scholarly journals Recognition of a Single Transmembrane Degron by Sequential Quality Control Checkpoints

2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 1268-1278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence Fayadat ◽  
Ron R. Kopito

To understand the relationship between conformational maturation and quality control–mediated proteolysis in the secretory pathway, we engineered the well-characterized degron from the α-subunit of the T-cell antigen receptor (TCRα) into the α-helical transmembrane domain of homotrimeric type I integral membrane protein, influenza hemagglutinin (HA). Although the membrane degron does not appear to interfere with acquisition of native secondary structure, as assessed by the formation of native intrachain disulfide bonds, only ∼50% of nascent mutant HA chains (HA++) become membrane-integrated and acquire complex N-linked glycans indicative of transit to a post-ER compartment. The remaining ∼50% of nascent HA++ chains fail to integrate into the lipid bilayer and are subject to proteasome-dependent degradation. Site-specific cleavage by extracellular trypsin and reactivity with conformation-specific monoclonal antibodies indicate that membrane-integrated HA++ molecules are able to mature to the plasma membrane with a conformation indistinguishable from that of HAwt. These apparently native HA++ molecules are, nevertheless, rapidly degraded by a process that is insensitive to proteasome inhibitors but blocked by lysosomotropic amines. These data suggest the existence in the secretory pathway of at least two sequential quality control checkpoints that recognize the same transmembrane degron, thereby ensuring the fidelity of protein deployment to the plasma membrane.

1997 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 1943-1954 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian-Xin Zhang ◽  
Ineke Braakman ◽  
Kent E.S. Matlack ◽  
Ari Helenius

Unlike properly folded and assembled proteins, most misfolded and incompletely assembled proteins are retained in the endoplasmic reticulum of mammalian cells and degraded without transport to the Golgi complex. To analyze the mechanisms underlying this unique sorting process and its fidelity, the fate of C-terminally truncated fragments of influenza hemagglutinin was determined. An assortment of different fragments was generated by adding puromycin at low concentrations to influenza virus-infected tissue culture cells. Of the fragments generated, <2% was secreted, indicating that the system for detecting defects in newly synthesized proteins is quite stringent. The majority of secreted species corresponded to folding domains within the viral spike glycoprotein. The retained fragments acquired a partially folded structure with intrachain disulfide bonds and conformation-dependent antigenic epitopes. They associated with two lectin-like endoplasmic reticulum chaperones (calnexin and calreticulin) but not BiP/GRP78. Inhibition of the association with calnexin and calreticulin by the addition of castanospermine significantly increased fragment secretion. However, it also caused association with BiP/GRP78. These results indicated that the association with calnexin and calreticulin was involved in retaining the fragments. They also suggested that BiP/GRP78 could serve as a backup for calnexin and calreticulin in retaining the fragments. In summary, the results showed that the quality control system in the secretory pathway was efficient and sensitive to folding defects, and that it involved multiple interactions with endoplasmic reticulum chaperones.


2008 ◽  
Vol 294 (4) ◽  
pp. G1052-G1059 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pijun Wang ◽  
Soichiro Hata ◽  
Yansen Xiao ◽  
John W. Murray ◽  
Allan W. Wolkoff

Organic anion transport protein 1a1 (oatp1a1), a prototypical member of the oatp family of highly homologous transport proteins, is expressed on the basolateral (sinusoidal) surface of rat hepatocytes. The organization of oatp1a1 within the plasma membrane has not been well defined, and computer-based models have predicted possible 12- as well as 10-transmembrane domain structures. Which of oatp1a1's four potential N-linked glycosylation sites are actually glycosylated and their influence on transport function have not been investigated in a mammalian system. In the present study, topology of oatp1a1 in the rat hepatocyte plasma membrane was examined by immunofluorescence analysis using an epitope-specific antibody designed to differentiate a 10- from a 12-transmembrane domain model. To map glycosylation sites, the asparagines at the each of the four N-linked glycosylation consensus sites were mutagenized to glutamines. Mutagenized oatp1a1 constructs were expressed in HeLa cells, and effects on protein expression and transport activity were assessed. These studies revealed that oatp1a1 is a 12-transmembrane-domain protein in which the second and fifth extracellular loops are glycosylated at asparagines 124, 135, and 492, whereas the potential glycosylation site at asparagine 62 is not utilized, consistent with its position in a transmembrane domain. Constructs in which more than one glycosylation site were eliminated had reduced transport activity but not necessarily reduced transporter expression. This was in accord with the finding that fully unglycosylated oatp1a1 was well expressed but located intracellularly with limited transport ability as a consequence of its reduced cell surface expression.


2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 4448-4457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irina Arnaoutova ◽  
Catherine L. Jackson ◽  
Omayma S. Al-Awar ◽  
Julie G. Donaldson ◽  
Y. Peng Loh

Little is known about the molecular mechanism of recycling of intracellular receptors and lipid raft-associated proteins. Here, we have investigated the recycling pathway and internalization mechanism of a transmembrane, lipid raft-associated intracellular prohormone sorting receptor, carboxypeptidase E (CPE). CPE is found in the trans-Golgi network (TGN) and secretory granules of (neuro)endocrine cells. An extracellular domain of the IL2 receptor α-subunit (Tac) fused to the transmembrane domain and cytoplasmic tail of CPE (Tac-CPE25) was used as a marker to track recycling of CPE. We show in (neuro)endocrine cells, that upon stimulated secretory granule exocytosis, raft-associated Tac-CPE25 was rapidly internalized from the plasma membrane in a clathrin-independent manner into early endosomes and then transported through the endocytic recycling compartment to the TGN. A yeast two-hybrid screen and in vitro binding assay identified the CPE cytoplasmic tail sequence S472ETLNF477 as an interactor with active small GTPase ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF) 6, but not ARF1. Expression of a dominant negative, inactive ARF6 mutant blocked this recycling. Mutation of residues S472 or E473 to A in the cytoplasmic tail of CPE obliterated its binding to ARF6, and internalization from the plasma membrane of Tac-CPE25 mutated at S472 or E473 was significantly reduced. Thus, CPE recycles back to the TGN by a novel mechanism requiring ARF6 interaction and activity.


2005 ◽  
Vol 392 (3) ◽  
pp. 519-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther J. Yu ◽  
Seong-Hoon Ko ◽  
Paul W. Lenkowski ◽  
Alena Pance ◽  
Manoj K. Patel ◽  
...  

Electrical excitability in neurons depends on the expression and activity of voltage-gated sodium channels in the neuronal plasma membrane. The ion-conducting α-subunit of the channel is associated with auxiliary β-subunits of which there are four known types. In the present study, we describe the first detailed structure/function analysis of the β3-subunit. We correlate the effect of point mutations and deletions in β3 with the functional properties of the sodium channel and its membrane-targeting behaviour. We show that the extracellular domain influences sodium channel gating properties, but is not required for the delivery of β3 to the plasma membrane when expressed with the α-subunit. In contrast, the intracellular domain is essential for correct subunit targeting. Our results reveal the crucial importance of the Cys21–Cys96 disulphide bond in maintaining the functionally correct β3 structure and establish a role for a second putative disulphide bond (Cys2–Cys24) in modulating channel inactivation kinetics. Surprisingly, our results imply that the wild-type β3 molecule can traverse the secretory pathway independently of the α-subunit.


1998 ◽  
Vol 72 (8) ◽  
pp. 6657-6664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth N. Fish ◽  
Cecilia Soderberg-Naucler ◽  
Jay A. Nelson

ABSTRACT Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection of an astrocytoma cell line (U373) or human fibroblast (HF) cells results in a differential cell distribution of the major envelope glycoprotein gB (UL55). This 906-amino-acid type I glycoprotein contains an extracellular domain with a signal sequence, a transmembrane domain, and a 135-amino-acid cytoplasmic tail with a consensus casein kinase II (CKII) site located at Ser900. Since phosphorylation of proteins in the secretory pathway is an important determinant of intracellular trafficking, the state of gB phosphorylation in U373 and HF cells was examined. Analysis of cells expressing wild-type gB and gB with site-specific mutations indicated that the glycoprotein was equally phosphorylated at a single site, Ser900, in both U373 and HF cells. To assess the effect of charge on gB surface expression in U373 cells, Ser900 was replaced with an aspartate (Asp) or alanine (Ala) residue to mimic the phosphorylated and nonphosphorylated states, respectively. Expression of the Asp but not the Ala gB mutation resulted in an increase in the steady-state expression of gB at the plasma membrane (PM) in U373 cells. In addition, treatment of U373 cells with the phosphatase inhibitor tautomycin resulted in the accumulation of gB at the PM. Interestingly, the addition of a charge at Ser900 trapped gB in a low-level cycling pathway at the PM, preventing trafficking of the protein to thetrans-Golgi network or other intracellular compartments. Therefore, these results suggest that a tautomycin-sensitive phosphatase regulates cell-specific PM retrieval of gB to intracellular compartments.


2007 ◽  
Vol 81 (8) ◽  
pp. 3942-3948 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Mittler ◽  
Larissa Kolesnikova ◽  
Thomas Strecker ◽  
Wolfgang Garten ◽  
Stephan Becker

ABSTRACT The major protein constituents of the filoviral envelope are the matrix protein VP40 and the surface transmembrane protein GP. While VP40 is recruited to the sites of budding via the late retrograde endosomal transport route, GP is suggested to be transported via the classical secretory pathway involving the endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, and trans-Golgi network until it reaches the plasma membrane where most filoviral budding takes place. Since both transport routes target the plasma membrane, it was thought that GP and VP40 join there to form the viral envelope. However, it was recently shown that, upon coexpression of both proteins, GP is partially recruited into peripheral VP40-enriched multivesicular bodies, which contained markers of the late endosome. Accumulation of GP and VP40 in this compartment was presumed to play an important role in the formation of the filoviral envelope. Using a domain-swapping approach, we were able to show that the transmembrane domain of GP was essential and sufficient for (i) partial recruitment of chimeric glycoproteins into VP40-enriched multivesicular bodies and (ii) incorporation into virus-like particles (VLPs) that were released upon expression of VP40. Only those chimeric glycoproteins which were targeted to VP40-enriched endosomal multivesicular bodies were subsequently recruited into VLPs. These data show that the transmembrane domain of GP is critical for the mixing of VP40 and GP in multivesicular bodies and incorporation of GP into the viral envelope. Results further suggest that trapping of GP in the VP40-enriched late endosomal compartment is important for the formation of the viral envelope.


1986 ◽  
Vol 103 (4) ◽  
pp. 1179-1191 ◽  
Author(s):  
C S Copeland ◽  
R W Doms ◽  
E M Bolzau ◽  
R G Webster ◽  
A Helenius

The hemagglutinin (HA) of influenza virus is a homotrimeric integral membrane glycoprotein. It is cotranslationally inserted into the endoplasmic reticulum as a precursor called HA0 and transported to the cell surface via the Golgi complex. We have, in this study, investigated the kinetics and cellular location of the assembly reaction that results in HA0 trimerization. Three independent criteria were used for determining the formation of quaternary structure: the appearance of an epitope recognized by trimer-specific monoclonal antibodies; the acquisition of trypsin resistance, a characteristic of trimers; and the formation of stable complexes which cosedimented with the mature HA0 trimer (9S20,w) in sucrose gradients containing Triton X-100. The results showed that oligomer formation is a posttranslational event, occurring with a half time of approximately 7.5 min after completion of synthesis. Assembly occurs in the endoplasmic reticulum, followed almost immediately by transport to the Golgi complex. A stabilization event in trimer structure occurs when HA0 leaves the Golgi complex or reaches the plasma membrane. Approximately 10% of the newly synthesized HA0 formed aberrant trimers which were not transported from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi complex or the plasma membrane. Taken together the results suggested that formation of correctly folded quaternary structure constitutes a key event regulating the transport of the protein out of the endoplasmic reticulum. Further changes in subunit interactions occur as the trimers move along the secretory pathway.


2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (8) ◽  
pp. 3720-3730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Séverine Carrère-Kremer ◽  
Claire Montpellier-Pala ◽  
Laurence Cocquerel ◽  
Czeslaw Wychowski ◽  
François Penin ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Although biological and biochemical data have been accumulated on most hepatitis C virus proteins, the structure and function of the 63-amino-acid p7 polypeptide of this virus have never been investigated. In this work, sequence analyses predicted that p7 contains two transmembrane passages connected by a short hydrophilic segment. The C-terminal transmembrane domain of p7 was predicted to function as a signal sequence, which was confirmed experimentally by analyzing the translocation of a reporter glycoprotein fused at its C terminus. The p7 polypeptide was tagged either with the ectodomain of CD4 or with a Myc epitope to study its membrane integration, its subcellular localization, and its topology. Alkaline extraction studies confirmed that p7 is an integral membrane polypeptide. The CD4-p7 chimera was detected by immunofluorescence on the surface of nonpermeabilized cells, indicating that it is exported to the plasma membrane. However, pulse-chase analyses showed that only approximately 20% of endoglycosidase H-resistant CD4-p7 was detected after long chase times, suggesting that a large proportion of p7 stays in an early compartment of the secretory pathway. Finally, by inserting a Myc epitope in several positions of p7 and analyzing the accessibility of this epitope on the plasma membrane of HepG2 cells, we showed that p7 has a double membrane-spanning topology, with both its N and C termini oriented toward the extracellular environment. Altogether, these data indicate that p7 is a polytopic membrane protein that could have a functional role in several compartments of the secretory pathway.


1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 123-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
David B. Williams

Calnexin is an integral membrane protein of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) that binds transiently to a wide array of newly synthesized membrane and secretory proteins. It also exhibits prolonged binding to misfolded or incompletely folded proteins. Recent studies have demonstrated that calnexin functions as a molecular chaperone to facilitate the folding and assembly of proteins in the ER. It is also a component of the quality control system that prevents proteins from progressing along the secretory pathway until they have acquired proper tertiary or quaternary structure. Most proteins that are translocated into the ER are glycosylated at Asn residues, and calnexin's interactions are almost exclusively restricted to proteins that possess this posttranslational modification. The preference for glycoproteins resides in calnexin's ability to function as a lectin with specificity for the GlC1Man9GlcNAc2 oligosaccharide, an early intermediate in the processing of Asn-linked oligosaccharides. Calnexin also has the capacity to bind to polypeptide segments of unfolded glycoproteins. Available evidence suggests that calnexin utilizes its lectin property during initial capture of a newly synthesized glycoprotein and that subsequent association (and chaperone function) is mediated through polypeptide interactions. Unlike other molecular chaperones that are soluble proteins, calnexin is an intrinsic component of the ER membrane. Its unique ability to capture unfolded glycoproteins through their large oligosaccharide moieties may have evolved as a means to overcome accessibility problems imposed by being constrained within a lipid bilayer.Key words: protein folding, molecular chaperones, calnexin, quality control, endoplasmic reticulum.


2003 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 11-13
Author(s):  
Karl E. Kadler ◽  
Elizabeth G. Canty ◽  
Yinhui Lu

The secretory pathway operates like a well-oiled machine when it comes to secreting small proteins. But how does it cope with stiff rod-like molecules such as type I collagen, which spontaneously self-assembles into the millimetre-long collagen fibrils that are characteristic of the extracellular matrix (ECM)? A recent study in our laboratory shows that the secretory pathway adapts exquisitely to intracellular fibril formation by creating tubular vesicles that dock to specialized secretory nozzles in the plasma membrane (E.G. Canty, Y. Lu, R.M. Meadows, M. Shaw, D.F. Holmes and K.E. Kadler, unpublished work). This article gives a brief account of the biochemical and structural work that led up to these new observations.


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