A role for Erbin in the regulation of Nod2-dependent NF-kappaB signaling.

Nod2 is an intracellular sensor of a specific bacterial cell wall component, muramyl dipeptide, and activation of Nod2 stimulates an inflammatory response. Specific mutations of Nod2 have been associated with two inflammatory diseases, Crohn disease and Blau syndrome, and are thought to contribute to disease susceptibility through altering Nod2 signaling. Association of disease with inappropriate activation of Nod2 highlights the importance of proper regulation of Nod2 activity. However, little is known about specific regulation of the Nod2 pathway. We performed a biochemical screen to discover potential regulators of Nod2 and identified Erbin, a protein involved in cell polarity, receptor localization, and regulation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway, as a novel Nod2-interacting protein. In our studies, we demonstrate specific interaction of Erbin and Nod2 both in vitro and in vivo and characterize the regions required for interaction in both proteins. We found that Nod2-dependent activation of NF-kappaB and cytokine secretion is inhibited by Erbin overexpression, whereas Erbin-/- mouse embryo fibroblasts show an increased sensitivity to muramyl dipeptide. These studies identify Erbin as a regulator of Nod2 signaling and demonstrate a novel role for Erbin in inflammatory responses.

Regulation of cryopyrin/Pypaf1 signaling by pyrin, the familial Mediterranean fever gene product.

Cryopyrin, a member of the Nod protein family mutated in familial cold urticaria and Muckle-Wells syndrome, has been recently implicated in inflammation. However, the mechanism of activation and regulation of the cryopyrin signaling pathway remains poorly understood. We report here that co-expression of cryopyrin with its binding partner, ASC, induced both apoptosis and NF-kappaB activation. This signaling was mimicked by oligomerization of ASC, suggesting that cryopyrin activates downstream targets as reported for other Nod family members. Notably, pyrin, the product of the familial Mediterranean fever gene, inhibited cryopyrin-mediated apoptosis and NF-kappaB activation by disrupting the cryopyrin-ASC interaction. These results provide evidence for a cryopyrin signaling pathway activated through the induced proximity of ASC, which is negatively regulated by pyrin.

Genetic variation and activity of mouse Nod2, a susceptibility gene for Crohn's disease.

Genetic variation in human Nod2 has been associated with susceptibility to Crohn's disease. The mouse Nod2 locus is located at chromosome 8 and composed of 12 exons, 11 of which encode the Nod2 protein. Sequence analysis of Nod2 from 45 different strains of Mus musculus and Mus spretus revealed extensive polymorphism involving all exons of Nod2. Of the 140 polymorphic sites identified, 68 were located in the coding region, of which 28 created amino acid substitutions in Nod2. Expression of mouse Nod2 activated NF-kappaB and conferred responsiveness to bacterial components, an activity that was deficient in mutants corresponding to those associated with susceptibility to Crohn's disease. These studies demonstrate a conserved role for Nod2 in the response to bacterial components and suggest that selective evolutionary pressure exerted by pathogens may have contributed to the high level of variability of Nod2 sequences in both humans and mice.

Protein kinase C-associated kinase (PKK) mediates Bcl10-independent NF-kappa B activation induced by phorbol ester.

Protein kinase C-associated kinase (PKK) is a recently described kinase of unknown function that was identified on the basis of its specific interaction with PKC beta. PKK contains N-terminal kinase and C-terminal ankyrin repeats domains linked to an intermediate region. Here we report that the kinase domain of PKK is highly homologous to that of two mediators of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) activation, RICK and RIP, but these related kinases have different C-terminal domains for binding to upstream factors. We find that expression of PKK, like RICK and RIP, induces NF-kappa B activation. Mutational analysis revealed that the kinase domain of PKK is essential for NF-kappa B activation, whereas replacement of serine residues in the putative activation loop did not affect the ability of PKK to activate NF-kappa B. A catalytic inactive PKK mutant inhibited NF-kappa B activation induced by phorbol ester and Ca(2+)-ionophore, but it did not block that mediated by tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-1 beta, or Nod1. Inhibition of NF-kappa B activation by dominant negative PKK was reverted by co-expression of PKC beta I, suggesting a functional association between PKK and PKC beta I. PKK-mediated NF-kappa B activation required IKK alpha and IKK beta but not IKK gamma, the regulatory subunit of the IKK complex. Moreover, NF-kappa B activation induced by PKK was not inhibited by dominant negative Bimp1 and proceeded in the absence of Bcl10, two components of a recently described PKC signaling pathway. These results suggest that PKK is a member of the RICK/RIP family of kinases, which is involved in a PKC-activated NF-kappa B signaling pathway that is independent of Bcl10 and IKK gamma.

ASC is an activating adaptor for NF-kappa B and caspase-8-dependent apoptosis.

ASC is a pro-apoptotic protein containing a pyrin domain (PD) and a caspase-recruitment domain (CARD). A previous study suggests that ASC interacts with Ipaf, a member of the Apaf-1/Nod1 protein family. However, the functional relevance of the interaction has not been determined. Here, we report that co-expression of ASC with Ipaf or oligomerization of ASC induces both apoptosis and NF-kappa B activation. Apoptosis induced through ASC was inhibited by a mutant form of Caspase-8 but not by that of Caspase-1. The PD of ASC physically interacted with Caspase-8 as well as with pyrin, the familial Mediterranean fever gene product. Caspase-8 deficiency rescued mouse fibroblasts from apoptosis induced by ASC oligomerization. Pyrin disrupted the interaction between ASC and Caspase-8, and inhibited both apoptosis and NF-kappa B activation induced by ASC. These findings suggest that ASC is a mediator of NF-kappa B activation and Caspase-8-dependent apoptosis in an Ipaf signaling pathway.

Caspy, a zebrafish caspase, activated by ASC oligomerization is required for pharyngeal arch development.

The pyrin domain was identified recently in multiple proteins that are associated with apoptosis and/or inflammation, but the physiological and molecular function of these proteins remain poorly understood. We have identified Caspy and Caspy2, two zebrafish caspases containing N-terminal pyrin domains. Expression of Caspy and Caspy2 induced apoptosis in mammalian cells that were inhibited by general caspase inhibitors. Biochemical analysis revealed that both Caspy and Caspy2 are active caspases, but they exhibit different substrate specificity. Caspy, but not Caspy2, interacted with the zebrafish orthologue of ASC (zAsc), a pyrin- and caspase recruitment domain-containing protein identified previously in mammals. The pyrin domains of both Caspy and zAsc were required for their interaction. Furthermore, zAsc and Caspy co-localized to the "speck" when co-transfected into mammalian cells. Enforced oligomerization of zAsc, but not simple interaction with zAsc, induced specific proteolytic activation of Caspy and enhanced Caspy-dependent apoptosis. Injection of zebrafish embryos with a morpholino antisense oligonucleotide corresponding to caspy resulted in an "open mouth" phenotype associated with defective formation of the cartilaginous pharyngeal skeleton. These studies suggest that zAsc mediates the activation of Caspy, a caspase that plays an important role in the morphogenesis of the jaw and gill-bearing arches.

Crohn's disease-associated NOD2 variants share a signaling defect in response to lipopolysaccharide and peptidoglycan.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The NOD2 variants R702W, G908R, and L1007fsinsC are strongly associated with Crohn's disease (CD) in both European and American populations, but whether this susceptibility extends to all ethnic groups remains unknown. Except for the L1007fsinsC mutation, which produces a truncated NOD2 protein, the functional activity of the major CD-associated variants G908R and R702W is unknown. METHODS: Individuals were genotyped for R702W, G908R, and L1007fsinsC. The ability of G908R, R702W, and L1007fsinsC variants in the presence and absence of P268S to confer responsiveness to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and peptidoglycan (PGN) was determined in HEK293T kidney cells. RESULTS: G908R and L1007fsinsC, but not R702W, were associated with disease susceptibility in Ashkenazi Jews. Ashkenazi Jews with CD had significantly higher allele frequency carriage of G908R and lower carriage of R702W compared with non-Jewish whites with CD. Functional studies revealed that the G908R, R702W, and L1007fsinsC variants in the presence and absence of P268S are defective in their ability to respond to bacterial LPS and PGN, whereas P268S alone exhibited wild-type activity. CONCLUSIONS: R702W is not associated with susceptibility to CD in Ashkenazi Jews. The G908R, R702W, and L1007fsinsC variants share a common signaling defect in response to bacterial components, providing evidence for a unifying molecular mechanism whereby NOD2 mutations contribute to disease susceptibility.