Rapid plasma membrane anchoring of newly synthesized p59fyn: selective requirement for NH2-terminal myristoylation and palmitoylation at cysteine-3

LAT palmitoylation: its essential role in membrane microdomain targeting and tyrosine phosphorylation during T cell activation

The linker molecule LAT is a critical substrate of the tyrosine kinases activated upon TCR engagement. Phosphorylated LAT binds Grb2, PLC-gamma1, and other signaling molecules. We demonstrate that human LAT is palmitoylated and that palmitoylated LAT predominantly localizes into glycolipid-enriched microdomains (GEMs). Although the LAT transmembrane domain is sufficient for membrane localization, palmitoylation at C26 and C29 is essential for efficient partitioning into GEMs. LAT palmitoylation is necessary for its tyrosine phosphorylation. After T cell activation, most tyrosine-phosphorylated LAT molecules and a fraction of PLC-gamma1 and other signaling molecules are present in GEMs. LAT is central to T cell activation and is a novel linker molecule shown to require targeting to membrane microdomains for signaling.

Acylation of Escherichia coli hemolysin: a unique protein lipidation mechanism underlying toxin function

The pore-forming hemolysin (HlyA) of Escherichia coli represents a unique class of bacterial toxins that require a posttranslational modification for activity. The inactive protoxin pro-HlyA is activated intracellularly by amide linkage of fatty acids to two internal lysine residues 126 amino acids apart, directed by the cosynthesized HlyC protein with acyl carrier protein as the fatty acid donor. This action distinguishes HlyC from all bacterial acyltransferases such as the lipid A, lux-specific, and nodulation acyltransferases, and from eukaryotic transferases such as N-myristoyl transferases, prenyltransferases, and thioester palmitoyltransferases. Most lipids directly attached to proteins may be classed as N-terminal amide-linked and internal ester-linked acyl groups and C-terminal ether-linked isoprenoid groups. The acylation of HlyA and related toxins does not equate to these but does appear related to a small number of eukaryotic proteins that include inflammatory cytokines and mitogenic and cholinergic receptors. While the location and structure of lipid moieties on proteins vary, there are common effects on membrane affinity and/or protein-protein interactions. Despite being acylated at two residues, HlyA does not possess a "double-anchor" motif and does not have an electrostatic switch, although its dependence on calcium binding for activity suggests that the calcium-myristoyl switch may have relevance. The acyl chains on HlyA may provide anchorage points onto the surface of the host cell lipid bilayer. These could then enhance protein-protein interactions either between HlyA and components of a host signal transduction pathway to influence cytokine production or between HlyA monomers to bring about oligomerization during pore formation.

SNAP-25 palmitoylation and plasma membrane targeting require a functional secretory pathway

Synaptosomal-associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP-25) is a palmitoylated membrane protein essential for neurotransmitter release from synaptic terminals. We used neuronal cell lines to study the biosynthesis and posttranslational processing of SNAP-25 to investigate how palmitoylation contributes to the subcellular localization of the protein. SNAP-25 was synthesized as a soluble protein that underwent palmitoylation approximately 20 min after synthesis. Palmitoylation of the protein coincided with its stable membrane association. Treatment of cells with brefeldin A or other disrupters of transport inhibited palmitoylation of newly synthesized SNAP-25 and abolished membrane association. These results demonstrate that the processing of SNAP-25 and its targeting to the plasma membrane depend on an intact transport mechanism along the exocytic pathway. The kinetics of SNAP-25 palmitoylation and membrane association and the sensitivity of these parameters to brefeldin A suggest a novel trafficking pathway for targeting proteins to the plasma membrane. In vitro, SNAP-25 stably associated with membranes was not released from the membrane after chemical deacylation. We propose that palmitoylation of SNAP-25 is required for initial membrane targeting of the protein but that other interactions can maintain membrane association in the absence of fatty acylation.

Incorporation of leucocyte GPI-anchored proteins and protein tyrosine kinases into lipid-rich membrane domains of COS-7 cells

Several human leucocyte surface glycoproteins and two lymphoid protein kinases were transiently expressed in monkey COS-7 fibroblastoid cells. All glycosylphospha-tidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins (CD14, CD16B, CD48, CD59, CD87 and GPI-anchored versions of CD2 and CD25) and protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) Lck but not transmembrane proteins (CD2, CD4, CD5, CD6, CD8) and PTK ZAP-70 were in part localized in buoyant, lipid-rich, detergent-resistant membrane GPI-microdomains of the COS cells. Endogenous GPI-microdomains of COS cells appear to be, in contrast to those present in leucocytes, essentially devoid of associated PTKs. Our results indicate that GPI-anchor is sufficient to target proteins to these membrane specializations even if expressed ectopically. Moreover, the N-terminal double acylation of the PTK Lck appears to be functional also in COS cells and targets the enzyme to the membrane GPI-microdomains implicated in receptor signalling.

ARNO is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for ADP-ribosylation factor 6

ADP-ribosylation factors (ARFs) constitute a family of small monomeric GTPases. ARFs 1 and 3 function in the recruitment of coat proteins to membranes of the Golgi apparatus, whereas ARF6 is localized to the plasma membrane, where it appears to modulate both the assembly of the actin cytoskeleton and endocytosis. Like other GTPases, ARF activation is facilitated by specific guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs). ARNO (ARF nucleotide-binding site opener) is a member of a growing family of ARF-GEFs that share a common, tripartite structure consisting of an N-terminal coiled-coil domain, a central domain with homology to the yeast protein Sec7p, and a C-terminal pleckstrin homology domain. Recently, ARNO and its close homologue cytohesin-1 were found to catalyze in vitro nucleotide exchange on ARF1 and ARF3, respectively, raising the possibility that these GEFs function in the Golgi. However, the actual function of these proteins may be determined in part by their ability to interact with specific ARFs and in part by their subcellular localization. We report here that in vitro ARNO can stimulate nucleotide exchange on both ARF1 and ARF6. Furthermore, based on subcellular fractionation and immunolocalization experiments, we find that ARNO is localized to the plasma membrane in mammalian cells rather than the Golgi. It is therefore likely that ARNO functions in plasma membrane events by modulating the activity of ARF6 in vivo. These findings are consistent with the previous observation that cytohesin-1 regulates the adhesiveness of alphaLbeta2 integrins at the plasma membrane of lymphocytes.

Plasma membrane localization of G alpha z requires two signals

Three covalent attachments anchor heterotrimeric G proteins to cellular membranes: the alpha subunits are myristoylated and/or palmitoylated, whereas the gamma chain is prenylated. Despite the essential role of these modifications in membrane attachment, it is not clear how they cooperate to specify G protein localization at the plasma membrane, where the G protein relays signals from cell surface receptors to intracellular effector molecules. To explore this question, we studied the effects of mutations that prevent myristoylation and/or palmitoylation of an epitope-labeled alpha subunit, alpha z. Wild-type alpha z (alpha z-WT) localizes specifically at the plasma membrane. A mutant that incorporates only myristate is mistargeted to intracellular membranes, in addition to the plasma membrane, but transduces hormonal signals as well as does alpha z-WT. Removal of the myristoylation site produced a mutant alpha z that is located in the cytosol, is not efficiently palmitoylated, and does not relay the hormonal signal. Coexpression of beta gamma with this myristoylation defective mutant transfers it to the plasma membrane, promotes its palmitoylation, and enables it to transmit hormonal signals. Pulse-chase experiments show that the palmitate attached to this myristoylation-defective mutant turns over much more rapidly than does palmitate on alpha z-WT, and that the rate of turnover is further accelerated by receptor activation. In contrast, receptor activation does not increase the slow rate of palmitate turnover on alpha z-WT. Together these results suggest that myristate and beta gamma promote stable association with membranes not only by providing hydrophobicity, but also by stabilizing attachment of palmitate. Moreover, palmitoylation confers on alpha z specific localization at the plasma membrane.

N-terminal palmitoylation of PSD-95 regulates association with cell membranes and interaction with K+ channel Kv1.4

Ion channels and associated signal transduction cascades are clustered at excitatory synapses by PSD-95 and related PDZ-containing proteins. Mechanisms that target PSD-95 to synaptic membranes, however, are unknown. Here, PSD-95 is shown to partition as an integral membrane protein in brain homogenates. Metabolic labeling of brain slices or cultured cells demonstrates that PSD-95 is modified by thioester-linked palmitate, a long chain fatty acid that targets proteins to cell membranes. In fact, PSD-95 is a major palmitoylated protein in intact cells, and palmitoylated PSD-95 partitions exclusively with cell membranes. Mutagenesis indicates that palmitoylation of PSD-95 occurs on conserved N-terminal cysteines 3 and 5. Palmitoylation-deficient mutants of PSD-95 do not partition as integral membrane proteins and do not participate in PDZ-ion channel interactions in vivo. This work identifies palmitoylation as a critical regulatory mechanism for receptor interactions with PSD-95.

The betagamma subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins acquire detergent insolubility directly at the plasma membrane

The subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins, G alpha and G betagamma, are found in association with detergent-resistant domains in most mammalian cell types, implicating such domains in G protein-coupled signaling. The pathway by which the betagamma complexes are targeted to these detergent-resistant domains was unaffected by the brefeldin A-imposed block on endoplasmic reticulum-to-Golgi transport. We have used subcellular fractionation and beta subunit-specific immunoprecipitation to localize the acquisition of detergent insolubility of newly synthesized betagamma complexes. The beta subunits cofractionate with plasma membranes, and acquire detergent insolubility coincident with arrival in the plasma membrane fractions. This association was not affected by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-induced activation of Protein kinase C.

Caveolae, DIGs, and the dynamics of sphingolipid-cholesterol microdomains

There is accumulating evidence that lateral assemblies (rafts) of sphingolipids and cholesterol form platforms that serve to support numerous cellular events in membrane traffic and signal transduction. Raft membrane microdomains are thought to function by preferentially associating with specific proteins while excluding others. The basic forces driving raft formation are lipid interactions which are, per se, weak and transient. Sphingolipid rafts should therefore be considered to be dynamic structures in which cholesterol plays an important role as a linker. Caveolins influence these dynamics by forming stabilized raft domains in intracellular membranes as well as at the plasma membrane. Recent data suggest that clustering of raft components could regulate raft dynamics and therefore represents an important feature in the function of these membrane microdomains.

The first 35 amino acids and fatty acylation sites determine the molecular targeting of endothelial nitric oxide synthase into the Golgi region of cells: a green fluorescent protein study

Catalytically active endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) is located on the Golgi complex and in the caveolae of endothelial cells (EC). Mislocalization of eNOS caused by mutation of the N-myristoylation or cysteine palmitoylation sites impairs production of stimulated nitric oxide (NO), suggesting that intracellular targeting is critical for optimal NO production. To investigate the molecular determinants of eNOS targeting in EC, we constructed eNOS-green fluorescent protein (GFP) chimeras to study its localization in living and fixed cells. The full-length eNOS-GFP fusion colocalized with a Golgi marker, mannosidase II, and retained catalytic activity compared to wild-type (WT) eNOS, suggesting that the GFP tag does not interfere with eNOS localization or function. Experiments with different size amino-terminal fusion partners coupled to GFP demonstrated that the first 35 amino acids of eNOS are sufficient to target GFP into the Golgi region of NIH 3T3 cells. Additionally, the unique (Gly-Leu)5 repeat located between the palmitoylation sites (Cys-15 and -26) of eNOS is necessary for its palmitoylation and thus localization, but not for N-myristoylation, membrane association, and NOS activity. The palmitoylation-deficient mutants displayed a more diffuse fluorescence pattern than did WT eNOS-GFP, but still were associated with intracellular membranes. Biochemical studies also showed that the palmitoylation-deficient mutants are associated with membranes as tightly as WT eNOS. Mutation of the N-myristoylation site Gly-2 (abolishing both N-myristoylation and palmitoylation) caused the GFP fusion protein to distribute throughout the cell as GFP alone, consistent with its primarily cytosolic nature in biochemical studies. Therefore, eNOS targets into the Golgi region of NIH 3T3 cells via the first 35 amino acids, including N-myristoylation and palmitoylation sites, and its overall membrane association requires N-myristoylation but not cysteine palmitoylation. These results suggest a novel role for fatty acylation in the specific compartmentalization of eNOS and most likely, for other dually acylated proteins, to the Golgi complex.

Palmitoylation of p59fyn is reversible and sufficient for plasma membrane association

Members of the Src family of protein tyrosine kinases are localized to subspecialized regions of the plasma membrane. Herein we show that the N-terminal SH4 region of the Src family member p59fyn (Fyn) is both necessary and sufficient for targeting of Fyn and heterologous proteins to the plasma membrane and detergent-insoluble subdomains. Attachment of the first 16 amino acids of Fyn to a normally cytosolic protein, beta-galactosidase, resulted in distinct plasma membrane localization of the chimeric protein. Mutation of the palmitoylation site (cysteine-3) within Fyn16-beta-galactosidase or wild-type Fyn abrogated plasma membrane localization, resulting in redistribution of the mutant proteins into intracellular membranes. Substitution of the SH4 motif within Fyn with heterologous sequences from other palmitoylated proteins (G alpha o and GAP43) revealed that the presence of palmitate is sufficient to direct plasma membrane localization independent of surrounding amino acid sequences and myristate. Palmitoylated Fyn chimeras were also enriched in the Triton X-100-resistant matrix, whereas nonpalmitoylated forms of these proteins were detected in the detergent-soluble fraction. The palmitate moiety on Fyn exhibited a half-life of 1.5-2 h. In contrast, the half-life of the polypeptide backbone was 8 h, indicating that palmitoylation is a reversible modification. These studies establish that the palmitoylated SH4 sequence of Fyn can be used to specifically target proteins to the plasma membrane in a reversible manner.