Regulation of Greatwall kinase by protein stabilization and nuclear localization

Greatwall (Gwl) functions as an essential mitotic kinase by antagonizing protein phosphatase 2A. In this study we identified Hsp90, Cdc37 and members of the importin α and β families as the major binding partners of Gwl. Both Hsp90/Cdc37 chaperone and importin complexes associated with the N-terminal kinase domain of Gwl, whereas an intact glycine-rich loop at the N-terminus of Gwl was essential for binding of Hsp90/Cdc37 but not importins. We found that Hsp90 inhibition led to destabilization of Gwl, a mechanism that may partially contribute to the emerging role of Hsp90 in cell cycle progression and the anti-proliferative potential of Hsp90 inhibition. Moreover, in agreement with its importin association, Gwl exhibited nuclear localization in interphase Xenopus S3 cells, and dynamic nucleocytoplasmic distribution during mitosis. We identified KR456/457 as the locus of importin binding and the functional NLS of Gwl. Mutation of this site resulted in exclusion of Gwl from the nucleus. Finally, we showed that the Gwl nuclear localization is indispensable for the biochemical function of Gwl in promoting mitotic entry.     

Roles of mitogen-activated protein kinase and phosphoinositide 3'-kinase in ErbB2/ErbB3 coreceptor-mediated heregulin signaling

ErbB2/HER2 and ErbB3/HER3, two members of the ErbB/HER family, together constitute a heregulin coreceptor complex that elicits a potent mitogenic and transforming signal. Among known intracellular effectors of the ErbB2/ErbB3 heregulin coreceptor are mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and phosphoinositide (PI) 3-kinase. Activation of the distinct MAPK and PI 3-kinase signaling pathways by the ErbB2/ErbB3 coreceptor in response to heregulin and their relative contributions to the mitogenic and transformation potentials of the activated coreceptor were investigated here. To this end, cDNAs encoding the wild-type ErbB3 protein (ErbB3-WT) and ErbB3 proteins with amino acid substitutions in either the Shc-binding site (ErbB3-Y1325F), the six putative PI 3-kinase-binding sites (ErbB3-6F), or both (ErbB3-7F) were generated and expressed in NIH-3T3 cells to form functional ErbB2/ErbB3 heregulin coreceptors. While the coreceptor incorporating ErbB3-WT activated both the MAPK and the PI 3-kinase signaling pathways, those incorporating ErbB3-Y1325F or ErbB3-6F activated either PI 3-kinase or MAPK, respectively. The ErbB2/ErbB3-7F coreceptor activated neither. Elimination of either signaling pathway lowered basal and eliminated heregulin-dependent expression of cyclin D1, which was in each case accompanied by an attenuated mitogenic response. Selective elimination of the PI 3-kinase pathway severely impaired the ability of heregulin to transform cells expressing the coreceptor, whereas attenuation of the MAPK pathway had a lesser effect. Thus, while both pathways contributed in a roughly additive manner to the mitogenic response elicited by the activated ErbB2/ErbB3 coreceptor, the PI 3-kinase pathway predominated in the induction of cellular transformation.     

Akt-dependent phosphorylation of p27Kip1 promotes binding to 14-3-3 and cytoplasmic localization

In many human cancers, the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27(Kip1) is expressed at low or undetectable levels. The decreased p27(Kip1) expression allows cyclin-dependent kinase activity to cause cells to enter into S phase and correlates with poor patient survival. Inhibition of serine/threonine kinase Akt signaling by some pharmacological agents or by PTEN induces G(1) arrest, in part by up-regulating p27(Kip1). However, the role of Akt-dependent phosphorylation in p27(Kip1) regulation is not clear. Here, we show that Akt bound directly to and phosphorylated p27(Kip1). Screening p27(Kip1) phosphorylation sites identified the COOH-terminal Thr(198) residue as a novel site. Further analysis revealed that 14-3-3 proteins bound to p27(Kip1) through Thr(198) only when it was phosphorylated by Akt. Although Akt also phosphorylated p27(Kip1) at Ser(10) and Thr(187), these two sites were not involved in the binding to 14-3-3 proteins. p27(Kip1) phosphorylated at Thr(198) exists only in the cytoplasm. Therefore, Akt promotes cell-cycle progression through the mechanisms of phosphorylation-dependent 14-3-3 binding to p27(Kip1) and cytoplasmic localization.     

Stabilization of Mdm2 via decreased ubiquitination is mediated by protein kinase B/Akt-dependent phosphorylation

The tumor suppressor p53 is commonly inhibited under conditions in which the phosphatidylinositide 3'-OH kinase/protein kinase B (PKB)Akt pathway is activated. Intracellular levels of p53 are controlled by the E3 ubiquitin ligase Mdm2. Here we show that PKB inhibits Mdm2 self-ubiquitination via phosphorylation of Mdm2 on Ser(166) and Ser(188). Stimulation of human embryonic kidney 293 cells with insulin-like growth factor-1 increased Mdm2 phosphorylation on Ser(166) and Ser(188) in a phosphatidylinositide 3'-OH kinase-dependent manner, and the treatment of both human embryonic kidney 293 and COS-1 cells with phosphatidylinositide 3'-OH kinase inhibitor LY-294002 led to proteasome-mediated Mdm2 degradation. Introduction of a constitutively active form of PKB together with Mdm2 into cells induced phosphorylation of Mdm2 at Ser(166) and Ser(188) and stabilized Mdm2 protein. Moreover, mouse embryonic fibroblasts lacking PKBalpha displayed reduced Mdm2 protein levels with a concomitant increase of p53 and p21(Cip1), resulting in strongly elevated apoptosis after UV irradiation. In addition, activation of PKB correlated with Mdm2 phosphorylation and stability in a variety of human tumor cells. These findings suggest that PKB plays a critical role in controlling of the Mdm2.p53 signaling pathway by regulating Mdm2 stability.     

Neuregulin-1 regulates cell adhesion via an ErbB2/phosphoinositide-3 kinase/Akt-dependent pathway: potential implications for schizophrenia and cancer

Background

Neuregulin-1 (NRG1) is a putative schizophrenia susceptibility gene involved extensively in central nervous system development as well as cancer invasion and metastasis. Using a B lymphoblast cell model, we previously demonstrated impairment in NRG1α-mediated migration in cells derived from patients with schizophrenia as well as effects of risk alleles in NRG1 and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), a second gene implicated both in schizophrenia susceptibility and in cancer.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Here, we examine cell adhesion, an essential component process of cell motility, using an integrin-mediated cell adhesion assay based on an interaction between ICAM-1 and the CD11a/CD18 integrin heterodimer expressed on lymphoblasts. In our assay, NRG1α induces lymphoblasts to assume varying levels of adhesion characterized by time-dependent fluctuations in the firmness of attachment. The maximum range of variation in adhesion over sixty minutes correlates strongly with NRG1α-induced migration (r² = 0.61). NRG1α-induced adhesion variation is blocked by erbB2, PI3K, and Akt inhibitors, but not by PLC, ROCK, MLCK, or MEK inhibitors, implicating the erbB2/PI3K/Akt1 signaling pathway in NRG1-stimulated, integrin-mediated cell adhesion. In cell lines from 20 patients with schizophrenia and 20 normal controls, cells from patients show a significant deficiency in the range of NRG1α-induced adhesion (p = 0.0002). In contrast, the response of patient-derived cells to phorbol myristate acetate is unimpaired. The COMT Val108/158Met genotype demonstrates a strong trend towards predicting the range of the NRG1α-induced adhesion response with risk homozygotes having decreased variation in cell adhesion even in normal subjects (p = 0.063).

Conclusion/Significance

Our findings suggest that a mechanism of the NRG1 genetic association with schizophrenia may involve the molecular biology of cell adhesion.     

p38 and p42/44 MAPKs differentially regulate progesterone receptor A and B isoform stabilization

Progesterone receptor (PR) isoforms (PRA and PRB) are implicated in the progression of breast cancers frequently associated with imbalanced PRA/PRB expression ratio. Antiprogestins represent potential antitumorigenic agents for such hormone-dependent cancers. To investigate the mechanism(s) controlling PR isoforms degradation/stability in the context of agonist and antagonist ligands, we used endometrial and mammary cancer cells stably expressing PRA and/or PRB. We found that the antiprogestin RU486 inhibited the agonist-induced turnover of PR isoforms through active mechanism(s) involving distinct MAPK-dependent phosphorylations. p42/44 MAPK activity inhibited proteasome-mediated degradation of RU486-bound PRB but not PRA in both cell lines. Ligand-induced PRB turnover required neosynthesis of a mandatory down-regulating partner whose interaction/function is negatively controlled by p42/44 MAPK. Such regulation strongly influenced expression of various endogenous PRB target genes in a selective manner, supporting functional relevance of the mechanism. Interestingly, in contrast to PRB, PRA stability was specifically increased by MAPK kinase kinase 1-induced p38 MAPK activation. Selective inhibition of p42/p44 or p38 activity resulted in opposite variations of the PRA/PRB expression ratio. Moreover, MAPK-dependent PR isoforms stability was independent of PR serine-294 phosphorylation previously proposed as a major sensor of PR down-regulation. In sum, we demonstrate that MAPK-mediated cell signaling differentially controls PRA/PRB expression ratio at posttranslational level through ligand-sensitive processes. Imbalance in PRA/PRB ratio frequently associated with carcinogenesis might be a direct consequence of disorders in MAPK signaling that might switch cellular responses to hormonal stimuli and contribute towards pathogenesis.     

N-Acylpolyamine inhibitors of HDM2 and HDMX binding to p53

Selective inhibition of protein–protein interactions important for cellular processes could lead to the development of new therapies against disease. In the area of cancer, overexpression of the proteins human double minute 2 (HDM2) and its homolog HDMX has been linked to tumor aggressiveness. Both HDM2 and HDMX bind to p53 and prevent cell cycle arrest or apoptosis in damaged cells. Developing a strategy to simultaneously prevent the binding of both HDM2 and HDMX to p53 is an essential feature of inhibitors to restore p53 activity in a number of different cancers. Inhibition of protein–protein interactions with synthetic molecules is an emerging area of research that requires new inhibitors tailored to mimic the types of interfaces between proteins. Our strategy to create inhibitors of protein–protein interactions is to develop a non-natural scaffold that may be used as a starting point to identify important molecular components necessary for inhibition. In this study, we report an N-acylpolyamine (NAPA) scaffold that supports numerous sidechains in a compact atomic arrangement. NAPAs were constructed by a series of reductive aminations between amino acid derivatives followed by acylation at the resulting secondary amine. An optimized NAPA was able to equally inhibit the association of both HDM2 and HDMX with p53. Our results demonstrate some of the challenges associated with targeting multiple protein–protein interactions involved in overlapping cellular processes.     

Expression of p40/Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 1 binding protein 2

Nucleolar protein p40/EBP2 is a proliferation-associated antigen that interacts with Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1) to maintain the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) episomes. The yeast p40/EBP2 functions in the processing of 27S-A into 27S-B ribosomal RNA. The present study reports high evolutionary conservation of the cDNA-derived amino acid sequences of p40/EBP2 from frog, chicken, pig, rat, mouse, bovine, and human. p40/EBP2 is ubiquitously expressed in human tissues. It is highly expressed in myelogenous leukemia K-562 compared to other cell lines tested. The human p40/EBP2 gene is located in chromosome 1 with nine exons and eight introns. The minimal promoter region resides 300 nucleotides upstream of a putative ATG initiation codon preceded by a pyrimidine-rich region. These two regions contain eight Sp1 and four c-Ets-1 putative binding sites. Analysis of the p40/EBP2 gene and its promoter region will facilitate studies on the regulation of its expression in EBV-infected and noninfected cells.     

CDC-48/p97 is required for proper meiotic chromosome segregation via controlling AIR-2/Aurora B kinase localization in Caenorhabditis elegans

CDC-48/p97 is a AAA (ATPases associated with diverse cellular activities) chaperone involved in protein conformational changes such as the disassembly of protein complexes. We previously reported that Caenorhabditis elegans CDC-48.1 and CDC-48.2 (CDC-48s) are essential for the progression of meiosis I metaphase. Here, we report that CDC-48s are required for proper chromosome segregation during meiosis in C. elegans. In wild-type worms, at the diakinesis phase, phosphorylation of histone H3, one of the known substrates of aurora B kinase (AIR-2), on meiosis I chromatids correlated with AIR-2 localization at the cohesion sites of homologous chromatids. Conversely, depletion of CDC-48s resulted in a significant expansion of signals for AIR-2 and phosphorylated histone H3 over the entire length of meiotic chromosomes, leading to defective chromosome segregation, while the total amount of AIR-2 in lysates was not changed by the depletion of CDC-48s. The defective segregation of meiotic chromosomes caused by the depletion of CDC-48s was suppressed by the simultaneous depletion of AIR-2 and is similar to that observed following the depletion of protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) phosphatases. However, the amount and localization of PP1 were not changed by the depletion of CDC-48s. These results suggest that CDC-48s control the restricted localization of AIR-2 to the cohesion sites of homologous chromatids in meiosis I.     

Protein kinase C nu/protein kinase D3 nuclear localization,catalytic activation,and intracellular redistribution in response to G protein-coupled receptor agonists

The protein kinase D (PKD) family consists of three serine/threonine kinases: PKC micro/PKD, PKD2, and PKCnu/PKD3. Whereas PKD has been the focus of most studies, virtually nothing is known about the effect of G protein-coupled receptor agonists (GPCR) on the regulatory properties and intracellular distribution of PKD3. Consequently, we examined the mechanism that mediates its activation and intracellular distribution. GPCR agonists induced a rapid activation of PKD3 by a protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent pathway that leads to the phosphorylation of the activation loop of PKD3. Comparison of the steady-state distribution of endogenous or tagged PKD3 versus PKD and PKD2 in unstimulated cells indicated that whereas PKD and PKD2 are predominantly cytoplasmic, PKD3 is present both in the nucleus and cytoplasm. This distribution of PKD3 results from its continuous shuttling between both compartments by a mechanism that requires a nuclear import receptor and a competent CRM1-nuclear export pathway. Cell stimulation with the GPCR agonist neurotensin induced a rapid and reversible plasma membrane translocation of PKD3 that is PKC-dependent. Interestingly, the nuclear accumulation of PKD3 can be dramatically enhanced in response to its activation. Thus, this study demonstrates that the intracellular distribution of PKD isoenzymes are distinct, and suggests that their signaling properties are regulated by differential localization.     

A catalytically inactive form of protein kinase C-associated kinase/receptor interacting protein 4, a protein kinase C beta-associated kinase that mediates NF-kappa B activation,interferes with early B cell development

Protein kinase C-associated kinase (PKK)/receptor interacting protein 4 (RIP4) is a protein kinase C (PKC) beta-associated kinase that links PKC to NF-kappaB activation. The kinase domain of PKK is similar to that of RIP, RIP2, and RIP3. We show in this study that PKK is expressed early during lymphocyte development and can be detected in common lymphoid progenitor cells. Targeting of a catalytically inactive version of PKK to lymphoid cells resulted in a marked impairment in pro-B cell generation in the bone marrow. Although peripheral B cell numbers were markedly reduced, differentiation into follicular and marginal zone B cells was not defective in these mice. B-1a and B-1b B cells could not be detected in these mice, but this might be a reflection of the overall defect in B cell production observed in these animals. In keeping with a possible link to PKCbeta, peripheral B cells in these mice exhibit a defect in anti-IgM-mediated proliferation. These studies suggest that PKK may be required early in B cell development and for BCR-mediated B cell proliferation.     

Expression and localization of protein kinase C theta isoform in mouse testis.

Protein kinase C (PKC) is encoded by a complex of a gene family, and its multiple isoforms are expressed in various mammalian tissues. The objective of this study was to investigate the expression and localization of a PKC theta isoform in mouse testis. PKC theta displays the highest homology to PKC delta, lacks the Ca2+-binding C2 domain and, thus, belongs to the subfamily of Ca2+-independent PKC enzymes which also includes the delta, epsilon, zeta and eta isoforms. We analyzed the PKC theta mRNA and protein by Northern blotting, in situ hybridization, and immunohistochemistry. In testes of normal mice, signals of PKC theta isoform expression were detected specifically in the interstitial cells of testes. The expression of PKC theta isoform was also detected in testes of germ cell-deficient W/W(v) mice. These results suggest that PKC theta isoform has the specific biological functions in the interstitial cells of testis.