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B M Paschal

Publications and source records attributed to B M Paschal.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Nucleotide-specific interaction of Ran/TC4 with nuclear transport factors NTF2 and p97.

The use of permeabilized cell models to study nuclear protein import has led to the identification of cytosolic components of the import machinery, including the NLS receptor, p97, Ran/TC4, and nuclear transport factor 2 (NTF2). These proteins are required to reconstitute docking of transport ligand at the nuclear pore complex and subsequent translocation through the nuclear pore. However, a detailed molecular understanding of how these factors mediate protein import is lacking. Here we describe the results of solution and solid phase binding assays, which demonstrate that the small GTPase Ran/TC4 interacts directly with the cytosolic transport factors p97 and NTF2. By preloading recombinant Ran/TC4 with [gamma-32P]GTP or [3H]GDP, we show that the interactions with p97 and NTF2 are specific for the GTP- and GDP-bound forms, respectively. These data together with previous studies lead us to suggest that the interaction of the GTP-bound form of Ran/TC4 with p97 is linked to an early step in the nuclear protein import pathway and that the association of the GDP-bound form of Ran/TC4 with NTF2 helps define vectorial transport.

Carrier Proteins↗

Molecular characterization of the 50-kD subunit of dynactin reveals function for the complex in chromosome alignment and spindle organization during mitosis.

Dynactin is a multi-subunit complex which has been implicated in cytoplasmic dynein function, though its mechanism of action is unknown. In this study, we have characterized the 50-kD subunit of dynactin, and analyzed the effects of its overexpression on mitosis in living cells. Rat and human cDNA clones revealed p50 to be novel and highly conserved, containing three predicted coiled-coil domains. Immunofluorescence staining of dynactin and cytoplasmic dynein components in cultured vertebrate cells showed that both complexes are recruited to kinetochores during prometaphase, and concentrate near spindle poles thereafter. Overexpression of p50 in COS-7 cells disrupted mitosis, causing cells to accumulate in a prometaphase-like state. Chromosomes were condensed but unaligned, and spindles, while still bipolar, were dramatically distorted. Sedimentation analysis revealed the dynactin complex to be dissociated in the transfected cultures. Furthermore, both dynactin and cytoplasmic dynein staining at prometaphase kinetochores was markedly diminished in cells expressing high levels of p50. These findings represent clear evidence for dynactin and cytoplasmic dynein codistribution within cells, and for the presence of dynactin at kinetochores. The data also provide direct in vivo evidence for a role for vertebrate dynactin in modulating cytoplasmic dynein binding to an organelle, and implicate both dynactin and dynein in chromosome alignment and spindle organization.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Identification of NTF2, a cytosolic factor for nuclear import that interacts with nuclear pore complex protein p62.

Protein import into the nucleus is a multistep process that requires the activities of several cytosolic factors. In this study we have purified a cytosolic factor that interacts with the nuclear pore complex glycoprotein p62. Isolation involved biochemical complementation of cytosol depleted of this activity by preadsorption with recombinant p62 and the use of a novel flow cytometry-based assay for quantitation of nuclear import. The purified activity (NTF2) is an apparent dimer of approximately 14-kD subunits and is present at approximately 10(6) copies per cell. We obtained a cDNA encoding NTF2 and showed that the recombinant protein restores transport activity to p62-pretreated cytosol. Our data suggest that NTF2 acts at a relatively late stage of nuclear protein import, subsequent to the initial docking of nuclear import ligand at the nuclear envelope. NTF2 interacts with at least one additional cytosolic transport activity, indicating that it could be part of a multicomponent system of cytosolic factors that assemble at the pore complex during nuclear import.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Beta-centractin: characterization and distribution of a new member of the centractin family of actin-related proteins.

An examination of human-expressed sequence tags indicated the existence of an isoform of centractin, an actin-related protein localized to microtubule-associated structures. Using one of these tags, we isolated and determined the nucleotide sequence of a full-length cDNA clone. The protein encoded represents the first example of multiple isoforms of an actin-related protein in a single organism. Northern analysis using centractin-specific probes revealed three species of mRNA in HeLa cells that could encode centractin isoforms. One mRNA encodes the previously-identified centractin (now referred to as alpha-centractin). The full-length cDNA clone isolated using the expressed sequence tag encodes a new member of the centractin family, beta-centractin. A probe specific for alpha-centractin hybridized to the third species of mRNA observed (referred to as gamma-centractin). Comparisons of Northern blots of human tissues indicated that alpha-centractin and beta-centractin mRNAs are equally distributed in all populations of mRNA examined, whereas the expression of gamma-centractin appears to be tissue specific. The amino acid sequence of beta-centractin, deduced from the cDNA, indicates a 91% identity with alpha-centractin, increasing to 96% similarity when conservative amino acid changes are taken into account. As antibodies previously raised against alpha-centractin reacted only poorly with beta-centractin, new antibodies were produced and combined with two-dimensional gel electrophoresis to discriminate the two isoforms. Using this system, the subcellular distribution of the alpha- and beta-isoforms were determined. Both isoforms were found predominantly in the cytosolic fraction as a part of a previously identified 20S complex (referred to as the dynactin complex) with no evidence for a free pool of either isoform. The isoforms were found in a constant ratio of approximately 15:1 (alpha:beta) in the dynactin complex.

Actins↗

Characterization of a 50-kDa polypeptide in cytoplasmic dynein preparations reveals a complex with p150GLUED and a novel actin.

Earlier work identified a series of accessory polypeptides of 150, 74, 59, 57, 55, 53, 50, and 45 kDa copurifying with cytoplasmic dynein. In the present study immunoprecipitation of the 50-kDa polypeptide from bovine brain cytosol with a specific monoclonal antibody revealed coprecipitating components of 150, 135, 62, and 45 kDa, which were completely distinct from the polypeptides immunoprecipitated using an antibody to the well established 74-kDa cytoplasmic dynein subunit. The 150- and 135-kDa polypeptides reacted with an antibody to p150Glued, the mammalian homologue of the Drosophila Glued gene. N-terminal microsequencing of tryptic peptides of the major 45-kDa component of the complex revealed it to be the alpha-isoform of centractin, a novel form of actin. Immunoblotting of sucrose gradient-fractionated brain cytosol revealed p150Glued, p50, and centractin to cosediment exclusively at 20 S. Immunofluorescence microscopy using antibody to p150Glued revealed centrosomal staining, which was abolished by microtubule depolymerization. Together these results reveal the 50-kDa polypeptide to be part of a cytosolic complex distinct from cytoplasmic dynein. However, the immunolocalization data indicate an association with microtubule minus ends, suggesting a possible interaction with cytoplasmic dynein in the cell.

Actins↗

Molecular cloning of the retrograde transport motor cytoplasmic dynein (MAP 1C).

Overlapping cDNAs encoding the entire heavy chain of cytoplasmic dynein (MAP 1C) have been obtained. A 4644 amino acid polypeptide containing four ATP-binding consensus sequences is predicted. Homology with the sea urchin flagellar outer arm dynein beta heavy chain is observed within the C-terminal two-thirds of the protein. The N-terminal third of the two polypeptides shows no clear relationship, suggesting that this region of MAP 1C is responsible for its association with retrograde organelles and other functions. Northern blot analysis reveals a 16.5 kb band in brain and other tissues. Southern blot analysis is consistent with a single cytoplasmic dynein gene. Thus, in contrast with cilia and flagella, which contain numerous forms of dynein, our results are consistent with the existence of only a single cytoplasmic dynein heavy chain gene, which appears to produce only a single transcript.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Homology of the 74-kD cytoplasmic dynein subunit with a flagellar dynein polypeptide suggests an intracellular targeting function.

In previous work we found cytoplasmic dynein to be a complex of two catalytic heavy chains and at least seven co-purifying polypeptides of unknown function. The most prominent of these is a 74-kD electrophoretic species which can be resolved as two to three bands by SDS-PAGE. We have now selected a series of overlapping rat brain cDNAs encoding the 74-kD species. The deduced sequence of a full-length cDNA predicts a 72,753 D polypeptide which includes the amino acid sequences of nine peptides determined by NH2-terminal microsequencing. PCR performed on first strand rat brain cDNA together with the sequence of a partially matching tryptic peptide indicated the existence of at least three isoforms of the 74-kD cytoplasmic dynein subunit. Comparison with known sequences revealed that the carboxyl-terminal half of the polypeptide is 26.4% identical and 47.7% similar to the product of the Chlamydomonas ODA6 gene, a 70-kD intermediate chain of flagellar outer arm dynein. Immunoblot analysis with a monoclonal antibody to the 74-kD species indicated a widespread tissue distribution, as expected for a cytoplasmic dynein subunit. Nonetheless, the antibody recognized a 67-kD species in ram sperm flagella and pig tracheal cilia, supporting the existence of distinct but related cytoplasmic and axonemal polypeptides in mammals. In view of evidence for a role for the ODA6 gene product in anchoring flagellar dynein to the A subfiber microtubule in the axoneme, we predict an analogous role for the 74-kD polypeptide, perhaps in mediating the interaction of cytoplasmic dynein with membranous organelles and kinetochores.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Homology of a 150K cytoplasmic dynein-associated polypeptide with the Drosophila gene Glued.

Cytoplasmic dynein is a microtubule-activated ATPase which produces force towards the minus ends of microtubules. It is thought to be responsible for retrograde axonal transport and other aspects of organelle motility and may have a role in the poleward movement of mitotic chromosomes. Cytoplasmic dynein is an oligomeric complex of two catalytic heavy chains and a number of accessory subunits. We now report the cloning and sequencing of a complementary DNA for one of these species, a cytoplasmic dynein-associated polypeptide of relative molecular mass 150,000 (Mr 150K). A full-length cDNA was found to contain an open reading frame of 4.0 kilobases, which is predicted to encode a polypeptide of Mr 145K. It has extensive homology with the product of the Drosophila gene Glued, which encodes a polypeptide of Mr 148K. The Glued mutation is dominant, with pleiotropic developmental defects in heterozygotes and an embryonic lethal phenotype in homozygotes. As dominant mutations may involve disruption of normal protein-protein interactions, the Glued mutation should provide insight into the mode of action of cytoplasmic dynein in vivo.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Interaction of brain cytoplasmic dynein and MAP2 with a common sequence at the C terminus of tubulin.

Two main types of microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) have been identified in neuronal cells. The fibrous MAPs, including MAP2 and tau, serve to organize and regulate the assembly of microtubules. A second distinct class of force-producing MAPs, including kinesin, dynein and dynamin, are involved in microtubule-based movement. These proteins are mechanochemical ATPases which seem to be responsible for the bidirectional transport of organelles and perhaps also the movement of chromosomes. Here we report that MAP2 inhibits microtubule gliding on dynein-coated coverslips, as well as the microtubule-activated ATPase of dynein, indicating that MAP2 and other fibrous MAPs could be important modulators of microtubule-based motility in vivo. By proteolytic modification of tubulin, we found that dynein interacts with microtubules at the C termini of alpha- and beta-tubulin, the regions previously reported to be the sites for the interaction of MAP2. The use of site-directed antibodies implicates a small region of alpha- and beta-tubulin, containing the sequence Glu-Gly-Glu-Glu, as the site of the interaction of dynein and MAP2 with the microtubule.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

The role of dynein in retrograde axonal transport.

Fast axonal transport is manifested at the sub-cellular level as the anterograde or retrograde movement of membrane-bounded organelles along microtubules. Earlier work implicated the protein kinesin as the motor for anterograde axonal transport. More recent work indicates that a brain microtubule-associated protein, MAP 1C, is responsible for retrograde transport. Of additional interest, MAP 1C has been found to be a cytoplasmic form of the ciliary and flagellar ATPase dynein, indicating a much more general functional role for this enzyme in cells than had been suspected.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Microtubule-associated protein 1C from brain is a two-headed cytosolic dynein.

Dynein, an ATPase, is the force-generating protein in cilia and flagella. It has long been speculated that cytoplasmic microtubules contain a related enzyme involved in cell division or in intracellular organelle transport. A 'cytoplasmic dynein' has been described in sea urchin eggs, but because the egg stockpiles precursors for both cytoplasmic and ciliary microtubules, the role of this enzyme in the cell has remained unresolved. We recently found that the microtubule-associated protein (MAP) 1C (ref. 6) from brain is a microtubule-activated ATPase that produces force in the direction corresponding to retrograde organelle transport in the cell. MAP 1C has several similar properties to ciliary and flagellar dynein. Here we show directly, using scanning transmission electron microscopy, that MAP 1C is structurally equivalent to the ciliary and flagellar enzyme and is the long-sought cytoplasmic analogue of this enzyme.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Characterization of the microtubule-activated ATPase of brain cytoplasmic dynein (MAP 1C).

We recently found that the brain cytosolic microtubule-associated protein 1C (MAP 1C) is a microtubule-activated ATPase, capable of translocating microtubules in vitro in the direction corresponding to retrograde transport. (Paschal, B. M., H. S. Shpetner, and R. B. Vallee. 1987b. J. Cell Biol. 105:1273-1282; Paschal, B. M., and R. B. Vallee. 1987. Nature [Lond.]. 330:181-183.). Biochemical analysis of this protein (op. cit.) as well as scanning transmission electron microscopy revealed that MAP 1C is a brain cytoplasmic form of the ciliary and flagellar ATPase dynein (Vallee, R. B., J. S. Wall, B. M. Paschal, and H. S. Shpetner. 1988. Nature [Lond.]. 332:561-563). We have now characterized the ATPase activity of the brain enzyme in detail. We found that microtubule activation required polymeric tubulin and saturated with increasing tubulin concentration. The maximum activity at saturating tubulin (Vmax) varied from 186 to 239 nmol/min per mg. At low ionic strength, the Km for microtubules was 0.16 mg/ml tubulin, substantially lower than that previously reported for axonemal dynein. The microtubule-stimulated activity was extremely sensitive to changes in ionic strength and sulfhydryl oxidation state, both of which primarily affected the microtubule concentrations required for half-maximal activation. In a number of respects the brain dynein was enzymatically similar to both axonemal and egg dyneins. Thus, the ATPase required divalent cations, calcium stimulating activity less effectively than magnesium. The MgATPase was inhibited by metavandate (Ki = 5-10 microM for the microtubule-stimulated activity), 1 mM NEM, and 1 mM EHNA. In contrast to other dyneins, the brain enzyme hydrolyzed CTP, TTP, and GTP at higher rates than ATP. Thus, the enzymological properties of the brain cytoplasmic dynein are clearly related to those of other dyneins, though the brain enzyme is unique in its substrate specificity and in its high sensitivity to stimulation by microtubules.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

MAP 1C is a microtubule-activated ATPase which translocates microtubules in vitro and has dynein-like properties.

We observe that one of the high molecular mass microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) from brain exhibits nucleotide-dependent binding to microtubules. We identify the protein as MAP IC, which was previously described in this laboratory as a minor component of standard microtubule preparations (Bloom, G.S., T. Schoenfeld, and R.B. Vallee, 1984, J. Cell Biol., 98:320-330). We find that MAP 1C is enriched in microtubules prepared in the absence of nucleotide. Kinesin is also found in these preparations, but can be specifically extracted with GTP. A fraction highly enriched in MAP 1C can be prepared by subsequent extraction of the microtubules with ATP. Two activities cofractionate with MAP 1C upon further purification, a microtubule-activated ATPase activity and a microtubule-translocating activity. These activities indicate a role for the protein in cytoplasmic motility. MAP 1C coelectrophoreses with the beta heavy chain of Chlamydomonas flagellar dynein, and has a sedimentation coefficient of 20S. Exposure to ultraviolet light in the presence of vanadate and ATP results in the production of two large fragments of MAP 1C. These characteristics suggest that MAP 1C may be a cytoplasmic analogue of axonemal dynein.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗