The soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida 86 uses quinoline as a sole source of carbon and energy. Quinoline 2-oxidoreductase (Qor) catalyzes the first metabolic step converting quinoline to 2-oxo-1,2-dihydroquinoline. Qor is a member of the molybdenum hydroxylases. The molybdenum ion is coordinated by two ene-dithiolate sulfur atoms, two oxo-ligands, and a catalytically crucial sulfido-ligand, whose position in the active site was controversial. The 1.8 A resolution crystal structure of Qor indicates that the sulfido-ligand occupies the equatorial position at the molybdenum ion. The structural comparison of Qor with the allopurinol-inhibited xanthine dehydrogenase from Rhodobacter capsulatus allows direct insight into the mechanism of substrate recognition and the identification of putative catalytic residues. The active site protein variants QorE743V and QorE743D were analyzed to assess the catalytic role of E743.

Rab5 is a small guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) that regulates the early stages of endocytosis and is conserved in eukaryotes. Rab5 regulates the internalization of receptors and other membrane-associated signaling proteins. The function of Rab5 in these processes is considered relatively passive, so that the endocytic capacity of Rab5 is used during, for example, beta-arrestin-dependent internalization of G protein (heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding protein)-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Direct recruitment or activation of Rab5 by the components of these signaling pathways has not been reported. Here, we demonstrate an interaction of Drosophila Rab5 and an immediate transducer of GPCR signaling, the G protein G(o), in vitro and in vivo. Rab5 and G(o) bound to each other as purified proteins, as well as in fly extracts. In cellular assays, G(o) led to Rab5 activation and endosome fusion. We further showed that the G(o)-Rab5 interaction functioned in Drosophila planar cell polarity and Wingless signal transduction, pathways initiated by GPCRs of the Frizzled (Fz) family. Additionally, the recycling Rab GTPases Rab4 and Rab11 functioned in Fz- and G(o)-mediated signaling to favor planar cell polarity over canonical Wingless signaling. The interplay between heterotrimeric G proteins and Rab GTPases controlled receptor internalization, revealing a previously uncharacterized regulatory mechanism in GPCR signaling.

Homotypic or entotic cell-in-cell invasion is an integrin-independent process observed in carcinoma cells exposed during conditions of low adhesion such as in exudates of malignant disease. Although active cell-in-cell invasion depends on RhoA and actin, the precise mechanism as well as the underlying actin structures and assembly factors driving the process are unknown. Furthermore, whether specific cell surface receptors trigger entotic invasion in a signal-dependent fashion has not been investigated. In this study, we identify the G-protein-coupled LPA receptor 2 (LPAR2) as a signal transducer specifically required for the actively invading cell during entosis. We find that G12/13 and PDZ-RhoGEF are required for entotic invasion, which is driven by blebbing and a uropod-like actin structure at the rear of the invading cell. Finally, we provide evidence for an involvement of the RhoA-regulated formin Dia1 for entosis downstream of LPAR2. Thus, we delineate a signaling process that regulates actin dynamics during cell-in-cell invasion.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.02786.001

The chemokine receptor, CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), is selective for CXC chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12), is broadly expressed in blood and tissue cells, and is essential during embryogenesis and hematopoiesis. CXCL14 is a homeostatic chemokine with unknown receptor selectivity and preferential expression in peripheral tissues. Here, we demonstrate that CXCL14 synergized with CXCL12 in the induction of chemokine responses in primary human lymphoid cells and cell lines that express CXCR4. Combining subactive concentrations of CXCL12 with 100–300 nM CXCL14 resulted in chemotaxis responses that exceeded maximal responses that were obtained with CXCL12 alone. CXCL14 did not activate CXCR4-expressing cells (i.e., failed to trigger chemotaxis and Ca2+ mobilization, as well as signaling via ERK1/2 and the small GTPase Rac1); however, CXCL14 bound to CXCR4 with high affinity, induced redistribution of cell-surface CXCR4, and enhanced HIV-1 infection by >3-fold. We postulate that CXCL14 is a positive allosteric modulator of CXCR4 that enhances the potency of CXCR4 ligands. Our findings provide new insights that will inform the development of novel therapeutics that target CXCR4 in a range of diseases, including cancer, autoimmunity, and HIV.—Collins, P. J., McCully, M. L., Martínez-Muñoz, L., Santiago, C., Wheeldon, J., Caucheteux, S., Thelen, S., Cecchinato, V., Laufer, J. M., Purvanov, V., Monneau, Y. R., Lortat-Jacob, H., Legler, D. F., Uguccioni, M., Thelen, M., Piguet, V., Mellado, M., Moser, B. Epithelial chemokine CXCL14 synergizes with CXCL12 via allosteric modulation of CXCR4.

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Chemokine receptors are seven transmembrane-domain receptors belonging to class A of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). The receptors together with their chemokine ligands constitute the chemokine system, which is essential for directing cell migration and plays a crucial role in a variety of physiologic and pathologic processes. Given the importance of orchestrating cell migration, it is vital that chemokine receptor signaling is tightly regulated to ensure appropriate responses. Recent studies highlight a key role for cholesterol in modulating chemokine receptor activities. The steroid influences the spatial organization of GPCRs within the membrane bilayer, and consequently can tune chemokine receptor signaling. The effects of cholesterol on the organization and function of chemokine receptors and GPCRs in general include direct and indirect effects (Fig. 1). Here, we review how cholesterol and some key metabolites modulate functions of the chemokine system in multiple ways. We emphasize the role of cholesterol in chemokine receptor oligomerization, thereby promoting the formation of a signaling hub enabling integration of distinct signaling pathways at the receptor-membrane interface. Moreover, we discuss the role of cholesterol in stabilizing particular receptor conformations and its consequence for chemokine binding. Finally, we highlight how cholesterol accumulation, its deprivation, or cholesterol metabolites contribute to modulating cell orchestration during inflammation, induction of an adaptive immune response, as well as to dampening an anti-tumor immune response.

Chemokines are essential guidance cues orchestrating cell migration in health and disease. Cognate chemokine receptors sense chemokine gradients over short distances to coordinate directional cell locomotion. The chemokines CCL19 and CCL21 are essential for recruiting CCR7-expressing dendritic cells bearing pathogen-derived antigens and lymphocytes to lymph nodes, where the two cell types meet to launch an adaptive immune response against the invading pathogen. CCR7-expressing cancer cells are also recruited by CCL19 and CCL21 to metastasize in lymphoid organs. In contrast, atypical chemokine receptors (ACKRs) do not transmit signals required for cell locomotion but scavenge chemokines. ACKR4 is crucial for internalizing and degrading CCL19 and CCL21 to establish local gradients, which are sensed by CCR7-expressing cells. Here, we describe the production of fluorescently tagged chemokines by fusing CCL19 and CCL21 to monomeric red fluorescent protein (mRFP). We show that purified CCL19-mRFP and CCL21-mRFP are versatile and powerful tools to study CCR7 and ACKR4 functions, such as receptor trafficking and chemokine scavenging, in a spatiotemporal fashion. We demonstrate that fluorescently tagged CCL19 and CCL21 permit the visualization and quantification of chemokine gradients in real time, while CCR7-expressing leukocytes and cancer cells sense the guidance cues and migrate along the chemokine gradients.

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