The serine/threonine kinase p21-activated kinase 1 (Pak1) controls the actin cytoskeletal and ruffle formation through mechanisms that are independent of GTPase activity. Here we identify filamin FLNa as a Pak1-interacting protein through a yeast two-hybrid screen using the amino terminus of Pak1 as a bait. FLNa is stimulated by physiological signalling molecules to undergo phosphorylation by Pak1 and to interact and colocalize with endogenous Pak1 in membrane ruffles. The ruffle-forming activity of Pak1 is functional in FLNa-expressing cells but not in FLNa-deficient cells. In FLNa, the Pak1-binding site involves tandem repeat 23 in the carboxyl terminus and phosphorylation takes place on serine 2152. The FLNa-binding site in Pak1 is localized between amino acids 52 and 132 in the conserved Cdc42/Rac-interacting (CRIB) domain; accordingly, FLNa binding to the CRIB domain stimulates Pak1 kinase activity. Our results indicate that FLNa may be essential for Pak1-induced cytoskeletal reorganization and that the two-way regulatory interaction between Pak1 and FLNa may contribute to the local stimulation of Pak1 activity and its targets in cytoskeletal structures.

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The recently realized biochemical phenomenon of energy conservation through electron bifurcation provides biology with an elegant means to maximize utilization of metabolic energy. The mechanism of coordinated coupling of exergonic and endergonic oxidation-reduction reactions by a single enzyme complex has been elucidated through optical and paramagnetic spectroscopic studies revealing unprecedented features. Pairs of electrons are bifurcated over more than 1 volt of electrochemical potential by generating a low-potential, highly energetic, unstable flavin semiquinone and directing electron flow to an iron-sulfur cluster with a highly negative potential to overcome the barrier of the endergonic half reaction. The unprecedented range of thermodynamic driving force that is generated by flavin-based electron bifurcation accounts for unique chemical reactions that are catalyzed by these enzymes.

The process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition plays a pivotal role in the conversion of early stage tumors into invasive malignancies,

We identified dynein light chain 1 (DLC1) as a physiologic substrate of p21-activated kinase 1 (Pak1). Pak1-DLC1 interaction plays an essential role in cell survival, which depends on Pak1's phosphorylation of DLC1 on Ser88. Pak1 associates with the complex of DLC1 and BimL, a proapoptotic BH3-only protein, and phosphorylates both proteins. Phosphorylation of BimL by Pak1 prevents it from interacting with and inactivation of Bcl-2, an antiapoptotic protein. Overexpression of DLC1 but not DLC1-Ser88Ala mutant promotes cancerous properties of breast cancer cells. DLC1 protein level is elevated in more than 90% of human breast tumors. The regulation of cell survival functions by Pak1-DLC1 interaction represents a novel mechanism by which a signaling kinase might regulate the cancerous phenotypes.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) family of growth factors and their receptors regulate normal and cancerous epithelial cell proliferation, a process that can be suppressed by antireceptor blocking antibodies. To identify genes whose expression may be modulated by antireceptor blocking antibodies, we performed a differential display screen with cells grown in the presence or absence of antireceptor blocking antibodies; isolates from one cDNA clone were 100% identical to human heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNP K), a protein with a conserved KH motif and RGG boxes, has been implicated in such functions as sequence-specific DNA binding, transcription, RNA binding, and nucleocytoplasmic shuttling. Both EGF and heregulin-␤1 induced expression of hnRNP K mRNA and protein in human breast cancer cells. This growth factor-mediated hnRNP K expression was effectively blocked by pretreatment of cultures with humanized anti-EGF receptor (EGFR) antibody C225, or anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) antibody. Anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody also caused regression of human tumor xenografts and reduction in hnRNP K levels in athymic mice. Samples from grade III human breast cancer contained more hnRNP K protein than samples from grade II cancer. Finally, overexpression of hnRNP K in breast cancer cells significantly increased target c-myc promoter activity and c-Myc protein, hnRNP K protein levels, and enhanced breast cancer cell proliferation and growth in an anchorage-independent manner. These results suggested that the activity of human EGF receptor family members regulates hnRNP K expression by extracellular growth promoting signals and that therapeutic humanized antibodies against EGFR and HER2 can effectively block this function.

The E2A-encoded transcription factors E12 and E47 are key regulators of B cell functions. They bind to the E-box site, found in regulatory regions of B cell-specific genes; promote cell survival of early pre-B cells; help to initiate Ig rearrangements; and are also involved in class switch in mature B cells in the periphery. We have investigated the expression and function of E47 and E12 in IL-7-expanded pro-B/pre-B cell precursors and in unstimulated or LPS-activated splenic B cells from young and old BALB/c mice. Results show that B cell precursors from the bone marrow of old mice exhibit a reduced expression of E2A proteins and a reduced ability to bind DNA, as compared with young mice. In the spleen, E2A protein expression and DNA binding are present in unstimulated B cells from young mice and, to a significantly lesser extent, from old mice. These are both strongly induced by activation in splenic B cells from young mice but only moderately induced in old mice, indicating that aging affects the expression and activity of E2A-encoded genes and also that DNA binding correlates with the amount of protein expression. The levels of E2A DNA binding in the spleen correlate with those in the bone marrow for individual mice. In splenic mature B cells, only E47/E47 complexes bind DNA; whereas in bone marrow B cell precursors, E47/E12 complexes participate in DNA binding. Only nuclear extracts of splenic mature B cells, but both nuclear and cytoplasmic extracts of bone marrow B cell precursors, exhibit DNA binding.

Bioethanol production is achieved by only two metabolic pathways and only at moderate temperatures. Herein a fundamentally different synthetic pathway for bioalcohol production at 70°C was constructed by insertion of the gene for bacterial alcohol dehydrogenase (AdhA) into the archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus. The engineered strain converted glucose to ethanol via acetate and acetaldehyde, catalyzed by the host-encoded aldehyde ferredoxin oxidoreductase (AOR) and heterologously expressed AdhA, in an energy-conserving, redox-balanced pathway. Furthermore, the AOR/AdhA pathway also converted exogenously added aliphatic and aromatic carboxylic acids to the corresponding alcohol using glucose, pyruvate, and/or hydrogen as the source of reductant. By heterologous coexpression of a membrane-bound carbon monoxide dehydrogenase, CO was used as a reductant for converting carboxylic acids to alcohols. Redirecting the fermentative metabolism of P. furiosus through strategic insertion of foreign genes creates unprecedented opportunities for thermophilic bioalcohol production. Moreover, the AOR/AdhA pathway is a potentially game-changing strategy for syngas fermentation, especially in combination with carbon chain elongation pathways.Archaea | metabolic engineering | hyperthermophile | carbon monoxide | aldehydes