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Biomedical subjects

A Israël

Publications and source records attributed to A Israël.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Deciphering the pathway from the TCR to NF-kappaB.

A major regulator of lymphocyte survival and activation is the transcription factor nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB). Controlled activation of NF-kappaB is essential for the immune and inflammatory response as well as for cell proliferation and protection against apoptosis. The NEMO/IkappaB kinase (IKK) complex is the central integrator of most stimuli leading to NF-kappaB activation, but a detailed knowledge of the upstream events is available only for a limited number of stimuli. In particular, although most players have probably been identified, relatively little is known about the detailed molecular mechanisms involved in the cascade leading to NF-kappaB activation following engagement of the T-cell receptor by a foreign antigen. In this review, we discuss recent insights into this specific signal transduction cascade, and the way it is controlled both spatially and temporally.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Activation of NF-kappaB in the mouse spinal cord following sciatic nerve transection.

NF-kappaB is a ubiquitous nuclear transcription factor that regulates a number of physiological processes. NF-kappaB activity has been implicated in enhancing neuronal survival following CNS injury. The present study was conducted to test the hypothesis that NF-kappaB activity is up-regulated in neurons of the spinal cord in response to peripheral nerve transection. In this series of experiments, we used NF-kappaB reporter mice in which activation of NF-kappaB drives the expression of the lac-z gene. The response to injury of cells in the spinal cord was assessed by evaluating the number and distribution of beta-galalactosidase (beta-gal)-positive cells following sciatic nerve transection. The animals were randomly assigned to four groups, which were allowed to survive for one, three, five and ten days. Four mice that did not undergo sciatic nerve transection were assigned to each group to serve as controls. The total number of beta-gal-positive cells in the right and left dorsal and ventral horns were compared. The numbers of beta-gal-positive cells between the right and left sides were significantly different three and five days post axotomy (p<0.05). Double immunofluorescent labeling was utilized to characterize which cells showed NF-kappaB activity, and it revealed that all beta-gal-positive cells were colocalized with MAP-2-positive neurons. The results of this study demonstrated that complete sciatic nerve transection leads to an up-regulation of NF-kappaB transactivation in spinal neurons ipsilateral to the side of transection. The increase in activity in the ipsilateral dorsal horn is consistent with this transcription factor acting as neuronal survival signal during this time frame in response to the peripheral nerve insult.

Animals↗

Injury-induced NF-kappaB activation in the hippocampus: implications for neuronal survival.

Nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB p50 protein is involved in promoting survival in hippocampal neurons after trimethyltin (TMT)-injury. In the current study, hippocampal NF-kappaB activity was examined and quantitated from transgenic kappaB-lacZ reporter mice after chemical-induced injury. NF-kappaB activity was localized primarily to hippocampal neurons and significantly elevated over that in saline-treated mice between 4 and 21 days after TMT injection. Seven days after TMT injection, a timepoint of elevated NF-kappaB activity, gene expression in the hippocampus was studied by microarray analysis through comparison of expression profiles between treated nontransgenic and p50-null mice with their saline-injected controls. Seventeen genes increased in nontransgenic TMT-treated mice relative to saline-treated as well as showing no increase in p50-null mice, indicating a role for p50 in their regulation. One of these genes, the Na+, K+-ATPase-gamma subunit, was detected in brain for the first time. Several of the genes modulated by NF-kappaB are potentially related to neuroplasticity, providing additional evidence that this transcription factor is a neuroprotective signal in the hippocampus.

Animals↗

Siah-1 binds and regulates the function of Numb.

The Drosophila Seven in absentia (Sina) gene product originally was described as a protein that controls cell fate decisions during eye development. Its mammalian homolog, Siah-1, recently was found to be involved in p53-dependent and -independent pathways of apoptosis and G(1) arrest. We report that Siah-1 interacts directly with and promotes the degradation of the cell fate regulator Numb. Siah-1-mediated Numb degradation leads to redistribution of endogenous cell-surface Notch to the cytoplasm and nucleus and to augmented Notch-regulated transcriptional activity. These data imply that through its ability to target Numb for degradation, Siah-1 can act as a key regulator of Numb-related activities, including Notch signaling.

Animals↗

Presenilins.

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Alzheimer Disease↗

Functional interaction between SEL-10, an F-box protein, and the nuclear form of activated Notch1 receptor.

The Notch signaling pathway is essential in many cell fate decisions in invertebrates as well as in vertebrates. After ligand binding, a two-step proteolytic cleavage releases the intracellular part of the receptor which translocates to the nucleus and acts as a transcriptional activator. Although Notch-induced transcription of genes has been reported extensively, its endogenous nuclear form has been seldom visualized. We report that the nuclear intracellular domain of Notch1 is stabilized by proteasome inhibitors and is a substrate for polyubiquitination in vitro. SEL-10, an F-box protein of the Cdc4 family, was isolated in a genetic screen for Lin12/Notch-negative regulators in Caenorhabditis elegans. We isolated human and murine counterparts of SEL-10 and investigated the role of a dominant-negative form of this protein, deleted of the F-box, on Notch1 stability and activity. This molecule could stabilize intracellular Notch1 and enhance its transcriptional activity but had no effect on inactive membrane-anchored forms of the receptor. We then demonstrated that SEL-10 specifically interacts with nuclear forms of Notch1 and that this interaction requires a phosphorylation event. Taken together, these data suggest that SEL-10 is involved in shutting off Notch signaling by ubiquitin-proteasome-mediated degradation of the active transcriptional factor after a nuclear phosphorylation event.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Atypical forms of incontinentia pigmenti in male individuals result from mutations of a cytosine tract in exon 10 of NEMO (IKK-gamma).

Familial incontinentia pigmenti (IP [MIM 308310]), or Bloch-Sulzberger syndrome, is an X-linked dominant and male-lethal disorder. We recently demonstrated that mutations in NEMO (IKK-gamma), which encodes a critical component of the NF-kappaB signaling pathway, were responsible for IP. Virtually all mutations eliminate the production of NEMO, causing the typical skewing of X inactivation in female individuals and lethality in male individuals, possibly through enhanced sensitivity to apoptosis. Most mutations also give rise to classic signs of IP, but, in this report, we describe two mutations in families with atypical phenotypes. Remarkably, each family included a male individual with unusual signs, including postnatal survival and either immune dysfunction or hematopoietic disturbance. We found two duplication mutations in these families, at a cytosine tract in exon 10 of NEMO, both of which remove the zinc (Zn) finger at the C-terminus of the protein. Two deletion mutations were also identified in the same tract in additional families. However, only the duplication mutations allowed male individuals to survive, and affected female individuals with duplication mutations demonstrated random or slight skewing of X inactivation. Similarly, NF-kappaB activation was diminished in the presence of duplication mutations and was completely absent in cells with deletion mutations. These results strongly indicate that male individuals can also suffer from IP caused by NEMO mutations, and we therefore urge a reevaluation of the diagnostic criteria.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

X-linked anhidrotic ectodermal dysplasia with immunodeficiency is caused by impaired NF-kappaB signaling.

The molecular basis of X-linked recessive anhidrotic ectodermal dysplasia with immunodeficiency (EDA-ID) has remained elusive. Here we report hypomorphic mutations in the gene IKBKG in 12 males with EDA-ID from 8 kindreds, and 2 patients with a related and hitherto unrecognized syndrome of EDA-ID with osteopetrosis and lymphoedema (OL-EDA-ID). Mutations in the coding region of IKBKG are associated with EDA-ID, and stop codon mutations, with OL-EDA-ID. IKBKG encodes NEMO, the regulatory subunit of the IKK (IkappaB kinase) complex, which is essential for NF-kappaB signaling. Germline loss-of-function mutations in IKBKG are lethal in male fetuses. We show that IKBKG mutations causing OL-EDA-ID and EDA-ID impair but do not abolish NF-kappaB signaling. We also show that the ectodysplasin receptor, DL, triggers NF-kappaB through the NEMO protein, indicating that EDA results from impaired NF-kappaB signaling. Finally, we show that abnormal immunity in OL-EDA-ID patients results from impaired cell responses to lipopolysaccharide, interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-18, TNFalpha and CD154. We thus report for the first time that impaired but not abolished NF-kappaB signaling in humans results in two related syndromes that associate specific developmental and immunological defects.

Adolescent↗

NF-kappa B defects in humans: the NEMO/incontinentia pigmenti connection.

The components of the nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) family of transcription factors are critical for regulating the response to immune challenges. Recently, a role for NF-kappaB in skin biology has been revealed. Within the cascade of proteins whose activities impinge upon the activation of NF-kappaB, the NEMO (NF-kappaB essential modulator)/IKKgamma protein is required for the activation of the IkappaB kinases, which in turn, promote the degradation of IkappaB proteins, leading to the derepression of NF-kappaB activity. Courtois and Israël discuss the role of NEMO/IKKgamma in normal physiological activation of NF-kappaB and the consequences of defective NF-kappaB activation, as an effect of NEMO/IKKgamma mutations, which can lead to incontinentia pigmenti, a disease marked by alopecia, tooth eruption, skin lesions, and changes in skin pigmentation.

Animals↗

Phorbol esters and cytokines regulate the expression of the NEMO-related protein, a molecule involved in a NF-kappa B-independent pathway.

The NF-kappaB signaling pathway plays a crucial role in the immune, inflammatory, and apoptotic responses. Recently, we identified the NF-kappaB Essential Modulator (NEMO) as an essential component of this pathway. NEMO is a structural and regulatory subunit of the high molecular kinase complex (IKK) responsible for the phosphorylation of NF-kappaB inhibitors. Data base searching led to the isolation of a cDNA encoding a protein we called NRP (NEMO-related protein), which shows a strong homology to NEMO. Here we show that NRP is present in a novel high molecular weight complex, that contains none of the known members of the IKK complex. Consistently, we could not observe any effect of NRP on NF-kappaB signaling. Nonetheless, we could demonstrate that treatment with phorbol esters induces NRP phosphorylation and decreases its half-life. This phosphorylation event could only be inhibited by K-252a and stauroporin. We also show that de novo expression of NRP can be induced by interferon and tumor necrosis factor alpha and that these two stimuli have a synergistic effect on NRP expression. In addition, we observed that endogenous NRP is associated with the Golgi apparatus. Analogous to NEMO, we find that NRP is associated in a complex with two kinases, suggesting that NRP could play a similar role in another signaling pathway.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Invasive Shigella flexneri activates NF-kappa B through a lipopolysaccharide-dependent innate intracellular response and leads to IL-8 expression in epithelial cells.

The pathogenesis of Shigella flexneri infection centers on the ability of this organism to invade epithelial cells and initiate an intense inflammatory reaction. Because NF-kappa B is an important transcriptional regulator of genes involved in inflammation, we investigated the role of this transcription factor during S. flexneri infection of epithelial cells. Infection of HeLa cells with invasive S. flexneri induced NF-kappa B DNA-binding activity; noninvasive S. flexneri strains did not lead to this activation. The pathway leading to NF-kappa B activation by invasive S. flexneri involved the kinases, NF-kappa B-inducing kinase, I kappa B kinase-1, and I kappa B kinase-2. NF-kappa B activation was linked to inflammation, because invasive S. flexneri activated an IL-8 promoter-driven reporter gene, and the kappa B site within this promoter was indispensable for its induction. Microinjection of bacterial culture supernatants into HeLa cells suggested that LPS is responsible for NF-kappa B activation by S. flexneri infection. In conclusion, the eukaryotic transcription factor NF-kappa B was activated during S. flexneri infection of epithelial cells, which suggests a role for this transcriptional regulator in modulating the immune response during infection in vivo.

Antigens, Bacterial↗

SCF(beta)(-TrCP) ubiquitin ligase-mediated processing of NF-kappaB p105 requires phosphorylation of its C-terminus by IkappaB kinase.

Processing of the p105 precursor to form the active subunit p50 of the NF-kappaB transcription factor is a unique case in which the ubiquitin system is involved in limited processing rather than in complete destruction of the target substrate. A glycine-rich region along with a downstream acidic domain have been demonstrated to be essential for processing. Here we demonstrate that following IkappaB kinase (IkappaK)-mediated phosphorylation, the C-terminal domain of p105 (residues 918-934) serves as a recognition motif for the SCF(beta)(-TrCP) ubiquitin ligase. Expression of IkappaKbeta dramatically increases processing of wild-type p105, but not of p105-Delta918-934. Dominant-negative beta-TrCP inhibits IkappaK-dependent processing. Furthermore, the ligase and wild-type p105 but not p105-Delta918-934 associate physically following phosphorylation. In vitro, SCF(beta)(-TrCP) specifically conjugates and promotes processing of phosphorylated p105. Importantly, the TrCP recognition motif in p105 is different from that described for IkappaBs, beta-catenin and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Vpu. Since p105-Delta918-934 is also conjugated and processed, it appears that p105 can be recognized under different physiological conditions by two different ligases, targeting two distinct recognition motifs.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Genomic rearrangement in NEMO impairs NF-kappaB activation and is a cause of incontinentia pigmenti. The International Incontinentia Pigmenti (IP) Consortium.

Familial incontinentia pigmenti (IP; MIM 308310) is a genodermatosis that segregates as an X-linked dominant disorder and is usually lethal prenatally in males. In affected females it causes highly variable abnormalities of the skin, hair, nails, teeth, eyes and central nervous system. The prominent skin signs occur in four classic cutaneous stages: perinatal inflammatory vesicles, verrucous patches, a distinctive pattern of hyperpigmentation and dermal scarring. Cells expressing the mutated X chromosome are eliminated selectively around the time of birth, so females with IP exhibit extremely skewed X-inactivation. The reasons for cell death in females and in utero lethality in males are unknown. The locus for IP has been linked genetically to the factor VIII gene in Xq28 (ref. 3). The gene for NEMO (NF-kappaB essential modulator)/IKKgamma (IkappaB kinase-gamma) has been mapped to a position 200 kilobases proximal to the factor VIII locus. NEMO is required for the activation of the transcription factor NF-kappaB and is therefore central to many immune, inflammatory and apoptotic pathways. Here we show that most cases of IP are due to mutations of this locus and that a new genomic rearrangement accounts for 80% of new mutations. As a consequence, NF-kappaB activation is defective in IP cells.

Exons↗

NF-kappa B is developmentally regulated during spermatogenesis in mice.

To analyze NF-kappa B activity in the testis, we used murine transgenic lines carrying a LacZ reporter gene under the control of a NF-kappa B-responsive promoter (Schmidt-Ullrich et al. [1996] Dev 122:2117-2128). We constructed three independent lines containing the promoter of the gene encoding p105, the precursor of the p50 subunit. This promoter contains three NF-kappa B-binding sites in its proximal part. Our results show that in adult mice, the beta-galactosidase activity which reflects nuclear NF-kappa B activity, is first detected in spermatocytes at the pachytene stage and remains activated in the following steps of germ cell differentiation and maturation. Using transgenic mice carrying a p105nlslacZ construct with the 3 NF-kappa B sites mutated in the p105 promoter, we found a significant reduction in the transgene activity, confirming the important role of NF-kappa B in the activation of the transgene. To confirm the stage of induction during spermatogenesis, we analysed the beta-galactosidase activity in the testes from prepuberal mice in which cells synchrouneously enter meiosis. We detected the transgene activity at 18 days after birth, corresponding to the pachytene stage in spermatocytes. In nuclear extracts prepared from prepuberal mice, we found a peak of NF-kappa B DNA-binding activity made of p50 and p65 subunits at day 18 after birth, which remains high in the later stages. Further analysis showed that I kappa B alpha and beta, but not epsilon are expressed in the testes. Altogether, these data suggest that NF-kappa B factors are stage specifically controlled and may play a role during the development of sperm cells.

Animals↗

The IKK complex: an integrator of all signals that activate NF-kappaB?

The NF-kappaB family of transcription factors plays a crucial role in the immune, inflammatory and apoptotic responses. These proteins are normally found in the cytoplasm, retained by interaction with an inhibitory molecule called IkappaB. Activation of the NF-kappaB signalling cascade results in phosphorylation and degradation of IkappaB, allowing nuclear translocation of the NF-kappaB complexes. The recent identification of a high-molecular-weight complex containing two kinases and a regulatory subunit has led to a flurry of new results that shed light on some of the most complex mechanisms contributing to the exquisite regulation of NF-kappaB activity.

Animals↗

NEMO/IKK gamma-deficient mice model incontinentia pigmenti.

Disruption of the X-linked gene encoding NF-kappa B essential modulator (NEMO) produces male embryonic lethality, completely blocks NF-kappa B activation by proinflammatory cytokines, and interferes with the generation and/or persistence of lymphocytes. Heterozygous female mice develop patchy skin lesions with massive granulocyte infiltration and hyperproliferation and increased apoptosis of keratinocytes. Diseased animals present severe growth retardation and early mortality. Surviving mice recover almost completely, presumably through clearing the skin of NEMO-deficient keratinocytes. Male lethality and strikingly similar skin lesions in heterozygous females are hallmarks of the human genetic disorder incontinentia pigmenti (IP). Together with the recent discovery that mutations in the human NEMO gene cause IP, our results indicate that we have created a mouse model for that disease.

Animals↗

A novel proteolytic cleavage involved in Notch signaling: the role of the disintegrin-metalloprotease TACE.

The Notch1 receptor is presented at the cell membrane as a heterodimer after constitutive processing by a furin-like convertase. Ligand binding induces the proteolytic release of Notch intracellular domain by a gamma-secretase-like activity. This domain translocates to the nucleus and interacts with the DNA-binding protein CSL, resulting in transcriptional activation of target genes. Here we show that an additional processing event occurs in the extracellular part of the receptor, preceding cleavage by the gamma-secretase-like activity. Purification of the activity accounting for this cleavage in vitro shows that it is due to TACE (TNFalpha-converting enzyme), a member of the ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloprotease domain) family of metalloproteases. Furthermore, experiments carried out on TACE-/- bone marrow-derived monocytic precursor cells suggest that this metalloprotease plays a prominent role in the activation of the Notch pathway.

ADAM Proteins↗