Membrane Microdomains Lipid Rafts Research Articles

Synthetic mimics of mammalian cell surface receptors: prosthetic molecules that augment living cells

Specific receptors on the surface of mammalian cells actively internalize cell-impermeable ligands by receptor-mediated endocytosis. To mimic these internalizing receptors, my laboratory is studying artificial cell surface receptors that comprise N-alkyl derivatives of 3beta-cholesterylamine linked to motifs that bind cell-impermeable ligands. When added to living mammalian cells, these synthetic receptors insert into cellular plasma membranes, project ligand-binding small molecules or peptides from the cell surface, and enable living cells to internalize targeted proteins and other cell-impermeable compounds. These artificial receptors mimic their natural counterparts by rapidly cycling between plasma membranes and intracellular endosomes, associating with proposed cholesterol and sphingolipid-rich lipid raft membrane microdomains, and delivering ligands to late endosomes/lysosomes. This "synthetic receptor targeting" strategy is briefly reviewed here and contrasted with other related cellular delivery systems. Potential applications of artificial cell surface receptors as molecular probes, agents for cellular targeting, tools for drug delivery, and methods for ligand depletion are discussed. The construction of synthetic receptors as prosthetic molecules, designed to seamlessly augment the molecular machinery of living cells, represents an exciting new frontier in the fields of bioorganic chemistry and chemical biology.

Synthetic Mimics of Small Mammalian Cell Surface Receptors

Receptors on the surface of mammalian cells promote the uptake of cell-impermeable ligands by receptor-mediated endocytosis. To mimic this process, we synthesized small molecules designed to project anti-dinitrophenyl antibody-binding motifs from the surface of living Jurkat lymphocytes. These synthetic receptors comprise N-alkyl derivatives of 3beta-cholesterylamine as the plasma membrane anchor linked to 2,4-dinitrophenyl (DNP) and structurally similar fluorescent 7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (NBD) headgroups. Insertion of two beta-alanine subunits between a DNP derivative and 3beta-cholesterylamine yielded a receptor that avidly associates with cell surfaces (cellular t(1/2) approximately 20 h). When added to Jurkat cells at 10 microM, this receptor enhanced uptake of an anti-DNP IgG ligand by approximately 200-fold in magnitude and approximately 400-fold in rate within 4 h (ligand internalization t(1/2) approximately 95 min at 37 degrees C). This non-natural receptor mimics many natural receptors by dynamically cycling between plasma membranes and intracellular endosomes (recycling t(1/2) approximately 3 min), targeting of protein ligands to proposed cholesterol and sphingolipid-enriched lipid raft membrane microdomains, and delivery of protein ligands to late endosomes/lysosomes. Quantitative dithionite quenching of fluorescent extracellular NBD headgroups demonstrated that other 3beta-cholesterylamine derivatives bearing fewer beta-alanines in the linker region or N-acyl derivatives of 3beta-cholesterylamine were less effective receptors due to more extensive trafficking to internal membranes. Synthetic cell surface receptors have potential applications as cellular probes, tools for drug delivery, and methods to deplete therapeutically important extracellular ligands.

Atypical protein kinase C (PKCzeta/lambda) is a convergent downstream target of the insulin-stimulated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and TC10 signaling pathways.

Insulin stimulation of adipocytes resulted in the recruitment of atypical PKC (PKCζ/λ) to plasma membrane lipid raft microdomains. This redistribution of PKCζ/λ was prevented by Clostridium difficile toxin B and by cholesterol depletion, but was unaffected by inhibition of phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase activity. Expression of the constitutively active GTP-bound form of TC10 (TC10Q/75L), but not the inactive GDP-bound mutant (TC10/T31N), targeted PKCζ/λ to the plasma membrane through an indirect association with the Par6–Par3 protein complex. In parallel, insulin stimulation as well as TC10/Q75L resulted in the activation loop phosphorylation of PKCζ. Although PI 3-kinase activation also resulted in PKCζ/λ phosphorylation, it was not recruited to the plasma membrane. Furthermore, insulin-induced GSK-3β phosphorylation was mediated by both PI 3-kinase–PKB and the TC10–Par6–atypical PKC signaling pathways. Together, these data demonstrate that PKCζ/λ can serve as a convergent downstream target for both the PI 3-kinase and TC10 signaling pathways, but only the TC10 pathway induces a spatially restricted targeting to the plasma membrane.

Aberrant, persistent inclusion into lipid rafts limits the tumorigenic function of membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase in malignant cells

Membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) is a key enzyme in cell locomotion and tissue remodeling. Trafficking to the plasma membrane and internalization into the transient storage compartment both regulate the cell surface presentation of MT1-MMP. Our data indicate that mutant MT1-MMP lacking the cytoplasmic tail is recruited to the caveolae-enriched lipid raft membrane microdomains in breast carcinoma MCF7 cells. In contrast, the wild-type protease is not permanently associated with lipid rafts. Trafficking to lipid rafts correlated with poor internalization and the persistent presentation of MT1-MMP at the cell surface. The tail mutant efficiently functioned in inducing the activation of the latent proMMP-2 zymogen, matrix remodeling, and contraction of three-dimensional collagen lattices. Recruitment of the tail mutant to lipid raft antagonized, however, the cleavage of the plasma membrane-associated E-cadherin. These events limited the contribution of the tail mutant to cell locomotion and malignant growth. It is conceivable that the tail peptide sequence plays a crucial role in the translocations of MT1-MMP across the cell and contributes to coordinated cellular functions. It is tempting to hypothesize that the mechanisms involved in trafficking of MT1-MMP to caveolin-enriched lipid rafts may be targeted in a clinically advantageous manner.

Involvement of cholesterol-rich lipid rafts in interleukin-6-induced neuroendocrine differentiation of LNCaP prostate cancer cells.

IL-6 is an inflammatory cytokine that has been linked to aggressive prostate cancer (PCa). Previous studies have demonstrated that IL-6 can enhance the differentiation of PCa cells toward a neuroendocrine (NE) phenotype, a possible indicator of hormone-refractory disease. In this report, we present evidence that the mechanism of IL-6-stimulated NE differentiation employs a detergent-resistant (lipid raft) membrane compartment for signal transduction in LNCaP PCa cells. Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)3, a mediator of IL-6 signaling, was rapidly phosphorylated and translocated to the nucleus in LNCaP cells treated with IL-6. Both processes were inhibited by filipin, a cholesterol-binding compound that disrupts plasma membrane lipid rafts. Isolation of Triton X-100-insoluble raft fractions from LNCaP cells by discontinuous sucrose gradient centrifugation demonstrated that the 80-kDa IL-6 receptor localized almost exclusively to the raft compartment. Although STAT3 was located predominantly in the Triton X-100-soluble subcellular fraction in exponentially growing cells, abundant phosphorylated STAT3 was detected in the raft fraction after stimulation with IL-6. Increases in expression of the NE marker, neuron-specific enolase, and neuron-specific enolase promoter activity after IL-6 treatment were reduced after membrane rafts were disrupted by filipin treatment. LNCaP cells expressed the raft-resident proteins flotillin-2 and G(ialpha2), but notably not caveolins, the predominant structural protein present in caveolar membrane rafts in many tissues and tumor cells. These results are the first to define a role for lipid raft membrane microdomains in signal transduction mechanisms capable of promoting the NE phenotype in PCa cells, and they demonstrate that the raft compartment is capable of mediating such signals in the absence of caveolins. Our results also suggest a mechanistic role for membrane cholesterol in cell signaling events relevant to PCa progression.

Platelet Derived Growth Factor-BB is a Potent Mitogen for Rat Ureteral and Human Bladder Smooth Muscle Cells: Dependence in Lipid Rafts for Cell Signaling

Fibromuscular tissues of the detrusor/bladder body (B), trigone (T) and ureter (U) display distinct patterns of tissue remodeling in pathologic contexts, however the mechanisms underlying these observations are unknown. In this study we asked whether B, T and U smooth muscle cells (SMC) respond to several SMC growth factors and explored the role of caveolae/lipid raft membrane microdomains in signaling by one of these factors, PDGF-BB. SMC were isolated and cultured from B, T and U from newborn rats and from human bladder detrusor. Responses to growth factors were assessed by cell proliferation, DNA synthesis, and immunoblot methods. Cholesterol was depleted from cell membranes in select experiments using cyclodextrin and the cholesterol synthesis inhibitor lovastatin. High-affinity PDGF receptor (PDGFR) sites were measured by 125I-PDGF-BB binding assay. PDGF-BB increased DNA synthesis rate in U and T SMC, with U SMC being highly responsive; in contrast, B SMC did not respond to this growth factor. Two other mitogens, HB-EGF and FGF-2, marginally stimulated DNA synthesis in all lineages. Human detrusor (hD) SMC were also highly responsive to PDGF-BB. Differences in responses to PDGF-BB correlated with translocation of PDGFRs into the caveolae/lipid raft membrane fraction following stimulation, but not with the number of high affinity PDGF binding sites. Cholesterol depletion from cell membranes reduced the response of U and hD SMC to PDGF-BB. These findings indicate that 1) PDGF-BB is likely to be a physiologically relevant stimulator of mitogenic signaling in certain types of urinary tract SMC, 2) there are significant and unanticipated regional differences in the ability of urinary tract SMC to respond to muscle mitogens, and 3) lipid raft membrane microdomains mediate, in part, the ability of urinary tract SMC to respond to PDGF-mediated signals.

MHC class II-peptide complexes and APC lipid rafts accumulate at the immunological synapse.

Activation of CD4(+) Th cells requires their cognate interaction with APCs bearing specific relevant MHC class II-peptide complexes. This cognate interaction culminates in the formation of an immunological synapse that contains the various proteins and lipids required for efficient T cell activation. We now show that APC lipid raft membrane microdomains contain specific class II-peptide complexes and serve as platforms that deliver these raft-associated class II molecules to the immunological synapse. APC rafts are required for T cell:APC conjugate formation and T cell activation at low densities of relevant class II-peptide complexes, a requirement that can be overcome at high class II-peptide density. Analysis of confocal microscopy images revealed that over time APC lipid rafts, raft-associated relevant class II-peptide complexes, and even immunologically irrelevant class II molecules accumulate at the immunological synapse. As the immunological synapse matures, relevant class II-peptide complexes are sorted to a central region of the interface, while irrelevant class II molecules are excluded from this site. We propose that T cell activation is facilitated by recruitment of MHC class II-peptide complexes to the immunological synapse by virtue of their constitutive association with lipid raft microdomains.