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Fuminori Tokunaga

Publications and source records attributed to Fuminori Tokunaga.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Mutual regulation of conventional protein kinase C and a ubiquitin ligase complex.

Several isoforms of protein kinase C (PKC) are degraded by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway after phorbol ester-mediated activation. However, little is known about the ubiquitin ligase (E3) that targets activated PKCs. We recently showed that an E3 complex composed of HOIL-1L and HOIP (LUBAC) generates linear polyubiquitin chains and induces the proteasomal degradation of a model substrate. HOIL-1L has also been characterized as a PKC-binding protein. Here we show that LUBAC preferentially binds activated conventional PKCs and their constitutively active mutants. LUBAC efficiently ubiquitinated activated PKC in vitro, and degradation of activated PKCalpha was delayed in HOIL-1L-deficient cells. Conversely, PKC activation induced cleavage of HOIL-1L and led to downregulation of the ligase activity of LUBAC. These results indicate that LUBAC is an E3 for activated conventional PKC, and that PKC and LUBAC regulate each other for proper PKC signaling.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

A ubiquitin ligase complex assembles linear polyubiquitin chains.

The ubiquitin system plays important roles in the regulation of numerous cellular processes by conjugating ubiquitin to target proteins. In most cases, conjugation of polyubiquitin to target proteins regulates their function. In the polyubiquitin chains reported to date, ubiquitin monomers are linked via isopeptide bonds between an internal Lys and a C-terminal Gly. Here, we report that a protein complex consisting of two RING finger proteins, HOIL-1L and HOIP, exhibits ubiquitin polymerization activity by recognizing ubiquitin moieties of proteins. The polyubiquitin chain generated by the complex is not formed by Lys linkages, but by linkages between the C- and N-termini of ubiquitin, indicating that the ligase complex possesses a unique feature to assemble a novel head-to-tail linear polyubiquitin chain. Moreover, the complex regulates the stability of Ub-GFP (a GFP fusion protein with an N-terminal ubiquitin). The linear polyubiquitin chain generated post-translationally may function as a new modulator of proteins.

HeLa Cells↗
PubMed2006

Characterization of endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation of a protein S mutant identified in a family of quantitative protein S deficiency.

INTRODUCTION: Misfolded and unassembled glycoproteins are eliminated from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) lumen by the ER-associated degradation (ERAD). We previously identified a Tyr595Cys (Y595C) mutation of protein S (PS) in a family of a quantitative PS deficiency. The mutation causes intracellular degradation and decreased secretion of the Y595C mutant PS. The aim of the present study was to further characterize the molecular basis of the intracellular degradation of the mutant. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We stably expressed the mutant in mammalian cells, and analyzed the intracellular localization of the protein. The intracellular degradation pathway was determined by pulse-chase analyses in the presence of various inhibitors of ERAD. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Endoglycosidase H digestion and immunofluorescence staining revealed the mutant being retained in the ER. Epoxomicin, a potent and specific proteasome inhibitor, and Ala-Ala-Phe-CH(2)Cl (AAF), an inhibitor of tripeptidyl peptidase II (TPPII), suppressed the intracellular degradation of the mutant by about 65% and 50%, respectively. When epoxomicin was combined with AAF, the inhibitory effect was substantially enhanced. Although castanospermine, an inhibitor of glucosidases I and II, did not affect the degradation, kifunensine, an inhibitor of ER mannosidase I, suppressed it. Thus, it appears that the Y595C mutant is degraded through more than one pathway of ERAD, including the proteasome-dependent pathway and an alternate proteasome-independent pathway where proteases such as TPPII may be involved. Production of the critical B isoform of Man(8)GlcNAc(2) targets the mutant for ERAD, however, the interaction with calnexin/calreticulin through monoglucosylated oligosaccharides may not be required for the degradation of the mutant.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Involvement of heme regulatory motif in heme-mediated ubiquitination and degradation of IRP2.

Iron regulatory protein 2 (IRP2), a regulator of iron metabolism, is modulated by ubiquitination and degradation. We have shown that IRP2 degradation is triggered by heme-mediated oxidation. We report here that not only Cys201, an invariant residue in the heme regulatory motif (HRM), but also His204 is critical for IRP2 degradation. Spectroscopic studies revealed that Cys201 binds ferric heme, whereas His204 is a ferrous heme binding site, indicating the involvement of these residues in sensing the redox state of the heme iron and in generating the oxidative modification. Moreover, the HRM in IRP2 has been suggested to play a critical role in its recognition by the HOIL-1 ubiquitin ligase. Although HRMs are known to sense heme concentration by simply binding to heme, the HRM in IRP2 specifically contributes to its oxidative modification, its recognition by the ligase, and its sensing of iron concentration after iron is integrated into heme.

Amino Acid Motifs↗
PubMed2003

Fbs2 is a new member of the E3 ubiquitin ligase family that recognizes sugar chains.

F-box proteins are substrate recognition components of Skp1-Cullin1-F-box protein-Roc1 (SCF) E3 ubiquitin-protein ligases. We reported previously that Fbs1 (F-box protein that recognizes sugar chains; equivalent to Fbx2 or NFB42) binds specifically to proteins attached with high mannose oligosaccharides and subsequently contributes to elimination of N-glycoproteins in cytosol (Yoshida, Y., Chiba, T., Tokunaga, F., Kawasaki, H., Iwai, K., Suzuki, T., Ito, Y., Matsuoka, K., Yoshida, M., Tanaka, K., and Tai, T. (2002) Nature 418, 438-442). Here we report the identification of another F-box protein that recognizes N-glycan, Fbs2 (called Fbx6b or FBG2 previously). Although the expression of Fbs1 was restricted to the adult brain and testis, the Fbs2 transcript was widely expressed. The Fbs2 protein forms an SCFFbs2 ubiquitinligase complex that targets sugar chains in N-glycoproteins for ubiquitylation. Only glycoproteins bound to concanavalin A lectin and not to wheat germ agglutinin or Ricinus communis agglutinin interacted with Fbs2 in various tissues and cell lines. Pull-down analysis using various oligosaccharides revealed that Man3-9GlcNAc2 glycans were required for efficient Fbs2 binding, whereas modifications of mannose residues by other sugars or deletion of inner GlcNAc reduced Fbs2 binding. Fbs2 interacted with N-glycans of T-cell receptor alpha-subunit (TCRalpha), a typical substrate of the endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD) pathway, and the forced expression of mutant Fbs2DeltaF, which lacks the F-box domain essential for forming the SCF complex, and decrease of endogenous Fbs2 by small interfering RNA led to inhibition of TCRalpha degradation in cells. Thus, Fbs2 is a novel member of F-box protein family that recognizes N-glycans and plays a role in ERAD.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

N-linked oligosaccharide processing, but not association with calnexin/calreticulin is highly correlated with endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation of antithrombin Glu313-deleted mutant.

Previously we showed that two antithrombin mutants were degraded through an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated degradation (ERAD) pathway [F. Tokunaga et al., FEBS Lett. 412 (1997) 65]. Here, we examined the combined effects of inhibitors of glycosidases, protein synthesis, proteasome, and tyrosine phosphatase on ERAD of a Glu313-deleted (DeltaGlu) mutant of antithrombin. We found that kifunensine, an ER mannosidase I inhibitor, suppressed ERAD, indicating that specific mannose trimming plays a critical role. Cycloheximide and puromycin, inhibitors of protein synthesis, also suppressed ERAD, the effects being cancelled by pretreatment with castanospermine. In contrast, kifunensine suppressed ERAD even in castanospermine-treated cells, suggesting that suppression of ERAD does not always require the binding of lectin-like ER chaperones-like calnexin and/or calreticulin. These results indicate that, besides proteasome inhibitors, inhibitors of ER mannosidase I and protein synthesis suppress ERAD of the antithrombin deltaGlu mutant at different stages, and processing of N-linked oligosaccharides highly correlated with the efficiency of ERAD.

1-Deoxynojirimycin↗
PubMed2003

Identification of the ubiquitin-protein ligase that recognizes oxidized IRP2.

The ubiquitin system is involved in several basic cellular functions. Ubiquitination is carried out by a cascade of three reactions catalysed by the E1, E2 and E3 enzymes. Among these, the E3 ubiquitin-protein ligases have a pivotal role in determining the specificity of the system by recognizing the target substrates through defined targeting motifs. Although RING finger proteins constitute an important family of E3 ligases, only a few post-transcriptional modifications, including phosphorylation, proline hydroxylation and glycosylation, are known to function as recognition signals for E3. Iron regulatory protein 2 (IRP2), a modulator of iron metabolism, is regulated by iron-induced ubiquitination and degradation. Here we show that the RING finger protein HOIL-1 functions as an E3 ligase for oxidized IRP2, suggesting that oxidation is a specific recognition signal for ubiquitination. The oxidation of IRP2 is generated by haem, which binds to IRP2 in iron-rich cells, and by oxygen, indicating that the iron sensing of IRP2 depends on the synthesis and availability of haem.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2002

Proline-rich cell surface antigens of horseshoe crab hemocytes are substrates for protein cross-linking with a clotting protein coagulin.

Monoclonal antibodies were raised against hemocytes of the horseshoe crab Tachypleus tridentatus. All of the antibodies obtained reacted with the same protein bands on SDS-PAGE of hemocyte lysate. Flow cytometry and biotinylation of surface substances on the hemocytes indicated that the antigens are major peripheral proteins of hemocytes. The antigens were purified from hemocyte lysate and were good substrates for the horseshoe crab hemocyte transglutaminase (HcTGase). Transglutaminases play an important role during the final stage of blood coagulation in mammals and crustaceans. Although HcTGase did not intermolecularly cross-link a clottable protein coagulogen or its proteolytic product coagulin, HcTGase promoted the cross-linking of coagulin with the surface antigens, resulting in the formation of a stable polymer. We determined the nucleotide sequences for two isoproteins of the antigens. The two proteins containing 271 and 284 residues (66% identity) were composed of tandem repeats of proline-rich segments. We named them proxins-1 and -2 after proline-rich proteins for protein cross-linking. Proxins may form a stable physical barrier against invading pathogens in cooperation with hemolymph coagulation at injured sites.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2002

E3 ubiquitin ligase that recognizes sugar chains.

N-glycosylation of proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) has a central role in protein quality control. Here we report that N-glycan serves as a signal for degradation by the Skp1-Cullin1-Fbx2-Roc1 (SCF(Fbx2)) ubiquitin ligase complex. The F-box protein Fbx2 (ref. 4) binds specifically to proteins attached to N-linked high-mannose oligosaccharides and subsequently contributes to ubiquitination of N-glycosylated proteins. Pre-integrin beta 1 is a target of Fbx2; these two proteins interact in the cytosol after inhibition of the proteasome. In addition, expression of the mutant Fbx2 Delta F, which lacks the F-box domain that is essential for forming the SCF complex, appreciably blocks degradation of typical substrates of the ER-associated degradation pathway. Our results indicate that SCF(Fbx2) ubiquitinates N-glycosylated proteins that are translocated from the ER to the cytosol by the quality control mechanism.

Animals↗