Proper perinuclear localization of the TRIM-like protein myospryn requires its binding partner desmin

Desmin, the muscle-specific intermediate filament protein, surrounds the Z disks and links the entire contractile apparatus to the sarcolemmal cytoskeleton, cytoplasmic organelles, and the nucleus. In an attempt to explore the molecular mechanisms of these associations, we performed a yeast two-hybrid screening of a cardiac cDNA library. We showed that the desmin amino-terminal domain (N-(1-103)) binds to a 413-kDa TRIM-like protein, myospryn, originally identified as the muscle-specific partner of dysbindin, a component of the biogenesis of lysosome-related organelles complex 1 (BLOC-1). Binding of desmin with myospryn was confirmed with glutathione S-transferase pulldown assays and coimmunoprecipitation experiments. Western blot analysis revealed that the complex immunoprecipitated by desmin antibodies, in addition to myospryn, contained the BLOC-1 components dysbindin and pallidin. Deletion analysis revealed that only the (N-(1-103)) fragment of desmin binds to myospryn carboxyl terminus and that this association takes place through the 24-amino acid-long carboxyl-terminal end of the SPRY domain of myospryn. Using an antibody against the COOH terminus of myospryn, we demonstrated that myospryn colocalizes with desmin at the periphery of the nucleus, in close proximity to the endoplasmic reticulum, of mouse neonatal cardiomyocytes. In adult heart muscle, the two proteins colocalize, predominantly at intercalated disks and costameres. We also showed that myospryn colocalizes with lysosomes. Using desmin null hearts, we determined that desmin is required for both the proper perinuclear localization of myospryn, as well as the proper positioning of lysosomes, thus suggesting a potential role of desmin intermediate filaments in lysosomes and lysosome-related organelle biogenesis and/or positioning.     

Involvement of wild-type p53 protein in the cell cycle requires nuclear localization.

Transfection of wild-type p53 into a pre-B, p53 nonproducer cell line yielded the generation of stable clones. Although constitutively expressing the growth-suppressor wild-type p53 protein, these cells proliferate continuously in vitro. However, expression of wild-type p53 in these cells altered their cell cycle pattern and reduced their growth in vivo. When the same parental cells were transfected with a plasmid coding for a wild-type p53 lacking nuclear localization signals, a wild-type cytoplasmic p53 protein was expressed. Expression of this cytoplasmic p53 product did not exert any changes in the growth of the parental cells, suggesting that wild-type p53 affects the cell cycle only when localized in the nuclear cell compartment.     

The nuclear localization of SOCS6 requires the N-terminal region and negatively regulates Stat3 protein levels

We determined that endogenous- and overexpressed- SOCS6 was localized in both the nucleus and cytoplasm. The localization of SOCS6 depended on amino acids 1-210 in the N-terminal region of the protein, which contains an unidentified domain. GFP-tagged SOCS6 or the N-terminal region, was exclusively localized and widely distributed throughout the entire nucleus, whereas the C-terminal region displayed a nuclear omission pattern. We also demonstrated that the SOCS6 protein could decrease the levels of the Stat3 protein in the nucleus, and that its negative regulation of the Stat3 protein level was dependent on its C-terminal region. These observations suggest that SOCS6 is composed of at least two functional domains required for its biological role in localizing and degrading Stat3 in the nucleus.     

Correct intranuclear localization of herpes simplex virus DNA polymerase requires the viral ICP8 DNA-binding protein.

We used indirect immunofluorescence to examine the factors determining the intranuclear location of herpes simplex virus (HSV) DNA polymerase (Pol) in infected cells. In the absence of viral DNA replication, HSV Pol colocalized with the HSV DNA-binding protein ICP8 in nuclear framework-associated structures called prereplicative sites. In the presence of viral DNA replication, HSV Pol colocalized with ICP8 in globular intranuclear structures called replication compartments. In cells infected with mutant viruses encoding defective ICP8 molecules, Pol localized within the cell nucleus but showed a general diffuse intranuclear distribution. In uninfected cells transfected with a plasmid expressing Pol, Pol similarly showed a diffuse intranuclear distribution. Therefore, Pol can localize to the cell nucleus without other viral proteins, but functional ICP8 is required for Pol to localize to prereplicative sites. In cells infected with mutant viruses encoding defective Pol molecules, ICP8 localized to prereplicative sites. Thus, Pol or the portions of Pol not expressed by the mutant viruses are not essential for the formation of prereplicative sites or the localization of ICP8 to these structures. These results demonstrate that a specific nuclear protein can influence the intranuclear location of another nuclear protein.     

Secretion of surfactant protein C, an integral membrane protein, requires the N-terminal propeptide

Proteolytic processing of surfactant protein C (SP-C) proprotein in multivesicular bodies of alveolar type II cells results in a 35-residue mature peptide, consisting of a transmembrane domain and a 10-residue extramembrane domain. SP-C mature peptide is stored in lamellar bodies (a lysosomal-like organelle) and secreted with surfactant phospholipids into the alveolar space. This study was designed to identify the peptide domain of SP-C required for sorting and secretion of this integral membrane peptide. Deletion analyses in transiently transfected PC12 cells and isolated mouse type II cells suggested the extramembrane domain of mature SP-C was cytosolic and sufficient for sorting to the regulated secretory pathway. Intratracheal injection of adenovirus encoding SP-C mature peptide resulted in secretion into the alveolar space of wild type mice but not SP-C (-/-) mice. SP-C secretion in null mice was restored by the addition of the N-terminal propeptide. The cytosolic domain, consisting of the N- terminal propeptide and extramembrane domain of mature SP-C peptide, supported secretion of the transmembrane domain of platelet-derived growth factor receptor. Collectively, these studies indicate that the N-terminal propeptide of SP-C is required for intracellular sorting and secretion of SP-C.     

In vivo RNA localization of I factor, a non-LTR retrotransposon, requires a cis-acting signal in ORF2 and ORF1 protein

According to the current model of non-LTR retrotransposon (NLR) mobilization, co-expression of the RNA transposition intermediate, and the proteins it encodes (ORF1p and ORF2p), is a requisite for the formation of cytoplasmic ribonucleoprotein complexes which contain necessary elements to complete a retrotransposition cycle later in the nucleus. To understand these early processes of NLR mobilization, here we analyzed in vivo the protein and RNA expression patterns of the I factor, a model NLR in Drosophila. We show that ORF1p and I factor RNA, specifically produced during transposition, are co-expressed and tightly co-localize with a specific pattern (Loc+) exclusively in the cytoplasm of germ cells permissive for retrotransposition. Using an ORF2 mutated I factor, we show that ORF2p plays no role in the Loc+ patterning. With deletion derivatives of an I factor we define an RNA localization signal required to display the Loc+ pattern. Finally, by complementation experiments we show that ORF1p is necessary for the efficient localization of I factor RNA. Our data suggest that ORF1p is involved in proper folding and stabilization of I factor RNA for efficient targeting, through Loc+ patterning, to the nuclear neighborhood where downstream steps of the retrotransposition process occur.     

Recognition of a bicoid mRNA localization signal by a protein complex containing Swallow,Nod, and RNA binding proteins

Localization of mRNAs, a process essential for embryonic body patterning in Drosophila, requires recognition of cis-acting signals by cellular components responsible for movement and anchoring. We have purified a large multiprotein complex that binds a minimal form of the bicoid mRNA localization signal in a manner both specific and sensitive to inactivating mutations. Identified complex components include the RNA binding proteins Modulo, PABP, and Smooth, the known localization factor Swallow, and the kinesin family member Nod. We demonstrate that localization of bcd mRNA is defective in modulo mutants. The presence of three required localization components (Swallow, Modulo, and specific RNA binding activity) within the recognition complex strongly implicates it in mRNA localization.     

Endocytosis of the synaptic vesicle protein, synaptophysin, requires the COOH-terminal tail.

Synaptic vesicles participate in a cycle of fusion with the plasma membrane and reformation by endocytosis. Endocytosis of membrane proteins by the well studied clathrin-coated vesicle pathway has been shown to involve specific sequences within the cytoplasmic tail domain. Proteins taken up by clathrin-coated vesicles are directed to early endosomes from which they may return to plasma membrane. Recent evidence suggests that the synaptic vesicle protein synaptophysin is targeted to early endosomes in transfected fibroblasts and in neuroendocrine cells. To begin to test whether sequences within the COOH-cytoplasmic domain are required for internalization we have expressed a synaptophysin molecule lacking this domain in 3T3 cells and measured its rate of internalization. While a full length synaptophysin was internalized efficiently, we could not detect internalization of the mutant construct. These data are consistent with a model in which the COOH-terminal tail is required for coated-pit localization and hence targeting of synaptophysin to early endosomes.     

PKCδ survival signaling in cells containing an activated p21Ras protein requires PDK1

Protein kinase C δ (PKCδ) modulates cell survival and apoptosis in diverse cellular systems. We recently reported that PKCδ functions as a critical anti-apoptotic signal transducer in cells containing activated p21^Ras and results in the activation of AKT, thereby promoting cell survival. How PKCδ is regulated by p21^Ras, however, remains incompletely understood. In this study, we show that PKCδ, as a transducer of anti-apoptotic signals, is activated by phosphotidylinositol 3′ kinase/phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 (PI₃K–PDK1) to deliver the survival signal to Akt in the environment of activated p21^Ras. PDK1 is upregulated in cells containing an activated p21Ras. Knock-down of PDK1, PKCδ, or AKT forces cells containing activated p21^Ras to undergo apoptosis. PDK1 regulates PKCδ activity, and constitutive expression of PDK1 increases PKCδ activity in different cell types. Conversely, expression of a kinase-dead (dominant-negative) PDK1 significantly suppresses PKCδ activity. p21^Ras-mediated survival signaling is therefore regulated by via a PI₃K–AKT pathway, which is dependent upon both PDK1 and PKCδ, and PDK1 activates and regulates PKCδ to determine the fate of cells containing a mutated, activated p21^Ras.     

Cortical localization of the Galpha protein GPA-16 requires RIC-8 function during C. elegans asymmetric cell division

Understanding of the mechanisms governing spindle positioning during asymmetric division remains incomplete. During unequal division of one-cell stage C. elegans embryos, the Galpha proteins GOA-1 and GPA-16 act in a partially redundant manner to generate pulling forces along astral microtubules. Previous work focused primarily on GOA-1, whereas the mechanisms by which GPA-16 participates in this process are not well understood. Here, we report that GPA-16 is present predominantly at the cortex of one-cell stage embryos. Using co-immunoprecipitation and surface plasmon resonance binding assays, we find that GPA-16 associates with RIC-8 and GPR-1/2, two proteins known to be required for pulling force generation. Using spindle severing as an assay for pulling forces, we demonstrate that inactivation of the Gbeta protein GPB-1 renders GPA-16 and GOA-1 entirely redundant. This suggests that the two Galpha proteins can activate the same pathway and that their dual presence is normally needed to counter Gbetagamma. Using nucleotide exchange assays, we establish that whereas GPR-1/2 acts as a guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitor (GDI) for GPA-16, as it does for GOA-1, RIC-8 does not exhibit guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) activity towards GPA-16, in contrast to its effect on GOA-1. We establish in addition that RIC-8 is required for cortical localization of GPA-16, whereas it is not required for that of GOA-1. Our analysis demonstrates that this requirement toward GPA-16 is distinct from the known function of RIC-8 in enabling interaction between Galpha proteins and GPR-1/2, thus providing novel insight into the mechanisms of asymmetric spindle positioning.     

优雅蝈螽VASA蛋白cDNA序列的克隆与生物信息学分析

Vasa基因属于DEAD-box家族,其功能主要是特定mRNA的翻译调控。在许多动物中,它都是生殖系细胞发育所必须,对生殖干细胞分化具有重要作用。为探究vasa基因在半变态类昆虫生殖系细胞发育中的作用,本研究首先从基于Illumina高通量测序平台测得的优雅蝈螽Gampsocleis gratiosa成体转录组数据中筛选出一段长度为1215 bp的vasa基因片段,进而设计引物并利用RT-PCR和RACE技术获得其c DNA序列全长,最后利用生物信息学技术进行分析。结果显示:优雅蝈螽vasa基因的c DNA序列全长3359 bp,其中,5'端非编码区82bp,3'端非编码区1306 bp,开放阅读框1971 bp编码656个氨基酸,理论蛋白相对分子量(Mw)72.3 k Da,等电点(p I)5.48。通过与Gen Bank数据库中收录的其他VASA蛋白序列比对,发现优雅蝈螽VASA蛋白具有DEAD-box蛋白家族所共有的9个保守基序,Ax TGo GKT(I)、PTRELA(Ia)、TPGR(Ib)、DEAD(Ⅱ)、SAT(Ⅲ)、LVFVE(Ⅳ)、TDVu ARGID(Ⅴ)、HRIGRTGR(Ⅵ)和Gacc Poh1Q(Q),其中,Gacc Poh1Q(Q)的第3个氨基酸残基存在显著变化,建议将Gacc Poh1Q(Q)修改为Gaxc Poh1Q(Q)。此外,优雅蝈螽VASA蛋白的N端还具有10个RG和2个RGG重复序列、起始及终止密码子附近的色氨酸(W)、C末端的7个氨基酸残基中有4个为酸性氨基酸残基(E),表明其具有ATP依赖的RNA解旋酶活性。基于氨基酸序列聚类结果显示:优雅蝈螽位于六足动物分枝末梢,与双斑蟋Gryllus bimaculatus的亲缘关系最近,这与二者的分类学地位相符。本研究表明基于短读长二代测序平台获得的转录组数据可以很好地服务于功能基因研究,所获得的优雅蝈螽vasa基因c DNA全长对于进一步深入研究VASA蛋白在半变态类昆虫生殖系细胞发育研究具有重要意义。     

The Golgi localization of phosphatidylinositol transfer protein beta requires the protein kinase C-dependent phosphorylation of serine 262 and is essential for maintaining plasma membrane sphingomyelin levels

Recombinant mouse phosphatidylinositol transfer protein (PI-TP)beta is a substrate for protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent phosphorylation in vitro. Based on site-directed mutagenesis and two-dimensional tryptic peptide mapping, Ser(262) was identified as the major site of phosphorylation and Ser(165) as a minor phosphorylation site. The phospholipid transfer activities of wild-type PI-TP beta and PI-TP beta(S262A) were identical, whereas PI-TP beta(S165A) was completely inactive. PKC-dependent phosphorylation of Ser(262) also had no effect on the transfer activity of PI-TP beta. To investigate the role of Ser(262) in the functioning of PI-TP beta, wtPI-TP beta and PI-TP beta(S262A) were overexpressed in NIH3T3 fibroblast cells. Two-dimensional PAGE analysis of cell lysates was used to separate PI-TP beta from its phosphorylated form. After Western blotting, wtPI-TP beta was found to be 85% phosphorylated, whereas PI-TP beta(S262A) was not phosphorylated. In the presence of the PKC inhibitor GF 109203X, the phosphorylated form of wtPI-TP beta was strongly reduced. Immunolocalization showed that wtPI-TP beta was predominantly associated with the Golgi membranes. In the presence of the PKC inhibitor, wtPI-TP beta was distributed throughout the cell similar to what was observed for PI-TP beta(S262A). In contrast to wtPI-TP beta overexpressors, cells overexpressing PI-TP beta(S262A) were unable to rapidly replenish sphingomyelin in the plasma membrane upon degradation by sphingomyelinase. This implies that PKC-dependent association with the Golgi complex is a prerequisite for PI-TP beta to express its effect on sphingomyelin metabolism.