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Global analysis of specificity determinants in eukaryotic protein kinases

Protein kinases lie at the heart of cell signalling processes, constitute one of the largest human domain families and are often mutated in disease. Kinase target recognition at the active site is in part determined by a few amino acids around the phosphoacceptor residue. These preferences vary across kinases and despite the increased knowledge of target substrates little is known about how most preferences are encoded in the kinase sequence and how these preferences evolve. Here, we used alignment-based approaches to identify 30 putative specificity determinant residues (SDRs) for 16 preferences. These were studied using structural models and were validated by activity assays of mutant kinases. Mutation data from patient cancer samples revealed that kinase specificity is often targeted in cancer to a greater extent than catalytic residues. Throughout evolution we observed that kinase specificity is strongly conserved across orthologs but can diverge after gene duplication as illustrated by the evolution of the G-protein coupled receptor kinase family. The identified SDRs can be used to predict kinase specificity from sequence and aid in the interpretation of evolutionary or disease-related genomic variants.

cell biology

MicroRNA miR-128 represses LINE-1 (L1) retrotransposition by downregulating the nuclear import factor TNPO1

Repetitive elements, including LINE-1 (L1), comprise approximately half of the human genome. These elements can potentially destabilize the genome by initiating their own replication and reintegration into new sites (retrotransposition). In somatic cells, transcription of L1 elements are repressed by distinct molecular mechanisms including DNA methylation and histone modifications to repress transcription. Under conditions of hypomethylation (e.g. in tumor cells) a window of opportunity for L1 de-repression arises and additional restriction mechanisms become crucial. We recently demonstrated that the microRNA miR-128 represses L1 activity by directly binding to L1 ORF2 RNA. In this study, we tested whether miR-128 can also control L1 activity by repressing cellular proteins important for L1 retrotransposition. We found that miR-128 targets the 3UTR of the nuclear import factor transportin 1 (TNPO1) mRNA. Manipulation of miR-128 and TNPO1 levels demonstrated that induction or depletion of TNPO1 affects L1 retrotransposition and nuclear import of an L1-RNP complex (using L1-encoded ORF1p as a proxy for L1-RNP complexes). Moreover, TNPO1 overexpression partially reversed the repressive effect of miR-128 on L1 retrotransposition. Our study represents the first description of a protein factor involved in nuclear import of the L1 element and demonstrates that miR-128 controls L1 activity in somatic cells through two independent mechanisms: direct binding to L1 RNA, and regulating a cellular factor necessary for L1 nuclear import and retrotransposition.

cell biology

Distinct prophase arrest mechanisms in human male meiosis

To prevent chromosomal aberrations to be transmitted to the offspring, strict meiotic checkpoints are in place to remove aberrant spermatocytes. However, in about 1% of all males these checkpoints cause complete meiotic arrest leading to azoospermia and subsequent infertility. We here unravel two clearly distinct meiotic arrest mechanisms that act during the prophase of human male meiosis. Type I arrested spermatocytes display severe asynapsis of the homologous chromosomes, disturbed XY-body formation and increased expression of the Y-chromosome encoded gene ZFY and seem to activate a DNA damage pathway leading to induction of p63 mediated spermatocyte elimination. Type II arrested spermatocytes display normal chromosome synapsis, normal XY-body morphology and meiotic crossover formation but have a lowered expression of several cell cycle regulating genes and fail to properly silence the X-chromosome encoded gene ZFX. Discovery and understanding of these meiotic arrest mechanisms increases our knowledge on how genomic stability is guarded during human germ cell development.

cell biology

Force dependence of filopodia adhesion: involvement of myosin II and formins

Filopodia are dynamic membrane protrusions driven by polymerization of an actin filament core, mediated by formin molecules at the filopodia tips. Filopodia can adhere to the extracellular matrix and experience both external and cell generated pulling forces. The role of such forces in filopodia adhesion is however insufficiently understood. Here, we induced sustained growth of filopodia by applying pulling force to their tips via attached fibronectin-coated beads trapped by optical tweezers. Strikingly, pharmacological inhibition or knockdown of myosin IIA, which localized to the base of filopodia, resulted in weakening of filopodia adherence strength. Inhibition of formins, which caused detachment of actin filaments from formin molecules, produced similar effect. Thus, myosin IIA-generated centripetal force transmitted to the filopodia tips through interactions between formins and actin filaments are required for filopodia adhesion. Force-dependent adhesion led to preferential attachment of filopodia to rigid versus fluid substrates, which may underlie cell orientation and polarization.

cell biology

Microtubule regulation of integrin-based adhesions is mediated by myosin-IIA

The interrelationship between microtubules and the actin cytoskeleton in mechanoregulation of integrin-mediated adhesions is poorly understood. Here, we show that the effects of microtubules on two major types of cell-matrix adhesions, focal adhesions and podosomes, are mediated by KANK family proteins connecting the adhesion protein talin with microtubule tips. Both total microtubule disruption and microtubule uncoupling from adhesions by manipulations with KANKs trigger a massive assembly of myosin-IIA filaments. Myosin-IIA filaments, augmenting the focal adhesions and disrupting the podosomes, are indispensable effectors in the microtubule-dependent regulation of integrin-mediated adhesions. Myosin-IIA filament assembly depends on Rho activation by the RhoGEF, GEF-H1, which is trapped by microtubules when they are connected with integrin-mediated adhesions via KANK proteins but released after their disconnection. Thus, microtubule capturing by integrin-mediated adhesions modulates the GEF-H1-dependent effect of microtubules on the myosin-IIA filaments. Subsequent actomyosin reorganization then remodels the focal adhesions and podosomes, closing the regulatory loop.

cell biology

Interferon-inducible miR-128 modulates HIV-1 replication by targeting TNPO3 mRNA

The HIV/AIDS pandemic remains an important threat to human health. We have recently demonstrated that a novel microRNA (miR-128) represses retrotransposon (LINE-1 or L1) by a dual mechanism, by directly targeting the coding region of the L1 RNA and by repressing a required nuclear import factor (TNPO1). We have further determined that miR-128 represses the expression of all three isoforms of TNPO proteins (transportins, TNPO1,-2 and TNPO3). Here, we establish that miR-128 also controls HIV-1 replication by repressing TNPO3. TNPO3 is well established to regulate HIV-1 nuclear import and viral replication. Here, we report that the type I interferon inducible miR-128 directly targets two sites in the TNPO3 mRNA, significantly down-regulating TNPO3 mRNA and protein expression levels. Manipulation of miR-128 levels in HIV target cell lines and in primary human CD4 T-cells by over-expression or knockdown showed that modulation of TNPO3 by miR-128 affects HIV-1 replication but not MLV infection. In addition, we found that miR-128 modulation of HIV-1 replication is reduced with TNPO3-independent HIV-1 virus and in cells depleted of CPSF6, suggesting that miR-128-indued TNPO3 repression is partly required for miR-128-induced inhibition of HIV-1 replication. Finally, challenging miR-modulated Jurkat cells or primary CD4 T-cells with wildtype, replication-competent HIV-1 shows that miR-128 significantly delays spreading infection. Thus, we have established a novel role of miR-128 in anti-viral defense in human cells, inhibiting HIV-1 replication partly by targeting TNPO3.

cell biology

miR-128-induced LINE-1 restriction is dependent on down-regulation of hnRNPA1

The majority of the human genome is made of transposable elements, giving rise to interspaced repeats, including Long Interspersed Element-1s (LINE-1s or L1s). L1s are active human DNA parasites involved in genomic diversity and evolution, but can also contribute to genomic instability and diseases. L1s require host factors to complete their life cycles, whereas the host has evolved numerous mechanisms to restrict L1-induced mutagenesis. Restriction mechanisms in somatic cells include methylation of the L1 promoter, anti-viral factors and RNA-mediated processes such as small RNAs. microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) are small non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally repress multiple target genes often found in the same cellular pathways. We have recently established that the interferon-inducible miR-128 function as a novel restriction factor inhibiting L1 mobilization in somatic cells. We have further demonstrated that miR-128 function through a dual mechanism; by directly targeting L1 RNA for degradation and indirectly by inhibiting a cellular co-factor which L1 is dependent on to transpose to new genomic locations (TNPO1). Here we add another piece to the puzzle of the enigmatic L1 life cycle. We show that miR-128 also inhibits another key cellular factor, hnRNPA1, by significantly reducing mRNA and protein levels through direct interaction with the coding sequence (CDS) of hnRNPA1 mRNA. Furthermore, we demonstrate that repression of hnRNPA1 using shRNA significantly decreases de novo L1 retrotransposition and that induced hnRNPA1 expression enhances L1 mobilization. Finally, we determine that hnRNPA1 is a functional target of miR-128 and that induced hnRNPA1 expression in miR-128-overexpressing cells can partly rescue the miR-128-induced repression of L1s ability to transpose to different genomic locations. Thus, we have identified an additional mechanism by which miR-128 represses L1 retrotransposition and mediate genomic stability.

cell biology

Atg8 is essential specifically for an autophagy-independent function in apicoplast biogenesis in blood-stage malaria parasites

Plasmodium parasites and related pathogens contain an essential non-photosynthetic plastid organelle, the apicoplast, derived from secondary endosymbiosis. Intriguingly, a highly conserved eukaryotic protein, autophagy-related protein 8 (Atg8), has an autophagy-independent function in the apicoplast. Little is known about the novel apicoplast function of Atg8 and its importance in blood-stage P. falciparum. Using a P. falciparum strain in which Atg8 expression was conditionally regulated, we showed that PfAtg8 is essential for parasite replication. Significantly, growth inhibition caused by the loss of PfAtg8 was reversed by addition of isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP), which was previously shown to rescue apicoplast defects in P. falciparum. Parasites deficient in PfAtg8, but growth rescued by IPP, had lost their apicoplast. We designed a suite of functional assays, including a new fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) method for detection of the low-copy apicoplast genome, to interrogate specific steps in apicoplast biogenesis and detect apicoplast defects which preceded the block in parasite replication. Though protein import and membrane expansion of the apicoplast were unaffected, the apicoplast was not inherited by daughter parasites. Our findings demonstrate that, though multiple autophagy-dependent and independent functions have been proposed for PfAtg8, only its role in apicoplast biogenesis is essential. We propose that PfAtg8 is required for fission or segregation of the apicoplast during parasite replication.

cell biology

Cell size-dependent regulation of Wee1 localization by Cdr2 cortical nodes

Cell size control requires mechanisms that link cell growth with Cdk1 activity. In fission yeast, the protein kinase Cdr2 forms cortical nodes that include the Cdk1 inhibitor Wee1, along with the Wee1-inhibitory kinase Cdr1. We investigated how nodes inhibit Wee1 during cell growth. Biochemical fractionation revealed that Cdr2 nodes were megadalton structures enriched for activated Cdr2, which increases in level during interphase growth. In live-cell TIRF movies, Cdr2 and Cdr1 remained constant at nodes over time, but Wee1 localized to nodes in short bursts. Recruitment of Wee1 to nodes required Cdr2 kinase activity and the noncatalytic N-terminus of Wee1. Bursts of Wee1 localization to nodes increased 20-fold as cells doubled in size throughout G2. Size-dependent signaling was due in part to the Cdr2 inhibitor Pom1, which suppressed Wee1 node bursts in small cells. Thus, increasing Cdr2 activity during cell growth promotes Wee1 localization to nodes, where inhibitory phosphorylation of Wee1 by Cdr1 and Cdr2 kinases promotes mitotic entry.\n\nSummaryCells turn off the mitotic inhibitor Wee1 to enter into mitosis. This study shows how cell growth progressively inhibits fission yeast Wee1 through dynamic bursts of localization to cortical node structures that contain Wee1 inhibitory kinases.

cell biology

CRISPR-Based DNA Imaging in Living Cells Reveals Cell Cycle-Dependent Chromosome Dynamics

In contrast to the well-studied condensation and folding of chromosomes during mitosis, their dynamics in interphase are less understood. We developed a sensitive, multicolor system, CRISPR-Sirius, allowing the real-time tracking of the dynamics of chromosomal loci. We tracked loci kilobases to megabases apart and found significant variation in the inter-locus distances of each pair, indicating differing degrees of DNA contortion. We resolved two distinct modes of dynamics of loci: saltatory local movements as well as translational movements of the domain. The magnitude of both of these modes of movements increased from early to late G1, whereas the translational movements were reduced in early S. The local fluctuations decreased slightly in early S and more markedly in mid-late S. These newly observed movements and their cell cycle-dependence are indicative of a hitherto unrecognized compaction-relaxation dynamic of the chromosomal fiber operating concurrently with changes in the extent of observed genomic domain movements.\n\nIN BRIEFDistinct chromosome folding and dynamics during cell cycle progression were dissected by CRISPR-Sirius DNA imaging in living cells.\n\nHIGHLIGHTSO_LICRISPR-Sirius allows tracking of pairs of chromosomal loci having kilobase to megabase inter-locus distances\nC_LIO_LIPair-wise tracking of loci allows measurement of both local and domain dynamics\nC_LIO_LIChromosomal fiber relaxation is positively correlated with local dynamics\nC_LIO_LIGenomic region size contributes to local and domain movements\nC_LIO_LIDistinct chromosome dynamics were uncovered during cell cycle progression in interphase\nC_LI

cell biology

Functional analyses of the CIF1-CIF2 complex in Trypanosoma brucei identify the structural motifs required for complex formation and cytokinesis

Cytokinesis in trypanosome occurs uni-directionally along the longitudinal axis from the cell anterior towards the cell posterior and requires a trypanosome-specific CIF1-CIF2 protein complex. However, little is known about the contribution of the structural motifs in CIF1 and CIF2 to complex assembly and cytokinesis. Here, we demonstrated that the two zinc-finger motifs but not the coiled-coil motif in CIF1 are required for interaction with the EF-hand motifs in CIF2. We further showed that localization of CIF1 depends on the coiled-coil motif and the first zinc-finger motif and that localization of CIF2 depends on the EF-hand motifs. Deletion of the coiled-coil motif and mutation of either zinc-finger motifs in CIF1 disrupted cytokinesis. Further, mutation of either zinc-finger motif in CIF1 mis-localized CIF2 to the cytosol and destabilized CIF2, whereas deletion of the coiled-coil motif in CIF1 spread CIF2 over to the new flagellum attachment zone and stabilized CIF2. Together, these results uncovered the requirement of the coiled-coil motif and zinc-finger motifs for CIF1 function in cytokinesis and for CIF2 localization and stability, providing structural insights into the functional interplay between the two cytokinesis regulators.

cell biology

CLASP stabilizes microtubule plus ends after severing to facilitate light-induced microtubule reorientation

Central to building and reorganizing cytoskeletal arrays is the creation of new polymers. While nucleation has been the major focus of study for new microtubule generation, severing has been proposed as an alternative mechanism to create new polymers, a mechanism recently shown to drive the reorientation of cortical arrays of higher plants in response to blue light perception. As severing produces new plus ends behind the stabilizing GTP-cap, an important and unanswered question is how these are stabilized in vivo to promote net microtubule generation. Here we identify the conserved protein CLASP as a potent stabilizer of new plus ends created by katanin severing and find that CLASP is required for rapid cortical array reorientation. In clasp mutants both rescue of shrinking plus ends and the regrowth of plus ends immediately after severing are reduced, computational modeling reveals that it is the specific stabilization of severed ends that explains CLASPs function in promoting microtubule amplification by severing and cortical array reorientation.

cell biology

Exchange protein directly activated by cAMP plays a critical role in regulation of vascular fibrinolysis

RationaleTo maintain vascular patency, endothelial cells (ECs) actively regulate hemostasis. Among the myriad of pathways by which they control both fibrin formation and fibrinolysis is EC expression of annexin A2 (ANXA2) in a heterotetrameric complex with S100A10 [(ANXA2-S100A10)2]. This complex is a well-recognized endothelial surface platform for the activation of plasminogen by tissue plasminogen activator. A noteworthy advance in this field came about when it was shown that the cAMP pathway is linked to the regulation of (ANXA2-S100A10)2 in ECs.\n\nObjectiveThese findings prompted us to determine whether a druggable target, namely the exchange protein directly activated by cAMP (EPAC) pathway, plays a role in vascular luminal fibrinolysis.\n\nMethods and ResultsTaking advantage of our Epac1-null mouse model, we found that depletion of Epac1 results in fibrin deposition, fibrinolytic dysfunction, and decreased endothelial surface ANXA2 in mice, which are similar to phenomena discovered in ANXA2-null and S100A10-null mice. We observed upregulation of EPAC1 and downregulation of fibrin in endocardial tissues beneath atrial mural thrombi in humans. Of note, our thrombosis model revealed that dysfunction of fibrinolysis in EPAC1-null mice can be ameliorated by recombinant ANXA2. Furthermore, we demonstrated that suppression of EPAC1 using a small-molecule inhibitor (ESI09) reduces the expression of ANXA2 in lipid rafts and impedes ANXA2 association with S100A10. Endothelial apical surface expression of both ANXA2 and S100A10 were markedly decreased in ESI09-treated ECs, which was corroborated by results from a nanoforce spectroscopy study. Moreover, inactivation of EPAC1 decreases tyrosine 23 phosphorylation of ANXA2 in the cell membrane compartment.\n\nConclusionsOur data reveal a novel role for EPAC1 in vascular fibrinolysis, by showing that EPAC1 is responsible for the translocation of ANXA2 to the EC surface. This process promotes conversion of plasminogen to plasmin, thereby enhancing local fibrinolytic activity.

cell biology

Mitochondrial Methylation Two-Peak Profile Absent in Parkinson's Disease Patient

Whole-mitochondrial genome methylation profiles were obtained for mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from blood samples of one sporadic Parkinsons Disease (PD) patient and one healthy control donor, via Whole-Genome Next-Generation Bisulfite Sequencing. Methylation frequency was determined at 836 CpG sites out of the 1146 CpG sites in mtDNA (73% of the total). The control mtDNA methylation profile exhibited a two-peak frequency distribution, with most CpG sites showing either no methylation, or a methylation above 7%. Instead, the sporadic PD mtDNA methylation profile exhibited a generic bell-shaped frequency distribution. The data is suggestive of the bell-shaped methylation profile arising via a degradation towards randomness of the healthy sample two-peak methylation pattern. Overall, this finding provides a possible explanation for the repeated observation of PD-phenotypic characteristics in cybrid cell lines where solely the mtDNA originates from a PD patient. We discuss the finding in terms of the sporadic PD Hematopoietic Origin Theory (HOT).

cell biology

ZMPSTE24 Missense Mutations that Cause Progeroid Diseases Decrease Prelamin A Cleavage Activity, Protein Stability, or Both

The human zinc metalloprotease ZMPSTE24 is an integral membrane protein critical for the final step in the biogenesis of the nuclear scaffold protein lamin A, encoded by LMNA. After farnesylation and carboxyl methylation of its C-terminal CAAX motif, the lamin A precursor, prelamin A, undergoes proteolytic removal of its modified C-terminal 15 amino acids by ZMPSTE24. Mutations in LMNA or ZMPSTE24 that impede this prelamin A cleavage step cause the premature aging disease Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS) and the related progeroid disorders mandibuloacral dysplasia-type B (MAD-B) and restrictive dermopathy (RD). Here we report a \"humanized yeast\" system to assay ZMPSTE24-dependent cleavage of prelamin A and examine the eight known disease-associated ZMPSTE24 missense mutations. All show diminished prelamin A processing and fall into three classes, with defects in activity, protein stability, or both. Notably, some ZMPSTE24 mutants can be rescued by deleting the E3 ubiquitin ligase Doa10, involved in ER-associated degradation of misfolded membrane proteins, or by treatment with the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib, which may have important therapeutic implications for some patients. We also show that ZMPSTE24-mediated prelamin A cleavage can be uncoupled from the recently discovered role of ZMPSTE24 in clearance of ER membrane translocon-clogged substrates. Together with the crystal structure of ZMPSTE24, this \"humanized yeast system\" can guide structure-function studies to uncover mechanisms of prelamin A cleavage, translocon unclogging, and membrane protein folding and stability.

cell biology

Disruption of dual zygotic spindle assembly shows epigenetic asymmetry to be chromosome intrinsic

At the beginning of mammalian life the genetic material from each parent meets when the fertilized egg divides. It was previously thought that a single microtubule spindle is responsible to spatially combine the two genomes and then segregate them to create the two-cell embryo. Utilizing light-sheet microscopy, we showed that two bipolar spindles form in the zygote, that independently congress the maternal and paternal genomes. These two spindles aligned their poles prior to anaphase but kept the parental genomes apart during the first cleavage. This spindle assembly mechanism provides a rationale for erroneous divisions into more than two blastomeric nuclei observed in mammalian zygotes and reveals the mechanism behind the observation that parental genomes occupy separate nuclear compartments in the two-cell embryo.\n\nOne Sentence Summary: After fertilization, two spindles form around pro-nuclei in mammalian zygotes and keep the parental genomes apart during the first division.

cell biology

Defining the Layers of a Sensory Cilium with STORM and Cryo-Electron Nanoscopies

Primary cilia are cylindrical organelles extending from the surface of most animal cells that have been implicated in a host of signaling and sensory functions. Genetic defects in their component molecules, known as \"ciliopathies\" give rise to devastating symptoms, ranging from defective development, to kidney disease, to progressive blindness. The detailed structures of these organelles and the true functions of proteins encoded by ciliopathy genes are poorly understood because of the small size of cilia and the limitations of conventional microscopic techniques. We describe the combination of cryo-electron tomography, enhanced by sub-tomogram averaging, with super-resolution stochastic reconstruction microscopy (STORM) to define substructures and subdomains within the light-sensing rod sensory cilium of the mammalian retina. Longitudinal and radial domains are demarcated by structural features such as the axoneme and its connections to the ciliary membrane, and are correlated with molecular markers of these compartments, including Ca2+-binding protein centrin-2 in the lumen of the axoneme, acetylated tubulin forming the axoneme, the glycocalyx extending outward from the surface of the plasma membrane, and molecular residents of the space between axoneme and ciliary membrane, including Arl13B, intraflagellar transport proteins, BBS5, and syntaxin-3. Within this framework we document that deficiencies in the ciliopathy proteins BBS2, BBS7 and BBS9 lead to inappropriate accumulation of proteins in rod outer segments while largely preserving their sub-domain localization within the connecting cilium region, but alter the distribution of syntaxin-3 clusters.

cell biology

In the absence of apoptosis, myeloid cells arrest when deprived of growth factor, but remain viable without ATG5-dependent autophagy or uptake of glucose or glutamine.

Withdrawal of the growth factor interleukin 3 from IL3-dependent myeloid cells causes them to undergo Bax/Bak1-dependent apoptosis, whereas factor-deprived Bax-/-Bak1-/- cells remain viable, but arrest and shrink. It was reported that withdrawal of IL3 from Bax-/-Bak1-/- cells caused decreased expression of the glucose transporter Glut1, leading to reduced glucose uptake, so that arrested cells required Atg5-dependent autophagy for long-term survival. In other cell types, a decrease in Glut1 is mediated by the thioredoxin-interacting protein Txnip, which is induced in IL3-dependent myeloid cells when growth factor is removed. We mutated Atg5 and Txnip by CRISPR/Cas9 and found that Atg5-dependent autophagy was not necessary for the long-term viability of cycling or arrested Bax-/-Bak1-/- cells, and that Txnip was not required for the decrease in Glut1 expression in response to IL3 withdrawal. Surprisingly, Atg5-deficient Bax/Bak1 double mutant cells survived for several weeks in medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), without high concentrations of added glucose or glutamine. When serum was withdrawn, the provision of an equivalent amount of glucose present in 10% FBS (~0.5 mM) was sufficient to support cell survival for more than a week, in the presence or absence of IL3. Thus, Bax-/-Bak1-/- myeloid cells deprived of growth factor consume extracellular glucose to maintain long-term viability, without a requirement for Atg5-dependent autophagy.

cell biology