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ABSTRACT: Dictyostelium discoideum is an excellent model organism for the study of directed cell migration, since Dictyostelium cells show robust chemotactic responses to the chemoattractant cAMP. Many powerful experimental tools are applicable, including forward and reverse genetics, biochemistry, microscopy, and proteomics. Recent studies have demonstrated that many components involved in chemotaxis are functionally conserved between human neutrophils and Dictyostelium amoebae. In this chapter, we describe how to define the functions of proteins that mediate and regulate cell motility, cell polarity, and directional sensing during chemotaxis in Dictyostelium.
Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) 01/2012; 757:451-68.
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ABSTRACT: Cells have an internal compass that enables them to move along shallow chemical gradients. As amoeboid cells migrate, signaling events such as Ras and PI3K activation occur spontaneously on pseudopodia. Uniform stimuli trigger a symmetric response, whereupon cells stop and round up; then localized patches of activity appear as cells spread. Finally cells adapt and resume random migration. In contrast, chemotactic gradients continuously direct signaling events to the front of the cell. Local-excitation, global-inhibition (LEGI) and reaction-diffusion models have captured some of these features of chemotaxing cells, but no system has explained the complex response kinetics, sensitivity to shallow gradients, or the role of recently observed propagating waves within the actin cytoskeleton. We report here that Ras and PI3K activation move in phase with the cytoskeleton events and, drawing on all of these observations, propose the LEGI-biased excitable network hypothesis. We formulate a model that simulates most of the behaviors of chemotactic cells: In the absence of stimulation, there are spontaneous spots of activity. Stimulus increments trigger an initial burst of patches followed by localized secondary events. After a few minutes, the system adapts, again displaying random activity. In gradients, the activity patches are directed continuously and selectively toward the chemoattractant, providing an extraordinary degree of amplification. Importantly, by perturbing model parameters, we generate distinct behaviors consistent with known classes of mutants. Our study brings together heretofore diverse observations on spontaneous cytoskeletal activity, signaling responses to temporal stimuli, and spatial gradient sensing into a unified scheme.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 10/2010; 107(40):17079-86. · 9.68 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Chemotaxis, the directed migration of cells in chemical gradients, is a vital process in normal physiology and in the pathogenesis of many diseases. Chemotactic cells display motility, directional sensing, and polarity. Motility refers to the random extension of pseudopodia, which may be driven by spontaneous actin waves that propagate through the cytoskeleton. Directional sensing is mediated by a system that detects temporal and spatial stimuli and biases motility toward the gradient. Polarity gives cells morphologically and functionally distinct leading and lagging edges by relocating proteins or their activities selectively to the poles. By exploiting the genetic advantages of Dictyostelium, investigators are working out the complex network of interactions between the proteins that have been implicated in the chemotactic processes of motility, directional sensing, and polarity.
Annual Review of Biophysics 02/2010; 39:265-89. · 13.57 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Physiological activation of PI3Kα is brought about by the release of the inhibition by p85 when the nSH2 binds the phosphorylated tyrosine of activated receptors or their substrates. Oncogenic mutations of PI3Kα result in a constitutively activated enzyme that triggers downstream pathways that increase tumor aggressiveness and survival. Structural information suggests that some mutations also activate the enzyme by releasing p85 inhibition. Other mutations work by different mechanisms. For example, the most common mutation, His1047Arg, causes a conformational change that increases membrane association resulting in greater accessibility to the substrate, an integral membrane component. These effects are examples of the subtle structural changes that result in increased activity. The structures of these and other mutants are providing the basis for the design of isozyme-specific, mutation-specific inhibitors for individualized cancer therapies.
Current topics in microbiology and immunology 01/2010; 347:43-53. · 4.93 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Mutations in oncogenes often promote tumorigenesis by changing the conformation of the encoded proteins, thereby altering enzymatic activity. The PIK3CA oncogene, which encodes p110alpha, the catalytic subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase alpha (PI3Kalpha), is one of the two most frequently mutated oncogenes in human cancers. We report the structure of the most common mutant of p110alpha in complex with two interacting domains of its regulatory partner (p85alpha), both free and bound to an inhibitor (wortmannin). The N-terminal SH2 (nSH2) domain of p85alpha is shown to form a scaffold for the entire enzyme complex, strategically positioned to communicate extrinsic signals from phosphopeptides to three distinct regions of p110alpha. Moreover, we found that Arg-1047 points toward the cell membrane, perpendicular to the orientation of His-1047 in the WT enzyme. Surprisingly, two loops of the kinase domain that contact the cell membrane shift conformation in the oncogenic mutant. Biochemical assays revealed that the enzymatic activity of the p110alpha His1047Arg mutant is differentially regulated by lipid membrane composition. These structural and biochemical data suggest a previously undescribed mechanism for mutational activation of a kinase that involves perturbation of its interaction with the cellular membrane.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 10/2009; 106(40):16996-7001. · 9.68 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Bisphosphonates (BPs) are a class of compounds that have been used extensively in the treatment of osteoporosis and malignancy-related hypercalcemia. Some of these compounds act through inhibition of farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FPPS), a key enzyme in the synthesis of isoprenoids. Recently, nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates (N-BPs) used in bone resorption therapy have been shown to be active against Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease), suggesting that they may be used as anti-trypanosomal agents. The crystal structures of TcFPPS in complex with substrate (isopentenyl diphosphate, IPP) and five N-BP inhibitors show that the C-1 hydroxyl and the nitrogen-containing groups of the inhibitors alter the binding of IPP and the conformation of two TcFPPS residues, Tyr94 and Gln167. Isothermal titration calorimetry experiments suggest that binding of the first N-BPs to the homodimeric TcFPPS changes the binding properties of the second site. This mechanism of binding of N-BPs to TcFPPS is different to that reported for the binding of the same compounds to human FPPS. Proteins 2010. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Proteins Structure Function and Bioinformatics 09/2009; 78(4):888-99. · 3.39 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Class I phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) are lipid kinases that regulate cell growth. One of these kinases, PI3Kalpha, is frequently mutated in diverse tumour types. The recently determined structure of PI3Kalpha reveals features that distinguish this enzyme from related lipid kinases. In addition, wild-type PI3Kgamma differs from PI3Kalpha by a substitution identical to a PI3Kalpha oncogenic mutant (His1047Arg) that might explain the differences in the enzymatic activities of the normal and mutant PI3Kalpha. Comparison of the PI3K structures also identified structural features that could potentially be exploited for the design of isoform-specific inhibitors.
Nature Reviews Cancer 09/2008; 8(9):665-9. · 29.54 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Phosphatidylinositide-3-kinases (PI3K) initiate a number of signaling pathways by recruiting other kinases, such as Akt, to the plasma membrane. One of the isoforms, PI3Kalpha, is an oncogene frequently mutated in several cancer types. These mutations increase PI3K kinase activity, leading to increased cell survival, cell motility, cell metabolism, and cell cycle progression. The structure of the complex between the catalytic subunit of PI3Kalpha, p110alpha, and a portion of its regulatory subunit, p85alpha reveals that the majority of the oncogenic mutations occur at the interfaces between p110 domains and between p110 and p85 domains. At these positions, mutations disrupt interactions resulting in changes in the kinase domain that may increase enzymatic activity. The structure also suggests that interaction with the membrane is mediated by one of the p85 domains (iSH2). These findings may provide novel structural loci for the design of new anti-cancer drugs.
Cell cycle (Georgetown, Tex.) 06/2008; 7(9):1151-6. · 5.36 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: PIK3CA, one of the two most frequently mutated oncogenes in human tumors, codes for p110alpha, the catalytic subunit of a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, isoform alpha (PI3Kalpha, p110alpha/p85). Here, we report a 3.0 angstrom resolution structure of a complex between p110alpha and a polypeptide containing the p110alpha-binding domains of p85alpha, a protein required for its enzymatic activity. The structure shows that many of the mutations occur at residues lying at the interfaces between p110alpha and p85alpha or between the kinase domain of p110alpha and other domains within the catalytic subunit. Disruptions of these interactions are likely to affect the regulation of kinase activity by p85 or the catalytic activity of the enzyme, respectively. In addition to providing new insights about the structure of PI3Kalpha, these results suggest specific mechanisms for the effect of oncogenic mutations in p110alpha and p85alpha.
Science 01/2008; 318(5857):1744-8. · 31.20 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: PIK3CA, one of the two most frequently mutated oncogenes in human tumors, codes for p110a, the catalytic subunit of a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, isoform a (PI3Ka, p110a/p85). Here, we report a 3.0 angstrom resolution structure of a complex between p110a and a polypeptide containing the p110a-binding domains of p85a, a protein required for its enzymatic activity. The structure shows that many of the mutations occur at residues lying at the interfaces between p110a and p85a or between the kinase domain of p110a and other domains within the catalytic subunit. Disruptions of these interactions are likely to affect the regulation of kinase activity by p85 or the catalytic activity of the enzyme, respectively. In addition to providing new insights about the structure of PI3Ka, these results suggest specific mechanisms for the effect of oncogenic mutations in p110a and p85a. P hosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (PI3Ks) are lipid kinases that phosphorylate phos-phatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5) P 2 or PIP 2 ] at the 3-position of the inositol ring, and thus generate phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate (PIP 3), which, in turn, initiates a vast array of signaling events. PI3Ks are heterodimers, composed of catalytic and regula-tory subunits, that are activated by growth factor– receptor tyrosine kinases (1, 2). PIP 3 levels are tightly regulated by the action of phosphatases, such as the phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) (3). PIP 3 produced by PI3Ks acts as a docking site for pleckstrin homology (PH)– containing proteins, such as the Akt serine-threonine kinases (4). Once at the membrane, Akt's are activated by phosphorylation at two sites and, in turn, phosphorylate numerous pro-tein targets (5–17). The biological consequences of Akt activation are broad and include regula-tion of cell proliferation, survival, and motility (2, 18–20). The PI3K pathway was first linked to cancer when Vogt and colleagues reported that the avian sarcoma virus 16 genome encodes an oncogene that is derived from a cellular PI3K gene (21). The finding that PTEN is inactivated by muta-tions in various tumors solidified the relevance of this pathway to human cancer (22–24). Other genetic alterations in pathway members have been identified, including occasional mutations in the regulatory subunit p85 of PI3K (25–32).
