scholarly journals Cell Cycle–regulated Proteolysis of Mitotic Target Proteins

1999 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 3927-3941 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holger Bastians ◽  
Leana M. Topper ◽  
Gary L. Gorbsky ◽  
Joan V. Ruderman

The ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis of mitotic cyclin B, which is catalyzed by the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) and ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme H10 (UbcH10), begins around the time of the metaphase–anaphase transition and continues through G1 phase of the next cell cycle. We have used cell-free systems from mammalian somatic cells collected at different cell cycle stages (G0, G1, S, G2, and M) to investigate the regulated degradation of four targets of the mitotic destruction machinery: cyclins A and B, geminin H (an inhibitor of S phase identified in Xenopus), and Cut2p (an inhibitor of anaphase onset identified in fission yeast). All four are degraded by G1 extracts but not by extracts of S phase cells. Maintenance of destruction during G1 requires the activity of a PP2A-like phosphatase. Destruction of each target is dependent on the presence of an N-terminal destruction box motif, is accelerated by additional wild-type UbcH10 and is blocked by dominant negative UbcH10. Destruction of each is terminated by a dominant activity that appears in nuclei near the start of S phase. Previous work indicates that the APC/C–dependent destruction of anaphase inhibitors is activated after chromosome alignment at the metaphase plate. In support of this, we show that addition of dominant negative UbcH10 to G1 extracts blocks destruction of the yeast anaphase inhibitor Cut2p in vitro, and injection of dominant negative UbcH10 blocks anaphase onset in vivo. Finally, we report that injection of dominant negative Ubc3/Cdc34, whose role in G1–S control is well established and has been implicated in kinetochore function during mitosis in yeast, dramatically interferes with congression of chromosomes to the metaphase plate. These results demonstrate that the regulated ubiquitination and destruction of critical mitotic proteins is highly conserved from yeast to humans.

Blood ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 1647-1653 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Raza ◽  
Y Maheshwari ◽  
HD Preisler

The proliferative characteristics of myeloid leukemias were defined in vivo after intravenous infusions of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) in 40 patients. The percentage of S-phase cells obtained from the biopsies (mean, 20%) were significantly higher (P = .00003) than those determined from the bone marrow (BM) aspirates (mean, 9%). The post- BrdU infusion BM aspirates from 40 patients were incubated with tritiated thymidine in vitro. These double-labeled slides were utilized to determine the duration of S-phase (Ts) in myeloblasts and their total cell cycle time (Tc). The Ts varied from four to 49 hours (mean, 19 hours; median, 17 hours). Similarly, there were wide variations in Tc of individual patients ranging from 16 to 292 hours (mean, 93 hours; median, 76 hours). There was no relationship between Tc and the percentage of S-phase cells, but there was a good correlation between Tc and Ts (r = .8). Patients with relapsed acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) appeared to have a longer Ts and Tc than those studied at initial diagnosis. A subgroup of patients at either extreme of Tc were identified who demonstrated clinically documented resistance in response to multiple courses of chemotherapy. We conclude that Ts and Tc provide additional biologic information that may be valuable in understanding the variations observed in the natural history of ANLL.


1999 ◽  
Vol 73 (5) ◽  
pp. 4208-4219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juinn-Lin Liu ◽  
Ying Ye ◽  
Zheng Qian ◽  
Yongyi Qian ◽  
Dennis J. Templeton ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Marek’s disease virus, an avian alphaherpesvirus, has been used as an excellent model to study herpesvirus oncogenesis. One of its potential oncogenes, MEQ, has been demonstrated to transform a rodent fibroblast cell line, Rat-2, in vitro by inducing morphological transformation and anchorage- and serum-independent growth and by protecting cells from apoptosis induced by tumor necrosis factor alpha, C2-ceramide, UV irradiation, or serum deprivation. In this report, we show that there is a cell cycle-dependent colocalization of MEQ protein and cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) in coiled bodies and the nucleolar periphery during the G1/S boundary and early S phase. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that CDK2 is found to localize to coiled bodies. Such an in vivo association and possibly subsequent phosphorylation may result in the cytoplasmic translocation of MEQ protein. Indeed, MEQ is expressed in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm during the G1/S boundary and early S phase. In addition, we were able to show in vitro phosphorylation of MEQ by CDKs. We have mapped the CDK phosphorylation site of MEQ to be serine 42, a residue in the proximity of the bZIP domain. An indirect-immunofluorescence study of the MEQ S42D mutant, in which the CDK phosphorylation site was mutated to a charged residue, reveals more prominent cytoplasmic localization. This lends further support to the notion that the translocation of MEQ is regulated by phosphorylation. Furthermore, phosphorylation of MEQ by CDKs drastically reduces the DNA binding activity of MEQ, which may in part account for the lack of retention of MEQ oncoprotein in the nucleus. Interestingly, the localization of CDK2 in coiled bodies and the nucleolar periphery is observed only in MEQ-transformed Rat-2 cells, implicating MEQ in modifying the subcellular localization of CDK2. Taken together, our data suggest that there is a novel reciprocal modulation between the herpesvirus oncoprotein MEQ and CDK2.


1996 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 935 ◽  
Author(s):  
AW Schuetz ◽  
DG Whittingham ◽  
R Snowden

The cell cycle characteristics of mouse cumulus granulosa cells were determined before, during and following their expansion and mucification in vivo and in vitro. Cumulus-oocyte complexes (COC) were recovered from ovarian follicles or oviducts of prepubertal mice previously injected with pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) or a mixture of PMSG and human chorionic gonadotrophin (PMSG+hCG) to synchronize follicle differentiation and ovulation. Cell cycle parameters were determined by monitoring DNA content of cumulus cell nuclei, collected under rigorously controlled conditions, by flow cytometry. The proportion of cumulus cells in three cell cycle-related populations (G0/G1; S; G2/M) was calculated before and after exposure to various experimental conditions in vivo or in vitro. About 30% of cumulus cells recovered from undifferentiated (compact) COC isolated 43-45 h after PMSG injections were in S phase and 63% were in G0/G1 (2C DNA content). Less than 10% of the cells were in the G2/M population. Cell cycle profiles of cumulus cells recovered from mucified COC (oviducal) after PMSG+hCG-induced ovulation varied markedly from those collected before hCG injection and were characterized by the relative absence of S-phase cells and an increased proportion of cells in G0/G1. Cell cycle profiles of cumulus cells collected from mucified COC recovered from mouse ovarian follicles before ovulation (9-10 h after hCG) were also characterized by loss of S-phase cells and an increased G0/G1 population. Results suggest that changes in cell cycle parameters in vivo are primarily mediated in response to physiological changes that occur in the intrafollicular environment initiated by the ovulatory stimulus. A similar lack of S-phase cells was observed in mucified cumulus cells collected 24 h after exposure in vitro of compact COC to dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate (DBcAMP), follicle-stimulating hormone or epidermal growth factor (EGF). Additionally, the proportion of cumulus cells in G2/M was enhanced in COC exposed to DBcAMP, suggesting that cell division was inhibited under these conditions. Thus, both the G1-->S-phase and G2-->M-phase transitions in the cell cycle appear to be amenable to physiological regulation. Time course studies revealed dose-dependent changes in morphology occurred within 6 h of exposure in vitro of COC to EGF or DBcAMP. Results suggest that the disappearance of the S-phase population is a consequence of a decline in the number of cells beginning DNA synthesis and exit of cells from the S phase following completion of DNA synthesis. Furthermore, loss of proliferative activity in cumulus cells appears to be closely associated with COC expansion and mucification, whether induced under physiological conditions in vivo or in response to a range of hormonal stimuli in vitro. The observations indicate that several signal-transducing pathways mediate changes in cell cycle parameters during cumulus cell differentiation.


Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 104 (11) ◽  
pp. 4235-4235
Author(s):  
W. Clark Lambert ◽  
Santiago A. Centurion

Abstract We have previously shown that the primary cell cycle defect in the inherited, cancer-prone, bone marrow failure associated disease, Fanconi anemia (FA), is not in the G2 phase of the cell cycle, as had been thought for many years, but rather in the S phase. FA cells challenged with the DNA cross-linking agent, psoralen coupled with long wavelength, ultraviolet (UVA) radiation (PUVA), fail to slow their progression through the S phase of the subsequent cell cycle, as do normal cells. FA cells are extremely sensitive to the cytotoxic and clastogenic effects of DNA cross-linkers, such as PUVA, so much so that the diagnosis of FA is based on an assay, the “DEB test”, in which cells are examined for clastogenic and cytotoxic effects of diepoxybutane (DEB), a DNA cross-linking agent. More recently, we have shown that artificially slowing the cell cycle of FA cells exposed to PUVA by subsequent treatment with agents which slow their progression through S phase leads to markedly increased viability and reduced chromosome breakage in vitro. We now show that similar results can be obtained in vivo in patients with another DNA repair deficiency disease, xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), a recessively inherited disorder associated with defective repair of sunlight induced adducts in the DNA of sun-exposed tissues followed by development of numerous mutations causing large numbers of cancers in these same tissues. We treated two patients with XP, a light complected black male and a white female, both 14 years of age, in sun-exposed areas with 5-fluorouracil, an inhibitor of DNA synthesis, daily for three months. In contrast to normal patients, who only show clinical results if an inflammatory response is invoked, marked improvement in the clinical appearance of the skin was seen with no inflammation observed. This effect was confirmed histologically by examining epidermis adjacent to excised lesions in sun-exposed areas and further verified by computerized image analysis. Treatment with agents that slow progression through S phase, such as hydroxyurea, may similarly improve clinical outcomes in patients with FA or others who are developing bone marrow failure.


Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 396-396
Author(s):  
Liang Hu ◽  
Sherif Ibrahim ◽  
Cynthia Liu ◽  
Jeffrey Skaar ◽  
Michelle Pagano ◽  
...  

Abstract Although it has been generally accepted that hypercoagulability contributes to enhancing tumor growth via generation of thrombin (Cancer Cell10:355, 2006), it has not been rigorously proven, nor has the mechanism been established at the cell cycle level. Previous studies have employed thrombin-treated tumor cell lines in vitro and in vivo. In vitro studies were performed in the presence of serum which contains a panoply of growth factors. In vivo studies have used huge non-pathologic concentrations of tumor cells injected into the flank, organ or blood of a mouse. In these situations, tumor growth could be a result of thrombin-induced angiogenesis. We therefore employed a transgenic mouse prostate cancer model (TRAMP) programmed to develop prostate CA over a period of 140–175 days. We treated these animals with thrombin to induce hypercoagulability or hirudin to inhibit endogenous thrombin production, to determine whether thrombin regulates this process independent of angiogenesis. Repetitive thrombin injection enhanced prostate tumor volume 6–8 fold (p<0.04). Repetitive hirudin decreased tumor volume 13–24 fold (p<0.04) via its effect on generated endogenous thrombin, n=6. Thrombin enhanced the production of several vascular growth factors and receptors 2.5 – 3 fold in the liver (VEGF, KDR, ANG-2, Tie2, GRO-1, CD31) and enhanced angiogenesis in the liver, n=3–4. Thrombin had no effect on tumor angiogenesis. Thus, the thrombin-induced spontaneous tumor growth was independent of angiogenesis. We next turned our attention to cell cycle regulators in serum-starved (72 hr) Go-synchronized LNcap prostate CA cells, employing Brdu and Propidium iodide staining. Addition of thrombin (0.5 u/ml) or its PAR-1 receptor agonist, TFLLRN (100 uM) had the same effect as androgen containing serum, inducing cells to leave Go, enter G1 and progress to S-phase. At 8 hrs the number of S-phase cells increased dramatically for both the serum (29 fold) as well as thrombin-treated cells (48 fold), n=3. Similar observations were noted in a Glioblastoma cell line, T98G. We further analyzed the effect of thrombin by performing immunoblots on cell cycle components mediated during cell growth and proliferation. In synchronized Go cells, levels of p27Kip1, a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor are high, while levels of cyclins D1 and A, the activation subunits for cyclin-dependent kinases are low. Both thrombin or serum addition led to down-regulation of p27Kip1 with concomitant induction of Skp2, the E3 ubiquitin ligase for p27Kip1. Cyclins D1 and A are induced by similar kinetics, indicating entry into S-phase by 8 hrs. Since p27Kip1 appears to be a rate-limiting down-regulator of the cell cycle (absent with high tumor grade and predicts poor prognosis), we confirmed its role by testing the effect of thrombin or TFLLRN by transfecting p27Kip1 in LNcap cells. This transfection completely prevented the cell cycle stimulation induced by these agonists. A similar approach was used with Skp2 knock down (KD), a negative down-regulator of p27Kip1. KD of Skp2 (over expressed in numerous cancers) completely prevented cell cycle progression induced by thrombin/TFLLRN. MiRNA 222 (upregulated in many cancers) is another down-regulator of p27Kip1. Further analysis following thrombin treatment revealed a robust upregulation at 4 and 8 hrs, providing further proof for the role of thrombin in down-regulating p27Kip1 and stimulating tumor cell entrance into S-phase. Thus, 1) Thrombin enhances spontaneous prostate cell growth in vivo in the absence of enhanced angiogenesis; 2) Thrombin activates the tumor cell cycle by stimulating the down-regulation of p27Kip1 through the upregulation of Skp2 and MiRNA 222.


Blood ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 118 (21) ◽  
pp. 3498-3498
Author(s):  
Lapo Alinari ◽  
Ryan B. Edwards ◽  
Courtney J. Prince ◽  
William H. Towns ◽  
Rajeswaran Mani ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 3498 During cell cycle progression, D class cyclins activate cyclin dependent kinases (CDK) 4 and 6 to phosphorylate and inactivate Rb, allowing E2F-1 mediated transcription of additional cell cycle genes including cyclin E to drive S phase entry. This critical pathway is nearly universally dysregulated in cancer, providing tumor cells a strong growth advantage and escape from normal mitotic control. Substantial research is being directed toward targeting this pathway in many cancer types, with some preliminary successes being achieved with pharmacologic inhibitors of CDK4/6. However the development of alternative strategies to block this pathway could potentially provide broad therapeutic benefit. A prime example of a tumor with a disrupted cyclin D axis is Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL), in which the t(11;14) translocation places CCND1, the gene for cyclin D1, under the control of an immunoglobulin promoter. This results in sustained cyclin D1 expression in tumor cells and concomitant Rb inactivation, S phase entry and cell division. MCL is a relatively uncommon subset of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, but accounts for a disproportionate number of deaths. Treatments are limited and relapse is nearly universal; thus, new treatment strategies are essential for this disease. Silvestrol is a structurally unique, plant-derived cyclopenta[b]benzofuran with potent in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor activity in several model systems including B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Silvestrol inhibits the initiation step of translation by preventing assembly of eIF4A and capped mRNA into the eIF4F complex, leading to selective loss of short half-life proteins such as Mcl-1 and cyclin D1. We therefore hypothesized that silvestrol, through the depletion of cyclin D1, would demonstrate efficacy in MCL. Silvestrol showed low nanomolar IC50 values in the JeKo-1 (13 nM), Mino (17 nM) and SP-53 (43 nM) MCL cell lines at 48 hr (MTS assay; cell death confirmed by propidium iodide flow cytometry). This potency was similar in primary MCL tumor cells. Longer exposure times substantially improved the cytotoxicity of silvestrol assessed at 48 hr (approximately 50% effect achieved with a 16 hr exposure vs. 80% effect with a 24 hr exposure), suggesting that the cellular impacts of this agent increase with exposure time. Cyclins D1 and D3 were dramatically reduced in MCL cell lines with just 10 nM silvestrol at 16 hr (cyclin D2 was undetectable in these cells), with subsequent loss of Rb phosphorylation as well as cyclin E mRNA and protein, culminating in G1 cell cycle arrest. Similar to what we previously showed in CLL and ALL cells, silvestrol treatment under these conditions also caused loss of Mcl-1 protein with concurrent mitochondrial depolarization, although the exact mechanism of silvestrol-mediated cytotoxicity in these cells is still under investigation. In an aggressive xenograft mouse model of MCL, silvestrol produced a highly significant improvement in survival [median survival of vehicle vs. silvestrol treated mice (1.5 mg/kg every 48 hr) = 27 vs. 38 days; P<0.0001] without detectable toxicity. Together, these data demonstrate that the translation inhibitor silvestrol has promising in vitro and in vivo activity in MCL preclinical models. Furthermore, as the cyclin D/CDK/Rb axis is disrupted in most tumor types, this strategy may be broadly effective in other cancers as well. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


1999 ◽  
Vol 19 (7) ◽  
pp. 4843-4854 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heinz Ruffner ◽  
Wei Jiang ◽  
A. Grey Craig ◽  
Tony Hunter ◽  
Inder M. Verma

ABSTRACT BRCA1 is a cell cycle-regulated nuclear protein that is phosphorylated mainly on serine and to a lesser extent on threonine residues. Changes in phosphorylation occur in response to cell cycle progression and DNA damage. Specifically, BRCA1 undergoes hyperphosphorylation during late G1 and S phases of the cell cycle. Here we report that BRCA1 is phosphorylated in vivo at serine 1497 (S1497), which is part of a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) consensus site. S1497 can be phosphorylated in vitro by CDK2-cyclin A or E. BRCA1 coimmunoprecipitates with an endogenous serine-threonine protein kinase activity that phosphorylates S1497 in vitro. This cellular kinase activity is sensitive to transfection of a dominant negative form of CDK2 as well as the application of the CDK inhibitors p21 and butyrolactone I but not p16. Furthermore, BRCA1 coimmunoprecipitates with CDK2 and cyclin A. These results suggest that the endogenous kinase activity is composed of CDK2-cyclin complexes, at least in part, concordant with the G1/S-specific increase in BRCA1 phosphorylation.


2006 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 4017-4027 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana M. Gil-Bernabé ◽  
Francisco Romero ◽  
M. Cristina Limón-Mortés ◽  
María Tortolero

ABSTRACT Sister chromatid segregation is triggered at the metaphase-to-anaphase transition by the activation of the protease separase. For most of the cell cycle, separase activity is kept in check by its association with the inhibitory chaperone securin. Activation of separase occurs at anaphase onset, when securin is targeted for destruction by the anaphase-promoting complex or cyclosome E3 ubiquitin protein ligase. This results in the release of the cohesins from chromosomes, which in turn allows the segregation of sister chromatids to opposite spindle poles. Here we show that human securin (hSecurin) forms a complex with enzymatically active protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) and that it is a substrate of the phosphatase, both in vitro and in vivo. Treatment of cells with okadaic acid, a potent inhibitor of PP2A, results in various hyperphosphorylated forms of hSecurin which are extremely unstable, due to the action of the Skp1/Cul1/F-box protein complex ubiquitin ligase. We propose that PP2A regulates hSecurin levels by counteracting its phosphorylation, which promotes its degradation. Misregulation of this process may lead to the formation of tumors, in which overproduction of hSecurin is often observed.


1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. 6634-6643 ◽  
Author(s):  
N Mathias ◽  
S L Johnson ◽  
M Winey ◽  
A E Adams ◽  
L Goetsch ◽  
...  

Regulation of cell cycle progression occurs in part through the targeted degradation of both activating and inhibitory subunits of the cyclin-dependent kinases. During G1, CDC4, encoding a WD-40 repeat protein, and CDC34, encoding a ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme, are involved in the destruction of these regulators. Here we describe evidence indicating that CDC53 also is involved in this process. Mutations in CDC53 cause a phenotype indistinguishable from those of cdc4 and cdc34 mutations, numerous genetic interactions are seen between these genes, and the encoded proteins are found physically associated in vivo. Cdc53p defines a large family of proteins found in yeasts, nematodes, and humans whose molecular functions are uncharacterized. These results suggest a role for this family of proteins in regulating cell cycle proliferation through protein degradation.


2000 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 2315-2325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel D. Leverson ◽  
Claudio A.P. Joazeiro ◽  
Andrew M. Page ◽  
Han-kuei Huang ◽  
Philip Hieter ◽  
...  

Polyubiquitination marks proteins for degradation by the 26S proteasome and is carried out by a cascade of enzymes that includes ubiquitin-activating enzymes (E1s), ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes (E2s), and ubiquitin ligases (E3s). The anaphase-promoting complex or cyclosome (APC/C) comprises a multisubunit ubiquitin ligase that mediates mitotic progression. Here, we provide evidence that theSaccharomyces cerevisiae RING-H2 finger protein Apc11 defines the minimal ubiquitin ligase activity of the APC. We found that the integrity of the Apc11p RING-H2 finger was essential for budding yeast cell viability, Using purified, recombinant proteins we showed that Apc11p interacted directly with the Ubc4 ubiquitin conjugating enzyme (E2). Furthermore, purified Apc11p was capable of mediating E1- and E2-dependent ubiquitination of protein substrates, including Clb2p, in vitro. The ability of Apc11p to act as an E3 was dependent on the integrity of the RING-H2 finger, but did not require the presence of the cullin-like APC subunit Apc2p. We suggest that Apc11p is responsible for recruiting E2s to the APC and for mediating the subsequent transfer of ubiquitin to APC substrates in vivo.


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