Biomedical subjects

Stephen W Michnick

Publications and source records attributed to Stephen W Michnick.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2004

Regulation of apoptosis by the Ft1 protein, a new modulator of protein kinase B/Akt.

The serine/threonine kinase protein kinase B (PKB)/Akt plays a central role in many cellular processes, including cell growth, glucose metabolism, and apoptosis. However, the identification and validation of novel regulators or effectors is key to future advances in understanding the multiple functions of PKB. Here we report the identification of a novel PKB binding protein, called Ft1, from a cDNA library screen using a green fluorescent protein-based protein-fragment complementation assay. We show that the Ft1 protein interacts directly with PKB, enhancing the phosphorylation of both of its regulatory sites by promoting its interaction with the upstream kinase PDK1. Further, the modulation of PKB activity by Ft1 has a strong effect on the apoptosis susceptibility of T lymphocytes treated with glucocorticoids. We demonstrate that this phenomenon occurs via a PDK1/PKB/GSK3/NF-ATc signaling cascade that controls the production of the proapoptotic hormone Fas ligand. The wide distribution of Ft1 in adult tissues suggests that it could be a general regulator of PKB activity in the control of differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis in many cell types.

3-Phosphoinositide-Dependent Protein Kinases↗

PubMed2004

Mapping biochemical networks with protein-fragment complementation assays.

Cellular biochemical machineries, what we call pathways, consist of dynamically assembling and disassembling macromolecular complexes. Although our models for the organization of biochemical machines are derived largely from in vitro experiments, do they reflect their organization in intact, living cells? We have developed a general experimental strategy that addresses this question by allowing the quantitative probing of molecular interactions in intact, living cells. The experimental strategy is based on protein-fragment complementation assays (PCA), a method whereby protein interactions are coupled to refolding of enzymes from cognate fragments where reconstitution of enzyme activity acts as the detector of a protein interaction. A biochemical machine or pathway is defined by grouping interacting proteins into those that are perturbed in the same way by common factors (hormones, metabolites, enzyme inhibitors, and so on). In this chapter we review some of the essential principles of PCA and provide details and protocols for applications of PCA, particularly in mammalian cells, based on three PCA reporters, dihydrofolate reductase, green fluorescent protein, and beta-lactamase.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Dynamic visualization of expressed gene networks.

Cellular biochemical machineries, what we call pathways, consist of dynamically assembling and disassembling macromolecular complexes. While our models for the organization of biochemical machines are derived largely from in vitro experiments, do they reflect their organization in living cells? We have developed a general experimental strategy that addresses this question by allowing the quantitative probing of molecular interactions in intact living cells. The experimental strategy is based on protein fragment complementation assays (PCA), a method whereby protein interactions are coupled to refolding of enzymes from cognate fragments where reconstitution of enzyme activity acts as the detector of a protein interaction. A biochemical machine or pathway is defined by grouping interacting proteins into those that are perturbed in the same way by common factors (hormones, metabolites, enzyme inhibitors, etc). In this review, we describe how we go from descriptive to quantitative representations of biochemical networks at an individual to whole genome level and how our approach will lead ultimately to better descriptions of the biochemical machineries that underlie living processes.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Protein fragment complementation strategies for biochemical network mapping.

The organization of biochemical networks that make up the living cell can be defined by studying the dynamics of protein-protein interactions. To this end, experimental strategies based on protein fragment complementation assays (PCAs) have been used to map biochemical networks and to identify novel components of these networks. Pharmacological perturbations of the interactions can be observed, and the resulting pharmacological profiles and subcellular locations of interactions allow each gene product to be 'placed' at its relevant point in a network. Network mapping by PCA could be used with, or instead of, traditional target-based drug discovery strategies to increase the quantity and quality of information about the actions of small molecules on living cells and the intricate networks that make up their chemical machinery.

Models, Molecular↗

PubMed2002

Beta-lactamase protein fragment complementation assays as in vivo and in vitro sensors of protein protein interactions.

We have previously described a strategy for detecting protein protein interactions based on protein interaction assisted folding of rationally designed fragments of enzymes. We call this strategy the protein fragment complementation assay (PCA). Here we describe PCAs based on the enzyme TEM-1 beta-lactamase (EC: 3.5.2.6), which include simple colorimetric in vitro assays using the cephalosporin nitrocefin and assays in intact cells using the fluorescent substrate CCF2/AM (ref. 6). Constitutive protein protein interactions of the GCN4 leucine zippers and of apoptotic proteins Bcl2 and Bad, and the homodimerization of Smad3, were tested in an in vitro assay using cell lysates. With the same in vitro assay, we also demonstrate interactions of protein kinase PKB with substrate Bad. The in vitro assay is facile and amenable to high-throughput modes of screening with signal-to-background ratios in the range of 10:1 to 250:1, which is superior to other PCAs developed to date. Furthermore, we show that the in vitro assay can be used for quantitative analysis of a small molecule induced protein interaction, the rapamycin-induced interaction of FKBP and yeast FRB (the FKBP-rapamycin binding domain of TOR (target of rapamycin)). The assay reproduces the known dissociation constant and number of sites for this interaction. The combination of in vitro colorimetric and in vivo fluorescence assays of beta-lactamase in mammalian cells suggests a wide variety of sensitive and high-throughput large-scale applications, including in vitro protein array analysis of protein protein or enzyme protein interactions and in vivo applications such as clonal selection for cells expressing interacting protein partners.

3-Phosphoinositide-Dependent Protein Kinases↗