Rab GTPases are involved in phagosome formation and maturation. However, the role of Rab GTPases in phagocytosis against virus infection remains unknown. In this study, it was found that a Rab gene ( PjRab) from marine shrimp was upregulated in virus-resistant shrimp, suggesting that Rab GTPase was involved in the innate response to virus. The RNAi and mRNA assays revealed that the PjRab protein could regulate shrimp hemocytic phagocytosis through a protein complex consisting of the PjRab, beta-actin, tropomyosin, and envelope protein VP466 of shrimp white spot syndrome virus (WSSV). It was further demonstrated that the PjRab gene silencing by RNAi caused the increase in the number of WSSV copies, indicating that the PjRab might be an intracellular virus recognition protein employed by a host to increase the phagocytic activity. Therefore, our study presents a novel Rab-dependent signaling complex, in which the Rab GTPase might detect virus infection as an intracellular virus recognition protein and trigger downstream phagocytic defense against virus in crustacean for the first time. This discovery would improve our understanding of the still poorly understood molecular events involved in innate immune response against virus infection of invertebrates.

ErbB2 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) block tyrosine autophosphorylation and activation of the full-length transmembrane ErbB2 receptor (p185ErbB2). In addition to p185ErbB2 truncated forms of ErbB2 exist in breast cancer cell lines and clinical tumors. The contribution of these truncated forms, specifically those expressed in tumor cell nuclei, to the development of therapeutic resistance to ErbB2 TKIs has not been previously demonstrated. Here we show that expression of a 95 kDa tyrosine phosphorylated form of ErbB2, herein referred to as p95L (lapatinib-induced p95) was increased in ErbB2+ breast cancer cells treated with potent ErbB2 TKIs (lapatinib, GW2974). Expressed in tumor cell nuclei, tyrosine phosphorylation of p95L was resistant to inhibition by ErbB2 TKIs. Furthermore, the expression of p95L was increased in ErbB2+ breast cancer models of acquired therapeutic resistance to lapatinib that mimic the clinical setting. Pretreatment with proteasome inhibitors blocked p95L induction in response to ErbB2 TKIs, implicating the role of the proteasome in the regulation of p95L expression. In addition, tyrosine phosphorylated c-terminal fragments of ErbB2, generated by alternate initiation of translation and similar in molecular weight to p95L, were expressed in tumor cell nuclei, where they too were resistant to inhibition by ErbB2 TKIs. When expressed in the nuclei of lapatinib sensitive ErbB2+ breast cancer cells, truncated ErbB2 rendered cells resistant to lapatinib-induced apoptosis. Elucidating the function of nuclear truncated forms of ErbB2, and developing therapeutic strategies to block their expression and/or activation, may enhance the clinical efficacy of ErbB2 TKIs.