Adenovirus and protein kinase C have distinct molecular requirements for regulating epidermal growth factor receptor trafficking

Basolateral EGF receptor sorting regulated by functionally distinct mechanisms in renal epithelial cells

Proliferation of epithelial tissues is controlled by polarized distribution of signaling receptors including the EGF receptor (EGFR). In kidney, EGFRs are segregated from soluble ligands present in apical fluid of nephrons by selective targeting to basolateral membranes. We have shown previously that the epithelial-specific clathrin adaptor AP1B mediates basolateral EGFR sorting in established epithelia. Here we show that protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent phosphorylation of Thr654 regulates EGFR polarity as epithelial cells form new cell-cell junctional complexes. The AP1B-dependent pathway does not override a PKC-resistant T654A mutation, and conversely AP1B-defective EGFRs sort basolaterally by a PKC-dependent mechanism, in polarizing cells. Surprisingly, EGFR mutations that interfere with these different sorting pathways also produce very distinct phenotypes in three-dimensional organotypic cultures. Thus EGFRs execute different functions depending on the basolateral sorting route. Many renal disorders have defects in cell polarity and the notion that apically mislocalized EGFRs promote proliferation is still an attractive model to explain many aspects of polycystic kidney disease. Our data suggest EGFR also integrates various aspects of polarity by switching between different basolateral sorting programs in developing epithelial cells. Fundamental knowledge of basic mechanisms governing EGFR sorting therefore provides new insights into pathogenesis and advances drug discovery for these renal disorders.

A tyrosine-based signal plays a critical role in the targeting and function of adenovirus RIDalpha protein

Early region 3 genes of human adenoviruses contribute to the virus life cycle by altering the trafficking of cellular proteins involved in adaptive immunity and inflammatory responses. The ability of early region 3 genes to target specific molecules suggests that they could be used to curtail pathological processes associated with these molecules and treat human disease. However, this approach requires genetic dissection of the multiple functions attributed to early region 3 genes. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of targeting on the ability of the early region 3-encoded protein RIDalpha to downregulate the EGF receptor. A fusion protein between the RIDalpha cytoplasmic tail and glutathione S-transferase was used to isolate clathrin-associated adaptor 1 and adaptor 2 protein complexes from mammalian cells. Deletion and site-directed mutagenesis studies showed that residues 71-AYLRH of RIDalpha are necessary for in vitro binding to both adaptor complexes and that Tyr72 has an important role in these interactions. In addition, RIDalpha containing a Y72A point mutation accumulates in the trans-Golgi network and fails to downregulate the EGF receptor when it is introduced into mammalian cells as a transgene. Altogether, our data suggest a model where RIDalpha is trafficked directly from the trans-Golgi network to an endosomal compartment, where it intercepts EGF receptors undergoing constitutive recycling to the plasma membrane and redirects them to lysosomes.

Adenoviral gene transfer of an NF-κB super-repressor increases collagen deposition in rodent cutaneous wound healing

BACKGROUND

The transcription factor nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) plays an essential role in inflammation. To date, no studies have investigated the effect of inhibiting NF-kappaB-mediated inflammation on normal cutaneous wound healing. We tested this by locally administering an adenovirus recombinant that constitutively expresses a super-repressor isoform of inhibitory-kappaB (IkappaB) into rats undergoing a well-established model of dorsal wound healing.

METHODS

Seventy-two Sprague-Dawley rats underwent insertion of a sponge-pump construct into a dorsal subcutaneous pocket. One group of rats received pumps filled with the adenovirus expressing I-kappaB (rAd-Ikappab), a second group received pumps filled with adenovirus expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) (rAd-gfp), and a third received pumps filled with normal saline (NS). Rats were killed in groups of 6 on days 1, 3, 5 and 7 postoperation. The wound fluid was analyzed for nitrite/nitrate (NOx) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) concentrations. The wound fluid was assayed for hydroxyproline (OHP) content, an index of reparative collagen deposition.

RESULTS

Administration of rAd-Ikappab for 7 days resulted in higher collagen deposition (OHP) compared with the rAd-gfp and NS groups. NOx levels were significantly higher in the rAd-gfp group on day 1 and marginally so on day 5. TNF-alpha quantitation analysis found no significant difference among the 3 groups.

CONCLUSION

IkappaB expression through an adenoviral vector in the cutaneous wound may improve rodent healing, as shown by increased collagen deposition, through decreased inflammation. This mechanism appears to be TNF-alpha independent. Inhibition of NF-kappaB may reduce inflammation by reducing the local NOx concentrations.

G Protein-coupled Receptors Desensitize and Down-regulate Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors in Renal Mesangial Cells

Different types of plasma membrane receptors engage in various forms of cross-talk. We used cultures of rat renal mesangial cells to study the regulation of EGF receptors (EGFRs) by various endogenous G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). GPCRs (5-hydroxytryptamine(2A), lysophosphatidic acid, angiotensin AT(1), bradykinin B(2)) were shown to transactivate EGFRs through a protein kinase C-dependent pathway. This transactivation resulted in the initiation of multiple cellular signals (phosphorylation of the EGFRs and ERK and activation of cAMP-responsive element-binding protein (CREB), NF-kappaB, and E2F), as well as subsequent rapid down-regulation of cell-surface EGFRs and internalization and desensitization of the EGFRs without change in the total cellular complement of EGFRs. Internalization of the EGFRs and the down-regulation of cell-surface receptors in mesangial cells were blocked by pharmacological inhibitors of clathrin-mediated endocytosis and in HEK293 cells by transfection of cDNA constructs that encode dominant negative beta-arrestin-1 or dynamin. Whereas all of the effects of GPCRs on EGFRs were dependent to a great extent on protein kinase C, those initiated by EGF were not. These studies demonstrate that GPCRs can induce multiple signals through protein kinase C-dependent transactivation of EGFRs. Moreover, GPCRs induce profound desensitization of EGFRs by a process associated with the loss of cell-surface EGFRs through clathrin-mediated endocytosis.

E3-13.7 integral membrane proteins encoded by human adenoviruses alter epidermal growth factor receptor trafficking by interacting directly with receptors in early endosomes

Animal cell viruses provide valuable model systems for studying many normal cellular processes, including membrane protein sorting. The focus of this study is an integral membrane protein encoded by the E3 transcription region of human adenoviruses called E3-13.7, which diverts recycling EGF receptors to lysosomes without increasing the rate of receptor internalization or intrinsic receptor tyrosine kinase activity. Although E3-13.7 can be found on the plasma membrane when it is overexpressed, its effect on EGF receptor trafficking suggests that the plasma membrane is not its primary site of action. Using cell fractionation and immunocytochemical experimental approaches, we now report that the viral protein is located predominantly in early endosomes and limiting membranes of endosome-to-lysosome transport intermediates called multivesicular endosomes. We also demonstrate that E3-13.7 physically associates with EGF receptors undergoing E3-13.7-mediated down-regulation in early endosomes. Receptor-viral protein complexes then dissociate, and EGF receptors proceed to lysosomes, where they are degraded, while E3-13.7 is retained in endosomes. We conclude that E3-13.7 is a resident early endocytic protein independent of EGF receptor expression, because it has identical intracellular localization in mouse cells lacking endogenous receptors and cells expressing a human cytomegalovirus-driven receptor cDNA. Finally, we demonstrate that EGF receptor residues 675-697 are required for E3-13.7-mediated down-regulation. Interestingly, this sequence includes a known EGF receptor leucine-based lysosomal sorting signal used during ligand-induced trafficking, which is also conserved in the viral protein. E3-13.7, therefore, provides a novel model system for determining the molecular basis of selective membrane protein transport in the endocytic pathway. Our studies also suggest new paradigms for understanding EGF receptor sorting in endosomes and adenovirus pathogenesis.

Perturbation of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor signaling by dibutyryl-cAMP in human astrocytoma cells

It has been shown that cAMP may perturb the polypeptide growth factor-induced nuclear events. However, the possible interactions of the cAMP-protein kinase A (cAMP-PKA) and receptor tyrosine kinase pathways in the cytosol have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we use human astrocytoma cells as a model to investigate this issue. The results show that platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-induced receptor autophosphorylation in human astrocytoma cells is suppressed by dibutyryl-cAMP pretreatment and such suppression is not due to changes in the ligand-receptor binding properties. Further studies show that PDGF-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of phospholipase C-gamma 1 (PLC-gamma 1) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) are also suppressed in dibutyryl-cAMP-pretreated cells. The suppression of PLC-gamma 1 tyrosine phosphorylation was accompanied by a decreased production of water soluble inositol phosphates. In contrast, similar treatment with normal human astrocytes potentiates the tyrosine phosphorylation of PLC-gamma 1 and PI 3-kinase. The results indicate that cAMP can either negatively or positively modulate the PDGF receptor tyrosine kinase activity depending on the cell types examined.

Adenovirus E3 protein causes constitutively internalized epidermal growth factor receptors to accumulate in a prelysosomal compartment, resulting in enhanced degradation

We have previously identified and characterized an integral membrane protein coded for by the early transcription region 3 (E3) of human group C adenoviruses that down-regulates the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). The goal of this study was to characterize the early receptor trafficking events leading to enhanced EGFR degradation in adenovirus-infected cells. Specifically, we wished to determine whether adenovirus increases the rate of EGFR internalization or alters the subcellular compartmentalization of internalized EGFRs. Once the optimal time for measuring early trafficking events was determined, surface EGFRs were labeled with a cleavable biotin reagent to measure internalization rates and with a receptor-specific monoclonal antibody (MAb) conjugated to colloidal gold for intracellular localization studies. We first showed that the rate of EGFR internalization in adenovirus-infected cells is indistinguishable from the constitutive internalization rate for unoccupied EGFRs. The possibility that the E3 protein can affect trafficking of EGFRs internalized at a low constitutive rate was further supported by studies showing that adenovirus-mediated down-regulation occurs independently of EGFR oligomerization and intrinsic EGFR tyrosine kinase activity, which are required for efficient ligand-induced internalization. Other tyrosine kinases inhibited by genistein are also not required for adenovirus-induced down-regulation. When the intracellular localization of EGFRs during adenovirus-mediated down-regulation was examined by electron microscopy, there was a threefold increase in the number of EGFRs localized to multivesicular bodies. The multivesicular body has been proposed to be important for regulating intracellular membrane protein sorting, since trafficking patterns for receptors that recycle and receptors that are degraded diverge in this organelle. These data therefore suggest that adenovirus may enhance EGFR degradation by causing constitutively internalized EGFRs to accumulate in a prelysosomal compartment. This is the first example of a mechanism that efficiently down-regulates EGFR without significantly increasing the rate of internalization or that does not require EGFR tyrosine kinase activity. Since viral proteins often mimic or modify a host counterpart, this suggests that there are normal physiological conditions when receptor destruction without tyrosine signalling is beneficial.

Adenovirus E3 protein causes constitutively internalized epidermal growth factor receptors to accumulate in a prelysosomal compartment, resulting in enhanced degradation

We have previously identified and characterized an integral membrane protein coded for by the early transcription region 3 (E3) of human group C adenoviruses that down-regulates the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). The goal of this study was to characterize the early receptor trafficking events leading to enhanced EGFR degradation in adenovirus-infected cells. Specifically, we wished to determine whether adenovirus increases the rate of EGFR internalization or alters the subcellular compartmentalization of internalized EGFRs. Once the optimal time for measuring early trafficking events was determined, surface EGFRs were labeled with a cleavable biotin reagent to measure internalization rates and with a receptor-specific monoclonal antibody (MAb) conjugated to colloidal gold for intracellular localization studies. We first showed that the rate of EGFR internalization in adenovirus-infected cells is indistinguishable from the constitutive internalization rate for unoccupied EGFRs. The possibility that the E3 protein can affect trafficking of EGFRs internalized at a low constitutive rate was further supported by studies showing that adenovirus-mediated down-regulation occurs independently of EGFR oligomerization and intrinsic EGFR tyrosine kinase activity, which are required for efficient ligand-induced internalization. Other tyrosine kinases inhibited by genistein are also not required for adenovirus-induced down-regulation. When the intracellular localization of EGFRs during adenovirus-mediated down-regulation was examined by electron microscopy, there was a threefold increase in the number of EGFRs localized to multivesicular bodies. The multivesicular body has been proposed to be important for regulating intracellular membrane protein sorting, since trafficking patterns for receptors that recycle and receptors that are degraded diverge in this organelle. These data therefore suggest that adenovirus may enhance EGFR degradation by causing constitutively internalized EGFRs to accumulate in a prelysosomal compartment. This is the first example of a mechanism that efficiently down-regulates EGFR without significantly increasing the rate of internalization or that does not require EGFR tyrosine kinase activity. Since viral proteins often mimic or modify a host counterpart, this suggests that there are normal physiological conditions when receptor destruction without tyrosine signalling is beneficial.