Aiko Hirata

Ubiquitination and SUMOylation of annexin A1 and helicase activity.

BACKGROUND While annexin A1 in nuclei is proposed to be involved in cell transformation, its functions remain poorly understood. Since annexin A1 has the consensus motif, ¹⁶⁰LKRD, for SUMOylation as well as Ks, acceptors for ubiquitination that regulates localization and functions of proteins, we investigated SUMOylation and ubiquitination of annexin A1. METHODS SUMOylation and ubiquitination of bovine annexin A1 were biochemically tested in vitro by purified proteins, and were confirmed by cell experiments with L5178 lymphoma cells. Effects of the modifications on DNA helicase activity were measured by ssDNA binding activity and by dsDNA unwinding activity. RESULTS SUMOylation of annexin A1 was catalyzed by Ubc9, while its ubiquitination was by Rad6-Rad 18. Ubiquitinated annexin A1 had higher affinity for damaged DNA, and promoted in vitro translesion DNA synthesis by Pol ß. In mouse lymphoma L5178Y tk(+/-) cells, levels of SUMOylated annexin A1 decreased by DNA damaging agents, MMS or As³, whereas those of ubiquitinated annexin A1 increased under the same conditions. CONCLUSION These observations suggest but do not necessarily prove that ubiquitinated annexin A1 in nuclei may be involved in DNA damage response, while SUMOylated annexin A1 functions in proliferation-differentiation. SIGNIFICANCE Ubiquitination of annexin A1 may play an important role in mutagenesis, an initial step of cell transformation.

Biology of Phospholipase Inhibitory Proteins

Our present results showed that calpactins might be not the proteins whose synthesis is modulated by glucocorticoids, and suggest that there may be another type of PLA2 inhibitory protein which directly interact with PLA2 and whose synthesis is induced by glucocorticoids. Further characterization and isolation of this protein will provide the most concrete evidence in this aspect.

Carcinogenic heavy metals replace Ca2+ for DNA binding and annealing activities of mono-ubiquitinated annexin A1 homodimer

Mono-ubiquitinated annexin A1 was purified from rat liver nuclei. The homodimer form of mono-ubiquitinated annexin A1 was able to unwind dsDNA in a Mg(2+)- and ATP-dependent manner, and to anneal ssDNA in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner. Phospholipids decreased the concentration of Ca(2+) required for maximal annealing activity. Heavy metals such as As(3+), Cr(6+), Pb(2+) and Cd(2+) substituted for Ca(2+) in the ssDNA binding and annealing activities of annexin A1. While these metals inhibited the unwinding of dsDNA by nuclear annexin A1 in the presence of Mg(2+) and ATP, they enhanced dsDNA-dependent ATPase activity of annexin A1. Heavy metals may have produced dsDNA, a substrate for the DNA unwinding reaction, via the DNA annealing reaction. DNA synthesomes were isolated from L5178Y tk(+/-) mouse lymphoma cells in exponential growth, and were found to contain helicase activities. The As(3+)- or Cr(6+)-induced increases in ssDNA binding activity of DNA synthesomes were reduced by a mono-specific anti-annexin A1 antibody, but not by anti-Ig antibody. Anti-annexin A1 antibody also blocked the inhibitory and stimulatory effects of As(3+) or Cr(6+) towards DNA unwinding and annealing activities of DNA synthesomes. Based on these observations, it can be concluded that the effects of heavy metals on DNA annealing and unwinding activities are mediated, at least in substantial part, through actions of the mono-ubiquitinated annexin A1 homodimer.

Dietary flavonoids bind to mono-ubiquitinated annexin A1 in nuclei, and inhibit chemical induced mutagenesis.

In order to investigate the mechanisms of anti-mutagenic action by dietary flavonoids, we investigated if they inhibit mutation of the thymidine kinase (tk) gene in L5178Ytk(±) lymphoma cells. Silibinin, quercetin and genistein suppressed mutation of the tk gene induced in L5178Ytk(±) lymphoma cells by methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) and As(3+). Flavone and flavonol were less effective. To establish that mutation of the tk gene in L5178Ytk(±) lymphoma cells by MMS and As(3+) is mediated through mono-ubiquitinated annexin A1, L5178Ytk(±) lymphoma cells were treated with annexin A1 anti-sense oligonucleotide. The treatment reduced mRNA as well as protein levels of annexin A1, and suppressed mutation of the tk gene. Nuclear extracts from L5178Ytk(±) lymphoma cells catalyzed translesion DNA synthesis with an oligonucleotide template containing 8-oxo-guanosine in an annexin A1 dependent manner. This translesion DNA synthesis was inhibited by the anti-mutagenic flavonoids, silibinin, quercetin and genistein, in a concentration dependent manner, but only slightly by flavone and flavonol. Because these observations implicate involvement of annexin A1 in mutagenesis, we examined if flavonoids suppress nuclear annexin A1 helicase activity. Silibinin, quercetin and genistein inhibited ssDNA binding, DNA chain annealing and DNA unwinding activities of purified nuclear mono-ubiquitinated annexin A1. Flavone and flavonol were ineffective. The apparent direct binding of anti-mutagenic flavonoids to the annexin A1 molecule was supported by fluorescence quenching. Taken together, these findings illustrate that nuclear annexin A1 may be a novel and productive target protein of prevention for DNA damage induced gene mutation, ultimately conferring cancer chemoprevention.