The Rab family of proteins are low molecular weight GTPases that have the ability to switch between GTP- (active) and GDP- (inactive) bound form, and in that sense act as molecular switches. Through distinct localization on various vesicles and organelles and by cycling through GTP/GDP bound forms, Rabs are able to recruit and activate numerous effector proteins, both spatially and temporally, and hence behave as key regulators of trafficking in both endocytic and biosynhtetic pathways. The Rab5 protein has been shown to regulate transport from plasma membrane to the early endosome as well as activate signaling pathways from the early endosome. This dissertation focused on understanding Rab5 activation via endocytosis of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). First, tyrosine kinase activity of RTKs was linked to endosome fusion by demonstrating that tyrosine kinase inhibitors block endosome fusion and activation of Rab5, and a constitutively active form of Rab5 is able to rescue endosome fusion. However, depending on how much ligand is available at the cell surface, the receptor-ligand complexes can be internalized via a number of distinct pathways. Similarly, Rab5 was activated in a ligand-dependent concentration dependent manner via clathrin- and caveolin-mediated pathways, as well as a pathway independent of both. However, overexpression Rabex-5, a nucleotide exchange factor for Rab5, is able to rescue activation even when all of the pathways of EGF-receptor internalization were blocked. Next, the three naturally occurring splice variants of Rabex-5 selectively activated Rab5. Lastly, Rabex-5 inhibits differentiation of 3T3-L1 and PC12 cells through 1) degradation of signaling endosome via Rab5-dependent fusion with the early endosome, 2) and inhibition of signaling cascade via ubiquitination of Ras through the ZnF domain at the N-terminus of Rabex-5. In conclusion, these data shed light on complexity of the endosomal trafficking system where tyrosine kinase activity of the receptor is able to affect endosome fusion; how different endocytic pathways affect activation of one of the key regulators of early endocytic events; and how selective activation of Rab5 via Rabex-5 can control adipogenesis and neurogenesis.

O aumento dos casos de diarreia causados por EPECa evoca a sua capacidade de adaptação e patogenicidade. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar o comportamento da EPECa na interação com macrófagos (fagocitose e antifagocitose). O estudo da fagocitose das cepas LB7 (O55:H7), LB13 (O111:abH9) e BA487 (O55:H7) em macrófagos J774A1 mostrou sobrevivência intracelular em presença de NO. EPECa impede a maturação do vacúolo parasitóforo. A sobrevivência em macrófago derivado de C3H/HeJ, mutante do tlr4, foi reduzida e em macrófago de C57BL/6 não foi observada. O fator antigagocítico (Fa) secretado pela LB7, já detectado pelo grupo, apresenta natureza peptídica e a sua ação não é específica de EPEC, pois inibe também a fagocitose de Shigella e látex. A secreção do Fa foi avaliada em M9 e DMEM. O produto do fracionamento do sobrenadante do cultivo por SPE apresentou Fa em ambos meios. No entanto, a secreção em M9 é baixa e não foi detectada por HPLC. O Fa do DMEM obtido por HPLC mostrou-se citotóxico. Novos meios de cultivo deverão ser estudados para a identificação do Fa. / The increase in the numbers of diarrhea cases caused by aEPEC denotes its adaptability and pathogenicity. The objective of this study was to investigate the behavior of aEPEC in the interaction with macrophages (phagocytosis and anti-phagocytosis). Strains LB7 (O55:H7), LB13 (O111:abH9) and BA487 (O55:H7) were shown to survive within J774A1 macrophages in the presence of NO. aEPEC prevents maturation of the parasitophorus vacuole. Survival inside C3H/HeJ derived macrophages, mutant for tlr4, decreased and was not observed in C57BL/6 derived macrophages. The anti-phagocytic factor (AF), secreted by LB7 and previously detected by our group, is peptidic and its action is not specific to EPEC as it also inhibits phagocytosis of Shigella and latex. Secretion of AF was evaluated in M9 and DMEM. AF was detected after SPE fractionation of both culture media. However, the secretion in M9 is low and was not detected by HPLC. The DMEM HPLC fraction containing AF was cytotoxic. New culture media will be studied for the identification of AF.

As critical regulators of vesicular trafficking, Rab proteins comprise the largest GTPase family, with thirty-eight functionally distinct members and another twenty isoforms in the human genome. Activated Rab GTPases interact with effector proteins involved in vesicle formation, transport, tethering, docking and fusion. The specificity of Rab interactions with effectors and regulatory factors plays a central role with respect to the fidelity of membrane trafficking. Rab recognition determinants and the mechanisms underlying interactions with structurally diverse regulatory factors and effectors are complex and poorly understood. Using Rab5 mediated endocytic transport as a model system, the work described in this thesis provides insight into the structural basis underlying the interaction of effectors and regulatory factors with Rab GTPases. In addition, structural and biochemical approaches have been used to define how specific Rab5 interacting proteins function in the endocytic and recycling pathways. These results establish novel structural and functional concepts that can be tested using family wide analyses of Rab GTPase recognition determinants and regulatory roles in the cell.

Receptor-tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are membrane bound receptors characterized by their intrinsic kinase activity. RTK activities play an essential role in several human diseases, including cancer, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases. RTK activities have been regulated by the expression or silencing of several genes as well as by the utilization of small molecules. Ras Interference 1 (Rin1) is a multifunctional protein that becomes associated with activated RTKs upon ligand stimulation. Rin1 plays a key role in receptor internalization and in signal transduction via activation of Rab5 and association with active form of Ras. This study has two main objectives: (1) It determines the role of Rin1 in the regulation of several RTKs focusing on insulin receptor. This was accomplished by studying the Rin1-insulin receptor interaction using a variety of biochemical and morphological assays. This study shows a novel interaction between the insulin receptor and Rin1 through the Vps9 domain. Two more RTKs (epidermal growth factor receptor and nerve growth factor receptor) also interacted with the SH2 domain of Rin1. The effect of the Rin1-RTK interaction on the activation of both Rab5 and Ras was also studied during receptor internalization and intracellular signaling. Finally, the role of Rin1 was examined in two differentiation processes (adipogenesis and neurogenesis). Rin1 showed a strong inhibitory effect on 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation but it seems to show a modest effect in PC12 neurite outgrowth. These data indicate a selective function and specific interaction of Rin1 toward RTKs. (2) It examines the role of the small molecule Dehydroleucodine (DhL) on several key signaling molecules during adipogenesis. This was accomplished by studying the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes exposed to different concentrations of DhL in different days of the adipocyte formation process. The results indicate that DhL selectively blocked adipocyte formation, as well as the expression of PPARγ, and C/EBPα. However, DhL treatment did not affect Rin1 or Rab5 expression and their activities. Taken together, the data indicate a potential molecular mechanism by which proteins or small molecules regulate selective and specific RTK intracellular membrane trafficking and signaling during cell growth and differentiation in normal and pathological conditions.

RasGAP is a GTPase activating protein (GAP) that deactivates Ras by promoting Ras-GTP hydrolysis to Ras-GDP. In Drosophila melanogaster, RasGAP is required for the long-term survival of neurons in the adult brain because mutants in the RasGAP gene (vap) show an age-related neurodegenerative phenotype, with dying neurons showing morphological features of autophagy. RasGAP was shown to have a GAP-independent role within fly neurons that is dependent on its SH2 domains. The aim of this study was to identify proteins that interact with the SH2 domains of RasGAP and to understand the roles of these proteins in neuronal survival. By using tagged RasGAP affinity purification and mass spectrometry of RasGAP protein complexes from S2 cells, Sprint, a Ras effector and putative activator of the endocytic GTPase Rab5, was identified as a novel SH2-dependent RasGAP interacting protein. The interaction between Sprint and RasGAP is phosphotyrosine-dependent, since it requires tyrosine phosphorylation of Sprint. In addition, Sprint and RasGAP interaction requires the SH2 domains of RasGAP but not Sprint or the conserved site of RasGAP tyrosine phosphorylation (pTyr363), indicating an association between these two molecules. RasGAP and Sprint co-localised with Rab5-positive early endosomes and this co-localisation depended on the SH2 domains of both RasGAP and Sprint. This study demonstrates a key role for this interaction in neurodegeneration: mutation of Sprint (or Rab5) suppressed the autophagic neuronal cell death caused by the loss of RasGAP. These results indicate that the long-term survival of adult neurons in Drosophila depends on a critical balance between Ras activation and endocytosis, and that this balance is maintained by the interplay between RasGAP and Sprint.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen. Several antibiotic resistant strains of P. aeruginosa are commonly found as secondary infection in immune-compromised patients leaving significant mortality and healthcare cost. Pseudomonas aeruginosa successfully avoids the process of phagocytosis, the first line of host defense, by secreting several toxic effectors. Effectors produced from P. aeruginosa Type III secretion system are critical molecules required to disrupt mammalian cell signaling and holds particular interest to the scientists studying host-pathogen interaction. Exoenzyme S (ExoS) is a bi-functional Type III effector that ADP-ribosylates several intracellular Ras (Rat sarcoma) and Rab (Response to abscisic acid) small GTPases in targeted host cells. The Rab5 protein acts as a rate limiting protein during phagocytosis by switching from a GDP- bound inactive form to a GTP-bound active form. Activation and inactivation of Rab5 protein is regulated by several Rab5-GAPs (GTPase Activating Proteins) and Rab5-GEFs (Rab5-Guanine nucleotide Exchange Factors). Some pathogenic bacteria have shown affinity for Rab proteins during infection and make their way inside the cell. This dissertation demonstrated that Rab5 plays a critical role during early steps of P. aeruginosa invasion in J774-Eclone macrophages. It was found that live, but not heat inactivated, P. aeruginosa inhibited phagocytosis that occurred in conjunction with down-regulation of Rab5 activity. Inactivation of Rab5 was dependent on ExoS ADP-ribosyltransferase activity, and more than one arginine sites in Rab5 are possible targets for ADP-ribosylation modification. However, the expression of Rin1, but not other Rab5GEFs (Rabex-5 and Rap6) reversed this down-regulation of Rab5 in vivo. Further studies revealed that the C-terminus of Rin1 carrying Rin1:Vps9 and Rin1:RA domains are required for optimal Rab5 activation in conjunction with active Ras. These observations demonstrate a novel mechanism of Rab5 targeting to phagosome via Rin1 during the phagocytosis of P. aeruginosa. The second part of this dissertation investigated antimicrobial activities of Dehydroleucodine (DhL), a secondary metabolite from Artemisia douglasiana, against P. aeruginosa growth and virulence. Populations of several P. aeruginosa strains were completely susceptible to DhL at a concentration between 0.48~0.96 mg/ml and treatment at a threshold concentration (0.12 mg/ml) inhibited growth and many virulent activities without damaging the integrity of the cell suggesting anti-Pseudomonas activity of DhL.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(生命科学) / 甲第18483号 / 生博第312号 / 新制||生||41(附属図書館) / 31361 / 京都大学大学院生命科学研究科統合生命科学専攻 / (主査)教授 上村 匡, 教授 垣塚 彰, 教授 藤田 尚志 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy in Life Sciences / Kyoto University / DFAM

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Endocytosis, a process of plasma membrane invaginations, is a fundamental cellular mechanism, ensuring uptake of nutrients, enhanced communication between cells, protective functions against invasive pathogens and remodelling of the plasma membrane composition. In turn, endocytic mechanisms are exploited by pathogens to enter their host cells. Endocytosis comprises multiple forms of which our molecular understanding has mostly advanced with respect to clathrin-mediated endocytosis and phagocytosis. Studies on the small GTPase Rab5 have provided important insights into the molecular mechanism of endocytosis and transport in the early stages of the endocytic pathways. Rab5 is a key regulator of clathrin-mediated endocytosis, but in addition, localises to several distinct endocytic carriers including phagosomes and pinocytic vesicles. On early endosomes, Rab5 coordinates within a spatially restricted domain enriched in phosphatidylinositol-3 phosphate PI(3)P a complex network of effectors, including PI3-Kinase (PI3-K), the FYVE-finger proteins EEA1 and Rabenosyn-5 that functionally cooperate in membrane transport. Moreover, Rab5 regulates endocytosis from the apical and basolateral plasma membrane in polarised epithelial cells. During my PhD thesis, I investigated the molecular mechanisms of endocytosis both in polarised and non-polarised cells. I obtained new insights into the molecular mechanisms of endocytosis and their coordination through the functional characterization of a novel Rab5 effector, termed Rabankyrin-5. I could demonstrated that Rabankyrin-5 is a novel PI(3)P-binding Rab5 effector that localises to early endosomes and stimulates their fusion activity in vitro. The latter activity depends on the oligomerisation of Rabankyrin-5 on the endosomal membrane via the N-terminal BTB/POZ domain. In addition to early endosomes, however, Rabankyrin-5 localises to large vacuolar structures that correspond to macropinosomes in epithelial cells and fibroblasts. Overexpression of Rabankyrin-5 increases the number of macropinosomes and stimulates fluid phase uptake whereas its downregulation through RNA interference inhibits these processes. In polarised epithelial cells, the function of Rabankyrin-5 is primarily restricted to the apical membrane. It localises to large pinocytic structures underneath the apical surface of kidney proximal tubule cells and its overexpression in polarised MDCK cells specifically stimulates apical but not basolateral, non-clathrin mediated pinocytosis. In demonstrating a regulatory role in endosome fusion and (macro)-pinocytosis, my studies suggest that Rab5 regulates and coordinates different endocytic mechanisms through its effector Rabankyrin-5. Furthermore, the active role in apical pinocytosis in epithelial cells suggests an important function of Rabankyrin-5 in the physiology of polarised cells. The results obtained in this thesis are central not only for our understanding of the basic principles underlying the regulation of multiple endocytic mechanisms. They are also relevant for the biomedical field, since actin-dependent (macro)-pinocytosis is an important mechanism for the physiology of cells and organisms and is upregulated under certain pathological conditions (e.g. cancer).