scholarly journals Energetic determinants of the Par-3 interaction with the Par complex

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rhiannon R. Penkert ◽  
Elizabeth Vargas ◽  
Kenneth E. Prehoda

AbstractThe animal cell polarity regulator Par-3 recruits the Par complex (Par-6 and atypical Protein Kinase C–aPKC) to specific sites on the cell membrane. Although numerous physical interactions have been reported between Par-3 and the Par complex, it has been unclear how each contributes to the overall interaction. Using purified, intact Par complex and a quantitative binding assay, we found that energy for this interaction is provided by Par-3’s second and third PDZ protein interaction domains. Both Par-3 PDZ domains bind to aPKC’s PDZ Binding Motif (PBM) in the Par complex, with binding energy contributed from aPKC’s adjacent catalytic domain. In addition to highlighting the role of Par-3 PDZ interactions with the aPKC kinase domain and PBM in stabilizing Par-3 – Par complex assembly, our results indicate that each Par-3 molecule can potentially recruit two Par complexes to the membrane during cell polarization.

2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (8) ◽  
pp. 3176-3186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Iwanczyk ◽  
Daniela Damjanovic ◽  
Joel Kooistra ◽  
Vivian Leong ◽  
Ahmad Jomaa ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT PDZ domains are modular protein interaction domains that are present in metazoans and bacteria. These domains possess unique structural features that allow them to interact with the C-terminal residues of their ligands. The Escherichia coli essential periplasmic protein DegP contains two PDZ domains attached to the C-terminal end of the protease domain. In this study we examined the role of each PDZ domain in the protease and chaperone activities of this protein. Specifically, DegP mutants with either one or both PDZ domains deleted were generated and tested to determine their protease and chaperone activities, as well as their abilities to sequester unfolded substrates. We found that the PDZ domains in DegP have different roles; the PDZ1 domain is essential for protease activity and is responsible for recognizing and sequestering unfolded substrates through C-terminal tags, whereas the PDZ2 domain is mostly involved in maintaining the hexameric cage of DegP. Interestingly, neither of the PDZ domains was required for the chaperone activity of DegP. In addition, we found that the loops connecting the protease domain to PDZ1 and connecting PDZ1 to PDZ2 are also essential for the protease activity of the hexameric DegP protein. New insights into the roles of the PDZ domains in the structure and function of DegP are provided. These results imply that DegP recognizes substrate molecules targeted for degradation and substrate molecules targeted for refolding in different manners and suggest that the substrate recognition mechanisms may play a role in the protease-chaperone switch, dictating whether the substrate is degraded or refolded.


2001 ◽  
Vol 21 (15) ◽  
pp. 5179-5189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gretel Buchwald ◽  
Eva Hostinova ◽  
Markus G. Rudolph ◽  
Astrid Kraemer ◽  
Albert Sickmann ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT p21-activated protein kinases (PAKs) are involved in signal transduction processes initiating a variety of biological responses. They become activated by interaction with Rho-type small GTP-binding proteins Rac and Cdc42 in the GTP-bound conformation, thereby relieving the inhibition of the regulatory domain (RD) on the catalytic domain (CD). Here we report on the mechanism of activation and show that proteolytic digestion of PAK produces a heterodimeric RD-CD complex consisting of a regulatory fragment (residues 57 to 200) and a catalytic fragment (residues 201 to 491), which is active in the absence of Cdc42. Cdc42-GppNHp binds with low affinity (Kd 0.6 μM) to intact kinase, whereas the affinity to the isolated regulatory fragment is much higher (Kd 18 nM), suggesting that the difference in binding energy is used for the conformational change leading to activation. The full-length kinase, the isolated RD, and surprisingly also their complexes with Cdc42 behave as dimers on a gel filtration column. Cdc42-GppNHp interaction with the RD-CD complex is also of low affinity and does not dissociate the RD from the CD. After autophosphorylation of the kinase domain, Cdc42 binds with high (14 nM) affinity and dissociates the RD-CD complex. Assuming that the RD-CD complex mimics the interaction in native PAK, this indicates that the small G protein may not simply release the RD from the CD. It acts in a more subtle allosteric control mechanism to induce autophosphorylation, which in turn induces the release of the RD and thus full activation.


2000 ◽  
Vol 351 (1) ◽  
pp. 151-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele T. YIP-SCHNEIDER ◽  
Wenyan MIAO ◽  
Amy LIN ◽  
Darlene S. BARNARD ◽  
Guri TZIVION ◽  
...  

The Raf-1 kinase domain is kept in an inactive state by the N-terminal regulatory domain. Activation of the kinase domain occurs following release from the N-terminal repression and possible catalytic upregulation. To distinguish the regulatory mechanisms that directly influence the catalytic activity of the enzyme from those which act through the inhibitory domain, the catalytic domain of Raf-1 (CR3) was expressed in COS-7 cells. The role of phosphorylation in the direct regulation of this domain was determined by substituting non-phosphorylatable amino acids for known serine and tyrosine phosphorylation sites. The intrinsic activity of each mutant protein was determined as well as stimulation by v-Src and phorbol esters. Both v-Src and phorbol esters were potent activators of CR3, requiring the serine 338/339 (p21-activated protein kinase, Pak) and tyrosine 340/341 (Src) phosphorylation sites for full stimulation of CR3. In contrast, loss of the serine 497/499 protein kinase C phosphorylation sites had little effect on CR3 activation by either v-Src or phorbol esters. Loss of serine 621, a 14-3-3 adaptor-protein-binding site, prevented activation of CR3 by v-Src or phorbol esters and partially decreased the high basal activity of the kinase fragment. When co-expressed in COS-7 cells, 14-3-3 associated strongly with full-length Raf-1, weakly with wild-type CR3 and not at all with the A621 and D621 CR3 mutants. The role of 14-3-3 in maintaining the activity of the catalytic domain of Raf-1 was investigated further by performing peptide-competition studies with wild-type CR3, wild-type CR3 and v-Src or constitutively active CR3 (CR3[YY340/341DD]). In each case, incubation of the proteins with a phosphoserine-621 Raf-1 peptide, which we show displaced Raf-1 and CR3[YY340/341DD] from 14-3-3, was found to substantially reduce catalytic activity. Taken together, our results support a model of Raf regulation in which the activity of the Raf-1 catalytic domain is directly upregulated by phosphorylation, following relief of inhibition by the N-terminal regulatory domain upon Ras-GTP binding. Moreover, the presence of serine 621 in the free catalytic fragment is required for full CR3 activation by stimulatory factors, and the continuous presence of 14-3-3 at this site is necessary for retaining activity once the kinase is activated.


Author(s):  
Beth Burnside

The vertebrate photoreceptor provides a drammatic example of cell polarization. Specialized to carry out phototransduction at its distal end and to synapse with retinal interneurons at its proximal end, this long slender cell has a uniquely polarized morphology which is reflected in a similarly polarized cytoskeleton. Membranes bearing photopigment are localized in the outer segment, a modified sensory cilium. Sodium pumps which maintain the dark current critical to photosensory transduction are anchored along the inner segment plasma membrane between the outer segment and the nucleus.Proximal to the nucleus is a slender axon terminating in specialized invaginating synapses with other neurons of the retina. Though photoreceptor diameter is only 3-8u, its length from the tip of the outer segment to the synapse may be as great as 200μ. This peculiar linear cell morphology poses special logistical problems and has evoked interesting solutions for numerous cell functions. For example, the outer segment membranes turn over by means of a unique mechanism in which new disks are continuously added at the proximal base of the outer segment, while effete disks are discarded at the tip and phagocytosed by the retinal pigment epithelium. Outer segment proteins are synthesized in the Golgi near the nucleus and must be transported north through the inner segment to their sites of assembly into the outer segment, while synaptic proteins must be transported south through the axon to the synapse.The role of the cytoskeleton in photoreceptor motile processes is being intensely investigated in several laboratories.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiharu Uchida

Retinoblastoma protein (pRB) interacts with E2F and other protein factors to play a pivotal role in regulating the expression of target genes that induce cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and differentiation. pRB controls the local promoter activity and has the ability to change the structure of nucleosomes and/or chromosomes via histone modification, epigenetic changes, chromatin remodeling, and chromosome organization. Functional inactivation of pRB perturbs these cellular events and causes dysregulated cell growth and chromosome instability, which are hallmarks of cancer cells. The role of pRB in regulation of nucleosome/chromatin structures has been shown to link to tumor suppression. This review focuses on the ability of pRB to control nucleosome/chromatin structures via physical interactions with histone modifiers and chromatin factors and describes cancer therapies based on targeting these protein factors.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cécile Gaston ◽  
Simon De Beco ◽  
Bryant Doss ◽  
Meng Pan ◽  
Estelle Gauquelin ◽  
...  

AbstractAt the basis of cell shape and behavior, the organization of actomyosin and its ability to generate forces are widely studied. However, the precise regulation of this contractile network in space and time is unclear. Here, we study the role of the epithelial-specific protein EpCAM, a contractility modulator, in cell shape and motility. We show that EpCAM is required for stress fiber generation and front-rear polarity acquisition at the single cell level. In fact, EpCAM participates in the remodeling of a transient zone of active RhoA at the cortex of spreading epithelial cells. EpCAM and RhoA route together through the Rab35/EHD1 fast recycling pathway. This endosomal pathway spatially organizes GTP-RhoA to fine tune the activity of actomyosin resulting in polarized cell shape and development of intracellular stiffness and traction forces. Impairment of GTP-RhoA endosomal trafficking either by silencing EpCAM or by expressing Rab35/EHD1 mutants prevents proper myosin-II activity, stress fiber formation and ultimately cell polarization. Collectively, this work shows that the coupling between co-trafficking of EpCAM and RhoA, and actomyosin rearrangement is pivotal for cell spreading, and advances our understanding of how biochemical and mechanical properties promote cell plasticity.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2547
Author(s):  
Keunsoo Kang ◽  
Yoonjung Choi ◽  
Hyeonjin Moon ◽  
Chaelin You ◽  
Minjin Seo ◽  
...  

RAD51 is a recombinase that plays a pivotal role in homologous recombination. Although the role of RAD51 in homologous recombination has been extensively studied, it is unclear whether RAD51 can be involved in gene regulation as a co-factor. In this study, we found evidence that RAD51 may contribute to the regulation of genes involved in the autophagy pathway with E-box proteins such as USF1, USF2, and/or MITF in GM12878, HepG2, K562, and MCF-7 cell lines. The canonical USF binding motif (CACGTG) was significantly identified at RAD51-bound cis-regulatory elements in all four cell lines. In addition, genome-wide USF1, USF2, and/or MITF-binding regions significantly coincided with the RAD51-associated cis-regulatory elements in the same cell line. Interestingly, the promoters of genes associated with the autophagy pathway, such as ATG3 and ATG5, were significantly occupied by RAD51 and regulated by RAD51 in HepG2 and MCF-7 cell lines. Taken together, these results unveiled a novel role of RAD51 and provided evidence that RAD51-associated cis-regulatory elements could possibly be involved in regulating autophagy-related genes with E-box binding proteins.


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