Choong Won Kim

Disease-specific Proteins from Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatiory disease that mainly destroys cartilages or bones at the joints. This inflammatory disorder is initiated by self-attack using own immune system, but the detail of pathological mechanism is unclear. Features of autoantigens leading to autoimmune disease are also under veil although several candidates including type II collagen have been suggested to play a role in pathogenesis. In this report, we tried to identify proteins responding to antibodies purified from RA patients and screen proteins up-regulated or down-regulated in RA using proteomic approach. Fibronectin, semaphorin 7A precursor, growth factor binding protein 7 (GRB7), and immunoglobulin µ chain were specifically associated with antibodies isolated from RA synovial fluids. In addition, some metabolic proteins such as adipocyte fatty acid binding protein, galectin-1 and apolipoprotein A1 precursor were overexpressed in RA synovium. Also, expression of peroxiredoxin 2 was up-regulated in RA. On the contrary, expression of vimentin was severely suppressed in RA synoviocytes. Such findings might give some insights into understanding of pathological mechanism in RA.

Cytosolic accumulation of γH2AX is associated with tropomyosin-related kinase A-induced cell death in U2OS cells

Tropomyosin-related kinase A (TrkA) plays an important role in cell survival, differentiation, and apoptosis in various neuronal and nonneuronal cell types. Here we show that TrkA overexpression by the Tet-On system mimics NGF-mediated activation pathways in the absence of nerve growth factor (NGF) stimulation in U2OS cells. In addition, p53 upregulation upon DNA damage was inhibited by TrkA, and p21 was upregulated by TrkA in a p53-independent manner. TrkA overexpression caused cell death by interrupting cell cycle progression, and TrkA-induced cell death was diminished in the presence of its specific inhibitor GW441756. Interestingly, TrkA-mediated cell death was strongly related to γH2AX production and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage in the absence of DNA damage inducer. In this study, we also reveal that γH2AX production by TrkA is blocked by TrkA kinase inhibitors K-252a and GW441756, and it is also significantly inhibited by JNK inhibitor SP600125. Moreover, reduction of cell viability by TrkA was strongly suppressed by SP600125 treatment, suggesting a critical role of JNK in TrkA-induced cell death. We also found that γH2AX and TrkA were colocalized in cytosol in the absence of DNA damage, and the nuclear localization of γH2AX induced by DNA damage was partly altered to cytosol by TrkA overexpression. Our results suggest that the abnormal cytosolic accumulation of γH2AX is implicated in TrkA-induced cell death in the absence of DNA damage.

Cloning and characterization of a chicken protein tyrosine phosphatase, CPTP1

Protein tyrosine phosphorylation and dephosphorylation are an important regulatory reactions in cell physiology. We have cloned a cDNA that encode a cytosolic protein tyrosine phosphatase (CPTP1) from chicken intestine cDNA library. Amino acid sequence identity between the CPTP1 and low molecular weight form of human placenta enzyme (HPTP1B) was 92%. CPTP1 lacked 13 amino acids in N-terminal region, while it had an additional 48 amino acids in the C-terminal region in comparison with the truncated form of HPTP1B of 321 amino acids. This C-terminal sequence was different from those of all known PTPs. The CPTP1 does not have a membrane targeting or nuclear localization sequences at its C-terminus like other PTPs such as HPTP1B and murine homolog of the human T-cell protein tyrosine phosphatase (MPTP) do. The cloned cDNA has been expressed in E. coli and purified by affinity chromatography. Dephosphorylation kinetics of this enzyme closely resembled those of the known PTPs. The dephosphorylation reaction required a reducing agent such as glutathione and dithiothreitol and was inhibited by sodium vanadate and formaldehyde. Deletion of 72 amino acids from C-terminal side of CPTP1 gene resulted in higher expression in E. coli and more potent phosphatase activity than wild type CPTP1 gene product. This result suggests that the C-terminal region of the CPTP1 protein negatively regulates phosphatase activity. These results also imply that CPTP1 might be a nontransmembrane-type enzyme with a structure and localization specificity distinct from other known cytosolic PTP1B type homolog.

Elongation factor-2 in chick embryo is phosphorylated on tyrosine as well as serine and threonine.

An endogenous 95 kDa chick embryo cytosolic protein (p95) was phosphorylated in the presence of [gamma-32P]ATP and the kinase activity for p95 was mostly associated with particulate fraction. Phosphorylation of p95 was prominent in embryos of early developmental stage. Hydrolysis of p95 phosphoprotein yielded phosphotyrosine in addition to phosphothreonine and phosphoserine. Native p95 was also tyrosine-phosphorylated. p95 phosphoprotein was purified by DEAE-Sephacel chromatography and immunoprecipitation with anti-phosphotyrosine antibody and the amino acid sequence was determined. The N-terminal sequence, Val-Asn-Phe-Thr-Val-Asp-Gln-Ile-Arg-Ala-Ile-Met-Asp- Lys-Lys-Ala-Asn-Ile-Arg-Asn-Met-, was found to be identical to those of elongation factor-2 (EF-2) of both rat and hamster. Our results suggest the presence of other EF-2 kinase in chick embryo cell than the previously reported Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase III.

Proteomic analysis of novel targets associated with TrkA-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation signaling pathways in SK-N-MC neuroblastoma cells

Tropomyosin‐related kinase A (TrkA) is a receptor‐type protein tyrosine kinase and exploits pleiotypic roles via nerve growth factor (NGF)‐dependent or NGF‐independent mechanisms in various cell types. Here, we showed that the inhibition of TrkA activity by GW441756 resulted in the suppression of tyrosine phosphorylation of cellular proteins including extracellular signal‐regulated protein kinase (ERK) and c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK). To find novel targets associated with TrkA‐mediated tyrosine phosphorylation signaling pathways, we investigated GW441756 effects on TrkA‐dependent targets in SK‐N‐MC neuroblastoma cells by proteomic analysis. The major TrkA‐dependent protein spots controlled by GW441756 were determined by PDQuest image analysis, identified by MALDI‐TOF MS and MALDI‐TOF/TOF MS/MS, and verified by 2DE/Western blot analysis. Thus, we found that most of the identified protein spots were modified forms in a normal condition, and their modifications were regulated by TrkA activity. Especially, our results demonstrated that the modifications of α‐tubulin and heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins C1/C2 (hnRNP C1/C2) were significantly upregulated by TrkA, whereas α‐enolase modification was downregulated by TrkA, and it was suppressed by GW441756, indicating that TrkA activity is required for their modifications. Taken together, we suggest here that the major novel TrkA‐dependent targets such as α‐tubulin, hnRNP C1/C2, and α‐enolase could play an essential role in TrkA‐mediated tyrosine phosphorylation signaling pathways via regulation of their posttranslational modifications.

Caveolin-1 inhibits TrkA-induced cell death by influencing on TrkA modification associated with tyrosine-490 phosphorylation

Caveolin-1, a main structural protein constituent of caveolae, plays an important role in the signal transduction, endocytosis, and cholesterol transport. In addition, caveolin-1 has conflictive role in the regulation of cell survival and death depending on intracellular signaling pathways. The receptor tyrosine kinase TrkA has been known to interact with caveolin-1, and exploits multiple functions such as cell survival, death and differentiation. In this report, we investigated how TrkA-induced cell death signaling is regulated by caveolin-1 in both TrkA and caveolin-1 overexpressing stable U2OS cells. Here we show that TrkA co-localizes with caveolin-1 mostly as a large aggresome around nucleus by confocal immunofluorescence microscopy. Interestingly, TrkA-mediated Bak cleavage was suppressed by caveolin-1, indicating an inhibition of TrkA-induced cell death signaling by caveolin-1. Moreover, caveolin-1 altered TrkA modification including tyrosine-490 phosphorylation and unidentified cleavage(s), resulting in the inhibition of TrkA-induced apoptotic cell death. Our results suggest that caveolin-1 could suppress TrkA-mediated pleiotypic effects by altering TrkA modification via functional interaction.

Identification of simvastatin-regulated targets associated with JNK activation in DU145 human prostate cancer cell death signaling

The results of this study show that c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation was associated with the enhancement of docetaxel-induced cytotoxicity by simvastatin in DU145 human prostate cancer cells. To better understand the basic molecular mechanisms, we investigated simvastatin-regulated targets during simvastatin-induced cell death in DU145 cells using two-dimensional (2D) proteomic analysis. Thus, vimentin, Ras-related protein Rab-1B (RAB1B), cytoplasmic hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA synthase (cHMGCS), thioredoxin domain-containing protein 5 (TXNDC5), heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNP K), N-myc downstream-regulated gene 1 (NDRG1), and isopentenyl-diphosphate Delta-isomerase 1 (IDI1) protein spots were identified as simvastatin-regulated targets involved in DU145 cell death signaling pathways. Moreover, the JNK inhibitor SP600125 significantly inhibited the upregulation of NDRG1 and IDI protein levels by combination treatment of docetaxel and simvastatin. These results suggest that NDRG1 and IDI could at least play an important role in DU145 cell death signaling as simvastatin-regulated targets associated with JNK activation.

Proteomic analysis of novel targets associated with the enhancement of TrkA-induced SK-N-MC cancer cell death caused by NGF.

Nerve growth factor (NGF) is known to regulate both cancer cell survival and death signaling, depending on the cellular circumstances, in various cell types. In this study, we showed that NGF strongly upregulated the protein level of tropomyosin-related kinase A (TrkA) in TrkA-inducible SK-N-MC cancer cells, resulting in increases in various TrkA-dependent cellular processes, including the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and caspase-8 cleavage. In addition, NGF enhanced TrkA-induced morphological changes and cell death, and this effect was significantly suppressed by the JNK inhibitor SP600125, but not by the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor wortmannin. To investigate novel targets associated with the enhancement of TrkA-induced SK-N-MC cell death caused by NGF, we performed Coomassie Brilliant Blue staining and two-dimensional (2D) proteomic analysis in TrkA-inducible SK-N-MC cells. We identified 31 protein spots that were either greatly upregulated or downregulated by TrkA during NGF treatment using matrix-associated laser desorption/ionization time of flight/time of flight mass spectrometry, and we analyzed the effects of SP600125 and wortmannin on the spots. Interestingly, 11 protein spots, including heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNP K), lamin B1 and TAR DNA-binding protein (TDP43), were significantly influenced by SP600125, but not by wortmannin. Moreover, the NGF/TrkA-dependent inhibition of cell viability was significantly enhanced by knockdown of hnRNP K using small interfering RNA, demonstrating that hnRNP K is a novel target associated with the regulation of TrkA-dependent SK-N-MC cancer cell death enhanced by NGF.

Proteomic analysis of SP600125-controlled TrkA-dependent targets in SK-N-MC neuroblastoma cells: Inhibition of TrkA activity by SP600125

The c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) is well known to play an important role in cell death signaling of the p75 neurotrophin receptor. However, little has been studied about a role of JNK in the signaling pathways of the tropomyosin‐related kinase A (TrkA) neurotrophin receptor. In this study, we investigated JNK inhibitor SP600125‐controlled TrkA‐dependent targets by proteomic analysis to better understand an involvement of JNK in TrkA‐mediated signaling pathways. PDQuest image analysis and protein identification results showed that hnRNP C1/C2, α‐tubulin, β‐tubulin homolog, actin homolog, and eIF‐5A‐1 protein spots were upregulated by ectopic expression of TrkA, whereas α‐enolase, peroxiredoxin‐6, PROS‐27, HSP70, PP1‐gamma, and PDH E1‐alpha were downregulated by TrkA, and these TrkA‐dependent upregulation and downregulation were significantly suppressed by SP600125. Notably, TrkA largely affected certain PTM(s) but not total protein amounts of the SP600125‐controlled TrkA‐dependent targets. Moreover, SP600125 strongly suppressed TrkA‐mediated tyrosine phosphorylation signaling pathways as well as JNK signaling, indicating that SP600125 could function as a TrkA inhibitor. Taken together, our results suggest that TrkA could play an important role in the cytoskeleton, cell death, cellular processing, and glucose metabolism through activation or inactivation of the SP600125‐controlled TrkA‐dependent targets.

Molecular cloning and expression of a cDNA encoding a protein tyrosine phosphatase from mouse brain

A mouse brain cDNA library was screened with a radioisotope‐labeled probe of human placental protein tyrosine phosphatase. The isolated clone (MBPTP1B) was found to contain an open reading frame of 1,296 nucleotides as well as 5′ (709 nucleotides) and 3′ (341 nucleotides) non‐coding regions. This cDNA encodes a PTP of 432 amino acids having a mass of 49,563 daltons and exhibiting 83% and 93.5% sequence identity to that of human PTP1B and rat PTP1, respectively. The expression of the cDNA in yeast was identified by western blot analysis and PTP activity assay.