Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:4.6.1.1 (adenylate cyclase)
 19,190 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We report biochemical characterization of two recently identified mutants of yeast RAS2, RAS2-E99K and RAS2-E130K. These mutants exhibit dominant activating phenotypes in yeast. Characterization of their intrinsic GTPase and GDP dissociation as well as their ability to stimulate adenylate cyclase showed that these activities of RAS2-E99K mutant protein were similar to those of the wild type protein. RAS2-E130K protein, on the other hand, differed from the wild type protein with a fast GDP dissociation rate and 2-fold higher activation of adenylate cyclase. When the sensitivity to GTPase-activating protein (GAP) was examined, we found that the RAS2-E99K protein was approximately 1200-fold less sensitive to NF1-GAP activity. In addition, the affinity for NF1 as revealed by competition binding experiments was reduced more than 150-fold with RAS2-E99K protein. Thus, the RAS2-E99K mutation affects interaction with GAP proteins. This mutation is particularly interesting because it is the first mutation identified in the alpha 3 region of ras protein that affects GAP interaction. The alpha 3 region appears to be directly involved in interaction with NF1, since peptides containing the sequence encompassing residue 99 of RAS2 inhibit NF1-GAP activity. These results suggest that the interaction between ras and GAP involves a larger region within ras than previously recognized.
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PMID:Biochemical characterization of yeast RAS2 mutants reveals a new region of ras protein involved in the interaction with GTPase-activating proteins. 810 17

Random RAS2 mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were screened for activating traits. A total of 69 distinct mutations were identified, affecting 44 different amino acid residues. Many activated alleles do not bypass the requirement for the nucleotide exchange factor, CDC25, nor is the severity of RAS2 phenotypic traits strictly correlated with the capacity to bypass CDC25. In vivo interactions of mutant RAS2 proteins with RAS effectors (adenylate cyclase and RAF), CDC25 and GTPase activating proteins (IRA2 and NF1) were assayed to assess how the various amino acid substitutions influence interactions with regulatory and target proteins of RAS. Nearly all activated RAS2 proteins were observed to interact better with adenylate cyclase and RAF, although some distinct differences were found. Several amino acid substitutions that reduce the affinity of RAS2 for guanine nucleotides apparently elevate the fraction of nucleotide-free RAS2, which has greater CDC25 affinity. Amino acid alterations that reduce the affinity of RAS2 for GTPase activating proteins included substitutions both within the switch I/switch II domain and distinctly outside it. One mutant, RAS2-Y78F, bound a lower fraction of GTP in vivo than the wild-type protein. The Y78F substitution is localized to the switch II domain, a region of the RAS protein that undergoes guanine nucleotide-dependent conformational changes.
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PMID:Novel, activated RAS mutations alter protein-protein interactions. 880 95

Drosophila peripheral nerves, similar structurally to the peripheral nerves of mammals, comprise a layer of axons and inner glia, surrounded by an outer perineurial glial layer. Although it is well established that intercellular communication occurs among cells within peripheral nerves, the signaling pathways used and the effects of this signaling on nerve structure and function remain incompletely understood. Here we demonstrate with genetic methods that the Drosophila peripheral nerve is a favorable system for the study of intercellular signaling. We show that growth of the perineurial glia is controlled by interactions among five genes: ine, which encodes a putative neurotransmitter transporter; eag, which encodes a potassium channel; push, which encodes a large, Zn(2+)-finger-containing protein; amn, which encodes a putative neuropeptide related to the pituitary adenylate cyclase activator peptide; and NF1, the Drosophila ortholog of the human gene responsible for type 1 neurofibromatosis. In other Drosophila systems, push and NF1 are required for signaling pathways mediated by Amn or the pituitary adenylate cyclase activator peptide. Our results support a model in which the Amn neuropeptide, acting through Push and NF1, inhibits perineurial glial growth, whereas the substrate neurotransmitter of Ine promotes perineurial glial growth. Defective intercellular signaling within peripheral nerves might underlie the formation of neurofibromas, the hallmark of neurofibromatosis.
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PMID:Control of Drosophila perineurial glial growth by interacting neurotransmitter-mediated signaling pathways. 1151 34

Neurofibromatosis 1 is one of the most common single-gene disorders affecting neurologic function in humans. Mutations in the NF1 gene cause abnormalities in cell growth and differentiation and lead to a variety of learning disabilities. Neurofibromin has several biochemical functions, such as Ras-guanosine triphosphatase activity, adenylate cyclase modulation, and microtubule binding, all of which could be critical for brain function. We review how studies in mouse models are helping to unravel the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying cognitive deficits in neurofibromatosis 1. These studies suggest that the learning disabilities associated with neurofibromatosis 1 are caused by excessive Ras activity that leads to increased gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA(A)) inhibition and to decreased long-term potentiation. These findings have brought us closer than ever to the development of possible treatments for the learning disabilities associated with neurofibromatosis 1.
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PMID:Molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the cognitive deficits associated with neurofibromatosis 1. 1240 61

Neurofibromin (NF1) (the product of Nf1 gene) is a large cytosolic protein known as a negative regulator of Ras. A fragment of some 400 residues located at the center of the NF1 GAP-Related Domain (NF1-GRD) has strong identity with other molecules of the GAP family, which comprises, among others, the mammalian proteins NF1 and p120GAP, and the yeast proteins IRA1 and IRA2. GAP family members are known by their ability to promote the GTPase activity of Ras proteins, facilitating the transit of those proteins to their inactive state. Recent findings (Tong et al., 2002, Nat Neurosci 5:95-96) indicate that NF1 may be involved in the regulation of adenyl cyclase activity. Our results show that NF1-GRD cooperates with Ras in the anchorage-independent growth capacity of Ras-expressing fibroblasts, without affecting: (i) their ability to grow in low serum, (ii) their cellular adhesion capability, or (iii) the expression of key proteins involved in cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. On the other hand, NF1 overexpression induces an increase in the expression levels of the focal adhesion kinase (FAK), and specific changes in the activation status of the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). These results suggest the existence of a Ras-independent NF1-dependent pathway able to modify the levels of expression of FAK and the levels of activation of MAPKs. Because FAK and many proteins recently found to bind NF1 have a role in the cytoskeleton, this pathway may involve rearrangement of cytoskeletal components that facilitate anchorage independence.
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PMID:NF1 modulates the effects of Ras oncogenes: evidence of other NF1 function besides its GAP activity. 1450 61

Identifying modifiers of glioma risk in patients with type I neurofibromatosis (NF1) could help support personalized tumor surveillance, advance understanding of gliomagenesis, and potentially identify novel therapeutic targets. Here, we report genetic polymorphisms in the human adenylate cyclase gene adenylate cyclase 8 (ADCY8) that correlate with glioma risk in NF1 in a sex-specific manner, elevating risk in females while reducing risk in males. This finding extends earlier evidence of a role for cAMP in gliomagenesis based on results in a genetically engineered mouse model (Nf1 GEM). Thus, sexually dimorphic cAMP signaling might render males and females differentially sensitive to variation in cAMP levels. Using male and female Nf1 GEM, we found significant sex differences exist in cAMP regulation and in the growth-promoting effects of cAMP suppression. Overall, our results establish a sex-specific role for cAMP regulation in human gliomagenesis, specifically identifying ADCY8 as a modifier of glioma risk in NF1.
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PMID:The cyclic AMP pathway is a sex-specific modifier of glioma risk in type I neurofibromatosis patients. 2538 Nov 54

Neurofibromatosis type I (NF1) is multisystemic disease characterized by pigmentary skin changes, increased susceptibility to tumor formation, neurological deficits and skeletal defects. The disease is a monogenic, autosomal dominant disorder, caused by the presence of mutations in the NF1 gene encoding neurofibromin - a multifunctional regulatory protein. The basic function of neurofibromin protein is modulation of the RAS protein activity necessary for regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation by the RAS/MAPK and RAS/PI3K/AKT signal transduction pathways. In addition, neurofibromin is a regulator of adenylate cyclase activity and therefore may interfere with signaling by the cAMP/protein kinase A pathway that regulates cell cycle progression or learning and memory formation processes. Neurofibromin also interacts with many other proteins that are engaged in intracellular transport (tubulin, kinesin), actin cytoskeleton rearrangements (LIMK2, Rho and Rac) or morphogenesis of neural cells (syndecans, CRMP proteins). The activity of neurofibromin is strictly regulated by the expression of different NF1 mRNA isoforms depending on tissue type or period in organism development, the protein localization, posttranslational modifications (phosphorylation, ubiquitination) or interactions with other proteins (e.g. 14-3-3). The fact that neurofibromin is engaged in many cellular processes has significant consequences when the proper protein functioning is impaired due to decreased protein level or activity. It affects the normal cell function and results in disturbances of organism development that lead to the occurrence of clinical signs specific for NF1. In the article, the basic neurofibromin functions are presented in the context of the molecular pathogenesis of NF1.
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PMID:[Neurofibromin - protein structure and cellular functions in the context of neurofibromatosis type I pathogenesis]. 2667 24