The complete pathway for catalytic activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase, ERK2

The mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase ERK2 is an essential signal transduction molecule that mediates extracellular signaling by all polypeptide growth factors. Full activation of ERK2 requires phosphorylation at both a threonine residue (Thr(183)) conserved in most protein kinases as well as a tyrosine residue (Tyr(185)) unique to members of the mitogen-activated protein kinase family. We have characterized the kinetic role of phosphorylation at each site with respect to the overall activation mechanism, providing a complete picture of the reaction steps involved. Phosphorylation at Tyr(185) serves to configure the ATP binding site, while phosphorylation at both residues is required to stabilize binding of the protein substrate, myelin basic protein. Similar control mechanisms are employed to stabilize ATP and myelin basic protein in the phosphoryl group transfer reaction, accounting for the enormous increase in turnover rate. The mechanism of ERK2 activation is kinetically similar to that of the cell cycle control protein, cdk2/cyclinA. Phosphorylation of Tyr(185) in ERK2 and association of cyclinA with cdk2 both serve to stabilize ATP binding. Subsequent phosphorylation of both enzymes on threonine serves to stabilize binding of the phosphoacceptor substrate.     

Cell-associated ovalbumin is cross-presented much more efficiently than soluble ovalbumin in vivo

To better understand the antigenic requirements for cross-presentation, we compared the in vivo efficiency of presentation of cell-associated vs soluble OVA with the OT-I (CD8) and OT-II (CD4) TCR transgenic lines. Cross-presentation of cell-associated OVA was very efficient, requiring as little as 21 ng of OVA to activate OT-II cells and 100-fold less to activate OT-I cells. In contrast, soluble OVA was presented inefficiently, requiring at least 10,000 ng OVA for activation of either T cell subset. Thus, cell-associated OVA was presented 500-fold more efficiently than soluble OVA to CD4 T cells and 50,000-fold more efficiently to CD8 T cells. These data, which represent the first quantitative in vivo analysis of cross-presentation, show that cell-associated OVA is very efficiently presented via the class I pathway.     

Genetic interactions among regulators of septin organization

Septins form a cortical scaffold at the yeast mother-bud neck that restricts the diffusion of cortical proteins between the mother and bud and serves as a signaling center that is important for governing various cell functions. After cell cycle commitment in late G(1), septins are assembled into a narrow ring at the future bud site, which spreads to form a mature septin hourglass immediately after bud emergence. Although several septin regulators have been identified, it is unclear how they cooperate to assemble the septin scaffold. We have examined septin localization in isogenic strains containing single or multiple mutations in eight septin organization genes (CDC42, RGA1, RGA2, BEM3, CLA4, GIN4, NAP1, and ELM1). Our results suggest that these regulators act largely in parallel to promote either the initial assembly of the septin ring (CDC42, RGA1, RGA2, BEM3, and CLA4) or the conversion of the ring to a stable hourglass structure at the neck (GIN4, NAP1, and ELM1). Aberrant septin localization patterns in mutant strains could be divided into apparently discrete categories, but individual strains displayed heterogeneous defects, and there was no clear-cut correspondence between the specific mutations and specific categories of defect. These findings suggest that when they are deprived of their normal regulators, septin scaffolds collapse into a limited repertoire of aberrant states in which the nature of the mutant regulators influences the probability of a given aberrant state.     

Highly conserved cysteines of mouse core 2 beta1,6-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I form a network of disulfide bonds and include a thiol that affects enzyme activity

Core 2 beta1,6-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I (C2GnT-I) plays a pivotal role in the biosynthesis of mucin-type O-glycans that serve as ligands in cell adhesion. To elucidate the three-dimensional structure of the enzyme for use in computer-aided design of therapeutically relevant enzyme inhibitors, we investigated the participation of cysteine residues in disulfide linkages in a purified murine recombinant enzyme. The pattern of free and disulfide-bonded Cys residues was determined by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry in the absence and presence of dithiothreitol. Of nine highly conserved Cys residues, under both conditions, one (Cys217) is a free thiol, and eight are engaged in disulfide bonds, with pairs formed between Cys59-Cys413, Cys100-Cys172, Cys151-Cys199, and Cys372-Cys381. The only non-conserved residue within the beta1,6-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase family, Cys235, is also a free thiol in the presence of dithiothreitol; however, in the absence of reductant, Cys235 forms an intermolecular disulfide linkage. Biochemical studies performed with thiolreactive agents demonstrated that at least one free cysteine affects enzyme activity and is proximal to the UDP-GlcNAc binding site. A Cys217 --> Ser mutant enzyme was insensitive to thiol reactants and displayed kinetic properties virtually identical to those of the wild-type enzyme, thereby showing that Cys217, although not required for activity per se, represents the only thiol that causes enzyme inactivation when modified. Based on the pattern of free and disulfide-linked Cys residues, and a method of fold recognition/threading and homology modeling, we have computed a three-dimensional model for this enzyme that was refined using the T4 bacteriophage beta-glucosyltransferase fold.     

MAP kinases and CDKs: kinetic basis for catalytic activation

Protein kinases constitute one of the largest enzyme families encoded by the human genome. Owing to their critical role in virtually all aspects of signal transduction, protein kinases have evolved stringent mechanisms for their regulation, which classically falls into two categories: regulation by pseudosubstrate autoinhibitory domains, and remodeling of the catalytic core in response to phosphorylation and/or protein/protein interactions. While the action of pseudosubstrate domains can be explained by simple competitive autoinhibition kinetics, it is less well understood how active site phosphorylation and/or protein/protein interactions alter rates of catalysis. Here, the kinetic basis for kinase activation is discussed in relation to the MAP kinase, ERK2, and the cyclin-dependent kinase, CDK2/cyclin A, two enzymes of central importance to mammalian cell growth and division, and which serve as prototypic models of nonautoinhibitory regulation.     

Isolation of novel human fetal brain cDNAs mapped to human chromosome bands, 1q25 and 8q24.1

We isolated chromosome band-specific human fetal brain cDNAs by the microdissection mediated cDNA capture method, and localized these cDNA using in situ hybridization histochemistry with developing rat brain sections. Uni-Amp cDNAs were prepared from an 18-week old human fetal brain, and hybridized to human metaphase chromosomes. Eight Uni-Amp cDNAs, hybridized to chromosome band 1q25 or 8q24.1, were recovered by microdissection and PCR amplification with Uni-Amp primers. Among these cDNAs, two novel genes (FB113 of 8q24.1 and FB134 of 1q25) showed a temporospatially interesting expression pattern in the developing rat brains. The expression of FB113 was under dynamic regulation in the developing granule cells of cerebellum and dentate gyrus. FB134 showed a nervous tissue specific expression pattern and an exclusively prominent expression in the developing presubiculum and parasubiculum. By the fluorescence in situ hybridization using human genomic DNAs, FB113 and FB134 were mapped back to the human chromosome bands 8q24.1 and 1q25, respectively. These results indicate that combined application of the microdissection mediated cDNA capture method and in situ hybridization histochemistry can be used for the isolation of chromosomal band-specific genes related to brain development or human genetic diseases.     

Isolation and characterization of effector-loop mutants of CDC42 in yeast

The highly conserved small GTPase Cdc42p is a key regulator of cell polarity and cytoskeletal organization in eukaryotic cells. Multiple effectors of Cdc42p have been identified, although it is unclear how their activities are coordinated to produce particular cell behaviors. One strategy used to address the contributions made by different effector pathways downstream of small GTPases has been the use of "effector-loop" mutants of the GTPase that selectively impair only a subset of effector pathways. We now report the generation and preliminary characterization of a set of effector-loop mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae CDC42. These mutants define genetically separable pathways influencing actin or septin organization. We have characterized the phenotypic defects of these mutants and the binding defects of the encoded proteins to known yeast Cdc42p effectors in vitro. The results suggest that these effectors cannot account for the observed phenotypes, and therefore that unknown effectors exist that affect both actin and septin organization. The availability of partial function alleles of CDC42 in a genetically tractable system serves as a useful starting point for genetic approaches to identify such novel effectors.