14-3-3 proteins in neuronal development and function

The 14-3-3 proteins are small, cytosolic, evolutionaritly conserved proteins expressed abundantly in the nervous system. Although they were discovered more than 30 yr ago, their function in the nervous system has remained enigmatic. Several recent studies have helped to clarify their biological function. Crystallographic investigations have revealed that 14-3-3 proteins exist as dimers and that they contain a specific region for binding to other proteins. The interacting proteins, in turn, contain a 14-3-3 binding motif; proteins that interact with 14-3-3 dimers include PKC and Raf, protein kinases with critical roles in neuronal signaling. These proteins are capable of activating Raf in vitro, and this role has been verified by in vivo studies inDrosophila. Most interestingly, mutations in theDrosophila 14-3-3 genes disrupt neuronal differentiation, synaptic plasticity, and behavioral plasticity, establishing a role for these proteins in the development and function of the nervous system.     

14-3-3蛋白研究进展

14-3-3蛋白是高度保守的、所有真核生物细胞中都普遍存在的、在大多数生物物种中由一个基因家族编码的一类蛋白调控家族。它几乎参与生命体所有的生理反应过程,人们在各种组织细胞中发现了各种不同的14-3-3蛋白。作为与磷酸丝氨酸／苏氨酸结合的第一信号分子,14-3-3蛋白在细胞的信号转导中起着至关重要的作用,尤其是它直接参与调节蛋白激酶和蛋白磷酸化酶的活性,被称为蛋白质与蛋白质相互作用的”桥梁蛋白”;它可以与转录因子结合形成复合体,调节相关基因的表达。一些研究表明,14-3-3蛋白调控机制的紊乱可以直接导致疾病的发生,在临床上14-3-3蛋白常常可以作为诊断的标志物。     

14-3-3 proteins in neurodegeneration

Among the first reported functions of 14-3-3 proteins was the regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity suggesting a possible involvement of 14-3-3 proteins in Parkinson's disease. Since then the relevance of 14-3-3 proteins in the pathogenesis of chronic as well as acute neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, polyglutamine diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and stroke has been recognized. The reported function of 14-3-3 proteins in this context are as diverse as the mechanism involved in neurodegeneration, reaching from basal cellular processes like apoptosis, over involvement in features common to many neurodegenerative diseases, like protein stabilization and aggregation, to very specific processes responsible for the selective vulnerability of cellular populations in single neurodegenerative diseases.Here, we review what is currently known of the function of 14-3-3 proteins in nervous tissue focussing on the properties of 14-3-3 proteins important in neurodegenerative disease pathogenesis.     

Expression analysis of the family of 14-3-3 proteins in zebrafish development

14-3-3 proteins comprise a family of dimeric multi-functional proteins present in all eukaryotes, that are important in a whelm of ubiquitous biological processes. We have analyzed the genomic structure of all 14-3-3s from zebrafish comprising 11 genes and have analyzed their phylogeny. The gene family was cloned and its expression pattern in zebrafish embryogenesis was analyzed by whole mount in situ hybridization and microarray analysis with gene specific probes. We demonstrate that maternal mRNA of 14-3-3s is expressed evenly at the first cell division. At later stage all genes are expressed in a patterned way with, in most cases, intricate patterns in the developing brain. Our result shows distinct expression patterns of various genes. Microarray results show that differences in expression levels of highly similar 14-3-3 genes also occur in the adult stage.     

14-3-3 proteins in neurological disorders

14-3-3 proteins were originally discovered as a family of proteins that are highly expressed in the brain. Through interactions with a multitude of binding partners, 14-3-3 proteins impact many aspects of brain function including neural signaling, neuronal development and neuroprotection. Although much remains to be learned and understood, 14-3-3 proteins have been implicated in a variety of neurological disorders based on evidence from both clinical and laboratory studies. Here we will review previous and more recent research that has helped us understand the roles of 14-3-3 proteins in both neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases.     

Role of c-myc protein in the early embryonic development of Xenopus

Microinjections of antibodies directed against the protein encoded by the c-myc protooncogene strongly inhibit or arrest the early cell cleavage stage of Xenopus laevis embryos. Injections in one blastomere of a two cell stage embryo inhibit the segmentation of this blastomere. The cleavage of the uninjected blastomere behaves normally. Injections of control rabbit immunoglobulins do not alter the embryonic development.     

Survival-promoting functions of 14-3-3 proteins

The 14-3-3 proteins are a family of phosphoserine/phosphothreonine-binding molecules that control the function of a wide array of cellular proteins. We suggest that one function of 14-3-3 is to support cell survival. 14-3-3 proteins promote survival in part by antagonizing the activity of associated proapoptotic proteins, including Bad and apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1). Indeed, expression of 14-3-3 inhibitor peptides in cells is sufficient to induce apoptosis. Interestingly, these 14-3-3 antagonist peptides can sensitize cells for effective killing by anticancer agents such as cisplatin. Thus, 14-3-3 may be part of the cellular machinery that maintains cell survival, and targeting 14-3-3-ligand interactions may be a useful strategy to enhance the efficacy of conventional anticancer agents.     

14-3-3 proteins: regulators of numerous eukaryotic proteins

14-3-3 proteins form a family of highly conserved proteins capable of binding to more than 200 different mostly phosphorylated proteins. They are present in all eukaryotic organisms investigated, often in multiple isoforms, up to 13 in some plants. 14-3-3 binding partners are involved in almost every cellular process and 14-3-3 proteins play a key role in these processes. 14-3-3 proteins interact with products encoded by oncogenes, with filament forming proteins involved in Alzheimer'ss disease and many other proteins related to human diseases. Disturbance of the interactions with 14-3-3 proteins may lead to diseases like cancer and the neurological Miller-Dieker disease. The molecular consequences of 14-3-3 binding are diverse and only partly understood. Binding of a protein to a 14-3-3 protein may result in stabilization of the active or inactive phosphorylated form of the protein, to a conformational alteration leading to activation or inhibition, to a different subcellular localization or to the interaction with other proteins. Currently genome- and proteome-wide studies are contributing to a wider knowledge of this important family of proteins.     

14-3-3 proteins in membrane protein transport

14-3-3 proteins affect the cell surface expression of several unrelated cargo membrane proteins, e.g., MHC II invariant chain, the two-pore potassium channels KCNK3 and KCNK9, and a number of different reporter proteins exposing Arg-based endoplasmic reticulum localization signals in mammalian and yeast cells. These multimeric membrane proteins have a common feature in that they all expose coatomer protein complex I (COPI)- and 14-3-3-binding motifs. 14-3-3 binding depends on phosphorylation of the membrane protein in some and on multimerization of the membrane protein in other cases. Evidence from mutant proteins that are unable to interact with either COPI or 14-3-3 and from yeast cells with an altered 14-3-3 content suggests that 14-3-3 proteins affect forward transport in the secretory pathway. Mechanistically, this could be explained by clamping, masking, or scaffolding. In the clamping mechanism, 14-3-3 binding alters the conformation of the signal-exposing tail of the membrane protein, whereas masking or scaffolding would abolish or allow the interaction of the membrane protein with other proteins or complexes. Interaction partners identified as putative 14-3-3 binding partners in affinity purification approaches constitute a pool of candidate proteins for downstream effectors, such as coat components, coat recruitment GTPases, Rab GTPases, GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs), guanine-nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and motor proteins.     

Role of 14-3-3 proteins in the regulation of neutral trehalase in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In higher eukaryotes, 14-3-3 proteins participate in numerous cellular processes, and carry out their function through a variety of different molecular mechanisms, including regulation of protein localization and enzyme activation. Here, it is shown that the two yeast 14-3-3 homologues, Bmh1p and Bmh2p, form a complex with neutral trehalase (Nth1p), an enzyme that is responsible for trehalose degradation and is required in a variety of stress conditions. In a purified in vitro system, either one of the two 14-3-3 yeast isoforms are necessary for complete activation of neutral trehalase (Nth1p) after phosphorylation by PKA. It is further demonstrated that Bmh1p and Bmh2p bind to the amino-terminal region of phosphorylated trehalase, thereby modulating its enzymatic activity. This work represents the first demonstration of enzyme activation mediated by 14-3-3 binding in yeast.     

14-3-3s are DNA-replication proteins

14-3-3 proteins are conserved multifunctional molecules, involved in many biological processes. Several 14-3-3 isoforms were recently shown to be cruciform DNA-binding proteins, which is a new activity ascribed to the 14-3-3 family. As cruciform-binding proteins, 14-3-3 proteins are putatively involved in the regulation of DNA replication. Inverted repeat sequences that are able to extrude into cruciform structures are a common feature of replication origins in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The involvement of cruciform structures in the initiation of DNA replication has been demonstrated. A leading model of 14-3-3 function proposes that they facilitate critical protein-protein interactions, thus serving as a central component of a wide variety of cellular processes.     

Multifunctional 14-3-3 proteins of plant cell

The 14-3-3 proteins are a family of highly conserved proteins found in all eukaryotes - from the yeasts to mammals. They regulate several cellular processes recognizing unique conservative, mostly phosphorylated motif of partner proteins. Binding of the 14-3-3 proteins regulates their partners through a variety of mechanisms, such as altering their catalytic activity, subcellular localization, stability or altering their interactions with other protein molecules. The native 14-3-3 proteins are present in form of homo- and hetero-dimers. The most structurally variable N-and C-termini are responsible for isoform specific protein-protein interactions, and cellular localization. In plant cell, 14-3-3 proteins appear to play an important role in regulation of key enzymes of carbon and nitrogen metabolism, modulation ion pumps and channels. They are also involved in signal transduction pathways and even in gene expression.     

Deciphering the role of 14-3-3 proteins

14-3-3 Proteins are found to bind to a growing number of eukaryotic proteins and evidence is accumulating that 14-3-3 proteins serve as modulators of enzyme activity. Several 14-3-3 protein recognition motifs have been identified and an increasing number of target proteins have been found to contain more than one binding site for a 14-3-3 protein. It is thus possible that 14-3-3 dimers function as clamps that simultaneously bind to two motifs within a single binding partner. Phosphorylation of a number of binding motifs has been shown to increase the affinity for 14-3-3 proteins but other mechanisms also regulate the association. It has recently been demonstrated that fusicoccin induces a tight association between 14-3-3 proteins and the plant plasma membrane H⁺-ATPase. Phorbol esters and other hydrophobic molecules may have a similar effect on the association between 14-3-3 proteins and specific binding partners.     

14-3-3 proteins: eukaryotic regulatory proteins with many functions

The enigmatically named 14-3-3 proteins have been the subject of considerable attention in recent years since they have been implicated in the regulation of diverse physiological processes, in eukaryotes ranging from slime moulds to higher plants. In plants they have roles in the regulation of the plasma membrane H⁺-ATPase and nitrate reductase, among others. Regulation of target proteins is achieved through binding of 14-3-3 to short, often phosphorylated motifs in the target, resulting either in its activation (e.g. H⁺-ATPase), inactivation (e.g. nitrate reductase) or translocation (although this function of 14-3-3 proteins has yet to be demonstrated in plants). The native 14-3-3 proteins are homo- or heterodimers and, as each monomer has a binding site, a dimer can potentially bind two targets, promoting their association. Alternatively, target proteins may have more than one 14-3-3-binding site. In this mini review, we present a synthesis of recent results from plant 14-3-3 research and, with reference to known 14-3-3-binding motifs, suggest further subjects for research.