Expression and cytoprotective activity of the small GTPase RhoB induced by the Escherichia coli cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1.

RhoB is the only member of the Rho subfamily of small GTPases, which is classified as an immediate early gene product. RhoB is up-regulated in response to growth factors as well as cytotoxic and genotoxic agents. Clostridial glucosylating toxins have been reported to evoke pronounced RhoB expression, based on the inactivation of Rho/Ras proteins. In this study, we report on a long lasting expression of RhoB in cultured cells upon activation of Rho proteins by the cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1 (CNF1) from Escherichia coli. The observations of this study highlight a new pathway involving Rac1, which positively regulates the activity of the rhoB promoter and RhoB expression. Conversely, the isomeric cytotoxic necrotizing factor from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis (CNFy) drives GTP-loading of basal RhoB but fails to cause activation of the rhoB promoter and thus its expression. CNF1 inhibits cytokinesis and induces the formation of bi-nucleated (tetraploid) cells. Upon long term treatment with CNF1, RhoB(-/-) mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) exhibit DNA fragmentation, phosphatidylserine exposure, and loss of membrane integrity, while RhoB(+/-) MEFs persist as bi-nucleated (tetraploid) cells without any signs of cell death. In conclusion, the cytoprotective RhoB response is not only evoked by bacterial protein toxins inactivating Rho/Ras proteins but also by the Rac1-activating toxin CNF1.

Rac1 protein signaling is required for DNA damage response stimulated by topoisomerase II poisons.

To investigate the potency of the topoisomerase II (topo II) poisons doxorubicin and etoposide to stimulate the DNA damage response (DDR), S139 phosphorylation of histone H2AX (γH2AX) was analyzed using rat cardiomyoblast cells (H9c2). Etoposide caused a dose-dependent increase in the γH2AX level as shown by Western blotting. By contrast, the doxorubicin response was bell-shaped with high doses failing to increase H2AX phosphorylation. Identical results were obtained by immunohistochemical analysis of γH2AX focus formation, comet assay-based DNA strand break analysis, and measuring the formation of the topo II-DNA cleavable complex. At low dose, doxorubicin activated ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) but not ATM and Rad3-related (ATR). Both the lipid-lowering drug lovastatin and the Rac1-specific inhibitor NSC23766 attenuated doxorubicin- and etoposide-stimulated H2AX phosphorylation, induction of DNA strand breaks, and topo II-DNA complex formation. Lovastatin and NSC23766 acted in an additive manner. They did not attenuate doxorubicin-induced increase in p-ATM and p-Chk2 levels. DDR stimulated by topo II poisons was partially blocked by inhibition of type I p21-associated kinases. DDR evoked by the topoisomerase I poison topotecan remained unaffected by lovastatin. The data show that the mechanisms involved in DDR stimulated by topo II poisons are agent-specific with anthracyclines lacking DDR-stimulating activity at high doses. Pharmacological inhibition of Rac1 signaling counteracts doxorubicin- and etoposide-stimulated DDR by disabling the formation of the topo II-DNA cleavable complex. Based on the data we suggest that Rac1-regulated mechanisms are required for DNA damage induction and subsequent activation of the DDR following treatment with topo II but not topo I poisons.

Inhibition of macrophage migration by C. botulinum exoenzyme C3.

C3-like exoenzymes are produced by various microorganism including Clostridium botulinum (C3bot), Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus. C3bot is the prototype of C3-like exoenzymes that specifically ADP-ribosylates and thereby inactivates Rho(A/B/C). C3-like exoenzymes are not yet regarded as virulence factors, as the lack of cell entry domains results in a poor accessibility of the C3-like exoenzymes to cells. In this study, the sensitivity of various cell lines to C3bot has been reinvestigated. Primary monocytes as well as cultured macrophage-like cells including J774A.1 cells and RAW macrophages exhibit a tenfold higher sensitivity to C3bot than fibroblasts and epithelial cells. RhoA ADP-ribosylation by C3bot resulted in the formation of pronounced bipolar protrusions based on defective tail retraction. The formation of bipolar protrusion resulted in inhibited macrophage migration. These findings suggested that macrophages appear to be target cells of C3bot. Migration of macrophage is a prerequiste for their recruitment to the site of pathogen invasion or tissue damage. Inhibition of macrophage migration likely preserves the survival of C3-producing microorganisms. The observations of this study reinforce the paradigm of a role of C3-like exoenzymes as virulence factors.

C3 peptide promotes axonal regeneration and functional motor recovery after peripheral nerve injury.

Peripheral nerve injuries are frequently seen in trauma patients and due to delayed nerve repair, lifelong disabilities often follow this type of injury. Innovative therapies are needed to facilitate and expedite peripheral nerve regeneration. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a 1-time topical application of a 26-amino-acid fragment (C3(156-181)), derived from the Clostridium botulinum C3-exoenzyme, on peripheral nerve regeneration in 2 models of nerve injury and repair in adult rats. After sciatic nerve crush, different dosages of C3(156-181) dissolved in buffer or reference solutions (nerve growth factor or C3(bot)-wild-type protein) or vehicle-only were injected through an epineurial opening into the lesion sites. After 10-mm nerve autotransplantation, either 8.0 nmol/kg C3(156-181) or vehicle were injected into the proximal and distal suture sites. For a period of 3 to 10 postoperative weeks, C3(156-181)-treated animals showed a faster motor recovery than control animals. After crush injury, axonal outgrowth and elongation were activated and consequently resulted in faster motor recovery. The nerve autotransplantation model further elucidated that C3(156-181) treatment accounts for better axonal elongation into motor targets and reduced axonal sprouting, which are followed by enhanced axonal maturation and better axonal functionality. The effects of C3(156-181) are likely caused by a nonenzymatic down-regulation of active RhoA. Our results indicate the potential of C3(156-181) as a therapeutic agent for the topical treatment of peripheral nerve repair sites.

Therapeutic effects of Clostridium botulinum C3 exoenzyme.

C3 exoenzyme from Clostridium botulinum, specifically ADP-ribosylates small GTP-binding proteins RhoA, B, and C. ADP-ribosylation causes functional inactivation of Rho proteins resulting in cessation of the complete downstream signaling. Rho proteins are general regulators of a lot of essential cellular functions, among others, the neuronal growth cone. Rho activation, triggered by neuronal injury, inhibits neuronal repair mechanisms. To prevent the detrimental effect of active Rho in the recovery of injured neuronal systems, C3 has become a promising drug to inactivate RhoA in neurons. During the advancement of C3 to a drug candidate, it was found that ADP-ribosyltransferase activity of C3, in fact, is not essential for axonal and dendritic growth and branching. Rather, a peptide fragment of C3 covering the surface exposed ARTT loop from C3 (C3(154-182) peptide) is sufficient to induce growth and branching of neurons comparable to the effect of full-length C3. Whereas full-length C3 also acts on astrocytes and microglia to induce-at least in an in vitro model-inflammation and glial scar formation, C3(154-182) peptide is inert and seems only to act on neurons. In addition to its axono- and dendritotrophic effects on cultured primary hippocampal neurons, C3(154-182) peptide enhanced functional recovery and regeneration in a mouse model of spinal cord injury. Thus, in a proof-of-principle experiment, C3 peptide was shown to be efficacious in post-traumatic neuro-regeneration.

C3 peptide enhances recovery from spinal cord injury by improved regenerative growth of descending fiber tracts.

Functional recovery and regeneration of corticospinal tract (CST) fibers following spinal cord injury by compression or dorsal hemisection in mice was monitored after application of the enzyme-deficient Clostridium botulinum C3-protein-derived 29-amino-acid fragment C3bot(154-182). This peptide significantly improved locomotor restoration in both injury models as assessed by the open-field Basso Mouse Scale for locomotion test and Rotarod treadmill experiments. These data were supported by tracing studies showing an enhanced regenerative growth of CST fibers in treated animals as visualized by anterograde tracing. Additionally, C3bot(154-182) stimulated regenerative growth of raphespinal fibers and improved serotonergic input to lumbar alpha-motoneurons. These in vivo data were confirmed by in vitro data, showing an enhanced axon outgrowth of alpha-motoneurons and hippocampal neurons cultivated on normal or growth-inhibitory substrates after application of C3bot(154-182). The observed effects were probably caused by a non-enzymatic downregulation of active RhoA by the C3 peptide as indicated by pull-down experiments. By contrast, C3bot(154-182) did not induce neurite outgrowth in primary cultures of dorsal root ganglion cells. In conclusion, C3bot(154-182) represents a novel, promising tool to foster axonal protection and/or repair, as well as functional recovery after traumatic CNS injury.

Distinct kinetics of (H/K/N)Ras glucosylation and Rac1 glucosylation catalysed by Clostridium sordellii lethal toxin.

Mono-glucosylation of (H/K/N)Ras by Clostridium sordellii lethal toxin (TcsL) blocks critical survival signaling pathways, resulting in apoptotic cell death. One yet unsolved problem in studies on TcsL is the lack of a method allowing the specific detection of (H/K/N)Ras glucosylation. In this study, we identify the Ras(Mab 27H5) antibody as a glucosylation-sensitive antibody capable for the immunoblot detection of (H/K/N)Ras glucosylation in TcsL-treated cells. Alternative Ras antibodies including the K-Ras(Mab F234) antibody or the v-H-Ras(Mab Y13-159) antibody recognize Ras proteins regardless of glucosylation. (H/K)Ras are further shown to be more efficaciously glucosylated by TcsL than Rac1 in rat basophilic leukemia cells as well as in a cell-free system.

Inhibition of cytokinesis by Clostridium difficile toxin B and cytotoxic necrotizing factors--reinforcing the critical role of RhoA in cytokinesis.

Low molecular weight GTP-binding proteins of the Rho family control the organization of the actin cytoskeleton in eukaryotic cells. RhoA governs the formation of actin stress fibers and is responsible for the formation of the contractile ring in cytokinesis. Cytokinesis completion requires RhoA inactivation resulting in disassembly of the contractile ring. Cytokinesis thus requires switching of RhoA activity. This switch of RhoA activity is blocked by Rho-modifying bacterial protein toxins that either activate or inactivate RhoA by covalent modifications. Exoenzyme C3 from Clostridium limosum (C3-lim) and Clostridium difficile toxin B (TcdB) inactivate RhoA by mono-ADP-ribosylation and mono-glucosylation, respectively. Cytotoxic necrotizing factors (CNF), produced by either Yersinia pseudotuberculosis (CNFY) or uropathogenic strains of E. coli (CNF1), deamidate and thereby activate RhoA. This study provides evidence that RhoA-activating as well as RhoA-inactivating toxins cause inhibition of cytokinesis and cell division. The toxins' effects on cytokinesis were analyzed in Hela cells synchronized using the thymidine double block technique. Treatment of G2-phase cells with either the RhoA-activating CNFY or CNF1 or the RhoA-inactivating C3-lim or TcdB resulted in cytokinesis inhibition, as evidenced by the formation of a 4N population on flow cytometry, the inhibition of contractile ring formation, and the formation of bi-nucleated cells. While TcdB and CNF1 modify a broad-spectrum of Rho proteins, C3-lim and CNFY specifically target RhoA. Since C3-lim and CNFY both caused cytokinesis inhibition, our study re-inforces the critical role of RhoA (not Rac1 or Cdc42) in cytokinesis and cell division.