Biomedical subjects

M Ohh

Publications and source records attributed to M Ohh.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Homotypic association between tumour-associated VHL proteins leads to the restoration of HIF pathway.

The von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumour suppressor gene encodes a substrate-specifying component of an E3 ubiquitin ligase that targets hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) alpha subunits for degradation under normoxia. The VHL protein is composed of an N-terminal HIFalpha-binding beta domain and a C-terminal alpha domain, which is necessary and sufficient for the formation of the E3 multiprotein enzyme. A large number of disease-causing mutations in either the alpha or beta domain renders HIFalpha stable irrespective of oxygen tension, leading to the upregulation of numerous HIF-target genes, such as GLUT1 and VEGF. Here, we show that VHL forms a self-associated complex in vivo, but not in vitro, and demonstrate that coexpression of two different VHL missense mutants -- one in the alpha domain and the other in the beta domain -- restores HIF-mediated gene expression profile. These findings indicate that VHL homotypic complexes can function in vivo in a complementary fashion to target HIFalpha for ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, and potentially explain why VHL-associated tumours with a missense mutation-carrying VHL allele is almost invariably accompanied by a second VHL allele harbouring a gross truncation or deletion.

Amino Acid Substitution↗

PubMed2005

Molecular targets from VHL studies into the oxygen-sensing pathway.

Inheritance of a faulty von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor gene is the cause of VHL disease, a rare multisystemic autosomal dominant disorder characterized by the development of hypervascular tumors in a number of organs, including the retina, brain, spine, pancreas, adrenal gland, and the kidney. Recent discoveries have demonstrated that the VHL gene product pVHL serves as a substrate-recognition component of an E3 ubiquitin ligase complex that targets hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) transcription factor for polyubiquitination and subsequent degradation. Accordingly, tumor cells devoid of functional pVHL show an inappropriate accumulation of HIF, as well as downstream HIF-target genes, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a potent angiogenic factor. Furthermore, HIF has been found to be elevated in many human cancers further underscoring its common significance in oncogenesis. These and other related recent findings have shed significant insight into the mechanisms governing mammalian cellular oxygen homeostasis and how disruptions in this oxygen-sensing pathway can lead to tumorigenesis. Next generation anti-cancer drugs will undoubtedly emerge from our understanding of the molecular pathways governing normal cellular metabolism, growth and differentiation that have gone awry during neoplastic transformation, and studies in VHL disease will serve as one of the proving grounds for the efficacy of 'designer' anti-cancer drugs tailored against the VHL-HIF pathway.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

von Hippel-Lindau protein mutants linked to type 2C VHL disease preserve the ability to downregulate HIF.

von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease is a hereditary cancer syndrome caused by germ line mutation of the von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor gene (VHL). Tumors observed in this disorder include retinal and central nervous system hemangioblastomas, clear cell renal carcinomas and pheochromocytomas. The VHL gene product, pVHL, is a component of a ubiquitin ligase which targets the transcription factor known as hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) for degradation in the presence of oxygen. pVHL also plays roles in the control of extracellular matrix formation and cell-cycle exit. Different VHL mutations confer different site-specific risks of cancer. Type 2C VHL mutations confer an increased risk of pheochromocytoma without the other stigmata of VHL disease. Here we report that the products of such type 2C VHL alleles retain the ability to down regulate HIF but are defective for promotion of fibronectin matrix assembly. Furthermore, pVHL L188V, a well studied type 2C mutant, retained the ability to suppress renal carcinoma growth in vivo. These studies strengthen the notion that HIF deregulation plays a causal role in hemangioblastoma and renal carcinoma, and raises the possibility that abnormal fibronectin matrix assembly contributes to pheochromocytoma pathogenesis in the setting of VHL disease.

Alleles↗

PubMed2001

HIFalpha targeted for VHL-mediated destruction by proline hydroxylation: implications for O2 sensing.

HIF (hypoxia-inducible factor) is a transcription factor that plays a pivotal role in cellular adaptation to changes in oxygen availability. In the presence of oxygen, HIF is targeted for destruction by an E3 ubiquitin ligase containing the von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor protein (pVHL). We found that human pVHL binds to a short HIF-derived peptide when a conserved proline residue at the core of this peptide is hydroxylated. Because proline hydroxylation requires molecular oxygen and Fe(2+), this protein modification may play a key role in mammalian oxygen sensing.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2000

Myc-enhanced expression of Cul1 promotes ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis and cell cycle progression.

The c-Myc oncoprotein plays an important role in the growth and proliferation of normal and neoplastic cells. To execute these actions, c-Myc is thought to regulate functionally diverse sets of genes that directly govern cellular mass and progression through critical cell cycle transitions. Here, we provide several lines of evidence that c-Myc promotes ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis by directly activating expression of the Cul1 gene, encoding a critical component of the ubiquitin ligase SCF(SKP2). The cell cycle inhibitor p27(kip1) is a known target of the SCF(SKP2) complex, and Myc-induced Cul1 expression matched well with the kinetics of declining p27(kip1) protein. Enforced Cul1 expression or antisense neutralization of p27(kip1) was capable of overcoming the slow-growth phenotype of c-Myc null primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). In reconstitution assays, the addition of in vitro translated Cul1 protein alone was able to restore p27(kip1) ubiquitination and degradation in lysates derived from c-myc(-/-) MEFs or density-arrested human fibroblasts. These functional and biochemical data provide a direct link between c-Myc transcriptional regulation and ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis and together support the view that c-Myc promotes G(1) exit in part via Cul1-dependent ubiquitination and degradation of the CDK inhibitor, p27(kip1).

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed2000

Ubiquitination of hypoxia-inducible factor requires direct binding to the beta-domain of the von Hippel-Lindau protein.

von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease is a hereditary cancer syndrome that is characterized by the development of multiple vascular tumors and is caused by inactivation of the von Hippel-Lindau protein (pVHL). Here we show that pVHL, through its beta-domain, binds directly to hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), thereby targeting HIF for ubiquitination in an alpha-domain-dependent manner. This is the first function to be ascribed to the pVHL beta-domain. Furthermore, we provide the first direct evidence that pVHL has a function analogous to that of an F-box protein, namely, to recruit substrates to a ubiquitination machine. These results strengthen the link between overaccumulation of HIF and development of VHL disease.

Cell Extracts↗

PubMed1999

The von Hippel-Lindau tumour suppressor protein: new perspectives.

von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease is a hereditary cancer syndrome caused by germline mutations of the VHL tumour suppressor gene. The VHL gene product, pVHL, forms multiprotein complexes that contain elongin B, elongin C and Cul-2, and negatively regulates hypoxia-inducible mRNAs. pVHL is suspected to play a role in ubiquitination given the similarity of elongin C and Cul-2 with Skp1 and Cdc53, respectively. pVHL can also interact with fibronectin and is required for the assembly of a fibronectin matrix. Finally, pVHL, at least indirectly, plays a role in the ability of cells to exit the cell cycle. Thus, pVHL is a tumour suppressor protein that regulates angiogenesis, extracellular matrix formation and the cell cycle.

Gene Expression Regulation↗

PubMed1999

Synthetic peptides define critical contacts between elongin C, elongin B, and the von Hippel-Lindau protein.

The von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor protein (pVHL) negatively regulates hypoxia-inducible mRNAs such as the mRNA encoding vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). This activity has been linked to its ability to form multimeric complexes that contain elongin C, elongin B, and Cul2. To understand this process in greater detail, we performed a series of in vitro binding assays using pVHL, elongin B, and elongin C variants as well as synthetic peptide competitors derived from pVHL or elongin C. A subdomain of elongin C (residues 17-50) was necessary and sufficient for detectable binding to elongin B. In contrast, elongin B residues required for binding to elongin C were not confined to a discrete colinear domain. We found that the pVHL (residues 157-171) is necessary and sufficient for binding to elongin C in vitro and is frequently mutated in families with VHL disease. These mutations preferentially involve residues that directly bind to elongin C and/or alter the conformation of pVHL such that binding to elongin C is at least partially diminished. These results are consistent with the view that diminished binding of pVHL to the elongins plays a causal role in VHL disease.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1998

pVHL19 is a biologically active product of the von Hippel-Lindau gene arising from internal translation initiation.

The von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) gene encodes a protein consisting of 213 amino acid residues with an apparent molecular mass of 30 kDa (pVHL30). Here we show that cells also produce a VHL protein (pVHL19) that appears to arise as a result of internal translation from the second methionine within the VHL ORF. pVHL30 resides primarily in the cytosol, with less amounts found in the nucleus or associated with cell membranes. In contrast pVHL19, in biochemical fractionation experiments, is equally distributed between the nucleus and cytosol and is not found in association with membranes. pVHL19, like pVHL30, can bind to elongin B, elongin C, and Hs-Cul2 in coimmunoprecipitation assays and can inhibit the production of hypoxia-inducible proteins such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and GLUT1 when reintroduced into renal carcinoma cells that lack a wild-type VHL allele. Thus, cells contain two biologically active VHL gene products.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1998

The von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor protein is required for proper assembly of an extracellular fibronectin matrix.

Fibronectin coimmunoprecipitated with wild-type von Hippel-Lindau protein (pVHL) but not tumor-derived pVHL mutants. Immunofluorescence and biochemical fractionation experiments showed that fibronectin colocalized with a fraction of pVHL associated with the endoplasmic reticulum, and cold competition experiments suggested that complexes between fibronectin and pVHL exist in intact cells. Assembly of an extracellular fibronectin matrix by VHL-/- renal carcinoma cells, as determined by immunofluorescence and ELISA assays, was grossly defective compared with VHL+/+ renal carcinoma cells. Reintroduction of wildtype, but not mutant, pVHL into VHL-/- renal carcinoma cells partially corrected this defect. Finally, extracellular fibronectin matrix assembly by VHL-/- mouse embryos and mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs), unlike their VHL+/+ counterparts, was grossly impaired. These data support a direct role of pVHL in fibronectin matrix assembly.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Functions of the von Hippel-Lindau tumour suppressor protein.

Von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL) is caused by germline mutations in the VHL tumour suppressor gene. Tumour development in this setting is due to loss or inactivation of the remaining wild-type VHL allele. The VHL gene product (pVHL) resides primarily in the cytoplasm. A frequently mutated region of pVHL can bind to complexes containing elongin B, elongin C and Cul2. Loss of pVHL leads to an inappropriate accumulation of hypoxia-inducible mRNAs, such as the mRNA encoding vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), under normoxic conditions. This finding is most likely to account for the hypervascular nature of VHL-associated neoplasms. Current studies are focussed on understanding if and how binding to elongins and Cul2 is linked to the ability of pVHL to regulate hypoxia-inducible mRNAs. In this regard, it is perhaps noteworthy that elongin C and Cul2 are homologous to yeast proteins Skp1 and Cdc53. These latter proteins participate in the formation of complexes that target certain proteins for ubiquitination.

Genes, Tumor Suppressor↗

PubMed1998

Regulation of hypoxia-inducible mRNAs by the von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor protein requires binding to complexes containing elongins B/C and Cul2.

The von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor protein (pVHL) binds to elongins B and C and posttranscriptionally regulates the accumulation of hypoxia-inducible mRNAs under normoxic (21% O2) conditions. Here we report that pVHL binds, via elongin C, to the human homolog of the Caenorhabditis elegans Cul2 protein. Coimmunoprecipitation and chromatographic copurification data suggest that pVHL-Cul2 complexes exist in native cells. pVHL mutants that were unable to bind to complexes containing elongin C and Cul2 were likewise unable to inhibit the accumulation of hypoxia-inducible mRNAs. A model for the regulation of hypoxia-inducible mRNAs by pVHL is presented based on the apparent similarity of elongin C and Cul2 to Skp1 and Cdc53, respectively. These latter proteins form complexes that target specific proteins for ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1996

New insights into the regulation of ICAM-1 gene expression.

Cell-cell adhesion is critical in the generation of effective immune responses and is dependent upon the expression of a variety of cell surface receptors. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1; CD54) is an inducible cell surface glycoprotein expressed at a low level on a subpopulation of hematopoietic cells, vascular endothelium, fibroblasts, and certain epithelial cells. However, its expression is dramatically increased at sites of inflammation, providing important means of regulating cell-cell interactions and thereby inflammatory responses. Inasmuch the modulation of ICAM-1 expression during inflammation by pharmacologic agents might be very attractive for medical treatment, the intracellular regulatory elements and signaling pathways underlying the inducible expression of ICAM-1 by proinflammatory cytokines remain largely unknown. In this review, a novel posttranscriptional regulation of ICAM-1 gene expression by two inflammatory mediators, interferon-gamma and phorbol myristate acetate, and the possible role of the serine/threonine phosphorylation pathway in the cycloheximide-induced ICAM-1 message stabilization are discussed in light of our current understanding of ICAM-1 gene regulation during an inflammatory response.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Regulation of ICAM-1 mRNA stability by cycloheximide: role of serine/threonine phosphorylation and protein synthesis.

Cycloheximide is a protein synthesis inhibitor that superinduces the expression of many genes by preventing the degradation of otherwise labile mRNAs. In some genes this depends on the presence of the AUUUA destabilizing multimers in the 3'UTR. We examined the effect of cycloheximide on the murine intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1; CD54) gene expression in several cell lines including A20 (B cell lymphoma), T28 (T cell hybridoma), P388D1 (monocytic cell), SVEC4-10 (lymphoid endothelial cell), and ICAM-1-transfected murine fibroblast L cells. Cycloheximide was indeed able to dramatically increase the accumulation of ICAM-1 mRNA in all the cell lines examined except T28, and this seemed to be due to the stabilization of the ICAM-1 mRNA as indicated by the half-life analysis. To determine whether this effect is dependent on the 3'UTR containing the AUUUA sequences, L cells were transfected with either the full-length ICAM-1 cDNA or a truncated form lacking the AUUUA sequences in the 3'UTR (ICAM-1Delta3). There was no discernible difference in the effect of cycloheximide on ICAM-1 mRNA accumulation or half-life between the two types of transfected cells. The effect of cycloheximide on ICAM-1 mRNA was markedly suppressed by serine/threonine (ser/thr) kinase inhibitors, H-7 and staurosporine, whereas the ser/thr phosphatase inhibitor, okadaic acid, augmented the cycloheximide effect. Inhibitors of protein tyrosine kinases and phosphatases had no effect. Unexpectedly, the level of cell surface ICAM-1 as well as de novo synthesis of ICAM-1 in SVEC4-10 and the ICAM-1-transfected L cells were also upregulated by cycloheximide, whereas the overall protein synthesis in these cells was profoundly inhibited, suggesting that ICAM-1 protein synthesis in these cells escapes the translational inhibition by cycloheximide. These results suggest that the stabilization of ICAM-1 mRNA by cycloheximide is independent of its translational inhibition and that ser/thr phosphorylation of unidentified protein(s) seems to play a crucial role in this effect.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Interferon-gamma- and phorbol myristate acetate-responsive elements involved in intercellular adhesion molecule-1 mRNA stabilization.

Treatment of cells with interferon (IFN)-gamma or phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) induces up-regulation of the level of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1; CD54) mRNA by stabilization of an otherwise labile mRNA. Here, we have generated various deletion mutants of ICAM-1 and stably transfected them into the murine fibroblast Ltk- cells that express no endogenous ICAM-1 or -2 (CD102) in an effort to define the regions within ICAM-1 mRNA responsive to IFN-gamma or PMA. Induction of ICAM-1 mRNA in the transfected L cells by the treatment with IFN-gamma revealed that the truncation of the region of ICAM-1 mRNA encoding the cytoplasmic domain made it non-responsive to IFN-gamma whereas all other regions were dispensable. In contrast, PMA-induced accumulation of ICAM-1 mRNA required the 3'-untranslated region (UTR). To further elucidate the role of these regions in mRNA destabilization and responsiveness to IFN-gamma and PMA, ICAM-2 mRNA that is stable and not responsive to IFN-gamma or PMA was used as a reporter gene. The putative IFN-gamma-responsive region of ICAM-1 mRNA encoding its cytoplasmic domain rendered it unstable and responsive to IFN-gamma but not PMA. Conversely, the 3'-UTR of ICAM-1 fused with ICAM-2 mRNA also made it unstable and responsive to PMA but not IFN-gamma. Half-life analysis showed that the induction of these chimeric mRNAs by IFN-gamma and PMA was due, at least in part, to the prolongation of their turnover rate. These results taken together demonstrate that two distinct regions of ICAM-1 mRNA regulate its stability, one encoding the cytoplasmic domain and responsive to IFN-gamma and the other in the 3'-UTR and responsive to PMA.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Regulation of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 gene expression involves multiple mRNA stabilization mechanisms: effects of interferon-gamma and phorbol myristate acetate.

Although the intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) is constitutively expressed at a low level on a subpopulation of hematopoietic cells, on vascular endothelium, on fibroblasts, and on certain epithelial cells, it is dramatically increased at sites of inflammation. Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) are known to increase the expression of ICAM-1 on many cell types. Because both human and murine ICAM-1 mRNAs contain putative destabilizing AUUUA sequences in their 3' untranslated regions (UTRs), we examined the role of mRNA stability in the regulation of ICAM-1 gene expression. The treatment of the murine monocytic cell line P388D1, which constitutively expresses ICAM-1 mRNA at a low level, with IFN-gamma or PMA rapidly enhanced the level of ICAM-1 mRNA and dramatically prolonged its half-life. To determine whether the putative destabilizing sequences are responsible for this effect of IFN-gamma and PMA, fibroblast L cells were transfected with either the full-length ICAM-1 cDNA or a truncated form (ICAM-1 delta 3) lacking the putative destabilizing AUUUA sequences. Although ICAM-1 delta 3 mRNA was more stable than the full-length ICAM-1 mRNA, IFN-gamma treatment induced the accumulation of both mRNA species and prolongation of their half-lives. The transplantation of the ICAM-1 delta 3' UTR into a stable ICAM-2 mRNA rendered it unstable, and it was unresponsive to IFN-gamma. Therefore, the treatment with IFN-gamma stabilizes the otherwise labile ICAM-1 mRNA, but the IFN-gamma-responsive sequence may at least in part reside within the protein coding region. PMA also upregulated ICAM-1 gene expression by mRNA stabilization. However, unlike IFN-gamma, PMA treatment only increased the level of the full-length, but not of the truncated, ICAM-1 mRNA. This shows that the PMA-responsive element is located within the 3'UTR. Furthermore, the effect of PMA on ICAM-1 delta 3 mRNA was recovered by ligating multiple AUUUA sequences derived from a heterologous gene fragment. The stability of this chimeric mRNA and the full-length ICAM-1 mRNA was markedly increased by PMA treatment, indicating that the AUUUA multimers in the 3'UTR are important in the PMA-induced upregulation of ICAM-1 mRNA.

Animals↗