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J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 279, Issue 32, 33816-33828, August 6, 2004
The LFA-1-associated Molecule PTA-1 (CD226) on T Cells Forms a Dynamic Molecular Complex with Protein 4.1G and Human Discs Large*![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ¶![]() ![]() ![]()
From the
Received for publication, January 30, 2004 , and in revised form, April 14, 2004.
Clustering of the T cell integrin, LFA-1, at specialized regions of intercellular contact initiates integrin-mediated adhesion and downstream signaling, events that are necessary for a successful immunological response. But how clustering is achieved and sustained is not known. Here we establish that an LFA-1-associated molecule, PTA-1, is localized to membrane rafts and binds the carboxyl-terminal domain of isoforms of the actin-binding protein 4.1G. Protein 4.1 is known to associate with the membrane-associated guanylate kinase homologue, human discs large. We show that the carboxyl-terminal peptide of PTA-1 also can bind human discs large and that the presence or absence of this peptide greatly influences binding between PTA-1 and different isoforms of 4.1G. T cell stimulation with phorbol ester or PTA-1 cross-linking induces PTA-1 and 4.1G to associate tightly with the cytoskeleton, and the PTA-1 from such activated cells now can bind to the amino-terminal region of 4.1G. We propose that these dynamic associations provide the structural basis for a regulated molecular adhesive complex that serves to cluster and transport LFA-1 and associated molecules.
A successful immunological response requires the activation, proliferation, and differentiation of T cell subsets into effector cells. These events are initiated by signals generated by sustained interaction between T cell receptors (TCR)1 and antigen-presenting cells (APC), together with the engagement of accessory counter receptors between the T cell and APC. Without the coordinated engagement of accessory receptors, engagement of the TCR can result in T cell anergy (1). Receptor engagement and signaling appear to be coordinated, both temporarily and spatially, at a specialized region known as the immunological synapse (2, 3) increasingly recognized as containing structural elements shared with classical neuronal synapses (4, 5).
Crucial to the formation of the immunological synapse are specialized membrane microdomains known as rafts (6) and also the rearrangement of elements of the cytoskeleton. Both of these essential components are influenced by receptor engagement at the synapse, and, in turn, both orchestrate molecular distribution and signal transduction during the interaction (79). An initiating event in synapse formation may be the migration of intercellular adhesion molecule 3 (ICAM-3) to sites of cell-cell contact with the APC, where it engages its counter receptor as part of the "scanning" process (10). Engagement of ICAM-3 results in an increase in intracellular calcium concentration, the activation of tyrosine kinases, and activation of the integrin LFA-1 (10, 11). The mechanisms involved in such "inside-out" activation of leukocyte integrins are complex and not fully understood (12, 13), but changes in avidity and affinity of LFA-1 involve clustering in membrane rafts (1416) and remodeling of the actin (9, 17) and microtubule (18, 19) cytoskeleton. Increased intracellular calcium concentration activates the small GTPase Rap1, emerging as a major stimulus for LFA-1 clustering and ligand binding (2023). Calcium also activates calpain (24), the proteolytic enzyme that cleaves talin, a process required for the linkage between integrins and the actin cytoskeleton that contributes to their clustering and activation (2427). Recently, Ginsberg's group demonstrated that a phosphotyrosine motif within a Subsequently, the TCR and small accessory adhesion receptors migrate to the core of the synapse to form the central supramolecular activating complex, and larger molecules, including LFA-1 and associated talin, are displaced to an outer adhesive ring, the peripheral supramolecular activating complex (2, 30). These movements may be regulated in part by the greater numbers of small molecules simply displacing LFA-1 and other larger molecules within rafts (30). However, larger adhesion molecules such as CD43, the presence of which might hinder TCR engagement on physical grounds, are actively excluded from the synapse by association with ERM proteins (31). The ERM proteins themselves participate in a number of processes essential to T cell activation, including the movement of adhesion receptors, membrane and cytoskeletal redistribution, and signal transduction (3235). Members of an extended protein 4.1 superfamily, these proteins are characterized by their possession of a FERM domain toward the amino terminus and an F actin-binding segment at the carboxyl terminus: in the resting state, these regions form an intramolecular association that masks other associations, but following activation by threonine phosphorylation and binding of phosphoinositides, the tail region is able to extend to bind actin, and the FERM domain is exposed to bind the juxtamembrane region of any of several adhesion molecules, thereby providing a transmembrane linkage to the actin cytoskeleton (3639). The FERM domain of the prototypic protein 4.1R shares about 30% identity with that of the ERM family members (28) and shares the capacity to bind transmembrane proteins (40). In addition, however, this domain of protein 4.1 can bind to another class of proteins, the membrane-associated guanylate kinase homologues (MAGUKs) (41). MAGUK family members contain a number of protein-protein interactive domains, including Src homology 3 and PDZ domains, and serve to mediate the tight clustering of both transmembrane receptors and ion channels at sites of cell-cell communication such as neuronal synapses (42). Since the sequence of amino acids in the FERM domain of 4.1 that binds to transmembrane receptors can differ from that bound by MAGUKs, these molecules potentially can form a protein 4.1-transmembrane protein-MAGUK ternary complex to provide a functional unit at the plasma membrane with links to the cytoskeleton, and there are now several examples of such a clustering complex (41, 43). Furthermore, linkages between these complexes and the cytoskeleton may be more than passive, since several regulators of small GTPases contain residues conserved in the 4.1-MAGUK binding site (41, 44, 45). Recent work from Chishti's laboratory has raised the exciting possibility that such a MAGUK complex might play a role in the formation of physical contacts between T cells and APC and in the regulation of T cell activation, thus extending the commonalities between the immunological synapse and classical neuronal synapses (46). This group first identified that in T cells the MAGUK, human discs large (hDlg), interacts with both the tyrosine kinase Lck and the potassium ion channel, Kv1.3 (47). Both Lck and Kv1.3 are known regulators of T cell signaling and adhesion that may localize to the immunological synapse (4850), and hDlg translocates to the lymphocyte cap upon cross-linking of the CD2 receptor (46). hDlg also associates with a kinesin-like motor protein termed guanylate kinase-associated kinesin (GAKIN), an association with the potential to drive the microtubule-based trafficking of the complex to the plasma membrane (46, 51, 52). Moreover, in different cell types, both MAGUKs and members of the 4.1 family are able to bind transmembrane proteins, thus contributing to the scaffolding complex (41). In the present study, we identify a binding partner for the protein 4.1 paralogue, 4.1G, in T cells, the transmembrane protein PTA-1 (CD226). In addition, we demonstrate that PTA-1 can bind to hDlg in a process requiring its carboxyl-terminal peptide residues, which contain a PDZ-binding motif. We show that PTA-1 binds to the carboxyl-terminal domain of 4.1G, and the proteins associate under resting conditions, but, upon stimulation of Jurkat cells, PTA-1 now can bind to the amino-terminal region of 4.1G and the complex associates with the cytoskeleton. PTA-1 (also known as CD226, TLiSA-1, and DNAM-1) is a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily, the expression of which is regulated by phorbol ester and calcium (53, 54). Initially identified as a T cell activation antigen, antibodies and F(ab')2 fragments against PTA-1 inhibit the development of cytotoxic T cells and T cell clones from their precursors (5557). PTA-1 was also identified on platelets where it may engage in signal transduction, since anti-PTA-1 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) induce platelet activation and aggregation in a process that requires the Fc receptor (58). Recently Shibuya et al. (59) showed that PTA-1 was physically and functionally associated with LFA-1 in NK cells and activated T cells in a process requiring phosphorylation of a serine residue in the PTA-1 cytoplasmic tail. In addition, cross-linking of LFA-1 induced tyrosine phosphorylation of PTA-1, possibly mediated by Fyn with which PTA-1 also associates. Circumstantially, these findings place PTA-1 at the peripheral supramolecular activating complex of the immunological synapse during T cell activation and suggest that it may play a role in LFA-1 activation and downstream signaling. In this study, we additionally show that PTA-1 associates with Rap-1 in membrane fragments from activated T cells and that the complex of protein 4.1G, hDlg, and PTA-1 is contained within membrane rafts.
AntibodiesThe LeoA1 (55) and FMU4 (60) mAbs are directed against PTA-1. Rabbit polyclonal antibodies to 4.1G were raised against GST fusion proteins containing the amino-terminal domain, 4.1G-Head (aa 1115) and the carboxyl-terminal domain, 4.1G-Tail (aa 8301005). Affinity-purified IgG was obtained using either GST-4.1G-Head or GST-4.1G-Tail conjugated to a 1:1 mixture of Affi-gel 10 and 15 (Bio-Rad) (1 mg of protein/10 ml of resin). Pooled antisera from multiple bleeds were loaded through the relevant column, and bound IgG was eluted with 0.1 M glycine, pH 2.4, immediately reneutralized with one-fifth volume of 1 M Tris, pH 8.0, and dialyzed against Tris saline buffer, pH 7.4. This affinity-purified antibody was then passed through a GST-Affi gel 10/15 column to remove IgG against the GST portion of the fusion protein. The mAb directed against hDlg (2D11) was a gift from Dr. M. Lutchman (Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA). The VIIIA7 anti-DAF mAb was a gift from Dr. D. Shafren (Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Newcastle). The Rap1 and calnexin mAbs were purchased from BD Transduction Laboratories (Lexington, KY). The anti-CD3 mAb (OKT3) was purchased from ATCC. Cell Lines and Establishment of Permanent TransfectantsThe Jurkat T cell line (ATCC) was maintained in RPMI 1640 medium (Thermo Trace, Melbourne, Australia) containing 10% fetal bovine serum (CSL, Melbourne, Australia). PTA-1 cDNA was subcloned into the high expression level eukaryotic vector, pEF-BOS, as described previously (54). The permanent Jurkat-PTA-1 cell line was established using the LipofectAMINETM 2000 reagent (Invitrogen) to introduce a 10:1 excess of the pEF-BOS-PTA-1 vector (which lacks a eukaryotic selection marker) to pREP9 (which encodes neomycin phosphotransferase; Invitrogen), followed by selection with 750 µg/ml G-418 (Invitrogen). The PTA-1-positive population was verified by flow cytometry and further enriched by fluorescence-activated cell sorting with the LeoA1 mAb. The Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line permanently transfected with PTA-1 (CHO-PTA-1) or DAF (CHO-DAF) were established as described above and maintained in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (CSL, Melbourne, Australia) with 10% fetal bovine serum. The CHO-DAF cells were kindly provided by Dr. D. Shafren.
Isolation of Glycolipid-enriched Membranes (GEMs)These were prepared as described previously (61). Briefly, Jurkat-PTA-1 cells (
ImmunoblottingNitrocellulose membranes were blocked in 5% skim milk in TTBS (25 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.0, 144 mM NaCl, 0.05% Tween 20) before incubation with primary antibody in 1% skim milk/TTBS. Membranes were then incubated with horseradish peroxidase-conjugated goat anti-mouse or anti-rabbit immunoglobulins (Bio-Rad), and the immunocomplexes were detected by enhanced chemiluminescence. Between subsequent probes, membranes were stripped by incubation at 60 °C for 3045 min with 62.5 mM Tris-HCl, pH 6.7, containing 100 mM 2- Cross-linking of PTA-1 AntigenJurkat-PTA-1 cells (5 x 107 cells/treatment) or CHO-PTA-1 cells (1 x 107 cells/treatment) were harvested by centrifugation or with trypsin-versene solution, respectively, washed with culture medium, and then resuspended in 1 ml of medium containing 10 µg of LeoA1 or control mAb for 15 min at room temperature. After washing, the cells were either cross-linked with 10 µg of RAM in 1 ml of medium or incubated in medium alone for 15 min at room temperature. The cells were washed with cold PBS before lysis and processing for SDS-PAGE analysis. Immunoisolation of Plasma Membrane FragmentsThe method described by Harder and Kuhn (62) was used with slight modifications. Briefly, LeoA1 (anti-PTA-1) and OKT3 (anti-CD3) mAbs were coupled to M-450 sheep anti-mouse magnetic beads (Dynal), according to the manufacturer's instructions. Jurkat-PTA-1 cells (3 x 107 cells/treatment) were incubated with either the PTA-1- or CD3-coupled beads for 0, 5, and 10 min at 37 °C and then immediately pelleted at 4 °C. The bead-cell conjugates were washed in H buffer (10 mM Hepes, pH 7.2, 250 mM sucrose, 2 mM MgCl2,10 mM NaF and 1 mM vanadate supplemented with CompleteTM protease inhibitors) and then resuspended in 1 ml of H buffer containing 0.2 mM pervanadate prior to homogenization of the cells on ice with a glass Dounce homogenizer. The homogenates were washed with cold H buffer, and the beads were isolated with a magnet (Dynal), and this was repeated three times. After the final wash, the proteins were eluted from the beads with reducing Laemmli sample buffer, separated by SDS-PAGE, and analyzed by immunoblotting.
Yeast Two-hybrid AssayAll MATCHMAKER yeast two-hybrid vectors and cDNA libraries were purchased from Clontech (Palo Alto, CA), with the exception of the GAL4 DNA binding domain vector, pGBT9LacZ (a gift of Dr. I. Macreadie, Biomolecular Research Institute, Parkville, Australia). pGBT9LacZ contains a Trp-selectable marker and a GAL4-responsive lacZ gene (i.e. additional to that contained in the yeast chromosome), which allows for highly sensitive detection of interacting proteins by increasing the production of
Transformation and analysis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae HF7c strain was performed according to the manufacturer's recommended protocol (Clontech). Briefly, the yeasts were sequentially transformed with pGBT9LacZ-PTA-1 and the pGAD10-Jurkat or pACT2-brain cDNA libraries using the lithium acetate method and plated onto synthetic medium lacking Leu, Trp, and His but containing 15 mM 3-aminotriazole (Sigma) and a mixture of galactose, glycerol, and ethanol as the carbon source. After 45 days at 30 °C, colonies were lifted onto nitrocellulose (MSI, Westbro, MA), incubated facing upward on fresh medium for 24 h, and, following liquid nitrogen treatment, assayed for
Northern Blot AnalysisNorthern blotting was performed as previously described (54), using total RNA isolated from either resting Jurkat cells or Jurkat cells treated with TPA at 50 ng/ml overnight to induce PTA-1 expression. The DNA probe consisted of the 4.1G cDNA insert isolated from the yeast two-hybrid screen and radiolabeled as described above (see Immunofluorescent Cell Staining and Confocal MicroscopyCHO-PTA-1 cells were grown on glass coverslips overnight and then fixed and permeabilized with cold methanol for 10 min at -20 °C. Dual color immunostaining was performed with LeoA1 mAb and 4.1G-Head and 4.1G-Tail polyclonal antibodies as indicated, followed by detection with a mixture of Alexa 488-conjugated goat anti-mouse and Alexa 594-conjugated goat anti-rabbit immunoglobulins (Molecular Probes, Inc., Eugene, OR). The stained coverslips were mounted onto glass slides with ProlongTM Antifade reagent (Molecular Probes), and the fluorescently labeled cells were visualized on a Zeiss LSM510 confocal microscope. For the cytochalasin D experiments, CHO-PTA-1 and CHO-DAF cells were used. Cells were grown on glass coverslips and treated with either 2 µM cytochalasin D (Sigma) or carrier alone (Me2SO) for 60 min at 37 °C, followed by fixation with 4% formaldehyde (w/v) in PBS for 15 min at room temperature and permeabilization with 0.3% Triton X-100 in PBS for 5 min at room temperature. The cells were stained with monoclonal (LeoA1 and VIIIA7) or polyclonal (4.1G-Head) antibodies, followed by Alexa 594-conjugated goat anti-mouse or anti-rabbit immunoglobulins (Molecular Probes), with actin visualized with Alexa 488-conjugated phalloidin (Molecular Probes). The coverslips were mounted as above and examined by epifluorescent microscopy on a Zeiss Axioplan microscope. The merged images were obtained by overlaying the individual images using Adobe PhotoshopTM software.
Construction, Expression, and Purification of GST Fusion ProteinsThe GST-PTA-1 construct containing the PTA-1 carboxyl terminus and part of the transmembrane region (aa 266336) was generated by subcloning the EcoRI restriction fragment from pGBT9LacZ-PTA-1 to pGEX-2T (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech). The GST-PTA-1
BL21 (DE3) cells (Stratagene) were transformed with the various GST constructs, cultured to an A600 of 0.6-1.0, and recombinant GST fusion protein expression was induced with 0.1 mM isopropyl-1-thio- GST Pull-down AssayFor some experiments, Jurkat cells were biosynthetically labeled with [35S]cysteine/methionine prior to lysis. The cells were pelleted, washed in cysteine/methione-free RPMI (Thermo Trace, Melbourne, Australia), and then starved in the same medium for 30 min at 37 °C. The cells were then resuspended in this medium with the addition of 1 mCi of [35S]cysteine/methionine (PerkinElmer Life Sciences) for 3 h at 37 °C, and TPA (50 ng/ml) stimulation was continued through the labeling as appropriate. After washing with PBS, the cells were lysed for 60 min at 4 °C with Nonidet P-40 lysis buffer (1% Nonidet P-40, 25 mM Tris, pH 7.6, 150 mM NaCl supplemented with CompleteTM protease inhibitors).
The protein kinase C (PKC) assay kit (Stratagene) was used to phosphorylate GST-PTA-1, according to the manufacturer's instructions. Briefly, the GST-PTA-1-Sepharose bead complexes were washed in the supplied phosphorylation buffer and then incubated in this buffer containing 1 mM rATP, diolein and phosphatidyl serine phospholipids, and PKC (
Unless indicated otherwise, Jurkat cells were lysed with radioimmune precipitation assay lysis buffer for 60 min at 4 °C. Insoluble material was removed by centrifugation for 10 min at 14,000 x g at 4 °C. Lysates were precleared using GST-alone-coupled Sepharose beads for 12 h at 4 °C and then pulled down with either GST-, PTA-1-, phosphorylated PTA-1-, or PTA-1 ImmunoprecipitationApproximately 1.5 x 108 Jurkat-PTA-1 cells were treated with TPA (50 ng/ml) for 2 h at 37 °C and then treated with 2 mM cytochalasin D for 60 min at 37 °C. The cells were pelleted and washed with PBS prior to digitonin (Sigma) lysis (1% digitonin, 20 mM Hepes, pH 7.5, 150 mM NaCl, with CompleteTM protease inhibitors) for 60 min at 4 °C before clarification by centrifugation 14,000 x g. To reduce nonspecific binding during immunoprecipitation, the lysate was precleared with the capture reagents alone. Antigens were then immunoprecipitated with the specific mAbs (LeoA1; 2D3, a control antibody that binds to CD47 on the surface of Jurkat cells) indirectly bound by rabbit anti-mouse immunoglobulins (DAKO) directly coupled to CnBr-activated Sepharose 4B beads (Amersham Biosciences). Immunocomplexes were then washed four times with the digitonin lysis buffer and then eluted by boiling with reducing Laemmli sample buffer. Samples were resolved by 7.5% SDS-PAGE, transferred to nitrocellulose, and then analyzed by immunoblotting. Surface Plasmon ResonanceThe BIACore experiments were performed essentially as described previously (64). In brief, purified GST and GST-4.1G-Head or Tail (CTD) protein (50 mg/ml) were immobilized onto CM5 sensor chips (BIACoreTM) by the amine coupling method, according to the manufacturer's instructions. The immobilization yielded 3000 (GST) and 6300 (GST-4.1G-Head, similarly for GST-4.1G-Tail) resonance units of binding. Purified GST-PTA-1, GST-4.1G-Tail, and GST-alone proteins (all at 50 µg/ml) were passed over the sensor chips. The very weak binding of GST was subtracted from the GST-PTA-1 and GST-4.1G-Tail binding to yield the resultant sensorgram.
PTA1 Is Recruited into Membrane Rafts and Associates with Rap1 and the Cytoskeleton upon Cross-linkingA physical and functional association between PTA-1 and LFA-1 integrin suggested that PTA-1 may be implicated in the adhesive processes that occur during T cell activation. Many of the molecules that engage in the T cell signaling cascade are found to localize in or be recruited to lipid rafts during the activation process (8). To examine whether PTA-1 might be contained within rafts, we used the biochemical approach of isolating the cold Triton X-100-insoluble material known as GEMs or detergent-insoluble glycolipid structures that may represent raft material (Fig. 1A). Resting T lymphocytes and Jurkat T cells express very little PTA-1 protein (54); therefore, to facilitate protein detection, we utilized Jurkat cells stably transfected with PTA-1 for these assays. However, similar results were obtained with non-transfected Jurkat cells that had been prestimulated for 30 h with TPA to induce PTA-1 protein expression and then rested overnight before restimulation (data not shown; see below). In these assays, a proportion of PTA-1 from resting cells was found to localize to the GEM fraction (G in Fig. 1A), indicating raft-resident status; however, cross-linking of the PTA-1 antigen with anti-PTA-1 mAb followed by rabbit anti-mouse antibody (PTA-1 + RAM) (Fig. 1A) or stimulation of the cells with TPA (Fig. 1B) induced an increased proportion of the PTA-1 to locate to the GEM fraction. The endoplasmic reticulum-resident protein, calnexin, was used as a control in these experiments and was found predominantly in the soluble fraction (S) as expected; its distribution was not altered by cell stimulation (Fig. 1B). In these experiments, it was also found that cross-linking of PTA-1 resulted in an accumulation of this antigen in the washed cytoskeletal pellet that had precipitated through the sucrose gradient (I; Fig. 1A).
Upon cross-linking or cell stimulation with TPA or anti-CD3, PTA-1 becomes phosphorylated on a serine residue and associates with LFA-1 (58, 59). Subsequent LFA-1 engagement and cross-linking results in the tyrosine phosphorylation of PTA-1 and its association with Lyn PTK (59). These data implicate PTA-1 in both the regulation of LFA-1 function and further downstream signaling. Recent work has strongly implicated Rap1 in the regulation of LFA-1 function (22), and in the transfected Jurkat cells, we found Rap1 to be a resident of GEMs (Fig. 1B); therefore, we considered whether PTA-1 might associate with Rap1. The use of GST-PTA-1 in pull-down experiments did not reveal any direct association (data not shown); therefore, we employed the method developed by Harder and Kuhn (62) to analyze plasma membrane subfragments for associated signaling molecules. Magnetic beads were coated with the anti-PTA-1 mAb, LeoA1, or, as a control, with anti-CD3. These were mixed with PTA-1-transfected Jurkat cells and warmed at 37 °C for 5 or 10 min before homogenization of the cells and immunoisolation of the bound membrane fragments. Analyzed by immunoblotting, the CD3 fragments co-purified with several signaling molecules after 5 and 10 min of cell stimulation (62) (data not shown) but not with Rap1 (Fig. 1C). In contrast, stimulation and immunoprecipitation with the anti-PTA-1 (LeoA1)-coated beads revealed that Rap1 co-associates with PTA-1 in membrane fragments isolated from the transfected Jurkat cells after PTA-1 cross-linking (Fig. 1C). This result places Rap1 in the vicinity of PTA-1 and LFA-1 at the plasma membrane of these cells; other signaling molecules associated with the complex will be reported elsewhere.
The Cytoplasmic Domain of PTA-1 Binds the Carboxyl-terminal Domain (CTD) of Protein 4.1GYeast two-hybrid analysis was then used to identify PTA-1 binding partners that might contribute to complex formation. The entire cytoplasmic region and part of the transmembrane domain of PTA-1 in the bait vector (Fig. 2A) was used to screen a Jurkat T cell cDNA library. The entire library of 2 x 106 independent clones was screened, and three positive clones were isolated. All three clones were confirmed as true binding partners when tested against a range of controls. The three clones were sequenced and shown to contain the same sequence identified as identical to the CTD of protein 4.1G (Fig. 2B), a ubiquitous member of the protein 4.1 family (65). The relative strength of binding between PTA-1 and the CTD of 4.1G was measured in a liquid
Parra et al. (65) record that protein 4.1G is generally expressed in a wide range of tissues but is relatively less abundant than 4.1R in hematopoietic tissues and only weakly expressed in peripheral leukocytes; therefore, we examined the expression of 4.1G mRNA in Jurkat cells by Northern blot analysis. Fig. 2C shows that 4.1G mRNA in these cells appears as three major transcripts, at approximately 4.1, 4.6, and 7.3 kb. This is very similar to the pattern reported for human brain but quite different from that obtained in seven other human tissues where a single prominent transcript at around 5 kb was obtained (65). The multiple brain transcripts were attributed to alternative splicing and/or differential use of polyadenylation sites (65), and in support of alternative splicing in Jurkat cells we isolated a cDNA from this cell line that showed apparent differential exon usage from the published sequence of 4.1G assembled from various EST clones (65) (GenBankTM accession number AY512660 [GenBank] ). Since the expression of PTA-1 in Jurkat cells is induced by TPA at the transcriptional level (65), we also examined the influence of TPA on the isoforms of 4.1G expressed in these cells. Fig. 2C illustrates that this treatment resulted in the down-regulation of the larger transcripts, leaving only the 4.1-kb transcript.
In order to examine 4.1 protein expression, rabbit antibodies ("tail" antibodies) were raised and affinity-purified against the CTD of 4.1G in the form of a GST fusion protein and used for Western blot analyses. These analyses confirmed the presence of 4.1G protein in the Jurkat cells and also in the CHO cells used for some immunofluorescent staining experiments (Fig. 2D). The major products identified from the Jurkat cells were at around 170 kDa, and a lesser band was seen at around 111 kDa. The largest band approximates in size to the major product identified from transfected COS cells by Parra et al. (65) and is larger than the size of We then utilized these antibodies to seek to identify a physical in vivo association between PTA-1 and 4.1G. CHO cells stably transfected with PTA-1 were used in these experiments, and good co-localization was seen at the plasma membrane between PTA-1 and 4.1G detected with either "head" or "tail" antibodies (Fig. 3A). Protein 4.1 contains a spectrin/actin-binding domain and might be expected to associate with actin, particularly at the submembranous skeleton at the plasma membrane. To visualize this, permeabilized transfected CHO cells were incubated with Alexa 488-phalloidin to illuminate F actin and also stained for 4.1G (Fig. 3B). Some degree of colocalization was obtained, but this was much more evident after the actin cables were disrupted by treatment with cytochalasin D causing the fibers to collapse into a pronounced lumpy appearance. After such treatment, 4.1G staining was found to be coincident with the areas of condensed actin (Fig. 3B). Co-staining of cells for DAF (CD55) did not reveal coincidence of staining with phalloidin before or after cytochalasin treatment, whereas staining for PTA-1 showed close coincidence of staining with phalloidin after treatment (Fig. 3B).
It was noted above that upon antibody-mediated cross-linking of PTA-1 on Jurkat cells, a proportion of the PTA-1 was found to precipitate with the cytoskeleton (see Fig. 1A). Therefore, we questioned whether this might also occur in the transfected CHO cells and, if so, whether this distribution of 4.1G was also influenced by such cross-linking. PTA-1-transfected CHO cells were treated with anti-PTA-1 mAb (or control) and then cross-linked with RAM before lysis and centrifugation of the postnuclear supernatant to isolate the cytoskeletal pellet. Immunoblotting for PTA-1 showed that after specific cross-linking a large proportion of the PTA-1 antigen now pelleted with the cytoskeleton, indicating a tight association (Fig. 3C). Reblotting the same samples for 4.1G revealed that a proportion of this protein pelleted with the cytoskeleton in the resting CHO cells; however, this proportion was increased following cross-linking of PTA-1 (Fig. 3C). These results show that cross-linking of PTA-1 on the cell surface can influence the distribution of 4.1G, further substantiating an association between the molecules.
The Carboxyl-terminal Peptide of PTA-1 Binds the MAGUK, Human Discs LargeAs we documented in the Introduction, members of the protein 4.1 family are found to associate with MAGUKs, which play an important role in assembling signal transduction complexes at the interface of the membrane cytoskeleton (67). MAGUKs contain one or more PDZ domains that engage in protein-protein interactions, including binding to the carboxyl-terminal peptides of some transmembrane proteins. The carboxyl terminus of PTA-1 terminates in the sequence Lys-Thr-Arg-Val (KTRV), a recognized PDZ-binding motif; therefore, we determined whether this region of PTA-1 engaged in protein binding. For this, we prepared GST fusion proteins encoding the entire cytoplasmic tail of PTA-1 or the PTA-1 tail lacking the three terminal residues, TRV (PTA-1
Either of these two bands might represent binding to a PDZ-containing protein, and we focused on the band at around 110 kDa (Fig. 4A, arrow) because this approximates the migration of hDlg in SDS-PAGE, and hDlg has been shown to associate with protein 4.1R in epithelial cells (52). Further pull-down experiments were therefore carried out with the PTA-1 and PTA-1 TRV proteins and tested by immunoblotting for hDlg; in addition, since PKC-mediated phosphorylation of PTA-1 has been implicated in its function (68), we also tested binding to the GST-PTA-1 protein that had been subjected to PKC-mediated phosphorylation in vitro (+PKC). The results obtained are shown in Fig. 4B, where it is apparent that GST-PTA-1 can bind to hDlg. Binding is modestly increased after phosphorylation of the GST-PTA-1 by PKC, but removal of the terminal TRV peptide residues from PTA-1 almost abolishes binding of hDlg, with the small residual binding perhaps being attributable to a ternary complex (Fig. 4B). To confirm that PTA-1 associates with hDlg in vivo, we carried out co-precipitation analyses from TPA-stimulated Jurkat PTA cells analyzed by Western blotting and established that precipitation of PTA-1 co-precipitates hDlg; however, the co-association signal was very faint (data not shown), possibly because the associated molecules were being lost by prior precipitation with the cytoskeleton. In support of this, when co-immunoprecipitations were carried out after pretreatment of the cells with cytochalasin D to disrupt the actin cytoskeleton, clear co-association was obtained (Fig. 4C). Next we examined whether hDlg was localized in the GEM fraction representing membrane rafts and whether its distribution in the transfected Jurkat cells was altered following TPA treatment or cross-linking of PTA-1 (Fig. 5). PTA-1-transfected Jurkat cells were left untreated or stimulated with TPA for 3 or 30 min before cell lysis and centrifugation through sucrose gradients to isolate the GEM fraction. The isolated GEM fractions were run in SDS-PAGE together with equal protein loading from the soluble fractions (Fig. 5A) and then immunoblotted for hDlg and also 4.1G (head), PTA-1, and, as a control, calnexin. The results (Fig. 5B) indicated that hDlg is a resident of rafts; the proportion of the protein found in the GEM fraction did not increase upon treatment of the cells with TPA but actually appeared to decrease without material becoming apparent in the soluble fraction, probably indicating loss of hDlg to the pelleted cytoskeleton. In these assays, both 4.1G and PTA-1 were identified predominantly in the GEM fractions, whereas calnexin located to the soluble fractions (Fig. 5B). Experiments using PTA-1 cross-linking in which the cytoskeletal pellet also was analyzed showed that hDlg was prominent in this fraction as well as the GEM fraction, although the relative distribution of hDlg was not altered by cross-linking (data not shown).
The PDZ-binding Peptide at the Carboxyl Terminus of PTA-1 Influences Binding to Multiple Isoforms of 4.1GAs we noted above, the cytoplasmic tail of PTA-1 can be phosphorylated by PKC after treatment of Jurkat cells or platelets with TPA. The residue that is phosphorylated in this way was identified by Shibuya et al. (59) as serine 329 toward the carboxyl terminus of PTA-1, within the last 8 residues (FS329RRPKTRV) and adjacent to the putative PDZ-binding peptide identified by us. Shibuya et al. (59) mutated this serine residue to phenylalanine (Ser Phe) and recorded that this mutation abrogated PTA-1 phosphorylation in response to TPA treatment of transfected murine thymoma cells and also that these cells were no longer able to mediate PTA-1-mediated cell adhesion; the authors concluded from these data that phosphorylation of Ser329 plays a critical role in PTA-1-mediated adhesion and signaling. We therefore tested whether Ser329 might be implicated in PTA-1 binding to 4.1G. Table I shows a representative yeast two-hybrid binding analysis of the interaction between the CTD of protein 4.1G, the cytoplasmic region of PTA-1, and mutations of PTA-1 in which Ser329 was mutated to either phenylalanine (Ser Phe) or alanine (Ser Ala). As shown in Table I, measured in -galactosidase units, it is apparent that substitution of the serine at 329 with phenylalanine reduced the strength of binding in this assay but still permitted strong binding to occur. Substitution of this serine residue with alanine did not significantly reduce the PTA-14.1G interaction. From these analyses, we conclude that whereas Ser329 within PTA-1 may be implicated in binding to the CTD of protein 4.1G, such involvement is more likely to result from the conformation of PTA-1 in this region rather than an involvement of serine phosphorylation, since the bulky phenylalanine residue caused more disruption than alanine as a substitute. In support of this interpretation, we found that substitution of Ser329 with aspartate (Ser Asp) to mimic phosphoserine did not alter the strength of PTA-14.1G interaction in the -galactosidase assay (data not shown). It is interesting to note that the Ser Phe substitution that still binds to CTD of 4.1G in the context of the PTA-1 cytoplasmic tail now has the sequence FFRR, similar to the FFKR sequence within the subunit of LFA-1 that is central to the regulation of integrin adhesive function (69, 70); should this region be directly implicated in the PTA-14.1G binding interaction, then it is possible that LFA-1 also could bind to the CTD of 4.1G.
Intermolecular binding by members of the ternary complex of erythrocytes, between 4.1R, the MAGUK, p55, and the transmembrane protein, glycoprotein C, is interdependent and dynamic; for example, the affinity of binding between glycophorin C and p55 is increased by an order of magnitude by 4.1R in in vitro binding assays (43). Therefore, we utilized the GST fusion proteins PTA-1 and PTA-1 TRV and also in vitro phosphorylated GST-PTA-1 in pull-down assays immunoblotted for 4.1G to determine whether the putative PTA-1-hDlg-4.1G complex might be similarly interdependent (Fig. 6).
For these experiments, we used lysates from Jurkat cells that had been left untreated or stimulated for 3 min, 10 min, 2 h, or overnight with TPA. Initially, we concentrated on examining immunoblots of the higher molecular weight material, around the major 4.1G 170-kDa isoform identified in whole cell lysates. An example of these blots is shown in Fig. 6A, and similar results were obtained by immunoblotting with the "tail" antibody from lysates from both unstimulated and TPA-stimulated Jurkat cells (data not shown). It is apparent that whereas there is a degree of specific pull-down by the PTA-1 fusion proteins compared with GST alone, there are no differences between PTA-1 and PTA-1 TRV; nor is there any relative enrichment of this 4.1G isoform in the pull-downs compared with the total lysate.
A totally different profile was obtained when we examined the pull-downs of lower molecular weight isoforms of 4.1G (Fig. 6B). Several bands were prominent in the PTA-1 fusion protein pull-downs that were absent in the GST-alone track, and some were apparently greatly enriched compared with the whole lysate blot. The arrowheads in Fig. 6B point to bands that were consistently seen to be enriched in the PTA-1 fusion protein pull-downs; these bands were identified with both the "tail" antibody (Fig. 6B) and the "head" antibody (data not shown), indicating that they represent 4.1G isoforms and not proteolytic breakdown products, and each of the identified isoforms appeared to be equally represented in lysates from unstimulated or TPA-stimulated Jurkat cells (Fig. 6B, a and b). Of particular interest were the bands identified at around 55 and 35 kDa (asterisk on arrowhead in Fig. 6B). The isoform at The Amino-terminal Region of 4.1G Binds to PTA-1 from Activated Cell LysatesDespite the association between PTA-1 and 4.1G documented in numerous assays above, in repeated attempts we were unable to demonstrate an association between PTA-1 from cell lysates and the 4.1G CTD used as a GST fusion protein. The reasons for this are not clear, but it was not readily attributable to interference by another binding protein, since we obtained no detectable direct binding between GST-PTA-1 and GST-4.1G.CTD in surface plasmon resonance experiments (data not shown). In further pull-down experiments with GST fusion proteins, we also sought to identify an association between PTA-1 and activated Rap1 by pull-down with the Rap binding protein (20), followed by immunoblotting for PTA-1. These also gave a negative result, but for these experiments we had used the GST-4.1G-Head protein as an additional control and obtained the unexpected result that this unique domain of 4.1G was able to pull down PTA-1 from lysates of activated but not resting Jurkat cells (Fig. 7). The example shown in Fig. 7A shows the pull-down of PTA-1 obtained from Jurkat cells that had been either pretreated with TPA for 30 h to induce PTA-1 protein expression and then rested overnight (Nil) before treatment with the anti-PTA-1 mAb (LeoA1) alone, with anti-PTA-1 cross-linked with RAM antibody, or with TPA to induce activation. Western blotting for PTA-1 shows that this protein was precipitated by the GST-4.1G "head" protein after the Jurkat cells had been stimulated by antibody-mediated cross-linking (Fig. 7A, track 10)or by treatment with TPA (Fig. 7A, track 14). These results indicate that upon activation of the Jurkat cells, PTA-1 undergoes some change enabling it to bind the amino-terminal region of 4.1G; this change could be in consequence of a direct conformational change in PTA-1, perhaps mediated by phosphorylation or lipid association, or by an association between PTA-1 and another molecule such as hDlg. Alternatively, activation of the Jurkat cells could cause a conformational change to a PTA-1-binding protein such that it is no longer able to bind, thus freeing PTA-1 to bind to the head region of 4.1G. To begin to discriminate between these different possibilities, we carried out direct binding experiments between GST-PTA-1 and GST-4.1G "head" proteins by surface plasmon resonance. The results obtained from these BIAcore experiments (Fig. 7B) show that these two GST-fusion proteins can interact directly. From this, we can conclude that the cytoplasmic tail of PTA-1 can bind to the "head" region of 4.1G without the requirement for amino acid modification or binding to an intermediary protein.
Taken together, we believe that the simplest interpretation of the different 4.1 binding data obtained in this report is that in the resting cell, PTA-1 constitutively associates with the CTD of 4.1G. Because of the relative excess of 4.1G protein over PTA-1 in these cells (witnessed in immunofluorescent staining and immunoprecipitation experiments (data not shown)), PTA-1 in the cell lysate is unable to bind exogenously presented 4.1G.CTD in the form of a GST fusion protein. There are likely also to be conformational constraints, since GST-PTA-1 and GST-4.1G.CTD did not bind directly in surface plasmon resonance experiments (data not shown); but direct binding was indicated within the context of yeast cells, and GST-PTA-1 was able to precipitate multiple isoforms of 4.1G from lysates of resting Jurkat cells (Fig. 6). Upon cell activation, we propose, there is induced a conformational change in 4.1G, perhaps analogous to that which occurs in ERM proteins (38), that alters the conformation of the CTD of 4.1G and exposes a PTA-1 binding region in the head domain. These dynamic associations, together with an association with hDlg, provide a structural basis for a regulated protein complex at the T cell surface with links to the cytoskeleton.
Here we present evidence for a direct physical association between a T cell activation antigen, PTA-1, a protein 4.1 family member, 4.1G, and a MAGUK, human discs large. Since the related protein 4.1R also binds hDlg (71), it is possible that PTA-1 forms a ternary complex with 4.1G and hDlg, redolent of other 4.1-transmembrane protein-MAGUK ternary complexes that form important functional units serving as a clustering apparatus at sites of cell-cell communication (41). The reported physical and functional association between PTA-1 and LFA-1 (59), together with its involvement in the development of cytotoxic T cells from their precursors (55), suggests that such a complex may play an important functional role at the immunological synapse. A model incorporating this putative complex is given in Fig. 8.
There are, however, substantial differences between the molecular interactions described for the other known ternary complexes involving a transmembrane protein in association with 4.1 proteins and that described here for PTA-1. Thus, in the best characterized example, involving the transmembrane protein glycophorin C, the MAGUK, p55, and protein 4.1R, both the cytoplasmic domain of glycoprotein C and the HOOK domain of p55 bind to the FERM domain of 4.1R at adjacent sites (72). By contrast, the cytoplasmic domain of PTA-1 binds to the CTD of protein 4.1G, as determined in yeast two-hybrid assays, and to the amino-terminal domain (ATD) of 4.1G, at least in activated cells, as shown in GST fusion protein pull-down assays and by surface plasmon resonance. Note that the ATD used in these assays incorporated only the first 115 residues of 4.1G, a region that is unique to this protein 4.1 family member and does not incorporate any of the downstream FERM domain (see Fig. 2B). The function of these domains of 4.1 family members is unknown. The CTD of protein 4.1G has been shown to bind to the immunophilin-binding protein, FKBP13, that may function as a molecular chaperone to catalyze the folding and/or assembly of proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (73), and to an intracellular loop of the A1 adenosine receptor (74). In addition, the CTD of nuclear forms of the paralogues 4.1N and 4.1R have been demonstrated to bind to and to be implicated in the functioning of a nuclear GTPase that regulates phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase kinase activity and the nuclear mitotic apparatus protein, respectively (75, 76). The ATD of 4.1R contains a high affinity calcium-dependent calmodulin binding domain (77); however, this region of 4.1G shares only 23% identity over the 17 residues involved (73); therefore, it is unclear whether such a functional domain is present in 4.1G. To our knowledge, PTA-1 is the first protein identified as binding the unique head region of 4.1G. We show that PTA-1 also binds the MAGUK, hDlg, probably through binding to a PDZ domain. This finding potentially places PTA-1 as a membrane anchor for a large multimeric complex incorporating a diversity of functional entities, each with the capacity to modify the immunological response. hDlg comprises a series of modules that bind to a bewildering number of proteins. The protein additionally undergoes multimerization that could contribute to clustering (67). The proline-rich amino-terminal domain of hDlg interacts with Lck protein tyrosine kinase. This is followed by three PDZ domains known to bind the potassium ion channel, Kv1.3, and the tumor suppressor PTEN among others (47, 78); a Src homology 3 domain; and then a HOOK domain able to bind the FERM domain of 4.1R. Whether this interaction also occurs between hDlg and 4.1G has not been established, but this is likely to be the case, since the FERM domains of these paralogues are highly homologous, and, at least in epithelial cells, this interaction plays a critical role in recruiting hDlg to the lateral membrane (52). At the carboxyl terminus of hDlg is a guanylate kinase-like domain, the hallmark of MAGUK family members. This domain is enzymically inactive and seems to have evolved as a specialized protein recognition module. The guanylate kinase domain of hDlg has been shown to bind to the Rap1 GTPase-activating protein known as SPA-1, SPAL, or SPAR that plays a role in regulating cell adhesion (44, 45, 79). This domain also binds to the kinesin-like motor protein known as GAKIN, and in T lymphocytes (Jurkat T cells) the hDlg-GAKIN complex moves from the cytoplasm to the lymphocyte cap, presumably along microtubules, upon stimulation by antibody-mediated cross-linking to induce cell activation (46). GAKIN-mediated transport of hDlg is dependent upon its molecular motor domain, and Asaba et al. (51) have proposed that hDlg is a cargo molecule of GAKIN that is directed to specialized sites of cell-cell contact by the microtubule plus end-directed motor protein. Adding to the potential size of the complex is the range of partners known to associate with protein 4.1 family members by binding to the FERM domain; these include Ca2+-calmodulin, phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate, and phosphatidyl 4,5-biphosphate and transmembrane proteins such as CD44 (41), and it has been suggested that this domain is likely also to bind several GTPase protein regulators (41, 80). The FERM domains of 4.1G and 4.1R share 76% identity (65); therefore, it is likely that 4.1G also has several binding partners in this region. Whether any of these 4.1/hDlg binding molecules also co-associate with a PTA-1 complex is not known, but since several can be located to rafts at the immunological synapse, it seems possible that such multimeric complexes will be formed. This possibility raises the interesting questions of where the complex(es) are formed and how the existence of such a PTA-1-associated complex might influence LFA-1 binding and signaling.
We favor the hypothesis that the 4.1G-associated complexes are formed at recycling rafts found in the Golgi region (81). Parra et al. (65) demonstrated that 4.1G is concentrated in the perinuclear region in transfected COS cells, and we show here that 4.1G, hDlg, and PTA-1 are concentrated in the GEM fraction that represents raft material. The composition of the raft material would promote clustering and protein-protein associations, and, in association with growing microtubules, the complex could be delivered to specific areas at the leading edge (82), perhaps driven by GAKIN. Alonso and Millán (83) have recently provided a detailed consideration of the role of rafts in the assembly and trafficking of signaling complexes in T cells; they note that in these cells, the uropod is rich in rafts that might provide a reservoir for subsequent delivery of raft proteins and lipids to the immunological synapse. Notably, TCR engagement drives the transport of gangliosides and Lck (which is known to associate with hDlg) (47) from an intracellular store to the plasma membrane and the translocation of Lck-associated PKC
How this redistribution of the complex is achieved is not known, but we suggest that the PTA-14.1G-hDlg complex may be implicated. In addition to the activation-induced association between PTA-1 and LFA-1 (59), we show here that T-cell activation also induces an association between PTA-1 and Rap1 in membrane fragments and that both are contained within rafts (Fig. 1). Of interest, deletion of the first 100 residues of RAPL resulted in a protein (RAP
* This work was supported by a grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and by National Natural Science Foundation of China Grant 30030130. The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
¶ Supported by a Brawn Fellowship from the University of Newcastle. Present address: Breakthrough Breast Cancer Centre, Institute of Cancer Research, 237 Fulham Rd., Chelsea, London SW3-6JB, United Kingdom.
1 The abbreviations used are: TCR, T cell receptor(s); APC, antigen-presenting cell; FERM, four point one ezrin radixin moesin; ERM, ezrin, radixin, moesin; MAGUK, membrane-associated guanylate kinase homologue; hDlg, human discs large; GEM, glycolipid-enriched membranes; GST, glutathione S-transferase; CTD, carboxyl-terminal domain; ATD, amino-terminal domain; ICAM, intercellular adhesion molecule; GAKIN, guanylate kinase-associated kinesin; mAb, monoclonal antibody; aa, amino acid(s); CHO, Chinese hamster ovary; RAM, rabbit anti-mouse immunoglobulin(s); MES, 4-morpholineethanesulfonic acid; PBS, phosphate-buffered saline; PKC, protein kinase C; TPA, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate.
2 G. F. Burns, unpublished data.
We thank Sonja Stojko, Ke Chen, and Maja Hadzic for excellent technical assistance and Maxine Zerafa for administrative assistance in the preparation of the manuscript and figures. We also thank Drs. Mohini Lutchman and Athar Chishti for providing the anti-hDlg mAb, Drs. Philippe Gascard and John Conboy for the pCDNA34.1G-myc construct, and Dr. Johannes Bos for supplying the GST-RBD protein.
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