SVEP1 plays a crucial role in epidermal differentiation.

SVEP1 is a recently identified multidomain cell adhesion protein, homologous to the mouse polydom protein, which has been shown to mediate cell-cell adhesion in an integrin-dependent manner in osteogenic cells. In this study, we characterized SVEP1 function in the epidermis. SVEP1 was found by qRT-PCR to be ubiquitously expressed in human tissues, including the skin. Confocal microscopy revealed that SVEP1 is normally mostly expressed in the cytoplasm of basal and suprabasal epidermal cells. Downregulation of SVEP1 expression in primary keratinocytes resulted in decreased expression of major epidermal differentiation markers. Similarly, SVEP1 downregulation was associated with disturbed differentiation and marked epidermal acanthosis in three-dimensional skin equivalents. In contrast, the dispase assay failed to demonstrate significant differences in adhesion between keratinocytes expressing normal vs low levels of SVEP1. Homozygous Svep1 knockout mice were embryonic lethal. Thus, to assess the importance of SVEP1 for normal skin homoeostasis in vivo, we downregulated SVEP1 in zebrafish embryos with a Svep1-specific splice morpholino. Scanning electron microscopy revealed a rugged epidermis with perturbed microridge formation in the centre of the keratinocytes of morphant larvae. Transmission electron microscopy analysis demonstrated abnormal epidermal cell-cell adhesion with disadhesion between cells in Svep1-deficient morphant larvae compared to controls. In summary, our results indicate that SVEP1 plays a critical role during epidermal differentiation.

SHE9 deletion mutants display fitness defects during diauxic shift in Saccharomyces cerevisiae .

Saccharomyces cerevisiae protein She9 is localized to the inner mitochondrial membrane and is required for normal mitochondrial morphology. While deletion mutants of SHE9 ( she9Δ ) are viable and display large ring-like mitochondrial structures, the molecular function of SHE9 is still unknown. We report a decreased growth of she9Δ cells during a diauxic shift, where mitochondria are primarily employing oxidative phosphorylation to generate ATP versus the alternative mechanism of glycolysis in high glucose conditions. Further bioinformatics analysis reveal putative functional protein associations, and proposes a model to aid in the understanding of the molecular function of She9.

Sic1-induced DNA rereplication during meiosis.

Orderly progression through meiosis requires strict regulation of DNA metabolic events, so that a single round of DNA replication is systematically followed by a recombination phase and 2 rounds of chromosome segregation. We report here the disruption of this sequence of events in Saccharomyces cerevisiae through meiosis-specific induction of the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor Sic1 mutated at multiple phosphorylation sites. Accumulation of this stabilized version of Sic1 led to significant DNA rereplication in the absence of normal chromosome segregation. Deletion of DMC1 abolished DNA rereplication, but additional deletion of RAD17 restored the original phenotype. Therefore, activation of the meiotic recombination checkpoint, which arrests meiotic progression at pachytene, suppressed DNA rereplication resulting from Sic1 stabilization. In contrast to deletion of DMC1, deletion of NDT80, which encodes a transcription factor required for pachytene exit, did not inhibit DNA rereplication. Our results provide strong evidence that CDK activity is required to prevent inappropriate initiation of DNA synthesis before the meiotic divisions.

Proximity Ligation Assay for Detecting Protein-Protein Interactions and Protein Modifications in Cells and Tissues in Situ.

Biochemical methods can reveal stable protein-protein interactions occurring within cells, but the ability to observe transient events and to visualize the subcellular localization of protein-protein interactions in cells and tissues in situ provides important additional information. The Proximity Ligation Assay® (PLA) offers the opportunity to visualize the subcellular location of such interactions at endogenous protein levels, provided that the probes that recognize the target proteins are within 40 nm. This sensitive technique not only elucidates protein-protein interactions, but also can reveal post-translational protein modifications. The technique is useful even in cases where material is limited, such as when paraffin-embedded clinical specimens are the only available material, as well as after experimental intervention in 2D and 3D model systems. Here we describe the basic protocol for using the commercially available Proximity Ligation Assay™ materials (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO), and incorporate details to aid the researcher in successfully performing the experiments. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Proximity ligation assay Support Protocol 1: Antigen retrieval method for formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues Support Protocol 2: Creation of custom PLA probes using the Duolink™ In Situ Probemaker Kit when commercially available probes are not suitable Basic Protocol 2: Imaging, quantification, and analysis of PLA signals.

Desmosomes in Human Disease.

Tissue integrity is crucial for maintaining the homeostasis of living organisms. Abnormalities that affect sites of cell-cell contact can cause a variety of debilitating disorders. The desmosome is an essential cell-cell junctional protein complex in tissues that undergo stress, and it orchestrates intracellular signal transduction. Desmosome assembly and junctional integrity are required to maintain the overall homeostasis of a tissue, organ, and organism. This review discusses the desmosome and the human diseases associated with its disruption.

Prevention of DNA Rereplication Through a Meiotic Recombination Checkpoint Response.

In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, unnatural stabilization of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor Sic1 during meiosis can trigger extra rounds of DNA replication. When programmed DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are generated but not repaired due to absence of DMC1, a pathway involving the checkpoint gene RAD17 prevents this DNA rereplication. Further genetic analysis has now revealed that prevention of DNA rereplication also requires MEC1, which encodes a protein kinase that serves as a central checkpoint regulator in several pathways including the meiotic recombination checkpoint response. Downstream of MEC1, MEK1 is required through its function to inhibit repair between sister chromatids. By contrast, meiotic recombination checkpoint effectors that regulate gene expression and cyclin-dependent kinase activity are not necessary. Phosphorylation of histone H2A, which is catalyzed by Mec1 and the related Tel1 protein kinase in response to DSBs, and can help coordinate activation of the Rad53 checkpoint protein kinase in the mitotic cell cycle, is required for the full checkpoint response. Phosphorylation sites that are targeted by Rad53 in a mitotic S phase checkpoint response are also involved, based on the behavior of cells containing mutations in the DBF4 and SLD3 DNA replication genes. However, RAD53 does not appear to be required, nor does RAD9, which encodes a mediator of Rad53, consistent with their lack of function in the recombination checkpoint pathway that prevents meiotic progression. While this response is similar to a checkpoint mechanism that inhibits initiation of DNA replication in the mitotic cell cycle, the evidence points to a new variation on DNA replication control.

Desmosomes: regulators of cellular signaling and adhesion in epidermal health and disease.

Desmosomes are intercellular junctions that mediate cell-cell adhesion and anchor the intermediate filament network to the plasma membrane, providing mechanical resilience to tissues such as the epidermis and heart. In addition to their critical roles in adhesion, desmosomal proteins are emerging as mediators of cell signaling important for proper cell and tissue functions. In this review we highlight what is known about desmosomal proteins regulating adhesion and signaling in healthy skin-in morphogenesis, differentiation and homeostasis, wound healing, and protection against environmental damage. We also discuss how human diseases that target desmosome molecules directly or interfere indirectly with these mechanical and signaling functions to contribute to pathogenesis.

The GEF Bcr activates RhoA/MAL signaling to promote keratinocyte differentiation via desmoglein-1.

Although much is known about signaling factors downstream of Rho GTPases that contribute to epidermal differentiation, little is known about which upstream regulatory proteins (guanine nucleotide exchange factors [GEFs] or GTPase-activating proteins [GAPs]) are involved in coordinating Rho signaling in keratinocytes. Here we identify the GEF breakpoint cluster region (Bcr) as a major upstream regulator of RhoA activity, stress fibers, and focal adhesion formation in keratinocytes. Loss of Bcr reduced expression of multiple markers of differentiation (such as desmoglein-1 [Dsg1], keratin-1, and loricrin) and abrogated MAL/SRF signaling in differentiating keratinocytes. We further demonstrated that loss of Bcr or MAL reduced levels of Dsg1 mRNA in keratinocytes, and ectopic expression of Dsg1 rescued defects in differentiation seen upon loss of Bcr or MAL signaling. Taken together, these data identify the GEF Bcr as a regulator of RhoA/MAL signaling in keratinocytes, which in turn promotes differentiation through the desmosomal cadherin Dsg1.

Desmoglein-1/Erbin interaction suppresses ERK activation to support epidermal differentiation.

Genetic disorders of the Ras/MAPK pathway, termed RASopathies, produce numerous abnormalities, including cutaneous keratodermas. The desmosomal cadherin, desmoglein-1 (DSG1), promotes keratinocyte differentiation by attenuating MAPK/ERK signaling and is linked to striate palmoplantar keratoderma (SPPK). This raises the possibility that cutaneous defects associated with SPPK and RASopathies share certain molecular faults. To identify intermediates responsible for executing the inhibition of ERK by DSG1, we conducted a yeast 2-hybrid screen. The screen revealed that Erbin (also known as ERBB2IP), a known ERK regulator, binds DSG1. Erbin silencing disrupted keratinocyte differentiation in culture, mimicking aspects of DSG1 deficiency. Furthermore, ERK inhibition and the induction of differentiation markers by DSG1 required both Erbin and DSG1 domains that participate in binding Erbin. Erbin blocks ERK signaling by interacting with and disrupting Ras-Raf scaffolds mediated by SHOC2, a protein genetically linked to the RASopathy, Noonan-like syndrome with loose anagen hair (NS/LAH). DSG1 overexpression enhanced this inhibitory function, increasing Erbin-SHOC2 interactions and decreasing Ras-SHOC2 interactions. Conversely, analysis of epidermis from DSG1-deficient patients with SPPK demonstrated increased Ras-SHOC2 colocalization and decreased Erbin-SHOC2 colocalization, offering a possible explanation for the observed epidermal defects. These findings suggest a mechanism by which DSG1 and Erbin cooperate to repress MAPK signaling and promote keratinocyte differentiation.

Yeast IME2 functions early in meiosis upstream of cell cycle-regulated SBF and MBF targets.

BACKGROUND: In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the G1 cyclin/cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) complexes Cln1,-2,-3/Cdk1 promote S phase entry during the mitotic cell cycle but do not function during meiosis. It has been proposed that the meiosis-specific protein kinase Ime2, which is required for normal timing of pre-meiotic DNA replication, is equivalent to Cln1,-2/Cdk1. These two CDK complexes directly catalyze phosphorylation of the B-type cyclin/CDK inhibitor Sic1 during the cell cycle to enable its destruction. As a result, Clb5,-6/Cdk1 become activated and facilitate initiation of DNA replication. While Ime2 is required for Sic1 destruction during meiosis, evidence now suggests that Ime2 does not directly catalyze Sic1 phosphorylation to target it for destabilization as Cln1,-2/Cdk1 do during the cell cycle. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We demonstrated that Sic1 is eventually degraded in meiotic cells lacking the IME2 gene (ime2Δ), supporting an indirect role of Ime2 in Sic1 destruction. We further examined global RNA expression comparing wild type and ime2Δ cells. Analysis of these expression data has provided evidence that Ime2 is required early in meiosis for normal transcription of many genes that are also periodically expressed during late G1 of the cell cycle. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results place Ime2 at a position in the early meiotic pathway that lies upstream of the position occupied by Cln1,-2/Cdk1 in the analogous cell cycle pathway. Thus, Ime2 may functionally resemble Cln3/Cdk1 in promoting S phase entry, or it could play a role even further upstream in the corresponding meiotic cascade.