scholarly journals LKB1 kinase-dependent and -independent defects disrupt polarity and adhesion signaling to drive collagen remodeling during invasion

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 1069-1084 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Konen ◽  
Scott Wilkinson ◽  
Byoungkoo Lee ◽  
Haian Fu ◽  
Wei Zhou ◽  
...  

LKB1 is a serine/threonine kinase and a commonly mutated gene in lung adenocarcinoma. The majority of LKB1 mutations are truncations that disrupt its kinase activity and remove its C-terminal domain (CTD). Because LKB1 inactivation drives cancer metastasis in mice and leads to aberrant cell invasion in vitro, we sought to determine how compromised LKB1 function affects lung cancer cell polarity and invasion. Using three-dimensional models, we show that LKB1 kinase activity is essential for focal adhesion kinase–mediated cell adhesion and subsequent collagen remodeling but not cell polarity. Instead, cell polarity is overseen by the kinase-independent function of its CTD and more specifically its farnesylation. This occurs through a mesenchymal-amoeboid morphological switch that signals through the Rho-GTPase RhoA. These data suggest that a combination of kinase-dependent and -independent defects by LKB1 inactivation creates a uniquely invasive cell with aberrant polarity and adhesion signaling that drives invasion into the microenvironment.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhen Wang ◽  
Junmei Kang ◽  
Shangang Jia ◽  
Tiejun Zhang ◽  
Zhihai Wu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Casein kinase 1 (CK1) family members are highly conserved serine/threonine kinase present in most eukaryotes with multiple biological functions. Arabidopsis MUT9-like kinases ( MLKs ) belong to a clade CK1 specific to the plant kingdom and have been implicated collectively in modulating flowering related processes. Three of the four MLKs ( MLK1/2/4 ) have been characterized, however, little is known about MLK3 , the most divergent MLKs. Results: We demonstrated that compared with wild type, mlk3 , a truncated MLK3 , flowered slightly early under long day conditions and ectopic expression of MLK3 rescued the morphological defects of mlk3 , indicating that MLK3 negatively regulates flowering. GA 3 application accelerated flowering of both wild type and mlk3 , suggesting that mlk3 had normal GA response. The recombinant MLK3-GFP was localized in the nucleus exclusively. In vitro kinase assay revealed that the nuclear protein MLK3 phosphorylated histone 3 at threonine 3 (H3T3ph). Mutation of a conserved catalytic residue (Lysine 175) abolished the kinase activity and resulted in failure to complement the early flowering phenotype of mlk3 . Interestingly, the global level of H3T3 phosphorylation in mlk3 did not differ significantly from wild type, suggesting the redundant roles of MLKs in flowering regulation. The transcriptomic analysis demonstrated that 425 genes significantly altered expression level in mlk3 relative to wild type. The mlk3 mlk4 double mutant generated by crossing mlk3 with mlk4 , a loss-of-function mutant of MLK4 showing late flowering, flowered between the two parental lines, suggesting that MLK3 played an antagonistic role to MLK4 in plant transition to flowering. Conclusions: A serine/threonine kinase encoding gene MLK3 is a casein kinase 1 specific to the plant species and represses flowering slightly. MLK3 located in nucleus catalyzes the phosphorylation of histone H3 at threonine 3 in vitro and an intact lysine residue (K175) is indispensible for the kinase activity. This study sheds new light on the delicate control of flowering by the plant-specific CK1 in Arabidopsis.


Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (22) ◽  
pp. 942-942 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingqiu Xie ◽  
Mehmet Burcu ◽  
Maria R. Baer

Abstract Abstract 942 Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) internal tandem duplication (ITD) results in FLT3 constitutive activation and aberrant signaling in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. FLT3-ITD is associated with adverse treatment outcome in AML, but FLT3 inhibitors have had limited therapeutic efficacy. The oncogenic serine/threonine kinase Pim-1 is upregulated in AML cells with FLT3-ITD. Pim-1 inhibitors are entering clinical trials, and we sought to characterize the role of Pim-1 and the effects of Pim-1 inhibition in FLT3-ITD cells. Wild-type (WT) FLT3 exists predominantly in a 150 kDa complex glycosylated form. In contrast, FLT3-ITD is partially retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) as a misfolded 130 kDa underglycosylated, or high-mannose, species in association with the ER transmembrane chaperone calnexin. In addition, FLT3-ITD also associates with and is stabilized by the cytosolic chaperone heat shock protein (HSP) 90. FLT3-ITD activates signal transducer and activation of transcription (STAT) 5 and upregulates the STAT5 downstream target Pim-1. FLT3 contains a putative Pim-1 substrate consensus serine phosphorylation site, and we hypothesized that FLT3 might be a Pim-1 substrate. FLT3-ITD cell lines studied included MV4-11, MOLM-14 and transfected Ba/F3-ITD, and FLT3 WT cells included BV173, EOL-1 and transfected Ba/F3-WT. Pim-1 activity was measured by an in vitro kinase assay of BAD phosphorylation at serine 112, and Pim-1 expression, FLT3 expression, phosphorylation and co-immunoprecipitation, and STAT5 phosphorylation and expression by Western blot analysis. Pim-1 knockdown was accomplished by infection with lentivirus containing Pim-1 small hairpin RNA (shRNA) or non-target control, and Pim-1 kinase inhibition by incubation with the Pim-1-selective inhibitor quercetagetin. Pim-1 was found to directly interact with and serine-phosphorylate FLT3 from FLT3-ITD, but not FLT3-WT, cells in vitro. Inhibition of Pim-1 kinase disrupted binding of FLT3 to its chaperones calnexin and HSP90, and resulted in decreased expression and half-life of 130 kDa FLT3 and increased expression and half-life of 150 kDa FLT3. The decrease in expression and half-life of 130 kDa FLT3 was partially abrogated by co-incubation with the proteasome inhibitor MG132. Moreover, the increase in 150 Kda FLT3 was abrogated by co-incubation with the glycosylation inhibitor 2-deoxy-D-glucose. Thus Pim-1 maintains FLT3 as a 130 kDa species by enhancing its binding to its chaperones calnexin and HSP90, protecting it from proteasomal degradation and inhibiting its glycosylation to form 150 kDa FLT3. Inhibition of Pim-1 kinase activity also decreased phosphorylation of FLT3 at tyrosine 591, a docking site for binding of FLT3-ITD, but not FLT3-WT, to STAT5, and decreased both STAT5 phosphorylation and expression of Pim-1 itself. In contrast, Pim-1 inhibition had no effect on FLT3 tyrosine kinase activity nor on expression of Pim-2, another Pim kinase family member implicated in promoting survival of FLT3-ITD cells. Finally, the Pim-1 kinase inhibitor quercetagetin and the FLT3 inhibitor PKC412 had a synergistic effect in inducing apoptosis of Ba/F3-ITD cells: We conclude that Pim-1, which is transcriptionally upregulated through STAT5 in FLT3-ITD cells, serine-phosphorylates FLT3-ITD, thereby maintaining it in an underglycosylated form, and promotes STAT5 signaling, and that inhibition of Pim-1 and of FLT3 is synergistic in inducing apoptosis of FLT3-ITD cells. Thus Pim-1 inhibitors should inhibit aberrant signaling upstream as well as downstream of Pim-1 in FLT3-ITD cells, and have the potential to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of FLT3 inhibitors in patients with AML with FLT3-ITD Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 998-1005 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Liu ◽  
Y Wu ◽  
G Z Ma ◽  
D Lu ◽  
L Haataja ◽  
...  

The first exon of the BCR gene encodes a new serine/threonine protein kinase. Abnormal fusion of the BCR and ABL genes, resulting from the formation of the Philadelphia chromosome (Ph), is the hallmark of Ph-positive leukemia. We have previously demonstrated that the Bcr protein is tyrosine phosphorylated within first-exon sequences by the Bcr-Abl oncoprotein. Here we report that in addition to tyrose 177 (Y-177), Y-360 and Y283 are phosphorylated in Bcr-Abl proteins in vitro. Moreover, Bcr tyrosine 360 is phosphorylated in vivo within both Bcr-Abl and Bcr. Bcr mutant Y177F had a greatly reduced ability to transphosphorylate casein and histone H1, whereas Bcr mutants Y177F and Y283F had wild-type activities. In contrast, the Y360F mutation had little effect on Bcr's autophosphorylation activity. Tyrosine-phosphorylated Bcr, phosphorylated in vitro by Bcr-Abl, was greatly inhibited in its serine/threonine kinase activity, impairing both auto- and transkinase activities of Bcr. Similarly, the isolation of Bcr from cells expressing Bcr-Abl under conditions that preserve phosphotyrosine residues also reduced Bcr's kinase activity. These results indicate that tyrosine 360 of Bcr is critical for the transphosphorylation activity of Bcr and that in Ph-positive leukemia, Bcr serine/threonine kinase activity is seriously impaired.


2007 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 2698-2706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davin M. Henderson ◽  
Sean D. Conner

Phosphorylation is a critical step in regulating receptor transport through the endocytic pathway. AAK1 is a serine/threonine kinase that is thought to coordinate the recruitment of AP-2 to receptors containing tyrosine-based internalization motifs by phosphorylating the μ2 subunit. Here we have identified a long form of AAK1 (AAK1L) that contains an extended C-terminus that encodes an additional clathrin-binding domain (CBD2) consisting of multiple low-affinity interaction motifs. Protein interaction studies demonstrate that AAK1L CBD2 directly binds clathrin. However, in vitro kinase assays reveal little difference between AAK1 isoforms in their basal or clathrin-stimulated kinase activity toward the AP-2 μ2 subunit. However, overexpression of AAK1L CBD2 impairs transferrin endocytosis, confirming an endocytic role for AAK1. Surprisingly, CBD2 overexpression or AAK1 depletion by RNA interference significantly impairs transferrin recycling from the early/sorting endosome. These observations suggest that AAK1 functions at multiple steps of the endosomal pathway by regulating transferrin internalization and its rapid recycling back to the plasma membrane from early/sorting endosome.


2008 ◽  
Vol 415 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meghna Thakur ◽  
Pradip K. Chakraborti

Eukaryotic-type serine/threonine protein kinases in bacteria have been implicated in controlling a host of cellular activities. PknA is one of eleven such protein kinases from Mycobacterium tuberculosis which regulates morphological changes associated with cell division. In the present study we provide the evidence for the ability of PknA to transphosphorylate mMurD (mycobacterial UDP-N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine:D-glutamate-ligase), the enzyme involved in peptidoglycan biosynthesis. Its co-expression in Escherichia coli along with PknA resulted in phosphorylation of mMurD. Consistent with these observations, results of the solid-phase binding assays revealed a high-affinity in vitro binding between the two proteins. Furthermore, overexpression of m-murD in Mycobacterium smegmatis yielded a phosphorylated protein. The results of the present study therefore point towards the possibility of mMurD being a substrate of PknA.


2010 ◽  
Vol 432 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne Durgan ◽  
Peter J. Parker

Fbw7 (F-box WD40 protein 7) is a major tumour suppressor, which mediates the degradation of several potent oncogenes. PKC (protein kinase C) comprises a serine/threonine kinase family that can promote transformation when dysregulated. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between Fbw7 and PKC. Multiple members of the PKC superfamily interact with the substrate-binding domain of Fbw7. However, we find no evidence for Fbw7-mediated degradation of PKC. Instead, we demonstrate that Fbw7 is a novel substrate for PKC. Two residues within the isoform-specific N-terminus of Fbw7α are phosphorylated in a PKC-dependent manner, both in vitro and in mammalian cells (Ser10 and Ser18). Mutational analyses reveal that phosphorylation of Fbw7α at Ser10 can regulate its nuclear localization. Cancer-associated mutations in nearby residues (K11R and the addition of a proline residue at position 16) influence Fbw7α localization in a comparable manner, suggesting that mislocalization of this protein may be of pathological significance. Together these results provide evidence for both physical and functional interactions between the PKC and Fbw7 families, and yield insights into the isoform-specific regulation of Fbw7α.


1988 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 4685-4691
Author(s):  
J K Mayo ◽  
K E Sampson ◽  
L D Adams ◽  
E R Crumm ◽  
S L Kelly ◽  
...  

We transfected Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells with a cloned v-mos gene (pHT25). The mos family of oncogenes has previously been shown to have serine-threonine kinase activity. This kinase activity may be required for oncogenic transformation, although its exact biological role is unknown. We found that the transfected cells had an altered morphology, a slower doubling time, and an apparent increase in the amount of a 25-kilodalton (kDa) phosphoprotein that appeared to be of low abundance. Transfection of CHO cells with a cloned temperature-sensitive mos gene (ts159) led to isolation of a cell line that showed the presence of the 25-kDa phosphoprotein at the permissive but not at the nonpermissive temperature, suggesting a direct relationship between mos activity and the presence of this phosphoprotein. The characteristics of altered morphology and depressed growth rate were reminiscent of changes seen after the activation of the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) in CHO cells. However, PKA activation did not stimulate phosphorylation of this 25-kDa protein, nor was there a change in total PKA activity in these cells. We suggest that the increased presence of the 25-kDa phosphoprotein is a consequence of the v-mos transfection and that it may be involved in the change of morphology and growth rate seen in the CHO cells. Phosphorylation of this protein may be a useful marker of mos and have some functional importance in the transformation of cells by the v-mos oncogene.


2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (48) ◽  
pp. 12188-12193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda S. Chin ◽  
Kathryn E. Worley ◽  
Poulomi Ray ◽  
Gurleen Kaur ◽  
Jie Fan ◽  
...  

Our understanding of the left–right (LR) asymmetry of embryonic development, in particular the contribution of intrinsic handedness of the cell or cell chirality, is limited due to the confounding systematic and environmental factors during morphogenesis and a ack of physiologically relevant in vitro 3D platforms. Here we report an efficient two-layered biomaterial platform for determining the chirality of individual cells, cell aggregates, and self-organized hollow epithelial spheroids. This bioengineered niche provides a uniform defined axis allowing for cells to rotate spontaneously with a directional bias toward either clockwise or counterclockwise directions. Mechanistic studies reveal an actin-dependent, cell-intrinsic property of 3D chirality that can be mediated by actin cross-linking via α-actinin-1. Our findings suggest that the gradient of extracellular matrix is an important biophysicochemical cue influencing cell polarity and chirality. Engineered biomaterial systems can serve as an effective platform for studying developmental asymmetry and screening for environmental factors causing birth defects.


Author(s):  
Adrian Rafael Murillo-de-Ozores ◽  
Alejandro Rodriguez-Gama ◽  
Hector Carbajal-Contreras ◽  
Gerardo Gamba ◽  
Maria Castaneda-Bueno

With No Lysine (K) kinase 4 (WNK4) belongs to a serine-threonine kinase family characterized by the atypical positioning of its catalytic lysine. Despite the fact that WNK4 has been found in many tissues, the majority of its study has revolved around its function in the kidney, specifically as a positive regulator of the thiazide-sensitive NaCl cotransporter (NCC) in the distal convoluted tubule (DCT) of the nephron. This is explained by the description of gain-of-function mutations in the gene encoding WNK4 that cause Familial Hyperkalemic Hypertension (FHHt). This disease is mainly driven by increased downstream activation of the Ste20-related Proline Alanine Rich Kinase (SPAK)/Oxidative Stress Responsive Kinase 1 (OSR1)-NCC pathway, which increases salt reabsorption in the DCT and indirectly impairs renal K+ secretion. Here, we review the large volume of information that has accumulated about different aspects of WNK4 function. We first review the knowledge on WNK4 structure and enumerate the functional domains and motifs that have been characterized. Then, we discuss WNK4 physiological functions based on the information obtained from in vitro studies and from a diverse set of genetically modified mouse models with altered WNK4 function. We then review in vitro and in vivo evidence on the different levels of regulation of WNK4. Finally, we go through the evidence that has suggested how different physiological conditions act through WNK4 to modulate NCC activity.


Cancers ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Bray ◽  
Constanze Secker ◽  
Berline Murekatete ◽  
Jana Sievers ◽  
Marcus Binner ◽  
...  

Bone is the most common site for breast-cancer invasion and metastasis, and it causes severe morbidity and mortality. A greater understanding of the mechanisms leading to bone-specific metastasis could improve therapeutic strategies and thus improve patient survival. While three-dimensional in vitro culture models provide valuable tools to investigate distinct heterocellular and environmental interactions, sophisticated organ-specific metastasis models are lacking. Previous models used to investigate breast-to-bone metastasis have relied on 2.5D or singular-scaffold methods, constraining the in situ mimicry of in vitro models. Glycosaminoglycan-based gels have demonstrated outstanding potential for tumor-engineering applications. Here, we developed advanced biphasic in vitro microenvironments that mimic breast-tumor tissue (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 in a hydrogel) spatially separated with a mineralized bone construct (human primary osteoblasts in a cryogel). These models allow distinct advantages over former models due to the ability to observe and manipulate cellular migration towards a bone construct. The gels allow for the binding of adhesion-mediating peptides and controlled release of signaling molecules. Moreover, mechanical and architectural properties can be tuned to manipulate cell function. These results demonstrate the utility of these biomimetic microenvironment models to investigate heterotypic cell–cell and cell–matrix communications in cancer migration to bone.


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