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The retinal pigmentation pathway in human albinism: Not so black and white. Prog Retin Eye Res 2022; 91:101091. [PMID: 35729001 DOI: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2022.101091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Albinism is a pigment disorder affecting eye, skin and/or hair. Patients usually have decreased melanin in affected tissues and suffer from severe visual abnormalities, including foveal hypoplasia and chiasmal misrouting. Combining our data with those of the literature, we propose a single functional genetic retinal signalling pathway that includes all 22 currently known human albinism disease genes. We hypothesise that defects affecting the genesis or function of different intra-cellular organelles, including melanosomes, cause syndromic forms of albinism (Hermansky-Pudlak (HPS) and Chediak-Higashi syndrome (CHS)). We put forward that specific melanosome impairments cause different forms of oculocutaneous albinism (OCA1-8). Further, we incorporate GPR143 that has been implicated in ocular albinism (OA1), characterised by a phenotype limited to the eye. Finally, we include the SLC38A8-associated disorder FHONDA that causes an even more restricted "albinism-related" ocular phenotype with foveal hypoplasia and chiasmal misrouting but without pigmentation defects. We propose the following retinal pigmentation pathway, with increasingly specific genetic and cellular defects causing an increasingly specific ocular phenotype: (HPS1-11/CHS: syndromic forms of albinism)-(OCA1-8: OCA)-(GPR143: OA1)-(SLC38A8: FHONDA). Beyond disease genes involvement, we also evaluate a range of (candidate) regulatory and signalling mechanisms affecting the activity of the pathway in retinal development, retinal pigmentation and albinism. We further suggest that the proposed pigmentation pathway is also involved in other retinal disorders, such as age-related macular degeneration. The hypotheses put forward in this report provide a framework for further systematic studies in albinism and melanin pigmentation disorders.
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Bueschbell B, Manga P, Schiedel AC. The Many Faces of G Protein-Coupled Receptor 143, an Atypical Intracellular Receptor. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:873777. [PMID: 35495622 PMCID: PMC9039016 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.873777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
GPCRs transform extracellular stimuli into a physiological response by activating an intracellular signaling cascade initiated via binding to G proteins. Orphan G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) hold the potential to pave the way for development of new, innovative therapeutic strategies. In this review we will introduce G protein-coupled receptor 143 (GPR143), an enigmatic receptor in terms of classification within the GPCR superfamily and localization. GPR143 has not been assigned to any of the GPCR families due to the lack of common structural motifs. Hence we will describe the most important motifs of classes A and B and compare them to the protein sequence of GPR143. While a precise function for the receptor has yet to be determined, the protein is expressed abundantly in pigment producing cells. Many GPR143 mutations cause X-linked Ocular Albinism Type 1 (OA1, Nettleship-Falls OA), which results in hypopigmentation of the eyes and loss of visual acuity due to disrupted visual system development and function. In pigment cells of the skin, loss of functional GPR143 results in abnormally large melanosomes (organelles in which pigment is produced). Studies have shown that the receptor is localized internally, including at the melanosomal membrane, where it may function to regulate melanosome size and/or facilitate protein trafficking to the melanosome through the endolysosomal system. Numerous additional roles have been proposed for GPR143 in determining cancer predisposition, regulation of blood pressure, development of macular degeneration and signaling in the brain, which we will briefly describe as well as potential ligands that have been identified. Furthermore, GPR143 is a promiscuous receptor that has been shown to interact with multiple other melanosomal proteins and GPCRs, which strongly suggests that this orphan receptor is likely involved in many different physiological actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Bueschbell
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Institute, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Prashiela Manga
- Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology, Grossman School of Medicine, New York University, New York City, NY, United States
| | - Anke C. Schiedel
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Institute, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- *Correspondence: Anke C. Schiedel,
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Bueschbell B, Manga P, Penner E, Schiedel AC. Evidence for Protein-Protein Interaction between Dopamine Receptors and the G Protein-Coupled Receptor 143. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22158328. [PMID: 34361094 PMCID: PMC8348196 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22158328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2021] [Revised: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein-protein interactions between G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) can augment their functionality and increase the repertoire of signaling pathways they regulate. New therapeutics designed to modulate such interactions may allow for targeting of a specific GPCR activity, thus reducing potential for side effects. Dopamine receptor (DR) heteromers are promising candidates for targeted therapy of neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease since current treatments can have severe side effects. To facilitate development of such therapies, it is necessary to identify the various DR binding partners. We report here a new interaction partner for DRD2 and DRD3, the orphan receptor G protein-coupled receptor 143 (GPR143), an atypical GPCR that plays multiple roles in pigment cells and is expressed in several regions of the brain. We previously demonstrated that the DRD2/ DRD3 antagonist pimozide also modulates GPR143 activity. Using confocal microscopy and two FRET methods, we observed that the DRs and GPR143 colocalize and interact at intracellular membranes. Furthermore, co-expression of wildtype GPR143 resulted in a 57% and 67% decrease in DRD2 and DRD3 activity, respectively, as determined by β-Arrestin recruitment assay. GPR143-DR dimerization may negatively modulate DR activity by changing affinity for dopamine or delaying delivery of the DRs to the plasma membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Bueschbell
- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal;
- PhD Programme in Experimental Biology and Biomedicine, Institute for Interdisciplinary Research (IIIUC), University of Coimbra, Casa Costa Alemão, 3030-789 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Prashiela Manga
- Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology, Grossman School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY 10016, USA;
| | - Erika Penner
- Department of Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Institute, University of Bonn, D-53121 Bonn, Germany;
| | - Anke C. Schiedel
- Department of Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Institute, University of Bonn, D-53121 Bonn, Germany;
- Correspondence:
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Evaluation of the iris thickness changes for the Chinese families with GPR143 gene mutations. Exp Eye Res 2019; 189:107819. [PMID: 31574285 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2019.107819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2018] [Revised: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Pathogenic variants of the G-protein coupled receptor 143 (GPR143) gene may result in Ocular albinism type I (OA1). In this study, we describe the clinical features and investigate the GPR143 gene mutations in six Chinese families with OA1 and evaluate the thickness changes of iris for the affected males and female carriers. METHODS Families were ascertained, and patients underwent complete ophthalmologic examinations, including the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), anterior segment of the eyes, vitreous and fundus changes. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) was used to measure the full iris thickness, the stroma/anterior border (SAB) layer, and the posterior epithelial layer (PEL) at the pupillary and ciliary regions. DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood vessels after confirmed consent information. GPR143 gene was directly sequenced by the Sanger method. RESULTS The affected males had variable reduced visual acuity, nystagmus and macular hypoplasia. Four novel frameshift mutations and two previously reported missense/nonsense mutations in the GPR143 gene were detected in these families. The thickness of the iris was significantly reduced at the ciliary region in the affected males, compared with that in the normal controls and the female carriers. CONCLUSIONS Pathogenic variants in the GPR143 gene may disturb the normal melanogenesis in the pigmented tissues of the eye, result in macular hypoplasia, and alter the thickness of the iris.
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Jong YJI, Harmon SK, O'Malley KL. GPCR signalling from within the cell. Br J Pharmacol 2017; 175:4026-4035. [PMID: 28872669 DOI: 10.1111/bph.14023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2017] [Revised: 08/08/2017] [Accepted: 08/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Traditionally, signal transduction from GPCRs is thought to emanate from the cell surface where receptor interactions with external stimuli can be transformed into a broad range of cellular responses. However, emergent data show that numerous GPCRs are also associated with various intracellular membranes where they may couple to different signalling systems, display unique desensitization patterns and/or exhibit distinct patterns of subcellular distribution. Although many GPCRs can be activated at the cell surface and subsequently endocytosed and transported to a unique intracellular site, other intracellular GPCRs can be activated in situ either via de novo ligand synthesis, diffusion of permeable ligands or active transport of nonpermeable ligands. Current findings reinforce the notion that intracellular GPCRs play a dynamic role in various biological functions including learning and memory, contractility and angiogenesis. As new intracellular GPCR roles are defined, the need to selectively tailor agonists and/or antagonists to both intracellular and cell surface receptors may lead to the development of more effective therapeutic tools. LINKED ARTICLES This article is part of a themed section on Molecular Pharmacology of GPCRs. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v175.21/issuetoc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuh-Jiin I Jong
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Steven K Harmon
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Karen L O'Malley
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
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De Filippo E, Manga P, Schiedel AC. Identification of Novel G Protein-Coupled Receptor 143 Ligands as Pharmacologic Tools for Investigating X-Linked Ocular Albinism. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2017. [PMID: 28632878 PMCID: PMC5482243 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.16-21128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose GPR143 regulates melanosome biogenesis and organelle size in pigment cells. The mechanisms underlying receptor function remain unclear. G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) are excellent pharmacologic targets; thus, we developed and applied a screening approach to identify potential GPR143 ligands and chemical modulators. Methods GPR143 interacts with β-arrestin; we therefore established a β-arrestin recruitment assay to screen for compounds that modulate activity. Because GPR143 is localized intracellularly, screening with the wild-type receptor would be restricted to agents absorbed by the cell. For the screen we used a mutant receptor, which shows similar basal activity as the wild type but traffics to the plasma membrane. We tested two compound libraries and investigated validated hits for their effects on melanocyte pigmentation. Results GPR143, which showed high constitutive activity in the β-arrestin assay, was inhibited by several compounds. The three validated inhibitors (pimozide, niclosamide, and ethacridine lactate) were assessed for impact on melanocytes. Pigmentation and expression of tyrosinase, a key melanogenic enzyme, were reduced by all compounds. Because GPR143 appears to be constitutively active, these compounds may turn off its activity. Conclusions X-linked ocular albinism type I, characterized by developmental eye defects, results from GPR143 mutations. Identifying pharmacologic agents that modulate GPR143 activity will contribute significantly to our understanding of its function and provide novel tools with which to study GPCRs in melanocytes and retinal pigment epithelium. Pimozide, one of three GPR143 inhibitors identified in this study, maybe be a good lead structure for development of more potent compounds and provide a platform for design of novel therapeutic agents.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Prashiela Manga
- Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology and Department of Cell Biology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States
| | - Anke C Schiedel
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry I, PharmaCenter Bonn, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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De Filippo E, Schiedel AC, Manga P. Interaction between G Protein-Coupled Receptor 143 and Tyrosinase: Implications for Understanding Ocular Albinism Type 1. J Invest Dermatol 2016; 137:457-465. [PMID: 27720922 DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2016.09.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2016] [Revised: 09/26/2016] [Accepted: 09/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Developmental eye defects in X-linked ocular albinism type 1 are caused by G-protein coupled receptor 143 (GPR143) mutations. Mutations result in dysfunctional melanosome biogenesis and macromelanosome formation in pigment cells, including melanocytes and retinal pigment epithelium. GPR143, primarily expressed in pigment cells, localizes exclusively to endolysosomal and melanosomal membranes unlike most G protein-coupled receptors, which localize to the plasma membrane. There is some debate regarding GPR143 function and elucidating the role of this receptor may be instrumental for understanding neurogenesis during eye development and for devising therapies for ocular albinism type I. Many G protein-coupled receptors require association with other proteins to function. These G protein-coupled receptor-interacting proteins also facilitate fine-tuning of receptor activity and tissue specificity. We therefore investigated potential GPR143 interaction partners, with a focus on the melanogenic enzyme tyrosinase. GPR143 coimmunoprecipitated with tyrosinase, while confocal microscopy demonstrated colocalization of the proteins. Furthermore, tyrosinase localized to the plasma membrane when coexpressed with a GPR143 trafficking mutant. The physical interaction between the proteins was confirmed using fluorescence resonance energy transfer. This interaction may be required in order for GPR143 to function as a monitor of melanosome maturation. Identifying tyrosinase as a potential GPR143 binding protein opens new avenues for investigating the mechanisms that regulate pigmentation and neurogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anke C Schiedel
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry I, PharmaCenter Bonn, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
| | - Prashiela Manga
- Ronald O. Perelman, Department of Dermatology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
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GPR143 Gene Mutations in Five Chinese Families with X-linked Congenital Nystagmus. Sci Rep 2015; 5:12031. [PMID: 26160353 PMCID: PMC4498220 DOI: 10.1038/srep12031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2014] [Accepted: 06/12/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The ocular albinism type I (OA1) is clinically characterized by impaired visual acuity, nystagmus, iris hypopigmentation with translucency, albinotic fundus, and macular hypoplasia together with normally pigmented skin and hair. However, it is easily misdiagnosed as congenital idiopathic nystagmus in some Chinese patients with OA1 caused by the G-protein coupled receptor 143 (GPR143) gene mutations. Mutations in the FERM domain–containing 7 (FRMD7) gene are responsible for the X-linked congenital idiopathic nystagmus. In this study, five Chinese families initially diagnosed as X-linked congenital nystagmus were recruited and patients underwent ophthalmological examinations. After direct sequencing of the FRMD7 and GPR143 genes, five mutations in GPR143 gene were detected in each of the five families, including a novel nonsense mutation of c.333G>A (p.W111X), two novel splicing mutations of c.360+1G>C and c.659-1G>A, a novel small deletion mutation of c.43_50dupGACGCAGC (p.L20PfsX25), and a previously reported missense mutation of c.703G>A (p.E235K). Optical coherence tomography (OCT) examination showed foveal hypoplasia in all the affected patients with nystagmus. Our study further expands the GPR143 mutation spectrum and contributes to the study of GPR143 molecular pathogenesis. Molecular diagnosis and optical coherence tomography (OCT) are two useful tools for differential diagnosis.
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Summers CG, Connett JE, Holleschau AM, Anderson JL, De Becker I, McKay BS, Brilliant MH. Does levodopa improve vision in albinism? Results of a randomized, controlled clinical trial. Clin Exp Ophthalmol 2014; 42:713-21. [PMID: 24641678 DOI: 10.1111/ceo.12325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2013] [Accepted: 02/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dopamine is an intermediate product in the biosynthesis of melanin pigment, which is absent or reduced in albinism. Animal research has shown that supplying a precursor to dopamine, levodopa, may improve visual acuity in albinism by enhancing neural networks. This study examines the safety and effectiveness of levodopa on best-corrected visual acuity in human subjects with albinism. DESIGN Prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-masked clinical trial conducted at the University of Minnesota. PARTICIPANTS Forty-five subjects with albinism. METHODS Subjects with albinism were randomly assigned to one of three treatment arms: levodopa 0.76 mg/kg with 25% carbidopa, levodopa 0.51 mg/kg with 25% carbidopa, or placebo and followed for 20 weeks, with best-corrected visual acuity measured at enrollment, and at weeks 5, 10, 15, and 20 after enrollment. Side-effects were recorded with a symptom survey. Blood was drawn for genotyping. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Side-effects and best-corrected visual acuity 20 weeks after enrolment. RESULTS All subjects had at least one mutation found in a gene known to cause albinism. Mean age was 14.5 years (range: 3.5 to 57.8 years). Follow up was 100% and compliance was good. Minor side-effects were reported; there were no serious adverse events. There was no statistically significant improvement in best-corrected visual acuity after 20 weeks with either dose of levodopa. CONCLUSIONS Levodopa, in the doses used in this trial and for the time course of administration, did not improve visual acuity in subjects with albinism.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Gail Summers
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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Falletta P, Bagnato P, Bono M, Monticone M, Schiaffino MV, Bennett DC, Goding CR, Tacchetti C, Valetti C. Melanosome-autonomous regulation of size and number: the OA1 receptor sustains PMEL expression. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res 2014; 27:565-79. [PMID: 24650003 DOI: 10.1111/pcmr.12239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2013] [Accepted: 03/17/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Little is known as to how cells ensure that organelle size and number are coordinated to correctly couple organelle biogenesis to the demands of proliferation or differentiation. OA1 is a melanosome-associated G-protein-coupled receptor involved in melanosome biogenesis during melanocyte differentiation. Cells lacking OA1 contain fewer, but larger, mature melanosomes. Here, we show that OA1 loss of function reduces both the basal expression and the α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone/cAMP-dependent induction of the microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), the master regulator of melanocyte differentiation. In turn, this leads to a significant reduction in expression of PMEL, a major melanosomal structural protein, but does not affect tyrosinase and melanin levels. In line with its pivotal role in sensing melanosome maturation, OA1 expression rescues melanosome biogenesis, activates MITF expression and thereby coordinates melanosome size and number, providing a quality control mechanism for the organelle in which resides. Thus, resident sensor receptors can activate a transcriptional cascade to specifically promote organelle biogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Falletta
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
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Burgoyne T, Jolly R, Martin-Martin B, Seabra MC, Piccirillo R, Schiaffino MV, Futter CE. Expression of OA1 limits the fusion of a subset of MVBs with lysosomes - a mechanism potentially involved in the initial biogenesis of melanosomes. J Cell Sci 2013; 126:5143-52. [PMID: 24006264 PMCID: PMC3828590 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.128561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Multivesicular endosomes/bodies (MVBs) deliver proteins, such as activated EGF receptor (EGFR), to the lysosome for degradation, and, in pigmented cells, MVBs containing PMEL are an initial stage in melanosome biogenesis. The mechanisms regulating numbers and fate of different populations of MVB are unclear. Here, we focus on the role of the G-protein-coupled receptor OA1 (also known as GPR143), which is expressed exclusively in pigmented cells and mutations in which cause the most common type of ocular albinism. When exogenously expressing PMEL, HeLa cells have been shown to form MVBs resembling early stage melanosomes. To focus on the role of OA1 in the initial stages of melanosome biogenesis we take advantage of the absence of the later stages of melanosome maturation in HeLa cells to determine whether OA1 activity can regulate MVB number and fate. Expression of wild-type but not OA1 mutants carrying inactivating mutations or deletions causes MVB numbers to increase. Whereas OA1 expression has no effect on delivery of EGFR-containing MVBs to the lysosome, it inhibits the lysosomal delivery of PMEL and PMEL-containing MVBs accumulate. We propose that OA1 activity delays delivery of PMEL-containing MVBs to the lysosome to allow time for melanin synthesis and commitment to melanosome biogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Burgoyne
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, 11-43 Bath Street, London EC1V 9EL, UK
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Rachel RA, Nagashima K, O'Sullivan TN, Frost LS, Stefano FP, Marigo V, Boesze-Battaglia K. Melanoregulin, product of the dsu locus, links the BLOC-pathway and OA1 in organelle biogenesis. PLoS One 2012; 7:e42446. [PMID: 22984402 PMCID: PMC3439427 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0042446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2012] [Accepted: 07/05/2012] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans with Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome (HPS) or ocular albinism (OA1) display abnormal aspects of organelle biogenesis. The multigenic disorder HPS displays broad defects in biogenesis of lysosome-related organelles including melanosomes, platelet dense granules, and lysosomes. A phenotype of ocular pigmentation in OA1 is a smaller number of macromelanosomes, in contrast to HPS, where in many cases the melanosomes are smaller than normal. In these studies we define the role of the Mregdsu gene, which suppresses the coat color dilution of Myo5a, melanophilin, and Rab27a mutant mice in maintaining melanosome size and distribution. We show that the product of the Mregdsu locus, melanoregulin (MREG), interacts both with members of the HPS BLOC-2 complex and with Oa1 in regulating melanosome size. Loss of MREG function facilitates increase in the size of micromelanosomes in the choroid of the HPS BLOC-2 mutants ruby, ruby2, and cocoa, while a transgenic mouse overexpressing melanoregulin corrects the size of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) macromelanosomes in Oa1ko/ko mice. Collectively, these results suggest that MREG levels regulate pigment incorporation into melanosomes. Immunohistochemical analysis localizes melanoregulin not to melanosomes, but to small vesicles in the cytoplasm of the RPE, consistent with a role for this protein in regulating membrane interactions during melanosome biogenesis. These results provide the first link between the BLOC pathway and Oa1 in melanosome biogenesis, thus supporting the hypothesis that intracellular G-protein coupled receptors may be involved in the biogenesis of other organelles. Furthermore these studies provide the foundation for therapeutic approaches to correct the pigment defects in the RPE of HPS and OA1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rivka A. Rachel
- Neurobiology, Neurodegeneration & Repair Laboratory, National Eye Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Kunio Nagashima
- Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, SAIC-Frederick, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - T. Norene O'Sullivan
- National Cancer Institute-Frederick, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Laura S. Frost
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Frank P. Stefano
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Live Cell Imaging Core, School of Dental Medicine University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Valeria Marigo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Kathleen Boesze-Battaglia
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Slominski A, Zmijewski MA, Pawelek J. L-tyrosine and L-dihydroxyphenylalanine as hormone-like regulators of melanocyte functions. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res 2012; 25:14-27. [PMID: 21834848 PMCID: PMC3242935 DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-148x.2011.00898.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 345] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
There is evidence that L-tyrosine and L-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA), besides serving as substrates and intermediates of melanogenesis, are also bioregulatory agents acting not only as inducers and positive regulators of melanogenesis but also as regulators of other cellular functions. These can be mediated through action on specific receptors or through non-receptor-mediated mechanisms. The substrate induced (L-tyrosine and/or L-DOPA) melanogenic pathway would autoregulate itself as well as regulate the melanocyte functions through the activity of its structural or regulatory proteins and through intermediates of melanogenesis and melanin itself. Dissection of regulatory and autoregulatory elements of this process may elucidate how substrate-induced autoregulatory pathways have evolved from prokaryotic or simple eukaryotic organisms to complex systems in vertebrates. This could substantiate an older theory proposing that receptors for amino acid-derived hormones arose from the receptors for those amino acids, and that nuclear receptors evolved from primitive intracellular receptors binding nutritional factors or metabolic intermediates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrzej Slominski
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Tennessee, Memphis, TN, USA.
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Young A, Jiang M, Wang Y, Ahmedli NB, Ramirez J, Reese BE, Birnbaumer L, Farber DB. Specific interaction of Gαi3 with the Oa1 G-protein coupled receptor controls the size and density of melanosomes in retinal pigment epithelium. PLoS One 2011; 6:e24376. [PMID: 21931697 PMCID: PMC3169599 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0024376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2011] [Accepted: 08/05/2011] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Ocular albinism type 1, an X-linked disease characterized by the presence of enlarged melanosomes in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and abnormal crossing of axons at the optic chiasm, is caused by mutations in the OA1 gene. The protein product of this gene is a G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) localized in RPE melanosomes. The Oa1-/- mouse model of ocular albinism reproduces the human disease. Oa1 has been shown to immunoprecipitate with the Gαi subunit of heterotrimeric G proteins from human skin melanocytes. However, the Gαi subfamily has three highly homologous members, Gαi1, Gαi2 and Gαi3 and it is possible that one or more of them partners with Oa1. We had previously shown by in-vivo studies that Gαi3-/- and Oa1-/- mice have similar RPE phenotype and decussation patterns. In this paper we analyze the specificity of the Oa1-Gαi interaction. Methodology By using the genetic mouse models Gαi1-/-, Gαi2-/-, Gαi3-/- and the double knockout Gαi1-/-, Gαi3-/- that lack functional Gαi1, Gαi2, Gαi3, or both Gαi1 and Gαi3 proteins, respectively, we show that Gαi3 is critical for the maintenance of a normal melanosomal phenotype and that its absence is associated with changes in melanosomal size and density. GST-pull-down and immunoprecipitation assays conclusively demonstrate that Gαi3 is the only Gαi that binds to Oa1. Western blots show that Gαi3 expression is barely detectable in the Oa1-/- RPE, strongly supporting a previously unsuspected role for Gαi3 in melanosomal biogenesis. Conclusion Our results identify the Oa1 transducer Gαi3 as the first downstream component in the Oa1 signaling pathway.
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MESH Headings
- Adenosine Diphosphate Ribose/metabolism
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Animals
- Blotting, Western
- Chromatography, Liquid
- Electroretinography
- Eye Proteins/chemistry
- Eye Proteins/metabolism
- GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gi-Go/chemistry
- GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gi-Go/deficiency
- GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gi-Go/metabolism
- Humans
- Mass Spectrometry
- Melanosomes/metabolism
- Melanosomes/ultrastructure
- Membrane Glycoproteins/chemistry
- Membrane Glycoproteins/deficiency
- Membrane Glycoproteins/metabolism
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Knockout
- Models, Biological
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Organelle Shape
- Organelle Size
- Protein Binding
- Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled/chemistry
- Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled/deficiency
- Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled/metabolism
- Retinal Pigment Epithelium/metabolism
- Retinal Pigment Epithelium/physiology
- Retinal Pigment Epithelium/ultrastructure
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandra Young
- Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Molecular Biology Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Meisheng Jiang
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Ying Wang
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Novruz B. Ahmedli
- Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - John Ramirez
- Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Benjamin E. Reese
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
| | - Lutz Birnbaumer
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Debora B. Farber
- Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Molecular Biology Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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15
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Schiaffino MV. Signaling pathways in melanosome biogenesis and pathology. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2010; 42:1094-104. [PMID: 20381640 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocel.2010.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2010] [Revised: 03/28/2010] [Accepted: 03/30/2010] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Melanosomes are the specialized intracellular organelles of pigment cells devoted to the synthesis, storage and transport of melanin pigments, which are responsible for most visible pigmentation in mammals and other vertebrates. As a direct consequence, any genetic mutation resulting in alteration of melanosomal function, either because affecting pigment cell survival, migration and differentiation, or because interfering with melanosome biogenesis, transport and transfer to keratinocytes, is immediately translated into color variations of skin, fur, hair or eyes. Thus, over 100 genes and proteins have been identified as pigmentary determinants in mammals, providing us with a deep understanding of this biological system, which functions by using mechanisms and processes that have parallels in other tissues and organs. In particular, many genes implicated in melanosome biogenesis have been characterized, so that melanosomes represent an incredible source of information and a model for organelles belonging to the secretory pathway. Furthermore, the function of melanosomes can be associated with common physiological phenotypes, such as variation of pigmentation among individuals, and with rare pathological conditions, such as albinism, characterized by severe visual defects. Among the most relevant mechanisms operating in melanosome biogenesis are the signal transduction pathways mediated by two peculiar G protein-coupled receptors: the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R), involved in the fair skin/red hair phenotype and skin cancer; and OA1 (GPR143), whose loss-of-function results in X-linked ocular albinism. This review will focus on the most recent novelties regarding the functioning of these two receptors, by highlighting emerging signaling mechanisms and general implications for cell biology and pathology.
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16
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Micale L, Augello B, Fusco C, Turturo MG, Granatiero M, Piemontese MR, Zelante L, Cecconi A, Merla G. GPR143 mutational analysis in two Italian families with X-linked ocular albinism. Genet Test Mol Biomarkers 2009; 13:527-31. [PMID: 19604113 DOI: 10.1089/gtmb.2009.0030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
X-linked ocular albinism type 1 (OA1) is caused by mutations in G protein-coupled receptor 143 (GPR143) gene, which encodes a membrane glycoprotein localized to melanosomes. GPR143 mainly affects pigment production in the eye, resulting in optic changes associated with albinism, including hypopigmentation of the retina, nystagmus, strabismus, foveal hypoplasia, abnormal crossing of the optic fibers, and reduced visual acuity. We report the mutational analysis of the GPR143 gene on two unrelated families with OA1 using direct sequencing and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. We identified the c.564_565delCT, a 2-bp deletion in family 1, and we mapped the breakpoints at nucleotide level of the novel intragenic deletion g.5360_6371del1012, encompassing exon 2, in family 2. Our results confirm that GPR143 is the major locus for OA1 and that exon 2 is a region of high susceptibility to deletions. Finally, we emphasize the quantitative polymerase chain reaction as a valid tool for diagnosis of deletions in the GPR143 gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Micale
- Medical Genetics Unit, IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
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17
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Wasmeier
- Molecular Medicine, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Alistair N. Hume
- Molecular Medicine, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Giulia Bolasco
- Molecular Medicine, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Miguel C. Seabra
- Molecular Medicine, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal
- Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 1169-056 Lisboa, Portugal
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18
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Lopez VM, Decatur CL, Stamer WD, Lynch RM, McKay BS. L-DOPA is an endogenous ligand for OA1. PLoS Biol 2008; 6:e236. [PMID: 18828673 PMCID: PMC2553842 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0060236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2007] [Accepted: 08/18/2008] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Albinism is a genetic defect characterized by a loss of pigmentation. The neurosensory retina, which is not pigmented, exhibits pathologic changes secondary to the loss of pigmentation in the retina pigment epithelium (RPE). How the loss of pigmentation in the RPE causes developmental defects in the adjacent neurosensory retina has not been determined, but offers a unique opportunity to investigate the interactions between these two important tissues. One of the genes that causes albinism encodes for an orphan GPCR (OA1) expressed only in pigmented cells, including the RPE. We investigated the function and signaling of OA1 in RPE and transfected cell lines. Our results indicate that OA1 is a selective L-DOPA receptor, with no measurable second messenger activity from two closely related compounds, tyrosine and dopamine. Radiolabeled ligand binding confirmed that OA1 exhibited a single, saturable binding site for L-DOPA. Dopamine competed with L-DOPA for the single OA1 binding site, suggesting it could function as an OA1 antagonist. OA1 response to L-DOPA was defined by several common measures of G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) activation, including influx of intracellular calcium and recruitment of β-arrestin. Further, inhibition of tyrosinase, the enzyme that makes L-DOPA, resulted in decreased PEDF secretion by RPE. Further, stimulation of OA1 in RPE with L-DOPA resulted in increased PEDF secretion. Taken together, our results illustrate an autocrine loop between OA1 and tyrosinase linked through L-DOPA, and this loop includes the secretion of at least one very potent retinal neurotrophic factor. OA1 is a selective L-DOPA receptor whose downstream effects govern spatial patterning of the developing retina. Our results suggest that the retinal consequences of albinism caused by changes in melanin synthetic machinery may be treated by L-DOPA supplementation. Albinism is the loss of pigmentation caused by mutations in one of several different genes that alter pigment synthesis by different mechanisms. In the eye, albinism impairs sensory retina development and causes significant vision problems. Regardless of the genetic mutation that causes albinism, the associated vision problems are the same. Interestingly, none of the pigmentation genes are expressed by the sensory retinal cells affected by albinism but by neighboring, retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPE). Furthermore, loss of pigmentation in RPE somehow leads to imprecise retinal development. To investigate this cellular relationship, we studied OA1, which is encoded by a gene in which mutations cause ocular albinism. OA1 is unique among proteins involved with albinism because OA1 is a potential receptor that could participate in signal transduction rather than being a direct member of the pigment synthesis machinery. We show that the ligand for OA1 is L-DOPA, thus removing OA1 from orphan G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) status. L-DOPA is a by-product of pigment synthesis, indicating that pigment synthesis and OA1 signaling are intertwined. OA1 signaling is highly selective for L-DOPA, and we show that two closely related molecules, dopamine and tyrosine, bind to OA1 but fail to stimulate signaling. We also show that OA1 signaling controls secretion of a potent neuron survival factor. Taken together, our data suggest that all forms of albinism produce the same retinal defects because of a final common pathway through OA1 signaling with downstream effects on RPE neurotrophic factor secretion. Albinism produces retinal defects, and OA1 is an orphan G-protein-coupled receptor that leads to albinism without acting directly on melanin synthesis. Here the ligand is identified and a mechanism is proposed by which the various forms of albinism signal through OA1, resulting in the same retinal phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa M Lopez
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Christina L Decatur
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | - W. Daniel Stamer
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
- Department of Physiology, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Ronald M Lynch
- Department of Physiology, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Brian S McKay
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
- * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
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19
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Palmisano I, Bagnato P, Palmigiano A, Innamorati G, Rotondo G, Altimare D, Venturi C, Sviderskaya EV, Piccirillo R, Coppola M, Marigo V, Incerti B, Ballabio A, Surace EM, Tacchetti C, Bennett DC, Schiaffino MV. The ocular albinism type 1 protein, an intracellular G protein-coupled receptor, regulates melanosome transport in pigment cells. Hum Mol Genet 2008; 17:3487-501. [PMID: 18697795 PMCID: PMC2572695 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddn241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The protein product of the ocular albinism type 1 gene, named OA1, is a pigment cell-specific G protein-coupled receptor exclusively localized to intracellular organelles, namely lysosomes and melanosomes. Loss of OA1 function leads to the formation of macromelanosomes, suggesting that this receptor is implicated in organelle biogenesis, however the mechanism involved in the pathogenesis of the disease remains obscure. We report here the identification of an unexpected abnormality in melanosome distribution both in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and skin melanocytes of Oa1-knock-out (KO) mice, consisting in a displacement of the organelles from the central cytoplasm towards the cell periphery. Despite their depletion from the microtubule (MT)-enriched perinuclear region, Oa1-KO melanosomes were able to aggregate at the centrosome upon disruption of the actin cytoskeleton or expression of a dominant-negative construct of myosin Va. Consistently, quantification of organelle transport in living cells revealed that Oa1-KO melanosomes displayed a severe reduction in MT-based motility; however, this defect was rescued to normal following inhibition of actin-dependent capture at the cell periphery. Together, these data point to a defective regulation of organelle transport in the absence of OA1 and imply that the cytoskeleton might represent a downstream effector of this receptor. Furthermore, our results enlighten a novel function for OA1 in pigment cells and suggest that ocular albinism type 1 might result from a different pathogenetic mechanism than previously thought, based on an organelle-autonomous signalling pathway implicated in the regulation of both membrane traffic and transport.
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20
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Brooks BP, Larson DM, Chan CC, Kjellstrom S, Smith RS, Crawford MA, Lamoreux L, Huizing M, Hess R, Jiao X, Hejtmancik JF, Maminishkis A, John SWM, Bush R, Pavan WJ. Analysis of ocular hypopigmentation in Rab38cht/cht mice. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2007; 48:3905-13. [PMID: 17724166 PMCID: PMC1989767 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.06-1464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE To characterize the ocular phenotype resulting from mutation of Rab38, a candidate gene for Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome. METHODS Chocolate mice (cht, Rab38(cht/cht)) and control heterozygous (Rab38(cht/)(+)) and wild-type mice were examined clinically, histologically, ultrastructurally, and electrophysiologically. Mice homozygous for both the Rab38(cht) and the Tyrp1(b) alleles were similarly examined. RESULTS Rab38(cht/cht) mice showed variable peripheral iris transillumination defects at 2 months of age. Patches of RPE hypopigmentation were noted clinically in 57% of Rab38(cht/cht) eyes and 6% of Rab38(cht/)(+) eyes. Rab38(cht/cht) mice exhibited thinning of the iris and RPE and larger b-wave amplitudes in the scotopic range when compared with the control animals. Compared with wild-type mice, Rab38(cht/cht) melanosomes were smaller and there were fewer in neuroectodermally derived retinal pigment epithelium; in neural crest-derived choroid melanocytes, they were smaller in size only. Mutation of both Rab38 and Tyrp1 produced mice with ocular and coat color pigment dilution greater than that seen with either mutation alone. Comprehensive clinical and pathologic analyses showed no other organ system or blood defects in Rab38(cht/cht) mice. CONCLUSIONS Rab38(cht/cht) mice show ocular characteristics reminiscent of human oculocutaneous albinism, as well as iris and RPE thinning. The synergistic effects of the Rab38(cht) and Tyrp1(b) alleles suggest that TYRP1 is not the only target of RAB38 trafficking. This mouse line provides a useful model for studying melanosome biology and its role in human ocular diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian P Brooks
- National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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21
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Sone M, Orlow SJ. The ocular albinism type 1 gene product, OA1, spans intracellular membranes 7 times. Exp Eye Res 2007; 85:806-16. [PMID: 17920058 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2007.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2007] [Revised: 08/01/2007] [Accepted: 08/21/2007] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OA1 (GPR143) is a pigment cell-specific intracellular glycoprotein consisting of 404 amino acid residues that is mutated in patients with ocular albinism type 1, the most common form of ocular albinism. While its cellular localization is suggested to be endolysosomal and melanosomal, the physiological function of OA1 is currently unclear. Recent reports predicted that OA1 functions as a G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) based on its weak amino acid sequence similarity to known GPCRs, and on demonstration of GPCR activity in OA1 mislocalized to the plasma membrane. Because mislocalization of proteins is often caused by or induces defects in their proper folding/assembly, the significance of these studies remains unclear. A characteristic feature of GPCRs is a seven transmembrane domain structure. We analyzed the membrane topology of OA1 properly localized to intracellular lysosomal organelles in COS-1 cells. To accomplish this analysis, we established experimental conditions that allowed selective permeabilization of the plasma membrane while leaving endolysosomal membranes intact. Domains were mapped by the insertion of a hemagglutinin (HA) tag into the predicted cytosolic/luminal regions of OA1 molecule and the accessibility of tag to HA antibody was determined by immunofluorescence. HA-tagged lysosome associated membrane protein 1 (LAMP1), a type I membrane protein, was employed as a reporter for selective permeabilization of the plasma membrane. Our results show experimentally that the C-terminus of OA1 is directed to the cytoplasm and that the protein spans the intracellular membrane 7 times. Thus, OA1, properly localized intracellularly, is a 7 transmembrane domain integral membrane protein consistent with its putative role as an intracellular GPCR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michio Sone
- Department of Dermatology, New York University School of Medicine, 560 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA.
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22
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Innamorati G, Piccirillo R, Bagnato P, Palmisano I, Schiaffino MV. The melanosomal/lysosomal protein OA1 has properties of a G protein-coupled receptor. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006; 19:125-35. [PMID: 16524428 PMCID: PMC1459912 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0749.2006.00292.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The protein product of the ocular albinism type 1 gene, named OA1, is a pigment cell-specific integral membrane glycoprotein, localized to melanosomes and lysosomes and possibly implicated in melanosome biogenesis. Although its function remains unknown, we previously showed that OA1 shares structural similarities with G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). To ascertain the molecular function of OA1 and in particular its nature as a GPCR, we adopted a heterologous expression strategy commonly exploited to demonstrate GPCR-mediated signaling in mammalian cells. Here we show that when expressed in COS7 cells OA1 displays a considerable and spontaneous capacity to activate heterotrimeric G proteins and the associated signaling cascade. In contrast, OA1 mutants carrying either a missense mutation or a small deletion in the third cytosolic loop lack this ability. Furthermore, OA1 is phosphorylated and interacts with arrestins, well-established multifunctional adaptors of conformationally active GPCRs. In fact, OA1 colocalizes and coprecipitates with arrestins, which downregulate the signaling of OA1 by specifically reducing its expression levels. These findings indicate that heterologously expressed OA1 exhibits two fundamental properties of GPCRs, being capable to activate heterotrimeric G proteins and to functionally associate with arrestins, and provide proof of principle that OA1 can actually function as a canonical GPCR in mammalian cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulio Innamorati
- DIBIT, Scientific Institute San Raffalele, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milan, Italy
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23
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Piccirillo R, Palmisano I, Innamorati G, Bagnato P, Altimare D, Schiaffino MV. An unconventional dileucine-based motif and a novel cytosolic motif are required for the lysosomal and melanosomal targeting of OA1. J Cell Sci 2006; 119:2003-14. [PMID: 16621890 PMCID: PMC1475362 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.02930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The protein product of the gene responsible for ocular albinism type 1, named OA1, is a pigment-cell-specific membrane glycoprotein, displaying features of G-protein-coupled receptors, yet exclusively localized to late endosomes, lysosomes and melanosomes. To dissect the signals responsible for the intracellular localization of OA1, we generated chimeric proteins consisting of the cytosolic domains of OA1 fused to the lumenal and transmembrane domains of LAMP1; in addition, we generated missense and deletion mutants of full-length OA1. Using this approach, we identified two separate sorting signals that are both necessary and sufficient for intracellular retention, as well as lysosomal and melanosomal localization, in melanocytic and non-melanocytic cells. These sorting signals are an unconventional dileucine motif within the third cytosolic loop and a novel motif, characterized by a tryptophan-glutamic acid doublet, within the C-terminal tail. Both motifs must be mutated to promote the plasma membrane localization of OA1, suggesting that they can independently drive its intracellular targeting. In addition, both motifs act similarly as lysosomal sorting signals in non-melanocytic cells, but appear to carry different specificities in melanocytic cells. Our findings indicate that OA1 contains multiple unconventional signals responsible for its lysosomal and melanosomal localization, and reveal a remarkable and unforeseen complexity in the regulation of polytopic protein sorting to specialized secretory organelles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosanna Piccirillo
- San Raffalele Scientific Institute, DIBIT, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milan, Italy
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24
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Schiaffino MV, Tacchetti C. The ocular albinism type 1 (OA1) protein and the evidence for an intracellular signal transduction system involved in melanosome biogenesis. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006; 18:227-33. [PMID: 16029416 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0749.2005.00240.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Ocular albinism type 1 is an X-linked disorder characterized by severe reduction of visual acuity, retinal hypopigmentation, foveal hypoplasia, optic misrouting and the presence of giant melanosomes (macromelanosomes) in skin melanocytes and retinal pigment epithelium. The protein product of the OA1 gene is a pigment cell specific membrane glycoprotein, displaying structural and functional features of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). However, in contrast to all other previously characterized GPCRs, OA1 is not localized to the plasma membrane, but is targeted to intracellular organelles, namely late endosomes/lysosomes and melanosomes. These unique characteristics suggest that OA1 represents the first example described so far of an exclusively intracellular GPCR and regulates melanosome biogenesis by transducing signals from the organelle lumen to the cytosol. These findings support previous hypotheses that GPCR-mediated signaling might also operate at the internal membranes in mammalian cells.
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25
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Staleva L, Orlow SJ. Ocular albinism 1 protein: trafficking and function when expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Exp Eye Res 2005; 82:311-8. [PMID: 16154128 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2005.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2005] [Revised: 05/30/2005] [Accepted: 07/05/2005] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The ocular albinism 1 (Oa1) protein is believed to be involved in the biogenesis of melanosomes, but its cellular localization is controversial and its function is unknown. Based upon sequence homology, it has been predicted that Oa1 belongs to the G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily. We used the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a genetically amenable system to study the localization and function of Oa1. Sucrose gradient and immunofluorescence studies revealed that when expressed in yeast, Oa1 localizes to the prevacuolar compartment, the functional equivalent of the mammalian late endosome. Oa1 behaved as G protein coupled receptor in a yeast-based GPCR signalling assay. Extracts of cultured melanocytes, and, in particular, a particulate fraction from cultured melanocytes, stimulated Oa1-mediated GPCR signalling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liliana Staleva
- Department of Dermatology, New York University School of Medicine, 560 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
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26
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Hall AM, Orlow SJ. Degradation of tyrosinase induced by phenylthiourea occurs following Golgi maturation. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005; 18:122-9. [PMID: 15760341 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0749.2005.00213.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Tyrosinase, the rate-limiting enzyme of melanin synthesis, is a di-copper metalloprotein that catalyzes the conversion of L-tyrosine to L-DOPAquinone. Phenylthiourea (PTU) is a well-known inhibitor of tyrosinase and melanin synthesis and is known to interact with sweet potato catechol oxidase, an enzyme possessing copper binding domain homology to tyrosinase. While PTU is frequently used to induce hypopigmentation in biological systems, little is known about its effects on tyrosinase and other melanogenic proteins. We have found that PTU induces degradation of tyrosinase but not of other melanogenic proteins including the tyrosinase-related metalloproteins tyrosinase-related protein (Tyrp)1 and Tyrp2. Using pulse-chase analysis coupled with glycosidase digestion, we observed that tyrosinase degradation occurs following complete maturation of the protein and that degradation was reversed by cysteine protease inhibitor E64 but not proteasome inhibitor N-acetyl-L-leucinyl-L-leucinyl-L-norleucinal. We conclude that PTU specifically induces tyrosinse degradation following Golgi maturation. Our data suggest that in addition to well-known ER-directed quality control, tyrosinase is also subject to post-Golgi quality control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea M Hall
- The Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology and the Department of Cell Biology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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27
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Vetrini F, Auricchio A, Du J, Angeletti B, Fisher DE, Ballabio A, Marigo V. The microphthalmia transcription factor (Mitf) controls expression of the ocular albinism type 1 gene: link between melanin synthesis and melanosome biogenesis. Mol Cell Biol 2004; 24:6550-9. [PMID: 15254223 PMCID: PMC444869 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.24.15.6550-6559.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Melanogenesis is the process that regulates skin and eye pigmentation. Albinism, a genetic disease causing pigmentation defects and visual disorders, is caused by mutations in genes controlling either melanin synthesis or melanosome biogenesis. Here we show that a common transcriptional control regulates both of these processes. We performed an analysis of the regulatory region of Oa1, the murine homolog of the gene that is mutated in the X-linked form of ocular albinism, as Oa1's function affects melanosome biogenesis. We demonstrated that Oa1 is a target of Mitf and that this regulatory mechanism is conserved in the human gene. Tissue-specific control of Oa1 transcription lies within a region of 617 bp that contains the E-box bound by Mitf. Finally, we took advantage of a virus-based system to assess tissue specificity in vivo. To this end, a small fragment of the Oa1 promoter was cloned in front of a reporter gene in an adeno-associated virus. After we injected this virus into the subretinal space, we observed reporter gene expression specifically in the retinal pigment epithelium, confirming the cell-specific expression of the Oa1 promoter in the eye. The results obtained with this viral system are a preamble to the development of new gene delivery approaches for the treatment of retinal pigment epithelium defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Vetrini
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy
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Camand O, Boutboul S, Arbogast L, Roche O, Sternberg C, Sutherland J, Levin A, Héon E, Menasche M, Dufier J, Abitbol M. Mutational analysis of the OA1 gene in ocular albinism. Ophthalmic Genet 2003; 24:167-73. [PMID: 12868035 DOI: 10.1076/opge.24.3.167.15605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Ocular albinism type 1 (OA1) is an X-linked disorder, mainly characterized by a severe reduction in visual acuity, foveal hypoplasia, nystagmus, hypopigmentation of the retina, the presence of macromelanosomes in the skin and eyes, and the misrouting of optic pathways, resulting in the loss of stereoscopic vision. We screened the OA1 gene for mutations in three unrelated Canadian and French families and in two isolated patients with OA1. We found three different missense mutations and two different nonsense mutations, three of which were novel. To date, 41 mutations (including missense mutations, insertions, and deletions) have been reported in the OA1 gene. Mutation and polymorphism data for this gene are available from the international albinism center albinism database website: http://www.cbc.umn.edu/tad/oa1map.htm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Camand
- Centre de Recherches Thérapeutiques en Ophtalmologie, Faculté de Médecine Necker, Université René Descartes and Service d'Ophtalmologie du CHU Necker Enfants Malades, Paris, France
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29
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Hall AM, Krishnamoorthy L, Orlow SJ. Accumulation of tyrosinase in the endolysosomal compartment is induced by U18666A. PIGMENT CELL RESEARCH 2003; 16:149-58. [PMID: 12622792 DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0749.2003.00027.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
The 3beta-(2-diethylaminoethoxy)-androstenone HCl (U18666A), progesterone and several cationic amphiphilic drugs have been shown to alter the trafficking of a number of intracellular membrane proteins including CD63/Lamp-3, insulin growth factor 2/mannose 6-phosphate receptor (IGF2/MPR), and the Niemann-Pick C1 gene product (NPC1) as well as ganglioside GM1. We have examined the effects of these compounds on cultured melanocytes at concentrations that have been shown to effectively alter intracellular trafficking. Treatment of melanocytes with U18666A (2.5 micro M) or progesterone (15 micro M) for 96 h decreased melanin content an average of 67% as compared with control without lowering the total cellular tyrosinase activity. Steroidal alkaloids that preferentially act on the Sonic Hedgehog signaling pathway showed no related specificity in their ability to decrease pigmentation. In melanocytes treated with U18666A, tyrosinase accumulates in a compartment that contains both lysosome-associated membrane protein-1 (Lamp 1) and MPR, and stains with filipin, consistent with cholesterol-laden late endosomes/lysosomes. Our results suggest that tyrosinase, like the NPC1 gene product, traverses a U18666A-sensitive trafficking pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea M Hall
- The Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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Touloukian CE, Leitner WW, Schnur RE, Robbins PF, Li Y, Southwood S, Sette A, Rosenberg SA, Restifo NP. Normal tissue depresses while tumor tissue enhances human T cell responses in vivo to a novel self/tumor melanoma antigen, OA1. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2003; 170:1579-85. [PMID: 12538723 PMCID: PMC2241741 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.170.3.1579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Antitumor T cells often recognize targets that are nonmutated "self" tissue differentiation Ags, but the relative impact of Ag expression by normal and transformed tissue for a human self/tumor Ag has not been studied. To examine the influence of self-tolerance mechanisms on the function of self/tumor-specific T cell responses in humans, we sought to identify an Ag that was expressed, processed, and presented in an MHC-restricted fashion by tumor cells, but for which there was the human equivalent of a "knockout." In this study, we report the first immunological characterization of a melanoma/melanocyte differentiation Ag, called OA1, which meets these criteria. This Ag, an X chromosome-encoded melanoma/melanocyte differentiation Ag, was completely deleted in a male patient. Using a newly identified HLA-A*2402-restricted epitope (LYSACFWWL) to study T cell tolerance, we found that OA1-specific T cell reactivity was more than five SD higher in the knockout patient that in normal controls. These data provide compelling evidence for T cell tolerance to OA1 in humans. Most surprisingly, we found elevated levels of OA1-specific T cells in patients with metastatic malignant melanoma, indicating that the tumor-bearing state partially reversed tolerance observed in normal (non-"knockout") individuals. Taken together, these findings indicated that tolerance can exist for self/tumor Ags in humans, and that this tolerance could be partially abrogated by the growth of the tumor, increasing the reactivity of tumor Ag-specific T cells. Thus, the tumor-bearing state reverses, in part, the tolerance of T cells that results from the normal expression of tissue differentiation Ags.
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31
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Hirosaki K, Yamashita T, Wada I, Jin HY, Jimbow K. Tyrosinase and tyrosinase-related protein 1 require Rab7 for their intracellular transport. J Invest Dermatol 2002; 119:475-80. [PMID: 12190873 DOI: 10.1046/j.1523-1747.2002.01832.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
We have recently identified the association of Rab7 in melanosome biogenesis and proposed that Rab7 is involved in the transport of tyrosinase-related protein 1 from the trans-Golgi network to melanosomes, possibly passing through late-endosome-delineated compartments. In order to further investigate the requirement of Rab7-containing compartments for vesicular transport of tyrosinase family proteins, we expressed tyrosinase and tyrosinase-related protein by recombinant adenovirus and analyzed their localization in human amelanotic melanoma cells (SK-mel-24) in the presence or absence of a dominant-negative mutant of Rab7 (Rab7N125I). Co-infection of the recombinant adenoviruses carrying tyrosinase (Ad-HT) and TRP-1 (Ad-TRP-1) resulted in the enhancement of tyrosinase activity and melanin production compared to a single infection of Ad-HT. In the Ad-HT-infected SK-mel-24 cells many of the newly synthesized tyrosinase proteins were colocalized in lysosomal lgp85-positive granules of the entire cytoplasm, whereas in the presence of Rab7N125I the colocalization of tyrosinase and lgp85 proteins was decreased markedly in the distal area of the cytoplasm. In the Ad-TRP-1-infected SK-mel-24 cells, TRP-1, which is reported to be present exclusively in melanosomes, was detected throughout the cytoplasm, but not colocalized in prelysosomal (early endosomal) EEA-1 granules. In the presence of Rab7N125I, however, TRP-1 was retained in the EEA-1-positive granules. Our findings indicate that the dominant-negative mutant of Rab7 impairs vesicular transport of tyrosinase and TRP-1, suggesting that the transport of these melanogenic proteins from the trans-Golgi network to maturing melanosomes requires passage through endosome-delineated compartments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuninori Hirosaki
- Department of Dermatology and Department of Biochemistry (Section II), Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Japan
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Rachel RA, Mason CA, Beermann F. Influence of tyrosinase levels on pigment accumulation in the retinal pigment epithelium and on the uncrossed retinal projection. PIGMENT CELL RESEARCH 2002; 15:273-81. [PMID: 12100493 DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0749.2002.02019.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
To study the relationship among tyrosinase activity, melanin production, and the routing of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons at the optic chiasm, we analysed mice with varying doses of the tyrosinase gene. These include the dark-eyed albino (Tyrc44H), a radiation-induced hypomorphic allele of tyrosinase; and transgenic mice carrying 1 or 2 alleles of a tyrosinase minigene on both wild-type (Tyr+) and albino (Tyrc) backgrounds. Melanization of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) occurred gradually even at <2% wild-type tyrosinase activity and was sensitive to tyrosinase activity up to <35% of wild-type levels, beyond which melanin synthesis appeared to be saturated. Overexpression of tyrosinase led to tyrosinase activity above wild type level, but did not increase melanin production. Although a loss of melanin because of a mutation in tyrosinase is associated with a decrease in the number of uncrossed fibers, elevating tyrosinase levels does not appear to cause an increase in the size of the uncrossed retinal projection. Our results suggest that replacing less than 35% of wild-type tyrosinase activity is sufficient to restore normal pigmentation of the RPE, and potentially, to allay visual defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rivka A Rachel
- Center for Neurobiology and Behaviour, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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33
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Oetting WS. New insights into ocular albinism type 1 (OA1): Mutations and polymorphisms of the OA1 gene. Hum Mutat 2002; 19:85-92. [PMID: 11793467 DOI: 10.1002/humu.10034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Albinism ocular type 1 (OA1) is an X-linked type of albinism that mainly effects pigment production in the eye, resulting in hypopigmentation of the retina, nystagmus, strabismus, foveal hypoplasia, abnormal crossing of the optic fibers, and reduced visual acuity. The OA1 gene is located on chromosome Xp22.32 and the coding sequence is divided into nine exons. The protein is an integral transmembrane protein that has weak similarities to G protein-coupled receptors. A total of 25 missense, two nonsense, nine frameshift, and five splicing mutations have been reported in the OA1 gene associated with OA1. There are also several deletions of some or all exons of the OA1 gene with deletions of exon 2 resulting from unequal crossing-over, due to flanking Alu repeats. Mutation and polymorphism data on this gene is available from the International Albinism Center - Albinism Database web site (http://www.cbc.umn.edu/tad).
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Affiliation(s)
- William S Oetting
- Department of Medicine and Institute of Human Genetics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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Sturm RA, Teasdale RD, Box NF. Human pigmentation genes: identification, structure and consequences of polymorphic variation. Gene 2001; 277:49-62. [PMID: 11602344 DOI: 10.1016/s0378-1119(01)00694-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 253] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The synthesis of the visible pigment melanin by the melanocyte cell is the basis of the human pigmentary system, those genes directing the formation, transport and distribution of the specialised melanosome organelle in which melanin accumulates can legitimately be called pigmentation genes. The genes involved in this process have been identified through comparative genomic studies of mouse coat colour mutations and by the molecular characterisation of human hypopigmentary genetic diseases such as OCA1 and OCA2. The melanocyte responds to the peptide hormones alpha-MSH or ACTH through the MC1R G-protein coupled receptor to stimulate melanin production through induced maturation or switching of melanin type. The pheomelanosome, containing the key enzyme of the pathway tyrosinase, produces light red/yellowish melanin, whereas the eumelanosome produces darker melanins via induction of additional TYRP1, TYRP2, SILV enzymes, and the P-protein. Intramelanosomal pH governed by the P-protein may act as a critical determinant of tyrosinase enzyme activity to control the initial step in melanin synthesis or TYRP complex formation to facilitate melanogenesis and melanosomal maturation. The search for genetic variation in these candidate human pigmentation genes in various human populations has revealed high levels of polymorphism in the MC1R locus, with over 30 variant alleles so far identified. Functional correlation of MC1R alleles with skin and hair colour provides evidence that this receptor molecule is a principle component underlying normal human pigment variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- R A Sturm
- Centre for Functional and Applied Genomics, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
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Shen B, Rosenberg B, Orlow SJ. Intracellular distribution and late endosomal effects of the ocular albinism type 1 gene product: consequences of disease-causing mutations and implications for melanosome biogenesis. Traffic 2001; 2:202-11. [PMID: 11260525 DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0854.2001.020306.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
To investigate the function of ocular albinism type 1 (OA1), the gene responsible for X-linked ocular albinism, we employed a construct containing murine Oa1 fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP) in a heterologous COS cell expression system. The cellular distribution of wild-type (WT) Oa1 protein and Oa1 proteins reflecting mutations causing X-linked ocular albinism were examined. Comparison with different organelle markers revealed that Oa1-GFP localized to the late endolysosomal compartments. Some Oa1 mutant proteins failed to exit the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) (Class I mutants), while other mutants partially (Class II mutants) or fully (Class III mutants) exited the ER and trafficked to endolysosomal compartments. We observed that expression of WT Oa1-GFP in COS cells caused an apparent enlargement of late endosomes and a redistribution of the mannose-6-phosphate receptor (M6PR). None of the mutants displayed the full range of effects on the redistribution of M6PR exhibited by WT Oa1. The effects of Oa1 on late endosome structure and content are thus likely to reflect an important biological property of Oa1. We propose that OA1 is involved in reorganizing the endolysosomal compartment as a necessary step in ocular melanosome biogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Shen
- The Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology and the Department of Cell Biology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
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