Dynamin (Dyn) is a multifunctional GTPase implicated in several cellular events, including endocytosis, intracellular trafficking, cell signaling, and cytokinesis. The mammalian genome encodes three isoforms, Dyn1, Dyn2, and Dyn3, and several splice variants of each, leading to the suggestion that distinct isoforms and/or distinct splice variants might mediate distinct cellular functions. We generated a conditional Dyn2 KO cell line and performed knockout and reconstitution experiments to explore the isoform-and splice variant specific cellular functions of ubiquitously expressed Dyn2. We find that Dyn2 is required for clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME), p75 export from the Golgi, and PDGFstimulated macropinocytosis and cytokinesis, but not for other endocytic pathways. Surprisingly, CME and p75 exocytosis were efficiently rescued by reintroduction of Dyn2, but not Dyn1, suggesting that these two isoforms function differentially in vesicular trafficking in nonneuronal cells. Both isoforms rescued macropinocytosis and cytokinesis, suggesting that dynamin function in these processes might be mechanistically distinct from its role in CME. Although all four Dyn2 splice variants could equally restore CME, Dyn2ba and -bb were more effective at restoring p75 exocytosis. This splice variant specificity correlated with their differential targeting to the Golgi. These studies reveal isoform and splice-variant specific functions for Dyn2. INTRODUCTIONDynamin (Dyn) is an ϳ100-kDa multidomain GTPase that was first identified as a microtubule binding and bundling protein (Shpetner and Vallee, 1989). Subsequently, dynamin was found to be the mammalian homologue of the Drosophila protein shibire, mutations in which block endocytosis, including synaptic vesicle recycling (Chen et al., 1991;van der Bliek and Meyerowitz, 1991). Dynamin is conserved throughout higher eukaryotes. There is a single gene in Drosophila and Caenorhabditis elegans, but there are three dynamin isoforms in mammals: Dyn1, which is specifically expressed in neurons; Dyn2, which is ubiquitously expressed; and Dyn3, which is mainly expressed in the brain and testes (Urrutia et al., 1997, Ferguson et al., 2007.The best-studied cellular function of dynamin is its involvement in clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME; Hinshaw, 2000;Sever et al., 2000;Praefcke and McMahon, 2004). However, dynamin has also been implicated in several other membrane-trafficking events including both caveolae-mediated and clathrin-and caveolin-independent endocytic pathways Oh et al., 1998;Lamaze et al., 2001;Pelkmans et al., 2002), phagocytosis (Gold et al., 1999;Yu et al., 2006), macropinocytosis (Schlunck et al., 2004), and trafficking from the trans-Golgi network (TGN; Jones et al., 1998;Kreitzer et al., 2000;Bonazzi et al., 2005). Because these functions have mostly emerged from studying the effects of overexpression of dominant-negative dynamin mutants, they may reflect indirect or nonspecific effects. Moreover, it is not known whether different dynamin isoforms and/or splice varia...

Phenotypic drug discovery approaches can positively affect the translation of preclinical findings to patients. However, not all phenotypic assays are created equal. A critical question then follows: What are the characteristics of the optimal assays? We analyze this question and propose three specific criteria related to the disease relevance of the assay-system, stimulus, and end point-to help design the most predictive phenotypic assays.

The emerging critical implications of Rho/Rho-kinase (ROCK) signaling in neurodegenerative diseases, glaucoma, renoprotection, diabetes and cancer have sparked growing interest in the pharmacological potential of ROCK inhibitors beyond their current application in cardiovascular disease. This article discusses the therapeutic benefits of novel ROCK inhibitors in development, and highlights the recent advances in the current understanding of disease-dependent and isoform-specific functions of ROCK and their potential impact on future therapeutic strategies.

Conjugated hyperbilirubinemia accompanied by cholestasis is a frequent side effect during chronic treatment with the antimicrobial agent fusidic acid. Previous studies from our laboratory, addressing mechanisms of musculoskeletal toxicity arising from coadministration of fusidic acid with statins, demonstrated the ability of fusidic acid to potently inhibit human organic anion transporting polypeptides OATP1B1 (IC = 1.6 μM) and OATP1B3 (IC = 2.5 μM), which are responsible for the uptake-limited clearance of statins as well as bilirubin glucuronide conjugates. In the present work, inhibitory effects of fusidic acid were characterized against additional human hepatobiliary transporters [Na/taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP), bile salt export pump (BSEP), and multidrug resistance-associated proteins MRP2 and MRP3] as well as uridine glucuronosyl transferase (UGT1A1), which mediate the disposition of bile acids and bilirubin (and its conjugated metabolites). Fusidic acid demonstrated concentration-dependent inhibition of human NTCP- and BSEP-mediated taurocholic acid transport with IC values of 44 and 3.8 μM, respectively. Inhibition of BSEP activity by fusidic acid was also consistent with the potent disruption of cellular biliary flux (AC = 11 μM) in the hepatocyte imaging assay technology assay, with minimal impact on other toxicity end points (e.g., cytotoxicity, mitochondrial membrane potential, reactive oxygen species generation, glutathione depletion, etc.). Fusidic acid also inhibited UGT1A1-catalyzed β-estradiol glucuronidation activity in human liver microsomes with an IC value of 16 μM. Fusidic acid did not demonstrate any significant inhibition of ATP-dependent LTC4 transport (IC's > 300 μM) in human MRP2 or MRP3 vesicles. R values, which reflect maximal in vivo inhibition, were estimated from a static mathematical model by taking into consideration the IC values generated in the various in vitro assays and clinically efficacious unbound fusidic acid concentrations. The magnitudes of in vivo interaction (R values) resulting from the inhibition of OATP1B1, UGT1A1, NTCP, and BSEP transport were ∼1.9-2.6, 1.1-1.2, 1.0-1.1, and 1.4-1.7, respectively, which are indicative of some degree of inherent toxicity risk, particularly via inhibition of OATP and BSEP. Collectively, these observations indicate that inhibition of human BSEP by fusidic acid could affect bile acid homeostasis, resulting in cholestatic hepatotoxicity in the clinic. Lack of direct inhibitory effects on MRP2 transport by fusidic acid suggests that conjugated hyperbilirubinemia does not arise via interference in MRP2-mediated biliary disposition of bilirubin glucuronides. Instead, it is possible that elevation in the level of bilirubin conjugates in blood is mediated through inhibition of hepatic OATPs, which are responsible for their reuptake and/or downregulation of MRP2 transporter as a consequence of cholestatic injury.

No abstract