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A 17-amino acid peptide was selectively cleaved from the highly variant C terminus of the 33-kDa 14-3-3 isoform occurring in fusicoccin receptor preparations from maize and was sequenced. The determined C-terminal sequence was identical to that of the already known maize 14-3-3 homolog GF14-6, thus prompting the use of recombinant GF14-6 in an in vitro protein-protein interaction study. The cDNA of GF14-6 was expressed in Escherichia coli as a 32 P-phosphorylatable glutathione S-transferase fusion protein and was used as a probe in overlay experiments with H ؉ -ATPase partially purified from maize roots. The results demonstrated that the recombinant protein specifically bound to H ؉ -ATPase. The binding was dependent on Mg 2؉ and was strongly increased by fusicoccin. Controlled trypsin digestion of H ؉ -ATPase abolished the association with GF14-6, a finding that was suggestive of an interaction with the C terminus of the enzyme. To confirm this result, the Cterminal domain of H ؉ -ATPase was expressed as a glutathione S-transferase fusion peptide and was used in overlay experiments. GF14-6 was also able to bind to the isolated C terminus, but only in the presence of fusicoccin.

In this review we highlight the advances achieved in the investigation of the role of 14-3-3 proteins in hormone signaling, biosynthesis, and transport. 14-3-3 proteins are a family of conserved molecules that target a number of protein clients through their ability to recognize well-defined phosphorylated motifs. As a result, they regulate several cellular processes, ranging from metabolism to transport, growth, development, and stress response. High-throughput proteomic data and two-hybrid screen demonstrate that 14-3-3 proteins physically interact with many protein clients involved in the biosynthesis or signaling pathways of the main plant hormones, while increasing functional evidence indicates that 14-3-3-target interactions play pivotal regulatory roles. These advances provide a framework of our understanding of plant hormone action, suggesting that 14-3-3 proteins act as hubs of a cellular web encompassing different signaling pathways, transducing and integrating diverse hormone signals in the regulation of physiological processes.

The H؉ -ATPase is a key enzyme for the establishment and maintenance of plasma membrane potential and energization of secondary active transport in the plant cell. The phytotoxin fusicoccin induces H ؉ -ATPase activation by promoting the association of 14-3-3 proteins. It is still unclear whether 14-3-3 proteins can represent natural regulators of the proton pump, and factors regulating 14-3-3 binding to the H ؉ -ATPase under physiological conditions are unknown as well. In the present study in vivo and in vitro evidence is provided that 14-3-3 proteins can associate with the H ؉ -ATPase from maize roots also in a fusicoccin-independent manner and that the interaction depends on the phosphorylation status of the proton pump. Furthermore, results indicate that phosphorylation of H ؉ -ATPase influences also the fusicoccin-dependent interaction of 14-3-3 proteins. Finally, a protein phosphatase 2A able to impair the interaction between H ؉

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) has been used since ancient times in traditional medicine, while nowadays various rosemary formulations are increasingly exploited by alternative medicine to cure or prevent a wide range of health disorders. Rosemary’s bioproperties have prompted scientific investigation, which allowed us to ascertain antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cytostatic, and cytotoxic activities of crude extracts or of pure components. Although there is a growing body of experimental work, information about rosemary’s anticancer properties, such as chemoprotective or anti-proliferative effects on cancer cells, is very poor, especially concerning the mechanism of action. Melanoma is a skin tumor whose diffusion is rapidly increasing in the world and whose malignancy is reinforced by its high resistance to cytotoxic agents; hence the availability of new cytotoxic drugs would be very helpful to improve melanoma prognosis. Here we report on the effect of a rosemary hydroalcoholic extract on the viability of the human melanoma A375 cell line. Main components of rosemary extract were identified by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) and the effect of the crude extract or of pure components on the proliferation of cancer cells was tested by MTT and Trypan blue assays. The effect on cell cycle was investigated by using flow cytometry, and the alteration of the cellular redox state was evaluated by intracellular ROS levels and protein carbonylation analysis. Furthermore, in order to get information about the molecular mechanisms of cytotoxicity, a comparative proteomic investigation was performed.

Pure preparations of FC receptors, obtained under nondenaturing conditions, showed in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis two doublets of proteins with apparent molecular masses of 30 and 90 kD. In the present paper we describe the isolation and identification of the primary structure of the 30-kD doublet proteins. Sequencing studies of peptides resulting from the digestion of the 30-kD protein showed a full identity with a 14-3-3-like protein from corn, named CF14. The 14-3-3 family is a class of proteins that is widely distributed in eukaryotes and is known to play various regulatory roles. The 30-kD protein has been immunologically identified by specific antibodies prepared against a synthetic peptide based on the determined amino acid sequence. A similar protein is recognized in partially purified FC receptor preparations from bean and spinach leaves.Although in the last few years progress has been made in the elucidation of mode of action of FC (Aducci et al., 1988; Johansson et al., 1993; Rasi-Caldogno et al., 1993), the primary structure of the FC receptor is still unknown. Different groups have reported on the purification of FC-binding proteins from various plants (de Boer et al., 1989; Feyerabend and Weiler, 1989; Oecking and Weiler, 1991), showing that the putative FC receptor is a protein in the range of 30 to 35 kD.Recently we have described the purification of the FC receptor from com (Zea mays L.) shoots using HPLC (Aducci et al., 1993). SDS-PAGE of highly purified samples revealed the occurrence of two doublets corresponding to proteins of * ComesDondine author; fax 39-6-2023500. tritiated azido-FC, resulted in labeling of the 90-kD protein under conditions that did not affect FC binding. In contrast, labeling of the 30-kD protein occurred only under conditions that severely impaired the binding activity. From our data we inferred that the minimal functional FC receptor has an apparent molecular mass of 90 kD. However, the presence of the 30-kD protein in fractions retaining an FC-binding capacity after extensive purification (5000-fold increase of specific FC-binding activity) suggests a tight association of the two proteins during chromatographic separations, including gel filtration, when performed under nondissociating conditions. This suggests a possible regulatory role for the 30-kD protein in the FC signaling pathway. These results prompted us to further purify the FC receptor to obtain pure samples of the 30-and 90-kD proteins suitable for primary structure determination, cloning, and expression.In this paper we report on the separation of the 30-and 90-kD proteins from com by RP HPLC chromatography and partial elucidation of the primary structure of the 30-kD protein and its immunological identification by antibodies directed to a synthetic peptide based on the determined amino acid sequence. MATERIALS AND METHODS ChemicalsFC was prepared as described by Ballio et al. (1968).[3H]FC was obtained according to Ballio et al. (1980). Chemicals used for gel electrophor...

14-3-3 proteins modulate the plant inward rectifier K؉ channel KAT1 heterologously expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Injection of recombinant plant 14-3-3 proteins into oocytes shifted the activation curve of KAT1 by ؉11 mV and increased the on . KAT1 was also modulated by 14-3-3 proteins of Xenopus oocytes. Titration of the endogenous 14-3-3 proteins by injection of the peptide Raf 621p resulted in a strong decrease in KAT1 current (ϳ70% at ؊150 mV). The mutation K56E performed on plant protein 14-3-3 in a highly conserved recognition site prevented channel activation. Because the maximal conductance of KAT1 was unaffected by 14-3-3, we can exclude that they act by increasing the number of channels, thus ruling out any effect of these proteins on channel trafficking and/or insertion into the oocyte membrane. 14-3-3 proteins also increased KAT1 current in inside-out patches, suggesting a direct interaction with the channel. Direct interaction was confirmed by overlay experiments with radioactive 14-3-3 on oocyte membranes expressing KAT1.

Modulation of the interaction of regulatory 14-3-3 proteins to their physiological partners through small cell-permeant molecules is a promising strategy to control cellular processes where 14-3-3s are engaged. Here, we show that the fungal phytotoxin fusicoccin (FC), known to stabilize 14-3-3 association to the plant plasma membrane H 1 -ATPase, is able to stabilize 14-3-3 interaction to several client proteins with a mode III binding motif. Isothermal titration calorimetry analysis of the interaction between 14-3-3s and different peptides reproducing a mode III binding site demonstrated the FC ability to stimulate 14-3-3 the association. Moreover, molecular docking studies provided the structural rationale for the differential FC effect, which exclusively depends on the biochemical properties of the residue in peptide C-terminal position. Our study proposes FC as a promising tool to control cellular processes regulated by 14-3-3 proteins, opening new perspectives on its potential pharmacological applications. V C 2014 IUBMB Life, 66(1): [52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62] 2014