The CDK5 activator, p39, binds specifically to myosin essential light chain

Myosin light chains: Teaching old dogs new tricks

The myosin holoenzyme is a multimeric protein complex consisting of heavy chains and light chains. Myosin light chains are calmodulin family members which are crucially involved in the mechanoenzymatic function of the myosin holoenzyme. This review examines the diversity of light chains within the myosin superfamily, discusses interactions between the light chain and the myosin heavy chain as well as regulatory and structural functions of the light chain as a subunit of the myosin holoenzyme. It covers aspects of the myosin light chain in the localization of the myosin holoenzyme, protein-protein interactions and light chain binding to non-myosin binding partners. Finally, this review challenges the dogma that myosin regulatory and essential light chain exclusively associate with conventional myosin heavy chains while unconventional myosin heavy chains usually associate with calmodulin.

Four things to know about myosin light chains as reporters for non-muscle myosin-2 dynamics in live cells

The interplay between non-muscle myosins-2 and filamentous actin results in cytoplasmic contractility which is essential for eukaryotic life. Concomitantly, there is tremendous interest in elucidating the physiological function and temporal localization of non-muscle myosin-2 in cells. A commonly used method to study the function and localization of non-muscle myosin-2 is to overexpress a fluorescent protein (FP)-tagged version of the regulatory light chain (RLC) which binds to the myosin-2 heavy chain by mass action. Caveats about this approach include findings from recent studies indicating that the RLC does not bind exclusively to the non-muscle myosin-2 heavy chain. Rather, it can also associate with the myosin heavy chains of several other classes as well as other targets than myosin. In addition, the presence of the FP moiety may compromise myosin's enzymatic and mechanical performance. This and other factors to be discussed in this commentary raise questions about the possible complications in using FP-RLC as a marker for the dynamic localization and regulatory aspects of non-muscle myosin-2 motor functions in cell biological experiments.

The Cdk5 activator P39 specifically links muskelin to myosin II and regulates stress fiber formation and actin organization in lens

Cyclin dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5), a proline-directed serine/threonine kinase, requires p39 for its enzymatic activity, and is implicated in cytoskeletal organization and contraction in numerous cell types. The C-terminus of p39 binds muskelin, a multi-domain scaffolding protein known to affect cytoskeletal organization, but the mechanisms by which muskelin affects cytoskeletal organization remain unclear. The present study sought to determine whether p39 might serve as an adaptor protein that links muskelin to stress fibers and to investigate the possible biological relevance of such an interaction. Double immunoprecipitation showed that muskelin, p39, and myosin II are components of a single intracellular complex, and suppressing p39 abrogated the interaction between muskelin and the myosin subunits, demonstrating that p39 is required to link muskelin to myosin II. Muskelin is colocalized with myosin regulatory light chain (MRLC) and on stress fibers. The suppression of muskelin reduced Rho-GTP, MRLC phosphorylation, disrupted stress fiber organization, and promoted cell migration, all of which closely mimic the effect of Cdk5 inhibition. Moreover, suppressing muskelin and inhibiting Cdk5 together have no additional effect, indicating that muskelin plays an important role in Cdk5-dependent signaling. p39 is necessary and sufficient for Cdk5-dependent regulation of MRLC phosphorylation, as suppression of p39, but not p35, reduces MRLC phosphorylation. Together, these results demonstrate that p39 specifically links muskelin to myosin II and consequently, to stress fibers and reveal a novel role for muskelin in regulating myosin phosphorylation and cytoskeletal organization.

Muskelin regulates actin filament- and microtubule-based GABA(A) receptor transport in neurons

Intracellular transport regulates protein turnover including endocytosis. Because of the spatial segregation of F-actin and microtubules, internalized cargo vesicles need to employ myosin and dynein motors to traverse both cytoskeletal compartments. Factors specifying cargo delivery across both tracks remain unknown. We identified muskelin to interconnect retrograde F-actin- and microtubule-dependent GABA(A) receptor (GABA(A)R) trafficking. GABA(A)Rs regulate synaptic transmission, plasticity, and network oscillations. GABA(A)R α1 and muskelin interact directly, undergo neuronal cotransport, and associate with myosin VI or dynein motor complexes in subsequent steps of GABA(A)R endocytosis. Inhibition of either transport route selectively interferes with receptor internalization or degradation. Newly generated muskelin KO mice display depletion of both transport steps and a high-frequency ripple oscillation phenotype. A diluted coat color of muskelin KOs further suggests muskelin transport functions beyond neurons. Our data suggest the concept that specific trafficking factors help cargoes to traverse both F-actin and microtubule compartments, thereby regulating their fate.

Decreased expression of p39 is associated with a poor prognosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma

The aims of this study are to investigate the relationship between p39 expression and clinicopathological parameters of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to evaluate the prognostic value of p39 for HCC patients. Real-time quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry was used to measure p39 expression in tumor and adjacent nontumor samples. Relationships of p39 expression with clinical parameters and patient survival were analyzed. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR showed that the quantity of p39 mRNA in cancerous tissue was significantly lower than that in nontumor tissue (P < 0.001). Immunohistochemistry data confirmed that p39 protein was reduced in 64% of HCC. p39 expression was not influenced by chronic alcohol exposure or cirrhosis. Reduction in p39 was correlated with the HBV (P = 0.039), HCV (P = 0.011), and histological grade (P < 0.001). HCC patients with lower p39 expression had poorer overall survival rate than that with high expression (HR, 2.868; 95% CI, 1.451-5.670; P = 0.002). Together with other results, these results reveal that p39 expression was reduced in HCC tissue. p39 could be a useful clinical prognostic marker for hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

Identification of non-muscle myosin heavy chain as a substrate for Cdk5 and tool for drug screening

Background

Deregulated activation of cyclin-dependent kinase-5 (Cdk5) is implicated in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. One of the restricting factors for developing specific Cdk5 inhibitors is the lack of reproducible and well-characterized cellular in vitro assay systems.

Methods

HEK293 cells were transfected with Cdk5 and its activator p25 as a starting point for an assay to screen for Cdk5 kinase inhibitors. To identify suitable substrates for Cdk5 we utilized an antibody that recognizes phospho serine in a consensus motif for Cdk substrates.

Results

Western blot analysis of transfected cells detected a 200 kDa band that was identified, by mass spectrometry, as non-muscle myosin heavy chain, type B (NMHC-B). Phosphorylation of NMHC-B was evident only in cells that were double transfected with Cdk5/p25 and was dose-dependently inhibited by Roscovitine and other Cdk5 inhibitors. Cdk5 was found to phosphorylate NMHC-B also in the human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line.

Conclusion

A novel Cdk5 substrate NMHC-B was identified in this study. A cellular assay for screening of Cdk5 inhibitors was established using NMHC-B phosphorylation as a read-out in Cdk5/p25 transfected HEK293 cells. A novel Cdk5 inhibitor was also pharmacologically characterized in this assay system.

Advances of candidate binding protein to envelope protein of hepatitis B virus

There are at least 4 initial coding positions in S gene of hepatitis B virus (HBV), encoding pre-pre-S, pre-S1, pre-S2 as well as major protein. There are no definite evidences to prove that envelope protein will interact with human cellular protein. This review focused on research approaches to the existing protein - protein interaction and summarized proteins of liver cells that may interact with current HBV envelope protein. However, most of currently available results need further verification.