Senior Corresponding Authors: Matthew E. Hurles, The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute,

DNA copy number variation has long been associated with specific chromosomal rearrangements and genomic disorders, but its ubiquity in mammalian genomes was not fully realized until recently. Although our understanding of the extent of this variation is still developing, it seems likely that, at least in humans, copy number variants (CNVs) account for a substantial amount of genetic variation. Since many CNVs include genes that result in differential levels of gene expression, CNVs may account for a significant proportion of normal phenotypic variation. Current efforts are directed toward a more comprehensive cataloging and characterization of CNVs that will provide the basis for determining how genomic diversity impacts biological function, evolution, and common human diseases.

G protein-coupled receptor activation leads to the membrane recruitment and activation of G proteincoupled receptor kinases, which phosphorylate receptors and lead to their inactivation. We have identified a novel G protein-coupled receptor kinase-interacting protein, GIT1, that is a GTPase-activating protein (GAP) for the ADP ribosylation factor (ARF) family of small GTP-binding proteins. Overexpression of GIT1 leads to reduced ␤ 2 -adrenergic receptor signaling and increased receptor phosphorylation, which result from reduced receptor internalization and resensitization. These cellular effects of GIT1 require its intact ARF GAP activity and do not ref lect regulation of GRK kinase activity. These results suggest an essential role for ARF proteins in regulating ␤ 2 -adrenergic receptor endocytosis. Moreover, they provide a mechanism for integration of receptor activation and endocytosis through regulation of ARF protein activation by GRK-mediated recruitment of the GIT1 ARF GAP to the plasma membrane.

Unpredicted human safety events in clinical trials for new drugs are costly in terms of human health and money. The drug discovery industry attempts to minimize those events with diligent preclinical safety testing. Current standard practices are good at preventing toxic compounds from being tested in the clinic; however, false negative preclinical toxicity results are still a reality. Continual improvement must be pursued in the preclinical realm. Higher-quality therapies can be brought forward with more information about potential toxicities and associated mechanisms. The zebrafish model is a bridge between in vitro assays and mammalian in vivo studies. This model is powerful in its breadth of application and tractability for research. In the past two decades, our understanding of disease biology and drug toxicity has grown significantly owing to thousands of studies on this tiny vertebrate. This Review summarizes challenges and strengths of the model, discusses the 3Rs value that it can deliver, highlights translatable and untranslatable biology, and brings together reports from recent studies with zebrafish focusing on new drug discovery toxicology. ■ CONTENTS 107Biographies 107 References 108

G protein-coupled receptor kinase (GRK)-mediated receptor phosphorylation and ␤-arrestin binding uncouple G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) from their respective G proteins and initiates the process of receptor internalization. In the case of the ␤ 2 -adrenergic receptor and lysophosphatidic acid receptor, these processes can lead to ERK activation. Here we identify a novel mechanism whereby the activity of GRK2 is regulated by feedback inhibition. GRK2 is demonstrated to be a phosphoprotein in cells. Mass spectrometry and mutational analysis localize the site of phosphorylation on GRK2 to a carboxyl-terminal serine residue (Ser 670 ). Phosphorylation at Ser 670 impairs the ability of GRK2 to phosphorylate both soluble and membrane-incorporated receptor substrates and dramatically attenuates G␤␥-mediated activation of this enzyme. Ser 670 is located in a peptide sequence that conforms to an ERK consensus phosphorylation sequence, and in vitro, in the presence of heparin, ERK1 phosphorylates GRK2. Inhibition of ERK activity in HEK293 cells potentiates GRK2 activity, whereas, conversely, ERK activation inhibits GRK2 activity. The discovery that ERK phosphorylates and inactivates GRK2 suggests that ERK participates in a feedback regulatory loop. By negatively regulating GRK-mediated receptor phosphorylation, ␤-arrestin-mediated processes such as Src recruitment and clathrin-mediated internalization, which are required for GPCR-mediated ERK activation, are inhibited, thus dampening further ERK activation.

1,5-Anhydroglucitol (1,5-AG), the 1-deoxy form of glucose, has been measured and used clinically in Japan for over a decade to monitor short-term glycemic control. Evaluation of glucose control otherwise requires measuring plasma glucose or glycated proteins whose levels reflect average glucose concentration over the half-life of the protein analyzed. Hemoglobin A1c measurements reflect blood glucose levels over that past 2-3 months, while fructosamine can be used to evaluate glycemic control over 10-14 days. In contrast, 1,5-AG levels in blood respond within 24 h as a result of glucose's competitive inhibition of 1,5-AG reabsorption in the kidney tubule. When glucose levels rise, even transiently, urinary loss of 1,5-AG occurs, and circulating levels fall. Because of changes in renal hemodynamics in normal pregnancies, 1,5-AG appears of limited usefulness in evaluation of gestational diabetes. However, the characteristics of 1,5-AG levels in patients with moderate to near-normal glycemic control suggest that it may be a valuable complement to frequent self-monitoring or continuous monitoring of plasma glucose to confirm stable glycemic control. Measurements performed daily or weekly in a given patient would suggest that overall glycemic control has been stable or improved if 1,5-AG levels are stable or increasing. If 1,5-AG levels fall, greater attention to glucose monitoring and both lifestyle and medical management could be prescribed to correct the glycemic excursions that would underlie such changes. The behavior of this analyte is different from all others used in the management of diabetes, creating potential opportunities for its use in clinical practice.

The small GTPase Rac assembles with the cytosolic p47 phox and p67 phox and the membrane-associated flavocytochrome b 558 to form the multicomponent respiratory burst oxidase. Mutation of amino acids in a region of Rac (residues 26 -45), homologous to an effector region in Ras, was previously shown to interfere with Rac binding to the oxidase. Herein we have elucidated an additional region in Rac involved in regulating oxidase activity. Rho family small GTPases contain a 12-amino acid "insert" region (residues 124 -135) that is not present in Ras. Point mutations in and deletion of this region were constructed and used for in vitro studies of the activation of PAK65 and NADPH oxidase. During the respiratory burst, neutrophils and other phagocytic cells reduce molecular oxygen to generate superoxide anion, with subsequent production of secondary products such as hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radical, all of which participate in microbial killing. The enzyme that initiates the respiratory burst, the NADPH oxidase, is a multicomponent enzyme that utilizes reducing equivalents from NADPH to reduce oxygen to superoxide (reviewed in Ref.

The neutrophil superoxide generating NADPH oxidase is activated by the assembly of cytosolic protein components with a membrane-associated flavocytochrome. The activity can be reconstituted in vitro using purified cytosolic factors p47(phox), p67(phox), and Rac plus the phospholipid-reconstituted flavocytochrome b558. Here, we demonstrate that activity is reconstituted in the absence of p47(phox) when high concentrations of p67(phox) and Rac are used. Vmax values were the same in the presence or absence of p47(phox), yet p47(phox) increases the affinity of both p67(phox) and Rac for the oxidase complex by nearly 2 orders of magnitude. p67(phox)-(1-246), a truncated form of the protein which eliminates SH3 domains involved in binding to p47(phox), also supports superoxide generation, both in the presence and absence of p47(phox), providing further evidence for p47(phox) independent activity. In the absence of p47(phox), p67(phox)-(1-246) binds to the NADPH oxidase complex 3-fold more tightly than does native p67(phox), indicating that the C terminus contains a region which masks binding to the oxidase complex. Results indicate that p47(phox) does not play a direct role in regulating electron transfer. Rather, its function is to serve as an adaptor protein to enhance the assembly of the other cytosolic components with the flavocytochrome and possibly to unmask a binding region in the N terminus of p67(phox) by binding to its C-terminal domains. p67(phox) and/or Rac play a more direct role in regulating electron transfer.