p38 phosphorylates Rb on Ser567 by a novel, cell cycle-independent mechanism that triggers Rb-Hdm2 interaction and apoptosis.

The retinoblastoma protein (Rb) inhibits both cell division and apoptosis, but the mechanism by which Rb alternatively regulates these divergent outcomes remains poorly understood. Cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) promote cell division by phosphorylating and reversibly inactivating Rb by a hierarchical series of phosphorylation events and sequential conformational changes. The stress-regulated mitogen-activated protein kinase p38 also phosphorylates Rb, but it does so in a cell cycle-independent manner that is associated with apoptosis rather than with cell division. Here, we show that p38 phosphorylates Rb by a novel mechanism that is distinct from that of Cdks. p38 bypasses the cell cycle-associated hierarchical phosphorylation and directly phosphorylates Rb on Ser567, which is not phosphorylated during the normal cell cycle. Phosphorylation by p38, but not Cdks, triggers an interaction between Rb and the human homolog of murine double minute 2 (Hdm2), leading to degradation of Rb, release of E2F1 and cell death. These findings provide a mechanistic explanation as to how Rb regulates cell division and apoptosis through different kinases, and reveal how Hdm2 may functionally link the tumor suppressors Rb and p53.

Expanding roles for alpha 4 integrin and its ligands in development.

Interaction of alpha 4 integrins with vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) is classically important for immune function. However, we found recently that these receptors have a second role, in embryogenesis, where they mediate cell-cell interactions that are important for skeletal muscle differentiation. Here, we present evidence of an expanding role for these receptors in murine development. alpha 4 and VCAM-1 were found at embryonic sites of hematopoiesis, suggesting a role for these receptors during embryogenesis that parallels their hematopoietic function in adult bone marrow. During angiogenesis in the lung, alpha 4 and VCAM-1 were found on mesenchyme that gives rise to vascular endothelium and smooth muscle. alpha 4 persisted on the smooth muscle and the endothelium of newly forming vessels where it colocalized with its extracellular matrix ligand, fibronectin (FN). These patterns suggest several roles for alpha 4 integrins and their ligands in angiogenesis. alpha 4 was also found on neural crest derivatives where it colocalized with FN. alpha 4 was expressed selectively on cells in the dorsal root ganglia: it was apparent along ventral projections, but absent from dorsal projections, suggesting that alpha 4 integrins could be involved in defining neuronal fates. Although VCAM-1 was not expressed on most neural crest derivatives, it was found in the neural crest-derived outflow tract of the embryonic heart, where it colocalized with alpha 4. These results imply that alpha 4 integrins and their ligands could be important for migration or differentiation of neural crest. alpha 4 was also expressed on embryonic retina and FN was found on inductive mesenchyme surrounding the eye, suggesting a role for these proteins in eye development. Finally, based on their patterns of expression, we conclude that VCAM-1 only participates in a subset of interactions involving alpha 4 integrins, whereas FN appears to be the more general ligand.

Genomic organization of mouse Fc gamma receptor genes.

We have isolated and characterized the gene coding for the mouse Fc receptor that is termed Fc gamma RIIa. The gene contains five exons and spans approximately 9 kilobases. Unlike most members of the immunoglobulin gene superfamily, this gene utilizes multiple exons to encode its leader peptide. The first exon encodes the hydrophobic region of the signal sequence; the second exon, which contains only 21 base pairs, encodes a segment of the signal peptidase recognition site; and the beginning of the third exon encodes the predicted site of peptidase cleavage. The third and fourth exons each code for immunoglobulin-like extracellular domains. The fifth exon encodes the hydrophobic transmembrane domain and the cytoplasmic tail. Partial characterization of the Fc gamma RIIb gene indicates that it also contains multiple leader exons, including a 21-base-pair exon and two exons coding for homologous immunoglobulin-like extracellular domains. However, the Fc gamma RIIb gene uses four exons to encode its intracytoplasmic region. Analysis using contour-clamped homogeneous electric field (CHEF) gels indicates that the Fc gamma RIIa and Fc gamma RIIb genes are linked within 160 kilobases on mouse chromosome 1.