Oncogenes and tumor angiogenesis: differential modes of vascular endothelial growth factor up-regulation in ras-transformed epithelial cells and fibroblasts.

A possible link between oncogenes and tumor angiogenesis has been implicated by the finding that expression of various oncogenes, particularly mutant ras, can lead to a marked induction of a potent paracrine stimulator of angiogenesis, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). We sought to determine how oncogenic ras induction of VEGF is mediated at the molecular level and whether the mechanisms involved differ fundamentally between transformed epithelial cells and fibroblasts. Our results suggest that in a subline (called RAS-3) of immortalized nontumorigenic rat intestinal epithelial cells (IEC-18) that acquired a tumorigenic phenotype upon transfection of mutant ras, up-regulation of VEGF occurs in the absence of an autocrine growth factor circuit. The expression of VEGF mRNA and protein by RAS-3 cells was strongly suppressed in the presence of LY294002, an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase, but remained largely unaffected in the same cells treated with an inhibitor (PD98059) of mitogen-activated protein/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase 1 (MKK/MEK-1). This is consistent with the observation that overexpression of a constitutively activated mutant of MEK-1 (AN3/ S222D) in the parental IEC-18 cells did not result in up-regulation of VEGF production. The impact of mutant ras on VEGF expression was also significantly amplified at high cell density, conditions under which RAS-3 cells became less sensitive to LY294002-induced VEGF down-regulation. In marked contrast to cells of epithelial origin, ras-transformed murine fibroblasts (3T3RAS) up-regulated VEGF in a manner that was strongly inhibitable by MEK-1 blockade (ie. treatment with PD98059), whereas these cells were relatively unaffected by treatment with the phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase inhibitor LY294002. In addition, VEGF was up-regulated by 2-3-fold in NIH3T3 cells overexpressing mutant MEK-1. Collectively, the data suggest that the stimulatory effect of mutant ras on VEGF expression is executed in a nonautocrine and cell type-dependent manner and that it can be significantly exacerbated by physiological/ environmental influences such as high cell density.

p200 ARF-GEP1: a Golgi-localized guanine nucleotide exchange protein whose Sec7 domain is targeted by the drug brefeldin A.

The drug brefeldin A (BFA) disrupts protein traffic and Golgi morphology by blocking activation of ADP ribosylation factors (ARFs) through an unknown mechanism. Here, we investigated the cellular localization and BFA sensitivity of human p200 ARF-GEP1 (p200), a ubiquitously expressed guanine nucleotide exchange factor of the Sec7 domain family. Multiple tagged forms of the full-length polypeptide localized to tight ribbon-like perinuclear structures that overlapped with the Golgi marker mannosidase II and were distinct from the pattern observed with ERGIC53/58. Analysis of several truncated forms mapped the Golgi-localization signal to the N-terminal third of p200. BFA treatment of transiently or stably transfected cells resulted in the redistribution of Golgi markers and in loss of cell viability, thereby indicating that overproduction of p200 may not be sufficient to overcome the toxic effect. A 39-kDa fragment spanning the Sec7 domain catalyzed loading of guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate onto class I ARFs and displayed clear sensitivity to BFA. Kinetic analysis established that BFA did not compete with ARF for interaction with p200 but, rather, acted as an uncompetitive inhibitor that only targeted the p200-ARF complex with an inhibition constant of 7 microM. On the basis of these results, we propose that accumulation of an abortive p200-ARF complex in the presence of BFA likely leads to disruption of Golgi morphology. p200 mapped to chromosome 8q13, 3.56 centirays from WI-6151, and database searches revealed the presence of putative isoforms whose inhibition may account for the effects of BFA on various organelles.

Human GBF1 is a ubiquitously expressed gene of the sec7 domain family mapping to 10q24.

We present the cDNA sequence of human GBF1 along with data on expression pattern and genomic attributes. The deduced polypeptide encodes a putative guanine nucleotide exchange factor of 206.5 kDa, containing a centrally positioned Sec7 domain and a proline-rich region at the extreme C terminus. Its mRNA transcripts are found in 17 tissues and cell lines, likely suggesting a housekeeping role for GBF1p. The gene maps to 10q24, 2.33 cR from D10S540. It is fully contained within YAC 822C1 and covers at most 450 kb. Its Sec7 domain-encoding region harbors four introns.

Interdependent domains controlling the enzymatic activity of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1.

The activation of human mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 (MKK1) is achieved by phosphorylation at Ser218 and Ser222 within a regulatory loop. Partial activation was achieved by replacing these residues with aspartic/glutamic acid. Higher activity was obtained by introducing four acidic residue substitutions in the regulatory loop, indicating that acidic residues in the loop stabilize an active configuration by the introduction of negative charge. Activation of MKK1 is also achieved by deleting residues 44-51, N-terminal to the consensus catalytic core. Although substitution of residues within this segment by alanine does not affect activity, introduction of proline residues elevates kinase activity, indicating that activation results from perturbation of secondary structure within residues 44-51. Pseudosubstrate inhibition, a commonly observed mechanism of kinase regulation, is not operative in this process. Both the acidic substitutions and the N-terminal deletion increase Vmax, V/K(m),ERK2, and V/K(m),ATP, as is also observed following phosphorylation of wild-type MKK1. A synergistic enhancement of these steady-state rate parameters occurs upon combining the mutations, suggesting that conformational changes induced by mutagenesis together mimic those seen upon phosphorylation.

Constitutively active mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 (MAPKK1) and MAPKK2 mediate similar transcriptional and morphological responses.

Both mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 (MAPKK1) and MAPKK2 function downstream of the proto-oncogene product Raf in signaling pathways that affect cell proliferation and differentiation. The isoforms were previously shown to be differentially regulated in two significant ways: (a) MAPKK1, but not MAPKK2, was phosphorylated and inactivated by the cyclin-dependent kinase p34cdc2; and (b) p21 Ras formed a ternary complex with Raf/MAPKK1 but not with Raf/MAPKK2. To further characterize the regulation and function of the two isoforms, we compared their mode of activation by v-Mos and examined the transcriptional and morphological responses that they mediate in cultured mammalian cells. v-Mos enhanced the enzymatic activity of both isoforms to the same extent, by about 600-fold. Constitutively active MAPKK2 mutants were generated by introducing the same deletion and amino acid substitutions that have been shown to activate MAPKK1, suggesting that the conformational changes that lead to their activation are analogous. These mutants potentiated transcription from a promoter containing AP1-responsive elements and induced morphological transformation when expressed in mammalian cells, matching outcomes observed with constitutively active MAPKK1. The specific activity of p42 MAPK in the transformed cells was 3-fold higher than in cells expressing wild-type MAPKK, thereby implicating p42 MAPK as a common effector in vivo, and suggesting that sustained activation of p42 MAPK may represent a critical factor that contributes to the development of the transformed state. Altogether, the results demonstrate that the two isoforms elicit similar responses in vivo despite differences in their regulation.

Inhibition of a signaling pathway in cardiac muscle cells by active mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase.

Signaling via the Ras pathway involves sequential activation of Ras, Raf-1, mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MKK), and the extracellular signal-regulated (ERK) group of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases. Expression from the c-Fos, atrial natriuretic factor (ANF), and myosin light chain-2 (MLC-2) promoters during phenylephrine-induced cardiac muscle cell hypertrophy requires activation of this pathway. Furthermore, constitutively active Ras or Raf-1 can mimic the action of phenylephrine in inducing expression from these promoters. In this study, we tested whether constitutively active MKK, the molecule immediately downstream of Raf, was sufficient to induce expression. Expression of constitutively active MKK induce ERK2 kinase activity and caused expression from the c-Fos promoter, but did not significantly activate expression of reporter genes under the control of either the ANF or MLC-2 promoters. Expression of CL100, a phosphatase that inactivates ERKs, prevented expression from all of the promoters. Taken together, these data suggest that ERK activation is required for expression from the Fos, ANF, and MLC-2 promoters but MKK and ERK activation is sufficient for expression only from the Fos promoter. Constitutively active MKK synergized with phenylephrine to increase expression from a c-Fos- or an AP1-driven reporter. However, active MKK inhibited phenylephrine- and Raf-1-induced expression from the ANF and MLC-2 promoters. A DNA sequence in the MLC-2 promoter that is a target for inhibition by active MKK, but not CL100, was mapped to a previously characterized DNA element (HF1) that is responsible for cardiac specificity. Thus, activation of cardiac gene expression during phenylephrine-induced hypertrophy requires ERK activation but constitutive activation by MKK can inhibit expression by targeting a DNA element that controls the cardiac specificity of gene expression.

Determination of v-Mos-catalyzed phosphorylation sites and autophosphorylation sites on MAP kinase kinase by ESI/MS.

MAP kinase kinase (MAPKK), a key component of the MAP kinase cascade, is activated through phosphorylation by several protein kinases, including the oncogene v-Mos and its cellular counterpart, c-Mos. The v-Mos-catalyzed phosphorylation sites on recombinant MAPKK1 were identified by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry as S218 and S222, located within a sequence that aligns with the T loop structure of cAMP-dependent protein kinase; these are the same as the Raf-1 phosphorylation site identified previously [Alessi, D. R., et al. (1994) EMBO J. 13, 1610-1619]. Phosphorylation of these sites was kinetically ordered, with S222 preferred over S218. Intramolecular autophosphorylation of these sites was kinetically ordered, with S222 preferred over S218. Intramolecular autophosphorylation of MAPKK occurred at several residues and was increased upon the stimulation of MAPKK activity by v-Mos. Major autophosphorylation sites were residues S298 and Y300. Minor autophosphorylation sites included T23, S299, S218, and either S24 or S25. Sequence similarities were noted between MAPKK autophosphorylation sites and exogenous phosphorylation sites on MAP kinase. Phosphorylation of either S218 or S222 was sufficient for partial MAPKK activation by Mos, and phosphorylation of S222 alone was sufficient for autophosphorylation at S298 and Y300. Mass spectral analysis was also performed on MAPKK1 purified from rabbit skeletal muscle. The peptide containing S218 and S222 was observed in only a singly phosphorylated form, and the peptide containing S298, S299, and Y300 was observed in multiply phosphorylated forms, suggesting that MAPKK is only partially phosphorylated within the T loop but significantly modified in the autophosphorylation loop under physiological conditions.

Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase phosphorylation of MAP kinase kinase: determination of phosphorylation sites by mass spectrometry and site-directed mutagenesis.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MKK) phosphorylates and activates mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in response to stimulation of various eukaryotic signaling pathways. Conversely, a recent report showed that MAPK phosphorylates MKK in vitro [Matsuda, S., Gotoh, Y., and Nishida, E. (1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268, 3277-3281]. To gain insight into the function of this feedback phosphorylation, we identified the major sites targeted for phosphorylation by MAPK and examined whether such a modification plays a role in regulating the basal and stimulated MKK activities. Two phosphopeptides generated by tryptic digestion of MAPK-phosphorylated MKK were identified by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Cyanogen bromide cleavage also yielded two phosphopeptides whose sequence overlapped with the tryptic phosphopeptides. Both sets of phosphopeptides contained candidate MAPK target sites at Thr292 and Thr386 that fit the consensus sequence ProXThr*Pro. Replacement of either Thr292 or Thr386 with alanine by site-directed mutagenesis reduced the phosphate incorporation respectively to 32 or 75% that of wild type MKK. Replacement of both threonine residues with alanine reduced phosphate incorporation to 2.5% that of wild type enzyme. Comparison of MAPK-phosphorylated vs. unphosphorylated MKK showed no significant differences in basal or Raf-1-stimulated MKK activity. We conclude that the phosphorylation of MKK at Thr292 and Thr386 does not interfere with catalysis in vitro.

Transformation of mammalian cells by constitutively active MAP kinase kinase.

Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase (MAPKK) activates MAP kinase in a signal transduction pathway that mediates cellular responses to growth and differentiation factors. Oncogenes such as ras, src, raf, and mos have been proposed to transform cells by prolonging the activated state of MAPKK and of components downstream in the signaling pathway. To test this hypothesis, constitutively active MAPKK mutants were designed that had basal activities up to 400 times greater than that of the unphosphorylated wild-type kinase. Expression of these mutants in mammalian cells activated AP-1-regulated transcription. The cells formed transformed foci, grew efficiently in soft agar, and were highly tumorigenic in nude mice. These findings indicate that constitutive activation of MAPKK is sufficient to promote cell transformation.

A gene-sized DNA molecule encoding the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase alpha in the macronucleus of Oxytricha nova.

We have isolated a gene-sized molecule encoding the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase alpha from a macronuclear genomic library of Oxytricha nova, by using a 0.7-kb fragment of the corresponding human gene as a hybridization probe. Two different versions of the gene are present in the macronucleus, one with an EcoRI site (RI+) and one without an EcoRI site (RI-). The cloned RI- version has been characterized. It is 4938 bp in length, excluding telomeres. It consists of a 329-bp 5' leader, a 4479-bp coding region and a 130-bp 3' trailer. The deduced amino-acid sequence shares conserved regions with the yeast and human polypeptides. We also demonstrate by Southern analysis that gene-sized molecules of similar size, homologous to the isolated O. nova gene are present in the mac genome of closely and distantly related hypotrichs.