Assembly of a Novel Cartilage Matrix Protein Filamentous Network: Molecular Basis of Differential Requirement of von Willebrand Factor A Domains

Cartilage matrix protein (CMP) is the prototype of the newly discovered matrilin family, all of which contain von Willebrand factor A domains. Although the function of matrilins remain unclear, we have shown that, in primary chondrocyte cultures, CMP (matrilin-1) forms a filamentous network, which is made up of two types of filaments, a collagen-dependent one and a collagen-independent one. In this study, we demonstrate that the collagen-independent CMP filaments are enriched in pericellular compartments, extending directly from chondrocyte membranes. Their morphology can be distinguished from that of collagen filaments by immunogold electron microscopy, and mimicked by that of self-assembled purified CMP. The assembly of CMP filaments can occur from transfection of a wild-type CMP transgene alone in skin fibroblasts, which do not produce endogenous CMP. Conversely, assembly of endogenous CMP filaments by chondrocytes can be inhibited specifically by dominant negative CMP transgenes. The two A domains within CMP serve essential but different functions during network formation. Deletion of the A2 domain converts the trimeric CMP into a mixture of monomers, dimers, and trimers, whereas deletion of the A1 domain does not affect the trimeric configuration. This suggests that the A2 domain modulates multimerization of CMP. Absence of either A domain from CMP abolishes its ability to form collagen-independent filaments. In particular, Asp22 in A1 and Asp255 in A2 are essential; double point mutation of these residues disrupts CMP network formation. These residues are part of the metal ion–dependent adhesion sites, thus a metal ion–dependent adhesion site–mediated adhesion mechanism may be applicable to matrilin assembly. Taken together, our data suggest that CMP is a bridging molecule that connects matrix components in cartilage to form an integrated matrix network.

4E-BP1 phosphorylation is mediated by the FRAP-p70s6k pathway and is independent of mitogen-activated protein kinase.

It has previously been argued that the repressor of protein synthesis initiation factor 4E, 4E-BP1, is a direct in vivo target of p42mapk. However, the immunosuppressant rapamycin blocks serum-induced 4E-BP1 phosphorylation and, in parallel, p70s6k activation, with no apparent effect on p42mapk activation. Consistent with this finding, the kinetics of serum-induced 4E-BP1 phosphorylation closely follow those of p70s6k activation rather than those of p42mapk. More striking, insulin, which does not induce p42mapk activation in human 293 cells or Swiss mouse 3T3 cells, induces 4E-BP1 phosphorylation and p70s6k activation in both cell types. Anisomycin, which, like insulin, does not activate p42mapk, promotes a small parallel increase in 4E-BP1 phosphorylation and p70s6k activation. The insulin effect on 4E-BP1 phosphorylation and p70s6k activation in both cell types is blocked by SQ20006, wortmannin, and rapamycin. These three inhibitors have no effect on p42mapk activation induced by phorbol 12-tetradecanoate 13-acetate, though wortmannin partially suppresses both the p70s6k response and the 4E-BP1 response. Finally, in porcine aortic endothelial cells stably transfected with either the wild-type platelet-derived growth factor receptor or a mutant receptor bearing the double point mutation 740F/751F, p42mapk activation in response to platelet-derived growth factor is unimpaired, but increased 4E-BP1 phosphorylation is ablated, as previously reported for p70s6k. The data presented here demonstrate that 4E-BP1 phosphorylation is mediated by the FRAP-p70s6k pathway and is independent of mitogen-activated protein kinase.

Phase separation in aqueous solutions of lens gamma-crystallins: special role of gamma s.

We have studied liquid-liquid phase separation in aqueous ternary solutions of calf lens gamma-crystallin proteins. Specifically, we have examined two ternary systems containing gamma s--namely, gamma IVa with gamma s in water and gamma II with gamma s in water. For each system, the phase-separation temperatures (Tph (phi)) alpha as a function of the overall protein volume fraction phi at various fixed compositions alpha (the "cloud-point curves") were measured. For the gamma IVa, gamma s, and water ternary solution, a binodal curve composed of pairs of coexisting points, (phi I, alpha 1) and (phi II, alpha II), at a fixed temperature (20 degrees C) was also determined. We observe that on the cloud-point curve the critical point is at a higher volume fraction than the maximum phase-separation temperature point. We also find that typically the difference in composition between the coexisting phases is at least as significant as the difference in volume fraction. We show that the asymmetric shape of the cloud-point curve is a consequence of this significant composition difference. Our observation that the phase-separation temperature of the mixtures in the high volume fraction region is strongly suppressed suggests that gamma s-crystallin may play an important role in maintaining the transparency of the lens.

A Double-Strand Break Repair Component Is Essential for S Phase Completion in Fission Yeast Cell Cycling

Fission yeast rad22+, a homologue of budding yeast RAD52, encodes a double-strand break repair component, which is dispensable for proliferation. We, however, have recently obtained a cell division cycle mutant with a temperature-sensitive allele of rad22+, designated rad22-H6, which resulted from a point mutation in the conserved coding sequence leading to one amino acid alteration. We have subsequently isolated rad22+ and its novel homologue rti1+ as multicopy suppressors of this mutant. rti1+ suppresses all the defects of cells lacking rad22+. Mating type switch-inactive heterothallic cells lacking either rad22+ or rti1+ are viable, but those lacking both genes are inviable and arrest proliferation with a cell division cycle phenotype. At the nonpermissive temperature, a synchronous culture of rad22-H6 cells performs DNA synthesis without delay and arrests with chromosomes seemingly intact and replication completed and with a high level of tyrosine-phosphorylated Cdc2. However, rad22-H6 cells show a typical S phase arrest phenotype if combined with the rad1-1 checkpoint mutation. rad22+ genetically interacts with rad11+, which encodes the large subunit of replication protein A. Deletion of rad22+/rti1+ or the presence of rad22-H6 mutation decreases the restriction temperature of rad11-A1 cells by 4–6°C and leads to cell cycle arrest with chromosomes incompletely replicated. Thus, in fission yeast a double-strand break repair component is required for a certain step of chromosome replication unlinked to repair, partly via interacting with replication protein A.