Mechanism of the regulation of type IB phosphoinositide 3OH-kinase byG-protein betagamma subunits

Function, Regulation and Biological Roles of PI3Kγ Variants

Phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) γ is the only class IB PI3K member playing significant roles in the G-protein-dependent regulation of cell signaling in health and disease. Originally found in the immune system, increasing evidence suggest a wide array of functions in the whole organism. PI3Kγ occur as two different heterodimeric variants: PI3Kγ (p87) and PI3Kγ (p101), which share the same p110γ catalytic subunit but differ in their associated non-catalytic subunit. Here we concentrate on specific PI3Kγ features including its regulation and biological functions. In particular, the roles of its non-catalytic subunits serving as the main regulators determining specificity of class IB PI3Kγ enzymes are highlighted.

Crossroads of PI3K and Rac pathways

Rac and PI3Ks are intracellular signal transducers able to regulate multiple signaling pathways fundamental for cell behavior. PI3Ks are lipid kinases that produce phosphorylated lipids which, in turn, transduce extracellular cues within the cell, while Rac is a small G protein that impacts on actin organization. Compelling evidence indicates that in multiple circumstances the 2 signaling pathways appear intermingled. For instance, phosphorylated lipids produced by PI3Ks recruit and activate GEF and GAP proteins, key modulators of Rac function. Conversely, PI3Ks interact with activated Rac, leading to Rac signaling amplification. This review summarizes the molecular mechanisms underlying the cross-talk between Rac and PI3K signaling in 2 different processes, cell migration and ROS production.

Signaling in chemotactic amoebae remains spatially confined to stimulated membrane regions

Recent work has demonstrated that the receptor-mediated signaling system in chemotactic amoeboid cells shows typical properties of an excitable system. Here, we delivered spatially confined stimuli of the chemoattractant cAMP to the membrane of differentiated Dictyostelium discoideum cells to investigate whether localized receptor stimuli can induce the spreading of excitable waves in the G-protein-dependent signal transduction system. By imaging the spatiotemporal dynamics of fluorescent markers for phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate (PIP₃), PTEN and filamentous actin, we observed that the activity of the signaling pathway remained spatially confined to the stimulated membrane region. Neighboring parts of the membrane were not excited and no receptor-initiated spatial spreading of excitation waves was observed. To generate localized cAMP stimuli, either particles that carried covalently bound cAMP molecules on their surface were brought into contact with the cell or a patch of the cell membrane was aspirated into a glass micropipette to shield this patch against freely diffusing cAMP molecules in the surrounding medium. Additionally, the binding site of the cAMP receptor was probed with different surface-immobilized cAMP molecules, confirming results from earlier ligand-binding studies.

p110δ PI3 kinase pathway: emerging roles in cancer

Class IA PI3Ks consists of three isoforms of the p110 catalytic subunit designated p110α, p110β, and p110δ which are encoded by three separate genes. Gain-of-function mutations on PIK3CA gene encoding for p110α isoform have been detected in a wide variety of human cancers whereas no somatic mutations of genes encoding for p110β or p110δ have been reported. Unlike p110α and p110β which are ubiquitously expressed, p110δ is highly enriched in leukocytes and thus the p110δ PI3K pathway has attracted more attention for its involvement in immune disorders. However, findings have been accumulated showing that the p110δ PI3K plays a seminal role in the development and progression of some hematologic malignancies. A wealth of knowledge has come from studies showing the central role of p110δ PI3K in B-cell functions and B-cell malignancies. Further data have documented that wild-type p110δ becomes oncogenic when overexpressed in cell culture models and that p110δ is the predominant isoform expressed in some human solid tumor cells playing a prominent role in these cells. Genetic inactivation of p110δ in mice models and highly-selective inhibitors of p110δ have demonstrated an important role of this isoform in differentiation, growth, survival, motility, and morphology with the inositol phosphatase PTEN to play a critical role in p110δ signaling. In this review, we summarize our understanding of the p110δ PI3K signaling pathway in hematopoietic cells and malignancies, we highlight the evidence showing the oncogenic potential of p110δ in cells of non-hematopoietic origin and we discuss perspectives for potential novel roles of p110δ PI3K in cancer.

Effect of imatinib on the signal transduction cascade regulating telomerase activity in K562 (BCR-ABL-positive) cells sensitive and resistant to imatinib

OBJECTIVE

Imatinib mesylate (IM) is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor selective for BCR-ABL and indicated for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia. It has recently been demonstrated that IM also targets other cellular components. Considering the significant role of telomerase in malignant transformation, we studied the effect of IM on telomerase activity (TA) and regulation in BCR-ABL-positive and -negative cells, sensitive and resistant to IM.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Through combining telomeric repeat amplification protocol for detecting TA, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blots for detecting RNA and protein levels of telomerase regulating proteins and fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis, we showed that IM targets telomerase and the signal transduction cascade upstream of it.

RESULTS

IM significantly inhibited TA in BCR-ABL-positive and -negative cells and in chronic myeloid leukemia patients. TA inhibition was also observed in BCR-ABL positive cells resistant to IM at drug concentrations that did not lead to a reduction in BCR-ABL expression. In addition, a reduction in phosphorylated AKT and phosphorylated PDK-1 was also detected following IM incubation.

CONCLUSIONS

We demonstrate an inhibitory effect of IM on TA and on the AKT/PDK pathway. Because this effect was observed in cell expressing the BCR-ABL protein as well as cells not expressing it, and in cells sensitive as well as resistant to IM, it is reasonable to assume that the inhibitory effect of IM on TA is not mediated through known IM targets. The results of this study show that cells resistant to IM with regard to its effect on BCR-ABL could still be sensitive to IM treatment regarding other cellular components.

G protein-independent Ras/PI3K/F-actin circuit regulates basic cell motility

Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)gamma and Dictyostelium PI3K are activated via G protein-coupled receptors through binding to the Gbetagamma subunit and Ras. However, the mechanistic role(s) of Gbetagamma and Ras in PI3K activation remains elusive. Furthermore, the dynamics and function of PI3K activation in the absence of extracellular stimuli have not been fully investigated. We report that gbeta null cells display PI3K and Ras activation, as well as the reciprocal localization of PI3K and PTEN, which lead to local accumulation of PI(3,4,5)P(3). Simultaneous imaging analysis reveals that in the absence of extracellular stimuli, autonomous PI3K and Ras activation occur, concurrently, at the same sites where F-actin projection emerges. The loss of PI3K binding to Ras-guanosine triphosphate abolishes this PI3K activation, whereas prevention of PI3K activity suppresses autonomous Ras activation, suggesting that PI3K and Ras form a positive feedback circuit. This circuit is associated with both random cell migration and cytokinesis and may have initially evolved to control stochastic changes in the cytoskeleton.

The p110delta isoform of PI 3-kinase negatively controls RhoA and PTEN

Inactivation of PI 3-kinase (PI3K) signalling is critical for tumour suppression by PTEN. This is thought to be a unidirectional relationship in which PTEN degrades the lipids produced by PI3K, thus controlling cell proliferation, survival and migration. We now show that this relationship is in fact bidirectional, whereby PI3K reciprocally controls PTEN. We report that the p110delta PI3K negatively regulates PTEN, through a pathway involving inhibition of RhoA. Inactivation of p110delta in macrophages led to reduced Akt and Rac1 activation, but paradoxically to increased RhoA and PTEN activity. Partial inactivation of p190RhoGAP and a reduced binding of cytoplasmic RhoA to the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27 both contributed to the increased RhoA-GTP levels upon p110delta inactivation. Pharmacological inhibition of ROCK, a downstream effector kinase of RhoA, restored all signalling and functional defects of p110delta inactivation, including Akt phosphorylation, chemotaxis and proliferation. This work identifies the RhoA/ROCK pathway as a major target of p110delta-mediated PI3K signalling, and establishes for the first time that PI3K controls itself, via a feedback loop involving PTEN.

p84, a New Gβγ-Activated Regulatory Subunit of the Type IB Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase p110γ

A variety of genetic and inhibitor studies have shown that phosphoinositide 3-kinase gamma (PI3Kgamma) plays an essential role in a number of physiological responses, including neutrophil chemotaxis, mast cell degranulation, and cardiac function []. PI3Kgamma is currently thought to be composed of a p110gamma catalytic subunit and a single regulatory subunit, p101. The binding of p110gamma to p101 dramatically increases the activation of the complex by Gbetagamma subunits and, hence, is thought to be critical for the coupling of PI3Kgamma to G protein coupled receptors []. Here, we characterize a new regulatory subunit for PI3Kgamma. p84 is present in human, mouse, chicken, frog, and fugu genomes and is located beside the p101 locus. It is broadly expressed in cells of the murine immune system. Both recombinant and endogenous p84 bind p110gamma specifically and with high affinity. Binding of p84 to p110gamma substantially increases the ability of Gbetagamma to stimulate phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate (PtdIns(3,4,5)P(3)) production both in vitro and in vivo. However, the p84/p110gamma heterodimer is approximately 4-fold less sensitive to Gbetagammas than p101/p110gamma. Endogenous murine p84 expression is substantially reduced in the absence of p110gamma expression. We conclude that p110gamma has two potential regulatory subunits in vivo, p84 and p101.

Making all the right moves: chemotaxis in neutrophils and Dictyostelium

Neutrophils and Dictyostelium discoideum share the ability to migrate directionally in response to external chemoattractant gradients. The binding of chemoattractants to specific receptors that are coupled to heterotrimeric G proteins leads to a wide range of biochemical responses that become highly localized as cells polarize and migrate by chemotaxis. The signaling mechanisms that lead to the predominant polymerization of F-actin at the front of cells for propulsion and to myosin II assembly at the sides to suppress lateral pseudopod formation and at the back for retraction are now beginning to emerge.

Role of phospholipase D1 in the regulation of mTOR activity by lysophosphatidic acid

Mitogens activate protein translation through phosphorylation of p7S6 kinase (p70(S6K)) and eIF4E binding protein 1 (4E-BP1) mediated by the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) or phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K). A recent report (Science 294, 1942, 2001) has implicated phospholipase D (PLD) in mTOR signaling. We studied the role of PLD in the phosphorylation of p70(S6K) and 4E-BP1 induced by lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) using fibroblasts deficient in PLD activity and also 1-butanol, which inhibits phosphatidic acid production by PLD. The reduction in PLD activity in both situations impaired the effect of LPA on mTOR signaling but did not inhibit the effect of PDGF. PDGF induced marked phosphorylation of Akt (a PI3K target) but this was not affected by PLD deficiency. LPA caused much less phosphorylation of Akt and this was dependent on PLD activity. Toxin B, which inactivates Rho GTPases, markedly impaired PLD1 activation and phosphorylation of Akt, p70(S6K), and 4E-BP1 induced by LPA but had a minimal or no effect on the actions of PDGF. These results support the hypothesis that LPA activates protein translation through the action of PLD1-generated PA on mTOR and the PI3K/Akt pathway whereas PDGF acts through P13K/Akt independent of PLD1.

A3 adenosine and CB1 receptors activate a PKC-sensitive Cl- current in human nonpigmented ciliary epithelial cells via a G beta gamma-coupled MAPK signaling pathway

(1) We examined A3 adenosine and CB1 cannabinoid receptor-coupled signaling pathways regulating Cl(-) current in a human nonpigmented ciliary epithelial (NPCE) cell line. (2) Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings demonstrated that the A3 receptor agonist, IB-MECA, activates an outwardly rectifying Cl(-)current (I(Cl,Aden)) in NPCE cells, which was inhibited by the adenosine receptor antagonist, CGS-15943 or by the protein kinase C (PKC) activator, phorbol 12,13 dibutyrate (PDBu). (3) Treatment of NPCE cells with pertussis-toxin (PTX), or transfection with the COOH-terminus of beta-adrenergic receptor kinase (ct-betaARK), inhibited I(Cl,Aden). The phosphatidyl inositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor, wortmannin, had no effect on I(Cl,Aden); however, the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitor, PD98059, inhibited I(Cl,Aden). (4) Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction experiments and immunocytochemistry confirmed mRNA and protein expression for the CB1 receptor in NPCE cells, and the CB1 receptor agonist, Win 55,212-2, activated a PDBu-sensitive Cl(-) current (I(Cl,Win)). (5) Transfection of NPCE cells with the human CB1 (hCB1) receptor, increased I(Cl,Win), consistent with increased receptor expression, and I(Cl,Win) in hCB1 receptor-transfected cells was decreased after application of a CB1 receptor inverse agonist, SR 141716. (6) Constitutive activity for CB1 receptors was not significant in NPCE cells as transfection with hCB1 receptors did not increase basal Cl(-) current, nor was basal current inhibited by SR 141716. (7) I(Cl,Win) was inhibited by PTX preincubation, by transfection with ct-betaARK and by the MEK inhibitor, PD98059, but unaffected by the PI3K inhibitor, wortmannin. (8) We conclude that both A3 and CB1 receptors activate a PKC-sensitive Cl(-) current in human NPCE cells via a G(i/o)/Gbetagamma signaling pathway, in a manner independent of PI3K but involving MAPK.

Optimal chemotactic responses of leukemic T cells to stromal cell-derived factor-1 requires the activation of both class IA and IB phosphoinositide 3-kinases

Stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) and its receptor CXCR4 are a multifunctional chemokine/receptor system with essential roles in the development of the immune system and other aspects of embryogenesis, including vascularization and organ development. SDF-1 is also a potent chemoattractant for T cells and has roles in both inflammation and immune homeostasis. Our group has previously demonstrated that phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) is activated in SDF-1-stimulated T cells and is indeed required for SDF-1-mediated chemotaxis. In this study Jurkat clones were established, stably expressing dominant negative constructs of class IA and class IB PI 3-kinases under the control of the tetracycline off inducible gene system, to determine the relative roles of these PI 3-kinases in SDF-1 signaling. Our results show that expression of either kinase-dead PI3Kgamma (KD-PI3Kgamma) or Deltap85 (a construct unable to bind class I(A) p110alpha, -beta, or -delta) leads to a partial inhibition of SDF-1-stimulated protein kinase B phosphorylation, but had no effect on SDF-1-induced phosphorylation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase ERK1/2. Functional studies demonstrated that expression of KD-PI3Kgamma markedly inhibited SDF-1-mediated chemotaxis, typically eliciting 40-60% inhibition. Interestingly, the expression of Deltap85 also leads to inhibition of the SDF-1-mediated chemotactic response, albeit to a much lesser extent than achieved with the KD-PI3Kgamma mutant, typically in the range of 20-40% inhibition. Furthermore, the inhibition of chemotaxis by the expression of dominant negative class IA or class IB PI 3-kinases could be enhanced by the presence of the PI 3-kinase inhibitor LY294002. Together, these results demonstrate that optimal chemotactic response of leukemic T cells to SDF-1 requires the activation of both class IA and class IB PI 3-kinases.

Roles of G beta gamma in membrane recruitment and activation of p110 gamma/p101 phosphoinositide 3-kinase gamma

Receptor-regulated class I phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3K) phosphorylate the membrane lipid phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns)-4,5-P2 to PtdIns-3,4,5-P3. This, in turn, recruits and activates cytosolic effectors with PtdIns-3,4,5-P3-binding pleckstrin homology (PH) domains, thereby controlling important cellular functions such as proliferation, survival, or chemotaxis. The class IB p110 gamma/p101 PI3K gamma is activated by G beta gamma on stimulation of G protein-coupled receptors. It is currently unknown whether in living cells G beta gamma acts as a membrane anchor or an allosteric activator of PI3K gamma, and which role its noncatalytic p101 subunit plays in its activation by G beta gamma. Using GFP-tagged PI3K gamma subunits expressed in HEK cells, we show that G beta gamma recruits the enzyme from the cytosol to the membrane by interaction with its p101 subunit. Accordingly, p101 was found to be required for G protein-mediated activation of PI3K gamma in living cells, as assessed by use of GFP-tagged PtdIns-3,4,5-P3-binding PH domains. Furthermore, membrane-targeted p110 gamma displayed basal enzymatic activity, but was further stimulated by G beta gamma, even in the absence of p101. Therefore, we conclude that in vivo, G beta gamma activates PI3K gamma by a mechanism assigning specific roles for both PI3K gamma subunits, i.e., membrane recruitment is mediated via the noncatalytic p101 subunit, and direct stimulation of G beta gamma with p110 gamma contributes to activation of PI3K gamma.

Activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase gamma by Ras

BACKGROUND

Type I phosphoinositide 3-kinases are responsible for the hormone-sensitive synthesis of the lipid messenger phosphatidylinositol(3,4,5)-trisphosphate. Type IA and IB subfamily members contain a Ras binding domain and are stimulated by activated Ras proteins both in vivo and in vitro. The mechanism of Ras activation of type I PI3Ks is unknown, in part because no robust in vitro assay of this event has been established and characterized. Other Ras effectors, such as Raf and phosphoinositide-phospholipase Cepsilon, have been shown to be translocated into the plasma membrane, leading to their activation.

RESULTS

We show that posttranslationally lipid-modified, activated N-, H-, K-, and R-Ras proteins can potently and substantially activate PI3Kgamma when using a stripped neutrophil membrane fraction as a source of phospholipid substrate. We have found GTPgammaS-loaded Ras can significantly (6- to 8-fold) activate PI3Kgamma when using artificial phospholipid vesicles containing their substrate, and this effect is a result of both a decrease in apparent Km for phosphatidylinositol(4,5)-bisphosphate and an increase in the apparent Vmax. However, neither in vivo nor in the two in vitro assays of Ras activation of PI3Kgamma could we detect any evidence of a Ras-dependent translocation of PI3Kgamma to its source of phospholipid substrate.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggest that Ras activate PI3Kgamma at the level of the membrane, by allosteric modulation and/or reorientation of the PI3Kgamma, implying that Ras can activate PI3Kgamma without its membrane translocation. This view is supported by structural work that has suggested binding of Ras to PI3Kgamma results in a change in the structure of the catalytic pocket.

Rac activation: P-Rex1 - a convergence point for PIP(3) and Gbetagamma?

P-Rex1, a novel Rac activator, has been identified in the first biochemical purification of a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for GTPases of the Rho family. P-Rex1 is synergistically activated by PIP(3) and Gbetagamma and may act as a coincidence detector for these signaling molecules.