Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 2005. / Title from title page screen, viewed September 26, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Kevin Edwards (chair), David Borst, Laura Vogel, David Rubin, Jon Friesen. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 133-143) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (M.S.)--Purdue University, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 41-49).

Reversible protein phosphorylation, the best studied post-translational modification, regulates most cellular processes, including signaling, migration, cell cycle progression, DNA damage repair, stress response and modulaton of the activities of metabolic enzymes. Therefore, it has emerged as a key therapeutic target in diseases in which these processes are deregulated. Unlike kinases, protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) is a promiscuous enzyme that gains its substrate specificity from a large group of “regulatory subunits” with which it associates to form a range of holoenzyme complexes targeted to specific subcellular localizations and substrates. Inhibition of a specific dephosphorylation event therefore relies on targeting the regulatory rather than the catalytic subunit. The present study uses GFP as a molecular reporter to assess the localization of PP1c and identify the underlying binding events that govern it via a combination of fluorescence imaging, cellular fractionation, affinity purification and quantitative mass spectrometry. While there is some overlap in their targeting and intracellular roles, the three PP1 isoforms show distinct localizations based on relative preferences for particular regulatory subunits. In this study we assembled a comprehensive map of isoform- and compartment- specific phosphatase complexes in three different cultured human cell lines, using the data to extrapolate, with confidence, the distribution of each PP1 isoform between a large pool of known/predicted and novel regulatory subunits. Network analysis also highlighted key multiprotein complexes to which PP1 is targeted by these regulatory subunits, and identified a novel regulatory subunit that links phosphatase activity to regulation of protein degradation. Our work confirmed that Mypt1, the regulatory subunit that targets PP1 activity to the myosin light chain, preferentially associates with the beta isoform of PP1c. We further demonstrated that they are in complex in both the cytoplasm and nucleus, and represent ~30% of the total PP1β holoenzyme complexes in both interaphase and mitotic cells. Further investigation of these complexes led to the discovery of Specc1 and Specc1L, which associate with Mypt1/PP1β via direct binding to Mypt1. Specc1/1L are microtubule binding proteins that can also associate with actin filaments, and we demonstrated that they mediate the distribution of Mypt1/PP1β complexes between these two cytoskeletal networks. Given that disruption of this balance has been implicated in disease states including cancer and hypertension, the Specc1/L family represents a novel therapeutic target for the regulation of Mypt1/PP1 activity. With PP1 now emerging as a promising therapeutic target and the first PP1-targeted therapeutic drug, Sephin 1, in clinical trials, a better understanding of PP1’s in vivo distribution between holoenzyme complexes is essential. Our work establishes an initial “snapshot” of this distribution against which changes can be assessed, as we demonstrated here by showing its re-distribution in mitotic cells. Dynamic redistributions during specific cell processes such as differentiation or in response to perturbations or disease states can be assessed in a similar fashion in future, facilitating both identification of the relevant complexes and the design of specific strategies to target them therapeutically.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:27:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2007-03-27Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:55:55Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 nakagi_vs_me_jabo.pdf: 402591 bytes, checksum: bde6a86608bbb9a9d68eb164ee5cc8ca (MD5) / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / A produção de fosfatase ácida extracelular pelo fungo Penicillium implicatum foi estudada em diferentes concentrações de fosfato no meio de cultivo e na presença e ausência de agitação. A produção de fosfatase ácida extracelular repressível foi cerca de 15 vezes maior em meio agitado e na presença de 50 ìM de KH2PO4 quando comparada ao tratamento controle. A enzima foi purificada 19 vezes em Fenil Sepharose CL-4B, e apresenta uma atividade específica de 27,3U/mg. A enzima é um monômero de massa molecular (Mr) da ordem de 45KDa. O pH ótimo aparente das atividades p-NFFásica e de pirofosfatase é de 5,5. Os íons Zn, Mg, e Co; EDTA, tartarato e iodoacetamida exerceram pouca ou nenhuma influência sobre a atividade da fosfatase ácida de P. implicatum; enquanto que a enzima foi inibida por molibdato e arsenato. A enzima apresenta atividade pirofosfatásica de 297,78U/mg a 4mM de pirofosfato e pH 5,5. A cinética de hidrólise simultânea dos substratos PNFF e PPi mostrou que ambos os substratos ligaram-se ao mesmo sítio. A aplicação da fosfatase na hidrólise de fitato em ração animal sugere uma forma de disponibilizar fosfato para o organismo e também minimizar o impacto ambiental. / The extracellular production of acid phosphatase by Penicillium implicatum was studied at different concentrations of phosphate and in the presence and absence of agitation growth medium. The production of extracellular repressible acid phosphatase was about 15-fold highest in agitated medium with 50ì M of KH2PO4 when compared to the control treatment. The enzyme was purified 19-fold on Phenyl Sepharose CL-4B and showed specific activity of 27,3U/mg. The enzyme is a monomer with molecular weight (Mr) of ~ 45KDa. The optimum pH of the p-NPP and pyrophosphate activities was 5,5. The Zn, Mg, Ca, Mn and Co ions, EDTA and tartarate had no effects; but it was inhibitored by arsenate and molybdate. The pyrophosphate activity was 298U/mg at 4mM and pH 5,5. The kinetics data of simultaneous p-NPP and pyrophosphate hydrolysis, showed that both substrates had bound the same active site. The phosphatase application on fitate hydrolysis in animal food suggests a mean to dispose phosphate to the organism and also to minimize the environmental impact.

Orientador: João Martins Pizauro Júnior / Banca: Maria Inês Tiraboschi Ferro / Banca: Pietro Ciancaglini / Resumo: A produção de fosfatase ácida extracelular pelo fungo Penicillium implicatum foi estudada em diferentes concentrações de fosfato no meio de cultivo e na presença e ausência de agitação. A produção de fosfatase ácida extracelular repressível foi cerca de 15 vezes maior em meio agitado e na presença de 50 ìM de KH2PO4 quando comparada ao tratamento controle. A enzima foi purificada 19 vezes em Fenil Sepharose CL-4B, e apresenta uma atividade específica de 27,3U/mg. A enzima é um monômero de massa molecular (Mr) da ordem de 45KDa. O pH ótimo aparente das atividades p-NFFásica e de pirofosfatase é de 5,5. Os íons Zn, Mg, e Co; EDTA, tartarato e iodoacetamida exerceram pouca ou nenhuma influência sobre a atividade da fosfatase ácida de P. implicatum; enquanto que a enzima foi inibida por molibdato e arsenato. A enzima apresenta atividade pirofosfatásica de 297,78U/mg a 4mM de pirofosfato e pH 5,5. A cinética de hidrólise simultânea dos substratos PNFF e PPi mostrou que ambos os substratos ligaram-se ao mesmo sítio. A aplicação da fosfatase na hidrólise de fitato em ração animal sugere uma forma de disponibilizar fosfato para o organismo e também minimizar o impacto ambiental. / Abstract: The extracellular production of acid phosphatase by Penicillium implicatum was studied at different concentrations of phosphate and in the presence and absence of agitation growth medium. The production of extracellular repressible acid phosphatase was about 15-fold highest in agitated medium with 50ì M of KH2PO4 when compared to the control treatment. The enzyme was purified 19-fold on Phenyl Sepharose CL-4B and showed specific activity of 27,3U/mg. The enzyme is a monomer with molecular weight (Mr) of ~ 45KDa. The optimum pH of the p-NPP and pyrophosphate activities was 5,5. The Zn, Mg, Ca, Mn and Co ions, EDTA and tartarate had no effects; but it was inhibitored by arsenate and molybdate. The pyrophosphate activity was 298U/mg at 4mM and pH 5,5. The kinetics data of simultaneous p-NPP and pyrophosphate hydrolysis, showed that both substrates had bound the same active site. The phosphatase application on fitate hydrolysis in animal food suggests a mean to dispose phosphate to the organism and also to minimize the environmental impact. / Mestre

No description available.

Reporter gene technology has facilitated greatly the analysis of gene expression and the study of individual promoters and their regulation. Although various reporter gene systems are available, none of them are universally applicable and consequently, studies aimed at screening of new reporters are continuing. Toward this end, an acid phosphatase, designated SapS, was identified and characterized from the culture supernatant of a Staphylococcus aureus strain isolated from vegetables. Biochemical characterization of the 30-kDa monomeric enzyme indicated that it displayed optimum activity at 40°C and pH 5, using p-nitrophenyl phosphate (pNPP) as substrate. The enzymatic activity was enhanced by Mg2+, but was inhibited by EDTA and molybdate. Based on its properties and amino acid sequence analyses, SapS was classified as a new member of the bacterial class C family of non-specific acid phosphatases. The S. aureus SapS enzyme was subsequently evaluated as a reporter for host strain evaluation and cell surface display. Bacillus halodurans of which the major cell wall protease gene (wprA) was inactivated was used as expression host, and the cell wall-binding domain of the cwlC gene from B. halodurans was used as an anchoring motif for cell surface display. The results from in vitro enzyme activity assays indicated that extracellular production of the SapS reporter enzyme was improved 3.5-fold in the mutant compared to wild-type B. halodurans strain. Zymographic detection of SapS activity showed that the SapS-CwlC fusion protein was localized in the B. halodurans cell wall fraction, thus demonstrating the potential of SapS as a reporter for cell surface display of heterologous proteins. The versatility of the SapS enzyme as a reporter for gene expression and protein secretion in both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was also investigated. Transcriptional and translational fusions of the sapS gene with selected heterologous promoters and signal sequences were constructed, and expressed in Escherichia coli, B. subtilis and B. halodurans. The strongest promoter for heterologous protein production in each of the host strains was identified, i.e. the E. coli lacZ promoter in E. coli, the B. halodurans alkaline protease promoter in B. subtilis, and the B. halodurans σD promoter in B. halodurans. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Microbiology and Plant Pathology / unrestricted

Plants possess integrated signalling networks that mediate the responses to various environmental conditions. Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) constitute a highly conserved family of enzymes in eukaryotes, and in plants MAPK-based signal transduction modules regulate a large number of physiological processes, including responses to environmental stresses and phytohormones. Regulated dephosphorylation of active MAPKs is a key component of the control of MAPK signalling cascades, and in mammals, members of the MAPK phosphatase (MKP) sub-class of dual-specificity tyrosine phosphatases have been recognized as key players for inactivating MAPKs. Five MKP homologues are found in Arabidopsis thaliana, but only limited information is available concerning their properties and biological roles. Based on initial data derived from my reverse genetics and protein interaction studies of these five potential MKPs, as well as gene function information in the literature, I chose to focus on two putative Arabidopsis MKPs, AtMKP2 and Indole-3-Butyric Acid-response 5 (IBR5). By using a combination of genetic and biochemical studies, I established that the previously uncharacterized MKP designated AtMKP2, participates in the regulation of cellular homeostasis in ozone-challenged tissue, and can influence the activation state of two MAPKs, MPK3 and MPK6. AtMKP2-suppressed plants displayed significantly prolonged MPK3 and MPK6 activation during ozone treatment, and recombinant AtMKP2 was able to dephosphorylate both phospho-MPK3 and phospho-MPK6 in vitro, providing direct evidence that AtMKP2 may target these oxidant-activated MAPKs. A mutation in IBR5, one of the five potential AtMKPs, was previously reported to confer reduced sensitivity to auxin and ABA in Arabidopsis. My protein interaction studies demonstrated that IBR5 and MPK12 are physically coupled and that the C-terminus of MPK12 is essential for its interaction with IBR5. In vitro dephosphorylation assays indicated that recombinant phosphoMPK12 is efficiently dephosphorylated by IBR5. In transgenic plants with reduced expression of the MPK12 gene, root growth is hypersensitive to exogenous auxins, consistent with the lower auxin sensitivity reported for ibr5 mutants. Taken together, my data demonstrate for the first time that both AtMKP2 and IBR5 are bona fide Arabidopsis MAPK phosphatases and that they serve as important regulators of oxidative stress and auxin signalling, respectively, in Arabidopsis. / Science, Faculty of / Botany, Department of / Graduate

Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), a ubiquitous and pleiotropic regulator of intracellular signaling, is composed of a core dimer (A scaffolding and C catalytic subunits) bound to a variable (B) regulatory subunit of either the B, B' or B" families. Further genetic expansion and alternative splicing within each B subunit family affords the enzyme tremendous functional heterogeneity as PP2A contributes dozens of heterotrimers with varying subcellular locations and cellular substrates dictated by the variable B subunit. B'β is a brain-specific PP2A regulatory subunit that mediates dephosphorylation of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II and tyrosine hydroxylase. Unbiased proteomic screens for B'β interactors identified Cullin3 (Cul3), a scaffolding component of E3 ubiquitin ligase complexes, and the previously uncharacterized Kelch-like 15 (KLHL15). KLHL15 is one of more than 40 Kelch-like proteins, many of which have been defined as adaptors for the recruitment of substrates to Cul3-based E3 ubiquitin ligases. KLHL15/Cul3 specifically targets B'β to promote protein turnover via ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. Comparison of KLHL15 and B'β expression profiles suggest that the E3 ligase adaptor contributes to selective expression of the PP2A/B'β holoenzyme in the brain. Mapping of KLHL15 residues critical for Cul3 binding and protein dimerization indicate two distinct and independent functions of KLHL15's N-terminal BTB domain while similar analysis of the C-terminal kelch domain identifies a B'β-specific binding core. While B' regulatory subunit association with the AC dimer is mediated by a highly conserved inner core of roughly 400 amino acids, the divergent N-terminus of B'β is found to be both necessary and sufficient for KLHL15-mediated degradation, with Tyr52 having an obligatory role, underlying the selective association of KLHL15 with the B'β regulatory subunit only. KLHL15 can interact with not only the monomeric version of B'β but also the more stable, PP2A/B'β heterotrimer. However, proteasomal targeting is reserved for the B subunit only. The loss of B'β promotes an exchange of B subunits and a reciprocal upregulation of alternative B subunit-containing heterotrimers. That is, excess KLHL15 may not only downregulate B'β-guided PP2A dephosphorylation activity, but moreover, may upregulate PP2A activity dictated by alternative B subunits. Taken together, these data suggest regulatory subunit-specific ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation as a novel mechanism for controlling total cellular PP2A activity.

No description available.