SMART MODE:

NORMAL GENOMIC

• Yoder MD, Thomas LM, Tremblay JM, Oliver RL, Yarbrough LR, Helmkamp GM Jr
• Structure of a multifunctional protein. Mammalian phosphatidylinositol transfer protein complexed with phosphatidylcholine.
• J Biol Chem. 2001; 276: 9246-52
• Display abstract

• Eukaryotic phosphatidylinositol transfer protein is a ubiquitous multifunctional protein that transports phospholipids between membrane surfaces and participates in cellular phospholipid metabolism during signal transduction and vesicular trafficking. The three-dimensional structure of the alpha-isoform of rat phosphatidylinositol transfer protein complexed with one molecule of phosphatidylcholine, one of its physiological ligands, has been determined to 2.2 A resolution by x-ray diffraction techniques. A single beta-sheet and several long alpha-helices define an enclosed internal cavity in which a single molecule of the phospholipid is accommodated with its polar head group in the center of the protein and fatty acyl chains projected toward the surface. Other structural features suggest mechanisms by which cytosolic phosphatidylinositol transfer protein interacts with membranes for lipid exchange and associates with a variety of lipid and protein kinases.

• Xie Z, Fang M, Bankaitis VA
• Evidence for an intrinsic toxicity of phosphatidylcholine to Sec14p-dependent protein transport from the yeast Golgi complex.
• Mol Biol Cell. 2001; 12: 1117-29
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• Yeast phosphatidylinositol-transfer protein (Sec14p) is essential for Golgi secretory function and cell viability. This requirement of Sec14p is relieved by genetic inactivation of the cytidine diphosphate-choline pathway for phosphatidycholine (PtdCho) biosynthesis. Standard phenotypic analyses indicate that inactivation of the phosphatidylethanolamine (PtdEtn) pathway for PtdCho biosynthesis, however, does not rescue the growth and secretory defects associated with Sec14p deficiency. We now report inhibition of choline uptake from the media reveals an efficient "bypass Sec14p" phenotype associated with PtdEtn-methylation pathway defects. We further show that the bypass Sec14p phenotype associated with PtdEtn-methylation pathway defects resembles other bypass Sec14p mutations in its dependence on phospholipase D activity. Finally, we find that increased dosage of enzymes that catalyze phospholipase D-independent turnover of PtdCho, via mechanisms that do not result in a direct production of phosphatidic acid or diacylglycerol, effect a partial rescue of sec14-1(ts)-associated growth defects. Taken together, these data support the idea that PtdCho is intrinsically toxic to yeast Golgi secretory function.

• Nakase Y et al.
• The Schizosaccharomyces pombe spo20(+) gene encoding a homologue of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Sec14 plays an important role in forespore membrane formation.
• Mol Biol Cell. 2001; 12: 901-17
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• The Schizosaccharomyces pombe spo20-KC104 mutation was originally isolated in a screen for sporulation-deficient mutants, and the spo20-KC104 mutant exhibits temperature-sensitive growth. Herein, we report that S. pombe, spo20(+) is essential for fission yeast cell viability and is constitutively expressed throughout the life cycle. We also demonstrate that the spo20(+) gene product is structurally homologous to Saccharomyces cerevisiae Sec14, the major phosphatidylinositol transfer protein of budding yeast. This structural homology translates to a significant degree of functional relatedness because reciprocal complementation experiments demonstrate that each protein is able to fulfill the essential function of the other. Moreover, biochemical experiments show that, like Sec14, Spo20 is a phosphatidylinositol/phosphatidylcholine-transfer protein. That Spo20 is required for Golgi secretory function in vegetative cells is indicated by our demonstration that the spo20-KC104 mutant accumulates aberrant Golgi cisternae at restrictive temperatures. However, a second phenotype observed in Spo20-deficient fission yeast is arrest of cell division before completion of cell separation. Consistent with a direct role for Spo20 in controlling cell septation in vegetatively growing cells, localization experiments reveal that Spo20 preferentially localizes to the cell poles and to sites of septation of fission yeast cells. We also report that, when fission yeasts are challenged with nitrogen starvation, Spo20 translocates to the nucleus. This nuclear localization persists during conjugation and meiosis. On completion of meiosis, Spo20 translocates to forespore membranes, and it is the assembly of forespore membranes that is abnormal in spo20-KC104 cells. In such mutants, a considerable fraction of forming prespores fail to encapsulate the haploid nucleus. Our results indicate that Spo20 regulates the formation of specialized membrane structures in addition to its recognized role in regulating Golgi secretory function.

• Li X et al.
• Identification of a novel family of nonclassic yeast phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins whose function modulates phospholipase D activity and Sec14p-independent cell growth.
• Mol Biol Cell. 2000; 11: 1989-2005
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• Yeast phosphatidylinositol transfer protein (Sec14p) is essential for Golgi function and cell viability. We now report a characterization of five yeast SFH (Sec Fourteen Homologue) proteins that share 24-65% primary sequence identity with Sec14p. We show that Sfh1p, which shares 64% primary sequence identity with Sec14p, is nonfunctional as a Sec14p in vivo or in vitro. Yet, SFH proteins sharing low primary sequence similarity with Sec14p (i.e., Sfh2p, Sfh3p, Sfh4p, and Sfh5p) represent novel phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins (PITPs) that exhibit phosphatidylinositol- but not phosphatidylcholine-transfer activity in vitro. Moreover, increased expression of Sfh2p, Sfh4p, or Sfh5p rescues sec14-associated growth and secretory defects in a phospholipase D (PLD)-sensitive manner. Several independent lines of evidence further demonstrate that SFH PITPs are collectively required for efficient activation of PLD in vegetative cells. These include a collective requirement for SFH proteins in Sec14p-independent cell growth and in optimal activation of PLD in Sec14p-deficient cells. Consistent with these findings, Sfh2p colocalizes with PLD in endosomal compartments. The data indicate that SFH gene products cooperate with "bypass-Sec14p" mutations and PLD in a complex interaction through which yeast can adapt to loss of the essential function of Sec14p. These findings expand the physiological repertoire of PITP function in yeast and provide the first in vivo demonstration of a role for specific PITPs in stimulating activation of PLD.

• Li X, Xie Z, Bankaitis VA
• Phosphatidylinositol/phosphatidylcholine transfer proteins in yeast.
• Biochim Biophys Acta. 2000; 1486: 55-71
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• Phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins (PITPs) are now becoming widely recognized as intriguing proteins that participate in the coordination and coupling of phospholipid metabolism with vesicle trafficking, and in the regulation of important signaling cascades. Yet, only in one case is there a large body of evidence that speaks to the precise identities of PITP-dependent cellular reactions, and to the mechanisms by which PITPs execute function in eukaryotic cells. At present, yeast provide the most powerful system for analysis of the physiology of PITP function in vivo, and the mechanism by which this function is carried out. Here, we review the recent progress and remaining questions in the area of PITP function in yeast.

• Thomas GM, Pinxteren JA
• Phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins: one big happy family or strangers with the same name?
• Mol Cell Biol Res Commun. 2000; 4: 1-9

• Johnson RC, Penzes P, Eipper BA, Mains RE
• Isoforms of kalirin, a neuronal Dbl family member, generated through use of different 5'- and 3'-ends along with an internal translational initiation site.
• J Biol Chem. 2000; 275: 19324-33
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• Kalirin is a neuron-specific GDP/GTP exchange factor for Rho subfamily GTP-binding proteins. The major Kalirin transcripts in adult rat brain were identified. Most include a Sec14p-like putative lipid-binding motif followed by nine spectrin-like repeats and a Dbl homology/pleckstrin homology (DH-PH) domain. Kalirin proteins with four different NH(2) termini are generated through the use of five different 5'-ends; three of the proteins differ only at the extreme NH(2) terminus, and one is truncated because translation is initiated at a methionine in the 5th spectrin repeat. Four different 3'-ends yield Kalirin proteins with additional functional domains. Kalirin-7 (7-kilobase pair mRNA) terminates with a PDZ-binding motif, which in Kalirin-8 is replaced by an SH3 domain. Kalirin-9 contains another pair of DH-PH and SH3 domains. Kalirin-12 additionally encodes a putative Ser/Thr protein kinase. Antisera specific for different COOH termini established Kalirin-7 as the most abundant in cortex, with significant amounts of Kalirin-9 and Kalirin-12; Kalirin-7 was less prevalent in cerebellum and olfactory bulb. Kalirin proteins lacking the Sec14p-like domain and first four spectrin-like repeats were much less prevalent. Form-specific antisera demonstrated that different forms of Kalirin were localized to distinct subcellular regions of cultured neurons. Members of the family of Kalirin proteins may subserve different functions at these different locations.

• Picetti R, Borrelli E
• A region containing a proline-rich motif targets sG(i2) to the golgi apparatus.
• Exp Cell Res. 2000; 255: 258-69
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• The central function of heterotrimeric GTP-binding proteins (G proteins) is the transduction of extracellular signals, via membrane receptors, leading to the activation of intracellular effectors. In addition to being associated with the plasma membrane, the alpha subunits of some of these proteins have also been localized in intracellular compartments. The mRNA of the G-protein inhibitory alpha subunit 2 (G(alphai2)) encodes two proteins, G(alphai2) and sG(i2), by an alternative splicing mechanism. sG(i2) differs from G(alphai2) in the C-terminal region and localizes in the Golgi in contrast to the plasma membrane localization of G(alphai2). In this paper we show that the sequence specific to sG(i2) can direct the Golgi localization of other G(alphai) subunits, but not of the stimulatory subunit G(alphas) or of a secreted protein. This indicates that, in addition to the sG(i2) C-terminus, sequences located elsewhere in the protein are required to determine the Golgi localization. Inside the sG(i2) C-terminal region we have identified a 14-amino-acid proline-rich motif which specifies the Golgi localization. Finally, we show that the sG(i2) subunit, once activated, leaves the Golgi to be localized in the endoplasmic reticulum.

• Penzes P, Johnson RC, Alam MR, Kambampati V, Mains RE, Eipper BA
• An isoform of kalirin, a brain-specific GDP/GTP exchange factor, is enriched in the postsynaptic density fraction.
• J Biol Chem. 2000; 275: 6395-403
• Display abstract

• Communication between membranes and the actin cytoskeleton is an important aspect of neuronal function. Regulators of actin cytoskeletal dynamics include the Rho-like small GTP-binding proteins and their exchange factors. Kalirin is a brain-specific protein, first identified through its interaction with peptidylglycine-alpha-amidating monooxygenase. In this study, we cloned rat Kalirin-7, a 7-kilobase mRNA form of Kalirin. Kalirin-7 contains nine spectrin-like repeats, a Dbl homology domain, and a pleckstrin homology domain. We found that the majority of Kalirin-7 protein is associated with synaptosomal membranes, but a fraction is cytosolic. We also detected higher molecular weight Kalirin proteins. In rat cerebral cortex, Kalirin-7 is highly enriched in the postsynaptic density fraction. In primary cultures of neurons, Kalirin-7 is detected in spine-like structures, while other forms of Kalirin are visualized in the cell soma and throughout the neurites. Kalirin-7 and its Dbl homology-pleckstrin homology domain induce formation of lamellipodia and membrane ruffling, when transiently expressed in fibroblasts, indicative of Rac1 activation. Using Rac1, the Dbl homology-pleckstrin homology domain catalyzed the in vitro exchange of bound GDP with GTP. Kalirin-7 is the first guanine-nucleotide exchange factor identified in the postsynaptic density, where it is positioned optimally to regulate signal transduction pathways connecting membrane proteins and the actin cytoskeleton.

• Lorenzi MV, Castagnino P, Chen Q, Hori Y, Miki T
• Distinct expression patterns and transforming properties of multiple isoforms of Ost, an exchange factor for RhoA and Cdc42.
• Oncogene. 1999; 18: 4742-55
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• A search for transforming genes expressed in brain led to the identification of a novel isoform of Ost, an exchange factor for RhoA and Cdc42. In addition to the Dbl-homology (DH) and pleckstrin-homology (PH) domains identified in the original Ost, this isoform contained a SH3 domain and a novel HIV-Tat related (TR) domain. The presence or absence of these domains in Ost defined multiple isoforms of the protein. RT - PCR and in situ hybridization analysis revealed that these isoforms were generated by tissue-specific and developmentally restricted alternative splicing events. Whereas deletion of the N-terminus activated the transforming properties of Ost, the presence of the SH3 domain reduced the transforming activity of the protein. This inhibition was relieved by the presence of a TR domain, which contained a potential SH3 ligand sequence. The transforming activity of all Ost isoforms was inhibited by dominant negative forms of the Rho family proteins. Expression of Ost isoforms potently induced the formation of actin stress fibers and filopodia as well as JNK activity and AP1- and SRF-regulated transcriptional pathways. Ost transfectants also displayed elevated levels of cyclins A and D1, suggesting that the de-regulation of these cyclins is linked to Ost-mediated transformation.

• Phillips SE et al.
• Yeast Sec14p deficient in phosphatidylinositol transfer activity is functional in vivo.
• Mol Cell. 1999; 4: 187-97
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• Yeast phosphatidylinositol transfer protein (Sec14p) is essential for Golgi secretory function. It is widely accepted, though unproven, that phosphatidylinositol transfer between membranes represents the physiological activity of phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins (PITPs). We report that Sec14pK66,239A is inactivated for phosphatidylinositol, but not phosphatidylcholine (PC), transfer activity. As expected, Sec14pK66,239A fails to meet established criteria for a PITP in vitro and fails to stimulate phosphoinositide production in vivo. However, its expression efficiently rescues the lethality and Golgi secretory defects associated with sec14-1ts and sec14 null mutations. This complementation requires neither phospholipase D activation nor the involvement of a novel class of minor yeast PITPs. These findings indicate that PI binding/transfer is remarkably dispensable for Sec14p function in vivo.

• Merlet F et al.
• Identification and localization of G protein subunits in human spermatozoa.
• Mol Hum Reprod. 1999; 5: 38-45
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• Antibodies to alpha and beta subunits of guanine nucleotide regulatory proteins (G proteins) were used to identify which G proteins are present in mature human spermatozoa and to determine their subcellular localization. Immunoblots of membranes from spermatozoa demonstrate the presence of Galphai2, Galphai3, Galphaq/11 and Gbeta35 and the absence of Galphai1, Galpha0, Galphas, Galpha12, Galpha13, Galpha16, Galpha and Gbeta36. Indirect immunofluorescence demonstrates the presence of Galphaq/11 in the acrosome, with the highest proportion in the equatorial segment. Galphai2 is present in the acrosome, midpiece and tailpiece and Galphai3 in the postnuclear cap, midpiece and tailpiece. The Gbeta35 subunit is found mostly in the midpiece, with marginal labelling of the head, tailpiece and the equatorial segment of the acrosome. The distinct pattern of distribution of G proteins suggests that they may couple to receptors or effectors which also have discrete regions of localization in spermatozoa. These highly localized signal transduction pathways may regulate discrete functions, such as activation of the acrosome reaction, fusion with the oocyte and motility.

• Murthy KK, Clark K, Fortin Y, Shen SH, Banville D
• ZRP-1, a zyxin-related protein, interacts with the second PDZ domain of the cytosolic protein tyrosine phosphatase hPTP1E.
• J Biol Chem. 1999; 274: 20679-87
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• Protein-protein interactions play an important role in the specificity of cellular signaling cascades. By using the yeast two-hybrid system, a specific interaction was identified between the second PDZ domain of the cytosolic protein tyrosine phosphatase hPTP1E and a novel protein, which was termed ZRP-1 to indicate its sequence similarity to the Zyxin protein family. The mRNA encoding this protein is distributed widely in human tissues and contains an open reading frame of 1428 base pairs, predicting a polypeptide of 476 amino acid residues. The deduced protein displays a proline-rich amino-terminal region and three double zinc finger LIM domains at its carboxyl terminus. The specific interaction of this novel protein with the second PDZ domain of hPTP1E was demonstrated both in vitro, using bacterially expressed proteins, and in vivo, by co-immunoprecipitation studies. Deletion analysis indicated that an intact carboxyl terminus is required for its interaction with the second PDZ domain of hPTP1E in the yeast two-hybrid system and suggested that other sequences, including the LIM domains, also participate in the interaction. The genomic organization of the ZRP-1 coding sequence is identical to that of the lipoma preferred partner gene, another Zyxin-related protein, suggesting that the two genes have evolved from a recent gene duplication event.

• Hirata T, Izumi S, Tsuji S
• A 20-kDa protein with the GTP-binding and trypsin inhibitory activities from Glycine max.
• Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 1999; 63: 1816-8
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• A 20-kDa protein (p20) with a GTP binding activity was purified from the cultured cells of Glycine max (soybean). The amino acid sequence of p20 showed 65% identity in a 23 amino acid overlap against the Kunitz-type trypsin inhibitor of soybean reported. Furthermore, it was found that a Kunitz-type soybean trypsin inhibitor of commercial origin also binds GTP.

• Charvolin D, Douliez JP, Marion D, Cohen-Addad C, Pebay-Peyroula E
• The crystal structure of a wheat nonspecific lipid transfer protein (ns-LTP1) complexed with two molecules of phospholipid at 2.1 A resolution.
• Eur J Biochem. 1999; 264: 562-8
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• Nonspecific lipid transfer proteins (ns-LTP1) form a multigenic protein family in plants. In vitro they are able to bind all sort of lipids but their function, in vivo, remains speculative. A ns-LTP1 isolated from wheat seed was crystallized in the presence of lyso-myristoyl-phosphatidylcholine (LMPC). The structure was solved by molecular replacement and refined to 2.1 A resolution to an R-factor of 16.3% and a free R-factor of 21.3%. It reveals for the first time that the protein binds two LMPC molecules that are inserted head to tail in a hydrophobic cavity. A detailed study of the structure leads to the conclusion that there are two lipid-binding sites, one of which shows a higher affinity for the LMPC than the other. Comparison with other structures of lipid-bound ns-LTP1 suggests that the presence of two binding sites is a general feature of plant ns-LTP1.

• Chatterton JE et al.
• Expression cloning of LDLB, a gene essential for normal Golgi function and assembly of the ldlCp complex.
• Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1999; 96: 915-20
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• The Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell mutants ldlC and ldlB, which exhibit almost identical phenotypes, define two genes required for multiple steps in the normal medial and trans Golgi-associated processing of glycoconjugates. The LDLC gene encodes ldlCp, an approximately 80-kDa protein, which in wild-type, but not ldlB, cells associates reversibly with the cytoplasmic surface of the Golgi apparatus. Here, we have used a retrovirus-based expression cloning system to clone a murine cDNA, LDLB, that corrects the pleiotropic mutant phenotypes of ldlB cells. The corresponding mRNA was not detected in ldlB mutants. LDLB encodes an approximately 110-kDa protein, ldlBp, which lacks homology to known proteins and contains no common structural motifs. Database searches identified short segments of homology to sequences from Drosophila melanogaster, Arabidopsis thaliana, and Caenorhabditis elegans, and the essentially full-length homologous human sequence (82% identity); however, as was the case for ldlCp, no homologue was identified in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We have found that in wild-type cell cytosols, ldlCp is a component of an approximately 950-kDa "ldlCp complex," which is smaller, approximately 700 kDa, in ldlB cytosols. Normal assembly of this complex is ldlBp-dependent and may be required for Golgi association of ldlCp and for the normal activities of multiple luminal Golgi processes.

• Okamoto T, Schlegel A, Scherer PE, Lisanti MP
• Caveolins, a family of scaffolding proteins for organizing "preassembled signaling complexes" at the plasma membrane.
• J Biol Chem. 1998; 273: 5419-22

• Cao L et al.
• A novel putative protein-tyrosine phosphatase contains a BRO1-like domain and suppresses Ha-ras-mediated transformation.
• J Biol Chem. 1998; 273: 21077-83
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• To investigate a potential role of protein-tyrosine phosphatases (PTPases) in myocardial growth and signaling, a degenerate primer-based reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction approach was used to isolate cDNAs for proteins that contain a PTPase catalytic domain. Among the 16 cDNA clones isolated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction from total neonatal rat cardiomyocyte RNA, one, designated PTP-TD14, was unique. Subsequent isolation and sequencing of a full-length PTP-TD14 cDNA confirmed that it encodes a novel 164-kDa protein, p164(PTP-TD14). The C-terminal region contains the PTP-like domain, whereas the N-terminal region shows no homology to any known mammalian protein. However, this region is homologous to a yeast protein, BRO1, that is involved in the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway. Like BRO1, p164(PTP-TD14) contains a proline-rich region with two putative SH3-domain binding sites. By Northern blot analysis, PTP-TD14 is expressed as a 5.3-kilobase pair transcript, not only in neonatal heart but also in many adult rat tissues. When expressed in either COS-7 or NIH-3T3 cells, p164(PTP-TD14) localizes to the cytoplasm in association with vesicle-like structures. Expression of p164(PTP-TD14) in NIH-3T3 cells inhibits Ha-ras-mediated transformation more than 3-fold. This inhibitory activity is localized to the C-terminal PTPase homology domain, since no inhibition of Ha-ras-mediated focus formation was observed with a PTP-TD14 mutant, in which the putative catalytic activity was presumably inactivated by a point mutation. These findings indicate that PTP-TD14 encodes a novel protein that may be critically involved in regulating Ha-ras-dependent cell growth.

• Khosravi-Far R, Campbell S, Rossman KL, Der CJ
• Increasing complexity of Ras signal transduction: involvement of Rho family proteins.
• Adv Cancer Res. 1998; 72: 57-107

• Kearns MA et al.
• Novel developmentally regulated phosphoinositide binding proteins from soybean whose expression bypasses the requirement for an essential phosphatidylinositol transfer protein in yeast.
• EMBO J. 1998; 17: 4004-17
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• Phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins (PITPs) have been shown to play important roles in regulating a number of signal transduction pathways that couple to vesicle trafficking reactions, phosphoinositide-driven receptor-mediated signaling cascades, and development. While yeast and metazoan PITPs have been analyzed in some detail, plant PITPs remain entirely uncharacterized. We report the identification and characterization of two soybean proteins, Ssh1p and Ssh2p, whose structural genes were recovered on the basis of their abilities to rescue the viability of PITP-deficient Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. We demonstrate that, while both Ssh1p and Ssh2p share approximately 25% primary sequence identity with yeast PITP, these proteins exhibit biochemical properties that diverge from those of the known PITPs. Ssh1p and Ssh2p represent high-affinity phosphoinositide binding proteins that are distinguished from each other both on the basis of their phospholipid binding specificities and by their substantially non-overlapping patterns of expression in the soybean plant. Finally, we show that Ssh1p is phosphorylated in response to various environmental stress conditions, including hyperosmotic stress. We suggest that Ssh1p may function as one component of a stress response pathway that serves to protect the adult plant from osmotic insult.

• Janoueix-Lerosey I, Pasheva E, de Tand MF, Tavitian A, de Gunzburg J
• Identification of a specific effector of the small GTP-binding protein Rap2.
• Eur J Biochem. 1998; 252: 290-8
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• Rap2 is a small GTP-binding protein that belongs to the Ras superfamily and whose function is still unknown. To elucidate Rap2 function, we searched for potential effectors by screening a mouse brain cDNA library in a yeast two-hybrid system using as a bait a Rap2A protein bearing a mutation of Gly to Val at position 12. This strategy lead to the identification of a protein that interacts specifically with Rap2A complexed with GTP, and requires an intact effector domain of Rap2A for interaction; we designated this protein Rap2-interacting protein 8 (RPIP8). Biochemical data obtained from in vitro studies with purified proteins confirmed the genetic results. Mouse RPIP8 consists of 446 amino acids, bears a coiled-coil domain between residues 265 and 313, and is expressed principally in brain. Its human counterpart, of 400 amino acids, exhibits 93.7% identity in their common region. A search for similar sequences in expressed-sequence-tags databanks revealed the presence in human and rodents of mRNAs encoding the 400-residue and 446-residue forms of RPIP8. Furthermore a doublet of 45-50 kDa, corresponding to the 400-residue and 446-residue forms of the protein, was detected by western blotting of mouse brain extracts and lysates from pheochromocytoma PC12 cells and the pancreatic beta-cell lines HIT-T15 and RIN-m5F. Using transient transfections of HIT-T15 cells it was possible to demonstrate that [Val12]Rap2 and wild-type Rap2 could be immunoprecipitated with RPIP8. These data therefore argue for RPIP8 being a specific effector of the Rap2 protein in cells exhibiting neuronal properties.

• Zhao ZJ, Zhao R
• Purification and cloning of PZR, a binding protein and putative physiological substrate of tyrosine phosphatase SHP-2.
• J Biol Chem. 1998; 273: 29367-72
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• Overexpression of a catalytically inactive mutant of tyrosine phosphatase SHP-2 in 293 cells resulted in hyperphosphorylation of a glycoprotein specifically associated with the enzyme. The protein has been purified to near homogeneity. Based on the amino acid sequences of peptides obtained from the protein, a full-length cDNA was isolated. The cDNA encodes a protein with a single transmembrane segment and a signal sequence. The extracellular portion of the protein contains a single immunoglobulin-like domain displaying 46% sequence identity to that of myelin P0, a major structural protein of peripheral myelin. The intracellular segment of the protein shows no significant sequence identity to any known protein except for two immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motifs. We name the protein PZR for protein zero related. Transfection of the PZR cDNA in Jurkat cells gave rise to a protein of expected molecular size. Stimulation of cells with pervanadate resulted in tyrosine phosphorylation of PZR and a near-stoichiometric association of PZR with SHP-2. Northern blotting analyses revealed that PZR is widely expressed in human tissues and is particularly abundant in heart, placenta, kidney, and pancreas. As a binding protein and a putative substrate of SHP-2, PZR protein may have an important role in cell signaling.

• Kearns BG, Alb JG Jr, Bankaitis V
• Phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins: the long and winding road to physiological function.
• Trends Cell Biol. 1998; 8: 276-82
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• Phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins (PITPs) have historically been thought to help execute lipid-sorting events by transporting phospholipid monomers between membrane bilayers. Recent data, however, indicate unanticipated roles for PITPs in the coordination and/or coupling of phospholipid metabolism with vesicle trafficking and the downregulation of signal-transduction reactions. We are only now beginning to appreciate both the identities of PITP-dependent cellular reactions and the intriguing mechanisms by which PITPs execute their functions in eukaryotic cells.

• Sone M
• Still life, a protein in synaptic terminals of Drosophila homologous to GDP-GTP exchangers.
• Science. 1997; 275: 1405-1405

• Serebriiskii I, Estojak J, Sonoda G, Testa JR, Golemis EA
• Association of Krev-1/rap1a with Krit1, a novel ankyrin repeat-containing protein encoded by a gene mapping to 7q21-22.
• Oncogene. 1997; 15: 1043-9
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• Krev-1/rap1A is an evolutionarily conserved Ras-family GTPase whose cellular function remains unclear, but which has been proposed to function as a tumor suppressor gene, and may act as a Ras antagonist. To elucidate Krev-1 activity, we have used LexA-Krev-1 in a two-hybrid screen of a HeLa cell cDNA library. Of the two cDNA classes isolated, one contained a single isolate encoding the known Krev-1 interactor Raf, while the second contained multiple isolates coding for a previously undescribed protein which we have designated Kritl (for Krev Interaction Trapped 1). The full length Krit1 cDNA encodes a protein of 529 amino acids, with an amino-terminal ankyrin repeat domain and a novel carboxy-terminal domain required for association with Krit1. Krit1 interacted strongly with Krev-1 but only weakly with Ras, suggesting it might specifically regulate Krev-1 activities. Krit1 mRNA and protein are expressed endogenously at low levels, with tissue specific variation. Intriguingly, the Krit cDNA has been mapped by FISH to chromosome 7q21-22, a region known to be frequently deleted or amplified in multiple forms of cancer.

• Hara S, Swigart P, Jones D, Cockcroft S
• The first 5 amino acids of the carboxyl terminus of phosphatidylinositol transfer protein (PITP) alpha play a critical role in inositol lipid signaling. Transfer activity of PITP is essential but not sufficient for restoration of phospholipase C signaling.
• J Biol Chem. 1997; 272: 14908-13
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• Phosphatidylinositol transfer protein (PITP) is essential for phospholipase C signaling and for constitutive and regulated vesicular traffic. PITP has a single lipid-binding site that can reversibly bind phosphatidylinositol (PI) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) and transfer these lipids between membrane compartments in vitro. The role of the carboxyl terminus was examined by comparing wild-type PITPalpha with PITPalpha in which 5, 10, and 20 amino acids were deleted from the C terminus. Delta5- and Delta10-PITP had reduced PI and PC transfer activities compared with wild-type PITP, with the effect on PI transfer being more marked than that on PC transfer. Delta20-PITP was inactive at all concentrations tested. All three truncated mutants were unable to restore G-protein-mediated phospholipase Cbeta stimulation in HL-60 cells. Delta5- and Delta10-PITP, but not Delta20-PITP, inhibited the signaling function of wild-type protein without any effect on lipid transfer in vitro. We conclude that (a) the carboxyl terminus of PITP plays a critical role in phospholipase C signaling; (b) the transfer activity is not the only determining factor that dictates the restorative function of PITP in inositol lipid signaling; and (c) the dominant inhibitory effects of Delta5- and Delta10-PITP on wild-type PITP in phospholipase C signaling suggest the existence of a receptor for PITP.

• Gebbink MF, Kranenburg O, Poland M, van Horck FP, Houssa B, Moolenaar WH
• Identification of a novel, putative Rho-specific GDP/GTP exchange factor and a RhoA-binding protein: control of neuronal morphology.
• J Cell Biol. 1997; 137: 1603-13
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• The small GTP-binding protein Rho has been implicated in the control of neuronal morphology. In N1E-115 neuronal cells, the Rho-inactivating C3 toxin stimulates neurite outgrowth and prevents actomyosin-based neurite retraction and cell rounding induced by lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), sphingosine-1-phosphate, or thrombin acting on their cognate G protein-coupled receptors. We have identified a novel putative GDP/GTP exchange factor, RhoGEF (190 kD), that interacts with both wild-type and activated RhoA, but not with Rac or Cdc42. RhoGEF, like activated RhoA, mimics receptor stimulation in inducing cell rounding and in preventing neurite outgrowth. Furthermore, we have identified a 116-kD protein, p116(Rip), that interacts with both the GDP- and GTP-bound forms of RhoA in N1E-115 cells. Overexpression of p116(Rip) stimulates cell flattening and neurite outgrowth in a similar way to dominant-negative RhoA and C3 toxin. Cells overexpressing p116(Rip) fail to change their shape in response to LPA, as is observed after Rho inactivation. Our results indicate that (a) RhoGEF may link G protein-coupled receptors to RhoA activation and ensuing neurite retraction and cell rounding; and (b) p116(Rip) inhibits RhoA-stimulated contractility and promotes neurite outgrowth.

• Atwell S, Ultsch M, De Vos AM, Wells JA
• Structural plasticity in a remodeled protein-protein interface.
• Science. 1997; 278: 1125-8
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• Remodeling of the interface between human growth hormone (hGH) and the extracellular domain of its receptor was studied by deleting a critical tryptophan residue (at position 104) in the receptor, creating a large cavity, and selecting a pentamutant of hGH by phage display that fills the cavity and largely restores binding affinity. A 2.1 A resolution x-ray structure of the mutant complex showed that the receptor cavity was filled by selected hydrophobic mutations of hGH. Large structural rearrangements occurred in the interface at sites that were distant from the mutations. Such plasticity may be a means for protein-protein interfaces to adapt to mutations as they coevolve.

• Wang Z, Luecke H, Yao N, Quiocho FA
• A low energy short hydrogen bond in very high resolution structures of protein receptor--phosphate complexes.
• Nat Struct Biol. 1997; 4: 519-22
• Display abstract

• A very short hydrogen bond between an Asp and a phosphate is established in two high resolution structures (0.98 and 1.05 A). A mutant complex that changes the Asp to an Asn, which forms a normal hydrogen bond, has a similar free energy of binding to the wild type complex, suggesting that the contribution of the short hydrogen bond is not extraordinarily strong.

• Humphrey PP
• The characterization and classification of neurotransmitter receptors.
• Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1997; 812: 1-13

• Martincic I, Peralta ME, Ngsee JK
• Isolation and characterization of a dual prenylated Rab and VAMP2 receptor.
• J Biol Chem. 1997; 272: 26991-8
• Display abstract

• Rab GTPases have been implicated in intracellular vesicle trafficking. Using the yeast two-hybrid screen, we have isolated a rat clone that interacts with Rab3A as well as with Rab1. The gene encodes a 20.6-kDa protein with two extensive hydrophobic domains and is broadly expressed in all tissues. This protein binds to prenylated Rab GTPases but not to other small Ras-like GTPases such as the Rho/Rac family. This prenylated Rab acceptor (PRA1) also binds specifically to the synaptic vesicle protein VAMP2 (or synaptobrevin II) but shows no affinity for VAMP1 or cellubrevin in both the yeast two-hybrid system and in vitro binding assays. This specificity resides, in part, in the proline-rich domain of VAMP2 as a chimera containing this domain of VAMP2 fused to VAMP1 is able to bind to PRA1. The transmembrane domain of VAMP2 is also essential as its deletion abolished binding to PRA1. Replacement of the deleted VAMP2 transmembrane domain by a CAAX prenylation signal can not restore binding to PRA1. This interaction is therefore distinct from that required for VAMP2 binding to either syntaxin or both syntaxin and SNAP-25. Deletion analysis on PRA1 indicates that the critical Rab- and VAMP2-interacting residues reside in two regions: the amino-terminal residues 30-54 and the extreme carboxyl-terminal domain. This dual Rab and VAMP2 binding characteristic suggests that PRA1 may serve to link these two protein families in the control of vesicle docking and fusion.

• Kagiwada S, Kearns BG, McGee TP, Fang M, Hosaka K, Bankaitis VA
• The yeast BSD2-1 mutation influences both the requirement for phosphatidylinositol transfer protein function and derepression of phospholipid biosynthetic gene expression in yeast.
• Genetics. 1996; 143: 685-97
• Display abstract

• The BSD2-1 allele renders Saccharomyces cerevisiae independent of its normally essential requirement for phosphatidylinositol transfer protein (Sec14p) in the stimulation of Golgi secretory function and cell viability. We now report that BSD2-1 yeast mutants also exhibit yet another phenotype, an inositol auxotrophy. We demonstrate that the basis for this Ino- phenotype is the inability of BSD2-1 strains to derepress transcription of INO1, the structural gene for the enzyme that catalyzes the committed step in de novo inositol biosynthesis in yeast. This constitutive repression of INO1 expression is mediated through specific inactivation of Ino2p, a factor required for trans-activation of INO1 transcription, and we show that these transcriptional regulatory defects can be uncoupled from the "bypass Sec14p" phenotype of BSD2-1 strains. Finally, we present evidence that newly synthesized phosphatidylinositol is subject to accelerated turnover in BSD2-1 mutants and that prevention of this accelerated phosphatidyl-inositol turnover in turn negates suppression of Sec14p defects by BSD2-1. We propose that, in BSD2-1 strains, a product(s) generated by phosphatidylinositol turnover coordinately modulates the activities of both the Sec14p/Golgi pathway and the pathway through which transcription of phospholipid biosynthetic genes is derepressed.

• Burling FT, Weis WI, Flaherty KM, Brunger AT
• Direct observation of protein solvation and discrete disorder with experimental crystallographic phases.
• Science. 1996; 271: 72-7
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• A complete and accurate set of experimental crystallographic phases to a resolution of 1.8 angstroms was obtained for a 230-residue dimeric fragment of rat mannose-binding protein A with the use of multiwavelength anomalous dispersion (MAD) phasing. An accurate image of the crystal structure could thus be obtained without resort to phases calculated from a model. Partially reduced disulfide bonds, local disorder, and differences in the mobility of chemically equivalent molecules are apparent in the experimental electron density map. A solvation layer is visible that includes well-ordered sites of hydration around polar and charged protein atoms, as well as diffuse, partially disordered solvent shells around exposed hydrophobic groups. Because the experimental phases and the resulting electron density map are free from the influence of a model, they provide a stringent test of theoretical models of macromolecular solvation, motion, and conformational heterogeneity.

• Nakamura K, Mizuno Y, Kikuchi K
• Molecular cloning of a novel cytoplasmic protein tyrosine phosphatase PTP epsilon.
• Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1996; 218: 726-32
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• We have isolated a cDNA of a novel cytoplasmic variant of the protein tyrosine phosphatase epsilon (PTP epsilon) from rat spleen cDNA library. Its deduced amino acid sequence of 642 residues was 94.6% identical to C-terminal 642 residues of human PTP epsilon (HPTP epsilon). However, N-terminal 12 amino acid residues of the rat PTP epsilon had no homology to HPTP epsilon. The unique N-terminal sequence of the rat PTP epsilon was shorter and much more hydrophilic than the transmembrane domain of HPTP epsilon. These results strongly suggest that the rat PTP epsilon, designated here as PTP epsilon C, is a novel cytoplasmic PTP with two tandem catalytic domains. We also isolated by RT-PCR a rat transmembrane PTP epsilon cDNA, designated as PTP epsilon M, which has the extracellular and transmembrane domains in addition to the common sequence to the PTP epsilon C. These results suggested that the PTP epsilon C and PTP epsilon M are generated from a single gene and may be involved in multiple functions in signal transduction.

• Alb JG Jr, Gedvilaite A, Cartee RT, Skinner HB, Bankaitis VA
• Mutant rat phosphatidylinositol/phosphatidylcholine transfer proteins specifically defective in phosphatidylinositol transfer: implications for the regulation of phospholipid transfer activity.
• Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1995; 92: 8826-30
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• The mammalian phosphatidylinositol/phosphatidylcholine transfer proteins (PI-TPs) catalyze exchange of phosphatidylinositol (PI) or phosphatidylcholine (PC) between membrane bilayers in vitro. We find that Ser-25, Thr-59, Pro-78, and Glu-248 make up a set of rat (r) PI-TP residues, substitution of which effected a dramatic reduction in the relative specific activity for PI transfer activity without significant effect on PC transfer activity. Thr-59 was of particular interest as it is a conserved residue in a highly conserved consensus protein kinase C phosphorylation motif in metazoan PI-TPs. Replacement of Thr-59 with Ser, Gln, Val, Ile, Asn, Asp, or Glu effectively abolished PI transfer capability but was essentially silent with respect to PC transfer activity. These findings identify rPI-TP residues that likely cooperate to form a PI head-group binding/recognition site or that lie adjacent to such a site. Finally, the selective sensitivity of the PI transfer activity of rPI-TP to alteration of Thr-59 suggests a mechanism for in vivo regulation of rPI-TP activity.

• Nishina H et al.
• Significance of Thr182 in the nucleotide-exchange and GTP-hydrolysis reactions of the alpha subunit of GTP-binding protein Gi2.
• J Biochem (Tokyo). 1995; 118: 1083-9
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• The crystal structures of the GTP- and GDP-bound alpha subunits of heterotrimeric GTP-binding proteins were recently determined, and a conserved Thr residue in the G2 (linker 2) region of the alpha subunits, which corresponds to Thr182 in Gi2 alpha, was deduced to interact with the gamma-phosphate of GTP and Mg2+. To investigate biochemically the significance of the Thr residue, we produced a mutant Gi2 alpha, in which Thr182 was substituted for Ala (T182A), in Escherichia coli. The rate of guanosine 5'-(gamma-thio)tri-phosphate (GTP gamma S) binding to T182A was higher than that to the wild-type Gi2 alpha, especially with a high concentration (10 mM) of Mg2+. The rate of dissociation of bound GDP from T182A was also much faster than that from the wild-type with the high Mg2+ concentration. Moreover, T182A had much lower GTPase activity than the wild-type, like the gip mutant (R179C) of Gi2 alpha found in human endocrine tumors. The ability of T182A to interact with beta gamma subunits and membrane-bound receptors was the same as that of the wild-type alpha subunit. T182A could take on a GTP-bound active conformation, as judged from its sensitivity to tryptic digestion. These results indicated that Thr182 plays an important role not only in the Mg(2+)-sensitive GDP-GTP exchange reaction but also in the GTPase activity of Gi2 alpha. The T182A mutant of Gi2 alpha, characterized by the faster GDP release and the slower GTP hydrolysis, would be a novel mutant that retains the ability to interact with receptors and beta gamma subunits.

• Maekawa K, Imagawa N, Nagamatsu M, Harada S
• Molecular cloning of a novel protein-tyrosine phosphatase containing a membrane-binding domain and GLGF repeats.
• FEBS Lett. 1994; 337: 200-6
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• A full-length cDNA encoding a novel cytosolic protein-tyrosine phosphatase (PTP), PTP-BAS, was cloned from human basophils. Due to in-frame deletions in the coding region, PTP-BAS exists in three isoforms: 7,455 bp (2,485 aa) for type 1, 7,398 bp (2,466 aa) for type 2 and 6,882 bp (2,294 aa) for type 3. All three isoforms contain a single PTP catalytic domain at the carboxyl termini as well as two distinct structural sequences. Amino terminal sequences of 300 amino acids are homologous to membrane-binding domains of cytoskeleton-associated proteins. Three 90 amino acid internal repetitive sequences are homologous to the GLGF repeats found in guanylate kinase proteins. PTP-BAS was expressed in various human tissues, especially highly in the kidney and lung. Interestingly, the BAS mRNA level in the fetal brain was remarkably high.

• Miki T, Smith CL, Long JE, Eva A, Fleming TP
• Oncogene ect2 is related to regulators of small GTP-binding proteins.
• Nature. 1993; 362: 462-5
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• We have developed an efficient expression cloning system that allows rapid isolation of complementary DNAs able to induce the transformed phenotype. We searched for molecules expressed in epithelial cells and possessing transforming potential to fibroblasts, and cloned a cDNA for the normal receptor of a growth factor secreted by NIH/3T3 cells. Here we report a second novel transforming gene, ect2. The isolated cDNA is activated by amino-terminal truncation of the normal product. The Ect2 protein has sequence similarity within a central core of 255 amino acids with the products of the breakpoint cluster gene, bcr (ref. 5), the yeast cell cycle gene, CDC24 (ref. 6), and the dbl oncogene. Each of these genes encodes regulatory molecules or effectors for Rho-like small GTP-binding proteins. The baculovirus-expressed Ect2 protein could bind highly specifically to Rho and Rac proteins, whereas the dbl product showed broader binding specificity to Rho family proteins. Thus ect2 is a new member of an expanding family, whose products have transforming properties and interact with Rho-like proteins of the Ras superfamily.

• Bastien L, Ramachandran C, Liu S, Adam M
• Cloning, expression and mutational analysis of SH-PTP2, human protein-tyrosine phosphatase.
• Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1993; 196: 124-33
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• A human cDNA clone encoding a nonreceptor protein-tyrosine-phosphatase (PTP) has been isolated and sequenced. The 2.1 kilobase pair cDNA encodes for a 593 amino acid protein that contains a single tyrosine phosphatase catalytic domain at the C-terminus. At the N-terminus the protein has two adjacent copies of Src homology region (SH2 domain) which show 61% and 73% identity at the amino acid level to the SH2 domains of the human PTP1C and Drosophila corkscrew protein, respectively. The overall homology between SH-PTP2 and PTP1C or to corkscrew protein is 58%. When this protein (or its catalytic domain) was expressed in E. coli as a glutathione-S-transferase fusion protein tyrosine-phosphatase activity was detected in bacterial cell extracts. Site-directed mutation made at the conserved cysteine (459) residue to serine within the highly conserved VHCXAGXXR sequence in the PTP catalytic domain resulted in complete loss of enzymatic activity demonstrating the importance of this cysteine residue in catalysis. Northern blot analysis showed that SH-PTP2 is expressed as a 6.5 kilobase mRNA in a number of fetal and adult human tissues and cell lines. The highest levels of its mRNA were detected in fetal brain and in adult heart tissue. The identification of SH-PTP2 along with PTP1C and corkscrew protein suggest that there exist a family of nonreceptor PTP containing SH2-domain which will participate in specific signal transduction pathways involving tyrosine phosphorylation-dephosphorylation.

• Skinner HB, Alb JG Jr, Whitters EA, Helmkamp GM Jr, Bankaitis VA
• Phospholipid transfer activity is relevant to but not sufficient for the essential function of the yeast SEC14 gene product.
• EMBO J. 1993; 12: 4775-84
• Display abstract

• To investigate several key aspects of phosphatidylinositol transfer protein (PI-TP) function in eukaryotic cells, rat PI-TP was expressed in yeast strains carrying lesions in SEC14, the structural gene for yeast PI-TP (SEC14p), whose activity is essential for Golgi secretory function in vivo. Rat PI-TP expression effected a specific complementation of sec14ts growth and secretory defects. Complementation of sec14 mutations was not absolute as rat PI-TP expression failed to rescue sec14 null mutations. This partial complementation of sec14 lesions by rat PI-TP correlated with inability of the mammalian protein to stably associate with yeast Golgi membranes and was not a result of rat PI-TP stabilizing the endogenous sec14ts gene product. These collective data demonstrate that while the in vitro PI-TP activity of SEC14p clearly reflects some functional in vivo property of SEC14p, the PI-TP activity is not the sole essential activity of SEC14p. Those data further identify an efficient Golgi targeting capability as a likely essential feature of SEC14p function in vivo. Finally, the data suggest that stable association of SEC14p with yeast Golgi membranes is not a simple function of its lipid-binding properties, indicate that the amino-terminal 129 SEC14p residues are sufficient to direct a catalytically inactive form of rat PI-TP to the Golgi and provide the first evidence to indicate that a mammalian PI-TP can stimulate Golgi secretory function in vivo.

• Rowley RB et al.
• Isolation of chicken phosphotyrosyl phosphatase cDNA sequences and identification of a brain-specific species related to human PTP zeta.
• Cell Mol Biol Res. 1993; 39: 209-19
• Display abstract

• The first example of a chicken cDNA sequence encoding a phosphotyrosyl phosphatase (PTPase) has been identified and found to contain coding sequences for the entire cytoplasmic and membrane spanning domains as well as a portion of the extracellular region of a transmembrane PTPase resembling human PTP zeta. Like HPTP zeta, chicken PTP zeta contained two phosphatase domains (D1 and D2), and D2 lacked a critical cysteine residue required for catalytic activity. The entire intracellular portion of CPTP zeta was expressed in bacteria and shown to be capable of dephosphorylating both p-nitrophenylphosphate and reduced carboxyamidomethylated and maleyated lysozyme but not phosphoseryl casein. Genetic analysis indicated that the presence of D2 was required for full activity. CPTP zeta mRNA was identified as a single large transcript expressed exclusively in the brain of chick embryos at both early and late stages of embryogenesis. These results suggested that CPTP zeta may perform a brain-specific function and have a role in development.

• Hiraga A, Munakata H, Hata K, Suzuki Y, Tsuiki S
• Purification and characterization of a rat liver protein-tyrosine phosphatase with sequence similarity to src-homology region 2.
• Eur J Biochem. 1992; 209: 195-206
• Display abstract

• Utilizing three proteins plus tyrosine-glutamate copolymer as substrates, all of which are subjected to (near) stoichiometrical phosphorylation exclusively on tyrosine residues, we partially purified four different protein-tyrosine phosphatases (PTPases) from rat liver cytosol which differed in substrate preference. Of the four PTPases, tentatively termed L1, L2, L3, and L4, PTPase L1 was purified to apparent homogeneity by a procedure involving chromatography on DEAE-cellulose at pH 7.0, Blue Sepharose, DEAE-cellulose at pH 7.6, hydroxyapatite, Phenyl Sepharose, Mono Q, and TSKgel Heparin. PTPase L1 was purified about 7000-fold from the extract and 0.27 mg was isolated from 1000 g liver corresponding to a yield of 13% from the Blue Sepharose step where it had become freed from any other PTPases detectable by our assay procedure. The purified PTPase L1 showed a major protein band of 67 kDa on SDS/PAGE. Catalytically, PTPase L1 had a specific activity of about 6500 nmol Pi released min-1mg-1 toward tyrosine-glutamate copolymer phosphorylated on tyrosine residues. PTPase L1 exhibited very low sensitivities to PTPase inhibitors such as zinc acetate, sodium vanadate, and acidic compounds as compared with those of most of the PTPases purified thus far. Amino acid sequence analysis of the purified PTPase L1 revealed a partial peptide sequence showing similarity to the catalytic domain core sequences conserved in the PTPase family. PTPase L1 was most similar to a PTPase termed PTP1C encoded by a human breast carcinoma cDNA but the identity was 55% over 117 residues spanning nearly half of the catalytic domain of PTP1C. The analysis also revealed another partial peptide sequence (113 residues) 70% identical with the sequence corresponding to 68% of two adjacent copies of the src homology region 2(SH-2 domain) identified in PTP1C. Besides those peptide sequences, PTPase L1 had regional sequences which were 70-90% identical with the residues lying between the two SH-2 domains or between the more C-terminal SH-2 domain and the catalytic domain of the carcinoma PTPase.

• Gnamusch E, Kalaus C, Hrastnik C, Paltauf F, Daum G
• Transport of phospholipids between subcellular membranes of wild-type yeast cells and of the phosphatidylinositol transfer protein-deficient strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae sec 14.
• Biochim Biophys Acta. 1992; 1111: 120-6
• Display abstract

• The transfer of glycerophospholipids between microsomes and mitochondria, and from internal membranes to the plasma membrane of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was characterized. Cellular energy production was found to be essential for intracellular translocation of phospholipids, but neither a membrane potential nor an intact cytoskeleton are required for this process. Using the temperature-sensitive mutant strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae sec 14, which is defective in the phosphatidylinositol transfer protein, it could be demonstrated that this protein is not involved in the transport of phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylcholine from internal membranes to the plasma membrane. Our results also confirm earlier findings that phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylcholine can be delivered to the plasma membrane in a process independent of the flux of vesicles competent for protein secretion.

• Arimura Y et al.
• cDNA cloning of new protein tyrosine phosphatases in the human colon.
• Tumour Biol. 1992; 13: 180-6
• Display abstract

• Oligonucleotide probes corresponding to three invariant amino acid sequence motifs within the protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTPase) catalytic domain were synthesized and employed in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR products amplified from human colonic tissues were analyzed. Among 41 cDNA clones sequenced, two putative novel PTPases designated as CL-6 and CL-2B were isolated. cDNA cloning of CL-6 was performed, and three overlapped cDNA clones encoding part of the coding region, which was 2.1 kb long, were obtained. Expression of mRNAs of these clones was then investigated by Northern blot analysis or reverse transcriptase-PCR, suggesting that CL-6 mRNA may be expressed in a cell-type-specific manner, whereas the expression of CL-2B mRNA could be ubiquitous.

• Wirtz KW
• Phospholipid transfer proteins: from lipid monolayers to cells.
• Klin Wochenschr. 1991; 69: 105-11
• Display abstract

• Eukaryotic cells contain phospholipid transfer proteins that act as carriers of phospholipids between membranes. In mammalian tissues three transfer proteins with different specificities have been identified: the phosphatidylcholine transfer protein (PC-TP), the phosphatidylinositol transfer protein (PI-TP) and the non-specific lipid transfer protein (nsL-TP) that transfers all common diacyl-phospholipids and cholesterol. Properties of these transfer proteins have been discussed with a special emphasis on the lipid binding site of bovine liver PC-TP. Application of photoactivatable and fluorescent analogues of PC have indicated that PC-TP contains specific and independent hydrophobic binding sites for the sn-1- and sn-2-fatty acyl chains. Because these sites have different properties, PC-TP can discriminate between positional isomers of PC and displays a distinct preference for those molecular species that carry a polyunsaturated fatty acid chain at the sn-2-position. Recent studies on bovine brain PI-TP have strongly suggested that this protein may be well-suited to maintain the levels of PI in natural membranes. Besides this proposed role, evidence has become available from studies on Swiss mouse 3T3 fibroblasts that, apart from its occurrence in cytosol, PI-TP is present in nuclei.

• Wirtz KW, Gadella TW Jr
• Properties and modes of action of specific and non-specific phospholipid transfer proteins.
• Experientia. 1990; 46: 592-9
• Display abstract

• We have described the mode of action of the phosphatidylcholine transfer protein (PC-TP), the phosphatidylinositol transfer protein (PI-TP) and the non-specific lipid transfer protein (nsL-TP) isolated from bovine and rat tissues. PC-TP and PI-TP specifically bind one phospholipid molecule to be carried between membranes. PC-TP, and most likely PI-TP as well, have independent binding sites for the sn-1- and sn-2-fatty acyl chains. These sites have different properties, which may explain the ability of PC-TP and PI-TP to discriminate between positional phospholipid isomers. nsL-TP, which is identical to sterol carrier protein 2, transfers all common phospholipids, cholesterol and oxysterol derivatives between membranes. This protein is very efficient in mediating a net mass transfer of lipids to lipid-deficient membranes. Models for its mode of action, which is clearly different from that of PC-TP and PI-TP, are presented.

• Salama SR, Cleves AE, Malehorn DE, Whitters EA, Bankaitis VA
• Cloning and characterization of Kluyveromyces lactis SEC14, a gene whose product stimulates Golgi secretory function in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
• J Bacteriol. 1990; 172: 4510-21
• Display abstract

• The Saccharomyces cerevisiae SEC14 gene encodes a cytosolic factor that is required for secretory protein movement from the Golgi complex. That some conservation of SEC14p function may exist was initially suggested by experiments that revealed immunoreactive polypeptides in cell extracts of the divergent yeasts Kluyveromyces lactis and Schizosaccharomyces pombe. We have cloned and characterized the K. lactis SEC14 gene (SEC14KL). Immunoprecipitation experiments indicated that SEC14KL encoded the K. lactis structural homolog of SEC14p. In agreement with those results, nucleotide sequence analysis of SEC14KL revealed a gene product of 301 residues (Mr, 34,615) and 77% identity to SEC14p. Moreover, a single ectopic copy of SEC14KL was sufficient to render S. cerevisiae sec14-1(Ts) mutants, or otherwise inviable sec14-129::HIS3 mutant strains, completely proficient for secretory pathway function by the criteria of growth, invertase secretion, and kinetics of vacuolar protein localization. This efficient complementation of sec14-129::HIS3 was observed to occur when the rates of SEC14pKL and SEC14p synthesis were reduced by a factor of 7 to 10 with respect to the wild-type rate of SEC14p synthesis. Taken together, these data provide evidence that the high level of structural conservation between SEC14p and SEC14pKL reflects a functional identity between these polypeptides as well. On the basis of the SEC14p and SEC14pKL primary sequence homology to the human retinaldehyde-binding protein, we suggest that the general function of these SEC14p species may be to regulate the delivery of a hydrophobic ligand to Golgi membranes so that biosynthetic secretory traffic can be supported.

• Aitken JF, van Heusden GP, Temkin M, Dowhan W
• The gene encoding the phosphatidylinositol transfer protein is essential for cell growth.
• J Biol Chem. 1990; 265: 4711-7
• Display abstract

• Phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins (PI-TPs) catalyze the transfer of phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylcholine between membranes in vitro. However, the in vivo function of these proteins is unknown. In this paper, we use a combined biochemical and genetic approach to determine the importance of PI-TP in vivo. An oligonucleotide based on the amino-terminal sequence of the PI-TP from Saccharomyces cerevisiae was used to screen a yeast genomic library for the gene encoding PI-TP (PIT1 gene). Positive clones showed overproduction of transfer activities and transfer protein in the 100,000 x g supernatants. The 5' terminus of the PIT1 gene correlates with the predicted codons for residues 3-30 of the determined protein sequence. A putative intron is located between the codons for residues 2 and 3 of the protein sequence. The codons for the first two amino acids of the protein and the presumptive initiation methionine precede the intron. Tetrad analysis of a heterozygous diploid (PIT1/pit1::LEU2) revealed that the PIT1 gene is essential for cell growth. Nonviable spores could be rescued by transformation of the above diploid prior to sporulation, with a plasmid-borne copy of the wild type gene.

• Wilson DW et al.
• A fusion protein required for vesicle-mediated transport in both mammalian cells and yeast.
• Nature. 1989; 339: 355-9
• Display abstract

• A protein sensitive to N-ethylmaleimide catalyses the fusion of transport vesicles with Golgi cisternae in a mammalian cell-free system. By cloning and sequencing its gene from Chinese hamster ovary cells and by use of in vitro assays, we show that this fusion protein is equivalent to the SEC18 gene product of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, known to be essential for vesicle-mediated transport from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi apparatus. The mechanism of vesicular fusion is thus highly conserved, both between species and at different stages of transport.

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