SCF(Slmb) E3 ligase-mediated degradation of Expanded is inhibited by the Hippo pathway in Drosophila

E2 enzyme Bruce negatively regulates Hippo signaling through POSH-mediated expanded degradation

The Hippo pathway is a master regulator of organ growth, stem cell renewal, and tumorigenesis, its activation is tightly controlled by various post-translational modifications, including ubiquitination. While several E3 ubiquitin ligases have been identified as regulators of Hippo pathway, the corresponding E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes (E2s) remain unknown. Here, we performed a screen in Drosophila to identify E2s involved in regulating wing overgrowth caused by the overexpression of Crumbs (Crb) intracellular domain and identified Bruce as a critical regulator. Loss of Bruce downregulates Hippo target gene expression and suppresses Hippo signaling inactivation induced tissue growth. Unexpectedly, our genetic data indicate that Bruce acts upstream of Expanded (Ex) but in parallel with the canonical Hippo (Hpo) -Warts (Wts) cascade to regulate Yorkie (Yki), the downstream effector of Hippo pathway. Mechanistically, Bruce synergizes with E3 ligase POSH to regulate growth and ubiquitination-mediated Ex degradation. Moreover, we demonstrate that Bruce is required for Hippo-mediated malignant tumor progression. Altogether, our findings unveil Bruce as a crucial E2 enzyme that bridges the signal from the cell surface to regulate Hippo pathway activation in Drosophila.

Expanded directly binds conserved regions of Fat to restrain growth via the Hippo pathway

The Hippo pathway is a conserved and critical regulator of tissue growth. The FERM protein Expanded is a key signaling hub that promotes activation of the Hippo pathway, thereby inhibiting the transcriptional co-activator Yorkie. Previous work identified the polarity determinant Crumbs as a primary regulator of Expanded. Here, we show that the giant cadherin Fat also regulates Expanded directly and independently of Crumbs. We show that direct binding between Expanded and a highly conserved region of the Fat cytoplasmic domain recruits Expanded to the apicolateral junctional zone and stabilizes Expanded. In vivo deletion of Expanded binding regions in Fat causes loss of apical Expanded and promotes tissue overgrowth. Unexpectedly, we find Fat can bind its ligand Dachsous via interactions of their cytoplasmic domains, in addition to the known extracellular interactions. Importantly, Expanded is stabilized by Fat independently of Dachsous binding. These data provide new mechanistic insights into how Fat regulates Expanded, and how Hippo signaling is regulated during organ growth.

Shaggy regulates tissue growth through Hippo pathway in Drosophila

The evolutionarily conserved Hippo pathway coordinates cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis to regulate organ growth and tumorigenesis. Hippo signaling activity is tightly controlled by various upstream signals including growth factors and cell polarity, but the full extent to which the pathway is regulated during development remains to be resolved. Here, we report the identification of Shaggy, the homolog of mammalian Gsk3β, as a novel regulator of the Hippo pathway in Drosophila. Our results show that Shaggy promotes the expression of Hippo target genes in a manner that is dependent on its kinase activity. Loss of Shaggy leads to Yorkie inhibition and downregulation of Hippo pathway target genes. Mechanistically, Shaggy acts upstream of the Hippo pathway and negatively regulates the abundance of the FERM domain containing adaptor protein Expanded. Our results reveal that Shaggy is functionally required for Crumbs/Slmb-mediated downregulation of Expanded in vivo, providing a potential molecular link between cellular architecture and the Hippo signaling pathway.

Transcriptome-wide analysis of cellular immune response stimulated by nuclear input of different down syndrome cell adhesion molecule intracellular domains

In arthropods, Dscam (Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule) produces multiple pathogen specific receptors via immune responsive alternative splicing, generating molecular complexity analogous to vertebrate antibodies. Fewer isoforms are produced by the exons encoding Dscam's intracellular domain (ICD); therefore, the present study aimed to determine the transcriptional response of Eriocheir sinensis to Dscam ICDs. In the group overexpressing all cytoplasmic tail exons (ICD-FL), 1401 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified; overexpressed of ICD constructs lacking exon-35 (ICD-△35) identified 413 DEGs; and overexpression of ICD constructs lacking exon-35 and exon-36 (ICD-△35 + 36) identified 22 DEGs. The DEGs were enriched in immunity and metabolism-related pathways. The expression of selected genes was confirmed using quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR. The transcriptomes of Drosophila S2 cells overexpressing different ICDs were then determined. We identified key immune, metabolic, and cell proliferation-regulated genes and gene networks, providing insights into the membrane-to-nuclear signaling pathway of Dscam.

Crumbs and the apical spectrin cytoskeleton regulate R8 cell fate in the Drosophila eye

The Hippo pathway is an important regulator of organ growth and cell fate. In the R8 photoreceptor cells of the Drosophila melanogaster eye, the Hippo pathway controls the fate choice between one of two subtypes that express either the blue light-sensitive Rhodopsin 5 (Hippo inactive R8 subtype) or the green light-sensitive Rhodopsin 6 (Hippo active R8 subtype). The degree to which the mechanism of Hippo signal transduction and the proteins that mediate it are conserved in organ growth and R8 cell fate choice is currently unclear. Here, we identify Crumbs and the apical spectrin cytoskeleton as regulators of R8 cell fate. By contrast, other proteins that influence Hippo-dependent organ growth, such as the basolateral spectrin cytoskeleton and Ajuba, are dispensable for the R8 cell fate choice. Surprisingly, Crumbs promotes the Rhodopsin 5 cell fate, which is driven by Yorkie, rather than the Rhodopsin 6 cell fate, which is driven by Warts and the Hippo pathway, which contrasts with its impact on Hippo activity in organ growth. Furthermore, neither the apical spectrin cytoskeleton nor Crumbs appear to regulate the Hippo pathway through mechanisms that have been observed in growing organs. Together, these results show that only a subset of Hippo pathway proteins regulate the R8 binary cell fate decision and that aspects of Hippo signalling differ between growing organs and post-mitotic R8 cells.

Casein kinase 1 family proteins promote Slimb-dependent Expanded degradation

Hippo signalling integrates diverse stimuli related to epithelial architecture to regulate tissue growth and cell fate decisions. The Hippo kinase cascade represses the growth-promoting transcription co-activator Yorkie. The FERM protein Expanded is one of the main upstream Hippo signalling regulators in Drosophila as it promotes Hippo kinase signalling and directly inhibits Yorkie. To fulfil its function, Expanded is recruited to the plasma membrane by the polarity protein Crumbs. However, Crumbs-mediated recruitment also promotes Expanded turnover via a phosphodegron-mediated interaction with a Slimb/β-TrCP SCF E3 ligase complex. Here, we show that the Casein Kinase 1 (CKI) family is required for Expanded phosphorylation. CKI expression promotes Expanded phosphorylation and interaction with Slimb/β-TrCP. Conversely, CKI depletion in S2 cells impairs Expanded degradation downstream of Crumbs. In wing imaginal discs, CKI loss leads to elevated Expanded and Crumbs levels. Thus, phospho-dependent Expanded turnover ensures a tight coupling of Hippo pathway activity to epithelial architecture.

Fat-regulated adaptor protein Dlish binds the growth suppressor Expanded and controls its stability and ubiquitination

To regulate the growth and size of organs, cells can use information from their neighbors to modify intracellular mediators of cell proliferation. The intracellular Hippo pathway is a widely utilized nexus for growth control in animals, but its regulation by extracellular signals is not fully understood. We here identify a pathway that regulates organ size in Drosophila, triggered by the transmembrane receptor, the giant protocadherin Fat. We show that the Fat-regulated SH3 domain adaptor protein Dlish binds to and reduces the stability of the growth suppressor Expanded, a known regulator of the Hippo pathway. The destabilization of Expanded by Dlish works in parallel to a previously established pathway in which Dlish increases levels of the growth-stimulating protein Dachs.

The Drosophila protocadherin Fat controls organ size through the Hippo pathway, but the biochemical links to the Hippo pathway components are still poorly defined. We previously identified Dlish, an SH3 domain protein that physically interacts with Fat and the type XX myosin Dachs, and showed that Fat’s regulation of Dlish levels and activity helps limit Dachs-mediated inhibition of Hippo pathway activity. We here characterize a parallel growth control pathway downstream of Fat and Dlish. Using immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry to search for Dlish partners, we find that Dlish binds the FERM domain growth repressor Expanded (Ex); Dlish SH3 domains directly bind sites in the Ex C terminus. We further show that, in vivo, Dlish reduces the subapical accumulation of Ex, and that loss of Dlish blocks the destabilization of Ex caused by loss of Fat. Moreover, Dlish can bind the F-box E3 ubiquitin ligase Slimb and promote Slimb-mediated ubiquitination of Expanded in vitro. Both the in vitro and in vivo effects of Dlish on Ex require Slimb, strongly suggesting that Dlish destabilizes Ex by helping recruit Slimb-containing E3 ubiquitin ligase complexes to Ex.

Spatial regulation of expanded transcription in the Drosophila wing imaginal disc

Growth and patterning are coordinated during development to define organ size and shape. The growth, proliferation and differentiation of Drosophila wings are regulated by several conserved signaling pathways. Here, we show that the Salvador-Warts-Hippo (SWH) and Notch pathways converge on an enhancer in the expanded (ex) gene, which also responds to levels of the bHLH transcription factor Daughterless (Da). Separate cis-regulatory elements respond to Salvador-Warts-Hippo (SWH) and Notch pathways, to bHLH proteins, and to unidentified factors that repress ex transcription in the wing pouch and in the proneural region at the anterior wing margin. Senseless, a zinc-finger transcription factor acting in proneural regions, had a negative impact on ex transcription in the proneural region, but the transcriptional repressor Hairy had no effect. Our study suggests that a complex pattern of ex transcription results from integration of a uniform SWH signal with multiple other inputs, rather than from a pattern of SWH signaling.

POSH regulates Hippo signaling through ubiquitin-mediated expanded degradation

The Hippo signaling pathway is a master regulator of organ growth, tissue homeostasis, and tumorigenesis. The activity of the Hippo pathway is controlled by various upstream components, including Expanded (Ex), but the precise molecular mechanism of how Ex is regulated remains poorly understood. Here we identify Plenty of SH3s (POSH), an E3 ubiquitin ligase, as a key component of Hippo signaling in DrosophilaPOSH overexpression synergizes with loss of Kibra to induce overgrowth and up-regulation of Hippo pathway target genes. Furthermore, knockdown of POSH impedes dextran sulfate sodium-induced Yorkie-dependent intestinal stem cell renewal, suggesting a physiological role of POSH in modulating Hippo signaling. Mechanistically, POSH binds to the C-terminal of Ex and is essential for the Crumbs-induced ubiquitination and degradation of Ex. Our findings establish POSH as a crucial regulator that integrates the signal from the cell surface to negatively regulate Ex-mediated Hippo activation in Drosophila.

Kibra and Merlin Activate the Hippo Pathway Spatially Distinct from and Independent of Expanded

The Hippo pathway is emerging as a key evolutionarily conserved signaling mechanism that controls organ size. Three membrane-associated proteins, Kibra, Merlin, and Expanded, regulate pathway activity, but the precise molecular mechanism by which they function is still poorly understood. Here we provide evidence that Merlin and Kibra activate Hippo signaling in parallel to Expanded at a spatially distinct cellular domain, the medial apical cortex. Merlin and Kibra together recruit the adapter protein Salvador, which in turn recruits the core kinase Hippo. In addition, we show that Crumbs has a dual effect on Hippo signaling. Crumbs promotes the ability of Expanded to activate the pathway but also sequesters Kibra to downregulate Hippo signaling. Together, our findings elucidate the mechanism of Hippo pathway activation by Merlin and Kibra, identify a subcellular domain for Hippo pathway regulation, and demonstrate differential activity of upstream regulators in different subcellular domains.

CRB3 regulates contact inhibition by activating the Hippo pathway in mammary epithelial cells

The loss of contact inhibition is a hallmark of cancer cells. The Hippo pathway has recently been shown to be an important regulator of contact inhibition, and the cell apical polarity determinant protein CRB3 has been suggested to be involved in Hippo signalling. However, whether CRB3 regulates contact inhibition in mammary cells remains unclear, and the underlying mechanisms have not been elucidated. As shown in the present study, CRB3 decreases cell proliferation, promotes apoptosis, and enhances the formation of tight and adherens junctions. Furthermore, we report for the first time that CRB3 acts as an upstream regulator of the Hippo pathway to regulate contact inhibition by recruiting other Hippo molecules, such as Kibra and/or FRMD6, in mammary epithelial cells. In addition, CRB3 inhibits tumour growth in vivo. Collectively, the present study increases our understanding of the Hippo pathway and provides an important theoretical basis for exploring new avenues for breast cancer treatment.

The Drosophila F-box protein Slimb controls dSmurf protein turnover to regulate the Hippo pathway

SMAD ubiquitination regulatory factors 1 and 2 (Smurf1/2) are members of the HECT domain E3 ligase family which play crucial roles in the regulation of cell cycle progression, planar cell polarity, cancer metastasis and cell apoptosis. We recently showed that the Drosophila homolog dSmurf controls the stability of Warts kinase to regulate the Hippo pathway. In the current study, we found that the F-box protein Slimb controls dSmurf protein level to regulate the Hippo pathway. Slimb physically associates with dSmurf as revealed by co-immunoprecipitation assay in S2 cells. The C-terminal WD40 repeats of Slimb (188-510 amino acid) and the C-terminal HECT domain of dSmurf (723-1061 amino acid) are necessary for their binding. Interaction with Slimb leads to the ubiquitination and degradation of dSmurf, resulting in negative regulation of dSmurf-mediated Yki phosphorylation and activity in the Hippo pathway. Thus our study revealed a new regulatory mechanism of the Hippo pathway which may provide implications for developing tumor treatment.

The novel SH3 domain protein Dlish/CG10933 mediates fat signaling in Drosophila by binding and regulating Dachs

Much of the Hippo and planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling mediated by the Drosophila protocadherin Fat depends on its ability to change the subcellular localization, levels and activity of the unconventional myosin Dachs. To better understand this process, we have performed a structure-function analysis of Dachs, and used this to identify a novel and important mediator of Fat and Dachs activities, a Dachs-binding SH3 protein we have named Dlish. We found that Dlish is regulated by Fat and Dachs, that Dlish also binds Fat and the Dachs regulator Approximated, and that Dlish is required for Dachs localization, levels and activity in both wild type and fat mutant tissue. Our evidence supports dual roles for Dlish. Dlish tethers Dachs to the subapical cell cortex, an effect partly mediated by the palmitoyltransferase Approximated under the control of Fat. Conversely, Dlish promotes the Fat-mediated degradation of Dachs.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.16624.001

A novel ubiquitin-protein ligase E3 functions as a modulator of immune response against lipopolysaccharide in Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas

Ubiquitination is an important post-translational protein modification and plays a crucial role in various processes such as cell cycle, signal transduction, and transcriptional regulation. In the present study, a novel ubiquitin (Ub)-protein ligase E3 (designed as CgE3Rv1) was identified from Crassostrea gigas, and its ubiquitination regulation in the immune response against lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation was investigated. The open reading frame of CgE3Rv1 gene was of 1455 bp encoding a polypeptide of 484 amino acids with the predicted molecular mass of 54.89 kDa. There were two transmembrane regions and a RING-variant (RINGv) domain identified in CgE3Rv1. CgE3Rv1 shared similar C4HC3 zinc-finger-like motif with those RINGv domain Ub-protein ligases E3s identified from vertebrates and invertebrates, and it was closely clustered with the membrane-associated RING-CH2 (MARCH2) Ub-protein ligases E3s in the phylogenetic tree. The mRNA transcript of CgE3Rv1 was highest expressed in gonads and hemolymph (p < 0.05), and its mRNA expression level in hemocytes was significantly increased at 6 h (p < 0.01) after the stimulation of LPS, while the up-regulated mRNA expression was significantly decreased (p < 0.01) after acetylcholine stimulation. No significant changes of CgE3Rv1 expression were observed after peptidoglycan or mannan stimulation. Immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization assays revealed that CgE3Rv1 protein and mRNA were dominantly distributed in the gonad. In the hemocytes, CgE3Rv1 was mainly located around the nucleus, and slightly distributed in the cytoplasm and on the cell membrane. Recombinant CgE3Rv1 RINGv domain protein (rCgE3Rv1-RINGv) was confirmed to activate the Ub reaction system in vitro with the aid of Ub-activating enzyme E1 and Ub-conjugating enzyme E2. These results demonstrated that CgE3Rv1 was an Ub-protein ligase E3, which was involved in the immune response against LPS and the interaction with cell surface signal molecules of neuroendocrine-immune system in oysters.

Activation of AMPK inhibits PDGF-induced pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells proliferation and its potential mechanisms

The aims of the present study were to examine signaling mechanisms for PDGF-induced pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMC) proliferation and to determine the effect of AMPK activation on PDGF-induced PASMC proliferation and its underlying mechanisms. PDGF activated PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway, and this in turn up-regulated Skp2 and consequently reduced p27 leading to PASMC proliferation. Prior incubation of PASMC with metformin induced a dramatic AMPK activation and significantly blocked PDGF-induced cell proliferation. PASMC lacking AMPKα2 were resistant to the inhibitory effect of metformin on PDGF-induced cell proliferation. Metformin did not affect Akt activation but blocked mTOR phosphorylation in response to PDGF; these were accompanied by the reversion of Skp2 up-regulation and p27 reduction. Our study suggests that the activation of AMPK negatively regulates mTOR activity to suppress PASMC proliferation and therefore has a potential value in the prevention and treatment of pulmonary hypertension by negatively modulating pulmonary vascular remodeling.

A Drosophila RNAi library modulates Hippo pathway-dependent tissue growth

Libraries of transgenic Drosophila melanogaster carrying RNA interference (RNAi) constructs have been used extensively to perform large-scale functional genetic screens in vivo. For example, RNAi screens have facilitated the discovery of multiple components of the Hippo pathway, an evolutionarily conserved growth-regulatory network. Here we investigate an important technical limitation with the widely used VDRC KK RNAi collection. We find that approximately 25% of VDRC KK RNAi lines cause false-positive enhancement of the Hippo pathway, owing to ectopic expression of the Tiptop transcription factor. Of relevance to the broader Drosophila community, ectopic tiptop (tio) expression can also cause organ malformations and mask phenotypes such as organ overgrowth. To enhance the use of the VDRC KK RNAi library, we have generated a D. melanogaster strain that will allow researchers to test, in a single cross, whether their genetic screen of interest will be affected by ectopic tio expression.

Drosophila RNAi libraries are commonly used to perform large-scale functional genetics screens in vivo. Here the authors find that a subset of lines from the VDRC KK RNAi line cause false-positive enhancement of the Hippo pathway, and provide a strain that can test whether a genetic screen of interest will be affected by this technical artefact.