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Journal of Virology, March 2007, p. 2231-2239, Vol. 81, No. 5
0022-538X/07/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JVI.01979-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Department of Pathology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia,2 Institute of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University,1 Department of Cell Biology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio3
Received 11 September 2006/ Accepted 1 December 2006
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Papillomavirus E6 oncoproteins are small zinc-binding proteins with conserved overall structure but diverse activities, and considerable effort has been directed toward establishing their cellular targets (reviewed in reference 25). The cancer-associated E6 oncoprotein from HPV type 16 (HPV-16) (16E6) and bovine papillomavirus E6 (BE6) directly interact with cellular proteins by interaction with LXXLL peptide sequences on the target protein, and this interaction is required for cellular transformation (3, 41). 16E6 interacts with an LXXLL peptide sequence found on the cellular E3 ubiquitin ligase E6AP and together with E6AP binds to the p53 tumor suppressor protein (17), resulting in its ubiquitin-mediated degradation by the proteasome. The efficient in vivo degradation of p53 requires both E6AP and the E3 ubiquitin ligase activity of E6AP (7). E6 proteins have also been reported to target the degradation of other cellular proteins, initially identified through yeast two-hybrid interaction searches or candidate approaches. A group of cellular proteins that interact with cancer-associated E6 proteins contain PDZ domains and bind the carboxy-terminal five amino acids of E6 that constitute a PDZ ligand consensus sequence [XX(S/T)X(V/I)]. Cellular targets of E6 that include PDZ domains include DLG1 (human discs large homolog) (20, 23, 24) and Scribble (29) (that are tumor suppressors in Drosophila melanogaster), MUPP1 (23), MAGI-1 (13), MAGI-2, and MAGI-3 (39). In these cases, the association with E6 has been shown to result in instability of the PDZ-containing proteins in vitro. Targeted degradation of Scribble and DLG1 by E6 can be accomplished through their association with the PDZ ligand of E6 and the LXXLL association of E6 with the E6AP ubiquitin ligase (4, 26).
There are many PDZ-containing proteins, including adapter molecules (such as DLG1 and Scribble), MAGUK proteins (membrane-associated guanylate kinase homologs with inactive kinase domains), and tyrosine phosphatases. There are three tyrosine phosphatases that contain PDZ domains that might be targeted by E6: PTPN3, PTPN4, and PTPN13. We have begun to use a proteomic approach to determine those substrates of E6 together with E6AP that form in vivo. Those experiments have isolated proteins that associate with E6AP together with HPV-16 E6 (16E6) by tandem affinity purification and identified the proteins using mass spectrometry. We find that 16E6 recruits the tyrosine phosphatase PTPN3 to E6AP, resulting in the E6AP and proteasome-dependent degradation of PTPN3.
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Tandem affinity purification. Either empty EE-Flag vector, EE-Flag-E6AP-C843A, or EE-Flag-E6AP-C843A together with untagged 16E6 were expressed in confluent monkey CV-1 cells by lipofection and T7 polymerase-directed expression using the T7-expressing vaccinia virus Vtf-7 (9). Eight hours after infection, the medium was removed, and the cells were washed three times with phosphate-buffered saline and lysed on ice with 0.5x NP-40 lysis buffer (1x NP-40 lysis buffer is 150 mM NaCl, 50 mM Tris, pH 7.5, 50 mM NaF, 5 mM Na PPi, 1% IPEGAL, 0.01% phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, 1 mM sodium vanadate, and 1 µg/ml leupeptin/aprotinin). Lysates from approximately 5 x 108 CV-1 cells were centrifuged at 15,000 x g for 10 min and then incubated with 1.0 mg EE monoclonal antibody covalently coupled to protein A-Sepharose beads for 1 h. The EE beads were washed extensively with NP-40 lysis buffer, and bound proteins were eluted by three successive elutions with 10 µg EE peptide each. The eluted proteins were applied to 20 µg Flag M2 monoclonal antibody coupled to Sepharose beads (Sigma-Aldrich Chemicals). After incubation on ice for 2 hours, the beads were washed three times with NP-40 lysis buffer, and bound proteins were eluted with three successive incubations of 2 µg Flag peptide (Sigma-Aldrich Chemicals) in 0.25x NP-40 lysis buffer. Eluted proteins were freeze-dried, resuspended in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) sample buffer, and applied to 5 to 20% Tris-glycine SDS-polyacrylamide gels (Cambrex). Gels were stained first with Coomassie blue and then restained with silver to visualize protein bands. Excised bands were reduced, alkylated, and digested with trypsin in the gel. The peptides formed in the digestion were extracted, concentrated, and characterized by capillary column liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Database searches using the program SEQUEST were used to identify the protein by matching the collision-induced dissociation spectra to the PTPN3 sequence. These matching spectra were verified by manual inspection of the collision-induced dissociation spectra.
Plasmids.
The transient expression of 16E6 and
E6AP is as previously described
(7). 16E6
C is
deleted of the last two amino acids of 16E6 in the carboxy-terminal PDZ
ligand. A cDNA expression plasmid with 5' EE and Flag
monoclonal antibody epitope tags was constructed by standard molecular
biology techniques in the pcDNA3 plasmid. E6AP-C843A (a ubiquitin
ligase-defective mutant of E6AP) was cloned into this plasmid for
expression and purification of EE-Flag-E6AP-C843A by tandem affinity
purification. Full-length cDNA for PTPN3 was the gift of Nicholas Tonks
(Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories) and was subcloned as either native
protein or fusions to myc, EE, or Flag epitope. A PTPN3 mutant with an
in-frame 6-amino-acid insertion at amino acid 525 within the PDZ domain
(FNLGKKV changed to
FNLSMPWHVKGGV)
was created by standard techniques. For retroviral transduction of
mammalian cells, HPV-16 E6 and E7 genes cloned into pLXSN were a gift
from Denise Galloway (University of Washington, Seattle), and
retrovirus was packaged by transient transfection of Phoenix Ampho
cells (provided by Gary Nolan, Stanford University). All mutants were
sequenced to verify the mutation and were without second-site
mutations. A short hairpin RNA (shRNA) expression retrovirus (p7194A)
with defective 3' long terminal repeats, U6 promoter shRNA
expression cassette, and hygromycin selection was constructed by
standard techniques and was based upon the retroviral plasmid
pSiren-RetroX (BD Biosciences). shRNA to PTPN3 was created by cloning
oligonucleotides corresponding to nucleotides 773 to 793
(AAGTTTCTATCCTTGGGTGAA for shRNA-2)in the coding region of human PTPN3 as hairpins into p7194A retroviral
vector with a connecting loop containing an XhoI site
(AAGTTTCTATCCTTGGGTGAAACACTCGAGTTCACCCAAGGATAGAAACTT).
shRNA directed against luciferase was purchased from BD
Biosciences.
In vitro protein expression, binding assays, and degradation assays were performed in rabbit reticulocyte lysate as previously described (3, 7, 41). Briefly, in vitro-coupled transcription and translation were performed utilizing standard nuclease-treated reticulocyte lysate (Promega) according to the manufacturer's recommendations, supplemented with 1.5 mM MgCl2, 0.5 mM (each) nucleotide triphosphate,and 25 units T7 RNA polymerase (Gibco-BRL) per 50-µl translation reaction mixture. For in vitro binding assays, 25 µl reticulocyte lysate programmed to express the indicated proteins was incubated for 30 min at 4°C, then 175 µl of 0.5 x NP-40 lysis buffer containing precipitating antibody and protein A-Sepharose or bead-immobilized glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion was added, and binding was allowed to proceed at 4°C with rocking for 1 h. Beads were washed three times with 1.5 ml 0.5 x NP-40 lysis buffer. Retained proteins were eluted with SDS sample buffer, resolved by SDS-PAGE, transferred to polyvinylidene difluoride membranes, or fluorographed with salicylate (6), and subjected to autoradiography and quantification by beta counting with a Packard Instant Imager. In vitro degradation reactions were performed as previously described (7, 18).
Western blot analysis. Cell lysates were equalized for protein content as determined with a commercial kit (Bio-Rad) before electrophoresis; equalized proteins boiled in complete SDS sample buffer were resolved by SDS-PAGE and transferred to polyvinylidene difluoride membranes. Rabbit polyclonal antibody to PTPN3 was raised against human PTPN3 amino acids 311 to 510. Monoclonal antibodies and their sources are as follows: Ab-8 specific for human and not mouse p53 (Oncogene Science), DLG1 (BD Biosciences), vinculin and tubulin (Sigma). Epitope tags were obtained from Sigma Chemicals (M2 Flag), the Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank (myc clone 9E10), EE (Gernot Walter, University of California, San Diego). Monoclonal antibody specific for human and not mouse PTPN3 was a generous gift from Nicholas Tonks (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories), and monoclonal antibody 6F4 to 16E6 was provided by Gilles Trave (21).
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![]() View larger version (49K): [in a new window] |
FIG. 1. 16E6
recruits the cellular tyrosine phosphatase PTPN3 protein to E6AP.
(A) 16E6 recruits a 128-kDa protein to the E6AP ubiquitin
ligase. Ubiquitin ligase-defective E6AP (E6AP-C843A) tagged at the
amino terminus with the EE and Flag epitopes was transiently expressed
with or without untagged 16E6 in CV-1 cells. Cleared lysates were
purified by tandem affinity purification with EE and Flag antibodies
followed by peptide elution and analysis on 5 to 20% SDS-polyacrylamide
silver-stained gels. Lanes 1 and 2, molecular weight markers; lane 4,
tandem affinity-purified (TAP), vector-transfected cells; lane 6, TAP,
EE-Flag-E6AP-C843A-transfected cells; lane 8, TAP EE-Flag-E6AP-C843A
expressed together with untagged 16E6; lanes 3, 5, and 7, loaded with
sample buffer only. Peptides of PTPN3 sequenced from p128
band numbered by GenBank NP_002820:
FFIPDPNTLQQEQTR (amino acids [aa] 109 to 115),
VESLHEQHSGLK (aa 188 to 199),
TLDFYGVELHSGR (aa 213 to 225),
EHIVAFNMLNYR (aa 281 to 292),
SCVEHHTFFQAK (aa 300 to 311),
LLPQEK (aa 313 to 318),
NVLSQYWTMGSR (aa 319 to 330),
ITPDEDGKFGFNLK (aa 513 to 526),
MPLVVSR (aa 533 to 539),
INPESPADTCIPK (aa 540 to 552),
LNEGDQIVLINGR (aa 553 to 565),
ELALVIR (aa 589 to 595),
GLESGTVLIQFEQLYR (aa 640 to 655),
KKPGLAITFAK (aa 656 to 666),
LPQNLDKNR (aa 667 to 675),
YKDVLPYDTTR (aa 657 to 686),
MRDQRAMMVQTSSQYK (aa 877 to 892), and
FVCEAILR (aa 893 to 900). The positions of
molecular weight standards (in thousands) are shown to the left of the
gel. (B) Domain structure of PTPN3. A diagram of PTPN3
illustrates the relative locations of FERM, PDZ, and phosphatase
domains. Black squares illustrate the approximate location of sequenced
peptides from mass spectrometry of p128. Below are diagrammed plasmids
used in this study with the amino acid segments of PTPN3. WT, wild
type; ins,
inserted.
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FIG. 2. In
vitro degradation of PTPN3 by high-risk mucosal E6 proteins. PTPN3,
p53, and the indicated 16E6 types from cancer-associated HPV (16E6 and
18E6), non-cancer-associated mucosal HPV (11E6), non-cancer-associated
cutaneous HPV (1E6), cancer-associated cutaneous HPV (8E6), and bovine
papillomavirus type 1 (BE6) were in vitro translated in reticulocyte
lysate containing 35S-labeled amino acids and incubated
together for 60 min at room temperature to assay for in vitro
degradation of 35S-labeled p53 and PTPN3. Samples were
analyzed by SDS-PAGE, with the segments containing p53, PTPN3, and E6
proteins indicated (broadening of some E6 bands is due to comigration
with globin from the reticulocyte
lysate).
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C, has a deletion of carboxy-terminal two amino
acids of 16E6, disrupting the PDZ ligand motif
(7,
20,
24). Figure
3B demonstrates that the
degradation of PTPN3 by 16E6 requires an intact PDZ ligand at the
carboxy terminus of 16E6 but is unaffected by the 16E6F2V mutation that
reduces degradation of p53. Figure
3C demonstrates that
fragments of PTPN3 that contain an intact PDZ domain are degraded by
16E6, while fragments deleted of the PDZ domain are not degraded.
Mutation of the PTPN3 PDZ domain prevents degradation by 16E6 in vitro.
Thus, the binding and degradation assays in Fig.
3 correspond. We have
also tested a mutant of 16E6 that fails to interact with E6AP and
therefore fails to target degradation of p53; as expected, this mutant
(16E6_Y79N) also fails to target the degradation of PTPN3 in
vitro (data not shown). In order to compare the in vitro degradation of
PTPN3 to p53 and another PDZ domain-containing target of 16E6, in
vitro-translated PTPN3, p53, and DLG1 were incubated together with 16E6
and 18E6. Figure 3D shows
that while PTPN3 and p53 were efficiently degraded by both 16E6 and
18E6, DLG1 was degraded efficiently only by 18E6 and not appreciably by
16E6. As in Fig. 3A,
degradation of PTPN3 by 18E6 also required an intact PDZ ligand at the
carboxy terminus of 18E6.
![]() ![]() View larger version (104K): [in a new window] |
FIG. 3. Role
of PDZ interactions in the degradation of PTPN3 by 16E6. (A)
An intact PDZ domain on PTPN3 is required for efficient binding to 16E6
in vitro. Input and GST-16E6 bound in vitro translation products of
PTPN3 and the indicated mutants of PTPN3 (Fig.
1B) were resolved on
SDS-polyacrylamide gels fluorographed and quantified by beta counting.
GST-16E6 is shown from Coomassie blue staining. Bound counts resulting
from four independent binding reactions are graphed below with standard
deviation error bars. WT, wild type. (B) 16E6 degradation of
PTPN3 requires the carboxy-terminal PDZ-binding peptide of 16E6. In
vitro-translated p53, PTPN3, 16E6 or the indicated 16E6 mutants were
mixed together as indicated and incubated for 60 min at 25°C.
16E6F2V refers to substitution of valine for phenylalanine at amino
acid position 2, and 16E6 C contains a deletion of the
carboxy-terminal 2 amino acids of 16E6. Aliquots removed at 0 and 60
min were analyzed by SDS-PAGE followed by autoradiography.
(C) An intact PDZ domain in PTPN3 is required for in vitro
degradation by 16E6. In vitro-translated p53, PTPN3, or the indicated
PTPN3 mutants were incubated with mock-translated lysate,16E6, or 16E6 C for 60 min. (D) Comparison of in
vitro degradation of PTPN3, p53, and DLG1. PTPN3, p53, and DLG1 were in
vitro translated in reticulocyte lysate with 35S-labeled
amino acids and incubated with in vitro-translated 16E6, 18E6, or
18E6 C for 0 or 60 min before analysis by SDS-PAGE and
autoradiography. 16E6 bands are distorted by reticulocyte-derived
globin in the
gel.
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C), confirming the in vivo degradation
of PTPN3 seen in NIKS cells and demonstrating the requirement for the
PDZ ligand of 16E6 (Fig.
4B). In all the
experiments with intact cells, the reduction of PTPN3 by 16E6 was clear
but not complete, and residual amounts of residual PTPN3 were observed.
In separate experiments, we have determined that the expression levels
of 16E6 and 16E6
C in transduced NIKS cells are quite similar
(data not shown). Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR
for PTPN3 RNA showed no reduction in RNA levels between
vector-transduced NIKS cells and 16E6-transduced cells (data not
shown). Expression levels of PTPN3 in vivo are low, and clear
localization of cellular PTPN3 could not be observed with either
monoclonal antibodies or affinity-purified polyclonal antibodies (data
not shown).
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FIG. 4. 16E6
reduces the in vivo levels of PTPN3 in stably transduced cells.
(A) 16E6 reduces PTPN3 expression in NIKS keratinocytes. NIKS
human keratinocytes stably retrovirally transduced by the indicated
oncogenes were removed from feeder cells, reattached to collagen type
1-coated plates overnight in 3T3 feeder cell-conditioned medium, and
lysed in SDS lysis buffer the next day, and equalized amounts of
protein were analyzed by sequential probing of a Western blot for the
expression of PTPN3, p53, DLG1, and tubulin. (B) In vivo
reduction of PTPN3 by 16E6 requires an intact PDZ motif on 16E6. HaCat
keratinocytes stably transduced with the indicated retroviral plasmids
were lysed in SDS sample buffer, and equal amounts of protein were
analyzed with antibodies to PTPN3 (top panel) or tubulin (bottom
panel). The blot exposures were quantitated by densitometry scanning to
determine that the residual amounts of PTPN3 in lane 2 were 22% of lane
1 and 79% in lane 3. WB, Western
blotting.
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C) restored
expression of PTPN3. Addition of proteasome inhibitor MG132 allowed
higher accumulation of PTPN3 under different conditions. An ubiquitin
ligase-defective mutant of E6AP (E6AP-C843A) did not reduce PTPN3
levels when coexpressed with 16E6, demonstrating the requirement of
wild-type E6AP, 16E6, and intact proteasome for the degradation of
PTPN3 in vivo.
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FIG. 5. Role
of E6AP in proteasome-mediated degradation of PTPN3 by 16E6. E6AP null
mouse embryo fibroblasts were transfected with the indicated plasmids
together with a constant amount of internal luciferase expression
plasmid (starting in lane 2) and empty vector DNA to make the amount of
transfected DNA constant. Cells were lysed in SDS sample buffer
20 h later and analyzed sequentially by immunoblotting with
antibodies to FLAG, tubulin, and luciferase. PTPN3 was tagged at the
carboxy-terminal end with the FLAG epitope. The results of one
representative experiment of five experiments are
shown.
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C, shRNA
vector directed against luciferase, or shRNAs directed against PTPN3.
Eight shRNAs were directed against various parts of PTPN3, but only one
gave rise to robust inhibition of PTPN3 protein expression (PTPN3-2
shRNA [Fig.
6A and data not shown]). Figure
6A shows that shRNA
directed against PTPN3 (shRNA PTPN3-2, directed to the region
in-between the FERM and PDZ domains) reduced PTPN3 expression to
undetectable levels by Western blotting. E6 transduction enhanced the
accumulation of keratinocytes cultured in 0.25% serum without added EGF
or insulin, and deletion of the PDZ ligand of E6 reduced this E6
phenotype (Fig. 6B).
Interestingly, the effect of addition of E7 to E6 was similar in this
assay to that of E6 alone at enhancing growth in the absence of EGF and
insulin. Compared to shRNA directed against luciferase, shRNA directed
against PTPN3 also enhanced the accumulation of keratinocytes cultured
in reduced serum without added EGF or insulin (Fig.
6C and
D).
![]() View larger version (35K): [in a new window] |
FIG. 6. Role
of the PDZ ligand of E6 in reducing the growth factor requirements of
keratinocytes. (A) shRNA to PTPN3 reduces PTPN3 expression.
Epithelial cells transduced with the indicated retroviruses were lysed
in SDS sample buffer and analyzed by immunoblotting for PTPN3
expression. Each lane shows the result of independently transduced cell
cultures arising from pooled drug-resistant cell colonies.
(B) Role of the E6 PDZ ligand in the acquisition of reduced
growth factor requirements. A total of 5 x 103 NIKS
keratinocytes transduced by the
indicated retroviruses
were seeded into wells with mitomycin C-treated feeder cells in
complete medium for 48 h and then changed to medium with
0.25% serum and no added EGF or insulin. Nine days later, the plates
were fixed, stained with crystal violet, and scanned. (C) Effect of
reduced PTPN3 upon cell accumulation during culture in reduced growth
factors. NIKS keratinocytes retrovirally transduced with shRNA to
luciferase or to PTPN3 were transduced and seeded into tissue culture
dishes as in panel B above, then stained, and scanned. (D) E6 and shRNA
to PTPN3 alter cell accumulation in NIKS keratinocytes. Crystal violet
from stained cells was solubilized in 1% acetic acid and quantified by
absorbance at 600 nm. Error bars represent the standard deviations of
12 wells of cells and are representative of three independent
experiments. E6 and shRNA directed against PTPN3 (shRNA PTPN3-2)
enhances cell accumulation, while deletion of the E6 PDZ ligand results
in a loss of accumulated cells compared to
E6.
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PTPN3 is one of
only three tyrosine phosphatase groups containing FERM domains at the
amino terminus and one of three tyrosine phosphatases containing one or
more PDZ domains; PTPN3 is most closely related to PTPMEG1, and PTPN3
and PTPMEG1 together comprise a distinct group of tyrosine phosphatases
that are highly conserved in vertebrates, flies, and worms
(2). Interestingly, PTPN3
has recently been shown to be mutated in a minor fraction of colon
cancers (42). PTPN13 also
contains PDZ domains and is (like PTPN3) also mutated in colon cancers
(42). In preliminary
experiments, PTPN13 expression is reduced in keratinocytes in which
16E6 is expressed but not in cells in which 16E6
C is
expressed. While we did not observe a clear band the size of PTPN13 in
our silver-stained gel, it is possible that E6 may target the
degradation of more than one tyrosine
phosphatase.
Substrate-trapping experiments from vanadate-treated cell lysates identified VCP as a PTPN3 substrate (44). VCP is the mammalian form of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae protein Cdc48 that is essential for cell cycle progression in all phases of the cell cycle (12, 27) and is an abundant AAA-ATPase associated with many essential cellular functions (reviewed in reference 33). A defect in degradation of polyubiquitinated proteins may underlie these phenotypes, as both yeast Cdc48 cells at the nonpermissive temperature and mammalian cells treated with RNA interference to VCP accumulate polyubiquitinated proteins (43). However, detection of VCP tyrosine phosphorylation in vivo has been elusive. PTPN3 has been shown to dephosphorylate VCP in vitro, but it is unproven if other phosphatases may be able to perform this function in vivo as well. As yet, we have failed to detect clear differences in the tyrosine phosphorylation of VCP between normal cells compared to either cells expressing E6 or in cells where PTPN3 has been reduced by shRNA in the presence or absence of vanadate (our unpublished observations). Recent experiments indirectly implicated PTPN3 as a candidate phosphatase in the dephosphorylation of the growth hormone receptor (32) and the T-cell receptor zeta chain after ligand stimulation (16, 38). In summary, the role of PTPN3 in regulating the in vivo phosphorylation of VCP or other cellular substrates is not yet clearly defined.
The biological significance of particular cellular PDZ targets of the E6 oncoproteins also remains uncertain. The PDZ ligand of E6 is important, as the development of eye lens hyperplasias or skin hyperplasia in mice that express 16E6 requires an intact PDZ-binding peptide at the carboxy terminus of E6 (30, 31). Further, deletion of the PDZ ligand of E6 in the context of the full HPV-31 genome resulted in transfected cells that were significantly reduced in their growth rates and reduced in their viral copy numbers compared to keratinocytes transfected with wild-type genomes (22). Since deletion of the carboxy terminus of E6 eliminates the interaction with all of its PDZ targets, the full significance of any particular PDZ-containing target of 16E6 in the viral life cycle or the development of cancer remains open for investigation. One might suspect that the biologically significant targets of E6 would be common to all the oncogenic types. While 16E6 expression causes hyperplasia of mouse skin and the eye lens, and insertional inactivation of DLG1 also causes hyperplasia of the eye lens, 16E6 does not significantly target the degradation of DLG1 in vitro (Fig. 3D) (also shown in reference 40) and has a modest effect upon overall expression levels in vivo (Fig. 4A), indicating that 16E6 interactions with DLG1 may be more subtle than simply reducing the overall level of DLG1 expression. PTPN3 is one of a limited number of PDZ proteins that is efficiently targeted for degradation by both 16E6 and 18E6 (Fig. 2 and 3D).
One hallmark of the progression from normal to malignant cells is a reduced requirement for exogenously supplied growth factors (15). Keratinocytes proliferate in response to exogenously supplied growth factors but also produce and respond to growth factors in an autocrine fashion (19). Because primary keratinocytes have limited growth potential after retroviral transduction and selection, we utilized NIKS cells that are growth factor dependent yet immortalized. We showed that E6 reduced the requirement of NIKS cells for growth factors and that mutation of the PDZ ligand of E6 reduced this effect (Fig. 6). It could be that the accumulation of cells conferred by E6 under these conditions is due to either an increase in proliferation rate or a decrease in cell death or terminal differentiation; these studies are under way. It is reasonable to suppose that a reduced requirement for exogenous growth factors could facilitate the initial establishment or maintenance of an epithelioma. It is possible that E6 degradation of PTPN3 contributes to such a phenotype, as shRNA to PTPN3 also gave a similar but less pronounced phenotype than E6 (Fig. 6); this correlates with the finding that PTPN3 is mutated in a small fraction of colon cancers (42). As yet, it is unclear if the effect of PTPN3 upon growth factor requirements will be direct or indirect. It is possible that the reduced growth factor requirement of E6-transduced cells could also be conferred by degradation either alone or in combination of additional E6 targets (besides PTPN3) that interact with the PDZ ligand of E6. These possibilities are currently under investigation.
We thank Charles Lyons and the University of Virginia Department of Pathology Collaborative Mass Spectrometry Facility for additional analysis of protein samples. We thank David Brautigan and Janet Cross for critical reading of the manuscript.
Published ahead of print on 13 December 2006. ![]()
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subunit. J. Biol. Chem.
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