Cloning and characterization of the mouse homolog of the human A6 gene

Actin-depolymerizing factor homology domain: a conserved fold performing diverse roles in cytoskeletal dynamics

Actin filaments form contractile and protrusive structures that play central roles in many processes such as cell migration, morphogenesis, endocytosis, and cytokinesis. During these processes, the dynamics of the actin filaments are precisely regulated by a large array of actin-binding proteins. The actin-depolymerizing factor homology (ADF-H) domain is a structurally conserved protein motif, which promotes cytoskeletal dynamics by interacting with monomeric and/or filamentous actin, and with the Arp2/3 complex. Despite their structural homology, the five classes of ADF-H domain proteins display distinct biochemical activities and cellular roles, only parts of which are currently understood. ADF/cofilin promotes disassembly of aged actin filaments, whereas twinfilin inhibits actin filament assembly via sequestering actin monomers and interacting with filament barbed ends. GMF does not interact with actin, but instead binds Arp2/3 complex and promotes dissociation of Arp2/3-mediated filament branches. Abp1 and drebrin are multidomain proteins that interact with actin filaments and regulate the activities of other proteins during various actin-dependent processes. The exact function of coactosin is currently incompletely understood. In this review article, we discuss the biochemical functions, cellular roles, and regulation of the five groups of ADF-H domain proteins.

Macroarray analysis of coelomocyte gene expression in response to LPS in the sea urchin. Identification of unexpected immune diversity in an invertebrate

The purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, is a member of the phylum Echinodermata, which is basal to the phylum Chordata within the deuterostome lineage of the animal kingdom. This relationship makes the analysis of the sea urchin immune system relevant to understanding the evolution of the deuterostome immune system leading to the Vertebrata. Subtractive suppression hybridization was employed to generate cDNA probes for screening high-density arrayed, conventional cDNA libraries to identify genes that were upregulated in coelomocytes responding to lipopolysaccharide. Results from 1,247 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were used to infer that coelomocytes upregulated genes involved in RNA splicing, protein processing and targeting, secretion, endosomal activities, cell signaling, and alterations to the cytoskeletal architecture including interactions with the extracellular matrix. Of particular note was a set of transcripts represented by 60% of the ESTs analyzed, which encoded a previously uncharacterized family of closely related proteins, provisionally designated as 185/333. These transcripts exhibited a significant level of variation in their nucleotide sequence and evidence of putative alternative splicing that could yield up to 15 translatable elements. On the basis of the striking increase in gene expression in response to lipopolysaccharide and the unexpected level of diversity of the 185/333 messages, we propose that this set of transcripts encodes a family of putative immune response proteins that may represent a major component of an immunological response to bacterial challenge.

Isolation and characterization of a novel PDGF-induced human gene

Using a differential display RT-PCR strategy to identify novel growth-factor-induced transcripts, we cloned and characterized the human homolog of yeast NOP5/NOP58, whose gene product has been implicated in the execution of early pre-rRNA processing steps. Human NOP5 cDNA was isolated from an M426 fibroblast cDNA library. Determination of the cDNA nucleotide sequence revealed an open reading frame of 1587 nucleotides encoding a predicted gene product of 529 amino acids and mass of 59554Da. The yeast and human NOP5 gene products were found to share 63% homology and 46% identity. NOP5 mRNA was induced within 2h of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) treatment of human M426 fibroblasts. Pretreatment with cycloheximide enhanced, while actinomycin blocked induction of the NOP5 transcript. In vitro translational analysis of the cDNA revealed a 60kDa species, consistent with the predicted molecular weight of the gene product. Ubiquitous, but differential NOP5 mRNA expression was revealed after Northern blot analysis of total RNA from several human tissues. Moreover, NOP5 mRNA expression was also demonstrated in cell lines of fibroblast, epithelial, and myeloid origin. A highly charged carboxy terminal domain and consensus phosphorylation sites were identified. The presence of potential regulatory elements, together with growth factor induction and widespread expression is consistent with the hypothesis that the NOP5 gene product may play a role in fundamental cellular growth processes.

Mouse A6/twinfilin is an actin monomer-binding protein that localizes to the regions of rapid actin dynamics

In our database searches, we have identified mammalian homologues of yeast actin-binding protein, twinfilin. Previous studies suggested that these mammalian proteins were tyrosine kinases, and therefore they were named A6 protein tyrosine kinase. In contrast to these earlier studies, we did not find any tyrosine kinase activity in our recombinant protein. However, biochemical analysis showed that mouse A6/twinfilin forms a complex with actin monomer and prevents actin filament assembly in vitro. A6/twinfilin mRNA is expressed in most adult tissues but not in skeletal muscle and spleen. In mouse cells, A6/twinfilin protein is concentrated to the areas at the cell cortex which overlap with G-actin-rich actin structures. A6/twinfilin also colocalizes with the activated forms of small GTPases Rac1 and Cdc42 to membrane ruffles and to cell-cell contacts, respectively. Furthermore, expression of the activated Rac1(V12) in NIH 3T3 cells leads to an increased A6/twinfilin localization to nucleus and cell cortex, whereas a dominant negative form of Rac1(V12,N17) induces A6/twinfilin localization to cytoplasm. Taken together, these studies show that mouse A6/twinfilin is an actin monomer-binding protein whose localization to cortical G-actin-rich structures may be regulated by the small GTPase Rac1.

Cloning, expression and characterization of an A6-related protein

By interaction cloning (yeast two-hybrid system) using the catalytic domain of protein kinase Czeta (PKCzeta) as bait, we cloned a human full-length cDNA with 62% nucleotide homology to the A6 protein recently cloned and characterized by Beeler et al. [Beeler, J.F., LaRochelle, W.J., Chedid, M., Tronick, S.R. & Aaronson, S. A. (1994) Mol. Cell. Biol. 14, 982-988]. The deduced amino acid sequence (349 amino acids) of the A6-related protein (A6rp) contained potential actin-binding sites and ATP-binding sites. We also cloned the murine homolog of A6rp. Human A6rp was expressed in an in-vitro transcriptional/translational system with an apparent molecular mass of 40 kDa and as a glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion protein in bacteria. A polyclonal anti-(A6rp) was raised in rabbits and used for the identification of A6rp by immunoblotting. A6rp was found to be expressed at the mRNA and the protein levels in all cells and tissues investigated. GST-A6rp was phosphorylated by PKCzeta but not significantly by other PKC isoenzymes. Moreover, it was phosphorylated by casein kinase 2 and most effectively by the tyrosine kinase Src. In contrast to GST-A6rp, GST-A6 was also phosphorylated by PKC isoforms other than PKCzeta and strongly by CK2, but just weakly by Src. In contrast to the results of Beeler et al. on beta-galactosidase-A6, we were unable to demonstrate autokinase activity or tyrosine phosphorylation of either GST-A6 or GST-A6rp. In accordance with the potential ATP-binding sites, both proteins were able to bind ATP.

Localization of the human stat6 gene to chromosome 12q13.3-q14.1, a region implicated in multiple solid tumors

Stat6 signaling pathways have been correlated with functional responses induced by IL-4 and PDGF that may play a role in human malignancy. Utilizing fluorescence in situ hybridization, we mapped the human Stat6 gene to chromosome 12q bands 13.3-14.1, a breakpoint region implicated in a wide variety of solid tumors. To understand the genesis of three human Stat6 variant cDNAs, including a naturally occurring dominant negative species, we further characterized the genomic structure and flanking regions of the human Stat6 gene. The human Stat6 gene encompassed over 19 kb and contained 23 exons. For promoter studies, we introduced flanking sequence 5' of Stat6 exon 1 into a promoterless luciferase reporter vector and characterized basal promoter activity by deletion analysis. DNA sequence analysis revealed potential transcriptional regulation of the putative promoter through numerous consensus binding elements. Finally, we conclude that selective exon deletion and utilization of alternative donor/acceptor sites appear to explain best human Stat6 variant mRNAs.