Exocyst protein subnetworks integrate Hippo and mTOR signaling to promote virus detection and cancer.

The exocyst is an evolutionarily conserved protein complex that regulates vesicular trafficking and scaffolds signal transduction. Key upstream components of the exocyst include monomeric RAL GTPases, which help mount cell-autonomous responses to trophic and immunogenic signals. Here, we present a quantitative proteomics-based characterization of dynamic and signal-dependent exocyst protein interactomes. Under viral infection, an Exo84 exocyst subcomplex assembles the immune kinase Protein Kinase R (PKR) together with the Hippo kinase Macrophage Stimulating 1 (MST1). PKR phosphorylates MST1 to activate Hippo signaling and inactivate Yes Associated Protein 1 (YAP1). By contrast, a Sec5 exocyst subcomplex recruits another immune kinase, TANK binding kinase 1 (TBK1), which interacted with and activated mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). RALB was necessary and sufficient for induction of Hippo and mTOR signaling through parallel exocyst subcomplex engagement, supporting the cellular response to virus infection and oncogenic signaling. This study highlights RALB-exocyst signaling subcomplexes as mechanisms for the integrated engagement of Hippo and mTOR signaling in cells challenged by viral pathogens or oncogenic signaling.

Age-Onset Phosphorylation of a Minor Actin Variant Promotes Intestinal Barrier Dysfunction.

Age-associated decay of intercellular interactions impairs the cells' capacity to tightly associate within tissues and form a functional barrier. This barrier dysfunction compromises organ physiology and contributes to systemic failure. The actin cytoskeleton represents a key determinant in maintaining tissue architecture. Yet, it is unclear how age disrupts the actin cytoskeleton and how this, in turn, promotes mortality. Here, we show that an uncharacterized phosphorylation of a low-abundant actin variant, ACT-5, compromises integrity of the C. elegans intestinal barrier and accelerates pathogenesis. Age-related loss of the heat-shock transcription factor, HSF-1, disrupts the JUN kinase and protein phosphatase I equilibrium which increases ACT-5 phosphorylation within its troponin binding site. Phosphorylated ACT-5 accelerates decay of the intestinal subapical terminal web and impairs its interactions with cell junctions. This compromises barrier integrity, promotes pathogenesis, and drives mortality. Thus, we provide the molecular mechanism by which age-associated loss of specialized actin networks impacts tissue integrity.

Confetti: a multiprotease map of the HeLa proteome for comprehensive proteomics.

Bottom-up proteomics largely relies on tryptic peptides for protein identification and quantification. Tryptic digestion often provides limited coverage of protein sequence because of issues such as peptide length, ionization efficiency, and post-translational modification colocalization. Unfortunately, a region of interest in a protein, for example, because of proximity to an active site or the presence of important post-translational modifications, may not be covered by tryptic peptides. Detection limits, quantification accuracy, and isoform differentiation can also be improved with greater sequence coverage. Selected reaction monitoring (SRM) would also greatly benefit from being able to identify additional targetable sequences. In an attempt to improve protein sequence coverage and to target regions of proteins that do not generate useful tryptic peptides, we deployed a multiprotease strategy on the HeLa proteome. First, we used seven commercially available enzymes in single, double, and triple enzyme combinations. A total of 48 digests were performed. 5223 proteins were detected by analyzing the unfractionated cell lysate digest directly; with 42% mean sequence coverage. Additional strong-anion exchange fractionation of the most complementary digests permitted identification of over 3000 more proteins, with improved mean sequence coverage. We then constructed a web application (https://proteomics.swmed.edu/confetti) that allows the community to examine a target protein or protein isoform in order to discover the enzyme or combination of enzymes that would yield peptides spanning a certain region of interest in the sequence. Finally, we examined the use of nontryptic digests for SRM. From our strong-anion exchange fractionation data, we were able to identify three or more proteotypic SRM candidates within a single digest for 6056 genes. Surprisingly, in 25% of these cases the digest producing the most observable proteotypic peptides was neither trypsin nor Lys-C. SRM analysis of Asp-N versus tryptic peptides for eight proteins determined that Asp-N yielded higher signal in five of eight cases.

The significance of TNFAIP8 in prostate cancer response to radiation and docetaxel and disease recurrence.

TNFAIP8 is a NF-κB-inducible, oncogenic molecule. Previous "promoter array" studies have identified differential methylation and regulation of TNFAIP8 in prostate epithelial and cancer cell lines. Here we demonstrate that TNFAIP8 expression is induced by androgen in hormone-responsive LNCaP prostate cancer cells. In athymic mice bearing hormone-refractory PC-3 prostate tumor xenografts, intravenous treatment with a liposomal formulation of TNFAIP8 antisense oligonucleotide (LE-AS5) caused reduced expression of TNFAIP8 in tumor tissues, and a combination of LE-AS5 and radiation or docetaxel treatment resulted in significant inhibition of PC-3 tumor growth as compared to single agents. The immunohistochemical evaluation of TNFAIP8 expression revealed correlation of both cytoplasmic and nuclear TNFAIP8 overexpression with high grade prostatic adenocarcinomas, while nuclear overexpression was found to be an independent predictor of disease recurrence controlling for tumor grade. Increased nuclear TNFAIP8 expression was statistically significantly associated with a 2.44 fold (95 % confidence interval: 1.01-5.91) higher risk of prostate cancer recurrence. Mechanistically, TNFAIP8 seems to function as a scaffold (or adaptor) protein. In the antibody microarray analysis of proteins associated with the TNFAIP8 immune-complex, we have identified Karyopherin alpha2 as a novel binding partner of nuclear TNFAIP8 in PC-3 cells. The Ingenuity Pathway Analysis of the TNFAIP8 interacting proteins suggested that TNFAIP8 influences cancer progression pathways and networks involving integrins and matrix metalloproteinases. Taken together, present studies demonstrate that TNFAIP8 is a novel therapeutic target in prostate cancer, and indicate a potential relationship of the nuclear trafficking of TNFAIP8 with adverse outcomes in a subset of prostate cancer patients.

Role of cation independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor protein in sorting and intracellular trafficking of lysosomal enzymes in chicken embryonic fibroblast (CEF) cells.

Delivery of soluble lysosomal proteins to the lysosomes is dependent primarily on the mannose 6-phosphate receptors (MPRs) in mammals. However, in non-mammalian cells the role of MPR300 in sorting and trafficking of acid hydrolases to lysosomes is not fully understood till now. In this paper, we tested the role of MPR300 in sorting and trafficking of lysosomal enzymes in CEF cells using a small interfering RNA (siRNA) technology. Inactivation of MPR300 resulted in the secretion of large amounts of newly synthesized hydrolases into the medium and also inhibited the endocytosis of mannose 6-phospharylated ligands. Knockdown of MPR300 in CEF cells results in missorting of fucosidase and arylsulfatse A enzymes into the medium. The results indicated that the MPR300 in CEF cells plays a key role in sorting and trafficking of these soluble hydrolases.

Mannose-6-phosphate receptors (MPR 300 and 46) from the highly evolved invertebrate Asterias rubens (Echinodermate): biochemical and functional characterization of MPR 46 protein.

Mammalian mannose 6-phosphate receptors (MPR 300 and 46) mediate transport of lysosomal enzymes to lysosomes. Recent studies established that the receptors are conserved throughout vertebrates. Although we purified the mollusc receptors and identified only a lysosomal enzyme receptor protein (LERP) in the Drosophila melanogaster, little is known about their structure and functional roles in the invertebrates. In the present study, we purified the putative receptors from the highly evolved invertebrate, starfish, cloned the cDNA for the MPR 46, and expressed it in mpr((-/-)) mouse embryonic fibroblast cells. Structural comparison of starfish receptor sequences with other vertebrate receptors gave valuable information on its extensive structural homology with the vertebrate MPR 46 proteins. The expressed protein efficiently sorts lysosomal enzymes within the cells establishing a functional role for this protein. This first report on the invertebrate MPR 46 further confirms the structural and functional conservation of the receptor not only in the vertebrates but also in the invertebrates.

Mannose 6-phosphate receptor (MPR 300) proteins from goat and chicken bind human IGF-II.

Mannose 6-phosphate receptor proteins (MPR 300 and 46) in mammals have been shown to mediate transport of lysosomal enzymes to lysosomes intracellularly. Both receptors are also expressed on the plasma membrane. Only MPR 300 protein on the plasma membrane has been shown to be a multifunctional protein which in addition to binding mannose 6-phosphate containing proteins also binds human insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II) causing its internalization [Hille-Rehfeld, A. (1995) Mannose 6-phosphate receptors in sorting and transport of lysosomal enzymes. Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 1241: 177-194]. This property has been shown to be exhibited by other mammalian receptors but not by the chicken and frog receptors. In a recent study however it was shown that the fish embryo MPR 300 binds human IGF-II. [Mendez, E., Planas, J.V., Castillo, J., Navarro, I. and Gutierrez, J. (2001) Identification of a type II insulin-like growth factor receptor in fish embryos. Endocrinology, 142: 1090-1097]. In the present study, we demonstrate that the purified goat and chicken liver receptors bind human IGF-II by employing cross-linking experiments (purified receptors and radiolabeled IGF-II) and by ligand blotting (using purified receptors and biotinylated IGF-II). Further CEF cells (chicken embryonic fibroblasts) that are known to contain the putative MPR 300 protein were employed to demonstrate that the CEF cell receptor binds human IGF-II.