scholarly journals Expression of a myosin regulatory light chain phosphorylation site mutant complements the cytokinesis and developmental defects of Dictyostelium RMLC null cells.

1994 ◽  
Vol 127 (6) ◽  
pp. 1945-1955 ◽  
Author(s):  
B D Ostrow ◽  
P Chen ◽  
R L Chisholm

In a number of systems phosphorylation of the regulatory light chain (RMLC) of myosin regulates the activity of myosin. In smooth muscle and vertebrate nonmuscle systems RMLC phosphorylation is required for contractile activity. In Dictyostelium discoideum phosphorylation of the RMLC regulates both ATPase activity and motor function. We have determined the site of phosphorylation on the Dictyostelium RMLC and used site-directed mutagenesis to replace the phosphorylated serine with an alanine. The mutant light chain was then expressed in RMLC null Dictyostelium cells (mLCR-) from an actin promoter on an integrating vector. The mutant RMLC was expressed at high levels and associated with the myosin heavy chain. RMLC bearing a ser13ala substitution was not phosphorylated in vitro by purified myosin light chain kinase, nor could phosphate be detected on the mutant RMLC in vivo. The mutant myosin had reduced actin-activated ATPase activity, comparable to fully dephosphorylated myosin. Unexpectedly, expression of the mutant RMLC rescued the primary phenotypic defects of the mlcR- cells to the same extent as did expression of wild-type RMLC. These results suggest that while phosphorylation of the Dictyostelium RMLC appears to be tightly regulated in vivo, it is not essential for myosin-dependent cellular functions.

2018 ◽  
Vol 294 (5) ◽  
pp. 1451-1463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roubina Tatavosian ◽  
Samantha Kent ◽  
Kyle Brown ◽  
Tingting Yao ◽  
Huy Nguyen Duc ◽  
...  

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins repress master regulators of development and differentiation through organization of chromatin structure. Mutation and dysregulation of PcG genes cause developmental defects and cancer. PcG proteins form condensates in the cell nucleus, and these condensates are the physical sites of PcG-targeted gene silencing via formation of facultative heterochromatin. However, the physiochemical principles underlying the formation of PcG condensates remain unknown, and their determination could shed light on how these condensates compact chromatin. Using fluorescence live-cell imaging, we observed that the Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1) protein chromobox 2 (CBX2), a member of the CBX protein family, undergoes phase separation to form condensates and that the CBX2 condensates exhibit liquid-like properties. Using site-directed mutagenesis, we demonstrated that the conserved residues of CBX2 within the intrinsically disordered region (IDR), which is the region for compaction of chromatin in vitro, promote the condensate formation both in vitro and in vivo. We showed that the CBX2 condensates concentrate DNA and nucleosomes. Using genetic engineering, we report that trimethylation of Lys-27 at histone H3 (H3K27me3), a marker of heterochromatin formation produced by PRC2, had minimal effects on the CBX2 condensate formation. We further demonstrated that the CBX2 condensate formation does not require CBX2–PRC1 subunits; however, the condensate formation of CBX2–PRC1 subunits depends on CBX2, suggesting a mechanism underlying the assembly of CBX2–PRC1 condensates. In summary, our results reveal that PcG condensates assemble through liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) and suggest that phase-separated condensates can organize PcG-bound chromatin.


2005 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Shen ◽  
Linda M. Hendershot

We recently identified ERdj3 as a component of unassembled immunoglobulin (Ig) heavy chain:BiP complexes. ERdj3 also associates with a number of other protein substrates, including unfolded light chains, a nonsecreted Ig light chain mutant, and the VSV-G ts045 mutant at the nonpermissive temperature. We produced an ERdj3 mutant that was unable to stimulate BiP's ATPase activity in vitro or to bind BiP in vivo. This mutant retained the ability to interact with unfolded protein substrates, suggesting that ERdj3 binds directly to proteins instead of via interactions with BiP. BiP remained bound to unfolded light chains longer than ERdj3, which interacted with unfolded light chains initially, but quickly disassociated before protein folding was completed. This suggests that ERdj3 may bind first to substrates and serve to inhibit protein aggregation until BiP joins the complex, whereas BiP remains bound until folding is complete. Moreover, our findings support a model where interactions with BiP help trigger the release of ERdj3 from the substrate:BiP complex.


2004 ◽  
Vol 279 (19) ◽  
pp. 19643-19648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mutsuko Ouchi ◽  
Nobuko Fujiuchi ◽  
Kaori Sasai ◽  
Hiroshi Katayama ◽  
Yohji A. Minamishima ◽  
...  

Aurora-A/BTAK/STK15 localizes to the centrosome in the G2-M phase, and its kinase activity regulates the G2to M transition of the cell cycle. Previous studies have shown that the BRCA1 breast cancer tumor suppressor also localizes to the centrosome and that BRCA1 inactivation results in loss of the G2-M checkpoint. We demonstrate here that Aurora-A physically binds to and phosphorylates BRCA1. Biochemical analysis showed that BRCA1 amino acids 1314–1863 binds to Aurora-A. Site-directed mutagenesis indicated that Ser308of BRCA1 is phosphorylated by Aurora-Ain vitro. Anti-phospho-specific antibodies against Ser308of BRCA1 demonstrated that Ser308is phosphorylatedin vivo. Phosphorylation of Ser308increased in the early M phase when Aurora-A activity also increases; these effects could be abolished by ionizing radiation. Consistent with these observations, acute loss of Aurora-A by small interfering RNA resulted in reduced phosphorylation of BRCA1 Ser308, and transient infection of adenovirus Aurora-A increased Ser308phosphorylation. Mutation of a single phosphorylation site of BRCA1 (S308N), when expressed in BRCA1-deficient mouse embryo fibroblasts, decreased the number of cells in the M phase to a degree similar to that with wild type BRCA1-mediated G2arrest induced by DNA damage. We propose that BRCA1 phosphorylation by Aurora-A plays a role in G2to M transition of cell cycle.


2020 ◽  
Vol 295 (14) ◽  
pp. 4398-4410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivanka R. Sevrieva ◽  
Birgit Brandmeier ◽  
Saraswathi Ponnam ◽  
Mathias Gautel ◽  
Malcolm Irving ◽  
...  

Heart muscle contractility and performance are controlled by posttranslational modifications of sarcomeric proteins. Although myosin regulatory light chain (RLC) phosphorylation has been studied extensively in vitro and in vivo, the precise role of cardiac myosin light chain kinase (cMLCK), the primary kinase acting upon RLC, in the regulation of cardiomyocyte contractility remains poorly understood. In this study, using recombinantly expressed and purified proteins, various analytical methods, in vitro and in situ kinase assays, and mechanical measurements in isolated ventricular trabeculae, we demonstrate that human cMLCK is not a dedicated kinase for RLC but can phosphorylate other sarcomeric proteins with well-characterized regulatory functions. We show that cMLCK specifically monophosphorylates Ser23 of human cardiac troponin I (cTnI) in isolation and in the trimeric troponin complex in vitro and in situ in the native environment of the muscle myofilament lattice. Moreover, we observed that human cMLCK phosphorylates rodent cTnI to a much smaller extent in vitro and in situ, suggesting species-specific adaptation of cMLCK. Although cMLCK treatment of ventricular trabeculae exchanged with rat or human troponin increased their cross-bridge kinetics, the increase in sensitivity of myofilaments to calcium was significantly blunted by human TnI, suggesting that human cTnI phosphorylation by cMLCK modifies the functional consequences of RLC phosphorylation. We propose that cMLCK-mediated phosphorylation of TnI is functionally significant and represents a critical signaling pathway that coordinates the regulatory states of thick and thin filaments in both physiological and potentially pathophysiological conditions of the heart.


2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (24) ◽  
pp. 3841-3854 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felicitas Rataj ◽  
Séverine Planel ◽  
Agnès Desroches-Castan ◽  
Juliette Le Douce ◽  
Khadija Lamribet ◽  
...  

TPA-inducible sequence 11b/butyrate response factor 1 (TIS11b/BRF1) belongs to the tristetraprolin (TTP) family of zinc-finger proteins, which bind to mRNAs containing AU-rich elements in their 3′-untranslated region and target them for degradation. Regulation of TTP family function through phosphorylation by p38 MAP kinase and Akt/protein kinase B signaling pathways has been extensively studied. In contrast, the role of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) in the control of TTP family activity in mRNA decay remains largely unknown. Here we show that PKA activation induces TIS11b gene expression and protein phosphorylation. Site-directed mutagenesis combined with kinase assays and specific phosphosite immunodetection identified Ser-54 (S54) and Ser-334 (S334) as PKA target amino acids in vitro and in vivo. Phosphomimetic mutation of the C-terminal S334 markedly increased TIS11b half-life and, unexpectedly, enhanced TIS11b activity on mRNA decay. Examination of protein–protein interactions between TIS11b and components of the mRNA decay machinery revealed that mimicking phosphorylation at S334 enhances TIS11b interaction with the decapping coactivator Dcp1a, while preventing phosphorylation at S334 potentiates its interaction with the Ccr4-Not deadenylase complex subunit Cnot1. Collectively our findings establish for the first time that cAMP-elicited phosphorylation of TIS11b plays a key regulatory role in its mRNA decay-promoting function.


1999 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 526-536 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hideko Kasahara ◽  
Seigo Izumo

ABSTRACT Csx/Nkx2.5, a member of the homeodomain-containing transcription factors, serves critical developmental functions in heart formation in vertebrates and nonvertebrates. In this study the putative nuclear localization signal (NLS) of Csx/Nkx2.5 was identified by site-directed mutagenesis to the amino terminus of the homeodomain, which is conserved in almost all homeodomain proteins. When the putative NLS of Csx/Nkx2.5 was mutated a significant amount of the cytoplasmically localized Csx/Nkx2.5 was unphosphorylated, in contrast to the nuclearly localized Csx/Nkx2.5, which is serine- and threonine-phosphorylated, suggesting that Csx/Nkx2.5 phosphorylation is regulated, at least in part, by intracellular localization. Tryptic phosphopeptide mapping indicated that Csx/Nkx2.5 has at least five phosphorylation sites. Using in-gel kinase assays, we detected a Csx/Nkx2.5 kinase whose molecular mass is approximately 40 kDa in both cytoplasmic and nuclear extracts. Mutational analysis and in vitro kinase assays suggested that this 40-kDa Csx/Nkx2.5 kinase is a catalytic subunit of casein kinase II (CKII) that phosphorylates the serine residue between the first and second helix of the homeodomain. This CKII site is phosphorylated in vivo. CKII-dependent phosphorylation of the homeodomain increased Csx/Nkx2.5 DNA binding. Serine-to-alanine mutation at the CKII phosphorylation site reduced transcriptional activity when the carboxyl-terminal repressor domain was deleted. Although the precise biological function of Csx/Nkx2.5 phosphorylation by CKII remains to be determined, it may play an important role, as this CKII phosphorylation site within the homeodomain is fully conserved in all known members of the NK2 family of the homeobox genes.


2004 ◽  
Vol 381 (2) ◽  
pp. 471-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark E. GRAHAM ◽  
Patricia RUMA-HAYNES ◽  
Amanda G. CAPES-DAVIS ◽  
Joanne M. DUNN ◽  
Timothy C. TAN ◽  
...  

Doublecortin (DCX) is a 40 kDa microtubule-associated protein required for normal neural migration and cortical layering during development. Mutations in the human DCX gene cause a disruption of cortical neuronal migration. Defects in cdk5 (cyclin-dependent kinase 5) also cause defects in neural migration and cortical layering. DCX is a substrate for cdk5 in vitro and in vivo and the major site of in vitro phosphorylation is Ser-297. We used a highly developed MS strategy to identify the cdk5 phosphorylation sites and determine the major and minor sites. Several phosphopeptides were identified from a tryptic digest of 32P-labelled, cdk5-phosphorylated DCX using a combination of off-line HPLC and matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization-MS with alkaline phosphatase treatment. Tandem MS/MS enabled the identification of seven phosphorylation sites for cdk5. Monitoring of 32P label indicated that there was one major site, Ser-28, at the N-terminus, and a major site, Ser-339, in the serine/proline-rich domain at the C-terminus. Five other sites, Ser-287, Thr-289, Ser-297, Thr-326 and Ser-332, were also found in the tail. Site-directed mutagenesis largely supported these findings. Single mutation of Ser-28 reduced but did not abolish phosphorylation. Double, rather than single, mutation for Ser-332 and Ser-339 was required to reduce overall phosphorylation, suggesting an interaction between these sites. Truncations of the tail produced a significant reduction in cdk5 phosphorylation of DCX. These results do not support Ser-297 as the major cdk5 phosphorylation site in DCX, but indicate that DCX is subject to complex multisite phosphorylation. This illustrates the importance of a well-developed MS strategy to identify phosphorylation sites.


2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1745-1756 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shigeko Yamashiro ◽  
Go Totsukawa ◽  
Yoshihiko Yamakita ◽  
Yasuharu Sasaki ◽  
Pascal Madaule ◽  
...  

Citron kinase is a Rho-effector protein kinase that is related to Rho-associated kinases of ROCK/ROK/Rho-kinase family. Both ROCK and citron kinase are suggested to play a role in cytokinesis. However, no substrates are known for citron kinase. We found that citron kinase phosphorylated regulatory light chain (MLC) of myosin II at both Ser-19 and Thr-18 in vitro. Unlike ROCK, however, citron kinase did not phosphorylate the myosin binding subunit of myosin phosphatase, indicating that it does not inhibit myosin phosphatase. We found that the expression of the kinase domain of citron kinase resulted in an increase in MLC di-phosphorylation. Furthermore, the kinase domain was able to increase di-phosphorylation and restore stress fiber assembly even when ROCK was inhibited with a specific inhibitor, Y-27632. The expression of full-length citron kinase also increased di-phosphorylation during cytokinesis. These observations suggest that citron kinase phosphorylates MLC to generate di-phosphorylated MLC in vivo. Although both mono- and di-phosphorylated MLC were found in cleavage furrows, di-phosphorylated MLC showed more constrained localization than did mono-phosphorylated MLC. Because citron kinase is localized in cleavage furrows, citron kinase may be involved in regulating di-phosphorylation of MLC during cytokinesis.


2004 ◽  
Vol 182 (3) ◽  
pp. 433-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
MP Coba ◽  
MC Munoz ◽  
FP Dominici ◽  
JE Toblli ◽  
C Pena ◽  
...  

Serine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor (IR) has been proposed to exert an inhibitory influence on its tyrosine kinase activity. Previous works using site-directed mutagenesis suggested that serine 994 of the IR (IR Ser 994) might be part of an inhibitory domain of the receptor. In this study we examined whether this residue is subjected to phosphorylation in vivo. We used a site-phosphospecific antibody to determine the extent of phosphorylation of IR Ser 994 in insulin target tissues from two animal models of insulin resistance with different IR kinase (IRK) activity: obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats and transgenic mice overexpressing bovine growth hormone (PEPCK-bGH mice).Phosphorylation at IR Ser 994 was markedly increased in liver of obese rats. This alteration appeared to be tissue-selective since no phosphorylation on Ser 994 was detected in IRs isolated from skeletal muscle of these animals. On the other hand, the phosphorylation level of IR Ser 994 was very low in liver of PEPCK-bGH mice and did not differ from that of the control group. We have also demonstrated that protein kinase (PK) C isoforms alpha, betaI and zeta are able to promote the in vitro phosphorylation of the IR on Ser 994. Differential findings in these two models of insulin resistance might thus reflect increased PKC activity resulting from increased lipid availability in obese Zucker rats. Our results suggest that Ser 994 is a novel in vivo IR phosphorylation site that might be involved in the regulation of the IRK in some states of insulin resistance.


2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (9) ◽  
pp. 4065-4074 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshihiko Miyata ◽  
Eisuke Nishida

ABSTRACT Cdc37 is a kinase-associated molecular chaperone whose function in concert with Hsp90 is essential for many signaling protein kinases. Here, we report that mammalian Cdc37 is a pivotal substrate of CK2 (casein kinase II). Purified Cdc37 was phosphorylated in vitro on a conserved serine residue, Ser13, by CK2. Moreover, Ser13 was the unique phosphorylation site of Cdc37 in vivo. Crucially, the CK2 phosphorylation of Cdc37 on Ser13 was essential for the optimal binding activity of Cdc37 toward various kinases examined, including Raf1, Akt, Aurora-B, Cdk4, Src, MOK, MAK, and MRK. In addition, nonphosphorylatable mutants of Cdc37 significantly suppressed the association of Hsp90 with protein kinases, while the Hsp90-binding activity of the mutants was unchanged. The treatment of cells with a specific CK2 inhibitor suppressed the phosphorylation of Cdc37 in vivo and reduced the levels of Cdc37 target kinases. These results unveil a regulatory mechanism of Cdc37, identify a novel molecular link between CK2 and many crucial protein kinases via Cdc37, and reveal the molecular basis for the ability of CK2 to regulate pleiotropic cellular functions.


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