Non-conventional Trafficking of the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator through the Early Secretory Pathway

Cystic fibrosis (CF) reflects the loss of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP)-regulated Cl- secretion consequent to mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. In humans, but not mice, with CF, the disease is associated with male infertility. The present study investigated the relative magnitudes of the cAMP pathways and an alternative Ca(2+)-regulated Cl- secretory pathway in primary cultures of the epididymides and the seminal vesicles of normal and CF mice. The basal equivalent short-circuit currents (Ieq) of cultures derived from the epididymides and the seminal vesicles from the CF mice were lower (6.0 +/- 0.6 and 4.0 +/- 1.0 muA/cm2, respectively) than those from normal mice (11.1 +/- 1.0 and 6.6 +/- 0.6 muA/cm2, respectively). Forskolin induced significant Ieq responses in both the epididymis (8.0 +/- 0.7 muA/cm2) and seminal vesicles (4.0 +/- 0.5 muA/cm2) from normal mice, whereas forskolin-induced changes in Ieq in CF mouse epididymis and seminal vesicles were absent, consistent with defective cAMP-CFTR-mediated Cl- secretion in CF mice. Ieq responses to agonists (ionomycin, ATP) that raise intracellular Ca2+ (Ca2+i) were larger than forskolin responses in normal animals (6.6 +/- 0.9 and 13.4 +/- 1.8 muA/cm2, respectively) and were preserved in CF (6.5 +/- 0.9 and 17.1 +/- 1.0 muA/cm2, respectively). We speculate that the fertility of male CF mice is maintained by persistent expression of the predominant alternative Ca(2+)-mediated Cl- transport system in the epididymides and seminal vesicles.

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Biosynthesis and Degradation of CFTR

Physiological Reviews ◽

10.1152/physrev.1999.79.1.s167 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 79 (1) ◽

pp. S167-S173 ◽

Cited By ~ 303

Author(s):

RON R. KOPITO

Keyword(s):

Cystic Fibrosis ◽

Secretory Pathway ◽

Covalent Modification ◽

Transmembrane Conductance Regulator ◽

Transmembrane Conductance ◽

Binding Domains ◽

The Common ◽

Effects Of Temperature ◽

Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane

Kopito, Ron R. Biosynthesis and Degradation of CFTR. Physiol. Rev. 79, Suppl.: S167–S173, 1999. — Many of the mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene that cause cystic fibrosis interfere with the folding and biosynthetic processing of nascent CFTR molecules in the endoplasmic reticulum. Mutations in the cytoplasmic nucleotide binding domains, including the common allele ΔF508, decrease the efficiency of CFTR folding, reduce the probability of its dissociation from molecular chaperones, and largely prevent its maturation through the secretory pathway to the plasma membrane. These mutant CFTR molecules are rapidly degraded by cytoplasmic proteasomes by a process that requires covalent modification by multiubiquitination. The effects of temperature and chemical chaperones on the intracellular processing of mutant CFTR molecules suggest that strategies aimed at increasing the folding yield of this protein in vivo may eventually lead to the development of novel therapies for cystic fibrosis.

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Endocytic Trafficking Routes of Wild Type and ΔF508 Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator

Molecular Biology of the Cell ◽

10.1091/mbc.e04-03-0176 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 15 (6) ◽

pp. 2684-2696 ◽

Cited By ~ 155

Author(s):

Martina Gentzsch ◽

Xiu-Bao Chang ◽

Liying Cui ◽

Yufeng Wu ◽

Victor V. Ozols ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cystic Fibrosis ◽

Secretory Pathway ◽

Endocytic Pathway ◽

Rab Gtpases ◽

Transmembrane Conductance Regulator ◽

Wild Type ◽

Transmembrane Conductance ◽

Early Endosomes ◽

Δf508 Cftr ◽

Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane

Intracellular trafficking of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is a focus of attention because it is defective in most patients with cystic fibrosis. ΔF508 CFTR, which does not mature conformationally, normally does not exit the endoplasmic reticulum, but if induced to do so at reduced temperature is short-lived at the surface. We used external epitope-tagged constructs to elucidate the itinerary and kinetics of wild type and ΔF508 CFTR in the endocytic pathway and visualized movement of CFTR from the surface to intracellular compartments. Modulation of different endocytic steps with low temperature (16°C) block, protease inhibitors, and overexpression of wild type and mutant Rab GTPases revealed that surface CFTR enters several different routes, including a Rab5-dependent initial step to early endosomes, then either Rab11-dependent recycling back to the surface or Rab7-regulated movement to late endosomes or alternatively Rab9-mediated transit to the trans-Golgi network. Without any of these modulations ΔF508 CFTR rapidly disappears from and does not return to the cell surface, confirming that its altered structure is detected in the distal as well as proximal secretory pathway. Importantly, however, the mutant protein can be rescued at the plasma membrane by Rab11 overexpression, proteasome inhibitors, or inhibition of Rab5-dependent endocytosis.

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