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Vol. 18, Issue 12, 4945-4956, December 2007
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Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605
Submitted July 18, 2007;
Revised September 10, 2007;
Accepted September 25, 2007
Monitoring Editor: Martin A. Schwartz
| ABSTRACT |
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| INTRODUCTION |
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Cdc42, a member of the Rho family of small GTPases, plays a central role in the regulation of cellular polarity in all eukaryotic cells (Johnson, 1999
; Etienne-Manneville, 2004
). In budding yeast, Cdc42 controls polarized cell growth by regulating cytoskeleton assembly and membrane trafficking, and it also participates in several signal transduction pathways (Johnson, 1999
; Park and Bi, 2007
). To regulate these processes, Cdc42 interacts with a number of downstream effectors. One class includes three members of the p21-activated kinase (PAK) family of serine/threonine protein kinases—Ste20, Cla4, and Skm1—which function in signal transduction, polarized growth, and cell cycle control (Leberer et al., 1992
; Cvrckova et al., 1995
; Holly and Blumer, 1999
; Hofken and Schiebel, 2002
). Another class includes two redundant cell polarity factors, Gic1 and Gic2, which function in actin polarization and septin assembly (Brown et al., 1997
; Chen et al., 1997
). Each of these effectors has a conserved Cdc42/Rac-interactive binding (CRIB) domain, which mediates Cdc42 binding and regulates their function in vivo.
Ste20 is perhaps the best understood Cdc42 effector in budding yeast. It regulates multiple mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways that control mating, filamentous growth, and osmotic stress response and also is involved in cell polarity and cell cycle control (Leberer et al., 1992
; Liu et al., 1993
; Cvrckova et al., 1995
; O'Rourke and Herskowitz, 1998
; Holly and Blumer, 1999
; Raitt et al., 2000
; Hofken and Schiebel, 2002
). In the mating pathway, Ste20 activates MAPK cascade signaling when mating pheromones bind to membrane receptors (Dohlman and Thorner, 2001
). The receptor-activated Gβ
dimer binds Ste20 (Leeuw et al., 1998
) and recruits the scaffold protein Ste5 to the plasma membrane (Pryciak and Huntress, 1998
), allowing Ste20 to phosphorylate the first in a chain of Ste5-associated kinases that eventually trigger cell cycle arrest, transcription of mating genes, and polarized morphogenesis. Ste20 is recruited to sites of polarized cell growth, such as the tips of buds and mating projections, via binding of its CRIB domain to Cdc42 (Peter et al., 1996
; Leberer et al., 1997
; Lamson et al., 2002
; Ash et al., 2003
). Cdc42 binding also regulates Ste20 kinase activity by disrupting an autoinhibitory conformation formed by interactions between the CRIB and kinase domains (Lamson et al., 2002
). Point mutations in the CRIB domain can differentially affect Cdc42 binding and autoinhibition. Those that disrupt Cdc42 binding without affecting autoinhibition (S338A H345G) produce a nonfunctional kinase, whereas those that disrupt autoinhibition (L369G) produce a constitutively active, Cdc42-independent kinase (Lamson et al., 2002
). Thus, localization and activation of Ste20 are normally coupled by their dependence on Cdc42 binding. Proper localization and function of Ste20 is also promoted by binding of a proline-rich motif in Ste20 to an SH3 domain in the cortical protein Bem1 (Moskow et al., 2000
; Winters and Pryciak, 2005
).
Here, we show that the localization and function of Ste20 is critically dependent on a previously unrecognized element. We identify a short membrane-binding region in the Ste20 N-terminus that promotes the proper polarized localization of Ste20. This membrane-binding domain is required for Cdc42-dependent regulation of Ste20 and for the in vivo function of the kinase in both MAPK-dependent and -independent pathways. Furthermore, we identify similar membrane-binding motifs in two other Cdc42 targets, Gic1 and Gic2, and show that they are critical for the function of these proteins. Our observations suggest a common theme for Cdc42 effectors in which a membrane-binding domain is required to help target the protein to its activator.
| MATERIALS AND METHODS |
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Mating, Filamentation, Two-Hybrid, and β-Galactosidase Assays
Mating assays, halo assays of growth arrest, and FUS1-lacZ transcriptional induction assays in response to
factor or galactose-inducible constructs, were performed as described previously (Lamson et al., 2002
); all transcription and shmoo formation assays used 5 µM
factor for 2 h. Agar invasion assays used fresh transformants patched onto YPD plates, as described previously (Winters and Pryciak, 2005
). Quantitative two-hybrid and β-galactosidase assays used methods described previously (Lamson et al., 2002
).
Microscopy
To visualize green fluorescent protein (GFP)-Ste20, Gic1-GFPx3, and Gic2-GFPx3, plasmid-transformed cells were grown at 30°C in -Ura media and were observed without fixation using a Nikon E600 epifluorescence microscope (Melville, NY) with a 50x Plan oil immersion objective. Images were captured using a Hamamatsu Orca-ER digital camera (Bridgewater, NJ) and IPLab Spectrum version 3.5.5 software (Scanalytics, Rockville, MD). To analyze galactose-inducible GFP and glutathione S-transferase (GST)-GFP fusions to isolated protein domains, cells were grown at 30°C in selective raffinose medium and then induced with 2% galactose for 2 h.
Liposome-binding Assays
GST fusion proteins were expressed from pGEX-6P-1 and purified as described previously (Nakanishi et al., 2004
) from Escherichia coli strain BL21-RIPL (Stratagene, La Jolla, CA). Phospholipids in chloroform were purchased from Avanti Polar Lipids (Alabaster, AL). To prepare sucrose-laden liposomes (Sciorra et al., 1999
), phospholipid mixtures were dried in glass test tubes under a stream of nitrogen, then resuspended in 20 mM HEPES (pH 7.5) with 20 mM NaCl and 0.2 M sucrose, vortexed (
1 min), and sonicated in a water bath sonicator (four times for 1 min). This suspension (200 µl) was mixed with 700 µl of buffer A (20 mM NaPO4, pH 7.5, and 200 mM NaCl) and centrifuged at 200,000 x g for 15 min at 4°C. Pelleted liposomes (80 or 200 nmol total lipid) were resuspended in buffer A containing 10 µg of bovine serum albumin and then were incubated with 2 µg of purified protein on ice for 30 min in a final volume of 200 µl. Centrifugation was repeated, and protein in the supernatant (precipitated with 4.5% trichloroacetic acid) and pellet fractions were analyzed by SDS-PAGE and Coomassie Blue staining.
Yeast Cell Lysates and Protein Analysis
PPY913 cells carrying Myc-Ste20 plasmids were cultured in -Ura growth medium, and 2 x 107 cells in the log phase (OD660
0.7) were collected by centrifugation. Whole cell lysates were prepared by a post-alkaline extraction method (Kushnirov, 2000
) and analyzed by SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting using rabbit anti-Myc antibody (1:200, Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Santa Cruz, CA) and alkaline phosphatase–conjugated secondary antibody (goat anti-rabbit, 1:3000, Bio-Rad, Richmond, CA).
| RESULTS |
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(Figure 1D), which is specific for PIP2 (Rebecchi et al., 1992
The BR Domain Is Important for Ste20 Localization and Function
To test the role of the BR domain in full-length Ste20, we initially made two mutations (Figure 2A): one in which all the basic residues were replaced with noncharged residues (BR*), and one in which the entire BR domain was deleted (
BR). These mutations were introduced into constructs expressing GFP-tagged Ste20 from its own promoter. Ste20 normally localizes to small and medium buds and to shmoo tips in cells exposed to mating pheromone. We found that neither the BR* mutant nor the
BR mutant localized to the bud tip (Figure 2B). When exposed to mating pheromone, ste20
cells expressing the BR* or
BR mutant could not form mating projections, and GFP-Ste20 localization was diffuse (data not shown). To check localization in cells that could form projections, we repeated the experiment in STE20 cells and found that the BR* and
BR mutants failed to localize to the shmoo tip (Figure 2B). Therefore, membrane targeting by the BR domain is not a spurious feature of the isolated domain but is important for normal localization of full-length Ste20.
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BR and BR* mutant forms of Ste20 failed to induce the FUS1-lacZ reporter gene in response to
factor (Figure 2C), yielding signaling defects comparable to that caused by S338A H345G mutations ("SH") in the CRIB domain, which severely disrupt Cdc42 binding (Lamson et al., 2002
124-270,
2-119) did not cause any detectable defect (see Figure 6B). Because Ste20 participates in multiple MAPK pathways, we also tested if these BR mutants could function in the filamentous growth pathway by an agar invasion assay and found that they were defective (Figure 2D). Ste20 also plays a role in pathways that are independent of MAPK signaling but are essential for cell viability; namely, deletion of STE20 is lethal in cells that lack either the related PAK-family kinase Cla4 or the mitotic exit network factor Lte1 (Cvrckova et al., 1995
The BR Domain Is Required for Cdc42-dependent Regulation of Ste20
Because the BR domain is required for both localization and function of Ste20, which are normally controlled by Cdc42, we reasoned that membrane binding might allow Ste20 to be activated by membrane-localized Cdc42. To test this notion, we combined the BR* mutation with mutations in the Ste20 CRIB domain, L369G and
CRIB (
334-369), which disrupt autoinhibition and hence activate the Ste20 kinase independent of Cdc42 (Lamson et al., 2002
). Indeed, these additional mutations restored pheromone signaling to the Ste20 BR* mutant (Figure 3A, left), suggesting that the BR* mutation prevents Cdc42 from activating Ste20. Notably, signaling was less efficient for the BR* L369G double mutant than for L369G alone, implying that membrane binding plays an additional role once Ste20 is activated, such as enhancing its ability to phosphorylate cortical substrates. In fact, this parallels previous findings that Cdc42 binding plays two separable roles in activation and localization of Ste20; for example, although both L369G and
CRIB mutants are constitutively active, the L369G mutant, which still binds Cdc42, signals more efficiently than
CRIB, which cannot bind Cdc42 and is delocalized (Lamson et al., 2002
; and Figure 3A, left). To rule out the possibility that the BR mutant signaling defects were due to impaired binding between Ste20 and Gβ
(Leeuw et al., 1998
), we activated the mating pathway in a Gβ
-independent manner, using ste4
ste5
ste20
cells that express membrane-targeted Ste5 (Ste5-CTM; Pryciak and Huntress, 1998
). The BR* mutant phenotypes matched those seen during pheromone response (Figure 3A, right), implying that the BR domain serves primarily to promote Ste20 regulation by Cdc42, not Gβ
. Nevertheless, when using a two-hybrid assay to measure interaction between the Ste20 N-terminus and Cdc42 (Leberer et al., 1997
; Lamson et al., 2002
), neither of the BR domain mutations blocked Cdc42 binding (Figure 3B). Therefore, we conclude that separate BR-membrane and CRIB-Cdc42 interactions are jointly required for Cdc42 to regulate Ste20 at the plasma membrane (Figure 3C) and that membrane binding allows Cdc42 to promote both activation of Ste20 and its subsequent signaling.
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-helix (Figure 4A), suggesting that the BR domain might insert into the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane (Hristova et al., 1999
-helix and in the more conserved portion of the BR domain (see Supplementary Figure S1). Taken together, these findings show that in addition to basic residues, the hydrophobic residues in the BR domain are critical to both its membrane-targeting ability and its functional role in Ste20 signaling.
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(which binds PIP2), mammalian FAPP1 (which binds PI4P and PIP2), and yeast Cla4 (which binds multiple phospholipids; Kavran et al., 1998
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In principle, the foreign domains could rescue the signaling defect of the Ste20
BR mutant by disrupting the autoinhibitory conformation, rather than by restoring interaction with Cdc42. To distinguish between these possibilities, we tested whether Cdc42 binding was still required in the Ste20Cla4 chimera, by introducing the CRIB domain mutations S338A H345G. This new mutant (Cla4/SH) was defective at signaling (Figure 5E), whereas this defect was reversed in a further mutant (Cla4/SHL) in which autoinhibition was disrupted by the additional mutation L369G (Lamson et al., 2002
). Therefore, as with wild-type Ste20, the chimeras are still autoinhibited and are still activated by Cdc42 binding. A related approach suggests that Golgi mislocalization of the Ste20FAPP1 chimera disrupts both activation by Cdc42 and postactivation signaling efficiency (see Supplementary Figure S2). Taken together, these results show that the role of the Ste20 BR domain is to provide a membrane-binding activity that promotes regulation of Ste20 by membrane-localized Cdc42. They also indicate that the function of the BR domain does not require a specific protein structure or binding to a specific phospholipid, as long as it can localize the kinase to the plasma membrane.
A Motif in the Ste20 N-Terminus Affects Cell Morphology
The original overexpressed Ste20 fragment that led to the identification of the BR domain (1-333) also induced elongated bud morphology (see Figure 1A). On further dissection, we found that this effect required sequences between residues 72 and 120 (Figure 6A), which overlaps a region of strong local sequence conservation among fungal Ste20 orthologues (see Supplementary Figure S1). Interestingly, the morphological phenotype required the Ste20 N-terminus to be targeted to the plasma membrane (Figure 6A), either by the native BR domain or by heterologous membrane-targeting motifs such as a carboxyl-terminal prenylation and palmitoylation motif (Cpr) from yeast Ras2 (Pryciak and Huntress, 1998
); mutations in either targeting motif (BR* or Cpr-SS) eliminated the morphological effect (Figure 6A, iv and vii). As with other morphogenesis defects (Lew, 2003
), the bud elongation phenotype was dependent on the checkpoint kinase Swe1 (data not shown). A simple explanation for these observations is that a Ste20 domain involving residues 72-120 interacts with an unknown factor at the cell cortex and interferes with its normal function, resulting in defective bud morphogenesis. In mammalian Cdc42 targets of the WASP family, sequences in the analogous position provide binding sites for auxiliary regulatory factors (Zettl and Way, 2002
). However, we were unable to identify a candidate binding partner for this Ste20 domain by a two-hybrid library screen (data not shown). Furthermore, a variety of mutations impinging on this N-terminal region had no effect on the activity of full-length Ste20 in pheromone response (Figure 6B) or in other assays such as agar invasion or growth in the absence of Cla4 (data not shown). Therefore, although intriguing, the normal function of this Ste20 domain remains unclear and was not pursued further.
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BR) and point mutations of basic or hydrophobic residues (Figure 7C); these mutants were expressed from their native promoters and tagged with three tandem copies of GFP. When assayed in gic1
gic2
strains (Figure 7D), the
BR mutations in both Gic1 and Gic2 disrupted their ability to support growth at the restrictive temperature (36°C), showing that the BR domains are functionally important. Mutation of basic or hydrophobic residues had distinct effects on the two proteins. In Gic1, mutation of six basic residues (A6) had no evident effect, whereas mutation of four hydrophobic residues (N4) severely reduced function (Figure 7D). Conversely, in Gic2 it was the mutation of basic residues (A6) that had the stronger effect, whereas mutation of hydrophobic residues (N4) caused a weak but detectable defect (Figure 7D). Thus, the BR domains are important for both Gic1 and Gic2, but their dependence on basic versus hydrophobic residues is not identical; this may relate to differences in the competitive effect of nuclear targeting by the two domains (see Discussion). As with Ste20, we found that replacing the BR domains in Gic1 and Gic2 with PH domains from yeast Cla4 or mammalian PLC
reversed the growth defect of the
BR mutants (Figure 7D), suggesting that it is the membrane-targeting activity of the BR domains that is functionally important.
The effects of BR domain mutations on localization were notably different between Gic1 and Gic2. The results with Gic2 clearly support a role for the BR domain in polarized localization, as localization to nascent bud sites was abolished by each of the BR domain mutations (
BR, N4, or A6), and was restored in the Gic2PLC
and Gic2Cla4 chimeras (Figure 7D). Notably, Gic2-GFPx3 levels were actually increased by the BR domain mutations (data not shown), which is consistent with the fact that Cdc42 binding promotes degradation of Gic2 (Jaquenoud et al., 1998
). In contrast to these Gic2 phenotypes, none of the Gic1 BR mutations disrupted polarized localization (Figure 7D). However, this result is consistent with previous findings that Gic1 remains localized even when Cdc42 binding is disrupted by mutations in the CRIB domain (Chen et al., 1997
); furthermore, as with the previous CRIB domain mutants, the Gic1
BR mutant showed enhanced localization to bud necks (data not shown). Thus, while Gic1 clearly must contain other localization information, our results agree with expectations if the Gic1 BR domain serves primarily to facilitate interaction with Cdc42. Interestingly, full-length Gic1 also shows faint nuclear localization (Chen et al., 1997
; Iwase et al., 2006
), and this was reduced in all mutant and chimeric forms except for the N4 mutant (Figure 7D). This indicates that nuclear localization of full-length Gic1 depends on the basic residues of the BR domain, although the functional significance of this localization is unknown (see Discussion). Despite the complex localization behavior of Gic1, our findings in total demonstrate that multiple yeast Cdc42 effectors contain membrane-binding domains next to their CRIB domains, suggesting a common mechanism for their membrane-localized regulation by Cdc42.
| DISCUSSION |
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30 residue) membrane-binding motifs in the budding yeast Cdc42 effectors Ste20, Gic1, and Gic2. These BR domains were previously undetected, and yet they are critical for the in vivo function of each protein. Unlike larger (e.g., 100-120 residue) lipid-binding modules such as PH domains, which have a defined tertiary structure and signature sequence motifs, the short domains found here and in other recent studies (Loewen et al., 2004
-helix (this study and Nakanishi et al., 2004
Our analysis reveals that all five CRIB-containing Cdc42 effectors in budding yeast possess membrane-binding domains (PH or BR) in the same position. This feature may be widespread among Rho GTPase targets. For example, of the two PAKs in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Pak2/Shk2 has a PH domain (Sells et al., 1998
), and Pak1/Shk1 has an uncharacterized BR sequence adjacent to its CRIB domain. Furthermore, uncharacterized sequences that are rich in basic and hydrophobic residues can be found adjacent to CRIB domains in mammalian PAKs 1-3 (Bokoch, 2003
), mammalian Borg proteins (Joberty et al., 1999
), and targets of the plant GTPase Rop1 (Wu et al., 2001
; see Supplementary Table 3). In addition to these GTPase effectors, a recent study shows that polybasic domains are common in small GTPases themselves (Heo et al., 2006
).
Synergistic Protein–Protein and Protein–Membrane Interactions
The overall behavior of the BR domains identified here is similar to a related domain from Ste5 (Winters et al., 2005
), the mating pathway scaffold protein. In each case, the membrane-binding domain normally does not function alone but rather in conjunction with binding to a membrane protein such as Cdc42 or Gβ
. Similarly, Cdc42 binding alone may be generally insufficient for localization, as fragments containing only the Cdc42-binding domains from Cla4 (Wild et al., 2004
) or Ste20 (this study) cannot localize to the cell cortex. In this regard it is noteworthy that Gic2 "CRIB" fragments used as reporters for active Cdc42 during yeast cell polarization (Ozbudak et al., 2005
) include both the CRIB domain and the BR domain identified here.
The mammalian Cdc42 effector N-WASP, a regulator of actin assembly, provides a well-studied paradigm for synergism between protein and phospholipid binding (Prehoda et al., 2000
; Rohatgi et al., 2000
). N-WASP activation requires Cdc42 to bind in concert with PIP2, which acts through a polybasic domain located similarly to the BR domains of yeast Ste20, Gic1, and Gic2. However, there are notable differences between these domains. First, the N-WASP domain consists almost entirely of basic residues, and its PIP2-binding properties can be mimicked by a run of 10 consecutive lysines (Papayannopoulos et al., 2005
), whereas the yeast BR domains require both basic and hydrophobic residues. In fact, the N-WASP domain does not localize to the plasma membrane when expressed in yeast, and it cannot restore signaling when used to replace the Ste20 BR domain (S. Takahashi and P. M. Pryciak, unpublished data). Second, the polybasic domain of N-WASP has been proposed to interact transiently with acidic residues in Cdc42 and thereby accelerate CRIB-Cdc42 binding by "electrostatic steering" (Hemsath et al., 2005
). In contrast, it seems unlikely that the yeast BR domains need to directly contact Cdc42, given the ability of PH domains to substitute for their function. Rather, our findings suggest a simpler general model in which the BR domain provides membrane affinity, and this promotes binding between the CRIB domain and membrane-localized Cdc42.
Cooperative binding of proteins to both Cdc42 and a specific phospholipid offers the potential for "coincidence detection," in which two separate signal inputs are integrated together (Prehoda et al., 2000
; Wild et al., 2004
). Although an attractive notion, there is little evidence that modulation of phospholipid levels is a significant regulator of Cdc42 targets in vivo, and our chimeric proteins suggest that lipid specificity is not critical for Ste20, Gic1, or Gic2 function. Nevertheless, cooperative binding can still be advantageous even without lipid specificity by allowing the protein–protein interaction affinity to be weak, which may permit more dynamic sampling of the status of the protein partner (Fivaz and Meyer, 2003
). Indeed, even during the slow protrusive growth of yeast cells, polarized Cdc42 targets can be extremely dynamic (Ozbudak et al., 2005
).
Roles for Charge and Hydrophobicity
We found that multiple basic residues in the Ste20 BR domain contribute additively to its function. A similar additive effect was seen in tests of PIP2 binding by basic domains from mammalian MARCKS and N-WASP (Wang et al., 2002
; Papayannopoulos et al., 2005
). These behaviors are consistent with multivalent electrostatic interaction between a polycationic protein domain and a polyanionic membrane surface (Papayannopoulos et al., 2005
). However, different basic residues can make unequal contributions, as mutation of four basic residues in the first Ste20 cluster (BR-1) had a much weaker effect than mutation of four basic residues in the second and third clusters (BR-2/3), perhaps because the latter region is part of the predicted amphipathic helix. In addition, BR-like domains can be remarkably tolerant of reduced positive charge, because loss of three, four, or even six basic residues in Ste20 or Gic1 (this study) or in Ste5 (Winters et al., 2005
) can yield a protein with largely intact function in vivo.
Furthermore, positive charge is often not sufficient. Instead, hydrophobic residues can also play a critical role in membrane binding, most likely by partitioning into the hydrophobic core of the lipid bilayer (Hristova et al., 1999
; Wang et al., 2002
). They may also help counteract alternative targeting effects of basic regions, such as nuclear targeting. Indeed, mutations that add or remove hydrophobic residues from mixed basic/hydrophobic domains can dramatically alter the partitioning between nucleus and plasma membrane (Winters et al., 2005
; Heo et al., 2006
). Thus, hydrophobic residues may be especially important when the basic residues confer affinity for other intracellular destinations. This could explain why Ste20 and Gic1 are less tolerant of losing hydrophobic residues compared with Gic2, because both the Ste20 and Gic1 BR domains show nuclear affinity, whereas the Gic2 BR domain does not. It may also help explain why the strong contribution of hydrophobicity to membrane localization in vivo is often poorly reflected during liposome-binding assays in vitro (Loewen et al., 2004
; Nakanishi et al., 2004
; Winters et al., 2005
).
The nuclear targeting activity of several membrane-binding domains reported here and in other recent studies (Loewen et al., 2004
; Winters et al., 2005
; Heo et al., 2006
) is curious, but in most cases the functional significance is unknown. For Ste20, nuclear translocation has been proposed to allow it to phosphorylate histone H2B and promote apoptosis in response to oxidative stress (Ahn et al., 2005
), but preliminary tests suggest that neither the BR domain nor the CRIB domain is required for this process (S.-H. Ahn and C. D. Allis, personal communication). Gic1 shows some nuclear affinity, but chimeras that lack this localization still function normally (see Figure 7D). Thus, it remains unclear whether nuclear targeting by BR-like domains is mostly a gratuitous consequence of their basic content or if it provides a mechanism for sampling multiple compartments that is commonly exploited for functional purposes.
Plasma Membrane Targeting
The short membrane-binding domains identified here and elsewhere (Nakanishi et al., 2004
; Winters et al., 2005
) preferentially target the plasma membrane. As discussed previously (Johnson and Cornell, 1999
; Lemmon, 2003
), this localization need not imply selectivity for a particular lipid because the plasma membrane is the most acidic due to its enrichment in lipids such as PIP2, PA, and PS (Schneiter et al., 1999
; Sprong et al., 2001
; Okeley and Gelb, 2004
). In vitro, the Ste20 BR domain favors liposomes containing PIP2, which is highly acidic and hence offers a strong electrostatic attraction. Yet when lipid kinase mutants are used to deplete lipid pools in vivo, the Ste20 BR domain is detectably displaced from the plasma membrane only after depletion of both PIP2 and PI(4)P (S. Takahashi and P. M. Pryciak, unpublished data), reminiscent of results with other polybasic domains (Winters et al., 2005
; Heo et al., 2006
). Although our chimeric proteins suggest that interaction with a specific lipid species is not required for Ste20 function in vivo, the poor signaling by the Golgi-localized Ste20FAPP1 chimera underscores the utility of preferential affinity for the plasma membrane. The degree to which this is important for any given protein may depend on the other interactions that synergistically control its localization. Indeed, when the same FAPP1 PH domain was used to replace a membrane-binding domain in Ste5, the chimera could be diverted to the plasma membrane in response to Gβ
activation (Winters et al., 2005
); this difference could be due to a stronger protein–protein interaction or to the presence of a second membrane-binding domain in Ste5 (Garrenton et al., 2006
).
Interestingly, many of the isolated membrane-targeting domains localized asymmetrically to the membrane of growing buds. A similar pattern was seen with a domain from Ste5 (Winters et al., 2005
), and the new examples show that it is not uncommon; in fact, we often observed this behavior even for domains (e.g., PLC
, Cla4, and Spo20) that showed uniform localization in previous studies (Stefan et al., 2002
; Nakanishi et al., 2004
; Wild et al., 2004
). The asymmetry may be more apparent in our studies because we assayed newly synthesized proteins shortly after induced expression, which might help prevent saturation of preferred binding sites and/or minimize the effects of diffusion (Valdez-Taubas and Pelham, 2003
). It is possible that the asymmetry reflects a polarized distribution of specific lipids such as PIP2, PA, or PS. Alternatively, these domains might tend to bind membranes in the secretory pathway and thereby become transported to sites of polarized growth. In principle, either explanation could contribute to proper cell polarity control, which has been proposed to use a positive-feedback mechanism in which polarity regulators such as Cdc42 are delivered to sites of polarization by directional secretion (Wedlich-Soldner et al., 2004
).
In conclusion, this study uncovers several new examples of an emerging group of short membrane-binding motifs that play essential roles in signaling and polarized localization and suggests a common mechanism in which general membrane-targeting motifs work in conjunction with specific protein–protein interactions in order to regulate the function of Cdc42 targets and other cortical factors.
| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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| Footnotes |
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The online version of this article contains supplemental material at MBC Online (http://www.molbiolcell.org). ![]()
Address correspondence to: Peter M. Pryciak (peter.pryciak{at}umassmed.edu).
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