Structural basis of protein phosphatase 1 regulation

The coordinated and reciprocal action of serine/threonine (Ser/Thr) protein kinases and phosphatases produces transient phosphorylation, a fundamental regulatory mechanism for many biological processes. The human genome encodes a far greater number of Ser/Thr protein kinases than of phosphatases. Protein phosphatase 1 (PP1), in particular, is ubiquitously distributed and regulates a broad range of cellular functions, including glycogen metabolism, cell-cycle progression and muscle relaxation. PP1 has evolved effective catalytic machinery but lacks substrate specificity. Substrate specificity is conferred upon PP1 through interactions with a large number of regulatory subunits. The regulatory subunits are generally unrelated, but most possess the RVxF motif, a canonical PP1-binding sequence. Here we reveal the crystal structure at 2.7 A resolution of the complex between PP1 and a 34-kDa N-terminal domain of the myosin phosphatase targeting subunit MYPT1. MYPT1 is the protein that regulates PP1 function in smooth muscle relaxation. Structural elements amino- and carboxy-terminal to the RVxF motif of MYPT1 are positioned in a way that leads to a pronounced reshaping of the catalytic cleft of PP1, contributing to the increased myosin specificity of this complex. The structure has general implications for the control of PP1 activity by other regulatory subunits.     

拟南芥CARK3与RCAR12相互作用的研究

植物激素ABA是植物应对非生物胁迫的响应因子,广泛参与了植物生长发育的调控.ABA结合其受体后抑制PP2Cs的磷酸酶活性,释放SnRK2s,从而启动ABA信号转导途径.本文采用酵母双杂交系统,GST-pull down技术研究蛋白质激酶CARK3与ABA受体RCAR12在体外的相互作用,结果显示CARK3和RCAR12共转入酵母后,在三缺平板上能够正常生长;经His-Tag抗体检测,CARK3与RCAR12出现明显且单一的条带.同时,采用双分子荧光互补实验研究CARK3与RCAR12在体内的相互作用,结果显示CARK3与RCAR12共转化烟草后能观察到较强的荧光.体内外实验表明,CARK3与RCAR12存在明显的相互作用,CARK3可能通过直接磷酸化ABA受体RCAR12来调控ABA信号途径的生理应答.     

Protein phosphatase 2A protects centromeric sister chromatid cohesion during meiosis I

Segregation of homologous maternal and paternal centromeres to opposite poles during meiosis I depends on post-replicative crossing over between homologous non-sister chromatids, which creates chiasmata and therefore bivalent chromosomes. Destruction of sister chromatid cohesion along chromosome arms due to proteolytic cleavage of cohesin's Rec8 subunit by separase resolves chiasmata and thereby triggers the first meiotic division. This produces univalent chromosomes, the chromatids of which are held together by centromeric cohesin that has been protected from separase by shugoshin (Sgo1/MEI-S332) proteins. Here we show in both fission and budding yeast that Sgo1 recruits to centromeres a specific form of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). Its inactivation causes loss of centromeric cohesin at anaphase I and random segregation of sister centromeres at the second meiotic division. Artificial recruitment of PP2A to chromosome arms prevents Rec8 phosphorylation and hinders resolution of chiasmata. Our data are consistent with the notion that efficient cleavage of Rec8 requires phosphorylation of cohesin and that this is blocked by PP2A at meiosis I centromeres.     

Activities and properties of calcineurin catalytic domain

Calcineurin (CN) is the only protein phosphatase known to be under the control of calcium (Ca²⁺) and calmodulin (CaM). The enzyme consists of two subunits, the catalytic A subunit of 61 ku (CNA) and a regulatory B subunit of 19 ku (CNB). In this study, we used PCR amplication to construct a truncation consisting of only the CNA catalytic domain. The truncation was induced by IPTG and expressed inE. coli. PNPP was used as a substrate to study the phosphatase activity of the CNA catalytic domain. The findings show that its activity is 20 times greater than CNA in the presence of CNB and CaM. The optimum reaction temperature for the CNA catalytic domain protein is 40°C, and the optimum reaction pH value is 8.0. Mn²⁺ is still an effective activator for the CNA catalytic domain, but its activity is not controlled by Ca²⁺. In the presence of 6 mmol/L Mg²⁺, adding either Ca²⁺ or EGTA did not change the activity of the CNA catalytic domain.     

Crystal structure of a membrane-embedded H+-translocating pyrophosphatase

H(+)-translocating pyrophosphatases (H(+)-PPases) are active proton transporters that establish a proton gradient across the endomembrane by means of pyrophosphate (PP(i)) hydrolysis. H(+)-PPases are found primarily as homodimers in the vacuolar membrane of plants and the plasma membrane of several protozoa and prokaryotes. The three-dimensional structure and detailed mechanisms underlying the enzymatic and proton translocation reactions of H(+)-PPases are unclear. Here we report the crystal structure of a Vigna radiata H(+)-PPase (VrH(+)-PPase) in complex with a non-hydrolysable substrate analogue, imidodiphosphate (IDP), at 2.35?? resolution. Each VrH(+)-PPase subunit consists of an integral membrane domain formed by 16 transmembrane helices. IDP is bound in the cytosolic region of each subunit and trapped by numerous charged residues and five Mg(2+) ions. A previously undescribed proton translocation pathway is formed by six core transmembrane helices. Proton pumping can be initialized by PP(i) hydrolysis, and H(+) is then transported into the vacuolar lumen through a pathway consisting of Arg?242, Asp?294, Lys?742 and Glu?301. We propose a working model of the mechanism for the coupling between proton pumping and PP(i) hydrolysis by H(+)-PPases.     

金黄色葡萄球菌sPP2C的克隆、表达及性质研究

从金黄色葡萄球菌基因文库中克隆了一条新的双特异性磷酸酶，命名为sPP2C (protein phosphatase 2C, Staphylococcus aureus). sPP2C基因具有741个碱基，编码的蛋白有247个氨基酸，具有一个蛋白磷酸酶2C的催化结构域.sPP2C的分子量为26.1 kD，等电点为4.95.在E.Coli. Rossetta中表达蛋白sPP2C.高纯度的sPP2C用亲和层析的方法纯化得到.酶学研究结果表明：sPP2C对磷酸酶的通用底物硝基苯磷酸 (p-nitrophenyl　phosphate, pNPP)不起作用，而与pSer/Thr和pTyr的寡肽均有去磷酸化作用.这些实验结果说明sPP2C是一个新的双特异性磷酸酶.     

Voltage-dependent phosphorylation may recruit Ca2+ current facilitation in chromaffin cells.

Bovine chromaffin cells have two components of whole-cell Ca2+ current: 'standard' Ca2+ currents that are activated by brief depolarizations, and 'facilitation' Ca2+ currents, which are normally quiescent but can be activated by large pre-depolarizations or by repetitive depolarizations to physiological potentials. The activation of protein kinase A can also stimulate Ca2+ current facilitation, indicating that phosphorylation can play a part in facilitation. Here we investigate the role of protein phosphorylation in the recruitment of facilitation Ca2+ currents by pre-pulses or repetitive depolarizations. We find that recruitment of facilitation by depolarization is a rapid first-order process which is suppressed by inhibitors of protein phosphorylation or by injection of phosphatase 2A into cells. Recruitment of facilitation Ca2+ current by voltage is normally reversible but phosphatase inhibitors render it irreversible. Our results indicate that recruitment of these Ca2+ currents by pre-pulses or repetitive depolarizations involves voltage-dependent phosphorylation of the facilitation Ca2+ channel or a closely associated regulatory protein. Voltage-dependent phosphorylation may therefore be a mechanism by which membrane potential can modulate ion channel activity.     

Effects of the tumour promoter okadaic acid on intracellular protein phosphorylation and metabolism

Okadaic acid is a polyether derivative of 38-carbon fatty acid, and is implicated as the causative agent of diarrhetic shellfish poisoning. It is a potent tumour promoter that is not an activator of protein kinase C, but is a powerful inhibitor of protein phosphatases-1 and -2A (PP1 and PP2A) in vitro. We report here that okadaic acid rapidly stimulates protein phosphorylation in intact cells, and behaves like a specific protein phosphatase inhibitor in a variety of metabolic processes. Our results indicate that PP1 and PP2A are the dominant protein phosphatases acting on a wide range of phosphoproteins in vivo. We also find that okadaic acid mimics the effect of insulin on glucose transport in adipocytes, which suggests that this process is stimulated by a serine/threonine phosphorylation event.     

Structure of the mitotic checkpoint complex

In mitosis, the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) ensures genome stability by delaying chromosome segregation until all sister chromatids have achieved bipolar attachment to the mitotic spindle. The SAC is imposed by the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC), whose assembly is catalysed by unattached chromosomes and which binds and inhibits the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C), the E3 ubiquitin ligase that initiates chromosome segregation. Here, using the crystal structure of Schizosaccharomyces pombe MCC (a complex of mitotic spindle assembly checkpoint proteins Mad2, Mad3 and APC/C co-activator protein Cdc20), we reveal the molecular basis of MCC-mediated APC/C inhibition and the regulation of MCC assembly. The MCC inhibits the APC/C by obstructing degron recognition sites on Cdc20 (the substrate recruitment subunit of the APC/C) and displacing Cdc20 to disrupt formation of a bipartite D-box receptor with the APC/C subunit Apc10. Mad2, in the closed conformation (C-Mad2), stabilizes the complex by optimally positioning the Mad3 KEN-box degron to bind Cdc20. Mad3 and p31(comet) (also known as MAD2L1-binding protein) compete for the same C-Mad2 interface, which explains how p31(comet) disrupts MCC assembly to antagonize the SAC. This study shows how APC/C inhibition is coupled to degron recognition by co-activators.     

Phosphorylation of Sld2 and Sld3 by cyclin-dependent kinases promotes DNA replication in budding yeast

Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) drive major cell cycle events including the initiation of chromosomal DNA replication. We identified two S phase CDK (S-CDK) phosphorylation sites in the budding yeast Sld3 protein that, together, are essential for DNA replication. Here we show that, when phosphorylated, these sites bind to the amino-terminal BRCT repeats of Dpb11. An Sld3-Dpb11 fusion construct bypasses the requirement for both Sld3 phosphorylation and the N-terminal BRCT repeats of Dpb11. Co-expression of this fusion with a phospho-mimicking mutant in a second essential CDK substrate, Sld2, promotes DNA replication in the absence of S-CDK. Therefore, Sld2 and Sld3 are the minimal set of S-CDK targets required for DNA replication. DNA replication in cells lacking G1 phase CDK (G1-CDK) required expression of the Cdc7 kinase regulatory subunit, Dbf4, as well as Sld2 and Sld3 bypass. Our results help to explain how G1- and S-CDKs promote DNA replication in yeast.     

苦荞蛋白磷酸酶2C家族的鉴定及表达分析

为了研究苦荞蛋白磷酸酶2C(PP2C)家族的成员和分类,及后续探究其在苦荞生长发育中的功能,本文利用生物信息学方法对苦荞PP2C家族进行鉴定、分类,并对其基因结构、保守基序、分子进化等进行分析.结果表明,苦荞PP2C家族有81个成员,划分为A-K的11个亚族,并且在同亚族中序列特征相似,而不同亚族间序列特征有一定差异;苦荞PP2C家族有14次基因重复事件.此外,qRT-PCR分析结果表明其A亚族基因在苦荞根、茎、叶、花、果中均有表达,除FtPP2C44外的8个基因在苦荞花、果中表达量较高;在苦荞幼苗中,除FtPP2C08外的8个基因均受ABA诱导表达量上调.上述结果揭示了苦荞PP2C家族的成员组成、序列特征、扩增和其A亚族基因的组织表达模式及受ABA诱导表达情况.     

蛋白磷酸酶2C（PP2C）的表达、 纯化与催化活性

从小鼠肌肉组织中提取了总RNA, 经RT PCR, 扩增出蛋白磷酸酶2C（PP2C）基因, 并构建了pUCm T载体. 经核酸序列分析证明PP2C基因序列正确后, 将pUCm T中的PP2C基因插入pET28a载体中, 构建了表达载体pET28a PP2C, 并转化到E.coli BL21(DE3)进行表达. 经测定, 该菌株表达目的蛋白PP2C的最适条件为： 诱导物IPTG的终浓度为0.8 mmol/L, 37 ℃, 诱导时间为20 h. 在此条件下, PP2C实现了高 效表达, 表达的PP2C蛋白约占菌体总蛋白的18.2%, 其中在裂解上清液、 沉淀中分别占总蛋白的7.1%和11.1%. 经SDS PAGE分析, 表达产物分子量约为42 000. 应用Ni NTA柱实现了可溶性PP2C的纯化, 收率达805%, 纯化的PP2C比活力达34.5 U/mg.     

Potential existence of two independent centrosometargeting domains in PP4

Protein phosphatase 4 (PP4) is an important member in the PPP family of protein Ser/Thr phosphatases. It has been proven to regulate a variety of cellular processes such as centrosome maturation, micro- tubule nucleation, splicesome assembly, and JNK pathway activation. Compared to the crystallized and structurally well defined phosphatase PP1 and PP2B, little is known about the structure of PP4. Besides the conserved motifs characteristic of the PPP family, no information is available on the other domains of PP4. PP4 is reported to localize to the centrosome in many species such as Drosophila, Caenor- habditis elegans and mammalian cells, which suggests a conserved role of PP4 in the regulation of centrosome function. Unlike several other centrosomal proteins, no sequence has been identified for PP4 that can target it to specific centrosomal localization. In this study, we used a combination of PCR mutagenesis and transient expression of GFP-tagged proteins in mammalian cells, and identified two PP4 centrosome-targeting domains of 68―136 and 134―220 aa. These two domains may be associated for appropriate localization to the centrosome. The findings are useful for further elucidating the func- tion of the domains and other structural characteristics of PP4.     

Structure of the Cul1-Rbx1-Skp1-F boxSkp2 SCF ubiquitin ligase complex

SCF complexes are the largest family of E3 ubiquitin-protein ligases and mediate the ubiquitination of diverse regulatory and signalling proteins. Here we present the crystal structure of the Cul1-Rbx1-Skp1-F boxSkp2 SCF complex, which shows that Cul1 is an elongated protein that consists of a long stalk and a globular domain. The globular domain binds the RING finger protein Rbx1 through an intermolecular beta-sheet, forming a two-subunit catalytic core that recruits the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme. The long stalk, which consists of three repeats of a novel five-helix motif, binds the Skp1-F boxSkp2 protein substrate-recognition complex at its tip. Cul1 serves as a rigid scaffold that organizes the Skp1-F boxSkp2 and Rbx1 subunits, holding them over 100 A apart. The structure suggests that Cul1 may contribute to catalysis through the positioning of the substrate and the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme, and this model is supported by Cul1 mutations designed to eliminate the rigidity of the scaffold.     

Protein phosphatase 1 is a molecular constraint on learning and memory

Repetition in learning is a prerequisite for the formation of accurate and long-lasting memory. Practice is most effective when widely distributed over time, rather than when closely spaced or massed. But even after efficient learning, most memories dissipate with time unless frequently used. The molecular mechanisms of these time-dependent constraints on learning and memory are unknown. Here we show that protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) determines the efficacy of learning and memory by limiting acquisition and favouring memory decline. When PP1 is genetically inhibited during learning, short intervals between training episodes are sufficient for optimal performance. The enhanced learning correlates with increased phosphorylation of cyclic AMP-dependent response element binding (CREB) protein, of Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and of the GluR1 subunit of the AMPA receptor; it also correlates with CREB-dependent gene expression that, in control mice, occurs only with widely distributed training. Inhibition of PP1 prolongs memory when induced after learning, suggesting that PP1 also promotes forgetting. This property may account for ageing-related cognitive decay, as old mutant animals had preserved memory. Our findings emphasize the physiological importance of PP1 as a suppressor of learning and memory, and as a potential mediator of cognitive decline during ageing.     

Structure of the nuclear transport complex karyopherin-beta2-Ran x GppNHp.

Transport factors in the karyopherin-beta (also called importin-beta) family mediate the movement of macromolecules in nuclear-cytoplasmic transport pathways. Karyopherin-beta2 (transportin) binds a cognate import substrate and targets it to the nuclear pore complex. In the nucleus, Ran x GTP binds karyopherin-beta2 and dissociates the substrate. Here we present the 3.0 A structure of the karyopherin-beta2-Ran x GppNHp complex where GppNHp is a non-hydrolysable GTP analogue. Karyopherin-beta2 contains eighteen HEAT repeats arranged into two continuous orthogonal arches. Ran is clamped in the amino-terminal arch and substrate-binding activity is mapped to the carboxy-terminal arch. A large loop in HEAT repeat 7 spans both arches. Interactions of the loop with Ran and the C-terminal arch implicate it in GTPase-mediated dissociation of the import-substrate. Ran x GppNHp in the complex shows extensive structural rearrangement, compared to Ran GDP, in regions contacting karyopherin-beta2. This provides a structural basis for the specificity of the karyopherin-beta family for the GTP-bound state of Ran, as well as a rationale for interactions of the karyopherin-Ran complex with the regulatory proteins ranGAP, ranGEF and ranBP1.     

酵母酸性磷酸酯酶基因PHO81克隆的初步研究

酵母PHO81基因是调控阻遏酸性磷酸酯酶的的一种中介因子,其编码区由3531个核苷酸组成。由于片段较大,目前很难应用PCR技术一次予以扩增。本文用自行设计的4个引物以啤酒酵母总染色体DNA为模板借助PCR技术扩增PHO81基因的两个片段,其长度分别为1.3kb和2.2kb,通过限制性酶切将其装入载体质粒pUC18中。并初步进行了重组质粒限制性内切酶酶谱分析和Southern杂交试验。     

Structure and mechanism of the uracil transporter UraA

The nucleobase/ascorbate transporter (NAT) proteins, also known as nucleobase/cation symporter 2 (NCS2) proteins, are responsible for the uptake of nucleobases in all kingdoms of life and for the transport of vitamin C in mammals. Despite functional characterization of the NAT family members in bacteria, fungi and mammals, detailed structural information remains unavailable. Here we report the crystal structure of a representative NAT protein, the Escherichia coli uracil/H(+) symporter UraA, in complex with uracil at a resolution of 2.8??. UraA has a novel structural fold, with 14 transmembrane segments (TMs) divided into two inverted repeats. A pair of antiparallel β-strands is located between TM3 and TM10 and has an important role in structural organization and substrate recognition. The structure is spatially arranged into a core domain and a gate domain. Uracil, located at the interface between the two domains, is coordinated mainly by residues from the core domain. Structural analysis suggests that alternating access of the substrate may be achieved through conformational changes of the gate domain.