应激颗粒在细胞衰老中的作用

细胞衰老是当不断增殖的细胞受到氧化应激、DNA损伤和癌基因活化等内源或外源压力时,诱发的细胞周期永久停滞的一种状态,被认为是一种保护机体以免获得不必要损害的细胞防御机制.研究表明,细胞衰老对胚胎发育、组织重塑、伤口愈合和肿瘤抑制等有益.作为机体衰老的重要特征,细胞衰老也会引发生理机能衰退和衰老相关疾病,如神经性退行性疾...     

葡萄糖调节蛋白GRP78研究进展

葡萄糖调节蛋白78(glucose regulated p rotein78 kD,GRP78)又称免疫球蛋白重链结合蛋白(immunoglobulin heavy chain binding protein,Bip),是位于内质网上重要的分子伴侣,属热休克蛋白70家族的一员.GRP78分子及其DNA分子序列结构在许多生物物种中高度保守.GRP78在内质网中参与阻止内质网新生肽聚集、调节内质网钙稳态、抗内质网相关性细胞凋亡,以及启动未折叠蛋白反应等细胞生命过程.GRP78生物学功能的研究已经引起生物学家的广泛重视.     

端粒,端粒酶与细胞衰老

细胞衰老是指正常细胞的有限增殖性,放多因素影响或控制着细胞衰老的发生,发展。端粒是染色体的末端,具有保护端粒ＤＮＡ的功能,随着ＤＮＡ不断复制和细胞分裂,端粒长度会逐渐缩短,而细胞衰老的过程也就开始,端粒酶活性和端粒长度呈正相关,间接地影响了细胞的衰老过程。     

HAC1基因过表达对重组人CTLA-4蛋白在毕赤酵母中分泌表达的影响

重组人细胞毒性T细胞相关抗原(Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Associated Antigen 4,CTLA-4)是一类重要的基因工程药物,其在毕赤酵母中表达水平偏低使其一直无法广泛应用于临床治疗.而影响毕赤酵母中的外源蛋白分泌表达的因素,主要为内质网中的折叠速率以及不可折叠蛋白积累造成的胞内胁迫压力.本文通过在毕赤酵母细胞中过表达HAC1基因对毕赤酵母细胞中未折叠蛋白反应(Unfolded Protein Response,UPR)的信号通路进行调控,从而改善了CTLA-4蛋白的表达水平.摇瓶中改造菌株M-HAC1发酵上清液中该蛋白的分泌表达量是原始菌株表达量的2.55倍.     

内质网应激反应中microRNA的表达变化（英文）

各种生理学和病理学条件导致内质网腔中未折叠或错误折叠蛋白质的积累,引发内质网应激.通过RNA深度测序,我们发现内质网应激胁迫下,He La和HEK293细胞中一些micro RNA的表达发生改变.通过利用实时定量PCR技术,我们进一步验证了在这些细胞中hsa-mi R-423-5p的表达上调,而hsa-mi R-221-3p和hsa-mi R-452-5p的表达下调.荧光素酶活性检测和Western blotting实验证实CDKN1A是hsa-mi R-423-5p的靶基因,而CDKN1B是hsa-mi R-221-3p和hsa-mi R-452-5p的靶基因.我们推测micro RNA通过调控它们的靶基因,在内质网应激的适应性反应中协同作用.     

拟南芥BLI基因调控植物衰老的研究

BLISTER(BLI)蛋白是多种应激反应的调节因子,可以促进植物对环境的适应性. BLI蛋白通过抑制IRE1蛋白以维持植物的正常生长,缺失BLI蛋白的拟南芥植株出现多种发育缺陷表型. 文章以拟南芥bli突变体为实验材料,通过细胞生物学及遗传学方法检测其衰老相关表征,发现bli突变体植株早期出现叶片黄化、叶绿素含量下降、离子渗透率升高等一系列衰老表型;与此同时,bli突变体体内衰老相关基因表达上调,光合作用相关基因表达下调,表明BLI蛋白参与植物衰老过程;外源施加ROS导致野生型Col-0植株中BLI基因表达量减少; GUS显色结果表明BLI在植株各组织器官中均有表达,为进一步解析BLI调控衰老的分子网络提供了思路.     

线粒体去乙酰化酶SIRT3与衰老疾病

线粒体去乙酰化酶SIRT3是酵母Sir2同源蛋白,通过对线粒体多种蛋白质赖氨酸的去乙酰化修饰,它可以调控多种代谢过程,如脂肪酸的β-氧化作用、TCA循环、氧化磷酸化等.SIRT3可参与氧化应激反应,降低细胞内ROS水平;也可以作为一种肿瘤抑制因子,促进细胞的凋亡.在某些乳腺癌细胞中,SIRT3表达下调.敲除SIRT3或者SIRT3表达降低,可影响与代谢相关的衰老性疾病如心脏疾病、癌症等的发生.论文总结了近年去乙酰化酶SIRT3在代谢调控及癌症细胞凋亡中的分子机制以及SIRT3与心脏疾病、癌症的相互关系,希望为衰老疾病的预防和治疗提供一定的理论基础.     

是否可以通过延长端粒的长度来减缓衰老?

<正>A:端粒是染色体末端的特殊结构,由许多重复序列和相关蛋白组成,它具有维持染色体结构完整性和稳定性的作用。细胞每进行一次有丝分裂,就有一段端粒序列丢失。而端粒酶能够合成端粒,维持其序列稳定性。1990年,科学家首次将端粒与人类细胞衰老联系在一起,发现成纤维细胞中端粒缩短到一定程度,细胞会停止分裂,变成衰老状态。2010年,科学家以端粒酶缺陷的转基因小鼠为研究对象,通过重新激活端粒酶,成功逆转了衰老过程。这一研究     

浅析内质网与细胞凋亡

内质网(endoplasmic reticulum,ER)在细胞内分布广泛,是最大的细胞器,主要负责蛋白质的合成转运、信号肽识别、糖基化修饰等过程和钙离子的贮存,信号转导及细胞内钙的再分布。细胞凋亡是诱导性细胞自杀过程,主要由线粒体介导。近来研究发现过度内质网应激可启动细胞凋亡,是一条新的细胞凋亡信号传导通路,这一信号传导通路包括非折叠蛋白反应和钙离子起始信号等机制,并且,由内质网应激特异性激活Caspase-12而最终导致细胞凋亡。本文对该凋亡途径的研究进展作了简要综述。     

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.     

Translocation of lipid-linked oligosaccharides across the ER membrane requires Rft1 protein.

N-linked glycosylation of proteins in eukaryotic cells follows a highly conserved pathway. The tetradecasaccharide substrate (Glc3Man9GlcNAc2) is first assembled at the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) as a dolichylpyrophosphate (Dol-PP)-linked intermediate, and then transferred to nascent polypeptide chains in the lumen of the ER. The assembly of the oligosaccharide starts on the cytoplasmic side of the ER membrane with the synthesis of a Man5GlcNAc2-PP-Dol intermediate. This lipid-linked intermediate is then translocated across the membrane so that the oligosaccharides face the lumen of the ER, where the biosynthesis of Glc3Man9GlcNAc2-PP-Dol continues to completion. The fully assembled oligosaccharide is transferred to selected asparagine residues of target proteins. The transmembrane movement of lipid-linked Man5GlcNAc2 oligosaccharide is of fundamental importance in this biosynthetic pathway, and similar processes involving phospholipids and glycolipids are essential in all types of cells. The process is predicted to be catalysed by proteins, termed flippases, which to date have remained elusive. Here we provide evidence that yeast RFT1 encodes an evolutionarily conserved protein required for the translocation of Man5GlcNAc2-PP-Dol from the cytoplasmic to the lumenal leaflet of the ER membrane.     

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.     

Aberrant lipid metabolism disrupts calcium homeostasis causing liver endoplasmic reticulum stress in obesity

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the main site of protein and lipid synthesis, membrane biogenesis, xenobiotic detoxification and cellular calcium storage, and perturbation of ER homeostasis leads to stress and the activation of the unfolded protein response. Chronic activation of ER stress has been shown to have an important role in the development of insulin resistance and diabetes in obesity. However, the mechanisms that lead to chronic ER stress in a metabolic context in general, and in obesity in particular, are not understood. Here we comparatively examined the proteomic and lipidomic landscape of hepatic ER purified from lean and obese mice to explore the mechanisms of chronic ER stress in obesity. We found suppression of protein but stimulation of lipid synthesis in the obese ER without significant alterations in chaperone content. Alterations in ER fatty acid and lipid composition result in the inhibition of sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA) activity and ER stress. Correcting the obesity-induced alteration of ER phospholipid composition or hepatic Serca overexpression in vivo both reduced chronic ER stress and improved glucose homeostasis. Hence, we established that abnormal lipid and calcium metabolism are important contributors to hepatic ER stress in obesity.     

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 AAA ATPase Cdc48/p97 and its partners transport proteins from the ER into the cytosol.

In eukaryotic cells, incorrectly folded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are exported into the cytosol and degraded by the proteasome. This pathway is co-opted by some viruses. For example, the US11 protein of the human cytomegalovirus targets the major histocompatibility complex class I heavy chain for cytosolic degradation. How proteins are extracted from the ER membrane is unknown. In bacteria and mitochondria, members of the AAA ATPase family are involved in extracting and degrading membrane proteins. Here we demonstrate that another member of this family, Cdc48 in yeast and p97 in mammals, is required for the export of ER proteins into the cytosol. Whereas Cdc48/p97 was previously known to function in a complex with the cofactor p47 (ref. 5) in membrane fusion, we demonstrate that its role in ER protein export requires the interacting partners Ufd1 and Npl4. The AAA ATPase interacts with substrates at the ER membrane and is needed to release them as polyubiquitinated species into the cytosol. We propose that the Cdc48/p97-Ufd1-Npl4 complex extracts proteins from the ER membrane for cytosolic degradation.     

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.     

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.     

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.