Septin-microtubule association via a motif unique to isoform 1 of septin 9 tunes stress fibers.

Septins, a family of GTP-binding proteins that assemble into higher order structures, interface with the membrane, actin filaments and microtubules, and are thus important regulators of cytoarchitecture. Septin 9 (SEPT9), which is frequently overexpressed in tumors and mutated in hereditary neuralgic amyotrophy (HNA), mediates the binding of septins to microtubules, but the molecular determinants of this interaction remained uncertain. We demonstrate that a short microtubule-associated protein (MAP)-like motif unique to SEPT9 isoform 1 (SEPT9_i1) drives septin octamer-microtubule interaction in cells and in vitro reconstitutions. Septin-microtubule association requires polymerizable septin octamers harboring SEPT9_i1. Although outside of the MAP-like motif, HNA mutations abrogate this association, identifying a putative regulatory domain. Removal of this domain from SEPT9_i1 sequesters septins on microtubules, promotes microtubule stability and alters actomyosin fiber distribution and tension. Thus, we identify key molecular determinants and potential regulatory roles of septin-microtubule interaction, paving the way to deciphering the mechanisms underlying septin-associated pathologies. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.

Unusual nucleosome formation and transcriptome influence by the histone H3mm18 variant.

Histone H3mm18 is a non-allelic H3 variant expressed in skeletal muscle and brain in mice. However, its function has remained enigmatic. We found that H3mm18 is incorporated into chromatin in cells with low efficiency, as compared to H3.3. We determined the structures of the nucleosome core particle (NCP) containing H3mm18 by cryo-electron microscopy, which revealed that the entry/exit DNA regions are drastically disordered in the H3mm18 NCP. Consistently, the H3mm18 NCP is substantially unstable in vitro. The forced expression of H3mm18 in mouse myoblast C2C12 cells markedly suppressed muscle differentiation. A transcriptome analysis revealed that the forced expression of H3mm18 affected the expression of multiple genes, and suppressed a group of genes involved in muscle development. These results suggest a novel gene expression regulation system in which the chromatin landscape is altered by the formation of unusual nucleosomes with a histone variant, H3mm18, and provide important insight into understanding transcription regulation by chromatin.

Development of a high-affinity anti-bovine PD-1 rabbit-bovine chimeric antibody using an efficient selection and large production system.

Immune checkpoint molecules PD-1/PD-L1 cause T-cell exhaustion and contribute to disease progression in chronic infections of cattle. We established monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that specifically inhibit the binding of bovine PD-1/PD-L1; however, conventional anti-PD-1 mAbs are not suitable as therapeutic agents because of their low binding affinity to antigen. In addition, their sensitivity for the detection of bovine PD-1 is low and their use for immunostaining PD-1 is limited. To address these issues, we established two anti-bovine PD-1 rabbit mAbs (1F10F1 and 4F5F2) and its chimeric form using bovine IgG1 (Boch1D10F1), which exhibit high binding affinity. One of the rabbit mAb 1D10F1 binds more strongly to bovine PD-1 compared with a conventional anti-PD-1 mAb (5D2) and exhibits marked inhibitory activity on the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction. In addition, PD-1 expression in bovine T cells could be detected with higher sensitivity by flow cytometry using 1D10F1. Furthermore, we established higher-producing cells of Boch1D10F1 and succeeded in the mass production of Boch1D10F1. Boch1D10F1 exhibited a similar binding affinity to bovine PD-1 and the inhibitory activity on PD-1/PD-L1 binding compared with 1D10F1. The immune activation by Boch1D10F1 was also confirmed by the enhancement of IFN-γ production. Finally, Boch1D10F1 was administered to bovine leukemia virus-infected cows to determine its antiviral effect. In conclusion, the high-affinity anti-PD-1 antibody developed in this study represents a powerful tool for detecting and inhibiting bovine PD-1 and is a candidate for PD-1-targeted immunotherapy in cattle.

Establishment of monoclonal antibodies broadly neutralize infection of hepatitis B virus.

Antibodies against hepatitis B virus S protein can protect against hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Therefore, hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG), which contains HBsAb, is used clinically as a therapy for HBV infection. In this study, a series of monoclonal antibodies that recognize multiple HBV genotypes was obtained. All the antibodies recognized conformational epitopes of S protein, but not linear epitopes. Several antibodies neutralized HBV infection and exhibited strong affinities and neutralizing activities. Antigenic epitope analysis demonstrated that they recognized residue Ile152 of S protein, which is localized outside the "a" determinant. Ile152 is highly conserved, and a mutation in this residue resulted in reduced expression of large hepatitis B surface proteins (L protein), suggesting that the amino acid at this position is involved in the expression of L protein. In addition, the antibodies neutralized the infection of hepatitis D virus possessing a Gly145 mutation to Arg in S protein, which is a well-known escape mutation against HBIG treatment. Using mouse monoclonal antibodies, a humanized antibody possessing affinities and neutralizing activities similar to those of the original mouse antibody was successfully established. The antibodies generated in this study may have the potential for use in alternative antibody therapies for HBV infection.

Detection of Rhizopus-specific antigen in human and murine serum and bronchoalveolar lavage.

Mucormycosis is a deep-seated fungal infection that mainly develops in patients with severe immunodeficiencies such as those with malignant hematological diseases. Despite poor prognosis, there is no reliable and minimally invasive diagnostic method-such as serodiagnosis-for making a clinical decision regarding the condition. As early diagnosis and early treatment improve the prognosis of mucormycosis, the development of a sensitive early diagnostic method is important. We had previously identified a Rhizopus-specific antigen (RSA) by signal sequence trapping and retrovirus-mediated expression (SST-REX), and evaluated its utility as a diagnostic antigen by constructing a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system to detect serum RSA levels in inoculated mice. In this study, we used the RSA-specific rabbit monoclonal antibodies generated by novel hybridoma technology to improve the sensitivity of the ELISA system. We observed an increase in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) levels of RSA in mouse model 1 day after inoculation, suggesting that this newly developed monoclonal antibody-based ELISA system may be useful for the diagnosis of mucormycosis in the early stages of infection. In addition, we measured RSA levels in human serum and BALF, and found that serum RSA level was higher in mucormycosis patients (15.1 ng/ml) than that in invasive pulmonary aspergillosis patients (0.53 ng/ml) and the negative control (0.49 ng/ml). Our results suggest that RSA may be a powerful tool for the diagnosis of pulmonary mucormycosis, and its differentiation from other deep-seated mycoses such as aspergillosis.

EB1-binding-myomegalin protein complex promotes centrosomal microtubules functions.

Control of microtubule dynamics underlies several fundamental processes such as cell polarity, cell division, and cell motility. To gain insights into the mechanisms that control microtubule dynamics during cell motility, we investigated the interactome of the microtubule plus-end-binding protein end-binding 1 (EB1). Via molecular mapping and cross-linking mass spectrometry we identified and characterized a large complex associating a specific isoform of myomegalin termed "SMYLE" (for short myomegalin-like EB1 binding protein), the PKA scaffolding protein AKAP9, and the pericentrosomal protein CDK5RAP2. SMYLE was associated through an evolutionarily conserved N-terminal domain with AKAP9, which in turn was anchored at the centrosome via CDK5RAP2. SMYLE connected the pericentrosomal complex to the microtubule-nucleating complex (γ-TuRC) via Galectin-3-binding protein. SMYLE associated with nascent centrosomal microtubules to promote microtubule assembly and acetylation. Disruption of SMYLE interaction with EB1 or AKAP9 prevented microtubule nucleation and their stabilization at the leading edge of migrating cells. In addition, SMYLE depletion led to defective astral microtubules and abnormal orientation of the mitotic spindle and triggered G1 cell-cycle arrest, which might be due to defective centrosome integrity. As a consequence, SMYLE loss of function had a profound impact on tumor cell motility and proliferation, suggesting that SMYLE might be an important player in tumor progression.

PACT/PRKRA and p53 regulate transcriptional activity of DMRT1.

The transcription factor DMRT1 (doublesex and mab-3 related transcription factor) has two distinct functions, somatic-cell masculinization and germ-cell development in some vertebrate species, including mouse and the African clawed frog Xenopus laevis. However, its transcriptional regulation remains unclear. We tried to identify DMRT1-interacting proteins from X. laevis testes by immunoprecipitation with an anti-DMRT1 antibody and MS/MS analysis, and selected three proteins, including PACT/PRKRA (Interferon-inducible double-stranded RNA dependent protein kinase activator A) derived from testes. Next, we examined the effects of PACT/PRKRA and/or p53 on the transcriptional activity of DMRT1. In transfected 293T cells, PACT/PRKRA and p53 significantly enhanced and repressed DMRT1-driven luciferase activity, respectively. We also observed that the enhanced activity by PACT/PRKRA was strongly attenuated by p53. Moreover, in situ hybridization analysis of Pact/Prkra mRNA in tadpole gonads indicated high expression in female and male germline stem cells. Taken together, these findings suggest that PACT/PRKRA and p53 might positively and negatively regulate the activity of DMRT1, respectively, for germline stem cell fate.

Crumbs3 is a critical factor that regulates invasion and metastasis of colon adenocarcinoma via the specific interaction with FGFR1.

Epithelial cell polarity regulator Crumbs3 (Crb3), a mammalian homolog within the Drosophila Crb gene family, was initially identified as an essential embryonic development factor. It is recently implicated in tumor suppression, though its specific functions are controversial. We here demonstrate that Crb3 strongly promotes tumor invasion and metastasis of human colon adenocarcinoma cells. Crb3 centrality to tumor migration was supported by strong expression at invasive front and metastatic foci of colonic adenocarcinoma of the patient tissues. Accordingly, two different Crb3-knockout (KO) lines, Crb3-KO (Crb3 -/-) DLD-1 and Crb3-KO WiDr from human colonic adenocarcinomas, were generated by the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Crb3-KO DLD-1 cells exhibited loss of cellular mobility in vitro and dramatic suppression of liver metastases in vivo in contrast to the wild type of DLD-1. Unlike DLD-1, Crb3-KO WiDr mobility and metastasis were unaffected, which were similar to wild-type WiDr. Proteome analysis of Crb3-coimmunopreciptated proteins identified different respective fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) isotypes specifically bound to Crb3 isoform a through their intracellular domain. In DLD-1, Crb3 showed membranous localization of FGFR1 leading to its functional activation, whereas Crb3 bound to cytoplasmic FGFR4 in WiDr without FGFR1 expression, leading to cellular growth. Correlative expression between Crb3 and FGFR1 was consistently detected in primary and metastatic colorectal cancer patient tissues. Taking these together, Crb3 critically accelerates cell migration, namely invasion and metastasis of human colon cancers, through specific interaction to FGFR1 on colon cancer cells.

GPAT2 is required for piRNA biogenesis, transposon silencing, and maintenance of spermatogonia in mice†.

PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), a subclass of germ cell-specific noncoding small RNAs, are essential for de novo DNA methylation of retrotransposon genes in embryonic testes. PIWIL2/MILI, one of three mouse PIWI family members, is indispensable for piRNA production, DNA methylation of retrotransposons presumably via piRNA, and normal spermatogenesis. In vitro analysis using germline stem cells (GS cells) revealed that glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase 2 (GPAT2), which is a mitochondrial outer membrane protein involved in generation of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and highly expressed in testes, plays important roles in spermatogenesis. Namely, GPAT2 binds to PIWIL2 and is closely involved in the biogenesis of piRNAs; this process is independent of its enzymatic activity on LPA. However, GS cells recapitulate only a limited phase of spermatogenesis and the biological functions of GPAT2 remain largely unknown. In this study, we generated GPAT2-deficient mice and conducted comprehensive analyses. The deficient mice showed defective piRNA production and subsequent de-silencing of IAP and Line-1 retrotransposons in fetal testes. In addition, apoptosis of pachytene spermatocytes was observed. These abnormalities were all common to the phenotype of PIWIL2-deficient mice, in which piRNA production was impaired. GPAT2-deficient mice exhibited apoptosis in spermatogonia at the neonatal stage, which was not observed in PIWIL2-deficient mice. These data show that GPAT2 plays a critical role in preventing apoptosis in spermatogonia.

ARHGEF10 directs the localization of Rab8 to Rab6-positive executive vesicles.

The function of ARHGEF10, a known guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for RhoA with proposed roles in various diseases, is poorly understood. To understand the precise function of this protein, we raised a monoclonal antibody against ARHGEF10 and determined its localization in HeLa cells. ARHGEF10 was found to localize to vesicles containing Rab6 (of which there are three isoforms, Rab6a, Rab6b and Rab6c), Rab8 (of which there are two isoforms, Rab8a and Rab8b), and/or the secretion marker neuropeptide Y (NPY)-Venus in a Rab6-dependent manner. These vesicles were known to originate from the Golgi and contain secreted or membrane proteins. Ectopic expression of an N-terminal-truncated ARHGEF10 mutant led to the generation of large vesicle-like structures containing both Rab6 and Rab8. Additionally, small interfering (si)RNA-mediated knockdown of ARHGEF10 impaired the localization of Rab8 to these exocytotic vesicles. Furthermore, the invasiveness of MDA-MB231 cells was markedly decreased by knockdown of ARHGEF10, as well as of Rab8. From these results, we propose that ARHGEF10 acts in exocytosis and tumor invasion in a Rab8-dependent manner.

Crystal Structure and Characterization of Novel Human Histone H3 Variants, H3.6, H3.7, and H3.8.

Non-allelic histone variants are considered as epigenetic factors that regulate genomic DNA functions in eukaryotic chromosomes. In this study, we identified three new human histone H3 variants (named H3.6, H3.7, and H3.8), which were previously annotated as pseudogenes. H3.6 and H3.8 conserve the H3.3-specific amino acid residues, but H3.7 shares the specific amino acid residues with H3.1. We successfully reconstituted the nucleosome containing H3.6 in vitro and determined its crystal structure. In the H3.6 nucleosome, the H3.6-specific Val62 residue hydrophobically contacts the cognate H4 molecule, but its contact area is smaller than that of the corresponding H3.3 Ile62 residue. The thermal stability assay revealed that the H3.6 nucleosome is substantially unstable, as compared to the H3.3 nucleosome. Interestingly, mutational analysis demonstrated that the H3.6 Val62 residue is fully responsible for the H3.6 nucleosome instability, probably because of the weakened hydrophobic interaction with H4. We also reconstituted the nucleosome containing H3.8, but its thermal stability was quite low. In contrast, purified H3.7 failed to form nucleosomes in vitro. The identification and characterization of these novel human histone H3 variants provide important new insights into understanding the epigenetic regulation of the human genome.

Incorporation of histone H3.1 suppresses the lineage potential of skeletal muscle.

Lineage potential is triggered by lineage-specific transcription factors in association with changes in the chromatin structure. Histone H3.3 variant is thought to play an important role in the regulation of lineage-specific genes. To elucidate the function of H3.3 in myogenic differentiation, we forced the expression of GFP-H3.1 to alter the balance between H3.1 and H3.3 in mouse C2C12 cells that could be differentiated into myotubes. GFP-H3.1 replaced H3.3 in the regulatory regions of skeletal muscle (SKM) genes and induced a decrease of H3K4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) and increase of H3K27 trimethylation (H3K27me3). Similar results were obtained by H3.3 knockdown. In contrast, MyoD-dependent H3.3 incorporation into SKM genes in fibroblasts induced an increase of H3K4me3 and H3K27me3. In mouse embryos, a bivalent modification of H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 was formed on H3.3-incorporated SKM genes before embryonic skeletal muscle differentiation. These results suggest that lineage potential is established through a selective incorporation of specific H3 variants that governs the balance of histone modifications.

DBZ regulates cortical cell positioning and neurite development by sustaining the anterograde transport of Lis1 and DISC1 through control of Ndel1 dual-phosphorylation.

Cell positioning and neuronal network formation are crucial for proper brain function. Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) is anterogradely transported to the neurite tips, together with Lis1, and functions in neurite extension via suppression of GSK3ß activity. Then, transported Lis1 is retrogradely transported and functions in cell migration. Here, we show that DISC1-binding zinc finger protein (DBZ), together with DISC1, regulates mouse cortical cell positioning and neurite development in vivo. DBZ hindered Ndel1 phosphorylation at threonine 219 and serine 251. DBZ depletion or expression of a double-phosphorylated mimetic form of Ndel1 impaired the transport of Lis1 and DISC1 to the neurite tips and hampered microtubule elongation. Moreover, application of DISC1 or a GSK3ß inhibitor rescued the impairments caused by DBZ insufficiency or double-phosphorylated Ndel1 expression. We concluded that DBZ controls cell positioning and neurite development by interfering with Ndel1 from disproportionate phosphorylation, which is critical for appropriate anterograde transport of the DISC1-complex.

Chd2 interacts with H3.3 to determine myogenic cell fate.

Cell differentiation is mediated by lineage-determining transcription factors. We show that chromodomain helicase DNA-binding domain 2 (Chd2), a SNF2 chromatin remodelling enzyme family member, interacts with MyoD and myogenic gene regulatory sequences to specifically mark these loci via deposition of the histone variant H3.3 prior to cell differentiation. Directed and genome-wide analysis of endogenous H3.3 incorporation demonstrates that knockdown of Chd2 prevents H3.3 deposition at differentiation-dependent, but not housekeeping, genes and inhibits myogenic gene activation. The data indicate that MyoD determines cell fate and facilitates differentiation-dependent gene expression through Chd2-dependent deposition of H3.3 at myogenic loci prior to differentiation.

Expression of the clustered NeuAcα2-3Galß O-glycan determines the cell differentiation state of the cells.

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are pluripotent stem cells from early embryos, and their self-renewal capacity depends on the sustained expression of hESC-specific molecules and the suppressed expression of differentiation-associated genes. To discover novel molecules expressed on hESCs, we generated a panel of monoclonal antibodies against undifferentiated hESCs and evaluated their ability to mark cancer cells, as well as hESCs. MAb7 recognized undifferentiated hESCs and showed a diffuse band with molecular mass of >239 kDa in the lysates of hESCs. Although some amniotic epithelial cells expressed MAb7 antigen, its expression was barely detected in normal human keratinocytes, fibroblasts, or endothelial cells. The expression of MAb7 antigen was observed only in pancreatic and gastric cancer cells, and its levels were elevated in metastatic and poorly differentiated cancer cell lines. Analyses of MAb7 antigen suggested that the clustered NeuAcα2-3Galß O-linked oligosaccharides on DMBT1 (deleted in malignant brain tumors 1) were critical for MAb7 binding in cancer cells. Although features of MAb7 epitope were similar with those of TRA-1-60, distribution of MAb7 antigen in cancer cells was different from that of TRA-1-60 antigen. Exposure of a histone deacetylase inhibitor to differentiated gastric cancer MKN74 cells evoked the expression of MAb7 antigen, whereas DMBT1 expression remained unchanged. Cell sorting followed by DNA microarray analyses identified the down-regulated genes responsible for the biosynthesis of MAb7 antigen in MKN74 cells. In addition, treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer cells with MAb7 significantly abrogated the adhesion to endothelial cells. These results raised the possibility that MAb7 epitope is a novel marker for undifferentiated cells such as hESCs and cancer stem-like cells and plays a possible role in the undifferentiated cells.

Phosphorylation of myosin II regulatory light chain by ZIP kinase is responsible for cleavage furrow ingression during cell division in mammalian cultured cells.

Zipper-interacting protein kinase (ZIPK) is known to regulate several functions such as apoptosis, smooth muscle contraction, and cell migration. While exogenously expressed GFP-ZIPK localizes to the cleavage furrow, role of ZIPK in cytokinesis is obscure. Here, we show that ZIPK is a major MRLC kinase during mitosis. Moreover, ZIPK siRNA-mediated knockdown causes delay of cytokinesis. The delay in cytokinesis of ZIPK-knockdown cells was rescued by the exogenous diphosphorylation-mimicking MRLC mutant. Taken together, these findings suggest that ZIPK plays a role in the progression and completion of cytokinesis through MRLC phosphorylation.

A co-localization model of paired ChIP-seq data using a large ENCODE data set enables comparison of multiple samples.

Deep sequencing approaches, such as chromatin immunoprecipitation by sequencing (ChIP-seq), have been successful in detecting transcription factor-binding sites and histone modification in the whole genome. An approach for comparing two different ChIP-seq data would be beneficial for predicting unknown functions of a factor. We propose a model to represent co-localization of two different ChIP-seq data. We showed that a meaningful overlapping signal and a meaningless background signal can be separated by this model. We applied this model to compare ChIP-seq data of RNA polymerase II C-terminal domain (CTD) serine 2 phosphorylation with a large amount of peak-called data, including ChIP-seq and other deep sequencing data in the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project, and then extracted factors that were related to RNA polymerase II CTD serine 2 in HeLa cells. We further analyzed RNA polymerase II CTD serine 7 phosphorylation, of which their function is still unclear in HeLa cells. Our results were characterized by the similarity of localization for transcription factor/histone modification in the ENCODE data set, and this suggests that our model is appropriate for understanding ChIP-seq data for factors where their function is unknown.

DBZ, a CNS-specific DISC1 binding protein, positively regulates oligodendrocyte differentiation.

Recent studies have shown changes in myelin genes and alterations in white matter structure in a wide range of psychiatric disorders. Here we report that DBZ, a central nervous system (CNS)-specific member of the DISC1 interactome, positively regulates the oligodendrocyte (OL) differentiation in vivo and in vitro. In mouse corpus callosum (CC), DBZ mRNA is expressed in OL lineage cells and expression of DBZ protein peaked before MBP expression. In the CC of DBZ-KO mice, we observed delayed myelination during the early postnatal period. Although the myelination delay was mostly recovered by adulthood, OLs with immature structural features were more abundant in adult DBZ-KO mice than in control mice. DBZ was also transiently upregulated during rat OL differentiation in vitro before myelin marker expression. DBZ knockdown by RNA interference resulted in a decreased expression of myelin-related markers and a low number of cells with mature characteristics, but with no effect on the proliferation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells. We also show that the expression levels of transcription factors having a negative-regulatory role in OL differentiation were upregulated when endogenous DBZ was knocked down. These results strongly indicate that OL differentiation in rodents is regulated by DBZ.

KRAS mutation confers resistance to antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity of cetuximab against human colorectal cancer cells.

Cetuximab is a chimeric IgG1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) that targets the extracellular domain of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Oncogenic KRAS mutations in tumors have been shown to be a negative predictor of the response of colorectal cancer (CRC) to cetuximab treatment. Cetuximab exerts its therapeutic effects through several mechanisms including antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). However, the influence of KRAS mutations on cetuximab-mediated ADCC is not fully understood. Here, we investigated cetuximab-mediated ADCC in two pairs of isogenic CRC cells with or without a KRAS mutation. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy volunteers and NK92, a natural killer (NK) cell line that exogenously expresses FcγRIIIa (CD16a), were used as effector cells. In an ADCC assay, perforin-dependent target cell lysis was not affected by the KRAS mutation status. On the other hand, perforin-independent ADCC was observed only in CRC cells with wild-type KRAS, but not in cells with mutant KRAS. Neutralizing experiments revealed that the Fas-Fas ligand (FasL) interaction was responsible for the induction of apoptosis and perforin-independent ADCC. Furthermore, the presence of effector cells clearly enhanced the growth-inhibitory effect of cetuximab only in CRC cells with wild-type KRAS, but not in those with mutant KRAS. These findings suggest that ADCC is an important mode of action of cetuximab and that KRAS mutation impairs the therapeutic effect exerted by cetuximab-mediated ADCC.

Cell wall structure suitable for surface display of proteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

A display system for adding new protein functions to the cell surfaces of microorganisms has been developed, and applications of the system to various fields have been proposed. With the aim of constructing a cell surface environment suitable for protein display in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the cell surface structures of cell wall mutants were investigated. Four cell wall mutant strains were selected by analyses using a GFP display system via a GPI anchor. ß-Glucosidase and endoglucanase II were displayed on the cell surface in the four mutants, and their activities were evaluated. mnn2 deletion strain exhibited the highest activity for both the enzymes. In particular, endoglucanase II activity using carboxymethylcellulose as a substrate in the mutant strain was 1.9-fold higher than that of the wild-type strain. In addition, the activity of endoglucanase II released from the mnn2 deletion strain by Zymolyase 20T treatment was higher than that from the wild-type strain. The results of green fluorescent protein (GFP) and endoglucanase displays suggest that the amounts of enzyme displayed on the cell surface were increased by the mnn2 deletion. The enzyme activity of the mnn2 deletion strain was compared with that of the wild-type strain. The relative value (mnn2 deletion mutant/wild-type strain) of endoglucanase II activity using carboxymethylcellulose as a substrate was higher than that of ß-glucosidase activity using p-nitrophenyl-ß-glucopyranoside as a substrate, suggesting that the cell surface environment of the mnn2 deletion strain facilitates the binding of high-molecular-weight substrates to the active sites of the displayed enzymes.