YAP/TEAD involvement in resistance to paclitaxel chemotherapy in lung cancer.

The Yes-associated protein (YAP) oncoprotein has been linked to both metastases and resistance to targeted therapy of lung cancer cells. We aimed to investigate the effect of YAP pharmacological inhibition, using YAP/TEA domain (TEAD) transcription factor interaction inhibitors in chemo-resistant lung cancer cells. YAP subcellular localization, as a readout for YAP activation, cell migration, and TEAD transcription factor functional transcriptional activity were investigated in cancer cell lines with up-regulated YAP, with and without YAP/TEAD interaction inhibitors. Parental (A549) and paclitaxel-resistant (A549R) cell transcriptomes were analyzed. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of paclitaxel or trametinib, which are Mitogen-Activated protein kinase and Erk Kinase (MEK) inhibitors, combined with a YAP/TEAD inhibitor (IV#6), was determined. A three-dimensional (3D) microfluidic culture device enabled us to study the effect of IV#6/paclitaxel combination on cancer cells isolated from fresh resected lung cancer samples. YAP activity was significantly higher in paclitaxel-resistant cell lines. The YAP/TEAD inhibitor induced a decreased YAP activity in A549, PC9, and H2052 cells, with reduced YAP nuclear staining. Wound healing assays upon YAP inhibition revealed impaired cell motility of lung cancer A549 and mesothelioma H2052 cells. Combining YAP pharmacological inhibition with trametinib in K-Ras mutated A549 cells recapitulated synthetic lethality, thereby sensitizing these cells to MEK inhibition. The YAP/TEAD inhibitor lowered the IC50 of paclitaxel in A549R cells. Differential transcriptomic analysis of parental and A549R cells revealed an increased YAP/TEAD transcriptomic signature in resistant cells, downregulated upon YAP inhibition. The YAP/TEAD inhibitor restored paclitaxel sensitivity of A549R cells cultured in a 3D microfluidic system, with lung cancer cells from a fresh tumor efficiently killed by YAP/TEAD inhibitor/paclitaxel doublet. Evidence of the YAP/TEAD transcriptional program's role in chemotherapy resistance paves the way for YAP therapeutic targeting.

PEA-15 mediates cytoplasmic sequestration of ERK MAP kinase.

The ERK 1/2 MAP kinase pathway controls cell growth and survival and modulates integrin function. Here, we report that PEA-15, a protein variably expressed in multiple cell types, blocks ERK-dependent transcription and proliferation by binding ERKs and preventing their localization in the nucleus. PEA-15 contains a nuclear export sequence required for its capacity to anchor ERK in the cytoplasm. Genetic deletion of PEA-15 results in increased ERK nuclear localization with consequent increased cFos transcription and cell proliferation. Thus, PEA-15 can redirect the biological outcome of MAP kinase signaling by regulating the subcellular localization of ERK MAP kinase.

Human Sos1: a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Ras that binds to GRB2.

A human complementary DNA was isolated that encodes a widely expressed protein, hSos1, that is closely related to Sos, the product of the Drosophila son of sevenless gene. The hSos1 protein contains a region of significant sequence similarity to CDC25, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Ras from yeast. A fragment of hSos1 encoding the CDC25-related domain complemented loss of CDC25 function in yeast. This hSos1 domain specifically stimulated guanine nucleotide exchange on mammalian Ras proteins in vitro. Mammalian cells overexpressing full-length hSos1 had increased guanine nucleotide exchange activity. Thus hSos1 is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Ras. The hSos1 interacted with growth factor receptor-bound protein 2 (GRB2) in vivo and in vitro. This interaction was mediated by the carboxyl-terminal domain of hSos1 and the Src homology 3 (SH3) domains of GRB2. These results suggest that the coupling of receptor tyrosine kinases to Ras signaling is mediated by a molecular complex consisting of GRB2 and hSos1.

Enhancement of the GDP-GTP exchange of RAS proteins by the carboxyl-terminal domain of SCD25.

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the product of the CDC25 gene controls the RAS-mediated production of adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP). In vivo the carboxyl-terminal third of the CDC25 gene product is sufficient for the activation of adenylate cyclase. The 3'-terminal part of SCD25, a gene of S. cerevisiae structurally related to CDC25, can suppress the requirement for CDC25. Partially purified preparations of the carboxy-terminal domain of the SCD25 gene product enhanced the exchange rate of guanosine diphosphate (GDP) to guanosine triphosphate (GTP) of pure RAS2 protein by stimulating the release of GDP. This protein fragment had a similar effect on the human c-H-ras-encoded p21 protein. Thus, the SCD25 carboxyl-terminal domain can enhance the regeneration of the active form of RAS proteins.

The yeast two-hybrid screening technique and its use in the study of protein-protein interactions in apoptosis.

The yeast two-hybrid technique provides a general approach for cloning cDNAs merely by exploiting the ability of their encoded proteins to bind to a protein of interest. The technique therefore offered a useful access to the analysis of the mechanisms of cell death at the initial stage of their study, when only a few of the proteins involved and very little about their mode of action were known. Conversely, the knowledge of cell death mechanisms gained by this technique provided a useful insight into both the potential and the limitations of this technique.

A new RAS mutation that suppresses the CDC25 gene requirement for growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the activation of adenylate cyclase requires the products of the RAS genes and of CDC25. We isolated several dominant extragenic suppressors of the yeast cdc25 mutation. They did not suppress a thermosensitive allele of the adenylate cyclase gene (CDC35). One of these suppressors was a mutated RAS2 gene in which the transition C/G----T/A at position 455 resulted in replacement of threonine 152 by isoleucine in the protein. The same mutation in a v-Ha-ras gene reduces the affinity of p21 for guanine nucleotides (L.A. Feig, B. Pan, T.M. Roberts, and G.M. Cooper, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 83:4607-4611, 1986). These results support a model in which the CDC25 gene product is the GDP-GTP exchange factor regulating the activity of the RAS gene product.

Cloning and characterization of SCHIP-1, a novel protein interacting specifically with spliced isoforms and naturally occurring mutant NF2 proteins.

The neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) protein, known as schwannomin or merlin, is a tumor suppressor involved in NF2-associated and sporadic schwannomas and meningiomas. It is closely related to the ezrin-radixin-moesin family members, implicated in linking membrane proteins to the cytoskeleton. The molecular mechanism allowing schwannomin to function as a tumor suppressor is unknown. In attempt to shed light on schwannomin function, we have identified a novel coiled-coil protein, SCHIP-1, that specifically associates with schwannomin in vitro and in vivo. Within its coiled-coil region, this protein is homologous to human FEZ proteins and the related Caenorhabditis elegans gene product UNC-76. Immunofluorescent staining of transiently transfected cells shows a partial colocalization of SCHIP-1 and schwannomin, beneath the cytoplasmic membrane. Surprisingly, immunoprecipitation assays reveal that in a cellular context, association with SCHIP-1 can be observed only with some naturally occurring mutants of schwannomin, or a schwannomin spliced isoform lacking exons 2 and 3, but not with the schwannomin isoform exhibiting growth-suppressive activity. Our observations suggest that SCHIP-1 interaction with schwannomin is regulated by conformational changes in schwannomin, possibly induced by posttranslational modifications, alternative splicing, or mutations.

In Xenopus laevis, the product of a developmentally regulated mRNA is structurally and functionally homologous to a Saccharomyces cerevisiae protein involved in translation fidelity.

We have performed a differential screen of a Xenopus egg cDNA library and selected two clones (Cl1 and Cl2) corresponding to mRNA which are specifically adenylated and recruited into polysomes after fertilization. Sequence analysis of Cl1 reveals that the corresponding protein is 67.5% identical (83% similar) to the product of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SUP45 (also called SUP1 or SAL4) gene. This gene, when mutated, is an omnipotent suppressor of nonsense codons. When expressed in a sup45 mutant, the Xenopus Cl1 cDNA was able to suppress sup45-related phenotypes, showing that the structural homology reflects a functional homology. Our discovery of a structural and functional homolog in Xenopus cells implies that the function of SUP45 is not restricted to lower eukaryotes and that the SUP45 protein may perform a crucial cellular function in higher eukaryotes.

Two types of RAS mutants that dominantly interfere with activators of RAS.

In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, ras1 regulates both sexual development (conjugation and sporulation) and cellular morphology. Two types of dominant interfering mutants were isolated in a genetic screen for ras1 mutants that blocked sexual development. The first type of mutation, at Ser-22, analogous to the H-rasAsn-17 mutant (L. A. Feig and G. M. Cooper, Mol. Cell. Biol. 8:3235-3243, 1988), blocked only conjugation, whereas a second type of mutation, at Asp-62, interfered with conjugation, sporulation, and cellular morphology. Analogous mutations at position 64 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae RAS2 or position 57 of human H-ras also resulted in dominant interfering mutants that interfered specifically and more profoundly than mutants of the first type with RAS-associated pathways in both S. pombe or S. cerevisiae. Genetic evidence indicating that both types of interfering mutants function upstream of RAS is provided. Biochemical evidence showing that the mutants are altered in their interaction with the CDC25 class of exchange factors is presented. We show that both H-rasAsn-17 and H-rasTyr-57, compared with wild-type H-ras, are defective in their guanine nucleotide-dependent release from human cdc25 and that this defect is more severe for the H-rasTyr-57 mutant. Such a defect would allow the interfering mutants to remain bound to, thereby sequestering RAS exchange factors. The more severe interference phenotype of this novel interfering mutant suggests that it functions by titrating out other positive regulators of RAS besides those encoded by ste6 and CDC25.

hSiah2 is a new Vav binding protein which inhibits Vav-mediated signaling pathways.

The hematopoietic proto-oncogene vav has been characterized as a Rac1-GDP/GTP exchanger protein which regulates cytoskeletal reorganization as well as signaling pathways leading to the activation of stress-activated protein kinases (SAPK/JNKs). Furthermore, vav overexpression enhances basal and T-cell receptor (TCR)-mediated stimulation of the nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT). We report here the interaction between Vav and hSiah2, a mammalian homolog of Drosophila Seven in absentia (Sina) that has been implicated in R7 photoreceptor cell formation during Drosophila eye development via the proteasome degradation pathway. Vav and hSiah2 interact in vitro and in vivo and colocalize in the cytoplasm of hematopoietic cells. The Src homology domain of Vav and the C-terminal region of hSiah2 are required for this interaction. We provide evidence for a negative regulation by hSiah2 of Vav-induced basal and TCR-mediated NFAT-dependent transcription. Overexpression of hSiah2 also inhibits the onco-Vav-induced JNK activation. Although the Vav-interacting domain is located in the C-terminal portion of hSiah2, the N-terminal region of hSiah2 is necessary for the inhibitory role that seems to be independent of the proteasome degradation.

p95vav associates with the nuclear protein Ku-70.

The proto-oncogene vav is expressed solely in hematopoietic cells and plays an important role in cell signaling, although little is known about the proteins involved in these pathways. To gain further information, the Src homology 2 (SH2) and 3 (SH3) domains of Vav were used to screen a lymphoid cell cDNA library by the yeast two-hybrid system. Among the positive clones, we detected a nuclear protein, Ku-70, which is the DNA-binding element of the DNA-dependent protein kinase. In Jurkat and UT7 cells, Vav is partially localized in the nuclei, as judged from immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy studies. By using glutathione S-transferase fusion proteins derived from Ku-70 and coimmunoprecipitation experiments with lysates prepared from human thymocytes and Jurkat and UT7 cells, we show that Vav associates with Ku-70. The interaction of Vav with Ku-70 requires only the 150-residue carboxy-terminal portion of Ku-70, which binds to the 25 carboxy-terminal residues of the carboxy SH3 domain of Vav. A proline-to-leucine mutation in the carboxy SH3 of Vav that blocks interaction with proline-rich sequences does not modify the binding of Ku-70, which lacks this motif. Therefore, the interaction of Vav with Ku-70 may be a novel form of protein-protein interaction. The potential role of Vav/Ku-70 complexes is discussed.

Ral GTPases contribute to regulation of cyclin D1 through activation of NF-kappaB.

Ral GTPases have been implicated as mediators of Ras-induced signal transduction from observations that Ral-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factors associate with Ras and are activated by Ras. The cellular role of Ral family proteins is unclear, as is the contribution that Ral may make to Ras-dependent signaling. Here we show that expression of activated Ral in quiescent rodent fibroblasts is sufficient to induce activation of NF-kappaB-dependent gene expression and cyclin D1 transcription, two key convergence points for mitogenic and survival signaling. The regulation of cyclin D1 transcription by Ral is dependent on NF-kappaB activation and is mediated through an NF-kappaB binding site in the cyclin D1 promoter. Ral activation of these responses is likely through an as yet uncharacterized effector pathway, as we find activation of NF-kappaB and the cyclin D1 promoter by Ral is independent of association of Ral with active phospholipase D1 or Ral-binding protein 1, two proteins proposed to mediate Ral function in cells.

A conserved alternative splice in the von Recklinghausen neurofibromatosis (NF1) gene produces two neurofibromin isoforms, both of which have GTPase-activating protein activity.

Sequence analysis has shown significant homology between the catalytic regions of the mammalian ras GTPase-activating protein (GAP), yeast Ira1p and Ira2p (inhibitory regulators of the RAS-cyclic AMP pathway), and neurofibromin, the protein encoded by the NF1 gene. Yeast expression experiments have confirmed that a 381-amino-acid segment of neurofibromin, dubbed the GAP-related domain (GRD), can function as a GAP. Using the RNA polymerase chain reaction with primers flanking the NF1-GRD, we have identified evidence for alternative splicing in this region of the NF1 gene. In addition to the already published sequence (type I), an alternative RNA carrying a 63-nucleotide insertion (type II) is present in all tissues examined, although the relative amounts of types I and II vary. The insertion is conserved across species but is not present in GAP, IRA1, or IRA2. GenBank searches have failed to identify significant similarity between the inserted sequence and known DNA or protein sequences, although the basic amino acid composition of the insertion shares features with nuclear targeting sequences. Expression studies in yeasts show that despite the partial disruption of the neurofibromin-IRA-GAP homology by this insertion, both forms of the NF1-GRD can complement loss of IRA function. In vivo assays designed to compare the GAP activity of the two alternatively spliced forms of the NF1-GRD show that both can increase the conversion of GTP-bound ras to its GDP-bound form, although the insertion of the 21 amino acids weakens this effect. The strong conservation of this alternative splicing suggests that both type I and II isoforms mediate important biological functions of neurofibromin.

Activation of the small GTPase Ral in platelets.

Ral is a ubiquitously expressed Ras-like small GTPase which is abundantly present in human platelets. The biological function of Ral and the signaling pathway in which Ral is involved are largely unknown. Here we describe a novel method to measure Ral activation utilizing the Ral binding domain of the putative Ral effector RLIP76 as an activation-specific probe. With this assay we investigated the signaling pathway that leads to Ral activation in human platelets. We found that Ral is rapidly activated after stimulation with various platelet agonists, including alpha-thrombin. In contrast, the platelet antagonist prostaglandin I2 inhibited alpha-thrombin-induced Ral activation. Activation of Ral by alpha-thrombin could be inhibited by depletion of intracellular Ca2+, whereas the induction of intracellular Ca2+ resulted in the activation of Ral. Our results show that Ral can be activated by extracellular stimuli. Furthermore, we show that increased levels of intracellular Ca2+ are sufficient for Ral activation in platelets. This activation mechanism correlates with the activation mechanism of the small GTPase Rap1, a putative upstream regulator of Ral guanine nucleotide exchange factors.

The COOH-domain of the product of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SCD25 gene elicits activation of p21-ras proteins in mammalian cells.

The evidence presented here indicates that the domain containing the COOH-terminal part of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SCD25 gene product (C-domain), which is homologous to the COOH-terminal part of CDC25 protein, can elicit activation of mammalian ras proteins in CHO cells. Transfection of expression vectors carrying the C-domain of SCD25, but not of CDC25, promotes the GTP-bound form of ras proteins as determined by analysis of the guanine nucleotides bound to ras proteins immunoprecipitated by Y13-259 mAb, and enhances transcription of a HIV-LTR-CAT construct. This is the first demonstration of the activation of ras proteins by transfection of a single heterologous gene.

The proline-rich region of Vav binds to Grb2 and Grb3-3.

Vav has structural features found in signaling proteins and is expressed only in hematopoietic cells. The recent development of mice Vav -/- has confirmed a major role of Vav in early blood cell development. We previously showed that Vav constitutively interacts with glutathione-S-transferase-Grb2. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments supported the idea of a complex formed by Vav-Grb2 in vivo. This complex is of potential interest in signaling of hematopoietic cells. In this work we localize the domains of Vav and Grb2 involved in this interaction. By the use of an in vivo genetic approach (the double hybrid system) and through in vitro experiments (glutathione-S-transferase fusion proteins) we furnish evidence that the interaction between Vav and Grb2 involves the C-SH3 domain of Grb2 and the proline-rich region located in the N-SH3 of Vav. Furthermore this was confirmed by the use of both Vav and Sos derived proline-rich peptides which blocked the binding. In addition we show that Vav also interacts with Grb3-3, a naturally occurring Grb2 isoform wich lacks functional SH2 domain.

Of mice and yeast: versatile vectors which permit gene expression in both budding yeast and higher eukaryotic cells.

Gene expression in heterologous species is a powerful tool for the cloning and characterization of genes. Here, we present a family of expression shuttle vectors which work in the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and also in mammalian cells. The quantity of product expressed by the gene under study can be modulated in yeast by virtue of the control over plasmid copy number and culture conditions.

The C-terminal part of a gene partially homologous to CDC 25 gene suppresses the cdc25-5 mutation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the product of the CDC25 gene is required for progression in the cell division cycle. It is necessary for cAMP production. It has been suggested that the CDC25 gene product acts through Ras proteins. We report the cloning of a DNA fragment from a new gene able to suppress the thermosensitive phenotype of the cdc25-5 mutation. It is unable to suppress the defect of a mutant of the adenylate cyclase gene or of the ras1, ras2ts double mutant. This DNA fragment prevents the drop in cAMP level in cdc25-5 mutant cells shifted to restrictive temperature. The complementing part of this fragment contains a truncated open reading frame (ORF) corresponding to the 3' end of a gene we named SCD25. The 584-amino acid sequence deduced from this ORF shares 45% identity with the 592-aa C-terminal part of the CDC25 ORF which is sufficient for complementation of cdc25 mutations. Some of the common sequences between these two genes are also partially homologous with the amino acid sequence of LTE1, another gene of S. cerevisiae. The capacity of the SCD25 fragment to suppress a cdc25 mutation and its homology to the C-terminal part of the CDC25 led us to propose that the CDC25 and the SCD25 C-terminal fragments each encode a protein domain which is capable in itself to support a similar biochemical function.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae CDC25 gene product is a 180 kDa polypeptide and is associated with a membrane fraction.

In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the CDC25 gene product is supposed to interact with ras proteins and adenylate cyclase for progression through the cell division cycle. To identify the CDC25 gene product, we raised antibodies against two hybrid proteins, encoded by in-frame fusions between the E. coli lacZ gene and two different parts of the CDC25 gene. By protein immuno-blotting, we were able to identify the CDC25 gene product as a 180 kDa polypeptide, which we named p180CDC25. It was detected only when the CDC25 gene was overexpressed in a proteases-deficient yeast strain. Subcellular fractionation experiments showed that p180CDC25, as well as ras proteins, is attached to the membrane, even after treatments which release peripheral membrane proteins.

A yeast two-hybrid study of human p97/Gab2 interactions with its SH2 domain-containing binding partners.

p97/Gab2 is a recently characterized member of a large family of scaffold proteins that play essential roles in signal transduction. Gab2 becomes tyrosine-phosphorylated in response to a variety of growth factors and forms multimolecular complexes with SH2 domain-containing signaling molecules such as the p85-regulatory subunit of the phosphoinositide-3-kinase (p85-PI3K), the tyrosine phosphatase SHP-2 and the adapter protein CrkL. To characterize the interactions between Gab2 and its SH2-containing binding partners, we designed a modified yeast two-hybrid system in which the Lyn tyrosine kinase is expressed in a regulated manner in yeast. Using this assay, we demonstrated that p97/Gab2 specifically interacts with the SH2 domains of PI3K, SHP-2 and CrkL. Interaction with p85-PI3K is mediated by tyrosine residues Y452, Y476 and Y584 of Gab2, while interaction with SHP-2 depends exclusively on tyrosine Y614. CrkL interaction is mediated by its SH2 domain recognizing Y266 and Y293, despite the latter being in a non-consensus (YTFK) environment.