scholarly journals Identification and characterization of FUS/TLS as a new target of ATM

2008 ◽  
Vol 415 (2) ◽  
pp. 297-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Gardiner ◽  
Rachel Toth ◽  
Franck Vandermoere ◽  
Nicholas A. Morrice ◽  
John Rouse

ATM (ataxia-telangiectasia mutated), ATR (ATM- and Rad3-related) and DNA-PK (DNA-dependent protein kinase), important regulators of genome stability, belong to the PIKK (phosphoinositide 3-kinase-like kinase) family of protein kinases. In the present study, DNA-affinity chromatography was used to identify DNA-binding proteins phosphorylated by these kinases. This resulted in the identification of FUS (fused in sarcoma)/TLS (translocated in liposarcoma) as an in vitro target of the PIKKs. FUS is a member of the Ewing's sarcoma family of proteins that appears to play a role in regulating genome stability, since mice lacking FUS show chromosomal instability and defects in meiosis. The residues in FUS that are phosphorylated in vitro and in vivo were identified, and phospho-specific antibodies were generated to demonstrate that FUS becomes phosphorylated at Ser42in vivo, primarily in response to agents that cause DSBs (double-strand breaks). DSB-induced FUS phosphorylation in vivo at Ser42 requires ATM and not DNA-PK. Although Ser42 is retained in the oncogenic FUS–CHOP [C/EBP (CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein)-homologous protein 10] fusion generated by a t(12;16)(q13;p11) chromosomal translocation, Ser42 in FUS–CHOP is not phosphorylated after DNA damage. These results identify FUS as a new target of the ATM-signalling pathway and strengthen the notion that FUS regulates genome stability.

2001 ◽  
Vol 355 (3) ◽  
pp. 597-607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvonne L. WOODS ◽  
Graham RENA ◽  
Nick MORRICE ◽  
Andreas BARTHEL ◽  
Walter BECKER ◽  
...  

Forkhead in rhabdomyosarcoma (FKHR) is a transcription factor that has been implicated in the control of gene expression by insulin, as well as the regulation of apoptosis by survival factors. These signals trigger the protein kinase B (PKB)-catalysed phosphorylation of FKHR at three residues (Thr24, Ser256 and Ser319) by a phosphoinositide 3-kinase-dependent pathway that results in the nuclear exit and inactivation of this transcription factor. Here, we have identified a conserved residue (Ser329) as a novel in vivo phosphorylation site on FKHR. Ser329 phosphorylation also decreases the ability of FKHR to stimulate gene transactivation and reduces the proportion of FKHR present in the nucleus. However, unlike the residues targetted by PKB, Ser329 is phosphorylated in unstimulated HEK-293cells, and phosphorylation is not increased by stimulation with insulin-like growth factor-1 or by transfection with 3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1. We have also purified a protein kinase to near homogeneity from rabbit skeletal muscle that phosphorylates FKHR at Ser329 specifically and identified it as DYRK1A (dual-specificity tyrosine-phosphorylated and regulated kinase 1A). We find that FKHR and DYRK1A co-localize in discrete regions of the nucleus and can be co-immunoprecipitated from cell extracts. These experiments suggest that DYRK1A may phosphorylate FKHR at Ser329in vivo.


2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (14) ◽  
pp. 5904-5919 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sathees C. Raghavan ◽  
Patrick C. Swanson ◽  
Yunmei Ma ◽  
Michael R. Lieber

ABSTRACT The most common chromosomal translocation in cancer, t(14;18) at the 150-bp bcl-2 major breakpoint region (Mbr), occurs in follicular lymphomas. The bcl-2 Mbr assumes a non-B DNA conformation, thus explaining its distinctive fragility. This non-B DNA structure is a target of the RAG complex in vivo, but not because of its primary sequence. Here we report that the RAG complex generates at least two independent nicks that lead to double-strand breaks in vitro, and this requires the non-B DNA structure at the bcl-2 Mbr. A 3-bp mutation is capable of abolishing the non-B structure formation and the double-strand breaks. The observations on the bcl-2 Mbr reflect more general properties of the RAG complex, which can bind and nick at duplex-single-strand transitions of other non-B DNA structures, resulting in double-strand breaks in vitro. Hence, the present study reveals novel insight into a third mechanism of action of RAGs on DNA, besides the standard heptamer/nonamer-mediated cleavage in V(D)J recombination and the in vitro transposase activity.


2002 ◽  
Vol 367 (1) ◽  
pp. 203-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne W. HARMON ◽  
Yashomati M. PATEL ◽  
Joyce B. HARP

The tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein inhibits 3T3-L1 adipogenesis when present during the first 72h of differentiation. In this report, we investigated the underlying mechanisms involved in the anti-adipogenic effects of genistein. We found that genistein blocked the DNA binding and transcriptional activity of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein β (C/EBPβ) during differentiation by promoting the expression of C/EBP homologous protein, a dominant-negative member of the C/EBP family. Loss of C/EBPβ activity was manifested as a loss of differentiation-induced C/EBPα and peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor γ protein expression and a dramatic reduction in lipid accumulation. Further, we documented for the first time that C/EBPβ was tyrosine-phosphorylated in vivo during differentiation and in vitro by activated epidermal growth factor receptor. Genistein inhibited both of these events. Collectively, these results indicate that genistein blocks adipogenesis and C/EBPβ activity by increasing the level of C/EBP homologous protein and possibly by inhibiting the tyrosine phosphorylation of C/EBPβ.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
You-hong Wang ◽  
Zhen Guo ◽  
Liang An ◽  
Yong Zhou ◽  
Heng Xu ◽  
...  

AbstractRadioresistance continues to be the leading cause of recurrence and metastasis in nasopharyngeal cancer. Long noncoding RNAs are emerging as regulators of DNA damage and radioresistance. LINC-PINT was originally identified as a tumor suppressor in various cancers. In this study, LINC-PINT was significantly downregulated in nasopharyngeal cancer tissues than in rhinitis tissues, and low LINC-PINT expressions showed poorer prognosis in patients who received radiotherapy. We further identified a functional role of LINC-PINT in inhibiting the malignant phenotypes and sensitizing cancer cells to irradiation in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, LINC-PINT was responsive to DNA damage, inhibiting DNA damage repair through ATM/ATR-Chk1/Chk2 signaling pathways. Moreover, LINC-PINT increased radiosensitivity by interacting with DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) and negatively regulated the expression and recruitment of DNA-PKcs. Therefore, these findings collectively support the possibility that LINC-PINT serves as an attractive target to overcome radioresistance in NPC.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hai-Jun Gao ◽  
Xu-Dong Sun ◽  
Yan-Ping Luo ◽  
Hua-Sheng Pang ◽  
Xing-Ming Ma ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Echinococcosis, which is caused by the larvae of cestodes of the genus Echinococcus, is a parasitic zoonosis that poses a serious threat to the health of humans and animals globally. Albendazole is the drug of choice for the treatment of echinococcosis, but it is difficult to meet clinical goals with this chemotherapy due to its low cure rate and associated side effects after its long-term use. Hence, novel anti-parasitic targets and effective treatment alternatives are urgently needed. A previous study showed that verapamil (Vepm) can suppress the growth of Echinococcus granulosus larvae; however, the mechanism of this effect remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to gain insight into the anti-echinococcal effect of Vepm on Echinococcus with a particular focus on the regulatory effect of Vepm on calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (Ca2+/CaM-CaMKII) in infected mice. Methods The anti-echinococcal effects of Vepm on Echinococcus granulosus protoscoleces (PSC) in vitro and Echinococcus multilocularis metacestodes in infected mice were assessed. The morphological alterations in Echinococcus spp. induced by Vepm were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the changes in calcium content in both the parasite and mouse serum and liver were measured by SEM-energy dispersive spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and alizarin red staining. Additionally, the changes in the protein and mRNA levels of CaM and CaMKII in infected mice, and in the mRNA levels of CaMKII in E. granulosus PSC, were evaluated after treatment with Vepm by immunohistochemistry and/or real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results In vitro, E. granulosus PSC could be killed by Vepm at a concentration of 0.5 μg/ml or higher within 8 days. Under these conditions, the ultrastructure of PSC was damaged, and this damage was accompanied by obvious calcium loss and downregulation of CaMKII mRNA expression. In vivo, the weight and the calcium content of E. multilocularis metacestodes from mice were reduced after treatment with 40 mg/kg Vepm, and an elevation of the calcium content in the sera and livers of infected mice was observed. In addition, downregulation of CaM and CaMKII protein and mRNA expression in the livers of mice infected with E. multilocularis metacestodes was found after treatment with Vepm. Conclusions Vepm exerted a parasiticidal effect against Echinococcus both in vitro and in vivo through downregulating the expression of Ca2+/CaM-CaMKII, which was over-activated by parasitic infection. The results suggest that Ca2+/CaM-CaMKII may be a novel drug target, and that Vepm is a potential anti-echinococcal drug for the future control of echinococcosis.


2009 ◽  
Vol 191 (6) ◽  
pp. 1749-1755 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey G. Gardner ◽  
Jorge C. Escalante-Semerena

ABSTRACT This report provides in vivo evidence for the posttranslational control of the acetyl coenzyme A (Ac-CoA) synthetase (AcsA) enzyme of Bacillus subtilis by the acuA and acuC gene products. In addition, both in vivo and in vitro data presented support the conclusion that the yhdZ gene of B. subtilis encodes a NAD+-dependent protein deacetylase homologous to the yeast Sir2 protein (also known as sirtuin). On the basis of this new information, a change in gene nomenclature, from yhdZ to srtN (for sirtuin), is proposed to reflect the activity associated with the YdhZ protein. In vivo control of B. subtilis AcsA function required the combined activities of AcuC and SrtN. Inactivation of acuC or srtN resulted in slower growth and cell yield under low-acetate conditions than those of the wild-type strain, and the acuC srtN strain grew under low-acetate conditions as poorly as the acsA strain. Our interpretation of the latter result was that both deacetylases (AcuC and SrtN) are needed to maintain AcsA as active (i.e., deacetylated) so the cell can grow with low concentrations of acetate. Growth of an acuA acuC srtN strain on acetate was improved over that of the acuA + acuC srtN strain, indicating that the AcuA acetyltransferase enzyme modifies (i.e., inactivates) AcsA in vivo, a result consistent with previously reported in vitro evidence that AcsA is a substrate of AcuA.


1992 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1507-1514
Author(s):  
C L Denis ◽  
S C Fontaine ◽  
D Chase ◽  
B E Kemp ◽  
L T Bemis

Four ADR1c mutations that occur close to Ser-230 of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae transcriptional activator ADR1 and which greatly enhance the ability of ADR1 to activate ADH2 expression under glucose-repressed conditions have been shown to reduce or eliminate cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (cAPK) phosphorylation of Ser-230 in vitro. In addition, unregulated cAPK expression in vivo blocks ADH2 depression in an ADR1-dependent fashion in which ADR1c mutations display decreased sensitivity to unregulated cAPK activity. Taken together, these data have suggested that ADR1c mutations enhance ADR1 activity by blocking cAPK phosphorylation and inactivation of Ser-230. We have isolated and characterized an additional 17 ADR1c mutations, defining 10 different amino acid changes, that were located in the region defined by amino acids 227 through 239 of ADR1. Three observations, however, indicate that the ADR1c phenotype is not simply equivalent to a lack of cAPK phosphorylation. First, only some of these newly isolated ADR1c mutations affected the ability of yeast cAPK to phosphorylate corresponding synthetic peptides modeled on the 222 to 234 region of ADR1 in vitro. Second, we observed that strains lacking cAPK activity did not display enhanced ADH2 expression under glucose growth conditions. Third, when Ser-230 was mutated to a nonphosphorylatable residue, lack of cAPK activity led to a substantial increase in ADH2 expression under glucose-repressed conditions. Thus, while cAPK controls ADH2 expression and ADR1 is required for this control, cAPK acts by a mechanism that is independent of effects on ADR1 Ser-230. It was also observed that deletion of the ADR1c region resulted in an ADR1c phenotype. The ADR1c region is, therefore, involved in maintaining ADR1 in an inactive form. ADR1c mutations may block the binding of a repressor to ADR1 or alter the structure of ADR1 so that transcriptional activation regions become unmasked.


2012 ◽  
Vol 123 (11) ◽  
pp. 635-647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Radko Komers ◽  
Shaunessy Rogers ◽  
Terry T. Oyama ◽  
Bei Xu ◽  
Chao-Ling Yang ◽  
...  

In the present study, we investigated the activity of the thiazide-sensitive NCC (Na+–Cl− co-transporter) in experimental metabolic syndrome and the role of insulin in NCC activation. Renal responses to the NCC inhibitor HCTZ (hydrochlorothiazide), as a measure of NCC activity in vivo, were studied in 12-week-old ZO (Zucker obese) rats, a model of the metabolic syndrome, and in ZL (Zucker lean) control animals, together with renal NCC expression and molecular markers of NCC activity, such as localization and phosphorylation. Effects of insulin were studied further in mammalian cell lines with inducible and endogenous expression of this molecule. ZO rats displayed marked hyperinsulinaemia, but no differences in plasma aldosterone, compared with ZL rats. In ZO rats, natriuretic and diuretic responses to NCC inhibition with HCTZ were enhanced compared with ZL rats, and were associated with a decrease in BP (blood pressure). ZO rats displayed enhanced Thr53 NCC phosphorylation and predominant membrane localization of both total and phosphorylated NCC, together with a different profile in expression of SPAK (Ste20-related proline/alanine-rich kinase) isoforms, and lower expression of WNK4. In vitro, insulin induced NCC phosphorylation, which was blocked by a PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-kinase) inhibitor. Insulin-induced reduction in WNK4 expression was also observed, but delayed compared with the time course of NCC phosphorylation. In summary, we report increased NCC activity in hyperinsulinaemic rodents in conjunction with the SPAK expression profile consistent with NCC activation and reduced WNK4, as well as an ability of insulin to induce NCC stimulatory phosphorylation in vitro. Together, these findings indicate that hyperinsulinaemia is an important driving force of NCC activity in the metabolic syndrome with possible consequences for BP regulation.


2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (21) ◽  
pp. 8059-8068 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chonghui Cheng ◽  
Stewart Shuman

ABSTRACT Topoisomerase IB catalyzes recombinogenic DNA strand transfer reactions in vitro and in vivo. Here we characterize a new pathway of topoisomerase-mediated DNA ligation in vitro (flap ligation) in which vaccinia virus topoisomerase bound to a blunt-end DNA joins the covalently held strand to a 5′ resected end of a duplex DNA containing a 3′ tail. The joining reaction occurs with high efficiency when the sequence of the 3′ tail is complementary to that of the scissile strand immediately 5′ of the cleavage site. A 6-nucleotide segment of complementarity suffices for efficient flap ligation. Invasion of the flap into the duplex apparently occurs while topoisomerase remains bound to DNA, thereby implying a conformational flexibility of the topoisomerase clamp around the DNA target site. The 3′ flap acceptor DNA mimics a processed end in the double-strand-break-repair recombination pathway. Our findings suggest that topoisomerase-induced breaks may be rectified by flap ligation, with ensuing genomic deletions or translocations.


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