scholarly journals Identification and Characterization of a Novel Serine-Arginine-Rich Splicing Regulatory Protein

2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 3049-3057 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daron C. Barnard ◽  
James G. Patton

ABSTRACT We have identified an 86-kDa protein containing a single amino-terminal RNA recognition motif and two carboxy-terminal domains rich in serine-arginine (SR) dipeptides. Despite structural similarity to members of the SR protein family, p86 is clearly unique. It is not found in standard SR protein preparations, does not precipitate in the presence of high magnesium concentrations, is not recognized by antibodies specific for SR proteins, and cannot complement splicing-defective S100 extracts. However, we have found that p86 can inhibit the ability of purified SR proteins to activate splicing in S100 extracts and can even inhibit the in vitro and in vivo activation of specific splice sites by a subset of SR proteins, including ASF/SF2, SC35, and SRp55. In contrast, p86 activates splicing in the presence of SRp20. Thus, it appears that pairwise combination of p86 with specific SR proteins leads to altered splicing efficiency and differential splice site selection. In all cases, such regulation requires the presence of the two RS domains and a unique intervening EK-rich region, which appear to mediate direct protein-protein contact between these family members. Full-length p86, but not a mutant lacking the RS-EK-RS domains, was found to preferentially interact with itself, SRp20, ASF/SF2, SRp55, and, to a slightly lesser extent, SC35. Because of the primary sequence and unique properties of p86, we have named this protein SRrp86 for SR-related protein of 86 kDa.

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 703-716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalila Ajjaji ◽  
Kalthoum Ben M'barek ◽  
Michael L. Mimmack ◽  
Cheryl England ◽  
Haya Herscovitz ◽  
...  

Lipid droplets (LDs) in all eukaryotic cells are coated with at least one of the perilipin (Plin) family of proteins. They all regulate key intracellular lipases but do so to significantly different extents. Where more than one Plin is expressed in a cell, they associate with LDs in a hierarchical manner. In vivo, this means that lipid flux control in a particular cell or tissue type is heavily influenced by the specific Plins present on its LDs. Despite their early discovery, exactly how Plins target LDs and why they displace each other in a “hierarchical” manner remains unclear. They all share an amino-terminal 11-mer repeat (11mr) amphipathic region suggested to be involved in LD targeting. Here, we show that, in vivo, this domain functions as a primary highly reversible LD targeting motif in Plin1–3, and, in vitro, we document reversible and competitive binding between a wild-type purified Plin1 11mr peptide and a mutant with reduced binding affinity to both “naked” and phospholipid-coated oil–water interfaces. We also present data suggesting that a second carboxy-terminal 4-helix bundle domain stabilizes LD binding in Plin1 more effectively than in Plin2, whereas it weakens binding in Plin3. These findings suggest that dual amphipathic helical regions mediate LD targeting and underpin the hierarchical binding of Plin1–3 to LDs.


2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1874-1884 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nanette Rooke ◽  
Vadim Markovtsov ◽  
Esra Cagavi ◽  
Douglas L. Black

ABSTRACT The splicing of the c-src exon N1 is controlled by an intricate combination of positive and negative RNA elements. Most previous work on these sequences focused on intronic elements found upstream and downstream of exon N1. However, it was demonstrated that the 5′ half of the N1 exon itself acts as a splicing enhancer in vivo. Here we examine the function of this regulatory element in vitro. We show that a mutation in this sequence decreases splicing of the N1 exon in vitro. Proteins binding to this element were identified as hnRNP A1, hnRNP H, hnRNP F, and SF2/ASF by site-specific cross-linking and immunoprecipitation. The binding of these proteins to the RNA was eliminated by a mutation in the exonic element. The activities of hnRNP A1 and SF2/ASF on N1 splicing were examined by adding purified protein to in vitro splicing reactions. SF2/ASF and another SR protein, SC35, are both able to stimulate splicing of c-src pre-mRNA. However, splicing activation by SF2/ASF is dependent on the N1 exon enhancer element whereas activation by SC35 is not. In contrast to SF2/ASF and in agreement with other systems, hnRNP A1 repressed c-src splicing in vitro. The negative activity of hnRNP A1 on splicing was compared with that of PTB, a protein previously demonstrated to repress splicing in this system. Both proteins repress exon N1 splicing, and both counteract the enhancing activity of the SR proteins. Removal of the PTB binding sites upstream of N1 prevents PTB-mediated repression but does not affect A1-mediated repression. Thus, hnRNP A1 and PTB use different mechanisms to repress c-src splicing. Our results link the activity of these well-known exonic splicing regulators, SF2/ASF and hnRNP A1, to the splicing of an exon primarily controlled by intronic factors.


1987 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 4280-4289 ◽  
Author(s):  
A M Pendergast ◽  
J A Traugh ◽  
O N Witte

Viral transduction and chromosomal translocations of the c-abl gene result in the synthesis of abl proteins with structurally altered amino termini. These altered forms of the abl protein, but not the c-abl proteins, are detectably phosphorylated on tyrosine in vivo. In contrast, all forms of the abl protein are phosphorylated on serine following in vivo labeling with Pi. Treatment of NIH-3T3 cells with protein kinase C activators resulted in a four- to eightfold increase in the phosphorylation of murine c-abl due to modification of two serines on the c-abl protein. Purified protein kinase C phosphorylated all abl proteins at the same two sites. Both sites are precisely conserved in murine and human abl proteins. The sites on the abl proteins were found near the carboxy terminus. In contrast, for the epidermal growth factor receptor (T. Hunter, N. Ling, and J. A. Cooper, Nature [London] 311:480-483, 1984) and pp60src (K. L. Gould, J. R. Woodgett, J. A. Cooper, J. E. Buss, D. Shalloway, and T. Hunter, Cell 42:849-857, 1985), the sites of protein kinase C phosphorylation are amino-terminal to the kinase domain. The abl carboxy-terminal region is not necessary for the tyrosine kinase activity or transformation potential of the viral abl protein and may represent a regulatory domain. Using an in vitro immune complex kinase assay, we were not able to correlate reproducible changes in c-abl activity with phosphorylation by protein kinase C. However, the high degree of conservation of the phosphorylation sites for protein kinase C between human and mouse abl proteins suggests an important functional role.


2002 ◽  
Vol 184 (24) ◽  
pp. 6777-6785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisca Reyes-Ramirez ◽  
Richard Little ◽  
Ray Dixon

ABSTRACT The Azotobacter vinelandii σ54-dependent transcriptional activator protein NifA is regulated by the NifL protein in response to redox, carbon, and nitrogen status. Under conditions inappropriate for nitrogen fixation, NifL inhibits transcription activation by NifA through the formation of the NifL-NifA protein complex. NifL inhibits the ATPase activity of the central AAA+ domain of NifA required to drive open complex formation by σ54-RNA polymerase and may also inhibit the activator-polymerase interaction. To analyze the mechanism of inhibition in greater detail, we isolated NifA mutants which are resistant to the inhibitory action of NifL. Mutations in both the amino-terminal GAF domain and the catalytic AAA+ domain of NifA were isolated. Several mutants blocked inhibition by NifL in response to both nitrogen and redox status, whereas some of the mutant NifA proteins were apparently able to discriminate between the forms of NifL present under different environmental conditions. One mutant protein, NifA-Y254N, was resistant to NifL under conditions of anaerobic nitrogen excess but was relatively sensitive to NifL under aerobic growth conditions. The properties of the purified mutant protein in vitro were consistent with the in vivo phenotype and indicate that NifA-Y254N is not responsive to the nitrogen signal conveyed by the interaction of NifL with A. vinelandii GlnK but is responsive to the oxidized form of NifL when ADP is present. Our observations suggest that different conformers of NifL may be generated in response to discrete signal transduction events and that both the GAF and AAA+ domains of NifA are involved in the response to NifL.


1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 7466-7477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soundarapandian Velmurugan ◽  
Yong-Tae Ahn ◽  
Xian-Mei Yang ◽  
Xu-Li Wu ◽  
Makkuni Jayaram

ABSTRACT The stable inheritance of the 2μm plasmid in a growing population of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is dependent on two plasmid-encoded proteins (Rep1p and Rep2p), together with thecis-acting locus REP3 (STB). In this study we demonstrate that short carboxy-terminal deletions of Rep1p and Rep2p severely diminish their normal capacity to localize to the yeast nucleus. The nuclear targeting, as well as their functional role in plasmid partitioning, can be restored by the addition of a nuclear localization sequence to the amino or the carboxy terminus of the shortened Rep proteins. Analyses of deletion derivatives of the Rep proteins by using the in vivo dihybrid genetic test in yeast, as well as by glutathione S-transferase fusion trapping assays in vitro demonstrate that the amino-terminal portion of Rep1p (ca. 150 amino acids long) is responsible for its interactions with Rep2p. In a monohybrid in vivo assay, we have identified Rep1p, Rep2p, and a host-encoded protein, Shf1p, as being capable of interacting with the STB locus. The Shf1 protein expressed in Escherichia coli can bind with high specificity to the STB sequence in vitro. In a yeast strain deleted for the SHF1 locus, a 2μm circle-derived plasmid shows relatively poor stability.


2005 ◽  
Vol 94 (12) ◽  
pp. 1122-1130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hitendra S. Chand ◽  
Donald C. Foster ◽  
Walter Kisiel

SummaryTissue factor pathway inhibitor-2 (TFPI-2) is a 32 kDa matrix-associated Kunitz-type serine proteinase inhibitor consisting of a short amino-terminal region, three tandem Kunitz-type domains and a positively charged carboxy-terminal tail. Human TFPI-2, previously designated as placental protein 5, inhibits a broad spectrum of serine proteinases almost exclusively through its first Kunitz-type domain, and is thought to play an important role in the regulation of extracellular matrix digestion and re-modeling. In this context, reduced synthesis of TFPI-2 has been related to numerous pathophysiological processes such as inflammation, angiogenesis, atherosclerosis, retinal degeneration and tumor growth/metastasis. In this review, we document current information regarding the expression of TFPI-2 by various tissues, its inhibitory activity and proteinase specificity in-vitro, and discuss possible physiological roles for this inhibitor based on in-vivo studies.


2005 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 541-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liu Rongrong ◽  
Wang Lixia ◽  
Lin Zhongping

Cre recombinase from bacteriophage P1 is widely used in both in vitro and in vivo DNA manipulations. Based on a structural and functional analysis, three deleted cre mutants were constructed and expressed in Escherichia coli. Mutated recombinases were purified and their recombination activities were determined in vitro. Our results revealed that the mutant with amino-terminal deletion retains the recombination activity as high as wild type Cre; however, the carboxy-terminal deletion and the middle region deletion both lead to a complete loss of the recombinase function.


2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 1174-1187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eiji Sakashita ◽  
Sawako Tatsumi ◽  
Dieter Werner ◽  
Hitoshi Endo ◽  
Akila Mayeda

ABSTRACT Human RNPS1 was originally purified and characterized as a pre-mRNA splicing activator, and its role in the postsplicing process has also been proposed recently. To search for factors that functionally interact with RNPS1, we performed a yeast two-hybrid screen with a human cDNA library. Four factors were identified: p54 (also called SRp54; a member of the SR protein family), human transformer 2β (hTra2β; an exonic splicing enhancer-binding protein), hLucA (a potential component of U1 snRNP), and pinin (also called DRS and MemA; a protein localized in nuclear speckles). The N-terminal region containing the serine-rich (S) domain, the central RNA recognition motif (RRM), and the C-terminal arginine/serine/proline-rich (RS/P) domain of RNPS1 interact with p54, pinin, and hTra2β, respectively. Protein-protein binding between RNPS1 and these factors was verified in vitro and in vivo. Overexpression of RNPS1 in HeLa cells induced exon skipping in a model β-globin pre-mRNA and a human tra-2β pre-mRNA. Coexpression of RNPS1 with p54 cooperatively stimulated exon inclusion in an ATP synthase γ-subunit pre-mRNA. The RS/P domain and RRM are necessary for the exon-skipping activity, whereas the S domain is important for the cooperative effect with p54. RNPS1 appears to be a versatile factor that regulates alternative splicing of a variety of pre-mRNAs.


1997 ◽  
Vol 110 (20) ◽  
pp. 2519-2532 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Klapper ◽  
K. Exner ◽  
A. Kempf ◽  
C. Gehrig ◽  
N. Stuurman ◽  
...  

We have expressed an A-type lamin (Xenopus lamin A), a probable A-type lamin (Drosophila lamin C), two B-type lamins (Xenopus lamin LI, Drosophila lamin Dmo), and two mutants of Xenopus lamin A in Sf9 cells. All proteins were synthesized at high levels resulting in formation of paracrystals with an axial repeat of 18.5-20.0 nm by A-type lamins; in contrast B-type lamins assembled into aggregates with a fibrillar ultrastructure. Of the four wild-type proteins analyzed only lamin Dmo was found in the nuclear compartment of Sf9 cells in association with the lamina whereas the three other lamins assembled into polymers localized in the cytoplasm as well as the nucleoplasm. The Xenopus lamin A mutant lacking the complete carboxy-terminal tail assembled in the cytoplasm into long filament bundles consisting of fibrils of less than 6 nm diameter. In vitro the non-helical amino-terminal head domain of lamins is required for the formation of ‘head-to-tail’ polymers. A lamin A mutant lacking this domain could be efficiently extracted from Sf9 cells with physiological buffers containing Triton X-100, demonstrating the importance of this domain for lamin assembly in vivo.


1999 ◽  
Vol 145 (3) ◽  
pp. 447-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne M. Yeakley ◽  
Hélène Tronchère ◽  
James Olesen ◽  
Jacqueline A. Dyck ◽  
Huan-You Wang ◽  
...  

The SR superfamily of splicing factors and regulators is characterized by arginine/serine (RS)-rich domains, which are extensively modified by phosphorylation in cells. In vitro binding studies revealed that RS domain–mediated protein interactions can be differentially affected by phosphorylation. Taking advantage of the single nonessential SR protein–specific kinase Sky1p in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we investigated RS domain interactions in vivo using the two-hybrid assay. Strikingly, all RS domain–mediated interactions were abolished by SKY1 deletion and were rescuable by yeast or mammalian SR protein–specific kinases, indicating that phosphorylation has a far greater impact on RS domain interactions in vivo than in vitro. To understand this dramatic effect, we examined the localization of SR proteins and found that SC35 was shifted to the cytoplasm in sky1Δ yeast, although this phenomenon was not obvious with ASF/SF2, indicating that nuclear import of SR proteins may be differentially regulated by phosphorylation. Using a transcriptional repression assay, we further showed that most LexA-SR fusion proteins depend on Sky1p to efficiently recognize the LexA binding site in a reporter, suggesting that molecular targeting of RS domain–containing proteins within the nucleus was also affected. Together, these results reveal multiple phosphorylation-dependent steps for SR proteins to interact with one another efficiently and specifically, which may ultimately determine the splicing activity and specificity of these factors in mammalian cells.


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