Role of AMP-activated protein kinase in cross-talk between apoptosis and autophagy in human colon cancer

Unresectable colorectal liver metastases remain a major unresolved issue and more effective novel regimens are urgently needed. While screening synergistic drug combinations for colon cancer therapy, we identified a novel multidrug treatment for colon cancer: chemotherapeutic agent melphalan in combination with proteasome inhibitor bortezomib and mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) inhibitor rapamycin. We investigated the mechanisms of synergistic antitumor efficacy during the multidrug treatment. All experiments were performed with highly metastatic human colon cancer CX-1 and HCT116 cells, and selected critical experiments were repeated with human colon cancer stem Tu-22 cells and mouse embryo fibroblast (MEF) cells. We used immunochemical techniques to investigate a cross-talk between apoptosis and autophagy during the multidrug treatment. We observed that melphalan triggered apoptosis, bortezomib induced apoptosis and autophagy, rapamycin caused autophagy and the combinatorial treatment-induced synergistic apoptosis, which was mediated through an increase in caspase activation. We also observed that mitochondrial dysfunction induced by the combination was linked with altered cellular metabolism, which induced adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation, resulting in Beclin-1 phosphorylated at Ser 93/96. Interestingly, Beclin-1 phosphorylated at Ser 93/96 is sufficient to induce Beclin-1 cleavage by caspase-8, which switches off autophagy to achieve the synergistic induction of apoptosis. Similar results were observed with the essential autophagy gene, autophagy-related protein 7, -deficient MEF cells. The multidrug treatment-induced Beclin-1 cleavage was abolished in Beclin-1 double-mutant (D133A/D146A) knock-in HCT116 cells, restoring the autophagy-promoting function of Beclin-1 and suppressing the apoptosis induced by the combination therapy. These observations identify a novel mechanism for AMPK-induced apoptosis through interplay between autophagy and apoptosis.

Hyperthermia enhances mapatumumab-induced apoptotic death through ubiquitin-mediated degradation of cellular FLIP(long) in human colon cancer cells

Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the world; the main cause of death of colorectal cancer is hepatic metastases, which can be treated with hyperthermia using isolated hepatic perfusion (IHP). In this study, we report that mild hyperthermia potently reduced cellular FLIP(long), (c-FLIP(L)), a major regulator of the death receptor (DR) pathway of apoptosis, thereby enhancing humanized anti-DR4 antibody mapatumumab (Mapa)-mediated mitochondria-independent apoptosis. We observed that overexpression of c-FLIP(L) in CX-1 cells abrogated the synergistic effect of Mapa and hyperthermia, whereas silencing of c-FLIP in CX-1 cells enhanced Mapa-induced apoptosis. Hyperthermia altered c-FLIP(L) protein stability without concomitant reductions in FLIP mRNA. Ubiquitination of c-FLIP(L) was increased by hyperthermia, and proteasome inhibitor MG132 prevented heat-induced downregulation of c-FLIP(L). These results suggest the involvement of the ubiquitin-proteasome system in this process. We also found lysine residue 195 (K195) to be essential for c-FLIP(L) ubiquitination and proteolysis, as mutant c-FLIP(L) lysine 195 arginine (arginine replacing lysine) was left virtually un-ubiquitinated and was refractory to hyperthermia-triggered degradation, and thus partially blocked the synergistic effect of Mapa and hyperthermia. Our observations reveal that hyperthermia transiently reduced c-FLIP(L) by proteolysis linked to K195 ubiquitination, which contributed to the synergistic effect between Mapa and hyperthermia. This study supports the application of hyperthermia combined with other regimens to treat colorectal hepatic metastases.

Loss of Ubr1 promotes aneuploidy and accelerates B-cell lymphomagenesis in TLX1/HOX11-transgenic mice

The TLX1/HOX11 homeobox gene was originally identified at the recurrent t(10;14)(q24;q11) translocation breakpoint, a chromosomal abnormality observed in 5-7% of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemias (T-ALLs). Proviral insertional mutagenesis studies performed on transgenic mice ectopically expressing TLX1/HOX11 in B lymphocytes (IgHmu-HOX11(Tg) mice) revealed the Ubr1 gene locus as a frequent site of proviral insertion, concomitant with accelerated development of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Insertion into this genomic region was confirmed by Southern blotting and by the ability to generate a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplicon across the viral-genome junction. Western immunoblot and semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR analysis revealed downregulated expression of the Ubr1 gene product subsequent to viral integration. Loss or reduced levels of Ubr1 expression was associated with 5/14 spontaneous B-cell lymphomas in IgHmu-HOX11(Tg) mice and one of nine primary human T-ALLs. To gain mechanistic insight into the cooperativity between TLX1/HOX11 and Ubr1, IgHmu-HOX11(Tg)/Ubr1(-/-) mice were generated. IgHmu-HOX11(Tg)/Ubr1(-/-) mice exhibited a modest but statistically significant acceleration of disease onset relative to IgHmu-HOX11(Tg)/Ubr1(+/-) mice. Moreover, micronucleus assays to detect for chromosome missegregation were conducted and revealed increased presence of micronuclei in IgHmu-HOX11(Tg)/Ubr1(-/-) primary B lymphocyte cultures, and in both TLX1/HOX11-overexpressing T cell lines and fibroblast cultures following transfection with short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targeting Ubr1. Karyotyping of primary B lymphocyte cultures revealed increased incidences of hypodiploid karyotypes. Finally, mitotic figures analysed from Ubr1 siRNA-transfected fibroblast cultures revealed no defects in chromosome congression to the metaphase plate, but increased incidences of atypical anaphase figures, including the development of anaphase bridges and lagging chromosomes. Based on these findings, we identify a synergistic role between TLX1/HOX11 overexpression and Ubr1 inactivation in promoting chromosome missegregation, permitting the accrual of additional chromosome losses and cytogenic abnormalities en route to malignancy.

Construction and analysis of mouse strains lacking the ubiquitin ligase UBR1 (E3alpha) of the N-end rule pathway

The N-end rule relates the in vivo half-life of a protein to the identity of its N-terminal residue. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the UBR1-encoded ubiquitin ligase (E3) of the N-end rule pathway mediates the targeting of substrate proteins in part through binding to their destabilizing N-terminal residues. The functions of the yeast N-end rule pathway include fidelity of chromosome segregation and the regulation of peptide import. Our previous work described the cloning of cDNA and a gene encoding the 200-kDa mouse UBR1 (E3alpha). Here we show that mouse UBR1, in the presence of a cognate mouse ubiquitin-conjugating (E2) enzyme, can rescue the N-end rule pathway in ubr1Delta S. cerevisiae. We also constructed UBR1(-/-) mouse strains that lacked the UBR1 protein. UBR1(-/-) mice were viable and fertile but weighed significantly less than congenic +/+ mice. The decreased mass of UBR1(-/-) mice stemmed at least in part from smaller amounts of the skeletal muscle and adipose tissues. The skeletal muscle of UBR1(-/-) mice apparently lacked the N-end rule pathway and exhibited abnormal regulation of fatty acid synthase upon starvation. By contrast, and despite the absence of the UBR1 protein, UBR1(-/-) fibroblasts contained the N-end rule pathway. Thus, UBR1(-/-) mice are mosaics in regard to the activity of this pathway, owing to differential expression of proteins that can substitute for the ubiquitin ligase UBR1 (E3alpha). We consider these UBR1-like proteins and discuss the functions of the mammalian N-end rule pathway.

Varying intertrial interval reveals temporally defined memory deficits and enhancements in NTAN1-deficient mice

The N-end rule is one ubiquitin-proteolytic pathway that relates the in vivo half-life of a protein to the identity of its N-terminal residue. NTAN1 deamidates N-terminal asparagine to aspartate, which is conjugated to arginine by ATE1. An N-terminal arginine-bearing substrate protein is recognized, ubiquitylated by UBR1/E3alpha, and subsequently degraded by 26S proteasomes. Previous research showed that NTAN1-deficient mice exhibited impaired long-term memory in the Lashley III maze. Therefore, a series of studies, designed to assess the role of NTAN1 in short- and intermediate-term memory processes, was undertaken. Two hundred sixty mice (126 -/-; 134 +/ +) received Lashley III maze training with intertrial intervals ranging from 2-180 min. Results indicated that inactivation of NTAN1 amidase differentially affects short-, intermediate-, and long-term memory.

Altered activity, social behavior, and spatial memory in mice lacking the NTAN1p amidase and the asparagine branch of the N-end rule pathway

The N-end rule relates the in vivo half-life of a protein to the identity of its N-terminal residue. N-terminal asparagine and glutamine are tertiary destabilizing residues, in that they are enzymatically deamidated to yield secondary destabilizing residues aspartate and glutamate, which are conjugated to arginine, a primary destabilizing residue. N-terminal arginine of a substrate protein is bound by the Ubr1-encoded E3alpha, the E3 component of the ubiquitin-proteasome-dependent N-end rule pathway. We describe the construction and analysis of mouse strains lacking the asparagine-specific N-terminal amidase (Nt(N)-amidase), encoded by the Ntan1 gene. In wild-type embryos, Ntan1 was strongly expressed in the branchial arches and in the tail and limb buds. The Ntan1(-/-) mouse strains lacked the Nt(N)-amidase activity but retained glutamine-specific Nt(Q)-amidase, indicating that the two enzymes are encoded by different genes. Among the normally short-lived N-end rule substrates, only those bearing N-terminal asparagine became long-lived in Ntan1(-/-) fibroblasts. The Ntan1(-/-) mice were fertile and outwardly normal but differed from their congenic wild-type counterparts in spontaneous activity, spatial memory, and a socially conditioned exploratory phenotype that has not been previously described with other mouse strains.

Neurotoxicity induces cleavage of p35 to p25 by calpain

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (cdk5) and its neuron-specific activator p35 are required for neurite outgrowth and cortical lamination. Proteolytic cleavage of p35 produces p25, which accumulates in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Conversion of p35 to p25 causes prolonged activation and mislocalization of cdk5. Consequently, the p25/cdk5 kinase hyperphosphorylates tau, disrupts the cytoskeleton and promotes the death (apoptosis) of primary neurons. Here we describe the mechanism of conversion of p35 to p25. In cultured primary cortical neurons, excitotoxins, hypoxic stress and calcium influx induce the production of p25. In fresh brain lysates, addition of calcium can stimulate cleavage of p35 to p25. Specific inhibitors of calpain, a calcium-dependent cysteine protease, effectively inhibit the calcium-induced cleavage of p35. In vitro, calpain directly cleaves p35 to release a fragment with relative molecular mass 25,000. The sequence of the calpain cleavage product corresponds precisely to that of p25. Application of the amyloid beta-peptide A beta(1-42) induces the conversion of p35 to p25 in primary cortical neurons. Furthermore, inhibition of cdk5 or calpain activity reduces cell death in A beta-treated cortical neurons. These observations indicate that cleavage of p35 to p25 by calpain may be involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.

Regulation of N-cadherin-mediated adhesion by the p35-Cdk5 kinase

BACKGROUND

The p35-Cdk5 kinase has been implicated in a variety of functions in the central nervous system (CNS), including axon outgrowth, axon guidance, fasciculation, and neuronal migration during cortical development. In p35(-/-) mice, embryonic cortical neurons are unable to migrate past their predecessors, leading to an inversion of cortical layers in the adult cortex.

RESULTS

In order to identify molecules important for p35-Cdk5-dependent function in the cortex, we screened for p35-interacting proteins using the two-hybrid system. In this study, we report the identification of a novel interaction between p35 and the versatile cell adhesion signaling molecule beta-catenin. The p35 and beta-catenin proteins interacted in vitro and colocalized in transfected COS cells. In addition, the p35-Cdk5 kinase was associated with a beta-catenin-N-cadherin complex in the cortex. In N-cadherin-mediated aggregation assays, inhibition of Cdk5 kinase activity using the Cdk5 inhibitor roscovitine led to the formation of larger aggregates of embryonic cortical neurons. This finding was recapitulated in p35(-/-) cortical neurons, which aggregated to a greater degree than wild-type neurons. In addition, introduction of active p35-Cdk5 kinase into COS cells led to a decreased beta-catenin-N-cadherin interaction and loss of cell adhesion.

CONCLUSIONS

The association between p35-Cdk5 and an N-cadherin adhesion complex in cortical neurons and the modulation of N-cadherin-mediated aggregation by p35-Cdk5 suggests that the p35-Cdk5 kinase is involved in the regulation of N-cadherin-mediated adhesion in cortical neurons.

Callosal axon guidance defects in p35(-/-) mice

Mice lacking p35, an activator of cdk5 in the central nervous system (CNS), exhibit defects in a variety of CNS structures, most prominently characterized by a disruption in the laminar structure of the neocortex (Chae et al., 1997). In addition, alterations of certain axonal fiber tracts are found in the cortex of p35 mutant mice. Notably, the corpus callosum appears bundled at the midline, but dispersed lateral to the midline. Tracer injection experiments in adult p35 mutant mice reveal that projecting cortical axons fail to assimilate into the corpus callosum, and take oblique paths to the midline. After crossing the midline, cortical axons defasciculate prematurely from the corpus callosum and take similarly oblique paths through the cortex. This callosal phenotype is not detected in reeler mice, which also exhibit defects in cortical lamination, suggesting that the lack of fasciculation of callosal axons is not an inherent manifestation of a disruption of cortical lamination. The embryonic callosal axon tract is defasciculated before crossing the midline, suggesting that axon guidance may be affected during embryonic development of the corpus callosum. In addition, embryonic thalamocortical afferents also exhibit a defasciculated phenotype. These results suggest that defective axonal fasciculation and guidance may be primary responses to the loss of p35 in the cortex. Furthermore, this study postulates a role for the p35/cdk5 kinase in molecular signaling pathways necessary for proper guidance of selective axons during embryonic development.

Phosphorylation of DARPP-32 by Cdk5 modulates dopamine signalling in neurons

The physiological state of the cell is controlled by signal transduction mechanisms which regulate the balance between protein kinase and protein phosphatase activities. Here we report that a single protein can, depending on which particular amino-acid residue is phosphorylated, function either as a kinase or phosphatase inhibitor. DARPP-32 (dopamine and cyclic AMP-regulated phospho-protein, relative molecular mass 32,000) is converted into an inhibitor of protein phosphatase 1 when it is phosphorylated by protein kinase A (PKA) at threonine 34. We find that DARPP-32 is converted into an inhibitor of PKA when phosphorylated at threonine 75 by cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5). Cdk5 phosphorylates DARPP-32 in vitro and in intact brain cells. Phospho-Thr 75 DARPP-32 inhibits PKA in vitro by a competitive mechanism. Decreasing phospho-Thr 75 DARPP-32 in striatal slices, either by a Cdk5-specific inhibitor or by using genetically altered mice, results in increased dopamine-induced phosphorylation of PKA substrates and augmented peak voltage-gated calcium currents. Thus DARPP-32 is a bifunctional signal transduction molecule which, by distinct mechanisms, controls a serine/threonine kinase and a serine/threonine phosphatase.

Ubiquitin conjugation by the N-end rule pathway and mRNAs for its components increase in muscles of diabetic rats

Insulin deficiency (e.g., in acute diabetes or fasting) is associated with enhanced protein breakdown in skeletal muscle leading to muscle wasting. Because recent studies have suggested that this increased proteolysis is due to activation of the ubiquitin-proteasome (Ub-proteasome) pathway, we investigated whether diabetes is associated with an increased rate of Ub conjugation to muscle protein. Muscle extracts from streptozotocin-induced insulin-deficient rats contained greater amounts of Ub-conjugated proteins than extracts from control animals and also 40-50% greater rates of conjugation of (125)I-Ub to endogenous muscle proteins. This enhanced Ub-conjugation occurred mainly through the N-end rule pathway that involves E2(14k) and E3alpha. A specific substrate of this pathway, alpha-lactalbumin, was ubiquitinated faster in the diabetic extracts, and a dominant negative form of E2(14k) inhibited this increase in ubiquitination rates. Both E2(14k) and E3alpha were shown to be rate-limiting for Ub conjugation because adding small amounts of either to extracts stimulated Ub conjugation. Furthermore, mRNA for E2(14k) and E3alpha (but not E1) were elevated 2-fold in muscles from diabetic rats, although no significant increase in E2(14k) and E3alpha content could be detected by immunoblot or activity assays. The simplest interpretation of these results is that small increases in both E2(14k) and E3alpha in muscles of insulin-deficient animals together accelerate Ub conjugation and protein degradation by the N-end rule pathway, the same pathway activated in cancer cachexia, sepsis, and hyperthyroidism.

Bivalent inhibitor of the N-end rule pathway

The N-end rule relates the in vivo half-life of a protein to the identity of its N-terminal residue. Ubr1p, the recognition (E3) component of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae N-end rule pathway, contains at least two substrate-binding sites. The type 1 site is specific for N-terminal basic residues Arg, Lys, and His. The type 2 site is specific for N-terminal bulky hydrophobic residues Phe, Leu, Trp, Tyr, and Ile. Previous work has shown that dipeptides bearing either type 1 or type 2 N-terminal residues act as weak but specific inhibitors of the N-end rule pathway. We took advantage of the two-site architecture of Ubr1p to explore the feasibility of bivalent N-end rule inhibitors, whose expected higher efficacy would result from higher affinity of the cooperative (bivalent) binding to Ubr1p. The inhibitor comprised mixed tetramers of beta-galactosidase that bore both N-terminal Arg (type 1 residue) and N-terminal Leu (type 2 residue) but that were resistant to proteolysis in vivo. Expression of these constructs in S. cerevisiae inhibited the N-end rule pathway much more strongly than the expression of otherwise identical beta-galactosidase tetramers whose N-terminal residues were exclusively Arg or exclusively Leu. In addition to demonstrating spatial proximity between the type 1 and type 2 substrate-binding sites of Ubr1p, these results provide a route to high affinity inhibitors of the N-end rule pathway.

Alternative splicing results in differential expression, activity, and localization of the two forms of arginyl-tRNA-protein transferase, a component of the N-end rule pathway

The N-end rule relates the in vivo half-life of a protein to the identity of its N-terminal residue. The underlying ubiquitin-dependent proteolytic system, called the N-end rule pathway, is organized hierarchically: N-terminal aspartate and glutamate (and also cysteine in metazoans) are secondary destabilizing residues, in that they function through their conjugation, by arginyl-tRNA-protein transferase (R-transferase), to arginine, a primary destabilizing residue. We isolated cDNA encoding the 516-residue mouse R-transferase, ATE1p, and found two species, termed Ate1-1 and Ate1-2. The Ate1 mRNAs are produced through a most unusual alternative splicing that retains one or the other of the two homologous 129-bp exons, which are adjacent in the mouse Ate1 gene. Human ATE1 also contains the alternative 129-bp exons, whereas the plant (Arabidopsis thaliana) and fly (Drosophila melanogaster) Ate1 genes encode a single form of ATE1p. A fusion of ATE1-1p with green fluorescent protein (GFP) is present in both the nucleus and the cytosol, whereas ATE1-2p-GFP is exclusively cytosolic. Mouse ATE1-1p and ATE1-2p were examined by expressing them in ate1Delta Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the presence of test substrates that included Asp-betagal (beta-galactosidase) and Cys-betagal. Both forms of the mouse R-transferase conferred instability on Asp-betagal (but not on Cys-betagal) through the arginylation of its N-terminal Asp, the ATE1-1p enzyme being more active than ATE1-2p. The ratio of Ate1-1 to Ate1-2 mRNA varies greatly among the mouse tissues; it is approximately 0.1 in the skeletal muscle, approximately 0.25 in the spleen, approximately 3.3 in the liver and brain, and approximately 10 in the testis, suggesting that the two R-transferases are functionally distinct.

p35, the neuronal-specific activator of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) is degraded by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) was originally isolated by its close homology to the human CDC2 gene, which is a key regulator of cell cycle progression. However, unlike other Cdks, the activity of Cdk5 is required in post-mitotic neurons. The neuronal-specific p35 protein, which shares no homology to cyclins, was identified by virtue of its association and activation of Cdk5. Gene targeting studies in mice have shown that the p35/Cdk5 kinase is required for the proper neuronal migration and development of the mammalian cortex. We have investigated the regulation of the p35/Cdk5 kinase. Here we show that p35, the activator of Cdk5, is a short-lived protein with a half-life (t1/2) of 20 to 30 min. Specific proteasome inhibitors such as lactacystin greatly stabilize p35 in vivo. Ubiquitination of p35 can be readily demonstrated in vitro and in vivo. Inhibition of Cdk5 activity by a specific Cdk inhibitor, roscovitine, or by overexpression of a dominant negative mutant of Cdk5 increases the stability of p35 by 2- to 3-fold. Furthermore, phosphorylation mutants of p35 also stabilize p35 2- to 3-fold. Together, these observations demonstrate that the p35/Cdk5 kinase can be subject to rapid turnover in vivo and suggest that phosphorylation of p35 upon Cdk5 kinase activation plays a autoregulatory role in p35 degradation mediated by ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis.

The mouse and human genes encoding the recognition component of the N-end rule pathway

The N-end rule relates the in vivo half-life of a protein to the identity of its N-terminal residue. The N-end rule pathway is one proteolytic pathway of the ubiquitin system. The recognition component of this pathway, called N-recognin or E3, binds to a destabilizing N-terminal residue of a substrate protein and participates in the formation of a substrate-linked multiubiquitin chain. We report the cloning of the mouse and human Ubr1 cDNAs and genes that encode a mammalian N-recognin called E3alpha. Mouse UBR1p (E3alpha) is a 1,757-residue (200-kDa) protein that contains regions of sequence similarity to the 225-kDa Ubr1p of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Mouse and human UBR1p have apparent homologs in other eukaryotes as well, thus defining a distinct family of proteins, the UBR family. The residues essential for substrate recognition by the yeast Ubr1p are conserved in the mouse UBR1p. The regions of similarity among the UBR family members include a putative zinc finger and RING-H2 finger, another zinc-binding domain. Ubr1 is located in the middle of mouse chromosome 2 and in the syntenic 15q15-q21.1 region of human chromosome 15. Mouse Ubr1 spans approximately 120 kilobases of genomic DNA and contains approximately 50 exons. Ubr1 is ubiquitously expressed in adults, with skeletal muscle and heart being the sites of highest expression. In mouse embryos, the Ubr1 expression is highest in the branchial arches and in the tail and limb buds. The cloning of Ubr1 makes possible the construction of Ubr1-lacking mouse strains, a prerequisite for the functional understanding of the mammalian N-end rule pathway.

A novel disruption of cortical development in p35(-/-) mice distinct from reeler

The p35/cdk5 neuronal-specific kinase complex has been shown to play an important role in the laminar configuration of cortical neurons. Mice lacking either p35 or cdk5 exhibit a disrupted cortical lamination pattern. We showed previously that instead of the normal "inside-out" layering pattern of cortical neurons, cortical neurons are layered from "outside-in" in p35 mutant mice. To gain insight into the mechanisms that underlie these defects, we examined the organization of landmark structures formed during cortical development and the migratory behavior of p35(-/-) cortical neurons by using bromodeoxyuridine labeling. In the present study, we show that reelin localization in the marginal zone is normal in p35 mutant mice. Furthermore, the preplate splits into the marginal zone and subplate properly, a developmental event that fails to occur in reeler mice. Finally, the migration of the earliest born cortical plate neurons is normal in p35 mutant mice; cortical neurons subsequently generated remain underneath these neurons. These data suggest that the p35/cdk5 kinase is required for cortical plate neurons to migrate past preexisting neurons and take up superficial positions to constitute the inside-outside layering order of cortical lamination.

Mice lacking p35, a neuronal specific activator of Cdk5, display cortical lamination defects, seizures, and adult lethality

The adult mammalian cortex is characterized by a distinct laminar structure generated through a well-defined pattern of neuronal migration. Successively generated neurons are layered in an "inside-out" manner to produce six cortical laminae. We demonstrate here that p35, the neuronal-specific activator of cyclin-dependent kinase 5, plays a key role in proper neuronal migration. Mice lacking p35, and thus p35/cdk5 kinase activity, display severe cortical lamination defects and suffer from sporadic adult lethality and seizures. Histological examination reveals that the mutant mice lack the characteristic laminated structure of the cortex. Neuronal birth-dating experiments indicate a reversed packing order of cortical neurons such that earlier born neurons reside in superficial layers and later generated neurons occupy deep layers. The phenotype of p35 mutant mice thus demonstrates that the formation of cortical laminar structure depends on the action of the p35/cdk5 kinase.

A mouse amidase specific for N-terminal asparagine. The gene, the enzyme, and their function in the N-end rule pathway

The N-end rule relates the in vivo half-life of a protein to the identity of its N-terminal residue. In both fungi and mammals, the tertiary destabilizing N-terminal residues asparagine and glutamine function through their conversion, by enzymatic deamidation, into the secondary destabilizing residues aspartate and glutamate, whose destabilizing activity requires their enzymatic conjugation to arginine, one of the primary destabilizing residues. We report the isolation and analysis of a mouse cDNA and the corresponding gene (termed Ntan1) that encode a 310-residue amidohydrolase (termed NtN-amidase) specific for N-terminal asparagine. The approximately 17-kilobase pair Ntan1 gene is located in the proximal region of mouse chromosome 16 and contains 10 exons ranging from 54 to 177 base pairs in length. The approximately 1.4-kilobase pair Ntan1 mRNA is expressed in all of the tested mouse tissues and cell lines and is down-regulated upon the conversion of myoblasts into myotubes. The Ntan1 promoter is located approximately 500 base pairs upstream of the Ntan1 start codon. The deduced amino acid sequence of mouse NtN-amidase is 88% identical to the sequence of its porcine counterpart, but bears no significant similarity to the sequence of the NTA1-encoded N-terminal amidohydrolase of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which can deamidate either N-terminal asparagine or glutamine. The expression of mouse NtN-amidase in S. cerevisiae nta1Delta was used to verify that NtN-amidase retains its asparagine selectivity in vivo and can implement the asparagine-specific subset of the N-end rule. Further dissection of mouse Ntan1, including its null phenotype analysis, should illuminate the functions of the N-end rule, most of which are still unknown.

A structural basis for substrate specificities of protein Ser/Thr kinases: primary sequence preference of casein kinases I and II, NIMA, phosphorylase kinase, calmodulin-dependent kinase II, CDK5, and Erk1

We have developed a method to study the primary sequence specificities of protein kinases by using an oriented degenerate peptide library. We report here the substrate specificities of eight protein Ser/Thr kinases. All of the kinases studied selected distinct optimal substrates. The identified substrate specificities of these kinases, together with known crystal structures of protein kinase A, CDK2, Erk2, twitchin, and casein kinase I, provide a structural basis for the substrate recognition of protein Ser/Thr kinases. In particular, the specific selection of amino acids at the +1 and -3 positions to the substrate serine/threonine can be rationalized on the basis of sequences of protein kinases. The identification of optimal peptide substrates of CDK5, casein kinases I and II, NIMA, calmodulin-dependent kinases, Erk1, and phosphorylase kinase makes it possible to predict the potential in vivo targets of these kinases.

The cdk5/p35 kinase is essential for neurite outgrowth during neuronal differentiation

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5(cdk5) is highly homologous to other members of the cdk family that are known to function in proliferating cells. Despite the structural similarity, cdk5-associated histone H1 kinase activity is only detectable in postmitotic neurons of the central nervous system (CNS). p35 is a neuronal-specific cdk5 regulator that activates cdk5 kinase activity upon association. The cdk5/p35 kinase activity increases during the progression of CNS neurogenesis, suggesting a function of cdk5 in neuronal differentiation. Here we show that both cdk5 and p35 proteins are present in the growth cones of developing neurons. The staining pattern of cdk5 in the growth cones is similar to that of actin filaments but not microtubules. To address the functional significance of the cdk5/p35 kinase in neurogenesis, we ectopically expressed wild-type or mutant kinases in cortical cultures. Expression of dominant-negative mutants of cdk5 (cdk5N144 and cdk5T33) inhibited neurite outgrowth, which was rescued by coexpression of the wild-type proteins. A similar extent of neurite outgrowth inhibition was obtained by transfection of an antisense p35 construct, which in turn was only rescued by p35 but not cdk5 coexpression. In contrast, longer neurites were elaborated in neurons that coexpressed exogenous cdk5 and p35. These observations suggest that the cdk5/p35 kinase plays a critical role in neurite outgrowth during neuronal differentiation.

Cloning and characterization of the gene encoding an extracellular alkaline serine protease from Vibrio metschnikovii strain RH530

The gene vapF, encoding VapT, one of the extracellular sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-resistant alkaline serine proteases (Serp) from the Gram- Vibrio metschnikovii strain RH530 has been cloned in Escherichia coli. The recombinant E. coli produced a protease which co-migrated with VapT on gelatin polyacrylamide gels. The nucleotide (nt) sequence of the cloned vapT revealed a single open reading frame of 1641 bp encoding 547 amino acids (aa) (58,961 Da). Upon analysis of the N-terminal aa sequence, VapT was shown to be processed properly in recombinant E. coli and to consist of 428 aa (45,626 Da). The deduced aa sequence of VapT showed significant sequence homology to subtilisin Carlsberg from Bacillus licheniformis, particularly in the regions containing active site residues and calcium-binding sites. VapT had an intervening region of approx. 149 aa between the His and Ser residues of the active site, as compared with other Serp.

Cloning, sequencing, and expression of a minor protease-encoding gene from Serratia marcescens ATCC21074

The gene (smp) encoding an extracellular protease (Smp) from Serratia marcescens ATCC21074 has been cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli HB101. The nucleotide (nt) sequence of the cloned smp gene revealed a single open reading frame of 1056 bp coding for 352 amino acids (aa) (38,479 Da). The N-terminal aa sequence of Smp excreted from the E. coli host cells revealed that mature Smp consists of 300 aa (32,515 Da). The deduced aa sequence of Smp showed high overall homology (43%) to the Erwinia carotovora metalloprotease, but low homology (15-20%) to other metalloproteases, including the S. marcescens major metalloprotease. The location for three zinc ligands and the active site for Smp was predicted from other metalloproteases. The biochemical properties of Smp show that this enzyme is a metalloprotease whose activity is optimal at pH 8.0 and 50 degrees C.