Edited by Linda SpremulliHuman YVH1 (hYVH1), also known as dual specificity phosphatase 12 (DUSP12), is a poorly characterized atypical dual specificity phosphatase widely conserved throughout evolution. Recent findings have demonstrated that hYVH1 expression affects cellular DNA content and is a novel cell survival phosphatase preventing both thermal and oxidative stress-induced cell death, whereas studies in yeast have established YVH1 as a novel 60S ribosome biogenesis factor. In this study, we have isolated novel hYVH1-associating proteins from human U2OS osteosarcoma cells using affinity chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry employing ion mobility separation. Numerous ribosomal proteins were identified, confirming the work done in yeast. Furthermore, proteins known to be present on additional RNP particles were identified, including Y box-binding protein 1 (YB-1) and fragile X mental retardation protein, proteins that function in translational repression and stress granule regulation. Follow-up studies demonstrated that hYVH1 co-localizes with YB-1 and fragile X mental retardation protein on stress granules in response to arsenic treatment. Interestingly, hYVH1-positive stress granules were significantly smaller, whereas knocking down hYVH1 expression attenuated stress granule breakdown during recovery from arsenite stress, indicating a possible role for hYVH1 in stress granule disassembly. These results propagate a role for dual specificity phosphatases at RNP particles and suggest that hYVH1 may affect a variety of fundamental cellular processes by regulating messenger ribonucleoprotein (mRNP) dynamics.
The protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP)4 superfamily catalyzes phosphate hydrolysis by way of a thiol phosphate enzyme intermediate. The PTP superfamily can be subdivided into subgroups that include receptor PTPs, intracellular PTPs, phosphoinositol lipid phosphatases, and dual specificity phosphatases (DSPs) (1).The DSPs represent the most diverse group of PTPs. Their name denotes the extended substrate specificity of the group for serine/threonine and tyrosine phosphoresidues (2). Analogous to tyrosine phosphatases, DSPs contain the invariant catalytic sequence C(X) 5 R and use a thiol phosphate intermediate as a catalytic mechanism (3). The broader, more shallow active site pocket of DSPs compared with tyrosine-specific phosphatases results in stabilization of phosphoserine and phosphothreonine residues in addition to phosphotyrosine (4). Members of the DSP family can be further subdivided into unique subgroups. The best characterized, known as the mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatases, are characterized by their specificity for the pTXpY signature sequence of MAPKs (5). Another well characterized group of DSPs are the cell division cycle phosphatases (Cdc14 and Cdc25), which participate in regulation of the cell cycle by dephosphorylating cell cycle regulators, including cell cycle-dependent kinases (6). Meanwhile, a subgroup known as the atypical DSPs is the least characterized subgroup o...