title: Identification and characterization of a Smad2 homologue from Schistosoma mansoni, a transforming growth factor-beta signal transducer.
abstract: Smad proteins are essential intracellular signal transducers of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) superfamily. The TGF-beta superfamily signals through phosphorylation and activation of R-Smad proteins, receptor-regulated Smads, by heteromeric complexes of ligand-specific type I and type II serine/threonine kinase receptors. R-Smads receive a signal from the activated receptor complex and transmit it to the nucleus. A cDNA was isolated that encodes a 649-amino acid protein found to be homologous to members of R-Smad subfamily with highest homology scored to clawed African frog and human Smad2. The Schistosoma mansoni homologue (SmSmad2) was overexpressed in bacteria as a Sj26-GST fusion protein and used to raise specific antibodies. The IgG fraction of the immunized rabbit serum identified 70- and 72-kDa protein bands in Western analysis of schistosome extracts. Treatment with alkaline phosphatase removed the 72-kDa band, which indicates that this band represents the phosphorylated form of schistosome Smad2. SmSmad2 was localized in the subtegument, parenchymal cells, and sex organs in both male and female worm cryosections. Similar results were also obtained from the analysis of the Smad2 mRNA distribution pattern revealed by in situ hybridization of adult worm pair paraffin sections. SmSmad2 mRNA levels were determined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in different mammalian host developmental stages and found to be constitutively expressed. SmSmad2 was also found to interact with a previously identified SmTbetaR-I, a serine/threonine type I kinase receptor. Furthermore, SmSmad2 was shown to undergo phosphorylation by constitutively active forms of SmTbetaR-I in vitro. In addition, SmSmad2 localized in the nuclei of mink lung epithelial cells upon treatment with TGF-beta(1). These data indicate that the SmSmad2 responds to the TGF-beta signals by interaction with receptor I, which phosphorylates it, whereupon it translocates into the nucleus presumably to regulate target gene transcription and consequently elicit a specific TGF-beta effect.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York, Buffalo 14214, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Osman
authors.forename: E G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Niles
authors.forename: P T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: LoVerde
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002460:Cell Line; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008907:Mink; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D021381:Protein Transport; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D011817:Rabbits; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012550:Schistosoma mansoni / Q000737:chemistry*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051899:Smad2 Protein; D013997:Time Factors; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism*; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D020798:Two-Hybrid System Techniques
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C497782:SMAD2 protein, human; D051899:Smad2 Protein; C508960:TGFB1 protein, human; D015534:Trans-Activators; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D005982:Glutathione Transferase