Role of clathrin in dense core vesicle biogenesis

Neurodevelopmental and synaptic defects in DNAJC6 parkinsonism, amenable to gene therapy

DNAJC6 encodes auxilin, a co-chaperone protein involved in clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) at the presynaptic terminal. Biallelic mutations in DNAJC6 cause a complex, early-onset neurodegenerative disorder characterized by rapidly progressive parkinsonism-dystonia in childhood. The disease is commonly associated with additional neurodevelopmental, neurological and neuropsychiatric features. Currently, there are no disease-modifying treatments for this condition, resulting in significant morbidity and risk of premature mortality. To investigate the underlying disease mechanisms in childhood-onset DNAJC6 parkinsonism, we generated induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) from three patients harbouring pathogenic loss-of-function DNAJC6 mutations and subsequently developed a midbrain dopaminergic neuronal model of disease. When compared to age-matched and CRISPR-corrected isogenic controls, the neuronal cell model revealed disease-specific auxilin deficiency as well as disturbance of synaptic vesicle recycling and homeostasis. We also observed neurodevelopmental dysregulation affecting ventral midbrain patterning and neuronal maturation. To explore the feasibility of a viral vector-mediated gene therapy approach, iPSC-derived neuronal cultures were treated with lentiviral DNAJC6 gene transfer, which restored auxilin expression and rescued CME. Our patient-derived neuronal model provides deeper insights into the molecular mechanisms of auxilin deficiency as well as a robust platform for the development of targeted precision therapy approaches.

Ultrastructural study of neuronal cells and localization of ghrelin-like peptide and its receptor in the ganglia of the golden apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata)

Pomacea canaliculata is an invasive snail species causing major problems in agriculture. The snail biology was then investigated. The main objective of the present study was to investigate the nervous system of the snail. The nervous system comprises pairs of cerebral, buccal, pedal, pleural, parietal ganglia and an unpaired visceral ganglion. Most neurons were concentrated at the periphery of the ganglia. The neurons were classified into four types: NR1, NR2, NR3, and NR4. The percentages of the NR3 and NR4 in the pleural and pedal ganglia were significantly higher than those of other ganglia. Ultrastructural study revealed that nuclei of all neuronal types exhibited mostly euchromatins. Many organelles including ribosomes and endoplasmic reticulum were found in their cytoplasm. However, various mitochondria were found in the NR2 and NR3. The immunohistochemistry revealed immunoreactivity of ghrelin-like peptide in the neurons of the cerebral, pleural and pedal ganglia. However, immunoreactivity of GHS-R1a-like peptide existed only in the neurons of the pleural and pedal ganglia. The present study is the first to demonstrate the existence of ghrelin-like peptide and its receptor in P. canaliculata nervous system.

Targeted and selective knockout of the TLQP-21 neuropeptide unmasks its unique role in energy homeostasis

OBJECTIVE

Pro-peptide precursors are processed into biologically active peptide hormones or neurotransmitters, each playing an essential role in physiology and disease. Genetic loss of function of a pro-peptide precursor results in the simultaneous ablation of all biologically-active peptides within that precursor, often leading to a composite phenotype that can be difficult to align with the loss of specific peptide components. Due to this biological constraint and technical limitations, mice carrying the selective ablation of individual peptides encoded by pro-peptide precursor genes, while leaving the other peptides unaffected, have remained largely unaddressed.

METHODS

We developed and characterized a mouse model carrying the selective knockout of the TLQP-21 neuropeptide (ΔTLQP-21) encoded by the Vgf gene. To achieve this goal, we used a knowledge-based approach by mutating a codon in the Vgf sequence leading to the substitution of the C-terminal Arginine of TLQP-21, which is the pharmacophore as well as an essential cleavage site from its precursor, into Alanine (R21→A).

RESULTS

We provide several independent validations of this mouse, including a novel in-gel digestion targeted mass spectrometry identification of the unnatural mutant sequence, exclusive to the mutant mouse. ΔTLQP-21 mice do not manifest gross behavioral and metabolic abnormalities and reproduce well, yet they have a unique metabolic phenotype characterized by an environmental temperature-dependent resistance to diet-induced obesity and activation of the brown adipose tissue.

CONCLUSIONS

The ΔTLQP-21 mouse line can be a valuable resource to conduct mechanistic studies on the necessary role of TLQP-21 in physiology and disease, while also serving as a platform to test the specificity of novel antibodies or immunoassays directed at TLQP-21. Our approach also has far-reaching implications by informing the development of knowledge-based genetic engineering approaches to generate selective loss of function of other peptides encoded by pro-hormones genes, leaving all other peptides within the pro-protein precursor intact and unmodified.

Targeted and selective knockout of the TLQP-21 neuropeptide unmasks its unique role in energy homeostasis

Pro-peptide precursors are processed into biologically active peptide hormones or neurotransmitters, each playing an essential role in physiology and disease. Genetic loss of function of a pro-peptide precursor results in the simultaneous ablation of all biologically-active peptides within that precursor, often leading to a composite phenotype that can be difficult to align with the loss of specific peptide components. Due to this biological constraint and technical limitations, mice carrying the selective ablation of individual peptides encoded by pro-peptide precursor genes, while leaving the other peptides unaffected, have remained largely unaddressed. Here, we developed and characterized a mouse model carrying the selective knockout of the TLQP-21 neuropeptide (ΔTLQP-21) encoded by the Vgf gene. To achieve this goal, we used a knowledge-based approach by mutating a codon in the Vgf sequence leading to the substitution of the C-terminal Arginine of TLQP-21, which is the pharmacophore as well as an essential cleavage site from its precursor, into Alanine (R ₂₁ →A). We provide several independent validations of this mouse, including a novel in-gel digestion targeted mass spectrometry identification of the unnatural mutant sequence, exclusive to the mutant mouse. ΔTLQP-21 mice do not manifest gross behavioral and metabolic abnormalities and reproduce well, yet they have a unique metabolic phenotype characterized by a temperature-dependent resistance to diet-induced obesity and activation of the brown adipose tissue.

Inhibition of Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Receptor 2 by JTE013 Promoted Osteogenesis by Increasing Vesicle Trafficking, Wnt/Ca2+, and BMP/Smad Signaling

Sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 2 (S1PR2) is a G protein-coupled receptor that regulates various immune responses. Herein, we determine the effects of a S1PR2 antagonist (JTE013) or a S1PR2 shRNA on osteogenesis by culturing murine bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) in osteogenic media with JTE013, dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), a S1PR2 shRNA, or a control shRNA. Treatment with JTE013 or the S1PR2 shRNA increased alkaline phosphatase and alizarin red s staining, and enhanced alkaline phosphatase, RUNX2, osteocalcin, and osterix mRNA levels in BMSCs compared with the controls. Protein analysis revealed that a high dose of JTE013 (4 or 8 μM) increased vesicle trafficking-associated proteins (F-actin, clathrin, Early Endosome Antigen 1 (EEA1), and syntaxin 6) and Wnt/Ca2+ signaling. On the other hand, a low dose of JTE013 (1 to 2 μM) increased BMP/Smad signaling. In contrast, the S1PR2 shRNA reduced vesicle trafficking-associated proteins and attenuated Wnts and BMP/Smad signaling, but enhanced p-CaMKII compared with the control, suggesting that the S1PR2 shRNA influenced osteogenesis via different signaling pathways. Moreover, inhibiting protein trafficking by brefeldin A in BMSCs suppressed Wnts and BMPRs expressions. These data supported that enhanced osteogenesis in JTE013-treated BMSCs is associated with increased vesicle trafficking, which promotes the synthesis and transport of osteogenic protein and matrix vesicles and enhances matrix mineralization.

PAM: diverse roles in neuroendocrine cells, cardiomyocytes, and green algae

Our understanding of the ways in which peptides are used for communication in the nervous and endocrine systems began with the identification of oxytocin, vasopressin, and insulin, each of which is stored in electron-dense granules, ready for release in response to an appropriate stimulus. For each of these peptides, entry of its newly synthesized precursor into the ER lumen is followed by transport through the secretory pathway, exposing the precursor to a sequence of environments and enzymes that produce the bioactive products stored in mature granules. A final step in the biosynthesis of many peptides is C-terminal amidation by peptidylglycine α-amidating monooxygenase (PAM), an ascorbate- and copper-dependent membrane enzyme that enters secretory granules along with its soluble substrates. Biochemical and cell biological studies elucidated the highly conserved mechanism for amidated peptide production and raised many questions about PAM trafficking and the effects of PAM on cytoskeletal organization and gene expression. Phylogenetic studies and the discovery of active PAM in the ciliary membranes of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a green alga lacking secretory granules, suggested that a PAM-like enzyme was present in the last eukaryotic common ancestor. While the catalytic features of human and C. reinhardtii PAM are strikingly similar, the trafficking of PAM in C. reinhardtii and neuroendocrine cells and secretion of its amidated products differ. A comparison of PAM function in neuroendocrine cells, atrial myocytes, and C. reinhardtii reveals multiple ways in which altered trafficking allows PAM to accomplish different tasks in different species and cell types.

Insulin granule biogenesis and exocytosis

Insulin is produced by pancreatic β-cells, and once released to the blood, the hormone stimulates glucose uptake and suppresses glucose production. Defects in both the availability and action of insulin lead to elevated plasma glucose levels and are major hallmarks of type-2 diabetes. Insulin is stored in secretory granules that form at the trans-Golgi network. The granules undergo extensive modifications en route to their release sites at the plasma membrane, including changes in both protein and lipid composition of the granule membrane and lumen. In parallel, the insulin molecules also undergo extensive modifications that render the hormone biologically active. In this review, we summarize current understanding of insulin secretory granule biogenesis, maturation, transport, docking, priming and eventual fusion with the plasma membrane. We discuss how different pools of granules form and how these pools contribute to insulin secretion under different conditions. We also highlight the role of the β-cell in the development of type-2 diabetes and discuss how dysregulation of one or several steps in the insulin granule life cycle may contribute to disease development or progression.

Meeting report - the Microtubules, Motors, Transport and Trafficking (M2T2) 2019 meeting

The Molecular Motors, Transport and Trafficking (M2T2) meeting serves as a platform for both Indian and global scientists working on the cytoskeleton, cytoskeletal motors and membrane trafficking to gather and discuss the latest developments in the field. The 2019 edition of the meeting, held from 18-20 October at the National Brain Research Centre (NBRC), Manesar, India and organised by Mahak Sharma (Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali) and Anindya Ghosh Roy (NBRC), was witness to stimulating research on a range of topics related to the cytoskeleton, including cytoskeletal organization, motor protein function and regulation, mechanical forces and vesicular transport, and trafficking in health and disease.

Catestatin regulates vesicular quanta through modulation of cholinergic and peptidergic (PACAPergic) stimulation in PC12 cells

We have previously shown that the chromogranin A (CgA)-derived peptide catestatin (CST: hCgA_352-372) inhibits nicotine-induced secretion of catecholamines from the adrenal medulla and chromaffin cells. In the present study, we seek to determine whether CST regulates dense core (DC) vesicle (DCV) quanta (catecholamine and chromogranin/secretogranin proteins) during acute (0.5-h treatment) or chronic (24-h treatment) cholinergic (nicotine) or peptidergic (PACAP, pituitary adenylyl cyclase activating polypeptide) stimulation of PC12 cells. In acute experiments, we found that both nicotine (60 μM) and PACAP (0.1 μM) decreased intracellular norepinephrine (NE) content and increased ³H-NE secretion, with both effects markedly inhibited by co-treatment with CST (2 μM). In chronic experiments, we found that nicotine and PACAP both reduced DCV and DC diameters and that this effect was likewise prevented by CST. Nicotine or CST alone increased expression of CgA protein and together elicited an additional increase in CgA protein, implying that nicotine and CST utilize separate signaling pathways to activate CgA expression. In contrast, PACAP increased expression of CgB and SgII proteins, with a further potentiation by CST. CST augmented the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) but did not increase intracellular NE levels, presumably due to its inability to cause post-translational activation of TH through serine phosphorylation. Co-treatment of CST with nicotine or PACAP increased quantal size, plausibly due to increased synthesis of CgA, CgB and SgII by CST. We conclude that CST regulates DCV quanta by acutely inhibiting catecholamine secretion and chronically increasing expression of CgA after nicotinic stimulation and CgB and SgII after PACAPergic stimulation.

Clathrin heavy chain 22 contributes to the control of neuropeptide degradation and secretion during neuronal development

The repertoire of cell types in the human nervous system arises through a highly orchestrated process, the complexity of which is still being discovered. Here, we present evidence that CHC22 has a non-redundant role in an early stage of neural precursor differentiation, providing a potential explanation of why CHC22 deficient patients are unable to feel touch or pain. We show the CHC22 effect on neural differentiation is independent of the more common clathrin heavy chain CHC17, and that CHC22-dependent differentiation is mediated through an autocrine/paracrine mechanism. Using quantitative proteomics, we define the composition of clathrin-coated vesicles in SH-SY5Y cells, and determine proteome changes induced by CHC22 depletion. In the absence of CHC22 a subset of dense core granule (DCG) neuropeptides accumulated, were processed into biologically active 'mature' forms, and secreted in sufficient quantity to trigger neural differentiation. When CHC22 is present, however, these DCG neuropeptides are directed to the lysosome and degraded, thus preventing differentiation. This suggests that the brief reduction seen in CHC22 expression in sensory neural precursors may license a step in neuron precursor neurodevelopment; and that this step is mediated through control of a novel neuropeptide processing pathway.