Cloning, bacterial expression, purification, and characterization of the cytoplasmic domain of rat LAR, a receptor-like protein tyrosine phosphatase

The role and therapeutic implication of protein tyrosine phosphatases in Alzheimer's disease

Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) are important regulator of neuronal signal transduction and a growing number of PTPs have been implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In the brains of patients with AD, there are a variety of abnormally phosphorylated proteins, which are closely related to the abnormal expression and activity of PTPs. β-Amyloid plaques (Aβ) and hyperphosphorylated tau protein are two pathological hallmarks of AD, and their accumulation ultimately leads to neurodegeneration. Studies have shown that protein phosphorylation signaling pathways mediates intracellular accumulation of Aβ and tau during AD development and are involved in synaptic plasticity and other stress responses. Here, we summarized the roles of PTPs related to the pathogenesis of AD and analyzed their therapeutic potential in AD.

PTPN4 germline variants result in aberrant neurodevelopment and growth

Protein-tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) are pleomorphic regulators of eukaryotic cellular responses to extracellular signals that function by modulating the phosphotyrosine of specific proteins. A handful of PTPs have been implicated in germline and somatic human disease. Using exome sequencing, we identified missense and truncating variants in PTPN4 in six unrelated individuals with varying degrees of intellectual disability or developmental delay. The variants occurred de novo in all five subjects in whom segregation analysis was possible. Recurring features include postnatal growth deficiency or excess, seizures, and, less commonly, structural CNS, heart, or skeletal anomalies. PTPN4 is a widely expressed protein tyrosine phosphatase that regulates neuronal cell homeostasis by protecting neurons against apoptosis. We suggest that pathogenic variants in PTPN4 confer risk for growth and cognitive abnormalities in humans.

Covalent inhibition of protein tyrosine phosphatases

Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) are a large family of 107 signaling enzymes that catalyze the hydrolytic removal of phosphate groups from tyrosine residues in a target protein. The phosphorylation status of tyrosine residues on proteins serve as a ubiquitous mechanism for cellular signal transduction. Aberrant function of PTPs can lead to many human diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. As the number of disease relevant PTPs increases, there is urgency in developing highly potent inhibitors that are selective towards specific PTPs. Most current efforts have been devoted to the development of active site-directed and reversible inhibitors for PTPs. This review summarizes recent progress made in the field of covalent inhibitors to target PTPs. Here, we discuss the in vivo and in vitro inactivation of various PTPs by small molecule-containing electrophiles, such as Michael acceptors, α-halo ketones, epoxides, and isothiocyanates, etc. as well as oxidizing agents. We also suggest potential strategies to transform these electrophiles into isozyme selective covalent PTP inhibitors.

Bi-domain protein tyrosine phosphatases reveal an evolutionary adaptation to optimize signal transduction

SIGNIFICANCE

The bi-domain protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) exemplify functional evolution in signaling proteins for optimal spatiotemporal signal transduction. Bi-domain PTPs are products of gene duplication. The catalytic activity, however, is often localized to one PTP domain. The inactive PTP domain adopts multiple functional roles. These include modulation of catalytic activity, substrate specificity, and stability of the bi-domain enzyme. In some cases, the inactive PTP domain is a receptor for redox stimuli. Since multiple bi-domain PTPs are concurrently active in related cellular pathways, a stringent regulatory mechanism and selective cross-talk is essential to ensure fidelity in signal transduction.

RECENT ADVANCES

The inactive PTP domain is an activator for the catalytic PTP domain in some cases, whereas it reduces catalytic activity in other bi-domain PTPs. The relative orientation of the two domains provides a conformational rationale for this regulatory mechanism. Recent structural and biochemical data reveal that these PTP domains participate in substrate recruitment. The inactive PTP domain has also been demonstrated to undergo substantial conformational rearrangement and oligomerization under oxidative stress.

CRITICAL ISSUES AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

The role of the inactive PTP domain in coupling environmental stimuli with catalytic activity needs to be further examined. Another aspect that merits attention is the role of this domain in substrate recruitment. These aspects have been poorly characterized in vivo. These lacunae currently restrict our understanding of neo-functionalization of the inactive PTP domain in the bi-domain enzyme. It appears likely that more data from these research themes could form the basis for understanding the fidelity in intracellular signal transduction.

Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 expression and signaling during disease: regulation by reactive oxygen species and antioxidants

The endothelium is immunoregulatory in that inhibiting the function of vascular adhesion molecules blocks leukocyte recruitment and thus tissue inflammation. The function of endothelial cells during leukocyte recruitment is regulated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidants. In inflammatory sites and lymph nodes, the endothelium is stimulated to express adhesion molecules that mediate leukocyte binding. Upon leukocyte binding, these adhesion molecules activate endothelial cell signal transduction that then alters endothelial cell shape for the opening of passageways through which leukocytes can migrate. If the stimulation of this opening is blocked, inflammation is blocked. In this review, we focus on the endothelial cell adhesion molecule, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1). Expression of VCAM-1 is induced on endothelial cells during inflammatory diseases by several mediators, including ROS. Then, VCAM-1 on the endothelium functions as both a scaffold for leukocyte migration and a trigger of endothelial signaling through NADPH oxidase-generated ROS. These ROS induce signals for the opening of intercellular passageways through which leukocytes migrate. In several inflammatory diseases, inflammation is blocked by inhibition of leukocyte binding to VCAM-1 or by inhibition of VCAM-1 signal transduction. VCAM-1 signal transduction and VCAM-1-dependent inflammation are blocked by antioxidants. Thus, VCAM-1 signaling is a target for intervention by pharmacological agents and by antioxidants during inflammatory diseases. This review discusses ROS and antioxidant functions during activation of VCAM-1 expression and VCAM-1 signaling in inflammatory diseases.

Knowledge-based characterization of similarity relationships in the human protein-tyrosine phosphatase family for rational inhibitor design

Tyrosine phosphorylation, controlled by the coordinated action of protein-tyrosine kinases (PTKs) and protein-tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs), is a fundamental regulatory mechanism of numerous physiological processes. PTPs are implicated in a number of human diseases, and their potential as prospective drug targets is increasingly being recognized. Despite their biological importance, until now no comprehensive overview has been reported describing how all members of the human PTP family are related. Here we review the entire human PTP family and present a systematic knowledge-based characterization of global and local similarity relationships, which are relevant for the development of small molecule inhibitors. We use parallel homology modeling to expand the current PTP structure space and analyze the human PTPs based on local three-dimensional catalytic sites and domain sequences. Furthermore, we demonstrate the importance of binding site similarities in understanding cross-reactivity and inhibitor selectivity in the design of small molecule inhibitors.

Complex interactions amongst N-cadherin, DLAR, and Liprin-alpha regulate Drosophila photoreceptor axon targeting

The formation of stable adhesive contacts between pre- and post-synaptic neurons represents the initial step in synapse assembly. The cell adhesion molecule N-cadherin, the receptor tyrosine phosphatase DLAR, and the scaffolding molecule Liprin-alpha play critical, evolutionarily conserved roles in this process. However, how these proteins signal to the growth cone and are themselves regulated remains poorly understood. Using Drosophila photoreceptors (R cells) as a model, we evaluate genetic and physical interactions among these three proteins. We demonstrate that DLAR function in this context is independent of phosphatase activity but requires interactions mediated by its intracellular domain. Genetic studies reveal both positive and, surprisingly, inhibitory interactions amongst all three genes. These observations are corroborated by biochemical studies demonstrating that DLAR physically associates via its phosphatase domain with N-cadherin in Drosophila embryos. Together, these data demonstrate that N-cadherin, DLAR, and Liprin-alpha function in a complex to regulate adhesive interactions between pre- and post-synaptic cells and provide a novel mechanism for controlling the activity of Liprin-alpha in the developing growth cone.

The receptor phosphatase HmLAR2 collaborates with focal adhesion proteins in filopodial tips to control growth cone morphology

Receptor protein tyrosine phosphatases (RPTPs) have been shown to play key roles in regulating axon guidance and synaptogenesis. HmLAR2, one of two closely related LAR-like RPTPs in the embryonic leech, is expressed in a few central neurons and in a unique segmentally-iterated peripheral cell, the comb cell (CC). Here we show that tagged HmLAR2-EGFP has a punctate pattern of expression in the growth cones of the CC, particularly at the tips of extending filopodia. Moreover, although expression of the wild-type EGFP-tagged receptor does not affect CC growth cone morphology, expression of a putative dominant-negative mutant of the receptor, CS-HmLAR2, leads to the enlargement of the growth cones, a shortening of filopodia, and errors in cellular tiling. RNAi of several candidate substrate signaling proteins, Lena (leech Ena/Vasp), beta-integrin and paxillin, but not beta-catenin, phenocopies particular aspects of the effects of HmLAR2 RNAi. For paxillin, which co-localizes with HmLAR2 at growth cone puncta, knock-down led to a reduction in the number of such puncta. Together, our data suggests that HmLAR2 regulates the morphology of the growth cone by controlling F-actin polymerization and focal adhesion complexes.

Cross-inhibition of interferon-induced signals by GM-CSF through a block in Stat1 activation

We investigated the effects of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) on biologic signals induced by interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) and IFN-gamma. In hematopoietic cell lines, IFN-induced signaling was investigated by Western blotting, electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA), flow cytometry, protein-tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) assays, and RT-PCR. GM-CSF inhibited IFN-alpha-induced and IFN-gamma-induced Stat1 tyrosine phosphorylation in a time-dependent manner. EMSA showed that GM-CSF inhibited IFN-alpha-induced and IFN-gamma-induced IFN-gamma activator sequence (GAS) binding activity. As a consequence, IFN-induced transcription of the early response gene, IFN-stimulated gene 54 (ISG54), was inhibited. The expression of IFN regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1) and MHC class I antigens was downregulated at protein levels in hematopoietic cell lines (U937, THP1). In contrast to GM-CSF, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and interleukin-3 (IL-3) did not influence the IFN-induced Stat1 activation. To explore the molecular mechanism of suppression of Stat1 tyrosine phosphorylation, we investigated the induction and activation of cytokine-inducible SH2-containing protein/suppressor of cytokine signaling (CIS/SOCS) molecules and phosphatases on GM-CSF treatment. In contrast to G-CSF and IL-3, GM-CSF strongly induced the expression of CIS1 and SOCS2 at mRNA levels, but overexpression of CIS1 or SOCS2 in HEK293 cells did not show inhibition of Stat1 tyrosine phosphorylation upon IFN treatment. In PTP assays, on GM-CSF incubation, no enhanced src homology 2 domain tyrosine phosphatase 1 and 2 (SHP1 and SHP2) activity was detectable. However, GM-CSF-induced downregulation of Tyk2 and Jak1 tyrosine phosphorylation as well as Tyk2 protein levels likely contributed to the reduced Stat1 tyrosine phosphorylation. In hematopoietic cells, GM-CSF antagonizes IFN-induced signals by a block in Stat1 activation.

Presenilin/gamma-secretase-mediated cleavage regulates association of leukocyte-common antigen-related (LAR) receptor tyrosine phosphatase with beta-catenin

Leukocyte-common antigen-related (LAR) receptor tyrosine phosphatase regulates cell adhesion and formation of functional synapses and neuronal networks. Here we report that LAR is sequentially cleaved by alpha- and presenilin (PS)/gamma-secretases, which also affect signaling and/or degradation of type-I membrane proteins including the Alzheimer disease-related beta-amyloid precursor protein. Similar to the previously characterized PS/gamma-secretase substrates, inhibition of gamma-secretase activity resulted in elevated LAR C-terminal fragment (LAR-CTF) levels in stably LAR-overexpressing Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, human neuroglioma cells, and mouse cortical neurons endogenously expressing LAR. Furthermore, LAR-CTF levels increased in cells lacking functional PS, indicating that gamma-secretase-mediated cleavage of LAR was PS-dependent. Inhibition of alpha-secretase activity by TAPI-1 treatment blocked LAR-CTF accumulation, demonstrating that prior ectodomain shedding was prerequisite for PS/gamma-secretase-mediated cleavage of LAR. Moreover, we identified the product of PS/gamma-secretase cleavage, LAR intracellular domain (LICD), both in vitro and in cells overexpressing full-length (FL) LAR or LAR-CTFs. LAR localizes to cadherin-beta-catenin-based cellular junctions. Assembly and disassembly of these junctions are regulated by tyrosine phosphorylation. We found that endogenous tyrosine-phosphorylated beta-catenin coimmunoprecipitated with LAR in CHO cells. However, when PS/gamma-secretase activity was inhibited, the association between LAR and beta-catenin significantly diminished. In addition to cell adhesion, beta-catenin is involved in transcriptional regulation. We observed that LICD significantly decreased transcription of cyclin D1, one of the beta-catenin target genes. Thus, our results show that PS/gamma-secretase-mediated cleavage of LAR controls LAR-beta-catenin interaction, suggesting an essential role for PS/gamma-secretase in the regulation of LAR signaling.

Insecticidal toxins from black widow spider venom

The biological effects of Latrodectus spider venom are similar in animals from different phyla, but these symptoms are caused by distinct phylum-specific neurotoxins (collectively called latrotoxins) with molecular masses ranging from 110 to 140 kDa. To date, the venom has been found to contain five insecticidal toxins, termed α, β, γ, δ and ε-latroinsectotoxins (LITs). There is also a vertebrate-specific neurotoxin, α-latrotoxin (α-LTX), and one toxin affecting crustaceans, α-latrocrustatoxin (α-LCT). These toxins stimulate massive release of neurotransmitters from nerve terminals and act (1) by binding to specific receptors, some of which mediate an exocytotic signal, and (2) by inserting themselves into the membrane and forming ion-permeable pores. Specific receptors for LITs have yet to be identified, but all three classes of vertebrate receptors known to bind α-LTX are also present in insects. All LTXs whose structures have been elucidated (α-LIT, δ-LIT, α-LTX and α-LCT) are highly homologous and have a similar domain architecture, which consists of a unique N-terminal sequence and a large domain composed of 13–22 ankyrin repeats. Three-dimensional (3D) structure analysis, so far done for α-LTX only, has revealed its dimeric nature and an ability to form symmetrical tetramers, a feature probably common to all LTXs. Only tetramers have been observed to insert into membranes and form pores. A preliminary 3D reconstruction of a δ-LIT monomer demonstrates the spatial similarity of this toxin to the monomer of α-LTX.

Mechanistic studies on protein tyrosine phosphatases

The human genome encodes approximately 100 phosphatases that belong to the protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) superfamily. The hallmark for this superfamily is the active site sequence C(X)5R, also known as the PTP signature motif. The PTPs are key regulatory components in signal transduction pathways and the importance of PTPs in the control of cellular signaling is well established. Based on structure and substrate specificity, the PTP superfamily is divided into four distinct subfamilies: (1) pTyr-specific PTPs, (2) dual specificity phosphatases, (3) Cdc25 phosphatases, and (4) LMW PTPs. The PTPs have similar core structures made of a central parallel beta-sheet with flanking a-helices containing a beta-loop-alpha-loop that encompasses the PTP signature motif. Site-directed mutagenesis of conserved amino acids in the Yersinia PTP and several other phosphatases in the PTP superfamily combined with detailed kinetic and mechanistic analyses have revealed a common chemical mechanism for phosphate hydrolysis despite the differences in substrate specificity. This article reviews our current knowledge of the common features important for PTP catalysis, the nature of the enzymatic transition state, and the roles of essential residues in transition stabilization. Future mechanistic studies of PTPs will focus on the use of physiological substrates to determine the molecular basis of substrate recognition and regulation, which is essential for understanding the specific functional role of PTPs in cellular signaling.

Receptor protein tyrosine phosphatases in nervous system development

Receptor protein tyrosine phosphatases (RPTPs) are key regulators of neuronal morphogenesis in a variety of different vertebrate and invertebrate systems, yet the mechanisms by which these proteins regulate central nervous system development are poorly understood. In the past few years, studies have begun to outline possible models for RPTP function by demonstrating in vivo roles for RPTPs in axon outgrowth, guidance, and synaptogenesis. In addition, the crystal structures of several RPTPs have been solved, numerous downstream effectors of RPTP signaling have been identified, and a small number of RPTP ligands have been described. In this review, we focus on how RPTPs transduce signals from the extracellular environment to the cytoplasm, using a detailed comparative analysis of the different RPTP subfamilies. Focusing on the roles RPTPs play in the development of the central nervous system, we discuss how the elucidation of RPTP crystal structures, the biochemical analysis of phosphatase enzyme catalysis, and the characterization of complex signal transduction cascades downstream of RPTPs have generated testable models of RPTP structure and function.

Use of an Anaerobic Chamber Environment for the Assay of Endogenous Cellular Protein-Tyrosine Phosphatase Activities

Protein-tyrosine phosphatases (PTPases) have a catalytic cysteine residue whose reduced state is integral to the reaction mechanism. Since exposure to air can artifactually oxidize this highly reactive thiol, PTPase assays have typically used potent reducing agents to reactivate the enzymes present; however, this approach does not allow for the measurement of the endogenous PTPase activity directly isolated from the in vivo cellular environment. Here we provide a method for using an anaerobic chamber to preserve the activity of the total PTPase complement in a tissue lysate or of an immunoprecipitated PTPase homolog to characterize their endogenous activation state. Comparison with a sample treated with biochemical reducing agents allows the determination of the activatable (reducible) fraction of the endogenous PTPase pool.

Receptor protein tyrosine phosphatases regulate retinal ganglion cell axon outgrowth in the developing Xenopus visual system

Receptor protein tyrosine phosphatases (RPTPs) are regulators of axon outgrowth and guidance in a variety of different vertebrate and invertebrate systems. Three RPTPs, CRYP-alpha, PTP-delta, and LAR, are expressed in overlapping but distinct patterns in the developing Xenopus retina, including expression in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) as they send axons to the tectum (Johnson KG, Holt CE. 2000. Expression of CRYP-alpha, LAR, PTP-delta, and PTP-rho in the developing Xenopus visual system. Mech Dev 92:291-294). In order to examine the role of these RPTPs in visual system development, putative dominant negative RPTP mutants (CS-CRYP-alpha, CS-PTP-delta, and CS-LAR) were expressed either singly or in combination in retinal cells. No effect was found on either retinal cell fate determination or on gross RGC axon guidance to the tectum. However, expression of these CS-RPTP constructs differentially affected the rate of RGC axon outgrowth. In vivo, expression of all three CS-RPTPs or CS-PTP-delta alone inhibited RGC axon outgrowth, while CS-LAR and CS-CRYP-alpha had no significant effect. In vitro, expression of CS-CRYP-alpha enhanced neurite outgrowth, while CS-PTP-delta inhibited neurite outgrowth in a substrate-dependent manner. This study provides the first in vivo evidence that RPTPs regulate retinal axon outgrowth.

The phosphatase C(X)5R motif is required for catalytic activity of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Acr2p arsenate reductase

Acr2p detoxifies arsenate by reduction to arsenite in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This reductase has been shown to require glutathione and glutaredoxin, suggesting that thiol chemistry might be involved in the reaction mechanism. Acr2p has a HC(X)(5)R motif, the signature sequence of the phosphate binding loop of the dual-specific and protein-tyrosine phosphatase family. In Acr2p these are residues His-75, Cys-76, and Arg-82, respectively. Acr2p has another sequence, (118)HCR, that is absent in phosphatases. Acr2p also has a third cysteine residue at position 106. Each of these cysteine residues was changed individually to serine residues, whereas the histidine and arginine residues were altered to alanines. Cells of Escherichia coli heterologously expressing the majority of the mutant ACR2 genes retained wild type resistance to arsenate, and the purified altered Acr2p proteins exhibited normal enzymatic properties. In contrast, cells expressing either the C76S or R82A mutations lost resistance to arsenate, and the purified proteins were inactive. These results suggest that Acr2p utilizes a phosphatase-like Cys(X)(5)Arg motif as the catalytic center to reduce arsenate to arsenite.

Intramolecular interactions in protein tyrosine phosphatase RPTPmu: kinetic evidence

The receptor-like protein tyrosine phosphatase RPTPmu contains three intracellular domains: the juxtamembrane (JM) and two phosphatase domains (D1 and D2). D1 is catalytically active in vitro. The functional roles of JM and D2 are still unclear. To find out whether and how they modulate the phosphatase activity of D1, we compared the enzymatic characteristics of two constructs, containing a truncated JM and either D1 or both phosphatase domains. p-Nitrophenyl phosphate and two peptide substrates were efficiently dephosphorylated by both constructs. The specificity constant of D1 alone was up to 50% higher. D2 induces (a) decreased K(m) values for peptide substrates, (b) decreased catalytic efficiency for these substrates, (c) shifting of the optimal pH to slightly lower values, and (d) looser binding of competitive inhibitors. These data suggest that the phosphatase activity of D1 is negatively modulated and its ligand binding capacity is sensibly modified by domain D2, having possible functional significance.

Calmodulin binds to and inhibits the activity of the membrane distal catalytic domain of receptor protein-tyrosine phosphatase alpha

cDNA expression library screening revealed binding between the membrane distal catalytic domain (D2) of protein-tyrosine phosphatase alpha (PTPalpha) and calmodulin. Characterization using surface plasmon resonance showed that calmodulin bound to PTPalpha-D2 in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner but did not bind to the membrane proximal catalytic domain (D1) of PTPalpha, to the two tandem catalytic domains (D1D2) of PTPalpha, nor to the closely related D2 domain of PTPepsilon. Calmodulin bound to PTPalpha-D2 with high affinity, exhibiting a K(D) approximately 3 nm. The calmodulin-binding site was localized to amino acids 520-538 in the N-terminal region of D2. Site-directed mutagenesis showed that Lys-521 and Asn-534 were required for optimum calmodulin binding and that restoration of these amino acids to the counterpart PTPepsilon sequence could confer calmodulin binding. The overlap of the binding site with the predicted lip of the catalytic cleft of PTPalpha-D2, in conjunction with the observation that calmodulin acts as a competitive inhibitor of D2-catalyzed dephosphorylation (K(i) approximately 340 nm), suggests that binding of calmodulin physically blocks or distorts the catalytic cleft of PTPalpha-D2 to prevent interaction with substrate. When expressed in cells, full-length PTPalpha and PTPalpha lacking only D1, but not full-length PTPepsilon, bound to calmodulin beads in the presence of Ca(2+). Also, PTPalpha was found in association with calmodulin immunoprecipitated from cell lysates. Thus calmodulin does associate with PTPalpha in vivo but not with PTPalpha-D1D2 in vitro, highlighting a potential conformational difference between these forms of the tandem catalytic domains. The above findings suggest that calmodulin is a possible specific modulator of PTPalpha-D2 and, via D2, of PTPalpha.

Lymphocyte migration through monolayers of endothelial cell lines involves VCAM-1 signaling via endothelial cell NADPH oxidase

Lymphocytes migrate from the blood across endothelial cells to reach foreign substances sequestered in peripheral lymphoid organs and inflammatory sites. To study intracellular signaling in endothelial cells during lymphocyte migration, we used murine endothelial cell lines that promote lymphocyte migration and constitutively express VCAM-1. The maximum rate of resting splenic lymphocyte migration across monolayers of the endothelial cells occurred at 0-24 h. This migration was inhibited by anti-VCAM-1 or anti-alpha4 integrin, suggesting that VCAM-1 adhesion was required for migration. To determine whether signals within the endothelial cells were required for migration, irreversible inhibitors of signal transduction molecules were used to pretreat the endothelial cell lines. Inhibitors of NADPH oxidase activity (diphenyleneiodonium and apocynin) blocked migration >65% without affecting adhesion. Because NADPH oxidase catalyzes the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), we examined whether ROS were required for migration. Scavengers of ROS inhibited migration without affecting adhesion. Furthermore, VCAM-1 ligand binding stimulated NADPH oxidase-dependent production of ROS by the endothelial cells lines and primary endothelial cell cultures. Finally, VCAM-1 ligand binding induced an apocynin-inhibitable actin restructuring in the endothelial cell lines at the location of the lymphocyte or anti-VCAM-1-coated bead, suggesting that an NADPH oxidase-dependent endothelial cell shape change was required for lymphocyte migration. In summary, VCAM-1 signaled the activation of endothelial cell NADPH oxidase, which was required for lymphocyte migration. This suggests that endothelial cells are not only a scaffold for lymphocyte adhesion, but play an active role in promoting lymphocyte migration.

3,6-Fluorescein Diphosphate: A Sensitive Fluorogenic and Chromogenic Substrate for Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases*

A highly sensitive and continuous protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTPase) assay using 3,6-fluorescein diphosphate (FDP) is described. Leukocyte phosphatase CD45 (leukocyte common antigen), protein tyrosine phosphatase-1B, and leukocyte common antigen-related protein LAR preferentially hydrolyze FDP to fluorescein monophosphate (FMP) with V(max) and K(m) values comparable with those of phosphotyrosine peptide substrates. Further hydrolysis of FMP to fluorescein was less efficient because of increased K(m) values compared with those of FDP. FMP absorbs strongly at 445 nm and fluoresces intensely near 515 nm, both of which are insensitive to pH perturbations above pH 6. Its high catalytic efficiency, coupled with the highly sensitive dual detection in the visible wavelength region and wider pH operating range, make FDP the substrate of choice for PTPase inhibitor screening in HTS format and assay miniaturization.

Catalytic activation of the membrane distal domain of protein tyrosine phosphatase epsilon, but not CD45, by two point mutations

Most, if not all, of the catalytic activity of the tandem catalytic domain-containing receptor-like protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) resides in the membrane proximal domains (D1), with little to no activity associated with the membrane distal domains (D2). Two point mutations in the D2 domain of PTPalpha, which restore invariant amino acids found in the KNRY motif and WPD loop of all active D1 domains, synergistically confer D1-equivalent kinetic properties towards the phosphotyrosine analogue pNPP, and activate PTPalpha-D2 catalysed phosphopeptide hydrolysis (Lim et al., J. Biol. Chem. 273 (1998) 28986-28993; Buist et al., Biochemistry 38 (1999) 914-922). As all D2 domains lack these two D1-invariant amino acids, we have investigated whether other D2 domains are activated by such point mutations. Mutant PTPepsilon-D2, closely related to PTPalpha-D2 and belonging to a subgroup of D2 domains with minimal and conservative substitutions of D1-invariant amino acids, exhibits synergistic activation towards pNPP but not towards a phosphopeptide substrate. CD45-D2, belonging to another subgroup of D2 domains with considerable substitutions in D1-invariant amino acids, is not activated by these mutations, even in the context of a third mutation which restores the minimal essential active site sequence C(X(5))R, indicating that additional defects are sufficient to preclude catalysis. The ability of the KNRY and WPD replacements to activate PTPepsilon-D2 and PTPalpha-D2, but not CD45-D2, in conjunction with the extent and nature of their wild-type amino acid substitutions, suggests that these D2 domains are representative of two functionally distinct groups of D2 domain.

A histidine thiol 100 kDa, tetrameric acid phosphatase from lentil, Lens esculenta, seeds with the characteristics of protein tyrosine phosphatases

A non-specific acid phosphatase (APase) hydrolysing L-tyrosine-O-phosphate and 3'-AMP was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from mature lentil seeds with apparent native molecular mass of 100 kDa and subunit molecular mass of 24 kDa. These activities appear to reside on the same protein which shows a single band in native and SDS-PAGE. The pH optimum is 5.5, while the K(m) (mM) and V(max) (micromoles/min/mg protein) for p-nitrophenyl phosphate (pNPP) are 0.7 and 9.2 and for L-tyrosine-O-phosphate 1.4 and 10.1, respectively, at 30 degrees C and for 3'-AMP, 2 and 4.4 at 37 degrees C. The protein also hydrolyses other phosphomonoesters to a lesser extent. L-Tyrosine-O-phosphate, 3'-AMP and pNPP hydrolysis is potently inhibited by micromolar orthovanadate and also to nearly the same extent by sodium fluoride, potassium tartrate and metal ions. Histidine and cysteine are likely to be involved in the catalysis. Thermal inactivation studies indicate that the active site conformations for pNPP and 3'-AMP hydrolytic activities are different. The enzyme shows the characteristics of the animal protein tyrosine phosphatase.

Interconversion of the kinetic identities of the tandem catalytic domains of receptor-like protein-tyrosine phosphatase PTPalpha by two point mutations is synergistic and substrate-dependent

The two tandem homologous catalytic domains of PTPalpha possess different kinetic properties, with the membrane proximal domain (D1) exhibiting much higher activity than the membrane distal (D2) domain. Sequence alignment of PTPalpha-D1 and -D2 with the D1 domains of other receptor-like PTPs, and modeling of the PTPalpha-D1 and -D2 structures, identified two non-conserved amino acids in PTPalpha-D2 that may account for its low activity. Mutation of each residue (Val-536 or Glu-671) to conform to its invariant counterpart in PTPalpha-D1 positively affected the catalytic efficiency of PTPalpha-D2 toward the in vitro substrates para-nitrophenylphosphate and the phosphotyrosyl-peptide RR-src. Together, they synergistically transformed PTPalpha-D2 into a phosphatase with catalytic efficiency for para-nitrophenylphosphate equal to PTPalpha-D1 but not approaching that of PTPalpha-D1 for the more complex substrate RR-src. In vivo, no gain in D2 activity toward p59(fyn) was effected by the double mutation. Alteration of the two corresponding invariant residues in PTPalpha-D1 to those in D2 conferred D2-like kinetics toward all substrates. Thus, these two amino acids are critical for interaction with phosphotyrosine but not sufficient to supply PTPalpha-D2 with a D1-like substrate specificity for elements of the phosphotyrosine microenvironment present in RR-src and p59(fyn). Whether the structural features of D2 can uniquely accommodate a specific phosphoprotein substrate or whether D2 has an alternate function in PTPalpha remains an open question.

Protein tyrosine phosphatases: mechanisms of catalysis and regulation

Recent structural information suggests that the HC(X)5R active-site motif defines three distinct evolutionary families of phosphatases that employ a common catalytic mechanism. In two instances, regulation of phosphatase activity employs autoinhibitory mechanisms involving either intermolecular or intramolecular interactions, whereby inhibition is mediated by sterically blocking the active-site cleft.

Induction of a germination specific, low molecular weight, acid phosphatase isozyme with specific phosphotyrosine phosphatase activity in lentil (Lens esculenta) seeds

A germination specific isozyme of acid phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.2) hydrolysing O-phospho-L-Tyrosine, pH optima 5.5 is induced in lentil seeds. When seeds at 0 h, 24 h and 36 h of germination are electrophorezed, native PAGE on specific enzyme staining shows several constitutive isozymes of acid phosphatases. At 48 h, an isozyme is induced which gradually decreases and then disappears at 108 h of germination. The short lived, induced isozyme is present in the embryo and seed-coat but not in the plumule and the radical. Induction of this isozyme is inhibited by cycloheximide and actinomycin-D and increased by plant growth regulators such as heteroauxin and gibbrellic acid treatment during germination. The induced isozyme is a single 30 kD polypeptide, with subunit molecular mass of 25 kD, shows activity for O-phospho-L-Tyrosine. It is strongly inhibited by vanadate (microM), molybdate, tungustate as also by iodoacetate, p-chloromercuribenzoate and diethylpyrocarbonate. This study shows for the first time that the germination induced low molecular weight Acid phosphatase is a Tyrosine phosphatase super family class IV enzyme, having a role in cellular differentiation and development during seed germination.

Transcriptional activation of scavenger receptor expression in human smooth muscle cells requires AP-1/c-Jun and C/EBPbeta: both AP-1 binding and JNK activation are induced by phorbol esters and oxidative stress

Reactive oxygen species generated by treatment of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) with either phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate or with the combination of H2O2 and vanadate strongly induce expression of the class A scavenger receptor (SR-A) gene. In the current studies, cis-acting elements in the proximal 245 bp of the SR-A promoter were shown to direct luciferase reporter expression in response to oxidative stress in both SMCs and macrophages. A composite activating protein-1 (AP-1)/ets binding element located between -67 and -50 bp relative to the transcriptional start site is critical for macrophage SR-A activity. Mutation of either the AP-1 or the ets component of this site also prevented promoter activity in SMCs. Mutation of a second site located between -44 and -21 bp, which we have identified as a CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP) element, reduced the inducible activity of the promoter in SMCs by 50%, suggesting that combinatorial interactions between these sites are necessary for optimal gene induction. Interactions between SMC nuclear extracts and the SR-A promoter were analyzed by electrophoretic mobility shift assay. c-Jun/AP-1 binding activity, specific for the -67- to -50-bp site, was induced in SMCs by the same conditions that increased SR-A expression. Moreover, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, H2O2, or the combination of H2O2 and sodium orthovanadate (vanadate) activated c-Jun-activating kinase. The binding activity within SMC extracts specific for the C/EBP site was shown to be C/EBPbeta in SMCs. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that reactive oxygen species regulate the interactions between c-Jun/AP-1 and C/EBPbeta in the SR-A promoter. Furthermore, induction of oxidative stress in THP-1 cells, with a combination of 10 micromol/L vanadate and 100 micromol/L H2O2, induced macrophage differentiation, adhesion, and SR activity. These data suggest that vascular oxidative stress may contribute to the induction of SR-A expression and thereby promote the uptake of oxidatively modified low density lipoprotein by both macrophage and SMCs to produce foam cells in atherosclerotic lesions.

The structure and mechanism of protein phosphatases: insights into catalysis and regulation

Eukaryotic protein phosphatases are structurally and functionally diverse enzymes that are represented by three distinct gene families. Two of these, the PPP and PPM families, dephosphorylate phosphoserine and phosphothreonine residues, whereas the protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) dephosphorylate phosphotyrosine amino acids. A subfamily of the PTPs, the dual-specificity phosphatases, dephosphorylate all three phosphoamino acids. Within each family, the catalytic domains are highly conserved, with functional diversity endowed by regulatory domains and subunits. The protein Ser/Thr phosphatases are metalloenzymes and dephosphorylate their substrates in a single reaction step using a metal-activated nucleophilic water molecule. In contrast, the PTPs catalyze dephosphorylation by use of a cysteinyl-phosphate enzyme intermediate. The crystal structures of a number of protein phosphatases have been determined, enabling us to understand their catalytic mechanisms and the basis for substrate recognition and to begin to provide insights into molecular mechanisms of protein phosphatase regulation.

Characterization of an exocellular protein phosphatase with dual substrate specificity from the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica

In previous work, the major endocellular protein phosphatase activity has been identified in the secretory yeast Yarrowia lipolytica as a PP2A. The aim of the present work was to seek the presence of one protein phosphatase excreted in the exocellular medium and to study its activity during yeast growth in media supplemented or not supplemented with inorganic phosphate. Protein phosphatase was purified and activity was assayed by following the dephosphorylation of three substrates, [32P]casein, phosphotyrosine and a synthetic tyrosine-phosphorylated peptide. Phosphatase activity recovered in the medium after 25 h culture was greatly enhanced by Pi-deficiency. After several purification steps, the enzyme preparation presents an apparent electrophoretic homogeneity on SDS-PAGE with associated phosphoseryl/threonyl and phosphotyrosyl activities. The kinetic properties exclude contamination by a copurified protein and it is concluded that the two activities are carried by the same single proteic species. It was characterized by gel filtration as a 33 kDa protein with one single subunit demonstrated by SDS-PAGE. An absolute requirement for reducing-agents is observed suggesting that the enzyme contains at least one essential reactive cysteinyl residue. Optimum pH value is 6.1, apparent K(m) for phosphotyrosine was calculated to be 760 microM and Hill coefficient 3.2 indicating a rather high cooperativity. These results showed that the involvement of alkaline and/or acid phosphatase was unlikely. In conclusion, a protein phosphatase distinct from endocellular PP2A is secreted by Yarrowia lipolytica and characterized as a phosphotyrosine protein phosphatase with associated phosphoseryl/threonyl activity.

Reversible inactivation of protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1B in A431 cells stimulated with epidermal growth factor

Stimulation of various cells with growth factors results in a transient increase in the intracellular concentration of H2O2 that is required for growth factor-induced protein tyrosine phosphorylation. The effect of H2O2 produced in response to epidermal growth factor (EGF) on the activity of protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) was investigated in A431 human epidermoid carcinoma cells. H2O2 inactivated recombinant PTP1B in vitro by oxidizing its catalytic site cysteine, most likely to sulfenic acid. The oxidized enzyme was reactivated more effectively by thioredoxin than by glutaredoxin or glutathione at their physiological concentrations. Oxidation by H2O2 prevented modification of the catalytic cysteine of PTP1B by iodoacetic acid, suggesting that it should be possible to monitor the oxidation state of PTP1B in cells by measuring the incorporation of radioactivity into the enzyme after lysis of the cells in the presence of radiolabeled iodoacetic acid. The amount of such radioactivity associated with PTP1B immunoprecipitated from A431 cells that had been stimulated with EGF for 10 min was 27% less than that associated with PTP1B from unstimulated cells. The amount of iodoacetic acid-derived radioactivity associated with PTP1B reached a minimum 10 min after stimulation of cells with EGF and returned to base line values by 40 min, suggesting that the oxidation of PTP1B is reversible in cells. These results indicate that the activation of a receptor tyrosine kinase by binding of the corresponding growth factor may not be sufficient to increase the steady state level of protein tyrosine phosphorylation in cells and that concurrent inhibition of protein-tyrosine phosphatases by H2O2 might also be required.

clr-1 encodes a receptor tyrosine phosphatase that negatively regulates an FGF receptor signaling pathway in Caenorhabditis elegans

Receptor tyrosine phosphatases have been implicated in playing important roles in cell signaling events by their ability to regulate the level of protein tyrosine phosphorylation. Although the catalytic activity of their phosphatase domains has been well established, the biological roles of these molecules are, for the most part, not well understood. Here we show that the Caenorhabditis elegans protein CLR-1 (CLeaR) is a receptor tyrosine phosphatase (RTP) with a complex extracellular region and two intracellular phosphatase domains. Mutations in clr-1 result in a dramatic Clr phenotype that we have used to study the physiological requirements for the CLR-1 RTP. We show that the phosphatase activity of the membrane-proximal domain is essential for the in vivo function of CLR-1. By contrast, we present evidence that the membrane-distal domain is not required to prevent the Clr phenotype in vivo. The Clr phenotype of clr-1 mutants is mimicked by activation of the EGL-15 fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) and is suppressed by mutations that reduce or eliminate the activity of egl-15. Our data strongly indicate that CLR-1 attenuates the action of an FGFR-mediated signaling pathway by dephosphorylation.

Functional characterization of the low-molecular-mass phosphotyrosine-protein phosphatase of Acinetobacter johnsonii

The ptp gene of Acinetobacter johnsonii was previously reported to encode a low-molecular-mass protein, Ptp, whose amino acid sequence, predicted from the theoretical analysis of the nucleotide sequence of the gene, exhibits a high degree of similarity with those of different eukaryotic and prokaryotic phosphotyrosine-protein phophatases. We have now overexpressed the ptp gene in Escherichia coli cells, purified the Ptp protein to homogeneity by a single-step chromatographic procedure, and analysed its functional properties. We have shown that Ptp can catalyse the dephosphorylation of p-nitrophenyl phosphate and phosphotyrosine, but has no effect on phosphoserine or phosphothreonine. Its activity is blocked by ammonium molybdate and sodium orthovanadate, which are strong inhibitors of phosphotyrosine-protein phosphatases, as well as by N-ethylmaleimide and iodoacetic acid. Such specificity of Ptp for phosphotyrosine has been confirmed by the observation that it can dephosphorylate endogenous proteins phosphorylated on tyrosine, but not proteins modified on either serine or threonine. In addition, Ptp has been shown to quantitatively dephosphorylate two exogenous peptides, derived respectively from leech hirudin and human gastrin, previously phosphorylated on tyrosine. Moreover, site-directed mutagenesis experiments performed on Cys11 and Arg16, which are both present in the sequence motif (H/V)C(X5)R(S/T) typical of eukaryotic phosphotyrosine-protein phosphatases, have demonstrated that each amino acid residue is essential for the catalytic activity of Ptp. Taken together, these data provide evidence that Ptp is a member of the phosphotyrosine-protein phosphatase family. Furthermore, in search for the biological function of Ptp, we have found that it can specifically dephosphorylate an endogenous protein kinase, termed Ptk, which is known to autophosphorylate at multiple tyrosine residues in the inner membrane of Acinetobacter johnsonii cells. This represents the first identification of a protein substrate for a bacterial phosphotyrosine-protein phosphatase, and therefore constitutes a possible model for analysing the role of reversible phosphorylation on tyrosine in the regulation of microbial physiology.

The second catalytic domain of protein tyrosine phosphatase delta (PTP delta) binds to and inhibits the first catalytic domain of PTP sigma

The LAR family protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs), including LAR, PTP delta, and PTP sigma, are transmembrane proteins composed of a cell adhesion molecule-like ectodomain and two cytoplasmic catalytic domains: active D1 and inactive D2. We performed a yeast two-hybrid screen with the first catalytic domain of PTP sigma (PTP sigma-D1) as bait to identify interacting regulatory proteins. Using this screen, we identified the second catalytic domain of PTP delta (PTP delta-D2) as an interactor of PTP sigma-D1. Both yeast two-hybrid binding assays and coprecipitation from mammalian cells revealed strong binding between PTP sigma-D1 and PTP delta-D2, an association which required the presence of the wedge sequence in PTP sigma-D1, a sequence recently shown to mediate D1-D1 homodimerization in the phosphatase RPTP alpha. This interaction was not reciprocal, as PTP delta-D1 did not bind PTP sigma-D2. Addition of a glutathione S-transferase (GST)-PTP delta-D2 fusion protein (but not GST alone) to GST-PTP sigma-D1 led to approximately 50% inhibition of the catalytic activity of PTP sigma-D1, as determined by an in vitro phosphatase assay against p-nitrophenylphosphate. A similar inhibition of PTP sigma-D1 activity was obtained with coimmunoprecipitated PTP delta-D2. Interestingly, the second catalytic domains of LAR (LAR-D2) and PTP sigma (PTP sigma-D2), very similar in sequence to PTP delta-D2, bound poorly to PTP sigma-D1. PTP delta-D1 and LAR-D1 were also able to bind PTP delta-D2, but more weakly than PTP sigma-D1, with a binding hierarchy of PTP sigma-D1 >> PTP delta-D1 > LAR-D1. These results suggest that association between PTP sigma-D1 and PTP delta-D2, possibly via receptor heterodimerization, provides a negative regulatory function and that the second catalytic domains of this and likely other receptor PTPs, which are often inactive, may function instead to regulate the activity of the first catalytic domains.

Visualization of the cysteinyl-phosphate intermediate of a protein-tyrosine phosphatase by x-ray crystallography

Protein-tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) are signal transduction enzymes that catalyze the dephosphorylation of phosphotyrosine residues via the formation of a transient cysteinyl-phosphate intermediate. The mechanism of hydrolysis of this intermediate has been examined by generating a Gln-262 --> Ala mutant of PTP1B, which allows the accumulation and trapping of the intermediate within a PTP1B crystal. The structure of the intermediate at 2.5-A resolution reveals that a conformationally flexible loop (the WPD loop) is closed over the entrance to the catalytic site, sequestering the phosphocysteine intermediate and catalytic site water molecules and preventing nonspecific phosphoryltransfer reactions to extraneous phosphoryl acceptors. One of the catalytic site water molecules, the likely nucleophile, forms a hydrogen bond to the putative catalytic base, Asp-181. In the wild-type enzyme, the nucleophilic water molecule would be coordinated by the side chain of Gln-262. In combination with our previous structural data, we can now visualize each of the reaction steps of the PTP catalytic pathway. The hydrolysis of the cysteinyl-phosphate intermediate of PTPs is reminiscent of GTP hydrolysis by the GTPases, in that both families of enzymes utilize an invariant Gln residue to coordinate the attacking nucleophilic water molecule.

Cell growth inhibition by a novel vitamin K is associated with induction of protein tyrosine phosphorylation

We have shown that a synthetic vitamin K analog, 2-(2-mercaptoethanol)-3-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone or compound 5 (Cpd 5), potently inhibits cell growth and suggested that the analog exerts its effects mainly via sulfhydryl arylation rather than redox cycling. Since protein-tyrosine phosphatases (PTPases), which have pivotal roles in many cellular functions, have a critical cysteine in their active site, we have proposed PTPases as likely targets for Cpd 5. To test this hypothesis, we examined the effects of Cpd 5 on protein tyrosine phosphorylation of cellular proteins and on the activity of PTPases. We found that Cpd 5 rapidly induced protein tyrosine phosphorylation in a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (Hep3B) at growth inhibitory doses, and the effect was blocked by thiols but not by non-thiol antioxidants or tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Cpd 5 inhibited PTPase activity, which was also significantly antagonized by reduced glutathione. Furthermore, the well studied PTPase inhibitor orthovanadate also induced protein tyrosine phosphorylation and growth inhibition in Hep3B cells. These results suggest that inhibition of cellular PTPases by sulfhydryl arylation and subsequent perturbation of protein tyrosine phosphorylation may be involved in the mechanisms of Cpd 5-induced cell growth inhibition.

Characterization and chromosomal localization of PTPRO, a novel receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase, expressed in hematopoietic stem cells

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) support blood cells throughout life by utilizing their self-renewing and multilineage differentiating capabilities. Hematopoietic growth factors mediate their effects on stem cells by the tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins. Regulation of tyrosine phosphorylation is partially mediated by protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPases). A possible mechanism by which hematopoietic stem cells maintain their self-renewing capacity and undifferentiated state is by controlling the balanced and opposing actions of protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs), receptors for growth factors, and PTPases. We have characterized the expression of PTPases in 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-treated murine bone marrow cells, which represent a very primitive population of progenitors enriched for reconstituting stem cells, by using a consensus polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Several PTPases were expressed abundantly in the 5-FU-treated bone marrow stem cells. A novel PTP, termed protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor omicron (PTPRO), which is related to the homotypically adhering kappa, mu and PCP-2 receptor-type tyrosine phosphatases, was identified and characterized. We have cloned the murine and full-length human PTPRO cDNAs which share 89% homology, indicating that PTPRO is highly conserved between these species. The human PTPRO cDNA clone encodes a polypeptide of 1439 amino acids (aa) and has a calculated molecular mass of approximately 162 kDa. PTPRO consists of an extracellular segment containing a MAM domain, an immunoglobulin (Ig) domain, four fibronectin-type III (FN-III) repeats, a transmembrane segment, and two tandem intracellular PTP domains. The human PTPRO gene was assigned to human chromosome 1p35-pter using Southern blot analyses of genomic DNAs from rodent/human somatic hybrid cell lines containing human chromosome 1 or the p35-pter region of the chromosome. The mouse Ptpro gene was mapped to chromosome 4, closely linked to D4Mit16 and Elp1 (elliptocytosis-1), by using genomic DNAs from a (C57BL/6J x Mus spretus)F1 x Mus spretus backcross. In fetal tissues, PTPRO expression was observed in the brain and lung, whereas lower levels were observed in the kidney. In adult tissues, PTPRO was less restricted and was observed in the lung, heart, skeletal muscle, prostate, testis, and in various areas of the brain, indicating that PTPRO expression is developmentally regulated. Expression of PTPRO was also observed in human CD34+ bone marrow cells and 5-FU-treated murine primitive stem cells. These results suggest a potential role for PTPRO in stem cell adhesion and in mediating homophilic cell-cell interactions in other cell types.

Active site titration of the tyrosine phosphatases SHP-1 and PTP1B using aromatic disulfides. Reaction with the essential cysteine residue in the active site

Aromatic disulfides were found to inactivate truncated forms of the SHP-1 and PTP1B phosphatases by reaction with the essential active site cysteine residue. For truncated SHP-1 at pH 5.0, the reaction proceeded through an initial burst phase followed by a slower secondary phase. Our experiments demonstrated that the burst phase corresponded to the reaction of the aromatic disulfide with the active site cysteine. The magnitude of the burst phase was found to measure the active enzyme concentration, and the rate of the burst reflected the reactivity of the active site cysteine. The data were consistent with a mechanism in which an intramolecular disulfide is formed between the active site cysteine and a proximal cysteine during the burst reaction. Aromatic disulfides were found to react with the active site cysteines of full-length SHP-1 and truncated PTP1B also. Using vanadate to mask the active site cysteine, the active enzyme concentration could be assayed by comparing product yields for the reaction with aromatic disulfides in the presence and absence of vanadate at pH 8.0. These findings demonstrate the utility of aromatic disulfides as active site titrants and reactivity probes for tyrosine phosphatases.

Cellular redistribution of protein tyrosine phosphatases LAR and PTPsigma by inducible proteolytic processing

Most receptor-like protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPases) display a high degree of homology with cell adhesion molecules in their extracellular domains. We studied the functional significance of processing for the receptor-like PTPases LAR and PTPsigma. PTPsigma biosynthesis and intracellular processing resembled that of the related PTPase LAR and was expressed on the cell surface as a two-subunit complex. Both LAR and PTPsigma underwent further proteolytical processing upon treatment of cells with either calcium ionophore A23187 or phorbol ester TPA. Induction of LAR processing by TPA in 293 cells did require overexpression of PKCalpha. Induced proteolysis resulted in shedding of the extracellular domains of both PTPases. This was in agreement with the identification of a specific PTPsigma cleavage site between amino acids Pro821 and Ile822. Confocal microscopy studies identified adherens junctions and desmosomes as the preferential subcellular localization for both PTPases matching that of plakoglobin. Consistent with this observation, we found direct association of plakoglobin and beta-catenin with the intracellular domain of LAR in vitro. Taken together, these data suggested an involvement of LAR and PTPsigma in the regulation of cell contacts in concert with cell adhesion molecules of the cadherin/catenin family. After processing and shedding of the extracellular domain, the catalytically active intracellular portions of both PTPases were internalized and redistributed away from the sites of cell-cell contact, suggesting a mechanism that regulates the activity and target specificity of these PTPases. Calcium withdrawal, which led to cell contact disruption, also resulted in internalization but was not associated with prior proteolytic cleavage and shedding of the extracellular domain. We conclude that the subcellular localization of LAR and PTPsigma is regulated by at least two independent mechanisms, one of which requires the presence of their extracellular domains and one of which involves the presence of intact cell-cell contacts.

Impaired mammary gland development and function in mice lacking LAR receptor-like tyrosine phosphatase activity

The LAR receptor-like protein tyrosine phosphatase is composed of two intracellular tyrosine phosphatase domains and a cell adhesion molecule-like extracellular region containing three immunoglubulin-like domains in combination with eight fibronectin type-III-like repeats. This architecture suggests that LAR may function in cellular signalling by the regulation of tyrosine phosphorylation through cell-cell or cell-matrix interactions. We used gene targeting in mouse embryonic stem cells to generate mice lacking sequences encoding both LAR phosphatase domains. Northern blot analysis of various tissues revealed the presence of a truncated LAR mRNA lacking the cytoplasmic tyrosine phosphatase domains and indicated that this LAR mutation is not accompanied by obvious changes in the expression levels of one of the LAR-like receptor tyrosine phosphatases PTPdelta or PTPsigma. LAR-/- mice develop and grow normally and display no appreciable histological tissue abnormalities. However, upon breeding we observed an abnormal neonatal death rate for pups from LAR-/- females. Mammary glands of LAR-/- females were incapable of delivering milk due to an impaired terminal differentiation of alveoli at late pregnancy. As a result, the glands failed to switch to a lactational state and showed a rapid involution postpartum. In wild-type mice, LAR expression is regulated during pregnancy reaching maximum levels around Day 16 of gestation. Taken together, these findings suggest an important role for LAR-mediated signalling in mammary gland development and function.

Kinetic analysis of two closely related receptor-like protein-tyrosine-phosphatases, PTP alpha and PTP epsilon

Among transmembrane protein-tyrosine-phosphatases, the membrane distal catalytic domain (D2) of protein-tyrosine-phosphatase alpha (PTP alpha) is unusual in having low but detectable activity in the absence of the membrane proximal catalytic domain (D1). To investigate the catalytic properties of PTP alpha D2 in association with D1, kinetic parameters of activity were established for PTP alpha D1D2 proteins containing an inactivating point mutation in D1 and/or D2. In this context, D2 activity was unchanged by the presence (N-terminal or C-terminal) or absence of inactive D1, and the presence or absence of inactive D2 affected the velocity but not the Km of D1 catalysis. While D1 appears to be the major catalytic contributor to PTP alpha activity, D2 possesses a significantly higher substrate-specific activity relative to wild-type D1D2 than the D2 domains of other protein-tyrosine-phosphatases. Also, PTP alpha D2 is an active phosphatase with comparable or better efficiency, on the basis of k(cat)/Km criteria, to some of the dual specificity phosphatases. Kinetic parameters of a closely related receptor-like protein-tyrosine-phosphatase, PTP epsilon, were determined. PTP epsilon D1 is the major, if not the only, catalytic moiety of PTP epsilon, and has much higher turnover numbers than D1 of PTP alpha. The PTP epsilon D2 activity is insignificant compared to that of PTP epsilon-D1D2, with lower turnover numbers than PTP alpha D2. Thus, the intrinsic activity of PTP alpha D2 is high compared to other D2 domains and, more outstandingly, its activity relative to D1 appears unique. These are also apparent upon in vitro assay of full-length PTP alpha catalytic mutants expressed in mammalian cells. Together. these results suggest potential catalytic and regulatory roles for PTP alpha D2, and that PTP alpha may be an optimal model transmembrane protein-tyrosine-phosphatase for investigating the former within the cell.

Regulation of scavenger receptor expression in smooth muscle cells by protein kinase C: a role for oxidative stress

Phorbol esters increase scavenger-receptor mRNA expression and receptor activity in smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Our present results demonstrate that activation of protein kinase C (PKC) mediates this increase in receptor expression. This conclusion is based on the findings that (1) phorbol esters induced translocation of PKC-alpha from the cytosol to the membrane fraction; (2) PKC inhibitors blocked the effect of phorbol esters on receptor expression; (3) diacylglycerol, a physiological PKC agonist, enhanced scavenger-receptor activity; and (4) in cotransfected human SMCs, constitutively active PKC-alpha stimulated the expression of a reporter gene under control of the scavenger-receptor promoter. Phorbol ester treatment of SMCs increased intracellular reactive oxygen, and the increase in receptor activity was reduced 30% by the antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), suggesting a role for reactive oxygen in phorbol ester-mediated receptor regulation. Furthermore, direct treatment of SMCs with reactive oxygen species increased scavenger-receptor activity. In rabbit SMCs, 100 micromol/L H2O2 alone slightly increased scavenger-receptor mRNA and protein expression. In combination, 100 micromol/L H2O2 and 10 micromol/L vanadate, which promotes formation of OH and enhances the inhibition of protein tyrosine phosphatase by H2O2, increased scavenger-receptor mRNA expression 25-fold in rabbit SMCs and 8-fold in human SMCs. NAC reduced the effect of H2O2 and vanadate by 93%. The increase in SMC scavenger-receptor expression occurs at the level of gene transcription. Receptor mRNA half-life was unchanged after treatment with either phorbol esters or reactive oxygen (approximately 14.5 hours), and induction by phorbol esters increased SMC scavenger-receptor mRNA transcription, as determined by nuclear run-on assay. Multiple cytokines and growth factors that contribute to the generation of reactive oxygen species are present in atherosclerotic lesions. These factors may all contribute to the upregulation of SMC scavenger-receptor activity and therefore to the formation of smooth muscle foam cells.

Comparative kinetic analysis and substrate specificity of the tandem catalytic domains of the receptor-like protein-tyrosine phosphatase alpha

The catalytic activity and substrate specificity of protein-tyrosine phosphatase alpha (PTPalpha) is primarily controlled by the membrane proximal catalytic domain (D1). The membrane distal (D2) domain of PTPalpha by itself is a genuine PTPase, possessing catalytic activity comparable to that of D1 using aryl phosphates as substrates. Surprisingly, kcat and kcat/Km for the D2-catalyzed hydrolysis of phosphotyrosine-containing peptides are several orders of magnitude reduced in comparison with those of D1. Substitution of the putative general acid/base Glu-690 in D2 by an Asp, which is invariably found in the WPD motifs in all cytoplasmic PTPases and all the D1 domains of receptor-like PTPases, only increases the kcat for D2 by 4-fold. Thus the much reduced D2 activity toward peptide substrates may be due to structural differences in the active sites other than the general acid/base. Alternatively, the D2 domain may have a functional active site with a highly stringent substrate specificity. PTPalpha display modest peptide substrate selectivity and are sensitive to charges adjacent to phosphotyrosine. In the sequence context of DADEpYLIPQQG (where pY stands for phosphotyrosine), the minimal sizes recognized by PTPalpha are either ADEpYLI or DADEpY-NH2.