SHANK-associated RH domain interactor (SHARPIN) inhibits integrins through interaction with the i... more SHANK-associated RH domain interactor (SHARPIN) inhibits integrins through interaction with the integrin α-subunit. In addition, SHARPIN enhances nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) activity as a component of the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex (LUBAC). However, it is currently unclear how regulation of these seemingly different roles is coordinated. Here, we show that SHARPIN binds integrin and LUBAC in a mutually exclusive manner. We map the integrin binding site on SHARPIN to the ubiquitin-like (UBL) domain, the same domain implicated in SHARPIN interaction with LUBAC component RNF31 (ring finger protein 31), and identify two SHARPIN residues (V267, L276) required for both integrin and RNF31 regulation. Accordingly, the integrin α-tail is capable of competing with RNF31 for SHARPIN binding in vitro. Importantly, the full SHARPIN RNF31-binding site contains residues (F263A/I272A) that are dispensable for SHARPIN-integrin interaction. Importantly, disrupting SHARPIN interaction with integrin or RNF31 abolishes SHARPIN-mediated regulation of integrin or NF-κB activity, respectively. Altogether these data suggest that the roles of SHARPIN in inhibiting integrin activity and supporting linear ubiquitination are (molecularly) distinct.
Regulated turnover of integrin receptors is essential for cell adhesion and migration. Pathways s... more Regulated turnover of integrin receptors is essential for cell adhesion and migration. Pathways selectively regulating β1-integrin recycling are implicated in cancer invasion and metastasis, yet proteins required for the internalization of this pro-invasive integrin remain to be identified. Here, we uncover formin-like 2 (FMNL2) as a critical regulator of β1-integrin internalization downstream of protein kinase C (PKC). PKCα associates with and phosphorylates FMNL2 at S1072 within its Diaphanous autoregulatory region, leading to the release of formin autoinhibition. Phosphorylation of FMNL2 triggers its rapid relocation and promotes its interaction with the cytoplasmic tails of the α-integrin subunits for β1-integrin endocytosis. FMNL2 drives β1-integrin internalization and invasive motility in a phosphorylation-dependent manner, while a FMNL2 mutant defective in actin assembly interferes with β1-integrin endocytosis and cancer cell invasion. Our data establish a role for FMNL2 in t...
ABSTRACT For successful infection, plant viruses must spread from an infected cell to neighboring... more ABSTRACT For successful infection, plant viruses must spread from an infected cell to neighboring uninfected cells. For this, Cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) transports virus particles via tubules that are formed through plasmodesmata by the CPMV movement protein (MP). By using specific inhibitors, targeting of MP fused to GFP to the cell periphery was demonstrated not to depend on an intact cytoskeleton or functional secretion pathway. Studies with several mutant MPs in protoplasts and plants revealed that MP is first targeted to the plasma membrane and subsequently accumulates in highly dynamic peripheral punctate spots, and that tubules need to be disassembled in the neighboring cell to enable cell-to-cell movement of CPMV. Co-inoculation experiments with mutant and wild type MP indicated that separate domains of the MP are involved in targeting to the cell periphery and in tubule formation and that multimerization of MP subunits is necessary for targeting to punctate spots. Using affinity chromatography and a mutant MP it was found that MP is capable of specifically binding rGTP and that this binding plays a role in intracellular targeting of MP. Time-lapse microscopy, fluorescence resonance energy transfer and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching experiments have shown that tubules made by CPMV MP originate from peripheral punctate spots, consists of a highly organized MP-multimer and do not interact directly with the plasma membrane but probably via a host protein. Some of the results obtained in this study suggest a remarkable analogy between the assembly and disassembly of microtubules and tubules made by CPMV MP. Together with other results, this analogy was used to build a new model for CPMV cell-to-cell movement.
Integrins mediate cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions and integrate extracellular cues to the ... more Integrins mediate cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions and integrate extracellular cues to the cytoskeleton and cellular signalling pathways. Integrin function on the cell surface is regulated by their activity switching such that intracellular proteins interacting with the integrin cytoplasmic domains increase or decrease integrin-ligand binding affinity. It is widely accepted that integrin activation by specific proteins is essential for cell adhesion and integrin linkage to the actin cytoskeleton. However, there is also increasing evidence that integrin-inactivating proteins are crucial for appropriate integrin function in vitro and in vivo and that the regulation of integrin-ligand interactions is a fine-tuned balancing act between inactivation and activation.
ABSTRACT Cancer Research Vol.69 Nr.23 Supplement 2, A57 First AACR International Conference on Fr... more ABSTRACT Cancer Research Vol.69 Nr.23 Supplement 2, A57 First AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Basic Cancer Research. Boston, MA, 8 - 11 Oct. 2009
The substrate specificity of the beta-glucosidase (CelB) from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyro... more The substrate specificity of the beta-glucosidase (CelB) from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus, a family 1 glycosyl hydrolase, has been studied at a molecular level. Following crystallization and X-ray diffraction of this enzyme, a 3.3 A resolution structural model has been obtained by molecular replacement. CelB shows a homo-tetramer configuration, with subunits having a typical (betaalpha)(8)-barrel fold. Its active site has been compared to the one of the previously determined 6-phospho-beta-glycosidase (LacG) from the mesophilic bacterium Lactococcus lactis. The overall design of the substrate binding pocket is very well conserved, with the exception of three residues that have been identified as a phosphate binding site in LacG. To verify the structural model and alter its substrate specificity, these three residues have been introduced at the corresponding positions in CelB (E417S, M424K, F426Y) in different combinations: single, double, and triple mutants. Characterization of the purified mutant CelB enzyme revealed that F426Y resulted in an increased affinity for galactosides, whereas M424K gave rise to a shifted pH optimum (from 5.0 to 6.0). Analysis of E417S revealed a 5-fold and a 3-fold increase of the efficiency of hydrolyzing o-nitrophenol-beta-D-galactopyranoside-6-phosphate, in the single and triple mutants, respectively. In contrast, their activity on nonphosphorylated sugars was largely reduced (30-300-fold). The residue at position E417 in CelB seems to be the determining factor for the difference in substrate specificity between the two types of family 1 glycosidases.
Frameshift mutations frequently accumulate in microsatellite-unstable colorectal cancers (MSI CRC... more Frameshift mutations frequently accumulate in microsatellite-unstable colorectal cancers (MSI CRCs) typically leading to downregulation of the target genes due to nonsense-mediated messenger RNA decay. However, frameshift mutations that occur in the 3' end of the coding regions can escape decay, which has largely been ignored in previous works. In this study, we characterized nonsense-mediated decay-escaping frameshift mutations in MSI CRC in an unbiased, genome wide manner. Combining bioinformatic search with expression profiling, we identified genes that were predicted to escape decay after a deletion in a microsatellite repeat. These repeats, located in 258 genes, were initially sequenced in 30 MSI CRC samples. The mitotic checkpoint kinase TTK was found to harbor decay-escaping heterozygous mutations in exon 22 in 59% (105/179) of MSI CRCs, which is notably more than previously reported. Additional novel deletions were found in exon 5, raising the mutation frequency to 66%. The exon 22 of TTK contains an A(9)-G(4)-A(7) locus, in which the most common mutation was a mononucleotide deletion in the A(9) (c.2560delA). When compared with identical non-coding repeats, TTK was found to be mutated significantly more often than expected without selective advantage. Since TTK inhibition is known to induce override of the mitotic spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), we challenged mutated cancer cells with the microtubule-stabilizing drug paclitaxel. No evidence of checkpoint weakening was observed. As a conclusion, heterozygous TTK mutations occur at a high frequency in MSI CRCs. Unexpectedly, the plausible selective advantage in tumourigenesis does not appear to be related to SAC.
Physical connection between the sister chromatids is mediated by the cohesin protein complex. Dur... more Physical connection between the sister chromatids is mediated by the cohesin protein complex. During prophase, cohesin is removed from the chromosome arms while the centromeres remain united. Shugoshin1 (Sgo1) is required for maintenance of centromeric cohesion from prophase to the metaphase-anaphase transition. Furthermore, Sgo1 has been proposed to regulate kinetochore microtubule stability and sense interkinetochore tension, two tasks which are tightly coupled with the function of the Chromosomal Passenger Complex (CPC) and Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1). Here we show that depletion or chemical inhibition of Aurora B kinase (AurB), the catalytic subunit of the CPC, disrupts accumulation of Sgo1 on the kinetochores in HeLa cells and causes Sgo1 to localize on the chromosome arms. RNAi assays show that depletion of Sgo1 did not affect AurB localization but diminished Plk1 kinetochore binding. Furthermore, we demonstrate that vertebrate Sgo1 is phosphorylated by both AurB and Plk1 in vit...
Cell division is orchestrated by a complex protein network that aims to maintenance of genomic st... more Cell division is orchestrated by a complex protein network that aims to maintenance of genomic stability. Visualisation of mitotic protein-protein associations in space and time has been limited due to the lack of proper biochemical and easy-to-use imaging tools. Here we report adaptation of the in situ proximity ligation assay (is-PLA) to study mitotic protein interactions with spatio-temporal resolution. We examined the composition of the Chromosomal Passenger Complex (CPC) at various mitotic phases and after chemical treatments using is-PLA with antibodies against the core CPC subunits Aurora B, INCENP, Survivin and Borealin. Our results support the notion that the core CPC functions as a single structural unit at centromeres in early mitosis and at central spindle after the onset of anaphase. Treatment of cells with the Aurora B inhibitor ZM447439 diminished the is-PLA signals at centromeres suggesting that Aurora B activity contributes to structural maintenance and/or proper subcellular localization of the core CPC. Is-PLA-based analysis of interaction between INCENP and Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) proposes that the kinase co-travels with CPC during late mitosis. The data illustrates both the strengths and limitations of the is-PLA in the analysis of mitotic macromolecule associations at sub-organelle level.
SHANK-associated RH domain interactor (SHARPIN) inhibits integrins through interaction with the i... more SHANK-associated RH domain interactor (SHARPIN) inhibits integrins through interaction with the integrin α-subunit. In addition, SHARPIN enhances nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) activity as a component of the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex (LUBAC). However, it is currently unclear how regulation of these seemingly different roles is coordinated. Here, we show that SHARPIN binds integrin and LUBAC in a mutually exclusive manner. We map the integrin binding site on SHARPIN to the ubiquitin-like (UBL) domain, the same domain implicated in SHARPIN interaction with LUBAC component RNF31 (ring finger protein 31), and identify two SHARPIN residues (V267, L276) required for both integrin and RNF31 regulation. Accordingly, the integrin α-tail is capable of competing with RNF31 for SHARPIN binding in vitro. Importantly, the full SHARPIN RNF31-binding site contains residues (F263A/I272A) that are dispensable for SHARPIN-integrin interaction. Importantly, disrupting SHARPIN interaction with integrin or RNF31 abolishes SHARPIN-mediated regulation of integrin or NF-κB activity, respectively. Altogether these data suggest that the roles of SHARPIN in inhibiting integrin activity and supporting linear ubiquitination are (molecularly) distinct.
Regulated turnover of integrin receptors is essential for cell adhesion and migration. Pathways s... more Regulated turnover of integrin receptors is essential for cell adhesion and migration. Pathways selectively regulating β1-integrin recycling are implicated in cancer invasion and metastasis, yet proteins required for the internalization of this pro-invasive integrin remain to be identified. Here, we uncover formin-like 2 (FMNL2) as a critical regulator of β1-integrin internalization downstream of protein kinase C (PKC). PKCα associates with and phosphorylates FMNL2 at S1072 within its Diaphanous autoregulatory region, leading to the release of formin autoinhibition. Phosphorylation of FMNL2 triggers its rapid relocation and promotes its interaction with the cytoplasmic tails of the α-integrin subunits for β1-integrin endocytosis. FMNL2 drives β1-integrin internalization and invasive motility in a phosphorylation-dependent manner, while a FMNL2 mutant defective in actin assembly interferes with β1-integrin endocytosis and cancer cell invasion. Our data establish a role for FMNL2 in t...
ABSTRACT For successful infection, plant viruses must spread from an infected cell to neighboring... more ABSTRACT For successful infection, plant viruses must spread from an infected cell to neighboring uninfected cells. For this, Cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) transports virus particles via tubules that are formed through plasmodesmata by the CPMV movement protein (MP). By using specific inhibitors, targeting of MP fused to GFP to the cell periphery was demonstrated not to depend on an intact cytoskeleton or functional secretion pathway. Studies with several mutant MPs in protoplasts and plants revealed that MP is first targeted to the plasma membrane and subsequently accumulates in highly dynamic peripheral punctate spots, and that tubules need to be disassembled in the neighboring cell to enable cell-to-cell movement of CPMV. Co-inoculation experiments with mutant and wild type MP indicated that separate domains of the MP are involved in targeting to the cell periphery and in tubule formation and that multimerization of MP subunits is necessary for targeting to punctate spots. Using affinity chromatography and a mutant MP it was found that MP is capable of specifically binding rGTP and that this binding plays a role in intracellular targeting of MP. Time-lapse microscopy, fluorescence resonance energy transfer and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching experiments have shown that tubules made by CPMV MP originate from peripheral punctate spots, consists of a highly organized MP-multimer and do not interact directly with the plasma membrane but probably via a host protein. Some of the results obtained in this study suggest a remarkable analogy between the assembly and disassembly of microtubules and tubules made by CPMV MP. Together with other results, this analogy was used to build a new model for CPMV cell-to-cell movement.
Integrins mediate cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions and integrate extracellular cues to the ... more Integrins mediate cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions and integrate extracellular cues to the cytoskeleton and cellular signalling pathways. Integrin function on the cell surface is regulated by their activity switching such that intracellular proteins interacting with the integrin cytoplasmic domains increase or decrease integrin-ligand binding affinity. It is widely accepted that integrin activation by specific proteins is essential for cell adhesion and integrin linkage to the actin cytoskeleton. However, there is also increasing evidence that integrin-inactivating proteins are crucial for appropriate integrin function in vitro and in vivo and that the regulation of integrin-ligand interactions is a fine-tuned balancing act between inactivation and activation.
ABSTRACT Cancer Research Vol.69 Nr.23 Supplement 2, A57 First AACR International Conference on Fr... more ABSTRACT Cancer Research Vol.69 Nr.23 Supplement 2, A57 First AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Basic Cancer Research. Boston, MA, 8 - 11 Oct. 2009
The substrate specificity of the beta-glucosidase (CelB) from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyro... more The substrate specificity of the beta-glucosidase (CelB) from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus, a family 1 glycosyl hydrolase, has been studied at a molecular level. Following crystallization and X-ray diffraction of this enzyme, a 3.3 A resolution structural model has been obtained by molecular replacement. CelB shows a homo-tetramer configuration, with subunits having a typical (betaalpha)(8)-barrel fold. Its active site has been compared to the one of the previously determined 6-phospho-beta-glycosidase (LacG) from the mesophilic bacterium Lactococcus lactis. The overall design of the substrate binding pocket is very well conserved, with the exception of three residues that have been identified as a phosphate binding site in LacG. To verify the structural model and alter its substrate specificity, these three residues have been introduced at the corresponding positions in CelB (E417S, M424K, F426Y) in different combinations: single, double, and triple mutants. Characterization of the purified mutant CelB enzyme revealed that F426Y resulted in an increased affinity for galactosides, whereas M424K gave rise to a shifted pH optimum (from 5.0 to 6.0). Analysis of E417S revealed a 5-fold and a 3-fold increase of the efficiency of hydrolyzing o-nitrophenol-beta-D-galactopyranoside-6-phosphate, in the single and triple mutants, respectively. In contrast, their activity on nonphosphorylated sugars was largely reduced (30-300-fold). The residue at position E417 in CelB seems to be the determining factor for the difference in substrate specificity between the two types of family 1 glycosidases.
Frameshift mutations frequently accumulate in microsatellite-unstable colorectal cancers (MSI CRC... more Frameshift mutations frequently accumulate in microsatellite-unstable colorectal cancers (MSI CRCs) typically leading to downregulation of the target genes due to nonsense-mediated messenger RNA decay. However, frameshift mutations that occur in the 3' end of the coding regions can escape decay, which has largely been ignored in previous works. In this study, we characterized nonsense-mediated decay-escaping frameshift mutations in MSI CRC in an unbiased, genome wide manner. Combining bioinformatic search with expression profiling, we identified genes that were predicted to escape decay after a deletion in a microsatellite repeat. These repeats, located in 258 genes, were initially sequenced in 30 MSI CRC samples. The mitotic checkpoint kinase TTK was found to harbor decay-escaping heterozygous mutations in exon 22 in 59% (105/179) of MSI CRCs, which is notably more than previously reported. Additional novel deletions were found in exon 5, raising the mutation frequency to 66%. The exon 22 of TTK contains an A(9)-G(4)-A(7) locus, in which the most common mutation was a mononucleotide deletion in the A(9) (c.2560delA). When compared with identical non-coding repeats, TTK was found to be mutated significantly more often than expected without selective advantage. Since TTK inhibition is known to induce override of the mitotic spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), we challenged mutated cancer cells with the microtubule-stabilizing drug paclitaxel. No evidence of checkpoint weakening was observed. As a conclusion, heterozygous TTK mutations occur at a high frequency in MSI CRCs. Unexpectedly, the plausible selective advantage in tumourigenesis does not appear to be related to SAC.
Physical connection between the sister chromatids is mediated by the cohesin protein complex. Dur... more Physical connection between the sister chromatids is mediated by the cohesin protein complex. During prophase, cohesin is removed from the chromosome arms while the centromeres remain united. Shugoshin1 (Sgo1) is required for maintenance of centromeric cohesion from prophase to the metaphase-anaphase transition. Furthermore, Sgo1 has been proposed to regulate kinetochore microtubule stability and sense interkinetochore tension, two tasks which are tightly coupled with the function of the Chromosomal Passenger Complex (CPC) and Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1). Here we show that depletion or chemical inhibition of Aurora B kinase (AurB), the catalytic subunit of the CPC, disrupts accumulation of Sgo1 on the kinetochores in HeLa cells and causes Sgo1 to localize on the chromosome arms. RNAi assays show that depletion of Sgo1 did not affect AurB localization but diminished Plk1 kinetochore binding. Furthermore, we demonstrate that vertebrate Sgo1 is phosphorylated by both AurB and Plk1 in vit...
Cell division is orchestrated by a complex protein network that aims to maintenance of genomic st... more Cell division is orchestrated by a complex protein network that aims to maintenance of genomic stability. Visualisation of mitotic protein-protein associations in space and time has been limited due to the lack of proper biochemical and easy-to-use imaging tools. Here we report adaptation of the in situ proximity ligation assay (is-PLA) to study mitotic protein interactions with spatio-temporal resolution. We examined the composition of the Chromosomal Passenger Complex (CPC) at various mitotic phases and after chemical treatments using is-PLA with antibodies against the core CPC subunits Aurora B, INCENP, Survivin and Borealin. Our results support the notion that the core CPC functions as a single structural unit at centromeres in early mitosis and at central spindle after the onset of anaphase. Treatment of cells with the Aurora B inhibitor ZM447439 diminished the is-PLA signals at centromeres suggesting that Aurora B activity contributes to structural maintenance and/or proper subcellular localization of the core CPC. Is-PLA-based analysis of interaction between INCENP and Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) proposes that the kinase co-travels with CPC during late mitosis. The data illustrates both the strengths and limitations of the is-PLA in the analysis of mitotic macromolecule associations at sub-organelle level.
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