Inhibition of GTPase activating protein stimulation of Ras-p21 GTPase by the Krev-1 gene product

Krev-1 is known to suppress transformation by ras. However, the mechanism of the suppression is unclear. The protein product of Krev-1, Rap1A-p21, is identical to Ras-p21 proteins in the region where interaction with guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) activating protein (GAP) is believed to occur. Therefore, the ability of GAP to interact with Rap1A-p21 was tested. Rap1A-p21 was not activated by GAP but bound tightly to GAP and was an effective competitive inhibitor of GAP-mediated Ras-GTPase activity. Binding of GAP to Rap1A-p21 was strictly guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-dependent. The ability of Rap1A-p21 to bind tightly to GAP may account for Krev-1 suppression of transformation by ras. This may occur by preventing interaction of GAP with Ras-p21 or with other cellular proteins necessary for GAP-mediated Ras GTPase activity.     

Regulation of Ras-GAP and the neurofibromatosis-1 gene product by eicosanoids

Ras-GAP (GTPase activating protein) is a regulatory protein that stimulates the intrinsic guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) activity of the proto-oncogene product p21ras. A domain of the neurofibromatosis gene product (NF1) that has sequence similarity to the catalytic domain of Ras-GAP and to yeast IRA gene products also has a specific stimulatory activity toward p21ras GTPase. Arachidonic acid and phosphatidic acid inactivate GAP, but no agents have been identified that stimulate GAP and thereby switch p21ras off. With the use of recombinant Ha-c-Ras and Ras-GAP, NF1, and GAP catalytic domains, it was found that prostaglandins PGF2 alpha and PGA2 stimulated Ras-GAP and that prostacyclin PGI2 inhibited Ras-GAP. The stimulatory effect of PGF2 alpha was saturable and structure-specific and competed with the inhibitory effect of arachidonic acid. Arachidonic acid also inhibited the catalytic activity of NF1, but prostaglandins were not stimulatory. These results suggest a mechanism for the allosteric control of Ras function through the modulation of arachidonate metabolism.     

A cytoplasmic protein stimulates normal N-ras p21 GTPase, but does not affect oncogenic mutants

The role of guanine nucleotides in ras p21 function was determined by using the ability of p21 protein to induce maturation of Xenopus oocytes as a quantitative assay for biological activity. Two oncogenic mutant human N-ras p21 proteins, Asp12 and Val12, actively induced maturation, whereas normal Gly12 p21 was relatively inactive in this assay. Both mutant proteins were found to be associated with guanosine triphosphate (GTP) in vivo. In contrast, Gly12 p21 was predominantly guanosine diphosphate (GDP)-bound because of a dramatic stimulation of Gly12 p21-associated guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) activity. A cytoplasmic protein was shown to be responsible for this increase in activity. This protein stimulated GTP hydrolysis by purified Gly12 p21 more than 200-fold in vitro, but had no effect on Asp12 or Val12 mutants. A similar factor could be detected in extracts from mammalian cells. It thus appears that, in Xenopus oocytes, this protein maintains normal p21 in a biologically inactive, GDP-bound state through its effect on GTPase activity. Furthermore, it appears that the major effect of position 12 mutations is to prevent this protein from stimulating p21 GTPase activity, thereby allowing these mutants to remain in the active GTP-bound state.     

Binding of GAP to activated PDGF receptors

The ras proto-oncogene products appear to relay intracellular signals via the Ras guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) activator protein, GAP. In dog epithelial cells expressing human platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptors, binding of PDGF caused approximately one-tenth of the total GAP molecules to complex with the receptor. Studies with mutant PDGF receptors showed that maximum association required both receptor kinase activity and phosphorylatable tyrosine residues at both the identified sites of receptor autophosphorylation.     

Binding of SH2 domains of phospholipase C gamma 1, GAP, and Src to activated growth factor receptors

Phospholipase C gamma 1 (PLC gamma 1) and p21ras guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) activating protein (GAP) bind to and are phosphorylated by activated growth factor receptors. Both PLC gamma 1 and GAP contain two adjacent copies of the noncatalytic Src homology 2 (SH2) domain. The SH2 domains of PLC gamma 1 synthesized individually in bacteria formed high affinity complexes with the epidermal growth factor (EGF)- or platelet derived growth factor (PDGF)-receptors in cell lysates, and bound synergistically to activated receptors when expressed together as one bacterial protein. In vitro complex formation was dependent on prior growth factor stimulation and was competed by intracellular PLC gamma 1. Similar results were obtained for binding of GAP SH2 domains to the PDGF-receptor. The isolated SH2 domains of other signaling proteins, such as p60src and Crk, also bound activated PDGF-receptors in vitro. SH2 domains, therefore, provide a common mechanism by which enzymatically diverse regulatory proteins can physically associate with the same activated receptors and thereby couple growth factor stimulation to intracellular signal transduction pathways.     

Molecular cloning of two types of GAP complementary DNA from human placenta

The ras p21 GTPase-activating protein (GAP) was purified from human placental tissue. Internal amino acid sequence was obtained from this 120,000-dalton protein and, by means of this sequence, two types of complementary DNA clones were isolated and characterized. One type encoded GAP with a predicted molecular mass of 116,000 daltons and 96% identity with bovine GAP. The messenger RNA of this GAP was detected in human lung, brain, liver, leukocytes, and placenta. The second type appeared to be generated by a differential splicing mechanism and encoded a novel form of GAP with a predicted molecular mass of 100,400 daltons. This protein lacks the hydrophobic amino terminus characteristic of the larger species, but retains GAP activity. The messenger RNA of this type was abundantly expressed in placenta and in several human cell lines, but not in adult tissues.     

Three-dimensional structure of an oncogene protein: catalytic domain of human c-H-ras p21

The crystal structure at 2.7 A resolution of the normal human c-H-ras oncogene protein lacking a flexible carboxyl-terminal 18 residue reveals that the protein consists of a six-stranded beta sheet, four alpha helices, and nine connecting loops. Four loops are involved in interactions with bound guanosine diphosphate: one with the phosphates, another with the ribose, and two with the guanine base. Most of the transforming proteins (in vivo and in vitro) have single amino acid substitutions at one of a few key positions in three of these four loops plus one additional loop. The biological functions of the remaining five loops and other exposed regions are at present unknown. However, one loop corresponds to the binding site for a neutralizing monoclonal antibody and another to a putative "effector region"; mutations in the latter region do not alter guanine nucleotide binding or guanosine triphosphatase activity but they do reduce the transforming activity of activated proteins. The data provide a structural basis for understanding the known biochemical properties of normal as well as activated ras oncogene proteins and indicate additional regions in the molecule that may possibly participate in other cellular functions.     

Facilitation of signal onset and termination by adenylyl cyclase

The alpha subunit (Gsalpha) of the stimulatory heterotrimeric guanosine triphosphate binding protein (G protein) Gs activates all isoforms of mammalian adenylyl cyclase. Adenylyl cyclase (Type V) and its subdomains, which interact with Gsalpha, promoted inactivation of the G protein by increasing its guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) activity. Adenylyl cyclase and its subdomains also augmented the receptor-mediated activation of heterotrimeric Gs and thereby facilitated the rapid onset of signaling. These findings demonstrate that adenylyl cyclase functions as a GTPase activating protein (GAP) for the monomeric Gsalpha and enhances the GTP/GDP exchange factor (GEF) activity of receptors.     

A cytoplasmic protein inhibits the GTPase activity of H-Ras in a phospholipid-dependent manner

A cytoplasmic protein has been identified that inhibits the guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) activity of bacterially synthesized, cellular H-Ras protein. This GTPase inhibiting protein is able to counteract the activity of GTPase activating protein (GAP), which has been postulated to function as a negative regulator of Ras activity. The potential biological importance of the GTPase inhibiting protein is further supported by its interaction with lipids. Phospholipids produced in cells as a consequence of mitogenic stimulation increase the activity of the GTPase inhibiting protein, as well as inhibit the activity of GAP. The interaction of such lipids with each of these two regulatory proteins would, therefore, tend to increase the biological activity of Ras and stimulate cell proliferation.     

Identification of small clusters of divergent amino acids that mediate the opposing effects of ras and Krev-1

Krev-1 is an anti-oncogene that was originally identified by its ability to induce morphologic reversion of ras-transformed cells that continue to express the ras gene. The Krev-1-encoded protein is structurally related to Ras proteins. The biological activities of a series of ras-Krev-1 chimeras were studied to test the hypothesis that Krev-1 may directly interfere with a ras function. The ras-specific and Krev-1-specific amino acids immediately surrounding residues 32 to 44, which are identical between the two proteins, determined whether the protein induced cellular transformation or suppressed ras transformation. Because this region in Ras proteins has been implicated in effector function, the results suggest that Krev-1 suppresses ras-induced transformation by interfering with interaction of Ras with its effector.     

Induction of membrane ruffling and fluid-phase pinocytosis in quiescent fibroblasts by ras proteins

Expression of the ras oncogene is thought to be one of the contributing events in the initiation of certain types of human cancer. To determine the cellular activities that are directly triggered by ras proteins, the early consequences of microinjection of the human H-ras proteins into quiescent rat embryo fibroblasts were investigated. Within 30 minutes to 1 hour after injection, cells show a marked increase in surface ruffles and fluid-phase pinocytosis. The rapid enhancement of membrane ruffling and pinocytosis is induced by both the proto-oncogenic and the oncogenic forms of the H-ras protein. The effects produced by the oncogenic protein persist for more than 15 hours after injection, whereas the effects of the proto-oncogenic protein are short-lived, being restricted to a 3-hour interval after injection. The stimulatory effect of the ras oncogene protein on ruffling and pinocytosis is dependent on the amount of injected protein and is accompanied by an apparent stimulation of phospholipase A2 activity. These rapid changes in cell membrane activities induced by ras proteins may represent primary events in the mechanism of action of ras proteins.     

A model for the tertiary structure of p21, the product of the ras oncogene

A model was developed for the structure of p21, the protein with a molecular weight of 21,000 that is produced by the ras genes. This model predicts that p21 consists of a central core of beta-sheet structure, connected by loops and alpha helices. Four of these loops comprise the guanine nucleotide binding site. The phosphoryl binding region is made up of amino acid sequences from 10 to 16 and from 57 to 63 of p21. The latter sequence may contain a site for magnesium binding. Amino acids defining guanine specificity are Asn-116 and Asp-119, and sequences around amino acid 145 may contribute to guanine binding. The model makes it possible to visualize how oncogenic mutations of p21 affect interaction with guanine nucleotides.     

Ras p21 as a potential mediator of insulin action in Xenopus oocytes

The oncogene protein product (p21) of the ras gene has been implicated in mediating the effects of a variety of growth factors and hormones. Microinjection of monoclonal antibody 6B7, which is directed against a synthetic peptide corresponding to a highly conserved region of p21 (amino acids 29 to 44) required for p21 function, specifically inhibited Xenopus oocyte maturation induced by incubation with insulin. The inhibition was dose-dependent and specific since (i) the same antibody had no effect on progesterone-induced maturation, (ii) immunoprecipitation and Western blotting indicated that the antibody recognized a single protein of molecular weight 21,000 in oocyte extracts, and (iii) inhibition was not observed with identical concentrations of normal immunoglobulin. Thus, p21 appears to be involved in mediating insulin-induced maturation of Xenopus oocytes. Furthermore, the mechanism may involve phosphorylation of p21, as p21 was found to be a substrate of the insulin receptor kinase.     

Reduced MAP kinase phosphatase-1 degradation after p42/p44MAPK-dependent phosphorylation

The mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase cascade is inactivated at the level of MAP kinase by members of the MAP kinase phosphatase (MKP) family, including MKP-1. MKP-1 was a labile protein in CCL39 hamster fibroblasts; its degradation was attenuated by inhibitors of the ubiquitin-directed proteasome complex. MKP-1 was a target in vivo and in vitro for p42(MAPK) or p44(MAPK), which phosphorylates MKP-1 on two carboxyl-terminal serine residues, Serine 359 and Serine 364. This phosphorylation did not modify MKP-1's intrinsic ability to dephosphorylate p44(MAPK) but led to stabilization of the protein. These results illustrate the importance of regulated protein degradation in the control of mitogenic signaling.     

Molecular switch for signal transduction: structural differences between active and inactive forms of protooncogenic ras proteins

Ras proteins participate as a molecular switch in the early steps of the signal transduction pathway that is associated with cell growth and differentiation. When the protein is in its GTP complexed form it is active in signal transduction, whereas it is inactive in its GDP complexed form. A comparison of eight three-dimensional structures of ras proteins in four different crystal lattices, five with a nonhydrolyzable GTP analog and three with GDP, reveals that the "on" and "off" states of the switch are distinguished by conformational differences that span a length of more than 40 A, and are induced by the gamma-phosphate. The most significant differences are localized in two regions: residues 30 to 38 (the switch I region) in the second loop and residues 60 to 76 (the switch II region) consisting of the fourth loop and the short alpha-helix that follows the loop. Both regions are highly exposed and form a continuous strip on the molecular surface most likely to be the recognition sites for the effector and receptor molecule(or molecules). The conformational differences also provide a structural basis for understanding the biological and biochemical changes of the proteins due to oncogenic mutations, autophosphorylation, and GTP hydrolysis, and for understanding the interactions with other proteins.     

Activation of the cellular proto-oncogene product p21Ras by addition of a myristylation signal

The 21-kD proteins encoded by ras oncogenes (p21Ras) are modified covalently by a palmitate attached to a cysteine residue near the carboxyl terminus. Changing cysteine at position 186 to serine in oncogenic forms produces a nonpalmitylated protein that fails to associate with membranes and does not transform NIH 3T3 cells. Nonpalmitylated p21Ras derivatives were constructed that contained myristic acid at their amino termini to determine if a different form of lipid modification could restore either membrane association or transforming activity. An activated p21Ras, altered in this way, exhibited both efficient membrane association and full transforming activity. Surprisingly, myristylated forms of normal cellular Ras were also transforming. This demonstrates that Ras must bind to membranes in order to transmit a signal for transformation, but that either myristate or palmitate can perform this role. However, the normal function of cellular Ras is diverted to transformation by myristate and therefore must be regulated ordinarily by some unique property of palmitate that myristate does not mimic. Myristylation thus represents a novel mechanism by which Ras can become transforming.     

A 32-kD GTP-binding protein associated with the CD4-p56lck and CD8-p56lck T cell receptor complexes

The guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-binding proteins include signal-transducing heterotrimeric G proteins (for example, Gs, Gi), smaller GTP-binding proteins that function in protein sorting, and the oncogenic protein p21ras. The T cell receptor complexes CD4-p56lck and CD8-p56lck were found to include a 32- to 33-kilodalton phosphoprotein (p32) that was recognized by an antiserum to a consensus GTP-binding region in G proteins. Immunoprecipitated CD4 and CD8 complexes bound GTP and hydrolyzed it to guanosine diphosphate (GDP). The p32 protein was covalently linked to [alpha-32P]GTP by ultraviolet photoaffinity labeling. These results demonstrate an interaction between T cell receptor complexes and an intracellular GTP-binding protein.     

A p53 amino-terminal nuclear export signal inhibited by DNA damage-induced phosphorylation

The p53 protein is present in low amounts in normally growing cells and is activated in response to physiological insults. MDM2 regulates p53 either through inhibiting p53's transactivating function in the nucleus or by targeting p53 degradation in the cytoplasm. We identified a previously unknown nuclear export signal (NES) in the amino terminus of p53, spanning residues 11 to 27 and containing two serine residues phosphorylated after DNA damage, which was required for p53 nuclear export in colloboration with the carboxyl-terminal NES. Serine-15-phosphorylated p53 induced by ultraviolet irradiation was not exported. Thus, DNA damage-induced phosphorylation may achieve optimal p53 activation by inhibiting both MDM2 binding to, and the nuclear export of, p53.     

Protein design of an HIV-1 entry inhibitor

Human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) membrane fusion is promoted by the formation of a trimer-of-hairpins structure that brings the amino- and carboxyl-terminal regions of the gp41 envelope glycoprotein ectodomain into close proximity. Peptides derived from the carboxyl-terminal region (called C-peptides) potently inhibit HIV-1 entry by binding to the gp41 amino-terminal region. To test the converse of this inhibitory strategy, we designed a small protein, denoted 5-Helix, that binds the C-peptide region of gp41. The 5-Helix protein displays potent (nanomolar) inhibitory activity against diverse HIV-1 variants and may serve as the basis for a new class of antiviral agents. The inhibitory activity of 5-Helix also suggests a strategy for generating an HIV-1 neutralizing antibody response that targets the carboxyl-terminal region of the gp41 ectodomain.