Co-occurrence of Epstein-Barr virus-positive nodal T/NK-cell lymphoma and nodal T-follicular helper cell lymphoma of different clonal origins: An autopsy case report.

Nodal T-follicular helper cell lymphoma (TFHL) is a subset of T-cell lymphoma and frequently co-occurs with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive B-cell lymphoma but not with T/NK-cell lymphoma. Recently, a new entity with a worse prognosis, called EBV-positive nodal T/NK-cell lymphoma (NTNKL) has been established. Here, we report an autopsy case of synchronous multiple lymphomas, including TFHL and NTNKL. The patient was a 78-year-old female admitted with pneumonia. Although pneumonic symptoms were improved, fever, pancytopenia, and disseminated intravascular coagulation emerged, implicating lymphoma. She died on the 21st hospital day without a definitive diagnosis. The autopsy revealed the enlargement of multiple lymph nodes throughout her body. Histological analysis revealed three distinct regions in the left inguinal lymph node. The first region consists of small-sized lymphocytes with T-follicular helper phenotype and extended follicular dendritic cell meshwork, indicating TFHL. The second region included EBV-positive large B cells. The third region comprised EBV-positive large cells with cytotoxic T/NK cell phenotype, indicating NTNKL. Clonality analysis of the first and the third regions showed different patterns. Since various hematopoietic malignancies progress from common clonal hematopoiesis according to existing literature, this case may help to understand TFHL and NTNKL.

Prognostic significance of p16, p21, and Ki67 expression at the invasive front of colorectal cancers.

Cancer cells at the invasive front are believed to be responsible for invasion/metastasis. This has led to examining various morphological features and protein expressions at the invasive front. However, accurate assessment of the pathological section requires long-time training, and inter-observer disagreement is problematic. Immunohistochemistry and digital imaging analysis may mitigate these problems; however, the choice of which proteins to stain and the best analysis method remains controversial. We used the "go-or-grow" hypothesis to select markers with the greatest prognostic relevance. Importantly, nonproliferating cells can migrate. We used Ki67 as a proliferation marker, with p16 and p21 designating nonproliferating cells. We established a semi-automated quantification workflow to study protein expression in serial pathological sections. A total of 51 patients with completely resected colorectal cancer (stages I-IV) were analyzed, and 44 patients were followed up. Patients with cancer cells with p16-high/p21-low or p21-low/Ki67-low at the deepest invasive front demonstrated a significantly worse prognosis than those who did not display these characteristics. These results suggest that the nonproliferating cancer cells at the invasion front possess invasion/metastatic property with heterogeneity of senescence.

Semaphorin signaling via MICAL3 induces symmetric cell division to expand breast cancer stem-like cells.

Cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) are expanded in the CSC niche by increased frequency of symmetric cell divisions at the expense of asymmetric cell divisions. The symmetric division of CSCs is important for the malignant properties of cancer; however, underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely elusive. Here, we show a cytokine, semaphorin 3 (Sema3), produced from the CSC niche, induces symmetric divisions of CSCs to expand the CSC population. Our findings indicate that stimulation with Sema3 induced sphere formation in breast cancer cells through neuropilin 1 (NP1) receptor that was specifically expressed in breast CSCs (BCSCs). Knockdown of MICAL3, a cytoplasmic Sema3 signal transducer, greatly decreased tumor sphere formation and tumor-initiating activity. Mechanistically, Sema3 induced interaction among MICAL3, collapsin response mediator protein 2 (CRMP2), and Numb. It appears that activity of MICAL3 monooxygenase (MO) stimulated by Sema3 is required for tumor sphere formation, interaction between CRMP2 and Numb, and accumulation of Numb protein. We found that knockdown of CRMP2 or Numb significantly decreased tumor sphere formation. Moreover, MICAL3 knockdown significantly decreased Sema3-induced symmetric divisions in NP1/Numb-positive BCSCs and increased asymmetric division that produces NP1/Numb negative cells without stem-like properties. In addition, breast cancer patients with NP1-positive cancer tissues show poor prognosis. Therefore, the niche factor Sema3-stimulated NP1/MICAL3/CRMP2/Numb axis appears to expand CSCs at least partly through increased frequency of MICAL3-mediated symmetric division of CSCs.

The supression of DOCK family members by their specific inhibitors induces the cell fusion of human trophoblastic cells.

PURPOSE: Among the members of the DOCK family, DOCK1-5 function as guanine-nucleotide exchange factors for small GTPase Rac1, which regulates the actin cytoskeleton. It has been reported that in model organisms the Dock-Rac axis is required for myoblast fusion. We examined the role of DOCK1-5 in trophoblast fusion herein. METHODS: We used a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to examine the mRNA expressions of DOCK1-5 and differentiation-related genes, i.e., fusogenic genes, in human trophoblastic cell lines, BeWo and JEG-3. We treated BeWo cells with TBOPP and C21 to inhibit DOCK1 and DOCK5. Cell dynamics and cell fusion were assessed by live imaging and immunostaining. The signaling pathways induced by DOCK1/5 inhibition were examined by western blotting. RESULTS: DOCK1 and DOCK5 were expressed in BeWo cells. The inhibition of DOCK1 or DOCK5 did not prevent the cell fusion induced by forskolin (a common reagent for cell fusion); it induced cell fusion. DOCK1 inhibition induced cell death, as did forskolin. DOCK1 and DOCK5 inhibition for 24 and 48 h increased the expression of the genes ASCT2 and SYNCYTIN2, which code responsive proteins of trophoblast cell fusion, respectively. CONCLUSION: DOCK1 and DOCK5 inhibition participates in BeWo cell fusion, probably via pathways independent from forskolin-mediated pathways.

Relative gene expression analysis of human pterygium tissues and UV radiation-evoked gene expression patterns in corneal and conjunctival cells.

A sight threatening, pterygium is a common ocular surface disorders identified by fibrovascular growth of the cornea and induced by variety of stress factors, like ultraviolet (UV) exposure. However, the genes involved in the etiopathogenesis of this disease is not well studied. Herein, we identified the gene expression pattern of pterygium and examined the expression of pterygium-related genes in UV-B-induced human primary cultured corneal epithelial cells (HCEpCs), telomerase immortalized human corneal epithelial (hTCEpi), primary conjunctival fibroblast (HConFs) and primary pterygium fibroblast cells (HPFCs). A careful analysis revealed that the expression of 10 genes was significantly modulated (by > 10-fold). Keratin 24 (KRT24) and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) were dramatically upregulated by 49.446- and 24.214-fold, respectively. Intriguingly, UV-B exposure (50 J/m2) induced the upregulation of the expressions of MMP-9 in corneal epithelial cells such as HCEpCs and hTCEpi. Furthermore, UV-B exposure (100 and/or 200 J/m2) induced the upregulation of the expressions of MMP-9 in fibroblast such as HConFs and HPFCs. The exposure of HCEpCs to 100 and 200 J/m2 UV-B induced significant expressions of KRT24 mRNA. Nevertheless, no expression of KRT24 mRNA was detected in HConFs and HPFCs. The findings provide evidence that the progression of pterygium may involve the modulation of extracellular matrix-related genes and vasculature development and the up-regulation of KRT24 and MMP-9 by UV stress. UV radiation may promote the modulation of these pterygium-related genes and induce the initiation and progression of human pterygium.

Clinicopathological significance of heterogeneic ezrin expression in poorly differentiated clusters of colorectal cancers.

Multicellular structures, such as tumor buddings and poorly differentiated clusters (PDC), exist at the invasive front of colorectal cancers (CRC). Although it has been reported that CRC with PDC showed frequent lymph node metastases with a worse prognosis, the molecular markers of PDC that are responsible for prognosis have not been identified. We here noticed for the first time that Ezrin, a regulator of the actin cytoskeleton, is expressed in the corner cells of PDC. We then aimed to verify whether heterogeneous Ezrin expression in PDC predicts the prognosis of CRC patients. We immunohistochemically analyzed Ezrin expression in PDC of 184 patients with completely resected stages I-III CRC. We established the Ezrin corner score (ECS), which quantifies the tendency of Ezrin-positive cells to accumulate at the corners of PDC. On the basis of ECS values, 2 indices, the mean ECS and the number of PDC with high ECS, were obtained. Both indices were significantly higher in CRC with lymphatic invasion, higher PDC grade, and presence of micropapillary (MP) PDC. The mean ECS-high group showed shorter recurrence-free survival than the mean ECS-low group but without significance. The other index, the number of ECS-high PDC, was significantly associated with recurrence-free survival. These results suggest that Ezrin is involved in PDC progression and lymphatic invasion, and that ECS may be a marker for aggressive PDC.

ERK Activity Imaging During Migration of Living Cells In Vitro and In Vivo.

Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) is a major downstream factor of the EGFR-RAS-RAF signalling pathway, and thus the role of ERK in cell growth has been widely examined. The development of biosensors based on fluorescent proteins has enabled us to measure ERK activities in living cells, both after growth factor stimulation and in its absence. Long-term imaging unexpectedly revealed the oscillative activation of ERK in an epithelial sheet or a cyst in vitro. Studies using transgenic mice expressing the ERK biosensor have revealed inhomogeneous ERK activities among various cell species. In vivo Förster (or fluorescence) resonance energy transfer (FRET) imaging shed light on a novel role of ERK in cell migration. Neutrophils and epithelial cells in various organs such as intestine, skin, lung and bladder showed spatio-temporally different cell dynamics and ERK activities. Experiments using inhibitors confirmed that ERK activities are required for various pathological responses, including epithelial repair after injuries, inflammation, and niche formation of cancer metastasis. In conclusion, biosensors for ERK will be powerful and valuable tools to investigate the roles of ERK in situ.

Active K-RAS induces the coherent rotation of epithelial cells: A model for collective cell invasion in vitro.

At the invasive front of adenocarcinomas, single cells and multicellular structures exist; the latter include glands and cell clusters, such as tumor buddings and poorly differentiated clusters. Recent reports suggest the importance of collective cell migration in metastasis; however, it is technically difficult to observe the movement of multicellular structures in vivo. We utilized MDCK cells as a model for epithelial cells and established a method to quantify their motility in 3D structures in vitro. A single MDCK cell grows as a cell cluster in the gel and later proliferates and forms a cyst. Active K-RAS expression induced rotation of both the cell clusters and the cysts. The rotation speed of cell clusters was 4 times higher than that of cysts. The screening of inhibitors for their effects on cell clusters and cysts revealed that cyclin B1 and ß-catenin were the key molecules for their rotation, respectively. Regulators for cyst rotation, such as vorinostat and ß-catenin, were not effective for inducing cell cluster rotation. These results indicate that the signaling pathways of cell dynamics are different between cell clusters and cysts. As cell clusters are related to lymph node involvement and the prognosis of various carcinomas, our in vitro quantitative system may be useful for the screening of drugs to prevent lymphatic invasion.

Collagen VI suppresses fibronectin-induced enteric neural crest cell migration by downregulation of focal adhesion proteins.

The enteric nervous system (ENS) is a network of neurons and glia that are derived from enteric neural crest cells (ENCCs) and essential for regulating peristaltic activity of the colon. ENCCs migrate along the gastrointestinal tract to form the ENS, and disruption of ENCC motility leads to ENS disorders, such as Hirschsprung's disease. Previous ENCC-transplant experiments show that ENCCs can invade into isolated mouse intestines by age E13.5, but not after E15.5. We hypothesized that altered age-specific micro-environments in the intestine are responsible for ENCC invasion/migration. Here, we compared gene expression in the intestine between at E11.5 and E15.5 and identified 1355 differentially expressed transcripts. Among these, we found that genes encoding extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins were enriched. Notably, collagen VI (ColVI) family members were upregulated in the E15.5 mouse intestine at the mRNA and protein levels, whereas fibronectin (FN) was downregulated; however, both proteins showed colocalization at E15.5. To understand the mechanisms of ColVI and FN in ENCC migration, we examined neurosphere or individual ENCC-adherence capabilities toward the ECM. ColVI suppressed FN-induced ENCC spreading/migration, whereas ColVI induced morphologically narrow ENCC spreading and weak stress-fiber formation as compared with those with FN. Additionally, in ENCCs cultured on plates containing ColVI, the expression and phosphorylation of p130Cas, a members of focal adhesion complexes, was reduced. These data indicated an inhibitory role of ColVI in ENCC migration and suggested that ColVI suppression in the intestine might represent a novel therapeutic strategy for aganglionic colonic diseases.

FGF2 antagonizes aberrant TGFß regulation of tropomyosin: role for posterior capsule opacity.

Transforming growth factor (TGF) ß2 and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 2 are involved in regulation of posterior capsule opacification (PCO) and other processes of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) such as cancer progression, wound healing and tissue fibrosis as well as normal embryonic development. We previously used an in vivo rodent PCO model to show the expression of tropomyosin (Tpm) 1/2 was aberrantly up-regulated in remodelling the actin cytoskeleton during EMT. In this in vitro study, we show the Tpms family of cytoskeleton proteins are involved in regulating and stabilizing actin microfilaments (F-actin) and are induced by TGFß2 during EMT in lens epithelial cells (LECs). Importantly, we found TGFß2 and FGF2 played contrasting roles. Stress fibre formation and up-regulation of α-smooth muscle actin (αSMA) induced by TGFß2 could be reversed by Tpm1/2 knock-down by siRNA. Expression of Tpm1/2 and stress fibre formation induced by TGFß2 could be reversed by FGF2. Furthermore, FGF2 delivery to TGFß-treated LECs perturbed EMT by reactivating the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/ extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway and subsequently enhanced EMT. Conversely, MEK inhibitor (PD98059) abated the FGF2-mediated Tpm1/2 and αSMA suppression. However, we found that normal LECs which underwent EMT showed enhanced migration in response to combined TGFß and FGF2 stimulation. These findings may help clarify the mechanism reprogramming the actin cytoskeleton during morphogenetic EMT cell proliferation and fibre regeneration in PCO. We propose that understanding the physiological link between levels of FGF2, Tpm1/2 expression and TGFßs-driven EMT orchestration may provide clue(s) to develop therapeutic strategies to treat PCO based on Tpm1/2.

Upregulation of multiple signaling pathways by Dock5 deletion in epithelial cells.

Purpose: Rupture of lens cataract (RLC) is a hereditary mouse model that shows spontaneous rupture of the lens at the posterior pole at 45-100 days of age. The responsible gene for this phenotype was identified as Dock5, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for small GTPase Rac1. This study was performed to elucidate the pathway initiating this phenotype. Methods: We examined the RNA expression by microarray in lens epithelial cells (LECs) from wild-type and RLC mice at the pre-rupture age of 21 days. We applied the list of altered genes to an Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) to predict the pathways that are altered upon dedicator of cytokinesis-5 (Dock5) protein loss. The activation status of the predicted pathways was examined by western blotting in the cultured epithelial cells treated with a Dock5 inhibitor. Results: The highest-scored network was "Antimicrobial Response, Inflammatory Response, Dermatological Diseases and Conditions." In that network, it is predicted that extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk) is activated in LECs from RLC mice. Our test confirmed that Erk was more phosphorylated in the LECs at the equator in both Dock5-knockout mice and RLC mice. In an in vitro experiment of the cultured epithelial cells, the inhibition of Dock5 activity significantly induced Erk activation. It was also confirmed that Akt (cellular homolog of murine thymoma virus akt8 oncogene, also called protein kinase B) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NFκB), predicted to be the key molecules in two other high-scoring networks by IPA, were activated upon Dock5 inhibition in the cultured epithelial cells. Conclusions: Dock5 participates in epithelial cell maintenance by regulating gene expression.

Future Perspective of Single-Molecule FRET Biosensors and Intravital FRET Microscopy.

Förster (or fluorescence) resonance energy transfer (FRET) is a nonradiative energy transfer process between two fluorophores located in close proximity to each other. To date, a variety of biosensors based on the principle of FRET have been developed to monitor the activity of kinases, proteases, GTPases or lipid concentration in living cells. In addition, generation of biosensors that can monitor physical stresses such as mechanical power, heat, or electric/magnetic fields is also expected based on recent discoveries on the effects of these stressors on cell behavior. These biosensors can now be stably expressed in cells and mice by transposon technologies. In addition, two-photon excitation microscopy can be used to detect the activities or concentrations of bioactive molecules in vivo. In the future, more sophisticated techniques for image acquisition and quantitative analysis will be needed to obtain more precise FRET signals in spatiotemporal dimensions. Improvement of tissue/organ position fixation methods for mouse imaging is the first step toward effective image acquisition. Progress in the development of fluorescent proteins that can be excited with longer wavelength should be applied to FRET biosensors to obtain deeper structures. The development of computational programs that can separately quantify signals from single cells embedded in complicated three-dimensional environments is also expected. Along with the progress in these methodologies, two-photon excitation intravital FRET microscopy will be a powerful and valuable tool for the comprehensive understanding of biomedical phenomena.

Regulation of Ripply1 expression in MDCK organoids.

Epithelial organs are made of a well-polarized monolayer of epithelial cells, and their morphology must be maintained for their proper function. To examine the genes that are specifically expressed in the late stages of cystogenesis and are involved in maintaining the morphology of the mature cysts, we performed a microarray analysis comparing the mRNA expression between the early and late stages of Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cystogenesis. We found that one of the gene candidates, Ripply1, was expressed higher in the late stages, and its expression was also transiently much higher in the early stages. Although the protein expression showed similar kinetics, depletion of Ripply1 had only a slight effect on organoid growth. Unexpectedly, we found that the Ripply1 protein is degraded by the proteasome system. Mutant analysis suggests that Ripply1 is not ubiquitinated directly, but rather is degraded only after binding to Transducin-like Enhancer of Split (TLE)1, a transcriptional repressor. Ripply1 is degraded in the nucleus, and this degradation is inhibited during the mitosis. These data indicate for the first time that Ripply1 expression is regulated at the protein level.

Spatiotemporal regulation of small GTPases as revealed by probes based on the principle of Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET): Implications for signaling and pharmacology.

Low molecular weight ("small") GTPases are key regulators of a number of signaling cascades. Each GTPase is regulated by numerous guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs), and each GTPase binds to numerous effector proteins in a GTP-dependent manner. In many instances, individual regulators activate more than one GTPase, and each effector binds to one or more GTPases belonging to the same family. To untangle these complex networks, probes based on the principle of Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) are widely used. Here, we provide an overview of the probes based on FRET and examples of discoveries achieved with them. In the process, we attempt to delineate the merits, current limitations, and future applications of this technique to pharmacological studies.

Suppression of Rac1 activity at the apical membrane of MDCK cells is essential for cyst structure maintenance.

Using MDCK cells that constitutively express a Förster resonance energy transfer biosensor, we found that Rac1 activity is homogenous at the entire plasma membrane in early stages of cystogenesis, whereas in later stages Rac1 activity is higher at the lateral membrane than at the apical plasma membrane. If Rac1 is activated at the apical membrane in later stages, however, the monolayer cells move into the luminal space. In these cells, tight junctions are disrupted, accompanied by mislocalization of polarization markers and disorientation of cell division. These observations indicate that Rac1 suppression at the apical membrane is essential for the maintenance of cyst structure.

Comprehensive genomic analysis reveals clonal origin and subtype-specific evolution in a case of sporadic multiple meningiomas.

Meningioma is the most common primary intracranial tumor in adults, with up to 10% manifesting as multiple tumors. Data on the genomic and molecular changes in sporadic multiple meningiomas are scarce, leading to ongoing debates regarding their evolutionary processes. A comprehensive genetic analysis of a large number of lesions, including precursor lesions, is necessary to explore these two possible origins: clonal and independent. In the present study, we performed whole-exome sequencing and analyzed somatic single-nucleotide variants (SNVs), insertions/deletions (INDELs), and copy number alterations (CNAs) in a patient with sporadic multiple meningiomas. These meningiomas included two mass-forming lesions of different histological subtypes (transitional and chordoid) and two small meningothelial nests. Genetic analysis revealed CNAs on chromosomes 22q and Y as common abnormalities in the two largest tumors. Furthermore, we identified SNV/INDELs unique to each focus, with NF2 mutation prevalent in the transitional meningioma and CREBBP mutation in the chordoid meningioma. Loss of chromosome 22 was detected in two small meningothelial nests. Overall, we elucidated the clonal origin and subtype-specific evolution of multiple meningiomas in this case. CNAs may serve as the initial driving event in meningioma development.

Activated Ras protein accelerates cell cycle progression to perturb Madin-Darby canine kidney cystogenesis.

In a number of human cancer cells, K-RAS is frequently mutated and activated constitutively, culminating in the induction of continuous cell growth, a hallmark of cancer cells. It is still unclear, however, how the mutated K-RAS induces morphological abnormalities in cancerous tissues. To investigate the mechanism underlying the K-RAS-induced morphological changes, we utilized an auxin-dependent protein expression system, which enabled us to rapidly induce and evaluate constitutively active K-Ras in MDCK (Madin-Darby canine kidney) cysts, a model for polarized epithelial structure. Cells carrying the constitutively active KRasV12 gene were morphologically indistinguishable from normal cells in two-dimensional culture. However, in a gel of extracellular matrix, KRasV12-expressing cells failed to form a spherical cyst. When KRasV12 induction was delayed until after cyst formation, some cells in the cyst wall lost polarity and were extruded into and accumulated in the luminal space. With effector-specific mutants of KRasV12 and inhibitors for MEK and PI3-kinase, we found that both the Raf-MEK-ERK and PI3-kinase axes are necessary and sufficient for this phenotype. Live cell imaging with cell cycle indicators showed that KRasV12 expression promoted cell cycle progression, which was prevented by either MEK or PI3-kinase inhibitors. From these results, we provide a model wherein active-Ras induces cell cycle progression leading to apical cell extrusion through Raf and PI3-kinase in a cooperative manner. The system developed here can be applied to drug screening for various cancers originating from epithelial cells.

Live imaging of protein kinase activities in transgenic mice expressing FRET biosensors.

Genetically-encoded biosensors based on the principle of Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) have been widely used in biology to visualize the spatiotemporal dynamics of signaling molecules. Despite the increasing multitude of these biosensors, their application has been mostly limited to cultured cells with transient biosensor expression, due to particular difficulties in the development of transgenic mice that express FRET biosensors. In this study, we report the efficient generation of transgenic mouse lines expressing heritable and functional biosensors for ERK and PKA. These transgenic mice were created by the cytoplasmic co-injection of Tol2 transposase mRNA and a circular plasmid harbouring Tol2 recombination sites. High expression of the biosensors in a wide range of cell types allowed us to screen newborn mice simply by inspection. Observation of these transgenic mice by two-photon excitation microscopy yielded real-time activity maps of ERK and PKA in various tissues, with greatly improved signal-to-background ratios. Our transgenic mice may be bred into diverse genetic backgrounds; moreover, the protocol we have developed paves the way for the generation of transgenic mice that express other FRET biosensors, with important applications in the characterization of physiological and pathological signal transduction events in addition to drug development and screening.

Heterogeneity of phosphatidic acid levels and distribution at the plasma membrane in living cells as visualized by a Föster resonance energy transfer (FRET) biosensor.

Phosphatidic acid (PA) is one of the major phospholipids in the plasma membrane. Although it has been reported that PA plays key roles in cell survival and morphology, it remains unknown when and where PA is produced in the living cell. Based on the principle of Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), we generated PA biosensor, and named Pii (phosphatidic acid indicator). In these biosensors, the lipid-binding domain of DOCK2 is sandwiched with the cyan fluorescent protein and yellow fluorescent protein and is tagged with the plasma membrane-targeting sequence of K-Ras. The addition of synthetic PA, or the activation of phospholipase D or diacylglycerol kinase at the plasma membrane, changed the level of FRET in Pii-expressing cells, demonstrating the response of Pii to PA. The biosensor also detected divergent PA content among various cell lines as well as within one cell line. Interestingly, the growth factor-induced increment in PA content correlated negatively with the basal PA content before stimulation, suggesting the presence of an upper threshold in the PA concentration at the plasma membrane. The biosensor also revealed uneven PA distribution within the cell, i.e. the basal level and growth factor-induced accumulation of PA was higher at the cell-free edges than at the cell-cell contact region. An insufficient increase in PA may account for ineffective Ras activation at areas of cell-cell contact. In conclusion, the PA biosensor Pii is a versatile tool for examining heterogeneity in the content and distribution of PA in single cells as well as among different cells.

The scaffold protein Shoc2/SUR-8 accelerates the interaction of Ras and Raf.

Shoc2/SUR-8 positively regulates Ras/ERK MAP kinase signaling by serving as a scaffold for Ras and Raf. Here, we examined the role of Shoc2 in the spatio-temporal regulation of Ras by using a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based biosensor, together with computational modeling. In epidermal growth factor-stimulated HeLa cells, RNA-mediated Shoc2 knockdown reduced the phosphorylation of MEK and ERK with half-maximal inhibition, but not the activation of Ras. For the live monitoring of Ras binding to Raf, we utilized a FRET biosensor wherein Ras and the Ras-binding domain of Raf were connected tandemly and sandwiched with acceptor and donor fluorescent proteins for the FRET measurement. With this biosensor, we found that Shoc2 was required for the rapid interaction of Ras with Raf upon epidermal growth factor stimulation. To decipher the molecular mechanisms underlying the kinetics, we developed two computational models that might account for the action of Shoc2 in the Ras-ERK signaling. One of these models, the Shoc2 accelerator model, provided a reasonable explanation of the experimental observations. In this Shoc2 accelerator model, Shoc2 accelerated both the association and dissociation of Ras-Raf interaction. We propose that Shoc2 regulates the spatio-temporal patterns of the Ras-ERK signaling pathway primarily by accelerating the Ras-Raf interaction.