegrin-like domain, may function as an adhesion molecule involved in alphavbeta3-mediated cell interactions occurring in normal and pathological processes, including progression of malignant tumors from neural origin.     

Multimerisation of A disintegrin and metalloprotease protein-17 (ADAM17) is mediated by its EGF-like domain

A disintegrin and metalloprotease protein 17 (ADAM17) is a transmembrane zinc dependent metalloprotease. The catalytic activity of the enzyme results in the shedding of a broad range of membrane proteins. The release of the corresponding ectodomains induces a switch in various physiological and pathophysiological processes. So far there is not much information about the molecular mechanism of ADAM17 activation available. As for other transmembrane proteases, multimerisation may play a critical role in the activation and function of ADAM17. The present work demonstrates that ADAM17 indeed exists as a multimer in the cell membrane and that this multimerisation is mediated by its EGF-like domain.     

An ADAM family member with expression in thymic epithelial cells and related tissues

We have analyzed the tissue-specific expression, mRNA isoforms, and genomic structure of murine ADAM28, an ADAM family member recently discovered in human and mouse. While human ADAM28 is expressed in lymphocytes (J. Biol. Chem. 274 (1999) 29251), we observe expression of murine ADAM28 in thymic epithelial cells and developmentally related tissues including the trachea, thyroid, stomach, and lung, but not in lymphocytes. The expression patterns in adult and day 15.5 embryos are similar. We have detected multiple mRNA isoforms varying in the cytoplasmic domain coding sequence and 3prime prime or minute untranslated region due to alternative polyadenylation and splicing events that occur in the final four exons and three introns. The entire ADAM28 gene spans 55 kb and contains 23 exons. The protein sequence contains all conserved residues required for metalloprotease activity, indicative of a role in ectodomain shedding and extracellular matrix modeling. Given its unique expression pattern and potential functions, murine ADAM28 may play a role in organogenesis and organ-specific functions such as thymic T cell development.     

The MUC3 gene encodes a transmembrane mucin and is alternatively spliced.

Epithelial mucins are a family of secreted and cell surface glycoproteins expressed by epithelial tissues and implicated in epithelial cell protection, adhesion modulation and signaling. The gene encoding human MUC3 (hMUC3), localised to chromosome 7q22, is most highly expressed in the small intestine. It has previously been reported to be a non-transmembrane mucin with minimal homology to its suggested orthologues from rat (rMuc3) and mouse (mMuc3). RT-PCR was performed to investigate the carboxyl terminus of the published sequence of hMUC3 from normal colon and small intestine tissues and also from a series of 10 colorectal cancer cell lines. Two distinct PCR products were identified. In contrast to the previously published hMUC3 sequence, which terminates shortly after a single cysteine-rich EGF-like domain, conceptual protein translation of the dominant and largest PCR product identified two extracellular cysteine-rich EGF-like domains separated by an N-glycosylation-rich domain and a potential coiled-coil region, followed by a putative transmembrane region and a 75 amino acid cytoplasmic tail. The smaller of the two PCR products was found to be an alternative splice variant of MUC3 including the first EGF-like domain but lacking part of the second EGF-like domain and the transmembrane region. Nine out of 10 colorectal cancer cell lines were found to express MUC3. Interestingly, one of the cell lines, LoVo, expressed predominantly the alternative splice form lacking a transmembrane domain. Structural homology of the new protein sequence of hMUC3 with rMuc3 and mMuc3 indicates it is closely related to the rodent proteins and is likely to be involved in ligand-binding and intracellular signaling. The new finding that MUC3 encodes a transmembrane molecule presents a new paradigm for the structure of this mucin and the manner in which it may function.     

Cloning and expression in Pichia pastoris of metalloprotease domain of ADAM 9 catalytically active against fibronectin

ADAM 9 is a member of the cellular metalloprotease/disintegrin/cysteine-rich (MDC) gene family, related to soluble snake venom metalloproteases (SVMP). ADAMs may play important roles in cell-cell fusion, cell-matrix interaction, and other cellular functions. To investigate catalytic activity of human ADAM 9 we have cloned and expressed the metalloprotease domain of human ADAM 9 in Pichia pastoris. The recombinant protein was purified in a three-step purification procedure and activity was detected against gelatin, beta-casein, and fibronectin. In addition we identified five normal and cancer cell lines expressing mRNA of human ADAM 9.     

A metalloprotease-disintegrin, MDC9/meltrin-gamma/ADAM9 and PKCdelta are involved in TPA-induced ectodomain shedding of membrane-anchored heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor.

The ectodomains of many proteins located at the cell surface are shed upon cell stimulation. One such protein is the heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) that exists in a membrane-anchored form which is converted to a soluble form upon cell stimulation with TPA, an activator of protein kinase C (PKC). We show that PKCdelta binds in vivo and in vitro to the cytoplasmic domain of MDC9/meltrin-gamma/ADAM9, a member of the metalloprotease-disintegrin family. Furthermore, the presence of constitutively active PKCdelta or MDC9 results in the shedding of the ectodomain of proHB-EGF, whereas MDC9 mutants lacking the metalloprotease domain, as well as kinase-negative PKCdelta, suppress the TPA-induced shedding of the ectodomain. These results suggest that MDC9 and PKCdelta are involved in the stimulus-coupled shedding of the proHB-EGF ectodomain.     

Regulation of human ADAM 12 protease by the prodomain. Evidence for a functional cysteine switch

The ADAMs (a disintegrin and metalloprotease) are a family of multidomain proteins that are believed to play key roles in cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. We have shown recently that human ADAM 12-S (meltrin alpha) is an active metalloprotease. It is synthesized as a zymogen, with the prodomain maintaining the protease in a latent form. We now provide evidence that the latency mechanism of ADAM 12 can be explained by the cysteine switch model, in which coordination of Zn2+ in the active site of the catalytic domain by a cysteine residue in the prodomain is critical for inhibition of the protease. Replacing Cys179 with other amino acids results in an ADAM 12 proform that is proteolytically active, but latency can be restored by placing cysteine at other positions in the propeptide. None of the amino acids adjacent to the crucial cysteine residue is essential for blocking activity of the protease domain. In addition to its latency function, the prodomain is required for exit of ADAM 12 protease from the endoplasmic reticulum. Tissue inhibitor of metalloprotease-1, -2, and -3 were not found to block proteolytic activity of ADAM 12, hence a physiological inhibitor of ADAM 12 protease in the extracellular environment remains to be identified.     

Positive selection within sperm-egg adhesion domains of fertilin: an ADAM gene with a potential role in fertilization

Genes with a role in fertilization show a common pattern of rapid evolution. The role played by positive selection versus lack of selective constraints has been more difficult to establish. One problem arises from attempts to detect selection in an overall gene sequence analysis. I have analyzed the pattern of molecular evolution of fertilin, a gene coding for a heterodimeric sperm protein belonging to the ADAM (A disintegrin and A metalloprotease) gene family. A nonsynonymous to synonymous rate ratio (d(N)/d(S)) analysis for different protein domains of fertilin alpha and fertilin beta showed d(N)/d(S) < 1, suggesting that purifying selection has shaped fertilin's evolution. However, an analysis of the distribution of single positively selected codon sites using phylogentic analysis by maximum likelihood (PAML) showed sites within adhesion domains (disintegrin and cysteine-rich) of fertilin beta evolving under positive selection. The region 3' to the EGF-like domain of fertilin alpha, where the transmembrane and cytoplasmic tail regions are supposed to be localized, showed higher d(N) and d(S) than any other fertilin alpha region. However, it was not possible to identify positively selected codon sites due to ambiguous alignments of the carboxy-end region (ClustalX vs. DiAlign2). When this region was excluded from the PAML analysis, most single positively selected codon sites were concentrated within adhesion domains (cysteine-rich and EGF-like). The use of an ancestral sequence prior to a recent duplication event of fertilin alpha among non-Hominidae primates (Macaca, Papio, and Saguinus) revealed that the duplication is partially responsible for masking the detection of positively selected sites within the disintegrin domain. Finally, most ADAM genes with a potential role in sperm maturation and/or fertilization showed significantly higher d(N) estimates than other ADAM genes.