scholarly journals Multiple pathways in the trafficking and assembly of connexin 26, 32 and 43 into gap junction intercellular communication channels

2001 ◽  
Vol 114 (21) ◽  
pp. 3845-3855 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia E. M. Martin ◽  
Geraldine Blundell ◽  
Shoeb Ahmad ◽  
Rachel J. Errington ◽  
W. Howard Evans
Keyword(s):  
Gap Junctions ◽  
Protein Trafficking ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Secretory Pathway ◽  
Transmembrane Domain ◽  
Fluorescent Proteins ◽  
Alternative Pathway ◽  
Brefeldin A ◽  
Junctional Communication ◽  
In Cells

The assembly of gap junctions was investigated in mammalian cells expressing connexin (Cx) 26, 32 and 43 fused to green, yellow or cyan fluorescent proteins (GFP, YFP, CFP). Targeting of Cx32-CFP and 43-GFP to gap junctions and gap junctional communication was inhibited in cells treated with Brefeldin A, a drug that disassembles the Golgi. However gap junctions constructed of Cx26-GFP were only minimally affected by Brefeldin A. Nocodazole, a microtubule disruptor, had little effect on the assembly of Cx43-GFP gap junctions, but perturbed assembly of Cx26-GFP gap junctions. Co-expression of Cx26-YFP and Cx32-CFP in cells treated with Brefeldin A resulted in assembly of gap junctions constructed of Cx26-YFP. Two amino acids that distinguish Cx26 from Cx32 in transmembrane domains were mutated in Cx32 to investigate underlying mechanisms determining trafficking routes to gap junctions. One mutation, Cx32I28L, conferred on it partial Cx26-like trafficking properties as well the post-translational membrane insertion characteristics of Cx26, suggesting that a key determinant regulating trafficking was present in the first transmembrane domain. The results provide a protein trafficking basis for specifying and regulating connexin composition of gap junctions and thus selectivity of intercellular signaling, with Cx32 and 43 trafficking through the secretory pathway and Cx26 also following an alternative pathway.

scholarly journals A fluorescent lipid analogue can be used to monitor secretory activity and for isolation of mammalian secretion mutants.

1995 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
N T Ktistakis ◽  
C Y Kao ◽  
R H Wang ◽  
M G Roth
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Hamster Ovary ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Secretory Pathway ◽  
Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells ◽  
Chinese Hamster ◽  
Brefeldin A ◽  
Secretory Activity ◽  
Specific Marker ◽  
Ovary Cells ◽  
Fluorescent Lipid

The use of reporter proteins to study the regulation of secretion has often been complicated by posttranslational processing events that influence the secretion of certain proteins, but are not part of the cellular mechanisms that specifically regulate secretion. This has been a particular limitation for the isolation of mammalian secretion mutants, which has typically been a slow process. To provide a reporter of secretory activity independent of protein processing events, cells were labeled with the fluorescent lipid analogue C5-DMB-ceramide (ceramide coupled to the fluorophore boron dipyrromethene difluoride) and its secretion was followed by fluorescence microscopy and fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Brefeldin A, which severely inhibits secretion in Chinese hamster ovary cells, blocked secretion of C5-DMB-ceramide. At high temperature, export of C5-DMB-ceramide was inhibited in HRP-1 cells, which have a conditional defect in secretion. Using C5-DMB-ceramide as a reporter of secretory activity, several different pulse-chase protocols were designed that selected mutant Chinese hamster ovary cells that were resistant to the drug brefeldin A and others that were defective in the transport of glycoproteins to the cell surface. Mutant cells of either type were identified in a mutagenized population at a frequency of 10(-6). Thus, the fluorescent lipid C5-DMB-ceramide can be used as a specific marker of secretory activity, providing an efficient, general approach for isolating mammalian cells with defects in the secretory pathway.

scholarly journals Commonly used trafficking blocks disrupt ARF1 activation and the localization and function of specific Golgi proteins

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. 937-947 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine E. Gilbert ◽  
Elizabeth Sztul ◽  
Carolyn E. Machamer
Keyword(s):  
Protein Trafficking ◽  
Secretory Pathway ◽  
Brefeldin A ◽  
Small Gtpase ◽  
Cold Temperature ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Specific Subset ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange Factor ◽  
Cargo Proteins ◽  
And Function

ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF) proteins are key regulators of the secretory pathway. ARF1, through interacting with its effectors, regulates protein trafficking by facilitating numerous events at the Golgi. One unique ARF1 effector is golgin-160, which promotes the trafficking of only a specific subset of cargo proteins through the Golgi. While studying this role of golgin-160, we discovered that commonly used cold temperature blocks utilized to synchronize cargo trafficking (20 and 16°C) caused golgin-160 dispersal from Golgi membranes. Here, we show that the loss of golgin-160 localization correlates with a decrease in the levels of activated ARF1, and that golgin-160 dispersal can be prevented by expression of a GTP-locked ARF1 mutant. Overexpression of the ARF1 activator Golgi brefeldin A–resistant guanine nucleotide exchange factor 1 (GBF1) did not prevent golgin-160 dispersal, suggesting that GBF1 may be nonfunctional at lower temperatures. We further discovered that several other Golgi resident proteins had altered localization at lower temperatures, including proteins recruited by ARF-like GTPase 1 (ARL1), a small GTPase that also became dispersed in the cold. Although cold temperature blocks are useful for synchronizing cargo trafficking through the Golgi, our data indicate that caution must be taken when interpreting results from these assays.

scholarly journals Comparative Analysis of Cx31 and Cx43 in Differentiation-Competent Rodent Keratinocytes

Biomolecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1443
Author(s):  
Akina Au ◽  
Qing Shao ◽  
Kyra K. White ◽  
Sergiu A. Lucaciu ◽  
Jessica L. Esseltine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gap Junctions ◽  
Protein Trafficking ◽  
Mrna Level ◽  
Brefeldin A ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Keratinocyte Differentiation ◽  
Epidermal Keratinocytes ◽  
Single Cell Type ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Time Lapse Imaging

When considering connexin expression and regulation, the epidermis of the skin is one of the most complex tissues found in mammals even though it largely contains a single cell type, the keratinocyte. In the rodent epidermis, up to 9 connexin family members have been detected at the mRNA level. Many of these connexins are temporally and spatially regulated in coordination with keratinocyte progenitor cell differentiation and migration from the stratum basale to form the stratum spinosum and stratum granulosum layers before finally forming the stratum corneum. Cx43 is the principal connexin found in basal keratinocytes and to a lesser degree found in keratinocytes that have begun to differentiate where Cx26, Cx30 and Cx31 become prevalent. Here we show that the CRISPR-Cas9 ablation of Cx43 reduces overall gap junction coupling in monolayer cultures of rat epidermal keratinocytes (REKs) and dysregulates the differentiation of REKs when grown in organotypic cultures. Natively found in differentiated keratinocytes, Cx31 readily assembles into gap junctions when expressed in REKs where it can extensively co-assemble into the same gap junctions with co-expressed Cx30. Time-lapse imaging indicated that many Cx31 gap junctions are mobile within the plasma membrane undergoing both fusion and fission events. Finally, the persistence of pre-existing Cx31 gap junctions in the presence of the protein trafficking blocker, brefeldin A, is longer than that found for Cx43 gap junctions indicating that it has a distinctly different life expectancy in REKs. Collectively, this study highlights the importance of Cx43 in rodent keratinocyte differentiation and suggests that Cx31 acquires life-cycle properties that are distinct from Cx43.

scholarly journals Transmembrane domain–dependent partitioning of membrane proteins within the endoplasmic reticulum

2008 ◽  
Vol 181 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Ronchi ◽  
Sara Colombo ◽  
Maura Francolini ◽  
Nica Borgese
Keyword(s):  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Secretory Pathway ◽  
Transmembrane Domain ◽  
Fluorescent Proteins ◽  
Lipid Interactions ◽  
Er Exit Sites ◽  
Physicochemical Features ◽  
Er Membrane

The length and hydrophobicity of the transmembrane domain (TMD) play an important role in the sorting of membrane proteins within the secretory pathway; however, the relative contributions of protein–protein and protein–lipid interactions to this phenomenon are currently not understood. To investigate the mechanism of TMD-dependent sorting, we used the following two C tail–anchored fluorescent proteins (FPs), which differ only in TMD length: FP-17, which is anchored to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane by 17 uncharged residues, and FP-22, which is driven to the plasma membrane by its 22-residue-long TMD. Before export of FP-22, the two constructs, although freely diffusible, were seen to distribute differently between ER tubules and sheets. Analyses in temperature-blocked cells revealed that FP-17 is excluded from ER exit sites, whereas FP-22 is recruited to them, although it remains freely exchangeable with the surrounding reticulum. Thus, physicochemical features of the TMD influence sorting of membrane proteins both within the ER and at the ER–Golgi boundary by simple receptor-independent mechanisms based on partitioning.

scholarly journals Proteolytic processing of QSOX1A ensures efficient secretion of a potent disulfide catalyst

2013 ◽  
Vol 454 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Rudolf ◽  
Marie A. Pringle ◽  
Neil J. Bulleid
Keyword(s):  
Disulfide Bonds ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Secretory Pathway ◽  
Transmembrane Domain ◽  
Subcellular Location ◽  
Proteolytic Processing ◽  
Protein Substrates ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Efficient Processing ◽  
Quiescin Sulfhydryl Oxidase

QSOX1 (quiescin sulfhydryl oxidase 1) efficiently catalyses the insertion of disulfide bonds into a wide range of proteins. The enzyme is mechanistically well characterized, but its subcellular location and the identity of its protein substrates remain ill-defined. The function of QSOX1 is likely to involve disulfide formation in proteins entering the secretory pathway or outside the cell. In the present study, we show that this enzyme is efficiently secreted from mammalian cells despite the presence of a transmembrane domain. We identify internal cleavage sites and demonstrate that the protein is processed within the Golgi apparatus to yield soluble enzyme. As a consequence of this efficient processing, QSOX1 is probably functional outside the cell. Also, QSOX1 forms a dimer upon cleavage of the C-terminal domain. The processing of QSOX1 suggests a novel level of regulation of secretion of this potent disulfide catalyst and producer of hydrogen peroxide.

scholarly journals Characterization of Secretory Genes ypt1/yptA and nsf1/nsfA from Two Filamentous Fungi: Induction of Secretory Pathway Genes of Trichoderma reesei under Secretion Stress Conditions

2004 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 459-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markku Saloheimo ◽  
Huaming Wang ◽  
Mari Valkonen ◽  
Tuija Vasara ◽  
Anne Huuskonen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trichoderma Reesei ◽  
Filamentous Fungi ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Protein Trafficking ◽  
Secretory Pathway ◽  
Brefeldin A ◽  
Protein Accumulation ◽  
Transcriptional Level ◽  
Rab Protein ◽  
High Level

ABSTRACT Two genes involved in protein secretion, encoding the Rab protein YPT1/YPTA and the general fusion factor NSFI/NSFA, were characterized from two filamentous fungi, Trichoderma reesei and Aspergillus niger var. awamori. The isolated genes showed a high level of conservation with their Saccharomyces cerevisiae and mammalian counterparts, and T. reesei ypt1 was shown to complement yeast Ypt1p depletion. The transcriptional regulation of the T. reesei ypt1, nsf1, and sar1 genes, involved in protein trafficking, was studied with mycelia treated with the folding inhibitor dithiothreitol (DTT) and with brefeldin A, which inhibits membrane traffic between the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi complex. The well-known inducer of the yeast and T. reesei unfolded protein response (UPR), DTT, induced the nsf1 gene and the protein disulfide isomerase gene, pdi1, in both of the experiments, and sar1 mRNA increased in only one experiment under strong UPR induction. The ypt1 mRNA did not show a clear increase during DTT treatment. Brefeldin A strongly induced pdi1 and all of the intracellular trafficking genes studied. These results suggest the possibility that the whole secretory pathway of T. reesei could be induced at the transcriptional level by stress responses caused by protein accumulation in the secretory pathway.

scholarly journals Distinct Roles for the AAA ATPases NSF and p97 in the Secretory Pathway

2004 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 637-648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seema Dalal ◽  
Meredith F. N. Rosser ◽  
Douglas M. Cyr ◽  
Phyllis I. Hanson
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Trafficking ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Secretory Pathway ◽  
Atp Hydrolysis ◽  
Brefeldin A ◽  
Transmembrane Conductance Regulator ◽  
Organelle Biogenesis ◽  
Ubiquitinated Proteins ◽  
Organelle Assembly ◽  
Specific Assessment

NSF and p97 are related AAA proteins implicated in membrane trafficking and organelle biogenesis. p97 is also involved in pathways that lead to ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis, including ER-associated degradation (ERAD). In this study, we have used dominant interfering ATP-hydrolysis deficient mutants (NSF(E329Q) and p97(E578Q)) to compare the function of these AAA proteins in the secretory pathway of mammalian cells. Expressing NSF(E329Q) promotes disassembly of Golgi stacks into dispersed vesicular structures. It also rapidly inhibits glycosaminoglycan sulfation, reflecting disruption of intra-Golgi transport. In contrast, expressing p97(E578Q) does not affect Golgi structure or function; glycosaminoglycans are normally sulfated and secreted, as is the VSV-G ts045 protein. Instead, expression of p97(E578Q) causes ubiquitinated proteins to accumulate on ER membranes and slows degradation of the ERAD substrate cystic-fibrosis transmembrane-conductance regulator. In addition, expression of p97(E578Q) eventually causes the ER to swell. More specific assessment of effects of p97(E578Q) on organelle assembly shows that the Golgi apparatus disperses and reassembles normally after treatment with brefeldin A and during mitosis. These findings demonstrate that ATP-hydrolysis-dependent activities of NSF and p97 in the cell are not equivalent and suggest that only NSF is directly involved in regulating membrane fusion.

scholarly journals Phosphorylation and membrane dissociation of the ARF exchange factor GBF1 in mitosis

2010 ◽  
Vol 427 (3) ◽  
pp. 401-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuichi Morohashi ◽  
Zita Balklava ◽  
Matthew Ball ◽  
Helen Hughes ◽  
Martin Lowe
Keyword(s):  
Golgi Apparatus ◽  
Protein Trafficking ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Cell Cycle Progression ◽  
Brefeldin A ◽  
Secretory Protein ◽  
Golgi Membrane ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Exchange Factor ◽  
Mitotic Cells

Secretory protein trafficking is arrested and the Golgi apparatus fragmented when mammalian cells enter mitosis. These changes are thought to facilitate cell-cycle progression and Golgi inheritance, and are brought about through the actions of mitotically active protein kinases. To better understand how the Golgi apparatus undergoes mitotic fragmentation we have sought to identify novel Golgi targets for mitotic kinases. We report in the present paper the identification of the ARF (ADP-ribosylation factor) exchange factor GBF1 (Golgi-specific brefeldin A-resistant guanine nucleotide-exchange factor 1) as a Golgi phosphoprotein. GBF1 is phosphorylated by CDK1 (cyclin-dependent kinase 1)–cyclin B in mitosis, which results in its dissociation from Golgi membranes. Consistent with a reduced level of GBF1 activity at the Golgi membrane there is a reduction in levels of membrane-associated GTP-bound ARF in mitotic cells. Despite the reduced levels of membrane-bound GBF1 and ARF, COPI (coat protein I) binding to the Golgi membrane appears unaffected in mitotic cells. Surprisingly, this pool of COPI is dependent upon GBF1 for its recruitment to the membrane, suggesting that a low level of GBF1 activity persists in mitosis. We propose that the phosphorylation and membrane dissociation of GBF1 and the consequent reduction in ARF-GTP levels in mitosis are important for changes in Golgi dynamics and possibly other mitotic events mediated through effectors other than the COPI vesicle coat.

scholarly journals Specific permeability and selective formation of gap junction channels in connexin-transfected HeLa cells.

1995 ◽  
Vol 129 (3) ◽  
pp. 805-817 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Elfgang ◽  
R Eckert ◽  
H Lichtenberg-Fraté ◽  
A Butterweck ◽  
O Traub ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gap Junctions ◽  
Hela Cells ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Lucifer Yellow ◽  
Growth Control ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Junctional Communication ◽  
Specific Permeability ◽  
Pass Through ◽  
Alpha Type

DNAs coding for seven murine connexins (Cx) (Cx26, Cx31, Cx32, Cx37, Cx40, Cx43, and Cx45) are functionally expressed in human HeLa cells that were deficient in gap junctional communication. We compare the permeabilities of gap junctions comprised of different connexins to iontophoretically injected tracer molecules. Our results show that Lucifer yellow can pass through all connexin channels analyzed. On the other hand, propidium iodide and ethidium bromide penetrate very poorly or not at all through Cx31 and Cx32 channels, respectively, but pass through channels of other connexins. 4,6 Diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) dihydrochloride shows less transfer among Cx31 or Cx43 transfectants. Neurobiotin is weakly transferred among Cx31 transfectants. Total junctional conductance in Cx31 or Cx45 transfected cells is only about half as high as in other connexin transfectants analyzed and does not correlate exactly with any of the tracer permeabilities. Permeability through different connexin channels appears to be dependent on the molecular structure of each tracer, i.e. size, charge and possibly rigidity. This supports the hypothesis that different connexin channels show different permeabilities to second messenger molecules as well as metabolites and may fulfill in this way their specific role in growth control and differentiation of cell types. In addition, we have investigated the function of heterotypic gap junctions after co-cultivation of two different connexin transfectants, one of which had been prelabeled with fluorescent dextran beads. Analysis of Lucifer yellow transfer reveals that HeLa cells expressing Cx31 (beta-type connexin) do not communicate with any other connexin transfectant tested but only with themselves. Two other beta-type connexin transfectants, HeLa-Cx26 and -Cx32, do not transmit Lucifer yellow to any of the alpha-type connexins analyzed. Among alpha-type connexins, Cx40 does not communicate with Cx43. Thus, connexins differ in their ability to form functional heterotypic gap junctions among mammalian cells.

scholarly journals Post-Golgi membrane traffic: brefeldin A inhibits export from distal Golgi compartments to the cell surface but not recycling.

1992 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
S G Miller ◽  
L Carnell ◽  
H H Moore
Keyword(s):  
Cell Surface ◽  
G Protein ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Secretory Pathway ◽  
Brefeldin A ◽  
Endocytic Pathway ◽  
Golgi Membrane ◽  
Granule Formation ◽  
Secretogranin Ii ◽  
Golgi System

Recent studies using the fungal metabolite brefeldin A (BFA) have provided important insights into the dynamics and the organization of the ER/Golgi membrane system. Here we examined the effect of BFA on the functional integrity of the distal part of the secretory pathway, i.e., transport between trans-Golgi cisternae and the cell surface. To assay export via the constitutive pathway, we followed the movement of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) G glycoprotein that had been accumulated in the trans-Golgi network (TGN) by incubation of infected BHK-21 cells at 20 degrees C. Addition of BFA rapidly and reversibly inhibited cell surface transport of G protein. The block to secretion was not due to redistribution of externalized G protein to internal pools. It was also not due to collapse of TGN to the ER, since VSV G protein blocked in treated cells resided in compartments that were distinct from the ER/Golgi system. Similar effects were found with a bulk-flow marker: BFA blocked constitutive secretion of glycosaminoglycan chains that had been synthesized and sulfated in the trans-Golgi cisternae. To examine export via the regulated secretory pathway, we assayed secretion of [35S]SO4 labeled secretogranin II from PC12 cells, a marker that has been used to study secretory granule budding from the TGN (Tooze, S. A., U. Weiss, and W. B. Huttner. 1990. Nature [Lond.]. 347:207-208). BFA potently inhibited secretion of sulfated secretogranin II induced by K+ depolarization. Inhibition was at the level of granule formation, since BFA had no effect on regulated secretion from preformed granules. Taken together, the results suggest that BFA blocks export via both the constitutive and the regulated pathways. In contrast, endocytosis and recycling of VSV G protein were not blocked by BFA, consistent with previous studies that endocytosis is unaffected (Misumi, Y., Y. Misumi, K. Miki, A Takatsuki, G. Tamura, and Y. Ikehara. 1986. J. Biol. Chem. 261:11398-11403). These and earlier results suggest that the exo/endocytic pathway of mammalian cells consist of two similar but distinct endomembrane systems: an ER/Golgi system and a post-Golgi system. BFA prevents forward transport without affecting return traffic in both systems.

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