Modeling a disease-correlated tubulin mutation in budding yeast reveals insight into MAP-mediated dynein function.

Mutations in the genes that encode α- and ß-tubulin underlie many neurological diseases, most notably malformations in cortical development. In addition to revealing the molecular basis for disease etiology, studying such mutations can provide insight into microtubule function and the role of the large family of microtubule effectors. In this study, we use budding yeast to model one such mutation-Gly436Arg in α-tubulin, which is causative of malformations in cortical development-in order to understand how it impacts microtubule function in a simple eukaryotic system. Using a combination of in vitro and in vivo methodologies, including live cell imaging and electron tomography, we find that the mutant tubulin is incorporated into microtubules, causes a shift in α-tubulin isotype usage, and dramatically enhances dynein activity, which leads to spindle-positioning defects. We find that the basis for the latter phenotype is an impaired interaction between She1-a dynein inhibitor-and the mutant microtubules. In addition to revealing the natural balance of α-tubulin isotype utilization in cells, our results provide evidence of an impaired interaction between microtubules and a dynein regulator as a consequence of a tubulin mutation and sheds light on a mechanism that may be causative of neurodevelopmental diseases.

The giant protein AHNAK is a specific target for the calcium- and zinc-binding S100B protein: potential implications for Ca2+ homeostasis regulation by S100B.

Transformation of rat embryo fibroblast clone 6 cells by ras and temperature-sensitive p53val(135) is reverted by ectopic expression of the calcium- and zinc-binding protein S100B. In an attempt to define the molecular basis of the S100B action, we have identified the giant phosphoprotein AHNAK as the major and most specific Ca(2+)-dependent S100B target protein in rat embryo fibroblast cells. We next characterized AHNAK as a major Ca(2+)-dependent S100B target protein in the rat glial C6 and human U-87MG astrocytoma cell lines. AHNAK binds to S100B-Sepharose beads and is also recovered in anti-S100B immunoprecipitates in a strict Ca(2+)- and Zn(2+)-dependent manner. Using truncated AHNAK fragments, we demonstrated that the domains of AHNAK responsible for interaction with S100B correspond to repeated motifs that characterize the AHNAK molecule. These motifs show no binding to calmodulin or to S100A6 and S100A11. We also provide evidence that the binding of 2 Zn(2+) equivalents/mol S100B enhances Ca(2+)-dependent S100B-AHNAK interaction and that the effect of Zn(2+) relies on Zn(2+)-dependent regulation of S100B affinity for Ca(2+). Taking into consideration that AHNAK is a protein implicated in calcium flux regulation, we propose that the S100B-AHNAK interaction may participate in the S100B-mediated regulation of cellular Ca(2+) homeostasis.

Concerted regulation of wild-type p53 nuclear accumulation and activation by S100B and calcium-dependent protein kinase C.

The calcium ionophore ionomycin cooperates with the S100B protein to rescue a p53-dependent G(1) checkpoint control in S100B-expressing mouse embryo fibroblasts and rat embryo fibroblasts (REF cells) which express the temperature-sensitive p53Val135 mutant (C. Scotto, J. C. Deloulme, D. Rousseau, E. Chambaz, and J. Baudier, Mol. Cell. Biol. 18:4272-4281, 1998). We investigated in this study the contributions of S100B and calcium-dependent PKC (cPKC) signalling pathways to the activation of wild-type p53. We first confirmed that S100B expression in mouse embryo fibroblasts enhanced specific nuclear accumulation of wild-type p53. We next demonstrated that wild-type p53 nuclear translocation and accumulation is dependent on cPKC activity. Mutation of the five putative cPKC phosphorylation sites on murine p53 into alanine or aspartic residues had no significant effect on p53 nuclear localization, suggesting that the cPKC effect on p53 nuclear translocation is indirect. A concerted regulation by S100B and cPKC of wild-type p53 nuclear translocation and activation was confirmed with REF cells expressing S100B (S100B-REF cells) overexpressing the temperature-sensitive p53Val135 mutant. Stimulation of S100B-REF cells with the PKC activator phorbol ester phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) promoted specific nuclear translocation of the wild-type p53Val135 species in cells positioned in early G(1) phase of the cell cycle. PMA also substituted for ionomycin in the mediating of p53-dependent G(1) arrest at the nonpermissive temperature (37.5 degrees C). PMA-dependent growth arrest was linked to the cell apoptosis response to UV irradiation. In contrast, growth arrest mediated by a temperature shift to 32 degrees C protected S100B-REF cells from apoptosis. Our results suggest a model in which calcium signalling, linked with cPKC activation, cooperates with S100B to promote wild-type p53 nuclear translocation in early G(1) phase and activation of a p53-dependent G(1) checkpoint control.

Calcium-dependent interaction of S100B with the C-terminal domain of the tumor suppressor p53.

In vitro, the S100B protein interacts with baculovirus recombinant p53 protein and protects p53 from thermal denaturation. This effect is isoform-specific and is not observed with S100A1, S100A6, or calmodulin. Using truncated p53 proteins in the N-terminal (p53(1-320)) and C-terminal (p53(73-393)) domains, we localized the S100B-binding region to the C-terminal region of p53. We have confirmed a calcium-dependent interaction of the S100B with a synthetic peptide corresponding to the C-terminal region of p53 (residues 319-393 in human p53) using plasmon resonance experiments on a BIAcore system. In the presence of calcium, the equilibrium affinity of the S100B for the C-terminal region of p53 immobilized on the sensor chip was 24 +/- 10 nM. To narrow down the region within p53 involved in S100B binding, two synthetic peptides, O1(357-381) (residues 357-381 in mouse p53) and YF-O2(320-346) (residues 320-346 in mouse p53), covering the C-terminal region of p53 were compared for their interaction with purified S100B. Only YF-O2 peptide interacts with S100B with high affinity. The YF-O2 motif is a critical determinant for the thermostability of p53 and also corresponds to a domain responsible for cytoplasmic sequestration of p53. Our results may explain the rescue of nuclear wild type p53 activities by S100B in fibroblast cell lines expressing the temperature-sensitive p53val135 mutant at the nonpermissive temperature.

RanGTP targets p97 to RanBP2, a filamentous protein localized at the cytoplasmic periphery of the nuclear pore complex.

RanBP2, a protein containing FG repeat motifs and four binding sites for the guanosine triphosphatase Ran, is localized at the cytoplasmic periphery of the nuclear pore complex (NPC) and is believed to play a critical role in nuclear protein import. We purified RanBP2 from rat liver nuclear envelopes and examined its structural and biochemical properties. Electron microscopy showed that RanBP2 forms a flexible filamentous molecule with a length of approximately 36 nm, suggesting that it comprises a major portion of the cytoplasmic fibrils implicated in initial binding of import substrates to the NPC. Using in vitro assays, we characterized the ability of RanBP2 to bind p97, a cytosolic factor implicated in the association of the nuclear localization signal receptor with the NPC. We found that RanGTP promotes the binding of p97 to RanBP2, whereas it inhibits the binding of p97 to other FG repeat nucleoporins. These data suggest that RanGTP acts to specifically target p97 to RanBP2, where p97 may support the binding of an nuclear localization signal receptor/substrate complex to RanBP2 in an early step of nuclear import.

The in vitro phosphorylation of p53 by calcium-dependent protein kinase C--characterization of a protein-kinase-C-binding site on p53.

We show that, in vitro, Ca2+-dependent protein kinase C (PKC) phosphorylates recombinant murine p53 protein on several residues contained within a conserved basic region of 25 amino acids, located in the C-terminal part of the protein. Accordingly, synthetic p53-(357-381)-peptide is phosphorylated by PKC at multiple Ser and Thr residues, including Ser360, Thr365, Ser370 and Thr377. We also establish that p53-(357-381)-peptide at micromolar concentrations has the ability to stimulate sequence-specific DNA binding by p53. That stimulation is lost upon phosphorylation by PKC. To further characterise the mechanisms that regulate PKC-dependent phosphorylation of p53-(357-381)-peptide, the phosphorylation of recombinant p53 and p53-(357-381)-peptide by PKC were compared. The results suggest that phosphorylation of full-length p53 on the C-terminal PKC sites is highly dependent on the accessibility of the phosphorylation sites and that a domain on p53 distinct from p53-(357-381)-peptide is involved in binding PKC. Accordingly, we have identified a conserved 27-amino-acid peptide, p53-(320-346)-peptide, within the C-terminal region of p53 and adjacent to residues 357-381 that interacts with PKC in vitro. The interaction between p53-(320-346)-peptide and PKC inhibits PKC autophosphorylation and the phosphorylation of substrates, including p53-(357-381)-peptide, neurogranin and histone H1. Conventional Ca2+-dependent PKC alpha, beta and gamma and the catalytic fragment of PKC (PKM) were nearly equally susceptible to inhibition by p53-(320-346)-peptide. The Ca2+-independent PKC delta was much less sensitive to inhibition. The significance of these findings for understanding the in vivo phosphorylation of p53 by PKC are discussed.

A small ubiquitin-related polypeptide involved in targeting RanGAP1 to nuclear pore complex protein RanBP2.

We have found that the mammalian Ran GTPase-activating protein RanGAP1 is highly concentrated at the cytoplasmic periphery of the nuclear pore complex (NPC), where it associates with the 358-kDa Ran-GTP-binding protein RanBP2. This interaction requires the ATP-dependent posttranslational conjugation of RanGAP1 with SUMO-1 (for small ubiquitin-related modifier), a novel protein of 101 amino acids that contains low but significant homology to ubiquitin. SUMO-1 appears to represent the prototype for a novel family of ubiquitin-related protein modifiers. Inhibition of nuclear protein import resulting from antibodies directed at NPC-associated RanGAP1 cannot be overcome by soluble cytosolic RanGAP1, indicating that GTP hydrolysis by Ran at RanBP2 is required for nuclear protein import.

Nucleotide-specific interaction of Ran/TC4 with nuclear transport factors NTF2 and p97.

The use of permeabilized cell models to study nuclear protein import has led to the identification of cytosolic components of the import machinery, including the NLS receptor, p97, Ran/TC4, and nuclear transport factor 2 (NTF2). These proteins are required to reconstitute docking of transport ligand at the nuclear pore complex and subsequent translocation through the nuclear pore. However, a detailed molecular understanding of how these factors mediate protein import is lacking. Here we describe the results of solution and solid phase binding assays, which demonstrate that the small GTPase Ran/TC4 interacts directly with the cytosolic transport factors p97 and NTF2. By preloading recombinant Ran/TC4 with [gamma-32P]GTP or [3H]GDP, we show that the interactions with p97 and NTF2 are specific for the GTP- and GDP-bound forms, respectively. These data together with previous studies lead us to suggest that the interaction of the GTP-bound form of Ran/TC4 with p97 is linked to an early step in the nuclear protein import pathway and that the association of the GDP-bound form of Ran/TC4 with NTF2 helps define vectorial transport.

The protein kinase C activator, phorbol ester, cooperates with the wild-type p53 species of Ras-transformed embryo fibroblasts growth arrest.

Clone 112 cells, a rat embryo fibroblast cell line cotransfected by an activated ras gene and a temperature-sensitive mutant p53 gene (p53val135) grow well at 37 degrees C but cease DNA synthesis and cell division when shifted to 32 degrees C (Michalovitz, D., Halevy, O., and Oren, M. (1990) Cell 62, 671-680). Characterization of the p53 protein in exponentially growing clone 112 cells at 37 degrees C revealed that both wild-type (reactive with the monoclonal antibody PAb 246) and mutant (reactive with PAb 240) p53 conformational forms are co-expressed. These results indicate that in clone 112 cells the growth suppressor activity of the wild-type p53 species is inactivated at 37 degrees C. We show that clone 112 cells grown at 37 degrees C elicits specific growth inhibition response to stimulation by the tumor promoter phorbol ester, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). At 37 degrees C, PMA induced nuclear accumulation of the p53 protein, a behavior that is also observed in growth-arrested cells at 32 degrees C. Furthermore, when cells are growth arrested at 32 degrees C, PMA prevented the cells from re-entering the cell cycle when they are shifted back to 37 degrees C. All these observations suggest that PMA can cooperate with the wild-type p53 in cell growth arrest. At 37 and 32 degrees C, PMA stimulation of clone 112 cells resulted in specific enhancement of phosphorylation of the wild-type p53 species but not of the mutant form. We also demonstrate that the growth arrest of clone 112 cells at 37 degrees C is correlated with stimulation of the nuclear wild-type p53-DNA binding activities. The PMA-mediated increase in p53 DNA binding activity coincides with the loss of the PAb 421 epitope on the p53.DNA complex. PAb 421 non-reactivity with p53 has been shown by others to occur in growth-arrested cells and upon phosphorylation of p53 by protein kinase C. We also provide evidence that, in vitro, the protein kinase C mode of phosphorylation stimulates DNA binding activities of purified recombinant wild-type p53 and that in a mutant conformation p53 is not a substrate for protein kinase C. We propose that wild-type p53 and protein kinase C, the cellular receptor of phorbol ester, could participate in the negative feedback controls associated with the phosphoinositide-derived signals common to a number of mitogenic stimulations.

Characterization of baculovirus recombinant wild-type p53. Dimerization of p53 is required for high-affinity DNA binding and cysteine oxidation inhibits p53 DNA binding.

A high-yield, rapid and non-denaturing purification protocol for baculovirus recombinant wild-type p53 is described. Gel-filtration chromatography and chemical cross-linking experiments indicated that purified p53 assembles into multimeric forms ranging from tetramer to higher oligomers. A gel-mobility-shift assay and protein-DNA cross-linking studies demonstrated that purified baculovirus recombinant p53 binds to consensus DNA target as a dimer but that additional p53 molecules may then associate with the preformed p53-dimer-DNA complexes to form larger p53 DNA complexes. These observations suggest that the p53 tetramers and higher oligomers that form the minimal p53 association in solution dissociate upon DNA binding to form p53 dimer-DNA complexes. Binding of the mAB PAb 421 to the oligomerization-promoting domain on p53 stimulated sequentially formation of both p53-dimer-DNA and larger p53-DNA complexes. This observation suggests that factors may exist in vivo that could participate in the formation and the stabilization of the various p53-DNA complexes. Further characterization of the purified p53 revealed that the protein possesses highly reactive cysteine residues. We show that intrachain disulfide bonds form within the purified p53 molecules during storage in the absence of reducing agent. Zn2+ binding to p53 protect sulfhydryl groups from oxidation. Cysteine oxidation by intramolecular disulfide-bond formation did not modify the wild-type immunoreactive phenotype of the p53 protein but totally inhibited its DNA-binding activities. The oxidation of the p53 cysteine residues was also observed for nuclear p53 in baculovirus-infected insect cells. The redox status of the nuclear p53 regulates its DNA-binding activity in vitro confirming the essential role of the reduced state of cysteine residues in p53 for detectable DNA-binding activity.

Organization of the genes necessary for hydrogenase expression in Rhodobacter capsulatus. Sequence analysis and identification of two hyp regulatory mutants.

A 25 kbp DNA fragment from the chromosome of Rhodobacter capsulatus B10 carrying hydrogenase (hup) determinants was completely sequenced. Coding regions corresponding to 20 open reading frames were identified. The R. capsulatus hydrogenase-specific gene (hup and hyp) products bear significant structural identity to hydrogenase gene products from Escherichia coli (13), from Rhizobium leguminosarum (16), from Azotobacter vinelandii (10) and from Alcaligenes eutrophus (11). The sequential arrangement of the R. capsulatus genes is: hupR2-hupU-hypF-hupS-hupL-hupM-hu pD-hupF-hupG-hupH-hupJ-hupK-hypA- hypB-hupR1- hypC-hypD-hypE-ORF19-ORF20, all contiguous and transcribed from the same DNA strand. The last two potential genes do not encode products that are related to identified hydrogenase-specific gene products in other species. The sequence of the 12 R. capsulatus genes underlined above is presented. The mutation site in two of the Hup- mutants used in this study, RS13 and RCC12, was identified in the hypF gene (deletion of one G) and in the hypD gene (deletion of 54 bp), respectively. The hypF gene product shares 45% identity with the product of hydA from E. coli and the product of hypF from R. leguminosarum. Those products present at their N-terminus a Cys arrangement typical of zinc-finger proteins. The G deletion in the C-terminal region of hypF in the RS13 mutant prevented the expression of a hupS::lacZ translational fusion from being stimulated by H2 as it is observed in the wild-type strain B10. It is inferred that the HypF protein is a factor involved in H2 stimulation of hydrogenase expression.

Characterization of the tumor suppressor protein p53 as a protein kinase C substrate and a S100b-binding protein.

We report here that the negative cell cycle regulator protein p53 is an in vivo and in vitro substrate for protein kinase C, a cellular receptor for the tumor-promoter phorbol esters. We also demonstrate that p53 interacts in a calcium-dependent manner with S100b, a member of the S100 protein family involved in cell cycle progression and cell differentiation, and that such an interaction inhibits in vitro p53 phosphorylation by protein kinase C. The interaction between p53 and S100b was utilized for the purification of cellular and recombinant murine p53 by affinity chromatography with S100b-Sepharose. Furthermore, and of particular interest, we have shown that purified p53 undergoes temperature-dependent oligomerization and that the interaction between S100b and p53 not only induces total inhibition of p53 oligomerization but also promotes disassembly of the p53 oligomers. We suggest that these effects result from the binding of S100b to the multifunctional basic C-terminal domain of p53 and propose that p53 may be a cellular target for the S100 protein family members involved in the control of the cell cycle at the G0-G1/S boundary.

Casein kinase II and the tumor suppressor protein P53 associate in a molecular complex that is negatively regulated upon P53 phosphorylation.

Selective immunoisolation of P53 from Sf9 cells coexpressing wild-type P53 and casein kinase II yielded a preparation containing casein kinase II, thus suggesting that the two proteins may associate in a molecular complex in the intact cell. Such a complex could indeed be demonstrated in vitro between purified recombinant P53 and oligomeric casein kinase II and was shown to dissociate when P53 became phosphorylated by the kinase. This suggested that the P53 C-terminal domain, which contains the casein kinase II phosphorylation site was involved in the protein-protein interaction; this was confirmed by the fact that an anti-P53 monoclonal antibody directed to that domain inhibited the P53-casein kinase II association. Studies with isolated recombinant casein kinase II subunits disclosed that although the alpha (catalytic) subunit could phosphorylate P53, the formation of a stable P53-casein kinase II association required the presence of the beta subunit of the kinase. This was confirmed by immunoisolation of a P53-beta subunit complex from cells expressing both polypeptides. Although the biological significance of a reversible P53-casein kinase II molecular complex in the control of cell proliferation processes remains to be defined, these observations suggest the possibility of a novel mechanism regulating P53 and casein kinase II activities in the intact cell.