New insights into the phosphorylation of the threonine motif of the β1 integrin cytoplasmic domain

Integrins require an activation step before ligand binding and signaling that is mediated by talin and kindlin binding to the β integrin cytosolic domain (β-tail). Conflicting reports exist about the contribution of phosphorylation of a conserved threonine motif in the β1-tail (β1-pT788/pT789) to integrin activation. We show that widely used and commercially available antibodies against β1-pT788/pT789 integrin do not detect specific β1-pT788/pT789 integrin signals in immunoblots of several human and mouse cell lysates but bind bi-phosphorylated threonine residues in numerous proteins, which were identified by mass spectrometry experiments. Furthermore, we found that fibroblasts and epithelial cells expressing the phospho-mimicking β1-TT788/789DD integrin failed to activate β1 integrins and displayed reduced integrin ligand binding, adhesion initiation and cell spreading. These cellular defects are specifically caused by the inability of kindlin to bind β1-tail polypeptides carrying a phosphorylated threonine motif or phospho-mimicking TT788/789DD substitutions. Our findings indicate that the double-threonine motif in β1-class integrins is not a major phosphorylation site but if phosphorylated would curb integrin function.

Gα13-Mediated β2 Integrin Outside-in Signaling in Neutrophil Migration

Transendothelial migration of neutrophils requires chemoattractant signals and also integrin family of adhesion receptors, particularly the β 2 family of integrins, including Mac-1 and LFA-1. Signals transmitted by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) for chemoattractants and cytokines induces inside-out signaling activating the ligand binding function of integrins. Conversely ligand binding to integrins stimulates outside-in signaling, leading to cell spreading, retraction and migration. The heterotrimeric G protein subunit, Gα13, is important for GPCR signaling leading to RhoA activation but also binds to integrins, including β2 integrins to stimulate outside-in signaling. To study the roles of Gα13 in neutrophil migration, we tested the effect of Gα13 knockout on transendothelial migration of neutrophils stimulated by chemoattractant fMIVIL. We demonstrate that transendothelial migration of Gα13 knockout neutrophils was significantly but partially reduced as compared with wild type mice. Transendothelial migration of Gα13 knockout neutrophils is similar to wild type neutrophil migration neutralized with an anti-Mac1 (anti-αm) antibody, and was not further inhibited by the anti-Mac1 antibody, suggesting that transendothelial migration mediated by integrin αmβ2 was predominantly Gα13-dependent. Interestingly, either anti-β2 antibody or anti-LFA1 (anti-αL) antibody appeared to inhibit transendothelial migration of not only wild type neutrophils, but also to a degree, Gα13-knockout neutrophils, suggesting a minor LFA1-dependent but Gα13-independent component of transendothelial migration in addition to the Gα13-dependent transendothlial migration. Furthermore, even though the fibrinogen and ICAM-1 are both β2 ligands, we show that more neutrophils migrated through ICAM-1-coated transwells than fibrinogen-coated transwells, and only ICAM-1-mediated neutrophil migration is Gα13 dependent, suggesting that Gα13-dependent neutrophil migration is selective for certain β2 integrin ligand (ICAM-1). Importantly, Gα13 knockout selectively inhibited the velocity of neutrophil migration on integrin ligand ICAM-1, but had no effect on the directionality of neutrophil migration which requires GPCR-dependent chemoattactant signaling. To understand whether and how Gα13 regulate integrin signaling, we show that Gα13 knockout did not affect the static adhesion of neutrophils to ICAM1, but significantly inhibited neutrophil spreading on ICAM-1. Furthermore, Gα13 bound to β2 integrins in neutrophils adherent on ICAM-1, and this binding was inhibited by the ExE motif peptide MB2mP6 derived from the Gα13 binding site of β2 integrin cytoplasmic domain. MB2mP6 also inhibited transendothelial cell migration similarly as Gα13 knockout. These data suggest that Gα13 plays an important role in promoting β2-integrin dependent neutrophil transendothelial migration mainly by mediating integrin outside-in signaling. Consistent with previous findings of the role of Gα13-dependent outside-in signaling in negative regulation of RhoA in other integrin subtypes, both Gα13 knockout and MB2mP6 abolished the transient inhibition in RhoA during adhesion of neutrophils on ICAM-1. These data suggest that Gα13 mediates outside-in signaling and transient inhibition of RhoA, and thus promotes neutrophil spreading and migration on integrin ligands. To test the role of Gα13 in neutrophil migration in vivo, we showed that neutrophil infiltration in vivo was reduced in leukocyte-selective Gα13 knockout mice using both thioglycolate-induced peritoneal neutrophil infiltration model and LPS-induced neutrophil lung infiltration model in vivo. Furthermore, MB2mP6 inhibited neutrophil infiltration in cardiac tissues in the cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injury model in mice. These data suggest that Gα13-integrin interaction plays an essential role in the integrin-dependent transendothelial migration and is likely to be important in neutrophils' immune and inflammatory functions. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Control Cell Migration by Engineering Integrin Ligand Assembly

Advances in mechanistic understanding of integrin-mediated adhesion highlight the importance of precise control of ligand presentation in directing cell migration. Top-down nanopatterning limited the spatial presentation to sub-micron. To enhance it to molecular level, we propose a bottom-up nanofabrication strategy. Via self-assembly and co-assembly, precise control of ligand presentation is succeeded by varying the proportions of assembling ligand and nonfunctional peptide. Assembled nanofilaments fulfill multi-functions exerting enhancement to suppression effect on cell migration with tunable amplitudes. Self-assembled nanofilaments possessing super high ligand density selectively suppress cancer cell migration by preventing integrin/actin disassembly at cell rear, which provides new insights to ligand-density-dependent-modulation, revealing valuable inputs to therapeutic innovations in tumor metastasis.One-Sentence SummaryEngineering integrin ligand assembly from bottom-up offers a generalized tool to selectively control cell migration with tunable amplitudes.

Fibronectin meshwork controls epithelial stem cell fate

Adult stem cell fate is tightly balanced by the local microenvironment called niche and sustain tissue regeneration. How niche signals are integrated and regulate regeneration remains largely unexplored. The extracellular matrix and integrin ligand fibronectin is a crucial and well-characterized wound healing actor that has never been involved in skin regeneration. Here, we show that fibronectin displays a highly specific enrichment in hair follicle stem cells (HFSC) at the onset of regeneration. Conditional deletion of fibronectin in HFSC compartment (Lrig1, K19) leads to hair regeneration blockade, impaired stem cell location and fate. Dermal injection of exogenous fibronectin rescues these phenotypes. To elucidate molecular mechanism underlying fibronectin function, we used conditional deletion models of SLC3A2, the main integrin coreceptor. We show that, via its role in integrin-dependent assembly of fibronectin matrix, SLC3A2 acts as molecular relay of niche signals. Thus, fibronectinintegrin-SLC3A2 cascade finely tunes HFSC fate and tissue regenerative power.

Win, Lose, or Tie: Mathematical Modeling of Ligand Competition at the Cell–Extracellular Matrix Interface

Integrin transmembrane proteins conduct mechanotransduction at the cell–extracellular matrix (ECM) interface. This process is central to cellular homeostasis and therefore is particularly important when designing instructive biomaterials and organoid culture systems. Previous studies suggest that fine-tuning the ECM composition and mechanical properties can improve organoid development. Toward the bigger goal of fully functional organoid development, we hypothesize that resolving the dynamics of ECM–integrin interactions will be highly instructive. To this end, we developed a mathematical model that enabled us to simulate three main interactions, namely integrin activation, ligand binding, and integrin clustering. Different from previously published computational models, we account for the binding of more than one type of ligand to the integrin. This competition between ligands defines the fate of the system. We have demonstrated that an increase in the initial concentration of ligands does not ensure an increase in the steady state concentration of ligand-bound integrins. The ligand with higher binding rate occupies more integrins at the steady state than does the competing ligand. With cell type specific, quantitative input on integrin-ligand binding rates, this model can be used to develop instructive cell culture systems.

Autoregulation of insulin receptor signaling through MFGE8 and the αvβ5 integrin

The role of integrins, in particular αv integrins, in regulating insulin resistance is incompletely understood. We have previously shown that the αvβ5 integrin ligand milk fat globule epidermal growth factor like 8 (MFGE8) regulates cellular uptake of fatty acids. In this work, we evaluated the impact of MFGE8 on glucose homeostasis. We show that acute blockade of the MFGE8/β5 pathway enhances while acute augmentation dampens insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. Moreover, we find that insulin itself induces cell-surface enrichment of MFGE8 in skeletal muscle, which then promotes interaction between the αvβ5 integrin and the insulin receptor leading to dampening of skeletal-muscle insulin receptor signaling. Blockade of the MFGE8/β5 pathway also enhances hepatic insulin sensitivity. Our work identifies an autoregulatory mechanism by which insulin-stimulated signaling through its cognate receptor is terminated through up-regulation of MFGE8 and its consequent interaction with the αvβ5 integrin, thereby establishing a pathway that can potentially be targeted to improve insulin sensitivity.

Reovirus directly engages integrin to recruit clathrin for entry into host cells

Reovirus infection requires the concerted action of viral and host factors to promote cell entry. After interaction of reovirus attachment protein σ1 with cell-surface carbohydrates and proteinaceous receptors, additional host factors mediate virus internalization. In particular, β1 integrin is required for endocytosis of reovirus virions following junctional adhesion molecule A (JAM-A) binding. While integrin-binding motifs in the surface-exposed region of reovirus capsid protein λ2 are thought to mediate integrin interaction, evidence for direct β1 integrin-reovirus interactions and knowledge of how integrins function to mediate reovirus entry is lacking. Here, we use single-virus force spectroscopy and confocal microscopy to discover a direct interaction between reovirus and β1 integrins. Comparison of interactions between reovirus disassembly intermediates as well as mutants and β1 integrin show that λ2 is the integrin ligand. Finally, using fluidic force microscopy, we demonstrate a functional role for β1 integrin interaction in promoting clathrin recruitment to cell-bound reovirus. Our study demonstrates a direct interaction between reovirus and β1 integrins and offers insights into the mechanism of reovirus cell entry. These results provide new perspectives for the development of efficacious antiviral therapeutics and the engineering of improved viral gene delivery and oncolytic vectors.