Tetsushi Iwasaki

Molecular Identification and Characterization of Xenopus Egg Uroplakin III, an Egg Raft-associated Transmembrane Protein That Is Tyrosine-phosphorylated upon Fertilization

Here we describe mass spectrometric identification, molecular cloning, and biochemical characterization of a lipid/membrane raft-associated protein that is tyrosine-phosphorylated upon Xenopus egg fertilization. This protein is homologous to mammalian uroplakin III, a member of the uroplakin family proteins (UPs) that constitute asymmetric unit membranes in the mammalian urothelial tissues, thus termed Xenopus uroplakin III (xUPIII). xUPIII contains N-linked sugars and is highly expressed in Xenopus eggs, ovary, urinary tract, and kidney. In unfertilized eggs, xUPIII is predominantly localized to the lipid/membrane rafts and exposed on the cell surface, as judged by surface biotinylation experiments and indirect immunofluorescent studies. After fertilization or hydrogen peroxide-induced egg activation, xUPIII becomes rapidly phosphorylated on tyrosine residue-249, which locates in the carboxyl-terminal cytoplasmic tail of the molecule. Raft localization and tyrosine phosphorylation of xUPIII can be reconstituted in HEK293 cells by coexpression of xUPIII, and Xenopus c-Src, a tyrosine kinase whose fertilization-induced activation in egg rafts is required for initiation of development. In mammals, UPIII is forming a complex with a tetraspanin molecule uroplakin Ib. As another tetraspanin, CD9, is known to be a critical component for sperm-egg fusion in the mouse, we have assumed that xUPIII is involved in sperm-egg interaction. An antibody against the extracellular domain of xUPIII blocks sperm-egg interaction, as judged by the occurrence of egg activation and first cell cleavage. Thus, xUPIII represents an egg raft-associated protein that is likely involved in sperm-egg interaction as well as subsequent Src-dependent intracellular events of egg activation in Xenopus.

Src-dependent phosphorylation of the EGF receptor Tyr-845 mediates Stat-p21waf1 pathway in A431 cells

Background:  Cell surface receptor for the epidermal growth factor (EGFR) and cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase c‐Src co‐operate in several cellular functions such as proliferation and apoptosis. Our previous studies have shown that ectopic expression of the adaptor protein p52shc or p66shc, but not p46shc, and EGF stimulation lead to the activation of c‐Src that is accompanied by phosphorylation of signal transducers and activators of transcription (Stat) in A431 cells.

Adaptor Protein Shc Is an Isoform-specific Direct Activator of the Tyrosine Kinase c-Src

The activity of c-Src protein-tyrosine kinase is up-regulated under a number of receptor signaling pathways. However, the activation mechanism of c-Src under physiological conditions has remained unclear. We show here that the Shc adaptor protein is a novel direct activator of c-Src in epidermal growth factor receptor signaling in A431 human epidermoid carcinoma cells. Among the three Shc isoforms, P66 and P52, but not P46, were found to interact with and activate c-Src in vitro and in vivo. Activation of c-Src accompanied autophosphorylation of c-Src in the activation segment, but the carboxyl-terminal dephosphorylation was not observed. We have identified the interaction sites between Shc and c-Src and constructed a point mutant of Shc that abolishes the c-Src activation. Using this mutant, we have confirmed that the Shc-mediated c-Src activation triggers Stat-p21/WAF1/Cip1 pathway that has been implicated in the cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of epidermal growth factor-stimulated A431 cells.

Role and Regulation of STAT3 Phosphorylation at Ser727 in Melanocytes and Melanoma Cells

The transcription factor signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) has two important phosphorylation sites, Tyr705 and Ser727, for its activation. Ser727 phosphorylation has been considered to be a secondary event after Tyr705 phosphorylation. In this study, the role and regulation of Ser727 phosphorylation in STAT3 in melanocytic cells were examined. STAT3 was phosphorylated on Ser727 in the absence of Tyr705 phosphorylation in melanocytes. 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-induced increase in cell survival activity and nuclear translocation of STAT3 was associated with Ser727 phosphorylation. Ser727 was constitutively phosphorylated in all melanoma cell lines examined irrespective of Tyr705 phosphorylation. The possible involvement of Ser727 phosphorylation in STAT3 in cell survival activity and nuclear translocation of STAT3 in melanocytes was demonstrated also in melanoma cells. The constitutive Ser727 phosphorylation in melanoma cells was partially mediated by the B-Raf-MEK-ERK1/2 pathway. Immunohistochemical studies on specimens of primary lesions of acral lentiginous melanoma revealed that Ser727 phosphorylation precedes Tyr705 phosphorylation in the early stages of melanoma progression. Our results indicate that Ser727 phosphorylation on STAT3 is not necessarily a secondary event after Tyr705 phosphorylation and suggest that it has a role in the regulation of cell survival activity and nuclear translocation of STAT3 in melanocytic cells.

Reconstitution of Src-dependent Phospholipase Cγ Phosphorylation and Transient Calcium Release by Using Membrane Rafts and Cell-free Extracts from Xenopus Eggs

We reported previously that egg membrane rafts serve as a subcellular microdomain for sperm-dependent tyrosine kinase signaling in Xenopus fertilization. Moreover, we demonstrated that raft-associated Src tyrosine kinase was activated by sperm in vitro. Here we show that egg rafts incubated with sperm or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) can promote Src-dependent phosphorylation of phospholipase Cγ (PLCγ) and transient calcium release in the extracts of unfertilized Xenopus eggs. In vivo egg activation by sperm or H2O2 also promotes tyrosinephosphorylation and raft-translocalization of PLCγ. Immunodepletion of PLCγ from the egg extracts inhibits the raft-dependent calcium release. Rafts prepared from H2O2-activated eggs also promote Src-dependent dephosphorylation of p42 mitogen-activated protein kinase and cell cycle transition from metaphase II to interphase in egg extracts. PLCγ phosphorylation and calcium release in egg extracts can be promoted by rafts prepared from COS-7 cells expressing the Xenopus Src gene. These results demonstrate that the signaling events elicited by fertilization in Xenopus eggs can be reconstituted in vitro. The development of such experimental platforms will allow us to dissect the molecular mechanism of sperm-dependent activation of raft-associated Src and subsequent up-regulation of PLCγ and egg activation machinery in Xenopus eggs.

Src kinase induces calcium release in Xenopus egg extracts via PLCγ and IP3-dependent mechanism

Mobilization of intracellular calcium is an indispensable step of fertilization-induced egg activation. Recently, this process has been shown to require the sequential activation of Src family tyrosine kinases, phospholipase Cgamma (PLCgamma), and inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3)-dependent receptor of endoplasmic reticulum. In the present study, we made an attempt to recapitulate the early events of egg activation by stimulating Src kinase activity in the cell-free extracts of Xenopus eggs. We found that enhanced Src kinase activity can initiate calcium response of low magnitude in cytostatic factor (CSF)-arrested mitotic extracts without releasing them into interphase. The addition of catalytically active recombinant Src kinase, as well as the activation of endogenous Xenopus Src family kinase by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), increased total tyrosine phosphorylation, tyrosine phosphorylation of PLCgamma, and IP3 production in the extracts. The treatment with the Src family kinase-specific inhibitor, PP1, or PLC inhibitor, U73122, or IP3 receptor antagonist, heparin, prevented calcium release in the extracts. We conclude, therefore, that possible mechanism of Src/H2O2 action in the extracts might involve tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of PLCgamma, accompanied by the increase in IP3 content and subsequent calcium release from IP3-regulated calcium stores. These results also suggest that monitoring calcium signals induced in the Xenopus egg extracts by various components of signaling pathways may provide a particularly useful approach to investigating their role in the signal transduction.

Involvement of protein-tyrosine phosphorylation and dephosphorylation in sperm-induced Xenopus egg activation

We have analyzed tyrosine‐phosphorylated proteins in Xenopus laevis eggs before and after fertilization by immunoblotting with anti‐phosphotyrosine antibody. A number of egg proteins with different subcellular distribution became tyrosine‐phosphorylated or dephosphorylated within 30 min after insemination. Tyrosine kinase‐specific inhibitors genistein and herbimycin A were found to inhibit sperm‐induced egg activation judged by the egg cortical contraction. Surprisingly, sodium orthovanadate, a tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor, also inhibited the egg activation. Moreover, we found that fertilization‐dependent tyrosine dephosphorylation of 42‐kDa mitogen‐activated protein kinase was inhibited in genistein‐treated eggs. These results suggest that both protein‐tyrosine phosphorylation and dephosphorylation pathways play an important role in the sperm‐induced Xenopus egg activation.

Hydrogen peroxide induces Src family tyrosine kinase-dependent activation of Xenopus eggs

Fertilization is accompanied by a rapid and transient calcium release in eggs, which is required for the onset of zygotic developmental program or ‘egg activation’. Recently, it was found that Src family tyrosine kinase (SFK)‐dependent phospholipase C (PLC) activity is necessary for the calcium transience in fertilized Xenopus eggs. The present study demonstrates that hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) stimulates protein‐tyrosine phosphorylation in Xenopus eggs, which occurs primarily in the egg cortex of the animal hemisphere as revealed by indirect immunofluorescence study. Egg SFK was found to be upregulated by H2O2 while the SFK‐specific inhibitor PP1 effectively blocked H2O2‐induced tyrosine phosphorylation. As in fertilized eggs, PLCγ, but not Shc, was tyrosine‐phosphorylated in H2O2‐treated eggs. H2O2 also caused inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate (IP3) production and sustained calcium release. After limited application of H2O2, elevated SFK activity and tyrosine phosphorylation were quickly reversed. Under such conditions, eggs showed cortical contraction and dephosphorylation of p42 MAP kinase, both of which are indicative of egg activation. These egg activation events, as well as H2O2‐induced IP3 production and calcium release, were sensitive to PP1 and PLC inhibitor U‐73122. Together, the present study demonstrated that H2O2 can mimic, at least in part, early events of Xenopus egg activation that require an SFK‐dependent PLC pathway.

Adaptor protein Shc undergoes translocation and mediates up-regulation of the tyrosine kinase c-Src in EGF-stimulated A431 cells.

Shc is the adaptor protein that exists in three isoforms, P46, P52 and P66, and acts as a bridge between activated cell surface receptors and downstream signalling molecules which act in extracellular signal‐regulated cell events such as cell cycle progression. In our previous studies, Shc was shown to be a substrate of the tyrosine kinase c‐Src in vitro and in vivo.

Activation of Arabidopsis MAPK kinase kinase (AtMEKK1) and induction of AtMEKK1–AtMEK1 pathway by wounding

We have constructed a series of deletion mutants of Arabidopsis MAPK kinase kinase (AtMEKK1) and obtained a constitutively active mutant, AtMEKK1Δ166, which lacks in self-inhibitory sequence of N-terminal 166 amino acids but still has substrate specificity. AtMEKK1Δ166 predominantly phosphorylates AtMEK1, an Arabidopsis MAPKK, but not its double mutant (AtMEK1T218A/S224E), suggesting that Thr-218 and Ser-224 are the phosphorylation sites. In wounded seedlings, AtMEKK1 was activated and phosphorylated its downstream AtMEK1. Furthermore, analysis using anti-AtMEKK1 and anti-AtMEK1 antibodies revealed that the interaction between the two proteins was signal dependent. These results suggest the presence of AtMEKK1–AtMEK1 pathway induced by wounding.