Second Virtual International Symposium on Cellular and Organismal Stress Responses, September 8-9, 2022.

The Second International Symposium on Cellular and Organismal Stress Responses took place virtually on September 8-9, 2022. This meeting was supported by the Cell Stress Society International (CSSI) and organized by Patricija Van Oosten-Hawle and Andrew Truman (University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA) and Mehdi Mollapour (SUNY Upstate Medical University, USA). The goal of this symposium was to continue the theme from the initial meeting in 2020 by providing a platform for established researchers, new investigators, postdoctoral fellows, and students to present and exchange ideas on various topics on cellular stress and chaperones. We will summarize the highlights of the meeting here and recognize those that received recognition from the CSSI.

Extracellular HSPs: The Potential Target for Human Disease Therapy.

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are highly conserved stress proteins known as molecular chaperones, which are considered to be cytoplasmic proteins with functions restricted to the intracellular compartment, such as the cytoplasm or cellular organelles. However, an increasing number of observations have shown that HSPs can also be released into the extracellular matrix and can play important roles in the modulation of inflammation and immune responses. Recent studies have demonstrated that extracellular HSPs (eHSPs) were involved in many human diseases, such as cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, and kidney diseases, which are all diseases that are closely linked to inflammation and immunity. In this review, we describe the types of eHSPs, discuss the mechanisms of eHSPs secretion, and then highlight their functions in the modulation of inflammation and immune responses. Finally, we take cancer as an example and discuss the possibility of targeting eHSPs for human disease therapy. A broader understanding of the function of eHSPs in development and progression of human disease is essential for developing new strategies to treat many human diseases that are critically related to inflammation and immunity.

The sacrificial adaptor protein Skp functions to remove stalled substrates from the ß-barrel assembly machine.

The biogenesis of integral ß-barrel outer membrane proteins (OMPs) in gram-negative bacteria requires transport by molecular chaperones across the aqueous periplasmic space. Owing in part to the extensive functional redundancy within the periplasmic chaperone network, specific roles for molecular chaperones in OMP quality control and assembly have remained largely elusive. Here, by deliberately perturbing the OMP assembly process through use of multiple folding-defective substrates, we have identified a role for the periplasmic chaperone Skp in ensuring efficient folding of OMPs by the ß-barrel assembly machine (Bam) complex. We find that ß-barrel substrates that fail to integrate into the membrane in a timely manner are removed from the Bam complex by Skp, thereby allowing for clearance of stalled Bam-OMP complexes. Following the displacement of OMPs from the assembly machinery, Skp subsequently serves as a sacrificial adaptor protein to directly facilitate the degradation of defective OMP substrates by the periplasmic protease DegP. We conclude that Skp acts to ensure efficient ß-barrel folding by directly mediating the displacement and degradation of assembly-compromised OMP substrates from the Bam complex.

The Amyloid Fibril-Forming ß-Sheet Regions of Amyloid ß and α-Synuclein Preferentially Interact with the Molecular Chaperone 14-3-3ζ.

14-3-3 proteins are abundant, intramolecular proteins that play a pivotal role in cellular signal transduction by interacting with phosphorylated ligands. In addition, they are molecular chaperones that prevent protein unfolding and aggregation under cellular stress conditions in a similar manner to the unrelated small heat-shock proteins. In vivo, amyloid ß (Aß) and α-synuclein (α-syn) form amyloid fibrils in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, respectively, a process that is intimately linked to the diseases' progression. The 14-3-3ζ isoform potently inhibited in vitro fibril formation of the 40-amino acid form of Aß (Aß40) but had little effect on α-syn aggregation. Solution-phase NMR spectroscopy of 15N-labeled Aß40 and A53T α-syn determined that unlabeled 14-3-3ζ interacted preferentially with hydrophobic regions of Aß40 (L11-H21 and G29-V40) and α-syn (V3-K10 and V40-K60). In both proteins, these regions adopt ß-strands within the core of the amyloid fibrils prepared in vitro as well as those isolated from the inclusions of diseased individuals. The interaction with 14-3-3ζ is transient and occurs at the early stages of the fibrillar aggregation pathway to maintain the native, monomeric, and unfolded structure of Aß40 and α-syn. The N-terminal regions of α-syn interacting with 14-3-3ζ correspond with those that interact with other molecular chaperones as monitored by in-cell NMR spectroscopy.

A Chaperone-Like Role for EBI3 in Collaboration With Calnexin Under Inflammatory Conditions.

The interleukin-6 (IL-6)/IL-12 family of cytokines plays critical roles in the induction and regulation of innate and adaptive immune responses. Among the various cytokines, only this family has the unique characteristic of being composed of two distinct subunits, α- and ß-subunits, which form a heterodimer with subunits that occur in other cytokines as well. Recently, we found a novel intracellular role for one of the α-subunits, Epstein-Barr virus-induced gene 3 (EBI3), in promoting the proper folding of target proteins and augmenting its expression at the protein level by binding to its target protein and a well-characterized lectin chaperone, calnexin, presumably through enhancing chaperone activity. Because calnexin is ubiquitously and constitutively expressed but EBI3 expression is inducible, these results could open an avenue to establish a new paradigm in which EBI3 plays an important role in further increasing the expression of target molecules at the protein level in collaboration with calnexin under inflammatory conditions. This theory well accounts for the heterodimer formation of EBI3 with p28, and probably with p35 and p19 to produce IL-27, IL-35, and IL-39, respectively. In line with this concept, another ß-subunit, p40, plays a critical role in the assembly-induced proper folding of p35 and p19 to produce IL-12 and IL-23, respectively. Thus, chaperone-like activities in proper folding and maturation, which allow the secretion of biologically active heterodimeric cytokines, have recently been highlighted. This review summarizes the current understanding of chaperone-like activities of EBI3 to form heterodimers and other associations together with their possible biological implications.

Histone chaperone-mediated co-expression assembly of tetrasomes and nucleosomes.

The nucleosome, a basic unit of chromatin found in all eukaryotes, is thought to be assembled through the orchestrated activity of several histone chaperones and chromatin assembly factors in a stepwise manner, proceeding from tetrasome assembly, to H2A/H2B deposition, and finally to formation of the mature nucleosome. In this study, we demonstrate chaperone-mediated assembly of both tetrasomes and nucleosomes on the well-defined Widom 601 positioning sequence using a co-expression/reconstitution wheat germ cell-free system. The purified tetrasomes and nucleosomes were positioned around the center of a given sequence. The heights and diameters were measured by atomic force microscopy. Together with the reported unmodified native histones produced by the wheat germ cell-free platform, our method is expected to be useful for downstream applications in the field of chromatin research.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae Fpr1 functions as a chaperone to inhibit protein aggregation.

Peptidyl prolyl isomerases (PPIases) accelerate the rate limiting step of protein folding by catalyzing cis/trans isomerization of peptidyl prolyl bonds. The larger PPIases have been shown to be multi-domain proteins, with functions other than isomerization of the proline-containing peptide bond. Recently, a few smaller PPIases have also been described for their ability to stabilize folding intermediates. The yeast Fpr1 (FK506-sensitive proline rotamase) is a homologue of the mammalian prolyl isomerase FKBP12 (FK506-binding protein of 12 kDa). Its ability to stabilize stressed cellular proteins has not been reported yet. We had earlier reported upregulation of Fpr1 in yeast cells exposed to proteotoxic stress conditions. In this work, we show that yeast Fpr1 exhibits characteristics typical of a general chaperone of the proteostasis network. Aggregation of mutant huntingtin fragment was higher in Fpr1-deleted as compared to parental yeast cells. Overexpression of Fpr1 led to reduced protein aggregation by decreasing the amount of oligomers and diverting the aggregation pathway towards the formation of detergent-soluble species. This correlated well with higher survival of these cells. Purified and enzymatically active yeast Fpr1 was able to inhibit aggregation of mutant huntingtin fragment and luciferase in vitro in a concentration-dependent manner; suggesting a direct action for aggregation inhibitory action of Fpr1. Overexpression of yeast Fpr1 was able to protect E. coli cells against thermal shock. This work establishes the role of Fpr1 in the protein folding network and will be used for the identification of novel pharmacological leads in disease conditions.

Human prefoldin modulates co-transcriptional pre-mRNA splicing.

Prefoldin is a heterohexameric complex conserved from archaea to humans that plays a cochaperone role during the co-translational folding of actin and tubulin monomers. Additional functions of prefoldin have been described, including a positive contribution to transcription elongation and chromatin dynamics in yeast. Here we show that prefoldin perturbations provoked transcriptional alterations across the human genome. Severe pre-mRNA splicing defects were also detected, particularly after serum stimulation. We found impairment of co-transcriptional splicing during transcription elongation, which explains why the induction of long genes with a high number of introns was affected the most. We detected genome-wide prefoldin binding to transcribed genes and found that it correlated with the negative impact of prefoldin depletion on gene expression. Lack of prefoldin caused global decrease in Ser2 and Ser5 phosphorylation of the RNA polymerase II carboxy-terminal domain. It also reduced the recruitment of the CTD kinase CDK9 to transcribed genes, and the association of splicing factors PRP19 and U2AF65 to chromatin, which is known to depend on CTD phosphorylation. Altogether the reported results indicate that human prefoldin is able to act locally on the genome to modulate gene expression by influencing phosphorylation of elongating RNA polymerase II, and thereby regulating co-transcriptional splicing.

HSPB1 influences mitochondrial respiration in ER-stressed beta cells.

Beta-cell death and dysfunction are involved in the development of type 1 and 2 diabetes. ER-stress impairs beta-cells function resulting in pro-apoptotic stimuli that promote cell death. Hence, the identification of protective mechanisms in response to ER-stress could lead to novel therapeutic targets and insight in the pathology of these diseases. Here, we report the identification of proteins involved in dysregulated pathways upon thapsigargin treatment of MIN6 cells. Utilizing quantitative proteomics we identified upregulation of proteins involved in protein folding, unfolded protein response, redox homeostasis, proteasome processes associated with endoplasmic reticulum and downregulation of TCA cycle, cellular respiration, lipid metabolism and ribosome assembly processes associated to mitochondria and eukaryotic initiation translation factor components. Subsequently, pro-inflammatory cytokine treatment was performed to mimic pathological changes observed in beta-cells during diabetes. Cytokines induced ER stress and impaired mitochondrial function in beta-cells corroborating the results obtained with the proteomic approach. HSPB1 levels are increased by prolactin on pancreatic beta-cells and this protein is a key factor for cytoprotection although its role has not been fully elucidated. Here we show that while up-regulation of HSPB1 was able to restore the mitochondrial dysfunction induced by beta-cells' exposure to inflammatory cytokines, silencing of this chaperone abrogated the beneficial effects promoted by PRL. Taken together, our results outline the importance of HSPB1 to mitigate beta-cell dysfunction. Further studies are needed to elucidate its role in diabetes.

The evolution of dystonia-like movements in TOR1A rats after transient nerve injury is accompanied by dopaminergic dysregulation and abnormal oscillatory activity of a central motor network.

TOR1A is the most common inherited form of dystonia with still unclear pathophysiology and reduced penetrance of 30-40%. ∆ETorA rats mimic the TOR1A disease by expression of the human TOR1A mutation without presenting a dystonic phenotype. We aimed to induce dystonia-like symptoms in male ∆ETorA rats by peripheral nerve injury and to identify central mechanism of dystonia development. Dystonia-like movements (DLM) were assessed using the tail suspension test and implementing a pipeline of deep learning applications. Neuron numbers of striatal parvalbumin+, nNOS+, calretinin+, ChAT+ interneurons and Nissl+ cells were estimated by unbiased stereology. Striatal dopaminergic metabolism was analyzed via in vivo microdialysis, qPCR and western blot. Local field potentials (LFP) were recorded from the central motor network. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the entopeduncular nucleus (EP) was performed. Nerve-injured ∆ETorA rats developed long-lasting DLM over 12 weeks. No changes in striatal structure were observed. Dystonic-like ∆ETorA rats presented a higher striatal dopaminergic turnover and stimulus-induced elevation of dopamine efflux compared to the control groups. Higher LFP theta power in the EP of dystonic-like ∆ETorA compared to wt rats was recorded. Chronic EP-DBS over 3 weeks led to improvement of DLM. Our data emphasizes the role of environmental factors in TOR1A symptomatogenesis. LFP analyses indicate that the pathologically enhanced theta power is a physiomarker of DLM. This TOR1A model replicates key features of the human TOR1A pathology on multiple biological levels and is therefore suited for further analysis of dystonia pathomechanism.

Molecular basis of tail-anchored integral membrane protein recognition by the cochaperone Sgt2.

The targeting and insertion of tail-anchored (TA) integral membrane proteins (IMPs) into the correct membrane is critical for cellular homeostasis. The fungal protein Sgt2, and its human homolog SGTA, is the entry point for clients to the guided entry of tail-anchored protein (GET) pathway, which targets endoplasmic reticulum-bound TA IMPs. Consisting of three structurally independent domains, the C terminus of Sgt2 binds to the hydrophobic transmembrane domain (TMD) of clients. However, the exact binding interface within Sgt2 and molecular details that underlie its binding mechanism and client preference are not known. Here, we reveal the mechanism of Sgt2 binding to hydrophobic clients, including TA IMPs. Through sequence analysis, biophysical characterization, and a series of capture assays, we establish that the Sgt2 C-terminal domain is flexible but conserved and sufficient for client binding. A molecular model for this domain reveals a helical hand forming a hydrophobic groove approximately 15 Å long that is consistent with our observed higher affinity for client TMDs with a hydrophobic face and a minimal length of 11 residues. This work places Sgt2 into a broader family of TPR-containing cochaperone proteins, demonstrating structural and sequence-based similarities to the DP domains in the yeast Hsp90 and Hsp70 coordinating protein, Sti1.

Uncovering the structure-function aspects of an archaeal CsaA protein.

CsaA is known to function as a protein secretion chaperone in bacteria. Homologs of CsaA are also found in archaea while they are absent in eukaryotes. This paper presents the biophysical, biochemical analysis and crystallographic structure determination of CsaA from a thermoacidophilic archaeon Picrophilus torridus (PtCsaA). The PtCsaA appears to prevent the aggregation of heat denatured Bovine Carbonic Anhydrase II (BCAII). Differential denaturation of PtCsaA by guanidine hydrochloride (Gdn-HCl) and urea indicates the stabilization of the protein via salt bridges. Denaturant mediated decrease in 8-Anilinonaphthalene-1-sulfonic acid (ANS) binding and shift in wavelength signifies the partial unfolding of the protein molecule and exposure of hydrophobic patches to solvent on denaturation. The crystal structure of PtCsaA was solved to a resolution of 1.7 Å. The structure of PtCsaA appears to be similar to bacterial CsaA in architecture. Docking of a six amino acid peptide in the substrate binding pocket of PtCsaA suggests conservation in the substrate binding cavity. Residues involved in the formation of the binding cavity and hydrogen bonds responsible for the dimerization of PtCsaA were compared with those observed in the structure of Bacillus subtilis CsaA. The similarities and differences in electrostatic surface potential of the substrate binding cavities in bacterial CsaA and PtCsaA are discussed.

TorsinA restoration in a mouse model identifies a critical therapeutic window for DYT1 dystonia.

In inherited neurodevelopmental diseases, pathogenic processes unique to critical periods during early brain development may preclude the effectiveness of gene modification therapies applied later in life. We explored this question in a mouse model of DYT1 dystonia, a neurodevelopmental disease caused by a loss-of-function mutation in the TOR1A gene encoding torsinA. To define the temporal requirements for torsinA in normal motor function and gene replacement therapy, we developed a mouse line enabling spatiotemporal control of the endogenous torsinA allele. Suppressing torsinA during embryogenesis caused dystonia-mimicking behavioral and neuropathological phenotypes. Suppressing torsinA during adulthood, however, elicited no discernible abnormalities, establishing an essential requirement for torsinA during a developmental critical period. The developing CNS exhibited a parallel "therapeutic critical period" for torsinA repletion. Although restoring torsinA in juvenile DYT1 mice rescued motor phenotypes, there was no benefit from adult torsinA repletion. These data establish a unique requirement for torsinA in the developing nervous system and demonstrate that the critical period genetic insult provokes permanent pathophysiology mechanistically delinked from torsinA function. These findings imply that to be effective, torsinA-based therapeutic strategies must be employed early in the course of DYT1 dystonia.

A novel recessive mutation affecting DNAJB6a causes myofibrillar myopathy.

Mutations in the DNAJB6 gene have been identified as rare causes of myofibrillar myopathies. However, the underlying pathophysiologica mechanisms remain elusive. DNAJB6 has two known isoforms, including the nuclear isoform DNAJB6a and the cytoplasmic isoform DNAJB6b, which was thought to be the pathogenic isoform. Here, we report a novel recessive mutation c.695_699del (p. Val 232 Gly fs*7) in the DNAJB6 gene, associated with an apparently recessively inherited late onset distal myofibrillar myopathy in a Chinese family. Notably, the novel mutation localizes to exon 9 and uniquely encodes DNAJB6a. We further identified that this mutation decreases the mRNA and protein levels of DNAJB6a and results in an age-dependent recessive toxic effect on skeletal muscle in knock-in mice. Moreover, the mutant DNAJB6a showed a dose-dependent anti-aggregation effect on polyglutamine-containing proteins in vitro. Taking together, these findings reveal the pathogenic role of DNAJB6a insufficiency in myofibrillar myopathies and expand upon the molecular spectrum of DNAJB6 mutations.

HSP22 (HSPB8) positively regulates PGF2α-induced synthesis of interleukin-6 and vascular endothelial growth factor in osteoblasts.

BACKGROUND: Heat shock protein 22 (HSP22) belongs to class I of the small HSP family that displays ubiquitous expression in osteoblasts. We previously demonstrated that prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α), a potent bone remodeling factor, induces the synthesis of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) via p44/p42 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase and p38 MAP kinase in osteoblast-like MC3T3-E1 cells. In the present study, we investigated whether HSP22 is implicated in the PGF2α-induced synthesis of IL-6 and VEGF and the mechanism of MC3T3-E1 cells. METHODS: MC3T3-E1 cells were transfected with HSP22-siRNA. IL-6 and VEGF release was assessed by ELISA. Phosphorylation of p44/p42 MAP kinase and p38 MAP kinase was detected by Western blotting. RESULTS: The PGF2α-induced release of IL-6 in HSP22 knockdown cells was significantly suppressed compared with that in the control cells. HSP22 knockdown also reduced the VEGF release by PGF2α. Phosphorylation of p44/p42 MAP kinase and p38 MAP kinase was attenuated by HSP22 downregulation. CONCLUSIONS: Our results strongly suggest that HSP22 acts as a positive regulator in the PGF2α-induced synthesis of IL-6 and VEGF in osteoblasts.

Enhanced oncolytic adenoviral production by downregulation of death-domain associated protein and overexpression of precursor terminal protein.

Adequate viral replication in tumor cells is the key to improving the anti-cancer effects of oncolytic adenovirus therapy. In this study, we introduced short hairpin RNAs against death-domain associated protein (Daxx), a repressor of adenoviral replication, and precursor terminal protein (pTP), an initiator of adenoviral genome replication, into adenoviral constructs to determine their contributions to viral replication. Both Daxx downregulation and pTP overexpression increased viral production in variety of human cancer cell lines, and the enhanced production of virus progeny resulted in more cell lysis in vitro, and tumor regression in vivo. We confirmed that increased virus production by Daxx silencing, or pTP overexpression, occurred using different mechanisms by analyzing levels of adenoviral protein expression and virus production. Specifically, Daxx downregulation promoted both virus replication and oncolysis in a consecutive manner by optimizing IVa2-based packaging efficiency, while pTP overexpression by increasing both infectious and total virus particles but their contribution to increased viral production may have been damaged to some extent by their another contribution to apoptosis and autophagy. Therefore, introducing both Daxx shRNA and pTP in virotherapy may be a suitable strategy to increase apoptotic tumor-cell death and to overcome poor viral replication, leading to meaningful reductions in tumor growth in vivo.

Progress and prospect of single-molecular ClpX ATPase researching system-a mini-review.

ClpXP in Escherichia coli is a proteasome degrading protein substrates. It consists of one hexamer of ATPase (ClpX) and two heptamers of peptidase (ClpP). The ClpX binds ATP and translocates the substrate protein into the ClpP chamber by binding and hydrolysis of ATP. At single molecular level, ClpX harnesses cycles of power stroke (dwell and burst) to unfold the substrates, then releases the ADP and Pi. Based on the construction and function of ClpXP, especially the recent progress on how ClpX unfold protein substrates, in this mini-review, a currently proposed single ClpX molecular model system detected by optical tweezers, and its prospective for the elucidation of the mechanism of force generation of ClpX in its power stroke and the subunit interaction with each other, were discussed in detail.

Activity, delivery, and diversity of Type VI secretion effectors.

The bacterial type VI secretion system (T6SS) system is a contractile secretion apparatus that delivers proteins to neighboring bacterial or eukaryotic cells. Antibacterial effectors are mostly toxins that inhibit the growth of other species and help to dominate the niche. A broad variety of these toxins cause cell lysis of the prey cell by disrupting the cell envelope. Other effectors are delivered into the cytoplasm where they affect DNA integrity, cell division or exhaust energy resources. The modular nature of T6SS machinery allows different means of recruitment of toxic effectors to secreted inner tube and spike components that act as carriers. Toxic effectors can be translationally fused to the secreted components or interact with them through specialized structural domains. These interactions can also be assisted by dedicated chaperone proteins. Moreover, conserved sequence motifs in effector-associated domains are subject to genetic rearrangements and therefore engage in the diversification of the arsenal of toxic effectors. This review discusses the diversity of T6SS secreted toxins and presents current knowledge about their loading on the T6SS machinery.

Molecular characteristics associated with ferroptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma progression.

The aim of this study was to investigate the genes associated with ferroptosis and the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The RNA sequencing data of erastin-induced ferroptosis in HCC cells were downloaded from the Sequence Read Archive database with accession number SRP119173. The microarray dataset GSE89377 of HCC progression was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The ferroptosis-related genes were screened by differential analysis and HCC progression-related genes were screened by cluster analysis using Mfuzz. Then, the genes associated with ferroptosis and HCC progression were screened by Venn analysis, followed by functional enrichment, protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis, and transcription factor (TF) prediction. Finally, survival analysis was performed using data from the Cancer Genome Atlas database. A total of 33 upregulated and 52 downregulated genes associated with HCC progression and ferroptosis were obtained, and these genes were significantly involved in the negative regulation of ERK1 and ERK2 cascades; the NAD biosynthetic process; alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism; and other pathways. The PPI network contained 52 genes and 78 interactions, of which, cell division cycle 20 (CDC20) and heat shock protein family B (small) member 1 (HSPB1) were hub genes found in higher degrees. Among the 85 genes associated with HCC progression and ferroptosis, two TFs (activating TF 3 (ATF3) and HLF) were predicted, with HSPB1 targeted by ATF3. In addition, 26 genes that were found to be significantly correlated with the overall survival of HCC patients were screened, including CDC20 and thyroid hormone receptor interactor 13. Several genes associated with HCC progression and ferroptosis were screened based on a comprehensive bioinformatics analysis. These genes played roles in HCC progression and ferroptosis via the negative regulation of the ERK1 and ERK2 cascades; the NAD biosynthetic process; and alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism. ATF3 and HSPB1 played important roles in HCC progression and ferroptosis, with HSPB1 possibly regulated by ATF3.