The R882H DNMT3A hot spot mutation stabilizes the formation of large DNMT3A oligomers with low DNA methyltransferase activity.

DNMT3A (DNA methyltransferase 3A) is a de novo DNA methyltransferase responsible for establishing CpG methylation patterns within the genome. DNMT3A activity is essential for normal development, and its dysfunction has been linked to developmental disorders and cancer. DNMT3A is frequently mutated in myeloid malignancies with the majority of mutations occurring at Arg-882, where R882H mutations are most frequent. The R882H mutation causes a reduction in DNA methyltransferase activity and hypomethylation at differentially-methylated regions within the genome, ultimately preventing hematopoietic stem cell differentiation and leading to leukemogenesis. Although the means by which the R882H DNMT3A mutation reduces enzymatic activity has been the subject of several studies, the precise mechanism by which this occurs has been elusive. Herein, we demonstrate that in the context of the full-length DNMT3A protein, the R882H mutation stabilizes the formation of large oligomeric DNMT3A species to reduce the overall DNA methyltransferase activity of the mutant protein as well as the WT-R882H complex in a dominant-negative manner. This shift in the DNMT3A oligomeric equilibrium and the resulting reduced enzymatic activity can be partially rescued in the presence of oligomer-disrupting DNMT3L, as well as DNMT3A point mutations along the oligomer-forming interface of the catalytic domain. In addition to modulating the oligomeric state of DNMT3A, the R882H mutation also leads to a DNA-binding defect, which may further reduce enzymatic activity. These findings provide a mechanistic explanation for the observed loss of DNMT3A activity associated with the R882H hot spot mutation in cancer.

H3B-8800, an orally available small-molecule splicing modulator, induces lethality in spliceosome-mutant cancers.

Genomic analyses of cancer have identified recurrent point mutations in the RNA splicing factor-encoding genes SF3B1, U2AF1, and SRSF2 that confer an alteration of function. Cancer cells bearing these mutations are preferentially dependent on wild-type (WT) spliceosome function, but clinically relevant means to therapeutically target the spliceosome do not currently exist. Here we describe an orally available modulator of the SF3b complex, H3B-8800, which potently and preferentially kills spliceosome-mutant epithelial and hematologic tumor cells. These killing effects of H3B-8800 are due to its direct interaction with the SF3b complex, as evidenced by loss of H3B-8800 activity in drug-resistant cells bearing mutations in genes encoding SF3b components. Although H3B-8800 modulates WT and mutant spliceosome activity, the preferential killing of spliceosome-mutant cells is due to retention of short, GC-rich introns, which are enriched for genes encoding spliceosome components. These data demonstrate the therapeutic potential of splicing modulation in spliceosome-mutant cancers.

Cancer-Associated SF3B1 Hotspot Mutations Induce Cryptic 3' Splice Site Selection through Use of a Different Branch Point.

Recurrent mutations in the spliceosome are observed in several human cancers, but their functional and therapeutic significance remains elusive. SF3B1, the most frequently mutated component of the spliceosome in cancer, is involved in the recognition of the branch point sequence (BPS) during selection of the 3' splice site (ss) in RNA splicing. Here, we report that common and tumor-specific splicing aberrations are induced by SF3B1 mutations and establish aberrant 3' ss selection as the most frequent splicing defect. Strikingly, mutant SF3B1 utilizes a BPS that differs from that used by wild-type SF3B1 and requires the canonical 3' ss to enable aberrant splicing during the second step. Approximately 50% of the aberrantly spliced mRNAs are subjected to nonsense-mediated decay resulting in downregulation of gene and protein expression. These findings ascribe functional significance to the consequences of SF3B1 mutations in cancer.

Phosphorylation state of the Na+-K+-Cl- cotransporter (NKCC1) in the gills of Atlantic killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) during acclimation to water of varying salinity.

Euryhaline teleosts such as Atlantic killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) are able to acclimate to changing environmental salinity by tightly regulating NaCl absorption and secretion across their gills. Many studies have examined the mechanisms responsible for long-term (days) salinity acclimation; however, much remains unknown about the mechanisms of acute (hours) salinity acclimation. In this study, we tested the hypotheses that phosphorylation of the Na(+)-K(+)-Cl(-) cotransporter (NKCC1) located in the basolateral membrane of the gill plays a role in acute salinity acclimation and that changes in NKCC1 phosphorylation are mediated by a cAMP-protein kinase A (cAMP-PKA) pathway. Using a phospho-specific antibody, we determined the time course of changes in total and phosphorylated NKCC1 protein during acclimation to water of various salinities. Long-term (>or=14 days) acclimation of killifish to seawater (SW) and 2x SW resulted in 4- to 6-fold and 5- to 8-fold increases, respectively, in total gill NKCC1 protein relative to fish maintained in freshwater (FW). NKCC1 was found to be between 20% and 70% activated in fish, with lower average activation in fish acclimated to SW and 2x SW compared with FW fish. Increases and decreases in the fractional level of NKCC1 phosphorylation were seen within 1 h of transfer of fish to water of higher and lower salinity, respectively, consistent with a regulatory role of phosphorylation prior to an increase in the biosynthesis of NKCC1; large changes in protein expression of NKCC1 were observed over periods of hours to days. We found that NKCC1 phosphorylation is acutely regulated in the killifish gill in response to changing environmental salinity and that phosphorylation in excised gills increases in response to forskolin stimulation of the cAMP-PKA pathway. The role of phosphorylation is further underscored by the observation that mRNA expression of sterile 20 (Ste20)-related proline-alanine-rich kinase (SPAK) changes with salinity acclimation, being 2.7-fold greater in SW-acclimated killifish relative to FW fish. Overall, these results demonstrate an important role of NKCC1 phosphorylation in the gill of Atlantic killifish during acute salinity acclimation.

Constraints on voltage sensor movement in the shaker K+ channel.

In nerve and muscle cells, the voltage-gated opening and closing of cation-selective ion channels is accompanied by the translocation of 12-14 elementary charges across the membrane's electric field. Although most of these charges are carried by residues in the S4 helix of the gating module of these channels, the precise nature of their physical movement is currently the topic of spirited debate. Broadly speaking, two classes of models have emerged: those that suggest that small-scale motions can account for the extensive charge displacement, and those that invoke a much larger physical movement. In the most recent incarnation of the latter type of model, which is based on structural and functional data from the archaebacterial K(+) channel KvAP, a "voltage-sensor paddle" comprising a helix-turn-helix of S3-S4 translocates approximately 20 A through the bilayer during the gating cycle (Jiang, Y., A. Lee, J. Chen, V. Ruta, M. Cadene, B.T. Chait, and R. MacKinnon. 2003. Nature. 423:33-41; Jiang, Y., V. Ruta, J. Chen, A. Lee, and R. MacKinnon. 2003. Nature. 423:42-48.; Ruta, V., J. Chen, and R. MacKinnon. 2005. Cell. 123:463-475). We used two methods to test for analogous motions in the Shaker K(+) channel, each examining the aqueous exposure of residues near S3. In the first, we employed a pore-blocking maleimide reagent (Blaustein, R.O., P.A. Cole, C. Williams, and C. Miller. 2000. Nat. Struct. Biol. 7:309-311) to probe for state-dependent changes in the chemical reactivity of substituted cysteines; in the second, we tested the state-dependent accessibility of a tethered biotin to external streptavidin (Qiu, X.Q., K.S. Jakes, A. Finkelstein, and S.L. Slatin. 1994. J. Biol. Chem. 269:7483-7488; Slatin, S.L., X.Q. Qiu, K.S. Jakes, and A. Finkelstein. 1994. Nature. 371:158-161). In both types of experiments, residues predicted to lie near the top of S3 did not exhibit any change in aqueous exposure during the gating cycle. This lack of state dependence argues against large-scale movements, either axially or radially, of Shaker's S3-S4 voltage-sensor paddle.

Functional comparison of mouse slc26a6 anion exchanger with human SLC26A6 polypeptide variants: differences in anion selectivity, regulation, and electrogenicity.

The unusually low 78% amino acid identity between the orthologous human SLC26A6 and mouse slc26a6 polypeptides prompted systematic comparison of their anion transport functions in Xenopus oocytes. Multiple human SLC26A6 variant polypeptides were also functionally compared. Transport was studied as unidirectional fluxes of (36)Cl(-), [(14)C]oxalate, and [(35)S]sulfate; as net fluxes of HCO(3)(-) by fluorescence ratio measurement of intracellular pH; as current by two-electrode voltage clamp; and as net Cl(-) flux by fluorescence intensity measurement of relative changes in extracellular and intracellular [Cl(-)]. Four human SLC26A6 polypeptide variants each exhibited rates of bidirectional [(14)C]oxalate flux, Cl(-)/HCO(3)(-) exchange, and Cl(-)/OH(-) exchange nearly equivalent to those of mouse slc26a6. Cl(-)/HCO(3)(-) exchange by both orthologs was cAMP-sensitive, further enhanced by coexpressed wild type cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator but inhibited by cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator DeltaF508. However, the very low rates of (36)Cl(-) and [(35)S]sulfate transport by all active human SLC26A6 isoforms contrasted with the high rates of the mouse ortholog. Human and mouse orthologs also differed in patterns of acute regulation. Studies of human-mouse chimeras revealed cosegregation of the high (36)Cl(-) transport phenotype with the transmembrane domain of mouse slc26a6. Mouse slc26a6 and human SLC26A6 each mediated electroneutral Cl(-)/HCO(3)(-) and Cl(-)/OH(-) exchange. In contrast, whereas Cl(-)/oxalate exchange by mouse slc26a6 was electrogenic, that mediated by human SLC26A6 appeared electroneutral. The increased currents observed in oocytes expressing either mouse or human ortholog were pharmacologically distinct from the accompanying monovalent anion exchange activities. The human SLC26A6 polypeptide variants SLC26A6c and SLC26A6d were inactive as transporters of oxalate, sulfate, and chloride. Thus, the orthologous mouse and human SLC26A6 proteins differ in anion selectivity, transport mechanism, and acute regulation, but both mediate electroneutral Cl(-)/HCO(3)(-) exchange.

A regulatory locus of phosphorylation in the N terminus of the Na-K-Cl cotransporter, NKCC1.

The secretory Na-K-Cl cotransporter NKCC1 is activated by secretagogues through a phosphorylation-dependent mechanism. We found a phosphorylation stoichiometry of 3.0 +/- 0.4 phosphorylated residues/NKCC1 protein harvested from shark rectal gland tubules maximally stimulated with forskolin and calyculin A, showing that at least three sites on the cotransporter are phosphorylated upon stimulation. Three phosphoacceptor sites were identified in the N-terminal domain of the protein (at Thr(184), Thr(189), and Thr(202)) using high pressure liquid chromatography and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry to analyze tryptic fragments of the radiolabeled cotransporter. None of these residues occurs in the context of strong consensus sites for known Ser/Thr kinases. The threonines and the surrounding amino acids are highly conserved between NKCC1 and NKCC2, and similarities are also present in the Na-Cl cotransporter NCC (or TSC). This strongly suggests that the phosphoregulatory mechanism is conserved among isoforms. Through expression of shark NKCC1 mutants in HEK-293 cells, Thr(189) was found to be necessary for activation of the protein, whereas phosphorylation at Thr(184) and Thr(202) was modulatory, but not required. In conjunction with the recent finding (Darmen, R. B., Flemmer, A., and Forbush, B. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 34359-34362) that protein phosphatase-1 binds to residues 107-112 in the shark NKCC1 sequence, these results demonstrate that the N terminus of NKCC1 constitutes a phosphoregulatory domain of the transporter.

Activation of the Na-K-Cl cotransporter NKCC1 detected with a phospho-specific antibody.

The Na-K-Cl cotransporter NKCC1 is activated by phosphorylation of a regulatory domain in its N terminus. In the accompanying paper (Darman, R. B., and Forbush, B. (2002) J. Biol. Chem. 277, 37542-37550), we identify three phosphothreonines important in this process. Using a phospho-specific antibody (anti-phospho-NKCC1 antibody R5) raised against a diphosphopeptide containing Thr(212) and Thr(217) of human NKCC, we were readily able to monitor the cotransporter activation state. In (32)P phosphorylation experiments with rectal gland tubules, we show that the R5 antibody signal is proportional to the amount of (32)P incorporated into NKCC1; and in experiments with NKCC1-transfected HEK-293 cells, we demonstrate that R5-detected phosphorylation directly mirrors functional activation. Immunofluorescence analysis of shark rectal gland shows activation-dependent R5 antibody staining along the basolateral membrane. In perfused rat parotid glands, isoproterenol induced staining of both acinar and ductal cells along the basolateral membrane. Isoproterenol also induced basolateral staining of the epithelial cells in rat trachea, whereas basal cells in the subepithelial tissue displayed heavy, non-polarized staining of the cell membrane. In rat colon, agonist stimulation induced staining along the basolateral membrane of crypt cells. These data provide direct evidence of NKCC1 regulation in these tissues, and they further link phosphorylation of NKCC1 with its activation in transfected cells and native tissue. The high conservation of the regulatory threonine residues among NKCC1, NKCC2, and NCC family members, together with the fact that tissues from divergent vertebrate species exhibit similar R5-binding profiles, lends further support to the role of this regulatory locus in vivo.

The AE gene family of Cl/HCO3- exchangers.

Tubular acid-base transport regulates systemic acid-base balance. Transepithelial acid-base transport across nephron segments requires the coordinated control of intracellular pH and cellular volume by transporters of protons and bicarbonate. Bicarbonate transporter polypeptides are encoded by at least two gene families, SLC4 and SLC26. The SLC4 gene family includes at least three Na()+)-independent chloride-bicarbonate exchanger genes and multiple Na(+)-bicarbonate cotransporter and Na(+)-dependent anion exchanger genes. The most extensively studied among them are the Na(+)-independent anion exchangers, AE1, AE2, and AE3, all of which are expressed in kidney. The AE1 gene encodes eAE1 (band 3), the major intrinsic protein of the erythrocyte, as well as kAE1, the basolateral Cl/HCO3 exchanger of the acid-secreting Type A intercalated cell. Mutations in AE1 are responsible for some forms of heritable distal renal tubular acidosis. The widely expressed AE2 anion exchanger participates in recovery from alkaline load and in regulatory cell volume increase following shrinkage. AE2 can also be regulated by ammonium ion. These properties are not shared by the closely related AE1 anion exchanger. Less is known about AE3 in kidney. Structure-function studies of recombinant proteins involving chimeras, deletions, and point mutations have delineated regions of AE2 which are important in exhibition of the regulatory properties absent from AE1. These include regions of the transmembrane domain and the N-terminal cytoplasmic domain. Noncontiguous regions in the middle of the N-terminal cytoplasmic domain are of particular importance for acute regulation by several types of stimulus.