Stereoselective transbilayer translocation of mannosyl phosphoryl dolichol by an endoplasmic reticulum flippase

Mannose-phosphate-dolichol (MPD) is a multifunctional glycolipid that is synthesized on the cytoplasmic face of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and used on the opposite side of the membrane in the ER lumen as a mannose donor for protein N-glycosylation, glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchoring, and C- and O-mannosylation. For this, it must be translocated, i.e., flipped, across the ER membrane. The molecular identity of the MPD translocator (MPD flippase) is not known. Here we show that MPD-flippase activity can be reconstituted in large unilamellar proteoliposomes prepared from phosphatidylcholine and Triton X-100-solubilized rat liver ER-membrane proteins. Using carboxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine 1-oxyl NO⁺ as a topological probe to selectively oxidize MPD molecules in the outer leaflet of the reconstituted vesicles, we demonstrate rapid, protein-dependent, ATP-independent transbilayer translocation of MPD from the inner to the outer leaflet. MPD flipping is highly specific. A stereoisomer of MPD was weakly translocated (> 10-fold lower rate) compared with natural MPD. Competition experiments with water-soluble isoprenyl monophosphates showed that MPD flippase recognizes the dolichol chain of MPD, preferring a saturated α-isoprene to unsaturated trans- or cis- α-isoprene units. Chromatography of the detergent-solubilized ER protein mixture prior to reconstitution indicated that MPD flippase (i) is not a Con A-binding glycoprotein and (ii) can be resolved from the oligosaccharide-diphosphate dolichol flippase that translocates Man₅GlcNAc₂-PP-dolichol, a lipid intermediate of N-glycosylation. These data provide a mechanistic framework for understanding MPD flipping, as well as a biochemical basis for identifying MPD flippase.     

ATP8B1 requires an accessory protein for endoplasmic reticulum exit and plasma membrane lipid flippase activity

Mutations in ATP8B1 cause progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis type 1 and benign recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis type 1. Previously, we have shown in mice that Atp8b1 deficiency leads to enhanced biliary excretion of phosphatidylserine, and we hypothesized that ATP8B1 is a flippase for phosphatidylserine. However, direct evidence for this function is still lacking. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, members of the Cdc50p/Lem3p family are essential for proper function of the ATP8B1 homologs. We have studied the role of two human members of this family, CDC50A and CDC50B, in the routing and activity of ATP8B1. When only ATP8B1 was expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells, the protein localized to the endoplasmic reticulum. Coexpression with CDC50 proteins resulted in relocalization of ATP8B1 from the endoplasmic reticulum to the plasma membrane. Only when ATP8B1 was coexpressed with CDC50 proteins was a 250%-500% increase in the translocation of fluorescently labeled phosphatidylserine observed. Importantly, natural phosphatidylserine exposure in the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane was reduced by 17%-25% in cells coexpressing ATP8B1 and CDC50 proteins in comparison with cells expressing ATP8B1 alone. The coexpression of ATP8B1 and CDC50A in WIF-B9 cells resulted in colocalization of both proteins in the canalicular membrane. Conclusion: Our data indicate that CDC50 proteins are pivotal factors in the trafficking of ATP8B1 to the plasma membrane and thus may be essential determinants of ATP8B1-related disease. In the plasma membrane, ATP8B1 functions as a flippase for phosphatidylserine. Finally, CDC50A may be the potential beta-subunit or chaperone for ATP8B1 in hepatocytes.     

Hepatic endoplasmic reticulum storage diseases

ABSTRACT— Endoplasmic Reticulum Storage Diseases (ERSD) represent a novel group of inborn errors of metabolism affecting secretory proteins and resulting in hepatocytic storage and plasma deficiency of the corresponding protein. The hepatocellular storage is due to a molecular abnormality hindering the translocation of the abnormal protein from the rough (RER) to the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER). The molecular abnormality is genetically determined; hence it is hereditary, congenital, familial and permanent. The storage is selective and exclusive for the mutant protein and predisposes to the development of chronic cryptogenic liver disease. ERSD include alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, fibrinogen storage and alpha-1-antichymotrypsin deficiency. Basically, the diagnosis of ERSD is a morphological one: immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy are essential tools for their identification.     

Induction of cortical endoplasmic reticulum by dimerization of a coatomer-binding peptide anchored to endoplasmic reticulum membranes

Cortical endoplasmic reticulum (cER) is a permanent feature of yeast cells but occurs transiently in most animal cell types. Ist2p is a transmembrane protein that permanently localizes to the cER in yeast. When Ist2 is expressed in mammalian cells, it induces abundant cER containing Ist2. Ist2 cytoplasmic C-terminal peptide is necessary and sufficient to induce cER. This peptide sequence resembles classic coat protein complex I (COPI) coatomer protein-binding KKXX signals, and indeed the dimerized peptide binds COPI in vitro. Controlled dimerization of this peptide induces cER in cells. RNA interference experiments confirm that coatomer is required for cER induction in vivo, as are microtubules and the microtubule plus-end binding protein EB1. We suggest that Ist2 dimerization triggers coatomer binding and clustering of this protein into domains that traffic at the microtubule growing plus-end to generate the cER beneath the plasma membrane. Sequences similar to the Ist2 lysine-rich tail are found in mammalian STIM proteins that reversibly induce the formation of cER under calcium control.The current view of the yeast endoplasmic reticulum (ER) discriminates perinuclear ER from cortical ER (cER), which forms a circular structure apposed to the plasma membrane (PM) (1). Both structures are connected by tubulated membranes (2, 3), at least transiently, because ER membranes undergo continuous fission and fusion events (4, 5). cER is a much less prominent feature of most mammalian cells (6). The best-characterized function of cER is its role in the store-operated calcium entry, an ubiquitous Ca²⁺ influx pathway activated in response to depletion of intracellular calcium stores (7).Ist2 is a “yeast peripheral” protein involved in osmotic stress tolerance. It was initially believed to be located at the plasma membrane (8–11), and its cytosolic tail (Ist2ct) has been shown to carry the peripheral targeting signal (8). Ist2ct includes a dimerization domain (amino acids 878–928) and a lysine-rich carboxy terminal tail containing a KKXX-like motif that has been proposed to interact with the PM (11, 12). The nature of the peripheral Ist2 resident sites remains a matter of debate, however. It was once thought that Ist2 reached the PM in a new Golgi-independent manner (10), but more recently it has been concluded that the major residence site is in fact the cER (11).To gain insight into the biogenesis of cER in mammalian cells, we investigated whether Ist2, when expressed in a heterologous system, can serve as a useful marker for this compartment. Interestingly, enrichment of Ist2 chimeric protein at the cER appears to directly modulate the formation and/or maintenance of this ER subdomain. These dynamic changes in peripheral ER structure are absolutely dependent on both microtubules and coat protein complex I (COPI) and suggest a different role of COPI than its classical one.     

Purification of a membrane-associated protein complex required for protein translocation across the endoplasmic reticulum.

The capacity of microsomal membranes to translocate nascent presecretory proteins across their lipid bilayer can be largely abolished by extracting them with high ionic strength buffers. It can be reconstituted by adding the salt extract back to the depleted membranes [Warren, G. & Doberstein, B. (1978) Nature (London) 273, 569-571]. Utilizing hydrophobic chromatography, we purified to homogeneity a protein component of the salt extract that reconstitutes the translocation activity of the extracted membranes. This component behaves as a homogeneous species upon gel filtration, ion-exchange chromatography, adsorption chromatography, and sucrose-gradient centrifugation. When examined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in NaDodSO4, six polypeptides with apparent Mr of 72,000, 68,000, 54,000, 19,000, 14,000, and 9000 are observed in about equal and constant stoichiometry, suggesting that they are subunits of a complex. The sedimentation coefficient of 11S is in good agreement with the sum of the Mr of the subunits. The Mr 68,000 and 9000 subunits label intensely with N-[3H]ethylmaleimide. Thus, the reported sulfhydryl group requirement of the translocation activity in the unfractionated extract [Jackson, R. C., Walter, P. & Blobel, G. (1980) Nature (London), 286, 174-176] may be localized to either or both the Mr 68,000 and 9000 subunits of the purified complex.     

Pbn1p: an essential endoplasmic reticulum membrane protein required for protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum of budding yeast

PBN1 was identified as a gene required for production of protease B (PrB) activity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. PBN1 encodes an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-localized, type I membrane glycoprotein and is essential for cell viability. To study the essential function(s) of Pbn1p, we constructed a strain with PBN1 under control of the GAL promoter. Depletion of Pbn1p in this strain abrogates processing of the ER precursor forms of PrB, Gas1p, and Pho8p. Depletion of Pbn1p does not affect exit of proprotease A or procarboxypeptidase Y from the ER, indicating that Pbn1p is not required for global exit from the ER. Depleting Pbn1p leads to a significant increase in the unfolded protein response pathway, accompanied by an expansion of bulk ER membrane, indicating that there is a defect in protein folding in the ER. pbn1-1, a nonlethal allele of PBN1, displays synthetic lethality with the ero1-1 allele (ERO1 is required for oxidation in the ER) and synthetic growth defects with the cne1Delta allele (CNE1 encodes calnexin). ER-associated degradation of a lumenal substrate, CPY*, is blocked in the absence of Pbn1p. These results suggest that Pbn1p is required for proper folding and/or the stability of a subset of proteins in the ER. Thus, Pbn1p is an essential chaperone-like protein in the ER of yeast.     

Cholesterol and steroid synthesizing smooth endoplasmic reticulum of adrenocortical cells contains high levels of translocation apparatus proteins

Steroid-secreting cells possess abundant smooth endoplasmic reticulum whose membranes contain many enzymes involved in sterol and steroid synthesis. In this study we demonstrate that adrenal smooth microsomal subfractions enriched in these membranes also possess high levels of proteins belonging to the translocation apparatus, proteins previously assumed to be confined to morphologically identifiable rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER). We further demonstrate that these smooth microsomal subfractions are capable of effecting the functions of these protein complexes: co-translational translocation, signal peptide cleavage and N-glycosylation of newly synthesized polypeptides. We hypothesize that these elements participate in regulating the levels of ER-targeted membrane proteins involved in cholesterol and steroid metabolism in a sterol-dependent and hormonally-regulated manner.     

Mitochondrial-associated endoplasmic reticulum membranes (MAM) form innate immune synapses and are targeted by hepatitis C virus

RIG-I is a cytosolic pathogen recognition receptor that engages viral RNA in infected cells to trigger innate immune defenses through its adaptor protein MAVS. MAVS resides on mitochondria and peroxisomes, but how its signaling is coordinated among these organelles has not been defined. Here we show that a major site of MAVS signaling is the mitochondrial-associated membrane (MAM), a distinct membrane compartment that links the endoplasmic reticulum to mitochondria. During RNA virus infection, RIG-I is recruited to the MAM to bind MAVS. Dynamic MAM tethering to mitochondria and peroxisomes then coordinates MAVS localization to form a signaling synapse between membranes. Importantly, the hepatitis C virus NS3/4A protease, which cleaves MAVS to support persistent infection, targets this synapse for MAVS proteolysis from the MAM, but not from mitochondria, to ablate RIG-I signaling of immune defenses. Thus, the MAM mediates an intracellular immune synapse that directs antiviral innate immunity.     

Restoring endoplasmic reticulum function by chemical chaperones: an emerging therapeutic approach for metabolic diseases

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a eukaryotic organelle that plays important roles in protein synthesis, folding and trafficking, calcium homoeostasis and lipid and steroid synthesis. It is the major protein synthesis compartment for secreted, plasma membrane and organelle proteins. Perturbations of ER homeostasis such as the accumulation of unfolded or misfolded proteins cause ER stress. To alleviate this stress, ER triggers an evolutionarily conserved signalling cascade called the unfolded protein response (UPR). As an initial response, the UPR aims at adapting and restoring ER function by translational attenuation, upregulation of ER chaperones and degradation of unfolded proteins. However, if the ER function is severely impaired because of excessive or prolonged exposure to stress, then the inflicted cells may undergo programmed cell death. During ER stress, unstable or partially folded mutant proteins are prevented from trafficking to their proper subcellular localizations and usually rapidly degraded. The small molecules named chemical chaperones help to stabilize these mutant proteins and facilitate their folding and proper trafficking from the ER to their final destinations. Because increasing number of studies suggest that ER stress is involved in a number of disease pathogenesis including neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, obesity, diabetes and atherosclerosis, promoting ER folding capacity through chemical chaperones emerges as a novel therapeutic approach. In this review, we provide insight into the many important functions of chemical chaperones during ER stress, their impact on the ER-stress-related pathologies and their potential as a new drug targets, especially in the context of metabolic disorders.     

Initiation of GalNAc-type O-glycosylation in the endoplasmic reticulum promotes cancer cell invasiveness

Invasiveness underlies cancer aggressiveness and is a hallmark of malignancy. Most malignant tumors have elevated levels of Tn, an O-GalNAc glycan. Mechanisms underlying Tn up-regulation and its effects remain unclear. Here we show that Golgi-to-endoplasmic reticulum relocation of polypeptide N-acetylgalactosamine-transferases (GalNAc-Ts) drives high Tn levels in cancer cell lines and in 70% of malignant breast tumors. This process stimulates cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix, as well as migration and invasiveness. The GalNAc-Ts lectin domain, mediating high-density glycosylation, is critical for these effects. Interfering with the lectin domain function inhibited carcinoma cell migration in vitro and metastatic potential in mice. We also show that stimulation of cell migration is dependent on Tn-bearing proteins present in lamellipodia of migrating cells. Our findings suggest that relocation of GalNAc-Ts to the endoplasmic reticulum frequently occurs upon cancerous transformation to enhance tumor cell migration and invasiveness through modification of cell surface proteins.Invasiveness is an important hallmark that differentiates malignant from benign tumors (1). Invasion of surrounding tissues often underlies the lethality of tumors, either at the primary site, as for glioblastomas, or through the formation of metastases, as for most solid tumors (2, 3). Whether the mechanisms underlying invasiveness share a common basis in different tumors remains an open question; albeit, the embryonic process of epithelio-mesenchymal transition has been proposed to be a driver (3).The induction of invasiveness is likely to involve changes both at the cell surface and in the levels of secreted factors. Therefore, both surface proteins and their attached glycans—the complex carbohydrates linked to most cell surface and secreted proteins—are likely to regulate cancer cell invasiveness. Indeed, changes in N-glycans have been proposed to have an important impact on cancer progression (4, 5).Tn is a small O-glycan present at high levels in most primary and metastatic carcinomas that correlates with metastatic potential and poor prognosis (6, 7). Normal tissues, on the other hand, express much lower levels of Tn (8). Currently, the mechanisms underlying the increase in Tn levels as well as how Tn contributes to invasiveness remain unclear. The minimal Tn epitope is N-acetyl-d-galactosamine, which is α-linked to Ser or Thr residues (O-GalNAc) and can be recognized by lectins such as Helix pomatia lectin (HPL) (9) and Vicia villosa B4 lectin (VVL) (10).Tn is formed by specific glycosyltransferases called UDP-N-acetyl-α-d-galactosamine:polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyl-transferases (GalNAc-Ts), which comprise a family of ∼20 enzymes that initiate O-GalNAc glycosylation (hereafter referred to as O-glycosylation for simplicity) by catalyzing the addition of GalNAc onto polypeptides (11). GalNAc-Ts can modify a variety of cell surface and secreted proteins (12, 13), and are unique among glycosyltransferases for their ricin-like lectin domain (11, 14). This domain binds O-GalNAc and promotes secondary GalNAc addition on neighboring positions in a peptidic sequence (15, 16). Cancer cell glycoproteins display O-GalNAc at high density (17), suggesting that the lectin domain could be important for Tn expression in tumors.Normally, GalNAc-Ts are localized in the Golgi apparatus (18) and Tn is only detected in the cis-portion of the Golgi (19). Subsequently, other glycosyltransferases rapidly elongate Tn into other, more complex O-glycans. The first step is usually carried out by C1GalT, which adds galactose to O-GalNAc and converts Tn into the T antigen, alias core 1 O-glycan, which is itself further elongated by other enzymes (20–22). Loss of C1GalT or its essential private chaperone C1GALT1C1 (Cosmc) leads to the strong up-regulation in Tn expression in patients with Tn syndrome, a rare hematological disorder (23–25). By extension, it has been proposed that high Tn tumors have lost C1GalT activity (26). This interpretation has led to hypotheses that Tn must be abundant at the surface of cancer cells and is an aberrant structure that could be targeted by the immune system or by exogenous antibodies. Although this theory has led to efforts to develop anti-Tn immunotherapy and vaccines (27, 28), the loss of C1GalT activity has only been demonstrated in a limited set of cell lines and tumors (21, 26, 29).Recently, we reported that activation of the invasion-promoting kinases EGF receptor (EGFR), platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGF-R) and Src induce Golgi-to-endoplasmic reticulum (ER) trafficking of GalNAc-Ts specifically through activation of the COPI coatomer transport machinery (30). Here we report that relocation of GalNAc-Ts to the ER markedly increases Tn staining and is a common phenomenon in human malignant breast tumors. We demonstrate that relocation of GalNAc-Ts promotes cell adhesion, cell motility, and invasiveness; it also induces the accumulation of Tn-bearing proteins in lamellipodia at the cell surface. Using a Tn-specific soluble lectin, we show that inhibition of these surface Tn-bearing proteins reduces cancer cell motility in vitro. In addition, compartment-specific inhibition of GalNAc-Ts through the expression of an ER-targeted lectin reduces Tn levels as well as cancer cell motility in vitro and invasiveness in vivo.Overall, our results link a membrane trafficking process to the regulation of glycosylation and in turn the control of cellular invasive behavior.     

Glucagon-like peptide-1 production in the GLUTag cell line is impaired by free fatty acids via endoplasmic reticulum stress

Objects

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is secreted from intestinal L cells, enhances glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, and protects pancreas beta cells. However, few studies have examined hypernutrition stress in L cells and its effects on their function. Here, we demonstrated that a high-fat diet reduced glucose-stimulated secretion of GLP-1 and induced expression of an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress markers in the intestine of a diet-induced obesity mouse model.

Methods

To clarify whether ER stress in L cells caused the attenuation of GLP-1 secretion, we treated the mouse intestinal L cell line, GLUTag cells with palmitate or oleate.

Results

Palmitate, but not oleate caused ER stress and decreased the protein levels of prohormone convertase 1/3 (PC1/3), an essential enzyme in GLP-1 production. The same phenomena were observed in GLUTag cells treated with in ER stress inducer, thapsigargin. Moreover, oleate improved palmitate-induced ER stress, reduced protein and activity levels of PC1/3, and attenuated GLP-1 secretion from GLUTag cells.

Conclusions/Interpretation

These results suggest that the intake of abundant saturated fatty acids induces ER stress in the intestine and decreases GLP-1 production.     

Binding protein BiP is required for translocation of secretory proteins into the endoplasmic reticulum in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The endoplasmic reticulum of mammalian cells contains a heat shock protein of approximately 70 kDa (hsp70) termed binding protein BiP that is thought to promote the folding and subunit assembly of newly synthesized proteins. To study BiP function, we placed the BiP-encoding gene from Saccharomyces cerevisiae under the control of a regulated promoter and examined the effects of BiP depletion. Reduction of BiP protein to about 15% of normal levels led to a profound reduction in secretion of alpha factor and invertase. At the same time, unglycosylated precursors of these proteins accumulated intracellularly. The predominant form of the invertase precursor had undergone signal sequence cleavage but accumulated as a soluble species in the cytosol. In contrast, the alpha-factor precursor was exclusively in the signal-uncleaved form. It sedimented with microsomal membranes and was exposed at the cytoplasmic face in a protease-resistant form. These findings suggest that, in yeast, BiP function is required for translocation of soluble proteins into the endoplasmic reticulum at a stage beyond the initial nascent chain-membrane association.     

川芎嗪通过抑制内质网应激减轻小肠缺血再灌注损伤的研究

目的 研究川芎嗪(TMP)对大鼠小肠缺血再灌注损伤及内质网应激通路的影响.方法 将120只Wistar大鼠按照随机数字表法平均分为假手术组、模型组和TMP低、中、高(15、30、60 mg/kg)剂量组.造模前30 min腹腔注射给药,假手术组、模型组腹腔注射生理盐水.通过夹闭肠系膜上动脉60 min制备小肠缺血再灌注...     

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase: a transmembrane glycoprotein of the endoplasmic reticulum with N-linked "high-mannose" oligosaccharides.

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (EC 1.1.1.34) is an abundant protein of the crystalloid endoplasmic reticulum of UT-1 cells, a line of cultured hamster cells that over-produces the reductase as a result of gene amplification. In the current studies, we show that reductase in UT-1 cells is a glycoprotein. The solubilized enzyme (Mr = 97,000) from UT-1 cells, Chinese hamster ovary cells, and rat liver was adsorbed quantitatively and specifically to concanavalin A-Sepharose. UT-1 cells incorporated [1,6-3H]glucosamine into the reductase; after release with endo-N-acetylglucosaminidase H most of the radioactivity was found in N-linked "high-mannose" chains, including Man6(GlcNAc)2, Man7(GlcNAc)2, and Man8(GlcNAc)2. The carbohydrate of the reductase was localized to a 30- to 35-kilodalton fragment that was separable proteolytically from a cytoplasmic 53-kilodalton fragment that contained the active site of the enzyme. We conclude that 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase is a transmembrane glycoprotein with an active site facing the cytoplasm and a carbohydrate-bearing site oriented toward the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum.