Both inhibition and activation of Notch signaling rely on a conserved Neuralized-binding motif in Bearded proteins and the Notch ligand Delta

Lateral inhibition is one of the key functions of Notch signaling during animal development. In the proneural clusters that give rise to Drosophila mechanosensory bristles, Delta (Dl) ligand in the sensory organ precursor (SOP) cell is targeted for ubiquitination by the E3 ligase Neuralized (Neur), resulting in activation of Dl's capacity to signal to the Notch receptor on neighboring cells. The cells that receive this signal activate a genetic program that suppresses their SOP fate potential, insuring that only a single SOP develops within each cluster. Using multiple lines of investigation, we provide evidence that members of the Bearded family of proteins (BFMs) inhibit Dl activation in non-SOP cells by binding to Neur and preventing it from interacting with Dl. We show that this activity of BFMs is dependent on the conserved NXXN motif, and report the unexpected finding that several BFMs include multiple functional copies of this motif. We find that a conserved NXXN motif in the intracellular domain of Dl is responsible for its interaction with Neur, indicating direct competition between Dl and BFMs for binding to Neur, and we show that Neur-dependent endocytosis of Dl requires the integrity of its NXXN motif. Our results illuminate the mechanism of an important regulatory event in Notch signaling that appears to be conserved between insects and crustaceans.     

CADASIL-associated Notch3 mutations have differential effects both on ligand binding and ligand-induced Notch3 receptor signaling through RBP-Jk

Mutations in the NOTCH3 gene are the cause of cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL), a hereditary angiopathy leading to strokes and dementia. Pathogenic mutations remove or insert cysteine residues within epidermal growth factor (EGF) repeats in the extracellular domain of the Notch3 receptor (N3ECD). Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) are the predominant site of Notch3 expression in adults. In CADASIL patients, VSMC degenerate and N3ECD is deposited within the vasculature. However, the mechanisms underlying VSMC degeneration and N3ECD accumulation are still unknown. In this study, we investigated the consequences of three pathogenic Notch3 mutations on the biological activity of the receptor by analyzing ligand (Delta-/Jagged-)-induced signaling via RBP-Jk. Two mutations (R133C and C183R) that are located outside the putative ligand binding domain (LBD) of the receptor were found to result in normal Jagged1-induced signaling in A7r5 VSMC, whereas the third mutation (C455R located within the putative LBD) showed strongly reduced signaling activity. Ligand binding assays with soluble Delta1 and Jagged1 revealed that C455R interferes with ligand binding through disruption of the LBD which, as we show here, is located in EGF repeats 10/11 of Notch3. All mutant receptors including Notch3C455R were targeted to the cell surface but showed an elevated ratio between the unprocessed full-length 280-kDa receptor and S1-cleaved receptor fragments. Taken together, these data indicate that CADASIL-associated Notch3 mutations differ with respect to their consequences both on ligand binding and ligand-induced signaling through RBP-Jk, whereas they have similar effects on receptor maturation. Moreover, the data suggest that ligand-induced receptor shedding may not be required for N3ECD deposition in CADASIL.     

Structural conservation of Notch receptors and ligands

The Notch signalling pathway is an evolutionarily conserved cell-to-cell communication system utilized multiple times and in many tissues during development. The outcome of an interaction between Notch and its ligands is highly influenced by factors both extrinsic and intrinsic to Notch expressing cells, suggesting that Notch functions either directly or in parallel with other signalling systems to regulate cellular differentiation events. Protein domains common to all ligands and receptors of this system suggest conserved functional properties that likely relate to regulatory mechanisms for Notch signalling. Within this review, the known functional properties of these domains are analyzed with respect to their contributions to ligand/receptor interactions and Notch signalling.     

Notch 信号通路与Neuralized蛋白

Notch信号通路在脊椎动物和无脊椎动物许多组织的发育过程和细胞间通讯中都发挥了关键的作用,包括调控细胞命运,调节细胞迁移,分化和增殖.Notch信号通路由Notch受体及其跨膜配体如Delta（Dl）和Serrate组成.Neuralized 蛋白（Neur）编码1个E3泛素连接酶,是Notch配体D1内吞所必需的.Neur蛋白包括3个从线虫到人高度保守的结构域：2个Neur同源重复结构域（NHR1和NHR2）和1个C端RING结构域.本文就Notch信号通路主要元件和Neru的结构与功能及其关系进行综述.     

Analysis of notch lacking the carboxyl terminus identified in Drosophila embryos

The cell surface receptor Notch is required during development of Drosophila melanogaster for differentiation of numerous tissues. Notch is often required for specification of precursor cells by lateral inhibition and subsequently for differentiation of tissues from these precursor cells. We report here that certain embryonic cells and tissues that develop after lateral inhibition, like the connectives and commissures of the central nervous system, are enriched for a form of Notch not recognized by antibodies made against the intracellular region carboxy-terminal of the CDC10/Ankyrin repeats. Western blotting and immunoprecipitation analyses show that Notch molecules lacking this region are produced during embryogenesis and form protein complexes with the ligand Delta. Experiments with cultured cells indicate that Delta promotes accumulation of a Notch intracellular fragment lacking the carboxyl terminus. Furthermore, Notch lacking the carboxyl terminus functions as a receptor for Delta. These results suggest that Notch activities during development include generation and activity of a truncated receptor we designate NDeltaCterm.     

The amino terminus regulates binding to and activation of cGMP-dependent protein kinase

The allosteric regulation of binding to and the activation of cGMP-dependent protein kinase (cGMP kinase) was studied under identical conditions at 30 degrees C using three forms of cGMP-kinase which differed in the amino-terminal segment, e.g. native cGMP kinase, phosphorylated cGMP kinase which contained 1.4 +/- 0.4 mol phosphate/subunit and constitutively active cGMP kinase which lacked the amino-terminal dimerization domain. These three enzyme forms have identical kinetic constants, e.g. number of cGMP-binding sites, Km values for MgATP and the heptapeptide kemptide, and Vmax values. In the native enzyme, MgATP decreases the affinity for binding site 1. This effect is abolished by 1 M NaCl. In contrast, high concentrations of Kemptide increase the affinity of binding site 2 about fivefold. Under the latter conditions, identical Kd values of 0.2 microM were obtained for sites 1 and 2. Salt, MgATP and Kemptide do not affect the binding kinetics of the phosphorylated or the constitutively active enzyme, suggesting that allosteric regulation depends solely on the presence of a native amino-terminal segment. Cyclic GMP activates the native enzyme at Ka values which are identical with the Kd values for both binding sites. The activation of cGMP-dependent protein kinase is noncooperative but the Ka value depends on the substrate peptide concentration. These results show that the activity of cGMP kinase is primarily regulated by conformational changes within the amino-terminal domain.     

Role of Notch pathway in terminal follicle cell differentiation during Drosophila oogenesis

 During Drosophila oogenesis the body axes are determined by signaling between the oocyte and the somatic follicle cells that surround the egg chamber. A key event in the establishment of oocyte anterior-posterior polarity is the differential patterning of the follicle cell epithelium along the anterior-posterior axis. Both the Notch and epithelial growth factor (EGF) receptor pathways are required for this patterning. To understand how these pathways act in the process we have analyzed markers for anterior and posterior follicle cells accompanying constitutive activation of the EGF receptor, loss of Notch function, and ectopic expression of Delta. We find that a constitutively active EGF receptor can induce posterior fate in anterior but not in lateral follicle cells, showing that the EGF receptor pathway can act only on predetermined terminal cells. Furthermore, Notch function is required at both termini for appropriate expression of anterior and posterior markers, while loss of both the EGF receptor and Notch pathways mimic the Notch loss-of-function phenotype. Ectopic expression of the Notch ligand, Delta, disturbs EGF receptor dependent posterior follicle cell differentiation and anterior-posterior polarity of the oocyte. Our data are consistent with a model in which the Notch pathway is required for early follicle cell differentiation at both termini, but is then repressed at the posterior for proper determination of the posterior follicle cells by the EGF receptor pathway. Received: 5 November 1998 / Accepted: 14 December 1998     

Intracellular cell-autonomous association of Notch and its ligands: a novel mechanism of Notch signal modification.

Notch (N) and its ligands, Delta (Dl) and Serrate (Ser), are membrane-spanning proteins with EGF repeats. They play an essential role in mediating proliferation and segregated differentiation of stem cells. One of the prominent features of N signal system is that its ligands are anchored to the plasma membrane, which allows the ligand/receptor association only between the neighboring cells. Various lines of evidences have verified this intercellular signal transmission, but there also have been implications that expression of Dl or Ser interferes cell-autonomously with the ability of the cell to receive N signal, implying that N and its ligands may interact in the same cell. Here, we demonstrate that N, Dl, and Ser cell-autonomously form homomeric or heteromeric complexes. The cell-autonomous heteromeric complexes are not present on the cell surface, implying that the association occurs in the endoreticulum or Golgi apparatus. Expression of Dl or Ser cell-autonomously reduces the N-mediated HES-5 promoter activity, indicating that the cell-autonomous association alters the N signal receptivity. Intracellular deletion of Dl shows elevated activity of this dominant-negative effect. In vivo overexpression study suggests that the cell-autonomous function of Dl and Ser is independent of the ligand specificity and may be modulated by Fringe (Fg), which inhibits the formation of the cell-autonomous Dl/N or Ser/N complex.     

Structural and functional dissection of the interplay between lipid and Notch binding by human Notch ligands

Recent data have expanded our understanding of Notch signalling by identifying a C2 domain at the N‐terminus of Notch ligands, which has both lipid‐ and receptor‐binding properties. We present novel structures of human ligands Jagged2 and Delta‐like4 and human Notch2, together with functional assays, which suggest that ligand‐mediated coupling of membrane recognition and Notch binding is likely to be critical in establishing the optimal context for Notch signalling. Comparisons between the Jagged and Delta family show a huge diversity in the structures of the loops at the apex of the C2 domain implicated in membrane recognition and Jagged1 missense mutations, which affect these loops and are associated with extrahepatic biliary atresia, lead to a loss of membrane recognition, but do not alter Notch binding. Taken together, these data suggest that C2 domain binding to membranes is an important element in tuning ligand‐dependent Notch signalling in different physiological contexts.     

Notch signaling regulates neuroepithelial stem cell maintenance and neuroblast formation in Drosophila optic lobe development

Notch signaling mediates multiple developmental decisions in Drosophila. In this study, we have examined the role of Notch signaling in Drosophila larval optic lobe development. Loss of function in Notch or its ligand Delta leads to loss of the lamina and a smaller medulla. The neuroepithelial cells in the optic lobe in Notch or Delta mutant brains do not expand but instead differentiate prematurely into medulla neuroblasts, which lead to premature neurogenesis in the medulla. Clonal analyses of loss-of-function alleles for the pathway components, including N, Dl, Su(H), and E(spl)-C, indicate that the Delta/Notch/Su(H) pathway is required for both maintaining the neuroepithelial stem cells and inhibiting medulla neuroblast formation while E(spl)-C is only required for some aspects of the inhibition of medulla neuroblast formation. Conversely, Notch pathway overactivation promotes neuroepithelial cell expansion while suppressing medulla neuroblast formation and neurogenesis; numb loss of function mimics Notch overactivation, suggesting that Numb may inhibit Notch signaling activity in the optic lobe neuroepithelial cells. Thus, our results show that Notch signaling plays a dual role in optic lobe development, by maintaining the neuroepithelial stem cells and promoting their expansion while inhibiting their differentiation into medulla neuroblasts. These roles of Notch signaling are strikingly similar to those of the JAK/STAT pathway in optic lobe development, raising the possibility that these pathways may collaborate to control neuroepithelial stem cell maintenance and expansion, and their differentiation into the progenitor cells.     

Notch signalling and the control of cell fate choices in vertebrates

Signals delivered via Notch and its ligands Delta and Serrate control developmental choices made by individual cells according to the states of their immediate neighbours. Lateral inhibition mediated by Notch governs neurogenesis. In the inner ear, it generates fine-grained patterns of contrasting cell types. In stem-cell systems, it may regulate the decision to differentiate. Notch signalling can create specialised cells at gene expression boundaries, as at the limb-bud apex. It is crucial for segmentation of the mesoderm into somites, for development of skin appendages, and for many other functions that we do not yet understand.     

Notch ligand mRNA levels of human APCs predict Th1/Th2-promoting activities

Although the contribution of Notch ligands expressed by antigen-presenting cells (APCs) to the Th1/Th2 differentiation has been suggested in mouse studies, their nature in humans remains obscure. To assess the issue, we examined correlation of Notch ligand mRNA levels of human APCs with Th1/Th2-promoting stimulations, i.e. Th1/Th2 adjuvant activities. The expression patterns of human dendritic cells (DCs) and leukemic cell line models of APCs differed partly from those previously observed in mouse DCs and by cellular types and maturation stages. Most strikingly, Th2 adjuvants enhanced the Delta1 expression on human APCs but did not induce Delta4 expression, which was induced by a Th1 adjuvant. The differential expression patterns suggest a distinct role of these Delta members in Th1/Th2 differentiation and their predictive potential for Th1/Th2-promoting activities.     

Pathogenesis of CADASIL: transgenic and knock-out mice to probe function and dysfunction of the mutated gene, Notch3, in the cerebrovasculature

Small vessel diseases (SVDs) of the brain are the leading cause of vascular cognitive impairment and a major contributor to stroke in the human adult, however, their pathogenesis is poorly understood. Dominant mutations in NOTCH3 cause CADASIL, one of the most prevalent inherited cerebral SVDs. The disease gene encodes a transmembrane receptor primarily expressed in smooth muscle cells of small arteries and pericytes of brain capillaries. Pathogenic mutations alter the number of cysteine residues in the extracellular domain of NOTCH3, leading to its abnormal accumulation in the vessels of patients. Mice lacking NOTCH3 have revealed a critical role for NOTCH3 in the elaboration of small arteries. Despite being incomplete disease models, transgenic mice expressing CADASIL-associated NOTCH3 mutations, have provided important insights into specific aspects of CADASIL pathogenesis, including the functional significance of disease-linked mutations and the earliest pathological events that initiate brain lesions. In this paper, I provide a critical overview of these studies. Moreover, I discuss future directions and further work that needs to be done.     

Regulatory signals and signal molecules in early neurogenesis of Drosophila melanogaster

Summary The ectodermal germ layer of Drosophila melanogaster gives rise to two major cell lineages, the neural and the epidermal. Progenitor cells for each of these lineages arise from groups of cells, whose elements must decide between taking on either fate. Commitment of the progenitor cells to one of the developmental fates implies two factors. One is intrinsic to the ectodermal cells and determines a propensity to take on neural fate; this factor is probably represented by the products of the so-called proneural genes, which are differentially distributed throughout the ectoderm. The other factor in the cells' decision to adopt one of the two alternative fates is intercellular communication, which is mediated by the products of the so-called neurogenic genes. Two types of interactions, one inhibiting and the other stimulating neural development, have been inferred. We discuss here the assumed role of various neurogenic genes, in particular Notch and Delta, in these processes. Offprint requests to: J.A. Campos-Ortega     

The amino terminus of high-voltage-activated calcium channels

Voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs), calmodulin (CaM), and calmodulin kinase II (CaMKII) are essential for various nervous system functions. CaM and CaMKII differentially regulate calcium dependent facilitation (CDF) and calcium dependent inactivation (CDI) of the Cav1 and Cav2 families of VGCCs. It is generally accepted that conserved structures in the C-terminus of these channels regulate CDF and CDI, and yet recent evidence indicates that other intracellular regions may be involved. We recently discovered that N-terminal sequences in Cav1.2 bind CaM and CaMKII, and function to regulate CDI as well as surface expression and open probability, respectively. Cav1 and Cav2 share significant portions of N-terminal sequence and therefore we explored whether homologous binding sites might exist in Cav2.1. Here, we show that like the proximal N-terminus of Cav1.2, the homologous region of Cav2.1 contains sequences which interact either directly or indirectly with CaM.     

Making sense out of missense mutations: Mechanistic dissection of Notch receptors through structure-function studies in Drosophila

Notch signaling is involved in the development of almost all organ systems and is required post-developmentally to modulate tissue homeostasis. Rare variants in Notch signaling pathway genes are found in patients with rare Mendelian disorders, while unique or recurrent somatic mutations in a similar set of genes are identified in cancer. The human genome contains four genes that encode Notch receptors, NOTCH1-4, all of which are linked to genetic diseases and cancer. Although some mutations have been classified as clear loss- or gain-of-function alleles based on cellular or rodent based assay systems, the functional consequence of many variants/mutations in human Notch receptors remain unknown. In this review, I will first provide an overview of the domain structure of Notch receptors and discuss how each module is known to regulate Notch signaling activity in vivo using the Drosophila Notch receptor as an example. Next, I will introduce some interesting mutant alleles that have been isolated in the fly Notch gene over the past > 100 years of research and discuss how studies of these mutations have facilitated the understanding of Notch biology. By identifying unique alleles of the fly Notch gene through forward genetic screens, mapping their molecular lesions and characterizing their phenotypes in depth, one can begin to unravel new mechanistic insights into how different domains of Notch fine-tune signaling output. Such information can be useful in deciphering the functional consequences of rare variants/mutations in human Notch receptors, which in turn can influence disease management and therapy.     

The adaptor-associated kinase 1, AAK1, is a positive regulator of the Notch pathway

The Notch pathway is involved in cell-cell signaling during development and adulthood from invertebrates to higher eukaryotes. Activation of the Notch receptor by its ligands relies upon a multi-step processing. The extracellular part of the receptor is removed by a metalloprotease of the ADAM family and the remaining fragment is cleaved within its transmembrane domain by a presenilin-dependent γ-secretase activity. γ-Secretase processing of Notch has been shown to depend upon monoubiquitination as well as clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME). We show here that AAK1, the adaptor-associated kinase 1, directly interacts with the membrane-tethered active form of Notch released by metalloprotease cleavage. Active AAK1 acts upstream of the γ-secretase cleavage by stabilizing both the membrane-tethered activated form of Notch and its monoubiquitinated counterpart. We propose that AAK1 acts as an adaptor for Notch interaction with components of the clathrin-mediated pathway such as Eps15b. Moreover, transfected AAK1 increases the localization of activated Notch to Rab5-positive endocytic vesicles, while AAK1 depletion or overexpression of Numb, an inhibitor of the pathway, interferes with this localization. These results suggest that after ligand-induced activation of Notch, the membrane-tethered form can be directed to different endocytic pathways leading to distinct fates.