In the root, the transport of auxin from the tip to the elongation zone, referred to here as shootward, governs gravitropic bending. Shootward polar auxin transport, and hence gravitropism, depends on the polar deployment of the PIN-FORMED auxin efflux carrier PIN2. In Arabidopsis thaliana, PIN2 has the expected shootward localization in epidermis and lateral root cap; however, this carrier is localized toward the root tip (rootward) in cortical cells of the meristem, a deployment whose function is enigmatic. We use pharmacological and genetic tools to cause a shootward relocation of PIN2 in meristematic cortical cells without detectably altering PIN2 polarization in other cell types or PIN1 polarization. This relocation of cortical PIN2 was negatively regulated by the membrane trafficking factor GNOM and by the regulatory A1 subunit of type 2-A protein phosphatase (PP2AA1) but did not require the PINOID protein kinase. When GNOM was inhibited, PINOID abundance increased and PP2AA1 was partially immobilized, indicating both proteins are subject to GNOM-dependent regulation. Shootward PIN2 specifically in the cortex was accompanied by enhanced shootward polar auxin transport and by diminished gravitropism. These results demonstrate that auxin flow in the root cortex is important for optimal gravitropic response.

MEN1 is a tumor suppressor gene that is responsible for multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) and that encodes a 610-amino-acid protein, called menin. While the majority of germ line mutations identified in MEN1 patients are frameshift and nonsense mutations resulting in truncation of the menin protein, various missense mutations have been identified whose effects on menin activity are unclear. For this study, we analyzed a series of menin proteins with single amino acid alterations and found that all of the MEN1-causing missense mutations tested led to greatly diminished levels of the affected proteins in comparison with wild-type and benign polymorphic menin protein levels. We demonstrate here that the reduced levels of the mutant proteins are due to rapid degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Furthermore, the mutants, but not wild-type menin, interact both with the molecular chaperone Hsp70 and with the Hsp70-associated ubiquitin ligase CHIP, and the overexpression of CHIP promotes the ubiquitination of the menin mutants in vivo. These findings reveal that MEN1-causing missense mutations lead to a loss of function of menin due to enhanced proteolytic degradation, which may be a common mechanism for inactivating tumor suppressor gene products in familial cancer.Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is a dominantly inherited familial cancer syndrome characterized by the combined occurrence of tumors of the parathyroid gland, the pancreas, and the pituitary gland (2, 38). The responsible gene, MEN1, has been localized to chromosome 11q13 (21) and identified by positional cloning (7). The loss of heterozygosity of the MEN1 locus in tumors suggests that MEN1 is a tumor suppressor gene. MEN1 contains 10 exons and encodes a 610-amino-acid protein, called menin (7), which shows no similarity to any known protein. Previous studies have revealed that menin is found predominantly in the nucleus, contains two independent nuclear localization signals in the C terminus (amino acids 479 to 497 and 588 to 608) (14), and binds to transcription factors, including JunD (1), Smad3 (18) and NF-B (15), all of which suggest a role related to transcriptional regulation. Menin has also been shown to interact with the putative tumor metastasis suppressor/nucleoside diphosphate kinase nm23 (27), the homeobox protein Pem (23), GFAP and vimentin (24), and the 32-kDa subunit (RPA2) of replication protein A (33). However, the exact molecular mechanism for tumor suppression by menin is largely unknown.More than 400 independent germ line mutations distributed throughout the MEN1 coding region have been identified for familial and sporadic cases of MEN1 (13, 36). The majority of these are nonsense mutations or frame shifts, but missense mutations and short in-frame deletions-insertions have also been identified in about 30% of cases. Germ line MEN1 mutations are also found in a small subset of familial isolated hyperparathyroidism (FIHP), a syndrome consisting of genetically heterogeneous diseases that are characterized ...

Extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) play important physiological roles in proliferation, differentiation, and gene expression. ERK5 is approximately twice the size of ERK1/2, and its amino-terminal half contains the kinase domain that shares homology with ERK1/2 and TEY activation motif, whereas the carboxyl-terminal half is unique. In this study, we examined a physiological role of ERK5 in rat pheochromocytoma cells (PC12), comparing it with ERK1/2. Nerve growth factor (NGF) induced phosphorylation of both ERK5 and ERK1/2, whereas the cAMP analog dibutyryl cAMP (Bt 2 cAMP) caused only ERK1/2 phosphorylation. U0126, at 30 M, that blocks ERK1/2 signaling selectively attenuated neurite outgrowth induced by NGF and Bt 2 cAMP, but BIX02188 and BIX02189, at 30 M, that block ERK5 signaling and an ERK5 dominant-negative mutant suppressed only NGF-induced neurite outgrowth. Next, we examined the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase, a rate-limiting enzyme of catecholamine biosynthesis. Both NGF and Bt 2 cAMP increased tyrosine hydroxylase gene promoter activity in an ERK1/2-dependent manner but was ERK5-independent. However, when both ERK5 and ERK1/2 signalings were inhibited, tyrosine hydroxylase protein up-regulation by NGF and Bt 2 cAMP was abolished, because of the loss of stabilization of tyrosine hydroxylase protein by ERK5. Taking these results together, ERK5 is involved in neurite outgrowth and stabilization of tyrosine hydroxylase in PC12 cells, and ERK5, along with ERK1/2, plays essential roles in the neural differentiation process.

SUMMARY Protein kinase A (PKA) has diverse functions in neurons. At rest, the subcellular localization of PKA is controlled by A-kinase anchoring proteins (AKAPs). However, the dynamics of PKA upon activation remain poorly understood. Here we report that elevation of cAMP in neuronal dendrites causes a significant percentage of the PKA catalytic subunit (PKA-C) molecules to be released from the regulatory subunit (PKA-R). Liberated PKA-C becomes associated with the membrane via N-terminal myristoylation. This membrane association does not require the interaction between PKA-R and AKAPs. It slows the mobility of PKA-C and enriches kinase activity on the membrane. Membrane-residing PKA substrates are preferentially phosphorylated compared to cytosolic substrates. Finally, the myristoylation of PKA-C is critical for normal synaptic function and plasticity. We propose that activation-dependent association of PKA-C renders the membrane a unique PKA-signaling compartment. Constrained mobility of PKA-C may synergize with AKAP anchoring to determine specific PKA function in neurons.

Molecular diversity through alternative splicing is important for cellular function and development. However, little is known about the factors that regulate alternative splicing. Here we demonstrate that one isoform of coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1 (named CARM1-v3) associates with the U1 small nuclear RNP-specific protein U1C and affects 5 splice site selection of the pre-mRNA splicing. CARM1-v3 was generated by the retention of introns 15 and 16 of the primary transcript of CARM1. Its deduced protein lacks the C-terminal domain of the major isoform of CARM1 and instead has v3-specific sequences at the C terminus. CARM1-v3, but not the other isoforms, strongly stimulates a shift to the distal 5 splice site of the pre-mRNA when the adenoviral E1A minigene is used as a reporter and enhances the exon skips in the CD44 reporter. A CARM1-v3 mutant lacking the v3-specific sequences completely lost the ability to regulate the alternative splicing patterns. In addition, CARM1-v3 shows tissuespecific expression patterns distinct from those of the other isoforms. These results suggest that the transcriptional coactivator can affect the splice site decision in an isoform-specific manner.It has been estimated that about 60% of human genes undergo alternative splicing (1). Commonly, alternative splicing determines the inclusion of a portion of coding sequence in the mRNA, giving rise to protein isoforms that differ in their peptide sequence and hence chemical and biological activity. The mechanism of alternative splicing permits diversity of translatable mRNAs, thereby increasing the proteome diversity encoded by a limited number of genes. Genetic switches based on alternative splicing are known to be important in many cellular and developmental processes, including sex determination, apoptosis, axon guidance, and tissue-specific differentiation (2-4).Although a large variety of splicing decisions can be explained by the antagonistic effects of general splicing factors, such as serine/arginine-rich proteins and heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs), 1 it is most likely that tissue-specific or developmentally regulated splicing factors have an important role in the regulation of alternative splicing. In Drosophila melanogaster, sex-lethal functions as a regulator of alternative splicing in sex determination (2), and the embryonic lethal abnormal visual system is a gene-specific regulator of alternative pre-mRNA processing in neurons (3). However, in mammals, only a limited number of splicing regulators have been identified to date, despite the large diversity of the mammalian gene transcripts, and little is known about the mechanisms by which alternative splicing is regulated.Pre-mRNA splicing occurs in a large multicomponent ribonucleoprotein complex called the spliceosome, which is composed of U1, U2, U4/U6, and U5 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) particles and many non-snRNP protein splicing factors (5). U1 snRNP recognizes the 5Ј splice site and is among the first factors to inter...

Epac1 (exchange protein directly activated by cyclic AMP [cAMP]) couples intracellular cAMP to the activation of Rap1, a Ras family GTPase that regulates cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. Using mass spectrometry, we identified the small G protein Ran and Ran binding protein 2 (RanBP2) as potential binding partners of Epac1. Ran is a small G protein best known for its role in nuclear transport and can be found at the nuclear pore through its interaction with RanBP2. Here we demonstrate that Ran-GTP and Epac1 interact with each other in vivo and in vitro. This binding requires a previously uncharacterized Ras association (RA) domain in Epac1. Surprisingly, the interaction of Epac1 with Ran is necessary for the efficient activation of Rap1 by Epac1. We propose that Ran and RanBP2 anchor Epac1 to the nuclear pore, permitting cAMP signals to activate Rap1 at the nuclear envelope.

Exchange proteins activated by cAMP (cyclic AMP) 2 (Epac2) is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Rap1, a small G protein involved in many cellular functions, including cell adhesion, differentiation, and exocytosis. Epac2 interacts with Ras-GTP via a Ras association (RA) domain. Previous studies have suggested that the RA domain was dispensable for Epac2 function. Here we show for the first time that Ras and cAMP regulate Epac2 function in a parallel fashion and the Ras-Epac2 interaction is required for the cAMPdependent activation of endogenous Rap1 by Epac2. The mechanism for this requirement is not allosteric activation of Epac2 by Ras but the compartmentalization of Epac2 on the Ras-containing membranes. A computational modeling is consistent with this compartmentalization being a function of both the level of Ras activation and the affinity between Ras and Epac2. In PC12 cells, a well-established model for sympathetic neurons, the Epac2 signaling is coupled to activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases and contributes to neurite outgrowth. Taken together, the evidence shows that Epac2 is not only a cAMP sensor but also a bona fide Ras effector. Coincident detection of both cAMP and Ras signals is essential for Epac2 to activate Rap1 in a temporally and spatially controlled manner.Rap1 is a small GTPase involved in the regulation of multiple cellular functions such as adhesion, differentiation, and exocytosis. Like all small G proteins, Rap1 cycles between a GTP-loaded active state and a GDP-loaded inactive state, which is mediated via the opposing actions of G protein activation proteins that promote hydrolysis of bound GTP to GDP and guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) that catalyze the exchange of bound GDP for GTP.Exchange proteins activated by cAMP (Epac1 and Epac2) are unique Rap1 GEFs that link cAMP elevation to Rap1 activation (5). This is achieved via the direct binding of cAMP to the Epac protein itself, thereby defining a novel cAMP signaling pathway that is independent of protein kinase A (PKA). Both Epac1 and Epac2 contain a catalytic region and a regulatory region. The catalytic region consists of a CDC25 homology domain that catalyzes Rap1 activation, a REM domain, and a Ras association (RA) domain that lies in between. The regulatory region consists of one or two cAMP binding domains (cNBDs) and a DEP (disheveled, Egl-10, and pleckstrin homology) domain. Under resting conditions, Epac proteins are inactive due to the inhibitory interaction between the regulatory and catalytic regions. The binding of cAMP to the cNBD relieves the intramolecular inhibition by exposing the catalytic site to . Previous studies have been largely focused on the mechanism of cAMP regulation of Epacs. Whether other molecular interactions play a role in Epac regulation is unknown.A number of features of Epac2 distinguish it from Epac1, which suggests distinctive regulatory mechanisms for Epac2. While Epac1 is expressed ubiquitously, Epac2 is highly enriched in neuronal tissues (22). Moreover, Epac1 i...

The ASPP2 (also known as 53BP2L) tumor suppressor is a proapoptotic member of a family of p53 binding proteins that functions in part by enhancing p53-dependent apoptosis via its C-terminal p53-binding domain. Mounting evidence also suggests that ASPP2 harbors important nonapoptotic p53-independent functions. Structural studies identify a small G protein Ras-association domain in the ASPP2 N terminus. Because Ras-induced senescence is a barrier to tumor formation in normal cells, we investigated whether ASPP2 could bind Ras and stimulate the protein kinase Raf/MEK/ERK signaling cascade. We now show that ASPP2 binds to Ras-GTP at the plasma membrane and stimulates Ras-induced signaling and pERK1/2 levels via promoting Ras-GTP loading, B-Raf/C-Raf dimerization, and C-Raf phosphorylation. These functions require the ASPP2 N terminus because BBP (also known as 53BP2S), an alternatively spliced ASPP2 isoform lacking the N terminus, was defective in binding Ras-GTP and stimulating Raf/MEK/ERK signaling. Decreased ASPP2 levels attenuated H-RasV12-induced senescence in normal human fibroblasts and neonatal human epidermal keratinocytes. Together, our results reveal a mechanism for ASPP2 tumor suppressor function via direct interaction with Ras-GTP to stimulate Ras-induced senescence in nontransformed human cells.