Characterization of a specific interaction between ADAM23 and cellular prion protein

Endocytosis of the non-catalytic ADAM23: Recycling and long half-life properties

A Disintegrin And Metalloprotease 23 (ADAM23) is a member of the ADAMs family of transmembrane proteins, mostly expressed in nervous system, and involved in traffic and stabilization of Kv1-potassium channels, synaptic transmission, neurite outgrowth, neuronal morphology and cell adhesion. Also, ADAM23 has been linked to human pathological conditions, such as epilepsy, cancer metastasis and cardiomyopathy. ADAM23 functionality depends on the molecule presence at the cell surface and along the secretory pathway, as expected for a cell surface receptor. Because endocytosis is an important functional regulatory mechanism of plasma membrane receptors and no information is available about the traffic or turnover of non-catalytic ADAMs, we investigated ADAM23 internalization, recycling and half-life properties. Here, we show that ADAM23 undergoes constitutive internalization from the plasma membrane, a process that depends on lipid raft integrity, and is redistributed to intracellular vesicles, especially early and recycling endosomes. Furthermore, we observed that ADAM23 is recycled from intracellular compartments back to the plasma membrane and thus has longer half-life and higher cell surface stability compared with other ADAMs. Our findings suggest that regulation of ADAM23 endocytosis/stability could be exploited therapeutically in diseases in which ADAM23 is directly involved, such as epilepsy, cancer progression and cardiac hypertrophy.

ADAM23 in Cardiomyocyte Inhibits Cardiac Hypertrophy by Targeting FAK - AKT Signaling

Background

Cardiac hypertrophy has been recognized as an important independent risk factor for the development of heart failure and increases the risk of cardiac morbidity and mortality. A disintegrin and metalloprotease 23 (ADAM23), a member of ADAM family, is involved in cancer and neuronal differentiation. Although ADAM23 is expressed in the heart, the role of ADAM23 in the heart and in cardiac diseases remains unknown.

Methods and Results

We observed that ADAM23 expression is decreased in both failing human hearts and hypertrophic mice hearts. Cardiac‐specific conditional ADAM23‐knockout mice significantly exhibited exacerbated cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, and dysfunction, whereas transgenic mice overexpressing ADAM23 in the heart exhibited reduced cardiac hypertrophy in response to pressure overload. Consistent results were also observed in angiotensin II‐induced neonatal rat cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. Mechanistically, ADAM23 exerts anti‐hypertrophic effects by specifically targeting the focal adhesion kinase‐protein kinase B (FAK‐AKT) signaling cascade. Focal adhesion kinase inactivation by inhibitor (PF‐562271) greatly reversed the detrimental effects in ADAM23‐knockout mice subjected to aortic banding.

Conclusion

Altogether, we identified ADAM23 as a negative regulator of cardiac hypertrophy through inhibiting focal adhesion kinase‐protein kinase B signaling pathway, which could be a promising therapeutic target for this malady.

Functions of 'A disintegrin and metalloproteases (ADAMs)' in the mammalian nervous system

'A disintegrin and metalloproteases' (ADAMs) are a family of transmembrane proteins with diverse functions in multicellular organisms. About half of the ADAMs are active metalloproteases and cleave numerous cell surface proteins, including growth factors, receptors, cytokines and cell adhesion proteins. The other ADAMs have no catalytic activity and function as adhesion proteins or receptors. Some ADAMs are ubiquitously expressed, others are expressed tissue specifically. This review highlights functions of ADAMs in the mammalian nervous system, including their links to diseases. The non-proteolytic ADAM11, ADAM22 and ADAM23 have key functions in neural development, myelination and synaptic transmission and are linked to epilepsy. Among the proteolytic ADAMs, ADAM10 is the best characterized one due to its substrates Notch and amyloid precursor protein, where cleavage is required for nervous system development or linked to Alzheimer's disease (AD), respectively. Recent work demonstrates that ADAM10 has additional substrates and functions in the nervous system and its substrate selectivity may be regulated by tetraspanins. New roles for other proteolytic ADAMs in the nervous system are also emerging. For example, ADAM8 and ADAM17 are involved in neuroinflammation. ADAM17 additionally regulates neurite outgrowth and myelination and its activity is controlled by iRhoms. ADAM19 and ADAM21 function in regenerative processes upon neuronal injury. Several ADAMs, including ADAM9, ADAM10, ADAM15 and ADAM30, are potential drug targets for AD. Taken together, this review summarizes recent progress concerning substrates and functions of ADAMs in the nervous system and their use as drug targets for neurological and psychiatric diseases.

Low levels of ADAM23 expression in epithelial ovarian cancer are associated with poor survival

BACKGROUND

ADAM23, a member of the disintegrin and metalloprotease (ADAM) family, has been reported to be expressed in several types of tumours. Nevertheless, the exact role of ADAM23 in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate ADAM23 expression in EOC and evaluate its clinicopathological and prognostic significance.

METHODS

Immunohistochemistry (IHC), western blot and real-time PCR (RT-PCR) were used to analyse ADAM23 expression in 133 EOC, 42 benign ovarian tumour and 35 healthy control samples. Moreover, we evaluated the expression of ADAM23 in both public database (Oncomine and Kaplan-Meier plotter). The association between ADAM23 expression and various clinicopathological parameters was analysed.

RESULTS

The levels of ADAM23 mRNA and protein expression were significantly lower in EOC tissues than in corresponding control tissues and benign ovarian tumours, verifying results from the Oncomine databases. The loss of ADAM23 expression was significantly correlated with an advanced International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage and lymph node metastasis. The IHC data in the EOC samples correlated with the RT-PCR data. Furthermore, patients with low ADAM23 expression had shorter progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) than patients with high ADAM23 expression. The multivariate analysis indicated that ADAM23 was an independent predictor in patients with EOC.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results demonstrate that ADAM23 expression is likely involved in the progression of EOC and may provide potential diagnostic and prognostic information regarding EOC.

Identification of novel putative-binding proteins for cellular prion protein and a specific interaction with the STIP1 homology and U-Box-containing protein 1

Prion diseases involve the conversion of the endogenous cellular prion protein, PrP(C), into a misfolded infectious isoform, PrP(Sc). Several functions have been attributed to PrP(C), and its role has also been investigated in the olfactory system. PrP(C) is expressed in both the olfactory bulb (OB) and olfactory epithelium (OE) and the nasal cavity is an important route of transmission of diseases caused by prions. Moreover, Prnp(-/-) mice showed impaired behavior in olfactory tests. Given the high PrP(C) expression in OE and its putative role in olfaction, we screened a mouse OE cDNA library to identify novel PrP(C)-binding partners. Ten different putative PrP(C) ligands were identified, which were involved in functions such as cellular proliferation and apoptosis, cytoskeleton and vesicle transport, ubiquitination of proteins, stress response, and other physiological processes. In vitro binding assays confirmed the interaction of PrP(C) with STIP1 homology and U-Box containing protein 1 (Stub1) and are reported here for the first time. Stub1 is a co-chaperone with ubiquitin E3-ligase activity, which is associated with neurodegenerative diseases characterized by protein misfolding and aggregation. Physiological and pathological implications of PrP(C)-Stub1 interaction are under investigation. The PrP(C)-binding proteins identified here are not exclusive to the OE, suggesting that these interactions may occur in other tissues and play general biological roles. These data corroborate the proposal that PrP(C) is part of a multiprotein complex that modulates several cellular functions and provide a platform for further studies on the physiological and pathological roles of prion protein.

STI1 antagonizes cytoskeleton collapse mediated by small GTPase Rnd1 and regulates neurite growth

Rnd proteins comprise a branch of the Rho family of small GTP-binding proteins, which have been implicated in rearrangements of the actin cytoskeleton and microtubule dynamics. Particularly in the nervous system, Rnd family proteins regulate neurite formation, dendrite development and axonal branching. A secreted form of the co-chaperone Stress-Inducible Protein 1 (STI1) has been described as a prion protein partner that is involved in several processes of the nervous system, such as neurite outgrowth, neuroprotection, astrocyte development, and the self-renewal of neural progenitor cells. We show that cytoplasmic STI1 directly interacts with the GTPase Rnd1. This interaction is specific for the Rnd1 member of the Rnd family. In the COS collapse assay, overexpression of STI1 prevents Rnd1-plexin-A1-mediated cytoskeleton retraction. In PC-12 cells, overexpression of STI1 enhances neurite outgrowth in cellular processes initially established by Rnd1. Therefore, we propose that STI1 participates in Rnd1-induced signal transduction pathways that are involved in the dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton.

Proteomic analysis of prion diseases: creating clarity or causing confusion?

Prion diseases, or transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, are progressive, fatal neurodegenerative diseases. There are both human and animal forms of the disease and all are associated with the conversion of a normal host-coded cellular prion protein (PrP(C) ) into an abnormal protease-resistant isoform (PrP(Sc) ). Although methodologies are sensitive and specific for postmortem disease diagnosis, the use of PrP(Sc) as a preclinical or general biomarker for surveillance is difficult, due to the fact that it is present in extremely small amounts in accessible tissues or body fluids such as blood, urine, saliva, and cerebrospinal fluid. Recently, amplification techniques have been developed, which have enabled increased sensitivity for PrP(Sc) detection. However, it has recently been reported that proteinase K sensitive, pathological isoforms of PrP may have a significant role in the pathogenesis of some prion diseases. Accordingly, the development of new diagnostic tests that do not rely on PrP(Sc) and proteinase K digestion is desirable. The search for biomarkers (other than PrP(Sc) ) as tools for diagnosis of prion diseases has a long history. Ideally biomarkers able to detect all transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, even at preclinical stages of infection are desirable but not yet possible due to the heterogeneity of the disease and lengthy disease progression. Recent advances in neuroproteomics have led to an overwhelming amount of information, which may offer insight on protein-protein interactions. While the amount of data obtained is impressive, the ability to relate it to the disease and validating its usefulness in diagnostic biomarker development remains a formidable challenge.

Leucine-rich glioma inactivated 3 regulates adipogenesis through ADAM23

Leucine-rich glioma inactivated 3 (LGI3) is a secreted protein and a member of LGI/epitempin family. We previously showed that LGI3 was highly expressed in brain and played regulatory roles in neuronal exocytosis and differentiation. Besides the nervous system, LGI3 was shown to be expressed in diverse tissues. In this study, we found that LGI3 and its receptor candidate ADAM23 were expressed in adipose tissues and 3T3-L1 cells. 3T3-L1 preadipocytes secreted a 60-kDa protein, a major secreted form of LGI3, which declined with adipocyte differentiation. LGI3 was also expressed in adipose tissue macrophages in the ob/ob mice and in macrophage cell line. The 60-kDa LGI3 protein was selectively increased in the ob/ob adipose tissues comparing with the lean mice. Pull-down experiments, coimmunoprecipitation and immunocytochemistry indicated that LGI3 associated with ADAM23 in adipose tissues and 3T3-L1 cells. Knockdown of LGI3 or ADAM23 by siRNA increased adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells. Treatment with LGI3 protein did not affect preadipocyte proliferation but attenuated adipogenesis and this effect was reversed by siRNA-mediated knockdown of ADAM23. Taken together, we propose that LGI3 may be a candidate adipokine that is perturbed in obesity and suppresses adipogenesis through its receptor, ADAM23.