Cellulases participate in a number of biological events, such as plant cell wall remodelling, nematode parasitism and microbial carbon uptake. Their ability to depolymerize crystalline cellulose is of great biotechnological interest for environmentally compatible production of fuels from lignocellulosic biomass. However, industrial use of cellulases is somewhat limited by both their low catalytic efficiency and stability. In the present study, we conducted a detailed functional and structural characterization of the thermostable BsCel5A (Bacillus subtilis cellulase 5A), which consists of a GH5 (glycoside hydrolase 5) catalytic domain fused to a CBM3 (family 3 carbohydrate-binding module). NMR structural analysis revealed that the Bacillus CBM3 represents a new subfamily, which lacks the classical calcium-binding motif, and variations in NMR frequencies in the presence of cellopentaose showed the importance of polar residues in the carbohydrate interaction. Together with the catalytic domain, the CBM3 forms a large planar surface for cellulose recognition, which conducts the substrate in a proper conformation to the active site and increases enzymatic efficiency. Notably, the manganese ion was demonstrated to have a hyper-stabilizing effect on BsCel5A, and by using deletion constructs and X-ray crystallography we determined that this effect maps to a negatively charged motif located at the opposite face of the catalytic site.

Type 2A phosphatases are part of the PPP subfamily that is formed by PP2A, PP4 and PP6, the mammalian orthologs of yeast Pph21 ⁄ 22, Pph3 and Sit4, respectively. These are serine ⁄ threonine phosphatases with a wide range of substrates acting in a variety of cellular processes such as transcription, translation, regulation of the cell cycle, signal transduction and apoptosis [1][2][3][4]. PP2A has been described as a holoenzyme formed by a catalytic (C), a regulatory (B, B¢ or B¢¢) and a scaffolding (PR65 ⁄ A) subunit [1][2][3][4].Although dimers formed by AC subunits have been described in vivo, the prevalent form of the PP2A holoenzyme is the trimeric A:B:C complex. The number of B-type subunits is still growing with new members continuously being discovered. The subunit composition of the holoenzyme determines its subcellular localization, activation state and substrate specificity [1][2][3][4]. PP4 forms either a heterotrimer with the subunits PP4R2 and PP4R3 or a heterodimer with PP4R1 [5], and specific subunits of PP6 (PP6R1, Type 2A serine ⁄ threonine phosphatases are part of the PPP subfamily that is formed by PP2A, PP4 and PP6, and participate in a variety of cellular processes including transcription, translation, regulation of the cell cycle, signal transduction and apoptosis. PP2A is found predominantly as a heterotrimer formed by the catalytic subunit (C) and by a regulatory (B, B¢ or B¢¢) and a scaffolding (A) subunit. Yeast Tap42p and Tip41p are regulators of type 2A phosphatases, playing antagonistic roles in the target of rapamycin signaling pathway. a4 and target of rapamycin signaling pathway regulator-like (TIPRL) are the respective mammalian orthologs of Tap42p and Tip41p. a4 has been characterized as an essential protein implicated in cell signaling, differentiation and survival; by contrast, the role of mammalian TIPRL is still poorly understood. In this study, a yeast two-hybrid screen revealed that TIPRL interacts with the C-terminal region of the catalytic subunits of PP2A, PP4 and PP6. The TIPRL-interacting region on the catalytic subunit was mapped to residues 210-309 and does not overlap with the a4-binding region, as shown by yeast two-hybrid and pull-down assays using recombinant proteins. TIPRL and a4 can bind PP2Ac simultaneously, forming a stable ternary complex. Reverse two-hybrid assays revealed that single amino acid substitutions on TIPRL including D71L, I136T, M196V and D198N can block its interaction with PP2Ac. TIPRL inhibits PP2Ac activity in vitro and forms a rapamycin-insensitive complex with PP2Ac and a4 in human cells. These results suggest the existence of a novel PP2A heterotrimer (a4:PP2Ac:TIPRL) in mammalian cells.Abbreviations 3-AT, 3-amino-triazol; GST, glutathione S-transferase; RBCC, ring finger B-box coiled coil; TIPRL, TOR signaling pathway regulator-like; TOR, target of rapamycin.

Human NEK7 is a regulator of cell division and plays an important role in growth and survival of mammalian cells. Human NEK6 and NEK7 are closely related, consisting of a conserved C-terminal catalytic domain and a nonconserved and disordered N-terminal regulatory domain, crucial to mediate the interactions with their respective proteins. Here, in order to better understand NEK7 cellular functions, we characterize the NEK7 interactome by two screening approaches: one using a yeast two-hybrid system and the other based on immunoprecipitation followed by mass spectrometry analysis. These approaches led to the identification of 61 NEK7 interactors that contribute to a variety of biological processes, including cell division. Combining additional interaction and phosphorylation assays from yeast two-hybrid screens, we validated CC2D1A, TUBB2B, MNAT1, and NEK9 proteins as potential NEK7 interactors and substrates. Notably, endogenous RGS2, TUBB, MNAT1, NEK9, and PLEKHA8 localized with NEK7 at key sites throughout the cell cycle, especially during mitosis and cytokinesis. Furthermore, we obtained evidence that the closely related kinases NEK6 and NEK7 do not share common interactors, with the exception of NEK9, and display different modes of protein interaction, depending on their N- and C-terminal regions, in distinct fashions. In summary, our work shows for the first time a comprehensive NEK7 interactome that, combined with functional in vitro and in vivo assays, suggests that NEK7 is a multifunctional kinase acting in different cellular processes in concert with cell division signaling and independently of NEK6.