Peptidylarginine deiminase in rat and mouse hemopoietic cells

Peptidylarginine deiminase (PAD): A promising target for chronic diseases treatment

In 1958, the presence of citrulline in the structure of the proteins was discovered for the first time. Several years later they found that Arginine converted to citrulline during a post-translational modification process by PAD enzyme. Each PAD is expressed in a certain tissue developing a series of diseases such as inflammation and cancers. Among these, PAD2 and PAD4 play a role in the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by producing citrullinated autoantigens and increasing the production of inflammatory cytokines. PAD4 is also associated with the formation of NET structures and thrombosis. In the crystallographic structure, PAD has several calcium binding sites, and the active site of the enzyme consists of different amino acids. Various PAD inhibitors have been developed divided into pan-PAD and selective PAD inhibitors. F-amidine, Cl-amidine, and BB-Cl-amidine are some of pan-PAD inhibitors. AFM-30a and JBI589 are selective for PAD2 and PAD4, respectively. There is a need to evaluate the effectiveness of existing inhibitors more accurately in the coming years, as well as design and production of novel inhibitors targeting highly specific isoforms.

Post-translational modifications such as citrullination are excellent targets for cancer therapy

Under conditions of cellular stress, proteins can be post-translationally modified causing them to be recognized by the immune system. One such stress-induced post-translational modification (siPTM) is citrullination, the conversion of arginine residues to citrulline by peptidylarginine deiminase (PAD) enzymes. PAD enzymes are activated by millimolar concentrations of calcium which can occur during apoptosis, leading to precipitation of proteins, their subsequent uptake by B cells and stimulation of antibody responses. Detection of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs) is a diagnostic of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), where immune complexes stimulate inflammation around the joints. More recently, autophagy has been shown to play a role in the presentation of citrullinated peptides on MHC class II molecules to CD4⁺ helper T cells, suggesting that citrullination may be a way of alerting immune cells to cellular stress. Additionally, inflammation-induced IFNγ and concomitant MHC class II expression on target cells contributes to immune activation. Stressful conditions in the tumor microenvironment induce autophagy in cancer cells as a pro-survival mechanism. Cancer cells also over express PAD enzymes and in light of this the hypothesis that citrullinated peptides stimulate CD4⁺ T cell responses that would recognize these siPTM's produced during autophagy has been investigated. The induction of potent citrullinated peptide-specific CD4 responses has been shown in both humans and HLA transgenic mouse models. Responses in mouse models resulted in potent anti-tumour responses against tumours expressing either constitutive or IFNγ-inducible MHC class II. The anti-tumour effect relied upon direct recognition of tumours by specific CD4 T cells suggesting that citrullinated peptides are attractive targets for cancer vaccines.

Peptidylarginine deiminases in citrullination, gene regulation, health and pathogenesis

Peptidylarginine deiminases are a family of enzymes that mediate post-translational modifications of protein arginine residues by deimination or demethylimination to produce citrulline. In vitro, the activity of PADs is dependent on calcium and reductive reagents carrying a free sulfhydryl group. The discovery that PAD4 can target both arginine and methyl-arginine for citrullination about 10years ago renewed our interest in studying this family of enzymes in gene regulation and their physiological functions. The deregulation of PADs is involved in the etiology of multiple human diseases, including cancers and autoimmune disorders. There is a growing effort to develop isoform specific PAD inhibitors for disease treatment. However, the regulation of the activity of PADs in vivo remains largely elusive, and we expect that much will be learned about the role of these enzymes in a normal life cycle and under pathology conditions.

Cutting edge: unique T cells that recognize citrullinated peptides are a feature of protein immunization

Abs against citrullinated proteins are present in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. In this study, we describe a unique cohort of T cells that selectively responded to citrullinated variants of two epitopes of hen egg-white lysozyme, a major and a minor one, bound to the MHC molecule, I-A(k). In addition, we show that when given an intact, unmodified lysozyme protein, dendritic cells and peritoneal macrophages presented citrullinated peptides and stimulated modification-specific T cells. Thus, presentation of citrullinated-peptide-MHC complex is a feature of immune responses to protein Ags.

Autoantibodies to citrullinated proteins in rheumatoid arthritis: clinical performance and biochemical aspects of an RA-specific marker

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common, systemic autoimmune disease of which the exact etiology is not known. In the past 10 years, substantial progress has been made in the identification of the antigens specifically recognized by the autoantibodies of RA patients. A central factor in this respect is citrullination, a form of post-translational modification that is strongly associated with autoimmunity in RA. Here, we summarize and discuss our current knowledge on (i) autoantibody systems in RA, (ii) the occurrence of peptidylarginine deiminases and (iii) citrullinated proteins in natural and diseased environments, and (iv) genetic factors involved in RA that may influence the generation and presentation of citrullinated proteins and the resulting antibody production against these modified proteins. Citrullination of proteins may play a key role in the initiation and/or the progression of RA. The onset of citrulline-specific autoimmunity in RA is probably mediated by both environmental and genetic factors, and future studies will learn whether therapeutic intervention at the level of citrullination may provide new possibilities to treat RA.

Citrullinated proteins have increased immunogenicity and arthritogenicity and their presence in arthritic joints correlates with disease severity

Autoantibodies directed against citrulline-containing proteins have an impressive specificity of nearly 100% in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and have been suggested to be involved in the disease pathogenesis. The targeted epitopes are generated by a post-translational modification catalysed by the calcium-dependent enzyme peptidyl arginine deiminase (PAD), which converts positively charged arginine to polar but uncharged citrulline. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of citrullination on the immunogenicity of autoantigens as well as on potential arthritogenicity. Thus, immune responses to citrullinated rat serum albumin (Cit-RSA) and to unmodified rat serum albumin (RSA) were examined as well as arthritis development induced by immunisation with citrullinated rat collagen type II (Cit-CII) or unmodified CII. In addition, to correlate the presence of citrullinated proteins and the enzyme PAD4 with different stages of arthritis, synovial tissues obtained at different time points from rats with collagen-induced arthritis were examined immunohistochemically. Our results demonstrate that citrullination of the endogenous antigen RSA broke immunological tolerance, as was evident by the generation of antibodies directed against the modified protein and cross-reacting with the native protein. Furthermore we could demonstrate that Cit-CII induced arthritis with higher incidence and earlier onset than did the native counterpart. Finally, this study reveals that clinical signs of arthritis precede the presence of citrullinated proteins and the enzyme PAD4. As disease progressed into a more severe and chronic state, products of citrullination appeared specifically in the joints. Citrullinated proteins were detected mainly in extracellular deposits but could also be found in infiltrating cells and on the cartilage surface. PAD4 was detected in the cytoplasm of infiltrating mononuclear cells, from day 21 after immunisation and onwards. In conclusion, our data reveal the potency of citrullination to break tolerance against the self antigen RSA and to increase the arthritogenic properties of the cartilage antigen CII. We also show that citrullinated proteins and the enzyme PAD4 are not detectable in healthy joints, and that the appearance and amounts in arthritic joints of experimental animals are correlated with the severity of inflammation.

Expression and activity of citrullinating peptidylarginine deiminase enzymes in monocytes and macrophages

BACKGROUND

Antibodies directed to proteins containing the non-standard amino acid citrulline, are extremely specific for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Peptidylcitrulline can be generated by post-translational conversion of arginine residues. This process, citrullination, is catalysed by a group of calcium dependent peptidylarginine deiminase (PAD) enzymes.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the expression and activity of four isotypes of PAD in peripheral blood and synovial fluid cells of patients with RA.

RESULTS

The data presented here show that citrullination of proteins by PAD enzymes is a process regulated at three levels: transcription-in peripheral blood PAD2 and PAD4 mRNAs are expressed predominantly in monocytes; PAD4 mRNA is not detectable in macrophages, translation-translation of PAD2 mRNA is subject to differentiation stage-specific regulation by its 3' UTR, and activation-the PAD proteins are only activated when sufficient Ca(2+) is available. Such high Ca(2+) concentrations are normally not present in living cells. In macrophages, which are abundant in the inflamed RA synovium, vimentin is specifically citrullinated after Ca(2+) influx.

CONCLUSION

PAD2 and PAD4 are the most likely candidate PAD isotypes for the citrullination of synovial proteins in RA. Our results indicate that citrullinated vimentin is a candidate autoantigen in RA.

PAD, a growing family of citrullinating enzymes: genes, features and involvement in disease

Peptidylarginine deiminase (PAD, EC 3.5.3.15) enzymes catalyze the conversion of protein-bound arginine to citrulline. This post-translational modification may have a big impact on the structure and function of the target protein. In this review, we will discuss the effects of citrullination and its involvement in several human diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. So far, four isotypes of PAD have been described in mammals. We describe the existence of PAD in non-mammalian vertebrates and the existence of a fifth mammalian PAD. In addition, tissue-specific expression, genomic organization and evolutionary conservation of the different PAD isotypes will be discussed in detail. This article contains supplementary material which may be viewed at the BioEssays website at http://www.interscience.wiley.com/jpages/0265-9247/suppmat/2003/25/v25.1106.html.

Citrullination of synovial proteins in murine models of rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVE

Antibodies directed to citrulline-containing proteins are highly specific for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and can be detected in up to 80% of patients with RA. Citrulline is a nonstandard amino acid that can be incorporated into proteins only by posttranslational modification of arginine by peptidylarginine deiminase (PAD) enzymes. The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of anticitrulline antibodies, PAD enzymes, and citrullinated antigens in mouse models of both acute and chronic destructive arthritis: streptococcal cell wall (SCW)-induced arthritis and collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), respectively.

METHODS

Synovial tissue biopsy specimens were obtained from naive mice, mice with CIA, and mice with SCW-induced arthritis. The expression of messenger RNA (mRNA) for PAD enzymes was analyzed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction; the presence of PAD proteins and their products (citrullinated proteins) was analyzed by Western blotting and by immunolocalization. The presence of anticitrullinated protein antibodies was investigated by an anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and an ELISA using in vitro citrullinated fibrinogen.

RESULTS

In both mouse models, PAD type 2 (PAD2) mRNA was present in the synovium but was not translated into PAD2 protein. In contrast, PAD4 mRNA, although absent from healthy synovium, was readily transcribed and translated by polymorphonuclear neutrophils infiltrating the synovial tissue during inflammation. As a consequence, several synovial proteins were subjected to citrullination. One of these proteins was identified as fibrin, which has been reported to be citrullinated also in synovium of patients with RA. Although generation of citrullinated antigens during synovial inflammation in the mice was eminent, no anti-CCP antibodies could be detected.

CONCLUSION

Citrullination of synovial antigens is an active process during joint inflammation in both mice and humans, but the induction of autoantibodies directed to these proteins is a more specific phenomenon, detectable only in human RA patients.

Increased and type II-specific expression of peptidylarginine deiminase in activated microglia but not hyperplastic astrocytes following kainic acid-evoked neurodegeneration in the rat brain

Peptidylarginine deiminases (PADs) are a group of posttranslational modification enzymes that convert protein arginine residues to citrulline residues. In the rat cerebrum, the type II PAD is thought to be expressed mainly in glial cells, especially astrocytes, and to become activated early in the neurodegenerative process. To determine whether hyperplastic glial cells express PAD type II, we examined the rat brain after kainic acid-evoked neurodegeneration. Western blot and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analyses revealed increased and type II-specific expression of PAD in the brain at 4-7 days after kainate administration. Immunocytochemically, no PAD type II immunoreactivity was observed in the glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive astrocytes, but such immunoreactivity was present coincident with a microglial marker recognized by Bandeiraea simplicifolia isolectin B4 in the damaged regions. These results clearly indicate that PAD type II is specifically and abundantly expressed in activated microglial cells and suppressed in hyperplastic astrocytes following neurodegeneration.

Molecular characterization of peptidylarginine deiminase in HL-60 cells induced by retinoic acid and 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3)

Three types of peptidylarginine deiminase (PAD), which converts a protein arginine residue to a citrulline residue, are widely distributed in animal tissues. Little is known about PAD of hemopoietic cells. We found that PAD activity in human myeloid leukemia HL-60 cells was induced with the granulocyte-inducing agents retinoic acid and dimethyl sulfoxide and with the monocyte-inducing agent 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3). We cloned and characterized a PAD cDNA from retinoic acid-induced cells. The cDNA was 2,238 base pairs long and encoded a 663-amino acid polypeptide. The HL-60 PAD had 50-55% amino acid sequence identities with the three known enzymes and 73% identity with the recently cloned keratinocyte PAD. The recombinant enzyme differs in kinetic properties from the known enzymes. Immunoblotting and Northern blotting with an antiserum against the enzyme and the cDNA, respectively, showed that a protein of approximately 67 kDa increased concomitantly with increase of mRNA of approximately 2.6 kilobases during granulocyte differentiation. During monocyte differentiation the same mRNA and protein increased as in granulocyte differentiation. Neither the enzyme activity nor the protein was found in macrophage-induced cells. These results suggested that expression of the PAD gene is tightly linked to myeloid differentiation.

The Epitopes Targeted by the Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Antifilaggrin Autoantibodies are Posttranslationally Generated on Various Sites of (Pro)Filaggrin by Deimination of Arginine Residues

Antifilaggrin autoantibodies (AFA) are a population of IgG autoantibodies associated to rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which includes the so-called “antikeratin” Abs and antiperinuclear factor. AFA are the most specific serological markers of RA. We previously showed that they recognize human epidermal filaggrin and other profilaggrin-related proteins of various epithelial tissues. Here, we report further characterization of the protein Ags and epitopes targeted by AFA. All the Ags that exhibit numerous neutral/acidic isoelectric variants were immunochemically demonstrated to be deiminated proteins. In vitro deimination of a recombinant human filaggrin by a peptidylarginine deiminase generated AFA epitopes on the protein. Moreover, two of three filaggrin-derived synthetic peptides with a citrulline in the central position were specifically and widely recognized by AFA affinity-purified from a series of RA sera. These results indicate that citrulline residues are constitutive of the AFA epitopes, but only in the context of specific amino acid sequences of filaggrin. In competition experiments, the two peptides abolished the AFA reactivity of RA sera, showing that they present major AFA epitopes. These data should help in the identification of a putative deiminated AFA-inducing or cross-reactive articular autoantigen and provide new insights into the pathogenesis of RA. They could also open the way toward specific immunosuppressive and/or preventive therapy of RA.

Selective deimination of vimentin in calcium ionophore-induced apoptosis of mouse peritoneal macrophages

We found citrulline-containing proteins in mouse peritoneal macrophages undergoing calcium ionophore-induced apoptosis. Such proteins were products of deimination of arginine residues catalyzed by endogenous peptidylarginine deiminase (EC 3.5.3.15) activated by calcium influx. Western blotting analyses of the extract from macrophages incubated with 1 microM ionomycin showed selective deimination of vimentin without detectable degradation. Double immunofluorescence staining of deiminated proteins and vimentin suggested localization of deiminated vimentin around the periphery of round-shaped nucleus, which was thought to be an early morphological sign of apoptosis. The biological implication of vimentin deimination in macrophage apoptosis is discussed.

Citrulline is an essential constituent of antigenic determinants recognized by rheumatoid arthritis-specific autoantibodies

Only a few autoantibodies that are more or less specific for RA have been described so far. The rheumatoid factor most often tested for is not very specific for RA, while the more specific antiperinuclear factor for several reasons is not routinely used as a serological parameter. Here we show that autoantibodies reactive with synthetic peptides containing the unusual amino acid citrulline, a posttranslationally modified arginine residue, are specifically present in the sera of RA patients. Using several citrulline-containing peptide variants in ELISA, antibodies could be detected in 76% of RA sera with a specificity of 96%. Sera showed a remarkable variety in the reactivity pattern towards different citrulline-containing peptides. Affinity-purified antibodies were shown to be positive in the immunofluorescence-based antiperinuclear factor test, and in the so-called antikeratin antibody test, and were reactive towards filaggrin extracted from human epidermis. The specific nature of these antibodies and the presence of these antibodies early in disease, even before other disease manifestations occur, are indicative for a possible role of citrulline-containing epitopes in the pathogenesis of RA.

Immunohistochemical localization of peptidylarginine deiminase in the rat brain

The enzyme peptidylarginine deiminase is responsible for the post-translational modification of certain proteins by catalysing the deimination of arginine residues to citrullines. Recently, peptidylarginine deiminase has been purified from rat skeletal muscle and its primary structure determined by molecular cloning. We have used antibodies raised against this enzyme to examine its distribution in the rat central nervous system. A few discrete neuronal cell groups in the telencephalon were selectively stained. These were the septofimbrial nucleus, the anterior commissural nucleus of the hypothalamus, and the anterodorsal thalamic nucleus. The subcommissural organ was intensely stained; but other circumventricular organs were not. In addition, peptidylarginine deiminase-immunoreactivity was found in a large population of small cells throughout the grey and white matter of the rat brain. Some of these cells contained glial fibrillary acidic protein and could thus be identified as astrocytes. However, in many regions these peptidylarginine deiminase-positive cells appeared distinct from the glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive astrocytes. Light and electron microscopic examination indicated that these cells had the morphology of microglia, however they were not stained by a lectin marker for microglia. These cells often surrounded cerebral capillaries, and sent ramifying processes into the neuropil. Peptidylarginine deiminase has been suggested to be involved in the synthesis of the endothelium-derived relaxing factor nitric oxide from arginine-containing molecules. Thus the distinct peptidylarginine deiminase-positive glial cells surrounding cerebral blood vessels may be in a position to regulate local blood flow in response to neuronal activity.

Estrogen regulates peptidylarginine deiminase levels in a rat pituitary cell line in culture

A Nonidet P-40 extract of growth hormone-producing rat pituitary MtT/S cells was found to contain peptidylarginine deiminase (EC 3.5.3.15), which was indistinguishable from an enzyme preparation from rat muscle in Western immunoblotting and immunoprecipitation. This enzyme was immunocytochemically detected in the cytoplasm but was not secreted into the medium during the cultivation. When the cells were cultured for 2 days with various concentrations of 17 beta-estradiol (E2), the enzyme activity increased in a dose-dependent manner, reaching a maximum level (four- to fivefold higher than control) at about 10(-9) M. This increase in the enzyme activity was evident by 14 hr of culture and became relatively stable after 24 hr. It correlated well with the increase in the amount of the muscle type enzyme per cell as analyzed by Western immunoblotting. Estriol and a synthetic estrogen, diethylstilbestrol, also increased the enzyme activity, whereas testosterone, progesterone, and corticosterone were without effect. An antiestrogen, tamoxifen, which by itself was inactive, partially suppressed the effect of E2. Exposure of MtT/S cells for 14 hr to E2 increased incorporation of 35S-labeled amino acids into the immunoprecipitable peptidylarginine deiminase. This increase was dependent on the concentration of E2, attaining a maximum level (about tenfold higher than the control) at about 10(-9) M. These results indicate that estrogen effects the increase in peptidylarginine deiminase content in the pituitary cells by stimulating enzyme synthesis.