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Biomedical subjects

Craig C Garner

Publications and source records attributed to Craig C Garner.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Interactions between Piccolo and the actin/dynamin-binding protein Abp1 link vesicle endocytosis to presynaptic active zones.

Piccolo is a high molecular weight multi-domain protein shown to be a structural component of the presynaptic CAZ (cytoskeletal matrix assembled at active zones). These features indicate that Piccolo may act to scaffold proteins involved in synaptic vesicle endo- and exocytosis near their site of action. To test this hypothesis, we have utilized a functional cell-based endocytosis assay and identified the N-terminal proline-rich Q domain in Piccolo as a region that interferes with clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Utilizing the Piccolo Q domain as bait in a yeast two-hybrid screen, we have identified the F-actin-binding protein Abp1 (also called SH3P7 or HIP-55) as a potential binding partner for this domain. The physiological relevance of this interaction is supported by in vitro binding studies, colocalization in nerve terminals, in vivo recruitment studies, and immunoprecipitation experiments. Intriguingly, Abp1 binds to both F-actin and the GTPase dynamin and has been implicated in linking the actin cytoskeleton to clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Our results suggest that Piccolo, as a structural protein of the CAZ, may serve to localize Abp1 at active zones where it can actively participate in creating a functional connection between the dynamic actin cytoskeleton and synaptic vesicle recycling.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Functional inactivation of a fraction of excitatory synapses in mice deficient for the active zone protein bassoon.

Mutant mice lacking the central region of the presynaptic active zone protein Bassoon were generated to establish the role of this protein in the assembly and function of active zones as sites of synaptic vesicle docking and fusion. Our data show that the loss of Bassoon causes a reduction in normal synaptic transmission, which can be attributed to the inactivation of a significant fraction of glutamatergic synapses. At these synapses, vesicles are clustered and docked in normal numbers but are unable to fuse. Phenotypically, the loss of Bassoon causes spontaneous epileptic seizures. These data show that Bassoon is not essential for synapse formation but plays an essential role in the regulated neurotransmitter release from a subset of glutamatergic synapses.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

The GIT family of proteins forms multimers and associates with the presynaptic cytomatrix protein Piccolo.

The cytoskeletal matrix assembled at active zones (CAZ) is implicated in defining neurotransmitter release sites. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms by which the CAZ is organized. Here we report a novel interaction between Piccolo, a core component of the CAZ, and GIT proteins, multidomain signaling integrators with GTPase-activating protein activity for ADP-ribosylation factor small GTPases. A small region (approximately 150 amino acid residues) in Piccolo, which is not conserved in the closely related CAZ protein Bassoon, mediates a direct interaction with the Spa2 homology domain (SHD) domain of GIT1. Piccolo and GIT1 colocalize at synaptic sites in cultured neurons. In brain, Piccolo forms a complex with GIT1 and various GIT-associated proteins, including betaPIX, focal adhesion kinase, liprin-alpha, and paxillin. Point mutations in the SHD of GIT1 differentially interfere with the association of GIT1 with Piccolo, betaPIX, and focal adhesion kinase, suggesting that these proteins bind to the SHD by different mechanisms. Intriguingly, GIT proteins form homo- and heteromultimers through their C-terminal G-protein-coupled receptor kinase-binding domain in a tail-to-tail fashion. This multimerization enables GIT1 to simultaneously interact with multiple SHD-binding proteins including Piccolo and betaPIX. These results suggest that, through their multimerization and interaction with Piccolo, the GIT family proteins are involved in the organization of the CAZ.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗
PubMed2002

Chlorotoxin inhibits glioma cell invasion via matrix metalloproteinase-2.

Primary brain tumors (gliomas) have the unusual ability to diffusely infiltrate the normal brain thereby evading surgical treatment. Chlorotoxin is a scorpion toxin that specifically binds to the surface of glioma cells and impairs their ability to invade. Using a recombinant His-Cltx we isolated and identified the principal Cltx receptor on the surface of glioma cells as matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2). MMP-2 is specifically up-regulated in gliomas and related cancers, but is not normally expressed in brain. We demonstrate that Cltx specifically and selectively interacts with MMP-2 isoforms, but not with MMP-1, -3, and -9, which are also expressed in malignant glioma cells. Importantly, we show that the anti-invasive effect of Cltx on glioma cells can be explained by its interactions with MMP-2. Cltx exerts a dual effect on MMP-2: it inhibits the enzymatic activity of MMP-2 and causes a reduction in the surface expression of MMP-2. These findings suggest that Cltx is a specific MMP-2 inhibitor with significant therapeutic potential for gliomas and other diseases that invoke the activity of MMP-2.

Brain Neoplasms↗
PubMed2002

Interaction of SAP97 with minus-end-directed actin motor myosin VI. Implications for AMPA receptor trafficking.

SAP97 is a modular protein composed of three PDZ domains, an SH3 domain, and a guanylate kinase-like domain. It has been implicated functionally in the assembly and structural stability of synaptic junctions as well as in the trafficking, recruitment, and localization of specific ion channels and neurotransmitter receptors. The N terminus of SAP97 (S97N) has been shown to play a key role in the selection of binding partners and the localization of SAP97 at adhesion sites, as well as the clustering of ion channels in heterologous cells. Using the S97N domain as bait in a yeast two-hybrid screen, we identified the minus-end-directed actin-based motor, myosin VI, as an S97N binding partner. Moreover, in light membrane fractions prepared from rat brain, we found that myosin VI and SAP97 form a trimeric complex with the alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA) receptor subunit, GluR1. These data suggest that SAP97 may serve as a molecular link between GluR1 and the actin-dependent motor protein myosin VI during the dynamic translocation of AMPA receptors to and from the postsynaptic plasma membrane.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗
PubMed2002

Molecular mechanisms of CNS synaptogenesis.

Synapses of the mammalian CNS are asymmetric sites of cell-cell adhesion between nerve cells. They are designed to mediate the rapid and efficient transmission of signals from the presynaptic bouton of one neuron to the postsynaptic plasma membrane of a second neuron. Significant progress has been made in the characterization of the structural, functional and developmental assembly of CNS synapses. Recent progress has been made in understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie synaptogenesis, in particular that of glutamatergic synapses of the CNS.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Gene structure and genetic localization of the PCLO gene encoding the presynaptic active zone protein Piccolo.

Piccolo belongs to a family of presynaptic cytoskeletal proteins likely to be involved in the assembly and function of presynaptic active zones as sites of neurotransmitter release. Given that abnormalities in the formation of synaptic junctions are thought to contribute to cognitive dysfunction during brain development, we have analyzed and compared the gene structure of the Piccolo gene, PCLO, from humans and mice and determined their chromosomal localization. A comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence of cDNA clones encoding Piccolo from human, mouse, rat and chicken reveals the presence of distinct homology domains. Only subsets of these are also present in the structurally related active zone protein Bassoon indicating that Piccolo and Bassoon perform related but distinct functions at active zones. Characterization of the PCLO gene reveals the presence of 25 coding exons spread over 380kb of genomic DNA. The human PCLO gene maps to 7q11.23-q21.3, a region of chromosome 7 implicated as a linkage site for autism and Williams Syndrome suggesting that alterations in the expression of Piccolo or the PCLO gene could contribute to developmental disabilities and mental retardation.

Animals↗