Setting sail for glucose homeostasis with the AKAP150‐PP2B‐anchor

EMBO J (2012) 31 20, 3991–4004 doi:10.1038/emboj.2012.244; published online August312012Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, controlled by multiple protein phosphorylation events, is critical for the regulation of glucose homeostasis. Protein kinase A (PKA) is known to play a role in β cell physiology, but the role of its anchoring protein is not fully understood. Hinke et al (2012) illustrate the significance of A-kinase anchoring protein 150 in tethering protein phosphatase 2B to mediate nutrient-stimulated insulin secretion and thus modulate glucose homeostasis.Insulin secretion is a key component in the regulation of glucose homeostasis. The initiation of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) is coordinated by numerous protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation events in the β cell (Jones and Persaud, 1998). PKA and protein phosphatase 2B (PP2B or calcineurin—a Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent enzyme) are examples of enzymes that can influence the release of insulin. The combined effects of these enzymes propagate GSIS, which is mediated intracellularly via an increase in ATP concentration, Ca²⁺ influx via the voltage-dependent Ca²⁺ channel (VDCC) and cyclic AMP (cAMP) signalling. At the same time, these enzymes can also regulate glucose usage (e.g., via glycogen synthase) in insulin-sensitive tissues such as the skeletal muscle.cAMP signalling serves to potentiate GSIS via either (1) PKA-dependent or (2) PKA-independent mechanisms (involving cAMP-binding protein Epac2A (exchange protein directly activated by cAMP 2)). A-kinase anchoring protein (AKAP) belongs to a group of regulatory proteins that interacts with cAMP-dependent PKA (Pidoux and Tasken, 2010; Welch et al, 2010). It can regulate the differential usage of kinase versus phosphatase, thereby controlling metabolic outcomes in specific tissues. Although it is known that PKA phosphorylation regulates β cell physiology, the role of such anchoring proteins is less clear (Faruque et al, 2009; Lester et al, 2001). For example, while disruption of the AKAP–PKA interaction has been reported to decrease insulin secretion (Lester et al, 1997), the specific regulatory protein that anchors PKA has yet to be identified.In this study, Hinke et al (2012) sought to identify the specific anchoring protein that tethers PKA, and to elucidate its function. Two AKAP proteins, namely, AKAP150 and AKAP220 were first shortlisted from an overlay assay used to detect RII (regulatory subunit of PKA) binding proteins. Subsequently, only AKAP150 was found to be important for nutrient-stimulated insulin secretion. Mice with a global knockout of AKAP150 (AKAP150KO) exhibited insulin secretory defects. AKAP150 binds to and regulates the phosphorylation-dependent VDCC. Thus, these AKAP150KO mice exhibited decreased basal Ca²⁺ current and glucose-stimulated Ca²⁺ influx in isolated β cells. One reason for the decrease in Ca²⁺ current could be attributed to a mislocation of its binding partner PP2B (discussed below). Glucose-stimulated cAMP fluctuation which is necessary for insulin secretion (Dyachok et al, 2008) was also abolished in AKAP150KO mice. Therefore, AKAP150KO mice exhibit an insulin secretory defect due to multiple impairments including (1) decreased Ca²⁺ influx and (2) defective cAMP production.Surprisingly, while the authors report that global AKAP150KO mice secrete less insulin, the skeletal muscle, an insulin-sensitive peripheral tissue, exhibited improved blood glucose clearance likely due to increased phosphorylation of IRS-1 and Akt/PKB, and activation of AMPK that resulted in improved insulin sensitivity. On the other hand, β cell-specific AKAP150KO mice secrete less insulin upon glucose stimulation despite increased insulin content in the β cell that occurs as an adaptation to the impaired glucose tolerance. These mice clearly exhibited an impaired glucose tolerance that is due to defective insulin secretion because they do not exhibit an increase in insulin sensitivity. Together, these data indicate that the skeletal muscle selectively adapts to the global absence of AKAP150 to compensate for the decrease in insulin in the body. Notably, AKAP150 is also expressed in the liver but does not exhibit compensatory effects while AKAP150 is not expressed in the adipose tissue.AKAP150 can anchor numerous enzymes with different metabolic activities. For instance, it binds PKA and PP2B, two enzymes with opposing functions, to the cell surface membrane. Hinke et al (2012) further investigated the impact of disrupting specific binding partners of AKAP150. Unexpectedly, AKAP150Δ36 mice that lack residues 705–724 and therefore cannot bind PKA exclusively are effectively metabolically normal. It is thus surprising that the anchoring of PKA to AKAP150 is not necessary for proper insulin release although this interaction is important in other cellular systems (Lu et al, 2008, 2011). AKAP150ΔPIX mice lacking residues 655–661 and thus unable to tether to PP2B at a seven-residue PIxIxIT motif demonstrate the same metabolic phenotype as global AKAP150KO mice. This suggests that AKAP150 is critical for tethering PP2B, and that PP2B is the key molecule necessary for insulin secretion in β cells. PP2B is also a determinant of the metabolic phenotypes such as improved insulin sensitivity and glucose handling upon loss of anchorage of PP2B.Overall, Hinke et al (2012) used complementary in vivo approaches including animal physiology, and in vitro islet culture and live-cell imaging to demonstrate the importance of the kinase/phosphatase anchoring protein AKAP150 in regulating nutrient-stimulated insulin secretion and modulating glucose homeostasis in mice (Figure 1). However, it is likely that there are AKAP150-independent mechanisms regulating insulin secretion since islets from AKAP150KO mice continued to respond to glucose stimulation and secrete insulin in both static and dynamic conditions, albeit at lower levels compared to wild-type mice. Importantly, the authors also identified AKAP150 tethering to PP2B as a key molecular event that regulates insulin secretion and glucose homeostasis (Figure 1). Thus, targeting the AKAP150–PP2B interface and the PIxIxIT motif could be therapeutically useful for increasing insulin sensitivity in patients with diabetes and metabolic syndromes. This could involve designing molecules or chemical compounds to bind the motif and block interaction between AKAP150 and PP2B. In parallel, the safety of systemic blockade of this interaction needs to be ascertained. Alternatively, skeletal muscle-specific AKAP150ΔPIX mice could be generated to determine if the metabolic phenotype is similar to global AKAP150ΔPIX mice. Should this be the case, then localized pharmacological blockade of AKAP150–PP2B interaction could be considered.Open in a separate windowFigure 1AKAP150 tethered to PP2B at a seven-residue PIxIxIT motif mediates nutrient-stimulated insulin secretion and glucose homeostasis. Both global AKAP150KO and AKAP150ΔPIX (AKAP150-PP2B binding abolished) mice exhibit insulin secretory defects, enhanced insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscle and overall improved glucose tolerance. This infers the importance of AKAP150-PP2B tethering for glucose homeostasis. ‘Tick'' indicates an increase or improvement. ‘Cross'' indicates a defect or impairment. ‘Equal sign'' indicates no change or no effect. Questions emerging from this study are highlighted in red.Several issues worth pursuing include (1) determining the differential adaptive response of the skeletal muscle versus the liver to alterations in insulin sensitivity in global AKAP150KO mice, (2) further investigating the functional relevance of AKAP150 tethering to PKA (by generating β cell-specific AKAP150Δ36 mice) as there is probably a biological rationale for their interaction, (3) exploring whether AKAP150-related or other proteins are expressed and act in different adipose tissue depots, (4) determining whether AKAP150 acts in a similar manner in ‘human'' skeletal muscle and β cells, and (5) examining if polymorphisms in human genes that encode AKAP150 tethering proteins are linked to disorders of glucose metabolism.     

Toward an accurate theoretical framework for describing ensembles for proteins under strongly denaturing conditions

Our focus is on an appropriate theoretical framework for describing highly denatured proteins. In high concentrations of denaturants, proteins behave like polymers in a good solvent and ensembles for denatured proteins can be modeled by ignoring all interactions except excluded volume (EV) effects. To assay conformational preferences of highly denatured proteins, we quantify a variety of properties for EV-limit ensembles of 23 two-state proteins. We find that modeled denatured proteins can be best described as follows. Average shapes are consistent with prolate ellipsoids. Ensembles are characterized by large correlated fluctuations. Sequence-specific conformational preferences are restricted to local length scales that span five to nine residues. Beyond local length scales, chain properties follow well-defined power laws that are expected for generic polymers in the EV limit. The average available volume is filled inefficiently, and cavities of all sizes are found within the interiors of denatured proteins. All properties characterized from simulated ensembles match predictions from rigorous field theories. We use our results to resolve between conflicting proposals for structure in ensembles for highly denatured states.     

Regulation of Par6 by extracellular signals

The critical regulator of polarity, Par6, is a key member of a multi-component polarity complex that controls a variety of cellular processes such as asymmetric cell division, establishment of epithelial apico-basal polarity, and polarized cell migration. Recently, we have come to understand how regulation of the Par6 interactome by extracellular cues such as integrin and transforming growth factor beta signalling regulates cell motility and tight junction dissolution. These studies have begun to elucidate how signalling to the polarity complex might regulate pathological processes such as tumour cell invasion and metastasis.     

A semianalytical model to study the effect of cortical tension on cell rolling

Cell rolling on the vascular endothelium plays an important role in trafficking of leukocytes, stem cells, and cancer cells. We describe a semianalytical model of cell rolling that focuses on the microvillus as the unit of cell-substrate interaction and integrates microvillus mechanics, receptor clustering, force-dependent receptor-ligand kinetics, and cortical tension that enables incorporation of cell body deformation. Using parameters obtained from independent experiments, the model showed excellent agreement with experimental studies of neutrophil rolling on P-selectin and predicted different regimes of cell rolling, including spreading of the cells on the substrate under high shear. The cortical tension affected the cell-surface contact area and influenced the rolling velocity, and modulated the dependence of rolling velocity on microvillus stiffness. Moreover, at the same shear stress, microvilli of cells with higher cortical tension carried a greater load compared to those with lower cortical tension. We also used the model to obtain a scaling dependence of the contact radius and cell rolling velocity under different conditions of shear stress, cortical tension, and ligand density. This model advances theoretical understanding of cell rolling by incorporating cortical tension and microvillus extension into a versatile, semianalytical framework.     

Structural characterization of the large soluble oligomers of the GTPase effector domain of dynamin

Dynamin, a protein playing crucial roles in endocytosis, oligomerizes to form spirals around the necks of incipient vesicles and helps their scission from membranes. This oligomerization is known to be mediated by the GTPase effector domain (GED). Here we have characterized the structural features of recombinant GED using a variety of biophysical methods. Gel filtration and dynamic light scattering experiments indicate that in solution, the GED has an intrinsic tendency to oligomerize. It forms large soluble oligomers (molecular mass > 600 kDa). Interestingly, they exist in equilibrium with the monomer, the equilibrium being largely in favour of the oligomers. This equilibrium, observed for the first time for GED, may have regulatory implications for dynamin function. From the circular dichroism measurements the multimers are seen to have a high helical content. From multidimensional NMR analysis we have determined that about 30 residues in the monomeric units constituting the oligomers are flexible, and these include a 17 residue stretch near the N-terminal. This contains two short segments with helical propensities in an otherwise dynamic structure. Negatively charged SDS micelles cause dissociation of the oligomers into monomers, and interestingly, the helical characteristics of the oligomer are completely retained in the individual monomers. The segments along the chain that are likely to form helices have been predicted from five different algorithms, all of which identify two long stretches. Surface electrostatic potential calculation for these helices reveals that there is a distribution of neutral, positive and negative potentials, suggesting that both electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions could be playing important roles in the oligomer core formation. A single point mutation, I697A, in one of the helices inhibited oligomerization quite substantially, indicating firstly, a special role of this residue, and secondly, a decisive, though localized, contribution of hydrophobic interaction in the association process.     

Receptor-targeted liposomal delivery of boron-containing cholesterol mimics for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT)

Liposomes have been a main focus of tumor-selective boron delivery strategies in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), a binary method for the treatment of cancer that is based on the nuclear reaction between boron atoms and low-energy thermal neutrons. Three novel carboranyl cholesterol derivatives were prepared as lipid bilayer components for the construction of nontargeted and receptor-targeted boronated liposomes for BNCT. A major structural feature of these novel boronated cholesterol mimics is the replacement of the B and the C ring of cholesterol with a carborane cluster. Computational analyses indicated that all three boronated compounds have structural features and physicochemical properties that are very similar to those of cholesterol. One of the synthesized boronated cholesterol mimics was stably incorporated into non-, folate receptor (FR)-, and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2)-targeted liposomes. No major differences were found in appearance, size distribution, and lamellarity between conventional dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC)/cholesterol liposomes, nontargeted, and FR-targeted liposomal formulations of this carboranyl cholesterol derivative. FR-targeted boronated liposomes were taken up extensively in FR overexpressing KB cells in vitro, and the uptake was effectively blocked in the presence of free folate. In contrast, a boronated cholesterol mimic incorporated into nontargeted liposomes showed significantly lower cellular uptake. There was no apparent in vitro cytotoxicity in FR overexpressing KB cells and VEGFR-2 overexpressing 293/KDR cells when these were incubated with boronated FR- and (VEGFR-2)-targeted liposomes, respectively, although the former accumulated extensively in KB cells and the latter effectively interacted with VEGFR-2 by causing autophosphorylation and protecting 293/KDR cells from SLT (Shiga-like toxin)-VEGF cytotoxicity.     

Molecular approaches to study control of glucose homeostasis

Type 2 diabetes is a polygenic disease that can lead to severe complications in multiple tissues. Rodent models have been used widely for investigating the pathophysiology underlying type 2 diabetes and for examining the potential link with obesity, largely due to the limitations of invasive testing and of studying detailed molecular mechanisms in human tissues. Among rodents, the mouse model is especially popular because mice are easy to manipulate genetically, have a short generation time, and are relatively inexpensive. The most commonly used inbred mouse strains are reviewed in addition to several genetically engineered mouse models that have been generated to study type 2 diabetes in the context of obesity, with a focus on insulin, leptin, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathways.     

Poliomyelitis in MuLV-infected ICR-SCID mice after injection of basement membrane matrix contaminated with lactate dehydrogenase-elevating virus

The arterivirus lactate dehydrogenase-elevating virus (LDV) causes life-long viremia in mice. Although LDV infection generally does not cause disease, infected mice that are homozygous for the Fv1(n) allele are prone to develop poliomyelitis when immunosuppressed, a condition known as age-dependent poliomyelitis. The development of age-dependent poliomyelitis requires coinfection with endogenous murine leukemia virus. Even though LDV is a common contaminant of transplantable tumors, clinical signs of poliomyelitis after inadvertent exposure to LDV have not been described in recent literature. In addition, LDV-induced poliomyelitis has not been reported in SCID or ICR mice. Here we describe the occurrence of poliomyelitis in ICR-SCID mice resulting from injection of LDV-contaminated basement membrane matrix. After exposure to LDV, a subset of mice presented with clinical signs including paresis, which was associated with atrophy of the hindlimb musculature, and tachypnea; in addition, some mice died suddenly with or without premonitory signs. Mice presenting within the first 6 mo after infection had regions of spongiosis, neuronal necrosis and astrocytosis of the ventral spinal cord, and less commonly, brainstem. Axonal degeneration of ventral roots prevailed in more chronically infected mice. LDV was identified by RT-PCR in 12 of 15 mice with typical neuropathology; positive antiLDV immunolabeling was identified in all PCR-positive animals (n = 7) tested. Three of 8 mice with neuropathology but no clinical signs were LDV negative by RT-PCR. RT-PCR yielded murine leukemia virus in spinal cords of all mice tested, regardless of clinical presentation or neuropathology.     

Four-dimensional proteomics analysis of human cerebrospinal fluid with trapped ion mobility spectrometry using PASEF

A quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer coupled with a trapped ion mobility spectrometry (timsTOF) operated in parallel accumulation-serial fragmentation (PASEF) mode has recently emerged as a platform capable of providing four-dimensional (4D) features comprising of elution time, collision cross section (CCS), mass-to-charge ratio, and intensity of peptides. The PASEF mode provides ∼100% ion sampling efficiency both in data-dependent acquisition (DDA) and data-independent acquisition (DIA) modes without sacrificing sensitivity. In addition, targeted measurements using PASEF integrated parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) mode have also been described. However, only limited number of studies have used timsTOF for analysis of clinical samples. Although Orbitrap mass spectrometers have been used for biomarker discovery from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in a variety of neurological diseases, these Orbitrap-derived datasets cannot readily be applied for driving experiments on timsTOF mass spectrometers. We generated a catalog of peptides and proteins in human CSF in DDA mode on a timsTOF mass spectrometer and used these data to build a spectral library. This strategy allowed us to use elution times and ion mobility values from the spectral library to design PRM experiments for quantifying previously discovered biomarkers from CSF samples in Alzheimer's disease. When the same samples were analyzed using a DIA approach combined with a spectral library search, a higher number of proteins were identified than in a library-free approach. Overall, we have established a spectral library of CSF as a resource and demonstrated its utility for PRM and DIA studies, which should facilitate studies of neurological disorders.