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Tau protein, Abeta42 and S-100B protein in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with dementia with Lewy bodies.

The intra vitam diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is still based on clinical grounds. So far no technical investigations have been available to support this diagnosis. As for tau protein and beta-amyloid(1-42) (Abeta42), promising results for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been reported; we evaluated these markers and S-100B protein in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), using a set of commercially available assays, of 71 patients with DLB, 67 patients with AD and 41 nondemented controls (NDC) for their differential diagnostic relevance. Patients with DLB showed significantly lower tau protein values compared to AD but with a high overlap of values. More prominent differences were observed in the comparison of DLB patients with all three clinical core features and AD patients. Abeta42 levels were decreased in the DLB and AD groups versus NDC, without significant subgroup differences. S-100B levels were not significantly different between the groups. Tau protein levels in CSF may contribute to the clinical distinction between DLB and AD, but the value of the markers is still limited especially due to mixed pathology. We conclude that more specific markers have to be established for the differentiation of these diseases.

Aged↗

The inv(16) fusion protein associates with corepressors via a smooth muscle myosin heavy-chain domain.

Inversion(16) is one of the most frequent chromosomal translocations found in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), occurring in over 8% of AML cases. This translocation results in a protein product that fuses the first 165 amino acids of core binding factor beta to the coiled-coil region of a smooth muscle myosin heavy chain (CBFbeta/SMMHC). CBFbeta interacts with AML1 to form a heterodimer that binds DNA; this interaction increases the affinity of AML1 for DNA. The CBFbeta/SMMHC fusion protein cooperates with AML1 to repress the transcription of AML1-regulated genes. We show that CBFbeta/SMMHC contains a repression domain in the C-terminal 163 amino acids of the SMMHC region that is required for inv(16)-mediated transcriptional repression. This minimal repression domain is sufficient for the association of CBFbeta/SMMHC with the mSin3A corepressor. In addition, the inv(16) fusion protein specifically associates with histone deacetylase 8 (HDAC8). inv(16)-mediated repression is sensitive to HDAC inhibitors. We propose a model whereby the inv(16) fusion protein associates with AML1 to convert AML1 into a constitutive transcriptional repressor.

3T3 Cells↗

Enhancer activity of HS2 of the human beta-LCR is modulated by distance from the key nucleosome.

A class of curved DNA appears universally in eukaryotic genomic DNA at an average distance of approximately 680 bp and shows nucleosome positioning activity by having high affinity for histone core particles in an orientation- and position-dependent manner. Here, we report that the enhancer activity at DNase I hypersensitive site 2 (HS2) of the human beta-globin locus control region (beta-LCR) can be modulated by the curved DNA located at a distance of two nucleosomes from HS2 and that the nucleosome at the curved DNA regulates nearby nucleosome phases as a key nucleosome. Erythroid-specific nucleosome phases which caused deviation of the NF-E2 (p18-p45 dimer) binding site from the nucleosome dyad axis were over-represented when the distance between the key nucleosome and HS2 exceeded 80 bp longer than the original length. At this state, enhancer activity was approximately 50% of that in the original construct, presumably due to reduced binding of transcription factors.

Base Sequence↗

Runx1 deficiency predisposes mice to T-lymphoblastic lymphoma.

Chromosomal rearrangements affecting RUNX1 and CBFB are common in acute leukemias. These mutations result in the expression of fusion proteins that act dominant-negatively to suppress the normal function of the Runt-related transcription factor 1 (RUNX)/core binding factor beta (CBFbeta) complexes. In addition, loss-of-function mutations in Runt-related transcription factor 1 (RUNX1) have been identified in sporadic cases of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and in association with the familial platelet disorder with propensity to develop AML (FPD/AML). In order to examine the hypothesis that decreased gene dosage of RUNX1 may be a critical event in the development of leukemia, we treated chimeric mice generated from Runx1(lacZ/lacZ) embryonic stem (ES) cells that have homozygous disruption of the Runx1 gene with N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU). We observed an increased incidence of T-lymphoblastic lymphoma in Runx1(lacZ/lacZ) compared with wild-type chimeras and confirmed that the tumors were of ES-cell origin. Our results therefore suggest that deficiency of Runx1 can indeed predispose mice to hematopoietic malignancies.

Animals↗

The C-terminal 12 amino acids of sigma(N) are required for structure and function.

The sigma(N) protein is an alternative sigma subunit of bacterial RNA polymerase. We investigated the role of a 12-amino-acid "tail" at the C-terminus of Klebsiella pneumoniae sigma(N), which was predicted to be largely surface-exposed and to be mostly loop (that is not alpha-helical or beta-strand). Deletion of this tail from N-terminal hexahistidine-tagged sigma(N) led to loss of sigma(N)-dependent transcription activity in vivo. We overexpressed and purified this deletion-mutant protein for in vitro characterization. The purified deleted protein showed decreased RNA polymerase core- and DNA-binding activities compared to the full-length protein and transcription activity was greatly impaired. Furthermore, evidence from circular dichroism and protease digestion experiments together suggested that deletion of the C-terminus tail resulted in a loss of conformational constraint in the protein. We discuss a possible structural role for the 12 amino acids at the C-terminus of sigma(N).

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Regulation of complement activation by C-reactive protein: targeting of the inhibitory activity of C4b-binding protein.

C-reactive protein (CRP) is the major acute phase protein in humans. It has been shown that CRP interacts with factor H, an inhibitor of the alternative pathway of complement, and now we demonstrate binding of CRP to the fluid-phase inhibitor of the classical pathway, C4b-binding protein (C4BP). C4BP bound to directly immobilized recombinant CRP as well as CRP attached to phosphorylcholine. The binding was sensitive to ionic strength and was enhanced in the presence of calcium. C4BP lacking beta-chain and protein S, which is a form of C4BP increasing upon inflammation, bound CRP with higher affinity than the C4BP-protein S complex. The binding could not be blocked with mAbs directed against peripheral parts of the alpha-chains of C4BP while the isolated central core of C4BP obtained by partial proteolytic digestion bound CRP, indicating that the binding site for CRP is localized in the central core of the C4BP molecule. Furthermore, we found complexes in serum from a patient with an elevated CRP level and trace amounts of CRP were also identified in a plasma-derived C4BP preparation. We were also able to detect C4BP-CRP complexes in solution and established that C4BP retains full complement regulatory activity in the presence of CRP. In addition, we found that C4BP can compete with C1q for binding to immobilized CRP and that it inhibits complement activation locally. We hypothesize that CRP limits excessive complement activation on targets via its interactions with both factor H and C4BP.

Binding, Competitive↗

Reconstitution of mRNA editing in yeast using a Gal4-apoB-Gal80 fusion transcript as the selectable marker.

We describe a fusion transcript of Gal4 linked to its specific inhibitor protein Gal80 by 276 nucleotides of apolipoprotein (apo) B sequence as a selectable marker for mRNA editing. Editing of apoB mRNA is catalyzed by an editing enzyme complex that introduces a stop codon by deamination of C to U. The catalytic subunit APOBEC-1 is a cytidine deaminase and requires a second essential component recently cloned and termed APOBEC-1 complementing factor (ACF) or APOBEC-1-stimulating protein (ASP). The aim of this study was to demonstrate that APOBEC-1 plus ACF/ASP comprise all that is required for editing of apoB mRNA in vivo. Expression of APOBEC-1 and Gal4 fused to its inhibitor Gal80 by an intervening unedited apoB sequence (Gal4-apoB(C)-Gal80) did not result in the Gal4-dependent expression of HIS3 and beta-galactosidase in the yeast strain CG1945. Co-expression of APOBEC-1 and ACF/ASP induced editing of the apoB site in up to 13% of the Gal4-apoB(C)-Gal80 transcripts and enabled selection of yeast cells for robust expression of HIS3 and beta-galactosidase. Additional expression of the alternative splicing regulatory protein KSRP increased the editing of the apoB site by APOBEC-1 and ACF/ASP to 21%. Thus, APOBEC-1 and ACF/ASP represent the core apoB mRNA editing enzyme in vivo. This study demonstrates for the first time the successful use of a selectable marker for mRNA editing. The Gal4-Gal80 system is analogous to the two-hybrid assay and may have broader applications for the study of other mRNA processing reactions.

APOBEC-1 Deaminase↗

Reciprocal modulation between the alpha and beta 4 subunits of hSlo calcium-dependent potassium channels.

Large conductance Ca(2+)-dependent potassium (K(Ca) or maxi K) channels are composed of a pore-forming alpha subunit and an auxiliary beta subunit. We have shown that the brain-specific beta4 subunit modulates the voltage dependence, activation kinetics, and toxin sensitivity of the hSlo channel (Weiger, T. M., Holmqvist, M. H., Levitan, I. B., Clark, F. T., Sprague, S., Huang, W. J., Ge, P., Wang, C., Lawson, D., Jurman, M. E., Glucksmann, M. A., Silos-Santiago, I., DiStefano, P. S., and Curtis, R. (2000) J. Neurosci. 20, 3563-3570). We investigated here the N-linked glycosylation of the beta4 subunit and its effect on the modulation of the hSlo alpha subunit. When expressed alone in HEK293 cells, the beta4 subunit runs as a single molecular weight band on an SDS gel. However, when coexpressed with the hSlo alpha subunit, the beta4 subunit appears as two different molecular weight bands. Enzymatic deglycosylation or mutation of the N-linked glycosylation residues in beta4 converts it to a single lower molecular weight band, even in the presence of the hSlo alpha subunit, suggesting that the beta4 subunit can be present as an immature, core glycosylated form and a mature, highly glycosylated form. Blockage of protein transport from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi compartment with brefeldin A abolishes the mature, highly glycosylated beta4 band. Glycosylation of the beta4 subunit is not required for its binding to the hSlo channel alpha subunit. It also is not necessary for cell membrane targeting of the beta4 subunit, as demonstrated by surface biotinylation experiments. However, the double glycosylation site mutant beta4 (beta4 N53A/N90A) protects the channel less against toxin blockade, as compared with the hSlo channel coexpressed with wild type beta4 subunit. Taken together, these data show that the pore-forming alpha subunit of the hSlo channel promotes N-linked glycosylation of its auxiliary beta4 subunit, and this in turn influences the modulation of the channel by the beta4 subunit.

Animals↗

Phorbol ester treatment of K562 cells regulates the transcriptional activity of AML1c through phosphorylation.

We find that phorbol ester (PE) treatment of K562 cells greatly stimulates promoters (T cell receptor beta, myeloperoxidase, macrophage colony-stimulating factor receptor, and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor receptor) containing AML1 transcription factor binding sites. This stimulation of AML1c transcriptional activity is mediated by direct phosphorylation of the AML1c molecule on multiple phosphorylation sites. Eleven AML1c (S/T)P sites in the transcriptional activating domain are phosphorylated at a basal level in untreated K562 cells; treatment of the K562 cells with PE results in increased phosphorylation at five of these sites (serines 276, 293, 303, 462, and threonine 300). Mutation of these five sites to alanine inhibits PE-induced transcriptional activity; mutation of the sites to an acidic amino acid, aspartic acid, stimulates constitutive activity. Single mutations in four amino acids or double mutations (serines 276 and 293 or threonine 300 and serine 303) have little effect on AML1c transcriptional activity. Inhibitor assays suggest that the ERK family of protein kinases is activated by PEs to phosphorylate the (S/T)P sites within the AML1c molecule and markedly enhance the transcriptional activity of AML1c.

Aspartic Acid↗

Interaction of S-100b protein with cardiolipin vesicles as monitored by electron spin resonance, pyrene fluorescence and circular dichroism.

The interaction of S-100b protein with cardiolipin (CL) vesicles has been studied by electron spin resonance, pyrene fluorescence, and circular dichroism. Electron spin resonance and pyrene fluorescence data indicate that S-100b binds to the polar surface of vesicles Ca2+-independently. In the presence of Ca2+, S-100b potentiates the Ca2+-induced clustering of the polar headgroups of CL molecules and causes a further reduction in the Ca2+-dependent decrease in the lateral mobility of the pyrene inserted into the lipid bilayer, which points to an effect of the protein on the hydrophobic core of the lipid bilayer through a larger perturbation of its polar surface. Circular dichroism analyses indicate that CL vesicles cause a decrease in the alpha-helical content of S-100b, analogous to that produced by Ca2+ and that the effects of CL vesicles and of Ca2+ on the secondary structure of the protein are supra-additive. By this technique, we found that the affinity of Ca2+ for S-100b increases substantially in the presence of CL vesicles, even in the presence of physiologic concentrations of KCl, suggesting that once S-100b had interacted with CL vesicles it assumes a new conformation in which its Ca2+-binding properties are greatly enhanced. These results are discussed in relation to binding of S-100b proteins to natural membranes, and to a possible involvement of S-100b in the regulation of membrane structural organization.

Calcium↗

Structure determination of Panulirus interruptus haemocyanin at 3.2 A resolution. Successful phase extension by sixfold density averaging.

The three-dimensional structure of Panulirus interruptus haemocyanin has been determined at 3.2 A resolution by X-ray diffraction techniques. Starting from a double isomorphous replacement map at 4 A resolution, the phases of the 32,709 reflections were first improved by six cycles of sixfold molecular averaging and solvent flattening. This also generated phase for 3078 reflections with no isomorphous replacement data. Next, phases for the reflections between 4.0 A and 3.2 A were obtained by a stepwise expansion procedure. In each expansion step 2000 to 3000 new reflections were added to the set of already phased reflections, followed by a few cycles of density averaging and solvent flattening at constant resolution. The eventual map at 3.2 A was calculated with 63,843 reflections with an average Sim weight of 0.75 and an overall R-factor of 23.5%. The polypeptide chain could be traced without any problems, while the dinuclear copper site, disulphide bridges and the first three moieties of the carbohydrate chain were clearly visible. Each subunit consists of three distinct domains. The first domain is mainly helical, containing one disulphide bridge and the carbohydrate chain. The second domain is also predominantly helical and contains the dinuclear copper site at its centre. The core of the third domain is an anti-parallel beta-barrel with the same topology as in the immunoglobulins and Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase. This domain contains two disulphide bridges. Two long loops extend from the beta-barrel and have numerous interactions with the other two domains. The two copper ions are at approximately 3.7 +/- 0.25 A from each other and co-ordinated by six histidines, which are strictly conserved in all seven arthropodan haemocyanins with known amino acid sequences. No bridging protein ligand is present in the electron density distribution. Hydroxyl groups from tyrosines, which are invariant among arthropodan haemocyanins, are 17.4 A or more removed from the centre of the two copper ions. The closest Panulirus tyrosine hydroxyl is 10.6 A from the copper ions. So, it appears unlikely that tyrosine is involved in the co-ordination of the coppers either in the deoxy or in the oxy form of arthropodan haemocyanins.

Allosteric Regulation↗

Novel putative targets of N-ethylmaleimide sensitive fusion protein (NSF) and alpha/beta soluble NSF attachment proteins (SNAPs) include the Pak-binding nucleotide exchange factor betaPIX.

N-ethylmaleimide sensitive fusion protein (NSF) is a chaperone that plays a crucial role in the fusion of vesicles with target membranes. NSF mediates the ATP-consuming dissociation of a core protein complex that assembles during vesicle fusion and it thereby recharges the fusion machinery to perform multiple rounds of fusion. The binding of NSF to the core complex is mediated by co-chaperones named soluble NSF attachment proteins (SNAPs), for which three isoforms (alpha, beta and gamma) are known. Here, we sought to identify novel targets of the NSF-SNAP complex. A yeast two-hybrid screen using the brain specific betaSNAP isoform as bait revealed, as expected, NSF and several isoforms of the SNARE protein syntaxin as interactors. In addition, three isoforms of the reticulon protein family and two isoforms of BNIP3 interacted with betaSNAP. A yeast two-hybrid screen using NSF as bait identified Rab11-FIP3 and the Pak-binding nucleotide exchange factor betaPIX as putative binding partners. betaPIX interacts with recombinant NSF in co-sedimentation assays and the two proteins may be co-immunoprecipitated. A leucine zipper (LZ) motif within the C-terminus of betaPIX mediates binding to NSF; however, this fragment of betaPIX does not exhibit dominant negative effects in a cellular assay. In summary, our results support the evolving view that NSF has numerous targets in addition to conventional SNARE complexes.

Animals↗

Smad-Runx interactions during chondrocyte maturation.

BACKGROUND: Intracellular signaling triggered by bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) results in activated Smad complexes that regulate transcription of BMP-responsive genes. However, the low specificity of Smad binding to regulatory sequences implies that additional tissue-specific transcription factors are also needed. Runx2 (Cbfal) is a transcription factor required for bone formation. We have examined the role of Smads and Runx2 in BMP induction of type X collagen, which is a marker of chondrocyte hypertrophy leading to endochondral bone formation. METHODS: Pre-hypertrophic chondrocytes from the cephalic portion of the chick embryo sternum were placed in culture in the presence or absence of rhBMP-2. Cultures were transiently transfected with DNA containing the BMP-responsive type X collagen promoter upstream of the luciferase gene. The cultures were also transfected with plasmids, causing over-expression of Smads or Runx2, or both. After 24-48 hours, cell extracts were examined for levels of luciferase expression. RESULTS: In the presence of BMP-2, chondrocytes over-expressing BMP-activated Smadl or Smad5 showed significant enhancement of luciferase production compared with that seen with BMP alone. This enhancement was not observed with over-expression of Smad2, a transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta)-activated Smad. Overexpression of Runx2 in BMP-treated cultures increased transcriptional activity to levels similar to those seen with Smads 1 or 5. When chondrocytes were simultaneously transfected with both Runx2 and Smad 1 or 5, promoter activity was further increased, indicating that BMP-stimulated Smad activity can be augmented by increasing the levels of Runx2. CONCLUSIONS: These results implicate the skeletal tissue transcription factor Runx2 in regulation of chondrocyte hypertrophy and suggest that maximal transcription of the type X collagen gene in pre-hypertrophic chondrocytes involves interaction of BMP-stimulated Smads with Runx2. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Many skeletal abnormalities are associated with impaired regulation of chondrocyte hypertrophy in growth plates. These studies demonstrate that both BMP-activated Smads and Runx2 levels can modulate chondrocyte transition to hypertrophy.

Animals↗

Accessory proteins bind a primed template and mediate rapid cycling of DNA polymerase III holoenzyme from Escherichia coli.

DNA polymerase III holoenzyme was assembled from pure proteins onto a primer template scaffold. The assembly process could be divided into two stages. In the time-consuming first stage, beta subunit and gamma.delta subunit complex were required in forming a tightly bound ATP-activated "preinitiation complex" with a single-stranded DNA bacteriophage circle uniquely primed with a synthetic pentadecadeoxyribonucleotide. This finding substantiates an earlier study using crude protein preparations in a homopolymer system lacking Escherichia coli single-stranded DNA binding protein (Wickner, S. (1976) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 73, 3511-3515). In the second stage, the polymerase III core and the tau subunit rapidly seek out and bind the preinitiation complex to form DNA polymerase III holoenzyme capable of rapid and entirely processive replication of the circular DNA. ATP is not required beyond formation of the preinitiation complex. It is remarkable that the fully assembled DNA polymerase III holoenzyme is so stably bound to the primed DNA circle (4-min half-time of dissociation), yet upon completing a round of synthesis the polymerase cycles within 10 s to a new preinitiation complex on a challenge primed DNA circle. Efficient polymerase cycling only occurred when challenge primed DNA was endowed with a preinitiation complex implying that cycling is mediated by a polymerase subassembly which dissociates from its accessory proteins and associates with a new preinitiation complex. These subunit dynamics suggest mechanisms for polymerase cycling on the lagging strand of replication forks in a growing chromosome.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Translocation products in acute myeloid leukemia activate the Wnt signaling pathway in hematopoietic cells.

The acute myeloid leukemia (AML)-associated translocation products AML1-ETO, PML-retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARalpha), and PLZF-RARalpha encode aberrant transcription factors. Several lines of evidence suggest similar pathogenetic mechanisms for these fusion proteins. We used high-density oligonucleotide arrays to identify shared target genes in inducibly transfected U937 cells expressing AML1-ETO, PML-RARalpha, or PLZF-RARalpha. All three fusion proteins significantly repressed the expression of 38 genes and induced the expression of 14 genes. Several of the regulated genes were associated with Wnt signaling. One of these, plakoglobin (gamma-catenin), was induced on the mRNA and protein level by all three fusion proteins. In addition, primary AML blasts carrying one of the fusion proteins significantly overexpressed plakoglobin. The plakoglobin promoter was cloned and shown to be induced by AML1-ETO, with promoter activation depending on the corepressor and histone deacetylase binding domains. The induction of plakoglobin by AML fusion proteins led to downstream signaling and transactivation of TCF- and LEF-dependent promoters, including the c-myc promoter, which was found to be bound by plakoglobin in vivo after AML1-ETO expression. beta-Catenin protein levels and TCF and LEF target genes such as c-myc and cyclin D1 were found to be induced by the fusion proteins. On the functional level, a dominant negative TCF inhibited colony growth of AML1-ETO-positive Kasumi cells, whereas plakoglobin transfection into myeloid 32D cells enhanced proliferation and clonal growth. Injection of plakoglobin-expressing 32D cells into syngeneic mice accelerated the development of leukemia. Transduction of plakoglobin into primitive murine hematopoietic progenitor cells preserved the immature phenotype during colony growth, suggesting enhanced self-renewal. These data provide evidence that activation of Wnt signaling is a common feature of several balanced translocations in AML.

Animals↗

Human immunodeficiency virus-1 infection requires pertussis toxin sensitive G-protein-coupled signalling and mediates cAMP downregulation.

The human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) utilises CD4 and certain beta-chemokine receptors, mainly CCR-5 and CXCR4, for attachment and virus entry into T-lymphocytes and monocytes/macrophages. CD4 and beta-chemokine receptors participate in intracellular signalling via protein tyrosine kinases and G-protein-coupled signalling. The factors which influence HIV-1 replication and the intracellular signalling mechanisms elicited by the virus are not well understood. In this study, it was demonstrated that exposure of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) to a T-cell tropic strain of HIV-1 evokes signal(s) which results in downregulation of intracellular cAMP. In addition, pre-incubation of PBLs with the Gi-protein inhibitor Pertussis toxin mediated a significant inhibition of HIV-1 replication. These data strongly suggest that HIV-1 employs CD4 receptors and Gi-coupled proteins for entry into target cells and that productive HIV-1 infection is dependent on an active signalling event.

Benzoquinones↗

Gene transfer of the Runx2 transcription factor enhances osteogenic activity of bone marrow stromal cells in vitro and in vivo.

Marrow stromal cells (MSCs) have the potential to differentiate into multiple mesenchymal cell types. To harness the power of MSCs for bone regeneration, methods must be developed to direct their differentiation selectively to the osteoblast lineage. The objective of this study was to examine the feasibility of using ex vivo Runx2 gene transfer to enhance the osteogenic activity of MSCs. Primary MSCs isolated from C57BL6 mice were transduced with adenoviral vectors encoding beta-galactosidase or Runx2. Cells transduced with Ad-Runx2 expressed Runx2 protein and underwent osteoblast differentiation as measured by increases in alkaline phosphatase activity and mineralization. Time-course studies revealed that Runx2 protein was highest 1 day after transduction and declined below the limits of detection by 15 days. Osteoblast marker mRNA expression paralleled Runx2 levels. In contrast, Runx2-dependent mineralization persisted for the duration of the experiment. To assess in vivo osteogenic activity, Ad-Runx2-transduced and control MSCs were adsorbed to two different carrier scaffolds and subcutaneously implanted into C57BL6 mice. In both cases, MSCs expressing Runx2 formed substantially more bone than cells transduced with control virus. Taken together, these studies indicate that Runx2 gene transfer may be an effective route to enhance the osteogenic potential of MSCs.

Adenoviridae↗

An ear-core interaction regulates the recruitment of the AP-3 complex to membranes.

AP-3 is a heterotetrameric adaptor involved in the biogenesis of lysosome-related organelles. The function of AP-3 as an adaptor relies on its ability to bind to membranes in an Arf-dependent fashion and to recognize sorting signals in the cytosolic tails of the transmembrane cargo. Here, we report an interdomain interaction involving the ear domain of the delta subunit and the sigma3 subunit of AP-3. This interaction interferes with the binding of AP-3 to Arf but not to dileucine-based sorting signals. As a consequence, the delta-ear inhibits the recruitment of AP-3 to membranes both in vitro and in vivo and impairs the sorting of lysosomal membrane proteins. These observations suggest a new regulatory mechanism for the recruitment of AP-3 to membranes involving delta-ear-sigma3 interactions.

Adaptor Protein Complex 3↗