Plexin B regulates Rho through the guanine nucleotide exchange factors leukemia-associated Rho GEF (LARG) and PDZ-RhoGEF.
Plexins represent a novel family of transmembrane receptors that transduce attractive and repulsive signals mediated by the axon-guiding molecules semaphorins. Emerging evidence implicates Rho GTPases in these biological events. However, Plexins lack any known catalytic activity in their conserved cytoplasmic tails, and how they transduce signals from semaphorins to Rho is still unknown. Here we show that Plexin B2 associates directly with two members of a recently identified family of Dbl homology/pleckstrin homology containing guanine nucleotide exchange factors for Rho, PDZ-RhoGEF, and Leukemia-associated Rho GEF (LARG). This physical interaction is mediated by their PDZ domains and a PDZ-binding motif found only in Plexins of the B family. In addition, we show that ligand-induced dimerization of Plexin B is sufficient to stimulate endogenous RhoA potently and to induce the reorganization of the cytoskeleton. Moreover, overexpression of the PDZ domain of PDZ-RhoGEF but not its regulator of G protein signaling domain prevents cell rounding and neurite retraction of differentiated PC12 cells induced by activation of endogenous Plexin B1 by semaphorin 4D. The association of Plexins with LARG and PDZ-RhoGEF thus provides a direct molecular mechanism by which semaphorins acting on Plexin B can control Rho, thereby regulating the actin-cytoskeleton during axonal guidance and cell migration.
Perrot
Valerie
V
Oral and Pharyngeal Cancer Branch, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-4340, USA.
Vazquez-Prado
Jose
J
Gutkind
J Silvio
JS
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D015723:Gene Library; D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000378:metabolism*; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D064067:Rho Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors; D020741:rho GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
C577234:ARHGEF11 protein, human; D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C492119:PLXNB1 protein, human; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate; D064067:Rho Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors; D020741:rho GTP-Binding Proteins