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J Downward

Publications and source records attributed to J Downward.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

The effector loop and prenylation site of R-Ras are involved in the regulation of integrin function.

The closely related small GTP-binding proteins H-Ras and R-Ras have opposing effects on the regulation of integrin cell adhesion receptors. To gain insight into the properties of R-Ras with respect to the regulation of integrin function and interactions with downstream effectors we performed an analysis of R-Ras variants containing mutations in the effector binding domain and C-terminal prenylation site. We found that the activation of the downstream effector PI 3-kinase was sensitive to mutations in the effector binding domain, as was the binding to the effectors, Ral-GDS, Raf-1 and the novel effector Nore1. Furthermore, specific mutations in the effector binding loop and C-terminal prenylation motif impaired the ability of R-Ras to regulate integrin function in CHO cells. However, the ability of the R-Ras effector loop mutants to bind, and activate known effectors did not correlate with their ability to regulate integrin function. Thus, the known R-Ras effectors are not critical for regulating integrin activation, at least in CHO cells. Consequently, these studies provide insight into the structural basis of the interactions between R-Ras and its candidate effectors and suggest the existence of novel mechanisms through which this GTPase could regulate cell adhesion.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2000

Matrix detachment induces caspase-dependent cytochrome c release from mitochondria: inhibition by PKB/Akt but not Raf signalling.

Detachment of epithelial cells from extracellular matrix results in induction of apoptosis ('anoikis') which can be blocked by expression of activated Ras or PKB/Akt. Here we show that detachment causes release of cytochrome c from mitochondria in MDCK cells. This is blocked by caspase inhibitors, suggesting a role for caspases upstream of mitochondria in the initiation of anoikis, in accord with the ability of dominant negative FADD to inhibit this form of cell death. Bulk activation of caspase-8 following detachment lags behind cytochrome c release, and is likely the result of a mitochondrial positive feed back loop. Matrix detachment also induces Bax translocation to mitochondria in a caspase-dependent manner. Expression of activated Ras or PKB/Akt blocks all the detectable events on the detachment-induced apoptosis signalling pathway, suggesting that PKB/Akt acts at an early point in the pathway, providing the signal normally generated by matrix attachment. Strong activation of Raf can also protect MDCK cells from detachment induced apoptosis, but this occurs at a point downstream of cytochrome c release from mitochondria, and is clearly distinct from the effect of PKB/Akt. Oncogene (2000) 19, 4461 - 4468.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Full oncogenic activities of v-Src are mediated by multiple signaling pathways. Ras as an essential mediator for cell survival.

Tyrosine kinase oncoproteins cause simultaneous activation of multiple intracellular signaling pathways. However, the precise mechanisms by which individual pathways induce oncogenesis are not well understood. We have investigated the roles of individual signaling pathways in v-Src-dependent cell growth and survival by inhibiting one particular pathway. v-Src induced constitutive activation of signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, and Ras in murine Ba/F3 cells and led to factor-independent proliferation. Dominant-negative mutants of STAT3 (STAT3D) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (Deltap85) inhibited v-Src-dependent growth by approximately 60 and approximately 40%, respectively. Moreover, dominant-negative Ras (N17) induced severe apoptosis, which was accompanied by down-regulation of Bcl-2 and activation of caspase-3. Although cells overexpressing Bcl-2 or caspase-3 inhibitors remained viable even when N17 was expressed, the growth was reduced by approximately 85%. During N17- and STAT3D-induced growth suppression, expression of cyclin D2, cyclin D3, c-myc, and c-fos was suppressed by N17, whereas that of cyclin D2, cyclin E, and c-myc was suppressed by STAT3D. Thus, v-Src-activated Ras and STAT3 are involved in distinct but partly overlapping transcriptional regulation of cell cycle regulatory molecules. These results suggest that the full oncogenic activity of v-Src requires simultaneous activation of multiple signalings, in which Ras is particularly required for survival.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Distinct mechanisms of alpha 5beta 1 integrin activation by Ha-Ras and R-Ras.

To investigate the possible roles of the Ras/Rho family members in the inside-out signals to activate integrins, we examined the ability of Ras/Rho small GTPases to stimulate avidity of alpha(5)beta(1) (VLA-5) to fibronectin in bone marrow-derived mast cells. We found that both Ha-Ras(Val-12) and R-Ras(Val-38) had strong stimulatory effects on adhesion and ligand binding activity of VLA-5 to fibronectin. However, only Ha-Ras(Val-12)-, but not R-Ras(Val-38)-induced adhesion was inhibited by wortmannin, which suggests that Ha-Ras(Val-12) is dependent on phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase on adhesion whereas R-Ras(Val-38) has another PI 3-kinase independent pathway to induce adhesion. The effector loop mutant Ha-Ras(Val-12)E37G, but not Y40C retained the ability to stimulate adhesion of mast cells to fibronectin. Consistently, PI 3-kinase p110delta, predominantly expressed in mast cells, interacted with Ha-Ras(Val-12) E37G, but not Y40C, which was also correlated with the levels of Akt phosphorylation in mast cells. Furthermore, marked adhesion was induced by a membrane-targeted version of p110delta. These results indicate that Ha-Ras(Val-12) activated VLA-5 through PI 3-kinase p110delta. The mutational effects of the R-Ras effector loop region on adhesion were not correlated with PI 3-kinase activities, consistent with our contention that R-Ras has a distinct pathway to modulate avidity of VLA-5.

Cell Adhesion↗
PubMed2000

Chemokines fail to up-regulate beta 1 integrin-dependent adhesion in human Th2 T lymphocytes.

Th1 and Th2 cells are functionally distinct subsets of CD4+ T lymphocytes whose tissue-specific homing to sites of inflammation is regulated in part by the differential expression of P- and E-selectin ligands and selected chemokine receptors. Here we investigated the expression and function of beta 1 integrins in Th1 and Th2 cells polarized in vitro. Th1 lymphocytes adhere transiently to the extracellular matrix ligands laminin 1 and fibronectin in response to chemokines such as RANTES and stromal cell-derived factor-1, and this process is paralleled by the activation of the Rac1 GTPase and by a rapid burst of actin polymerization. Selective inhibitors of phosphoinositide-3 kinase prevent efficiently all of the above processes, whereas the protein kinase C inhibitor bisindolylmaleimide prevents chemokine-induced adhesion without affecting Rac1 activation and actin polymerization. Notably, chemokine-induced adhesion to beta 1 integrin ligands is markedly reduced in Th2 cells. Such a defect cannot be explained by a reduced sensitivity to chemokine stimulation in this T cell subset, nor by a defective activation of the signaling cascade involving phosphoinositide-3 kinase, Rac1, and actin turnover, as all these processes are activated at comparable levels by chemokines in the two subsets. We propose that reduced beta 1 integrin-mediated adhesion in Th2 cells may restrain their ability to invade and/or reside in sites of chronic inflammation, which are characterized by thickening of basement membranes and extensive fibrosis, requiring efficient interaction with organized extracellular matrices.

Actins↗
PubMed2000

Analysis of gene expression by microarrays: cell biologist's gold mine or minefield?

The development of DNA microarrays to study simultaneously the level of mRNA expressed from thousands of genes offers great promise to cell biologists. Microarrays can be used to gain detailed information about transcriptional changes involved in a specific pathway, potentially leading to the identification of novel components of the signalling system. They can also be used to obtain a fingerprint of the transcriptional status of the cell under a given condition, which may be useful for characterising the pathways used in response to novel stimuli. The use of microarrays will generate huge amounts of expression data, contributing to the transformation of biology from a data-poor to a data-rich science. Whether this leads to real advances in the understanding of cell biological problems will depend on the development of methodologies, both in experimental biology and in bioinformatics, that allow meaningful knowledge to be extracted from all this information.

Eukaryotic Cells↗
PubMed2000

The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway regulates survivin degradation in a cell cycle-dependent manner.

Survivin, a human inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP), plays an important role in both cell cycle regulation and inhibition of apoptosis. Survivin is expressed in cells during the G(2)/M phase of the cell cycle, followed by rapid decline of both mRNA and protein levels at the G(1) phase. It has been suggested that cell cycle-dependent expression of survivin is regulated at the transcriptional level. In this study we demonstrate involvement of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in post-translational regulation of survivin. Survivin is a short-lived protein with a half-life of about 30 minutes and proteasome inhibitors greatly stabilise survivin in vivo. Expression of the survivin gene under the control of the CMV promoter cannot block cell cycle-dependent degradation of the protein. Proteasome inhibitors can block survivin degradation during the G(1) phase and polyubiquitinated derivatives can be detected in vivo. Mutation of critical amino acid residues within the baculovirus IAP repeat (BIR) domain or truncation of the N terminus or the C terminus sensitises survivin to proteasome degradation. Together, these results indicate that the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway regulates survivin degradation in a cell cycle-dependent manner and structural changes greatly destabilise the survivin protein.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1999

Heregulin induces phosphorylation of BRCA1 through phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/AKT in breast cancer cells.

The breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1 encodes a nuclear phosphoprotein that acts as a tumor suppressor. Phosphorylation of BRCA1 has been implicated in altering its function, however, the pathway(s) that leads to the phosphorylation of BRCA1 has not been described. Here, a signaling pathway by which heregulin induces cell cycle-independent phosphorylation of BRCA1 was delineated. We showed that heregulin stimulation induced the phosphorylation of BRCA1 and concomitant activation of the serine/threonine kinase AKT in T47D human breast cancer cells. Heregulin-induced phosphorylation of BRCA1 was abrogated by phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors and by a dominant-negative AKT. In the absence of heregulin, the ectopic expression of the constitutively active p110 subunit of PI3K was sufficient to induce BRCA1 phosphorylation. Furthermore, the purified glutathione S-transferase/AKT kinase phosphorylated BRCA1 in vitro. We have also shown that the phosphorylation of BRCA1 by AKT occurs on the residue Thr-509, which is located in the nuclear localization signal. These results reveal a novel signaling pathway that links extracellular signals to the phosphorylation of BRCA1 in breast cancer cells.

BRCA1 Protein↗
PubMed1999

Involvement of FADD and caspase-8 signalling in detachment-induced apoptosis.

Detachment of most untransformed adherent cells from the extracellular matrix promotes apoptosis, in a process termed anoikis [1] [2]. The death signalling mechanisms involved in this process are not known, although adhesion or transformation by ras oncogenes have been shown to protect epithelial cells from apoptosis through activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) [3]. Here we show that detachment-induced apoptosis (anoikis) is blocked by the expression of a dominant-negative form of FAS-associated death domain protein (FADD) in a number of untransformed epithelial cell lines. Because the soluble extracellular domains of the death receptors CD95, DR4 and DR5 failed to block anoikis, we conclude that ligand-dependent activation of these death receptors is not involved in this process. Detachment induced strong activation of caspase 8 and caspase 3. Detachment-induced caspase-8 activation did not require the function of downstream caspases but was blocked by overexpression of the anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 or Bcl-X(L). We propose that caspase-8 activation is the initiating event in anoikis, which is subsequently subject to a positive-feedback loop involving mitochondrial events.

Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones↗
PubMed1999

The selective and inducible activation of endogenous PI 3-kinase in PC12 cells results in efficient NGF-mediated survival but defective neurite outgrowth.

The Trk/Nerve Growth Factor receptor mediates the rapid activation of a number of intracellular signaling proteins, including phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase). Here, we describe a novel, NGF-inducible system that we used to specifically address the signaling potential of endogenous PI 3-kinase in NGF-mediated neuronal survival and differentiation processes. This system utilizes a Trk receptor mutant (Trk(def)) lacking sequences Y490, Y785 and KFG important for the activation of the major Trk targets; SHC, PLC-gammal, Ras, PI 3-kinase and SNT. Trk(def) was kinase active but defective for NGF-induced responses when stably expressed in PC12nnr5 cells (which lack detectable levels of TrkA and are non-responsive to NGF). The PI 3-kinase consensus binding site, YxxM (YVPM), was introduced into the insert region within the kinase domain of Trk(def). NGF-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of the Trk(def)+PI 3-kinase addback receptor, resulted in the direct association and selective activation of PI 3-kinase in vitro and the production of PI(3,4)P2 and PI(3,4,5)P3 in vivo (comparable to wild-type). PC12nnr5 cells stably expressing Trk(def) + PI 3-kinase, initiated neurite outgrowth but failed to stably extend and maintain these neurites in response to NGF as compared to PC12 parental cells, or PC12nnr5 cells overexpressing wild-type Trk. However, Trk(def) + PI 3-kinase was fully competent in mediating NGF-induced survival processes. We propose that while endogenous PI 3-kinase can contribute in part to neurite initiation processes, its selective activation and subsequent signaling to downstream effectors such as Akt, functions mainly to promote cell survival in the PC12 system.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗
PubMed1999

Multiple ras effector pathways contribute to G(1) cell cycle progression.

The involvement of Ras in the activation of multiple early signaling pathways is well understood, but it is less clear how the various Ras effectors interact with the cell cycle machinery to cause G(1) progression. Ras-mediated activation of extracellular-regulated kinase/mitogen-activated protein kinase has been implicated in cyclin D(1) up-regulation, but there is little extracellular-regulated kinase activity during the later stages of G(1), when cyclin D(1) expression becomes maximal, implying that other effector pathways may also be important in cyclin D(1) induction. We have addressed the involvement of Ras effectors from the phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase and Ral-GDS families in G(1) progression and compared it to that of the Raf/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. PI 3-kinase activity is required for the expression of endogenous cyclin D(1) and for S phase entry following serum stimulation of quiescent NIH 3T3 fibroblasts. Activated PI 3-kinase induces cyclin D(1) transcription and E2F activity, at least in part mediated by the serine/threonine kinase Akt/PKB, and to a lesser extent the Rho family GTPase Rac. In addition, both activated Ral-GDS-like factor and Raf stimulate cyclin D(1) transcription and E2F activity and act in synergy with PI 3-kinase. Therefore, multiple cooperating pathways mediate the effects of Ras on progression through the cell cycle.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1999

Akt/PKB localisation and 3' phosphoinositide generation at sites of epithelial cell-matrix and cell-cell interaction.

Protein kinase B (PKB or Akt) is a mitogen-regulated protein kinase involved in the protection of cells from apoptosis, the promotion of cell proliferation and diverse metabolic responses [1]. Its activation is initiated by the binding of 3' phosphorylated phosphoinositide lipids to its pleckstrin homology (PH) domain, resulting in the induction of activating phosphorylation at residues Thr308 and Ser473 by upstream kinases such as phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1 (PDK1) [2]. Adhesion of epithelial cells to extracellular matrix leads to protection from apoptosis via the activation of phosphoinositide (PI) 3-kinase and Akt/PKB through an unknown mechanism [3] [4]. Here, we use the localisation of Akt/PKB within the cell to probe the sites of induction of PI 3-kinase activity. In fibroblasts, immunofluorescence microscopy showed that endogenous Akt/PKB localised to membrane ruffles at the outer edge of the cell following mitogen treatment as did green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusions with full-length Akt/PKB or its PH domain alone. In epithelial cells, the PH domain of Akt/PKB localised to sites of cell-cell and cell-matrix contact, distinct from focal contacts, even in the absence of serum. As this localisation was disrupted by PI 3-kinase inhibitory drugs and by mutations that inhibit interaction with phosphoinositides, it is likely to represent the sites of constitutive 3' phosphoinositide generation that provide a cellular survival signal. We propose that the attachment-induced, PI-3-kinase-mediated survival signal in epithelial cells is generated not only by cell-matrix interaction but also by cell-cell interaction.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1999

Apoptosis: Ras to the rescue in the fly eye.

Programmed cell death has seemed to be regulated in quite different ways in mammals and Drosophila. Recent results on the way Ras and downstream pathways can influence cell-death induction suggest the regulatory pathways in these distinct organisms might be more similar than was at first sight apparent.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Identification of the ras GTPase-activating protein GAP1(m) as a phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate-binding protein in vivo.

GAP1(m) is a member of the GAP1 family of Ras GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) [1]. In vitro, it has been shown to bind inositol 1, 3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate (IP4), the water-soluble inositol head group of the lipid second messenger phosphatidylinositol 3,4, 5-trisphosphate (PIP3) [2] [3]. This has led to the suggestion that GAP1(m) might function as a PIP3 receptor in vivo [4]. Here, using rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells transiently transfected with a plasmid expressing a chimera of green fluorescent protein fused to GAP1(m) (GFP-GAP1(m)), we show that epidermal growth factor (EGF) induces a rapid (less than 60 seconds) recruitment of GFP-GAP1(m) from the cytosol to the plasma membrane. This recruitment required a functional GAP1(m) pleckstrin homology (PH) domain, because a specific point mutation (R629C) in the PH domain that inhibits IP4 binding in vitro [5] totally blocked EGF-induced GAP1(m) translocation. Furthermore, the membrane translocation was dependent on PI 3-kinase, and the time course of translocation paralleled the rate by which EGF stimulates the generation of plasma membrane PIP3 [6]. Significantly, the PIP3-induced recruitment of GAP1(m) did not appear to result in any detectable enhancement in its basal Ras GAP activity. From these results, we conclude that GAP1(m) binds PIP3 in vivo, and it is recruited to the plasma membrane, but does not appear to be activated, following agonist stimulation of PI 3-kinase.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Transcriptional regulation of the cyclin D1 promoter by STAT5: its involvement in cytokine-dependent growth of hematopoietic cells.

STAT5 is a member of a family of transcription factors that participate in the signal transduction pathways of many hormones and cytokines. Although STAT5 is suggested to play a crucial role in the biological effects of cytokines, its downstream target(s) associated with cell growth control is largely unknown. In a human interleukin-3 (IL-3)-dependent cell line F-36P-mpl, the induced expression of dominant-negative (dn)-STAT5 and of dn-ras led to inhibition of IL-3-dependent cell growth, accompanying the reduced expression of cyclin D1 mRNA. Also, both constitutively active forms of STAT5A (1*6-STAT5A) and ras (H-rasG12V) enabled F-36P-mpl cells to proliferate without added growth factors. In NIH 3T3 cells, 1*6-STAT5A and H-rasG12V individually and cooperatively transactivated the cyclin D1 promoter in luciferase assays. Both dn-STAT5 and dn-ras suppressed IL-3-induced cyclin D1 promoter activities in F-36P-mpl cells. Using a series of mutant cyclin D1 promoters, 1*6-STAT5A was found to transactivate the cyclin D1 promoter through the potential STAT-binding sequence at -481 bp. In electrophoretic mobility shift assays, STAT5 bound to the element in response to IL-3. Furthermore, the inhibitory effect of dn-STAT5 on IL-3-dependent growth was restored by expression of cyclin D1. Thus STAT5, in addition to ras signaling, appears to mediate transcriptional regulation of cyclin D1, thereby contributing to cytokine-dependent growth of hematopoietic cells.

Cell Cycle↗
PubMed1999

Association of Nck with tyrosine-phosphorylated SLP-76 in activated T lymphocytes.

The Nck adaptor protein links tyrosine kinases or their substrates to proteins containing proline-rich motifs. Here we show that in activated T cells two tyrosine phosphoproteins of 75 and 120 kDa are co-immunoprecipitated with polyclonal antibodies against Nck. Analysis of Nck immunoprecipitates with various candidate antibodies revealed that the 75-kDa tyrosine phosphoprotein is the SH2 domain-containing leukocyte protein referred to as SLP-76. In vitro experiments show that the interaction between Nck and SLP-76 is mediated via the Nck SH2 domain. Using specific phosphopeptides corresponding to the major tyrosine phosphorylation sites of SLP-76, it was found that Y113 and Y128 phosphopeptides could compete binding of SLP-76 to the SH2 domain of Nck. In addition, the 120-kDa tyrosine phosphoprotein was recognized by an antibody raised against Cbl, a proto-oncogene product that has been previously found to be associated with Nck. These results suggest that the Nck adaptor protein interacts with key signaling molecules and may play an important role in activation of T lymphocytes.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗
PubMed1999

Requirement of multiple SH3 domains of Nck for ligand binding.

The Nck adaptor protein comprises a single C-terminal SH2 domain and three SH3 domains. The domain structure of Nck suggests that Nck links tyrosine kinase substrates to proteins containing proline-rich motifs. Here we show that Bcr/Abl tyrosine kinase, and three tyrosine phosphorylated proteins (115, 120 and 155 kDa) are co-immunoprecipitated with antibody against Nck from lysates of the human leukaemia cell line K562. By means of affinity purification with the Nck-binding phosphopeptide EPGPY(P)AQPSV, we could also detect the association of endogenous Nck with the proto-oncogene product Cbl. An investigation of the nature of interactions revealed that Bcr/Abl, Cbl, and the 155-kDa tyrosine phosphotyrosine bind exclusively to the SH3 domains of Nck. In addition, none of the single SH3 domains of Nck expressed as glutathione-S-transferase (GST) fusion proteins is able to interact with the proline-rich ligands. However, combined first and second SH3 domains have the capacity to bind Bcr/Abl, Chl and p155. Mutations of conserved tryptophan to Lysine in either of the combined first and second SH3 domains completely abolish ligand binding. These data suggest that cooperation exists among the SH3 domains of Nck for a high-affinity binding of proteins containing proline-rich motifs.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗