Defective expression of Gα12 in the testes of azoospermia patients and in the spermatozoa with low motility

Antibody to the Galpha12-subunit of guanine nucleotide regulatory proteins was used to determine whether the Galpha12 is present in adult human spermatogenic cells and to determine its role in dyszoospermia. Immunoblots from testes and spermatozoa demonstrated the presence of Galpha12 in the samples. Immunohistochemical analyses of testes found that Galpha12 was expressed in the cytoplasm of Leydig cells and was expressed in spermatids from the elongating Sb phase to mature sperm. Indirect immunofluorescence of human spermatozoa revealed the presence of Galpha12 in the neck region and the midpiece of the sperm. Galpha12 in spermatids and spermatozoa partially co-localized with F-actin and alpha-tubulin. Immunohistochemical analyses of tissues from three patients with non-obstructive azoospermia showed abnormal expression of Galpha12 in more than 45% of spermatids. Furthermore, Western blots and indirect immunofluorescence found defective expression of Galpha12 in low-motility spermatozoa with midpieces that were bent on themselves. Therefore, it suggests that Galpha12 plays a role in polarity and tail formation as spermatids mature. Furthermore, Galpha12 may be a candidate protein responsible for azoospermia caused by spermatogenic disturbance or midpiece deformities.

Selective Uncoupling of Gα12 from Rho-mediated Signaling

The heterotrimeric G protein G(12) has been implicated in such cellular regulatory processes as cytoskeletal rearrangement, cell-cell adhesion, and oncogenic transformation. Although the activated alpha-subunit of G(12) has been shown to interact directly with a number of protein effectors, the roles of many of these protein-protein interactions in G(12)-mediated cell physiology are poorly understood. To begin dissecting the specific cellular pathways engaged upon G(12) activation, we produced a series of substitution mutants in the regions of Galpha(12) predicted to play a role in effector binding. Here we report the identification and characterization of an altered form of Galpha(12) that is functionally uncoupled from signaling through the monomeric G protein Rho, a protein known to propagate several Galpha(12)-mediated signals. This mutant of Galpha(12) fails to bind the Rho-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factors p115RhoGEF and LARG (leukemia-associated RhoGEF), fails to stimulate Rho-dependent transcriptional activation, and fails to trigger activation of RhoA and the Rho-mediated cellular responses of cell rounding and c-jun N-terminal kinase activation. Importantly, this mutant of Galpha(12) retains coupling to the effector protein E-cadherin, as evidenced by its ability both to bind E-cadherin in vitro and to disrupt E-cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion. Furthermore, this mutant retains the ability to trigger beta-catenin release from the cytoplasmic domain of cadherin. This identification of a variant of Galpha(12) that is selectively uncoupled from one signaling pathway while retaining signaling capacity through a separate pathway will facilitate investigations into the mechanisms through which G(12) proteins mediate diverse biological responses.

Galpha12 and Galpha13 negatively regulate the adhesive functions of cadherin

Cadherins function to promote adhesion between adjacent cells and play critical roles in such cellular processes as development, tissue maintenance, and tumor suppression. We previously demonstrated that heterotrimeric G proteins of the G12 subfamily comprised of Galpha12 and Galpha13 interact with the cytoplasmic domain of cadherins and cause the release of the transcriptional activator beta-catenin (Meigs, T. E., Fields, T. A., McKee, D. D., and Casey, P. J. (2001) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 98, 519-524). Because of the importance of beta-catenin in cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion, we examined whether G12 subfamily proteins could also regulate cadherin function. The introduction of mutationally activated G12 proteins into K562 cells expressing E-cadherin blocked cadherin-mediated cell adhesion in steady-state assays. Also, in breast cancer cells, the introduction of activated G12 proteins blocked E-cadherin function in a fast aggregation assay. Aggregation mediated by a mutant cadherin that lacks G12 binding ability was not affected by activated G12 proteins, indicating a requirement for direct G12-cadherin interaction. Furthermore, in wound-filling assays in which ectopic expression of E-cadherin inhibits cell migration, the expression of activated G12 proteins reversed the inhibition via a mechanism that was independent of G12-mediated Rho activation. These results validate the G12-cadherin interaction as a potentially important event in cell biology and suggest novel roles for G12 proteins in the regulation of cadherin-mediated developmental events and in the loss of cadherin function that is characteristic of metastatic tumor progression.

Osmotic stress activates Rac and Cdc42 in neutrophils: role in hypertonicity-induced actin polymerization

Hypertonicity inhibits a variety of neutrophil functions through poorly defined mechanisms. Our earlier studies suggest that osmotically induced actin polymerization and cytoskeleton remodeling is a key component in the hypertonic block of exocytosis and cell movement. To gain insight into the signaling mechanisms underlying the hyperosmotic F-actin response, we investigated whether hypertonicity stimulates Rac and Cdc42 and, if so, whether their activation contributes to the hypertonic rise in F-actin. Using a recently developed pull-down assay that specifically captures the active forms of these small GTPases, we found that hypertonicity caused an ~2.5- and ~7.2-fold activation of Rac and Cdc42, respectively. This response was rapid and sustained. Small GTPase activation was not mediated by the osmotic stimulation of Src kinases, heterotrimeric G proteins, or phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. Interestingly, an increase in intracellular ionic strength was sufficient to activate Rac even in the absence of cell shrinkage. Inhibition of Rac and Cdc42 by Clostridium difficile toxin B substantially reduced but did not abolish the hypertonicity-induced F-actin response. Thus hypertonicity is a potent activator of Rac and Cdc42, and this effect seems to play an important but not exclusive role in the hyperosmolarity-triggered cytoskeleton remodeling.