Major vault protein is a substrate of endogenous protein kinases in CHO and PC12 cells

The Vault Nanoparticle: A Gigantic Ribonucleoprotein Assembly Involved in Diverse Physiological and Pathological Phenomena and an Ideal Nanovector for Drug Delivery and Therapy

Simple Summary

In recent decades, a molecular complex referred to as vault nanoparticle has attracted much attention by the scientific community, due to its unique properties. At the molecular scale, it is a huge assembly consisting of 78 97-kDa polypeptide chains enclosing an internal cavity, wherein enzymes involved in DNA integrity maintenance and some small noncoding RNAs are accommodated. Basically, two reasons justify this interest. On the one hand, this complex represents an ideal tool for the targeted delivery of drugs, provided it is suitably engineered, either chemically or genetically; on the other hand, it has been shown to be involved in several cellular pathways and mechanisms that most often result in multidrug resistance. It is therefore expected that a better understanding of the physiological roles of this ribonucleoproteic complex may help develop new therapeutic strategies capable of coping with cancer progression. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of the current knowledge.

Abstract

The vault nanoparticle is a eukaryotic ribonucleoprotein complex consisting of 78 individual 97 kDa-“major vault protein” (MVP) molecules that form two symmetrical, cup-shaped, hollow halves. It has a huge size (72.5 × 41 × 41 nm) and an internal cavity, wherein the vault poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (vPARP), telomerase-associated protein-1 (TEP1), and some small untranslated RNAs are accommodated. Plenty of literature reports on the biological role(s) of this nanocomplex, as well as its involvement in diseases, mostly oncological ones. Nevertheless, much has still to be understood as to how vault participates in normal and pathological mechanisms. In this comprehensive review, current understanding of its biological roles is discussed. By different mechanisms, vault’s individual components are involved in major cellular phenomena, which result in protection against cellular stresses, such as DNA-damaging agents, irradiation, hypoxia, hyperosmotic, and oxidative conditions. These diverse cellular functions are accomplished by different mechanisms, mainly gene expression reprogramming, activation of proliferative/prosurvival signaling pathways, export from the nucleus of DNA-damaging drugs, and import of specific proteins. The cellular functions of this nanocomplex may also result in the onset of pathological conditions, mainly (but not exclusively) tumor proliferation and multidrug resistance. The current understanding of its biological roles in physiological and pathological processes should also provide new hints to extend the scope of its exploitation as a nanocarrier for drug delivery.

14-3-3ε boosts bleomycin-induced DNA damage response by inhibiting the drug-resistant activity of MVP

Major vault protein (MVP) is the predominant constituent of the vault particle, the largest known ribonuclear protein complex. Although emerging evidence have been establishing the links between MVP (vault) and multidrug resistance (MDR), little is known regarding exactly how the MDR activity of MVP is modulated during cellular response to drug-induced DNA damage (DDR). Bleomycin (BLM), an anticancer drug, induces DNA double-stranded breaks (DSBs) and consequently triggers the cellular DDR. Due to its physiological implications in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cell fate decision, 14-3-3ε was chosen as the pathway-specific bait protein to identify the critical target(s) responsible for HCC MDR. By using an LC-MS/MS-based proteomic approach, MVP was first identified in the BLM-induced 14-3-3ε interactome formed in HCC cells. Biological characterization revealed that MVP possesses specific activity to promote the resistance to the BLM-induced DDR. On the other hand, 14-3-3ε enhances BLM-induced DDR by interacting with MVP. Mechanistic investigation further revealed that 14-3-3ε, in a phosphorylation-dependent manner, binds to the phosphorylated sites at both Thr52 and Ser864 of the monomer of MVP. Consequently, the phosphorylation-dependent binding between 14-3-3ε and MVP inhibits the drug-resistant activity of MVP for an enhanced DDR to BLM treatment. Our findings provide an insight into the mechanism underlying how the BLM-induced interaction between 14-3-3ε and MVP modulates MDR, implicating novel strategy to overcome the chemotherapeutic resistance through interfering specific protein-protein interactions.

Nuclear localization of PTEN is regulated by Ca(2+) through a tyrosil phosphorylation-independent conformational modification in major vault protein

We have recently shown in MCF-7 cells that nuclear phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) down-regulates phosphorylation of p44/42 and cyclin D1 and induces G(1) cell cycle arrest, whereas cytoplasmic PTEN down-regulates phosphorylation of Akt, up-regulates p27, and induces apoptosis. In this manner, nucleocytoplasmic partitioning of PTEN seems to differentially regulate the cell cycle and apoptosis. We have also reported that PTEN has nuclear localization signal-like sequences required for major vault protein (MVP)-mediated nuclear translocation. To date, several other proteins are reported to interact with MVP, including extracellular signal-regulated kinases and steroid receptors, suggesting that MVP is likely to be involved in signal transduction through nucleocytoplasmic transport. However, the exact mechanism of MVP-mediated nucleocytoplasmic shuttling remains elusive. PTEN reportedly interacts in vitro with the EF hand-like motif of MVP in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner. The current study shows that small interfering RNA-mediated MVP silencing decreases the nuclear localization of PTEN and increases phosphorylation of nuclear p44/42. We show in situ that PTEN-MVP interaction is Ca(2+) dependent and is abolished by Mg(2+). Nuclear localization of PTEN is decreased by increasing Ca(2+) levels in culture medium in a dose-dependent manner. Ca(2+) ionophore A23187 increases nuclear localization of PTEN and decreases phosphorylation of nuclear p44/42. Finally, we show that Ca(2+)-dependent PTEN-MVP interaction is not related to MVP's tyrosil phosphorylation but rather due to its conformational modification. Our observations suggest that Ca(2+) regulates PTEN's nuclear entry through a tyrosil phosphorylation-independent conformational change in MVP. Collectively, our data present evidence of a novel crosstalk between the Ca(2+) signaling-mediated regulation of the cell cycle and MVP-mediated nuclear PTEN localization and function.

Crosstalk between Src and major vault protein in epidermal growth factor-dependent cell signalling

Vaults are highly conserved, ubiquitous ribonucleoprotein (RNP) particles with an unidentified function. For the three protein species (TEP1, VPARP, and MVP) and a small RNA that comprises vault, expression of the unique 100-kDa major vault protein (MVP) is sufficient to form the basic vault structure. To identify and characterize proteins that interact with the Src homology 2 (SH2) domain of Src and potentially regulate Src activity, we used a pull-down assay using GST-Src-SH2 fusion proteins. We found MVP as a Src-SH2 binding protein in human stomach tissue. Interaction of Src and MVP was also observed in 253J stomach cancer cells. A subcellular localization study using immunofluorescence microscopy shows that epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulation triggers MVP translocation from the nucleus to the cytosol and perinuclear region where it colocalizes with Src. We found that the interaction between Src and MVP is critically dependent on Src activity and protein (MVP) tyrosyl phosphorylation, which are induced by EGF stimulation. Our results also indicate MVP to be a novel substrate of Src and phosphorylated in an EGF-dependent manner. Interestingly, purified MVP inhibited the in vitro tyrosine kinase activity of Src in a concentration-dependent manner. MVP overexpression downregulates EGF-dependent ERK activation in Src overexpressing cells. To our knowledge, this is the first report of MVP interacting with a protein tyrosine kinase involved in a distinct cell signalling pathway. It appears that MVP is a novel regulator of Src-mediated signalling cascades.

One-thousand-and-one substrates of protein kinase CK2?

CK2 (formerly termed "casein kinase 2") is a ubiquitous, highly pleiotropic and constitutively active Ser/Thr protein kinase whose implication in neoplasia, cell survival, and virus infection is supported by an increasing number of arguments. Here an updated inventory of 307 CK2 protein substrates is presented. More than one-third of these are implicated in gene expression and protein synthesis as being either transcriptional factors (60) or effectors of DNA/RNA structure (50) or translational elements. Also numerous are signaling proteins and proteins of viral origin or essential to virus life cycle. In comparison, only a minority of CK2 targets (a dozen or so) are classical metabolic enzymes. An analysis of 308 sites phosphorylated by CK2 highlights the paramount relevance of negatively charged side chains that are (by far) predominant over any other residues at positions n+3 (the most crucial one), n+1, and n+2. Based on this signature, it is predictable that proteins phosphorylated by CK2 are much more numerous than those identified to date, and it is possible that CK2 alone contributes to the generation of the eukaryotic phosphoproteome more so than any other individual protein kinase. The possibility that CK2 phosphosites play some global role, e.g., by destabilizing alpha helices, counteracting caspase cleavage, and generating adhesive motifs, will be discussed.