Characterization of Arabidopsis calreticulin mutants in response to calcium and salinity stresses

As an important calcium-binding protein,calreticulin plays an important role in regulating calcium homeostasis in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of plants.Here,we identified three loss-of-function mutants ofcalreticulin genes in Arabidopsis to demonstrate the function of calreticulin in response to calcium and salinity stresses.There are three genes encoding calreticulin in Arabidopsis,and they are named AtCRT1,2,and 3,respectively.We found that both single mutant of crt3 and double mutant of crtl crt2 were more sensitive to low calcium environment than wild-type Arabidopsis.Moreover,crt3 mutant showed more sensitivity to salt treatment at germination stage,but tolerance to salt stress at later stage compared with wild-type plant.However,there was no obvious growth difference in the mutant crt1 and crt2 compared with wild-type Arabidopsis under calcium and salt stresses.These results suggest that calreticulin functions in plant responses to calcium and salt stresses.     

Characterization of Arabidopsis calreticulin mutants in response to calcium and salinity stresses

As an important calcium-binding protein, calreticulin plays an important role in regulating calcium homeostasis in endoplasmic reticulum （ER） of plants. Here, we identified three loss-of-function mutants of calreticulin genes in Arabidopsis to demonstrate the function of calreticulin in response to calcium and salinity stresses. There are three genes encoding calreticulin in Arabidopsis, and they are named AtCRT1, 2, and 3, respectively. We found that both single mutant of crt3 and double mutant of crtl crt2 were more sensitive to low calcium environment than wild-type Arabidopsis. Moreover, crt3 mutant showed more sensitivity to salt treatment at germination stage, but tolerance to salt stress at later stage compared with wild-type plant. However, there was no obvious growth difference in the mutant crtl and crt2 compared with wild-type Arabidopsis under calcium and salt stresses. These results suggest that calreticulin functions in plant responses to calcium and salt stresses.     

Caspase-12 mediates endoplasmic-reticulum-specific apoptosis and cytotoxicity by amyloid-beta

Apoptosis, or cellular suicide, is important for normal development and tissue homeostasis, but too much or too little apoptosis can also cause disease. The family of cysteine proteases, the so- called caspases, are critical mediators of programmed cell death, and thus far 14 family members have been identified. Some of these, such as caspase-8, mediate signal transduction downstream of death receptors located on the plasma membrane. Others, such as caspase-9, mediate apoptotic signals after mitochondrial damage. Stress in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) can also result in apoptosis. Here we show that caspase-12 is localized to the ER and activated by ER stress, including disruption of ER calcium homeostasis and accumulation of excess proteins in ER, but not by membrane- or mitochondrial-targeted apoptotic signals. Mice that are deficient in caspase-12 are resistant to ER stress-induced apoptosis, but their cells undergo apoptosis in response to other death stimuli. Furthermore, we show that caspase-12-deficient cortical neurons are defective in apoptosis induced by amyloid-beta protein but not by staurosporine or trophic factor deprivation. Thus, caspase-12 mediates an ER-specific apoptosis pathway and may contribute to amyloid-beta neurotoxicity.     

内质网应激反应与衰老相关疾病

内质网是真核细胞合成膜蛋白和分泌蛋白的主要场所,当细胞经历缺氧、钙离子稳态失衡、糖基化异常或内质网内蛋白合成急剧增加时,就会造成腔内未折叠蛋白聚集体的形成,引发细胞毒性.这时便会激活一系列信号通路,通过增加内质网中分子伴侣的数量、降低蛋白合成速率、加快未折叠蛋白降解来保护细胞,当刺激严重或时间过长则会引起细胞凋亡.这种反应就称为内质网应激反应,也叫未折叠蛋白反应.正常人体细胞随着分裂次数增加或受外界因素诱导逐渐进入一种不可逆的细胞周期阻滞,即细胞衰老.细胞衰老会伴随着各种生理生化的变化,如内质网的结果和功能的改变.内质网应激反应会随着细胞衰老而发生一些改变,与衰老相关疾病密切相关而备受关注.因此深入研究内质网应激反应对于揭示衰老及衰老相关疾病的分子机制具有重要的科学意义.     

A membrane protein complex mediates retro-translocation from the ER lumen into the cytosol

Elimination of misfolded proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by retro-translocation is an important physiological adaptation to ER stress. This process requires recognition of a substrate in the ER lumen and its subsequent movement through the membrane by the cytosolic p97 ATPase. Here we identify a p97-interacting membrane protein complex in the mammalian ER that links these two events. The central component of the complex, Derlin-1, is a homologue of Der1, a yeast protein whose inactivation prevents the elimination of misfolded luminal ER proteins. Derlin-1 associates with different substrates as they move through the membrane, and inactivation of Derlin-1 in C. elegans causes ER stress. Derlin-1 interacts with US11, a virally encoded ER protein that specifically targets MHC class I heavy chains for export from the ER, as well as with VIMP, a novel membrane protein that recruits the p97 ATPase and its cofactor.     

S-nitrosylated protein-disulphide isomerase links protein misfolding to neurodegeneration

Stress proteins located in the cytosol or endoplasmic reticulum (ER) maintain cell homeostasis and afford tolerance to severe insults. In neurodegenerative diseases, several chaperones ameliorate the accumulation of misfolded proteins triggered by oxidative or nitrosative stress, or of mutated gene products. Although severe ER stress can induce apoptosis, the ER withstands relatively mild insults through the expression of stress proteins or chaperones such as glucose-regulated protein (GRP) and protein-disulphide isomerase (PDI), which assist in the maturation and transport of unfolded secretory proteins. PDI catalyses thiol-disulphide exchange, thus facilitating disulphide bond formation and rearrangement reactions. PDI has two domains that function as independent active sites with homology to the small, redox-active protein thioredoxin. During neurodegenerative disorders and cerebral ischaemia, the accumulation of immature and denatured proteins results in ER dysfunction, but the upregulation of PDI represents an adaptive response to protect neuronal cells. Here we show, in brains manifesting sporadic Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease, that PDI is S-nitrosylated, a reaction transferring a nitric oxide (NO) group to a critical cysteine thiol to affect protein function. NO-induced S-nitrosylation of PDI inhibits its enzymatic activity, leads to the accumulation of polyubiquitinated proteins, and activates the unfolded protein response. S-nitrosylation also abrogates PDI-mediated attenuation of neuronal cell death triggered by ER stress, misfolded proteins or proteasome inhibition. Thus, PDI prevents neurotoxicity associated with ER stress and protein misfolding, but NO blocks this protective effect in neurodegenerative disorders through the S-nitrosylation of PDI.     

The presence of malfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum signals the induction of glucose-regulated proteins

Two glucose-regulated proteins, GRP78 and GRP94, are major constituents of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of mammalian cells. These proteins are synthesized constitutively in detectable amounts under normal growth conditions; they can also be induced under a variety of conditions of stress including glucose starvation and treatment with drugs that inhibit cellular glycosylation, with calcium ionophores or with amino-acid analogues. Unlike the closely-related heat shock protein (HSP) family, the GRPs are not induced significantly by high temperature. Recently, GRP78 has been identified as the immunoglobulin heavy chain binding protein (BiP) (ref. 5 and Y.K. et al., in preparation) which binds transiently to a variety of nascent, wild-type secretory and transmembrane proteins and permanently to malfolded proteins that accumulate within the ER. We have tested the hypothesis that the presence of malfolded proteins may be the primary signal for induction of GRPs by expressing wild-type and mutant forms of influenza virus haemagglutinin (HA) in simian cells. Only malfolded HAs, whose transport from the ER is blocked, induced the synthesis of GRPs 78 and 94. Additional evidence is presented that malfolding per se, rather than abnormal glycosylation, is the proximal inducer of this family of stress proteins.     

Dysfunction of lipid sensor GPR120 leads to obesity in both mouse and human

Free fatty acids provide an important energy source as nutrients, and act as signalling molecules in various cellular processes. Several G-protein-coupled receptors have been identified as free-fatty-acid receptors important in physiology as well as in several diseases. GPR120 (also known as O3FAR1) functions as a receptor for unsaturated long-chain free fatty acids and has a critical role in various physiological homeostasis mechanisms such as adipogenesis, regulation of appetite and food preference. Here we show that GPR120-deficient mice fed a high-fat diet develop obesity, glucose intolerance and fatty liver with decreased adipocyte differentiation and lipogenesis and enhanced hepatic lipogenesis. Insulin resistance in such mice is associated with reduced insulin signalling and enhanced inflammation in adipose tissue. In human, we show that GPR120 expression in adipose tissue is significantly higher in obese individuals than in lean controls. GPR120 exon sequencing in obese subjects reveals a deleterious non-synonymous mutation (p.R270H) that inhibits GPR120 signalling activity. Furthermore, the p.R270H variant increases the risk of obesity in European populations. Overall, this study demonstrates that the lipid sensor GPR120 has a key role in sensing dietary fat and, therefore, in the control of energy balance in both humans and rodents.     

The molecular choreography of a store-operated calcium channel

Store-operated calcium channels (SOCs) serve essential functions from secretion and motility to gene expression and cell growth. A fundamental mystery is how the depletion of Ca2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) activates Ca2+ entry through SOCs in the plasma membrane. Recent studies using genetic approaches have identified genes encoding the ER Ca2+ sensor and a prototypic SOC, the Ca2+-release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channel. New findings reveal a unique mechanism for channel activation, in which the CRAC channel and its sensor migrate independently to closely apposed sites of interaction in the ER and the plasma membrane.     

From endoplasmic-reticulum stress to the inflammatory response

The endoplasmic reticulum is responsible for much of a cell's protein synthesis and folding, but it also has an important role in sensing cellular stress. Recently, it has been shown that the endoplasmic reticulum mediates a specific set of intracellular signalling pathways in response to the accumulation of unfolded or misfolded proteins, and these pathways are collectively known as the unfolded-protein response. New observations suggest that the unfolded-protein response can initiate inflammation, and the coupling of these responses in specialized cells and tissues is now thought to be fundamental in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases. The knowledge gained from this emerging field will aid in the development of therapies for modulating cellular stress and inflammation.     

Messenger RNA targeting of rice seed storage proteins to specific ER subdomains

Rice seeds, a rich reserve of starch and protein, are a major food source in many countries. Unlike the seeds of other plants, which typically accumulate one major type of storage protein, rice seeds use two major classes, prolamines and globulin-like glutelins. Both storage proteins are synthesized on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and translocated to the ER lumen, but are then sorted into separate intracellular compartments. Prolamines are retained in the ER lumen as protein bodies whereas glutelins are transported and stored in protein storage vacuoles. Mechanisms responsible for the retention of prolamines within the ER lumen and their assembly into intracisternal inclusion granules are unknown, but the involvement of RNA localization has been suggested. Here we show that the storage protein RNAs are localized to distinct ER membranes and that prolamine RNAs are targeted to the prolamine protein bodies by a mechanism based on RNA signal(s), a process that also requires a translation initiation codon. Our results indicate that the ER may be composed of subdomains that specialize in the synthesis of proteins directed to different compartments of the plant endomembrane system.     

Cotranslocational insertion of apolipoprotein B into the inner leaflet of the endoplasmic reticulum

Apolipoprotein (apo) B100 is required for the distribution of hepatic triglyceride to peripheral tissues as very-low-density lipoproteins. The translocation of apo B100 into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and its subsequent assembly into lipoprotein particles is of particular interest as the protein is both very large (relative molecular mass 512,000) and insoluble in water. It has been proposed that apo B translocation occurs in discrete stages and is completed post-translationally. Several sites of arrest of translocation were reported to be present in apo B15 (the N-terminal 15% of the protein). We have re-examined this question by in vitro translation coupled with translocation into microsomes, and find no evidence for transmembrane segments in truncated apo B proteins. Translocated apo B17 is strongly associated with the membrane of the ER, being only partially releasable with alkaline carbonate, and remaining bound to the microsomes following disruption with saponin. The efficient binding of short segments of apo B, despite the absence of transmembrane domains, suggests that apo B is cotranslationally inserted into the inner leaflet of the ER. This will obviate problems caused by the size and insolubility of apo B100, because the growing hydrophobic protein chains will never exist in a lipid-free form during translocation. From the inner leaflet, apo B in association with membrane-derived lipid can bud into the lumen of the ER to form nascent lipoprotein particles.     

Reconstitution of a phospholipid flippase from rat liver microsomes

The endoplasmic reticulum is the principal site of synthesis and initial incorporation of membrane lipids in eukaryotic cells; the enzymes of glycerolipid biosynthesis are exclusively located on its cytoplasmic surface. To maintain a phospholipid bilayer in this organelle, newly synthesized phospholipids must be translocated to the lumenal surface. Consistent with this are measurements indicating that movement of phospholipids across microsomal membranes is rapid, with a half-time less than 5 min (refs 3 and 4). Rapid movement of phospholipids has also been detected across the plasma membrane of Bacillus megaterium, another site of de novo lipid biosynthesis. The rapid transmembrane movement of phosphatidylcholine has not been detected, however, in vesicles prepared from microsomal lipids. These latter data suggest involvement in the endoplasmic reticulum of a phospholipid-translocating protein, as was first proposed by Bretscher who called it 'flippase'. Here we report reconstitution of a phospholipid flippase from rat liver microsomes into lipid vesicles.     

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor localized to endoplasmic reticulum in cerebellar Purkinje neurons

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3) mediates the effects of several neurotransmitters, hormones and growth factors by mobilizing Ca2+ from a vesicular, non-mitochondrial intracellular store. Many studies have indirectly suggested the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to be the site of InsP3 action, though some have implicated the plasma membrane or a newly described smooth surfaced structure, termed the calciosome. Using antibodies directed against a purified InsP3-receptor glycoprotein, of relative molecular mass 260,000, in electron microscope immunocytochemical studies of rat cerebellar Purkinje cells, we have now localized the InsP3 receptor to ER, including portions of the rough endoplasmic reticulum, a population of smooth-membrane-bound organelles (smooth ER), a portion of subplasmalemmal cisternae and the nuclear membrane, but not to mitochondria or the cell membrane. These results suggest that in cerebellar Purkinje cells, InsP3-induced intracellular calcium release is not the property of a single organelle, but is effected by specialized portions of both rough and smooth ER, and possibly by other smooth surfaced structures. The present findings are the first immunocytochemical demonstration of an InsP3 receptor within a cell.     

Calcium content of mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum in liver frozen rapidly in vivo

The recognition that the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), rather than the mitochondria, is the main organelle regulating the cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration in non-muscle cells supports the notion that an alternative physiological role of mitochondrial Ca transport is the modulation of Ca-sensitive mitochondrial enzymes through small (micromolar) fluctuations in the concentration of mitochondrial matrix Ca2+. The latter mechanism could operate only if the mitochondrial Ca concentration were low, as it is in muscle and retinal rods, below the levels saturating the regulated enzymes. In contrast, if the ER serves as an intracellular Ca store, its Ca content would be expected to be high. In view of the major metabolic function of the liver, the question of whether hepatic mitochondrial matrix Ca2+ regulates metabolism is particularly important, but the range of Ca concentrations reported for isolated liver mitochondria is too wide to provide a conclusive answer. Therefore, we have used electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPMA) to measure the subcellular distribution of Ca in liver snap-frozen in vivo, and report here that the endoplasmic reticulum is a major intracellular store of Ca, while the concentration of Ca in mitochondria is low and compatible with the regulation of mitochondrial enzymes.     

内质网靶向生物活性小分子探针研究进展

内质网是真核细胞中重要的细胞器，参与多种生理过程．各种外界诱因会引发内质网应激，使细胞产生各种生物活性分子，从而导致细胞生理活性变化，引起癌症等多种疾病．生物活性物种，如活性氧、活性氮、活性硫等，具有较高的氧化还原活性和生物活性，在众多生理病理过程中起着关键作用．荧光探针技术是检测这些生物活性物种的一种较理想的手段，具有光学性质优异、定位效果突出、可以进行多功能实时原位监测等特点．因而，借助荧光成像技术监测活性物种在内质网中的变化过程，对攻克某些代谢疾病和癌症具有极大的推动作用．本文综述了近几年来可以靶向于内质网、特异性检测活性物种的荧光探针，在对其结构进行介绍的基础上，展示了其功能性和生物应用前景，并进一步阐述了定位和检测机制，最后对该类探针的未来发展进行了展望．      

Selective inhibition of cotranslational translocation of vascular cell adhesion molecule 1

Increased expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM1) is associated with a variety of chronic inflammatory conditions, making its expression and function a target for therapeutic intervention. We have recently identified CAM741, a derivative of a fungus-derived cyclopeptolide that acts as a selective inhibitor of VCAM1 synthesis in endothelial cells. Here we show that the compound represses the biosynthesis of VCAM1 in cells by blocking the process of cotranslational translocation, which is dependent on the signal peptide of VCAM1. CAM741 does not inhibit targeting of the VCAM1 nascent chains to the translocon channel but prevents translocation to the luminal side of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), through a process that involves the translocon component Sec61beta. Consequently, the VCAM1 precursor protein is synthesized towards the cytosolic compartment of the cells, where it is degraded. Our results indicate that the inhibition of cotranslational translocation with low-molecular-mass compounds, using specificity conferred by signal peptides, can modulate the biosynthesis of certain secreted and/or membrane proteins. In addition, they highlight cotranslational translocation at the ER membrane as a potential target for drug discovery.     

Spontaneous Neurotransmitter Release Depends on Intracellular Rather than ER Calcium Stores in Cultured Xenopus NMJ

Introduction During development, many cell types exhibit sponta-neous neurotransmitter release, with synaptic transmis-sions crucial for normal nervous system activity. Syn-aptic transmissions are initiated when an action poten-tial triggers the neurotran…     

Assembly of yeast Sec proteins involved in translocation into the endoplasmic reticulum into a membrane-bound multisubunit complex

Secretory-protein translocation into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is thought to be catalysed by integral membrane proteins. Genetic selections uncovered three Saccharomyces cerevisiae genes (SEC61, SEC62 and SEC63), mutations in which block import of precursor proteins into the ER lumen in vivo and in vitro. The DNA sequences of SEC62 and SEC63 predict multispanning membrane proteins, and biochemical characterization of the SEC62 protein (Sec62) confirms that it is an integral ER membrane protein. Here we show that Sec61, Sec62 and Sec63 are assembled with two additional proteins into a multisubunit membrane-associated complex. These results confirm previous predictions, based upon genetic interactions between the SEC genes, that Sec61, Sec62 and Sec63 act together to facilitate protein translocation into the ER.