scholarly journals Functions of Rhotekin, an Effector of Rho GTPase, and its Binding Partners in Mammals

Author(s):  
Hidenori Ito ◽  
Rika Morishita ◽  
Koh-ichi Nagata

Rhotekin is an effector protein for small GTPase Rho. This protein consists of a Rho binding domain (RBD), a pleckstrin homology (PH) domain, proline-rich regions and a C-terminal PDZ-binding motif. We and other groups have identified various binding partners for Rhotekin and proposed their possible physiological roles. However, functions of Rhotekin per se are largely unknown and information about its physiological roles are fragmentary. In this review, we summarize known features of Rhotekin in neuronal tissues and cancer cells. We also describe characteristics of binding partners for Rhotekin and predicted roles of their interaction.

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (7) ◽  
pp. 2121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hidenori Ito ◽  
Rika Morishita ◽  
Koh-ichi Nagata

Rhotekin is an effector protein for small GTPase Rho. This protein consists of a Rho binding domain (RBD), a pleckstrin homology (PH) domain, two proline-rich regions and a C-terminal PDZ (PSD-95, Discs-large, and ZO-1)-binding motif. We, and other groups, have identified various binding partners for Rhotekin and carried out biochemical and cell biological characterization. However, the physiological functions of Rhotekin, per se, are as of yet largely unknown. In this review, we summarize known features of Rhotekin and its binding partners in neuronal tissues and cancer cells.


2008 ◽  
Vol 389 (4) ◽  
pp. 405-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kei Yamaguchi ◽  
Osamu Ohara ◽  
Akikazu Ando ◽  
Takahiro Nagase

Abstract Smurf1, a member of HECT-type E3 ubiquitin ligases, regulates cell polarity and protrusive activity by inducing ubiquitination and subsequent proteasomal degradation of the small GTPase RhoA. We report here that hPEM-2, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for the small GTPase Cdc42, is a novel target of Smurf1. Pulse-chase labeling and a ubiquitination experiment using MG132, a proteasomal inhibitor, indicate that Smurf1 induces proteasomal degradation of hPEM-2 in cells. GST pull-down assays with heterologously expressed firefly luciferase-fusion proteins that include partial sequences of hPEM-2 reveal that part of the PH domain (residues 318–343) of hPEM-2 is sufficient for binding to Smurf1. In contrast, the hPEM-2 binding domain in Smurf1 was mapped to the C2 domain. Although it has been reported that the binding activities of some C2 domains to target proteins are regulated by Ca2+, Smurf1 interacts with hPEM-2 in a Ca2+-independent manner. Our discovery that hPEM-2 is, in addition to RhoA, a target protein of Smurf1 suggests that Smurf1 plays a crucial role in the spatio-temporal regulation of Rho GTPase family members.


2000 ◽  
Vol 351 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon DOWLER ◽  
Richard A. CURRIE ◽  
David G. CAMPBELL ◽  
Maria DEAK ◽  
Gursant KULAR ◽  
...  

The second messenger phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate [PtdIns(3,4,5)P3] is generated by the action of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase), and regulates a plethora of cellular processes. An approach for dissecting the mechanisms by which these processes are regulated is to identify proteins that interact specifically with PtdIns(3,4,5)P3. The pleckstrin homology (PH) domain has become recognized as the specialized module used by many proteins to interact with PtdIns(3,4,5)P3. Recent work has led to the identification of a putative phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate-binding motif (PPBM) at the N-terminal regions of PH domains that interact with this lipid. We have searched expressed sequence tag databases for novel proteins containing PH domains possessing a PPBM. Surprisingly, many of the PH domains that we identified do not bind PtdIns(3,4,5)P3, but instead possess unexpected and novel phosphoinositide-binding specificitiesin vitro. These include proteins possessing PH domains that interact specifically with PtdIns(3,4)P2 [TAPP1 (tandem PH-domain-containing protein-1) and TAPP2], PtdIns4P [FAPP1 (phosphatidylinositol-four-phosphate adaptor protein-1)], PtdIns3P [PEPP1 (phosphatidylinositol-three-phosphate-binding PH-domain protein-1) and AtPH1] and PtdIns(3,5)P2 (centaurin-β2). We have also identified two related homologues of PEPP1, termed PEPP2 and PEPP3, that may also interact with PtdIns3P. This study lays the foundation for future work to establish the phospholipid-binding specificities of these proteins in vivo, and their physiological role(s).


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ari Hashimoto ◽  
Haruka Handa ◽  
Soichiro Hata ◽  
Akio Tsutaho ◽  
Takao Yoshida ◽  
...  

AbstractMany clinical trials are being conducted to clarify effective combinations of various drugs for immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy. However, although extensive studies from multiple aspects have been conducted regarding treatments for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), there are still no effective ICB-based therapies or biomarkers for this cancer type. A series of our studies have identified that the small GTPase ARF6 and its downstream effector AMAP1 (also called ASAP1/DDEF1) are often overexpressed in different cancers, including PDAC, and closely correlate with poor patient survival. Mechanistically, the ARF6-AMAP1 pathway drives cancer cell invasion and immune evasion, via upregulating β1-integrins and PD-L1, and downregulating E-cadherin, upon ARF6 activation by external ligands. Moreover, the ARF6-AMAP1 pathway enhances the fibrosis caused by PDAC, which is another barrier for ICB therapies. KRAS mutations are prevalent in PDACs. We have shown previously that oncogenic KRAS mutations are the major cause of the aberrant overexpression of ARF6 and AMAP1, in which KRAS signaling enhances eukaryotic initiation factor 4A (eIF4A)-dependent ARF6 mRNA translation and eIF4E-dependent AMAP1 mRNA translation. MYC overexpression is also a key pathway in driving cancer malignancy. MYC mRNA is also known to be under the control of eIF4A, and the eIF4A inhibitor silvestrol suppresses MYC and ARF6 expression. Using a KPC mouse model of human PDAC (LSL-Kras(G12D/+); LSL-Trp53(R172H/+)); Pdx-1-Cre), we here demonstrate that inhibition of the ARF6-AMAP1 pathway by shRNAs in cancer cells results in therapeutic synergy with an anti-PD-1 antibody in vivo; and furthermore, that silvestrol improves the efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapy, whereas silvestrol on its own promotes tumor growth in vivo. ARF6 and MYC are both essential for normal cell functions. We demonstrate that silvestrol substantially mitigates the overexpression of ARF6 and MYC in KRAS-mutated cells, whereas the suppression is moderate in KRAS-intact cells. We propose that targeting eIF4A, as well as mutant KRAS, provides novel methods to improve the efficacy of anti-PD-1 and associated ICB therapies against PDACs, in which ARF6 and AMAP1 overexpression, as well as KRAS mutations of cancer cells are biomarkers to identify patients with drug-susceptible disease. The same may be applicable to other cancers with KRAS mutations.


2004 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 707-711 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.A. Lemmon

PH domains (pleckstrin homology domains) are the 11th most common domain in the human genome and are best known for their ability to target cellular membranes by binding specifically to phosphoinositides. Recent studies in yeast have shown that, in fact, this is a property of only a small fraction of the known PH domains. Most PH domains are not capable of independent membrane targeting, and those capable of doing so (approx. 33%) appear, most often, to require both phosphoinositide and non-phosphoinositide determinants for their subcellular localization. Several recent studies have suggested that small GTPases such as ARF family proteins play a role in defining PH domain localization. Some others have described a signalling role for PH domains in regulating small GTPases, although phosphoinositides may also play a role. These findings herald a change in our perspective of PH domain function, which will be significantly more diverse than previously supposed.


2010 ◽  
Vol 285 (27) ◽  
pp. 21070-21081 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhe Chen ◽  
Frank Medina ◽  
Mu-ya Liu ◽  
Celestine Thomas ◽  
Stephen R. Sprang ◽  
...  

2013 ◽  
Vol 288 (29) ◽  
pp. 21117-21125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Radu ◽  
Sonali J. Rawat ◽  
Alexander Beeser ◽  
Anton Iliuk ◽  
Weiguo Andy Tao ◽  
...  

Signaling from small GTPases is a tightly regulated process. In this work we used a protein microarray screen to identify the Rac-specific GAP, ArhGAP15, as a substrate of the Rac effectors Pak1 and Pak2. In addition to serving as a substrate of Pak1/2, we found that ArhGAP15, via its PH domain, bound to these kinases. The association of ArhGAP15 to Pak1/2 resulted in mutual inhibition of GAP and kinase catalytic activity, respectively. Knock-down of ArhGAP15 resulted in activation of Pak1/2, both indirectly, as a result of Rac activation, and directly, as a result of disruption of the ArhGAP15/Pak complex. Our data suggest that ArhGAP15 plays a dual negative role in regulating small GTPase signaling, by acting at the level of the GTPase itself, as well interacting with its effector, Pak kinase.


2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 3232-3246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Ting Zhou ◽  
Li Li Chew ◽  
Sheng-cai Lin ◽  
Boon Chuan Low

The BNIP-2 and Cdc42GAP homology (BCH) domain is a novel regulator for Rho GTPases, but its impact on p50-Rho GTPase-activating protein (p50RhoGAP or Cdc42GAP) in cells remains elusive. Here we show that deletion of the BCH domain from p50RhoGAP enhanced its GAP activity and caused drastic cell rounding. Introducing constitutively active RhoA or inactivating GAP domain blocked such effect, whereas replacing the BCH domain with endosome-targeting SNX3 excluded requirement of endosomal localization in regulating the GAP activity. Substitution with homologous BCH domain from Schizosaccharomyces pombe, which does not bind mammalian RhoA, also led to complete loss of suppression. Interestingly, the p50RhoGAP BCH domain only targeted RhoA, but not Cdc42 or Rac1, and it was unable to distinguish between GDP and the GTP-bound form of RhoA. Further mutagenesis revealed a RhoA-binding motif (residues 85-120), which when deleted, significantly reduced BCH inhibition on GAP-mediated cell rounding, whereas its full suppression also required an intramolecular interaction motif (residues 169-197). Therefore, BCH domain serves as a local modulator in cis to sequester RhoA from inactivation by the adjacent GAP domain, adding to a new paradigm for regulating p50RhoGAP signaling.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1990
Author(s):  
Inmaculada Navarro-Lérida ◽  
Miguel Sánchez-Álvarez ◽  
Miguel Ángel del Pozo

Cells and tissues are continuously exposed to both chemical and physical stimuli and dynamically adapt and respond to this variety of external cues to ensure cellular homeostasis, regulated development and tissue-specific differentiation. Alterations of these pathways promote disease progression—a prominent example being cancer. Rho GTPases are key regulators of the remodeling of cytoskeleton and cell membranes and their coordination and integration with different biological processes, including cell polarization and motility, as well as other signaling networks such as growth signaling and proliferation. Apart from the control of GTP–GDP cycling, Rho GTPase activity is spatially and temporally regulated by post-translation modifications (PTMs) and their assembly onto specific protein complexes, which determine their controlled activity at distinct cellular compartments. Although Rho GTPases were traditionally conceived as targeted from the cytosol to the plasma membrane to exert their activity, recent research demonstrates that active pools of different Rho GTPases also localize to endomembranes and the nucleus. In this review, we discuss how PTM-driven modulation of Rho GTPases provides a versatile mechanism for their compartmentalization and functional regulation. Understanding how the subcellular sorting of active small GTPase pools occurs and what its functional significance is could reveal novel therapeutic opportunities.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob Duane Madison

Abstract OBJECTIVEHistones and resulting nucleosomes occur within DNA regulating gene expression by slowing, pausing, or halting transcriptional machinery. Positions within the genome have been found with higher affinity for the histone octamer than others. Histone/nucleosome repositioning is adjusted via energy dependent remodeling complexes, and a harmonizing array of constellation proteins and molecules. The energy required to create transcriptional environments is created through oxygen intake, nutrient presence, and extracellular movement. In this paper we aim to help facilitate an in silico framework for further experimentation into how partial pressures of oxygen and other gases impact genetic transcription along with extracellular movement and nutrient delivery.RESULTSCell and tissue culture experimentation with biomechanical strain and variable partial pressures of oxygen and other gases can be made into the expression levels of genes such as PH domain leucine-rich repeat-containing protein phosphatase 1 (PHLPP1), and Neuroligin 1 (NLGN1). These genes show in silico to have a higher affinity for a histone octamer binding motif, needing adequate cellular energy to be expressed. Extracellular movement and adequate cellular oxygenation are required to properly reposition nucleosome sequences for transcription.


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