Recent work on Drosophila limb development has indicated that short-range interactions between distinctly specified populations of cells (compartments) establish organizing centers at compartment boundaries. These organizing centers direct pattern formation and growth in the developing limbs. In the Drosophila wing imaginal disc, there are at least two such organizing centers, located at the anterior/posterior (A/P) and dorsal/ventral (D/V) compartment boundaries. The genetic hierarchies which establish these organizers are starting to be understood, and it also appears that the key mediators of some of the organizers have been identified. Thus Decapentaplegic (Dpp, a secreted signalling molecule of the TGF-B family) is the mediator of the A/P organizer, while Wingless (DWnt-l, a secreted molecule of the Wnt family) is a key mediator of the D/V organizer. In this thesis, several aspects of Wingless function in the wing imaginal disc are examined. Two regulatory mutations, spadeflag (spdfg) and Sternopleural (Sp), that affect Wingless expression in the wing imaginal disc are characterized. The analysis of the mutation spdfg, together with other data, identifies a role of Wingless as a localized mitogen in the developing wing hinge, and also indicates that cells in different regions of the wing disc respond very differently to the Wingless signal. The mutations spdfg and Sp are also among the tools used to examine the position of Wingless in the genetic hierarchy that establishes and mediates the activity of the D/V organizer. These experiments extend the evidence suggesting that Wingless mediates both short-range and long-range effects of the D/V organizer. Wg does so by controlling the expression domains of different target genes, including the acheate-scute genes, Distal-less and vestigial. Finally, the mechanism by which Wingless mediates the activity of the D/V organizer is examined. The results obtained suggest that Wingless functions as a long-range morphogen.

Induction of type I interferons by the transcription factors IRF3 and IRF7 is essential in the initiation of antiviral innate immunity. Activation of IRF3/7 requires C-terminal phosphorylation by the upstream kinases TBK1/IKKi, where IRF3/7 phosphorylation promotes dimerization, and subsequent nuclear translocation to the IFN-beta promoter. Recent studies have described the ubiquitin-editing enzyme A20 as a negative regulator of IRF3 signaling by associating with TBK1/IKKi, however the regulatory mechanism of A20 inhibition remains unclear. Here we describe the adaptor protein, TAX1BP1, as a key regulator of A20 function in terminating signaling to IRF3. Murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) deficient in TAX1BP1 displayed increased amounts of IFN-beta production upon viral challenge compared to WT MEFs. TAX1BP1 inhibited virus-mediated activation of IRF3 at the level of TBK1/IKKi. TAX1BP1 and A20 blocked antiviral signaling by disrupting K63-linked polyubiquitination of TBK1/IKKi independently of the A20 deubiquitination (DUB) domain. Furthermore, TAX1BP1 was required for A20 effector function as A20 was defective for the targeting and inactivation of TBK1 and IKKi in Tax1bp1–/– MEFs. Additionally, we found the E3 ubiquitin ligase TRAF3 to play a critical role in promoting TBK1/IKKi ubiquitination. Collectively, our results demonstrate TBK1/IKKi to be novel substrates for A20 and further identifies a novel mechanism whereby A20 and TAX1BP1 restrict antiviral signaling by disrupting a TRAF3/TBK1/IKKi signaling complex. Several viruses utilize a number of strategies to evade the host innate immune response by inhibiting the production of type I interferons. The Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) has been shown to block interferon signaling, however the mechanism of inhibition is poorly understood. We show here that the HTLV-1 encoded protein, Tax plays a critical role in blunting the activation of type I interferons. Tax expression rendered MEFs hyper-permissive in supporting virus replication. Correspondingly, Tax blocked the production of IFN-beta. Interestingly, Tax did not require NEMO interaction to inhibit antiviral signaling to IRF3/7. Instead, Tax targeted RIP1 and further blocked IRF7 K63-linked polyubiquitination. Altogether, we show that Tax inhibits IFN activation by disrupting the ubiquitin dependent activation of IRF7 mediated by RIP1.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Committee on Immunology, June 2001. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

published_or_final_version / Anatomy / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Ca2+ signaling is essential for a wide variety of cellular activities, ranging from short term activities, such as synaptic and muscle contraction, to long term processes, such as proliferation and differentiation. Store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE), an important Ca2+ influx pathway in non-excitable cells, well coordinates Ca2+ release from ER and Ca2+ influx through plasma membrane. STIM1 and Orai1, serving as ER Ca2+ sensor and pore forming subunit, respectively, are the two essential components of SOCE machinery. In addition to activate Orai1 channel, studies have shown that STIM1 regulates other plasma membrane Ca2+ channels and senses a variety of cellular stresses to regulate SOCE. Therefore, it is of great interests to investigate the mechanisms and physiological functions of STIM1 and Orai1 mediated SOCE. Here, we performed tandem affinity purification to identify STIM1 associated proteins in Hela cells stably expressing STIM1-His6-3×Flag. Four candidate proteins, including GRP78, HSP70, IQGAP1, and Actin, were identified by mass spectrometry analyses. Surprisingly, IQGAP1 failed to affect the activity of SOCE. Interestingly, GRP78 knockdown only affected the inactivation phase while exerted no effect on the activation phase of SOCE. In addition, GRP78 knockdown markedly induced cell apoptosis and dramatically increased the ER Ca2+ concentration. Moreover, GRP78 was involved in the regulation of SOCE by the ER stress. These data indicate that GRP78 is an important regulator of SOCE to prevent Ca2+ overload in cells. HSP70, however, significantly reduced the activity of SOCE by inhibiting STIM1 translocation to ER-PM junctions. Future studies will explore the mechanism of GRP78 and HSP70 in regulating SOCE by confocal and TIRF imaging. Embryonic stem (ES) cells proliferate unlimitedly and can differentiate into all fetal and adult cell types. This property endows ES cells to be the promising candidates in the therapy of neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, it is important to identify novel signaling molecules or events that could play a role in the neural commitment of ES cells. Accumulated evidences have documented the role of STIM1 and Orai1 mediated SOCE in neuronal activities. Yet, the role of SOCE in early neural development remains to be determined. Here we examined the role of STIM1 and Orai1 during neural differentiation of mouse ES cells. Both of STIM1 and Orai1 were expressed and functionally active in ES cells, and expressions of STIM1 and Orai1 were dynamically regulated during neural differentiation of mouse ES cells. STIM1 knockdown inhibited the differentiation of mouse ES cells into neural progenitors, neurons, and astrocytes. In addition, STIM1 knockdown caused severe cell death and markedly suppressed the proliferation of neural progenitors. Surprisingly, Orai1 knockdown had little effect on neural differentiation of mouse ES cells, but the neurons derived from Orai1 knockdown ES cells, like those from STIM1 knockdown cells, had defective SOCE. Taken together, our data indicate that STIM1 is required for neural differentiation of mouse ES cells independent of Orai1-mediated SOCE. / published_or_final_version / Physiology / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

APPL BAR-PH heterodimer and APPL2 BAR-PH homodimer The APPL (Adaptor protein containing PH domain, PTB domain and Leucine zipper) family are adaptor proteins with only two isoforms, APPL1 and APPL2. They bind to early endosomes with a small GTPase, Rab5, and mediate the interactions between various receptors and downstream signaling components, thus functioning in many signaling pathways evoked by adiponectin, insulin, FSH, EGF, and so on. However, evidences have shown APPL1 and APPL2 should perform some opposite functions, which cannot be simply explained by the functional differences attributed to their PTB domains. We hypothesize that the heterodimerization of APPL1 and APPL2’s BAR domains may account for their opposing functions. The crystal structure of APPL BAR-PH heterodimer was solved to resolution 2.8 Å. Its overall structure exhibits crescent shape with a larger curvature radius of 76 Å, compared to 55 Å of the APPL1 BAR-PH homodimer. And the crystal structure APPL2 BAR-PH homodimer was solve to resolution 3.3 Å. The overall structure of APPL2 BAR-PH homodimer is very similar to that of APPL BAR-PH heterodimer, but shows greater difference in curvature to the APPL1 BAR-PH homodimer structure. The concave side of APPL BAR-PH heterodimer and APPL2 BAR-PH homodimer all possess less positive charge than the APPL1 BAR-PH homodimer. Structural analysis reveals that leucine patches at the dimer interface may account for the formation of dimeric curve with certain curvature. Consequently, APPL2 BAR is able to enforce the curvature reduction to APPL1 BAR upon heterodimerization. In conclusion, the alterations of curvature and electrostasis are responsible for the modulation of endosome binding specificity and can elucidate the opposite roles of APPL1 and APPL2. LanCL2 LanCL2 is a member of Lanthionine synthetase component C-like family. In human, LanCL2 binds to lanthionine derivatives and glutathione, participating in keeping intracellular reducing state. By binding to absiscic acid (ABA), LanCL2 is indispensible for the ABA-stimulated adipogenesis, insulin release, glucose homeostasis, and inflammatory response. It is also implicated in anticancer drug resistance. All these functions underscore the importance of LanCL2 in the diseases like diabetes, inflammation, and cancer. The crystal structure of LanCL2 was solved to resolution 1.8 Å. The overall structure displays canonical double-layer α-barrel. The major differences from LanCL1 lay in the loops on the barrel top, which are implicated in various substrate bindings. A zinc-coordinating pocket was found among the loops, with conserved amino acid residues of distinct conformation. The electrostatic surface shows remarkable differences compared to that of LanCL1, suggesting that it may contribute to distinct substrate binding profile. Future implications APPL proteins and LanCL proteins are all involved in the regulation of metabolism, such as glucose uptake, fatty acid oxidation, and insulin secretion, and play roles in diseases like obesity and type 2 diabete. Structural and functional studies of these proteins can provide insights into the molecular mechanisms and clues for related therapeutic approaches. / published_or_final_version / Physiology / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

No description available.

Tie2 is a receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) involved in numerous aspects of both normal and pathological angiogenesis. Proper functioning of this receptor is essential for normal development of the vasculature in the embryo as well as vessel maintenance and at sites of active angiogenesis in the adult. A growing list of pathological states has been attributed to a disruption of the angiogenic ‘balance’ including psoriasis, arthritis, atherosclerosis and diabetic retinopathy. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms behind this important biological process will provide insight into the various molecules involved as well as provide potential targets for novel angiogenic therapies. In an attempt to better understand the signaling pathways downstream of the Tie2 receptor we have studied tyrosine residues on the receptor believed to play an important role in Tie2 function. Of these, we have identified Y1111 as a negative regulatory site on Tie2. Mutation of this site affects receptor phosphorylation and kinase activity. Furthermore, protease digestion studies indicate that mutation of Y1111 may alter receptor conformation and potentially relieve negative inhibition imparted by the C-tail of Tie2. As well, we examined potential Tie2 downstream binding partners, specifically the novel Grb7 family of proteins. This work describes for the first time tyrosine phosphorylation of Grb14, an adaptor molecule previously shown to bind Tie2 in vitro. Moreover, our data suggests a role for this adaptor in Tie2 signal transduction involving two tyrosine residues in the receptor C-terminal tail; Y1100 and Y1106. These studies provide important insight into both signal transduction downstream of Tie2 as well as help us understand some of the molecular mechanisms behind the intrinsic ability of this RTK to regulate its own activity.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 82-102).