ASB9 interacts with ubiquitous mitochondrial creatine kinase and inhibits mitochondrial function

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The ankyrin repeat and suppressor of cytokine signalling (SOCS) box proteins (Asbs) are a large protein family implicated in diverse biological processes including regulation of proliferation and differentiation. The SOCS box of Asb proteins is important in a ubiquitination-mediated proteolysis pathway. Here, we aimed to evaluate expression and function of human Asb-9 (ASB9).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that a variant of ASB9 that lacks the SOCS box (ASB9ΔSOCS) was naturally detected in human cell lines but not in peripheral blood mononuclear cells or normal hepatocytes. We also identified ubiquitous mitochondrial creatine kinase (uMtCK) as a new target of ASB9 in human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells. The ankyrin repeat domains of ASB9 can associate with the substrate binding site of uMtCK in a SOCS box-independent manner. The overexpression of ASB9, but not ASB9ΔSOCS, induces ubiquitination of uMtCK. ASB9 and ASB9ΔSOCS can interact and colocalise with uMtCK in the mitochondria. However, only expression of ASB9 induced abnormal mitochondrial structure and a decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential. Furthermore, the creatine kinase activities and cell growth were significantly reduced by ASB9 but not by ASB9ΔSOCS.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>ASB9 interacts with the creatine kinase system and negatively regulates cell growth. The differential expression and function of ASB9 and ASB9ΔSOCS may be a key factor in the growth of human cell lines and primary cells.</p

Gene Expression Profiling in Gastric Mucosa from Helicobacter pylori-Infected and Uninfected Patients Undergoing Chronic Superficial Gastritis

Helicobacter pylori infection reprograms host gene expression and influences various cellular processes, which have been investigated by cDNA microarray using in vitro culture cells and in vivo gastric biopsies from patients of the Chronic Abdominal Complaint. To further explore the effects of H. pylori infection on host gene expression, we have collected the gastric antral mucosa samples from 6 untreated patients with gastroscopic and pathologic confirmation of chronic superficial gastritis. Among them three patients were infected by H. pylori and the other three patients were not. These samples were analyzed by a microarray chip which contains 14,112 cloned cDNAs, and microarray data were analyzed via BRB ArrayTools software and Ingenuity Pathways Analysis (IPA) website. The results showed 34 genes of 38 differentially expressed genes regulated by H. pylori infection had been annotated. The annotated genes were involved in protein metabolism, inflammatory and immunological reaction, signal transduction, gene transcription, trace element metabolism, and so on. The 82% of these genes (28/34) were categorized in three molecular interaction networks involved in gene expression, cancer progress, antigen presentation and inflammatory response. The expression data of the array hybridization was confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR assays. Taken together, these data indicated that H. pylori infection could alter cellular gene expression processes, escape host defense mechanism, increase inflammatory and immune responses, activate NF-κB and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, disturb metal ion homeostasis, and induce carcinogenesis. All of these might help to explain H. pylori pathogenic mechanism and the gastroduodenal pathogenesis induced by H. pylori infection

Notch-induced Asb2 expression promotes protein ubiquitination by forming non-canonical E3 ligase complexes

Notch signaling controls multiple developmental processes, thus demanding versatile functions. We have previously shown that this may be partly achieved by accelerating ubiquitin-mediated degradation of important regulators of differentiation. However, the underlying mechanism was unknown. We now find that Notch signaling transcriptionally activates the gene encoding ankyrin-repeat SOCS box-containing protein 2 (Asb2). Asb2 promotes the ubiquitination of Notch targets such as E2A and Janus kinase (Jak) 2, and a dominant-negative (DN) mutant of Asb2 blocks Notch-induced degradation of these proteins. Asb2 likely binds Jak2 directly but associates with E2A through Skp2. We next provide evidence to suggest that Asb2 bridges the formation of non-canonical cullin-based complexes through interaction with not only ElonginB/C and Cullin (Cul) 5, but also the F-box-containing protein, Skp2, which is known to associate with Skp1 and Cul1. Consistently, ablating the function of Cul1 or Cul5 using DN mutants or siRNAs protected both E2A and Jak2 from Asb2-mediated or Notch-induced degradation. By shifting monomeric E3 ligase complexes to dimeric forms through activation of Asb2 transcription, Notch could effectively control the turnover of a variety of substrates and it exerts diverse effects on cell proliferation and differentiation