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The proper function of immune surveillance requires well-coordinated mechanisms in order to guide the patrolling immune cells through peripheral tissues and into secondary lymphoid organs. Analyzing gene-targeted mice, we identified the chemokine receptor CCR7 as an important organizer of the primary immune response. CCR7-deficient mice show severely delayed kinetics regarding the antibody response and lack contact sensitivity and delayed type hypersensitivity reactions. Due to the impaired migration of lymphocytes, these animals reveal profound morphological alterations in all secondary lymphoid organs. Upon activation, mature skin dendritic cells fail to migrate into the draining lymph nodes. Thus, in order to bring together lymphocytes and dendritic cells to form the characteristic microarchitecture of secondary lymphoid organs, CCR7 is required to rapidly initiate an adoptive immune response.

Alto-keto reductases (AKRs) comprise a superfamily of proteins involved in the reduction and oxidation of biogenic and xenobiotic carbonyls. In humans, at least 15 AKR superfamily members have been identified so far. One of these is a newly identified gene locus, AKR1B15, which clusters on chromosome 7 with the other human AKR1B subfamily members (i.e. AKR1B1 and AKR1B10). We show that alternative splicing of the AKR1B15 gene transcript gives rise to two protein isoforms with different N termini: AKR1B15.1 is a 316-amino acid protein with 91% amino acid identity to AKR1B10; AKR1B15.2 has a prolonged N terminus and consists of 344 amino acid residues. The two gene products differ in their expression level, subcellular localization, and activity. In contrast with other AKR enzymes, which are mostly cytosolic, AKR1B15.1 co-localizes with the mitochondria. Kinetic studies show that AKR1B15.1 is predominantly a reductive enzyme that catalyzes the reduction of androgens and estrogens with high positional selectivity (17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity) as well as 3-ketoacyl-CoA conjugates and exhibits strong cofactor selectivity toward NADP(H). In accordance with its substrate spectrum, the enzyme is expressed at the highest levels in steroid-sensitive tissues, namely placenta, testis, and adipose tissue. Placental and adipose expression could be reproduced in the BeWo and SGBS cell lines, respectively. In contrast, AKR1B15.2 localizes to the cytosol and displays no enzymatic activity with the substrates tested. Collectively, these results demonstrate the existence of a novel catalytically active AKR, which is associated with mitochondria and expressed mainly in steroid-sensitive tissues.

TET proteins oxidize 5-methylcytosine (mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (hmC), 5-formylcytosine (fC) and 5-carboxylcytosine (caC) and thus provide a possible means for active DNA demethylation in mammals. Although their catalytic mechanism is well characterized and the catalytic dioxygenase domain is highly conserved, the function of the regulatory regions - the N-terminus and the low complexity insert between the two parts of the dioxygenase domains - is only poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that TET proteins are subject to a variety of PTMs that mostly occur at these regulatory regions. We mapped TET modification sites at amino acid resolution and show for the first time that TET1, TET2, and TET3 are highly phosphorylated. The glycosyltransferase OGT, which we identified as a strong interactor of all three TET proteins, catalyzes the addition of an N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) group to serine and threonine residues of TET proteins and thereby decreases both the number of phosphorylation sites as well as the site occupancy. Interestingly, the different TET proteins display unique PTM patterns and some modifications occur in distinct combinations. In summary, our results provide a novel potential mechanism for TET protein regulation based on a dynamic interplay of phosphorylation and O-GlcNAcylation at the N-terminus and the low complexity insert region. Our data suggest strong crosstalk between the modification sites that could allow rapid adaption of TET protein localization, activity, or targeting due to changing environmental conditions as well as in response to external stimuli.

We have studied the in vivo role of SLIRP in regulation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) gene expression and show here that it stabilizes its interacting partner protein LRPPRC by protecting it from degradation. Although SLIRP is completely dependent on LRPPRC for its stability, reduced levels of LRPPRC persist in the absence of SLIRP in vivo. Surprisingly, Slirp knockout mice are apparently healthy and only display a minor weight loss, despite a 50–70% reduction in the steady-state levels of mtDNA-encoded mRNAs. In contrast to LRPPRC, SLIRP is dispensable for polyadenylation of mtDNA-encoded mRNAs. Instead, deep RNA sequencing (RNAseq) of mitochondrial ribosomal fractions and additional molecular analyses show that SLIRP is required for proper association of mRNAs to the mitochondrial ribosome and efficient translation. Our findings thus establish distinct functions for SLIRP and LRPPRC within the LRPPRC-SLIRP complex, with a novel role for SLIRP in mitochondrial translation. Very surprisingly, our results also demonstrate that mammalian mitochondria have a great excess of transcripts under basal physiological conditions in vivo., Author Summary Mitochondria provide most of the energy required for key metabolic and cellular processes that are essential for life. The biogenesis of the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation system, the site of energy conversion, is dependent on the coordinated expression of the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. Mitochondrial gene expression is largely regulated at the post-transcriptional level by RNA-binding proteins, including the LRPPRC-SLIRP complex. It is still unclear how the proteins within this complex regulate mitochondrial RNA metabolism. Here, we have knocked out the Slirp gene in mice to dissect the individual roles of LRPPRC and SLIRP and provide further insights into the mechanisms governing post-transcriptional regulation of mitochondrial gene expression. LRPPRC is required for the maintenance of mitochondrial mRNA polyadenylation whereas SLIRP, by facilitating the presentation (or association) of mRNAs to the mitochondrial ribosome, regulates the rate of translation. In addition, we demonstrate that mitochondrial mRNAs in mammals are present in quantities that far exceed those needed to maintain normal physiology under basal conditions.

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), caused by Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV), is a highly vascularised tumour of endothelial origin. KSHV infected endothelial cells show increased invasiveness and angiogenesis. Here, we report that the KSHV K15 protein, which we showed previously to contribute to KSHV-induced angiogenesis, is also involved in KSHV-mediated invasiveness in a PLCγ1-dependent manner. We identified βPIX, GIT1 and cdc42, downstream effectors of PLCγ1 in cell migration, as K15 interacting partners and as contributors to KSHV-triggered invasiveness. We mapped the interaction between PLCγ1, PLCγ2 and their individual domains with two K15 alleles, P and M. We found that the PLCγ2 cSH2 domain, by binding to K15P, can be used as dominant negative inhibitor of the K15P-PLCγ1 interaction, K15P-dependent PLCγ1 phosphorylation, NFAT-dependent promoter activation and the increased invasiveness and angiogenic properties of KSHV infected endothelial cells. We increased the binding of the PLCγ2 cSH2 domain for K15P by substituting two amino acids, thereby creating an improved dominant negative inhibitor of the K15P-dependent PLCγ1 activation. Taken together, these results demonstrate a necessary role of K15 in the increased invasiveness and angiogenesis of KSHV infected endothelial cells and suggest the K15-PLCγ1 interaction as a possible new target for inhibiting the angiogenic and invasive properties of KSHV.

The heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) family includes predominantly nuclear proteins acting at different stages of mRNA metabolism. A characteristic feature of hnRNPs is to undergo post-translational asymmetric arginine methylation catalysed by different type 1 protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs). A novel mammalian hnRNP, E1B-AP5, recently identified by its interaction with adenovirus early protein E1B-55kDa, has been proposed to have a regulatory role in adenoviral and host-cell mRNA processing/nuclear export [Gabler, Schutt, Groitl, Wolf, Shenk and Dobner (1998) J. Virol. 72, 7960–7971]. Here we report that E1B-AP5 is methylated in vivo in its Arg-Gly-Gly (RGG)-box domain, known to mediate protein–RNA interactions. The activity responsible for E1B-AP5 methylation forms a complex with E1B-AP5 in vivo. The predominant mammalian arginine methyltransferase HRMT1L2 (hPRMT1) did not detectably methylate endogenous E1B-AP5 despite efficiently methylating a recombinant RGG-box domain of E1B-AP5. Using yeast two-hybrid screening we identified HRMT1L1 (PRMT2) as one of the proteins interacting with E1B-AP5. By in situ immunofluorescence we demonstrated that E1B-AP5 co-localizes with the nuclear fraction of HRMT1L1. The Src homology 3 (SH3) domain of HRMT1L1 was essential for its interaction with E1B-AP5 in vivo. We suggest that HRMT1L1 is responsible for specific E1B-AP5 methylation in vivo.

GBA1 and GBA2 are both beta-glucosidases, which cleave glucosylceramide (GlcCer) to glucose and ceramide. GlcCer is a main precursor for higher-order glycosphingolipids, but might also serve as intracellular messenger. Mutations in the lysosomal GBA1 underlie Gaucher disease, the most common lysosomal storage disease in humans. Knocking-out the non-lysosomal GBA2 in mice results in accumulation of GlcCer outside the lysosomes in various tissues, e.g. testis and liver, and impairs sperm development and liver regeneration. However, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. To reveal the physiological function of GBA2 and, thereby, of the non-lysosomal GlcCer pool, it is important to characterise the localisation of GBA2 and its activity in different tissues. Thus, we generated GBA2-specific antibodies and developed an assay that discriminates between GBA1 and GBA2 without the use of detergent. We show that GBA2 is not, as previously thought, an integral membrane protein, but rather a cytosolic protein that tightly associates with cellular membranes. The interaction with the membrane, in particular with phospholipids, is important for its activity. GBA2 is localised at the ER and Golgi, which puts GBA2 in a key position for a lysosomal-independent route of GlcCer-dependent signalling. Furthermore, our results suggest that GBA2 might affect the phenotype of Gaucher disease, because GBA2 activity is reduced in Gba1-knockout fibroblasts and fibroblasts from a Gaucher patient. Our results provide the basis to understand the mechanism for GBA2 function in vivo and might help to unravel the role of GBA2 during pathogenesis of Gaucher disease.

Fused in sarcoma (FUS) is a nuclear protein that carries a proline tyrosine nuclear localization signal (PY NLS) and is imported into the nucleus via Transportin (TRN). Defects in nuclear import of FUS have been implicated in neurodegeneration since mutations in the PY NLS of FUS cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Moreover FUS is deposited in the cytosol in a subset of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) patients. Here we show that arginine methylation modulates nuclear import of FUS via a novel TRN binding epitope. Chemical or genetic inhibition of arginine methylation restores TRN mediated nuclear import of ALS associated FUS mutants. The unmethylated arginine glycine glycine domain preceding the PY NLS interacts with TRN and arginine methylation in this domain reduces TRN binding. Inclusions in ALS FUS patients contain methylated FUS while inclusions in FTLD FUS patients are not methylated. Together with recent findings that FUS co aggregates with two related proteins of the FET family and TRN in FTLD FUS but not in ALS FUS our study provides evidence that these two diseases may be initiated by distinct pathomechanisms and implicates alterations in arginine methylation in pathogenesis. © 2012 European Molecular Biology Organization.

Members of the NLR family evolved as intracellular sensors for bacterial and viral infection. However, our knowledge on the implication of most of the human NLR proteins in innate immune responses still remains fragmentary. Here we characterized the role of human NLRP10 in bacterial infection. Our data revealed that NLRP10 is a cytoplasmic localized protein that positively contributes to innate immune responses induced by the invasive bacterial pathogen Shigella flexneri. SiRNA-mediated knock-down studies showed that NLRP10 contributes to pro-inflammatory cytokine release triggered by Shigella in epithelial cells and primary dermal fibroblasts, by influencing p38 and NF-κB activation. This effect is dependent on the ATPase activity of NLRP10 and its PYD domain. Mechanistically, NLRP10 interacts with NOD1, a NLR that is pivotally involved in sensing of invasive microbes, and both proteins are recruited to the bacterial entry point at the plasma membrane. Moreover, NLRP10 physically interacts with downstream components of the NOD1 signalling pathway, such as RIP2, TAK1 and NEMO. Taken together, our data revealed a novel role of NLRP10 in innate immune responses towards bacterial infection and suggest that NLRP10 functions as a scaffold for the formation of the NOD1-Nodosome.

Eukaryotic RNA polymerase II (Pol II) has evolved an array of heptad repeats with the consensus sequence Tyr1-Ser2-Pro3-Thr4-Ser5-Pro6-Ser7 at the carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) of the large subunit (Rpb1). Differential phosphorylation of Ser2, Ser5, and Ser7 in the 5' and 3' regions of genes coordinates the binding of transcription and RNA processing factors to the initiating and elongating polymerase complexes. Here, we report phosphorylation of Thr4 by Polo-like kinase 3 in mammalian cells. ChIPseq analyses indicate an increase of Thr4-P levels in the 3' region of genes occurring subsequently to an increase of Ser2-P levels. A Thr4/Ala mutant of Pol II displays a lethal phenotype. This mutant reveals a global defect in RNA elongation, while initiation is largely unaffected. Since Thr4 replacement mutants are viable in yeast we conclude that this amino acid has evolved an essential function(s) in the CTD of Pol II for gene transcription in mammalian cells. The EMBO Journal (2012) 31, 2784-2797. doi:10.1038/emboj.2012.123; Published online 1 May 2012

The interactions of the antimicrobial peptide maculatin 1.1 (GLFGVLAKVAAHVVPAIAEHF-NH(2)) with model phospholipid membranes were studied by use of dual polarisation interferometry and neutron reflectometry and dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and mixed DMPC-dimyristoylphosphatidylglycerol (DMPG)-supported lipid bilayers chosen to mimic eukaryotic and prokaryotic membranes, respectively. In DMPC bilayers concentration-dependent binding and increasing perturbation of bilayer order by maculatin were observed. By contrast, in mixed DMPC-DMPG bilayers, maculatin interacted more strongly and in a concentration-dependent manner with retention of bilayer lipid order and structure, consistent with pore formation. These results emphasise the importance of membrane charge in mediating antimicrobial peptide activity and emphasise the importance of using complementary methods of analysis in probing the mode of action of antimicrobial peptides.