Jan Saras

Rho GTPases have diverse effects on the organization of the actin filament system.

The Rho GTPases are related to the Ras proto-oncogenes and consist of 22 family members. These proteins have important roles in regulating the organization of the actin filament system, and thereby the morphogenesis of vertebrate cells as well as their ability to migrate. In an effort to compare the effects of all members of the Rho GTPase family, active Rho GTPases were transfected into porcine aortic endothelial cells and the effects on the actin filament system were monitored. Cdc42, TCL (TC10-like), Rac1-Rac3 and RhoG induced the formation of lamellipodia, whereas Cdc42, Rac1 and Rac2 also induced the formation of thick bundles of actin filaments. In contrast, transfection with TC10 or Chp resulted in the formation of focal adhesion-like structures, whereas Wrch-1 induced long and thin filopodia. Transfection with RhoA, RhoB or RhoC induced the assembly of stress fibres, whereas Rnd1-Rnd3 resulted in the loss of stress fibres, but this effect was associated with the formation of actin- and ezrin-containing dorsal microvilli. Cells expressing RhoD and Rif had extremely long and flexible filopodia. None of the RhoBTB or Miro GTPases had any major influence on the organization of the actin filament system; instead, RhoBTB1 and RhoBTB2 were present in vesicular structures, and Miro-1 and Miro-2 were present in mitochondria. Collectively, the data obtained in this study to some extent confirm earlier observations, but also allow the identification of previously undetected roles of the different members of the Rho GTPases.

Platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor has thymidine phosphorylase activity

Platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor (PD-ECGF), a protein which stimulates angiogenesis in vivo, is shown to have a 39.2% amino acid sequence similarity over a 439 amino acid region with the thymidine phosphorylase of Escherichia coli (E. coli). Using recombinant human PD-ECGF, we show that PD-ECGF has thymidine phosphorylase activity. Analysis by gel chromatography revealed that recombinant human PD-ECGF occurs as a 90 kDa homodimer, similar to other thymidine phosphorylases. In addition to a possible effect on DNA synthesis, PD-ECGF was shown to affect [3H]thymidine assays in a manner which is not related to cell proliferation. The in vitro and in vivo effects of PD-ECGF may thus occur by an indirect mechanism through its enzymatic activity.

A novel GTPase-activating protein for Rho interacts with a PDZ domain of the protein-tyrosine phosphatase PTPL1.

PTPL1 is an intracellular protein-tyrosine phosphatase that contains five PDZ domains. Here, we present the cloning of a novel 150-kDa protein, the four most C-terminal amino acid residues of which specifically interact with the fourth PDZ domain of PTPL1. The molecule contains a GTPase-activating protein (GAP) domain, a cysteine-rich, putative Zn2+- and diacylglycerol-binding domain, and a region of sequence homology to the product of the Caenorhabditis elegans geneZK669.1a. The GAP domain is active on Rho, Rac, and Cdc42in vitro but with a clear preference for Rho; we refer to the molecule as PTPL1-associated RhoGAP 1, PARG1. Rho is inactivated by GAPs, and protein-tyrosine phosphorylation has been implicated in Rho signaling. Therefore, a complex between PTPL1 and PARG1 may function as a powerful negative regulator of Rho signaling, acting both on Rho itself and on tyrosine phosphorylated components in the Rho signal transduction pathway.

Characterization of the Interactions between PDZ Domains of the Protein-tyrosine Phosphatase PTPL1 and the Carboxyl-terminal Tail of Fas

The intracellular protein-tyrosine phosphatase PTPL1 has five PDZ domains and one of them, PDZ 2, has previously been shown to interact with the C-terminal tail of Fas, a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor family. Using a peptide binding assay, we show that not only PDZ 2 but also PDZ 4 of PTPL1 interacts with high affinity with peptides derived from the C terminus of Fas. The five most C-terminal amino acid residues of Fas influence the affinity of the interaction. Whereas the glutamine and isoleucine residues in the 4th and 5th positions from the C terminus affect the interaction in a negative and positive manner, respectively, the three C-terminal amino acid residues (SLV) are necessary and sufficient for a high affinity interaction to occur. Both the carboxyl group and side chain of the valine residue at the C terminus of Fas are essential, and the leucine and serine residues in the 2nd and 3rd positions, respectively, from the C terminus are important for the interactions with PDZ 2 and PDZ 4 of PTPL1.