Ruedi H Aebersold

Engagement of the T cell antigen receptor (TCR) results in activation of several tyrosine kinases leading to tyrosine phosphorylation of protein substrates and activation of multiple biochemical pathways. TCR-mediated activation of the src-family kinases, Lck and Fyn, results in tyrosine phosphorylation of the TCR zeta and CD3 chains. The site of phosphorylation in these chains is the tyrosine-based activation motif (TAM), a 15-16 amino acid module containing two tyrosine residues. ...

We cloned the cDNA for human RGSZ1, the major Gz-selective GTPase-activating protein (GAP) in brain (Wang, J., Tu, Y., Woodson, J., Song, X., and Ross, E. M. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 5732-5740) and a member of the RGS family of G protein GAPs. Its sequence is 83% identical to RET-RGS1 (except its N-terminal extension) and 56% identical to GAIP. Purified, recombinant RGSZ1, RET-RGS1, and GAIP each accelerated the hydrolysis of Galphaz-GTP over 400-fold with Km values of approximately 2 ...

The multisubunit eukaryotic translation initiation factor (eIF) 4F recruits 40S ribosomal subunits to the 5' end of mRNA. The eIF4F subunit eIF4E interacts directly with the mRNA 5' cap structure. Assembly of the eIF4F complex is inhibited by a family of repressor polypeptides, the eIF4E-binding proteins (4E-BPs). Binding of the 4E-BPs to eIF4E is regulated by phosphorylation: Hypophosphorylated 4E-BP isoforms interact strongly with eIF4E, whereas hyperphosphorylated isoforms do not. ...

Meiotic maturation of Xenopus and sea star oocytes involves the activation of a number of protein-serine/threonine kinase activities, including a myelin basic protein (MBP) kinase. A 44-kDa MBP kinase (p44mpk) purified from mature sea star oocytes is shown here to be phosphorylated at tyrosine. Antiserum to purified sea star p44mpk was used to identify antigenically related proteins in Xenopus oocytes. Two tyrosine-phosphorylated 42-kDa proteins (p42) were detected with this antiserum in ...

Activation of phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase is a common sequel to tyrosine kinase activation and appears to be essential for tyrosine kinases to induce proliferation. Since multiple hemopoietic growth factors activate tyrosine kinases, we investigated whether these growth factors activate PI 3-kinase. We show that interleukin-3 (IL-3), interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-5 (IL-5), granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and steel factor (SLF) all activate PI ...

Using coimmunoprecipitation and tandem mass spectrometry, we identify INSIG-1 as an ER protein that binds the sterol-sensing domain of SREBP cleavage-activating protein (SCAP) and facilitates retention of the SCAP/SREBP complex in the ER. In sterol-depleted cells, SCAP escorts SREBPs from ER to Golgi for proteolytic processing, thereby allowing SREBPs to stimulate cholesterol synthesis. Sterols induce binding of SCAP to INSIG-1, as determined by blue native-PAGE, and this is correlated ...

Knowledge of the protein networks interacting with the amyloid precursor protein (APP) in vivo can shed light on the physiological function of APP. To date, most proteins interacting with the APP intracellular domain (AICD) have been identified by Yeast Two Hybrid screens which only detect direct interaction partners. We used a proteomics-based approach by biochemically isolating tagged APP from the brains of transgenic mice and subjecting the affinity-purified complex to mass ...

Major histocompatibility class II (MHC-II) molecules are transmembrane proteins that have a central role in development and control of the immune system. They are encoded by a multi-gene family and their expression is tightly regulated. MHC-II deficiency (OMIM 209920) is an autosomal recessive immunodeficiency syndrome resulting from defects in trans-acting factors essential for transcription of MHC-II genes1,2. There are four genetic complementation groups3,4,5 (A, B, C and D), ...

The melanoma growth stimulatory activity/growth-regulated protein, CXCL1, is constitutively expressed at high levels during inflammation and progression of melanocytes into malignant melanoma. It has been shown previously that CXCL1 overexpression in melanoma cells is due to increased transcription as well as stability of the CXCL1 message. The transcription of CXCL1 is regulated through several cis-acting elements including Sp1, NF-kappaB, HMGI(Y), and the immediate upstream region ...

We have developed a general two-step method for obtaining peptide fragments for sequence analysis from picomole quantities of proteins separated by gel electrophoresis. After separation by one- or two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, proteins are electrophoretically transferred (electroblotted) onto nitrocellulose, the protein-containing regions are detected by reversible staining and are cut out, and each protein is digested in situ by proteolytic enzymes such as trypsin ...

Endothelial cells release nitric oxide (NO) acutely in response to increased laminar fluid shear stress, and the increase is correlated with enhanced phosphorylation of endothelial nitric-oxide synthase (eNOS). Phosphoamino acid analysis of eNOS from bovine aortic endothelial cells labeled with [(32)P]orthophosphate demonstrated that only phosphoserine was present in eNOS under both static and flow conditions. Fluid shear stress induced phosphate incorporation into two specific eNOS ...

T cell signaling via the CD4 surface antigen is mediated by the associated tyrosyl protein kinase p56lck. The 42-kilodalton mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase (p42mapk) was tyrosyl-phosphorylated and activated after treatment of the murine T lymphoma cell line 171CD4+, which expresses CD4, with antibody to CD3. Treatment of the CD4-deficient cell line 171 with the same antibody did not result in phosphorylation or activation of p42mapk. Purified p56lck both tyrosyl-phosphorylated and ...

RNA editing in kinetoplastid mitochondria occurs by a series of enzymatic steps that is catalyzed by a macromolecular complex. Four novel proteins and their corresponding genes were identified by mass spectrometric analysis of purified editing complexes from Trypanosoma brucei. These four proteins, TbMP81, TbMP63, TbMP42, and TbMP18, contain conserved sequences to various degrees. All four proteins have sequence similarity in the C terminus; TbMP18 has considerable sequence similarity to ...

Regulators of G protein signaling (RGS proteins) are well known to accelerate G protein GTPase activity in vitro and to promote G protein desensitization in vivo. Less is known about how RGS proteins are themselves regulated. To address this question we purified the RGS in yeast, Sst2, and used electrospray ionization mass spectrometry to identify post-translational modifications. This analysis revealed that Sst2 is phosphorylated at Ser-539 and that phosphorylation occurs in response to ...