Essential roles of ERK-mediated phosphorylation of vinexin in cell spreading, migration and anchorage-independent growth.

Vinexin is an adaptor protein supposed to play pivotal roles in various cellular events such as cell adhesion, cytoskeletal organization, signaling and gene expression. Despite the possible importance, physiological functions and regulatory mechanisms of vinexin are largely unknown. In addition, although vinexin was reported to be phosphorylated by extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), physiological significance of the phosphorylation remains to be elucidated. Here we carried out characterization of endogenous vinexin and found that it was enriched at the leading edge of migrating cells and focal adhesions of spread cells. In the analyses using ERK-phosphorylated vinexin-specific antibody, the phosphorylation signal was also detected at the leading edges of migrating cells and at cell periphery of spreading cells, whereas only faint signal was observed at focal adhesions of well-spread cells. We then established LNCaP cell lines stably expressing GFP-fused vinexinbeta or two mutants at Ser189 that mimic the ERK-phosphorylated or -unphosphorylated vinexin beta. Based on the analyses using the lines, the phosphorylation was likely to inhibit the cell spreading and migration. On the other hand, anchorage-independent cell growth was inhibited by unphosphorylated vinexinbeta. Taken together, ERK-mediated phosphorylation of vinexinbeta is strongly suggested to occur in a spatio-temporally regulated manner and play important roles in cell spreading, migration and anchorage-independent growth.

The MAP kinase kinase kinase MLK2 co-localizes with activated JNK along microtubules and associates with kinesin superfamily motor KIF3.

The MLK (mixed lineage) ser/thr kinases are most closely related to the MAP kinase kinase kinase family. In addition to a kinase domain, MLK1, MLK2 and MLK3 each contain an SH3 domain, a leucine zipper domain and a potential Rac/Cdc42 GTPase-binding (CRIB) motif. The C-terminal regions of the proteins are essentially unrelated. Using yeast two-hybrid analysis and in vitro dot-blots, we show that MLK2 and MLK3 interact with the activated (GTP-bound) forms of Rac and Cdc42, with a slight preference for Rac. Transfection of MLK2 into COS cells leads to strong and constitutive activation of the JNK (c-Jun N-terminal kinase) MAP kinase cascade, but also to activation of ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) and p38. When expressed in fibroblasts, MLK2 co-localizes with active, dually phosphorylated JNK1/2 to punctate structures along microtubules. In an attempt to identify proteins that affect the activity and localization of MLK2, we have screened a yeast two-hybrid cDNA library. MLK2 and MLK3 interact with members of the KIF3 family of kinesin superfamily motor proteins and with KAP3A, the putative targeting component of KIF3 motor complexes, suggesting a potential link between stress activation and motor protein function.

Protein kinase C isozymes in human megakaryoblastic leukemia cell line, MEG-01: possible involvement of the isozymes in the differentiation process of MEG-01 cells.

The expression of the different protein kinase C (PKC) isozymes in various states of differentiation of the human megakaryoblastic leukaemia cell line MEG-01 were analysed using thermocycle amplification of mRNA and immunoblotting. MEG-01 expressed mRNAs of PKC alpha, -beta I, -beta II, -delta, -epsilon, -eta, -theta and -zeta, but not PKC gamma. At the protein molecule level, MEG-01 was observed to express PKC alpha, -beta I, -beta II,- epsilon, -theta and -zeta, but lack -gamma, -delta and -eta. When differentiation of MEG-01 was induced by 100 nm 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), rapid translocation from cytosol to membrane fraction and down-regulation of PKC alpha, -epsilon and -theta was observed in 1-2h. On the other hand, PKC beta I and -beta II were observed to translocate not only to the membrane fraction but also to the cytoskeletal fraction in a different manner, and their down-regulation, especially beta II, was very slow. The myristoylated, alanine-rich C kinase substrate (MARCKS) in the membrane fraction of MEG-01 cells was observed to decrease gradually throughout the differentiation process. Additionally, time-course study of TPA treatment indicated that incubation of the cells for 30 min is sufficient for differentiation. These results strongly suggest that the activation of PKC alpha, -epsilon and -theta is involved in the initiation of differentiation, and that PKC beta I and -beta II have important roles in the maintenance of differentiation. Although PKC zeta was resistant to TPA treatment and its translocation was reduced, the amount of this isozyme in the cytosol fraction decreased throughout the differentiation process.