Cyclin-dependent kinase 1 activity coordinates the chromatin associated state of Oct4 during cell cycle in embryonic stem cells.

Cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1) is indispensable for embryonic stem cell (ESC) maintenance and embryo development. Even though some reports have described a connection between Cdk1 and Oct4, there is no evidence that Cdk1 activity is directly linked to the ESC pluripotency transcription program. We recently reported that Aurkb/PP1-mediated Oct4 resetting is important to cell cycle maintenance and pluripotency in mouse ESCs (mESCs). In this study, we show that Cdk1 is an upstream regulator of the Oct4 phosphorylation state during cell cycle progression, and it coordinates the chromatin associated state of Oct4 for pluripotency-related gene expression within the cell cycle. Upon entry into mitosis, Aurkb in the chromosome passenger complex becomes fully activated and PP1 activity is inhibited downstream of Cdk1 activation, leading to sustaining Oct4(S229) phosphorylation and dissociation of Oct4 from chromatin during the mitotic phase. Cdk1 inhibition at the mitotic phase abnormally results in Oct4 dephosphorylation, chromosome decondensation and chromatin association of Oct4, even in replicated chromosome. Our study results suggest a molecular mechanism by which Cdk1 directly links the cell cycle to the pluripotency transcription program in mESCs.

The DNA replication protein Cdc6 inhibits the microtubule-organizing activity of the centrosome.

The centrosome serves as a major microtubule-organizing center (MTOC). The Cdc6 protein is a component of the pre-replicative complex and a licensing factor for the initiation of chromosome replication and localizes to centrosomes during the S and G2 phases of the cfell cycle of human cells. This cell cycle-dependent localization of Cdc6 to the centrosome motivated us to investigate whether Cdc6 negatively regulates MTOC activity and to determine the integral proteins that comprise the pericentriolar material (PCM). Time-lapse live-cell imaging of microtubule regrowth revealed that Cdc6 depletion increased microtubule nucleation at the centrosomes and that expression of Cdc6 in Cdc6-depleted cells reversed this effect. This increase and decrease in microtubule nucleation correlated with the centrosomal intensities of PCM proteins such as γ-tubulin, pericentrin, CDK5 regulatory subunit-associated protein 2 (CDK5RAP2), and centrosomal protein 192 (Cep192). The regulation of microtubule nucleation and the recruitment of PCM proteins to the centrosome required Cdc6 ATPase activity, as well as a centrosomal localization of Cdc6. These results suggest a novel function for Cdc6 in coordinating centrosome assembly and function.

The novel YAP target gene, SGK1, upregulates TAZ activity by blocking GSK3ß-mediated TAZ destabilization.

YAP (Yes-associated protein) and TAZ (transcription activator with PDZ binding motif) are important in tissue regeneration and cancer development, highlighting the importance of discovering partners that regulate their oncogenicity. SGK1 (serum/glucocorticoid regulated kinase 1), initially identified as a homolog of Akt in phosphoinositide 3-kinase signaling, acts as a serine/threonine protein kinase in multiple oncogenic pathways. However, possible links between SGK1 and Hippo-YAP/TAZ signaling remain unexplored. Here, we reveal that SGK1 is a potential positive feedback regulator of YAP and TAZ, showing that the TEAD-YAP/TAZ complex directly activates SGK1 transcription by binding to the distal enhancer of SGK1, and SGK1, in turn, stabilizes YAP/TAZ. Moreover, we demonstrate that expression of YAP/TAZ target genes is positively regulated by SGK1. Mechanistically, SGK1 inhibits ubiquitin-mediated degradation of TAZ by inhibiting GSK3ß activity. These findings expand our understanding of YAP/TAZ regulation to include the novel downstream target of YAP, SGK1.

Importance of eIF2α phosphorylation as a protective mechanism against heat stress in mouse male germ cells.

Mammalian male germ cells are exceptionally labile to heat stress. A temporal arrest of translation is one immediate response to heat, which involves heat-induced phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (eIF2α) to block the formation of the translational initiation complex. Here, we investigated the protective mechanisms against heat stress in mouse male germ cells. All known eIF2α kinases were expressed in lineage- and developmental stage-specific manners in the testis; noteworthy was the presence of Gcn2 (General control nonderepressible 2 kinase) in spermatocytes of all seminiferous tubules. Multiple eIF2α kinases are likely activated upon heat stress in male germ cells. ISRIB (Integrated stress response inhibitor) was then used to determine the events downstream of eIF2α phosphorylation. ISRIB significantly reduced the rate of stress granule formation in spermatocytes at early-stage (III-IV) seminiferous tubules, and induced a number of apoptotic germ cells at late-stage (XI-XII) seminiferous tubules near the onset of meiosis. Thus, stress granule formation is a downstream event of eIF2α phosphorylation that may not directly protect cells from apoptosis, at least in spermatocytes of seminiferous tubules in early stages. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 84: 265-274, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Hippo-Foxa2 signaling pathway plays a role in peripheral lung maturation and surfactant homeostasis.

Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), which is induced by insufficient production of surfactant, is the leading cause of mortality in preterm babies. Although several transcription factors are known to be involved in surfactant protein expression, the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways upstream of these transcription factors have remained elusive. Here, using mammalian Hippo kinases (Mst1/2, mammalian sterile 20-like kinase 1/2) conditional knockout mice, we demonstrate that Mst1/2 kinases are critical for orchestration of transcription factors involved in surfactant protein homeostasis and prevention of RDS. Mice lacking Mst1/2 in the respiratory epithelium exhibited perinatal mortality with respiratory failure and their lungs contained fewer type I pneumocytes and more immature type II pneumocytes lacking microvilli, lamellar bodies, and surfactant protein expression, pointing to peripheral lung immaturity and RDS. In contrast to previous findings of YAP (Yes-associated protein)-mediated canonical Hippo signaling in the liver and intestine, loss of Mst1/2 kinases induced the defects in pneumocyte differentiation independently of YAP hyperactivity. We instead found that Mst1/2 kinases stabilized and phosphorylated the transcription factor Foxa2 (forkhead box A2), which regulates pneumocyte maturation and surfactant protein expression. Taken together, our results suggest that the mammalian Hippo kinases play crucial roles in surfactant homeostasis and coordination of peripheral lung differentiation through regulation of Foxa2 rather than of YAP.

Cdc6 localizes to S- and G2-phase centrosomes in a cell cycle-dependent manner.

The Cdc6 protein has been primarily investigated as a component of the pre-replicative complex for the initiation of chromosome replication, which contributes to maintenance of chromosomal integrity. Here, we show that Cdc6 localized to the centrosomes during S and G2 phases of the cell cycle. The centrosomal localization was mediated by Cdc6 amino acid residues 311-366, which are conserved within other Cdc6 homologues and contains a putative nuclear export signal. Deletions or substitutions of the amino acid residues did not allow the proteins to localize to centrosomes. In contrast, DsRed tag fused to the amino acid residues localized to centrosomes. These results indicated that a centrosome localization signal is contained within amino acid residues 311-366. The cell cycle-dependent centrosomal localization of Cdc6 in S and G2 phases suggest a novel function of Cdc6 in centrosomes.

Dephosphorylation of Orc2 by protein phosphatase 1 promotes the binding of the origin recognition complex to chromatin.

Phosphorylation of Orc2, one of the six subunits of the origin recognition complex (ORC), by cyclin A/CDK2 during S phase leads to the dissociation of Orc2, Orc3, Orc4, and Orc5 subunits (Orc2-5) from human chromatin and replication origins. Dephosphorylation of the phosphorylated Orc2 by protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) is accompanied by the binding of the dissociated subunits to chromatin. Here we show that PP1 physically interacts with Orc2. The binding of PP1 to Orc2 and the dephosphorylation of Orc2 by PP1 occurred in a cell cycle-dependent manner through an interaction with 119-KSVSF-123, which is the consensus motif for the binding of PP1, of Orc2. The dephosphorylation of Orc2 by PP1 is required for the binding of Orc2 to chromatin. These results support that PP1 dephosphorylates Orc2 to promote the binding of ORC to chromatin and replication origins for the subsequent round of the cell cycle.

Protein phosphatase 1 dephosphorylates Orc2.

Phosphorylation of Thr(116) and Thr(226) on Orc2, one of the six subunits of the origin recognition complex (ORC), by cyclin A/CDK2 during S phase leads to the dissociation of Orc2, Orc3, Orc4, and Orc5 subunits (Orc2-5) from human chromatin and replication origins. The phosphorylated Orc2 becomes dephosphorylated in the late M phase of the cell cycle. Here we show that protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) dephosphorylates Orc2. Dephosphorylation of Orc2 was accompanied by associating the dissociated Orc subunits with chromatin. Inhibitors of PP1 preferentially inhibited the dephosphorylation of Orc2. The overexpression of the α, ß and γ PP1 isoforms decreased the amount of phosphorylated Orc2, and the depletion of these isoforms by RNA interference increased the amount of phosphorylated Orc2. These results suggest that PP1 dephosphorylates Orc2 to promote the binding of ORC to chromatin.

Phosphorylation of ORC2 protein dissociates origin recognition complex from chromatin and replication origins.

During the late M to the G(1) phase of the cell cycle, the origin recognition complex (ORC) binds to the replication origin, leading to the assembly of the prereplicative complex for subsequent initiation of eukaryotic chromosome replication. We found that the cell cycle-dependent phosphorylation of human ORC2, one of the six subunits of ORC, dissociates ORC2, -3, -4, and -5 (ORC2-5) subunits from chromatin and replication origins. Phosphorylation at Thr-116 and Thr-226 of ORC2 occurs by cyclin-dependent kinase during the S phase and is maintained until the M phase. Phosphorylation of ORC2 at Thr-116 and Thr-226 dissociated the ORC2-5 from chromatin. Consistent with this, the phosphomimetic ORC2 protein exhibited defective binding to replication origins as well as to chromatin, whereas the phosphodefective protein persisted in binding throughout the cell cycle. These results suggest that the phosphorylation of ORC2 dissociates ORC from chromatin and replication origins and inhibits binding of ORC to newly replicated DNA.

Oligomerization of TopBP1 is necessary for the localization of TopBP1 to mitotic centrosomes.

Human TopBP1 is involved in the DNA damage checkpoint response, chromosome replication, and other functions of cell cycle control. The C-terminal region of TopBP1 (TbpCtr: amino acid residues 1222-1522) is involved in the localization of TopBP1 to the centrosomes during mitosis. Here, we showed that the amino acid residues 741-885 of TopBP1, in addition to TbpCtr, are necessary for the centrosomal localization of TopBP1. Whereas oligomeric tags fused to TbpCtr localized to mitotic centrosomes, monomeric tags fused to TbpCtr did not. Insertion of the amino acid residues 741-885 into the monomeric tag fused to TbpCtr allowed the protein to localize to the mitotic centrosome. These results suggest that the amino acid residues 741-885 are necessary for oligomerization of TopBP1 for centrosomal localization.

TopBP1 deficiency causes an early embryonic lethality and induces cellular senescence in primary cells.

TopBP1 plays important roles in chromosome replication, DNA damage response, and other cellular regulatory functions in vertebrates. Although the roles of TopBP1 have been studied mostly in cancer cell lines, its physiological function remains unclear in mice and untransformed cells. We generated conditional knock-out mice in which exons 5 and 6 of the TopBP1 gene are flanked by loxP sequences. Although TopBP1-deficient embryos developed to the blastocyst stage, no homozygous mutant embryos were recovered at E8.5 or beyond, and completely resorbed embryos were frequent at E7.5, indicating that mutant embryos tend to die at the peri-implantation stage. This finding indicated that TopBP1 is essential for cell proliferation during early embryogenesis. Ablation of TopBP1 in TopBP1(flox/flox) mouse embryonic fibroblasts and 3T3 cells using Cre recombinase-expressing retrovirus arrests cell cycle progression at the G(1), S, and G(2)/M phases. The TopBP1-ablated mouse cells exhibit phosphorylation of H2AX and Chk2, indicating that the cells contain DNA breaks. The TopBP1-ablated mouse cells enter cellular senescence. Although RNA interference-mediated knockdown of TopBP1 induced cellular senescence in human primary cells, it induced apoptosis in cancer cells. Therefore, TopBP1 deficiency in untransformed mouse and human primary cells induces cellular senescence rather than apoptosis. These results indicate that TopBP1 is essential for cell proliferation and maintenance of chromosomal integrity.

Coordinate synthesis but discrete localization of homologous N-glycosylated proteins, CLP and CLB, in Naegleria pringsheimi flagellates.

The synchronous amoebae-to-flagellates differentiation of Naegleria pringsheimi has been used as a model system to study the formation of eukaryotic flagella. We cloned two novel genes, Clp, Class I on plasma membrane and Clb, Class I at basal bodies, which are transiently expressed during differentiation and characterized their respective protein products. CLP (2,087 amino acids) and CLB (1,952 amino acids) have 82.9% identity in their amino acid sequences and are heavily N-glycosylated, leading to an ~ 100 × 10(3) increase in the relative molecular mass of the native proteins. In spite of these similarities, CLP and CLB were localized to distinct regions: CLP was present on the outer surface of the plasma membrane, whereas CLB was concentrated at a site where the basal bodies are assembled and remained associated with the basal bodies. Oryzalin, a microtubule toxin, inhibited the appearance of CLP on the plasma membrane, but had no effect on the concentration of CLB at its target site. These data suggest that N. pringsheimi uses separate mechanisms to transport CLP and CLB to the plasma membrane and to the site of basal body assembly, respectively.

Human TopBP1 localization to the mitotic centrosome mediates mitotic progression.

TopBP1 contains repeats of the BRCA1 C-terminal (BRCT) domain and plays important roles in DNA damage response, DNA replication, and other cellular regulatory functions during the interphase. In prometaphase, metaphase, and anaphase, TopBP1 localizes to the mitotic centrosomes, which function as spindle-poles for the bipolar separation of sister chromatids. The localization of TopBP1 to the mitotic centrosomes is mediated by amino acid residues 1259 to 1420 in the TopBP1 C-terminal region (TbpCtr). GST and DsRed2 tags fused to TbpCtr were localized in the mitotic centrosomes, thereby suggesting that TbpCtr functions as a mitosis-specific centrosome localization signal (CLS). Mutations of Ser 1273 and/or Lys 1317, which were predicted to interact with a putative phosphoprotein, inhibited CLS function. Ectopic expression of TbpCtr specifically eliminated endogenous TopBP1 from the mitotic centrosomes, whereas mutant TbpCtr derivatives, containing substitutions at Ser 1273 and/or Lys 1317, did not. The specific elimination of TopBP1 from the mitotic centrosomes prolonged the durations of prometaphase and metaphase and shortened the inter-kinetochore distances of metaphase sister chromatids while maintaining the spindle assembly checkpoint. These results suggest that the localization of TopBP1 to the mitotic centrosomes is necessary for proper mitotic progression.

Knockdown of human MCM10 exhibits delayed and incomplete chromosome replication.

In model organisms, MCM10 is required for forming the pre-initiation complex for initiation of chromosome replication and is involved in the elongation step. To investigate the role of MCM10 in human chromosome replication, we used small interfering RNA (siRNA) in MCM10-knockdown experiments and found that knockdown accumulated S and G2 phase cells. The chromosome replication of MCM10-knockdown cells was slowed during early and mid S phases, although Cdc45, Polalpha, and PCNA proteins were loaded onto the chromatin, and was aberrant during late S phase. Our results indicate that MCM10 is essential for the efficient elongation step of chromosome replication.

Knockdown of human MCM10 activates G2 checkpoint pathway.

MCM10 has been shown to be a component for the elongation step of chromosome replication in model organisms such as yeast. In the accompanying manuscript [J.H. Park, S.W. Bang, Y. Jeon, S. Kang, D.S. Hwang, Knockdown of human MCM10 exhibits delayed and incomplete chromosome replication, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. (2007) 365 (2008) 575-582.], we reported that knockdown of human MCM10 protein exhibits delayed and incomplete chromosomal DNA replication. In this report, we examined the consequences of the delayed and incomplete chromosome replication in the cell cycle. Defective and incomplete chromosome replication by MCM10 knockdown activated a checkpoint pathway, composed of Chk1 and Cdc25, that inhibited Cdk1. Chk2 appeared not to be involved in the Cdk1 inhibition. The function of Cdk1 is necessary for the transition from G2 to mitotic phase, thereby Cdk1 inhibition by checkpoint arrested MCM10-knockdown cells in G2 phase. The prolonged depletion of MCM10 resulted in DNA damage followed by cell death. These results indicate that MCM10 protein is essential for maintaining genome integrity as well as cell cycle progression.

Depletion of MOB1A/B causes intestinal epithelial degeneration by suppressing Wnt activity and activating BMP/TGF-ß signaling.

The Hippo pathway is involved in intestinal epithelial homeostasis with Wnt, BMP, Notch, and EGF signaling. We investigated the relationship between Hippo and other signaling pathways and the role of MOB kinase activator 1A/1B (MOB1A/B) in intestinal homeostasis. Mice with intestinal epithelial cell (IEC)-specific depletion of MOB1A/B showed hyperproliferation in IECs, defects in secretory lineage differentiation and loss of intestinal stem cells and eventually died at 10-12 days after tamoxifen treatment. In MOB1A/B-depleted IECs, expression of Wnt target genes were downregulated but Bmp2 and Tgfbr2 were transcriptionally activated with enhanced YAP activity. In in vivo and in vitro experiments with several signaling inhibitors, it has been shown that the BMP inhibitor LDN193189 or TGF-ß inhibitor SB431542 had effects on partial restoration of the intestinal degenerative phenotype. Treatment with these inhibitors restored differentiation of secretory lineage cells in MOB1A/B-deficient mice, but not ISC pools in the crypt region. These studies reveal that IEC-specific depletion of MOB1A/B induced overexpression of Bmp2 and Tgfbr2 and inhibited Wnt activity, finally leading to loss of ISCs and functional epithelia in the mouse intestine. These results suggest that MOB1A/B has an essential function for intestinal epithelial homeostasis by regulating YAP, Wnt activity, and BMP/TGF-ß signaling.

Dimeric configuration of SeqA protein bound to a pair of hemi-methylated GATC sequences.

The binding of SeqA protein to hemi-methylated GATC sequences (hemi-sites) regulates chromosome initiation and the segregation of replicated chromosome in Escherichia coli. We have used atomic force microscopy to examine the architecture of SeqA and the mode of binding of one molecule of SeqA to a pair of hemi-sites in aqueous solution. SeqA has a bipartite structure composed of a large and a small lobe. Upon binding of a SeqA molecule to a pair of hemi-sites, the larger lobe becomes visibly separated into two DNA binding domains, each of which binds to one hemi-site. The two DNA binding domains are held together by association between the two multimerization domains that make up the smaller lobe. The binding of each DNA binding domain to a hemi-site leads to bending of the bound DNA inwards toward the bound protein. In this way, SeqA adopts a dimeric configuration when bound to a pair of hemi-sites. Mutational analysis of the multimerization domain indicates that, in addition to multimerization of SeqA polypeptides, this domain contributes to the ability of SeqA to bind to a pair of hemi-sites and to its cooperative behavior.

The Replication Protein Cdc6 Suppresses Centrosome Over-Duplication in a Manner Independent of Its ATPase Activity.

The Cdc6 protein is essential for the initiation of chromosomal replication and functions as a licensing factor to maintain chromosome integrity. During the S and G2 phases of the cell cycle, Cdc6 has been found to inhibit the recruitment of pericentriolar material (PCM) proteins to the centrosome and to suppress centrosome over-duplication. In this report, we analyzed the correlation between these two functions of Cdc6 at the centrosome. Cdc6 depletion increased the population of cells showing centrosome over-duplication and premature centrosome separation; Cdc6 expression reversed these changes. Deletion and fusion experiments revealed that the 18 amino acid residues (197-214) of Cdc6, which were fused to the Cdc6-centrosomal localization signal, suppressed centrosome over-duplication and premature centrosome separation. Cdc6 mutant proteins that showed defective ATP binding or hydrolysis did not exhibit a significant difference in suppressing centrosome over-duplication, compared to the wild type protein. In contrast to the Cdc6-mediated inhibition of PCM protein recruitment to the centrosome, the independence of Cdc6 on its ATPase activity for suppressing centrosome over-duplication, along with the difference between the Cdc6 protein regions participating in the two functions, suggested that Cdc6 controls centrosome duplication in a manner independent of its recruitment of PCM proteins to the centrosome.

PLK4 phosphorylation of CP110 is required for efficient centriole assembly.

Centrioles are assembled during S phase and segregated into 2 daughter cells at the end of mitosis. The initiation of centriole assembly is regulated by polo-like kinase 4 (PLK4), the major serine/threonine kinase in centrioles. Despite its importance in centriole duplication, only a few substrates have been identified, and the detailed mechanism of PLK4 has not been fully elucidated. CP110 is a coiled-coil protein that plays roles in centriolar length control and ciliogenesis in mammals. Here, we revealed that PLK4 specifically phosphorylates CP110 at the S98 position. The phospho-resistant CP110 mutant inhibited centriole assembly, whereas the phospho-mimetic CP110 mutant induced centriole assembly, even in PLK4-limited conditions. This finding implies that PLK4 phosphorylation of CP110 is an essential step for centriole assembly. The phospho-mimetic form of CP110 augmented the centrosomal SAS6 level. Based on these results, we propose that the phosphorylated CP110 may be involved in the stabilization of cartwheel SAS6 during centriole assembly.

Biochemical characterization of oligomerization of Escherichia coli GTP cyclohydrolase I.

GTP cyclohydrolase I (E.C. 3.5.4.16) is a homodecameric protein that catalyzes the conversion of GTP to 7,8- dihydroneopterin triphosphate (H(2)NTP), the initial step in the biosynthesis of pteridines. It was proposed that the enzyme complex could be composed of a dimer of two pentamers, or a pentamer of tightly associated dimers; then the active site of the enzyme was located at the interface of three monomers (Nar et al. 1995a, b). Using mutant enzymes that were made by site-directed mutagenesis, we showed that a decamer of GTP cyclohydrolase I should be composed of a pentamer of five dimers, and that the active site is located between dimers, as analyzed by a series of size exclusion chromatography and the reconstitution experiment. We also show that the residues Lys 136, Arg139, and Glu152 are of particular importance for the oligomerization of the enzyme complex from five dimers to a decamer.