Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase C2 alpha is essential for ATP-dependent priming of neurosecretory granule exocytosis

Neurotransmitter release and hormonal secretion are highly regulated processes culminating in the calcium-dependent fusion of secretory vesicles with the plasma membrane. Here, we have identified a role for phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase C2 alpha (PI3K-C2 alpha) and its main catalytic product, PtdIns3P, in regulated exocytosis. In neuroendocrine cells, PI3K-C2 alpha is present on a subpopulation of mature secretory granules. Impairment of PI3K-C2 alpha function specifically inhibits the ATP-dependent priming phase of exocytosis. Overexpression of wild-type PI3K-C2 alpha enhanced secretion, whereas transfection of PC12 cells with a catalytically inactive PI3K-C2 alpha mutant or a 2xFYVE domain sequestering PtdIns3P abolished secretion. Based on these results, we propose that production of PtdIns3P by PI3K-C2 alpha is required for acquisition of fusion competence in neurosecretion.

Arf6-independent GPI-anchored protein-enriched early endosomal compartments fuse with sorting endosomes via a Rab5/phosphatidylinositol-3 '-kinase-dependent machinery

In the process of internalization of molecules from the extracellular milieu, a cell uses multiple endocytic pathways, consequently generating different endocytic vesicles. These primary endocytic vesicles are targeted to specific destinations inside the cell. Here, we show that GPI-anchored proteins are internalized by an Arf6-independent mechanism into GPI-anchored protein-enriched early endosomal compartments (GEECs). Internalized GPI-anchored proteins and the fluid phase are first visualized in GEECs that are acidic, primary endocytic structures, negative for early endosomal markers, Rab4, Rab5, and early endosome antigen (EEA)1. They subsequently acquire Rab5 and EEA1 before homotypic fusion with other GEECs, and heterotypic fusion with endosomes containing cargo from the clathrin-dependent endocytic pathway. Although, the formation of GEECs is unaffected by inhibition of Rab5 GTPase and phosphatidylinositol-3'-kinase (PI3K) activity, their fusion with sorting endosomes is dependent on both activities. Overexpression of Rab5 reverts PI3K inhibition of fusion, providing evidence that Rab5 effectors play important roles in heterotypic fusion between the dynamin-independent GEECs and clathrin- and dynamin-dependent sorting endosomes.

Insulin-regulatable phosphoproteins in 3T3-L1 adipocytes form detergent-insoluble complexes not associated with caveolin

Whole body glucose homeostasis is dependent on the action of insulin. In muscle and adipose tissues, insulin stimulates glucose uptake by inducing the translocation of vesicles containing the glucose transporter GLUT4 to the cell surface. While the mechanisms of insulin-regulated GLUT4 translocation are not fully understood, some signaling intermediates have been implicated in this process. Interestingly, som: of these intermediates, including IRS-1 and PI3K, have been localised to the same intracellular membrane fraction as the GLUT4 storage pool, designated here as the high-speed pellet (HSP) fraction. This raises the possibility that many of the downstream insulin signaling intermediates may be located within close proximity to intracellular GLUT4. The goal of this study was to test this hypothesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. A large proportion of adipocyte phosphoproteins co-fractionated in the HSP fraction. In an attempt to resolve insulin-regulatable phosphoproteins, we subjected P-32-labeled subcellular fractions to two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE). Insulin reproducibly stimulated the phosphorylation of 12 spots in the HSP fraction. Most of the HSP phosphoproteins were insoluble in the nonionic detergent Triton X-100, whereas integral membrane proteins such as GLUT4 and intracellular caveolin were soluble under the same conditions. These results suggest that insulin-regulatable phosphoproteins in adipocytes may be organized in microdomains within the cell and that this assembly may act as an efficient conductor of the signaling proteins to rapidly facilitate downstream biological responses. Further study is required to establish the molecular basis for these detergent-insoluble signaling complexes.

The role of Ca2+ in insulin-stimulated glucose transport in 3T3-L1 cells

We have examined the requirement for Ca2+ in the signaling and trafficking pathways involved in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in 3T3-LI adipocytes. Chelation of intracellular Ca2+, using 1,2-bis (o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid tetra (acetoxymethyl) ester (BAPTA-AM), resulted in >95% inhibition of insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. The calmodulin antagonist, W13, inhibited insulin-stimulated glucose uptake by 60%. Both BAPTA-AM and W13 inhibited Akt phosphorylation by 70-75%. However, analysis of insulin-dose response curves indicated that this inhibition was not sufficient to explain the effects of BAPTA-AM and W13 on glucose uptake. BAPTA-AM inhibited insulin-stimulated translocation of GLUT4 by 50%, as determined by plasma membrane lawn assay and subcellular fractionation. In contrast, the insulin-stimulated appearance of HA-tagged GLUT4 at the cell surface, as measured by surface binding, was blocked by BAPTA/AM.. While the ionophores A23187 or ionomycin prevented the inhibition of Akt phosphorylation and GLUT4 translocation by BAPTA-AM, they did not overcome the inhibition of glucose transport. Moreover, glucose uptake of cells pretreated with insulin followed by rapid cooling to 4 degreesC, to promote cell surface expression of GLUT4 and prevent subsequent endocytosis, was inhibited specifically by BAPTA-AM. This indicates that inhibition of glucose uptake by BAPTA-AM is independent of both trafficking and signal transduction. These data indicate that Ca2+ is involved in at least two different steps of the insulin-dependent recruitment of GLUT4 to the plasma membrane. One involves the translocation step. The second involves the fusion of GLUT4 vesicles with the plasma membrane. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that Ca2+/cahnodulin plays a fundamental role in eukaryotic vesicle docking and fusion. Finally, BAPTA-AM may inhibit the activity of the facilitative transporters by binding directly to the transporter itself.

E-cadherin homophilic ligation directly signals through Rac and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase to regulate adhesive contacts

Classical cadherins mediate cell recognition and cohesion in many tissues of the body. It is increasingly apparent that dynamic cadherin contacts play key roles during morphogenesis and that a range of cell signals are activated as cells form contacts with one another. It has been difficult, however, to determine whether these signals represent direct downstream consequences of cadherin ligation or are juxtacrine signals that are activated when cadherin adhesion brings cell surfaces together but are not direct downstream targets of cadherin signaling. In this study, we used a functional cadherin ligand (hE/Fc) to directly test whether E-cadherin ligation regulates phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) and Rac signaling. We report that homophilic cadherin ligation recruits Rae to nascent adhesive contacts and specifically stimulates Rae signaling. Adhesion to hE/Fc also recruits PI 3-kinase to the cadherin complex, leading to the production of phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate in nascent cadherin contacts. Rae activation involved an early phase, which was PI 3-kinase-independent, and a later amplification phase, which was inhibited by wortmannin. PI 3-kinase and Rae activity were necessary for productive adhesive contacts to form following initial homophilic ligation. We conclude that E-cadherin is a cellular receptor that is activated upon homophilic ligation to signal through PI 3-kinase and Rae. We propose that a key function of these cadherin-activated signals is to control adhesive contacts, probably via regulation of the actin cytoskeleton, which ultimately serves to mediate adhesive cell-cell recognition.

Minimal mutation of the cytoplasmic tail inhibits the ability of E-cadherin to activate Rac but not phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase - Direct evidence of a role for cadherin-activated Rac signaling in adhesion and contact formation

Classic cadherins are adhesion-activated cell signaling receptors. In particular, homophilic cadherin ligation can directly activate Rho family GTPases and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-kinase), signaling molecules with the capacity to support the morphogenetic effects of these adhesion molecules during development and disease. However, the molecular basis for cadherin signaling has not been elucidated, nor is its precise contribution to cadherin function yet understood. One attractive hypothesis is that cadherin-activated signaling participates in stabilizing adhesive contacts ( Yap, A. S., and Kovacs, E. M. ( 2003) J. Cell Biol. 160, 11-16). We now report that minimal mutation of the cadherin cytoplasmic tail to uncouple binding of p120-ctn ablated the ability of E-cadherin to activate Rac. This was accompanied by profound defects in the capacity of cells to establish stable adhesive contacts, defects that were rescued by sustained Rac signaling. These data provide direct evidence for a role of cadherin-activated Rac signaling in contact formation and adhesive stabilization. In contrast, cadherin-activated PI3-kinase signaling was not affected by loss of p120-ctn binding. The molecular requirements for E-cadherin to activate Rac signaling thus appear distinct from those that stimulate PI3-kinase, and we postulate that p120-ctn may play a central role in the E-cadherin-Rac signaling pathway.

Identification and cloning of the gene encoding BmpC: an outer-membrane lipoprotein associated with Brachyspira pilosicoli membrane vesicles

The intestinal spirochaete Brachyspira pilosicoli causes colitis in a wide variety of host species. Little is known about the structure or protein constituents of the B. pilosicoli outer membrane (OM). To identify surface-exposed proteins in this species, membrane vesicles were isolated from B. pilosicoli strain 95-1000 cells by osmotic lysis in dH(2)O followed by isopycnic centrifugation in sucrose density gradients. The membrane vesicles were separated into a high-density fraction (HDMV; p = 1.18 g CM-3) and a low-density fraction (LDMV; rho=1.12 g cm(-3)). Both fractions were free of flagella and soluble protein contamination. LDMV contained predominantly OM markers (lipo-oligosaccharide and a 29 kDa B. pilosicoli OM protein) and was used as a source of antigens to produce mAbs. Five B. pilosicoli-specific mAbs reacting with proteins with molecular masses of 23, 24, 35, 61 and 79 kDa were characterized. The 23 kDa protein was only partially soluble in Triton X-114, whereas the 24 and 35 kDa proteins were enriched in the detergent phase, implying that they were integral membrane proteins or lipoproteins. All three proteins were localized to the B. pilosicoli OM by immunogold labelling using specific mAbs. The gene encoding the abundant, surface-exposed 23 kDa protein was identified by screening a B. pilosicoli 95-1000 genome library with the mAb and was expressed in Escherichia coli. Sequence analysis showed that it encoded a unique lipoprotein, designated BmpC. Recombinant BmpC partitioned predominantly in the OM fraction of E. coli strain SOLR. The mAb to BmpC was used to screen a collection of 13 genetically heterogeneous strains of B. pilosicoli isolated from five different host species. Interestingly, only strain 95-1000 was reactive with the mAb, indicating that either the surface-exposed epitope on BmpC is variable between strains or that the protein is restricted in its distribution within B. pilosicoli.

GLUT4 overexpression or deficiency in adipocytes of transgenic mice alters the composition of GLUT4 vesicles and the subcellular localization of GLUT4 and insulin-responsive aminopeptidase

The majority of GLUT4 is sequestered in unique intracellular vesicles in the absence of insulin. Upon insulin stimulation GLUT4 vesicles translocate to, and fuse with, the plasma membrane. To determine the effect of GLUT4 content on the distribution and subcellular trafficking of GLUT4 and other vesicle proteins, adipocytes of adipose-specific, GLUT4-deficient (aP2-GLUT4-/-) mice and adipose-specific, GLUT4-overexpressing (aP2GLUT4- Tg) mice were studied. GLUT4 amount was reduced by 80 - 95% in aP2-GLUT4-/- adipocytes and increased similar to10-fold in aP2-GLUT4-Tg adipocytes compared with controls. Insulin-responsive aminopeptidase ( IRAP) protein amount was decreased 35% in aP2-GLUT4-/- adipocytes and increased 45% in aP2-GLUT4-Tg adipocytes. VAMP2 protein was also decreased by 60% in aP2-GLUT4-/- adipocytes and increased 2-fold in aP2GLUT4- Tg adipocytes. IRAP and VAMP2 mRNA levels were unaffected in aP2-GLUT4-Tg, suggesting that overexpression of GLUT4 affects IRAP and VAMP2 protein stability. The amount and subcellular distribution of syntaxin4, SNAP23, Munc-18c, and GLUT1 were unchanged in either aP2-GLUT4-/- or aP2-GLUT4-Tg adipocytes, but transferrin receptor was partially redistributed to the plasma membrane in aP2-GLUT4-Tg adipocytes. Immunogold electron microscopy revealed that overexpression of GLUT4 in adipocytes increased the number of GLUT4 molecules per vesicle nearly 2-fold and the number of GLUT4 and IRAP-containing vesicles per cell 3-fold. In addition, the proportion of cellular GLUT4 and IRAP at the plasma membrane in unstimulated aP2-GLUT4-Tg adipocytes was increased 4- and 2-fold, respectively, suggesting that sequestration of GLUT4 and IRAP is saturable. Our results show that GLUT4 overexpression or deficiency affects the amount of other GLUT4-vesicle proteins including IRAP and VAMP2 and that GLUT4 sequestration is saturable.

Endosome-to-cytosol transport of viral nucleocapsids

During viral infection, fusion of the viral envelope with endosomal membranes and nucleocapsid release were thought to be concomitant events. We show here that for the vesicular stomatitis virus they occur sequentially, at two successive steps of the endocytic pathway. Fusion already occurs in transport intermediates between early and late endosomes, presumably releasing the nucleocapsid within the lumen of intra- endosomal vesicles, where it remains hidden. Transport to late endosomes is then required for the nucleocapsid to be delivered to the cytoplasm. This last step, which initiates infection, depends on the late endosomal lipid lysobisphosphatidic acid ( LBPA) and its putative effector Alix/ AIP1, and is regulated by phosphatidylinositol- 3-phosphate ( PtdIns( 3) P) signalling via the PtdIns( 3) P- binding protein Snx16. We conclude that the nucleocapsid is exported into the cytoplasm after the back- fusion of internal vesicles with the limiting membrane of late endosomes, and that this process is controlled by the phospholipids LBPA and PtdIns( 3) P and their effectors.

CpG DNA activates survival in murine macrophages through TLR9 and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-Akt pathway

Bacterial CpG-containing (CpG) DNA promotes survival of murine macrophages and triggers production of proinflammatory mediators. The CpG DNA-induced inflammatory response is mediated via TLR9, whereas a recent study reported that activation of the Akt prosurvival pathway occurs via DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) and independently. of TLR9. We show, in this study, that Akt activation and survival of murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMM) triggered by CpG-containing phosphodiester oligodeoxynucleotides or CpG-containing phosphorothioate oligodeoxynucleotides was completely dependent on TLR9. In addition, survival triggered by CpG-containing phosphodiester oligodeoxynucleotides was not compromised in BMM from SCID mice that express a catalytically inactive form of DNA-PK. CpG DNA-induced survival of BMM was inhibited by the PI3K inhibitor, LY294002, but not by the MEK1/2 inhibitor, PD98059. The effect of LY294002 was specific to survival, because treatment of BMM with LY294002 affected CpG DNA-induced TNF-alpha production only modestly. Therefore, CpG DNA activates macrophage survival via TLR9 and the PI3K-Akt pathway and independently of DNA-PK and MEK-ERK.

Phase behavior of a phospholipid/fatty acid/water mixture studied in atomic detail

Molecular dynamics simulations have been used to study the phase behavior of a dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC)/palmitic acid (PA)/water 1:2:20 mixture in atomic detail. Starting from a random solution of DPPC and PA in water, the system adopts either a gel phase at temperatures below similar to 330 K or an inverted hexagonal phase above similar to 330 K in good agreement with experiment. It has also been possible to observe the direct transformation from a gel to an inverted hexagonal phase at elevated temperature (similar to 390 K). During this transformation, a metastable fluid lamellar intermediate is observed. Interlamellar connections or stalks form spontaneously on a nanosecond time scale and subsequently elongate, leading to the formation of an inverted hexagonal phase. This work opens the possibility of studying in detail how the formation of nonlamellar phases is affected by lipid composition and (fusion) peptides and, thus, is an important step toward understanding related biological processes, such as membrane fusion.

Phosphoinositide regulation of neuroexocytosis: adding to the complexity

Exocytosis of neurotransmitter containing vesicles supports neuronal communication. The importance of molecular interactions involving specific lipids has become progressively more evident and the lipid composition of both the synaptic vesicle and the pre-synaptic plasma membrane at the active zone has significant functional consequences for neurotransmitter release. Several classes of lipids have been implicated in exocytosis including polyunsaturated fatty acids and phosphoinositides. This minireview will focus on recent developments regarding the role of phosphoinositides in neurosecretion.

Supra-assembly of siliceous vesicles

We report a new approach to produce macroporous (110 nm in diameter) ordered siliceous foams (MOSF) by using block copolymers as templates in the absence of any organic cosolvent. The fine three-dimensional honeycomb structure of MOSF was determined by electron tomography. A formation mechanism of MOSF that spans from the atomic to macroscopic scale is proposed, which involves the cooperative self-assembly of unilamellar vesicles followed by the supra-assembly of vesicles. The fusion of soft vesicles finally leads to MOSF with well-ordered and defined honeycomb structures.

Specific isoforms of actin-binding proteins on distinct populations of Golgi-derived vesicles

Golgi membranes and Golgi-derived vesicles are associated with multiple cytoskeletal proteins and motors, the diversity and distribution of which have not yet been defined. Carrier vesicles were separated from Golgi membranes, using an in vitro budding assay, and different populations of vesicles were separated using sucrose density gradients. Three main populations of vesicles labeled with beta-COP, gamma-adaptin, or p200/myosin II were separated and analyzed for the presence of actin/actin-binding proteins, beta-Actin was bound to Golgi cisternae and to all populations of newly budded vesicles. Centractin was selectively associated with vesicles co-distributing with beta-COP-vesicles, while p200/myosin II (non-muscle myosin IIA) and non-muscle myosin IIB were found on different vesicle populations. Isoforms of the Tm5 tropomyosins were found on selected Golgi-derived vesicles, while other Tm isoforms did not colocalize with Tm5 indicating the association of specialized actin filaments with Golgi-derived vesicles. Golgi-derived vesicles were shown to bind to F-actin polymerized from cytosol with Jasplakinolide. Thus, newly budded, coated vesicles derived from Golgi membranes can bind to actin and are customized for differential interactions with microfilaments by the presence of selective arrays of actin-binding proteins.