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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↗

PCI complexes: pretty complex interactions in diverse signaling pathways.

Three protein complexes (the proteasome regulatory lid, the COP9 signalosome and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3) contain protein subunits with a well defined protein domain, the PCI domain. At least two (the COP9 signalosome and the lid) appear to share a common evolutionary origin. Recent advances in our understanding of the structure and function of the three complexes point to intriguing and unanticipated connections between the cellular functions performed by these three protein assemblies, especially between translation initiation and proteolytic protein degradation.

Animals↗

Elucidation of protein-protein interactions using chemical cross-linking or label transfer techniques.

Understanding the architectures of multiprotein complexes is a central problem in biology. Of the many chemical methods available, label transfer and cross-linking are becoming more popular. Recently, label transfer has been applied to very large protein complexes with great success, and new oxidative methods for protein cross-linking have been developed that are fast and highly efficient. Advances in these techniques should increase the understanding of biological structures and mechanisms.

Cross-Linking Reagents↗

The COP9 signalosome: from light signaling to general developmental regulation and back.

The COP9 signalosome has eight core subunits that are highly conserved between plants and animals. Some of the subunits in Arabidopsis are found in forms that are independent of the complex. The COP9 complex is essential for animal development. The COP9 signalosome may have both an evolutionary and a physical relationship with both the regulatory lid of the proteasome and eIF3.

COP9 Signalosome Complex↗

Modulation of sensitivity and selectivity in plant signaling by proteasomal destabilization.

The ubiquitin (Ub) system of intracellular protein degradation regulates the abundance of numerous proteins that control plant growth and development. Recent advances have begun to illustrate how environmental and endogenous signals affect plant responses through Ub-related proteolysis, the importance of combinatorial control in regulated protein destruction and how multiprotein complexes confer sensitivity and selectivity to ubiquitination. Further insight into the cell biology of Ub-chain assembly and proteasomal degradation, as well as into the relationship between proteolysis and other regulatory modifications, will be essential for understanding the mechanistic basis of the integration of diverse plant signals.

Fertility↗

Mutation processes at the protein level: is Lamarck back?

The experimental evidence accumulated for the last half of the century clearly suggests that inherited variation is not restricted to the changes in genomic sequences. The prion model, originally based on unusual transmission of certain neurodegenerative diseases in mammals, provides a molecular mechanism for the template-like reproduction of alternative protein conformations. Recent data extend this model to protein-based genetic elements in yeast and other fungi. Reproduction and transmission of yeast protein-based genetic elements is controlled by the "prion replication" machinery of the cell, composed of the protein helpers responsible for the processes of assembly and disassembly of protein structures and multiprotein complexes. Among these, the stress-related chaperones of Hsp100 and Hsp70 groups play an important role. Alterations of levels or activity of these proteins result in "mutator" or "antimutator" affects in regard to protein-based genetic elements. "Protein mutagens" have also been identified that affect formation and/or propagation of the alternative protein conformations. Prion-forming abilities appear to be conserved in evolution, despite the divergence of the corresponding amino acid sequences. Moreover, a wide variety of proteins of different origins appear to possess the ability to form amyloid-like aggregates, that in certain conditions might potentially result in prion-like switches. This suggests a possible mechanism for the inheritance of acquired traits, postulated in the Lamarckian theory of evolution. The prion model also puts in doubt the notion that cloned animals are genetically identical to their genome donors, and suggests that genome sequence would not provide a complete information about the genetic makeup of an organism.

Animals↗

Nicastrin is required for gamma-secretase cleavage of the Drosophila Notch receptor.

Nicastrin is genetically linked to Notch/lin-12 signaling in C. elegans and is part of a large multiprotein complex along with Presenilin. Here we describe the isolation and characterization of Drosophila Nicastrin (Nic) mutants. Nic mutants and tissue clones display characteristic Notch-like phenotypes. Genetic and inhibitor studies indicate a function for Nicastrin in the gamma-secretase step of Notch processing, similar to Presenilin. Further, Nicastrin is genetically required for signaling from membrane-anchored activated Notch. In the absence of Nicastrin, Presenilin is destabilized and mature C-terminal subunits are absent. Nicastrin might recruit gamma-secretase substrates into the proteolytic complex as a prerequisite for Presenilin maturation and active complex assembly.

Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases↗

Complementation between N-terminal Saccharomyces cerevisiae mre11 alleles in DNA repair and telomere length maintenance.

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Mre11p, Rad50p, and Xrs2p function as a multiprotein complex that has a central role in several DNA repair mechanisms. Though Mre11p has both single-stranded and double-stranded 3'-5' exonuclease activity in vitro, null mutants of MRE11, RAD50, and XRS2 exhibit reduced 5'-3' resection of HO-induced double-strand breaks (DSBs) in vivo. In this study, we analyzed four mre11 mutants harboring changes in the N-terminus of Mre11p where the four phosphoesterase motifs specify the in vitro nuclease activities of Mre11p and its homologues. We find that the 5'-3' resection defects in vivo do not correlate with several mitotic phenotypes: non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ), telomere length maintenance, and adaptation to the DNA damage-inducible G2/M checkpoint. Overexpression of the 5'-3' exonuclease Exo1p in a mre11Delta strain partially increased 5'-3' resection and partially suppressed both methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) hypersensitivity and adaptation phenotypes, but did not affect telomere length or NHEJ. Surprisingly, the co-expression of two alleles, mre11-58S and mre11-N113S, each of which confers MMS hypersensitivity and short telomeres, can fully complement the MMS sensitivity and shortened telomere length of mre11Delta cells. We propose that at least two separate activities associated with the N-terminus of Mre11p are required for its mitotic function.

Alleles↗

Molecular characterization and developmental expression of the TFIIH factor p62 gene from Drosophila melanogaster: effects on the UV light sensitivity of a p62 mutant fly.

TFIIH is a multiprotein complex that has a central role in the RNA pol II mediated transcription, in DNA repair and in the control of the cell cycle. Mutations in some components of TFIIH are associated with three hereditary human syndromes: xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), Cockayne syndrome (CS) and trichothiodystrophy (TTD). The p62 protein is a structural component of the TFIIH core and no syndromes have been identified up to date by mutations in this human gene. In this work we report the molecular and genetic characterization of the Drosophila melanogaster p62 gene (Dmp62). The Dmp62 gene product shows high identity with its human and mouse homologues. Using computer analysis we identified several common motifs in the p62 proteins from different organisms, suggesting that these motifs could be involved in possible protein-protein interactions within the TFIIH complex or with other transcription and DNA repair factors. The Dmp62 transcript is expressed at similar levels throughout development, although there is a significant increase of the transcript level during the late embryogenesis and in the adult male. The analysis of a Drosophila line with a P-element enhancer trap insertion at the Dmp62 5'-UTR that directs the lac-Z expression from the Dmp62 promoter, showed a high level of expression in the gut, the testis and the pericardial cells. A P-element that disrupts the Dmp62 gene (Dmp62mut) produces early embryo lethality in homozygous flies. Heterozygous Dmp62mut larvae are more sensitive to UV light irradiation, and those individuals that are able to develop into adults have severe abdominal cuticular damage after UV light irradiation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Reduced G-protein-coupled-receptor kinase 2 activity results in impairment of osteoblast function.

Rapid phosphorylation of many G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) by G-protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs) accompanies stimulus-driven desensitization. Recent evidence suggests that GRKs and their associated arresting proteins, beta-arrestins, function as essential elements in the GPCR-mediated mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase signaling cascade. We investigated the interaction between GRKs and MAP kinase activation by growth factors in UMR 106-H5 osteoblastic cells stably expressing a dominant negative mutant of GRK2 (K220R). Expression of K220R in osteoblastic cells results in reduced cellular proliferation, both basally and in response to insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and blunting of IGF-1- and EGF-induced MAP kinase activation. Reduced MAP kinase activation is not associated with alterations in IGF-1-receptor autophosphorylation. Both a constitutively active Ras mutant and PMA fully activate MAP kinase in K220R cells. We found that disruption of the GRK2 gene results in: (1) reduced osteoblast proliferation in response to growth factors, and (2) impaired receptor tyrosine kinase activation of mitogenic signaling pathways. Thus, GRK2 may regulate growth factor responsiveness in osteoblasts by modulating multiprotein complex formation following receptor tyrosine kinase activation.

Animals↗

Effect of inhibitors of DNA replication on early zebrafish embryos: evidence for coordinate activation of multiple intrinsic cell-cycle checkpoints at the mid-blastula transition.

We address the developmental activation, in the zebrafish embryo, of intrinsic cell-cycle checkpoints which monitor the DNA replication process and progression through the cell cycle. Eukaryotic DNA replication is probably carried out by a multiprotein complex containing numerous enzymes and accessory factors that act in concert to effect processive DNA synthesis (Applegren, N. et al. (1995) J. Cell. Biochem. 59, 91-107). We have exposed early zebrafish embryos to three chemical agents which are predicted to specifically inhibit the DNA polymerase alpha, topoisomerase I and topoisomerase II components of the DNA replication complex. We present four findings: (1) Before mid-blastula transition (MBT) an inhibition of DNA synthesis does not block cells from attempting to proceed through mitosis, implying the lack of functional checkpoints. (2) After MBT, the embryo displays two distinct modes of intrinsic checkpoint operation. One mode is a rapid and complete stop of cell division, and the other is an 'adaptive' response in which the cell cycle continues to operate, perhaps in a 'repair' mode, to generate daughter nuclei with few visible defects. (3) The embryo does not display a maximal capability for the 'adaptive' response until several hours after MBT, which is consistent with a slow transcriptional control mechanism for checkpoint activation. (4) The slow activation of checkpoints at MBT provides a window of time during which inhibitors of DNA synthesis will induce cytogenetic lesions without killing the embryo. This could be useful in the design of a deletion-mutagenesis strategy.

Animals↗

Molecular organisation of cell-matrix contacts: essential multiprotein assemblies in cell and tissue function.

The adhesion of cells to their surrounding extracellular matrix has vital roles in embryonic development, inflammatory responses, wound healing and adult tissue homeostasis. Cells attach to extracellular matrix by specific cell-surface receptors, of which the integrins and transmembrane proteoglycans are major representatives. The engagement of adhesion receptors triggers assembly of functional matrix contacts, in which bound matrix components, adhesion receptors and associated intracellular cytoskeletal and signalling molecules form large, localised multiprotein complexes. This review discusses the functional categories of matrix contacts, examples of the biological roles of matrix contacts in normal physiology, and examples of the ways in which abnormalities of matrix contacts are associated with major human diseases.

Animals↗

Surface plasmon resonance-based sensors to identify cis-regulatory elements.

In eukaryotes, transcription is regulated by multiprotein complexes binding to specific regions of genomic DNA, called cis-regulatory elements. Comprehensive identification of these elements is an important goal of functional genomics. Hence, it is of practical interest to develop a high-throughput assay to identify cis-regulatory elements. Toward that goal, we demonstrate that a surface plasmon resonance-based assay can identify whether a specific region of DNA binds to proteins present in raw nuclear lysate. Specifically, we immobilized a 16-basepair double-stranded DNA region of the SQSTM1 promoter to the Texas Instruments Spreeta, a surface plasmon resonance sensor. As a control, in a separate experiment, we immobilized a similar piece of DNA that differed by only a single base pair. We observed a significant difference in surface plasmon resonance signal when these two probes were exposed to raw nuclear lysate from NIH/3T3 cells. Using a luciferase-reporter vector transfected into live NIH/3T3 cells, we measured a significant difference in transcriptional activity between the two pieces of DNA. We conclude that a surface plasmon resonance-based sensor is capable of identifying physiologically significant cis-regulatory elements.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Efficient and specific trypsin digestion of microgram to nanogram quantities of proteins in organic-aqueous solvent systems.

Mass spectrometry-based identification of the components of multiprotein complexes often involves solution-phase proteolytic digestion of the complex. The affinity purification of individual protein complexes often yields nanogram to low-microgram amounts of protein, which poses several challenges for enzymatic digestion and protein identification. We tested different solvent systems to optimize trypsin digestions of samples containing limited amounts of protein for subsequent analysis by LC-MS-MS. Data collected from digestion of 10-, 2-, 1-, and 0.2-microg portions of a protein standard mixture indicated that an organic-aqueous solvent system containing 80% acetonitrile consistently provided the most complete digestion, producing more peptide identifications than the other solvent systems tested. For example, a 1-h digestion in 80% acetonitrile yielded over 52% more peptides than the overnight digestion of 1 microg of a protein mixture in purely aqueous buffer. This trend was also observed for peptides from digested ribosomal proteins isolated from Rhodopseudomonas palustris. In addition to improved digestion efficiency, the shorter digestion times possible with the organic solvent also improved trypsin specificity, resulting in smaller numbers of semitryptic peptides than an overnight digestion protocol using an aqueous solvent. The technique was also demonstrated for an affinity-isolated protein complex, GroEL. To our knowledge, this report is the first using mass spectrometry data to show a linkage between digestion solvent and trypsin specificity.

Acetonitriles↗

Identification and mapping of protein-protein interactions by a combination of cross-linking, cleavage, and proteomics.

Protein-protein interactions are vital for almost all cellular functions, and many require the formation of multiprotein complexes. Identification of the macroscopic and microscopic protein interactions within these complexes is essential in understanding their mechanisms, both under physiologic as well as pathologic conditions. This review describes the current technology available to investigate interactions between proteins utilizing chemical cross-linking and site-directed cleavage reagents, outlining the necessary steps involved in identifying interacting proteins both in vitro and in vivo. Once interacting proteins are identified, more information about the architecture of the assemblies is necessary. Unique separation techniques coupled with cross-linking and mass spectrometry can now identify specific interaction sites and lead to the development of quaternary structural protein models. Furthermore, combination of these methods with proteomic approaches enables the identification and analysis of complex interactions in vivo. Finally, future directions in cross-linking methodologies are discussed.

Cross-Linking Reagents↗

S-[2-(4-azidosalicylamido)ethylthio]-2-thiopyridine: radioiodinatable, cleavable, photoactivatible cross-linking agent.

S-[2-(4-Azidosalicylamido)ethylthio]-2-thiopyridine (AET) contains a 2-thiopyridyl moiety, which permits cysteine-specific incorporation into protein through a cleavable disulfide bond, and a 4-azidosalicylamido moiety, which permits radioiodination and photoactivatible cross-linking. In contrast to the related compound S-[2-[N-[4-(4-azidosalicylamido)butyl]carbomoyl]ethylthio]-2 -thiopyridine [APDP; Zecherle, G., Oleinikov, A., and Traut, R. (1992) Biochemistry 31, 9526], AET contains a relatively short linker arm between the 2-thiopyridyl moiety and the 4-azidosalicylamido moiety. In a previous paper, it was shown that AET could be used in site-specific protein-protein photocross-linking to identify nearest-neighbor protein domains within a multiprotein complex [Chen, Y., Ebright, Y., and Ebright, R. (1994) Science 265, 90]. In this paper, the synthesis, radioiodination, and incorporation into protein of AET are described.

Autoradiography↗

Structure of the Jab1/MPN domain and its implications for proteasome function.

The 26S proteasome is responsible for the degradation of polyubiquitinated proteins. During this process the polyubiquitin chain is removed. The identity of the proteasomal component that is responsible for this activity has not been clear, as it contains no subunits that resemble known deubiquitinating enzymes. The Jab1/MPN domain is a widespread 120 amino acid protein module found in archaea, bacteria, and eukaryotes. In eukaryotes the Jab1/MPN domain is found in subunits of several multiprotein complexes including the proteasome. Recently it has been proposed that the Jab1/MPN domain of the proteasomal subunit Rpn11 is responsible for the removal of the polyubiquitin chain from substrate proteins. Here we report the crystal structure and characterization of AF2198, a Jab1/MPN domain protein from Archaeoglobolus fulgidus. The structure reveals a fold that resembles that of cytidine deaminase and places the Jab1/MPN domain in a superfamily of metal dependent hydrolases.

Amino Acid Motifs↗

Alternative binding modes of proline-rich peptides binding to the GYF domain.

Recognition of proline-rich sequences plays an important role for the assembly of multiprotein complexes during the course of eukaryotic signal transduction and is mediated by a set of protein folds that share characteristic features. The GYF (glycine-tyrosine-phenylalanine) domain is known as a member of the superfamily of recognition domains for proline-rich sequences. Recent studies on the complexation of the CD2BP2-GYF domain with CD2 peptides showed that the peptide adopts an extended conformation and forms a polyproline type-II helix involving residues Pro4-Pro7 [Freund et al. (2002) EMBO J. 21, 5985-5995]. R/K/GxxPPGxR/K is the key signature for the peptides that bind to the GYF domain [Kofler et al. (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279, 28292-28297]. In our combined theoretical and experimental study, we show that the peptides adopt a polyproline II helical conformation in the unbound form as well as in the complex. From molecular dynamics simulations, we identify a novel binding mode for the G8W mutant and the wild-type peptide (shifted by one proline in register). In contrast, the conformation of the peptide mutant H9M remains close to the experimentally derived wild-type GYF-peptide complex. Possible functional implications of this altered conformation of the bound ligand are discussed in the light of our experimental and theoretical results.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗