Prolonged tyrosine kinase activation of insulin receptor by pY27-caveolin-2

Caveolin-2 controls preadipocyte survival in the mitotic clonal expansion for adipogenesis

Here, we report that Caveolin-2 (Cav-2) is a cell cycle regulator in the mitotic clonal expansion (MCE) for adipogenesis. For the G2/M phase transition and re-entry into the G1 phase, dephosphorylated Cav-2 by protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) controlled epigenetic activation of Ccnb1, Cdk1, and p21 in a lamin A/C-dependent manner, thereby ensuring the survival of preadipocytes. Cav-2, associated with lamin A/C, recruited the repressed promoters of Ccnb1 and Cdk1 for activation, and disengaged the active promoter of p21 from lamin A/C for inactivation through histone H3 modifications at the nuclear periphery. Cav-2 deficiency abrogated the histone H3 modifications and impeded the transactivation of Ccnb1, Cdk1, and p21, leading to a delay in mitotic entry, retardation of re-entry into G1 phase, and the apoptotic cell death of preadipocytes. Re-expression of Cav-2 restored the G2/M phase transition and G1 phase re-entry, preadipocyte survival, and adipogenesis in Cav-2-deficient preadipocytes. Our study uncovers a novel mechanism by which cell cycle transition and apoptotic cell death are controlled for adipocyte hyperplasia.

Caveolin-2 in association with nuclear lamina controls adipocyte hypertrophy

Here, we identify that Caveolin-2 (Cav-2), an integral membrane protein, controls adipocyte hypertrophy in association with nuclear lamina. In the hypertrophy stage of adipogenesis, pY19-Cav-2 association with lamin A/C facilitated the disengagement of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBPα) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) from lamin A/C and repressed Cav-2 promoter at the nuclear periphery for epigenetic activation of Cav-2, and thereby promoted C/EBPα and PPARγ-induced adipocyte hypertrophy. Stable expression of Cav-2 was required and retained by phosphorylation, deubiquitination, and association with lamin A/C for the adipocyte hypertrophy. However, obese adipocytes exhibited augmented Cav-2 stability resulting from the up-regulation of lamin A/C over lamin B1, protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), and nuclear deubiquitinating enzyme (DUB), Uchl5. Our findings show a novel epigenetic regulatory mechanism of adipocyte hypertrophy by Cav-2 at the nuclear periphery.

Rafting on the Plasma Membrane: Lipid Rafts in Signaling and Disease

The plasma membrane is not a uniform phospholipid bilayer; it has specialized membrane nano- or microdomains called lipid rafts. Lipid rafts are small cholesterol and sphingolipid-rich plasma membrane islands. Although their existence was long debated, their presence in the plasma membrane of living cells is now well accepted with the advent of super-resolution imaging techniques. It is interesting to note that lipid rafts function to compartmentalize receptors and their regulators and substantially modulate cellular signaling. In this review, we will examine the role of lipid rafts and caveolae-lipid raft-like microdomains with a distinct 3D morphology-in cellular signaling. Moreover, we will investigate how raft compartmentalized signaling regulates diverse physiological processes such as proliferation, apoptosis, immune signaling, and development. Also, the deregulation of lipid raft-mediated signaling during tumorigenesis and metastasis will be explored.

Epigenetic regulation of Cebpb activation by pY19-Caveolin-2 at the nuclear periphery in association with the nuclear lamina

Here, we show that Caveolin-2 (Cav-2) is an epigenetic regulator for adipogenesis. Upon adipogenic stimulation, inner nuclear membrane (INM)-targeted pY19-Cav-2 interacted with lamin A/C to disengage the repressed Cebpb promoter from lamin A/C, which facilitated the Cebpb promoter association with lamin B1. Consequently, pY19-Cav-2 recruited lysine demethylase 4b (KDM4b) for demethylation of histone H3 lysine 9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) and histone acetyltransferase GCN5 for acetylation of H3K27, and subsequently RNA polymerase II (Pol II) on Cebpb promoter for epigenetic activation of Cebpb, to initiate adipogenesis. Cav-2 knock-down abrogated the Cebpb activation and blocked the Pparg2 and Cebpa activation. Re-expression of Cav-2 restored Cebpb activation and adipogenesis in Cav-2-deficient preadipocytes. Our data identify a new mechanism by which the epigenetic activation of Cebpb is controlled at the nuclear periphery to promote adipogenesis.

N-myristoylation regulates insulin-induced phosphorylation and ubiquitination of Caveolin-2 for insulin signaling

N-myristoylation is a ubiquitous protein lipidation in eukaryotes, but regulatory roles for myristoylation on proteins still remain to be explored. Here, we show that N-myristoylation of Caveolin-2 (Cav-2) controls insulin signaling. Alternative translation initiation (ATI)-yielded truncated form of non-N-myristoylable Cav-2β and various conditional Cav-2 mutants were compared to full-length form of N-myristoylable Cav-2α. Insulin induced insulin receptor (IR) tyrosine kinase-catalyzed Tyr-19 phosphorylation of N-myristoylable M14A Cav-2 and triggered activation of IR signaling cascade. In contrast, insulin induced ubiquitination of non-N-myristoylable M1A and G2A Cav-2 to facilitate protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1B interaction with IR which desensitized IR signaling through internalization. Metabolic labeling and click chemistry showed palmitoylation of M14A but not M1A and G2A Cav-2. Insulin did not induce phosphorylation of M1A and G2A Cav-2 and Cav-2β. Like Cav-2α, G2A Cav-2 and Cav-2β formed large homo-oligomers localized in lipid rafts. These findings show Cav-2 N-myristoylation plays a crucial role to coordinate its phosphorylation, palmitoylation, and ubiquitination to control insulin signaling.

Alternative translation initiation of Caveolin-2 desensitizes insulin signaling through dephosphorylation of insulin receptor by PTP1B and causes insulin resistance

Insulin resistance, defined as attenuated sensitivity responding to insulin, impairs insulin action. Direct causes and molecular mechanisms of insulin resistance have thus far remained elusive. Here we show that alternative translation initiation (ATI) of Caveolin-2 (Cav-2) regulates insulin sensitivity. Cav-2β isoform yielded by ATI desensitizes insulin receptor (IR) via dephosphorylation by protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), and subsequent endocytosis and lysosomal degradation of IR, causing insulin resistance. Blockage of Cav-2 ATI protects against insulin resistance by preventing Cav-2β-PTP1B-directed IR desensitization, thereby normalizing insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake. Our findings show that Cav-2β is a negative regulator of IR signaling, and identify a mechanism causing insulin resistance through control of insulin sensitivity via Cav-2 ATI.

Insulin Receptor Isoforms in Physiology and Disease: An Updated View

The insulin receptor (IR) gene undergoes differential splicing that generates two IR isoforms, IR-A and IR-B. The physiological roles of IR isoforms are incompletely understood and appear to be determined by their different binding affinities for insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), particularly for IGF-2. Predominant roles of IR-A in prenatal growth and development and of IR-B in metabolic regulation are well established. However, emerging evidence indicates that the differential expression of IR isoforms may also help explain the diversification of insulin and IGF signaling and actions in various organs and tissues by involving not only different ligand-binding affinities but also different membrane partitioning and trafficking and possibly different abilities to interact with a variety of molecular partners. Of note, dysregulation of the IR-A/IR-B ratio is associated with insulin resistance, aging, and increased proliferative activity of normal and neoplastic tissues and appears to sustain detrimental effects. This review discusses novel information that has generated remarkable progress in our understanding of the physiology of IR isoforms and their role in disease. We also focus on novel IR ligands and modulators that should now be considered as an important strategy for better and safer treatment of diabetes and cancer and possibly other IR-related diseases.

The caveolae dress code: structure and signaling

Over the past decade, interest in caveolae biology has peaked. These small bulb-shaped plasma membrane invaginations of 50-80nm diameter present in most cell types have been upgraded from simple membrane structures to a more complex bona fide organelle. However, although caveolae are involved in several essential cellular functions and pathologies, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly defined. Following the identification of caveolins and cavins as the main caveolae constituents, recent studies have brought new insight into their structural organization as a coat. In this review, we discuss how these new data on caveolae can be integrated in the context of their role in signaling and pathophysiology.

Nerve Growth Factor Signaling from Membrane Microdomains to the Nucleus: Differential Regulation by Caveolins

Membrane microdomains or "lipid rafts" have emerged as essential functional modules of the cell, critical for the regulation of growth factor receptor-mediated responses. Herein we describe the dichotomy between caveolin-1 and caveolin-2, structural and regulatory components of microdomains, in modulating proliferation and differentiation. Caveolin-2 potentiates while caveolin-1 inhibits nerve growth factor (NGF) signaling and subsequent cell differentiation. Caveolin-2 does not appear to impair NGF receptor trafficking but elicits prolonged and stronger activation of MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase), Rsk2 (ribosomal protein S6 kinase 2), and CREB (cAMP response element binding protein). In contrast, caveolin-1 does not alter initiation of the NGF signaling pathway activation; rather, it acts, at least in part, by sequestering the cognate receptors, TrkA and p75NTR, at the plasma membrane, together with the phosphorylated form of the downstream effector Rsk2, which ultimately prevents CREB phosphorylation. The non-phosphorylatable caveolin-1 serine 80 mutant (S80V), no longer inhibits TrkA trafficking or subsequent CREB phosphorylation. MC192, a monoclonal antibody towards p75NTR that does not block NGF binding, prevents exit of both NGF receptors (TrkA and p75NTR) from lipid rafts. The results presented herein underline the role of caveolin and receptor signaling complex interplay in the context of neuronal development and tumorigenesis.

A-type lamin-dependent homo-oligomerization for pY19-Caveolin-2 to function as an insulin-response epigenetic regulator

Association of Caveolin-2 in the inner nuclear membrane specifically with A-type lamin is crucial for the maintenance of its Tyr-19 phosphorylation to promote insulin-response epigenetic activation at the nuclear periphery. Here, we identify that pY19-Caveolin-2 in the inner nuclear membrane exists as homo-oligomeric forms and the A-type lamin is required for sustenance of its oligomeric status. Oligomerization-defective and hence pY19-dephosphorylated monomeric Caveolin-2 in the inner nuclear membrane is unable to carry out Caveolin-2-mediated epigenetic activation of Egr-1 and JunB genes and transactivation of Elk-1 and STAT3 in response to insulin. The homo-oligomeric pY19-Caveolin-2 localizes in and recruits epigenetic modifiers to the A-type lamin-enriched inner nuclear membrane microdomain for the epigenetic activation. Our data show that A-type lamin-dependent Caveolin-2 homo-oligomerization in the inner nuclear membrane microdomain is a precondition for pY19-Caveolin-2-mediated insulin-response epigenetic activation at the nuclear periphery.

Insulin-response epigenetic activation of Egr-1 and JunB genes at the nuclear periphery by A-type lamin-associated pY19-Caveolin-2 in the inner nuclear membrane

Insulin controls transcription to sustain its physiologic effects for the organism to adapt to environmental changes added to genetic predisposition. Nevertheless, insulin-induced transcriptional regulation by epigenetic factors and in defined nuclear territory remains elusive. Here we show that inner nuclear membrane (INM)-integrated caveolin-2 (Cav-2) regulates insulin-response epigenetic activation of Egr-1 and JunB genes at the nuclear periphery. INM-targeted pY19-Cav-2 in response to insulin associates specifically with the A-type lamin, disengages the repressed Egr-1 and JunB promoters from lamin A/C through disassembly of H3K9me3, and facilitates assembly of H3K9ac, H3K18ac and H3K27ac by recruitment of GCN5 and p300 and the subsequent enrichment of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) on the promoters at the nuclear periphery. Our findings show that Cav-2 is an epigenetic regulator of histone H3 modifications, and provide novel mechanisms of insulin-response epigenetic activation at the nuclear periphery.

Fatty acylated caveolin-2 is a substrate of insulin receptor tyrosine kinase for insulin receptor substrate-1-directed signaling activation

Here, we demonstrate that insulin receptor (IR) tyrosine kinase catalyzes Tyr-19 and Tyr-27 phosphorylation of caveolin-2 (cav-2), leading to stimulation of signaling proteins downstream of IR, and that the catalysis is dependent on fatty acylation status of cav-2, promoting its interaction with IR. Cav-2 is myristoylated at Gly-2 and palmitoylated at Cys-109, Cys-122, and Cys-145. The fatty acylation deficient mutants are unable to localize in the plasma membrane and not phosphorylated by IR tyrosine kinase. IR interacts with the C-terminal domain of cav-2 containing the cysteines for palmitoylation. IR mutants, Y999F and K1057A, but not W1220S, fail interaction with cav-2. Insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) is recruited to interact with the IR-catalyzed phospho-tyrosine cav-2, which facilitates IRS-1 association with and activation by IR to initiate IRS-1-mediated downstream signaling. Cav-2 fatty acylation and tyrosine phosphorylation are necessary for the IRS-1-dependent PI3K-Akt and ERK activations responsible for glucose uptake and cell survival and proliferation. In conclusion, fatty acylated cav-2 is a new substrate of IR tyrosine kinase, and the fatty acylation and phosphorylation of cav-2 present novel mechanisms by which insulin signaling is activated.

A novel actin cytoskeleton-dependent noncaveolar microdomain composed of homo-oligomeric caveolin-2 for activation of insulin signaling

The role of caveolin-2 (cav-2), independently of caveolin-1 (cav-1) and caveolae, has remained elusive. Our data show that cav-2 exists in the plasma membrane (PM) in cells lacking cav-1 and forms homo-oligomeric complexes. Cav-2 did not interact with cavin-1 and cavin-2 in the PM. Rab6-GTP was required for the microtubule-dependent exocytic transport of cav-2 from the Golgi to the PM independently of cav-1. The cav-2-oligomerized noncaveolar microdomain was unaffected by cholesterol depletion and protected from shearing of silica-coated PM. Activation of insulin receptor (IR) was processed in the microdomain. Actin depolymerization affected the formation and sustenance of cav-2-oligomerized noncaveolar microdomain and attenuated IR recruitment to the microdomain thereby inhibiting IR signaling activation. Cav-2 shRNA stable cells and the cells ectopically expressing an oligomerization domain truncation mutant, cav-2∆47-86 exhibited retardation of IR signaling activation via the noncaveolar microdomain. Elevation in status of cav-2 expression rendered the noncaveolar activation of IR signaling in cav-1 down-regulated or/and cholesterol-depleted cells. Our findings reveal a novel homo-oligomeric cav-2 microdomain responsible for regulating activation of IR signaling in the PM.

A novel domain of caveolin-2 that controls nuclear targeting: regulation of insulin-specific ERK activation and nuclear translocation by caveolin-2

Herein, we report that insulin-activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) is translocated to the nuclear envelope by caveolin-2 (cav-2) and associates with lamin A/C in the inner nuclear membrane in response to insulin. We identified that the Ser¹⁵⁴ -Val¹⁵⁵ -Ser¹⁵⁶ domain on the C-terminal of cav-2 is essential for insulin-induced phosphorylation and nuclear targeting of ERK and cav-2. In human embryonic kidney 293T cells, ERK was not activated and translocated to the nucleus by insulin in comparison to insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). However, insulin-stimulated activation of ERK was induced by exogenous addition of cav-2. The activated ERK associated and translocated with the cav-2 to the nucleus. In turn, cav-2 promoted phospho-ERK interaction with lamin A/C in the inner nuclear membrane. In contrast, ERK, but not cav-2, was phosphorylated and translocated to the nucleus by IGF-1. The nuclear targeted phospho-ERK failed to localize in the nuclear envelope in response to IGF-1. Together, our data demonstrate that translocation of phospho-ERK to the nuclear envelope is mediated by Ser¹⁵⁴ -Val¹⁵⁵ -Ser¹⁵⁶ domain of cav-2 and this event is an insulin-specific action.

A second protein marker of caveolae: caveolin-2

Caveolin-2, a protein about 20 kD, is a major component of the inner surface of caveolae, small invaginations of the plasma membrane. Similar with caveolin-1 and caveolin-3, it serves as a protein marker of caveolae. Caveolin-1 and -2 are located next to each other at 7q31.1 on human chromosome, the proteins encoded are co-localized and form a stable hetero-oligomeric complex, distributing similarly in tissue and cultured cells. Caveolin-3 is located on different chromosomes but confirmed to interact with caveolin-2. Caveolin-2 is similar to caveolin-1 in many respects but differs from the latter in functional domains, especially in G-protein binding domain and caveolin scaffolding domain. The mRNAs of both caveolin-1 and caveolin-2 are most abundantly expressed in white adipose tissue and are induced during differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells to adipocytes. Caveolin-2-deficient mice demonstrate clear pulmonary defects, with little or no change in caveolin-1 expression and caveolae formation, suggesting that caveolin-2 plays a selective role in lung functions. Caveolin-2 is also involved in lipid metabolism and human cancers.

Integrin alpha1beta1 regulates epidermal growth factor receptor activation by controlling peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma-dependent caveolin-1 expression

Integrin alpha1beta1 negatively regulates the generation of profibrotic reactive oxygen species (ROS) by inhibiting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activation; however, the mechanism by which it does this is unknown. In this study, we show that caveolin-1 (Cav-1), a scaffolding protein that binds integrins and controls growth factor receptor signaling, participates in integrin alpha1beta1-mediated EGFR activation. Integrin alpha1-null mesangial cells (MCs) have reduced Cav-1 levels, and reexpression of the integrin alpha1 subunit increases Cav-1 levels, decreases EGFR activation, and reduces ROS production. Downregulation of Cav-1 in wild-type MCs increases EGFR phosphorylation and ROS synthesis, while overexpression of Cav-1 in the integrin alpha1-null MCs decreases EGFR-mediated ROS production. We further show that integrin alpha1-null MCs have increased levels of activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), which leads to reduced activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma), a transcription factor that positively regulates Cav-1 expression. Moreover, activation of PPARgamma or inhibition of ERK increases Cav-1 levels in the integrin alpha1-null MCs. Finally, we show that glomeruli of integrin alpha1-null mice have reduced levels of Cav-1 and activated PPARgamma but increased levels of phosphorylated EGFR both at baseline and following injury. Thus, integrin alpha1beta1 negatively regulates EGFR activation by positively controlling Cav-1 levels, and the ERK/PPARgamma axis plays a key role in regulating integrin alpha1beta1-dependent Cav-1 expression and consequent EGFR-mediated ROS production.