Rescue of DeltaF508-CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) by curcumin: involvement of the keratin 18 network

Curcumin enhances cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator expression by down-regulating calreticulin

Curcumin has been reported to correct cystic fibrosis caused by the DeltaF508 mutation of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) but its mechanistic action remains unclear. We have recently demonstrated that the ER chaperone calreticulin (CRT) negatively regulates the CFTR cell surface expression and activity. Thus, we aimed at determining whether CRT mediates the effect of curcumin on CFTR. We show here that the treatment with curcumin of Chinese hamster ovary cells suppressed CRT expression and increased wild-type CFTR but did not affect DeltaF508 CFTR expression. However, we determined that although curcumin did not augment DeltaF508 CFTR expression, it enhanced the functional competence of DeltaF508 CFTR induced by 26 degrees C incubation. Knock down of CRT by siRNA at low-temperature had a similar effect. Our findings suggest that the positive effect of curcumin on CFTR expression is mediated through the down-regulation of CRT, a negative regulator of CFTR.

Targeted therapy for cystic fibrosis: cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator mutation-specific pharmacologic strategies

Cystic fibrosis (CF) results from the absence or dysfunction of a single protein, the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). CFTR plays a critical role in the regulation of ion transport in a number of exocrine epithelia. Improvement or restoration of CFTR function, where it is deficient, should improve the CF phenotype. There are >1000 reported disease-causing mutations of the CFTR gene. Recent investigations have afforded a better understanding of the mechanism of dysfunction of many of these mutant CFTRs, and have allowed them to be classified according to their mechanism of dysfunction. These data, as well as an enhanced understanding of the role of CFTR in regulating epithelial ion transport, have led to the development of therapeutic strategies based on pharmacologic enhancement or repair of mutant CFTR dysfunction. The strategy, termed 'protein repair therapy', is aimed at improving the regulation of epithelial ion transport by mutant CFTRs in a mutation-specific fashion. The grouping of CFTR gene mutations, according to mechanism of dysfunction, yields some guidance as to which pharmacologic repair agents may be useful for specific CFTR mutations. Recent data has suggested that combinations of pharmacologic repair agents may be necessary to obtain clinically meaningful CFTR repair. Nevertheless, such strategies to improve mutant CFTR function hold great promise for the development of novel therapies aimed at correcting the underlying pathophysiology of CF.

Cystic fibrosis enters the proteomics scene: New answers to old questions

The discovery in 1989 of the gene encoding for the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and its mutation as the primary cause of cystic fibrosis (CF), generated an optimistic reaction with respect to the development of potential therapies. This extraordinary milestone, however, represented only the initial key step in a long path. Many of the mechanisms that govern the pathogenesis of CF, the most commonly inherited lethal pulmonary disorder in Caucasians, remain even today unknown. As a continuation to genomic research, proteomics now offers the unique advantage to examine global alterations in the protein expression patterns of CF cells and tissues. The systematic use of this approach will probably provide new insights into the cellular mechanisms involved in CF dysfunctions, and should ultimately result in the finding of new prognostic markers, and in the generation of new therapies. In this article we review the current status of proteomic research applied to the study of CF, including CFTR-related interactomics, and evaluate the potential of these technologies for future investigations.