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INTRODUCTION |
The tetraspanins (also called tetraspans or TM4SF molecules) are
molecules with four transmembrane regions found in all cells but
erythrocytes. They have been implicated in many cellular functions such
as adhesion, migration, co-stimulation, signal transduction, and
differentiation (1). These various effects may be explained by the
organization by tetraspanins of a network of molecular interactions,
the tetraspanin web (previously called the tetraspan web) (2-4). Among
the molecules participating in this "web" are a subset of
1 integrins in most cell types, CD4, CD8, major
histocompatibility complex molecules, and CD19 in lymphoid cells (1,
5). The effect of tetraspanins on cell function may partly reflect the engagement of associated molecules.
Increasing evidence shows the importance of tetraspanins in
physiological and pathological situations. Recently, a relation between
mutations of Talla-1/TM4SF2 and certain cases of X-linked mental
retardation was demonstrated (6). Moreover, the crucial role of CD9 in
sperm-egg fusion has been shown (7-9). Importantly, CD9, like CD82,
acts as a suppressor of metastasis since its transfection in melanoma
cells was found to reduce their metastatic potential (10). An inverse
correlation between the expression of CD9 in the primary tumor and the
appearance of metastases in melanomas, colon, lung, and breast cancers
has been reported (11-14). The expression of CD9 and CD82 is also
frequently lower in metastatic cells compared with the primary tumor
(12, 15, 16). Another tetraspanin that might play a role in cancer is
CD81, which is a possible receptor for hepatitis C virus, a major cause
of hepatocellular carcinoma (17).
The tetraspanin web model raises the question of the identification of
web-associated molecules participating in the function of CD9. The
implication in cell migration and metastasis is often proposed
to be a consequence of its association with integrins (5, 18-21).
However, recent data suggest that CD9 most likely interacts only
indirectly with integrins, possibly through tetraspanin/tetraspanin interactions (4, 22).
Molecules interacting directly with CD9 may be more relevant with
respect to CD9 function. We have recently shown that inside the
tetraspanin web, specific tetraspanin·partner complexes could be
identified based on the resistance of these complexes to digitonin treatment (4), and we reasoned that these primary complexes would
actually correspond to direct interactions inside the tetraspanin web.
In this previous study, the major molecular partner of CD9 in carcinoma
cells was a 135-kDa molecule that we call CD9P-1 (CD9
partner 1). We now report on the production of
an anti-CD9P-1 mAb1 that was
used to purify and identify CD9P-1 and to characterize its association
with several tetraspanins.
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EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES |
Monoclonal Antibodies--
The previously described
anti-tetraspanin mAbs used in this study were SYB-1 and ALB-6 (CD9) (2,
18), Z81 (CD81; provided by Dr. F. Lanza) (23), and 11B1G4 (CD151;
provided by Dr. L. K. Ashman) (21). The new anti-tetraspanin mAbs
TS63 (IgG1, CD63), TS81 (IgG2a, CD81), TS82 and TS82b (both
IgG1, CD82), and TS151 (IgG1, CD151; this is an unrestricted anti-CD151
mAb, different from the previously described TS151r mAb
(4)) as well as the anti-
1 integrin mAb
1-vjf have been produced in our laboratory. These new
mAbs were used in most experiments except for immunoblotting, for which
SYB-1, 11B1G4, and Z81 were used. Also, among the anti-CD82 mAbs, TS82
was used for immunoprecipitation and TS82b for
immunoblotting. The anti-CD55 mAb 12A12 has been previously described
(24).
Generation of mAbs--
BALB/c mice were injected
intraperitoneally twice with 107 HeLa cells, and a final
boost was performed 3 weeks later with CD9-containing complexes
collected from a Brij 97 lysate of ~109 HeLa cells.
Spleen cells were fused with P3x63AG8 mouse myeloma cells (5 × 107 and 3 × 107 cells, respectively)
according to standard techniques and distributed into 96-well tissue
culture plates. After 2 weeks, hybridoma culture supernatants were
harvested and tested for staining of HeLa cells by indirect
immunofluorescence using a microplate fluorescence reader (Cytofluor
II, PerSeptive Biosystems, Framingham, MA) and a FACSCalibur flow
cytometer (Becton Dickinson, San Jose, CA). Positive supernatants were
then further characterized by immunoprecipitation. The anti-CD9P-1 mAb
1F11 is of the IgG1 subclass.
Plasmids and Transfection--
The two chimeric molecules CD81x9
and CD9x81 have been previously described (25). The KIAA1436
cDNA (26) was obtained from the Kazusa DNA Research Institute
(Chiba, Japan) and was subcloned in the pcDNA3 vector (Invitrogen,
Groningen, The Netherlands). For expression of the KIAA1436
gene product, CHO cells (5 × 106 cells in 0.4 ml of
RPMI 1640 medium) were electroporated at room temperature with 10 µg
of cDNA using the Gene Pulser apparatus (Bio-Rad, Ivry, France).
The conditions were 300 V and 500 microfarads. To obtain cells
stably expressing CD9P-1, G418 (Life Technologies, Inc.,
Cergy-Pontoise, France) was added 2 days later at 0.25 mg/ml. After 2 weeks, positive cells were selected by the immunomagnetic bead
technique as recommended by the manufacturer (MACS, Miltenyi Biotec,
Bergish Gladbach, Germany) using a combination of mAb 1F11 and
anti-mouse antibody coupled to submicroscopic magnetic beads.
Cell Labeling and Immunoprecipitation--
Surface labeling of
cells with EZ-Link Sulfo-NHS-LC-biotin (Pierce) was performed as
previously described (2, 4), except that the concentration of the
labeling reagent was raised to 0.5 mg/ml to increase sensitivity.
Briefly, cells were washed three times in Hanks' buffered saline and
incubated in 10 mM HEPES (pH 7.3), 150 mM NaCl,
0.2 mM CaCl2, and 0.2 mM
MgCl2 containing 0.5 mg/ml EZ-Link Sulfo-NHS-LC-biotin.
After a 30-min incubation at 4 °C, the cells were washed three times
in 20 mM Tris (pH 7.4), 137 mM NaCl, 0.2 mM CaCl2, and 0.2 mM
MgCl2 to remove free biotin and to inhibit the reactive
group. Cells labeled or not were lysed directly in the tissue culture
flask (2 ml for a 75-cm2 flask) in lysis buffer (10 mM Tris (pH 7.4), 150 mM NaCl, 0.02% NaN3, 1 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, 0.5 µg/ml leupeptin, 1 µg/ml pepstatin A, and: 10 kallikrein-inactivating units/ml aprotinin) containing 1%
detergent Brij 97 (Sigma), Triton X-100 (Roche Molecular Biochemicals,
Meylan, France), or digitonin (high purity, Roche Molecular
Biochemicals). When cells were lysed with Brij 97, this buffer was
supplemented with 1 mM CaCl2 and 1 mM MgCl2. Digitonin was first dissolved in
methanol at 10% (w/v) and then diluted 10 times in lysis buffer. After
a 30-min incubation at 4 °C, the insoluble material was removed by
centrifugation at 10,000 × g, and the cell lysate was
precleared overnight by addition of 0.005 volume of heat-inactivated
goat serum and 0.025 volume of protein G-Sepharose beads (Amersham
Pharmacia Biotech, Rainham, United Kingdom). Proteins were then
immunoprecipitated by adding 1 µl of ascites fluid and 10 µl of
protein G-Sepharose beads to 200-400 µl of the lysate. After a 5-h
incubation at 4 °C under constant agitation, the beads were washed
five times in lysis buffer. For reprecipitation, the molecules
coprecipitated with tetraspanins were eluted in lysis buffer
supplemented with 1% Triton X-100 and 0.2% SDS and reprecipitated
using specific antibodies. The immunoprecipitates were separated by
5-15% SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under nonreducing
conditions and transferred to a polyvinylidene difluoride membrane
(Amersham Pharmacia Biotech). Western blotting on immunoprecipitates
was performed using biotinylated mAbs and a streptavidin-biotinylated
horseradish peroxidase complex (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech), which was
revealed by enhanced chemiluminescence (PerkinElmer Life Sciences).
Chemical Cross-linking--
Stock solutions of 50 and 10 mM DSP (Pierce) in Me2SO (Sigma) were prepared
and diluted 100 times in buffer containing 10 mM HEPES (pH
7.3), 150 mM NaCl, 0.2 mM CaCl2,
and 0.2 mM MgCl2 immediately before use,
yielding final DSP concentrations of 0.5 and 0.1 mM and a
final Me2SO concentration of 1%. A control solution containing the same concentration of Me2SO was also
prepared. The cell monolayers (a 75-cm2 tissue culture
flask was for each condition) were incubated with these solutions for
30 min at 4 °C; washed three times in 20 mM Tris (pH
7.4), 150 mM NaCl, 0.2 mM CaCl2,
and 0.2 mM MgCl2; and lysed in 1% Triton X-100
and 0.2% SDS at 4 °C for 30 min. Immunoprecipitations and Western
blot analysis of the complexes were performed as described above,
except that mAbs coupled to Sepharose beads were used for immunoprecipitations.
Glycosidase Digestions--
The cells were surface-labeled with
biotin before lysis in lysis buffer containing 1% Triton X-100 and
0.2% SDS. After immunoprecipitation, the beads were washed three times
in the same buffer and then once with lysis buffer containing 1%
Triton X-100. The beads were boiled in 0.1% SDS for 2 min and diluted
10-fold in 20 mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.2)
containing 1% Triton X-100. After addition of 0.5 units of
N-glycanase
(peptide-N4-(N-acetyl-
-glucosaminyl)asparagine
amidase (EC 3.5.1.52), recombinant), 2.5 milliunits of
O-glycanase (glycopeptide
-N-acetylgalactosaminidase (EC 3.2.1.97) from
Diplococcus pneumoniae), or 5 milliunits of sialidase
(exo-
-sialidase (EC 3.2.1.18) from Clostridium perfringens), the samples were incubated overnight at 37 °C and analyzed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under reducing conditions. All glycosidases were from Roche Molecular Biochemicals.
CD9P-1 Purification, In-gel Enzymatic Digestion, and Mass
Spectrometry Analysis--
For purification of CD9P-1, ~1.2 × 109 cells were lysed in 10 mM Tris-HCl, 150 mM NaCl, and 1% Triton X-100 in the presence of protease
inhibitors. Insoluble material was removed by centrifugation at
12,000 × g for 30 min, and the lysates were
successively precleared with Sepharose 4B beads coupled to bovine serum
albumin and to control IgG1. After another centrifugation, the lysates
was incubated overnight in batch with Sepharose 4B beads coupled to mAb
1F11. The beads were washed three times in wash buffer and poured into a column. The beads were further washed with 5 volumes of 10 mM Tris (pH 8), 140 mM NaCl, 0.025%
NaN3, 0.5% Triton X-100, and 0.5% deoxycholate; 5 bead
volumes of 50 mM Tris (pH 8), 500 mM NaCl, and
0.1% Triton X-100; and 5 volumes of 50 mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 6.3) containing 500 mM NaCl and 0.1% Triton
X-100 before elution with 50 mM glycine HCl (pH 2.5), 150 mM NaCl, and 0.1% Triton X-100. The fractions were
analyzed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and SYPRO ruby
staining as described by the manufacturer (Molecular Probes, Inc.,
Eugene, OR).
For identification, the purified protein was concentrated using a
Microcon YM-50 (Millipore Corp., Bedford, MA) and separated by
SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (7.5% gel) under nonreducing conditions. The gels were silver-stained by successive incubations in
0.02% sodium thiosulfate for 2 min and in 0.1% silver nitrate for 40 min. The coloration was apparent following incubation of the gels in
0.014% formaldehyde and 2% sodium carbonate and was then stopped by
addition of 5% acetic acid. The protein of interest was excised from
the gels and destained for 5 min in 15 mM potassium ferricyanide and 50 mM sodium thiosulfate as described
(27). After three washes in water, the gel pieces were incubated in 50% acetonitrile and 100 mM ammonium bicarbonate (pH 8.9)
for 10 min, followed by addition of 2.7 mM dithiothreitol
for 1 h and then by addition of 6 mM iodoacetamide for
30 min. The gel pieces were dried in a vacuum centrifuge. Trypsin
digestion (cutting after arginine and lysine) was performed by
addition of 100 ng of trypsin (Promega, Madison, WI) in 100 mM ammonium bicarbonate (pH 8.9). Following enzymatic
digestion overnight at 37 °C, the resultant peptides were extracted
twice with 50 µl of 60% acetonitrile and 1% trifluoroacetic acid
(Sigma). After removal of acetonitrile by centrifugation in a vacuum
centrifuge, the peptides were concentrated using pipette tips
(C18, Millipore Corp.).
Analyses were performed using a PerSeptive Biosystems matrix-assisted
laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) Voyager-DE mass
spectrometer operated in the delayed extraction mode. Peptide mixtures
were analyzed using a saturated solution of
-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic
acid (Sigma) in acetone containing 1% trifluoroacetic acid. Peptides
were selected in the mass range of 800-4000 Da. Spectra were
calibrated using Calibration Mixture 2 of the Sequazyme peptide mass
standards kit (PerSeptive Biosystems). The search program MS-Fit,
developed by the University of California at San Francisco, was
used for searching the NCBI Protein Database. Typical search parameters
were as follows: maximum allowed peptide mass error 800 ppm,
consideration of one incomplete cleavage per peptide, and full
molecular mass and pH range.
Immunofluorescence Staining--
Serial sections (4 µm thick)
of frozen samples from a human tissue bank maintained at
80 °C
were prepared at
30 °C in a temperature-controlled microtome. They
were incubated with mAb to either CD9 or CD9P-1 for 1 h at room
temperature in a moist chamber, washed in phosphate-buffered saline,
and further incubated for 30 min with fluorescein
isothiocyanate-conjugated rabbit anti-mouse antibodies (Dako, Glostrup,
Denmark) diluted 1:1000 in phosphate-buffered saline. After three
washes, the sections were mounted in phosphate-buffered saline/glycerol
(3:7) and examined within 4 h with a fluorescence microscope
(Olympus BH-2).
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RESULTS |
Our definition of a tetraspanin partner is a molecule remaining
associated with a tetraspanin under conditions disrupting tetraspanin/tetraspanin interactions (digitonin, Triton X-100). We use
the name CD9P-1 for the 135-kDa partner of CD9.
Production of a mAb Recognizing CD9P-1--
To produce mAb
directed to CD9P-1, we immunized mice twice with HeLa cells. The final
boost was an injection of CD9-containing complexes collected from a
Brij 97 lysate of ~109 HeLa cells. Hybridomas were
produced using standard protocols and initially selected by indirect
immunofluorescence for their ability to stain HeLa cells, and anti-CD9
mAbs were identified on the basis of their reactivity toward
CD9-transfected cells. Out of ~50 supernatants staining HeLa
cells, ~10 were directed to CD9, and only one (1F11)
immunoprecipitated a molecule comigrating with the 135-kDa CD9 partner
from Triton/SDS lysates. During the initial screening, the 1F11 antigen
was found to be a partner of CD9.
Glycosidase Digestion of CD9P-1--
Like the 135-kDa CD9 partner
(4), the molecular mass of the 1F11 antigen is 125 kDa under
nonreducing conditions and 135 kDa under reducing conditions (data not
shown). Removal of N-glycans with N-glycanase
reduced the molecular mass of the 1F11 antigen to ~106 kDa (under
reducing conditions), whereas removal of sialic acid by sialidase
reduced its molecular mass to ~125 kDa (Fig. 1). Digestion in the presence of both
sialidase and O-glycanase did not further reduce the
molecular mass of CD9P-1.

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Fig. 1.
Glycosidase digestion of CD9P-1. HeLa
cells were labeled with biotin and lysed in the presence of 1% Triton
X-100 and 0.2% SDS, and CD9P-1 was immunoprecipitated (IP).
It was then left untreated (lane 1) or was treated with
N-glycanase (lane 2), sialidase (lane
3), or both sialidase and O-glycanase (lane
4). The samples were run under reducing conditions.
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CD9P-1 Is the Product of the KIAA1436 Gene--
We utilized
1F11-coated Sepharose beads to purify CD9P-1 from HeLa cells. After
concentration, electrophoresis, and silver staining, the major 125-kDa
band (under nonreducing condition) was cut out from the gels and
digested with trypsin for MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry analysis. The
spectra were used for protein identification in the NCBI Protein
Database by the MS-Fit search program. The peptide masses were
consistent with those of peptides derived from the KIAA1436 protein
(NCBI accession number 7243270). Altogether, the peptides obtained
after the enzymatic digestion matched 21% (195 out of 924) of the
KIAA1436 gene product (Table I).
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Table I
Assignment of peptide masses to the human KIAA1436 sequence
Analysis was by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry of the peptide masses,
followed by searching the NCBI Protein Database. The matching of
peptides masses labeled * or ** was compatible with
oxidation of 2 or 1 methionine, respectively.
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Flow cytometry analysis of CHO cells transfected with the
KIAA1436 cDNA indicated that 1F11 specifically
recognized this gene product (Fig.
2A). To definitively prove
that the protein encoded by the KIAA1436 gene is a CD9
partner, CHO cells were transfected with a CD9 cDNA with
or without KIAA1436 cDNA, and we examined whether the
two molecules could interact in digitonin. As shown in Fig.
2B, CD9 co-immunoprecipitated with the KIAA1436 protein from
cells transfected with both cDNAs and reciprocally.

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Fig. 2.
CD9P-1 is the product of the
KIAA1436 gene. A, CHO cells were
transiently transfected with a CD9 cDNA alone or with a
KIAA1436 cDNA and analyzed 48 h later by flow
cytometry for the expression of CD9P-1 and CD9. B,
transfected CHO cells were lysed with digitonin before
immunoprecipitation with the anti-CD9 or anti-CD9P-1 mAb as indicated.
The immunoprecipitates were analyzed by Western blot analysis using
biotin-labeled anti-CD9P-1 or anti-CD9 mAb.
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CD9P-1 Is Both a CD9 and a CD81 Partner--
Due to their
association, the patterns of surface proteins that co-immunoprecipitate
with the different tetraspanins from Brij 97 or CHAPS extracts are
identical in a given cell line (2, 3, 4, 28) (exemplified by CD9 in
Fig. 3A). A similar pattern, although with quantitative differences, was observed for CD9P-1 (Fig.
3A), which is concordant with the strong interaction of this
molecule with CD9. In digitonin, the tetraspanin/tetraspanin interactions were no longer observed, and accordingly, the patterns of
molecules that co-immunoprecipitated with different tetraspanins were
distinct (4). Under these conditions, CD9P-1 clearly
co-immunoprecipitated with CD9 and a lower fraction of CD81. Several
molecules, particularly one at 63 kDa (under nonreducing conditions),
present in both the CD9 and CD81 immunoprecipitates were absent from
the CD9P-1 immunoprecipitate (Fig. 3A). If these molecules
were barely detectable in our previous study, they are now clearly
visible because the sensitivity of the experiments has been increased.
A 175-kDa molecule (under nonreducing conditions) was present in the
CD9P-1 immunoprecipitate, but not in the CD9 or CD81
immunoprecipitates. Molecules comigrating with CD9P-1 were clearly
present in the CD9, CD81, and CD151 immunoprecipitates from digitonin
lysates (Fig. 3 and our previous study (4)). To determine the
relationship between these molecules and the KIAA1436 protein, cells
were surface-labeled with biotin before lysis with digitonin and
immunoprecipitation with anti-tetraspanins mAbs. After elution, the
co-immunoprecipitated proteins were identified by a second round of
immunoprecipitations using mAb 1F11 or an anti-
1 mAb
(Fig. 3B). CD9P-1 was present in both the CD9 and CD81
immunoprecipitates, but not in the CD151 immunoprecipitate. As
previously described (4), the 135-kDa molecule (125 kDa under
nonreducing conditions) present in the CD151 immunoprecipitate is the
1 integrin subunit, which is not present in the CD9 or CD81 immunoprecipitates.

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Fig. 3.
Analysis of tetraspanin/CD9P-1 interactions
after surface labeling. A, biotin-labeled HeLa cells
were lysed in Brij 97 or digitonin, and immunoprecipitations with the
anti-tetraspanin, anti-CD9P-1, or anti-integrin (Int.)
1 mAb were performed. The pattern of proteins
co-immunoprecipitated with CD9P-1 is similar to that with CD9 (and
other tetraspanins) in Brij 97, including molecules comigrating with
CD9 and CD81. In digitonin, CD9P-1 was present in both the CD9 and CD81
immunoprecipitates and reciprocally. The black dots indicate
bands specifically found in the CD9 and CD81 immunoprecipitates
collected from Brij 97 lysates, and the arrowhead indicates
the 175-kDa molecule found in the CD9P-1 immunoprecipitate.
B, biotin- labeled HeLa cells were lysed in digitonin before
immunoprecipitation (IP) of CD9, CD81, and CD151 complexes.
The proteins that co-immunoprecipitated were eluted with 1% Triton
X-100 and 0.2% SDS and reprecipitated with the anti-CD9P-1 mAb 1F11.
CD9P-1 was present in the CD9 and CD81 immunoprecipitates, but not in
the CD151 immunoprecipitate. Reciprocally, the 1
integrin was present in the CD151 immunoprecipitate, but not in the CD9
and CD81 immunoprecipitates. C, the same experiment was
carried out, except that lysis was with Brij 97. CD9P-1 was found in
all three tetraspanin immunoprecipitates, but not in the control CD55
immunoprecipitate.
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CD9P-1 Associates with Multiple Tetraspanins under Conditions
Allowing Tetraspanin/Tetraspanin Interactions--
To study the
interaction of CD9P-1 with additional tetraspanins and to confirm the
preceding data, Western blot analysis of immunoprecipitates was
performed (Fig. 4A). After
lysis of HeLa cells in Brij 97, a fraction of CD9P-1 was found to
associate with CD63, CD82, and CD151 in addition to CD9 and CD81. The
association of CD151 with CD9P-1 in Brij 97 extracts was confirmed by
two-step immunoprecipitation (Fig. 3C). No tetraspanin other
than CD9 and CD81 remained associated with CD9P-1 in digitonin.

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Fig. 4.
Analysis of tetraspanin/CD9P-1 interactions
by Western blotting. A, unlabeled HeLa cells were lysed
in Brij 97 or digitonin, and the solubilized proteins were
immunoprecipitated (IP) as indicated at the top of each lane
before Western blot analysis with biotin-labeled anti-CD9P-1 mAb 1F11
or anti-tetraspanin mAbs. Low amounts of CD81 and CD151 in the CD63
immunoprecipitate collected from Brij 97 lysates and low amounts of
CD81 in the CD9P-1 immunoprecipitate collected from digitonin extracts
were detected and may not be visible. B, unlabeled A431
cells were lysed in Triton X-100 supplemented or not with 0.2% SDS,
and CD9, CD81, and CD151 were immunoprecipitated as indicated at
the top of each lane. The presence of CD9P-1 in the immunoprecipitates
was analyzed by Western blotting using biotin-labeled mAb 1F11.
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Stability of the CD9·CD9P-1 and CD81·CD9P-1
Complexes--
With the exception of the association of
integrin
3
1 with CD151, the majority of
surface proteins described to associate with tetraspanins are loosely
linked to these molecules, and the association can be seen only in mild
detergents. In contrast, a fraction of CD9P-1 still remained associated
with CD9 or CD81 after lysis in Triton X-100 (Fig. 4B).
Surprisingly, although more CD9P-1 associated with CD9 than with CD81
in Brij 97 and digitonin extracts, the CD81/CD9P-1 association was more
stable since it was still observed in the presence of Triton X-100 + 0.2% SDS in both A431 (Fig. 4B) and HeLa (data not shown)
cells. No CD151/CD9P-1 association could be detected under these
conditions, which disrupt tetraspanin/tetraspanin interactions.
Size of the CD9- and CD9P-1-containing Complexes Determined by
Chemical Cross-linking--
Cross-linking experiments were performed
to determine the size of the CD9·CD9P-1 complexes. Intact A431 cells
(Fig. 5) were first pretreated with DSP
as a cross-linking reagent before lysis and immunoprecipitations with
anti-CD9, anti-CD151, or anti-CD9P-1 mAbs. The experiments were carried
out under stringent conditions to disrupt the noncovalent associations.
The immunoprecipitates were run under nonreducing conditions, and the
complexes containing CD9 or CD9P-1 were visualized by Western blotting
using the anti-CD9 mAb SYB-1 or the anti-CD9P-1 mAb 1F11. After
cross-linking, the presence of complexes recognized by the anti-CD9P-1
mAb in the CD9 immunoprecipitate (Fig. 5, upper left
panel) and, reciprocally, the presence of complexes
recognized by the anti-CD9 mAb in the CD9P-1 immunoprecipitate (Fig. 5,
lower middle panel) clearly indicate the existence of direct
CD9·CD9P-1 complexes in the cell.

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Fig. 5.
Association of CD9 and CD9P-1 determined by
chemical cross-linking. A431 cells were treated with 0, 0.1, or
0.5 mM DSP before lysis in Triton X-100 and
immunoprecipitation (IP) with the anti-CD9 mAb SYB-1,
anti-CD9P-1 mAb 1F11, or anti-CD151 mAb TS151 as indicated. The
immunoprecipitates were analyzed by Western blotting using the
biotinylated the anti-CD9P-1 mAb 1F11 (upper panels) or the
anti-CD9 mAb SYB-1 (lower panels). The major bands appearing
after cross-linking are indicated. The immunoprecipitates revealed by
the corresponding mAbs are at a lower exposure (upper middle
and lower left panels). The approximate molecular masses of
CD9P-1-containing complexes are indicated. Other CD9-containing
complexes are indicated by black dots.
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The major complex stained by the anti-CD9 mAb in both the CD9 and
CD9P-1 immunoprecipitates, using a low concentration DSP, has an
apparent molecular mass of ~150 kDa under nonreducing conditions (Fig. 5, lower left and middle panels). This band
is likely to correspond to one molecule of CD9 (~24 kDa) linked to
one molecule of CD9P-1 (~125 kDa under nonreducing conditions). It
was also detected in the CD9 immunoprecipitates probed by mAb 1F11
(Fig. 5, upper left panel). This band is difficult to
observe in the CD9P-1 immunoprecipitates probed by mAb 1F11 because of
the proximity of non-cross-linked CD9P-1 (Fig. 5, upper middle
panel).
A high molecular mass band (>400 kDa) stained by both the anti-CD9P-1
and anti-CD9 mAbs also appeared with higher concentrations of DSP in
both the CD9 and CD9P-1 immunoprecipitates. This indicates that the
CD9·CD9P-1 complexes can engage in higher order complexes. An
~300-kDa complex present in the 1F11 immunoprecipitate was not
readily immunoprecipitated (Fig. 5, upper left panel) or
labeled (Fig. 5, lower middle panel) by the anti-CD9 mAbs.
This suggests that CD9 might not be present in this complex or only as
a minor component. It probably corresponds to CD9P-1 associated with
the 175-kDa molecule that co-immunoprecipitated with CD9P-1 in
digitonin (Fig. 3A). Several bands appeared after
cross-linking in the CD9 immunoprecipitates probed by the anti-CD9 mAb,
but not in the CD9P-1 immunoprecipitates, showing that CD9 directly
associates with other molecules. This is concordant with the higher
expression of CD9 compared with CD9P-1 (Table
II) and the presence in CD9 immunoprecipitates collected from digitonin lysates of molecules not
present in the CD9P-1 immunoprecipitates (Fig. 3A).
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Table II
Expression of CD9P-1, CD9, and CD81
The expression of CD9P-1, CD9, and CD81 was studied by indirect
immunofluorescence and flow cytometry using mAbs 1F11, ALB-6, and TS81,
respectively. The staining by mAb TS81 is usually lower compared with
other CD81 mAbs. The data indicate mean fluorescence intensity compared
with the control staining based on the following scale: , <6; +,
>6, 25; ++, >25, 100; +++, >100, 400; ++++, >400.
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A weak 170-kDa complex was immunoprecipitated by the anti-CD151 mAb and
revealed by the anti-CD9 mAb. That only high molecular mass complexes
containing both CD9 and CD151 could be detected indicates that the
association of these two molecules principally takes place in
multimolecular complexes.
The Second Half of CD9 Is Involved in CD9P-1 Interaction--
We
then tested whether chimeric CD9/CD82 molecules could associate with
CD9P-1 in digitonin. The first construction, CD9x82, consists of the
first three transmembrane domains of CD9 joined to the second half of
CD82, comprising its large extracellular loop and the fourth
transmembrane region. CD82x9 is the reciprocal construction. CD9x82 was
recognized by anti-CD82 mAbs, and CD82x9 by anti-CD9 mAbs. The two
chimeric molecules were transiently transfected in CHO cells stably
expressing CD9P-1, and their ability to associate with CD9P-1 was
studied by co-immunoprecipitation. CD9P-1 was shown to associate with
CD82x9, but not with CD9x82 (Fig. 6).
These data show that the large extracellular domain and/or the fourth
transmembrane domain of CD9 is involved in the interaction with
CD9P-1.

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Fig. 6.
Association of chimeric CD9/CD82 molecules
with CD9P-1. CHO cells stably expressing CD9P-1 were transiently
transfected with CD9, CD82x9, CD82, or CD9x82. 48 h after
transfection, the cells were lysed with digitonin before
immunoprecipitation with the anti-CD9, anti-CD82, or anti-CD9P-1 mAb as
indicated and Western blot analysis using biotin-labeled mAbs. CD82x9
was recognized by anti-CD9 mAbs, whereas CD9x82 was recognized by
anti-CD82 mAbs.
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Cell and Tissue Distribution of CD9P-1 and CD9--
The expression
of CD9P-1, CD9, and CD81 in a variety of cultured cells was analyzed by
flow cytometry. All cell lines expressing CD9P-1 also expressed CD9
and, with the exception of HepG2, CD81. The highest expression of
CD9P-1 was observed in three colon carcinoma cell lines and in A431, a
squamous carcinoma cell line. Normal lung embryonic fibroblastic cells
were the only adherent cells tested that did not express CD9P-1.
Moreover, only in fibrosarcoma and hepatocyte carcinoma cell lines was
the expression of CD9 lower than that of CD9P-1. Few hematopoietic cell
types expressed CD9P-1. Besides the pre-B cell line Hoon, the other
three positive cell lines (K562, HEL, and DAMI) are of the
erythromegakaryocytic lineage, and it will be interesting to determine
whether CD9P-1 constitutes a new marker for this lineage. We have
determined that in both HEL and K562 cells, CD9P-1 had the expected
molecular mass and associated with multiple tetraspanins (data not shown).
Tissue distribution analysis was performed to compare further the
patterns of expression of CD9P-1 and CD9. It has been reported that
CD151 co-distributes with the integrin
3
1
in the basal layer of the epidermis, whereas CD9 expression is not
restricted to this layer (3, 22, 29). As shown in Fig.
7, CD9P-1 was expressed by keratinocytes,
with the labeling being more intense in basal layers than in upper
strata. A faint labeling of CD9P-1 was observed in salivary glands at
the basal surface of acini and in interglandular spaces, which strongly
stained for CD9. No detectable staining could be observed in tonsils,
heart, kidneys, colon, bronchi, lungs, thyroid, and liver, in which the
anti-CD9 mAb stained epithelial cells, blood vessels, and/or
fibroblasts (data not shown). The high level expression of CD9P-1 in
certain cancer cell lines, such as those derived from the colon or
fibrosarcoma, contrasts with the lack of detection in their normal
counterparts, raising the question of the possible up-regulation of
this molecule during tumorigenesis.

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Fig. 7.
Immunofluorescent labeling of CD9 and CD9P-1
in the skin. Sections of human skin were stained by the anti-CD9
(upper panel) or anti-CD9P-1 (lower panel) mAb.
The signal in the dermis observed in the section stained with the
anti-CD9P-1 mAb is nonspecific.
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DISCUSSION |
The current view of the function of tetraspanins is that they are
organizers, facilitators, or adaptors that assemble various molecular
complexes on the cell surface and that they can participate in the
signaling activity of associated molecules (1, 2, 5). So far, the
1 integrins are the major molecules identified in these
complexes, and CD151 has been shown to form a direct complex with
integrins (24, 30). In contrast, the interaction of CD9 with integrins
is most likely indirect (4, 22). The identification of molecules that
can interact directly with CD9 would provide important clues to
understand its function and to further characterize the tetraspanin
web. We demonstrate here that CD9P-1, a 135-kDa molecule previously
observed in CD9 and CD81 immunoprecipitates collected from digitonin
lysates (4), is such a molecule.
To identify CD9P-1, mAbs were first produced by immunizing mice with
HeLa cells, followed by a final boost consisting of CD9-containing complexes. One mAb, 1F11, was shown to recognize a 135-kDa
CD9-associated molecule, and it was used to purify the protein. Mass
spectrometry analysis indicated that the best match was the product of
a recently cloned human gene, KIAA1436 (26), a protein with
six putative immunoglobulin domains. The computed molecular mass (97 kDa after removal of the signal sequence) is compatible with the mass
of CD9P-1 after removal of N-glycans. The product of
KIAA1436 was indeed specifically recognized by mAb 1F11 and
associated with CD9 after transfection. We conclude that CD9P-1 is the
product of the KIAA1436 gene and the human ortholog of the
rat protein FPRP (the PGF-2
receptor regulatory protein) (31). To
avoid confusion with other KIAA genes and because there is
no evidence that this molecule can regulate prostaglandin receptors in
human, we prefer to continue calling this protein CD9P-1.
The CD9/CD9P-1 interaction is likely to be meaningful. Indeed, this
interaction is quite stable since it was observed under stringent
conditions in the presence of Triton X-100. Moreover, ~70% of CD9P-1
was co-immunoprecipitated with CD9. In the cell lines studied here, a
lower fraction of CD9 (~30%) was co-immunoprecipitated with CD9P-1,
and this is consistent with the higher expression of CD9 in these cell
lines. In HEL cells, nearly all CD9P-1 molecules were found to be
associated with CD9 (data not shown). In CHO cells transfected with
both CD9 and KIAA1436 cDNAs, in which similar amounts of the two molecules were expressed, the anti-CD9P-1 mAb co-immunoprecipitated as much CD9 as the anti-CD9 mAb and reciprocally, showing the high stoichiometry of this association. Finally, the CD9/CD9P-1 association exists in living cells, as determined by cross-linking experiments.
The size of the smallest CD9·CD9P-1 complex revealed after chemical
cross-linking is 150 kDa. This is the expected size for a CD9·CD9P-1
complex, which shows that this complex probably does not require
additional components. Similarly, we have previously shown that the
size of the smallest CD151·integrin complex is ~250 kDa (24), which
is close to the expected size for a complex containing CD151 and the
and
integrin subunits. These two complexes were clearly and
specifically detected by immunoprecipitations from digitonin lysates,
showing that this approach is the best one to identify direct
interactions inside the tetraspanin web. Although we did not directly
address this question by cross-linking, the detection of CD81·CD9P-1
complexes in digitonin suggests that CD81 also interacts directly with
CD9P-1. Moreover, CD81/CD9P-1 association could be observed after lysis
with Triton X-100 supplemented with SDS. Thus, although more CD9P-1
associated with CD9, the CD81/CD9P-1 interaction was more stable. The
association of CD81 with CD9P-1 under conditions in which no CD9/CD81
interactions were detectable (a very low CD9/CD81 interaction in
digitonin could be observed in rare experiments or cell lines (Fig. 4)) indicates that CD9·CD9P-1 and CD81·CD9P-1 are separate complexes.
A high molecular mass band (>400 kDa) stained by both the anti-CD9P-1
and anti-CD9 mAbs also appeared with higher concentrations of DSP in
both the CD9 and CD9P-1 immunoprecipitates. This indicates that the
CD9·CD9P-1 complexes can engage in higher order complexes. This band
may correspond to a complex comprising CD9, CD9P-1, and the 225-kDa
band observed in both the CD9 and CD9P-1 immunoprecipitates collected
from digitonin lysates Fig. 3A). Alternatively, this band
may correspond to the association of the CD9·CD9P-1 complex with
other tetraspanin·partner complexes. Indeed, like the integrins
3
1,
4
1, and
6
1 (2, 3), CD9P-1 was found to associate with all tetraspanins studied after lysing the cells with mild detergents such as Brij 97. The fact that we did not detect this large
complex in the CD151 immunoprecipitate after cross-linking does not
exclude this hypothesis because these experiments might lack
sensitivity. In a recent study, no association of CD9P-1 with
tetraspanins other than CD9 and CD81 could be detected (32). Because
the same detergent was used, this difference is likely to be due to a
higher sensitivity of our experiments, which relied upon the use of a
mAb. The interactions of CD9P-1 with the other tetraspanins were
observed in Brij 97, but not in digitonin, suggesting that these
interactions are indirect, probably through CD9 or CD81. In
cross-linking experiments, no CD151·CD9P-1 complex could be detected,
further indicating that these two molecules interact only indirectly.
It has been suggested that CD151 might be an obligatory molecular
partner of the integrin
3
1 (22). Our data
show that although all cell types studied expressing CD9P-1 also
expressed CD9 or CD81, CD9 and CD81 are not obligatory partners of
CD9P-1. Indeed, in HeLa cells, the anti-CD9 mAb precipitated only
~70% of CD9P-1. Moreover, CD9P-1 was found to form a complex with at least one other molecule in the absence of CD9 or CD81. Indeed an
~300-kDa complex present in the CD9P-1 immunoprecipitate after cross-linking was not readily immunoprecipitated or labeled by the
anti-CD9 mAbs (Fig. 5), showing that, for the most part, CD9 is not
present in this complex. Considering its molecular mass, the second
component of this complex is probably the 175-kDa molecule that
co-immunoprecipitated in digitonin with CD9P-1, but not with CD9 or
CD81 (Fig. 3).
Reciprocally, CD9P-1 is not an obligatory partner molecule for CD9.
This is implied by the higher expression of CD9 compared with CD9P-1 in
most cell lines tested and also by the existence of cell lines
expressing CD9 but not CD9P-1. We have also shown, by
co-immunoprecipitations and cross-linking, that CD9 belongs to other
complexes not containing CD9P-1. In particular, a 63-kDa molecule
(under nonreducing conditions) was present in CD9 and CD81
immunoprecipitates (but not in CD9P-1 immunoprecipitates) collected
from digitonin lysates, suggesting that this molecule could be another
CD9 and CD81 partner. Other less intense bands were also detected in
the CD9 immunoprecipitates in both HeLa (Fig. 3) and A431 (data not
shown) cells. They may correspond to molecules forming complexes with
CD9 at a low stoichiometry or, alternatively, to molecules that are
poorly biotinylated. The detection by cross-linking of many
CD9-containing complexes is in favor of this second hypothesis.
Altogether, these data suggest that CD9 has several molecular partners,
in contrast to CD151, which seems to associate directly only with the
3
1 and
6
1 integrins.
CD9P-1 is the protein coded by the KIAA1436 gene (26). This
protein is predicted to be a member of the Ig superfamily with six Ig
domains. Molecules of this family play a role in cell/cell adhesion or
communication, and some are also receptors for soluble proteins ligands
such as Ig and cytokines (33). Therefore, the functional effects of CD9
may be related in part to its association with CD9P-1. CD9P-1 is the
human ortholog of FPRP, which was first identified as a bovine corpora
luteal membrane glycoprotein that coeluted upon multiple
chromatographic procedures with bound tritiated PGF-2
(34). The rat
molecule was later found not to be a PGF-2
receptor, but to reduce
the number of PGF-2
-binding sites on COS cells transfected with the
PGF-2
receptor (35). The availability of a mAb directed to the human
molecule will allow the determination of whether the same effect is
observed in humans and to characterize the mechanism involved. It will
be of interest to determine whether this effect occurs in the context
of the tetraspanin web.
We and others have recently produced CD9-deficient mice (7-9). The
major phenotype of these mice is a female infertility related to a
defect in sperm-egg fusion. The profound effect on sperm-egg fusion
contrasted with the absence of effect in other tissues strongly
expressing this molecule. It has been proposed that in these tissues,
the lack of CD9 could be functionally compensated by another
tetraspanin. The association of both CD9 and CD81 with common molecular
partners (CD9P-1 and possibly the unidentified 63-kDa (under
nonreducing conditions) molecule) provides a molecular basis for such
compensation. Also, it would be interesting to know whether CD9P-1 is
expressed on oocytes.
In conclusion, we have identified a major molecular partner of CD9 and
CD81. The identification of this molecule and the availability of a mAb
will help to resolve the function of these molecules and also the role
of CD9 in metastasis. Further work will also have to determine whether
this molecule plays a role in hepatitis C virus infection.