Endoplasmic reticulum stress caused by aggregate-prone proteins containing homopolymeric amino acids

Regulation of endoplasmic reticulum stress in rat cortex by p62/ZIP through the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE signalling pathway after transient focal cerebral ischaemia

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE

p62/ZIP as the autophagy receptor can transport the misfolded proteins to a macroautophagy-lysosome system for degradation and also create a positive feedback loop between p62/ZIP and Nrf2. However, the role of p62/ZIP on cerebral ischaemia is unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of p62/ZIP in the regulation of endoplasmic reticulum(ER) stress induced by cerebral ischaemia/reperfusion.

RESEARCH DESIGN

Different ischemic periods were designed by transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) using the suture method.

METHODS AND PROCEDURES

At 24 hours after reperfusion, the ischaemic brain tissue was studied histologically and biochemically for autophagic, ER stress and Keap1-Nrf2-ARE signalling pathway markers.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND RESULTS

Prolongation of ischaemia significantly increased the cortical injury observed in rats and was associated with a gradual increase in the protein expression of ubiquitin-aggregates, Grp78, GADD153/CHOP and p62/ZIP. Autophagy marker Atg12-Atg5 and LC3-PE increased and then decreased. Moreover, p62/ZIP mRNA expression increased and then decreased and was consistent with Nrf2 activation.

CONCLUSIONS

p62/ZIP not only plays a key role in scavenging protein aggregates during autophagy, but it may also be involved in preventing oxidative injury and alleviating ER stress through the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE signalling pathway during cerebral ischaemia/reperfusion injury.

Protein C mutation (A267T) results in ER retention and unfolded protein response activation

Background

Protein C (PC) deficiency is associated with a high risk of venous thrombosis. Recently, we identified the PC-A267T mutation in a patient with PC deficiency and revealed by in vitro studies decreased intracellular and secreted levels of the mutant. The aim of the present study was to characterize the underlying mechanism(s).

Methodology/Principal Findings

CHO-K1 cells stably expressing the wild-type (PC-wt) or the PC mutant were generated. In order to examine whether the PC mutant was subjected to increased intracellular degradation, the cells were treated with several inhibitors of various degradation pathways and pulse-chase experiments were performed. Protein-chaperone complexes were analyzed by treating the cells with a cross-linker followed by Western blotting (WB). Expression levels of the immunoglobulin-binding protein (BiP) and the phosphorylated eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (P-eIF2α), both common ER stress markers, were determined by WB to examine if the mutation induced ER stress and unfolded protein response (UPR) activation. We found no major differences in the intracellular degradation between the PC variants. The PC mutant was retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and had increased association with the Grp-94 and calreticulin chaperones. Retention of the PC-A267T in ER resulted in UPR activation demonstrated by increased expression levels of the ER stress markers BiP and P-eIF2α and caused also increased apoptotic activity in CHO-K1 cells as evidenced by elevated levels of DNA fragmentation.

Conclusions/Significance

The reduced intracellular level and impaired secretion of the PC mutant were due to retention in ER. In contrast to other PC mutations, retention of the PC-A267T in ER resulted in minor increased proteasomal degradation, rather it induced ER stress, UPR activation and apoptosis.

Functional characterization of the protein C A267T mutation: evidence for impaired secretion due to defective intracellular transport

Background

Activated protein C (PC) is a serine protease that regulates blood coagulation by inactivating coagulation factors Va and VIIIa. PC deficiency is an autosomally inherited disorder associated with a high risk of recurrent venous thrombosis. The aim of the study was to explore the mechanisms responsible for severe PC deficiency in a patient with the protein C A267T mutation by in-vitro expression studies.

Results

Huh7 and CHO-K1 cells were transiently transfected with expression vectors containing wild-type (WT PC) and mutated PC (A267T PC) cDNAs. PC mRNA levels were assessed by qRT-PCR and the PC protein levels were measured by ELISA. The mRNA levels of WT PC and A267T PC were similar, while the intracellular protein level of A267T PC was moderately decreased compared to WT PC. The secretion of A267T PC into the medium was severely impaired. No differences in molecular weights were observed between WT and A267T PC before and after treatment with endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase. Proteasomal and lysosomal degradations were examined using lactacystin and bafilomycin, respectively, and revealed that A267T PC was slightly more susceptible for proteasomal degradation than WT PC. Intracellular co-localization analysis indicated that A267T PC was mainly located in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), whereas WT PC was observed in both ER and Golgi.

Conclusions

In contrast to what has been reported for other PC mutants, intracellular degradation of A267T PC was not the main/dominant mechanism underlying the reduced intracellular and secretion levels of PC. Our results indicate that the A267T mutation most likely caused misfolding of PC, which might lead to increased retention of the mutated PC in ER.