Description: The Dictyostelium discoideum genome encodes five proteins that share weak sequence similarity with vertebrate P2X receptors. Unlike vertebrate P2X receptors, these proteins are not expressed on the surface of cells, but populate the tubules and bladders of the contractile vacuole. In this study, we expressed humanized cDNAs of P2XA, P2XB, P2XC, P2XD, and P2XE in human embryonic kidney cells and altered the ionic and proton environment in an attempt to reflect the situation in amoeba. Recording of whole-cell membrane currents showed that four receptors operated as ATP-gated channels (P2XA, P2XB, P2XD, and P2XE). At P2XA receptors, ATP was the only effective agonist of 17 structurally related putative ligands that were tested. Extracellular sodium, compared with potassium, strongly inhibited ATP responses in P2XB, P2XD, and P2XE receptors. Increasing the proton concentration (pH 6.2) accelerated desensitization at P2XA receptors and decreased currents at P2XD receptors, but increased the currents at P2XB and P2XE receptors. Dictyostelium lacking P2XA receptors showed impaired regulatory volume decrease in hypotonic solution. This phenotype was readily rescued by overexpression of P2XA and P2XD receptors, partially rescued by P2XB and P2XE receptors, and not rescued by P2XC receptors. The failure of the nonfunctional receptor P2XC to restore the regulatory volume decrease highlights the importance of ATP activation of P2X receptors for a normal response to hypo-osmotic shock, and the weak rescue by P2XB and P2XE receptors indicates that there is limited functional redundancy among Dictyostelium P2X receptors.

Description: The serine protease, C1r, initiates activation of the classical pathway of complement, which is a crucial innate defense mechanism against pathogens and altered-self cells. C1r both autoactivates and subsequently cleaves and activates C1s. Because complement is implicated in many inflammatory diseases, an understanding of the interaction between C1r and its target substrates is required for the design of effective inhibitors of complement activation. Examination of the active site specificity of C1r using phage library technology revealed clear specificity for Gln at P2 and Ile at P1′, which are found in these positions in physiological substrates of C1r. Removal of one or both of the Gln at P2 and Ile at P1′ in the C1s substrate reduced the rate of C1r activation. Substituting a Gln residue into the P2 of the activation site of MASP-3, a protein with similar domain structure to C1s that is not normally cleaved by C1r, enabled efficient activation of this enzyme. Molecular dynamics simulations and structural modeling of the interaction of the C1s activation peptide with the active site of C1r revealed the molecular mechanisms that particularly underpin the specificity of the enzyme for the P2 Gln residue. The complement control protein domains of C1r also made important contributions to efficient activation of C1s by this enzyme, indicating that exosite interactions were also important. These data show that C1r specificity is well suited to its cleavage targets and that efficient cleavage of C1s is achieved through both active site and exosite contributions.

Description: The 6-phospho-β-glucosidase BglA-2 (EC 3.2.1.86) from glycoside hydrolase family 1 (GH-1) catalyzes the hydrolysis of β-1,4-linked cellobiose 6-phosphate (cellobiose-6′P) to yield glucose and glucose 6-phosphate. Both reaction products are further metabolized by the energy-generating glycolytic pathway. Here, we present the first crystal structures of the apo and complex forms of BglA-2 with thiocellobiose-6′P (a non-metabolizable analog of cellobiose-6′P) at 2.0 and 2.4 Å resolution, respectively. Similar to other GH-1 enzymes, the overall structure of BglA-2 from Streptococcus pneumoniae adopts a typical (β/α)8 TIM-barrel, with the active site located at the center of the convex surface of the β-barrel. Structural analyses, in combination with enzymatic data obtained from site-directed mutant proteins, suggest that three aromatic residues, Tyr126, Tyr303, and Trp338, at subsite +1 of BglA-2 determine substrate specificity with respect to 1,4-linked 6-phospho-β-glucosides. Moreover, three additional residues, Ser424, Lys430, and Tyr432 of BglA-2, were found to play important roles in the hydrolytic selectivity toward phosphorylated rather than non-phosphorylated compounds. Comparative structural analysis suggests that a tryptophan versus a methionine/alanine residue at subsite −1 may contribute to the catalytic and substrate selectivity with respect to structurally similar 6-phospho-β-galactosidases and 6-phospho-β-glucosidases assigned to the GH-1 family.

Description: Formyl-peptide receptor type 2 (FPR2; also called ALX because it is the receptor for lipoxin A4) sustains a variety of biological responses relevant to the development and control of inflammation, yet the cellular regulation of this G-protein-coupled receptor remains unexplored. Here we report that, in response to peptide agonist activation, FPR2/ALX undergoes β-arrestin-mediated endocytosis followed by rapid recycling to the plasma membrane. We identify a transplantable recycling sequence that is both necessary and sufficient for efficient receptor recycling. Furthermore, removal of this C-terminal recycling sequence alters the endocytic fate of FPR2/ALX and evokes pro-apoptotic effects in response to agonist activation. This study demonstrates the importance of endocytic recycling in the anti-apoptotic properties of FPR2/ALX and identifies the molecular determinant required for modulation of this process fundamental for the control of inflammation.

Description: Heterochromatin protein 1α (HP1α) is involved in regulation of chromatin plasticity, DNA damage repair, and centromere dynamics. HP1α detects histone dimethylation and trimethylation of Lys-9 via its chromodomain. HP1α localizes to heterochromatin in interphase cells but is liberated from chromosomal arms at the onset of mitosis. However, the structural determinants required for HP1α localization in interphase and the regulation of HP1α dynamics have remained elusive. Here we show that centromeric localization of HP1α depends on histone H3 Lys-9 trimethyltransferase SUV39H1 activity in interphase but not in mitotic cells. Surprisingly, HP1α liberates from chromosome arms in early mitosis. To test the role of this dissociation, we engineered an HP1α construct that persistently localizes to chromosome arms. Interestingly, persistent localization of HP1α to chromosome arms perturbs accurate kinetochore-microtubule attachment due to an aberrant distribution of chromosome passenger complex and Sgo1 from centromeres to chromosome arms that prevents resolution of sister chromatids. Further analyses showed that Mis14 and perhaps other PXVXL-containing proteins are involved in directing localization of HP1α to the centromere in mitosis. Taken together, our data suggest a model in which spatiotemporal dynamics of HP1α localization to centromere is governed by two distinct structural determinants. These findings reveal a previously unrecognized but essential link between HP1α-interacting molecular dynamics and chromosome plasticity in promoting accurate cell division.

Description: Although amyloid fibrils assembled in vitro commonly involve a single protein, fibrils formed in vivo can contain multiple protein sequences. The amyloidogenic protein human β2-microglobulin (hβ2m) can co-polymerize with its N-terminally truncated variant (ΔN6) in vitro to form hetero-polymeric fibrils that differ from their homo-polymeric counterparts. Discrimination between the different assembly precursors, for example by binding of a biomolecule to one species in a mixture of conformers, offers an opportunity to alter the course of co-assembly and the properties of the fibrils formed. Here, using hβ2m and its amyloidogenic counterpart, ΔΝ6, we describe selection of a 2′F-modified RNA aptamer able to distinguish between these very similar proteins. SELEX with a N30 RNA pool yielded an aptamer (B6) that binds hβ2m with an EC50 of ∼200 nm. NMR spectroscopy was used to assign the 1H-15N HSQC spectrum of the B6-hβ2m complex, revealing that the aptamer binds to the face of hβ2m containing the A, B, E, and D β-strands. In contrast, binding of B6 to ΔN6 is weak and less specific. Kinetic analysis of the effect of B6 on co-polymerization of hβ2m and ΔN6 revealed that the aptamer alters the kinetics of co-polymerization of the two proteins. The results reveal the potential of RNA aptamers as tools for elucidating the mechanisms of co-assembly in amyloid formation and as reagents able to discriminate between very similar protein conformers with different amyloid propensity.

Description: The interferon γ-inducible protein 16 (IFI16) has recently been linked to the detection of nuclear and cytosolic DNA during infection with herpes simplex virus-1 and HIV. IFI16 binds dsDNA via HIN200 domains and activates stimulator of interferon genes (STING), leading to TANK (TRAF family member-associated NF-κB activator)-binding kinase-1 (TBK1)-dependent phosphorylation of interferon regulatory factor (IRF) 3 and transcription of type I interferons (IFNs) and related genes. To better understand the role of IFI16 in coordinating type I IFN gene regulation, we generated cell lines with stable knockdown of IFI16 and examined responses to DNA and RNA viruses as well as cyclic dinucleotides. As expected, stable knockdown of IFI16 led to a severely attenuated type I IFN response to DNA ligands and viruses. In contrast, expression of the NF-κB-regulated cytokines IL-6 and IL-1β was unaffected in IFI16 knockdown cells, suggesting that the role of IFI16 in sensing these triggers was unique to the type I IFN pathway. Surprisingly, we also found that knockdown of IFI16 led to a severe attenuation of IFN-α and the IFN-stimulated gene retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) in response to cyclic GMP-AMP, a second messenger produced by cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) as well as RNA ligands and viruses. Analysis of IFI16 knockdown cells revealed compromised occupancy of RNA polymerase II on the IFN-α promoter in these cells, suggesting that transcription of IFN-stimulated genes is dependent on IFI16. These results indicate a broader role for IFI16 in the regulation of the type I IFN response to RNA and DNA viruses in antiviral immunity.

Description: Targeted degradation of proteins through the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) via the activities of E3 ubiquitin ligases regulates diverse cellular processes, and misregulation of these enzymes contributes to the pathogenesis of human diseases. One of the challenges facing the UPS field is to delineate the complete cohort of substrates for a particular E3 ligase. Advances in mass spectrometry and the development of antibodies recognizing the Lys-ϵ-Gly-Gly (diGly) remnant from ubiquitinated proteins following trypsinolysis have provided a tool to address this question. We implemented an inducible loss of function approach in combination with quantitative diGly proteomics to find novel substrates of HUWE1 (HECT, UBA, and WWE domain containing 1, E3 ubiquitin protein ligase), an E3 ligase implicated in cancer and intellectual disabilities. diGly proteomics results led to the identification of DNA damage-inducible transcript 4 (DDIT4) as a putative HUWE1 substrate. Cell-based assays demonstrated that HUWE1 interacts with and regulates ubiquitination and stability of DDIT4. Together these data suggest a model in which HUWE1 mediates DDIT4 proteasomal degradation. Our results demonstrate proof of concept that inducible knockdown of an E3 ligase in combination with diGly proteomics provides a potentially advantageous method for identifying novel E3 substrates that may help to identify candidates for therapeutic modulation in the UPS.

Description: Signal sequence-encoding mRNAs undergo translation-dependent localization to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and at the ER are anchored via translation on Sec61-bound ribosomes. Recent investigations into the composition and membrane association characteristics of ER-associated mRNAs have, however, revealed both ribosome-dependent (indirect) and ribosome-independent (direct) modes of mRNA association with the ER. These findings raise important questions regarding our understanding of how mRNAs are selected, localized, and anchored to the ER. Using semi-intact tissue culture cells, we performed a polysome solubilization screen and identified conditions that distinguish polysomes engaged in the translation of distinct cohorts of mRNAs. To gain insight into the molecular basis of direct mRNA anchoring to the ER, we performed RNA-protein UV photocross-linking studies in rough microsomes and demonstrate that numerous ER integral membrane proteins display RNA binding activity. Quantitative proteomic analyses of HeLa cytosolic and ER-bound polysome fractions identified translocon components as selective polysome-interacting proteins. Notably, the Sec61 complex was highly enriched in polysomes engaged in the translation of endomembrane organelle proteins, whereas translocon accessory proteins, such as ribophorin I, were present in all subpopulations of ER-associated polysomes. Analyses of the protein composition of oligo(dT)-selected UV photocross-linked ER protein-RNA adducts identified Sec61α,β and ribophorin I as ER-poly(A) mRNA-binding proteins, suggesting unexpected roles for the protein translocation and modification machinery in mRNA anchoring to the ER. In summary, we propose that multiple mechanisms of mRNA and ribosome association with ER operate to enable an mRNA transcriptome-wide function for the ER in protein synthesis.

Description: Prohibitin (PHB) has been reported to play a crucial role in adipocyte differentiation and mitochondrial function. However, the regulative mechanism of PHB during adipogenesis remains unclear. In this study, we determined that the levels of both microRNA (miR)-27a and miR-27b were down-regulated following adipogenic induction of human adipose-derived stem cells, whereas the mRNA level of PHB was up-regulated. Overexpression of miR-27a or miR-27b inhibited PHB expression and adipocyte differentiation. Using PHB 3′-UTR luciferase reporter assay, we observed that miR-27a and miR-27b directly targeted PHB in human adipose-derived stem cells. A compensation of PHB partially restored the adipogenesis inhibited by miR-27. Moreover, we demonstrated the novel finding that ectopic expression of miR-27a or miR-27b impaired mitochondrial biogenesis, structure integrity, and complex I activity accompanied by excessive reactive oxygen species production. Our data suggest that miR-27 is an anti-adipogenic microRNA partly by targeting PHB and impairing mitochondrial function. Pharmacological modulation of miR-27 function may provide a new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of obesity.