Posttranslational regulation of keratins: degradation of mouse and human keratins 18 and 8.

Human keratin 18 (K18) and keratin 8 (K8) and their mouse homologs, Endo B and Endo A, respectively, are expressed in adult mice primarily in a variety of simple epithelial cell types in which they are normally found in equal amounts within the intermediate filament cytoskeleton. Expression of K18 alone in mouse L cells or NIH 3T3 fibroblasts from either the gene or a cDNA expression vector results in K18 protein which is degraded relatively rapidly without the formation of filaments. A K8 cDNA containing all coding sequences was isolated and expressed in mouse fibroblasts either singly or in combination with K18. Immunoprecipitation of stably transfected L cells revealed that when K8 was expressed alone, it was degraded in a fashion similar to that seen previously for K18. However, expression of K8 in fibroblasts that also expressed K18 resulted in stabilization of both K18 and K8. Immunofluorescent staining revealed typical keratin filament organization in such cells. Thus, expression of a type I and a type II keratin was found to be both necessary and sufficient for formation of keratin filaments within fibroblasts. To determine whether a similar proteolytic system responsible for the degradation of K18 in fibroblasts also exists in simple epithelial cells which normally express a type I and a type II keratin, a mutant, truncated K18 protein missing the carboxy-terminal tail domain and a conserved region of the central, alpha-helical rod domain was expressed in mouse parietal endodermal cells. This resulted in destabilization of endogenous Endo A and Endo B and inhibition of the formation of typical keratin filament structures. Therefore, cells that normally express keratins contain a proteolytic system similar to that found in experimentally manipulated fibroblasts which degrades keratin proteins not found in their normal polymerized state.     

Modeling the self-organization property of keratin intermediate filaments

Keratin intermediate filaments (IFs) fulfill an important function of structural support in epithelial cells. The necessary mechanical attributes require that IFs be organized into a crosslinked network and accordingly, keratin IFs are typically organized into large bundles in surface epithelia. For IFs comprised of keratins 5 and 14 (K5, K14), found in basal keratinocytes of epidermis, bundling can be self-driven through interactions between K14's carboxy-terminal tail domain and two regions in the central α-helical rod domain of K5. Here, we exploit theoretical principles and computational modeling to investigate how such cis-acting determinants best promote IF crosslinking. We develop a simple model where keratin IFs are treated as rigid rods to apply Brownian dynamics simulation. Our findings suggest that long-range interactions between IFs are required to initiate the formation of bundlelike configurations, while tail domain-mediated binding events act to stabilize them. Our model explains the differences observed in the mechanical properties of wild-type versus disease-causing, defective IF networks. This effort extends the notion that the structural support function of keratin IFs necessitates a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic determinants, and makes specific predictions about the mechanisms involved in the formation of crosslinked keratin networks in vivo.     

Preimplantation mouse embryos and liver express the same type I keratin gene product

The cytoskeletal B protein isolated from extraembryonic endodermal cells (Endo B) is a 50-kDa subunit of intermediate filaments that is expressed in trophoblast and extraembryonic endoderm of early mouse embryos. Endo B was compared to cytokeratin D of adult mouse liver by immunoprecipitation, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and peptide mapping. The two proteins were indistinguishable. A cDNA probe for Endo B mRNA identified mRNA species of similar size in liver and endoderm, and primer extension analysis indicates that the Endo B mRNAs from the two cell types have similar 5' ends. An internal fragment of the Endo B cDNA was found to cross-hybridize with a conservative domain of a human type I keratin cDNA under low stringency conditions, demonstrating that Endo B is related to type I keratins. However, under stringent conditions necessary for genomic Southern analysis, mouse and human genomic fragments homologous to the Endo B cDNA were distinct from those defined by hybridization with the type I keratin cDNA. These results indicate that Endo B is related to the type I keratin family and expands the number of type I keratin genes identified in both the mouse and human genomes. It is likely that extraembryonic endoderm, one of the first differentiated cell types of the mammalian embryo, and adult liver express the same Endo B gene.     

Functional Differences between Keratins of Stratified and Simple Epithelia

Dividing populations of stratified and simple epithelial tissues express keratins 5 and 14, and keratins 8 and 18, respectively. It has been suggested that these keratins form a mechanical framework important to cellular integrity, since their absence gives rise to a blistering skin disorder in neonatal epidermis, and hemorrhaging within the embryonic liver. An unresolved fundamental issue is whether different keratins perform unique functions in epithelia. We now address this question using transgenic technology to express a K16-14 hybrid epidermal keratin transgene and a K18 simple epithelial keratin transgene in the epidermis of mice null for K14. Under conditions where the hybrid epidermal keratin restored a wild-type phenotype to newborn epidermis, K18 partially but not fully rescued. The explanation does not appear to reside in an inability of K18 to form 10-nm filaments with K5, which it does in vitro and in vivo. Rather, it appears that the keratin network formed between K5 and K18 is deficient in withstanding mechanical stress, leading to perturbations in the keratin network in regions of the skin that are subjected either to natural or to mechanically induced trauma. Taken together, these findings suggest that the loss of a type I epidermal keratin cannot be fully compensated by its counterpart of simple epithelial cells, and that in vivo, all keratins are not equivalent.     

Cloning of the human keratin 18 gene and its expression in nonepithelial mouse cells.

Human keratin 18 (K18) and the homologous mouse protein, Endo B, are intermediate filament subunits of the type I keratin class. Both are expressed in many simple epithelial cell types including trophoblasts, the first differentiated cell type to appear during mouse embryogenesis. The K18 gene was identified and cloned from among the 15 to 20 similar sequences identified within the human genome. The identity of the cloned gene was confirmed by comparing the sequence of the first two exons to the K18 cDNA sequence and transfecting the gene into various murine cell lines and verifying the encoded protein as K18 by immunoprecipitation and partial peptide mapping. The transfected K18 gene was expressed in mouse HR9 parietal endodermal cells and mouse fibroblasts even though the fibroblasts fail to express endogenous Endo B. S1 nuclease protection analysis indicated that mRNA synthesized from the transfected K18 gene is initiated at the same position as authentic K18 mRNA found in both BeWo trophoblastoma cells and HeLa cells. Pulse-chase experiments indicated that the human K18 protein is stable in murine parietal endodermal cells (HR9) which express EndoA, a complementary mouse type II keratin. Surprisingly, however, K18 was degraded when synthesized in cells which lack a type II keratin. This turnover of K18 may be an important mechanism by which epithelial cells maintain equal molar amounts of both type I and II keratins. In addition, the levels of the endogenous type I Endo B in parietal endodermal cells were compensatingly down regulated in the presence of the K18 protein, while the levels of the endogenous type II Endo A were not affected in any of the transfected cell lines.     

Characterization of early assembly intermediates of recombinant human keratins

The intermediate filaments (IFs) form major structural elements of the cytoskeleton. In vitro analyses of these fibrous proteins reveal very different assembly properties for the nuclear and cytoplasmic IF proteins. However, keratins in particular, the largest and most heterogenous group of cytoplasmic IF proteins, have been difficult to analyze due to their rapid assembly dynamics under the near-physiological conditions used for other IF proteins. We show here that keratins, like other cytoplasmic IF proteins, go through a stage of assembling into full-width soluble complexes, i.e., "unit-length filaments" (ULFs). In contrast to other IF proteins, however, longitudinal annealing of keratin ULFs into long filaments quasi-coincides with their formation. In vitro assembly of IF proteins into filaments can be initiated by an increase of the ionic strength and/or lowering of the pH of the assembly buffer. We now document that 23-mer peptides from the head domains of various IF proteins can induce filament formation even under conditions of low salt and high pH. This suggests that the "heads" are involved in the formation and longitudinal association of the ULFs. Using a Tris-buffering protocol that causes formation of soluble oligomers at pH 9, the epidermal keratins K5/14 form less regular filaments and less efficiently than the simple epithelial keratins K8/18. In sodium phosphate buffers (pH 7.5), however, K5/14 were able to form long partially unraveled filaments which compacted into extended, regular filaments upon addition of 20 mM KCl. Applying the same assembly regimen to mutant K14 R125H demonstrated that mutations causing a severe disease phenotype and morphological filament abnormalities can form long, regular filaments with surprising efficiency in vitro.     

Co-expression of specific acid and basic cytokeratins in teratocarcinoma-derived fibroblasts treated with 5-azacytidine

Epithelial cells always co-express acidic and basic keratin polypeptides. Mesenchymal cells, which do not normally contain keratins, can be induced by the inhibitor of DNA methylation 5-azacytidine to synthesize the basic keratin Endo A. In the present paper we show that the acidic keratins Endo B and Endo C can also be induced by 5-azacytidine in teratocarcinoma-derived fibroblasts. Furthermore, individual cells in which Endo B and/or Endo C keratins are found, always co-express the basic polypeptide Endo A. Other cytokeratins are not or very rarely found. Interestingly, Endo A, B, and C are usually associated in vivo and are known to be the first keratin polypeptides appearing during the development of the mouse embryo.     

Expression of mutant keratin cDNAs in epithelial cells reveals possible mechanisms for initiation and assembly of intermediate filaments

We have deleted cDNA sequences encoding portions of the amino- and carboxy-terminal end of a human type I epidermal keratin K14, and examined the molecular consequences of forcing the expression of these mutants in simple epithelial and squamous cell carcinoma lines. To follow the expression of our mutant products in transfected cells, we have tagged the 3' end of the K14 coding sequence with a sequence encoding an antigenic domain of the neuropeptide substance P. Using DNA transfection and immunohistochemistry (with an antibody against substance P), we have defined the limits of K14 sequence necessary to incorporate into a keratin filament network in vivo without disrupting its architecture. We have also uncovered major differences in the behavior of carboxy- and amino-terminal alpha-helical mutants which do perturb the cytoskeletal network of IFs: whereas carboxy terminal mutants give rise to aggregates of keratin in the cytoplasm, amino-terminal mutants tend to produce aggregates of keratins which seem to localize at the nuclear surface. An examination of the phenotypes generated by the carboxy and amino-terminal mutants and the behavior of cells at late times after transfection suggests a model whereby initiation of filament assembly occurs at discrete sites on the nuclear envelope and filaments grow from the nucleus toward the cytoplasm.     

Expression of keratin K14 in the epidermis and hair follicle: insights into complex programs of differentiation

Keratins K14 and K5 have long been considered to be biochemical markers of the stratified squamous epithelia, including epidermis (Moll, R., W. Franke, D. Schiller, B. Geiger, and R. Krepler. 1982. Cell. 31:11-24; Nelson, W., and T.-T. Sun. 1983. J. Cell Biol. 97:244-251). When cells of most stratified squamous epithelia differentiate, they downregulate expression of mRNAs encoding these two keratins and induce expression of new sets of keratins specific for individual programs of epithelial differentiation. Frequently, as in the case of epidermis, the expression of differentiation-specific keratins also leads to a reorganization of the keratin filament network, including denser bundling of the keratin fibers. We report here the use of monospecific antisera and cRNA probes to examine the differential expression of keratin K14 in the complex tissue of human skin. Using in situ hybridizations and immunoelectron microscopy, we find that the patterns of K14 expression and filament organization in the hair follicle are strikingly different from epidermis. Some of the mitotically active outer root sheath (ORS) cells, which give rise to ORS under normal circumstances and to epidermis during wound healing, produce only low levels of K14. These cells have fewer keratin filaments than basal epidermal cells, and the filaments are organized into looser, more delicate bundles than is typical for epidermis. As these cells differentiate, they elevate their expression of K14 and produce denser bundles of keratin filaments more typical of epidermis. In contrast to basal cells of epidermis and ORS, matrix cells, which are relatively undifferentiated and which can give rise to inner root sheath, cuticle and hair shaft, show no evidence of K14, K14 mRNA expression, or keratin filament formation. As matrix cells differentiate, they produce hair-specific keratins and dense bundles of keratin filaments but they do not induce K14 expression. Collectively, the patterns of K14 and K14 mRNA expression and filament organization in mitotically active epithelial cells of the skin correlate with their relative degree of pluripotency, and this suggests a possible basis for the deviation of hair follicle programs of differentiation from those of other stratified squamous epithelia.     

Intermediate filaments interact with dormant ezrin in intestinal epithelial cells

Ezrin connects the apical F-actin scaffold to membrane proteins in the apical brush border of intestinal epithelial cells. Yet, the mechanisms that recruit ezrin to the apical domain remain obscure. Using stable CACO-2 transfectants expressing keratin 8 (K8) antisense RNA under a tetracycline-responsive element, we showed that the actin-ezrin scaffold cannot assemble in the absence of intermediate filaments (IFs). Overexpression of ezrin partially rescued this phenotype. Overexpression of K8 in mice also disrupted the assembly of the brush border, but ezrin distributed away from the apical membrane in spots along supernumerary IFs. In cytochalasin D-treated cells ezrin localized to a subapical compartment and coimmunoprecipitated with IFs. Overexpression of ezrin in undifferentiated cells showed a Triton-insoluble ezrin compartment negative for phospho-T567 (dormant) ezrin visualized as spots along IFs. Pulse-chase analysis showed that Triton-insoluble, newly synthesized ezrin transiently coimmunoprecipitates with IFs during the first 30 min of the chase. Dormant, but not active (p-T567), ezrin bound in vitro to isolated denatured keratins in Far-Western analysis and to native IFs in pull-down assays. We conclude that a transient association to IFs is an early step in the polarized assembly of apical ezrin in intestinal epithelial cells.     

Molecular cloning and characterization of the Endo B cytokeratin expressed in preimplantation mouse embryos

A cDNA clone of a keratin-related, intermediate filament protein, designated Endo B, was constructed from size-fractionated parietal endodermal mRNA and characterized. The 1466-nucleotide cDNA insert contains an open reading frame of 1272 nucleotides that would result in 5' and 3' noncoding sequences of 54 and 60 nucleotides, respectively. The predicted amino acid composition, molecular weight (47,400), and peptide pattern correlate well with data obtained on the isolated protein. The predicted amino acid sequence fits easily into the general domain structure suggested for all intermediate filament proteins with a unique amino-terminal head domain, a large conserved central domain of predominantly alpha-helical structure, and a relatively unique carboxyl-terminal or tail domain. Over the entire molecule, Endo B is 43% identical with human 52-kDa epidermal type I keratin. However, over two of the three regions contained in the central domain that are predicted to form coiled-coil structures, the Endo B is 54-68% identical with other type I keratin sequences. This homology, along with the presence of the completely conserved sequence DNARLAADDFR-KYE, which is found in all type I keratins, permits the unambiguous identification of Endo B as a type I keratin. Comparison of the Endo B sequence to other intermediate filament proteins reveals 22 residues which are identical in all intermediate filament proteins regardless of whether filament formation requires only one type of protein subunit (vimentin, desmin, glial fibrillar acidic protein, or a neurofilament protein) or two dissimilar types (type I and type II keratins). Endo B mRNA was detectable in RNA isolated from F9 cells treated with retinoic acid for 48 h. Approximately three to five genes homologous to Endo B were detected in the mouse genome.     

GCP6 binds to intermediate filaments: a novel function of keratins in the organization of microtubules in epithelial cells

In simple epithelial cells, attachment of microtubule-organizing centers (MTOCs) to intermediate filaments (IFs) enables their localization to the apical domain. It is released by cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk)1 phosphorylation. Here, we identified a component of the gamma-tubulin ring complex, gamma-tubulin complex protein (GCP)6, as a keratin partner in yeast two-hybrid assays. This was validated by binding in vitro of both purified full-length HIS-tagged GCP6 and a GCP6(1397-1819) fragment to keratins, and pull-down with native IFs. Keratin binding was blocked by Cdk1-mediated phosphorylation of GCP6. GCP6 was apical in normal enterocytes but diffuse in K8-null cells. GCP6 knockdown with short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) in CACO-2 cells resulted in gamma-tubulin signal scattered throughout the cytoplasm, microtubules (MTs) in the perinuclear and basal regions, and microtubule-nucleating activity localized deep in the cytoplasm. Expression of a small fragment GCP6(1397-1513) that competes binding to keratins in vitro displaced gamma-tubulin from the cytoskeleton and resulted in depolarization of gamma-tubulin and changes in the distribution of microtubules and microtubule nucleation sites. Expression of a full-length S1397D mutant in the Cdk1 phosphorylation site delocalized centrosomes. We conclude that GCP6 participates in the attachment of MTOCs to IFs in epithelial cells and is among the factors that determine the peculiar architecture of microtubules in polarized epithelia.     

The expression of mutant epidermal keratin cDNAs transfected in simple epithelial and squamous cell carcinoma lines

We have deleted cDNA sequences encoding portions of the carboxy-terminal end of a human type I epidermal keratin K14, and examined the molecular consequences of forcing the expression of these mutants in simple epithelial and squamous cell carcinoma lines. To follow the expression of our mutant products in transfected cells, we have tagged the 3' end of the K14 coding sequence with a sequence encoding an antigenic domain of the neuropeptide substance P. Using DNA transfection and immunohistochemistry (with an antibody against substance P), we have identified a collection of mutants that have a wide range of morphological effects on the endogenous keratin filament networks of transfected cells. Mutants that are missing most of the nonhelical carboxy-terminal domain of K14 incorporate into the endogenous keratin filaments without any visible perturbations on the network. In contrast, mutants that are missing as few as 10 of the 310 amino acids of the central alpha-helical domain of the polypeptide cause gross alterations in the keratin network. In some cases, the entire cytoskeletal network of keratins was disrupted, leaving no evidence of 8-nm filaments. These results reveal the existence of a dynamic exchange between newly synthesized subunits and preexisting keratin filaments.     

Microinjection of monoclonal antibodies specific for one intermediate filament protein in cells containing multiple keratins allow insight into the composition of particular 10 nm filaments

Monoclonal antibodies specific for vimentin (V9), keratin 7 (CK 7) and keratin 18 (CK5) have been microinjected into three human epithelial cell lines: HeLa, MCF-7 and RT-4. The effect of the injection on other keratin polypeptides and vimentin filaments has been observed by double label immunofluorescence and in some instances by immunoelectron microscopy using gold labels of different sizes. Microinjection of V9 into HeLa cells causes the vimentin to collapse into a perinuclear cap leaving the keratin filaments unaffected. Injection of CK5 does not affect the vimentin filaments but disrupts the keratin filaments revealing keratin aggregates similar to those seen in some epithelial cell lines during mitosis. The keratin aggregates obtained after microinjection in HeLa contain the keratins 8 and 18 and probably also other keratins, as no residual keratin filaments are observed with a keratin polyclonal antibody of broad specificity. Aggregates in mitotic HeLa cells contain at least the keratins 7, 8, and 18. In MCF-7 cells keratins 8, 18, and 19 are observed in the aggregates seen 3 h after microinjection which, however, show a different morphology from those seen in HeLa cells. In MCF-7 cells a new keratin filament is built within 6 h after the injection which is composed mainly of keratin 8 and 19. The antibody-complexed keratin 18 remains in spherical aggregates of different size. The results suggest that in HeLa cells vimentin and keratin form independent networks, and that individual 10 nm filaments in epithelial cell lines can contain more than two keratins.     

植物细胞中间纤维角蛋白性质的分析

角蛋白是植物细胞中间纤维的主要成分。应用选择性抽提和生物化学技术,分离纯化了豌豆根尖细胞58-、52 kD、白菜子叶52kD和胡萝卜悬浮细胞64kD角蛋白,测定了它们的氨基酸组成,结果表明上述角蛋白与动物细胞中间纤维角蛋白的氨基酸组成有较大的相似性。比较了动、植物细胞角蛋白的肽谱,结果显示它们之间存在较大的差异,但是植物细胞间角蛋白的肽谱比较一致,这提示它们属于同一蛋白家族,为植物中间纤维及其角蛋白的存在提供了新的论据。     

Mouse differentiation-specific keratins 1 and 10 require a preexisting keratin scaffold to form a filament network

Keratins 1 (K1) and 10 (K10) are the predominant cytoskeletal intermediate filaments of epidermal cells during transition from the proliferative to the terminal differentiation stage. In situ, formation of the K1/K10 intermediate filament network occurs in the cytoplasm of cells with a preexisting cytoskeleton composed of keratins 5 and 14. To define cytoskeletal interactions permissive for formation of the K1/K10 filamentous network, active copies of mouse K1 and K10 genes were introduced into fibroblasts (NIH 3T3) which do not normally express these proteins. Transient and stable transfectants, as well as heterokaryons produced by fusions with epithelial cells, were evaluated for expression of K1 and K10 proteins and filament formation using specific antibodies. In contrast to keratin pairs K5/K14 and K8/K18, the K1/K10 pair failed to form an extensive keratin filament network on its own, although small isolated dense K1/K10 filament bundles were observed throughout the cytoplasm by EM. K1 and K10 filaments integrated only into the preexisting K5/K14 network upon fusion of the NIH 3T3 (K1/K10) cells with epithelial cells expressing endogenous K5/K14 or with NIH 3T3 cells which were transfected with active copies of the K5 and K14 genes. When combinations of active recombinant gene constructs for keratins 1, 5, 10, and 14 were tested in transient NIH 3T3 transfections, the most intact cytokeratin network observed by immunofluorescence was formed by the K5/K14 pair. The K1/K14 pair was capable of forming a cytoskeletal network, but the network was poorly developed, and usually perinuclear. Transfection of K10 in combination with K5 or K1 resulted in cytoplasmic agglomerates, but not a cytoskeleton. These results suggest that the formation of the suprabasal cytoskeleton in epidermis is dependent on the preexisting basal cell intermediate filament network. Furthermore, restrictions on filament formation appear to be more stringent for K10 than for K1.     

Epithelial layer formation in differentiating aggregates of F9 embryonal carcinoma cells

F9 embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells, cultured in suspension in medium containing 5 X 10(-8) M retinoic acid, aggregate and differentiate into embryoid bodies with an outer layer of visceral endoderm cells that synthesize and secrete alphafetoprotein (AFP) (Hogan, B. L. M., A. Taylor, and E. Adamson, 1981, Nature (Lond.). 291:235-237). Here we analyze the formation of the outer layer of cells as a model for epithelial differentiation. Three morphological phases are described, but analyses of cell numbers and the synthetic rates of some proteins, as well as the appearance of markers of visceral endoderm and basement membrane, show that the formation of the outer layer occurs as an orderly progression of multiple events. The markers used to follow the ontogeny of epithelial layer formation include SSEA-1, l, and i blood group antigens, laminin, fibronectin, type IV collagen, cytoskeletal intermediate filament proteins (vimentin, Endo A, and B), and AFP. The onset of epithelium formation occurs between the third and fourth day of culture, but its function is maximally expressed only when it is well organized. We found the rate of AFP secretion to be a measure of the proper alignment and maturity of the epithelium which occurs at the seventh or eighth day. This model of epithelium formation may help to explain how similar processes occur during embryogenesis.     

Synthesis and fate of keratins 8 and 18 in nonepithelial cells transfected with cDNA

To study the assembly of intermediate filaments in vivo we have transfected fibroblast cell lines with the cDNAs coding for keratins 8 and 18 under the control of the promoter of the SV40 early region and followed keratin expression by RNA hybridization, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and immunofluorescence analysis. When expressed individually, keratins 8 and 18 failed to polymerize into intermediate filaments but formed granular aggregates of variable size distributed throughout the cytoplasm as seen by staining with specific antibodies. The expression of one of these two keratins did not induce the synthesis of its partner or of any other keratin. Coexpression of the two keratins produced filamentous structures, frequently perinuclear, indicating that the two types of polypeptides were able to assemble into intermediate filaments but could not form the cytoskeleton characteristic of epithelial cells. These results demonstrate that assembly in heterocomplexes stabilizes keratins against cellular degradation, helping to explain why excess pools of simple keratins have never been detected.     

Mutation in keratin 18 induces mitochondrial fragmentation in liver-derived epithelial cells

Microtubules (MTs) and microfilaments (MFs) are known to modulate mitochondrial morphology, distribution and function. However, little is known evidence about the role of intermediate filaments (IFs) in modulating mitochondria except desmin. To investigate whether or not the IFs regulate mitochondrial morphology, distribution, and function, we manipulated the IFs of cultured epithelial cells to express a mutant keratin 18 (K18). In contrast to the filamentous expression of wild K18, mutant K18 induced aggregation of K8/18, showing no fine IF network in the cells. In mutant K18-transfected cells, the mitochondria were fragmented into small spheroids, although they were observed as mitochondrial fibers in un-transfected or wild K18-transfected cells. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching of fluorescence-labeled mitochondria was markedly less in the mutant K18-transfected cells, although a significant recovery was confirmed in wild K18-transfected cells. These findings suggest that the IFs are important for the maintenance of normal mitochondrial structures.