Lamp1 Deficiency Enhances Sensitivity to α-Synuclein and Oxidative Stress in Drosophila Models of Parkinson Disease.

Parkinson disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative condition affecting people predominantly at old age that is characterized by a progressive loss of midbrain dopaminergic neurons and by the accumulation of α-synuclein-containing intraneuronal inclusions known as Lewy bodies. Defects in cellular degradation processes such as the autophagy-lysosomal pathway are suspected to be involved in PD progression. The mammalian Lysosomal-associated membrane proteins LAMP1 and LAMP2 are transmembrane glycoproteins localized in lysosomes and late endosomes that are involved in autophagosome/lysosome maturation and function. Here, we show that the lack of Drosophila Lamp1, the homolog of LAMP1 and LAMP2, severely increased fly susceptibility to paraquat, a pro-oxidant compound known as a potential PD inducer in humans. Moreover, the loss of Lamp1 also exacerbated the progressive locomotor defects induced by the expression of PD-associated mutant α-synuclein A30P (α-synA30P) in dopaminergic neurons. Remarkably, the ubiquitous re-expression of Lamp1 in a mutant context fully suppressed all these defects and conferred significant resistance towards both PD factors above that of wild-type flies. Immunostaining analysis showed that the brain levels of α-synA30P were unexpectedly decreased in young adult Lamp1-deficient flies expressing this protein in comparison to non-mutant controls. This suggests that Lamp1 could neutralize α-synuclein toxicity by promoting the formation of non-pathogenic aggregates in neurons. Overall, our findings reveal a novel role for Drosophila Lamp1 in protecting against oxidative stress and α-synuclein neurotoxicity in PD models, thus furthering our understanding of the function of its mammalian homologs.

A mitotic role for Mad1 beyond the spindle checkpoint.

Unattached kinetochores generate an anaphase inhibitor, through the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), that allows cells more time to establish proper kinetochore-microtubule (K-MT) linkages and thus avoid aneuploidy. Mad1 is the receptor for Mad2 at kinetochores, where it catalyzes the formation of Mad2-Cdc20 complexes, an essential part of the anaphase inhibitor, but whether it has any other mitotic function is unknown. We have generated a mad1-null mutation in Drosophila. This mutant is SAC defective and Mad2 is no longer localized to either nuclear envelope or kinetochores, but it displays normal basal mitotic timing. Unlike mad2 mutants, which have relatively normal mitoses, mad1 anaphases show high frequencies of lagging chromatids, at least some of which are caused by persistent merotelic linkages. A transgene expressing GFP-Mad1 rescues both the SAC and the anaphase defects. In an attempt to separate the SAC function from the mitotic function, we made a mad1 transgene with a mutated Mad2-binding domain. Surprisingly, this transgene failed to complement the anaphase phenotype. Thus, Mad1 has activity promoting proper K-MT attachments in addition to its checkpoint function. This activity does not require the presence of Mad2, but it does depend in some unknown way on key residues in the Mad2-binding domain of Mad1.

DYRK1A enhances the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade in PC12 cells by forming a complex with Ras, B-Raf, and MEK1.

Dual-specificity tyrosine-phosphorylated and regulated kinase 1A (Dyrk1A) is the human homologue of the Drosophila mnb (minibrain) gene. In Drosophila, mnb is involved in postembryonic neurogenesis. In human, DYRK1A maps within the Down syndrome critical region of chromosome 21 and is overexpressed in Down syndrome embryonic brain. Despite its potential involvement in the neurobiological alterations observed in Down syndrome patients, the biological functions of the serine/threonine kinase DYRK1A have not been identified yet. Here, we report that DYRK1A overexpression potentiates nerve growth factor (NGF)-mediated PC12 neuronal differentiation by up-regulating the Ras/MAP kinase signaling pathway independently of its kinase activity. Furthermore, we show that DYRK1A prolongs the kinetics of ERK activation by interacting with Ras, B-Raf, and MEK1 to facilitate the formation of a Ras/B-Raf/MEK1 multiprotein complex. These data indicate that DYRK1A may play a critical role in Ras-dependent transducing signals that are required for promoting or maintaining neuronal differentiation and suggest that overexpression of DYRK1A may contribute to the neurological abnormalities observed in Down syndrome patients.

A novel mutation in the N-terminal domain of Drosophila BubR1 affects the spindle assembly checkpoint function of BubR1.

The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) is a surveillance mechanism that ensures accurate segregation of chromosomes into two daughter cells. BubR1, a key component of the SAC, also plays a role in the mitotic timing since depletion of BubR1 leads to accelerated mitosis. We previously found that mutation of the KEN1-box domain of Drosophila BubR1 (bubR1-KEN1 mutant) affects the binding of BubR1 to Cdc20, the activating co-factor of the APC/C, and does not accelerate the mitotic timing despite resulting in a defective SAC, which was unlike what was reported in mammalian cells. Here, we show that a mutation in a novel Drosophila short sequence (bubR1-KAN mutant) leads to an accelerated mitotic timing as well as SAC failure. Moreover, our data indicate that the level of Fzy, the Drosophila homolog of Cdc20, recruited to kinetochores is diminished in bubR1-KEN1 mutant cells and further diminished in bubR1-KAN mutant cells. Altogether, our data show that this newly identified Drosophila BubR1 KAN motif is required for a functional SAC and suggest that it may play an important role on Cdc20/Fzy kinetochore recruitment.

Dual-specificity tyrosine-phosphorylated and regulated kinase 1A (DYRK1A) interacts with the phytanoyl-CoA alpha-hydroxylase associated protein 1 (PAHX-AP1), a brain specific protein.

Down syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic defect correlated with mental retardation and delayed development. The specific genes responsible for these phenotypic alterations have not yet been defined. Dyrk1A (dual-specificity tyrosine-phosphorylated and regulated kinase 1A), the human ortholog of the Drosophila minibrain gene (mnb), maps to the Down syndrome critical region of human chromosome 21 and is overexpressed in Down syndrome fetal brain. In Drosophila, minibrain is involved in postembryonic neurogenesis. In human, DYRK1A encodes a serine-threonine kinase but despite its potential involvement in the neurobiological alterations associated with Down syndrome, its physiological function has not yet been defined. To gain some insight into its biological function, we used the yeast two-hybrid approach to identify binding partners of DYRK1A. We found that the C-terminal region of DYRK1A interacts with a brain specific protein, phytanoyl-CoA alpha-hydroxylase-associated protein 1 (PAHX-AP1, also named PHYHIP) which was previously shown to interact with phytanoyl-CoA alpha-hydroxylase (PAHX, also named PHYH), a Refsum disease gene product. This interaction was confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation of PC12 cells co-transfected with DYRK1A and PAHX-AP1. Furthermore, immunofluorescence analysis of PC12 cells co-transfected with both plasmids showed a re-distribution of DYRK1A from the nucleus to the cytoplasm where it co-localized with PAHX-AP1. Finally, in PC12 cells co-transfected with both plasmids, DYRK1A was no longer able to interact with the nuclear transcription factor CREB, thereby confirming that the intracellular localization of DYRK1A was changed from the nucleus to the cytoplasm in the presence of PAHX-AP1. Therefore, these data indicate that by inducing a re-localization of DYRK1A into the cytoplasm, PAHX-AP1 may contribute to new cellular functions of DYRK1A and suggest that PAHX-AP1 may be involved in the development of neurological abnormalities observed in Down syndrome patients.

Cenp-meta is required for sustained spindle checkpoint.

Cenp-E is a kinesin-like motor protein required for efficient end-on attachment of kinetochores to the spindle microtubules. Cenp-E immunodepletion in Xenopus mitotic extracts results in the loss of mitotic arrest and massive chromosome missegregation, whereas its depletion in mammalian cells leads to chromosome segregation defects despite the presence of a functional spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC). Cenp-meta has previously been reported to be the Drosophila homolog of vertebrate Cenp-E. In this study, we show that cenp-metaΔ mutant neuroblasts arrest in mitosis when treated with colchicine. cenp-metaΔ mutant cells display a mitotic delay. Yet, despite the persistence of the two checkpoint proteins Mad2 and BubR1 on unattached kinetochores, these cells eventually enter anaphase and give rise to highly aneuploid daughter cells. Indeed, we find that cenp-metaΔ mutant cells display a slow but continuous degradation of cyclin B, which eventually triggers the mitotic exit observed. Thus, our data provide evidence for a role of Cenp-meta in sustaining the SAC response.

New insights into the role of BubR1 in mitosis and beyond.

BubR1 is a critical component of the spindle assembly checkpoint, the surveillance mechanism that helps maintain the high fidelity of mitotic chromosome segregation by preventing cells from initiating anaphase if one or more kinetochores are not attached to the spindle. BubR1 also helps promote the establishment of stable kinetochore-microtubule attachments during prometaphase. In this chapter, we review the structure, functions, and regulation of BubR1 in these "classical roles" at the kinetochore. We discuss its recruitment to kinetochores, its assembly into the inhibitor of anaphase progression, and the importance of its posttranslational modifications. We also consider the evidence for its participation in other roles beyond mitosis, such as the meiosis-specific processes of recombination and prophase arrest of the first meiotic division, the cellular response to DNA damage, and in the regulation of centrosome and basal body function. Finally, studies are presented linking BubR1 dysfunction or misregulation to aging and human disease, particularly cancer.

Separating the spindle, checkpoint, and timer functions of BubR1.

BubR1 performs several roles during mitosis, affecting the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), mitotic timing, and spindle function, but the interdependence of these functions is unclear. We have analyzed in Drosophila melanogaster the mitotic phenotypes of kinase-dead (KD) BubR1 and BubR1 lacking the N-terminal KEN box. bubR1-KD individuals have a robust SAC but abnormal spindles with thin kinetochore fibers, suggesting that the kinase activity modulates microtubule capture and/or dynamics but is relatively dispensable for SAC function. In contrast, bubR1-KEN flies have normal spindles but no SAC. Nevertheless, mitotic timing is normal as long as Mad2 is present. Thus, the SAC, timer, and spindle functions of BubR1 are substantially separable. Timing is shorter in bubR1-KEN mad2 double mutants, yet in these flies, lacking both critical SAC components, chromosomes still segregate accurately, reconfirming that in Drosophila, reliable mitosis does not need the SAC.

aPKC-mediated phosphorylation regulates asymmetric membrane localization of the cell fate determinant Numb.

In Drosophila, the partition defective (Par) complex containing Par3, Par6 and atypical protein kinase C (aPKC) directs the polarized distribution and unequal segregation of the cell fate determinant Numb during asymmetric cell divisions. Unequal segregation of mammalian Numb has also been observed, but the factors involved are unknown. Here, we identify in vivo phosphorylation sites of mammalian Numb and show that both mammalian and Drosophila Numb interact with, and are substrates for aPKC in vitro. A form of mammalian Numb lacking two protein kinase C (PKC) phosphorylation sites (Numb2A) accumulates at the cell membrane and is refractory to PKC activation. In epithelial cells, mammalian Numb localizes to the basolateral membrane and is excluded from the apical domain, which accumulates aPKC. In contrast, Numb2A is distributed uniformly around the cell cortex. Mutational analysis of conserved aPKC phosphorylation sites in Drosophila Numb suggests that phosphorylation contributes to asymmetric localization of Numb, opposite to aPKC in dividing sensory organ precursor cells. These results suggest a model in which phosphorylation of Numb by aPKC regulates its polarized distribution in epithelial cells as well as during asymmetric cell divisions.

APRO4 negatively regulates Src tyrosine kinase activity in PC12 cells.

The Src nonreceptor tyrosine kinase plays an important role in multiple signalling pathways that regulate several cellular functions including proliferation, differentiation and transformation. The activity of Src is tightly regulated in vivo and can be modulated by interactions of its SH2 and SH3 domains with high-affinity ligands. APRO4 (anti-proliferative 4) belongs to a new antiproliferative gene family involved in the negative control of the cell cycle. This report shows that APRO4 associates with Src via its C-terminal proline-rich domain, and downregulates Src kinase activity. Moreover, overexpression of APRO4 leads to inhibition of neurite outgrowth and Ras/MAP kinase signalling in PC12 cells. Furthermore, the kinetics of endogenous Src inactivation correlates with an increase in endogenous APRO4 co-immunoprecipitation in FGF-stimulated PC12 cells. Finally, downregulation of endogenous APRO4 by expression of antisense RNA induces the activation of Src and spontaneous formation of neurites in PC12 cells. Therefore, by controlling the basal threshold of Src activity, APRO4 constitutes an important negative regulatory mechanism for Src-mediated signalling.