Yeast cell wall proteomics: a tale of two proteins.

Bibliography: leaves 53-57.This thesis investigates cell wall proteins, the presence of which increased in concentration as a result of stress. Two such proteins were found, phosphoglycerate mutase and Hsp 12. Studies on these proteins are reported in chapters 2 (phosphoglycerate mutase) and chapter 3 (Hsp 12)

Putative link between Polo-like kinases (PLKs) and Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling in transformed and primary human immune cells.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are important sentinels of bacterial and viral infection and thus fulfil a critical sensory role in innate immunity. Polo-like kinases (PLKs), a five membered family of Ser/Thr protein kinases, have long been studied for their role in mitosis and thus represent attractive therapeutic targets in cancer therapy. Recently, PLKs were implicated in TLR signaling in mice but the role of PLKs in TLR signaling in untransformed primary immune cells has not been addressed, even though PLK inhibitors are in clinical trials. We here identified several phospho-serine and phospho-threonine residues in the known TLR pathway kinases, Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase (IRAK) 2 and IRAK4. These sites lie in canonical polo-box motifs (PBM), sequence motifs known to direct recruitment of PLKs to client proteins. Interestingly, PLK1 was phosphorylated and PLK 2 and 3 mRNA induced upon TLR stimulation in primary immune cells, respectively. In whole blood, PLK inhibition disparately affected TLR mediated cytokine responses in a donor- and inhibitor-dependent fashion. Collectively, PLKs may thus potentially interface with TLR signaling in humans. We propose that temporary PLK inhibitor-mediated blockade of TLR-signaling in certain patients receiving such inhibitors during cancer treatment may cause adverse effects such as an increased risk of infections due to a then compromised ability of the TLR recognition system to sense and initiate cytokine responses to invading microbes

Significant quantities of the glycolytic enzyme phosphoglycerate mutase are present in the cell wall of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

NaOH was used to extract proteins from the cell walls of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This treatment was shown not to disrupt yeast cells, as NaOH-extracted cells displayed a normal morphology upon electron microscopy. Moreover, extracted and untreated cells had qualitatively similar protein contents upon disruption. When yeast was grown in the presence of 1 M mannitol, two proteins were found to be present at an elevated concentration in the cell wall. These were found to be the late-embryogenic-abundant-like protein heat-shock protein 12 and the glycolytic enzyme phosphoglycerate mutase. The presence of phosphoglycerate mutase in the cell wall was confirmed by immunocytochemical analysis. Not only was the phosphoglycerate mutase in the yeast cell wall found to be active, but whole yeast cells were also able to convert 3-phosphoglycerate in the medium into ethanol, provided that the necessary cofactors were present

LEA (late embryonic abundant)-like protein Hsp 12 (heat-shock protein 12) is present in the cell wall and enhances the barotolerance of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Yeast cells Saccharomyces cerevisiae, late embryogenic abundant-like stress response protein Hsp 12 (heat-shock protein 12) were found by immunocytochemistry to be located both in the cytoplasm and in the cell wall, from where they could be extracted with dilute NaOH solutions. Yeast cells with the Hsp 12 gene disrupted were unable to grow in the presence of either 12 mM caffeine or 0.43 mM Congo Red, molecules known to affect cell-wall integrity. The volume of yeast cells were less affected by rapid changes in the osmolality of the growth medium when compared with the wild-type yeast cells, suggesting a role for Hsp 12 in the flexibility of the cell wall. This was also suggested by subjecting the yeast cells to rapid changes in barometric pressure where it was found that wild-type yeast cells were more resistant to cellular breakage

Putative link between Polo-like kinases (PLKs) and Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling in transformed and primary human immune cells.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are important sentinels of bacterial and viral infection and thus fulfil a critical sensory role in innate immunity. Polo-like kinases (PLKs), a five membered family of Ser/Thr protein kinases, have long been studied for their role in mitosis and thus represent attractive therapeutic targets in cancer therapy. Recently, PLKs were implicated in TLR signaling in mice but the role of PLKs in TLR signaling in untransformed primary immune cells has not been addressed, even though PLK inhibitors are in clinical trials. We here identified several phospho-serine and phospho-threonine residues in the known TLR pathway kinases, Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase (IRAK) 2 and IRAK4. These sites lie in canonical polo-box motifs (PBM), sequence motifs known to direct recruitment of PLKs to client proteins. Interestingly, PLK1 was phosphorylated and PLK 2 and 3 mRNA induced upon TLR stimulation in primary immune cells, respectively. In whole blood, PLK inhibition disparately affected TLR mediated cytokine responses in a donor- and inhibitor-dependent fashion. Collectively, PLKs may thus potentially interface with TLR signaling in humans. We propose that temporary PLK inhibitor-mediated blockade of TLR-signaling in certain patients receiving such inhibitors during cancer treatment may cause adverse effects such as an increased risk of infections due to a then compromised ability of the TLR recognition system to sense and initiate cytokine responses to invading microbes

Two Human MYD88 Variants, S34Y and R98C, Interfere with MyD88-IRAK4-Myddosome Assembly

Innate immune receptors detect microbial pathogens and subsequently activate adaptive immune responses to combat pathogen invasion. MyD88 is a key adaptor molecule in both Toll-like receptor (TLR) and IL-1 receptor superfamily signaling pathways. This is illustrated by the fact that human individuals carrying rare, naturally occurring MYD88 point mutations suffer from reoccurring life-threatening infections. Here we analyzed the functional properties of six reported non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms of MYD88 in an in vitro cellular system. Two variants found in the MyD88 death domain, S34Y and R98C, showed severely reduced NF-κB activation due to reduced homo-oligomerization and IRAK4 interaction. Structural modeling highlights Ser-34 and Arg-98 as residues important for the assembly of the Myddosome, a death domain (DD) post-receptor complex involving the DD of MyD88, IRAK4, and IRAK2 or IRAK1. Using S34Y and R98C as functional probes, our data show that MyD88 homo-oligomerization and IRAK4 interaction is modulated by the MyD88 TIR and IRAK4 kinase domain, demonstrating the functional importance of non-DD regions not observed in a recent Myddosome crystal structure. The differential interference of S34Y and R98C with some (IL-1 receptor, TLR2, TLR4, TLR5, and TLR7) but not all (TLR9) MyD88-dependent signaling pathways also suggests that receptor specificities exist at the level of the Myddosome. Given their detrimental effect on signaling, it is not surprising that our epidemiological analysis in several case-control studies confirms that S34Y and R98C are rare variants that may drastically contribute to susceptibility to infection in only few individuals