Gamma-secretase-like proteolysis at site 3 (S3), within the transmembrane domain, releases the Notch intracellular domain (NICD) and activates CSL-mediated Notch signaling. S3 processing occurs only in response to ligand binding; however, the molecular basis of this regulation is unknown. Here we demonstrate that ligand binding facilitates cleavage at a novel site (S2), within the extracellular juxtamembrane region, which serves to release ectodomain repression of NICD production. Cleavage at S2 generates a transient intermediate peptide termed NEXT (Notch extracellular truncation). NEXT accumulates when NICD production is blocked by point mutations or gamma-secretase inhibitors or by loss of presenilin 1, and inhibition of NEXT eliminates NICD production. Our data demonstrate that S2 cleavage is a ligand-regulated step in the proteolytic cascade leading to Notch activation.

Many bacteria are known to regulate their cooperative activities and physiological processes through a mechanism called quorum sensing (QS), in which bacterial cells communicate with each other by releasing, sensing and responding to small diffusible signal molecules. The ability of bacteria to communicate and behave as a group for social interactions like a multi-cellular organism has provided significant benefits to bacteria in host colonization, formation of biofilms, defense against competitors, and adaptation to changing environments. Importantly, many QS-controlled activities have been involved in the virulence and pathogenic potential of bacteria. Therefore, understanding the molecular details of quorum sensing mechanisms and their controlled social activities may open a new avenue for controlling bacterial infections.

The role of Notch signaling during skin development was analyzed using Msx2-Cre to create mosaic loss-of-function alleles with precise temporal and spatial resolution. We find that gamma-secretase is not involved in skin patterning or cell fate acquisition within the hair follicle. In its absence, however, inner root sheath cells fail to maintain their fates and by the end of the first growth phase, the epidermal differentiation program is activated in outer root sheath cells. This results in complete conversion of hair follicles to epidermal cysts that bears a striking resemblance to Nevus Comedonicus. Sebaceous glands also fail to form in gamma-secretase-deficient mice. Importantly, mice with compound loss of Notch genes in their skin phenocopy loss of gamma-secretase in all three lineages, demonstrating that Notch proteolysis accounts for the major signaling function of this enzyme in this organ and that both autonomous and nonautonomous Notch-dependent signals are involved.

Notch signaling is involved in a variety of cell-fate decisions during development. Here we investigate the role of Notch signaling in apoptotic cell death of neural progenitors through the generation and analysis of cell type-specific conditional transgenic and knockout mice. We show that conditional expression of a constitutively active form of Notch1 in early neural progenitor cells, but not postmitotic neurons, selectively induces extensive apoptosis, resulting in a markedly reduced progenitor population. Conversely, attenuation of Notch signaling in Notch1 conditional knockout or Presenilin-1-/- mice results in reduced apoptosis of early neural progenitor cells. Furthermore, Notch activation in neural progenitor cells leads to elevated levels of nuclear p53 and transcriptional upregulation of the target genes Bax and Noxa, and the promotion of apoptotic cell death by Notch activation is completely suppressed by p53 deficiency. Together, these complementary gain-of-function and loss-of-function studies reveal a previously unappreciated role of Notch signaling in the regulation of apoptotic cell death during early mammalian neural development.

. We extended the link between the Notch pathway and epsin function to C. elegans, where the C. elegans lqf ortholog acts in the signaling cell to promote the glp-1/Notch pathway activity during germline development. Our results suggest that epsins play a specific, evolutionarily conserved role to promote Notch signaling during animal development and support the idea that they do so by targeting ligands of the Notch pathway for endocytosis.