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Phospholipase Ce (PLCe) is activated downstream of G protein–coupled receptors and receptor tyrosine kinases through direct interactions with small GTPases, including Rap1A and Ras. Although Ras has been reported to allosterically activate the lipase, it is not known whether Rap1A has the same ability or what its molecular mechanism might be. Rap1A activates PLCe in response to the stimulation of β-adrenergic receptors, translocating the complex to the perinuclear membrane. Because the C-terminal Ras association (RA2) domain of PLCe was proposed to the primary binding site for Rap1A, we first confirmed using purified proteins that the RA2 domain is indeed essential for activation by Rap1A. However, we also showed that the PLCe pleckstrin homology (PH) domain and first two EF hands (EF1/2) are required for Rap1A activation and identified hydrophobic residues on the surface of the RA2 domain that are also necessary. Small-angle X-ray scattering showed that Rap1A binding induces and stabilizes discrete conformational states in PLCe variants that can be activated by the GTPase. These data, together with the recent structure of a catalytically active fragment of PLCe, provide the first evidence that Rap1A, and by extension Ras, allosterically activate the lipase by promoting and stabilizing interactions between the RA2 domain and the PLCe core.

The protein Lgl1 is a key regulator of cell polarity. We previously showed that Lgl1 is inactivated by hyperphosphorylation in glioblastoma as a consequence of PTEN tumour suppressor loss and aberrant activation of the PI 3-kinase pathway; this contributes to glioblastoma pathogenesis both by promoting invasion and repressing glioblastoma cell differentiation. Lgl1 is phosphorylated by atypical protein kinase C that has been activated by binding to a complex of the scaffolding protein Par6 and active, GTP-bound Rac. The specific Rac guanine nucleotide exchange factors that generate active Rac to promote Lgl1 hyperphosphorylation in glioblastoma are unknown. We used CRISPR/Cas9 to knockout PREX1, a PI 3-kinase pathway-responsive Rac guanine nucleotide exchange factor, in patient-derived glioblastoma cells. Knockout cells had reduced Lgl1 phosphorylation, which was reversed by re-expressing PREX1. They also had reduced motility and an altered phenotype suggestive of partial neuronal differentiation; consistent with this, RNA-seq analyses identified sets of PREX1-regulated genes associated with cell motility and neuronal differentiation. PREX1 knockout in glioblastoma cells from a second patient did not affect Lgl1 phosphorylation. This was due to overexpression of a short isoform of the Rac guanine nucleotide exchange factor TIAM1; knockdown of TIAM1 in these PREX1 knockout cells reduced Lgl1 phosphorylation. These data show that PREX1 links aberrant PI 3-kinase signaling to Lgl1 phosphorylation in glioblastoma, but that TIAM1 is also to fill this role in a subset of patients. This redundancy between PREX1 and TIAM1 is only partial, as motility was impaired in PREX1 knockout cells from both patients.

Transient receptor potential canonical type 5 (TRPC5) ion channels are expressed in the brain and kidney and have been identified as promising therapeutic targets whose selective inhibition can protect against diseases driven by a leaky kidney filter, such as focal segmental glomerular sclerosis. TRPC5 channels are activated not only by elevated levels of extracellular Ca2+or lanthanide ions but also by G protein (Gq/11) stimulation. Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) hydrolysis by phospholipase C enzymes leads to PKC-mediated phosphorylation of TRPC5 channels and their subsequent desensitization. However, the roles of PIP2 in activation and maintenance of TRPC5 channel activity via its hydrolysis product diacyl glycerol (DAG), as well as the mechanism of desensitization of TRPC5 activity by DAG-stimulated PKC activity, remain unclear. Here, we designed experiments to distinguish between the processes underlying channel activation and inhibition. Employing whole-cell patch-clamp, we used an optogenetic tool to dephosphorylate PIP2 and assess channel–PIP2 interactions influenced by activators, such as DAG, or inhibitors, such as PKC phosphorylation. Using total internal reflection microscopy, we assessed channel cell surface density. We show that PIP2 controls both the PKC-mediated inhibition and the DAG- and lanthanide-mediated activation of TRPC5 currents via control of gating rather than channel cell surface density. These mechanistic insights promise to aid in the development of more selective and precise inhibitors to block TRPC5 channel activity and illuminate new opportunities for targeted therapies for a group of chronic kidney diseases for which there is currently a great unmet need.

Background: Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate levels need to be replenished during calcium signaling, but how this is achieved is unclear. Results: Ca2+ entry through Orai1 channels contributes to the resynthesis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate and, thereby, helps sustain cytoplasmic Ca2+ oscillations. Conclusion: Ca2+ influx sustains cytoplasmic Ca2+ oscillations by regulating phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate 5-kinase. Significance: Store-operated Ca2+ influx is important in maintaining phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate levels., Oscillations in cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration are a universal mode of signaling following physiological levels of stimulation with agonists that engage the phospholipase C pathway. Sustained cytoplasmic Ca2+ oscillations require replenishment of the membrane phospholipid phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2), the source of the Ca2+-releasing second messenger inositol trisphosphate. Here we show that cytoplasmic Ca2+ oscillations induced by cysteinyl leukotriene type I receptor activation run down when cells are pretreated with Li+, an inhibitor of inositol monophosphatases that prevents PIP2 resynthesis. In Li+-treated cells, cytoplasmic Ca2+ signals evoked by an agonist were rescued by addition of exogenous inositol or phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PI4P). Knockdown of the phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 5 (PIP5) kinases α and γ resulted in rapid loss of the intracellular Ca2+ oscillations and also prevented rescue by PI4P. Knockdown of talin1, a protein that helps regulate PIP5 kinases, accelerated rundown of cytoplasmic Ca2+ oscillations, and these could not be rescued by inositol or PI4P. In Li+-treated cells, recovery of the cytoplasmic Ca2+ oscillations in the presence of inositol or PI4P was suppressed when Ca2+ influx through store-operated Ca2+ channels was inhibited. After rundown of the Ca2+ signals following leukotriene receptor activation, stimulation of P2Y receptors evoked prominent inositol trisphosphate-dependent Ca2+ release. Therefore, leukotriene and P2Y receptors utilize distinct membrane PIP2 pools. Our findings show that store-operated Ca2+ entry is needed to sustain cytoplasmic Ca2+ signaling following leukotriene receptor activation both by refilling the Ca2+ stores and by helping to replenish the PIP2 pool accessible to leukotriene receptors, ostensibly through control of PIP5 kinase activity.

Background: β-Arrestins are required for Wnt/β-catenin signaling, but the mechanism of their action is unclear. Results: β-Arrestins bind PtdInsP2-interacting protein Amer1, bind PtdInsP2-producing kinases, and control Wnt3a-induced PtdInsP2 production and Amer1 membrane dynamics. Conclusion: β-Arrestins bridge Wnt3a-induced Dvl-associated PtdInsP2 production to the phosphorylation of Lrp6 via control of Amer1 dynamics. Significance: The first mechanistic explanation how β-arrestin regulates Wnt/β-catenin signaling is provided., β-Arrestin is a scaffold protein that regulates signal transduction by seven transmembrane-spanning receptors. Among other functions it is also critically required for Wnt/β-catenin signal transduction. In the present study we provide for the first time a mechanistic basis for the β-arrestin function in Wnt/β-catenin signaling. We demonstrate that β-arrestin is required for efficient Wnt3a-induced Lrp6 phosphorylation, a key event in downstream signaling. β-Arrestin regulates Lrp6 phosphorylation via a novel interaction with phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PtdIns(4,5)P2)-binding protein Amer1/WTX/Fam123b. Amer1 has been shown very recently to bridge Wnt-induced and Dishevelled-associated PtdIns(4,5)P2 production to the phosphorylation of Lrp6. Using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching we show here that β-arrestin is required for the Wnt3a-induced Amer1 membrane dynamics and downstream signaling. Finally, we show that β-arrestin interacts with PtdIns kinases PI4KIIα and PIP5KIβ. Importantly, cells lacking β-arrestin showed higher steady-state levels of the relevant PtdInsP and were unable to increase levels of these PtdInsP in response to Wnt3a. In summary, our data show that β-arrestins regulate Wnt3a-induced Lrp6 phosphorylation by the regulation of the membrane dynamics of Amer1. We propose that β-arrestins via their scaffolding function facilitate Amer1 interaction with PtdIns(4,5)P2, which is produced locally upon Wnt3a stimulation by β-arrestin- and Dishevelled-associated kinases.

Background: The mechanism underlying sperm PLCζ interaction with its target membrane is unresolved. Results: EF-hand mutations introduced into PLCζ reduce in vivo Ca2+ oscillation inducing activity and in vitro interaction with PIP2. Conclusion: EF-hand domain is essential for targeting PLCζ to PIP2-containing membranes. Significance: We propose a novel mechanism by which sperm PLCζ is anchored to its physiological membrane substrate., Sperm-specific phospholipase C-ζ (PLCζ) is widely considered to be the physiological stimulus that triggers intracellular Ca2+ oscillations and egg activation during mammalian fertilization. Although PLCζ is structurally similar to PLCδ1, it lacks a pleckstrin homology domain, and it remains unclear how PLCζ targets its phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) membrane substrate. Recently, the PLCδ1 EF-hand domain was shown to bind to anionic phospholipids through a number of cationic residues, suggesting a potential mechanism for how PLCs might interact with their target membranes. Those critical cationic EF-hand residues in PLCδ1 are notably conserved in PLCζ. We investigated the potential role of these conserved cationic residues in PLCζ by generating a series of mutants that sequentially neutralized three positively charged residues (Lys-49, Lys-53, and Arg-57) within the mouse PLCζ EF-hand domain. Microinjection of the PLCζ EF-hand mutants into mouse eggs enabled their Ca2+ oscillation inducing activities to be compared with wild-type PLCζ. Furthermore, the mutant proteins were purified, and the in vitro PIP2 hydrolysis and binding properties were monitored. Our analysis suggests that PLCζ binds significantly to PIP2, but not to phosphatidic acid or phosphatidylserine, and that sequential reduction of the net positive charge within the first EF-hand domain of PLCζ significantly alters in vivo Ca2+ oscillation inducing activity and in vitro interaction with PIP2 without affecting its Ca2+ sensitivity. Our findings are consistent with theoretical predictions provided by a mathematical model that links oocyte Ca2+ frequency and the binding ability of different PLCζ mutants to PIP2. Moreover, a PLCζ mutant with mutations in the cationic residues within the first EF-hand domain and the XY linker region dramatically reduces the binding of PLCζ to PIP2, leading to complete abolishment of its Ca2+ oscillation inducing activity.