PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Pyrin”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The B30.2 domain of pyrin, the familial Mediterranean fever protein, interacts directly with caspase-1 to modulate IL-1beta production.

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a recessively inherited autoinflammatory disorder with high carrier frequencies in the Middle East. Pyrin, the protein mutated in FMF, regulates caspase-1 activation and consequently IL-1beta production through cognate interaction of its N-terminal PYRIN motif with the ASC adaptor protein. However, the preponderance of mutations reside in pyrin's C-terminal B30.2 domain. Here we demonstrate direct interaction of this domain with caspase-1. In lysates from cells not expressing ASC, reciprocal GST pull-downs demonstrated the interaction of pyrin with the p20 and p10 catalytic subunits of caspase-1. Coimmunoprecipitations of pyrin and caspase-1 from THP-1 human monocytic cells were consistent with the interaction of endogenous proteins. The C-terminal B30.2 domain of pyrin is necessary and sufficient for the interaction, and binding was reduced by FMF-associated B30.2 mutations. Full-length pyrin attenuated IL-1beta production in cells transfected with a caspase-1/IL-1beta construct, an effect diminished by FMF-associated B30.2 mutations and in B30.2 deletion mutants. Modeling of the crystal structure of caspase-1 with the deduced structure of the pyrin B30.2 domain corroborated both the interaction and the importance of M694V and M680I pyrin mutations. Consistent with a net inhibitory effect of pyrin on IL-1beta activation, small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated pyrin knockdown in THP-1 cells augmented IL-1beta production in response to bacterial LPS. Moreover, the IL-1 receptor antagonist anakinra suppressed acute-phase proteins in a patient with FMF and amyloidosis. Our data support a direct, ASC-independent effect of pyrin on IL-1beta activation and suggest heightened IL-1 responsiveness as one factor selecting for pyrin mutations.

Caspase 1↗

Pyrin binds the PSTPIP1/CD2BP1 protein, defining familial Mediterranean fever and PAPA syndrome as disorders in the same pathway.

Pyrin, the familial Mediterranean fever protein, is found in association with the cytoskeleton in myeloid/monocytic cells and modulates IL-1beta processing, NF-kappaB activation, and apoptosis. These effects are mediated in part through cognate interactions with the adaptor protein ASC, which shares an N-terminal motif with pyrin. We sought additional upstream regulators of inflammation by using pyrin as the bait in yeast two-hybrid assays. We now show that proline serine threonine phosphatase-interacting protein [PSTPIP1, or CD2-binding protein 1 (CD2BP1)], a tyrosine-phosphorylated protein involved in cytoskeletal organization, also interacts with pyrin. Recently, PSTPIP1/CD2BP1 mutations were shown to cause the syndrome of pyogenic arthritis, pyoderma gangrenosum, and acne (PAPA), a dominantly inherited autoinflammatory disorder mediated predominantly by granulocytes. Endogenous PSTPIP1/CD2BP1 and pyrin are coexpressed in monocytes and granulocytes and can be coimmunoprecipitated from THP-1 cells. The B box segment of pyrin was necessary and the B box/coiled-coil segment sufficient for this interaction, whereas the SH3 and coiled-coil domains of PSTPIP1/CD2BP1 were both necessary, but neither was sufficient, for pyrin binding. The Y344F PSTPIP1/CD2BP1 mutation, which blocks tyrosine phosphorylation, was associated with a marked reduction in pyrin binding in pervanadate-treated cells. PAPA-associated A230T and E250Q PSTPIP1/CD2BP1 mutations markedly increased pyrin binding as assayed by immunoprecipitation and, relative to WT, these mutants were hyperphosphorylated when coexpressed with c-Abl kinase. Consistent with the hypothesis that these mutations exert a dominant-negative effect on the previously reported activity of pyrin, we found increased IL-1beta production by peripheral blood leukocytes from a clinically active PAPA patient with the A230T PSTPIP1/CD2BP1 mutation and in cell lines transfected with both PAPA-associated mutants.

Cell Cycle Proteins↗

Interaction of pyrin with 14.3.3 in an isoform-specific and phosphorylation-dependent manner regulates its translocation to the nucleus.

OBJECTIVE: Pyrin, the familial Mediterranean fever gene product, exists in several isoforms of unknown functions. The recombinant full-length isoform (pyrin.fl) is cytoplasmic, whereas an alternatively spliced isoform lacking exon 2 (pyrin.DeltaEx2) concentrates in the nucleus. Native pyrin, mainly consisting of pyrin.fl, is also cytoplasmic in monocytes but is predominantly nuclear in other cell types. To understand pyrin-dependent biologic pathways and to decipher the mechanisms accounting for such different patterns of subcellular compartmentalization, binding partners and posttranslational modifications of pyrin were assessed. METHODS: A yeast 2-hybrid screen was performed with pyrin.fl as the bait. The interaction identified between pyrin.fl and 14.3.3 proteins was confirmed by immunoprecipitation of (35)S-radiolabeled protein complexes; similar experiments were performed with pyrin.DeltaEx2, pyrin.fl after alkaline phosphatase treatment, and pyrin.fl mutants in which several exon 2-encoded serine residues were replaced by nonphosphorylatable alanines. The subcellular localization of the different wild-type and mutated pyrin proteins was assessed by immunofluorescence. RESULTS: Two members of the 14.3.3 protein family were identified as pyrin partners. Whereas pyrin.fl interacted with 14.3.3tau and 14.3.3epsilon, these interactions did not occur with pyrin.DeltaEx2. Pyrin.fl was phosphorylated, and this modification mediated 14.3.3 binding. Serines 208, 209, and 242, within exon 2, acted as critical residues in the interaction between pyrin.fl and 14.3.3. When an S208-S209-S242A pyrin.fl triple mutant or wild-type pyrin.fl in the presence of an inhibitor of 14.3.3-ligand interactions was used, promotion of nuclear translocation of pyrin was observed. CONCLUSION: These results disclose the role played by 14.3.3 in the regulation of the subcellular compartmentalization of pyrin in a phosphorylation- and isoform-dependent manner. They also reconcile the observations made in vitro with those made in vivo, while providing a direct link between 14.3.3-dependent pathways and pyrin.

Cell Nucleus↗

The death-domain fold of the ASC PYRIN domain, presenting a basis for PYRIN/PYRIN recognition.

The PYRIN domain is a conserved sequence motif identified in more than 20 human proteins with putative functions in apoptotic and inflammatory signalling pathways. The three-dimensional structure of the PYRIN domain from human ASC was determined by NMR spectroscopy. The structure determination reveals close structural similarity to death domains, death effector domains, and caspase activation and recruitment domains, although the structural alignment with these other members of the death-domain superfamily differs from previously predicted amino acid sequence alignments. Two highly positively and negatively charged surfaces in the PYRIN domain of ASC result in a strong electrostatic dipole moment that is predicted to be present also in related PYRIN domains. These results suggest that electrostatic interactions play an important role for the binding between PYRIN domains. Consequently, the previously reported binding between the PYRIN domains of ASC and ASC2/POP1 or between the zebrafish PYRIN domains of zAsc and Caspy is proposed to involve interactions between helices 2 and 3 of one PYRIN domain with helices 1 and 4 of the other PYRIN domain, in analogy to previously reported homophilic interactions between caspase activation and recruitment domains.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Targeted disruption of pyrin, the FMF protein, causes heightened sensitivity to endotoxin and a defect in macrophage apoptosis.

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an inherited disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of fever and inflammation. Most patients with FMF carry missense mutations in the C-terminal half of the pyrin protein. To study the physiologic role of pyrin, we generated mice expressing a truncated pyrin molecule that, similar to FMF patients, retains the full PYRIN domain. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces accentuated body temperatures and increased lethality in homozygous mutant mice. When stimulated, macrophages from these mice produce increased amounts of activated caspase-1 and, consequently, elevated levels of mature IL-1beta. Full-length pyrin competes in vitro with caspase-1 for binding to ASC, a known caspase-1 activator. Apoptosis is impaired in macrophages from pyrin-truncation mice through an IL-1-independent pathway. These data support a critical role for pyrin in the innate immune response, possibly by acting on ASC, and suggest a biologic basis for the selection of hypomorphic pyrin variants in man.

Alternative Splicing↗

Interaction between pyrin and the apoptotic speck protein (ASC) modulates ASC-induced apoptosis.

Patients with familial Mediterranean fever suffer sporadic inflammatory attacks characterized by fever and intense pain (in joints, abdomen, or chest). Pyrin, the product of the MEFV locus, is a cytosolic protein whose function is unknown. Using pyrin as a "bait" to probe a yeast two-hybrid library made from neutrophil cDNA, we isolated apoptotic speck protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (CARD) (ASC), a proapoptotic protein that induces the formation of large cytosolic "specks" in transfected cells. We found that when HeLa cells are transfected with ASC, specks are formed. After co-transfection of cells with ASC plus wild type pyrin, an increase in speck-positive cells is found, and speck-positive cells show increased survival. Immunofluorescence studies show that pyrin co-localizes with ASC in specks. Speck localization requires exon 1 of pyrin, but exon 1 alone of pyrin does not result in an increase in the number of specks. Exon 1 of pyrin and exon 1 of ASC show 42% sequence similarity and resemble death domain-related structures in modeling studies. These findings link pyrin to apoptosis pathways and suggest that the modulation of cell survival may be a component of the pathophysiology of familial Mediterranean fever.

Actins↗

Prevalence and significance of the familial Mediterranean fever gene mutation encoding pyrin Q148.

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is caused by more than 25 mutations in the gene MEFV, which encodes pyrin (marenostrin), a protein implicated in the regulation of neutrophil activity. Pyrin Q148, is one of the five most common variants in populations in which FMF typically occurs. Our identification of the pyrin Q148 allele in several patients from ethnic groups in which FMF is not classically recognized who had longstanding fevers or AA amyloidosis prompted us to study the prevalence of pyrin Q148 in healthy British, Indian and Chinese subjects. The gene frequency was also sought in 50 British Caucasian patients with inflammatory arthritis, 25 of whom had AA amyloidosis, five Punjabi Indians with AA amyloidosis complicating inflammatory arthritis, and seven British Caucasian patients with uncharacterized longstanding fever syndromes. The allele frequency for pyrin Q148 was 21%, 15% and 0%, respectively, among Punjabi Indian, Chinese and Caucasian British controls, and was significantly increased among the patients with AA amyloidosis and the patients with obscure fever syndromes (p<0.01). Pyrin Q148 is a polymorphism and occurs widely in global terms, and, although it may cause FMF when associated with certain other MEFV mutations, homozygosity for Q148 alone must usually be insufficient to produce FMF in the populations studied. The association of pyrin Q148 with AA amyloidosis and with obscure chronic inflammatory diseases suggests the variant may augment inflammation non-specifically, which might have been beneficial during evolution, but could potentially exacerbate many chronic inflammatory disorders.

Adult↗

Genetic analysis of MEFV gene pyrin domain in patients with Behçet's disease.

OBJECTIVES: Behçet's disease (BD) is a systemic vasculitis with recurrent oral and genital ulcers and uveitis. MEFV gene, which is the main factor in familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), is also reported to be a susceptibility gene for BD. The pyrin domain of MEFV gene is a member of death-domain superfamily and has been proposed to regulate inflammatory signaling in myeloid cells. This study was designed to determine if mutations in pyrin domain of MEFV gene are involved in BD. METHODS: We analyzed the pyrin domain of MEFV gene in 54 Turkish patients with BD by PCR-analysis and direct sequencing. RESULTS: Neither deletion or insertion mutations nor point mutations in pyrin domain were found in any patient. CONCLUSION: Although pyrin gene mutations have been reported in patients with BD, pyrin domain is not mutated. However, alterations in other regions of MEFV gene and interaction between pyrin domains are needed to be further investigated.

Behcet Syndrome↗

The familial Mediterranean fever protein, pyrin, associates with microtubules and colocalizes with actin filaments.

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a recessive disorder characterized by episodes of fever and intense inflammation. FMF attacks are unique in their sensitivity to the microtubule inhibitor colchicine, contrasted with their refractoriness to the anti-inflammatory effects of glucocorticoids. The FMF gene, MEFV, was recently identified by positional cloning; it is expressed at high levels in granulocytes and monocytes. The present study investigated the subcellular localization of the normal gene product, pyrin. These experiments did not support previously proposed nuclear or Golgi localizations. Instead fluorescence microscopy demonstrated colocalization of full-length GFP- and epitope-tagged pyrin with microtubules; this was markedly accentuated in paclitaxel-treated cells. Moreover, immunoblot analysis of precipitates of stabilized microtubules with recombinant pyrin demonstrated a direct interaction in vitro. Pyrin expression did not affect the stability of microtubules. Deletion constructs showed that the unique N-terminal domain of pyrin is necessary and sufficient for colocalization, whereas disease-associated mutations in the C-terminal B30.2 (rfp) domain did not disrupt this interaction. By phalloidin staining, a colocalization of pyrin with actin was also observed in perinuclear filaments and in peripheral lamellar ruffles. The proposal is made that pyrin regulates inflammatory responses at the level of leukocyte cytoskeletal organization and that the unique therapeutic effect of colchicine in FMF may be dependent on this interaction. (Blood. 2001;98:851-859)

Actin Cytoskeleton↗

Familial Mediterranean fever: from the clinical syndrome to the cloning of the pyrin gene.

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a genetic disorder, restricted to peoples originating in the Middle East. The clinical syndrome is characterized by shortlived febrile episodes, accompanied by inflammation in one of the serous membranes, resulting in peritonitis pleuritis or synovitis. In many untreated FMF patients, systemic amyloidosis developed. The clinical presentation of amyloidosis in FMF is nephropathic, progressing from proteinuria, nephrosis to renal failure and end stage renal disease. Continuous colchicine treatment, which was introduced in 1972, prevents most febrile-inflammatory attacks of FMF, and inhibits the development of amyloidosis in this otherwise fatal disease. Recently, the gene that causes FMF was cloned. It is called the pyrin gene and encodes the pyrin protein. Five missense mutations were found so far in the gene. These give rise to 5 amino acid substitutions, all of them in the carboxyterminal part of the pyrin protein. The pyrin protein is expressed solely in neutrophiles white blood cells which are found in large numbers in the inflammatory sites during FMF attacks. It seems that the role of the wild type of the pyrin protein is to inhibit inflammation that can be provoked by a minor insult. The mutated pyrin protein in FMF is probably unable to inhibit these unnecessary inflammatory events. Preliminary studies of phenotype genotype correlation are reported.

Adult↗

The PYRIN domain: a member of the death domain-fold superfamily.

PYRIN domains were identified recently as putative protein-protein interaction domains at the N-termini of several proteins thought to function in apoptotic and inflammatory signaling pathways. The approximately 95 residue PYRIN domains have no statistically significant sequence homology to proteins with known three-dimensional structure. Using secondary structure prediction and potential-based fold recognition methods, however, the PYRIN domain is predicted to be a member of the six-helix bundle death domain-fold superfamily that includes death domains (DDs), death effector domains (DEDs), and caspase recruitment domains (CARDs). Members of the death domain-fold superfamily are well established mediators of protein-protein interactions found in many proteins involved in apoptosis and inflammation, indicating further that the PYRIN domains serve a similar function. An homology model of the PYRIN domain of CARD7/DEFCAP/NAC/NALP1, a member of the Apaf-1/Ced-4 family of proteins, was constructed using the three-dimensional structures of the FADD and p75 neurotrophin receptor DDs, and of the Apaf-1 and caspase-9 CARDs, as templates. Validation of the model using a variety of computational techniques indicates that the fold prediction is consistent with the sequence. Comparison of a circular dichroism spectrum of the PYRIN domain of CARD7/DEFCAP/NAC/NALP1 with spectra of several proteins known to adopt the death domain-fold provides experimental support for the structure prediction.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Cryopyrin and pyrin activate caspase-1, but not NF-kappaB, via ASC oligomerization.

Mutations in cryopyrin and pyrin proteins are responsible for several autoinflammatory disorders in humans, suggesting that these proteins play important roles in regulating inflammation. Using a HEK293 cell-based reconstitution system that stably expresses ASC and procaspase-1 we demonstrated that neither cryopyrin nor pyrin or their corresponding disease-associated mutants could significantly activate NF-kappaB in this system. However, both cryopyrin and two disease-associated cryopyrin mutants induced ASC oligomerization and ASC-dependent caspase-1 activation, with the disease-associated mutants being more potent than the wild-type (WT) cryopyrin, because of increased self-oligomerization. Contrary to the proposed anti-inflammatory activity of WT pyrin, our results demonstrated that pyrin, like cryopyrin, can also assemble an inflammasome complex with ASC and procaspase-1 leading to ASC oligomerization, caspase-1 activation and interleukin-1beta processing. Thus, we propose that pyrin could function as a proinflammatory molecule.

Baculoviridae↗

The PYRIN-CARD protein ASC is an activating adaptor for caspase-1.

The PYRIN and CARD domains are members of the six-helix bundle death domain-fold superfamily that mediates assembly of large signaling complexes in the apoptotic and inflammatory signaling pathways. Here we show that the PYRIN-CARD protein ASC functions as a caspase-1-activating adaptor. ASC interacted specifically with procaspase-1 via CARD-CARD interactions and induced its oligomerization. Consistent with these results ectopic expression of full-length ASC, but not its isolated CARD or PYRIN domain, with procaspase-1 induced activation of procaspase-1 and processing of pro-interleukin-1beta in transfected cells. Substitution of the PYRIN domain of ASC with an inducible FKBP12 oligomerization domain produced a molecule that can induce caspase-1 activation in response to stimulation with the oligomerization drug AP20187, suggesting that the PYRIN domain functions as an oligomerization domain, whereas the CARD domain functions as the effector domain in the caspase-1 activation pathway. Furthermore stable expression of an isolated CARD of ASC in THP-1 cells diminished interleukin-1beta generation in response to pro-inflammatory cytokines. These results indicate that ASC is involved in the caspase-1 signaling pathway by mediating the assembly of a caspase-1-inflammasome signaling complex in response to pro-inflammatory cytokine stimulation.

Blood Proteins↗

Fire and ICE: the role of pyrin domain-containing proteins in inflammation and apoptosis.

The genetic bases for several human autoinflammatory syndromes have recently been identified, and the mutated proteins responsible for these diseases are rapidly being characterized. Here, we examine two of these newly identified proteins, pyrin (also called marenostrin, product of the familial Mediterranean fever locus, MEFV) and cryopyrin (product of the CAIS1 locus, and mutated in familial cold urticaria, Muckle Wells syndrome and chronic infantile neurological cutaneous and articular syndrome). Both pyrin and cryopyrin contain an N-terminal domain that encodes a death domain-related structure, now known as the pyrin domain, or PyD. We trace the molecular interactions mediated by these PyDs, examine the evolution of the family of molecules containing this domain, and discuss the function of PyD-containing proteins and their homologues. Synthesis of the available data indicates that both pyrin and cryopyrin interact via their PyDs with a common adaptor protein, ASC. ASC itself participates in at least three important cellular processes: apoptosis, recruitment and activation of pro-caspase-1 (with associated processing and secretion of IL-1beta), and activation of NF-kappaB (a transcription factor involved in both initiation and resolution of the inflammatory response). Through PyD:PyD interactions, pyrin and cryopyrin, as well as several related, but still uncharacterized PyD containing proteins, appear to modulate the activity of all three of these processes, each of which plays a crucial role in the inflammatory pathways that characterize the innate immune system.

Apoptosis↗

PYPAF1, a PYRIN-containing Apaf1-like protein that assembles with ASC and regulates activation of NF-kappa B.

The PYRIN domain is a recently identified protein-protein interaction domain that is found at the N terminus of several proteins thought to function in apoptotic and inflammatory signaling pathways. We report here that PYPAF1 (PYRIN-containing Apaf1-like protein 1) is a novel PYRIN-containing signaling protein that belongs to the nucleotide-binding site/leucine-rich repeat (NBS/LRR) family of signaling proteins. The expression of PYPAF1 is highly restricted to immune cells, and its gene maps to chromosome 1q44, a locus that is associated with the rare inflammatory diseases Muckle-Wells syndrome and familial cold urticaria. To identify downstream signaling partners of PYPAF1, we performed a mammalian two-hybrid screen and identified ASC as a PYRIN-containing protein that interacts selectively with the PYRIN domain of PYPAF1. When expressed in cells, ASC recruits PYPAF1 to distinct cytoplasmic loci and induces the activation of NF-kappaB. Furthermore, coexpression of PYPAF1 with ASC results in a potent synergistic activation of NF-kappaB. These findings suggest that PYPAF1 and ASC function as upstream activators of NF-kappaB signaling.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Fas-associated factor 1 is a negative regulator of PYRIN-containing Apaf-1-like protein 1.

PYRIN-containing apoptotic protease-activating factor 1-like proteins (PYPAFs, also called NALPs) participate in inflammatory signaling by regulating nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation and cytokine processing, and have been implicated in autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. However, the precise mechanisms that regulate the signal pathway leading to NF-kappaB activation are not completely understood. Here, we used yeast two-hybrid assays to identify Fas-associated factor 1 (FAF1) as a protein interacting with the pyrin domains of several PYPAFs. In these assays, FAF1 interacted strongly with PYPAF1, PYPAF3 and PYPAF7, moderately with PYPAF2 and PYNOD but not at all with the pyrin domains of pyrin or the adaptor molecule apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase activation and recruit domain (ASC). The interaction between FAF1 and PYPAF1 in mammalian cells was confirmed by immunoprecipitation assays, and the Fas-interacting domain of FAF1 was critical for this interaction. When co-expressed in HEK293 cells, FAF1 interfere with the NF-kappaB activation induced by PYPAF1 and ASC. A FAF1 mutant lacking the Fas-interacting domain showed significantly reduced ability to inhibit NF-kappaB activation. In THP-1 cells, the stimulation of NF-kappaB up-regulated the level of endogenous FAF1. Taken together, these findings suggest that FAF1 functions as a negative regulator of an NF-kappaB signal pathway that involves PYPAF1 and ASC.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Episodic evolution of pyrin in primates: human mutations recapitulate ancestral amino acid states.

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF; MIM 249100) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by recurrent attacks of fever with synovial, pleural or peritoneal inflammation. The disease is caused by mutations in the gene encoding the pyrin protein. Human population studies have revealed extremely high allele frequencies for several different pyrin mutations, leading to the conclusion that the mutant alleles confer a selective advantage. Here we examine the ret finger protein (rfp) domain (which contains most of the disease-causing mutations) of pyrin during primate evolution. Amino acids that cause human disease are often present as wild type in other species. This is true at positions 653 (a novel mutation), 680, 681, 726, 744 and 761. For several of these human mutations, the mutant represents the reappearance of an ancestral amino acid state. Examination of lineage-specific dN/dS ratios revealed a pattern consistent with the signature of episodic positive selection. Our data, together with previous human population studies, indicate that selective pressures may have caused functional evolution of pyrin in humans and other primates.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Familial Mediterranean fever associated pyrin mutations in Greece.

OBJECTIVE: To search for pyrin mutations associated with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) in Greece. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 62 patients fulfilling the Tel Hashomer diagnostic criteria for definite (33) or probable (29) FMF diagnosis were studied. Eight point mutations of pyrin gene were tested by standard methods. Of the 62 patients tested, 48 were Greek, four were Jewish, seven were Armenian, and three were Arab. RESULTS: 42 patients were found to be homozygotes for pyrin mutations; 11 patients were found to carry only one of the tested mutations; in nine patients no mutations were detected. CONCLUSION: Molecular detection of pyrin gene mutations seems useful in confirming suspected cases, and in detecting asymptomatic cases, of Mediterranean fever in Greece. It may also be used as a screening tool within affected families.

Arabs↗