A novel approach to detect toxin-catalyzed ADP-ribosylation in intact cells: its use to study the action of Pasteurella multocida toxin

Cooperation of Gq, Gi, and G12/13 in protein kinase D activation and phosphorylation induced by lysophosphatidic acid

To examine the contribution of different G-protein pathways to lysophosphatidic acid (LPA)-induced protein kinase D (PKD) activation, we tested the effect of LPA on PKD activity in murine embryonic cell lines deficient in Galpha(q/11) (Galpha(q/11) KO cells) or Galpha(12/13) (Galpha(12/13) KO cells) and used cells lacking rhodopsin kinase (RK cells) as a control. In RK and Galpha(12/13) KO cells, LPA induced PKD activation through a phospholipase C/protein kinase C pathway in a concentration-dependent fashion with maximal stimulation (6-fold for RK cells and 4-fold for Galpha(12/13) KO cells in autophosphorylation activity) achieved at 3 microm. In contrast, LPA did not induce any significant increase in PKD activity in Galpha(q/11) KO cells. However, LPA induced a significantly increased PKD activity when Galpha(q/11) KO cells were transfected with Galpha(q). LPA-induced PKD activation was modestly attenuated by prior exposure of RK cells to pertussis toxin (PTx) but abolished by the combination treatments of PTx and Clostridium difficile toxin B. Surprisingly, PTx alone strikingly inhibited LPA-induced PKD activation in a concentration-dependent fashion in Galpha(12/13) KO cells. Similar results were obtained when activation loop phosphorylation at Ser-744 was determined using an antibody that detects the phosphorylated state of this residue. Our results indicate that G(q) is necessary but not sufficient to mediate LPA-induced PKD activation. In addition to G(q), LPA requires additional G-protein pathways to elicit a maximal response with G(i) playing a critical role in Galpha(12/13) KO cells. We conclude that LPA induces PKD activation through G(q), G(i), and G(12) and propose that PKD activation is a point of convergence in the action of multiple G-protein pathways.

An extracellular monoADP-ribosyl transferase activity in Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites

Due to the important role of monoADP-ribosyl transferases in physiological and pathological events, we investigated whether the protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica had monoADP-ribosyl transferase activity. Reactions were initiated using ameba-free medium as the source of both enzyme and ADP-ribosylation substrate(s) and [32P]NAD+ as source of ADP-ribose. Proteins were analyzed by electrophoresis, and [32P]-labeled proteins were detected by autoradiography. Using the crude extracellular medium, a major labeled product of Mr 37.000 was observed. The yield of this product was reduced markedly using medium from Brefeldin A-treated trophozoites, indicating that the extracellular monoADP-ribosyl transferase and/or its substrate depended on vesicular transport. The labeling of the 37-kDa substrate was dependent on reaction time, temperature, pH, and the ratio of unlabeled NAD+ to [32P]NAD+. After two purification steps, several new substrates were observed, perhaps due to their enrichment. The reaction measured ADP-ribosylation since [14C-carbonyl]NAD+ was not incorporated into ameba substrates and a 75-fold molar excess of ADP-ribose caused no detectable inhibition of the monoADP-ribosyl transferase reaction. On the basis of sensitivity to NH2OH, the extracellular monoADP-ribosyl transferase of E. histolytica may be an arginine-specific enzyme. These results demonstrate the existence in E. histolytica of at least one extracellular monoADP-ribosyl transferase, whose localization depends upon a secretion process.

Pasteurella multocida toxin: the mitogenic toxin that stimulates signalling cascades to regulate growth and differentiation

Pasteurella multocida toxin (PMT) is an unusual toxin that acts as a mitogen by stimulating various intracellular signalling cascades. Pathways downstream of the G-protein Gq and also downstream of the Rho proteins are activated. Thus PMT action stimulates phospholipase C leading to activation of protein kinase C, an increase in inositol phosphates, and a rise in intracellular calcium. Rho activation of the Rho kinase leads to cytoskeletal reorganisation, tyrosine phosphorylation of the focal adhesion kinase, and activation of the Src proto-oncogene. In addition, signalling through the Ras-MAP kinase signalling pathway is also initiated. PMT is an intracellularly acting toxin, and functional domains that carry out different aspects of its function have been described. The intracellular target of the toxin is currently not known. PMT also acts to inhibit differentiation, in particular of bone cells, where it prevents the formation of mineralised bone nodules in vitro. The toxin is the causative agent of a porcine disease that is characterised by bone resorption. Injection of very low doses of toxin leads to proliferative effects, but at higher doses is lethal. The possible effect of PMT-induced perturbation of signal transduction pathways is discussed.

Endogenous ADP-ribosylation of the G protein beta subunit prevents the inhibition of type 1 adenylyl cyclase

Mono-ADP-ribosylation is a post-translational modification of cellular proteins that has been implicated in the regulation of signal transduction, muscle cell differentiation, protein trafficking, and secretion. In several cell systems we have observed that the major substrate of endogenous mono-ADP-ribosylation is a 36-kDa protein. This ADP-ribosylated protein was both recognized in Western blotting experiments and selectively immunoprecipitated by a G protein beta subunit-specific polyclonal antibody, indicating that this protein is the G protein beta subunit. The ADP-ribosylation of the beta subunit was due to a plasma membrane-associated enzyme, was sensitive to treatment with hydroxylamine, and was inhibited by meta-iodobenzylguanidine, indicating that the involved enzyme is an arginine-specific mono-ADP-ribosyltransferase. By mutational analysis, the target arginine was located in position 129. The ADP-ribosylated beta subunit was also deribosylated by a cytosolic hydrolase. This ADP-ribosylation/deribosylation cycle might be an in vivo modulator of the interaction of betagamma with specific effectors. Indeed, we found that the ADP-ribosylated betagamma subunit is unable to inhibit calmodulin-stimulated type 1 adenylyl cyclase in cell membranes and that the endogenous ADP-ribosylation of the beta subunit occurs in intact Chinese hamster ovary cells, where the NAD(+) pool was labeled with [(3)H]adenine. These results show that the ADP-ribosylation of the betagamma subunit could represent a novel cellular mechanism in the regulation of G protein-mediated signal transduction.

Lysophosphatidic acid rapidly induces protein kinase D activation through a pertussis toxin-sensitive pathway

Protein kinase D (PKD) is a serine-threonine protein kinase with distinct structural features and enzymological properties. Herein we demonstrate that lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) induces rapid PKD activation in mouse Swiss 3T3 and Rat-1 cells. LPA induced PKD activation in a concentration-dependent fashion with maximal stimulation (7.6-fold) achieved at 5 microM. Treatment of Swiss 3T3 cells with the protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors GF-I, Ro-31-8220, and Gö-7874 completely abrogated PKD activation induced by LPA at concentrations that did not inhibit PKD activity when added directly to the in vitro kinase assays. PKD activation induced by LPA was attenuated markedly and selectively by prior exposure of either Swiss 3T3 or Rat-1 cells to pertussis toxin (PTx) in a concentration-dependent manner. In contrast, treatment with the protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein, the MEK inhibitor PD-098059, or the phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitor wortmannin did not affect PKD activation in response to LPA. These results provide the first example of PTx-sensitive and PKC-dependent PKD activation and identify a novel G(i)-dependent event in the action of LPA.

Modification of Ras in eukaryotic cells by Pseudomonas aeruginosa exoenzyme S

Genetic and functional data suggest that Pseudomonas aeruginosa exoenzyme S (ExoS), an ADP-ribosyltransferase, is translocated into eukaryotic cells by a bacterial type III secretory mechanism activated by contact between bacteria and host cells. Although purified ExoS is not toxic to eukaryotic cells, ExoS-producing bacteria cause reduced proliferation and viability, possibly mediated by bacterially translocated ExoS. To investigate the activity of translocated ExoS, we examined in vivo modification of Ras, a preferred in vitro substrate. The ExoS-producing strain P. aeruginosa 388 and an isogenic mutant strain, 388DeltaexoS, which fails to produce ExoS, were cocultured with HT29 colon carcinoma cells. Ras was found to be ADP-ribosylated during coculture with 388 but not with 388DeltaexoS, and Ras modification by 388 corresponded with reduction in HT29 cell DNA synthesis. Active translocation by bacteria was found to be required, since exogenous ExoS, alone or in the presence of 388DeltaexoS, was unable to modify intracellular Ras. Other ExoS-producing strains caused modification of Ras, indicating that this is not a strain-specific event. ADP-ribosylation of Rap1, an additional Ras family substrate for ExoS in vitro, was not detectable in vivo under conditions sufficient for Ras modification, suggesting possible ExoS substrate preference among Ras-related proteins. These results confirm that intracellular Ras is modified by bacterially translocated ExoS and that the inhibition of target cell proliferation correlates with the efficiency of Ras modification.

Nicotinamide-induced apoptosis in insulin producing cells is associated with cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase

We have presently determined the effect of inhibition of the DNA repair enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) on the occurrence of apoptosis in insulin-producing cells. The ADP-ribosylation activities of intact cells were decreased by incubation of RINm5F cells for 16 h with the PARP inhibitors nicotinamide (NA) (20-50 mM) or 3-aminobenzamide (3-ABA) (10 mM). Exposure to 20-50 mM NA or 10 mM 3-ABA both resulted in massive apoptosis in RINm5F cells. A 24 h exposure to 50 mM nicotinamide induced apoptosis in fetal but not adult rat islet cells. In addition, exposure of RINm5F cells to 50 mM NA for 12-24 h induced the appearance of the 85 kDa proteolytic PARP fragment, indicating activation of the ICE-like protease caspase-3. Incubation with 20-50 mM NA did not induce any consistent effects upon transcription factor NF-kappaB activity, demonstrating that this pathway is not involved in induction of apoptosis by NA. It is concluded that in insulin-producing cells with a high mitotic rate, inhibition of ADP-ribosylation--and consequently of auto-modification and release of PARP bound to DNA strand breaks--leads to activation of programmed cell death.

Sphingosylphosphorylcholine activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase in Swiss 3T3 cells requires protein kinase C and a pertussis toxin-sensitive G protein

Sphingosylphosphorylcholine (SPC) is a potent mitogen for Swiss 3T3 cells, but the signaling mechanisms involved are poorly characterized. Here, we report that addition of SPC induces a rapid and transient activation of p42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p42MAPK) in these cells. SPC-induced p42MAPK activation peaked at 5 min and was undetectable after 30 min of incubation with SPC. The effect of SPC on p42MAPK activation was comparable to that induced by bombesin and platelet-derived growth factor. As SPC strongly induced phosphorylation of the major protein kinase C (PKC) substrate 80K/MARCKS in either intact or permeabilized cells, we examined whether PKC could be involved in SPC-induced p42MAPK activation. Here, we demonstrate that p42MAPK activation by SPC was dependent on PKC activity as shown by inhibition of PKC with the bisindolymaleimide GF 109203X or down-regulation of PKC by prolonged treatment of Swiss 3T3 cells with phorbol esters. Activation of both PKC and p42MAPK by SPC was markedly inhibited by treatment with pertussis toxin, implicating a G proteins(s) of the Gi/G(o) subfamily in the action of SPC. SPC-induced rapid activation of a downstream target of p42MAPK, p90 ribosomal S6 kinase (p90rsk), also required PKC and a pertussis toxin-sensitive G protein. In addition, SPC-induced mitogenesis was dependent on a Gi protein in Swiss 3T3 cells. SPC also induced p42MAPK activation and DNA synthesis in secondary cultures of mouse embryo fibroblasts through a pertussis toxin-sensitive pathway. As G proteins link many cell surface receptors to effector proteins, we hypothesize, therefore, that SPC could bind to a receptor that mediates at least some of its biological effects in Swiss 3T3 cells and mouse embryo fibroblasts.

Pertussis toxin-mediated ADP-ribosylation of target proteins in Chinese hamster ovary cells involves a vesicle trafficking mechanism

Pertussis toxin (PT)-catalyzed ADP-ribosylation of target proteins in intact Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells was evaluated with an in vitro ADP-ribosylation assay. In this assay, a postnuclear supernatant was prepared from CHO cells and used as a source of PT-sensitive target proteins for in vitro [32P[ADP-ribosylation. The postnuclear supernatant contained three proteins that were ADP-ribosylated in vitro, with apparent molecular masses of 50, 45, and 42 kDa. The 42- and 45-kDa proteins were membrane associated, while the 50-kDa protein was soluble. Following PT treatment of CHO cells, the 42- and 45-kDa proteins were not available for in vitro ADP-ribosylation, while the soluble 50-kDa protein remained available for in vitro ADP-ribosylation. The decrease in the availability of the 42- and 45-kDa proteins to in vitro ADP-ribosylation was proportional to the PT concentration and time of incubation with CHO cells. Western immunoblot analysis showed that extracts from PT-treated CHO cells and control CHO cells possessed equivalent amounts of two proteins that were recognized by anti-Gi protein antiserum. The two proteins recognized by anti-Gi protein antiserum from PT-treated cells migrated with higher apparent molecular weights than the two proteins from control cells. This was consistent with the in vivo ADP-ribosylation of the two proteins by PT.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The potent mitogen Pasteurella multocida toxin is highly resistant to proteolysis but becomes susceptible at lysosomal pH

The susceptibility of the potent mitogen Pasteurella multocida toxin (PMT) to various proteases was investigated. PMT at a toxin to protease molar ratio of 1:1 was resistant to 8 of the 11 proteases tested after one hour. With longer incubation, PMT remained resistant to 7 proteases, and this correlated with a retention of biological activity, indicating that PMT might not require proteolytic cleavage at least until it bound to a cell receptor. Previous evidence had suggested that PMT is processed in the cell via an endosome or lysosome. We have shown that PMT became susceptible to proteolysis when the pH was lowered to 5 or below. This supports the previous suggestion that PMT is processed via a low pH compartment in the cell.

Mutation of a putative ADP-ribosylation motif in the Pasteurella multocida toxin does not affect mitogenic activity

Pasteurella multocida toxin (PMT) is a potent mitogen for Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts and cytotoxic to embryonic bovine lung cells. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to investigate the functional significance of a three amino acid motif in PMT that is present in five other bacterial protein toxins which exhibit ADP-ribosyl transferase activity. Crude lysates of mutant clones were fully cytotoxic for embryonic bovine lung cells. Purified mutant toxin was also as effective at stimulating inositol phosphate turnover and nucleic acid synthesis as wild type toxin. We conclude that this motif has no functional significance in Pasteurella multocida toxin.

Basolateral to apical transcytosis in polarized cells is indirect and involves BFA and trimeric G protein sensitive passage through the apical endosome

We have used temperature and nocodazole blocks in an in vivo basolateral to apical transcytosis assay to dissociate the early transcytotic steps occurring during the formation of transcytotic vesicles and their microtubule-dependent translocation into the apical region, from the late steps when transcytotic cargo is delivered into the apical media. We found that polarized MDCK cells transfected with rabbit polymeric IgA receptor (pIgA-R) internalize basolaterally added pIgA-R ligand ([Fab]2 fragment of IgG against the receptor's ectodomain) at 17 degrees C but do not deliver it to the apical PM. Instead, the ligand accumulates in an apically localized transcytotic compartment, distal to the basolateral endosome and the microtubule-requiring translocation step. We have characterized this compartment and show that it is distinct from basolateral transferrin recycling endosomes, basolateral early endosomes or late endosomes or lysosomes. The apical transcytotic compartment colocalizes with the compartment containing apically recycling membrane markers (ricin and apically internalized pIgA-R ligand) but is distinct from the compartment receiving apically internalized fluid phase marker (BSA). This compartment is an intermediate station of the overall pathway since transcytotic ligand can exit the compartment and be released into the apical medium when cells preloaded at 17 degrees C are subsequently incubated at 37 degrees C. We have used this system to examine the effect of Brefeldin A (BFA) and the involvement of trimeric GTPases in the late (post apical transcytotic compartment) steps of the transcytotic pathway. We found that addition of BFA or cholera toxin, a known activator of Gs alpha, to cells preloaded with transcytotic ligand at 17 degrees C significantly inhibits the exit of ligand from the apical transcytotic compartment. General structure and function of the apical endosome are not affected since neither BFA nor cholera toxin inhibit the recycling of apically internalized membrane markers (ricin and pIgA-R ligand) from the same compartment. The data suggest that transcytosis connects the "membrane-sorting" sub-domain of the basolateral endosome with a homologous sub-domain of the apical endosome and that exit of transcytosing cargo from the apical endosome is controlled by a BFA and trimeric G protein sensitive mechanism, distinct from that used for recycling of apically internalized proteins (ricin or pIgA-R).

Bacterial ADP-ribosyltransferase with a substrate specificity of the rho protein disassembles the Golgi apparatus in Vero cells and mimics the action of brefeldin A

Epidermal-cell differentiation inhibitor (EDIN) is an exoenzyme produced by Staphylococcus aureus that catalyzes the ADP-ribosylation of rho proteins, members of the small GTP-binding protein family. In this study we demonstrate that EDIN induces a rapid morphological change in the Golgi structure of monkey kidney Vero cells that is similar to the changes elicited by brefeldin A (BFA). Treatment of Vero cells with EDIN resulted in a rapid disappearance of N-7-(4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole)-6-aminocaproylsphingosine, a 110-kDa protein (beta-COP, coat protein), and mannosidase II from the Golgi structure. Lower doses of EDIN and BFA had a synergistic effect on the redistribution of the Golgi markers. The similarities in the effects of EDIN and BFA in Vero cells also include the EDIN- or BFA-mediated protection of Vero cells from ricin cytotoxicity and prevention of the effects of EDIN or BFA on the distribution of Golgi markers by the pretreatment of Vero cells with guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate or forskolin. Incubation of a Vero-cell homogenate with [32P]NAD+ and EDIN in vitro resulted in the appearance of a labeled band with an apparent molecular mass of 22 kDa. The morphological change of the Golgi structure induced by EDIN was inhibited by nicotinamide, an inhibitor of EDIN-catalyzed ADP-ribosylation. Thus these data suggest that a rho protein is involved in the membrane trafficking between the Golgi and the endoplasmic reticulum of Vero cells and that this rho protein may be a target shared by EDIN and BFA.