The catalytic domain of Acanthamoeba myosin I heavy chain kinase. I. Identification and characterization following tryptic cleavage of the native enzyme

Myosin I is required for hypha formation in Candida albicans

The pathogenic yeast Candida albicans can undergo a dramatic change in morphology from round yeast cells to long filamentous cells called hyphae. We have cloned the CaMYO5 gene encoding the only myosin I in C. albicans. A strain with a deletion of both copies of CaMYO5 is viable but cannot form hyphae under all hypha-inducing conditions tested. This mutant exhibits a higher frequency of random budding and a depolarized distribution of cortical actin patches relative to the wild-type strain. We found that polar budding, polarized localization of cortical actin patches, and hypha formation are dependent on a specific phosphorylation site on myosin I, called the "TEDS-rule" site. Mutation of this serine 366 to alanine gives rise to the null mutant phenotype, while a S366D mutation, the product of which mimics a phosphorylated serine, allows hypha formation. However, the S366D mutation still causes a depolarized distribution of cortical actin patches in budding cells, similar to that in the null mutant. The localization of CaMyo5-GFP together with cortical actin patches at the bud and hyphal tips is also dependent on serine 366. Intriguingly, the cortical actin patches in the majority of the hyphae of the mutant expressing Camyo5(S366D) were depolarized, suggesting that although their distribution is dependent on myosin I localization, polarized cortical actin patches may not be required for hypha formation.

Myosins in protists

This review focuses on selected papers that illustrate an historical perspective and the current knowledge of myosin structure and function in protists. The review contains a general description of myosin structure, a phylogenetic tree of the myosin classes, and descriptions of myosin isoforms identified in protists. Each myosin is discussed within the context of the taxonomic group of the organism in which the myosin has been identified. Domain structure, cellular location, function, and regulation are described for each myosin.

Calmodulin-binding and autoinhibitory domains of Acanthamoeba myosin I heavy chain kinase, a p21-activated kinase (PAK)

The sequence homology between Acanthamoeba myosin I heavy chain kinase (MIHCK) and other p21-activated kinases (PAKs) is relatively low, including only the catalytic domain and a short PAK N-terminal motif (PAN), and even these regions are not highly homologous. In this paper, we report the expression in insect cells of full-length, fully regulated Acanthamoeba MIHCK and further characterize the regulation of this PAK by Rac, calmodulin, and autoinhibition. We map the autoinhibitory region of MIHCK to its PAN region and show that the PAN region inhibits autophosphorylation and kinase activity of unphosphorylated full-length MIHCK and its expressed catalytic domain but has very little effect on either when they are phosphorylated. These properties are similar to those reported for mammalian PAK1. Unlike PAK1, MIHCK is activated by Rac only in the presence of phospholipid. However, peptides containing the PAN region of MIHCK bind Rac in the absence of lipid, and Rac binding reverses the inhibition of the MIHCK catalytic domain by PAN peptides. Our data suggest that a region N-terminal to PAN is required for optimal binding of Rac. Also unlike mammalian PAK, phospholipid stimulation of Acanthamoeba MIHCK and Dictyostelium MIHCK) (which is also a PAK) is inhibited by Ca(2+)-calmodulin. In contrast to Dictyostelium MIHCK, however, Ca(2+)-calmodulin also inhibits Rac-induced activity of Acanthamoeba MIHCK. The basic region N-terminal to PAN is essential for calmodulin binding.

p21-activated kinase 1 (Pak1) regulates cell motility in mammalian fibroblasts

The p21 (Cdc42/Rac) activated kinase Pak1 regulates cell morphology and polarity in most, if not all, eukaryotic cells. We and others have established that Pak's effects on these parameters are mediated by changes in the organization of cortical actin. Because cell motility requires polarized rearrangements of the actin/myosin cytoskeleton, we examined the role of Pak1 in regulating cell movement. We established clonal tetracycline-regulated NIH-3T3 cell lines that inducibly express either wild-type Pak1, a kinase-dead, or constitutively-active forms of this enzyme, and examined the morphology, F-actin organization, and motility of these cells. Expression of any of these forms of Pak1 induced dramatic changes in actin organization which were not inhibited by coexpression of a dominant-negative form of Rac1. Cells inducibly expressing wild-type or constitutively-active Pak1 had large, polarized lamellipodia at the leading edge, were more motile than their normal counterparts when plated on a fibronectin-coated surface, and displayed enhanced directional movement in response to an immobilized collagen gradient. In contrast, cells expressing a kinase-dead form of Pak1 projected multiple lamellipodia emerging from different parts of the cell simultaneously. These cells, though highly motile, displayed reduced persistence of movement when plated on a fibronectin-coated surface and had defects in directed motility toward immobilized collagen. Expression of constitutively activated Pak1 was accompanied by increased myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation, whereas expression of kinase-dead Pak1 had no effect on MLC. These results suggest that Pak1 affects the phosphorylation state of MLC, thus linking this kinase to a molecule that directly affects cell movement.

Myosin I heavy chain kinase: cloning of the full-length gene and acidic lipid-dependent activation by Rac and Cdc42

Acanthamoeba myosin I heavy chain kinase (MIHCK) phosphorylates the heavy chains of amoeba myosins I, increasing their actin-activated ATPase activities. The activity of MIHCK is increased by binding to acidic phospholipids or membranes and by autophosphorylation at multiple sites. Phosphorylation at a single site is necessary and sufficient for full activation of the expressed catalytic domain. The rate of autophosphorylation of native MIHCK is controlled by a region N-terminal to the catalytic domain. By its substrate specificity and the sequence of its C-terminal catalytic domain, MIHCK was identified as a p21-activated kinase (PAK). We have now cloned the full-length genomic DNA and cDNA of MIHCK and have shown it to contain the conserved p21-binding site common to many members of the PAK family. Like some mammalian PAKs, MIHCK is activated by Rac and Cdc42, and this activation is GTP-dependent and accompanied by autophosphorylation. In contrast to mammalian PAKs, activation of MIHCK by Rac and Cdc42 requires the presence of acidic lipids. Also unlike mammalian PAK, MIHCK is not activated by sphingosine or other non-negatively charged lipids. The acidic lipid-binding site is near the N terminus followed by the p21-binding region. The N-terminal regulatory domain of MIHCK contains alternating strongly positive and strongly negative regions. and the extremely Pro-rich middle region of MIHCK has a strongly acidic N-terminal segment and a strongly basic C-terminal segment. We propose that autophosphorylation activates MIHCK by neutralizing the basic segment of the Pro-rich region, thus unfolding the regulatory domain and abolishing its inhibition of the catalytic domain.

Effect of mutating the regulatory phosphoserine and conserved threonine on the activity of the expressed catalytic domain of Acanthamoeba myosin I heavy chain kinase

Phosphorylation of Ser-627 is both necessary and sufficient for full activity of the expressed 35-kDa catalytic domain of myosin I heavy chain kinase (MIHCK). Ser-627 lies in the variable loop between highly conserved residues DFG and APE at a position at which a phosphorylated Ser/Thr also occurs in many other Ser/Thr protein kinases. The variable loop of MIHCK contains two other hydroxyamino acids: Thr-631, which is conserved in almost all Ser/Thr kinases, and Thr-632, which is not conserved. We determined the effects on the kinase activity of the expressed catalytic domain of mutating Ser-627, Thr-631, and Thr-632 individually to Ala, Asp, and Glu. The S627A mutant was substantially less active than wild type (wt), with a lower kcat and higher Km for both peptide substrate and ATP, but was more active than unphosphorylated wt. The S627D and S627E mutants were also less active than phosphorylated wt, i.e., acidic amino acids cannot substitute for phospho-Ser-627. The activity of the T631A mutant was as low as that of the S627A mutant, whereas the T632A mutant was as active as phosphorylated wt, indicating that highly conserved Thr-631, although not phosphorylated, is essential for catalytic activity. Asp and Glu substitutions for Thr-631 and Thr-632 were inhibitory to various degrees. Molecular modeling indicated that Thr-631 can hydrogen bond with conserved residue Asp-591 in the catalytic loop and that similar interactions are possible for other kinases whose activities also are regulated by phosphorylation in the variable loop. Thus, this conserved Thr residue may be essential for the activities of other Ser/Thr protein kinases as well as for the activity of MIHCK.

Identification by mass spectrometry of the phosphorylated residue responsible for activation of the catalytic domain of myosin I heavy chain kinase, a member of the PAK/STE20 family

Myosin I heavy chain kinase from Acanthamoeba castellanii is activated in vitro by autophosphorylation (8-10 mol of P per mol). The catalytically active C-terminal domain produced by trypsin cleavage of the phosphorylated kinase contains 2-3 mol of P per mol. However, the catalytic domain expressed in a baculovirus-insect cell system is fully active as isolated without autophosphorylation in vitro. We now show that the expressed catalytic domain is inactivated by incubation with acid phosphatase and regains activity upon autophosphorylation. The state of phosphorylation of all of the hydroxyamino acids in the catalytic domain were determined by mass spectrometry of unfractionated protease digests. Ser-627 was phosphorylated in the active, expressed catalytic domain, lost its phosphate when the protein was incubated with phosphatase, and was rephosphorylated when the dephosphorylated protein was incubated with ATP. No other residue was significantly phosphorylated in any of the three samples. Thus, phosphorylation of Ser-627, which is in the same position as the Ser and Thr residues that are phosphorylated in many other kinases, is necessary and sufficient for full activity of the catalytic domain. Ser-627 is also phosphorylated when full-length, native kinase is activated by autophosphorylation.

Myosin I

The class I myosins are single-headed, actin-binding, mechanochemical "motor" proteins with heavy chains in the molecular mass range of 110-130 kDa; they do not form filaments. Each myosin I heavy chain is associated with one to six light chains that bind to specific motifs known as IQ domains. In vertebrate myosin I isoforms, the light chain is calmodulin, which is thought to regulate motor activity. Proteins similar to calmodulin are associated with myosin I isoforms from lower eukaryotes. Some myosin I isoforms from lower eukaryotes are regulated by phosphorylation; however, the phosphorylation site is not present in vertebrate myosin I isoforms. Based on sequence analyses of the amino terminal "head" domains, myosin I can be subdivided into several subclasses. Analyses of the biochemical properties of the isolated molecules and localization studies support the proposal of roles for these molecules in intracellular trafficking and changes in membrane structure. Our present understanding of the properties of these molecules and their proposed roles is reviewed here.

p21-activated kinase has substrate specificity similar to Acanthamoeba myosin I heavy chain kinase and activates Acanthamoeba myosin I

Acanthamoeba class I myosins are unconventional, single-headed myosins that express actin-activated Mg2+-ATPase and in vitro motility activities only when a single serine or threonine in the heavy chain is phosphorylated by myosin I heavy chain kinase (MIHCK). Some other, but not most, class I myosins have the same consensus phosphorylation site sequence, and the two known class VI myosins have a phosphorylatable residue in the homologous position, where most myosins have an aspartate or glutamate residue. Recently, we found that the catalytic domain of Acanthamoeba MIHCK has extensive sequence similarity to the p21-activated kinase (PAK)/STE20 family of kinases from mammals and yeast, which are activated by small GTP-binding proteins. The physiological substrates of the PAK/STE20 kinases are not well characterized. In this paper we show that PAK1 has similar substrate specificity as MIHCK when assayed against synthetic substrates and that PAK1 phosphorylates the heavy chain (1 mol of P(i) per mol) and activates Acanthamoeba myosin I as MIHCK does. These results, together with the known involvement of Acanthamoeba myosin I, yeast myosin I, STE20, PAK, and small GTP-binding proteins in membrane- and cytoskeleton-associated morphogenetic transformations and activities, suggest that myosins may be physiological substrates for the PAK/STE20 family and thus mediators of these events.

The catalytic domain of acanthamoeba myosin I heavy chain kinase. II. Expression of active catalytic domain and sequence homology to p21-activated kinase (PAK)

Acanthamoeba myosin I heavy chain (MIHC) kinase is a monomeric 97-kDa protein that is activated by binding to acidic phospholipids or by autophosphorylation. Activation by phospholipids is inhibited by Ca2+-calmodulin. In the accompanying paper (Brzeska, H., Martin, B., and Korn, E. D. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 27049-27055), we identified the catalytic domain as the COOH-terminal 35 kDa produced by trypsin digestion of phosphorylated MIHC kinase. In this paper, we report the cloning and sequencing of the corresponding cDNA and expression of fully active catalytic domain. The expressed catalytic domain has substrate specificity similar to that of native kinase and resistance to trypsin similar to that of fully phosphorylated MIHC kinase. MIHC kinase catalytic domain has only 25% sequence identity to the catalytic domain of protein kinase A and similarly low sequence identity to the catalytic domains of protein kinase C- and calmodulin-dependent kinases, but 50% sequence identity and 70% similarity to the p21-activated kinase (PAK) and STE20 family of kinases. This suggests that MIHC kinase is (at least) evolutionarily related to the PAK family, whose activities are regulated by small GTP-binding proteins. The homology includes the presence of a potential MIHC kinase autophosphorylation site as well as conserved Tyr and Ser/Thr residues in the region corresponding to the P+1 loop of protein kinase A. A synthetic peptide corresponding to this region of MIHC kinase is phosphorylated by both the expressed catalytic domain and native MIHC kinase.