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Query: UNIPROT:P06889 (Mol)
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During its haploid phase the dimorphic fungus Ustilago maydis grows vegetatively by budding. We have identified two genes, don1 and don3, which control the separation of mother and daughter cells. Mutant cells form tree-like clusters in liquid culture and grow as ring-like (donut-shaped) colonies on solid medium. In wild-type U. maydis cells, two distinct septa are formed during cytokinesis and delimit a fragmentation zone. Cells defective for either don1 or don3 display only a single septum and fail to complete cell separation. don1 encodes a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) of the Dbl family specific for Rho/Rac GTPases. Don3 belongs to the germinal-centre-kinase (GC) subfamily of Ste20-like protein kinases. We have isolated the U. maydis homologues of the small GTP binding proteins Rho2, Rho3, Rac1 and Cdc42. Out of these, only Cdc42 interacts specifically with Don1 and Don3 in the yeast two-hybrid system. We propose that Don1 and Don3 regulate the initiation of the secondary septum, which is required for proper cell separation.
Mol Microbiol 2002 Jul
PMID:Regulation of cell separation in the dimorphic fungus Ustilago maydis. 1210 May 61

R-Ras3/M-Ras is a novel member of the Ras subfamily of GTP-binding proteins which has a unique expression pattern highly restricted to the mammalian central nervous system. In situ hybridization using an R-Ras3 cRNA probe revealed high levels of R-Ras3 transcripts in the hippocampal region of the mouse brain as well as a pattern of expression in the cerebellum that was distinct from that of H-Ras. We found that R-Ras3 was activated by nerve growth factor (NGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor as well as by the guanine nucleotide exchange factor GRP but not by epidermal growth factor. Ectopic expression of either R-Ras3 or GRP in PC12 cells induced efficient neuronal differentiation. The ability of NGF as well as GRP to promote differentiation of PC12 cells was attenuated by an R-Ras3 dominant-negative mutant. Furthermore, the biological action of R-Ras3 in PC12 cells was dependent on the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). Interestingly, whereas R-Ras3 was unable to mediate efficient activation of MAPK activity in NIH 3T3 cells, it was able to do so in PC12 cells. This cell-type specificity is in stark contrast to that of H-Ras, which can stimulate the MAPK pathway in both cell types. Indeed, this pattern of MAPK activation could be explained by the fact that R-Ras3 was unable to activate c-Raf, while it bound and stimulated the neuronal Raf isoform, B-Raf, in PC12 cells. Thus, R-Ras3 is implicated in a novel pathway of neuronal differentiation by coupling specific trophic factors to the MAPK cascade through the activation of B-Raf.
Mol Cell Biol 2002 Aug
PMID:R-Ras3/M-Ras induces neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells through cell-type-specific activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade. 1213 4

Rho family G proteins, including Rac and Cdc42, regulate a variety of cellular functions such as morphology, motility, and gene expression. We developed fluorescent resonance energy transfer-based probes which monitored the local balance between the activities of guanine nucleotide exchange factors and GTPase-activating proteins for Rac1 and Cdc42 at the membrane. These probes, named Raichu-Rac and Raichu-Cdc42, consisted of a Cdc42- and Rac-binding domain of Pak, Rac1 or Cdc42, a pair of green fluorescent protein mutants, and a CAAX box of Ki-Ras. With these probes, we video imaged the Rac and Cdc42 activities. In motile HT1080 cells, activities of both Rac and Cdc42 gradually increased toward the leading edge and decreased rapidly when cells changed direction. Under a higher magnification, we observed that Rac activity was highest immediately behind the leading edge, whereas Cdc42 activity was most prominent at the tip of the leading edge. Raichu-Rac and Raichu-Cdc42 were also applied to a rapid and simple assay for the analysis of putative guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) in living cells. Among six putative GEFs and GAPs, we identified KIAA0362/DBS as a GEF for Rac and Cdc42, KIAA1256 as a GEF for Cdc42, KIAA0053 as a GAP for Rac and Cdc42, and KIAA1204 as a GAP for Cdc42. In conclusion, use of these single-molecule probes to determine Rac and Cdc42 activity will accelerate the analysis of the spatiotemporal regulation of Rac and Cdc42 in a living cell.
Mol Cell Biol 2002 Sep
PMID:Activation of rac and cdc42 video imaged by fluorescent resonance energy transfer-based single-molecule probes in the membrane of living cells. 1219 56

Dbs is a Rho-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor (RhoGEF) that exhibits transforming activity when overexpressed in NIH 3T3 mouse fibroblasts. Like many RhoGEFs, the in vitro catalytic activity of Dbs is not limited to a single substrate. It can catalyze the exchange of GDP for GTP on RhoA and Cdc42, both of which are expressed in most cell types. This lack of substrate specificity, which is relatively common among members of the RhoGEF family, complicates efforts to determine the molecular basis of their transforming activity. We have recently determined crystal structures of several RhoGEFs bound to their cognate GTPases and have used these complexes to predict structural determinants dictating the specificities of coupling between RhoGEFs and GTPases. Guided by this information, we mutated Dbs to alter significantly its relative exchange activity for RhoA versus Cdc42 and show that the transformation potential of Dbs correlates with exchange on RhoA but not Cdc42. Supporting this conclusion, oncogenic Dbs activates endogenous RhoA but not endogenous Cdc42 in NIH 3T3 cells. Similarly, a competitive inhibitor that blocks RhoA activation also blocks Dbs-mediated transformation. In conclusion, this study highlights the usefulness of specificity mutants of RhoGEFs as tools to genetically dissect the multiple signaling pathways potentially activated by overexpressed or oncogenic RhoGEFs. These ideas are exemplified for Dbs, which is strongly implicated in the transformation of NIH 3T3 cells via RhoA and not Cdc42.
Mol Cell Biol 2002 Oct
PMID:RhoGEF specificity mutants implicate RhoA as a target for Dbs transforming activity. 1221 46

v-Crk, an oncogene product of avian sarcoma virus CT10, efficiently transforms chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF). We have recently reported that constitutive activation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway plays a critical role in the v-Crk-induced transformation of CEF. In the present study we investigated the molecular mechanism by which v-Crk activates the PI3K/AKT pathway. First, we found that v-Crk promotes the association of the p85 regulatory subunit of PI3K with focal adhesion kinase (FAK) by inducing the phosphorylation of the Y397 residue in FAK. This FAK phosphorylation needs activation of the Src family tyrosine kinase(s) for which the v-Crk SH2 domain is responsible. v-Crk was unable to activate the PI3K/AKT pathway in FAK-null cells, indicating the functional importance of FAK. In addition, we found that H-Ras is also required for the activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway. The v-Crk-induced activation of AKT was greatly enhanced by the overexpression of H-Ras or its guanine nucleotide exchange factor mSOS, which binds to the v-Crk SH3 domain, whereas a dominant-negative mutant of H-Ras almost completely suppressed this activation. Furthermore, we showed that v-Crk stimulates the interaction of H-Ras with the Ras binding domain in the PI3K p110 catalytic subunit. Our data indicated that the v-Crk-induced activation of PI3K/AKT pathway was cooperatively achieved by two distinct interactions. One is the interaction of p85 with tyrosine-phosphorylated FAK promoted by the v-Crk SH2 domain, and another is the interaction of p110 with H-Ras dictated by the v-Crk SH3 domain.
Mol Cell Biol 2002 Oct
PMID:v-Crk activates the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/AKT pathway by utilizing focal adhesion kinase and H-Ras. 1224 82

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling is critical to the processes of angiogenesis and tumor growth. Here, evidence is presented for VEGF stimulation of sphingosine kinase (SPK) that affects not only endothelial cell signaling but also tumor cells expressing VEGF receptors. VEGF or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate treatment of the T24 bladder tumor cell line resulted in a time- and dose-dependent stimulation of SPK activity. In T24 cells, VEGF treatment reduced cellular sphingosine levels while raising that of sphingosine-1-phosphate. VEGF stimulation of T24 cells caused a slow and sustained accumulation of Ras-GTP and phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (phospho-ERK) compared with that after EGF treatment. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) that targets SPK1, but not SPK2, blocks VEGF-induced accumulation of Ras-GTP and phospho-ERK in T24 cells. In contrast to EGF stimulation, VEGF stimulation of ERK1/2 phosphorylation was unaffected by dominant-negative Ras-N17. Raf kinase inhibition blocked both VEGF- and EGF-stimulated accumulation of phospho-ERK1/2. Inhibition of SPK by pharmacological inhibitors, a dominant-negative SPK mutant, or siRNA that targets SPK blocked VEGF, but not EGF, induction of phospho-ERK1/2. We conclude that VEGF induces DNA synthesis in a pathway which sequentially involves protein kinase C (PKC), SPK, Ras, Raf, and ERK1/2. These data highlight a novel mechanism by which SPK mediates signaling from PKC to Ras in a manner independent of Ras-guanine nucleotide exchange factor.
Mol Cell Biol 2002 Nov
PMID:Sphingosine kinase mediates vascular endothelial growth factor-induced activation of ras and mitogen-activated protein kinases. 1239 Nov 45

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) can indirectly activate Ras primarily through the betagamma subunits of G proteins, which recruit c-Src, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, and Grb2-SOS. However, a direct interaction between a Ras activator (guanine nucleotide exchange factor [GEF]) and GPCRs that leads to Ras activation has never been demonstrated. We report here a novel mechanism for a direct GPCR-mediated Ras activation. The beta1 adrenergic receptor (beta1-AR) binds to the PDZ domain of the cyclic AMP (cAMP)-dependent Ras exchange factor, CNrasGEF, via its C-terminal SkV motif. In cells heterologously expressing beta1-AR and CNrasGEF, Ras is activated by the beta1-AR agonist isoproterenol, and this activation is abolished in beta1-AR mutants that cannot bind CNrasGEF or in CNrasGEF mutants lacking the catalytic CDC25 domain or cAMP-binding domain. Moreover, the activation is transduced via Gsalpha and not via Gbetagamma. In contrast to beta1-AR, the beta2-AR neither binds CNrasGEF nor activates Ras via CNrasGEF after agonist stimulation. These results suggest a model whereby the physical interaction between the beta1-AR and CNrasGEF facilitates the transduction of Gsalpha-induced cAMP signal into the activation of Ras. The present study provides the first demonstration of direct physical association between a Ras activator and a GPCR, leading to agonist-induced Ras activation
Mol Cell Biol 2002 Nov
PMID:Direct binding of the beta1 adrenergic receptor to the cyclic AMP-dependent guanine nucleotide exchange factor CNrasGEF leads to Ras activation. 1239 Nov 61

Differential display reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to identify mRNAs that are differentially expressed in the brain of rats treated chronically with the reference tricyclic antidepressant, imipramine, in comparison with control rats. The gene encoding for a mutation suppressor for Sec4-8 yeast (Mss4) transcript is overexpressed in the amygdala of treated rats after 3 weeks of daily administration. This overexpression is also found in the hippocampus of rats treated chronically with either tianeptine or fluoxetine. Mss4 protein has the properties of a guanine nucleotide exchange factor, interacting with several members of the Rab family implicated in Ca(2+)-dependent exocytosis of neurotransmitters. Mss4 was also overexpressed in other brain structures as judged by in situ hybridization. The kinetics of the up-regulation of Mss4 gene expression measured by Northern blot during the imipramine, tianeptine, or fluoxetine treatments are consistent with an antidepressant effect that occurs after 3 weeks. In rats in which anhedonia was induced by chronic mild stress during 3 weeks, Mss4 transcripts were specifically down-regulated in hippocampus and amygdala compared with control rats. It is proposed that Mss4 protein, which stimulates exocytosis in vivo, participates in the potentiation of the activity of neurotransmitter pathways implicated in the action of several antidepressants and constitutes one of the common functional molecules induced after chronic antidepressant treatment.
Mol Pharmacol 2002 Dec
PMID:Mss4 gene is up-regulated in rat brain after chronic treatment with antidepressant and down-regulated when rats are anhedonic. 1243

Members of the Rho GTPase family are key regulatory molecules that link surface receptors to the organization of the actin cytoskeleton. It is now well established that these small GTPases are also crucial for neuronal morphogenesis and connectivity. Moreover, mutations in ARHGEF6 (also known as alphaPIX or Cool-2 ), encoding a Rac1/Cdc42-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor, have been implicated in X-linked mental retardation. In an attempt to get insight into the biological function of ARHGEF6 and the upstream signaling cascades leading to its activation, we used the full-length coding region of ARHGEF6 as bait in yeast-two hybrid screens and identified PARVB (beta-parvin or affixin) as a novel binding partner. The interaction was confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation and GST pull-down. We showed by immunofluorescence that ARHGEF6 and PARVB co-localize at the cell periphery to lamellipodia and ruffles in well-spread and actively spreading cells adhered to fibronectin. In addition, interaction of ARHGEF6 to ARHGEF7 (betaPIX or Cool-1), a close homolog of ARHGEF6, was confirmed. In in vivo assays, two ARHGEF6 mutations identified previously in patients with X-linked non-specific mental retardation, ARHGEF6 deltaaa56-83 and deltaaa396-776, abolished interaction of ARHGEF6 to PARVB. Binding between ARHGEF6 and ARHGEF7 was not affected by ARHGEF6 deltaaa56-83 but did not occur with ARHGEF6 deltaaa396-776. These data suggest that both the N-terminal calponin homology (CH) and C-terminal coiled-coil domains are necessary for the ARHGEF6-PARVB binding. In contrast, it seems that only the coiled-coil domain is required for the interaction and heterodimerization of ARHGEF6 and ARHGEF7. PARVB is known to interact with integrin-linked kinase (ILK) and is involved in the early stage of cell-substrate interaction through integrins. The identification of PARVB as an ARHGEF6 interacting partner together with the co-localization of ARHGEF6 and ILK in spreading cells suggest that ARHGEF6 is involved in integrin-mediated signaling leading to activation of the GTPases Rac1 and/or Cdc42.
Hum Mol Genet 2003 Jan 15
PMID:Interaction of alphaPIX (ARHGEF6) with beta-parvin (PARVB) suggests an involvement of alphaPIX in integrin-mediated signaling. 1249 96

Schizosaccharomyces pombe cdc42(+) regulates cell morphology and polarization of the actin cytoskeleton. Scd1p/Ral1p is the only described guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for Cdc42p in S. pombe. We have identified a new GEF, named Gef1p, specifically regulating Cdc42p. Gef1p binds to inactive Cdc42p but not to other Rho GTPases in two-hybrid assays. Overexpression of gef1(+) increases specifically the GTP-bound Cdc42p, and Gef1p is capable of stimulating guanine nucleotide exchange of Cdc42p in vitro. Overexpression of gef1(+) causes changes in cell morphology similar to those caused by overexpression of the constitutively active cdc42G12V allele. Gef1p localizes to the septum. gef1(+) deletion is viable but causes a mild cell elongation and defects in bipolar growth and septum formation, suggesting a role for Gef1p in the control of cell polarity and cytokinesis. The double mutant gef1delta scd1delta is not viable, indicating that they share an essential function as Cdc42p activators. However, both deletion and overexpression of either gef1(+) or scd1(+) causes different morphological phenotypes, which suggest different functions. Genetic evidence revealed a link between Gef1p and the signaling pathway of Shk1/Orb2p and Orb6p. In contrast, no genetic interaction between Gef1p and Shk2p-Mkh1p pathway was observed.
Mol Biol Cell 2003 Jan
PMID:Gef1p, a new guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Cdc42p, regulates polarity in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. 1252 46


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