TACE is required for the activation of the EGFR by TGF-alpha in tumors

The factors and mechanisms that transduce the intracellular signals sent upon activation of the receptor for the epidermal growth factor (EGFR) and related receptors are reasonably well understood and, in fact, are the targets of anti-tumor drugs. In contrast, less is known about the mechanisms implicated in sending the signals that activate these receptors. Here we show that when its proteolytic shedding is prevented, the transmembrane form of the transforming growth factor-alpha (proTGF-alpha) interacts with, but does not activate, the EGFR. Thus, shedding seems to control not only the availability of the soluble form of the growth factor (TGF-alpha) but also the activity of the transmembrane form. The activity of the protease responsible for the shedding of proTGF-alpha, tumor necrosis factor-alpha converting enzyme (TACE), is required for the activation of the EGFR in vivo and for the development of tumors in nude mice, indicating a crucial role of TACE in tumorigenesis. In agreement with this view, TACE is dramatically overexpressed in the majority of mammary tumors analyzed. Collectively, this evidence points to TACE as a promising target of anti-tumor therapy.     

Citrulline depletion by ASS1 is required for proinflammatory macrophage activation and immune responses

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Agrin is highly expressed by chondrocytes and is required for normal growth

Agrin is a heparan sulfate proteoglycan that is best known for its crucial involvement in the organization and maintenance of postsynaptic structures at the neuromuscular junction. Consistent with this role, mice deficient of agrin die at birth due to respiratory failure. Here we examined the early postnatal development of agrin-deficient mice in which perinatal death was prevented by transgenic expression of neural agrin in motor neurons. Such transgenic, agrin-deficient mice were born at Mendelian ratio but exhibited severe postnatal growth retardation. Growth plate morpholgy was markedly altered in these mice, with changes being most prominent in the hypertrophic zone. Compression of this zone was not caused by reduced viability of hypertrophic chondrocytes, as no differences in the apoptosis rates could be observed. Furthermore, deposition of the major cartilage matrix components collagen type II and aggrecan was slightly reduced in these mice. Consistent with a role for agrin in skeletal development, we show for the first time that agrin is highly expressed by chondrocytes and localizes to the growth plate in wild-type mice. Our data show that agrin is expressed in cartilage and that it plays a critical role in normal skeletal growth.     

Trehalose is required for growth of Mycobacterium smegmatis

Mycobacteria contain high levels of the disaccharide trehalose in free form as well as within various immunologically relevant glycolipids such as cord factor and sulfolipid-1. By contrast, most bacteria use trehalose solely as a general osmoprotectant or thermoprotectant. Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium smegmatis possess three pathways for the synthesis of trehalose. Most bacteria possess only one trehalose biosynthesis pathway and do not elaborate the disaccharide into more complex metabolites, suggesting a distinct role for trehalose in mycobacteria. We disabled key enzymes required for each of the three pathways in M. smegmatis by allelic replacement. The resulting trehalose biosynthesis mutant was unable to proliferate and enter stationary phase unless supplemented with trehalose. At elevated temperatures, however, the mutant was unable to proliferate even in the presence of trehalose. Genetic complementation experiments showed that each of the three pathways was able to recover the mutant in the absence of trehalose, even at elevated temperatures. From a panel of trehalose analogs, only those with the native alpha,alpha-(1,1) anomeric stereochemistry rescued the mutant, whereas alternate stereoisomers and general osmo- and thermoprotectants were inactive. These findings suggest a dual role for trehalose as both a thermoprotectant and a precursor of critical cell wall metabolites.     

The glycocalyx is present as soon as blood flow is initiated and is required for normal vascular development

The glycocalyx, and the thicker endothelial surface layer (ESL), are necessary both for endothelial barrier function and for sensing mechanical forces in the adult. The goal of this study is to use a combination of imaging techniques to establish when the glycocalyx and endothelial surface layer form during embryonic development and to determine the biological significance of the glycocalyx layer during vascular development in quail embryos. Using transmission electron microscopy, we show that the glycocalyx layer is present as soon as blood flow starts (14 somites). The early endothelial glycocalyx (14 somites) lacks the distinct hair-like morphology that is present later in development (17 and 25 somites). The average thickness does not change significantly (14 somites, 182nm±33nm; 17 somites, 218±30nm; 25 somites, 212±32nm). The trapping of circulating fluorescent albumin was used to evaluate the development of the ESL. Trapped fluorescent albumin was first observed at 25 somites. In order to assess a functional role for the glycocalyx during development, we selectively degraded luminal glycosaminoglycans. Degradation of hyaluronan compromised endothelial barrier function and prevented vascular remodeling. Degradation of heparan sulfate down regulated the expression of shear-sensitive genes but does not inhibit vascular remodeling. Our findings show that the glycocalyx layer is present as soon as blood flow starts (14 somites). Selective degradations of major glycocalyx components were shown to inhibit normal vascular development, examined through morphology, vascular barrier function, and gene expression.     

Inositol is a required nutrient for keratinocyte growth

Bovine hypothalamus is known to contain a growth-promoting activity for human epidermal keratinocytes. By sequential purification, the substance was isolated and found to be myo-inositol. The identity of the substance as myo-inositol was confirmed by ion modified partition, gas liquid, thin layer chromatography, by mass spectrometry, and quantitative bioassay. The inositol content of the crude hypothalamic extract and of an active acetone precipitate (the first step in the purification) was determined to be sufficient to account for their observed bioactivity. At an optimal concentration of 55 microM (10 micrograms/ml), myo-inositol approximately tripled keratinocyte yield compared to paired cultures in basal medium containing 0.3 microM, although this yield was only half that produced by a crude saline extract of hypothalamus, suggesting that there are additional growth-promoting activities in the tissue extract. No other skin-derived cell type tested was stimulated by supplemental inositol. These results establish that the inositol requirement for cultured human keratinocytes is markedly higher than for any other normal or malignant cell type investigated to date, and expand the list of brain-derived phospholipid precursors known to stimulate epithelial proliferation in vitro. These data suggest that inositol may subserve quantitatively or qualitatively different functions in the keratinocyte than in other cell types.     

Stimulation by insulin-like growth factors is required for cellular transformation by type beta transforming growth factor

Medium conditioned by BRL-3A cells, a known source of insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II), induced phenotypic transformation (anchorage-independent proliferation) of mouse BALB/c 3T3 fibroblasts but not rat NRK-49F fibroblasts, in the presence of 10% calf serum. A specific radioreceptor assay and a bioassay indicated that BRL-3A conditioned medium contained 0.5-1 ng/ml of type beta transforming growth factor (beta TGF). Purified IGF-II and beta TGF acting together reconstituted the transforming activity of BRL-3A conditioned medium on BALB/c 3T3 cells. Insulin was 5-10% as potent as IGF-II in supporting the transforming action of beta TGF on BALB/c 3T3 cells. NRK-49F cells were phenotypically transformed by beta TGF in the presence of EGF and 10% calf serum as the sole source of IGFs. However, transformation of NRK-49F cells under these conditions was inhibited by addition of purified IGF-binding protein. Addition of an excess of IGF-II prevented the inhibitory action of IGF-binding protein. The different sensitivity of the two cell lines to IGFs was correlated with lower levels of type I IGF receptor and higher levels of type II IGF receptor in NRK-49F cells as compared with BALB/c 3T3 cells. The results suggest that cellular stimulation by IGFs is a prerequisite for transformation of rodent fibroblasts by beta TGF. We propose that transformation of fibroblasts by beta TGF requires concomitant stimulation by the set of growth factors that support normal cell proliferation.     

Invasive cell migration is initiated by guided growth of long cellular extensions

The migration of border cells during Drosophila melanogaster oogenesis is a simple and powerful system for studying invasive cell migration in vivo. Border cells are somatic cells that delaminate from the follicular epithelium of an egg chamber and invade the germ line cluster. They migrate between the nurse cells to reach the oocyte, using DE-cadherin for adhesion to the substratum. Border cells take approximately 6 h to migrate a distance of 100 microm. The migration is guided by EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) and PVR (platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)/vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor). Here, we show that a single long cellular extension (LCE), several cell diameters in length, is formed at the initiation of migration. The LCE may function as a 'pathfinder' in response to guidance cues. LCE growth requires directional guidance signals and specific adhesion to the substratum. Interference with actin-myosin interactions allows continued LCE growth while preventing translocation of the cell bodies. We discuss similarities between LCEs and axons and the use of LCE-like structures as a general mechanism for initiating invasive migration in vivo.     

Human MPS1 kinase is required for mitotic arrest induced by the loss of CENP-E from kinetochores

We have determined that the previously identified dual-specificity protein kinase TTK is the human orthologue of the yeast MPS1 kinase. Yeast MPS1 (monopolar spindle) is required for spindle pole duplication and the spindle checkpoint. Consistent with the recently identified vertebrate MPS1 homologues, we found that hMPS1 is localized to centrosomes and kinetochores. In addition, hMPS1 is part of a growing list of kinetochore proteins that are localized to nuclear pores. hMPS1 is required by cells to arrest in mitosis in response to spindle defects and kinetochore defects resulting from the loss of the kinesin-like protein, CENP-E. The pattern of kinetochore localization of hMPS1 in CENP-E defective cells suggests that their interaction with the kinetochore is sensitive to microtubule occupancy rather than kinetochore tension. hMPS1 is required for MAD1, MAD2 but not hBUB1, hBUBR1 and hROD to bind to kinetochores. We localized the kinetochore targeting domain in hMPS1 and found that it can abrogate the mitotic checkpoint in a dominant negative manner. Last, hMPS1 was found to associate with the anaphase promoting complex, thus raising the possibility that its checkpoint functions extend beyond the kinetochore.     

Securin is not required for cellular viability, but is required for normal growth of mouse embryonic fibroblasts

Sister chromatid separation depends on the release of cohesion by the activity of Esp1, a member of the caspase family [1, 2]. In budding yeast, Esp1p is kept inactive by its association with Pds1p, until the onset of anaphase, when Pds1p is ubiquitinated by the APC/Cdc20 complex [3--5] and subsequently degraded by the 26S proteasome. Pds1 is not an essential gene in budding yeast, but is required for cell cycle arrest prior to anaphase in response to the disruption of spindle structures [6, 7]. Thus, Pds1 mutant yeast cells display precocious sister chromatid separation in the presence of nocodazole [6]. Mammalian orthologs of yeast Esp1 and Pds1, separin and securin, have been identified [8], and, as anticipated, a nondegradable mutant form of securin inhibits sister separation when added to mitotic Xenopus egg extracts [8]. Securin was also independently identified as PTTG (pituitary tumor transforming gene), a gene overexpressed in pituitary tumors [9]. The relationship between its overexpression in tumors and its control of sister chromatid cohesion remains ill defined. To explore securin function in mammals, we took a targeted gene disruption approach in mice. Here, we report that securin is neither essential for cell viability nor required for spindle checkpoint function, and mice lacking securin are viable and apparently normal, but mouse embryonic fibroblasts lacking securin grow abnormally in culture.     

Phosphatidylglycerophosphate phosphatase is required for root growth in Arabidopsis

Phosphatidylglycerol (PG) is an indispensable lipid class in photosynthetic activity. However, the importance of PG biosynthesis in non-photosynthetic organs remains elusive. We previously identified phosphatidylglycerophosphate phosphatase 1 (PGPP1), which catalyzes the last step of PG biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. In the present report, we noted considerably shorter roots of the pgpp1-1 mutant compared to the wild type. We observed defective order of columella cells in the root apices, which was complemented by introducing the wild-type PGPP1 gene. Although PGPP1 is chloroplast-localized in leaf mesophyll cells, we observed mitochondrial localization of PGPP1 in root cells, suggesting possible dual targeting of PGPP1. Moreover, we identified previously uncharacterized 2 protein tyrosine phosphatase-like proteins as functional PGPPs. These proteins, designated PTPMT1 and PTPMT2, complemented growth and lipid phenotypes of Δgep4, a Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant of PGPP. The ptpmt1-1 ptpmt2-1 exhibited no visible phenotype; however, the pgpp1-1 ptpmt1-1 ptpmt2-1 significantly enhanced the root phenotype of pgpp1-1 without further affecting the photosynthesis, suggesting that these newly found PGPPs are involved in the root phenotype. Radiolabeling experiment of mutant roots showed that decreased PG biosynthesis is associated with the mutation of PGPP1. These results suggest that PG biosynthesis is required for the root growth.     

CIP4 is required for the hypertrophic growth of neonatal cardiac myocytes

Background

CIP4 is a scaffold protein that regulates membrane deformation and tubulation, organization of the actin cytoskeleton, endocytosis of growth factor receptors, and vesicle trafficking. Although expressed in the heart, CIP4 has not been studied with regards to its potential function in cardiac myocytes.

Results

We now show using RNA interference that CIP4 expression in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes is required for the induction of non-mitotic, hypertrophic growth by the α-adrenergic agonist phenylephrine, the IL-6 cytokine leukemia inhibitor factor, and fetal bovine serum, as assayed using morphometry, immunocytochemistry for the hypertrophic marker atrial natriuretic factor and [³H]leucine incorporation for de novo protein synthesis. This requirement was consistent with the induction of CIP4 expression by hypertrophic stimulation. The inhibition of myocyte hypertrophy by CIP4 small interfering oligonucleotides (siRNA) was rescued by expression of a recombinant CIP4 protein, but not by a mutant lacking the N-terminal FCH domain responsible for CIP4 intracellular localization.

Conclusions

These results imply that CIP4 plays a significant role in the intracellular hypertrophic signal transduction network that controls the growth of cardiac myocytes in heart disease.     

Phospholipase C-gamma1 is required for the induction of immediate early genes by platelet-derived growth factor

To explore the functional role of phospholipase C-gamma1 (PLC-gamma1) in the induction of immediate early genes (IEGs), we have examined the influence of Plcg1 gene disruption on the expression of 14 IEG mRNAs induced by platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). Plcg1-null embryos were used to produce immortalized fibroblasts genetically deficient in PLC-gamma1 (Null cells), and retroviral infection of those cells was used to derive PLC-gamma1 re-expressing cells (Null+ cells). In terms of PDGF activation of PDGF receptor tyrosine phosphorylation as well as the mitogen-activated protein kinases Erk1 and Erk2, Null and Null+ cells responded equivalently. However, the PDGF-dependent expression of all IEG mRNAs was diminished in cells lacking PLC-gamma1. The expression of FIC, COX-2, KC, JE, and c-fos mRNAs were most strongly compromised, as the stimulation of these genes was reduced by more than 90% in cells lacking PLC-gamma1. The combination of PMA and ionomycin, downstream analogs of PLC activation, did provoke expression of mRNAs for these IEGs in the Null cells. We conclude that PLC-gamma1 is necessary for the maximal expression of many PDGF-induced IEGs and is essential for significant induction of at least five IEGs.     

Smad4 is required for the normal organization of the cartilage growth plate

Smad4 is the central intracellular mediator of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) signals. To study the role of Smad4 in skeletal development, we introduced a conditional mutation of the gene in chondrocytes using Cre--loxP system. We showed that Smad4 was expressed strongly in prehypertrophic and hypertrophic chondrocytes. The abrogation of Smad4 in chondrocytes resulted in dwarfism with a severely disorganized growth plate characterized by expanded resting zone of chondrocytes, reduced chondrocyte proliferation, accelerated hypertrophic differentiation, increased apoptosis and ectopic bone collars in perichondrium. Meanwhile, Smad4 mutant mice exhibited decreased expression of molecules in Indian hedgehog/parathyroid hormone-related protein (Ihh/PTHrP) signaling. The cultured mutant metatarsal bones failed to response to TGF-beta1, while the hypertrophic differentiation was largely inhibited by Sonic hedgehog (Shh). This indicated that Ihh/PTHrP inhibited the hypertrophic differentiation of chondrocytes independent of the Smad4-mediated TGF-beta signals. All these data provided the first genetic evidence demonstrating that Smad4-mediated TGF-beta signals inhibit the chondrocyte hypertrophic differentiation, and are required for maintaining the normal organization of chondrocytes in the growth plate.     

A functional cutin matrix is required for plant protection against water loss

The plant cuticle, a cutin matrix embedded with and covered by wax, seals the aerial organ''s surface to protect the plant against uncontrolled water loss. The cutin matrix is essential for the cuticle to function as a barrier to water loss. Recently, we identified from wild barley a drought supersensitive mutant, eibi1, which is caused by a defective cutin matrix as the result of the loss of function of HvABCG31, an ABCG full transporter. Here, we report that eibi1 epidermal cells contain lipid-like droplets, which are supposed to consist of cutin monomers that have not been transported out of the cells. The eibi1 cuticle is fragile due to a defective cutin matrix. The rice ortholog of the EIBI1 gene has a similar pattern of expression, young shoot but not flag leaf blade, as the barley gene. The model of the function of Eibi1 is discussed. The HvABCG31 full transporter functions in the export of cutin components and contributed to land plant colonization, hence also to terrestrial life evolution.Key words: ABC transporter, cuticle, cuticular wax, drought resistance, inclusion