Beta-internexin is a microtubule-associated protein identical to the 70-kDa heat-shock cognate protein and the clathrin uncoating ATPase

We have examined the relationship of the ubiquitous 68-70-kDa cytoskeletal-associated protein beta-internexin (Napolitano, E. W., Pachter, J. S., Chin, S. S. M., and Liem, R. K. H. (1985) J. Cell Biol. 101, 1323-1331) to heat-shock cognate 70 (hsc70), the major constitutive member of the mammalian heat-shock protein 70 (hsp70) family of stress proteins. We purify beta-internexin from rat brain microtubules and confirm its identity with hsc70 and the clathrin-uncoating ATPase by the following criteria: 1) The partial sequence of a cyanogen bromide-derived peptide from beta-internexin matches the inferred amino acid sequence of the cDNA clone pRC62 encoding hsc70 from rat brain (O'Malley, K., Mauron, A., Barchas, J. D., and Kedes, L. (1985) Mol. Cell. Biol. 5, 3476-3483). 2) Mixing experiments followed by two-dimensional gel analyses reveal the precise co-migration of beta-internexin, the clathrin-uncoating ATPase, and the in vitro translation product of cDNA clone pHSP-4 encoding rat brain hsc70. 3) beta-Internexin is recognized by a monoclonal antibody reactive against the class of hsp70 proteins. 4) beta-Internexin purified from a microtubule-associated protein-enriched fraction of rat brain by virtue of high affinity binding to ATP-agarose possesses clathrin cage-specific ATPase activity.     

Identification and characterization of a novel mammalian intermediate filament-associated protein

A novel monoclonal antibody, designated M1.4, recognizes the high molecular weight microtubule-associated protein MAP1A (ca. Mr 380 kD) in both bovine and rat brain. In HeLa cells, however, M1.4 binds to a 240 kD polypeptide on immunoblots and co-localizes with both vimentin and cytokeratin filaments using double-label immunofluorescence microscopy. Immunoelectron microscopy indicates that the 240 kD polypeptide localizes along bundled intermediate filaments in a periodic manner. Two-dimensional electrophoretic analysis indicates that the 240 kD polypeptide has a basic pI of 7.7. When HeLa cell intermediate filaments are isolated using standard non-ionic detergent/high-salt conditions the 240 kD polypeptide does not sediment with the intermediate filaments, unlike the established intermediate filament-associated protein plectin. Immunoblot analysis with M1.4 shows the 240 kD polypeptide is expressed in a number of mammalian cell lines. Additionally, double-label immunofluorescence shows the 240 kD polypeptide to associate with vimentin filaments in African Green Monkey kidney (CV-1) and JC neuroblastoma cells. Due to its unique biochemical and biological characteristics, the 240 kD polypeptide is clearly a novel intermediate filament-associated protein for which we have proposed the designation gyronemin (Gr. gyros: around; nemin: filament).     

Reorganization of a novel vimentin-associated protein in 3T3-L1 cells during adipose conversion

We have found that the antibody A2, a marker for the capsule of steroidogenic lipid droplets, reacts with an intermediate filament-associated protein, P₂₀₀, in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Supporting evidence came from the colocalization pattern of P₂₀₀ with vimentin in double label experiments. The association of P₂₀₀ with vimentin was further confirmed by its copurification with vimentin after high salt extraction and colocalization of these two proteins in high salt-extracted and vinblastine-treated cells. In preadipocytes this protein was distributed on the vimentin filament network. At the early stage of adipose conversion, this protein was found to encircle nascent lipid droplets ranging from 0.1 to 0.2 μm, accompanied with a decreased distribution on the vimentin filament system. This infers a possible translocation of P₂₀₀ from the vimentin filaments to the droplet surface. Meanwhile, the vimentin filaments remained in a normal distribution in the cytoplasm and were apparently not associated with the nascent droplet. The association of vimentin filaments to droplet surfaces became prominent in lipid droplets larger than 0.2 μm, forming a typical vimentin cage. Immunogold staining also confirmed the translocation of P₂₀₀ immunoreactivity from the droplet surface to the vimentin cage. The relocation of P₂₀₀ from the cytoplasmic vimentin filaments to the droplet surface prior to the formation of the vimentin cage, as well as the reorganization of this protein in the vimentin cage, suggests a stabilizing role in the lipid droplet formation and an inducing function of this protein in the formation of the vimentin cage. J. Cell. Biochem. 67:84–91, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Immunocytochemical demonstration of a new vimentin-associated protein in 3T3 fibroblasts

Summary Using a xanthophore cytoskeletal preparation as immunogen, we have produced a monoclonal antibody, A2, which recognized a 160 kDa protein in 3T3 fibroblasts. This protein makes up a cytoplasmic filamentous system, which colocalizes with vimentin filaments. When microtubules and actin filaments are dissolved by high salt extraction, staining with antibody A2 is unaffected. Immunoblot analysis confirms that the 160 kDa protein is co-isolated with vimentin duringin vivo high salt extraction. Following vinblastine treatment, both the 160 kDa protein and vimentin become localized to perinuclear caps, as do other intermediate filaments and their associated proteins; after vinblastine removal, the immunostaining produced by A2 becomes filamentous. Immunoelectron microscopy demonstrates that antibody A2 stains a filament system with a diameter of about 10 nm. Our observations suggest that the 160 kDa protein may be a new vimentin-associated protein which differs from the intermediate filament-associated proteins previously reported, and is widely distributed in several cell types.     

Identification of CEACAM6 as an intermediate filament-associated protein expressed in Sertoli cells of rat testis

Ceacam6 (carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 6 gene) has recently been isolated by differential display followed by RT-PCR and DNA sequence analyses. Ceacam6 is a member of an immunoglobulin superfamily and encodes a protein of 266 amino acid residues possessing one immunoglobulin (Ig)-like domain. RT-PCR analysis showed that Ceacam6 was dominantly expressed in rat testis and its expression level prominently increased after 6 wk of postnatal development in testis. Immunohistochemical analyses using the anti-CEACAM6 antibody revealed that CEACAM6 colocalized with intermediate filaments (vimentin) in Sertoli cells and interstitial cells. The association between CEACAM6 and vimentin was observed throughout postnatal development in rat testis. Transfection experiments performed in COS-7 cells suggested that overexpression of CEACAM6 brought about aggregation of vimentin filament around nuclei with which CEACAM6 colocalized and that the N-terminus region of CEACAM6, including the Ig-like domain, seemed to be required for association with vimentin filaments. Interaction between CEACAM6 and vimentin in rat testis and transfected COS-7 cells was confirmed by immunoprecipitation. Our observations strongly suggested that CEACAM6 might be a novel intermediate filament-associated protein involved in regulation of vimentin architecture in Sertoli cells.     

Altered Intermediate Filament Expression in Human Neuroblastoma Cells Transformed by a Growth-Promoting Agent Derived from Schizophrenic CSF

1. Transformed (TR) cell lines showed faster doubling times and higher cell densities at confluence, as well as altered morphology, changing from flat epitheloid to smaller round or bipolar shapes. Since such morphological changes are suggestive of alterations in intermediate filaments, we have analyzed the expression of both vimentin and neurofilament.2. Immunohistochemical analysis of vimentin showed a redistribution from a cytoplasmic network to a perinuclear accumulation in TR cell lines.3. Western blot analysis demonstrated that the vimentin content was decreased 60–90%. The content of the 70-kD neurofilament protein was also decreased in TR cells, but its intracellular distribution was indistinguishable from that in the control cell lines.     

Species-specific recognition patterns of monoclonal antibodies directed against vimentin.

Two commercially available monoclonal antibodies raised against the intermediate filament protein vimentin were characterized concerning their species-specific reaction pattern on vertebrate cells. The antibody V9 exhibited extensive reactivity with vimentin of all mammalian species tested, but specifically did not detect vimentin in mouse cells and chicken fibroblasts. The antibody VIM 3B4 recognized vimentin in cells of chicken and most mammalian species, except for rodent species. Characterization of the binding site of VIM 3B4 on human vimentin by limited proteolysis and immunoblotting as well as by sequence comparison strongly suggested that the epitope is located in the coil 2 part of the vimentin rod domain. Site-directed mutagenesis of a mouse vimentin cDNA clone followed by in vivo expression showed that VIM 3B4 could detect rodent vimentin containing a single amino acid substitution (valine for leucine) at position 353 of the mouse vimentin sequence. Practical application for this finding was demonstrated by the unequivocal identification of a modified murine vimentin protein, distinct from the endogenous vimentin, in a cytoplasmic intermediate filament network in mouse skin fibroblasts transfected with a recombinant plasmid expression vector.     

A novel intermediate filament-associated protein, NAPA-73, that binds to different filament types at different stages of nervous system development

The antigen recognized by the E/C8-monoclonal antibody is expressed in various avian embryonic cell types known also to express neurofilament (NF) immunoreactivity. To determine whether the E/C8-antigen corresponds to any of the known NF components, we compared their subcellular locations, immunocross-reactivities, and electrophoretic behaviors. We found that the E/C8-antibody binds to NF bundles in electron microscope preparations of neurons, but does not correspond to any of the known NF proteins by immunological or electrophoretic criteria. Immunoadsorption with the monoclonal antibody resulted in co-purification of a 73,000-D protein with one of the known NF proteins in homogenates from 20-d embryonic chick brains, but with vimentin intermediate filament protein in similarly prepared homogenates from 4-d embryonic chicks. We suggest that the E/C8-antigen is an intermediate filament-associated protein that binds to different filament types at different stages of development. We have named it NAPA-73, an acronym for neurofilament-associated protein, avian-specific, 73,000 D, on the basis of its binding specificity in mature neurons.     

Plectin and IFAP-300K are homologous proteins binding to microtubule-associated proteins 1 and 2 and to the 240-kilodalton subunit of spectrin

Structural and functional characteristics of plectin from intermediate filament preparations of rat glioma C6 cells were compared to those of the intermediate filament-associated protein of Mr = 300,000 (IFAP-300K) of baby hamster kidney cells (Yang, H.-S., Lieska, N., Goldman, A.E., and Goldman, R.D. (1985) J. Cell Biol. 100, 620-631). After radiolabeling and proteolytic digestion under varied conditions, both proteins yielded nearly identical peptide maps. Immunological cross-reactivity, co-migration on one- and two-dimensional high-resolution gels, chromatofocusing, and amino acid analysis demonstrated structural homology as well. In vivo labeling with 32Pi showed that plectin was the target for cAMP-independent protein kinases which phosphorylated 18-kDa domains at the end(s) of the molecule. Previously reported phosphorylation sites for cAMP-dependent and a newly identified site for Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases were located on different domains. In solid-phase binding assays, plectin bound to vimentin, microtubule-associated proteins 1 and 2, the 240-kDa chain of brain fodrin, and alpha-spectrin from human erythrocytes. Similar characteristics were revealed for corresponding 300-kDa components of various other cell lines, supporting the concept that plectin is a general cytoskeletal cross-linking element, probably of multiple function.     

Modulation of myosin filament organization by C-protein family members.

We have analyzed the interactions between two types of sarcomeric proteins: myosin heavy chain (MyHC) and members of an abundant thick filament-associated protein family (myosin-binding protein; MyBP). Previous work has demonstrated that when MyHC is transiently transfected into mammalian nonmuscle COS cells, the expressed protein forms spindle-shaped structures consisting of bundles of myosin thick filaments. Co-expression of MyHC and MyBP-C or -H modulates the MyHC structures, resulting in dramatically longer cables consisting of myosin and MyBP encircling the nucleus. Immunoelectron microscopy indicates that these cable structures are more uniform in diameter than the spindle structures consisting solely of MyHC, and that the myosin filaments are compacted in the presence of MyBP. Deletion analysis of MyBP-H indicates that cable formation is dependent on the carboxy terminal 24 amino acids. Neither the MyHC spindles nor the MyHC/MyBP cables associate with the endogenous actin cytoskeleton of the COS cell. While there is no apparent co-localization between these structures and the microtubule network, colchicine treatment of the cells promotes the formation of longer assemblages, suggesting that cytoskeletal architecture may physically impede or regulate polymer formation/extension. The data presented here contribute to a greater understanding of the interactions between the MyBP family and MyHC, and provide additional evidence for functional homology between MyBP-C and MyBP-H.     

Vimentin downregulation is an inherent feature of murine erythropoiesis and occurs independently of lineage.

In mammalian erythropoiesis, the mature cells of the primitive lineage remain nucleated while those of the definitive lineage are anuclear. One of the molecular and structural changes that precedes enucleation in cells of the definitive lineage is the cessation in the expression of the gene for the intermediate filament (IF) protein vimentin and the removal of all vimentin filaments from the cytoplasm. We show here that in immature primitive cells vimentin is synthesized and forms a cytoplasmic network of IFs. As differentiation proceeds in vivo, vimentin gene expression is downregulated in these cells; this is accompanied by the loss of vimentin filaments from the cytoplasm. This loss temporally coincides with the nucleus becoming freely mobile within the cytoplasm, suggesting that, while IF removal is not directly linked to the physical process of enucleation, it may be a prerequisite for the initiation of nuclear mobility in both lineages. These changes are also observed in early primitive cells cultured in vitro, suggesting that they constitute an intrinsic part of the murine erythroid differentiation program independent of lineage and hematopoietic microenvironment.     

The adenovirus E1A 243R protein purified from Escherichia coli under nondenaturing conditions is found in association with dnaK.

The adenovirus E1A 243R protein immortalizes primary cells in culture and induces part of the phenotypes required for transformation. It has also been shown to interact with a number of cellular polypeptides, including the product of the retinoblastoma gene. To understand more fully the molecular activities of the E1A 243R protein in association with these proteins as well as its role in the processes of cellular growth, we have developed a method for rapidly purifying this protein from genetically engineered Escherichia coli under nondenaturing conditions. The plasmid-encoded E1A protein, when expressed in a protease-deficient mutant, is found to have the same length and amino acid sequence as that which is produced in a mammalian cell. The procedure for purifying the E1A 243R protein from bacteria relies primarily upon immunoaffinity chromatography and the use of a peptide comprising the epitope recognized by an E1A-specific antibody. Elution of the E1A protein under this condition allows for gentle isolation and a purity that ranges from 90 to 96%. However, without the addition of micromolar amounts of ATP prior to its elution from the antibody column, the E1A protein is found in association with an E. coli protein of 70 kDa. Immunoblot analysis with a specific antibody showed that this bacterial protein was the heat shock protein dnaK, which is known to have extensive homology with the hsp-hsc70 family of proteins in mammalian cells. Recognition of E1A by the dnaK protein may very well reflect a situation that also occurs between the mammalian heat shock proteins and the E1A 243R protein after adenovirus infection.     

Intermediate filaments in smooth muscle

The intermediate filament (IF) network is one of the three cytoskeletal systems in smooth muscle. The type III IF proteins vimentin and desmin are major constituents of the network in smooth muscle cells and tissues. Lack of vimentin or desmin impairs contractile ability of various smooth muscle preparations, implying their important role for smooth muscle force development. The IF framework has long been viewed as a fixed cytostructure that solely provides mechanical integrity for the cell. However, recent studies suggest that the IF cytoskeleton is dynamic in mammalian cells in response to various external stimulation. In this review, the structure and biological properties of IF proteins in smooth muscle are summarized. The role of IF proteins in the modulation of smooth muscle force development and redistribution/translocation of signaling partners (such as p130 Crk-associated substrate, CAS) is depicted. This review also summarizes our latest understanding on how the IF network may be regulated in smooth muscle. cytoskeleton; force development; vimentin; desmin     

Effect of ATP on the Release of hsp 70 and hsp 40 from the Nucleus in Heat-Shocked HeLa Cells

We have recently found a novel 40-kDa heat-shock protein (hsp 40) in mammalian and avian cells and reported that the N-terminal amino acid sequence of mammalian hsp 40 has homology with the bacterial DnaJ heat-shock protein. Also, hsp 40 has been shown to be translocated from the cytoplasm into the nuclei/nucleoli by heat shock and colocalized with hsc 70 (p73) in the nucleoli of exactly the same cells. We here investigated the effect of ATP on the release of hsp 70 (both constitutive p73 and inducible p72) and hsp 40 from the nuclei/nucleoli of heat-shocked HeLa cells which were permeabilized with Nonidet-P40 using immunoflourescence and immunoblotting. Hsp 70 in the nucleoli was released by the addition of ATP but not by ADP, GTP, nonhydrolyzable ATP, nor high salt buffer. In contrast, hsp 40 was not released from the nucleoli with any of these treatments or any combination of these treatments. Thus, hsp 40 might dissociate spontaneously from the nucleoli after hsp 70 has been released in an ATP-dependent manner. Using cell fractionation methods, we showed that while the majority of hsp 40 is localized in the cytoplasm, a small portion of it is located in the microsome fraction in non-heat-shocked control cells and in cells which recovered from heat shock.     

Integrity of intermediate filaments is associated with the development of acquired thermotolerance in 9L rat brain tumor cells

Withangulatin A (WA), a newly discovered withanolide isolated from an antitumor Chinese herb, has been shown to be a vimentin intermediate filament-targeting drug by using immunofluorescence microscopy. Together with cytochalasin D and colchicine, these drugs were employed to investigate the importance of vimentin intermediate filaments, actin filaments, and microtubules in the development of acquired thermotolerance in 9L rat brain tumor cells treated at 45°C for 15 min (priming heat-shock). Acquired thermotolerance was abrogated in cells incubated with WA before the priming heat-shock but it could be detected in cells treated with WA after the priming heat-shock. In contrast, cytochalasin D and colchicine do not interfere with the development of thermotolerance at all. The intracellular localizations of vimentin and the constitutive heat-shock protein70 (HSC70) in treated cells were examined by using immunofluorescence microscopy and detergent-extractability studies. In cells treated with WA before the priming heat-shock, vimentin IFs were tightly aggregated around the nucleus and unable to return to their normal organization after a recovery under normal growing conditions. In contrast, the IF network in cells treated with WA after the priming heat-shock was able to reorganize into filamentous form after a recovery period, a behavior similar to that of the cells treated with heat-shock only. HSC70 was found to be co-localized with vimentin during these changes. It is suggested that the integrity of intermediate filaments is important for the development of thermotolerance and that HSC70 may be involved in this process by stabilizing the intermediate filaments through direct or indirect binding.     

原肌球蛋白、波形纤维蛋白和热休克蛋白70在肝癌转移亚细胞中表达上调

建立并应用人H74 0 2肝癌细胞SCID鼠肿瘤转移模型 ,从转移肺组织经原代细胞培养 ,筛选并建立转移亚细胞系M H74 0 2 ,进而运用蛋白质组学技术筛选肿瘤转移相关蛋白 .通过二维电泳技术检测 ,比较M H74 0 2细胞和亲本H74 0 2细胞的总蛋白 ,从多个差异蛋白质点中选择出 3个在M H74 0 2细胞中表达明显上调的蛋白质点进行ESI QUAD TOF质谱分析 ,并在MSDB公共蛋白数据库中进行同源比较和分析鉴定 .初步确定这 3个蛋白质分别为原肌球蛋白 (tropomyosin) ,波形纤维蛋白 (vimentin)和热休克蛋白 70 (heatshock 70protein ,HSP70 ) .这些蛋白质参与细胞骨架构成、蛋白质折叠和蛋白质相互作用等许多正常生理活动 ,并有报道原肌球蛋白和波形纤维蛋白与肿瘤转移有关 .利用蛋白质组学方法发现 ,在肝癌转移亚细胞M H74 0 2中 ,原肌球蛋白、波形纤维蛋白和热休克蛋白 70表达明显上调 ,进一步揭示它们在肿瘤转移中具有重要的作用 .