Savitri Maddileti

Gα12/13- and Rho-Dependent Activation of Phospholipase C-ϵ by Lysophosphatidic Acid and Thrombin Receptors

Because phospholipase C ϵ (PLC-ϵ) is activated by Gα12/13 and Rho family GTPases, we investigated whether these G proteins contribute to the increased inositol lipid hydrolysis observed in COS-7 cells after activation of certain G protein-coupled receptors. Stimulation of inositol lipid hydrolysis by endogenous lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) or thrombin receptors was markedly enhanced by the expression of PLC-ϵ. Expression of the LPA1 or PAR1 receptor increased inositol phosphate production in response to LPA or SFLLRN, respectively, and these agonist-stimulated responses were markedly enhanced by coexpression of PLC-ϵ. Both LPA1 and PAR1 receptor-mediated activation of PLC-ϵ was inhibited by coexpression of the regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) domain of p115RhoGEF, a GTPase-activating protein for Gα12/13 but not by expression of the RGS domain of GRK2, which inhibits Gαq signaling. In contrast, activation of the Gq-coupled M1 muscarinic or P2Y2 purinergic receptor was neither enhanced by coexpression with PLC-ϵ nor inhibited by the RGS domain of p115RhoGEF but was blocked by expression of the RGS domain of GRK2. Expression of the Rho inhibitor C3 botulinum toxin did not affect LPA- or SFLLRN-stimulated inositol lipid hydrolysis in the absence of PLC-ϵ but completely prevented the PLC-ϵ-dependent increase in inositol phosphate accumulation. Likewise, C3 toxin blocked the PLC-ϵ-dependent stimulatory effects of the LPA1, LPA2, LPA3, or PAR1 receptor but had no effect on the agonist-promoted inositol phosphate response of the M1 or P2Y2 receptor. Moreover, PLC-ϵ-dependent stimulation of inositol phosphate accumulation by activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor, which involves Ras- but not Rho-mediated activation of the phospholipase, was unaffected by C3 toxin. These studies illustrate that specific LPA and thrombin receptors promote inositol lipid signaling via activation of Gα12/13 and Rho.

Aberrant Receptor Internalization and Enhanced FRS2-dependent Signaling Contribute to the Transforming Activity of the Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 2 IIIb C3 Isoform

Alternative splice variants of fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) IIIb, designated C1, C2, and C3, possess progressive reduction in their cytoplasmic carboxyl termini (822, 788, and 769 residues, respectively), with preferential expression of the C2 and C3 isoforms in human cancers. We determined that the progressive deletion of carboxyl-terminal sequences correlated with increasing transforming potency. The highly transforming C3 variant lacks five tyrosine residues present in C1, and we determined that the loss of Tyr-770 alone enhanced FGFR2 IIIb C1 transforming activity. Because Tyr-770 may compose a putative YXXL sorting motif, we hypothesized that loss of Tyr-770 in the 770YXXL motif may cause disruption of FGFR2 IIIb C1 internalization and enhance transforming activity. Surprisingly, we found that mutation of Leu-773 but not Tyr-770 impaired receptor internalization and increased receptor stability and activation. Interestingly, concurrent mutations of Tyr-770 and Leu-773 caused 2-fold higher transforming activity than caused by the Y770F or L773A single mutations, suggesting loss of Tyr and Leu residues of the 770YXXL773 motif enhances FGFR2 IIIb transforming activity by distinct mechanisms. We also determined that loss of Tyr-770 caused persistent activation of FRS2 by enhancing FRS2 binding to FGFR2 IIIb. Furthermore, we found that FRS2 binding to FGFR2 IIIb is required for increased FRS2 tyrosine phosphorylation and enhanced transforming activity by Y770F mutation. Our data support a dual mechanism where deletion of the 770YXXL773 motif promotes FGFR2 IIIb C3 transforming activity by causing aberrant receptor recycling and stability and persistent FRS2-dependent signaling.

UDP Is a Competitive Antagonist at the Human P2Y14 Receptor

G protein-coupled P2Y receptors (P2Y-R) are activated by adenine and uracil nucleotides. The P2Y14 receptor (P2Y14-R) is activated by at least four naturally occurring UDP sugars, with UDP-glucose (UDP-Glc) being the most potent agonist. With the goal of identifying a competitive antagonist for the P2Y14-R, UDP was examined for antagonist activity in COS-7 cells transiently expressing the human P2Y14-R and a chimeric Gα protein that couples Gi-coupled receptors to stimulation of phosphoinositide hydrolysis. UDP antagonized the agonist action of UDP-Glc, and Schild analysis confirmed that the antagonism was competitive (pKB = 7.28). Uridine 5′-O-thiodiphosphate also antagonized the human P2Y14-R (hP2Y14-R) with an apparent affinity similar to that of UDP. In contrast, no antagonist activity was observed with ADP, CDP, or GDP, and other uracil analogs also failed to exhibit antagonist activity. The antagonist activity of UDP was not observed at other hP2Y-R. In contrast to its antagonist action at the hP2Y14-R, UDP was a potent agonist (EC50 = 0.35 μM) at the rat P2Y14-R. These results identify the first competitive antagonist of the P2Y14-R and demonstrate pharmacological differences between receptor orthologs.