The most common cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mutant in cystic fibrosis patients, ΔF508 CFTR, is retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and is consequently degraded by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway known as ER-associated degradation (ERAD). Because the prolonged interaction of ΔF508 CFTR with calnexin, an ER chaperone, results in the ERAD of ΔF508 CFTR, calnexin seems to lead it to the ERAD pathway. However, the role of calnexin in the ERAD is controversial. In this study, we found that calnexin overexpression partially attenuated the ERAD of ΔF508 CFTR. We observed the formation of concentric membranous bodies in the ER upon calnexin overexpression and that the ΔF508 CFTR but not the wild-type CFTR was retained in the concentric membranous bodies. Furthermore, we observed that calnexin overexpression moderately inhibited the formation of aggresomes accumulating the ubiquitinated ΔF508 CFTR. These findings suggest that the overexpression of calnexin may be able to create a pool of ΔF508 CFTR in the ER.
Role of ATP binding and hydrolysis in the gating of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator
