Characterization of an ecto-phosphorylated protein of cultured cerebellar granule neurons

Extracellular phosphorylation and phosphorylated proteins: not just curiosities but physiologically important

Mining of the literature and high-throughput mass spectrometry data from both healthy and diseased tissues and from body fluids reveals evidence that various extracellular proteins can exist in phosphorylated states. Extracellular kinases and phosphatases (ectokinases and ectophosphatases) are active in extracellular spaces during times of sufficiently high concentrations of adenosine triphosphate. There is evidence for a role of extracellular phosphorylation in various physiological functions, including blood coagulation, immune cell activation, and the formation of neuronal networks. Ectokinase activity is increased in some diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and some microbial infections. We summarize the literature supporting the physiological and pathological roles of extracellularly localized protein kinases, protein phosphatases, and phosphorylated proteins and provide an analysis of the available mass spectrometry data to annotate potential extracellular phosphorylated proteins.

Extracellular ATP and nerve growth factor intensify hypoglycemia-induced cell death in primary neurons: role of P2 and NGFRp75 receptors

In this study, we monitored the direct expression of P2 receptors for extracellular ATP in cerebellar granule neurons undergoing metabolism impairment. Glucose deprivation for 30-60 min inhibited P2Y1 receptor protein, only weakly modulated P2X1, P2X2 and P2X3, and up-regulated by about two-fold P2X4, P2X7 and P2Y4. The P2X/Y antagonist basilen blue, protecting cerebellar neurons from hypoglycemic cell death, maintained within basal levels only the expression of P2X7 and P2Y4 proteins, but not P2X4 or P2Y1. Glucose starvation transiently increased (up to three-fold) the expression of NGFRp75 receptor protein and strongly stimulated the extracellular release of nerve growth factor (NGF; about 10-fold). Exogenously added NGF then augmented hypoglycemic neuronal death by about 60%, increasing the percentage of Höechst-positive nuclei (from approximately 62 to 95%), reducing lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release (from about 50 to 14%) and significantly overstimulating the hypoglycemia-induced expression of P2X7 and P2Y4. Conversely, extracellular ATP augmented hypoglycemic neuronal death by about 80%, reducing the number of Höechst-positive nuclei (from approximately 62% to 14%), augmenting LDH outflow (by about 30%) and further increasing the hypoglycemia-induced expression of NGFRp75. Our results indicate that P2 and NGFRp75 receptors are modulated during glucose starvation and that extracellular ATP and NGF drive features of, respectively, necrotic and apoptotic hypoglycemic cell death, aggravating the consequences of metabolism impairment in cerebellar primary neurons.

Antagonists of P2 receptor prevent NGF-dependent neuritogenesis in PC12 cells

The pheochromocytoma PC12 cell line that develops neuronal characteristics of sympathetic cells after treatment with nerve growth factor (NGF) represents a well-established cellular model system for studying NGF signalling. Interesting information on the different mechanistic pathways of NGF can be obtained by adopting the pharmacological approach of inhibiting P2 receptors, expressed in naive PC12 cells and recognised as important biological mediators of neurotransmitters and growth factors. We show here that Basilen Blue, an antagonist of P2 receptor, reversibly prevents NGF-dependent neurite outgrowth with an IC(50) in the 5-10 microM range. Suramin, oxidised-ATP and diisothiocyanatostilbene-disulfonic acid, differently from other purinoceptor ligands, are also effective in this regard. NGF-dependent regeneration and stability of neurites, selected NGF-dependent extracellular and intracellular protein phosphorylations, binding of [(3)H] ATP to PC12 cell membranes are also modulated by Basilen Blue. On the contrary, cell adhesion, cellular duplication, 5'-nucleotidase activity, NGF-induced tyrosine autophosphorylation of TrkA receptors are not affected. NGF furthermore directly modulates the extracellular release of ATP and especially the levels of P2X(2) receptor protein in PC12 cells. In addition, extracellular ATP improves the neuritogenic effect of sub-optimal concentrations of NGF. Our study identifies P2 receptor ligands, particularly Basilen Blue, as useful tools to dissect different NGF-evoked functions, suggesting a mechanistic role for P2 receptors in the signalling pathways of NGF.

Ecto-protein kinases: ecto-domain phosphorylation as a novel target for pharmacological manipulation?

An increasing number of studies document the presence of protein kinases facing outwards at the cell surface of a diverse array of cells. These ecto-protein kinases phosphorylate cell-surface proteins and soluble extracellular substrates, and thus could affect many physiological processes involving cell-cell contacts, cellular differentiation and proliferation, ion fluxes and cellular activation. To date, only limited attention has been paid to exploring ecto-protein kinases as possible pharmacological targets. Here, the identification and physiological role of ecto-protein kinases in different biological systems is described; it is suggested that ecto-protein kinases are attractive and novel candidates for pharmacological manipulation under various (patho)physiological conditions.

Neuroprotective effects of modulators of P2 receptors in primary culture of CNS neurones

In previous studies (Volonté and Merlo, 1996. J. Neurosci. Res. 45, 183-193) basilen blue was shown to be a P2 receptor antagonist which abrogated glutamate-mediated cytotoxicity in cerebellar neurones in primary culture. Our work has now been extended to evaluate the neuroprotective action of the compound in additional neuronal systems, as well as in a different paradigm of cell death. We show that basilen blue prevents L-glutamate-mediated neurotoxicity in rat cerebellar (90-100% inhibition), cortical (60-70%) and hippocampal (50%) neurones. Similarly, glutamate-dependent progressive darkening of cell bodies, loss of phase-brightness and rapid cellular swelling are inhibited. Basilen blue is significantly less toxic and more effective at blocking L-glutamate toxicity in mixed cortical/glial cultures, compared to its structural analogue cibacron blue. Moreover, its neuroprotective effect is correlated with the time of incubation with granule neurones. Other purinoceptor ligands, including 2,2'-pyridylisatogen, but not pyridoxal-phosphate-6-azophenyl-2',4'-disulphonic acid 4-sodium, are also effective in preventing glutamate toxicity. Furthermore, basilen blue prevents serum deprivation- and low potassium-induced apoptotic cell death in cerebellar granule neurones. In summary, our data extend and reinforce the possibility of a potential therapeutic use of P2 receptor modulators as neuroprotective agents for the central nervous system.

Role of ecto-kinase in phorbol ester-enhanced growth hormone-binding protein release from human IM-9 cells

Previously we reported that a phorbol ester, phorbol 12, 13-dibutyrate (PDBu), increased the release of human growth hormone-binding protein (hGH-BP) in IM-9 cells, and that this phorbol ester-enhanced release was mediated by protein kinase Ca (PKCalpha). In the present study, the mechanisms of the phorbol ester-enhanced hGH-BP release were further investigated. Treatment of IM-9 cells with PDBu did not increase hGH-BPs (55-60 kDa) in the intracellular soluble fraction. When the cells were treated with trypsin to remove human growth hormone receptors (hGHRs) on the cell surface after stimulation, no hGH-BPs were detected in the culture supernatants, nor did treatment with bafilomycin A1 or chloroquine affect the PDBu-enhanced hGH-BP release. These results suggest that hGH-BPs released by PDBu stimulation are derived from cell surface hGHRs and not generated within the cells. Protein kinase inhibitors with broad specificities, K-252a and K-252b, inhibited the PDBu-enhanced release with almost the same dose-dependency, although only a trace amount of K-252b was incorporated into IM-9 cells than K-252a, suggesting that K-252b probably inhibits an ecto-kinase extracellularly. PDBu actually enhanced the phosphorylation of several extracellular proteins, and this enhanced phosphorylation was completely inhibited by K-252b treatment. Moreover, the PKCalpha-specific inhibitor bisindolylmaleimide III which inhibits PDBu enhanced hGH-BP release inhibited the PDBu-enhanced phosphorylation of extracellular proteins. On the other hand, the impermeable PKC inhibitor PKC inhibitor peptide 19-31 did not inhibit PDBu-enhanced release, suggesting that the target PKCalpha for PDBu is not present on the extracellular surface. Taken together, these results suggest that, in addition to intracellular PKCalpha, activation of an undefined ecto-kinase may also be involved in the PDBu-enhanced hGH-BP release.

Phosphorylation of a major GPI-anchored surface protein of Trypanosoma brucei during transport to the plasma membrane

The surface coat of procyclic forms of Trypanosoma brucei consists of related, internally repetitive glycoproteins known as EP and GPEET procyclins. Previously we showed that the extracellular domain of GPEET is phosphorylated. We now show that phosphorylation of this glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored surface protein can be induced in vitro using a procyclic membrane extract. Using antibodies that recognize either the phosphorylated or unphosphorylated form of GPEET, we analyzed their expression during differentiation of bloodstream forms to procyclic forms. Unphosphorylated GPEET, together with EP, was detected in cell lysates 2–4 hours after initiating differentiation whereas phosphorylated GPEET only appeared after 24 hours. Surface expression of EP and both forms of GPEET occurred after 24–48 hours and correlated with the detection of phosphorylated GPEET on immuno-blots. Electron micrographs showed that unphosphorylated GPEET was predominantly in the flagellar pocket whereas the phosphorylated form was distributed over the cell surface. In contrast, expression of a membrane-bound human placental alkaline phosphatase in procyclic forms caused the accumulation of dephosphorylated GPEET on the cell surface, while the phosphorylated form was restricted to the flagellar pocket. A GPEET-Fc fusion protein, which was retained intracellularly, was not phosphorylated. We propose that unphosphorylated GPEET procyclin is transported to a location close to or at the cell surface, most probably the flagellar pocket, where it becomes phosphorylated. To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first localization of phosphorylated and unphosphorylated forms of a GPI-anchored protein within a cell.