PubMed · 4680722
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M C Tobin. 1972. Raman spectroscopy.. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0076-6879(72)26025-6
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Different epithelial intercellular junctions contain distinct complexes incorporating plakoglobin. In adherens junctions, plakoglobin interacts with two molecules, the transmembrane adhesion protein of the cadherin family (e.g. E-cadherin) and alpha-catenin. The latter is thought to anchor the cadherin-plakoglobin complex to the cortical actin cytoskeleton. In desmosomes, plakoglobin forms a complex with desmosomal cadherins, either desmoglein (Dsg) or desmocollin (Dsc), but not with alpha-catenin. To further understand the structure and assembly of the plakoglobin-cadherin complexes we analyzed amino acid residues involved in plakoglobin-Dsg interactions using alanine scanning mutagenesis. Previously, we have shown that plakoglobin interacts with a 72 amino acid-long cytoplasmic domain (C-domain) that is conserved among desmosomal and classic cadherins. In this paper, we show that a row of the large hydrophobic residues located at the C-terminal portion of the Dsg C-domain is indispensable for interaction with plakoglobin. To study a reciprocal site we expressed plakoglobin (MPg) or its mutants tagged by 6 myc epitope in epithelial A-431 cells. Using sucrose gradient centrifugation and subsequent co-immunoprecipitation, MPg was found to be efficiently incorporated into the same type of complexes as endogenous plakoglobin. A major pool of Dsg-plakoglobin complexes sedimented at 8S and exhibited a 1:1 stoichiometry. Using alanine scanning mutagenesis and the co-immunoprecipitation assay we identified nine hydrophobic amino acids within the arm repeats 1-3 of plakoglobin, that are required for binding to Dsg and Dsc. Eight of these amino acids also participate in the interaction with alpha-catenin. No mutations were found to reduce the affinity of plakoglobin binding to E-cadherin. These data provide direct evidence that the same hydrophobic plakoglobin surface is essential for mutually exclusive interaction with distinct proteins such as alpha-catenin and desmosomal cadherins.
In Alzheimer's disease (AD), the beta-amyloid peptide (Abeta) is thought to be produced as a result of the aberrant metabolism of beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP). We report that the APP cytoplasmic domain contains a novel and important signal for APP metabolism. A single amino acid mutation that changed arginine at amino acid 747 of APP770 (corresponding to position 672 of APP695) to a non-basic amino acid greatly increased the production of intracellular APP carboxyl-terminal fragment(s) cleaved at beta-site(s) (CTFbeta), but did not result in increased secretion of Abeta40 and Abeta42. This was not due to a simple intracellular accumulation of CTFbeta resulting from a lack of gamma-secretase. CTFbeta derived from this mutant APP was generated and degraded as efficiently as CTFbeta derived from wild-type APP. This result indicates that the increase in the quantity of CTFbeta does not always give rise to more Abeta production, as was previously suggested by studies of a familial AD mutation of APP. These findings suggest that APP carrying the substitution mutation at this basic amino acid may be metabolized by another protein secretory pathway. Although these results have not completely elucidated why CTFbeta derived from the mutant APP escapes from subsequent cleavage by gamma-secretase, analysis of the processing pathway of this mutant APP should provide insights into the pathogenesis of the sporadic type of AD.
The type-1 insulin-like growth-factor receptor (IGF-1R) and insulin receptor (IR) are closely related members of the tyrosine-kinase receptor superfamily. IR is essential for glucose homeostasis, whereas IGF-1R is involved in both normal growth and development and malignant transformation. Homologues of these receptors are found in animals as simple as cnidarians. The epidermal growth-factor receptor (EGFR) family is closely related to the IR family and has significant sequence identity to the extracellular portion we describe here. We now present the structure of the first three domains of IGF-IR (L1-Cys-rich-L2) determined to 2.6 A resolution. The L domains each consist of a single-stranded right-handed beta-helix. The Cys-rich region is composed of eight disulphide-bonded modules, seven of which form a rod-shaped domain with modules associated in an unusual manner. The three domains surround a central space of sufficient size to accommodate a ligand molecule. Although the fragment (residues 1-462) does not bind ligand, many of the determinants responsible for hormone binding and ligand specificity map to this central site. This structure therefore shows how the IR subfamily might interact with their ligands.