Keeping G proteins at bay: a complex between G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 and Gbetagamma

The phosphorylation of heptahelical receptors by heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding protein (G protein)-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs) is a universal regulatory mechanism that leads to desensitization of G protein signaling and to the activation of alternative signaling pathways. We determined the crystallographic structure of bovine GRK2 in complex with G protein beta1gamma2 subunits. Our results show how the three domains of GRK2-the RGS (regulator of G protein signaling) homology, protein kinase, and pleckstrin homology domains-integrate their respective activities and recruit the enzyme to the cell membrane in an orientation that not only facilitates receptor phosphorylation, but also allows for the simultaneous inhibition of signaling by Galpha and Gbetagamma subunits.     

Spinophilin blocks arrestin actions in vitro and in vivo at G protein-coupled receptors

Arrestin regulates almost all G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-mediated signaling and trafficking. We report that the multidomain protein, spinophilin, antagonizes these multiple arrestin functions. Through blocking G protein receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) association with receptor-Gbetagamma complexes, spinophilin reduces arrestin-stabilized receptor phosphorylation, receptor endocytosis, and the acceleration of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activity following endocytosis. Spinophilin knockout mice were more sensitive than wild-type mice to sedation elicited by stimulation of alpha2 adrenergic receptors, whereas arrestin 3 knockout mice were more resistant, indicating that the signal-promoting, rather than the signal-terminating, roles of arrestin are more important for certain response pathways. The reciprocal interactions of GPCRs with spinophilin and arrestin represent a regulatory mechanism for fine-tuning complex receptor-orchestrated cell signaling and responses.     

Snapshot of activated G proteins at the membrane: the Galphaq-GRK2-Gbetagamma complex

G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) plays a key role in the desensitization of G protein-coupled receptor signaling by phosphorylating activated heptahelical receptors and by sequestering heterotrimeric G proteins. We report the atomic structure of GRK2 in complex with Galphaq and Gbetagamma, in which the activated Galpha subunit of Gq is fully dissociated from Gbetagamma and dramatically reoriented from its position in the inactive Galphabetagamma heterotrimer. Galphaq forms an effector-like interaction with the GRK2 regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) homology domain that is distinct from and does not overlap with that used to bind RGS proteins such as RGS4.     

Phosphorylation by p38 MAPK as an alternative pathway for GSK3beta inactivation

Glycogen synthase kinase 3beta (GSK3beta) is involved in metabolism, neurodegeneration, and cancer. Inhibition of GSK3beta activity is the primary mechanism that regulates this widely expressed active kinase. Although the protein kinase Akt inhibits GSK3beta by phosphorylation at the N terminus, preventing Akt-mediated phosphorylation does not affect the cell-survival pathway activated through the GSK3beta substrate beta-catenin. Here, we show that p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) also inactivates GSK3beta by direct phosphorylation at its C terminus, and this inactivation can lead to an accumulation of beta-catenin. p38 MAPK-mediated phosphorylation of GSK3beta occurs primarily in the brain and thymocytes. Activation of beta-catenin-mediated signaling through GSK3beta inhibition provides a potential mechanism for p38 MAPK-mediated survival in specific tissues.     

A network of control mediated by regulator of calcium/calmodulin-dependent signaling

Calmodulin (CaM) is a major effector for the intracellular actions of Ca2+ in nearly all cell types. We identified a CaM-binding protein, designated regulator of calmodulin signaling (RCS). G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-dependent activation of protein kinase A (PKA) led to phosphorylation of RCS at Ser55 and increased its binding to CaM. Phospho-RCS acted as a competitive inhibitor of CaM-dependent enzymes, including protein phosphatase 2B (PP2B, also called calcineurin). Increasing RCS phosphorylation blocked GPCR- and PP2B-mediated suppression of L-type Ca2+ currents in striatal neurons. Conversely, genetic deletion of RCS significantly increased this modulation. Through a molecular mechanism that amplifies GPCR- and PKA-mediated signaling and attenuates GPCR- and PP2B-mediated signaling, RCS synergistically increases the phosphorylation of key proteins whose phosphorylation is regulated by PKA and PP2B.     

Phosphorylation and regulation of Raf by Akt (protein kinase B)

Activation of the protein kinase Raf can lead to opposing cellular responses such as proliferation, growth arrest, apoptosis, or differentiation. Akt (protein kinase B), a member of a different signaling pathway that also regulates these responses, interacted with Raf and phosphorylated this protein at a highly conserved serine residue in its regulatory domain in vivo. This phosphorylation of Raf by Akt inhibited activation of the Raf-MEK-ERK signaling pathway and shifted the cellular response in a human breast cancer cell line from cell cycle arrest to proliferation. These observations provide a molecular basis for cross talk between two signaling pathways at the level of Raf and Akt.     

健脾解毒方对大肠癌细胞mTOR信号通路相关蛋白表达的影响

目的 探讨健脾解毒方对大肠癌细胞增殖的影响及可能作用机制。方法 采用水提法制作健脾解毒方提取物,利用超高效液相-高分辨飞行时间质谱法分析健脾解毒方的主要成分,MTT法检测健脾解毒方对大肠癌细胞增殖的影响,Graphpad Prism5软件计算IC₅₀值,流式细胞术检测细胞周期,Western Blot技术检测Phospho-mTOR、Phospho-P53和P21的蛋白表达。结果 健脾解毒方能够抑制大肠癌细胞增殖,处理24、48、72 h后四种大肠癌细胞系的IC₅₀值分别为HCT116（6.894、5.668、3.648 mg/mL）、LoVo（14.65、8.737、7.849 mg/mL）、SW48（8.029、7.026、5.740 mg/mL）及HT29（13.06、9.646、8.448 mg/mL）;健脾解毒方使大肠癌细胞周期阻滞在G1期;并能够下调Phospho-mTOR蛋白表达（P<0.05）,上调Phospho-P53和P21蛋白的表达（P<0.05）,使大肠癌细胞周期阻滞在G1期。结论 健脾解毒方可能通过mTOR-P53-P21途径抑制大肠癌细胞的增殖,这可能是健脾解毒方治疗大肠癌的作用机制之一。     

利用WGCNA鉴定谷子内源脱落酸响应禾生指梗霉胁迫的共表达基因

【目的】脱落酸（ABA）作为一类逆境激素,在植物生长发育、生物胁迫和非生物胁迫中发挥着重要作用。脱落酸受体蛋白PYR/PYL/PCAR及SNF1相关的蛋白激酶（SnRK2）是介导脱落酸信号转导的重要调控因子。本研究通过预测脱落酸及其信号转导途径中关键基因在谷子白发病致病菌禾生指梗霉（Sclerospora graminicola）中的调控作用,为谷子内源脱落酸响应禾生指梗霉侵染的互作研究提供参考。【方法】通过对禾生指梗霉侵染的晋谷21号谷子进行转录组测序和脱落酸含量测定,基于谷子全基因组对脱落酸信号转导通路上的PYL和SnRK2家族基因进行鉴定、分析,利用测定的转录组构建加权基因共表达网络（WGCNA）,并与禾生指梗霉侵染引起的寄主内源脱落酸含量进行关联,预测脱落酸及其下游信号转导基因PYL和SnRK2在谷子与禾生指梗霉互作调控中的关键核心基因;利用qRT-PCR技术对候选基因进行验证。【结果】谷子中存在禾本科中较为保守的PYL和SnRK2家族基因各11个,且在PYL和SnRK2家族基因的启动子上均预测到脱落酸响应元件。在禾生指梗霉侵染后,寄主内源脱落酸在第一、第二时期大量积累,含量显著高于对照组,分别为22.50和18.08 ng·mL^-1,而在第三、第四和第五时期脱落酸含量下降,低于对照组。在基因共表达网络分析中,利用18 535个基因共构建了34个基因共表达模块。通过对脱落酸含量和PYL、SnRK2家族基因的关联分析,预测到MEpaleturquoise和MEbrown模块为核心候选模块。利用GO功能富集和模块关键基因的挖掘共预测到1个PYL家族基因Seita.1G030500和2个SnRK2家族基因Seita.2G394500、Seita.3G03200,以及3个核心基因Seita.4G105600、Seita.6G218100和Seita.9G138400,共6个基因可能在脱落酸及其信号转导调控过程中参与谷子与禾生指梗霉的互作。对预测到的3个核心基因在水稻和拟南芥数据中进行比对,鉴定到Seita.4G105600为转导蛋白/WD40重复超家族蛋白、Seita.6G218100为WRKY57转录因子、Seita.9G138400为TIFY转录因子。qRT-PCR分析表明Seita.2G394500、Seita.4G105600和Seita.6G218100基因在谷子白发病早期表达均上调。【结论】谷子在受到禾生指梗霉侵染后脱落酸会在体内大量积累,预测到1个PYL家族基因、2个SnRK2家族基因、2个转录因子基因和1个WD40家族蛋白基因参与谷子内源脱落酸响应禾生指梗霉侵染过程。qRT-PCR结果表明1个SnRK2家族基因、1个WD40家族蛋白基因和1个WRKY57转录因子基因共3个基因可能在谷子脱落酸响应禾生指梗霉侵染过程中发挥重要作用。     

Quercetin Increased Protein Utilization and Decreased Nitrogen Excretion in Broilers by Activating TOR Signaling Pathway

The study was conducted to investigate the effect and mechanism of dietary quercetin supplementation on protein utilization of Arbor Acres (AA) broilers.A total of 240 1-day-old AA broilers were randomly allocated to four treatments with six replicates,comprising 10 broilers each replicate (60 broilers per treatment).Birds were fed either a corn-soybean meal basal diet without quercetin (control) or a basal diet supplemented with 0.2,0.4 or 0.6 g of quercetin per kg feed,and the trial lasted 42 days.Dietary quercetin supplementation tended to increase the apparent metabolic rate of protein (p=0.076) and the content of serum albumin (p=0.062) in AA broilers.Compared with the control,dietary quercetin supplementation increased the contents of protein in breast muscle (p0.05) and in thigh muscle (p=0.053).In addition,quercetin up-regulated mRNA expression of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1),phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K),target of rapamycin (TOR),ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (S6K1),eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E),eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4G (eIF4G),eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2) and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4B (eIF4B) genes and down-regulated mRNA expression of eukaryotic elongation factor 2 kinase (eEF2K) and eukaryotic initiation factor 4E binding protein1 (4E-BP1) genes in breast muscle,thigh muscle and liver of AA broilers (p0.05).The present results suggested that dietary quercetin supplementation enhanced protein utilization in broilers by activating TOR signaling pathway.     

Central role for G protein-coupled phosphoinositide 3-kinase gamma in inflammation

Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) activity is crucial for leukocyte function, but the roles of the four receptor-activated isoforms are unclear. Mice lacking heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding protein (G protein)-coupled PI3Kgamma were viable and had fully differentiated neutrophils and macrophages. Chemoattractant-stimulated PI3Kgamma-/- neutrophils did not produce phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate, did not activate protein kinase B, and displayed impaired respiratory burst and motility. Peritoneal PI3Kgamma-null macrophages showed a reduced migration toward a wide range of chemotactic stimuli and a severely defective accumulation in a septic peritonitis model. These results demonstrate that PI3Kgamma is a crucial signaling molecule required for macrophage accumulation in inflammation.     

Four-jointed is a Golgi kinase that phosphorylates a subset of cadherin domains

The atypical cadherin Fat acts as a receptor for a signaling pathway that regulates growth, gene expression, and planar cell polarity. Genetic studies in Drosophila identified the four-jointed gene as a regulator of Fat signaling. We show that four-jointed encodes a protein kinase that phosphorylates serine or threonine residues within extracellular cadherin domains of Fat and its transmembrane ligand, Dachsous. Four-jointed functions in the Golgi and is the first molecularly defined kinase that phosphorylates protein domains destined to be extracellular. An acidic sequence motif (Asp-Asn-Glu) within Four-jointed was essential for its kinase activity in vitro and for its biological activity in vivo. Our results indicate that Four-jointed regulates Fat signaling by phosphorylating cadherin domains of Fat and Dachsous as they transit through the Golgi.     

Essential cytoplasmic translocation of a cytokine receptor-assembled signaling complex

Cytokine signaling is thought to require assembly of multicomponent signaling complexes at cytoplasmic segments of membrane-embedded receptors, in which receptor-proximal protein kinases are activated. Indeed, CD40, a tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) family member, forms a complex containing adaptor molecules TRAF2 and TRAF3, ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme Ubc13, cellular inhibitor of apoptosis proteins 1 and 2 (c-IAP1/2), IkappaB kinase regulatory subunit IKKgamma (also called NEMO), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase kinase MEKK1 upon ligation. TRAF2, Ubc13, and IKKgamma were required for complex assembly and activation of MEKK1 and MAPK cascades. However, these kinases were not activated unless the multicomponent signaling complex translocated from CD40 to the cytosol upon c-IAP1/2-induced degradation of TRAF3. This two-stage signaling mechanism may apply to other innate immune receptors, accounting for spatial and temporal separation of MAPK and IKK signaling.     

Activity-dependent internalization of smoothened mediated by beta-arrestin 2 and GRK2

Binding of Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) to Patched (Ptc) relieves the latter's tonic inhibition of Smoothened (Smo), a receptor that spans the cell membrane seven times. This initiates signaling which, by unknown mechanisms, regulates vertebrate developmental processes. We find that two molecules interact with mammalian Smo in an activation-dependent manner: G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) leads to phosphorylation of Smo, and beta-arrestin 2 fused to green fluorescent protein interacts with Smo. These two processes promote endocytosis of Smo in clathrin-coated pits. Ptc inhibits association of beta-arrestin 2 with Smo, and this inhibition is relieved in cells treated with Shh. A Smo agonist stimulated and a Smo antagonist (cyclopamine) inhibited both phosphorylation of Smo by GRK2 and interaction of beta-arrestin 2 with Smo. beta-Arrestin 2 and GRK2 are thus potential mediators of signaling by activated Smo.     

Beta-arrestin 2 mediates endocytosis of type III TGF-beta receptor and down-regulation of its signaling

beta-Arrestins bind to activated seven transmembrane-spanning (7TMS) receptors (G protein-coupled receptors) after the receptors are phosphorylated by G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs), thereby regulating their signaling and internalization. Here, we demonstrate an unexpected and analogous role of beta-arrestin 2 (betaarr2) for the single transmembrane-spanning type III transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) receptor (TbetaRIII, also referred to as betaglycan). Binding of betaarr2 to TbetaRIII was also triggered by phosphorylation of the receptor on its cytoplasmic domain (likely at threonine 841). However, such phosphorylation was mediated by the type II TGF-beta receptor (TbetaRII), which is itself a kinase, rather than by a GRK. Association with betaarr2 led to internalization of both receptors and down-regulation of TGF-beta signaling. Thus, the regulatory actions of beta-arrestins are broader than previously appreciated, extending to the TGF-beta receptor family as well.     

Ubiquitin-binding protein RAP80 mediates BRCA1-dependent DNA damage response

Mutations in the breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 (BRCA1) are associated with an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers. BRCA1 participates in the cellular DNA damage response. We report the identification of receptor-associated protein 80 (RAP80) as a BRCA1-interacting protein in humans. RAP80 contains a tandem ubiquitin-interacting motif domain, which is required for its binding with ubiquitin in vitro and its damage-induced foci formation in vivo. Moreover, RAP80 specifically recruits BRCA1 to DNA damage sites and functions with BRCA1 in G2/M checkpoint control. Together, these results suggest the existence of a ubiquitination-dependent signaling pathway involved in the DNA damage response.     

Pheromone signaling mechanisms in yeast: a prototypical sex machine

The actions of many extracellular stimuli are elicited by complexes of cell surface receptors, heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins), and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase complexes. Analysis of haploid yeast cells and their response to peptide mating pheromones has produced important advances in our understanding of G protein and MAP kinase signaling mechanisms. Many of the components, their interrelationships, and their regulators were first identified in yeast. Current analysis of the pheromone response pathway (see the Connections Maps at Science's Signal Transduction Knowledge Environment) will benefit from new and powerful genomic, proteomic, and computational approaches that will likely reveal additional general principles that are applicable to more complex organisms.     

Variations on conserved signaling pathways in biocontrol and development:G protein and MAPK genes of Trichoderma. atroviride and T. virens

Filamentous fungi employ conserved eukaryotic signaling pathway to detect and respond to environmental signals, including the presence of the host. Genetic experiment in which a particular signaling protein is lost, or its activity enhanced, have defined some of the function of heterotrimeric G proteins and MAP kinases in development and virulence. A hallmark of these studies is that orthologs in different species may have different functions. Antagonistic fungal-fungal interactions form …     

Beta-arrestin 2: a receptor-regulated MAPK scaffold for the activation of JNK3

beta-Arrestins, originally discovered in the context of heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide binding protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) desensitization, also function in internalization and signaling of these receptors. We identified c-Jun amino-terminal kinase 3 (JNK3) as a binding partner of beta-arrestin 2 using a yeast two-hybrid screen and by coimmunoprecipitation from mouse brain extracts or cotransfected COS-7 cells. The upstream JNK activators apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase 4 were also found in complex with beta-arrestin 2. Cellular transfection of beta-arrestin 2 caused cytosolic retention of JNK3 and enhanced JNK3 phosphorylation stimulated by ASK1. Moreover, stimulation of the angiotensin II type 1A receptor activated JNK3 and triggered the colocalization of beta-arrestin 2 and active JNK3 to intracellular vesicles. Thus, beta-arrestin 2 acts as a scaffold protein, which brings the spatial distribution and activity of this MAPK module under the control of a GPCR.     

油菜素内酯参与调控植物生长发育与抗逆性的机制及其育种应用研究

油菜素内酯（brassinosteroids,BRs）是一类重要的植物促生激素,参与调控植物生长发育。最近的研究表明,BRs能增加作物产量和增强作物抗逆性。在BRs信号转导过程中,蛋白激酶的磷酸化功能与转录因子的磷酸化和脱磷酸化过程是BRs信号重要的生化调控机制,其中起始BRs信号由胞外向胞内转导的蛋白激酶BRI1和 BAK1,以及BRs信号下游调控不同性状基因表达的转录因子BZR1和BZR2/BES1,是BRs信号途径中关键的功能基因。基于重要蛋白激酶和转录因子的蛋白结构和功能分析,通过不同氨基酸功能位点的基因定点突变和修饰技术,能实现BRs信号途径的功能研究与植物性状改良,从而提高植物对环境的适应性。综述了BRs信号途径与植物生长发育和环境胁迫的研究,期望为植物分子育种提供很好的借鉴。