The WW domain of IQGAP1 binds directly to the p110α catalytic subunit of PI 3-kinase.

IQGAP1 is a multi-domain cancer-associated protein that serves as a scaffold protein for multiple signaling pathways. Numerous binding partners have been found for the calponin homology, IQ and GAP-related domains in IQGAP1. Identification of a binding partner for its WW domain has proven elusive, however, even though a cell-penetrating peptide derived from this domain has marked anti-tumor activity. Here, using in vitro binding assays with human proteins and co-precipitation from human cells, we show that the WW domain of human IQGAP1 binds directly to the p110α catalytic subunit of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K). In contrast, the WW domain does not bind to ERK1/2, MEK1/2, or the p85α regulatory subunit of PI3K when p85α is expressed alone. However, the WW domain is able to bind to the p110α/p85α heterodimer when both subunits are co-expressed, as well as to the mutationally activated p110α/p65α heterodimer. We present a model of the structure of the IQGAP1 WW domain, and experimentally identify key residues in the hydrophobic core and beta strands of the WW domain that are required for binding to p110α. These findings contribute to a more precise understanding of IQGAP1-mediated scaffolding, and of how IQGAP1-derived therapeutic peptides might inhibit tumorigenesis.

ERK2 MAP kinase regulates SUFU binding by multisite phosphorylation of GLI1.

Crosstalk between the Hedgehog and MAPK signaling pathways occurs in several types of cancer and contributes to clinical resistance to Hedgehog pathway inhibitors. Here we show that MAP kinase-mediated phosphorylation weakens the binding of the GLI1 transcription factor to its negative regulator SUFU. ERK2 phosphorylates GLI1 on three evolutionarily conserved target sites (S102, S116, and S130) located near the high-affinity binding site for SUFU; these phosphorylations cooperate to weaken the affinity of GLI1-SUFU binding by over 25-fold. Phosphorylation of any one, or even any two, of the three sites does not result in the level of SUFU release seen when all three sites are phosphorylated. Tumor-derived mutations in R100 and S105, residues bordering S102, also diminish SUFU binding, collectively defining a novel evolutionarily conserved SUFU affinity-modulating region. In cultured mammalian cells, GLI1 variants containing phosphomimetic substitutions of S102, S116, and S130 displayed an increased ability to drive transcription. We conclude that multisite phosphorylation of GLI1 by ERK2 or other MAP kinases weakens GLI1-SUFU binding, thereby facilitating GLI1 activation and contributing to both physiological and pathological crosstalk.

The Hippo pathway kinases LATS1 and LATS2 attenuate cellular responses to heavy metals through phosphorylating MTF1.

Heavy metals are both integral parts of cells and environmental toxicants, and their deregulation is associated with severe cellular dysfunction and various diseases. Here we show that the Hippo pathway plays a critical role in regulating heavy metal homeostasis. Hippo signalling deficiency promotes the transcription of heavy metal response genes and protects cells from heavy metal-induced toxicity, a process independent of its classic downstream effectors YAP and TAZ. Mechanistically, the Hippo pathway kinase LATS phosphorylates and inhibits MTF1, an essential transcription factor in the heavy metal response, resulting in the loss of heavy metal response gene transcription and cellular protection. Moreover, LATS activity is inhibited following heavy metal treatment, where accumulated zinc directly binds and inhibits LATS. Together, our study reveals an interplay between the Hippo pathway and heavy metals, providing insights into this growth-related pathway in tissue homeostasis and stress response.

Cancer Mutations: Molecular MEKanisms.

MEK, a central component of the Ras/MAPK cascade, is mutated in human tumors and developmental disorders. Recent studies are beginning to dissect the mechanisms that make these MEK mutants hyperactive.

Pseudokinases: Flipping the ATP for AMPylation.

The crystal structure of SelO, a pseudokinase previously presumed to be inactive, reveals an ATP cofactor sitting in the active site in a flipped orientation compared with canonical kinases, leading to the discovery of an unexpected catalytic activity for this ancient enzyme.

Miles to go (mtgo) encodes FNDC3 proteins that interact with the chaperonin subunit CCT3 and are required for NMJ branching and growth in Drosophila.

Analysis of mutants that affect formation and function of the Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ) has provided valuable insight into genes required for neuronal branching and synaptic growth. We report that NMJ development in Drosophila requires both the Drosophila ortholog of FNDC3 genes; CG42389 (herein referred to as miles to go; mtgo), and CCT3, which encodes a chaperonin complex subunit. Loss of mtgo function causes late pupal lethality with most animals unable to escape the pupal case, while rare escapers exhibit an ataxic gait and reduced lifespan. NMJs in mtgo mutant larvae have dramatically reduced branching and growth and fewer synaptic boutons compared with control animals. Mutant larvae show normal locomotion but display an abnormal self-righting response and chemosensory deficits that suggest additional functions of mtgo within the nervous system. The pharate lethality in mtgo mutants can be rescued by both low-level pan- and neuronal-, but not muscle-specific expression of a mtgo transgene, supporting a neuronal-intrinsic requirement for mtgo in NMJ development. Mtgo encodes three similar proteins whose domain structure is most closely related to the vertebrate intracellular cytosolic membrane-anchored fibronectin type-III domain-containing protein 3 (FNDC3) protein family. Mtgo physically and genetically interacts with Drosophila CCT3, which encodes a subunit of the TRiC/CCT chaperonin complex required for maturation of actin, tubulin and other substrates. Drosophila larvae heterozygous for a mutation in CCT3 that reduces binding between CCT3 and MTGO also show abnormal NMJ development similar to that observed in mtgo null mutants. Hence, the intracellular FNDC3-ortholog MTGO and CCT3 can form a macromolecular complex, and are both required for NMJ development in Drosophila.

The WW domain of the scaffolding protein IQGAP1 is neither necessary nor sufficient for binding to the MAPKs ERK1 and ERK2.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) scaffold proteins, such as IQ motif containing GTPase activating protein 1 (IQGAP1), are promising targets for novel therapies against cancer and other diseases. Such approaches require accurate information about which domains on the scaffold protein bind to the kinases in the MAPK cascade. Results from previous studies have suggested that the WW domain of IQGAP1 binds to the cancer-associated MAPKs ERK1 and ERK2, and that this domain might thus offer a new tool to selectively inhibit MAPK activation in cancer cells. The goal of this work was therefore to critically evaluate which IQGAP1 domains bind to ERK1/2. Here, using quantitative in vitro binding assays, we show that the IQ domain of IQGAP1 is both necessary and sufficient for binding to ERK1 and ERK2, as well as to the MAPK kinases MEK1 and MEK2. Furthermore, we show that the WW domain is not required for ERK-IQGAP1 binding, and contributes little or no binding energy to this interaction, challenging previous models of how WW-based peptides might inhibit tumorigenesis. Finally, we show that the ERK2-IQGAP1 interaction does not require ERK2 phosphorylation or catalytic activity and does not involve known docking recruitment sites on ERK2, and we obtain an estimate of the dissociation constant (Kd ) for this interaction of 8 µm These results prompt a re-evaluation of published findings and a refined model of IQGAP scaffolding.

CK2 activates kinesin via induction of a conformational change.

Kinesin is the canonical plus-end microtubule motor and has been the focus of intense study since its discovery in 1985. We previously demonstrated a time-dependent inactivation of kinesin in vitro that was fully reversible by the addition of purified casein kinase 2 (CK2) and showed that this inactivation/reactivation pathway was relevant in cells. Here we show that kinesin inactivation results from a conformational change that causes the neck linker to be positioned closer to the motor domain. Furthermore, we show that treatment of kinesin with CK2 prevents and reverses this repositioning. Finally, we demonstrate that CK2 treatment facilitates ADP dissociation from the motor, resulting in a nucleotide-free state that promotes microtubule binding. Thus, we propose that kinesin inactivation results from neck-linker repositioning and that CK2-mediated reactivation results from CK2's dual ability to reverse this repositioning and to promote ADP release.

BRACHYURY and CDX2 mediate BMP-induced differentiation of human and mouse pluripotent stem cells into embryonic and extraembryonic lineages.

BMP is thought to induce hESC differentiation toward multiple lineages including mesoderm and trophoblast. The BMP-induced trophoblast phenotype is a long-standing paradox in stem cell biology. Here we readdressed BMP function in hESCs and mouse epiblast-derived cells. We found that BMP4 cooperates with FGF2 (via ERK) to induce mesoderm and to inhibit endoderm differentiation. These conditions induced cells with high levels of BRACHYURY (BRA) that coexpressed CDX2. BRA was necessary for and preceded CDX2 expression; both genes were essential for expression not only of mesodermal genes but also of trophoblast-associated genes. Maximal expression of the latter was seen in the absence of FGF but these cells coexpressed mesodermal genes and moreover they differed in cell surface and epigenetic properties from placental trophoblast. We conclude that BMP induces human and mouse pluripotent stem cells primarily to form mesoderm, rather than trophoblast, acting through BRA and CDX2.

Synthetic biology: modulating the MAP kinase module.

In a recent study, the MAP kinase module involved in many human cancers has been reconstructed in yeast, in order to tinker with its behavior.

Computational prediction and experimental verification of new MAP kinase docking sites and substrates including Gli transcription factors.

In order to fully understand protein kinase networks, new methods are needed to identify regulators and substrates of kinases, especially for weakly expressed proteins. Here we have developed a hybrid computational search algorithm that combines machine learning and expert knowledge to identify kinase docking sites, and used this algorithm to search the human genome for novel MAP kinase substrates and regulators focused on the JNK family of MAP kinases. Predictions were tested by peptide array followed by rigorous biochemical verification with in vitro binding and kinase assays on wild-type and mutant proteins. Using this procedure, we found new 'D-site' class docking sites in previously known JNK substrates (hnRNP-K, PPM1J/PP2Czeta), as well as new JNK-interacting proteins (MLL4, NEIL1). Finally, we identified new D-site-dependent MAPK substrates, including the hedgehog-regulated transcription factors Gli1 and Gli3, suggesting that a direct connection between MAP kinase and hedgehog signaling may occur at the level of these key regulators. These results demonstrate that a genome-wide search for MAP kinase docking sites can be used to find new docking sites and substrates.

A theoretical framework for specificity in cell signaling.

Different cellular signal transduction pathways are often interconnected, so that the potential for undesirable crosstalk between pathways exists. Nevertheless, signaling networks have evolved that maintain specificity from signal to cellular response. Here, we develop a framework for the analysis of networks containing two or more interconnected signaling pathways. We define two properties, specificity and fidelity, that all pathways in a network must possess in order to avoid paradoxical situations where one pathway activates another pathway's output, or responds to another pathway's input, more than its own. In unembellished networks that share components, it is impossible for all pathways to have both mutual specificity and mutual fidelity. However, inclusion of either of two related insulating mechanisms--compartmentalization or the action of a scaffold protein--allows both properties to be achieved, provided deactivation rates are fast compared to exchange rates.

A walk-through of the yeast mating pheromone response pathway.

The intracellular signal transduction pathway by which the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae responds to the presence of peptide mating pheromone in its surroundings is one of the best understood signaling pathways in eukaryotes, yet continues to generate new surprises and insights. In this review, we take a brief walk down the pathway, focusing on how the signal is transmitted from the cell-surface receptor-coupled G protein, via a MAP kinase cascade, to the nucleus.

A signaling mucin at the head of the Cdc42- and MAPK-dependent filamentous growth pathway in yeast.

Signaling molecules such as Cdc42 and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) can function in multiple pathways in the same cell. Here, we propose one mechanism by which such factors may be directed to function in a particular pathway such that a specific response is elicited. Using genomic approaches, we identify a new component of the Cdc42- and MAPK-dependent signaling pathway that regulates filamentous growth (FG) in yeast. This factor, called Msb2, is a FG-pathway-specific factor that promotes differential activation of the MAPK for the FG pathway, Kss1. Msb2 is localized to polarized sites on the cell surface and interacts with Cdc42 and with the osmosensor for the high osmolarity glycerol response (HOG) pathway, Sho1. Msb2 is glycosylated and is a member of the mucin family, proteins that in mammalian cells promote disease resistance and contribute to metastasis in cancer cells. Remarkably, loss of the mucin domain of Msb2 causes hyperactivity of the FG pathway, demonstrating an inhibitory role for mucin domains in MAPK pathway activation. Taken together, our data suggest that Msb2 is a signaling mucin that interacts with general components, such as Cdc42 and Sho1, to promote their function in the FG pathway.

A docking site in MKK4 mediates high affinity binding to JNK MAPKs and competes with similar docking sites in JNK substrates.

Specific docking interactions between MAPKs and their activating MAPK kinases (MKKs or MEKs) are crucial for efficient and accurate signal transmission. Here, we report the identification of a MAPK-docking site, or "D-site," in the N terminus of human MKK4/JNKK1. This docking site conforms to the consensus sequence for known D-sites in other MKKs and contains the first of the two cleavage sites for anthrax lethal factor protease that have been found in the N terminus of MKK4. This docking site was both necessary and sufficient for the high affinity binding of the MAPKs JNK1, JNK2, JNK3, p38 alpha, and p38 beta to MKK4. Mutations that altered conserved residues in this docking site reduced JNK/p38 binding. In addition, a peptide version of this docking site, as well as a peptide version of the JNK-binding site of the JIP-1 scaffold protein, inhibited both MKK4/JNK binding and MKK4-mediated phosphorylation of JNK1. These same peptides also inhibited JNK2-mediated phosphorylation of c-Jun and ATF2, suggesting that transcription factors, MKK4, and the JIP scaffold compete for docking to JNK. Finally, the selectivity of the MKK4, MEK1, and MEK2 D-sites for JNK versus ERK was quantified. The MEK1 and MEK2 D-sites displayed a strong selectivity for their cognate MAPK (ERK2) versus a non-cognate MAPK (JNK). In contrast, the MKK4 D-site exhibited only limited selectivity for JNK versus ERK.

Docking sites on mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinases, MAPK phosphatases and the Elk-1 transcription factor compete for MAPK binding and are crucial for enzymic activity.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades control gene expression patterns in response to extracellular stimuli. MAPK/ERK (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase) kinases (MEKs) activate MAPKs by phosphorylating them; activated MAPKs, in turn, phosphorylate target transcription factors, and are deactivated by phosphatases. One mechanism for maintaining signal specificity and efficiency is the interaction of MAPKs with their substrates and regulators through high-affinity docking sites. In the present study, we show that peptides corresponding to the MAPK-docking sites of MEK1, MEK2, Ste7, Elk-1 and MAPK phosphatase (MKP)-2 potently inhibit MEK2 phosphorylation of ERK2, ERK2 phosphorylation of Elk-1, and MKP-1 dephosphorylation of ERK2. Each peptide inhibited multiple reactions; for example, the MEK2 peptide inhibited not only MEK2, but also ERK2 and MKP-1. In addition, these docking-site peptides inhibited MEK2-ERK2 binding. The MAPK-docking site of MEK1 also potently stimulated ERK2-mediated phosphorylation of a target site on the same peptide. Control peptides with mutations of conserved basic and hydrophobic residues of the MAPK-docking site consensus lacked biological activity. We conclude that MEKs, MKPs and the Elk-1 transcription factor compete for binding to the same region of ERK2 via protein-protein interactions that are crucial for kinase/phosphatase activity.