Protein kinase C-dependent activation of cytosolic phospholipase A2 and mitogen-activated protein kinase by alpha 1-adrenergic receptors in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells.

We have investigated the effects of inhibiting sphingomyelin (SM) biosynthesis on cellular diacylglycerol (DAG) content and protein kinase C (PKC) activation during growth initiation in Madin–Darby canine kidney cells. We utilized β-chloroalanine (BCA) to inactivate serine C-palmitoyltransferase, the first enzyme in the sphingolipid biosynthesis pathway. This inactivation prevented growth, but did not affect viability. When the inhibitor was replaced with fresh culture medium, the cells continued their proliferation in a normal way. BCA (2 mM) inhibited [32P]Pi, [3H]palmitic acid and [methyl-3H]choline incorporation into SM, but did not influence the synthesis of other major phospholipids. SM synthesis and DAG generation were decreased by 51% and 47.6% respectively. Particulate PKC activity was not observed in cells incubated with BCA, in contrast with a 5-fold increase in control cells. BCA inhibited 75% of the [3H]thymidine incorporation, and the cells were arrested before the S phase of the cell cycle. Moreover, exogenous d-erythrosphingosine restored SM synthesis, DAG generation and cell proliferation. These data indicate that the contribution of DAG generated during SM synthesis plays an important role in PKC activation and cell proliferation.

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Phosphorylation regulates connexin43/ZO-1 binding and release, an important step in gap junction turnover

Molecular Biology of the Cell ◽

10.1091/mbc.e16-07-0496 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 28 (25) ◽

pp. 3595-3608 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Anastasia F. Thévenin ◽

Rachel A. Margraf ◽

Charles G. Fisher ◽

Rachael M. Kells-Andrews ◽

Matthias M. Falk

Keyword(s):

Protein Kinase ◽

Gap Junction ◽

Wild Type ◽

Madin Darby Canine Kidney ◽

Kinase C ◽

Zonula Occludens ◽

Zonula Occludens 1 ◽

Darby Canine Kidney ◽

Canine Kidney

To investigate whether connexin phosphorylation regulates the known role of zonula occludens-1 protein (ZO-1) in gap junction (GJ) function, we generated and analyzed a series of phosphomimetic and phosphorylation-dead mutants by mutating known conserved regulatory serine (S) residues 255, 279/282, 365, 368, and 373 located in the C-terminal domain of connexin43 (Cx43) into glutamic acid (E) or alanine (A) residues. All connexin mutants were translated into stable, full-length proteins and assembled into GJs when expressed in HeLa or Madin–Darby canine kidney epithelial cells. However, mutants with S residues exchanged at positions 365, 368, and 373 exhibited a significantly altered ZO-1 interaction profile, while mutants with S residues exchanged at 255 and 279/282 did not. Unlike wild-type Cx43, in which ZO-1 binding is restricted to the periphery of GJ plaques, S365A, S365E, S368A, S368E, and S373A mutants bound ZO-1 throughout the GJ plaques, while the S373E mutant did not bind ZO-1 at all. Inability to disengage from ZO-1 correlated with increased GJ plaque size and increased connexin protein half-life, while maintaining GJ channels in an open, functional state. Quantitative clathrin-binding analyses revealed no significant alterations in clathrin-binding efficiency, suggesting that the inability to disengage from ZO-1 prevented maturation of functional into nonfunctional/endocytic channels, rather than ZO-1 interfering with GJ endocytosis directly. Collectively, our results indicate that ZO-1 binding regulates channel accrual, while disengagement from ZO-1 is critical for GJ channel closure and transitioning GJ channels for endocytosis. Intriguingly, these transitional ZO-1 binding/release and channel-aging steps are mediated by a series of hierarchical phosphorylation/dephosphorylation events at S373, S365, and S368, well-known Cx43 Akt, protein kinase A, and protein kinase C phosphorylation sites located in the vicinity of the ZO-1 binding site.

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Restoration of Tight Junction Structure and Barrier Function by Down-Regulation of the Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Pathway in Ras-transformed Madin-Darby Canine Kidney Cells

Molecular Biology of the Cell ◽

10.1091/mbc.11.3.849 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 849-862 ◽

Cited By ~ 172

Author(s):

Yan-hua Chen ◽

Qun Lu ◽

Eveline E. Schneeberger ◽

Daniel A. Goodenough

Keyword(s):

Epithelial Cell ◽

Tight Junction ◽

Tight Junctions ◽

Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase ◽

Madin Darby Canine Kidney ◽

Mitogen Activated Protein ◽

Darby Canine Kidney ◽

Canine Kidney ◽

E Cadherin ◽

Cell Cell

In the Madin-Darby canine kidney epithelial cell line, the proteins occludin and ZO-1 are structural components of the tight junctions that seal the paracellular spaces between the cells and contribute to the epithelial barrier function. In Ras-transformed Madin-Darby canine kidney cells, occludin, claudin-1, and ZO-1 were absent from cell–cell contacts but were present in the cytoplasm, and the adherens junction protein E-cadherin was weakly expressed. After treatment of the Ras-transformed cells with the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK1) inhibitor PD98059, which blocks the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), occludin, claudin-1, and ZO-1 were recruited to the cell membrane, tight junctions were assembled, and E-cadherin protein expression was induced. Although it is generally believed that E-cadherin–mediated cell–cell adhesion is required for tight junction assembly, the recruitment of occludin to the cell–cell contact area and the restoration of epithelial cell morphology preceded the appearance of E-cadherin at cell–cell contacts. Both electron microscopy and a fourfold increase in the transepithelial electrical resistance indicated the formation of functional tight junctions after MEK1 inhibition. Moreover, inhibition of MAPK activity stabilized occludin and ZO-1 by differentially increasing their half-lives. We also found that during the process of tight junction assembly after MEK1 inhibition, tyrosine phosphorylation of occludin and ZO-1, but not claudin-1, increased significantly. Our study demonstrates that down-regulation of the MAPK signaling pathway causes the restoration of epithelial cell morphology and the assembly of tight junctions in Ras-transformed epithelial cells and that tyrosine phosphorylation of occludin and ZO-1 may play a role in some aspects of tight junction formation.

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