The Hierarchic Order of Intermediate Filament Structure and Assembly

Author(s):  
U. Aebi ◽  
E.C. Glavaris ◽  
R. Eichner

Five different classes of intermediate-sized filaments (IFs) have been identified in differentiated eukaryotic cells: vimentin in mesenchymal cells, desmin in muscle cells, neurofilaments in nerve cells, glial filaments in glial cells and keratin filaments in epithelial cells. Despite their tissue specificity, all IFs share several common attributes, including immunological crossreactivity, similar morphology (e.g. about 10 nm diameter - hence ‘10-nm filaments’) and the ability to reassemble in vitro from denatured subunits into filaments virtually indistinguishable from those observed in vivo. Further more, despite their proteinchemical heterogeneity (their MWs range from 40 kDa to 200 kDa and their isoelectric points from about 5 to 8), protein and cDNA sequencing of several IF polypeptides (for refs, see 1,2) have provided the framework for a common structural model of all IF subunits.

2001 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 511-520 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annette L. Henneberry ◽  
Thomas A. Lagace ◽  
Neale D. Ridgway ◽  
Christopher R. McMaster

Phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine are the most abundant phospholipids in eukaryotic cells and thus have major roles in the formation and maintenance of vesicular membranes. In yeast, diacylglycerol accepts a phosphocholine moiety through aCPT1-derived cholinephosphotransferase activity to directly synthesize phosphatidylcholine. EPT1-derived activity can transfer either phosphocholine or phosphoethanolamine to diacylglcyerol in vitro, but is currently believed to primarily synthesize phosphatidylethanolamine in vivo. In this study we report that CPT1- and EPT1-derived cholinephosphotransferase activities can significantly overlap in vivo such that EPT1 can contribute to 60% of net phosphatidylcholine synthesis via the Kennedy pathway. Alterations in the level of diacylglycerol consumption through alterations in phosphatidylcholine synthesis directly correlated with the level of SEC14-dependent invertase secretion and affected cell viability. Administration of synthetic di8:0 diacylglycerol resulted in a partial rescue of cells fromSEC14-mediated cell death. The addition of di8:0 diacylglycerol increased di8:0 diacylglycerol levels 20–40-fold over endogenous long-chain diacylglycerol levels. Di8:0 diacylglcyerol did not alter endogenous phospholipid metabolic pathways, nor was it converted to di8:0 phosphatidic acid.


Author(s):  
Pamela Mancha-Agresti ◽  
Mariana Martins Drumond ◽  
Fillipe Luiz Rosa do Carmo ◽  
Monica Morais Santos ◽  
Janete Soares Coelho dos Santos ◽  
...  

Viruses ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtney N. Dial ◽  
Patrick M. Tate ◽  
Thomas M. Kicmal ◽  
Bryan C. Mounce

Polyamines are small positively-charged molecules abundant in eukaryotic cells that are crucial to RNA virus replication. In eukaryotic cells, polyamines facilitate processes such as transcription, translation, and DNA replication, and viruses similarly rely on polyamines to facilitate transcription and translation. Whether polyamines function at additional stages in viral replication remains poorly understood. Picornaviruses, including Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3), are sensitive to polyamine depletion both in vitro and in vivo; however, precisely how polyamine function in picornavirus infection has not been described. Here, we describe CVB3 mutants that arise with passage in polyamine-depleted conditions. We observe mutations in the 2A and 3C proteases, and we find that these mutant proteases confer resistance to polyamine depletion. Using a split luciferase reporter system to measure protease activity, we determined that polyamines facilitate viral protease activity. We further observe that the 2A and 3C protease mutations enhance reporter protease activity in polyamine-depleted conditions. Finally, we find that these mutations promote cleavage of cellular eIF4G during infection of polyamine-depleted cells. In sum, our results suggest that polyamines are crucial to protease function during picornavirus infection. Further, these data highlight viral proteases as potential antiviral targets and highlight how CVB3 may overcome polyamine-depleting antiviral therapies.


2006 ◽  
Vol 80 (18) ◽  
pp. 8891-8898 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akira Nakanishi ◽  
Akiko Nakamura ◽  
Robert Liddington ◽  
Harumi Kasamatsu

ABSTRACT Interaction of simian virus 40 (SV40) major capsid protein Vp1 with the minor capsid proteins Vp2 and Vp3 is an integral aspect of the SV40 architecture. Two Vp3 sequence elements mediate Vp1 pentamer binding in vitro, Vp3 residues 155 to 190, or D1, and Vp3 residues 222 to 234, or D2. Of the two, D1 but not D2 was necessary and sufficient to direct the interaction with Vp1 in vivo. Rational mutagenesis of Vp3 residues (Phe157, Ile158, Pro164, Gly165, Gly166, Leu177, and Leu181) or Vp1 residues (Val243 and Leu245), based on a structural model of the SV40 Vp1 pentamer complexed with Vp3 D1, was carried out to disrupt the interaction between Vp1 and Vp3 and to study the consequences of these mutations for viral viability. Altering these residues to bulky, charged residues blocked the interaction in vitro. When these alterations were introduced into the viral genome, they reduced viral viability. Mutants with alterations in Vp1 Val243, Leu245, or both to glutamate were nearly nonviable, whereas those with Vp3 alterations reduced, but did not eliminate, viability. Our results defined the residues of Vp1 and the minor capsid proteins that are essential for both the interaction of the capsid proteins and viral viability in permissive cells.


2014 ◽  
Vol 206 (7) ◽  
pp. 833-842 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Espert ◽  
Pelin Uluocak ◽  
Ricardo Nunes Bastos ◽  
Davinderpreet Mangat ◽  
Philipp Graab ◽  
...  

The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) monitors correct attachment of chromosomes to microtubules, an important safeguard mechanism ensuring faithful chromosome segregation in eukaryotic cells. How the SAC signal is turned off once all the chromosomes have successfully attached to the spindle remains an unresolved question. Mps1 phosphorylation of Knl1 results in recruitment of the SAC proteins Bub1, Bub3, and BubR1 to the kinetochore and production of the wait-anaphase signal. SAC silencing is therefore expected to involve a phosphatase opposing Mps1. Here we demonstrate in vivo and in vitro that BubR1-associated PP2A-B56 is a key phosphatase for the removal of the Mps1-mediated Knl1 phosphorylations necessary for Bub1/BubR1 recruitment in mammalian cells. SAC silencing is thus promoted by a negative feedback loop involving the Mps1-dependent recruitment of a phosphatase opposing Mps1. Our findings extend the previously reported role for BubR1-associated PP2A-B56 in opposing Aurora B and suggest that BubR1-bound PP2A-B56 integrates kinetochore surveillance and silencing of the SAC.


1995 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. 5188-5195 ◽  
Author(s):  
N Alexandrova ◽  
J Niklinski ◽  
V Bliskovsky ◽  
G A Otterson ◽  
M Blake ◽  
...  

The polymerization of alpha- and beta-tubulin into microtubules results in a complex network of microfibrils that have important structural and functional roles in all eukaryotic cells. In addition, microtubules can interact with a diverse family of polypeptides which are believed to directly promote the assembly of microtubules and to modulate their functional activity. We have demonstrated that the c-Myc oncoprotein interacts in vivo and in vitro with alpha-tubulin and with polymerized microtubules and have defined the binding site to the N-terminal region within the transactivation domain of c-Myc. In addition, we have shown that c-Myc colocalizes with microtubules and remains tightly bound to the microtubule network after detergent extraction of intact cells. These findings suggest a potential role for Myc-tubulin interaction in vivo.


2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (12) ◽  
pp. 6323-6331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maxim Y. Balakirev ◽  
Michel Jaquinod ◽  
Arthur L. Haas ◽  
Jadwiga Chroboczek

ABSTRACT The invasion strategy of many viruses involves the synthesis of viral gene products that mimic the functions of the cellular proteins and thus interfere with the key cellular processes. Here we show that adenovirus infection is accompanied by an increased ubiquitin-cleaving (deubiquitinating) activity in the host cells. Affinity chromatography on ubiquitin aldehyde (Ubal), which was designed to identify the deubiquitinating proteases, revealed the presence of adenovirus L3 23K proteinase (Avp) in the eluate from adenovirus-infected cells. This proteinase is known to be necessary for the processing of viral precursor proteins during virion maturation. We show here that in vivo Avp deubiquitinates a number of cellular proteins. Analysis of the substrate specificity of Avp in vitro demonstrated that the protein deubiquitination by this enzyme could be as efficient as proteolytic processing of viral proteins. The structural model of the Ubal-Avp interaction revealed some similarity between S1-S4 substrate binding sites of Avp and ubiquitin hydrolases. These results may reflect the acquisition of an advantageous property by adenovirus and may indicate the importance of ubiquitin pathways in viral infection.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel R. Peet ◽  
Nigel J. Burroughs ◽  
Robert A. Cross

Kinesin-1 is a nanoscale molecular motor that walks towards the fast growing (plus) ends of microtubules (MTs), hauling molecular cargo to specific reaction sites in cells. Kinesin-driven transport is central to the self-organisation of eukaryotic cells and shows great promise as a tool for nano-engineering1,2. Recent work hints that kinesin may also play a role in modulating the stability of its MT track, both in vitro3-5 and in vivo6, but results are conflicting7-9 and mechanisms are unclear. Here we report a new dimension to the kinesin-MT interaction, whereby strong-state (ATP-bound and apo) kinesin-1 motor domains inhibit the shrinkage of GDP-MTs by up to 2 orders of magnitude and expand their lattice spacing by ~1.6%. Our data reveal an unexpected new mechanism by which the mechanochemical cycles of kinesin and tubulin interlock, allowing motile kinesins to influence the structure, stability and mechanics of their MT track.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gwendolyn M Beacham ◽  
Edward A Partlow ◽  
Jeffrey J Lange ◽  
Gunther Hollopeter

ABSTRACTEukaryotic cells internalize transmembrane receptors via clathrin-mediated endocytosis, but it remains unclear how the machinery underpinning this process is regulated. We recently discovered that membrane-associated muniscin proteins such as FCHo and SGIP initiate endocytosis by converting the AP2 clathrin adaptor complex to an open, active conformation that is then phosphorylated (Hollopeter et al., 2014). Here we report that loss of ncap-1, the sole C. elegans gene encoding an adaptiN Ear-binding Coat-Associated Protein (NECAP), bypasses the requirement for FCHO-1. Biochemical analyses reveal AP2 accumulates in an open, phosphorylated state in ncap-1 mutant worms, suggesting NECAPs promote the closed, inactive conformation of AP2. Consistent with this model, NECAPs preferentially bind open and phosphorylated forms of AP2 in vitro and localize with constitutively open AP2 mutants in vivo. NECAPs do not associate with phosphorylation-defective AP2 mutants, implying that phosphorylation precedes NECAP recruitment. We propose NECAPs function late in endocytosis to inactivate AP2.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maciej Kujawski ◽  
Lin Li ◽  
Supriyo Bhattacharya ◽  
Patty Wong ◽  
Wen-Hui Lee ◽  
...  

AbstractBispecific T-cell engaging antibodies (BiTES), comprising dual anti-CD3 and anti-tumor antigen scFv fragments, are important therapeutic agents for the treatment of cancer. The dual scFv construct for BiTES requires proper protein folding while their small molecular size leads to rapid kidney clearance. Here we show that an intact (150 kDa) anti-tumor antigen antibody to CEA was joined in high yield (ca. 30%) to intact (150 kDa) anti-murine and anti-human CD3 antibodies using hinge region specific Click chemistry to form dual-specific, bivalent BiTES (db BiTES, 300 kDa). The interlocked hinge regions are compatible with a structural model that fits the electron micrographs of the 300 kDa particles. Compared to intact anti-CEA antibody, dbBiTES maintain high in vivo tumor targeting as demonstrated by PET imaging, and redirect dbBiTE coated T-cells (1 microgram/10 million cells) to kill CEA+ target cells both in vitro, and in vivo in CEA transgenic mice.


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