scholarly journals Methylation of the Protein Phosphatase 2A Catalytic Subunit Is Essential for Association of Bα Regulatory Subunit But Not SG2NA, Striatin, or Polyomavirus Middle Tumor Antigen

2001 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 185-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xing Xian Yu ◽  
Xianxing Du ◽  
Carlos S. Moreno ◽  
Richard E. Green ◽  
Egon Ogris ◽  
...  

Binding of different regulatory subunits and methylation of the catalytic (C) subunit carboxy-terminal leucine 309 are two important mechanisms by which protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) can be regulated. In this study, both genetic and biochemical approaches were used to investigate regulation of regulatory subunit binding by C subunit methylation. Monoclonal antibodies selectively recognizing unmethylated C subunit were used to quantitate the methylation status of wild-type and mutant C subunits. Analysis of 13 C subunit mutants showed that both carboxy-terminal and active site residues are important for maintaining methylation in vivo. Severe impairment of methylation invariably led to a dramatic decrease in Bα subunit binding but not of striatin, SG2NA, or polyomavirus middle tumor antigen (MT) binding. In fact, most unmethylated C subunit mutants showed enhanced binding to striatin and SG2NA. Certain carboxy-terminal mutations decreased Bα subunit binding without greatly affecting methylation, indicating that Bα subunit binding is not required for a high steady-state level of C subunit methylation. Demethylation of PP2A in cell lysates with recombinant PP2A methylesterase greatly decreased the amount of C subunit that could be coimmunoprecipitated via the Bα subunit but not the amount that could be coimmunoprecipitated with Aα subunit or MT. When C subunit methylation levels were greatly reduced in vivo, Bα subunits were found complexed exclusively to methylated C subunits, whereas striatin and SG2NA in the same cells bound both methylated and unmethylated C subunits. Thus, C subunit methylation is critical for assembly of PP2A heterotrimers containing Bα subunit but not for formation of heterotrimers containing MT, striatin, or SG2NA. These findings suggest that methylation may be able to selectively regulate the association of certain regulatory subunits with the A/C heterodimer.

2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 3477-3492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew S. Gentry ◽  
Richard L. Hallberg

Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) regulates a broad spectrum of cellular processes. This enzyme is a collection of varied heterotrimeric complexes, each composed of a catalytic (C) and regulatory (B) subunit bound together by a structural (A) subunit. To understand the cell cycle dynamics of this enzyme population, we carried out quantitative and qualitative analyses of the PP2A subunits of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We found the following: the level of each subunit remained constant throughout the cell cycle; there is at least 10 times more of one of the regulatory subunits (Rts1p) than the other (Cdc55p); Tpd3p, the structural subunit, is limiting for both catalytic and regulatory subunit binding. Using green fluorescent protein-tagged forms of each subunit, we monitored the sites of significant accumulation of each protein throughout the cell cycle. The two regulatory subunits displayed distinctly different dynamic localization patterns that overlap with the A and C subunits at the bud tip, kinetochore, bud neck, and nucleus. Using strains null for single subunit genes, we confirmed the hypothesis that regulatory subunits determine sites of PP2A accumulation. Although Rts1p and Tpd3p required heterotrimer formation to achieve normal localization, Cdc55p achieved its normal localization in the absence of either an A or C subunit.


2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (21) ◽  
pp. 8143-8156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haifeng Yang ◽  
Wei Jiang ◽  
Matthew Gentry ◽  
Richard L. Hallberg

ABSTRACT CDC55 encodes a Saccharomyces cerevisiaeprotein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) regulatory subunit.cdc55-null cells growing at low temperature exhibit a failure of cytokinesis and produce abnormally elongated buds, butcdc55-null cells producing the cyclin-dependent kinase Cdc28-Y19F, which is unable to be inhibited by Y19 phosphorylation, show a loss of the abnormal morphology. Furthermore,cdc55-null cells exhibit a hyperphosphorylation of Y19. For these reasons, we have examined in wild-type and cdc55-null cells the levels and activities of the kinase (Swe1p) and phosphatase (Mih1p) that normally regulate the extent of Cdc28 Y19 phosphorylation. We find that Mih1p levels are comparable in the two strains, and an estimate of the in vivo and in vitro phosphatase activity of this enzyme in the two cell types indicates no marked differences. By contrast, while Swe1p levels are similar in unsynchronized and S-phase-arrested wild-type and cdc55-null cells, Swe1 kinase is found at elevated levels in mitosis-arrestedcdc55-null cells. This excess Swe1p incdc55-null cells is the result of ectopic stabilization of this protein during G2 and M, thereby accounting for the accumulation of Swe1p in mitosis-arrested cells. We also present evidence indicating that, in cdc55-null cells, misregulated PP2A phosphatase activity is the cause of both the ectopic stabilization of Swe1p and the production of the morphologically abnormal phenotype.


2008 ◽  
Vol 82 (7) ◽  
pp. 3612-3623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yikun Li ◽  
Huijun Wei ◽  
Tung-Chin Hsieh ◽  
David C. Pallas

ABSTRACT The adenovirus early region 4 open reading frame 4 (E4orf4) protein specifically induces p53-independent cell death of transformed but not normal human cells, suggesting that elucidation of its mechanism may provide important new avenues for cancer therapy. Wild-type E4orf4 and mutants that retain cancer cell toxicity also induce growth inhibition in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which provides a genetically tractable system for studying E4orf4 function. Interaction with the protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) B regulatory subunit is required for E4orf4's effects, suggesting that E4orf4 may function by regulating B subunit-containing heterotrimeric PP2A holoenzymes (PP2ABAC), which consist of a B subunit complexed with the PP2A structural (A) and catalytic (C) subunits. However, it is not known whether E4orf4-induced growth inhibition requires interaction with the PP2A C subunit or whether E4orf4 might have PP2A B subunit-dependent effects that are independent of PP2ABAC holoenzyme formation. To test these possibilities in S. cerevisiae, we disrupted the stable formation of PP2ABAC heterotrimers and thus E4orf4/C subunit association by PP2A C subunit point mutations or by deletion of the gene for the PP2A methyltransferase, Ppm1p, and assayed for effects on E4orf4-induced growth inhibition. Our results support a model in which E4orf4 mediates growth inhibition and cell killing both through PP2ABAC heterotrimers and through a B regulatory subunit-dependent pathway(s) that is independent of stable complex formation with the PP2A C subunit. They also indicate that Ppm1p has a function other than regulating the assembly of PP2A heterotrimers and suggest that selective PP2A trimer inhibitors and PP6 inhibitors may be useful as adjuvant anticancer therapies.


1999 ◽  
Vol 380 (9) ◽  
pp. 1117-1120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jürgen Götz ◽  
Wilfried Kues

AbstractProtein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) constitutes one of the major families of protein serine/threonine phosphatases found in all eukaryotic cells. PP2A holoenzymes are composed of a catalytic subunit complexed with a structural regulatory subunit of 65 kDa. These core subunits associate with regulatory subunits of various sizes to form different heterotrimers which have been purified and evaluated with regard to substrate specificity. In fully differentiated tissues PP2A expression levels are highest in the brain, however, relatively little is known about expression in the developing embryo.In order to determine the composition of PP2A catalytic subunits in the mouse, cDNAs were cloned and the genomic organization of PP2A Cα was determined.By a gene targeting approach in the mouse, we have previously shown that the absence of the major catalytic subunit of PP2A, Cα, resulted in embryonic lethality around embryonic day E6.5. No mesoderm was formed which implied that PP2A plays a crucial role in gastrulation.Here, we extended our studies and analyzed wildtype embryos for Cα expression at subsequent stages of development. After gastrulation is completed, we find high expression of Cα restricted to the neural folds, which suggests that PP2A plays an additional pivotal role in neurulation.


2002 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 3674-3684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinghai Li ◽  
Anne Scuderi ◽  
Anthea Letsou ◽  
David M. Virshup

ABSTRACT Protein phosphorylation and specific protein kinases can initiate signal transduction pathways leading to programmed cell death. The specific protein phosphatases regulating apoptosis have been more elusive. Using double-stranded RNA-mediated interference (RNAi), the role of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) in cellular signaling was investigated. Knockdown of A or C subunits individually or of combined B subunits led to concurrent loss of nontargeted PP2A subunits, suggesting that PP2A is an obligate heterotrimer in vivo. Global knockdown of PP2A activity or specific loss of redundant B56 regulatory subunits caused cell death with the morphological and biochemical changes characteristic of apoptosis in cultured S2 cells. B56:PP2A-regulated apoptosis required caspases and the upstream regulators dark, reaper, head involution defective, and dp53. In Drosophila embryos, knockdown of B56-regulated PP2A activity resulted in apoptosis and failure of gastrulation, an effect that was blocked by concurrent RNAi of the caspase Drice. B56-regulated PP2A activity appears to be required upstream of dp53 to maintain a critical proapoptotic substrate in a dephosphorylated, inactive state, thereby preventing apoptosis in Drosophila S2 cells.


1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. 6593-6602 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Okamoto ◽  
C Kamibayashi ◽  
M Serrano ◽  
C Prives ◽  
M C Mumby ◽  
...  

We and others previously showed that cyclin G is a transcriptional target of the p53 tumor suppressor protein. However, cellular proteins which might form a complex with cyclin G have not yet been identified. To gain insight into the biological role of cyclin G, we used the yeast two-hybrid screen and isolated two mouse cDNAs encoding cyclin G-interacting proteins. Interestingly, both positive cDNAs encoded B' regulatory subunits of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). One clone encodes B'alpha, while the other clone codes for a new member of the B' family, B'beta. B'beta is 70% identical to other members of the B' family. B'alpha associated both in vitro and in vivo with cyclin G but not with the other mammalian cyclins. Furthermore, cyclin G formed a complex with B'alpha only after induction of p53 in p53 temperature-sensitive cell lines. These results indicate that cyclin G forms a specific complex with the B' subunit of PP2A and that complex formation is regulated by p53. Potential roles for the cyclin G-B' complex in p53-mediated pathways are discussed.


2010 ◽  
Vol 84 (9) ◽  
pp. 4798-4809 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Z. Mui ◽  
Diana E. Roopchand ◽  
Matthew S. Gentry ◽  
Richard L. Hallberg ◽  
Jackie Vogel ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) has been implicated in cell cycle progression and mitosis; however, the complexity of PP2A regulation via multiple B subunits makes its functional characterization a significant challenge. The human adenovirus protein E4orf4 has been found to induce both high Cdk1 activity and the accumulation of cells in G2/M in both mammalian and yeast cells, effects which are largely dependent on the B55/Cdc55 regulatory subunit of PP2A. Thus, E4orf4 represents a unique means by which the function of a specific form of PP2A can be delineated in vivo. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, only two PP2A regulatory subunits exist, Cdc55 and Rts1. Here, we show that E4orf4-induced toxicity depends on a functional interaction with Cdc55. E4orf4 expression correlates with the inappropriate reduction of Pds1 and Scc1 in S-phase-arrested cells. The unscheduled loss of these proteins suggests the involvement of PP2ACdc55 in the regulation of the Cdc20 form of the anaphase-promoting complex (APC). Contrastingly, activity of the Hct1 form of the APC is not induced by E4orf4, as demonstrated by the observed stability of its substrates. We propose that E4orf4, being a Cdc55-specific inhibitor of PP2A, demonstrates the role of PP2ACdc55 in regulating APCCdc20 activity.


2007 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 873-882 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandra Magenta ◽  
Pasquale Fasanaro ◽  
Sveva Romani ◽  
Valeria Di Stefano ◽  
Maurizio C. Capogrossi ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein (pRb) regulates cell proliferation and differentiation via phosphorylation-sensitive interactions with specific targets. While the role of cyclin/cyclin-dependent kinase complexes in the modulation of pRb phosphorylation has been extensively studied, relatively little is known about the molecular mechanisms regulating phosphate removal by phosphatases. Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is constituted by a core dimer bearing catalytic activity and one variable B regulatory subunit conferring target specificity and subcellular localization. We previously demonstrated that PP2A core dimer binds pRb and dephosphorylates pRb upon oxidative stress. In the present study, we identified a specific PP2A-B subunit, PR70, that was associated with pRb both in vitro and in vivo. PR70 overexpression caused pRb dephosphorylation; conversely, PR70 knockdown prevented both pRb dephosphorylation and DNA synthesis inhibition induced by oxidative stress. Moreover, we found that intracellular Ca2+ mobilization was necessary and sufficient to trigger pRb dephosphorylation and PP2A phosphatase activity of PR70 was Ca2+ induced. These data underline the importance of PR70-Ca2+ interaction in the signal transduction mechanisms triggered by redox imbalance and leading to pRb dephosphorylation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 295 (17) ◽  
pp. 5654-5668 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chian Ju Jong ◽  
Ronald A. Merrill ◽  
Emily M. Wilkerson ◽  
Laura E. Herring ◽  
Lee M. Graves ◽  
...  

Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is a large enzyme family responsible for most cellular Ser/Thr dephosphorylation events. PP2A substrate specificity, localization, and regulation by second messengers rely on more than a dozen regulatory subunits (including B/R2, B′/R5, and B″/R3), which form the PP2A heterotrimeric holoenzyme by associating with a dimer comprising scaffolding (A) and catalytic (C) subunits. Because of partial redundancy and high endogenous expression of PP2A holoenzymes, traditional approaches of overexpressing, knocking down, or knocking out PP2A regulatory subunits have yielded only limited insights into their biological roles and substrates. To this end, here we sought to reduce the complexity of cellular PP2A holoenzymes. We used tetracycline-inducible expression of pairs of scaffolding and regulatory subunits with complementary charge-reversal substitutions in their interaction interfaces. For each of the three regulatory subunit families, we engineered A/B charge–swap variants that could bind to one another, but not to endogenous A and B subunits. Because endogenous Aα was targeted by a co-induced shRNA, endogenous B subunits were rapidly degraded, resulting in expression of predominantly a single PP2A heterotrimer composed of the A/B charge–swap pair and the endogenous catalytic subunit. Using B′δ/PPP2R5D, we show that PP2A complexity reduction, but not PP2A overexpression, reveals a role of this holoenzyme in suppression of extracellular signal–regulated kinase signaling and protein kinase A substrate dephosphorylation. When combined with global phosphoproteomics, the PP2A/B′δ reduction approach identified consensus dephosphorylation motifs in its substrates and suggested that residues surrounding the phosphorylation site play roles in PP2A substrate specificity.


2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 1494-1506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guo-wei Zhong ◽  
Ping Jiang ◽  
Wei-ran Qiao ◽  
Yuan-wei Zhang ◽  
Wen-fan Wei ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTProtein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is a major intracellular protein phosphatase that regulates multiple aspects of cell growth and metabolism. Different activities of PP2A and subcellular localization are determined by its regulatory subunits. Here we identified and characterized the functions of two protein phosphatase regulatory subunit homologs, ParA and PabA, inAspergillus nidulans. Our results demonstrate that ParA localizes to the septum site and that deletion ofparAcauses hyperseptation, while overexpression ofparAabolishes septum formation; this suggests that ParA may function as a negative regulator of septation. In comparison, PabA displays a clear colocalization pattern with 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI)-stained nuclei, and deletion ofpabAinduces a remarkable delayed-septation phenotype. BothparAandpabAare required for hyphal growth, conidiation, and self-fertilization, likely to maintain normal levels of PP2A activity. Most interestingly,parAdeletion is capable of suppressing septation defects inpabAmutants, suggesting that ParA counteracts PabA during the septation process. In contrast, double mutants ofparAandpabAled to synthetic defects in colony growth, indicating that ParA functions synthetically with PabA during hyphal growth. Moreover, unlike the case for PP2A-Par1 and PP2A-Pab1 in yeast (which are negative regulators that inactivate the septation initiation network [SIN]), loss of ParA or PabA fails to suppress defects of temperature-sensitive mutants of the SEPH kinase of the SIN. Thus, our findings support the previously unrealized evidence that the B-family subunits of PP2A have comprehensive functions as partners of heterotrimeric enzyme complexes of PP2A, both spatially and temporally, inA. nidulans.


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