scholarly journals Ephrin-A5 Induces Collapse of Growth Cones by Activating Rho and Rho Kinase

2000 ◽  
Vol 149 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siegfried Wahl ◽  
Holger Barth ◽  
Thomas Ciossek ◽  
Klaus Aktories ◽  
Bernhard K. Mueller

The ephrins, ligands of Eph receptor tyrosine kinases, have been shown to act as repulsive guidance molecules and to induce collapse of neuronal growth cones. For the first time, we show that the ephrin-A5 collapse is mediated by activation of the small GTPase Rho and its downstream effector Rho kinase. In ephrin-A5–treated retinal ganglion cell cultures, Rho was activated and Rac was downregulated. Pretreatment of ganglion cell axons with C3-transferase, a specific inhibitor of the Rho GTPase, or with Y-27632, a specific inhibitor of the Rho kinase, strongly reduced the collapse rate of retinal growth cones. These results suggest that activation of Rho and its downstream effector Rho kinase are important elements of the ephrin-A5 signal transduction pathway.

2005 ◽  
Vol 386 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhou-shen ZHAO ◽  
Ed MANSER

The Rho GTPases are a family of molecular switches that are critical regulators of signal transduction pathways in eukaryotic cells. They are known principally for their role in regulating the cytoskeleton, and do so by recruiting a variety of downstream effector proteins. Kinases form an important class of Rho effector, and part of the biological complexity brought about by switching on a single GTPase results from downstream phosphorylation cascades. Here we focus on our current understanding of the way in which different Rho-associated serine/threonine kinases, denoted PAK (p21-activated kinase), MLK (mixed-lineage kinase), ROK (Rho-kinase), MRCK (myotonin-related Cdc42-binding kinase), CRIK (citron kinase) and PKN (protein kinase novel), interact with and are regulated by their partner GTPases. All of these kinases have in common an ability to dimerize, and in most cases interact with a variety of other proteins that are important for their function. A diversity of known structures underpin the Rho GTPase–kinase interaction, but only in the case of PAK do we have a good molecular understanding of kinase regulation. The ability of Rho GTPases to co-ordinate spatial and temporal phosphorylation events explains in part their prominent role in eukaryotic cell biology.


Cell ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 359-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uwe Drescher ◽  
Claus Kremoser ◽  
Claudia Handwerker ◽  
Jürgen Löschinger ◽  
Masaharu Noda ◽  
...  

2001 ◽  
Vol 281 (2) ◽  
pp. C571-C578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sotaro Sakurada ◽  
Hiroyuki Okamoto ◽  
Noriko Takuwa ◽  
Naotoshi Sugimoto ◽  
Yoh Takuwa

Small GTPase Rho and its downstream effector, Rho kinase, have been implicated in agonist-stimulated Ca2+ sensitization of 20-kDa myosin light chain (MLC20) phosphorylation and contraction in smooth muscle. In the present study we demonstrated for the first time that excitatory receptor agonists induce increases in amounts of an active GTP-bound form of RhoA, GTP-RhoA, in rabbit aortic smooth muscle. Using a pull-down assay with a recombinant RhoA-binding protein, Rhotekin, we found that a thromboxane A2 mimetic, U-46619, which induced a sustained contractile response, induced a sustained rise in the amount of GTP-RhoA in a dose-dependent manner with an EC50 value similar to that for the contractile response. U-46619-induced RhoA activation was thromboxane A2 receptor-mediated and reversible. Other agonists including norepinephrine, serotonin, histamine, and endothelin-1 (ET-1) also stimulated RhoA, albeit to lesser extents than U-46619. In contrast, ANG II and phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate failed to increase GTP-RhoA. The tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein substantially inhibited RhoA activation by these agonists, except for ET-1. Thus excitatory agonists induce Rho activation in an agonist-specific manner, which is thought to contribute to stimulation of MLC20 phosphorylation Ca2+ sensitivity.


2014 ◽  
Vol 115 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaojing Yue ◽  
Xiangsheng Yang ◽  
Xi Lin ◽  
Tingli Yang ◽  
Xin Yi ◽  
...  

Rationale: Rho family guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) 3 (Rnd3, also called RhoE), a member of the small Rho GTPase family, has been suggested to regulate cell actin cytoskeleton dynamics, cell migration, and apoptosis through the Rho kinase-dependent signaling pathway. The biological function of Rnd3 in the heart is unknown. The downregulation of small GTPase Rnd3 transcripts was found in patients with end-stage heart failure. The pathological significance of Rnd3 loss in the transition to heart failure remains unexplored. Objective: To investigate the functional consequence of Rnd3 downregulation and the associated molecular mechanism. Methods and Results: we generated Rnd3 +/- haploinsufficient mice to mimic the downregulation of Rnd3 observed in the failing human heart. Rnd3 +/- mice were viable; however, the mice developed heart failure after pressure overload by transverse aortic constriction (TAC). Remarkable apoptosis, increased caspase-3 activity, and elevated Rho kinase activity were detected in the Rnd3 +/- haploinsufficient animal hearts. Pharmacological inhibition of Rho kinase by Fasudil treatment partially improved Rnd3 +/- mouse cardiac functions and attenuated myocardial apoptosis. To determine if Rho associated coiled-coil kinase 1 (ROCK1) was responsible for Rnd3 deficiency-mediated apoptotic cardiomyopathy, we established a double knockout mouse line, the Rnd3 haploinsufficient mice with ROCK1-null background (Rnd3 +/-/ROCK1-/- ). Again, genetic deletion of ROCK1 partially but not completely rescued Rnd3 deficiency-mediated heart failure phenotype. Conclusion: Downregulation of Rnd3 correlates with cardiac loss of function as in heart failure patients. Hyperactivation of Rho kinase activity is responsible in part for the apoptotic cardiomyopathy development. Further investigation of ROCK1-independent mechanisms in Rnd3-mediated cardiac remodeling should be the focus for future study.


2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (20) ◽  
pp. 7291-7304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bénédicte Fournès ◽  
Jennifer Farrah ◽  
Melanie Olson ◽  
Nathalie Lamarche-Vane ◽  
Nicole Beauchemin

ABSTRACT CEACAM1 is an intercellular adhesion glycoprotein. As CEACAM1 plays an important role in epithelial cell signaling and functions, we have examined its localization in epithelial cells. We have observed that distribution at cell contacts is not always seen in these cells, suggesting that CEACAM1 localization might be regulated. In Swiss 3T3 cells, the targeting of CEACAM1 at cell-cell boundaries is regulated by the Rho GTPases. In the present study, we have used the MDCK epithelial cells to characterize the effects of the Rho GTPases and their effectors on CEACAM1 intercellular targeting. Activated Cdc42 and Rac1 or their downstream effector PAK1 targeted CEACAM1 to sites of cell-cell contacts. On the other hand, neither activated RhoA nor activated Rho kinase directed CEACAM1 to cell boundaries, resulting in a condensed distribution of CEACAM1 at the cell surface. Interestingly, inhibition of this pathway resulted in CEACAM1 intercellular localization suggesting that a tightly regulated balance of Rho GTPase activities is necessary to target CEACAM1 at cell-cell boundaries. In addition, using CEACAM1 mutants and chimeric fusion constructs containing domains of the colony-stimulating factor receptor, we have shown that the transmembrane domain of CEACAM1 is responsible for the Cdc42-induced targeting at cell-cell contacts.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 1332
Author(s):  
Daniel Pensold ◽  
Julia Gehrmann ◽  
Georg Pitschelatow ◽  
Asa Walberg ◽  
Kai Braunsteffer ◽  
...  

The Eph receptor tyrosine kinases and their respective ephrin-ligands are an important family of membrane receptors, being involved in developmental processes such as proliferation, migration, and in the formation of brain cancer such as glioma. Intracellular signaling pathways, which are activated by Eph receptor signaling, are well characterized. In contrast, it is unknown so far whether ephrins modulate the expression of lncRNAs, which would enable the transduction of environmental stimuli into our genome through a great gene regulatory spectrum. Applying a combination of functional in vitro assays, RNA sequencing, and qPCR analysis, we found that the proliferation and migration promoting stimulation of mouse cerebellar granule cells (CB) with ephrinA5 diminishes the expression of the cancer-related lncRNA Snhg15. In a human medulloblastoma cell line (DAOY) ephrinA5 stimulation similarly reduced SNHG15 expression. Computational analysis identified triple-helix-mediated DNA-binding sites of Snhg15 in promoters of genes found up-regulated upon ephrinA5 stimulation and known to be involved in tumorigenic processes. Our findings propose a crucial role of Snhg15 downstream of ephrinA5-induced signaling in regulating gene transcription in the nucleus. These findings could be potentially relevant for the regulation of tumorigenic processes in the context of glioma.


2000 ◽  
Vol 279 (3) ◽  
pp. H1228-H1238 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Carmen Martínez ◽  
Voahanginirina Randriamboavonjy ◽  
Patrick Ohlmann ◽  
Narcisse Komas ◽  
Juan Duarte ◽  
...  

The mechanisms of Ca2+ handling and sensitization were investigated in human small omental arteries exposed to norepinephrine (NE) and to the thromboxane A2 analog U-46619. Contractions elicited by NE and U-46619 were associated with an increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i), an increase in Ca2+-independent signaling pathways, or an enhancement of the sensitivity of the myofilaments to Ca2+. The two latter pathways were abolished by protein kinase C (PKC), tyrosine kinase (TK), and Rho-associated protein kinase (ROK) inhibitors. In Ca2+-free medium, both NE and U-46619 elicited an increase in tension that was greatly reduced by PKC inhibitors and abolished by caffeine or ryanodine. After depletion of Ca2+ stores with NE and U-46619 in Ca2+-free medium, addition of CaCl2 in the continuous presence of the agonists produced increases in [Ca2+]i and contractions that were inhibited by nitrendipine and TK inhibitors but not affected by PKC inhibitors. NE and U-46619 induced tyrosine phosphorylation of a 42- or a 58-kDa protein, respectively. These results indicate that the mechanisms leading to contraction elicited by NE and U-46619 in human small omental arteries are composed of Ca2+ release from ryanodine-sensitive stores, Ca2+ influx through nitrendipine-sensitive channels, and Ca2+ sensitization and/or Ca2+-independent pathways. They also show that the TK pathway is involved in the tonic contraction associated with Ca2+ entry, whereas TK, PKC, and ROK mechanisms regulate Ca2+-independent signaling pathways or Ca2+sensitization.


FEBS Letters ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 584 (13) ◽  
pp. 2801-2806 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atsushi Suzuki ◽  
Chihiro Arikawa ◽  
Yuji Kuwahara ◽  
Kouichi Itoh ◽  
Masatomo Watanabe ◽  
...  

2004 ◽  
Vol 379 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eivind F. FINNE ◽  
Else MUNTHE ◽  
Hans-Christian AASHEIM

Ephrins are ligands for the Eph receptor tyrosine kinases, which play important roles in patterning nervous and vascular systems. Ephrin-A1 is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored ligand that binds to the EphA receptor tyrosine kinases. In the present study, we have identified a new ephrin-A1 isoform, denoted ephrin-A1b (ephrin-A1 isoform b). Compared with the originally described ephrin-A1 sequence, ephrin-A1a [Holzman, Marks and Dixit (1990) Mol. Cell. Biol. 10, 5830–5838], ephrin-A1b lacks a segment of 22 amino acids (residues 131–152). At the transcript level, exon 3 is spliced out in the transcript encoding ephrin-A1b. Transfection of HEK-293T cells (human embryonic kidney 293 cells) with an ephrin-A1b-expressing plasmid resulted in a significant expression of the protein on the cell surface. However, soluble EphA2 receptor (EphA2-Fc) bound weakly to ephrin-A1b-expressing transfectants, but bound strongly to ephrin-A1a-expressing transfectants. Ephrins have been shown to undergo regulated cleavage after interaction with their receptors. This process is inhibited by co-expression of ephrin-A1a and ephrin-A1b, indicating that ephrin-A1b influences the cleavage process. Taken together, these findings indicate that this newly described isoform may regulate the function of its ephrin-A1a counterpart.


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