Golgi membranes remain segregated from the endoplasmic reticulum during mitosis in mammalian cells

Quantitative control of subcellular protein localization with a photochromic dimerizer

Artificial control of intracellular protein dynamics with high precision provides deep insight into complicated biomolecular networks. Optogenetics and caged compound-based chemically induced dimerization (CID) systems are emerging as tools for spatiotemporally regulating intracellular protein dynamics. However, both technologies face several challenges for accurate control such as the duration of activation, deactivation rate and repetition cycles. Herein, we report a photochromic CID system that uses the photoisomerization of a ligand so that both association and dissociation are controlled by light, enabling quick, repetitive and quantitative regulation of the target protein localization upon illumination with violet and green light. We also demonstrate the usability of the photochromic CID system as a potential tool to finely manipulate intracellular protein dynamics during multicolor fluorescence imaging to study diverse cellular processes. We use this system to manipulate PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1)-Parkin-mediated mitophagy, showing that PINK1 recruitment to the mitochondria can promote Parkin recruitment to proceed with mitophagy.

Sorting of secretory proteins at the trans-Golgi network by human TGN46

Secretory proteins are sorted at the trans-Golgi network (TGN) for export into specific transport carriers. However, the molecular players involved in this fundamental process remain largely elusive. Here, we identified the human transmembrane protein TGN46 as a receptor for the export of secretory cargo protein PAUF in CARTS - a class of protein kinase D-dependent TGN-to-plasma membrane carriers. We show that TGN46 is necessary for cargo sorting and loading into nascent carriers at the TGN. By combining quantitative fluorescence microscopy and mutagenesis approaches, we further discovered that the lumenal domain of TGN46 encodes for its cargo sorting function. In summary, our results define a cellular function of TGN46 in sorting secretory proteins for export from the TGN.

Light-responsive nanomedicine for cancer immunotherapy

Immunotherapy emerged as a paradigm shift in cancer treatments, which can effectively inhibit cancer progression by activating the immune system. Remarkable clinical outcomes have been achieved through recent advances in cancer immunotherapy, including checkpoint blockades, adoptive cellular therapy, cancer vaccine, and tumor microenvironment modulation. However, extending the application of immunotherapy in cancer patients has been limited by the low response rate and side effects such as autoimmune toxicities. With great progress being made in nanotechnology, nanomedicine has been exploited to overcome biological barriers for drug delivery. Given the spatiotemporal control, light-responsive nanomedicine is of great interest in designing precise modality for cancer immunotherapy. Herein, we summarized current research utilizing light-responsive nanoplatforms to enhance checkpoint blockade immunotherapy, facilitate targeted delivery of cancer vaccines, activate immune cell functions, and modulate tumor microenvironment. The clinical translation potential of those designs is highlighted and challenges for the next breakthrough in cancer immunotherapy are discussed.

Blue Light Activated Rapamycin for Optical Control of Protein Dimerization in Cells and Zebrafish Embryos

Rapamycin-induced dimerization of FKBP and FRB is the most commonly utilized chemically induced protein dimerization system. It has been extensively used to conditionally control protein localization, split-enzyme activity, and protein-protein interactions in general by simply fusing FKBP and FRB to proteins of interest. We have developed a new aminonitrobiphenylethyl caging group and applied it to the generation of a caged rapamycin analog that can be photoactivated using blue light. Importantly, the caged rapamycin analog shows minimal background activity with regard to protein dimerization and can be directly interfaced with a wide range of established (and often commercially available) FKBP/FRB systems. We have successfully demonstrated its applicability to the optical control of enzymatic function, protein stability, and protein subcellular localization. Further, we also showcased its applicability toward optical regulation of cell signaling, specifically mTOR signaling, in cells and aquatic embryos.

Synthesis and application of light-switchable arylazopyrazole rapamycin analogs

Rapamycin-induced dimerization of FKBP and FRB has been utilized as a tool for co-localizing two proteins of interest in numerous applications. Due to the tight binding interaction of rapamycin with FKBP and FRB, the ternary complex formation is essentially irreversible. Since biological processes occur in a highly dynamic fashion with cycles of protein association and dissociation to generate a cellular response, it is useful to have chemical tools that function in a similar manner. We have developed arylazopyrazole-modified rapamycin analogs which undergo a configurational change upon light exposure and we observed enhanced ternary complex formation for the cis-isomer over the trans-isomer for one of the analogs.

Next-Generation Drugs and Probes for Chromatin Biology: From Targeted Protein Degradation to Phase Separation

Chromatin regulation is a critical aspect of nuclear function. Recent advances have provided detailed information about dynamic three-dimensional organization of chromatin and its regulatory factors. Mechanisms crucial for normal nuclear function and epigenetic control include compartmentalization of biochemical reactions by liquid-phase separated condensates and signal-dependent regulation of protein stability. Synthetic control of these phenomena by small molecules provides deep insight into essential activities such as histone modification, BAF (SWI/SNF) and PBAF remodeling, Polycomb repression, enhancer looping by cohesin and CTCF, as well as many other processes that contribute to transcription. As a result, a complete understanding of the spatiotemporal mechanisms that underlie chromatin regulation increasingly requires the use of fast-acting drugs and chemical probes. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of next-generation chemical biology tools to interrogate the chromatin regulatory landscape, including selective PROTAC E3 ubiquitin ligase degraders, degrons, fluorescent ligands, dimerizers, inhibitors, and other drugs. These small molecules provide important insights into the mechanisms that govern gene regulation, DNA repair, development, and diseases like cancer.

Chemically induced proximity in biology and medicine

Proximity, or the physical closeness of molecules, is a pervasive regulatory mechanism in biology. For example, most posttranslational modifications such as phosphorylation, methylation, and acetylation promote proximity of molecules to play deterministic roles in cellular processes. To understand the role of proximity in biologic mechanisms, chemical inducers of proximity (CIPs) were developed to synthetically model biologically regulated recruitment. Chemically induced proximity allows for precise temporal control of transcription, signaling cascades, chromatin regulation, protein folding, localization, and degradation, as well as a host of other biologic processes. A systematic analysis of CIPs in basic research, coupled with recent technological advances utilizing CRISPR, distinguishes roles of causality from coincidence and allows for mathematical modeling in synthetic biology. Recently, induced proximity has provided new avenues of gene therapy and emerging advances in cancer treatment.

Optochemical Control of Biological Processes in Cells and Animals

Biological processes are naturally regulated with high spatial and temporal control, as is perhaps most evident in metazoan embryogenesis. Chemical tools have been extensively utilized in cell and developmental biology to investigate cellular processes, and conditional control methods have expanded applications of these technologies toward resolving complex biological questions. Light represents an excellent external trigger since it can be controlled with very high spatial and temporal precision. To this end, several optically regulated tools have been developed and applied to living systems. In this review we discuss recent developments of optochemical tools, including small molecules, peptides, proteins, and nucleic acids that can be irreversibly or reversibly controlled through light irradiation, with a focus on applications in cells and animals.

Targeting protein function: the expanding toolkit for conditional disruption

A major objective in biological research is to understand spatial and temporal requirements for any given gene, especially in dynamic processes acting over short periods, such as catalytically driven reactions, subcellular transport, cell division, cell rearrangement and cell migration. The interrogation of such processes requires the use of rapid and flexible methods of interfering with gene function. However, many of the most widely used interventional approaches, such as RNAi or CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)-Cas9 (CRISPR-associated 9), operate at the level of the gene or its transcripts, meaning that the effects of gene perturbation are exhibited over longer time frames than the process under investigation. There has been much activity over the last few years to address this fundamental problem. In the present review, we describe recent advances in disruption technologies acting at the level of the expressed protein, involving inducible methods of protein cleavage, (in)activation, protein sequestration or degradation. Drawing on examples from model organisms we illustrate the utility of fast-acting techniques and discuss how different components of the molecular toolkit can be employed to dissect previously intractable biochemical processes and cellular behaviours.

Golgi enzymes do not cycle through the endoplasmic reticulum during protein secretion or mitosis

The question of whether the Golgi complex is a stable compartment or is constantly regenerated from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is an important issue under debate. Using an ER trapping procedure and Golgi-specific O-linked glycosylation of a resident ER protein, this study demonstrates that Golgi enzymes do not cycle through the ER during secretion and mitosis.

Golgi-specific sialyltransferase (ST) expressed as a chimera with the rapamycin-binding domain of mTOR, FRB, relocates to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in cells exposed to rapamycin that also express invariant chain (Ii)-FKBP in the ER. This result has been taken to indicate that Golgi-resident enzymes cycle to the ER constitutively. We show that ST-FRB is trapped in the ER even without Ii-FKBP upon rapamycin addition. This is because ER-Golgi–cycling FKBP proteins contain a C-terminal KDEL-like sequence, bind ST-FRB in the Golgi, and are transported together back to the ER by KDEL receptor–mediated retrograde transport. Moreover, depletion of KDEL receptor prevents trapping of ST-FRB in the ER by rapamycin. Thus ST-FRB cycles artificially by binding to FKBP domain–containing proteins. In addition, Golgi-specific O-linked glycosylation of a resident ER protein occurs only upon artificial fusion of Golgi membranes with ER. Together these findings support the consensus view that there is no appreciable mixing of Golgi-resident enzymes with ER under normal conditions.

ER trapping reveals Golgi enzymes continually revisit the ER through a recycling pathway that controls Golgi organization

Whether Golgi enzymes remain localized within the Golgi or constitutively cycle through the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is unclear, yet is important for understanding Golgi dependence on the ER. Here, we demonstrate that the previously reported inefficient ER trapping of Golgi enzymes in a rapamycin-based assay results from an artifact involving an endogenous ER-localized 13-kD FK506 binding protein (FKBP13) competing with the FKBP12-tagged Golgi enzyme for binding to an FKBP-rapamycin binding domain (FRB)-tagged ER trap. When we express an FKBP12-tagged ER trap and FRB-tagged Golgi enzymes, conditions precluding such competition, the Golgi enzymes completely redistribute to the ER upon rapamycin treatment. A photoactivatable FRB-Golgi enzyme, highlighted only in the Golgi, likewise redistributes to the ER. These data establish Golgi enzymes constitutively cycle through the ER. Using our trapping scheme, we identify roles of rab6a and calcium-independent phospholipase A2 (iPLA2) in Golgi enzyme recycling, and show that retrograde transport of Golgi membrane underlies Golgi dispersal during microtubule depolymerization and mitosis.

Mechanisms involved in glucocorticoid induction of pituitary GH expression during embryonic development

Glucocorticoid hormones are involved in functional differentiation of GH-producing somatotrophs. Glucocorticoid treatment prematurely induces GH expression in mammals and birds in a process requiring protein synthesis and Rat sarcoma (Ras) signaling. The objective of this study was to investigate mechanisms through which glucocorticoids initiate GH expression during embryogenesis, taking advantage of the unique properties of chicken embryos as a developmental model. We determined that stimulation of GH expression occurred through transcriptional activation of GH, rather than enhancement of mRNA stability, and this process requires histone deacetylase activity. Through pharmacological inhibition, we identified the ERK1/2 pathway as a likely downstream Ras effector necessary for glucocorticoid stimulation of GH. However, we also found that chronic activation of ERK1/2 activity with a constitutively active mutant or stimulatory ligand reduced initiation of GH expression by glucocorticoid treatment. Corticosterone treatment of cultured embryonic pituitary cells increased ERK1/2 activity in an apparent cyclical manner, with a rapid increase within 5 minutes, followed by a reduction to near-basal levels at 3 hours, and a subsequent increase again at 6 hours. Therefore, we conclude that ERK1/2 signaling must be strictly controlled for maximal glucocorticoid induction of GH to occur. These results are the first in any species to demonstrate that Ras- and ERK1/2-mediated transcriptional events requiring histone deacetylase activity are involved in glucocorticoid induction of pituitary GH during embryonic development. This report increases our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying glucocorticoid recruitment of somatotrophs during embryogenesis and should provide insight into glucocorticoid-induced developmental changes in other tissues and cell types.

TFG clusters COPII-coated transport carriers and promotes early secretory pathway organization

In mammalian cells, cargo-laden secretory vesicles leave the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) en route to ER-Golgi intermediate compartments (ERGIC) in a manner dependent on the COPII coat complex. We report here that COPII-coated transport carriers traverse a submicron, TFG (Trk-fused gene)-enriched zone at the ER/ERGIC interface. The architecture of TFG complexes as determined by three-dimensional electron microscopy reveals the formation of flexible, octameric cup-like structures, which are able to self-associate to generate larger polymers in vitro. In cells, loss of TFG function dramatically slows protein export from the ER and results in the accumulation of COPII-coated carriers throughout the cytoplasm. Additionally, the tight association between ER and ERGIC membranes is lost in the absence of TFG. We propose that TFG functions at the ER/ERGIC interface to locally concentrate COPII-coated transport carriers and link exit sites on the ER to ERGIC membranes. Our findings provide a new mechanism by which COPII-coated carriers are retained near their site of formation to facilitate rapid fusion with neighboring ERGIC membranes upon uncoating, thereby promoting interorganellar cargo transport.

Inactivation of a common OGG1 variant by TNF-alpha in mammalian cells

Reactive oxygen species threaten genomic integrity by inducing oxidative DNA damage. One common form of oxidative DNA damage is the mutagenic lesion 8-oxoguanine (8-oxodG). One driver of oxidative stress that can induce 8-oxodG is inflammation, which can be initiated by the cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). Oxidative DNA damage is primarily repaired by the base excision repair pathway, initiated by glycosylases targeting specific DNA lesions. 8-oxodG is excised by 8-oxoguanine glycosylase 1 (OGG1). A common Ogg1 allelic variant is S326C-Ogg1, prevalent in Asian and Caucasian populations. S326C-Ogg1 is associated with various forms of cancer, and is inactivated by oxidation. However, whether oxidative stress caused by inflammatory cytokines compromises OGG1 variant repair activity remains unknown. We addressed whether TNF-α causes oxidative stress that both induces DNA damage and inactivates S326C-OGG1 via cysteine 326 oxidation. In mouse embryonic fibroblasts, we found that S326C-OGG1 was inactivated only after exposure to H2O2 or TNF-α. Treatment with the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine prior to oxidative stress rescued S326C-OGG1 activity, demonstrated by in vitro and cellular repair assays. In contrast, S326C-OGG1 activity was unaffected by potassium bromate, which induces oxidative DNA damage without causing oxidative stress, and presumably cysteine oxidation. This study reveals that Cys326 is vulnerable to oxidation that inactivates S326C-OGG1. Physiologically relevant levels of TNF-α simultaneously induce 8-oxodG and inactivate S326C-OGG1. These results suggest a mechanism that could contribute to increased risk of cancer among S326C-Ogg1 homozygous individuals.

On the move: organelle dynamics during mitosis

A cell constitutes the minimal self-replicating unit of all organisms, programmed to propagate its genome as it proceeds through mitotic cell division. The molecular processes entrusted with ensuring high fidelity of DNA replication and subsequent segregation of chromosomes between daughter cells have therefore been studied extensively. However, to process the information encoded in its genome a cell must also pass on its non-genomic identity to future generations. To achieve productive sharing of intracellular organelles, cells have evolved complex mechanisms of organelle inheritance. Many membranous compartments undergo vast spatiotemporal rearrangements throughout mitosis. These controlled organizational changes are crucial to enabling completion of the division cycle and ensuring successful progeny. Herein we review current understanding of intracellular organelle segregation during mitotic division in mammalian cells, with a focus on compartment organization and integrity throughout the inheritance process.

Sphingomyelin homeostasis is required to form functional enzymatic domains at the trans-Golgi network

Sphingomyelin-mediated organization of resident transmembrane proteins into specific membrane domains at the trans-Golgi network is necessary for normal enzymatic activity.

Do lipids such as sphingomyelin (SM) that are known to assemble into specific membrane domains play a role in the organization and function of transmembrane proteins? In this paper, we show that disruption of SM homeostasis at the trans-Golgi network (TGN) by treatment of HeLa cells with d-ceramide-C6, which was converted together with phosphatidylcholine to short-chain SM and diacylglycerol by SM synthase, led to the segregation of Golgi-resident proteins from each other. We found that TGN46, which cycles between the TGN and the plasma membrane, was not sialylated by a sialyltransferase at the TGN and that this enzyme and its substrate TGN46 could not physically interact with each other. Our results suggest that SM organizes transmembrane proteins into functional enzymatic domains at the TGN.

Ras-dva is a novel Pit-1- and glucocorticoid-regulated gene in the embryonic anterior pituitary gland

Glucocorticoids play a role in functional differentiation of pituitary somatotrophs and lactotrophs during embryogenesis. Ras-dva was identified as a gene regulated by anterior neural fold protein-1/homeobox expressed in embryonic stem cells-1, a transcription factor known to be critical in pituitary development, and has an expression profile in the chicken embryonic pituitary gland that is consistent with in vivo regulation by glucocorticoids. The objective of this study was to characterize expression and regulation of ras-dva mRNA in the developing chicken anterior pituitary. Pituitary ras-dva mRNA levels increased during embryogenesis to a maximum on embryonic day (e) 18 and then decreased and remained low or undetectable after hatch. Ras-dva expression was highly enriched in the pituitary gland on e18 relative to other tissues examined. Glucocorticoid treatment of pituitary cells from mid- and late-stage embryos rapidly increased ras-dva mRNA, suggesting it may be a direct transcriptional target of glucocorticoids. A reporter construct driven by 4 kb of the chicken ras-dva 5'-flanking region, containing six putative pituitary-specific transcription factor-1 (Pit-1) binding sites and two potential glucocorticoid receptor (GR) binding sites, was highly activated in embryonic pituitary cells and up-regulated by corticosterone. Mutagenesis of the most proximal Pit-1 site decreased promoter activity in chicken e11 pituitary cells, indicating regulation of ras-dva by Pit-1. However, mutating putative GR binding sites did not substantially reduce induction of ras-dva promoter activity by corticosterone, suggesting additional DNA elements within the 5'-flanking region are responsible for glucocorticoid regulation. We have identified ras-dva as a glucocorticoid-regulated gene that is likely expressed in cells of the Pit-1 lineage within the developing anterior pituitary gland.

MEK1 inactivates Myt1 to regulate Golgi membrane fragmentation and mitotic entry in mammalian cells

The pericentriolar stacks of Golgi cisternae are separated from each other in G2 and fragmented extensively during mitosis. MEK1 is required for Golgi fragmentation in G2 and for the entry of cells into mitosis. We now report that Myt1 mediates MEK1's effects on the Golgi complex. Knockdown of Myt1 by siRNA increased the efficiency of Golgi complex fragmentation by mitotic cytosol in permeabilized and intact HeLa cells. Myt1 knockdown eliminated the requirement of MEK1 in Golgi fragmentation and alleviated the delay in mitotic entry due to MEK1 inhibition. The phosphorylation of Myt1 by MEK1 requires another kinase but is independent of RSK, Plk, and CDK1. Altogether our findings reveal that Myt1 is inactivated by MEK1 mediated phosphorylation to fragment the Golgi complex in G2 and for the entry of cells into mitosis. It is known that Myt1 inactivation is required for CDK1 activation. Myt1 therefore is an important link by which MEK1 dependent fragmentation of the Golgi complex in G2 is connected to the CDK1 mediated breakdown of Golgi into tubules and vesicles in mitosis.

Division of the intermediate compartment at the onset of mitosis provides a mechanism for Golgi inheritance

As mammalian cells prepare for mitosis, the Golgi ribbon is first unlinked into its constituent stacks and then transformed into spindle-associated, pleiomorphic membrane clusters in a process that remains enigmatic. Also, it remains unclear whether Golgi inheritance involves the incorporation of Golgi enzymes into a pool of coat protein I (COPI) vesicles, or their COPI-independent transfer to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Based on the observation that the intermediate compartment (IC) at the ER-Golgi boundary is connected to the centrosome, we examined its mitotic fate and possible role in Golgi breakdown. The use of multiple imaging techniques and markers revealed that the IC elements persist during the M phase, maintain their compositional and structural properties and remain associated with the mitotic spindle, forming circular arrays at the spindle poles. At G2/M transition, the movement of the pericentrosomal domain of the IC (pcIC) to the cell centre and its expansion coincide with the unlinking of the Golgi ribbon. At prophase, coupled to centrosome separation, the pcIC divides together with recycling endosomes, providing novel landmarks for mitotic entry. We provide evidence that the permanent IC elements function as way stations during the COPI-dependent dispersal of Golgi components at prometa- and metaphase, indicating that they correspond to the previously described Golgi clusters. In addition, they continue to communicate with the vesicular 'Golgi haze' and thus are likely to provide templates for Golgi reassembly. These results implicate the IC in mitotic Golgi inheritance, resulting in a model that integrates key features of the two previously proposed pathways.

Irradiation-induced protein inactivation reveals Golgi enzyme cycling to cell periphery

Acute inhibition is a powerful technique to test proteins for direct roles and order their activities in a pathway, but as a general gene-based strategy, it is mostly unavailable in mammalian systems. As a consequence, the precise roles of proteins in membrane trafficking have been difficult to assess in vivo. Here we used a strategy based on a genetically encoded fluorescent protein that generates highly localized and damaging reactive oxygen species to rapidly inactivate exit from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) during live-cell imaging and address the long-standing question of whether the integrity of the Golgi complex depends on constant input from the ER. Light-induced blockade of ER exit immediately perturbed Golgi membranes, and surprisingly, revealed that cis-Golgi-resident proteins continuously cycle to peripheral ER-Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC) membranes and depend on ER exit for their return to the Golgi. These experiments demonstrate that ER exit and extensive cycling of cis-Golgi components to the cell periphery sustain the mammalian Golgi complex.

Identification of cis elements necessary for glucocorticoid induction of growth hormone gene expression in chicken embryonic pituitary cells

Glucocorticoid (GC) treatment of rat or chicken embryonic pituitary (CEP) cells induces premature production of growth hormone (GH). GC induction of the GH gene requires ongoing protein synthesis, and the GH genes lack a canonical GC response element (GRE). To characterize cis-acting elements and identify trans-acting proteins involved in this process, we characterized the regulation of a luciferase reporter containing a fragment of the chicken GH gene (−1727/+48) in embryonic day 11 CEP cells. Corticosterone (Cort) increased luciferase activity and mRNA expression, and mRNA induction was blocked by protein synthesis inhibition. Through deletion analysis, we identified a GC-responsive region (GCRR) at −1045 to −954. The GCRR includes an ETS-1 binding site and a degenerate GRE (dGRE) half site. Nuclear proteins, including ETS-1, bound to a GCRR probe in electrophoretic mobility shift assays, and Cort regulated protein binding. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation, we found that ETS-1 and GC receptor (GR) were associated with the GCRR in CEP cells, and Cort increased GR recruitment to the GCRR. Mutation of the ETS-1 site or dGRE site in the −1045/+48 GH reporter abolished Cort responsiveness. We conclude that GC regulation of the GH gene during development requires cis-acting elements in the GCRR and involves ETS-1 and GR binding to these elements. Similar ETS-1 elements/dGREs are located in the 5′-flanking regions of GH genes in mammals, including rodents and humans. This is the first study to demonstrate involvement of ETS-1 in GC regulation of the GH gene during embryonic development in any species, enhancing our understanding of GH regulation in vertebrates.

Spindle-dependent partitioning of the Golgi ribbon

During mitosis, the Golgi apparatus needs to be divided into the daughter cells. To achieve successful division, the single continuous Golgi ribbon is disassembled in early mitosis into vesicular and tubular membranes, which upon segregation fuse to reform a functional Golgi complex in telophase. Although the process of Golgi division has been well described, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. The observation that Golgi membranes accumulate around the spindle poles implies a role of the mitotic spindle in Golgi partitioning. By inducing asymmetrical cell division where the spindle goes into only one of the daughter cells, we have recently shown that the inheritance of a continuous Golgi ribbon critically relies on the mitotic spindle, while membranes sufficient to reassemble polarized, functional Golgi stacks are inherited independently.

PKA-mediated Golgi remodeling during cAMP signal transmission

Cyclic AMP (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) is part of the set of signaling proteins that are stably associated to the cytosolic surface of Golgi membranes in mammalian cells. In principle, Golgi-associated PKA could participate in either signal transduction events and/or the coordination of Golgi transport activities. Here, we show data indicating that although Golgi-associated PKA is activated fast and efficiently during cell stimulation by an extracellular ligand it does not contribute significantly to cAMP signal transmission to the nucleus. Instead, most of the PKA catalytic subunits Calphaderived from the Golgi complex remain localized in the perinuclear cytoplasm where they induce changes in Golgi structural organization. Thus, in stimulated cells the Golgi complex appears collapsed, showing increased colocalization of previously segregated markers and exhibiting merging of different proximal cisternae within a single stack. In contrast, the trans-Golgi network remains as a separate compartment. Consequently, the rate of protein transport is increased whereas glycan processing is not severely affected. This remodeling process requires the presence of PKA activity associated to the Golgi membranes. Together these data indicate that Golgi-associated PKA activity is involved in the adaptation of Golgi dynamic organization to extracellular signaling events.

Phosphorylation and membrane dissociation of the ARF exchange factor GBF1 in mitosis

Secretory protein trafficking is arrested and the Golgi apparatus fragmented when mammalian cells enter mitosis. These changes are thought to facilitate cell-cycle progression and Golgi inheritance, and are brought about through the actions of mitotically active protein kinases. To better understand how the Golgi apparatus undergoes mitotic fragmentation we have sought to identify novel Golgi targets for mitotic kinases. We report in the present paper the identification of the ARF (ADP-ribosylation factor) exchange factor GBF1 (Golgi-specific brefeldin A-resistant guanine nucleotide-exchange factor 1) as a Golgi phosphoprotein. GBF1 is phosphorylated by CDK1 (cyclin-dependent kinase 1)-cyclin B in mitosis, which results in its dissociation from Golgi membranes. Consistent with a reduced level of GBF1 activity at the Golgi membrane there is a reduction in levels of membrane-associated GTP-bound ARF in mitotic cells. Despite the reduced levels of membrane-bound GBF1 and ARF, COPI (coat protein I) binding to the Golgi membrane appears unaffected in mitotic cells. Surprisingly, this pool of COPI is dependent upon GBF1 for its recruitment to the membrane, suggesting that a low level of GBF1 activity persists in mitosis. We propose that the phosphorylation and membrane dissociation of GBF1 and the consequent reduction in ARF-GTP levels in mitosis are important for changes in Golgi dynamics and possibly other mitotic events mediated through effectors other than the COPI vesicle coat.

Rapid inactivation of proteins by rapamycin-induced rerouting to mitochondria

We have developed a method for rapidly inactivating proteins with rapamycin-induced heterodimerization. Cells were stably transfected with siRNA-resistant, FKBP-tagged subunits of the adaptor protein (AP) complexes of clathrin-coated vesicles (CCVs), together with an FKBP and rapamycin-binding domain-containing construct with a mitochondrial targeting signal. Knocking down the endogenous subunit with siRNA, and then adding rapamycin, caused the APs to be rerouted to mitochondria within seconds. Rerouting AP-2 to mitochondria effectively abolished clathrin-mediated endocytosis of transferrin. In cells with rerouted AP-1, endocytosed cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor (CIMPR) accumulated in a peripheral compartment, and isolated CCVs had reduced levels of CIMPR, but normal levels of the lysosomal hydrolase DNase II. Both observations support a role for AP-1 in retrograde trafficking. This type of approach, which we call a “knocksideways,” should be widely applicable as a means of inactivating proteins with a time scale of seconds or minutes rather than days.

Induction of cortical endoplasmic reticulum by dimerization of a coatomer-binding peptide anchored to endoplasmic reticulum membranes

Cortical endoplasmic reticulum (cER) is a permanent feature of yeast cells but occurs transiently in most animal cell types. Ist2p is a transmembrane protein that permanently localizes to the cER in yeast. When Ist2 is expressed in mammalian cells, it induces abundant cER containing Ist2. Ist2 cytoplasmic C-terminal peptide is necessary and sufficient to induce cER. This peptide sequence resembles classic coat protein complex I (COPI) coatomer protein-binding KKXX signals, and indeed the dimerized peptide binds COPI in vitro. Controlled dimerization of this peptide induces cER in cells. RNA interference experiments confirm that coatomer is required for cER induction in vivo, as are microtubules and the microtubule plus-end binding protein EB1. We suggest that Ist2 dimerization triggers coatomer binding and clustering of this protein into domains that traffic at the microtubule growing plus-end to generate the cER beneath the plasma membrane. Sequences similar to the Ist2 lysine-rich tail are found in mammalian STIM proteins that reversibly induce the formation of cER under calcium control.

Journeys through the Golgi--taking stock in a new era

The Golgi apparatus is essential for protein sorting and transport. Many researchers have long been fascinated with the form and function of this organelle. Yet, despite decades of scrutiny, the mechanisms by which proteins are transported across the Golgi remain controversial. At a recent meeting, many prominent Golgi researchers assembled to critically evaluate the core issues in the field. This report presents the outcome of their discussions and highlights the key open questions that will help guide the field into a new era.

Mitotic division of the mammalian Golgi apparatus

Successful cell reproduction requires faithful duplication and proper segregation of cellular contents, including not only the genome but also intracellular organelles. Since the Golgi apparatus is an essential organelle of the secretory pathway, its accurate inheritance is therefore of importance to sustain cellular function. Regulation of Golgi division and its coordination with cell cycle progression involves a series of sequential events that are subjected to a precise spatiotemporal control. Here, we summarize the current knowledge about the underlying mechanisms, the molecular players and the biological relevance of this process, particularly in mammalian cells, and discuss the unsolved problems and future perspectives opened by the recent studies.

Induction of asymmetrical cell division to analyze spindle-dependent organelle partitioning using correlative microscopy techniques

This protocol describes an assay for the induction of asymmetrical cell division where the entire spindle is segregated into only one of the daughter cells. The procedure consists of four stages: (i) generation of asymmetrical monoasters by arresting cells in early mitosis with a kinesin Eg5 inhibitor; (ii) induction of cell division by microinjection of recombinant Mad1 protein or by the addition of a Cdk1 inhibitor; (iii) monitoring the division process by phase-contrast time-lapse microscopy; and (iv) processing for correlative immunofluorescence or correlative electron microscopy. This approach can be applied to determine the requirement for the mitotic spindle in organelle partitioning as well as to investigate the role of the monopolar spindle in cytokinesis. Moreover, the generated nucleus-lacking cytoplast provides an ideal environment to test the feasibility and activity of biological processes in the absence of genomic influence. The protocol takes 2-4 d to complete.

ER exit sites--localization and control of COPII vesicle formation

The first membrane trafficking step in the biosynthetic secretory pathway, the export of proteins and lipids from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), is mediated by COPII-coated vesicles. In mammalian cells, COPII vesicle budding occurs at specialized sites on the ER, the so-called transitional ER (tER). Here, we discuss aspects of the formation and maintenance of these sites, the mechanisms by which cargo becomes segregated within them, and the propagation of ER exit sites (ERES) during cell division. All of these features are inherently linked to the formation, maintenance and function of the Golgi apparatus underlining the importance of ERES to Golgi function and more widely in terms of intracellular organization and cellular function.

Spatiotemporal dynamics of the ER-derived peroxisomal endomembrane system

Recent studies have provided evidence that peroxisomes constitute a multicompartmental endomembrane system. The system begins to form with the targeting of certain peroxisomal membrane proteins to the ER and their exit from the ER via preperoxisomal carriers. These carriers undergo a multistep maturation into metabolically active peroxisomes containing the entire complement of peroxisomal membrane and matrix proteins. At each step, the import of a subset of proteins and the uptake of certain membrane lipids result in the formation of a distinct, more mature compartment of the peroxisomal endomembrane system. Individual peroxisomal compartments proliferate by undergoing one or several rounds of division. Herein, we discuss various strategies that evolutionarily diverse organisms use to coordinate compartment formation, maturation, and division in the peroxisomal endomembrane system. We also critically evaluate the molecular and cellular mechanisms governing these processes, outline the most important unanswered questions, and suggest directions for future research.

The plant ER-Golgi interface

The interface between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the Golgi apparatus is a critical junction in the secretory pathway mediating the transport of both soluble and membrane cargo between the two organelles. Such transport can be bidirectional and is mediated by coated membranes. In this review, we consider the organization and dynamics of this interface in plant cells, the putative structure of which has caused some controversy in the literature, and we speculate on the stages of Golgi biogenesis from the ER and the role of the Golgi and ER on each other's motility.

Imaging the Golgi apparatus in living mitotic cells

Live-cell imaging is a powerful tool which allows the observation of dynamic cellular processes while maintaining the native organization of the cell. Its advantages over other methods that disrupt cell integrity are abundantly evident in the study of cell division, where multiple subcellular organelles and molecules are involved in dynamic, spatio-temporally regulated processes such as Golgi and nuclear envelope disassembly/reassembly, spindle apparatus formation, chromosome condensation and segregation, and cytoplasmic division. This chapter will describe practical methods for cell synchronization, selection of fluorescent markers for transfection, and setting up imaging conditions and microscope parameters for acquiring time-lapse images of the Golgi apparatus in mitotic cells. These are general methods that can be applied to the study of many different types of organelles and molecules in dividing cells.

Spatial separation of Golgi and ER during mitosis protects SREBP from unregulated activation

Sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs) are membrane-bound transcription factors that reside as inactive precursors in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane. After sterol depletion, the proteins are transported to the Golgi apparatus, where they are cleaved by site-1 protease (S1P). Cleavage releases the active transcription factors, which then enter the nucleus to induce genes that regulate cellular levels of cholesterol and phospholipids. This regulation depends on the spatial separation of the Golgi and the ER, as mixing of the compartments induces unregulated activation of SREBPs. Here, we show that S1P is localized to the Golgi, but cycles continuously through the ER and becomes trapped when ER exit is inhibited. During mitosis, S1P is associated with mitotic Golgi clusters, which remain distinct from the ER. In mitotic cells, S1P is active, but SREBP is not cleaved as S1P and SREBP reside in different compartments. Together, these results indicate that the spatial separation of the Golgi and the ER is maintained during mitosis, which is essential to protect the S1P substrate SREBP from unregulated activation during mitosis.

Golgi regeneration after brefeldin A treatment in BY-2 cells entails stack enlargement and cisternal growth followed by division

Brefeldin A (BFA) treatment stops secretion and leads to the resorption of much of the Golgi apparatus into the endoplasmic reticulum. This effect is reversible upon washing out the drug, providing a situation for studying Golgi biogenesis. In this investigation Golgi regeneration in synchronized tobacco BY-2 cells was followed by electron microscopy and by the immunofluorescence detection of ARF1, which localizes to the rims of Golgi cisternae and serves as an indicator of COPI vesiculation. Beginning as clusters of vesicles that are COPI positive, mini-Golgi stacks first become recognizable 60 min after BFA washout. They continue to increase in terms of numbers and length of cisternae for a further 90 min before overshooting the size of control Golgi stacks. As a result, increasing numbers of dividing Golgi stacks were observed 120 min after BFA washout. BFA-regeneration experiments performed on cells treated with BFA (10 microg mL(-1)) for only short periods (30-45 min) showed that the formation of ER-Golgi hybrid structures, once initiated by BFA treatment, is an irreversible process, the further incorporation of Golgi membranes into the ER continuing during a subsequent drug washout. Application of the protein kinase A inhibitor H-89, which effectively blocks the reassembly of the Golgi apparatus in mammalian cells, also prevented stack regeneration in BY-2 cells, but only at very high, almost toxic concentrations (>200 microm). Our data suggest that under normal conditions mitosis-related Golgi stack duplication may likely occur via cisternal growth followed by fission.

Analysis of de novo Golgi complex formation after enzyme-based inactivation

The Golgi complex is characterized by its unique morphology of closely apposed flattened cisternae that persists despite the large quantity of lipids and proteins that transit bidirectionally. Whether such a structure is maintained through endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-based recycling and auto-organization or whether it depends on a permanent Golgi structure is strongly debated. To further study Golgi maintenance in interphase cells, we developed a method allowing for a drug-free inactivation of Golgi dynamics and function in living cells. After Golgi inactivation, a new Golgi-like structure, containing only certain Golgi markers and newly synthesized cargoes, was produced. However, this structure did not acquire a normal Golgi architecture and was unable to ensure a normal trafficking activity. This suggests an integrative model for Golgi maintenance in interphase where the ER is able to autonomously produce Golgi-like structures that need pre-existing Golgi complexes to be organized as morphologically normal and active Golgi elements.

Mitosis controls the Golgi and the Golgi controls mitosis

In mammals, the Golgi complex is structured in the form of a continuous membranous system composed of up to 100 stacks connected by tubular bridges, the 'Golgi ribbon'. During mitosis, the Golgi undergoes extensive fragmentation through a multistage process that allows its correct partitioning and inheritance by daughter cells. Strikingly, this Golgi fragmentation is required not only for inheritance but also for mitotic entrance itself, since its block results in the arrest of the cell cycle in G2. This is called the 'Golgi mitotic checkpoint'. Recent studies have identified the severing of the ribbon into its constituent stacks during early G2 as the precise stage of Golgi fragmentation that controls mitotic entry. This opens new ways to elucidate the mechanism of the Golgi checkpoint.

The golgi comprises a paired stack that is separated at G2 by modulation of the actin cytoskeleton through Abi and Scar/WAVE

During the cell cycle, the Golgi, like other organelles, has to be duplicated in mass and number to ensure its correct segregation between the two daughter cells. It remains unclear, however, when and how this occurs. Here we show that in Drosophila S2 cells, the Golgi likely duplicates in mass to form a paired structure during G1/S phase and remains so until G2 when the two stacks separate, ready for entry into mitosis. We show that pairing requires an intact actin cytoskeleton which in turn depends on Abi/Scar but not WASP. This actin-dependent pairing is not limited to flies but also occurs in mammalian cells. We further show that preventing the Golgi stack separation at G2 blocks entry into mitosis, suggesting that this paired organization is part of the mitotic checkpoint, similar to what has been proposed in mammalian cells.

Inheritance and biogenesis of organelles in the secretory pathway

In eukaryotic cells, cellular functions are compartmentalized into membrane-bound organelles. This has many advantages, as shown by the success of the eukaryotic lineage, but creates many problems for cells, such as the need to build and partition these organelles during cell growth and division. Diverse mechanisms for biogenesis of the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus have evolved, ranging from de novo synthesis to the copying of a template organelle. The different mechanisms by which organelles are inherited in yeasts, protozoa and metazoans probably reflect the differences in the structure and copy number of these organelles.

Golgi twins in late mitosis revealed by genetically encoded tags for live cell imaging and correlated electron microscopy

Combinations of molecular tags visible in light and electron microscopes become particularly advantageous in the analysis of dynamic cellular components like the Golgi apparatus. This organelle disassembles at the onset of mitosis and, after a sequence of poorly understood events, reassembles after cytokinesis. The precise location of Golgi membranes and resident proteins during mitosis remains unclear, partly due to limitations of molecular markers and the resolution of light microscopy. We generated a fusion consisting of the first 117 residues of alpha-mannosidase II tagged with a fluorescent protein and a tetracysteine motif. The mannosidase component guarantees docking into the Golgi membrane, with the tags exposed in the lumen. The fluorescent protein is optically visible without further treatment, whereas the tetracysteine tag can be reduced acutely with a membrane-permeant phosphine, labeled with ReAsH, monitored in the light microscope, and used to trigger the photoconversion of diaminobenzidine, allowing 4D optical recording on live cells and correlated ultrastructural analysis by electron microscopy. These methods reveal that Golgi reassembly is preceded by the formation of four colinear clusters at telophase, two per daughter cell. Within each daughter, the smaller cluster near the midbody gradually migrates to rejoin the major cluster on the far side of the nucleus and asymmetrically reconstitutes a single Golgi apparatus, first in one daughter cell and then in the other. Our studies provide previously undescribed insights into Golgi disassociation and reassembly during mitosis and offer a powerful approach to follow recombinant protein distribution in 4D imaging and correlated high-resolution analysis.

The Golgi apparatus maintains its organization independent of the endoplasmic reticulum

Under artificial conditions Golgi enzymes have the capacity to rapidly accumulate in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). These observations prompted the idea that Golgi enzymes constitutively recycle through the ER. We have tested this hypothesis under physiological conditions through use of a procedure that captures Golgi enzymes in the ER. In the presence of rapamycin, which induces a tight association between FKBP (FK506-binding protein) and FRAP (FKBP-rapamycin-associated protein), an FKBP-tagged Golgi enzyme can be trapped when it visits the ER by an ER-retained protein fused to FRAP. We find that although FKBP-ERGIC-53 of the ER-Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC) rapidly cycles through the ER (30 min), FKBP-Golgi enzyme chimeras remain stably associated with Golgi membranes. We also demonstrate that Golgi dispersion upon nocodazole treatment mainly occurs through a mechanism that does not involve the recycling of Golgi membranes through the ER. Our findings suggest that the Golgi apparatus, as defined by its collection of resident enzymes, exists independent of the ER.

Transition of galactosyltransferase 1 from trans-Golgi cisterna to the trans-Golgi network is signal mediated

The Golgi apparatus (GA) is the organelle where complex glycan formation takes place. In addition, it is a major sorting site for proteins destined for various subcellular compartments or for secretion. Here we investigate beta1,4-galactosyltransferase 1 (galT) and alpha2,6-sialyltransferase 1 (siaT), two trans-Golgi glycosyltransferases, with respect to their different pathways in monensin-treated cells. Upon addition of monensin galT dissociates from siaT and the GA and accumulates in swollen vesicles derived from the trans-Golgi network (TGN), as shown by colocalization with TGN46, a specific TGN marker. We analyzed various chimeric constructs of galT and siaT by confocal fluorescence microscopy and time-lapse videomicroscopy as well as Optiprep density gradient fractionation. We show that the first 13 amino acids of the cytoplasmic tail of galT are necessary for its localization to swollen vesicles induced by monensin. We also show that the monensin sensitivity resulting from the cytoplasmic tail can be conferred to siaT, which leads to the rapid accumulation of the galT-siaT chimera in swollen vesicles upon monensin treatment. On the basis of these data, we suggest that cycling between the trans-Golgi cisterna and the trans-Golgi network of galT is signal mediated.

Capacity of the Golgi apparatus for cargo transport prior to complete assembly

In yeast, particular emphasis has been given to endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-derived, cisternal maturation models of Golgi assembly while in mammalian cells more emphasis has been given to golgins as a potentially stable assembly framework. In the case of de novo Golgi formation from the ER after brefeldin A/H89 washout in HeLa cells, we found that scattered, golgin-enriched, structures formed early and contained golgins including giantin, ranging across the entire cis to trans spectrum of the Golgi apparatus. These structures were incompetent in VSV-G cargo transport. Second, we compared Golgi competence in cargo transport to the kinetics of addition of various glycosyltransferases and glycosidases into nascent, golgin-enriched structures after drug washout. Enzyme accumulation was sequential with trans and then medial glycosyltransferases/glycosidases found in the scattered, nascent Golgi. Involvement in cargo transport preceded full accumulation of enzymes or GPP130 into nascent Golgi. Third, during mitosis, we found that the formation of a golgin-positive acceptor compartment in early telophase preceded the accumulation of a Golgi glycosyltransferase in nascent Golgi structures. We conclude that during mammalian Golgi assembly components fit into a dynamic, first-formed, multigolgin-enriched framework that is initially cargo transport incompetent. Resumption of cargo transport precedes full Golgi assembly.

Ordered assembly of the duplicating Golgi in Trypanosoma brucei

The new Golgi in the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei grows near to the old and adjacent to the growing new endoplasmic reticulum exit site. Growth is now shown to be at least a two-stage process, in which a representative matrix marker (GRASP) and enzyme (GntB) are delivered to the site of assembly, followed approximately 10 min later by a COPI component (epsilon-COP) and a trans-Golgi network (TGN) marker (GRIP70). A secretory cargo marker (signal sequence-YFP) appeared early near the new endoplasmic reticulum exit site but did not enter the Golgi until the second stage. Together these data suggest that structural and enzymatic components of the new Golgi stack are laid down first, followed by those needed to move and sort the cargo passing through it.

Rapamycin analogs with differential binding specificity permit orthogonal control of protein activity

Controlling protein dimerization with small molecules has broad application to the study of protein function. Rapamycin has two binding surfaces: one that binds to FKBP12 and the other to the Frb domain of mTor/FRAP, directing their dimerization. Rapamycin is a potent cell growth inhibitor, but chemical modification of the surface contacting Frb alleviates this effect. Productive interactions with Frb-fused proteins can be restored by mutation of Frb to accommodate the rapamycin analog (a rapalog). We have quantitatively assessed the interaction between rapalogs functionalized at C16 and C20 and a panel of Frb mutants. Several drug-Frb mutant combinations have different and nonoverlapping specificities. These Frb-rapalog partners permit the selective control of different Frb fusion proteins without crossreaction. The orthogonal control of multiple target proteins broadens the capabilities of chemical induction of dimerization to regulate biologic processes.