The C-terminal tail of the dual-specificity Cdc25B phosphatase mediates modular substrate recognition.

Cdc25 is a dual-specificity phosphatase that catalyzes the activation of the cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdk/cyclins), thus triggering initiation and progression of successive phases of the cell cycle. In our efforts to elucidate the interaction between Cdc25B and the natural substrate, bis-phosphorylated Cdk2/CycA (Cdk2-pTpY/CycA), we have previously found that the 17 residues of the C-terminal tail mediate a factor of 10 in substrate recognition. In the studies reported here, we localize the majority of this interaction using site-directed mutagenesis to two arginine residues (Arg556 and Arg562) located within this C-terminal region. We also show that the catalytic domain of Cdc25C, which differs most significantly from Cdc25B in this tail region, has a 100-fold lower activity toward Cdk2-pTpY/CycA. We further demonstrate that the proper presentation of the C-terminal tail of Cdc25B can be achieved in a "gain-of-function" chimeric protein consisting of the C-terminal tail of Cdc25B fused onto the catalytic core of Cdc25C. The >10-fold increase in activity seen only in the chimeric protein containing the two critical arginine residues demonstrates that the modular C-terminal tail of Cdc25B is the basis for most of the catalytic advantage of Cdc25B versus Cdc25C toward the Cdk2-pTpY/CycA substrate.     

FYVE-DSP1, a dual-specificity protein phosphatase containing an FYVE domain

Dual-specificity protein phosphatases (DSPs) dephosphorylate proteins at Ser/Thr and Tyr. FYVE domain is a double zinc finger motif which specifically binds phosphatidylinositol(3)-phosphate. Here, we report a novel dual specificity phosphatase that contains a FYVE domain at the C-terminus. We designate the protein FYVE-DSP1. Molecular cloning yielded three isoforms of the enzyme presumably derived from alternate RNA splicing. Sequence alignment revealed that the catalytic phosphatase domain of FYVE-DSP1 closely resembled that of myotubularin, while its FYVE domain has all the conserved amino acid residues found in other proteins of the same family. Recombinant FYVE-DSP1 is partitioned in both cytosolic and membrane fractions. It dephosphorylates proteins phosphorylated on Ser, Thr, and Tyr residues and low molecular weight phosphatase substrate para-nitrophenylphosphate. It shows typical characteristics of other DSPs and protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs). These include inhibition by sodium vanadate and pervanadate, pH dependency, and inactivation by mutation of the key cysteinyl residue at the phosphatase signature motif. Finally, PCR analyses demonstrated that FYVE-DSP1 is widely distributed in human tissues but different spliced forms expressed differently.     

Phosphorylation of dis2 protein phosphatase at the C-terminal cdc2 consensus and its potential role in cell cycle regulation.

We show that the fission yeast dis2 protein phosphatase, which is highly similar to mammalian type 1 phosphatase, is a phosphoprotein containing phosphoserine (phospho-S) and threonine (phospho-T). It has several phosphorylation sites, two of which locate in the C-terminus. Phospho-T was abolished in the alanine substitution mutant at the C-terminal T316, which is conserved as a residue in the cdc2 consensus, TPPR, in a number of type 1-like phosphatases. In G2-arrested cdc2-L7 cells, the degree of T316 phosphorylation was reduced, whereas it was enhanced in metaphase-arrested nuc2-663 mutant cells. Phospho-T was produced in dis2 by fission yeast cdc2 kinase, but not in the substitution mutant A316, indicating that the T316 residue was the site for cdc2 kinase in vitro. Phosphatase activity of wild type dis2 was reduced by incubation with cdc2 kinase, but that of mutant dis2-A316 was not. Phosphorylation of T316 hence has a potential significance in cell cycle control in conjunction with cdc2 kinase activation and inactivation. Overexpression phenotypes of wild type dis2+, sds21+ and mutant dis2-A316, sds21-TPPR genes were consistent with negative regulation of dis2 by phosphorylation. This type of regulation would explain why cells harboring the dis2-11 mutation enter mitosis but fail to exit from it.     

Isolation and characterization of goldfish cdk2, a cognate variant of the cell cycle regulator cdc2.

This paper reports the nucleotide and predicted amino acid sequences of the goldfish cdk2, a cognate variant of the cell cycle regulator cdc2. The predicted protein sequence shows strong homology to the other known cdk2 (88% for Xenopus and 90% for human). A monoclonal antibody against the C-terminal sequence of goldfish cdk2 recognized a 34-kDa protein in extracts from various goldfish tissues. The protein level was high in such tissues as testis and ovary containing actively dividing cells. Protein cdk2 binds to p13sucl, the fission yeast suc1+ gene product, but not to cyclin B, with which cdc2 forms a complex. The kinase activity of cdk2 increased 30-fold when oocytes matured, although its protein level did not remarkably change. Anti-cdk2 immunoprecipitates from 32P-labeled mature oocyte extracts contained a 47-kDa protein, which was not recognized by either anti-cyclin A or anti-cyclin B antibody, indicating complex formation of cdk2 with a protein other than cyclins A or B.     

Cloning and characterization of a cdc25 phosphatase from mouse lymphocytes

Members of the cdc25 phosphatase family are proposed to function as important regulators of the eukaryotic cell cycle, particularly in the induction of mitotic events. A new cdc25 tyrosine phosphatase, cdc25M1, has been cloned from a mouse pre-B cell cDNA library and characterized. The cdc25M1 protein consists of 465 amino acids with a predicted relative molecular mass (M_r) of 51 750. Over the highly conserved carboxyl terminal region, the amino acid sequence similarity to the human cdc25 C or Hs1 isoform is 89%, while the overall similarity is 67%. The phosphatase active site is located within residues 367–374. Tissue expression of the cdc25M1 was highest in mouse spleen and thymus by northern blot analysis. The cdc25M1 mRNA was detected in a number of cloned mouse lymphocyte cell lines including both CD8⁺ and CD4⁺ cells. cdc25M1 mRNA was shown to be cell cycle-regulated in T cells following interleukin-2 (IL-2)-stimulation. Accumulation of cdc25M1 mRNA occured at 48 h after IL-2 stimulation, when lymphocytes were progressing from S phase to G₂/M phase of the cell cycle. This pattern of expression is in contrast to that observed for other protein tyrosine phosphatases expressed in T lymphocytes including CD45, LRP, SHP, and PEP. The elevation in cdc25M1 mRNA level occurred concomittant to the appearance of the hyperphosphorylated form of p34^cdc2 protein kinase. A purified, bacterial-expressed recombinant cdc25M1 phosphatase domain catalyzed the dephosphorylation of p-nitrophenol phosphate, as well as [³²P-Tyr] and [³²P-Ser/Thr]-containing substrates. Preincubation of p34^cdc2 kinase with cdc25M1 activated its histone H1 kinase activity in vitro. These results suggest that cdc25M1 may be involved in regulating the proliferation of mouse T lymphocytes following cytokine stimulation, through its action on p34^cdc2 kinase.The nucleotide sequence data reported in this paper have been submitted to the GenBank nucleotide sequence database and have been assigned the accession number L16926.     

Ability of human CDC25B phosphatase splice variants to replace the function of the fission yeast Cdc25 cell cycle regulator

CDC25 phosphatases are essential and evolutionary-conserved actors of the eukaryotic cell cycle control. To examine and compare the properties of three splicing variants of human CDC25B, recombinant fission yeast strains expressing the human proteins in place of the endogenous Cdc25 were generated and characterized. We report, that the three CDC25B variants: (i) efficiently replace the yeast counterpart in vegetative growth, (ii) partly restore the gamma and UV radiation DNA damage-activated checkpoint, (iii) fail to restore the DNA replication checkpoint activated by hydroxyurea. Although these yeast strains do not reveal the specific functions of the human CDC25B variants, they should provide useful screening tools for the identification of new cell cycle regulators and pharmacological inhibitors of CDC25 phosphatase.     

Characterization of the Arabidopsis thaliana Arath;CDC25 dual-specificity tyrosine phosphatase

CDC25 enzymes are dual-specificity phosphatases involved in the regulation of the cell cycle. No CDC25 enzymes have been described in higher plant organisms. We report here the characterization of an Arabidopsis thaliana CDC25 enzyme, constituted by a sole catalytic domain and devoid of the N-terminal regulatory region found in the human CDC25. We describe the recombinant expression in Escherichia coli of the Arath;CDC25 and its purification for activity assay and structure determination by NMR. The recombinant enzyme has a tyrosine phosphatase activity towards an artificial substrate, a NMR characterization equally concludes to its correct folding. The secondary structure of the protein was predicted on the basis of the assigned chemical shift of (1)H, (15)N, and (13)C backbone atoms of the protein. The presence of a metal ion in the C-terminus of this new protein points to a zinc finger, and sequence homology indicates that this new structural element might be conserved in related plant homologs.     

Regulation of the cdc25 protein during the cell cycle in Xenopus extracts.

The cdc25 protein is a highly specific tyrosine phosphatase that triggers mitosis by dephosphorylating the cdc2 protein kinase. Using Xenopus extracts, we have found that the cdc25 protein is active at a low level throughout interphase. Near the onset of mitosis, the cdc25 protein undergoes a marked elevation in phosphatase activity that coincides with an extensive phosphorylation of the protein in its N-terminal region. In vitro dephosphorylation of this hyperphosphorylated form of cdc25 reduces its phosphatase activity back to the interphase level. Moreover, treatment of interphase Xenopus extracts with okadaic acid, a phosphatase inhibitor that accelerates the entry into mitosis, elicits both the premature hyperphosphorylation of cdc25 and the stimulation of its cdc2-specific tyrosine phosphatase activity. These experiments demonstrate the existence of a cdc25 regulatory system consisting of both a stimulatory kinase that phosphorylates a putative regulatory domain of the cdc25 protein and an inhibitory serine/threonine phosphatase that counteracts this kinase activity.     

Retinoblastoma cancer suppressor gene product is a substrate of the cell cycle regulator cdc2 kinase.

The retinoblastoma gene product (RB) is a nuclear protein which has been shown to function as a tumor suppressor. It is phosphorylated from S to M phase of the cell cycle and dephosphorylated in G1. This suggests that the function of RB is regulated by its phosphorylation in the cell cycle. Ten phosphotryptic peptides are found in human RB proteins. The pattern of RB phosphorylation does not change from S to M phases of the cell cycle. Hypophosphorylated RB prepared from insect cells infected with an RB-recombinant baculovirus is used as a substrate for in vitro phosphorylation reactions. Of several protein kinases tested, only cdc2 kinase phosphorylates RB efficiently and all 10 peptides can be phosphorylated by cdc2 in vitro. Removal of cdc2 from mitotic cell extracts by immunoprecipitation causes a concomitant depletion of RB kinase activity. These results indicate that cdc2 or a kinase with similar substrate specificity is involved in the cell cycle-dependent phosphorylation of the RB protein.     

Dephosphorylation of cdc25-C by a type-2A protein phosphatase: specific regulation during the cell cycle in Xenopus egg extracts.

We have examined the roles of type-1 (PP-1) and type-2A (PP-2A) protein-serine/threonine phosphatases in the mechanism of activation of p34cdc2/cyclin B protein kinase in Xenopus egg extracts. p34cdc2/cyclin B is prematurely activated in the extracts by inhibition of PP-2A by okadaic acid but not by specific inhibition of PP-1 by inhibitor-2. Activation of the kinase can be blocked by addition of the purified catalytic subunit of PP-2A at a twofold excess over the activity in the extract. The catalytic subunit of PP-1 can also block kinase activation, but very high levels of activity are required. Activation of p34cdc2/cyclin B protein kinase requires dephosphorylation of p34cdc2 on Tyr15. This reaction is catalysed by cdc25-C phosphatase that is itself activated by phosphorylation. We show that, in interphase extracts, inhibition of PP-2A by okadaic acid completely blocks cdc25-C dephosphorylation, whereas inhibition of PP-1 by specific inhibitors has no effect. This indicates that a type-2A protein phosphatase negatively regulates p34cdc2/cyclin B protein kinase activation primarily by maintaining cdc25-C phosphatase in a dephosphorylated, low activity state. In extracts containing active p34cdc2/cyclin B protein kinase, dephosphorylation of cdc25-C is inhibited, whereas the activity of PP-2A (and PP-1) towards other substrates is unaffected. We propose that this specific inhibition of cdc25-C dephosphorylation is part of a positive feedback loop that also involves direct phosphorylation and activation of cdc25-C by p34cdc2/cyclin B. Dephosphorylation of cdc25-C is also inhibited when cyclin A-dependent protein kinase is active, and this may explain the potentiation of p34cdc2/cyclin B protein kinase activation by cyclin A. In extracts supplemented with nuclei, the block on p34cdc2/cyclin B activation by unreplicated DNA is abolished when PP-2A is inhibited or when stably phosphorylated cdc25-C is added, but not when PP-1 is specifically inhibited. This suggests that unreplicated DNA inhibits p34cdc2/cyclin B activation by maintaining cdc25-C in a low activity, dephosphorylated state, probably by keeping the activity of a type-2A protein phosphatase towards cdc25-C at a high level.     

cdc25 is a nuclear protein expressed constitutively throughout the cell cycle in nontransformed mammalian cells

A family of proteins homologous to the cdc25 gene product of the fission yeast bear specific protein tyrosine phosphatase activity involved in the activation of the p34cdc2-cyclin B kinase. Using affinity-purified antibodies raised against a synthetic peptide corresponding to the catalytic site of the cdc25 phosphatase, we show that cdc25 protein is constitutively expressed throughout the cell cycle of nontransformed mammalian fibroblasts and does not undergo major changes in protein level. By indirect immunofluorescence, cdc25 protein is found essentially localized in the nucleus throughout interphase and during early prophase. Just before the complete nuclear envelope breakdown at the prophase-prometaphase boundary, cdc25 proteins are redistributed throughout the cytoplasm. During metaphase and anaphase, cdc25 staining remains distributed throughout the cell and excludes the condensed chromosomes. The nuclear locale reappears during telophase. In light of the recent data describing the cytoplasmic localization of cyclin B protein (Pines, J., and T. Hunter. 1991. J. Cell Biol. 115:1-17), the data presented here suggest that separation in two distinct cellular compartments of the cdc25 phosphatase and its substrate p34cdc2-cyclin B may be of importance in the regulation of the cdc2 kinase activity.     

Roles of Greatwall kinase in the regulation of cdc25 phosphatase

We previously reported that immunodepletion of Greatwall kinase prevents Xenopus egg extracts from entering or maintaining M phase due to the accumulation of inhibitory phosphorylations on Thr14 and Tyr15 of Cdc2. M phase-promoting factor (MPF) in turn activates Greatwall, implying that Greatwall participates in an MPF autoregulatory loop. We show here that activated Greatwall both accelerates the mitotic G2/M transition in cycling egg extracts and induces meiotic maturation in G2-arrested Xenopus oocytes in the absence of progesterone. Activated Greatwall can induce phosphorylations of Cdc25 in the absence of the activity of Cdc2, Plx1 (Xenopus Polo-like kinase) or mitogen-activated protein kinase, or in the presence of an activator of protein kinase A that normally blocks mitotic entry. The effects of active Greatwall mimic in many respects those associated with addition of the phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid (OA); moreover, OA allows cycling extracts to enter M phase in the absence of Greatwall. Taken together, these findings support a model in which Greatwall negatively regulates a crucial phosphatase that inhibits Cdc25 activation and M phase induction.     

Elimination of cdc2 phosphorylation sites in the cdc25 phosphatase blocks initiation of M-phase.

The cdc25 phosphatase is a mitotic inducer that activates p34cdc2 at the G2/M transition by dephosphorylation of Tyr15 in p34cdc2. cdc25 itself is also regulated through periodic changes in its phosphorylation state. To elucidate the mechanism for induction of mitosis, phosphorylation of cdc25 has been investigated using recombinant proteins. cdc25 is phosphorylated by both cyclin A/p34cdc2 and cyclin B/p34cdc2 at similar sets of multiple sites in vitro. This phosphorylation retards its electrophoretical mobility and activates its ability to increase cyclin B/p34cdc2 kinase activity three- to fourfold in vitro, as found for endogenous Xenopus cdc25 in M-phase extracts. The threonine and serine residues followed by proline that are conserved between Xenopus and human cdc25 have been mutated. Both the triple mutation of Thr48, Thr67, and Thr138 and the quintuple mutation of these three threonine residues plus Ser205 and Ser285, almost completely abolish the shift in electrophoretic mobility of cdc25 after incubation with M-phase extracts or phosphorylation by p34cdc2. These mutations inhibit the activation of cdc25 by phosphorylation with p34cdc2 by 70 and 90%, respectively. At physiological concentrations these mutants cannot activate cyclin B/p34cdc2 in cdc25-immunodepleted oocyte extracts, suggesting that a positive feed-back loop between cdc2 and cdc25 is necessary for the full activation of cyclin B/p34cdc2 that induces abrupt entry into mitosis in vivo.     

Design and synthesis of macrocyclic inhibitors of phosphatase cdc25B

Based on molecular modeling studies, macrocyclic inhibitors of phosphatase cdc25B were synthetically derived from steroids. A preliminary SAR for this new template was elaborated. A series of compounds shows inhibition of cdc25B in the low micromolar range and good selectivity versus other phosphatases. The compounds did not show a significant antiproliferative effect in MaTu or HaCaT cells.