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Efficient cloning of cDNAs of retinoic acid-responsive genes in P19 embryonal carcinoma cells and characterization of a novel mouse gene, Stra1 (mouse LERK-2/Eplg2).

Pluripotent mouse P19 embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells have been extensively used as a developmental model system because they can differentiate in the presence of retinoic acid (RA) into derivatives of all three germ layers depending on RA dosage and culture conditions. The expression of several genes has been shown to be induced in RA-treated P19 EC cells and, interestingly, some of these genes may play important roles during mouse embryogenesis. In view of the increasing evidence that RA is a crucial signaling molecule during vertebrate development, we have initiated a study aimed at the systematic isolation of genes whose expression is induced in P19 cells at various times after exposure to RA. We describe here an efficient differential subtractive hybridization cloning strategy which was used to identify additional RA-responsive genes in P19 cells. Fifty different cDNA fragments corresponding to RA-induced genes were isolated. Ten cDNAs represent known genes, 4 of which have already been described as RA-inducible, while the remaining 40 correspond to novel genes. Many of these cDNA sequences represent low-abundance mRNAs. Kinetic analysis of mRNA accumulation following RA treatment allowed us to characterize four classes of RA-responsive genes. We also report the sequence and expression pattern in mouse embryos and adult tissues of one of these novel RA-inducible genes, Stra1, and show that it corresponds to the mouse ligand for the Cek5 receptor protein-tyrosine kinase.

Animals↗

Polarized expression of the receptor protein tyrosine kinase Cek5 in the developing avian visual system.

Receptor protein tyrosine kinases of the Eph subfamily have been proposed to play roles in pattern formation based on their distribution during embryonic development. Cek5 (chicken embryo kinase 5) and Cek8 (chicken embryo kinase 8) are Eph-related kinases highly expressed in the chicken embryonic retina. To assess their potential roles in the development of the visual pathway, we examined their distribution by immunoperoxidase labeling. Cek8 is expressed throughout the pathway of the retinal ganglion cell axons, including the nerve fiber layer of the retina, optic nerve, optic chiasm, and stratum opticum of the tectum. Cek5 immunoreactivity is highly concentrated in only a portion of the optic nerve and optic chiasm, and in retinal cultures, Cek5 is detected in neurons. This prompted us to examine the regional distribution of Cek5 in the developing retina and led to the observation that Cek5 is most concentrated in the ventral aspect. RT-PCR established that the differential regulation of Cek5 expression in different portions of the retina occurs at the transcriptional level. Immunoblotting analysis revealed that this unusual expression pattern is distinctive for Cek5, as three other members of the Eph subfamily, Cek4, Cek8, and Cek9, are evenly expressed across the dorsal-ventral axis of the retina. Both Cek5 and Cek8 are distributed in manners which are consistent with their regulating the outgrowth of retinal ganglion cell axons to the tectum. Furthermore, Cek5 represents the first signal transduction molecule found to exhibit the polarized pattern of expression predicted for proteins that control the specificity of the retinotectal projections.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Reciprocal expression of the Eph receptor Cek5 and its ligand(s) in the early retina.

Recent evidence suggests that Eph receptor tyrosine kinases and their ligands provide positional information in the developing visual system. We previously found that the Eph receptor Cek5 is more highly expressed in the ventral than dorsal chicken embryonic retina. We now report the identification of a chicken ligand for Cek5 (cCek5-L) that is 75% identical to the ligand LERK2. In situ hybridization experiments do not reveal a dorsoventral gradient of cCek5-L transcripts in the optic tectum at Embryonic Day 8, suggesting that this ligand is not involved in guiding Cek5-expressing axons in the tectum. Surprisingly, it is in the retina that high levels of cCek5-L mRNA are present. In the early retina, cCek5-L is more highly expressed in the dorsal than the ventral aspect. Similarly, a Cek5 Ig chimera labels dorsal but not ventral retina, indicating that even if several Cek5 ligands are present, their overall distribution is complementary to that of Cek5. Hence, Cek5 and cCek5-L may both contribute to define anatomical compartments within the early retina. In contrast, in the 11-day embryonic retina the distributions of Cek5 and its ligand(s) show considerable overlap, suggesting changing functions as development progresses. In dissociated cultures of dorsal or ventral retinal cells seeded on plates coated with either receptor or ligand Ig chimeras, the interaction between Cek5 and its ligand(s) or cCek5-L and its receptor(s) is sufficient to mediate cell adhesion and allows neurite outgrowth.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Identification of the human ERK gene as a putative receptor tyrosine kinase and its chromosomal localization to 1p36.1: a comparative mapping of human, mouse, and rat chromosomes.

From a newly determined cDNA sequence of the human ERK gene, a highly hydrophobic portion was identified upstream of the putative tyrosine kinase domain. This is the first evidence that the ERK protein possesses a receptor-like membrane-spanning structure. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis of R-banded metaphase chromosomes revealed that the ERK gene is located in chromosome region 1p36.1. This locus is near the frequent translocation breakpoint or deletion region of neuroblastoma and some other cancers. A comparative mapping study of the mouse and rat homologues indicated that each counterpart maps to the mouse chromosome 4D2.2-D3 and rat chromosome 5q36.13 regions, both of which have conserved linkage homology to human chromosome 1p.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Ephrin/Eph receptor expression in brain of adult nonhuman primates: implications for neuroadaptation.

In developing brain, Eph receptors and their ephrin ligands (Ephs/ephrins) are implicated in facilitating topographic guidance of a number of pathways, including the nigrostriatal and mesolimbic dopamine (DA) pathways. In adult rodent brain, these molecules are implicated in neuronal plasticity associated with learning and memory. Cocaine significantly alters the expression of select members of this family of axonal guidance molecules, implicating Ephs, ephrins in drug-induced neuroadaptation. The potential contribution of Ephs, ephrins to cocaine-induced reorganization of striatal circuitry brain in primates [Saka, E., Goodrich, C., Harlan, P., Madras, B.K., Graybiel, A.M., 2004. Repetitive behaviors in monkeys are linked to specific striatal activation patterns. J. Neurosci. 24, 7557-7565] is unknown because there are no documented reports of Eph/ephrin expression or function in adult primate brain. We now report that brains of adult old and new world monkeys express mRNA encoding EphA4 receptor and ephrin-B2 ligand, implicated in topographic guidance of dopamine and striatal neurons during development. Their encoded proteins distributed highly selectively in regions of adult monkey brain. EphA4 mRNA levels were prominent in the DA-rich caudate/putamen, nucleus accumbens and globus pallidus, as well as the medial and orbitofrontal cortices, hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus and cerebellum. Immunocytochemical localization of EphA4 protein revealed discrete expression in caudate/putamen, globus pallidus, substantia nigra, cerebellar Purkinje cells, pyramidal cells of frontal cortices (layers II, III and V) and the subgranular zone of the hippocampus. Evidence for EphA4 expression in dopamine neurons emerged from colocalization with tyrosine-hydroxylase-positive terminals in striatum and substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area cell bodies. The association of axonal guidance molecules with drug-induced reorganization of adult primate brain circuitry warrants investigation.

Acclimatization↗

Magnitude of binocular vision controlled by islet-2 repression of a genetic program that specifies laterality of retinal axon pathfinding.

Pathfinding of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons at the midline optic chiasm determines whether RGCs project to ipsilateral or contralateral brain visual centers, critical for binocular vision. Using Isl2tau-lacZ knockin mice, we show that the LIM-homeodomain transcription factor Isl2 marks only contralaterally projecting RGCs. The transcription factor Zic2 and guidance receptor EphB1, required by RGCs to project ipsilaterally, colocalize in RGCs distinct from Isl2 RGCs in the ventral-temporal crescent (VTC), the source of ipsilateral projections. Isl2 knockout mice have an increased ipsilateral projection originating from significantly more RGCs limited to the VTC. Isl2 knockouts also have increased Zic2 and EphB1 expression and significantly more Zic2 RGCs in the VTC. We conclude that Isl2 specifies RGC laterality by repressing an ipsilateral pathfinding program unique to VTC RGCs and involving Zic2 and EphB1. This genetic hierarchy controls binocular vision by regulating the magnitude and source of ipsilateral projections and reveals unique retinal domains.

Animals↗

PTHrP induces changes in cell cytoskeleton and E-cadherin and regulates Eph/Ephrin kinases and RhoGTPases in murine secondary trophoblast cells.

The differentiation of murine trophoblast giant cells (TGCs) is well characterised at the molecular level and, to some extent, the cellular level. Currently, there is a rudimentary understanding about factors regulating the cellular differentiation of secondary TGCs. Using day 8.5 p.c.-ectoplacental cone (EPC) explant in serum-free culture, we have found parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) to regulate cellular changes during TGC differentiation. PTHrP greatly stimulated the formation and organisation of actin stress fibres and actin expression in trophoblast outgrowth. This coincided with changing cell shape into a flattened/fibroblastic morphology, suppression of E-cadherin expression, and increased cell spreading in culture. PTHrP also increased the nuclear staining of beta-catenin and, similar to activator protein-2gamma (AP-2gamma), showed microtubule-dependent nuclear localisation in vitro. These cellular and behavioural changes correlated with changes in the expression of RhoGTPases and in both expression and phosphorylation of Eph/Ephrin kinases. The effects of PTHrP on trophoblast cellular differentiation were abolished after blocking its action. In conclusion, PTHrP provides an excellent example of the extrinsic factors that, through their network of activities, plays an important role in cellular differentiation of secondary TGCs.

Actins↗

Olfactory marker protein (OMP) exhibits a beta-clam fold in solution: implications for target peptide interaction and olfactory signal transduction.

Olfactory marker protein (OMP) is a ubiquitous, cytoplasmic protein found in mature olfactory receptor neurons of all vertebrates. Electrophysiological and behavioral studies demonstrate that it is a modulator of the olfactory signal transduction pathway. Here, we demonstrate that the solution structure of OMP, as determined by NMR studies, is a single globular domain protein comprised of eight beta-strands forming two beta-sheets oriented orthogonally to one another, thus exhibiting a "beta-clam" or "beta-sandwich" fold: beta-sheet 1 is comprised of beta3-beta8-beta1-beta2 and beta-sheet 2 contains beta6-beta5-beta4-beta7. Insertions include two, long alpha-helices located on opposite sides of the beta-clam and three flexible loops. The juxtaposition of beta-strands beta6-beta5-beta4-beta7-beta2-beta1-beta8-beta3 forms a continuously curved surface and encloses one side of the beta-clam. The "cleft" formed by the two beta-sheets is opposite to the closed end of the beta-clam. Using a peptide titration series, we have identified this cleft as the binding surface for a peptide derived from the Bex1 protein. The highly conserved Omega-loop structure adjacent to the Bex1 peptide-binding surface found in OMP may be the site of additional OMP-protein interactions related to its role in modulating olfactory signal transduction. Thus, the interaction between the OMP and Bex1 proteins could facilitate the interaction between OMP and other components of the olfactory signaling pathway.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Nuk controls pathfinding of commissural axons in the mammalian central nervous system.

Eph family receptor tyrosine kinases have been proposed to control axon guidance and fasciculation. To address the biological functions of the Eph family member Nuk, two mutations in the mouse germline have been generated: a protein null allele (Nuk1) and an allele that encodes a Nuk-beta gal fusion receptor lacking the tyrosine kinase and C-terminal domains (Nuk(lacZ)). In Nuk1 homozygous brains, the majority of axons forming the posterior tract of the anterior commissure migrate aberrantly to the floor of the brain, resulting in a failure of cortical neurons to link the two temporal lobes. These results indicate that Nuk, a receptor that binds transmembrane ligands, plays a critical and unique role in the pathfinding of specific axons in the mammalian central nervous system.

Alleles↗

Signaling by Eph receptors and their ephrin ligands.

What are the mechanisms by which Eph receptor tyrosine kinases guide axons and migrating cells? Recent results show that Eph receptors bind some of the well-known effector molecules that are implicated in the organization of the actin cytoskeleton; moreover, biochemical and genetic evidence suggests a signaling role for transmembrane ephrin ligands in axon pathfinding.

Animals↗

Symmetrical mutant phenotypes of the receptor EphB4 and its specific transmembrane ligand ephrin-B2 in cardiovascular development.

Ephrin-B2 is a transmembrane ligand that is specifically expressed on arteries but not veins and that is essential for cardiovascular development. However, ephrin-B2 is also expressed in nonvascular tissues and interacts with multiple EphB class receptors expressed in both endothelial and nonendothelial cell types. Thus, the identity of the relevant receptor for ephrin-B2 and the site(s) where these molecules interact to control angiogenesis were not clear. Here we show that EphB4, a specific receptor for ephrin-B2, is exclusively expressed by vascular endothelial cells in embryos and is preferentially expressed on veins. A targeted mutation in EphB4 essentially phenocopies the mutation in ephrin-B2. These data indicate that ephrin-B2-EphB4 interactions are intrinsically required in vascular endothelial cells and are consistent with the idea that they mediate bidirectional signaling essential for angiogenesis.

Animals↗

Global kinase screening. Applications of frontal affinity chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry in drug discovery.

Utilizing frontal affinity chromatography with mass spectrometry detection (FAC-MS), we have identified novel applications in the discovery of small-molecule hits to protein targets that are difficult if not impossible to accomplish using traditional assays. We demonstrate for the first time an ability to distinguish between competitive ligands for the ATP and substrate sites of protein kinase C independently in the same experiment and show that ATP competitive ligands using a functionally inactive receptor tyrosine kinase can be identified. This ability of FAC-MS to simultaneously monitor binding at the ATP and substrate binding sites, as well as measure ligand binding to both active and inactive kinases, suggests that FAC-MS can be used as a "global kinase binding assay".

Alkaloids↗

Biological and molecular characterization of an ECV-304-derived cell line resistant to p53-mediated apoptosis.

Upregulation of the p53 tumor suppressor protein by infection with a recombinant p53 adenovirus resulted in extensive apoptosis in ECV-304 cells and the eventual death of almost all the cells. To establish a system to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in p53-mediated apoptosis of these cells, we established a variant of ECV-304 that is resistant to p53-induced apoptosis by repeated infections with a recombinant p53 adenovirus. We have designated this variant as the DECV cell line (Differentiated ECV-304). DECV cells expressed similar amounts of nuclear-localized p53 as ECV-304 cells when infected with recombinant p53 adenovirus, but in contrast to ECV-304 cells, greater than 95% of DECV cells survived and remained viable after 24 hours of infection. In further contrast to ECV-304 cells, DECV cells grew less efficiently in soft agar and exhibited contact inhibition in growth assays. Moreover, DECV cells formed unusual lattice or cyst-like structures in culture and formed lumenal structures indicative of epithelial differentiation in three-dimensional collagen matrices, while parental ECV-304 cells showed minimal evidence of these cellular behaviors. A comparative molecular analysis of gene expression in DECV and ECV-304 cells was conducted by cDNA microarray technology. Protocadherin-1 was found to be expressed in DECV cells but not in ECV-304 cells, while the Id-3 gene was observed expressed in ECV-304 cells but not in DECV cells. Moreover, upregulated expression of p53 in ECV-304 cells induced the EPHB2 (Ephrin) receptor tyrosine kinase and the ephrin-B1 ligand mRNAs compared to DECV cells treated in the same manner. These data demonstrate that a new variant of the ECV-304 cell line, which is resistant to p53-mediated apoptosis, exhibits differential gene expression as well as distinct cell behaviors as compared to the parental ECV-304 cell line. DECV cells should prove to be a useful tool in future studies to elucidate mechanisms of p53-mediated apoptosis and differentiation.

Adenoviridae↗

In vivo cell sorting in complementary segmental domains mediated by Eph receptors and ephrins.

The restriction of intermingling between specific cell populations is crucial for the maintenance of organized patterns during development. A striking example is the restriction of cell mixing between segments in the insect epidermis and the vertebrate hindbrain that may enable each segment to maintain a distinct identity. In the hindbrain, this is a result of different adhesive properties of odd- and even-numbered segments (rhombomeres), but an adhesion molecule with alternating segmental expression has not been found. However, blocking experiments suggest that Eph-receptor tyrosine kinases may be required for the segmental restriction of cells. Eph receptors and their membrane-bound ligands, ephrins, are expressed in complementary rhombomeres and, by analogy with their roles in axon pathfinding, could mediate cell repulsion at boundaries. Remarkably, transmembrane ephrins can themselves transduce signals, raising the possibility that bi-directional signalling occurs between adjacent ephrin- and Eph-receptor-expressing cells. We report here that mosaic activation of Eph receptors leads to sorting of cells to boundaries in odd-numbered rhombomeres, whereas mosaic activation of ephrins results in sorting to boundaries in even-numbered rhombomeres. These data implicate Eph receptors and ephrins in the segmental restriction of cell intermingling.

Animals↗

Eph receptors and ephrins restrict cell intermingling and communication.

Eph proteins are receptors with tyrosine-kinase activity which, with their ephrin ligands, mediate contact-dependent cell interactions that are implicated in the repulsion mechanisms that guide migrating cells and neuronal growth cones to specific destinations. Ephrin-B proteins have conserved cytoplasmic tyrosine residues that are phosphorylated upon interaction with an EphB receptor, and may transduce signals that regulate a cellular response. Because Eph receptors and ephrins have complementary expression in many tissues during embryogenesis, bidirectional activation of Eph receptors and ephrin-B proteins could occur at interfaces of their expression domains, for example at segment boundaries in the vertebrate hindbrain. Previous work has implicated Eph receptors and ephrin-B proteins in the restriction of cell intermingling between hindbrain segments. We therefore analysed whether complementary expression of Eph receptors and ephrins restricts cell intermingling, and whether this requires bidirectional or unidirectional signalling. Here we report that bidirectional but not unidirectional signalling restricts the intermingling of adjacent cell populations, whereas unidirectional activation is sufficient to restrict cell communication through gap junctions. These results reveal that Eph receptors and ephrins regulate two aspects of cell behaviour that can stabilize a distinct identity of adjacent cell populations.

Animals↗

Bidirectional signalling through the EPH-family receptor Nuk and its transmembrane ligands.

Receptor tyrosine kinases of the EPH class have been implicated in the control of axon guidance and fasciculation, in regulating cell migration, and in defining compartments in the developing embryo. Efficient activation of EPH receptors generally requires that their ligands be anchored to the cell surface, either through a transmembrane (TM) region or a glycosyl phosphatidylinositol (GPI) group. These observations have suggested that EPH receptors can transduce signals initiated by direct cell-cell interaction. Genetic analysis of Nuk, a murine EPH receptor that binds TM ligands, has raised the possibility that these ligands might themselves have a signalling function. Consistent with this, the three known TM ligands have a highly conserved cytoplasmic region, with multiple potential sites for tyrosine phosphorylation. Here we show that challenging cells that express the TM ligands Elk-L or Htk-L with the clustered ectodomain of Nuk induces phosphorylation of the ligands on tyrosine, a process that can be mimicked both in vitro and in vivo by an activated Src tyrosine kinase. Co-culture of cells expressing a TM ligand with cells expressing Nuk leads to tyrosine phosphorylation of both the ligand and Nuk. These results suggest that the TM ligands are associated with a tyrosine kinase, and are inducibly phosphorylated upon binding Nuk, in a fashion reminiscent of cytokine receptors. Furthermore, we show that TM ligands, as well as Nuk, are phosphorylated on tyrosine in mouse embryos, indicating that this is a physiological process. EPH receptors and their TM ligands therefore mediate bidirectional cell signalling.

Amino Acid Sequence↗