title: Proteomic analysis of GTP cyclohydrolase 1 multiprotein complexes in cultured normal adult human astrocytes under both basal and cytokine-activated conditions.
abstract: GTP cyclohydrolase 1 (GCH1) is the rate-limiting enzyme of a metabolic pathway synthesizing tetrahydrobiopterin (BH(4)), the cofactor dimerizing and activating inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS-2). GCH1 protein expression and enzyme activity are minimal in cultured, phenotypically stable, untreated normal adult human astrocytes (NAHA), but are strongly induced, together with NOS-2, by a mixture of three proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, and IFN-gamma--the CM-trio) released by microglia under brain-damaging conditions. The resulting hyper-production of NO severely harms neurons. In this study, using MALDI-TOF/MS, PMF, Western immunoblotting (WB), and antibody microarrays we identified several proteins coimmunoprecipitating with GCH1. Under basal conditions, GCH1 was associated with various adaptor/regulator molecules involved in G-protein-coupled receptors signalling, protein serine/threonine phosphatase 2Cbeta (PP2Cbeta), and serine-threonine kinases like Ca(2+) calmodulin kinases (CaMKs), casein kinases (CKs), cAMP-dependent kinases (PKAs), and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). Exposure to the three cytokines' mixture (CM-trio) significantly changed, within the 48-72 h required for the induction and activation of GCH1, the levels and identities of some of the 0 h-associated proteins: after 72 h CK-IIalpha tended to dissociate from, whereas MAPK12 and JNK3 were strongly associated with fully active GCH1. These findings provide a first enticing glimpse into the intricate mechanisms regulating GCH1 activation by proinflammatory cytokines in NAHA, and may have therapeutic implications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Surgical Sciences, Histology and Embryology Unit, University of Verona Medical School, Verona, Italy. anna.chiarini@univr.it
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chiarini
authors.forename: Ubaldo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Armato
authors.forename: Raffaella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pacchiana
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dal Pra
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D001708:Biopterins / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D006136:GTP Cyclohydrolase / Q000378:metabolism*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D047468:Immunoprecipitation; D048057:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 10 / Q000378:metabolism; D048291:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 12 / Q000378:metabolism; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes / Q000378:metabolism*; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D015398:Signal Transduction; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes; D001708:Biopterins; D048057:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 10; D048291:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 12; D006136:GTP Cyclohydrolase; C003402:sapropterin