Prelysosomal and lysosomal connections between autophagy and endocytosis

Molecular Mechanism of Autophagosome-Lysosome Fusion in Mammalian Cells

In eukaryotes, targeting intracellular components for lysosomal degradation by autophagy represents a catabolic process that evolutionarily regulates cellular homeostasis. The successful completion of autophagy initiates the engulfment of cytoplasmic materials within double-membrane autophagosomes and subsequent delivery to autolysosomes for degradation by acidic proteases. The formation of autolysosomes relies on the precise fusion of autophagosomes with lysosomes. In recent decades, numerous studies have provided insights into the molecular regulation of autophagosome-lysosome fusion. In this review, an overview of the molecules that function in the fusion of autophagosomes with lysosomes is provided. Moreover, the molecular mechanism underlying how these functional molecules regulate autophagosome-lysosome fusion is summarized.

Autophagy-Dependent Secretion: Crosstalk between Autophagy and Exosome Biogenesis

The cellular secretome is pivotal in mediating intercellular communication and coordinating responses to stressors. Exosomes, initially recognized for their role in waste disposal, have now emerged as key intercellular messengers with significant therapeutic and diagnostic potential. Similarly, autophagy has transcended its traditional role as a waste removal mechanism, emerging as a regulator of intracellular communication pathways and a contributor to a unique autophagy-dependent secretome. Secretory authophagy, initiated by various stress stimuli, prompts the selective release of proteins implicated in inflammation, including leaderless proteins that bypass the conventional endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi secretory pathway. This reflects the significant impact of stress-induced autophagy on cellular secretion profiles, including the modulation of exosome release. The convergence of exosome biogenesis and autophagy is exemplified by the formation of amphisomes, vesicles that integrate autophagic and endosomal pathways, indicating their synergistic interplay. Regulatory proteins common to both pathways, particularly mTORC1, emerge as potential therapeutic targets to alter cellular secretion profiles involved in various diseases. This review explores the dynamic interplay between autophagy and exosome formation, highlighting the potential to influence the secretome composition. While the modulation of exosome secretion and cytokine preconditioning is well-established in regenerative medicine, the strategic manipulation of autophagy is still underexplored, presenting a promising but uncharted therapeutic landscape.

A plant-specific bridging adaptor for amphisome biogenesis

The fusion of autophagosomes with endocytic compartments to form amphisomes has only been described in metazoans. In this issue, Zhao et al. (2022. J. Cell Biol.https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.202203139) demonstrate the existence of amphisomes in the plant cell and identify a plant-specific adaptor protein, CFS1, that mediates their biogenesis.

Slingshot homolog-1 mediates the secretion of small extracellular vesicles containing misfolded proteins by regulating autophagy cargo receptors and actin dynamics

Increasing evidence indicates that the accumulation misfolded proteins in Alzheimer's disease (AD) arises from clearance defects in the autophagy-lysosome pathway. Misfolded proteins such as Aβ and tau are secreted in small extracellular vesicles (i.e., exosomes) and are propagated from cell to cell in part through secreted small extracellular vesicles (sEVs). Recent studies suggest that autophagic activity and exosome secretion are coregulated events, and multiple autophagy-related proteins are found in sEVs, including the cargo receptors Sqstm1/p62 and optineurin. However, whether and how autophagy cargo receptors per se regulate the secretion of sEVs is unknown. Moreover, despite the prominent role of actin dynamics in secretory vesicle release, its role in EV secretion is unknown. In this study, we leveraged the dual axes of Slingshot Homolog-1 (SSH1), which inhibits Sqstm1/p62-mediated autophagy and activates cofilin-mediated actin dynamics, to study the regulation of sEV secretion. Here we show that cargo receptors Sqstm1/p62 and optineurin inhibit sEV secretion, an activity that requires their ability to bind ubiquitinated cargo. Conversely, SSH1 increases sEV secretion by dephosphorylating Sqstm1/p62 at pSer403, the phospho-residue that allows Sqstm1/p62 to bind ubiquitinated cargo. In addition, increasing actin dynamics through the SSH1-cofilin activation pathway also increases sEV secretion, which is mimicked by latrunculin B treatment. Finally, Aβ42 oligomers and mutant tau increase sEV secretion and are physically associated with secreted sEVs. These findings suggest that increasing cargo receptor engagement with autophagic cargo and reducing actin dynamics (i.e., SSH1 inhibition) represents an attractive strategy to promote misfolded protein degradation while reducing sEV-mediated cell to cell spread of pathology.

Exosomes and autophagy in ocular surface and retinal diseases: new insights into pathophysiology and treatment

BACKGROUND

Ocular surface and retinal diseases are widespread problems that cannot be ignored in today's society. However, existing prevention and treatment still have many shortcomings and limitations, and fail to effectively hinder the occurrence and development of them.

MAIN BODY

The purpose of this review is to give a detailed description of the potential mechanism of exosomes and autophagy. The eukaryotic endomembrane system refers to a range of membrane-bound organelles in the cytoplasm that are interconnected structurally and functionally, which regionalize and functionalize the cytoplasm to meet the needs of cells under different conditions. Exosomal biogenesis and autophagy are two important components of this system and are connected by lysosomal pathways. Exosomes are extracellular vesicles that contain multiple signaling molecules produced by multivesicular bodies derived from endosomes. Autophagy includes lysosome-dependent degradation and recycling pathways of cells or organelles. Recent studies have revealed that there is a common molecular mechanism between exosomes and autophagy, which have been, respectively, confirmed to involve in ocular surface and retinal diseases.

CONCLUSION

The relationship between exosomes and autophagy and is mostly focused on fundus diseases, while a deeper understanding of them will provide new directions for the pathological mechanism, diagnosis, and treatment of ocular surface and retinal diseases.

Recombinant pro-CTSD (cathepsin D) enhances SNCA/α-Synuclein degradation in α-Synucleinopathy models

Parkinson disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the abnormal intracellular accumulation of SNCA/α-synuclein. While the exact mechanisms underlying SNCA pathology are not fully understood, increasing evidence suggests the involvement of autophagy as well as lysosomal deficiencies. Because CTSD (cathepsin D) has been proposed to be the major lysosomal protease involved in SNCA degradation, its deficiency has been linked to the presence of insoluble SNCA conformers in the brain of mice and humans as well as to the transcellular transmission of SNCA aggregates. We here postulate that SNCA degradation can be enhanced by the application of the recombinant human proform of CTSD (rHsCTSD). Our results reveal that rHsCTSD is efficiently endocytosed by neuronal cells, correctly targeted to lysosomes and matured to an enzymatically active protease. In dopaminergic neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) of PD patients harboring the A53T mutation within the SNCA gene, we confirm the reduction of insoluble SNCA after treatment with rHsCTSD. Moreover, we demonstrate a decrease of pathological SNCA conformers in the brain and within primary neurons of a ctsd-deficient mouse model after dosing with rHsCTSD. Boosting lysosomal CTSD activity not only enhanced SNCA clearance in human and murine neurons as well as tissue, but also restored endo-lysosome and autophagy function. Our findings indicate that CTSD is critical for SNCA clearance and function. Thus, enzyme replacement strategies utilizing CTSD may also be of therapeutic interest for the treatment of PD and other synucleinopathies aiming to decrease the SNCA burden.Abbreviations: aa: amino acid; SNCA/α-synuclein: synuclein alpha; APP: amyloid beta precursor protein; BBB: blood brain barrier; BF: basal forebrain; CBB: Coomassie Brilliant Blue; CLN: neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis; CNL10: neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis type 10; Corr.: corrected; CTSD: cathepsin D; CTSB: cathepsin B; DA: dopaminergic; DA-iPSn: induced pluripotent stem cell-derived dopaminergic neurons; dox: doxycycline; ERT: enzyme replacement therapy; Fx: fornix, GBA/β-glucocerebrosidase: glucosylceramidase beta; h: hour; HC: hippocampus; HT: hypothalamus; i.c.: intracranially; IF: immunofluorescence; iPSC: induced pluripotent stem cell; KO: knockout; LAMP1: lysosomal associated membrane protein 1; LSDs: lysosomal storage disorders; MAPT: microtubule associated protein tau; M6P: mannose-6-phosphate; M6PR: mannose-6-phosphate receptor; MB: midbrain; mCTSD: mature form of CTSD; neurofil.: neurofilament; PD: Parkinson disease; proCTSD: proform of CTSD; PRNP: prion protein; RFU: relative fluorescence units; rHsCTSD: recombinant human proCTSD; SAPC: Saposin C; SIM: structured illumination microscopy; T-insol: Triton-insoluble; T-sol: Triton-soluble; TEM: transmission electron microscopy, TH: tyrosine hydroxylase; Thal: thalamus.

Natural compounds in the regulation of proteostatic pathways: An invincible artillery against stress, ageing, and diseases

Cells have different sets of molecules for performing an array of physiological functions. Nucleic acids have stored and carried the information throughout evolution, whereas proteins have been attributed to performing most of the cellular functions. To perform these functions, proteins need to have a unique conformation and a definite lifespan. These attributes are achieved by a highly coordinated protein quality control (PQC) system comprising chaperones to fold the proteins in a proper three-dimensional structure, ubiquitin-proteasome system for selective degradation of proteins, and autophagy for bulk clearance of cell debris. Many kinds of stresses and perturbations may lead to the weakening of these protective cellular machinery, leading to the unfolding and aggregation of cellular proteins and the occurrence of numerous pathological conditions. However, modulating the expression and functional efficiency of molecular chaperones, E3 ubiquitin ligases, and autophagic proteins may diminish cellular proteotoxic load and mitigate various pathological effects. Natural medicine and small molecule-based therapies have been well-documented for their effectiveness in modulating these pathways and reestablishing the lost proteostasis inside the cells to combat disease conditions. The present article summarizes various similar reports and highlights the importance of the molecules obtained from natural sources in disease therapeutics.

Inhibition of Autophagy In Vivo Extends Methamphetamine Toxicity to Mesencephalic Cell Bodies

Methamphetamine (METH) is a widely abused psychostimulant and a stress-inducing compound, which leads to neurotoxicity for nigrostriatal dopamine (DA) terminals in rodents and primates including humans. In vitro studies indicate that autophagy is a strong modulator of METH toxicity. In detail, suppressing autophagy increases METH toxicity, while stimulating autophagy prevents METH-induced toxicity in cell cultures. In the present study, the role of autophagy was investigated in vivo. In the whole brain, METH alone destroys meso-striatal DA axon terminals, while fairly sparing DA cell bodies within substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). No damage to either cell bodies or axons from ventral tegmental area (VTA) is currently documented. According to the hypothesis that ongoing autophagy prevents METH-induced DA toxicity, we tested whether systemic injection of autophagy inhibitors such as asparagine (ASN, 1000 mg/Kg) or glutamine (GLN, 1000 mg/Kg), may extend METH toxicity to DA cell bodies, both within SNpc and VTA, where autophagy was found to be inhibited. When METH (5 mg/Kg × 4, 2 h apart) was administered to C57Bl/6 mice following ASN or GLN, a frank loss of cell bodies takes place within SNpc and a loss of both axons and cell bodies of VTA neurons is documented. These data indicate that, ongoing autophagy protects DA neurons and determines the refractoriness of cell bodies to METH-induced toxicity.

Understanding amphisomes

Amphisomes are intermediate/hybrid organelles produced through the fusion of endosomes with autophagosomes within cells. Amphisome formation is an essential step during a sequential maturation process of autophagosomes before their ultimate fusion with lysosomes for cargo degradation. This process is highly regulated with multiple protein machineries, such as SNAREs, Rab GTPases, tethering complexes, and ESCRTs, are involved to facilitate autophagic flux to proceed. In neurons, autophagosomes are robustly generated in axonal terminals and then rapidly fuse with late endosomes to form amphisomes. This fusion event allows newly generated autophagosomes to gain retrograde transport motility and move toward the soma, where proteolytically active lysosomes are predominantly located. Amphisomes are not only the products of autophagosome maturation but also the intersection of the autophagy and endo-lysosomal pathways. Importantly, amphisomes can also participate in non-canonical functions, such as retrograde neurotrophic signaling or autophagy-based unconventional secretion by fusion with the plasma membrane. In this review, we provide an updated overview of the recent discoveries and advancements on the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying amphisome biogenesis and the emerging roles of amphisomes. We discuss recent developments towards the understanding of amphisome regulation as well as the implications in the context of major neurodegenerative diseases, with a comparative focus on Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

The forces driving cancer extracellular vesicle secretion

The discovery that cancer cells discharge vast quantities of extracellular vesicles (EVs), underscored the explosion of the EV field. A large body of evidence now supports their onco-functionality in an array of contexts; stromal crosstalk, immune evasion, metastatic site priming, and drug resistance - justifying therapeutic intervention. The current bottleneck is a lack of clear understanding of why and how EV biogenesis ramps up in cancer cells, and hence where exactly avenues for intervention may reside. We know that EVs also play an array of physiological roles, therefore effective anticancer inhibition requires a target distinct enough from physiology to achieve efficacy. Taking the perspective that EV upregulation may be a consequence of the tumor landscape, we examine classic mutational events and tumor characteristics for EV regulators. All the while, aiming to illuminate topics worth further research in therapeutic development.

Rab GTPases in the differential processing of phagocytosed pathogens versus efferocytosed apoptotic cells

Phagocytosis is an important feature of innate immunity in which invading microorganisms are engulfed, killed and degraded - and in some immune cells, their antigens presented to adaptive immune system. A closely related process, efferocytosis, removes apoptotic cells, and is essential for the maintenance of homeostasis. Both phagocytosis and efferocytosis are tightly regulated processes that involve target recognition and uptake through specific receptors, followed by endolysosomal trafficking and processing of the internalized target. Central to the uptake and trafficking of these targets are the Rab family of small GTPases, which coordinate the engulfment and trafficking of both phagocytosed and efferocytosed materials through the endolysosomal system. Because of this regulatory function, Rab GTPases are often targeted by pathogens to escape phagocytosis. In this review, we will discuss the shared and differential roles of Rab GTPases in phagocytosis and efferocytosis.

Pros and cons of different ways to address dysfunctional autophagy in Pompe disease

Autophagy is a major intracellular self-digestion process that brings cytoplasmic materials to the lysosome for degradation. Defective autophagy has been linked to a broad range of human disorders, including cancer, diabetes, neurodegeneration, autoimmunity, cardiovascular diseases, and myopathies. In Pompe disease, a severe neuromuscular disorder, disturbances in autophagic process manifest themselves as progressive accumulation of undegraded cellular debris in the diseased muscle cells. A growing body of evidence has connected this defect to the decline in muscle function and muscle resistance to the currently available treatment-enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). Both induction and inhibition of autophagy have been tested in pre-clinical studies in a mouse model of the disease. Here, we discuss strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to address autophagic dysfunction in the context of Pompe disease.

The interplay between exosomes and autophagy - partners in crime

The eukaryotic endomembrane system is a complex series of interconnected membranous organelles that play important roles in responding to stress and maintaining cell homeostasis during health and disease. Two components of this system, exosome biogenesis and autophagy, are linked by the endolysosomal pathway. Exosomes are cargo-laden extracellular vesicles that arise from endosome-derived multivesicular bodies, and autophagy is a lysosomal-dependent degradation and recycling pathway. Recent studies have revealed shared molecular machinery between exosome biogenesis and autophagy, as well as substantial crosstalk between these two processes. In this Review, we first describe the classic view of exosome biogenesis and autophagy, including their links to the endolysosomal pathway. We then present the evidence for autophagy-related proteins in exosome biogenesis, the emerging roles of amphisomes and the evolving models of exosome-autophagy pathway interactions. Finally, we discuss the implications of exosome and autophagy interplay in the context of neurodegeneration and cancer.

Hemin induces mitophagy in a leukemic erythroblast cell line

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

In eukaryotic cells, autophagy is considered a lysosomal catabolic process which participates in the degradation of intracellular components in a vacuolar structure termed autolysosome. This pathway plays a significant role in the erythropoiesis process, contributing to the clearance of some organelles (such as mitochondria) that are not necessary in the mature red blood cells. Nevertheless, the role of autophagy in erythrocyte maturation has not been fully established.

RESULTS

Here, we have demonstrated that hemin (a physiological erythroid maturation stimulator) is able to induce the expression of critical autophagic genes (i.e., Map1a1b (LC3), Beclin-1 gen, Atg5) in an erythroleukemia cell type. We have also shown that hemin increased the size of autophagic vacuoles which were labelled with LC3 and the degradative lysosomal marker dye quenched-bovine serum albumin. In addition, we have determined by Western blot a rise in the lipidated form of the autophagic protein LC3 (i.e., LC3-II) upon hemin treatment. Moreover, we provide evidence that hemin induces mitochondrial membrane depolarisation and that mitochondria sequestration by autophagy requires the active form of the NIX protein.

CONCLUSIONS

We have found that the physiological erythroid maturation stimulator hemin is able to induce mitophagy in K562 cells, and that the autophagy adaptor NIX is necessary for mitophagy progression. K562 cells have been used as a relevant model to determine the possible therapeutic role of new differentiating compounds.

SIGNIFICANCE

It has been proposed that autophagy induction is a feasible new therapeutic key in fighting cancer. Our results suggest that hemin is favoring erythroid maturation by inducing an autophagic response in K562 cells, being a possible therapeutic candidate that may help in the chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) treatment.

Hippocampal plasticity during the progression of Alzheimer's disease

Neuroplasticity involves molecular and structural changes in central nervous system (CNS) throughout life. The concept of neural organization allows for remodeling as a compensatory mechanism to the early pathobiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in an attempt to maintain brain function and cognition during the onset of dementia. The hippocampus, a crucial component of the medial temporal lobe memory circuit, is affected early in AD and displays synaptic and intraneuronal molecular remodeling against a pathological background of extracellular amyloid-beta (Aβ) deposition and intracellular neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) formation in the early stages of AD. Here we discuss human clinical pathological findings supporting the concept that the hippocampus is capable of neural plasticity during mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a prodromal stage of AD and early stage AD.

Describing autophagy via analysis of individual organelles by capillary electrophoresis with laser induced fluorescence detection

Autophagy is a cellular process responsible for the degradation of intracellular cargo. Its dynamic nature and the multiple types of autophagy organelles present at a given time make current measurements, such as those done by Western blotting, insufficient to understand autophagy and its roles in aging and disease. Capillary electrophoresis coupled to laser induced fluorescence detection (CE-LIF) has been used previously to count and determine properties of individual organelles, but has never been used on autophagy organelles or for determination of changes of such properties. Here we used autophagy organelles isolated from L6 cells expressing GFP-LC3, which is an autophagy marker, to develop a CE-LIF method for the determination of the number of autophagy organelles, their individual GFP-LC3 fluorescence intensities, and their individual electrophoretic mobilities. These properties were compared under basal and rapamycin-driven autophagy, which showed differences in the number of detected organelles and electrophoretic mobility distributions of autophagy organelles. Vinblastine treatment was also used to halt autophagy and further characterize changes and provide additional insight on the nature of autophagy organelles. This approach revealed dramatic and opposite directions in changes of organelle numbers, GFP-LC3 contents, and electrophoretic mobilities during the duration of the vinblastine treatment. These trends suggested the identity of organelle types being detected. These observations demonstrate that individual organelle analysis by CE-LIF is a powerful technology to investigate the complexity and nature of autophagy, a process that plays critical roles in response to drug treatments, aging, and disease.

Autophagy proteins control goblet cell function by potentiating reactive oxygen species production

Delivery of granule contents to epithelial surfaces by secretory cells is a critical physiologic process. In the intestine, goblet cells secrete mucus that is required for homeostasis. Autophagy proteins are required for secretion in some cases, though the mechanism and cell biological basis for this requirement remain unknown. We found that in colonic goblet cells, proteins involved in initiation and elongation of autophagosomes were required for efficient mucus secretion. The autophagy protein LC3 localized to intracellular multi-vesicular vacuoles that were consistent with a fusion of autophagosomes and endosomes. Using cultured intestinal epithelial cells, we found that NADPH oxidases localized to and enhanced the formation of these LC3-positive vacuoles. Both autophagy proteins and endosome formation were required for maximal production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) derived from NADPH oxidases. Importantly, generation of ROS was critical to control mucin granule accumulation in colonic goblet cells. Thus, autophagy proteins can control secretory function through ROS, which is in part generated by LC3-positive vacuole-associated NADPH oxidases. These findings provide a novel mechanism by which autophagy proteins can control secretion.

Effect of short- and long-term high-fat feeding on autophagy flux and lysosomal activity in rat liver

Autophagy-lysosomal pathway is a cellular mechanism ensuring degradation of various macromolecules like proteins or triacylglycerols (TAG). Its disruption is related to many pathological states, including liver steatosis. We compared the effect of short- and long-established steatosis on the intensity of autophagy-lysosomal pathway in rat liver. The experiments were carried out on 3-month old Wistar rats fed standard (SD) or high-fat diet for 2 (HF-2) or 10 (HF-10) weeks. HF diet administered animals accumulated an increased amount of TAG in the liver (HF-2->HF-10). Autophagy flux was up-regulated in HF-2 group but nearly inhibited after 10 weeks of HF administration. The expression of autophagy related genes was up-regulated in HF-2 but normal in HF-10. In contrast, total activities of two lysosomal enzymes, lysosomal lipase (LAL) and acid phosphatase, were unaffected in HF-2 but significantly increased in HF-10 groups. mRNA expression of lysosomal enzymes was not affected by the diet. We conclude that in a state of metabolic unbalance (steatosis), autophagy machinery and lysosomal enzymes expression are regulated independently. The accumulation of TAG in the liver is associated with the increase of total LAL activity and protein expression. In contrast, the autophagy response is bi-phasic and after rapid increase it is significantly diminished. This may represent an adaptive mechanism that counteracts the excessive degradation of substrate, i.e. TAG, and eliminate over-production of potentially hazardous lipid-degradation intermediates.

Bovine ephemeral fever virus uses a clathrin-mediated and dynamin 2-dependent endocytosis pathway that requires Rab5 and Rab7 as well as microtubules

The specific cell pathways involved in bovine ephemeral fever virus (BEFV) cell entry have not been determined. In this work, colocalization of the M protein of BEFV with clathrin or dynamin 2 was observed under a fluorescence microscope. To better understand BEFV entry, we carried out internalization studies with a fluorescently labeled BEFV by using a lipophilic dye, 3,30-dilinoleyloxacarbocyanine perchlorate (DiO), further suggesting that BEFV uses a clathrin-mediated endocytosis pathway. Our results suggest that clathrin-mediated and dynamin 2-dependent endocytosis is an important avenue of BEFV entry. Suppression of Rab5 or Rab7a through the use of a Rab5 dominant negative mutant and Rab7a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) demonstrated that BEFV requires both early and late endosomes for endocytosis and subsequent infection in MDBK and Vero cells. Treatment of BEFV-infected cells with nocodazole significantly decreased the M protein synthesis and viral yield, indicating that microtubules play an important role in BEFV productive infection, likely by mediating trafficking of BEFV-containing endosomes. Furthermore, BEFV infection was strongly blocked by different inhibitors of endosomal acidification, suggesting that virus enters host cells by clathrin-mediated and dynamin 2-dependent endocytosis in a pH-dependent manner.

Abnormal intracellular accumulation and extracellular Aβ deposition in idiopathic and Dup15q11.2-q13 autism spectrum disorders

BACKGROUND

It has been shown that amyloid ß (Aβ), a product of proteolytic cleavage of the amyloid β precursor protein (APP), accumulates in neuronal cytoplasm in non-affected individuals in a cell type-specific amount.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

In the present study, we found that the percentage of amyloid-positive neurons increases in subjects diagnosed with idiopathic autism and subjects diagnosed with duplication 15q11.2-q13 (dup15) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In spite of interindividual differences within each examined group, levels of intraneuronal Aβ load were significantly greater in the dup(15) autism group than in either the control or the idiopathic autism group in 11 of 12 examined regions (p<0.0001 for all comparisons; Kruskall-Wallis test). In eight regions, intraneuronal Aβ load differed significantly between idiopathic autism and control groups (p<0.0001). The intraneuronal Aβ was mainly N-terminally truncated. Increased intraneuronal accumulation of Aβ(17-40/42) in children and adults suggests a life-long enhancement of APP processing with α-secretase in autistic subjects. Aβ accumulation in neuronal endosomes, autophagic vacuoles, Lamp1-positive lysosomes and lipofuscin, as revealed by confocal microscopy, indicates that products of enhanced α-secretase processing accumulate in organelles involved in proteolysis and storage of metabolic remnants. Diffuse plaques containing Aβ(1-40/42) detected in three subjects with ASD, 39 to 52 years of age, suggest that there is an age-associated risk of alterations of APP processing with an intraneuronal accumulation of a short form of Aβ and an extracellular deposition of full-length Aβ in nonfibrillar plaques.

CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE

The higher prevalence of excessive Aβ accumulation in neurons in individuals with early onset of intractable seizures, and with a high risk of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy in autistic subjects with dup(15) compared to subjects with idiopathic ASD, supports the concept of mechanistic and functional links between autism, epilepsy and alterations of APP processing leading to neuronal and astrocytic Aβ accumulation and diffuse plaque formation.

Macroautophagy is not directly involved in the metabolism of amyloid precursor protein

Alterations in the metabolism of amyloid precursor protein (APP) are believed to play a central role in Alzheimer disease pathogenesis. Burgeoning data indicate that APP is proteolytically processed in endosomal-autophagic-lysosomal compartments. In this study, we used both in vivo and in vitro paradigms to determine whether alterations in macroautophagy affect APP metabolism. Three mouse models of glycosphingolipid storage diseases, namely Niemann-Pick type C1, GM1 gangliosidosis, and Sandhoff disease, had mTOR-independent increases in the autophagic vacuole (AV)-associated protein, LC3-II, indicative of impaired lysosomal flux. APP C-terminal fragments (APP-CTFs) were also increased in brains of the three mouse models; however, discrepancies between LC3-II and APP-CTFs were seen between primary (GM1 gangliosidosis and Sandhoff disease) and secondary (Niemann-Pick type C1) lysosomal storage models. APP-CTFs were proportionately higher than LC3-II in cerebellar regions of GM1 gangliosidosis and Sandhoff disease, although LC3-II increased before APP-CTFs in brains of NPC1 mice. Endogenous murine Aβ40 from RIPA-soluble extracts was increased in brains of all three mice. The in vivo relationship between AV and APP-CTF accumulation was also seen in cultured neurons treated with agents that impair primary (chloroquine and leupeptin + pepstatin) and secondary (U18666A and vinblastine) lysosomal flux. However, Aβ secretion was unaffected by agents that induced autophagy (rapamycin) or impaired AV clearance, and LC3-II-positive AVs predominantly co-localized with degradative LAMP-1-positive lysosomes. These data suggest that neuronal macroautophagy does not directly regulate APP metabolism but highlights the important anti-amyloidogenic role of lysosomal proteolysis in post-secretase APP-CTF catabolism.

Is autophagy a double-edged sword for the heart?

Autophagy is a catabolic process through which damaged or long-lived proteins, macromolecules and organelles are degraded using lysosomal degradative machinery. Since cardiac myocytes are terminally differentiated, the role of autophagy is essential to maintain the homeostasis of the myocardium. Autophagy supplies nutrients for the synthesis of essential proteins during starvation and thus helps to extend cell survival. Although autophagy is non-selective, under oxidative conditions it effectively removes oxidatively damaged mitochondria, peroxisomes and endoplasmic reticulum. Thus, autophagy can protect the cells from apoptosis and other major injuries, and it is considered to be in the cross-road between cell death and survival. However, excess autophagy can destroy essential cellular components and lead to cell death. The function of autophagy in normal and in the conditions of cardiac diseases such as heart failure, cardiomyopathy, cardiac hypertrophy, and ischemia-reperfusion injury is discussed.

TI-VAMP/VAMP7 and VAMP3/cellubrevin: two v-SNARE proteins involved in specific steps of the autophagy/multivesicular body pathways

During reticulocyte maturation, some membrane proteins and organelles that are not required in the mature red cell are lost. Several of these proteins are released into the extracellular medium associated with the internal vesicles present in multivesicular bodies (MVBs). Likewise, organelles such as mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum are wrapped into double membrane vacuoles (i.e., autophagosomes) and degraded via autophagy. Morphological, molecular, and biochemical studies have shown that autophagosomes fuse with MVBs forming the so-called amphisomes, a prelysosomal hybrid organelle. SNAREs are key molecules of the vesicle fusion machinery. TI-VAMP/VAMP7 and VAMP3/cellubrevin are two v-SNARE proteins involved in the endocytic and exocytic pathways. We have previously shown that in the human leukemic K562 cells, Rab11 decorates MVBs and it is necessary for fusion between autophagosomes with MVBs. In the present report, we present evidence indicating that VAMP3 is required for the fusion between MVBs with autophagosomes to generate the amphisome, allowing the maturation of the autophagosome, but it does not seem to be involved in the next step, i. e., fusion with the lysosome. On the other hand, we demonstrate that VAMP7 is necessary for this latter event, allowing the completion of the autophagic pathway. Furthermore, VAMP7 and ATPase NSF, a protein required for SNAREs disassembly, participate in the fusion between MVBs with the plasma membrane to release the internal vesicles (i.e., exosomes) into the extracellular medium.

Autophagy, redox signaling, and ventricular remodeling

Autophagy is a catabolic process through which damaged or long-lived proteins, macromolecules, or organelles are recycled by using lysosomal degradation machinery. Although the occurrence of autophagy in several cardiac diseases including ischemic or dilated cardiomyopathy, heart failure, hypertrophy, and during ischemia/reperfusion injury have been reported, the exact role of autophagy in these diseases is not known. Emerging studies indicate that oxidative stress in cellular system could induce autophagy, and oxidatively modified macromolecules and organelles can be selectively removed by autophagy. Mild oxidative stress-induced autophagy could provide the first line of protection against major damage like apoptosis and necrosis. Cardiac-specific loss of Atg5, an autophagic gene involved in the formation of autophagosome, causes cardiac hypertrophy, left ventricular dilation, and contractile dysfunction. Recently, it was revealed that Atg4, another autophagic gene involved in the formation of autophagosomes, is controlled through redox regulation under the condition of starvation-induced autophagy. In this review, we discuss the function of autophagy in association with oxidative stress and redox signaling in the remodeling of cardiac myocardium. Further research is needed to explore the possibilities of redox regulation of other autophagic genes and the role of redox signaling-mediated autophagy in the heart.

Metabolic activity determines efficacy of macroautophagic clearance of pathological oligomeric alpha-synuclein

Macroautophagy is an essential degradative pathway that can be induced to clear aggregated proteins, such as those found in Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies, a form of Parkinsonism. This study found that both LC3-II and beclin were significantly increased in brains from humans with Dementia with Lewy bodies and transgenic mice overexpressing mutant alpha-synuclein, as compared with respective controls, suggesting that macroautophagy is induced to remove alpha-syn, particularly oligomeric or mutant forms. Aged mutant animals had higher autophagy biomarker levels relative to younger animals, suggesting that with aging, autophagy is less efficient and requires more stimulation to achieve the same outcome. Disruption of autophagy by RNA interference significantly increased alpha-syn oligomer accumulation in vitro, confirming the significance of autophagy in alpha-syn clearance. Finally, rotenone-induced alpha-syn aggregates were cleared following rapamycin stimulation of autophagy. Chronic rotenone exposure and commensurate reduction of metabolic activity limited the efficacy of rapamycin to promote autophagy, suggesting that cellular metabolism is critical for determining autophagic activity. Cumulatively, these findings support the concept that neuronal autophagy is essential for protein homeostasis and, in our system, reduction of autophagy increased the accumulation of potentially pathogenic alpha-synuclein oligomers. Aging and metabolic state were identified as important determinants of autophagic activity. This study provides therapeutic and pathological implications for both synucleinopathy and Parkinson's disease, identifying conditions in which autophagy may be insufficient to degrade alpha-syn aggregates.

Cellular processes essential for African swine fever virus to infect and replicate in primary macrophages

The macrophage (Mø) is an essential immune cell for innate immunity. Such cells are targeted by African swine fever virus (ASFV). The early phases of infection with ASFV have been previously characterized in non-leukocyte cells such as Vero cells. Here, we report on several additional key parameters that ASFV utilizes during the infection of primary Mø. Related to virus infection, we established that receptor-mediated endocytosis of the virus by Mø is not the exclusive means of entry to infect the host cells. Analysis of the ensuing processes identified divalent cation-dependent activities to be particularly important, relating to the virus requirement for microtubule assembly needed for endocytic and endosomal processing. Actin-dependent endocytosis and endocytic flux involving microtubule activity are also implicated, pointing to entry via phagocytosis. Subsequently, the virus avoids terminal degradation by circumventing mature lysosome activities, including autophagosome-lysosome delivery. Nevertheless, the replicative cycle is apparently dependent on certain lysosomal functions, i.e. activities sensitive to propylamine are essential for the virus, whereas vinblastine- and leupeptin-sensitive functions only partially influence viral replication. The present work has identified cellular processes essential for ASFV to infect and replicate in the macrophage. These findings will improve our understanding of the cellular pathways employed by viruses infecting immune scavenger cells.

Co-localization of constituents of the dengue virus translation and replication machinery with amphisomes

Infections with dengue virus (DENV) are a significant public health concern in tropical and subtropical regions. However, little detail is known about how DENV interacts with the host-cell machinery to facilitate its translation and replication. In DENV-infected HepG2 cells, an increase in the level of LC3-II (microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 form II), the autophagosomal membrane-bound form of LC3, was observed, and LC3 was found to co-localize with dsRNA and DENV NS1 protein, as well as ribosomal protein L28, indicating the presence of at least some of the DENV translation/replication machinery on autophagic vacuoles. Inhibition of fusion of autophagic vacuoles with lysosomes resulted in an increase in both intracellular and extracellular virus, and co-localization observed between mannose-6-phosphate receptor (MPR) and dsRNA and between MPR and LC3 identified the autophagic vacuoles as amphisomes. Amphisomes are formed as a result of fusion between endosomal and autophagic vacuoles, and as such provide a direct link between virus entry and subsequent replication and translation.

Sequestration assays for mammalian autophagy

Macroautophagic activity is most directly and precisely measured by a cargo sequestration assay. Long-lived, cytosolic proteins that are degraded exclusively by the autophagic-lysosomal pathway, such as lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) are suitable as endogenous sequestration probes. Autophagic sequestration is measured as transfer of the protein from the soluble (cytosolic) to the sedimentable (organelle-containing) cell fraction, using leupeptin or other proteinase inhibitors to block inactivation and degradation of the protein inside autophagic vacuoles. A convenient separation method is electrodisruption of the cells, followed by sedimentation of the organelle fraction through a Nycodenz density cushion. A promising variant of the cargo assay is to use a protein probe that is processed by the autophagic-lysosomal pathway so as to generate an intravacuolar fragment. Because there is no cytosolic background, subcellular fractionation is unnecessary, allowing the use of the autophagic fragment assay to measure autophagic activity in whole cells. In hepatocytes, a small fragment, p10(BHMT), made by autophagic processing of the enzyme betaine:homocysteine methyltransferase, thus accumulates in an autophagy-dependent manner in the presence of leupeptin. Autophagic sequestration can also be measured by using exogenous cargo probes, such as radiolabeled di- and trisaccharides, which can be loaded into the cytosol of hepatocytes by reversible electrodisruption or mechanical stress. Raffinose is the preferable probe for measurement of autophagic activity, whereas sucrose (which can be hydrolyzed in amphisomes and lysosomes by added endocytosed invertase) and lactose (which is hydrolyzed in lysosomes by the endogenous beta-galactosidase) are useful for dissection of the various steps in the autophagic-lysosomal pathway and for studying autophagic-endocytic interactions. Furthermore, the intralysosomal hydrolysis of autophagocytosed lactose can be measured in whole cells (as formation of the hydrolysis product, galactose), thus providing a background-free assay (autophagic lactolysis) of the overall autophagic-lysosomal pathway.

Autophagy and multivesicular bodies: two closely related partners

In the majority of cell types, multivesicular bodies (MVBs) are a special kind of late endosomes, crucial intermediates in the internalization of nutrients, ligands and receptors through the endolysosomal system. ESCRT-0, I, II and III (endosomal sorting complex required for transport) are involved in the sorting of proteins into MVBs, generating the intraluminal vesicles. Autophagy is a lysosomal degradation pathway for cytoplasmic components such as proteins and organelles. The autophagosome, a well-characterized structure of the autophagy pathway, can fuse with endocytic structures such as MVBs to generate the amphisome. Finally, the amphisome fuses with the lysosome to degrade the material wrapped inside. Currently, clear evidence suggests that efficient autophagic degradation requires functional MVBs. This review highlights the most recent advances in our understanding of the molecular machinery that participates in MVB biogenesis and regulates the interplay between autophagy and this organelle.

New insights into the mechanisms of macroautophagy in mammalian cells

Macroautophagy is a self-digesting pathway responsible for the removal of long-lived proteins and organelles by the lysosomal compartment. Parts of the cytoplasm are first segregated in double-membrane-bound autophagosomes, which then undergo a multistep maturation process including fusion with endosomes and lysosomes. The segregated cytoplasm is then degraded by the lysosomal hydrolases. The discovery of ATG genes has greatly enhanced our understanding of the mechanisms of this pathway. Two novel ubiquitin-like protein conjugation systems were shown to function during autophagosome formation. Autophagy has been shown to play a role in a wide variety of physiological processes including energy metabolism, organelle turnover, growth regulation, and aging. Impaired autophagy can lead to diseases such as cardiomyopathy and cancer. This review summarizes current knowledge about the formation and maturation of autophagosomes, the role of macroautophagy in various physiological and pathological conditions, and the signaling pathways that regulate this process in mammalian cells.

Induction of autophagy promotes fusion of multivesicular bodies with autophagic vacuoles in k562 cells

Morphological and biochemical studies have shown that autophagosomes fuse with endosomes forming the so-called amphisomes, a prelysosomal hybrid organelle. In the present report, we have analyzed this process in K562 cells, an erythroleukemic cell line that generates multivesicular bodies (MVBs) and releases the internal vesicles known as exosomes into the extracellular medium. We have previously shown that in K562 cells, Rab11 decorates MVBs. Therefore, to study at the molecular level the interaction of MVBs with the autophagic pathway, we have examined by confocal microscopy the fate of MVBs in cells overexpressing green fluorescent protein (GFP)-Rab11 and the autophagosomal protein red fluorescent protein-light chain 3 (LC3). Autophagy inducers such as starvation or rapamycin caused an enlargement of the vacuoles decorated with GFP-Rab11 and a remarkable colocalization with LC3. This convergence was abrogated by a Rab11 dominant negative mutant, indicating that a functional Rab11 is involved in the interaction between MVBs and the autophagic pathway. Interestingly, we presented evidence that autophagy induction caused calcium accumulation in autophagic compartments. Furthermore, the convergence between the endosomal and the autophagic pathways was attenuated by the Ca2+ chelator acetoxymethyl ester (AM) of the calcium chelator 1,2-bis(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA), indicating that fusion of MVBs with the autophagosome compartment is a calcium-dependent event. In addition, autophagy induction or overexpression of LC3 inhibited exosome release, suggesting that under conditions that stimulates autophagy, MVBs are directed to the autophagic pathway with consequent inhibition in exosome release.

The interplay between pro-death and pro-survival signaling pathways in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury: apoptosis meets autophagy

INTRODUCTION

Programmed cell death of cardiac myocytes occurs following a bout of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R), which results in reduced function of the heart. Numerous studies, including in vivo, have shown that cell death occurs via necrosis and apoptosis following I/R. Recently, autophagy has emerged as a powerful mediator of programmed cell death, either opposing or enhancing apoptosis, or acting as an alternative form of programmed cell death distinct from apoptosis.

AIM

Here we review the apoptotic and autophagic signaling pathways, their influences on each other, and we discuss the relevance of autophagy in the heart.

Role for Rab7 in maturation of late autophagic vacuoles

The small GTP binding protein Rab7 has a role in the late endocytic pathway and lysosome biogenesis. The role of mammalian Rab7 in autophagy is, however, unknown. We have addressed this by inhibiting Rab7 function with RNA interference and overexpression of dominant negative Rab7. We show here that Rab7 was needed for the formation of preferably perinuclear, large aggregates, where the autophagosome marker LC3 colocalised with Rab7 and late endosomal and lysosomal markers. By electron microscopy we showed that these large aggregates corresponded to autophagic vacuoles surrounding late endosomal or lysosomal vesicles. Our experiments with quantitative electron microscopy showed that Rab7 was not needed for the initial maturation of early autophagosomes to late autophagic vacuoles, but that it participated in the final maturation of late autophagic vacuoles. Finally, we showed that the recruitment of Rab7 to autophagic vacuoles was retarded in cells deficient in the lysosomal membrane proteins Lamp1 and Lamp2, which we have recently shown to accumulate late autophagic vacuoles during starvation. In conclusion, our results showed a role for Rab7 in the final maturation of late autophagic vacuoles.

Rab7 is required for the normal progression of the autophagic pathway in mammalian cells

Autophagy is a normal degradative pathway that involves the sequestration of cytoplasmic components and organelles in a vacuole called an autophagosome that finally fuses with the lysosome. Rab7 is a member of the Rab family involved in transport to late endosomes and in the biogenesis of the perinuclear lysosome compartment. To assess the role of Rab7 in autophagy we stably transfected CHO cells with wild-type pEGFP-Rab7, and the mutants T22N (GDP form) and Q67L (GTP form). Autophagy was induced by amino acid starvation and the autophagic vacuoles were labeled with monodansylcadaverine. By fluorescence microscopy we observed that Rab7wt and the active mutant Rab7Q67L were associated with ring-shaped vesicles labeled with monodansylcadaverine indicating that these Rab proteins associate with the membrane of autophagic vesicles. As expected, in cells transfected with the negative mutant Rab7T22N the protein was diffusely distributed in the cytosol. However, upon induction of autophagy by amino acid starvation or by rapamycin treatment this mutant clearly decorated the monodansylcadaverine-labeled vesicles. Furthermore, a marked increase in the size of the monodansylcadaverine-labeled vacuoles induced by starvation was observed by overexpression of the inactive mutant T22N. Similarly, there was an increase in the size of vesicles labeled with LC3, a protein that specifically localizes on the autophagosomal membrane. Taken together the results indicate that a functional Rab7 is important for the normal progression of autophagy.

Involvement of LMA1 and GATE-16 family members in intracellular membrane dynamics

Intracellular membrane fusion is conserved from yeast to man as well as among different intracellular trafficking pathways. This process can be generally divided into several well-defined biochemical reactions. First, an early recognition (or tethering) takes place between donor and acceptor membranes, mediated by ypt/rab GTPases and complexes of tethering factors. Subsequently, a closer association between the two membranes is achieved by a docking process, which involves tight association between membrane proteins termed SNAREs. The formation of such a trans-SNARE complex leads to the final membrane fusion, resulting in an accumulation of cis-SNARE complexes on the acceptor membrane. Thus, multiple rounds of transport and delivery of the donor SNARE back to its original membrane require dissociation of the SNARE complexes. SNARE dissociation, termed priming, is mediated by the AAA ATPase, N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor (NSF) and its partner, soluble NSF attachment protein (SNAP), in a reaction that requires ATP hydrolysis. In the present review we focus on LMA1 and GATE-16, two low-molecular-weight proteins, which assist in priming SNARE molecules in the vacuole in yeast and the Golgi complex in mammals, respectively. LMA1 and GATE-16 are suggested to keep the dissociated cis-SNAREs apart from each other, allowing multiple fusion processes to take place. GATE-16 belongs to a novel family of ubiquitin-like proteins conserved from yeast to man. We discuss here the involvement of this family in multiple intracellular trafficking pathways.

Steroid-triggered programmed cell death of a motoneuron is autophagic and involves structural changes in mitochondria

Neuronal death occurs during normal development and disease and can be regulated by steroid hormones. In the hawkmoth, Manduca sexta, individual accessory planta retractor (APR) motoneurons undergo a segment-specific pattern of programmed cell death (PCD) at pupation that is triggered directly and cell autonomously by the steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E). APRs from abdominal segment six [APR(6)s] die by 48 hours after pupal ecdysis (PE; entry into the pupal stage), whereas APR(4)s survive until adulthood. Cell culture experiments showed previously that 20E acts directly on APRs to trigger PCD, with intrinsic segmental identity determining which APRs die. The APR(6) death pathway includes caspase activation and loss of mitochondrial function. We used transmission electron microscopy to investigate the ultrastructure of APR somata before and during PCD. APR(4)s showed normal ultrastructure at all stages examined, as did APR(6)s until approximately stage PE. During APR(6) death, there was massive accumulation of autophagic bodies and vacuoles, mitochondria became ultracondensed and aggregated into compact clusters, and ribosomes aggregated in large blocks. Nuclear ultrastructure remained normal, without chromatin condensation, until the nuclear envelope fragmented late in the death process. Light microscopic immunocytochemistry showed that dying APR(6)s were TUNEL-positive, which is diagnostic of fragmented DNA. These observations indicate that the steroid-induced, caspase-dependent, cell-autonomous PCD of APR(6)s is autophagic, not apoptotic, and support an early role for mitochondrial alterations during PCD. This system permits the study of neuronal death in response to its bona fide developmental signal, the rise in a steroid hormone.

Turnover of matrix proteins in mammalian mitochondria

In cultured hepatocytes the turnover of several mitochondrial matrix proteins (e.g. acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase) appears to be initiated by CoA-mediated, sequential transformation into CoA-modified forms. This modification favours the notion that intramitochondrial degradation by a matrix-resident ATP-dependent protease may be preceded by a specific modification by CoA. In a mitochondrial matrix fraction the MgATP-dependent decrease in anti-CoA immunoreactivity coincided with both a decrease in the anti-protein immunoreactivity of acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase and/or of 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase, and with the appearance of proteolytic fragments. A closer analysis of the degradation pattern revealed, however, a breakdown of the unmodified acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase and of its CoA-modified form, A1, whereas the form that is more highly modified by CoA, A2, proved to be inaccessible towards an ATP-dependent protease. In mammalian mitochondrial matrix, proteins can be degraded selectively by a matrix-resident ATP-dependent protease. The process of CoA modification results finally in the protection of matrix proteins from degradation. In cultured hepatocytes, leupeptin, an inhibitor of lysosomal proteases, did not affect the steady-state level of the mitochondrial matrix protein acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase. However, leupeptin mediated a specific accumulation of mitochondrial matrix proteins in the cytosolic fractions of hepatocytes cultured over a 24 h period. The levels of acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase, 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase and glutamate dehydrogenase proteins increased 1.9-, 2.0- and 2.2-fold respectively. Their status as mature, oligomeric, but enzymically inactive enzymes strongly suggests that they originate from a leakage of autophagosomes, a constituent of the non-selective autophagic/lysosomal pathway for degradation of whole mitochondria.

Starvation-induced degradation of yeast hexose transporter Hxt7p is dependent on endocytosis, autophagy and the terminal sequences of the permease

The yeast high-affinity glucose transporters Hxt6p and Hxt7p are rapidly degraded during nitrogen starvation in the presence of high concentrations of fermentable carbon sources. Our results suggest that degradation is mainly due to the stimulation of general protein turnover and not caused by a mechanism specifically triggered by glucose. Analysis of Hxt6p/7p stability and cellular distribution in end4, aut2 and apg1 mutants indicates that Hxt7p is internalized by endocytosis, and autophagy is involved in the final delivery of Hxt7p to the vacuole for proteolytic degradation. Internalization and degradation of Hxt7p were blocked after truncation of its N-terminal hydrophilic domain. Nevertheless, this fully functional and stabilized hexose transporter could not maintain fermentation capacity of the yeast cells under starvation conditions, indicating a regulatory constraint on glucose uptake.

Bacterial interactions with the autophagic pathway

Bacteria have evolved a variety of mechanisms to invade eukaryotic cells and survive intracellularly. Once inside, bacterial pathogens often modulate their phagosome to establish an intracellular niche for survival and replication. A subset of intracellular pathogens, including Brucella abortus, Legionella pneumophila and Porphyromonas gingivalis, are diverted from the endosomal pathway to the auto-phagic pathway. Once within the autophagosome, each in some way presumably modifies this compartment to establish an environment necessary for its survival. Transit into autophagosomes represents an avenue by which to escape host defences. In this review, we examine the biochemical and morphological evidence for the survival of some bacterial pathogens by replicating within an autophagosome-like compartment.

Intracellular protein degradation and autophagy in isolated pancreatic acini of the rat

Simultaneous investigation of protein degradation and autophagy of isolated exocrine pancreatic cells is carried out here for the first time in a systematic way by a complex biochemical, morphological and morphometrical approach. Protein degradation proceeds with a decreasing rate of 4-1.5 per cent per h over a 4-h period indicating a comparatively low degradation capacity. Cells in freshly isolated acini do not contain autophagic vacuoles but the latter appear within an hour in vitro and their quantity remains close to a steady state during the subsequent 3 h. Both traditional inhibitors of the autophagic-lysosomal pathway, e.g. vinblastine, leupeptin, and lysosomotropic amines together with the recently introduced 3-methyladenine, inhibit degradation to a similar maximal extent, offering the possibility of the estimation of the ratio of lysosomal/non-lysosomal degradation. In pancreatic acinar cells autophagic sequestration is unaffected and protein degradation is inhibited inside secondary lysosomes by leupeptin and lysosomotropic amines, while 3-methyladenine prevents the formation of autophagosomes. Vinblastine seems to act by inhibiting the fusion of autophagosomes with lysosomes and there is no evidence for the stimulation of autophagic sequestration by vinblastine in the present system. The effect of inhibitors of protein breakdown on protein synthesis is variable and does not correlate with their influence on degradation. Amino acids strongly stimulate protein synthesis, but in contrast to what is found in liver cells, they do not seem to affect protein degradation or autophagy significantly, thus indicating major regulatory differences of these processes between pancreatic acinar cells and hepatocytes.

Brucella abortus transits through the autophagic pathway and replicates in the endoplasmic reticulum of nonprofessional phagocytes

Brucella abortus is an intracellular pathogen that replicates within a membrane-bounded compartment. In this study, we have examined the intracellular pathway of the virulent B. abortus strain 2308 (S2308) and the attenuated strain 19 (S19) in HeLa cells. At 10 min after inoculation, both bacterial strains are transiently detected in phagosomes characterized by the presence of early endosomal markers such as the early endosomal antigen 1. At approximately 1 h postinoculation, bacteria are located within a compartment positive for the lysosome-associated membrane proteins (LAMPs) and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) marker sec61beta but negative for the mannose 6-phosphate receptors and cathepsin D. Interestingly, this compartment is also positive for the autophagosomal marker monodansylcadaverin, suggesting that S2308 and S19 are located in autophagic vacuoles. At 24 h after inoculation, attenuated S19 is degraded in lysosomes, while virulent S2308 multiplies within a LAMP- and cathepsin D-negative but sec61beta- and protein disulfide isomerase-positive compartment. Furthermore, treatment of infected cells with the pore-forming toxin aerolysin from Aeromonas hydrophila causes vacuolation of the bacterial replication compartment. These results are compatible with the hypothesis that pathogenic B. abortus exploits the autophagic machinery of HeLa cells to establish an intracellular niche favorable for its replication within the ER.

Isolation and characterization of rat liver amphisomes. Evidence for fusion of autophagosomes with both early and late endosomes

Amphisomes, the autophagic vacuoles (AVs) formed upon fusion between autophagosomes and endosomes, have so far only been characterized in indirect, functional terms. To enable a physical distinction between autophagosomes and amphisomes, the latter were selectively density-shifted in sucrose gradients following fusion with AOM-gold-loaded endosomes (endosomes made dense by asialoorosomucoid-conjugated gold particles, endocytosed by isolated rat hepatocytes prior to subcellular fractionation). Whereas amphisomes, by this criterion, accounted for only a minor fraction of the AVs in control hepatocytes, treatment of the cells with leupeptin (an inhibitor of lysosomal protein degradation) caused an accumulation of amphisomes to about one-half of the AV population. A quantitative electron microscopic study confirmed that leupeptin induced a severalfold increase in the number of hepatocytic amphisomes (recognized by their gold particle contents; otherwise, their ultrastructure was quite similar to autophagosomes). Leupeptin caused, furthermore, a selective retention of endocytosed AOM-gold in the amphisomes at the expense of the lysosomes, consistent with an inhibition of amphisome-lysosome fusion. The electron micrographs suggested that autophagosomes could undergo multiple independent fusions, with multivesicular (late) endosomes to form amphisomes and with small lysosomes to form large autolysosomes. A biochemical comparison between autophagosomes and amphisomes, purified by a novel procedure, showed that the amphisomes were enriched in early endosome markers (the asialoglycoprotein receptor and the early endosome-associated protein 1) as well as in a late endosome marker (the cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor). Amphisomes would thus seem to be capable of receiving inputs both from early and late endosomes.

Vacuole biogenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: protein transport pathways to the yeast vacuole

Delivery of proteins to the vacuole of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae provides an excellent model system in which to study vacuole and lysosome biogenesis and membrane traffic. This organelle receives proteins from a number of different routes, including proteins sorted away from the secretory pathway at the Golgi apparatus and endocytic traffic arising from the plasma membrane. Genetic analysis has revealed at least 60 genes involved in vacuolar protein sorting, numerous components of a novel cytoplasm-to-vacuole transport pathway, and a large number of proteins required for autophagy. Cell biological and biochemical studies have provided important molecular insights into the various protein delivery pathways to the yeast vacuole. This review describes the various pathways to the vacuole and illustrates how they are related to one another in the vacuolar network of S. cerevisiae.