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Leo S Price

Publications and source records attributed to Leo S Price.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

AF6 negatively regulates Rap1-induced cell adhesion.

AF6 is involved in the connection of membrane-associated proteins to the actin cytoskeleton. It binds to Ras-like small GTPases and is suggested to be an effector of both Ras and Rap. Here we show that knockdown of AF6 in T cells by RNA interference enhanced Rap1-induced integrin-mediated cell adhesion, whereas overexpression of AF6 had the opposite effect. Interestingly, AF6-induced inhibition of cell adhesion correlated with an increase in RapGTP levels. Like AF6, protein KIAA1849 contains a Ras association domain and interacted with Rap1. However, KIAA1849 did not inhibit Rap1-induced cell adhesion. We concluded that AF6 is a negative regulator of Rap-induced cell adhesion. We proposed that AF6 inhibits Rap-mediated cell adhesion by sequestering RapGTP in an unproductive complex and thus prevents the interaction of Rap1 not only with effectors that mediate adhesion but also with Rap GTPase-activating proteins. Thus, AF6 may buffer RapGTP in resting T cells and maintain them in a non-adherent state.

Blotting, Western↗
PubMed2005

Down-regulation of Rap1 activity is involved in ephrinB1-induced cell contraction.

Ephrins are cell surface ligands that activate Eph receptor tyrosine kinases. This ligand-receptor interaction plays a central role in the sorting of cells. We have previously shown that the ephrinB-EphB signalling pathway is also involved in the migration of intestinal precursor cells along the crypts. Using the colon cell line DLD1 expressing the EphB2 receptor, we showed that stimulation of these cells with soluble ephrinB1 results in a rapid retraction of cell extensions and a detachment of cells. On ephrinB1 stimulation, the small GTPases Rho and Ras are activated and Rap1 is inactivated. Importantly, when a constitutively active Rap1 mutant was introduced into these cells, ephrinB1-induced retraction was inhibited. From these results, we conclude that down-regulation of Rap1 is a prerequisite for ephrin-induced cell retraction in colon cells.

Cell Adhesion↗
PubMed2004

The cAMP-Epac-Rap1 pathway regulates cell spreading and cell adhesion to laminin-5 through the alpha3beta1 integrin but not the alpha6beta4 integrin.

Laminin-5 is an important constituent of the basal lamina. The receptors for laminin-5, the integrins alpha3beta1 and alpha6beta4, have been associated with epithelial wound migration and carcinoma invasion. The signal transduction mechanisms that regulate these integrins are not well understood. We report here that the small GTPase Rap1 regulates the adhesion of a number of cell lines to various extracellular matrix proteins including laminin-5. cAMP also mediates cell adhesion and spreading on laminin-5, a process that is independent of protein kinase A but rather dependent on Epac1, a cAMP-dependent exchange factor for Rap. Interestingly, although both alpha3beta1 and alpha6beta4 mediate adhesion to laminin-5, only alpha3beta1-dependent adhesion is dependent on Rap1. These results provide evidence for a function of the cAMP-Epac-Rap1 pathway in cell adhesion and spreading on different extracellular matrix proteins. They also define different roles for the laminin-binding integrins in regulated cell adhesion and subsequent cell spreading.

Actins↗
PubMed2004

Rap1 regulates E-cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion.

The small GTPase Rap is best characterized as a critical regulator of integrin-mediated cell adhesion, although its mechanism of action is not understood. Rap also influences the properties of other cell-surface receptors and biological processes, although whether these are a consequence of effects on integrins is not clear. We show here that Rap also plays an important role in the regulation of cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion in epithelial cells. Expression of constitutively active Rap1A restored cadherin-mediated cell-cell contacts in mesenchymal Ras-transformed Madin-Darby canine kidney cells, resulting in reversion to an epithelial phenotype. Activation of endogenous Rap via the Rap exchange factor Epac1 also antagonized hepatocyte growth factor-induced disruption of adherens junctions. Inhibition of Rap signaling resulted in disruption of epithelial cell-cell contacts. Rap activity was required for adhesion of cells to recombinant E-cadherin extracellular domains, i.e. in the absence of integrin-mediated adhesion. These findings suggest that Rap signaling positively contributes to cadherin-mediated adhesion and that this occurs independently of effects on integrin-mediated adhesion. Our results imply that Rap may function in a broader manner to regulate the function of cell-surface adhesion receptors.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Calcium signaling regulates translocation and activation of Rac.

Rac is activated in response to various stimuli including growth factors and by adhesion to the extracellular matrix. However, how these stimuli ultimately result in Rac activation is poorly understood. The increase in intracellular calcium [Ca2+]i represents a ubiquitous second messenger system in cells, linking receptor activation to downstream signaling pathways. Here we show that elevation of [Ca2+]i, either artificially or by thrombin receptor activation, potently induces Rac activation. Lamellipodia formation induced by artificial elevation of [Ca2+]i is blocked by inhibition of Rac signaling, indicating that calcium-induced cytoskeletal changes are controlled by the activation of Rac. Calcium-dependent Rac activation was dependent on the activation of a conventional protein kinase C. Furthermore, both increased [Ca2+]i and protein kinase C activation induce phosphorylation of RhoGDI alpha and induce the translocation of cytosolic Rac to the plasma membrane. Intracellular calcium signaling may thus contribute to the intracellular localization and activation of Rac to regulate the cytoskeletal changes in response to receptor stimulation.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed2003

Cyclic AMP induces integrin-mediated cell adhesion through Epac and Rap1 upon stimulation of the beta 2-adrenergic receptor.

cAMP controls many cellular processes mainly through the activation of protein kinase A (PKA). However, more recently PKA-independent pathways have been established through the exchange protein directly activated by cAMP (Epac), a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for the small GTPases Rap1 and Rap2. In this report, we show that cAMP can induce integrin-mediated cell adhesion through Epac and Rap1. Indeed, when Ovcar3 cells were treated with cAMP, cells adhered more rapidly to fibronectin. This cAMP effect was insensitive to the PKA inhibitor H-89. A similar increase was observed when the cells were transfected with Epac. Both the cAMP effect and the Epac effect on cell adhesion were abolished by the expression of Rap1-GTPase-activating protein, indicating the involvement of Rap1 in the signaling pathway. Importantly, a recently characterized cAMP analogue, 8-(4-chloro-phenylthio)-2'-O-methyladenosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphate, which specifically activates Epac but not PKA, induced Rap-dependent cell adhesion. Finally, we demonstrate that external stimuli of cAMP signaling, i.e., isoproterenol, which activates the G alpha s-coupled beta 2-adrenergic receptor can induce integrin-mediated cell adhesion through the Epac-Rap1 pathway. From these results we conclude that cAMP mediates receptor-induced integrin-mediated cell adhesion to fibronectin through the Epac-Rap1 signaling pathway.

8-Bromo Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate↗