Constitutive autophagy: vital role in clearance of unfavorable proteins in neurons.

Investigations pursued during the last decade on neurodegenerative diseases have revealed a common mechanism underlying the development of such diseases: conformational disorder of certain proteins leads to the formation of misfolded protein oligomers, which subsequently develop into large protein aggregates. These aggregates entangle other denatured proteins and lipids to form disease-specific inclusion bodies. The failure of the ubiquitin-proteasome system to shred the protein aggregates has led investigators to focus their attention to autophagy, a bulk degradative system coupled with lysosomes, which is involved in non-selective shredding of large amounts of cytoplasmic components. Research in this field has demonstrated the accumulation of autophagic vacuoles and intracytoplasmic protein aggregates in patients with various neurodegenerative diseases. Although autophagy fails to degrade large protein aggregates once they are formed in the cytoplasm, drug-induced activation of autophagy is effective in preventing aggregate deposition, indicating that autophagy significantly contributes to the clearance of aggregate-prone proteins. The pivotal role of autophagy in the clearance of aggregate-prone proteins has been confirmed by a deductive approach using a brain-specific autophagy-ablated mouse model. In this review, we discuss the consequences of autophagy deficiency in neurons.

ER stress (PERK/eIF2alpha phosphorylation) mediates the polyglutamine-induced LC3 conversion, an essential step for autophagy formation.

Expanded polyglutamine 72 repeat (polyQ72) aggregates induce endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-mediated cell death with caspase-12 activation and vesicular formation (autophagy). We examined this relationship and the molecular mechanism of autophagy formation. Rapamycin, a stimulator of autophagy, inhibited the polyQ72-induced cell death with caspase-12 activation. PolyQ72, but not polyQ11, stimulated Atg5-Atg12-Atg16 complex-dependent microtubule-associated protein 1 (MAP1) light chain 3 (LC3) conversion from LC3-I to -II, which plays a key role in autophagy. The eucaryotic translation initiation factor 2 alpha (eIF2alpha) A/A mutation, a knock-in to replace a phosphorylatable Ser51 with Ala51, and dominant-negative PERK inhibited polyQ72-induced LC3 conversion. PolyQ72 as well as ER stress stimulators upregulated Atg12 mRNA and proteins via eIF2alpha phosphorylation. Furthermore, Atg5 deficiency as well as the eIF2alpha A/A mutation increased the number of cells showing polyQ72 aggregates and polyQ72-induced caspase-12 activation. Thus, autophagy formation is a cellular defense mechanism against polyQ72-induced ER-stress-mediated cell death by degrading polyQ72 aggregates, with PERK/eIF2alpha phosphorylation being involved in polyQ72-induced LC3 conversion.

Interleukin 6 receptor antibody inhibits muscle atrophy and modulates proteolytic systems in interleukin 6 transgenic mice.

The muscles of IL-6 transgenic mice suffer from atrophy. Experiments were carried out on these transgenic mice to elucidate activation of proteolytic systems in the gastrocnemius muscles and blockage of this activation by treatment with the anti-mouse IL-6 receptor (mIL-6R) antibody. Muscle atrophy observed in 16-wk-old transgenic mice was completely blocked by treatment with the mIL-6R antibody. In association with muscle atrophy, enzymatic activities and mRNA levels of cathepsins (B and L) and mRNA levels of ubiquitins (poly- and mono-ubiquitins) increased, whereas the mRNA level of muscle-specific calpain (calpain 3) decreased. All these changes were completely eliminated by treatment with the mIL-6R antibody. This IL-6 receptor antibody could, therefore, be effective against muscle wasting in sepsis and cancer cachexia, where IL-6 plays an important role.

Apg7p/Cvt2p: A novel protein-activating enzyme essential for autophagy.

In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the Apg12p-Apg5p conjugating system is essential for autophagy. Apg7p is required for the conjugation reaction, because Apg12p is unable to form a conjugate with Apg5p in the apg7/cvt2 mutant. Apg7p shows a significant similarity to a ubiquitin-activating enzyme, Uba1p. In this article, we investigated the function of Apg7p as an Apg12p-activating enzyme. Hemagglutinin-tagged Apg12p was coimmunoprecipitated with c-myc-tagged Apg7p. A two-hybrid experiment confirmed the interaction. The coimmunoprecipitation was sensitive to a thiol-reducing reagent. Furthermore, a thioester conjugate of Apg7p was detected in a lysate of cells overexpressing both Apg7p and Apg12p. These results indicated that Apg12p interacts with Apg7p via a thioester bond. Mutational analyses of Apg7p suggested that Cys507 of Apg7p is an active site cysteine and that both the ATP-binding domain and the cysteine residue are essential for the conjugation of Apg7p with Apg12p to form the Apg12p-Apg5p conjugate. Cells expressing mutant Apg7ps, Apg7pG333A, or Apg7pC507A showed defects in autophagy and cytoplasm-to-vacuole targeting of aminopeptidase I. These results indicated that Apg7p functions as a novel protein-activating enzyme necessary for Apg12p-Apg5p conjugation.

Involvement of nitric oxide released from microglia-macrophages in pathological changes of cathepsin D-deficient mice.

Cathepsin D (CD) deficiency has been shown to induce ceroid-lipofuscin storage in lysosomes of mouse CNS neuron (Koike et al., 2000). To understand the behavior of microglial cells corresponding to these neuronal changes, CD-deficient (CD-/-) mice, which die at approximately postnatal day (P) 25 by intestinal necrosis, were examined using morphological as well as biochemical approaches. Light and electron microscopic observations revealed that microglia showing large round cell bodies with few processes appeared in the cerebral cortex and thalamus after P16. At P24, microglia often encircled neurons that were occupied with autolysosomes, indicating increased phagocytic activity. These morphologically transformed microglia markedly expressed inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), which was also detected in the intestine of the mice. To assess the role of microglial nitric oxide (NO) in neuropathological changes in CD-/- mice, l-N(G)-nitro-arginine methylester (l-NAME), a competitive NOS inhibitor, or S-methylisothiourea hemisulfate (SMT), an iNOS inhibitor, was administered intraperitoneally for 13 consecutive days. The total number of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated biotinylated UTP nick end labeling-positive cells counted in the thalamus was found to be significantly decreased by chronic treatment of l-NAME or SMT, whereas neither the neuronal accumulation of ceroid-lipofuscin nor the microglial phagocytic activity was affected by these treatments. Moreover, the chronic treatment of l-NAME or SMT completely suppressed hemorrhage-necrotic changes in the small intestine of CD-/- mice, resulting in normal growth of the body weight of the mice. These results suggest that NO production via iNOS activity in microglia and peripheral macrophages contributes to secondary tissue damages such as neuronal apoptosis and intestinal necrosis, respectively.

Purification and properties of proteinase B from yeast.

Proteinase B (EC 3.4.22.9) was purified from commercial baker's yeast and from wild type strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces carlsbergensis. For large scale purification a procedure was developed involving hydrophobic chromatography on octyl-Sepharose 4B and gel filtration on Sephadex G-100. A rapid purification of small amounts of proteinase B was achieved by affinity chromatography on the nitrated proteinase B inhibitor, immobilized on CH-Sepharose according to Bünning and Holzer (Bünning, P. and Holzer, H. (1977). J. Biol. Chem. 252, 5316-5323). The enzyme prepared from all three sources appeared to be homogeneous and exhibited a molecular weight of 33 000 in SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Homogeneity and molecular weight were confirmed for the enzyme from baker's yeast by ultracentrifugation studies. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis without SDS and electrofocusing however, indicated microheterogeneity of the proteinase B activity. The aminoterminal residue of the enzyme was found to be glycine. Proteinase B turned out to be a glycoprotein, containing 8-9% neutral sugars and 1.5% amino sugars. The enzyme is blocked by p-hydroxymercuribenzoate and by the serine proteinase inhibitors DFP and PMSF. Among the proteinase inhibitors from microbial origin, chymostatin and antipain were the most powerful inhibitors of proteinase B.

Proteolytic modification of rat liver fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase by administration of leupeptin in vivo.

When leupeptin, a thiol protease inhibitor of microbial origin, was injected into rats, the activity of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (D-fructose-1,6-bisphosphate D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-lyase, EC 4.1.2.13) in the liver decreased to about 60% of that in control rats. However, the concentration of aldolase protein in the liver extracts, measured with a specific antibody obtained with enzyme purified on a phosphocellulose column, remained unchanged. Injection of leupeptin also caused a marked increase in the activities of free lysosomal proteases, such as cathepsin B (EC 3.4.22.1), cathepsin L (EC 3.4.22.-), cathepsin D (EC 3.4.23.5) and lysosomal carboxypeptidase A in the cytosol fraction. A clear inverse relationship between aldolase and cathepsin B activities in the cytosol fraction was demonstrated. The possibility that the less active form of aldolase detected in the livers of leupeptin-treated rats was produced during homogenization was excluded by showing that the aldolase activity was not changed by addition of various protease inhibitors to the homogenization medium., When insulin was coinjected with leupeptin, increase in the activity of free cathepsin L and decrease of activity of aldolase produced by the injection of leupeptin was prevented. These findings indicate that modification of aldolase may be due to the action of a lysosomal protease(s). Enhanced sensitivity of lysosomes to osmotic shock was demonstrated in the livers of leupeptin-treated rats, suggesting that the lysosomal membrane is labilized by administration of leupeptin. Incubation of the purified aldolase with the lysosomal fraction produced the same changes in properties of aldolase as those observed in vivo on injection of leupeptin.

Properties of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase inactivating enzymes in rat liver lysosomes.

The intralysosomal localization of the enzymes that catalyse inactivation of rat liver fructose-bisphosphate aldolase (D-fructose-1,6-bisphosphate D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-lyase, EC 4.1.2.13) to a form with antigenic activity was demonstrated. The inactivating enzymes like all other lysosomal markers tested except acid phosphatase, were readily solubilized by hypotonic shock. The inactivating enzyme activity was inhibited by PMSF, TPCK, TLCK and leupeptin, but not by pepstatin. On partial purification of the inactivating activity from the lysosomal fraction by DEAE-Sephadex (A-50) and Sephadex G-100 column chromatographies, it was copurified with lysosomal carboxypeptidase A and cathepsin B (EC 3.4.22.1). Studies on its substrate specificity and sensitivity to inhibitors indicated that cathepsin B and carboxypeptidase A are responsible for almost all the aldolase-inactivating activity in the lysosomal fraction.

The substrate specificity of proteinase B from baker's yeast.

The substrate specificity of proteinase B (EC 3.4.22.9) from Baker's yeast was studied. Experiments with unblocked synthetic peptides indicated that the enzyme has no aminopeptidase activity. The proteinase cleaves trypsin substrates like Bz-Arg-OEt, Bz-Arg-pNA and Bz-Ile-Glu-Gly-Arg-pNA and chymotrypsin substrates like Ac-Tyr-OEt and Bz-Tyr-pNA. The Km value for Ac-Tyr-OEt is similar to that of chymotrypsin A, but the catalytic activity per mol proteinase B amounts to only 1/20 that of chymotrypsin A. Km and kcat for Bz-Arg-OEt are 1/50 and 1/7 as high as the corresponding values determined for trypsin. Proteinase B cleaved the oxidized insulin B chain with an initial rapid cleavage step at Leu(15)-Tyr(16) and Phe(24)-Phe(25). Slower hydrolysis was observed at Gln(4)-His(5), Leu(11)-Val(12) Tyr(16)-Leu(17), Leu(17)-Val(18), Arg(22)-Gly(23) and Phe(25)-Tyr(26). These results suggest that the specificity of proteinase B is comparable to the specificity of porcine chymotrypsin C as well as of trypsin. When the hexapeptide Leu-Trp-Met-Arg-Phe-Ala was used as a substrate for proteinase B, the enzyme preferentially attacked at Arg-Phe and more slowly at Trp-Met.

Changes of lysosomal proteinase activities and their expression in rat cultured keratinocytes during differentiation.

The cathepsins B, H and L, lysosomal cysteine proteinases, play a major role in intracellular protein degradation. These proteinase activities and expressions were examined in a Ca2+ regulated epidermal culture system which consists of two morphological cell types: undifferentiated cells grown in low Ca2+ (0.1 mM concentration) and differentiated cells grown in high Ca2+ (1.8 mM concentration), respectively. Cathepsin B and L activities of the differentiated cells showed a several-fold increase compared to that of the undifferentiated cells. In addition, by using CM-cellulose column chromatography, cathepsin B and L were separated and the level of cathepsin L activity increased significantly. Cathepsin B, L and H were also detected by using an immunoblotting procedure in which their bands were expressed after differentiation was induced by the increasing calcium concentration. Cathepsin L activity and immunostaining intensity reached a maximum at 1 or 2 days of differentiation. In contrast, cystatin alpha (an endogenous inhibitor of cysteine-dependent cathepsins) appeared in the final stage of differentiation. These results indicate that the expression of epidermal cathepsins and their endogenous inhibitor are involved in part of the program of cell differentiation and the terminal differentiation process in cultured rat keratinocytes.

Selective localization of Bcl-2 to the inner mitochondrial and smooth endoplasmic reticulum membranes in mammalian cells.

Bcl-2, an anti-apoptotic protein, is believed to be localized in the outer mitochondrial membrane, endoplasmic reticulum, and nuclear envelope. However, Bcl-2 has also been suggested as playing a role in the maintenance of mitochondrial membrane potential, indicating its possible association with the inner mitochondrial membrane. We therefore further examined the exact localization of Bcl-2 in mitochondria purified from wild-type and bcl-2-transfected PC12 cells and pre- and postnatal rat brains. Double immunostaining demonstrated that Bcl-2 was co-localized with subunit beta of F1F0ATPase in the inner mitochondrial membrane. Biochemical analysis of isolated mitochondria using digitonin and trypsin suggests an association of Bcl-2 with the inner mitochondrial membrane. More interestingly, the majority of Bcl-2 disappeared from the inner membrane of mitochondria when cultured under serum deprivation. These results suggest that Bcl-2 acts as an anti-apoptotic regulator by localizing mainly to the inner mitochondrial and smooth ER membranes.

Autophagy in embryonic erythroid cells: its role in maturation.

Yolk sac-derived embryonic erythroid cells differentiate synchronously in the peripheral blood of Syrian hamster. The stage of differentiation on day 10 of gestation is equivalent to polychromatophilic erythroblast stage and that on day 13 is equivalent to the reticulocyte stage in adult animals. The cytoplasm of embryonic erythroid cells became scant and devoid of most organelles on day 12 of gestation. In addition, there were very few non-erythroid cells in circulation before day 13. Thus the embryonic erythroid cells serve a pure and synchronous system to study the mechanisms of terminal differentiation. The number of mitochondria in the embryonic erythroid cells decreased to about 10% of the initial number during the period between day 10 and day 12 of gestation. In contrast, the frequency of autophagy of mitochondria increased 4.6-fold in the same period. The cytochrome c content of the cell decreased as the mitochondria became extinct. However, release of cytochrome c into the cytoplasm was not detectable through day 10-13 of gestation, suggesting that the mitochondria were digested within a closed compartment. Decomposed mitochondria and ferritin particles were detected in lysosomes by electron microscopy on and after day 12 of gestation, which also suggested digestion in a closed compartment. Mitochondrial ATP synthase subunit c, which is known to be a protease-refractory protein, was retained in the cells even after the disappearance of mitochondria, indicating that most of the mitochondria were not extruded from the cells. The digestion of mitochondria in autolysosomes may allow the cells to escape from rapid apoptotic cell death through concomitant removal of mitochondrial death-promoting factors such as cytochrome c.

Cysteine proteinases in GH4C1 cells, a rat pituitary tumor cell line, are secreted by the constitutive and regulated secretory pathways.

Secretory granules of GH4C1 cells, a rat pituitary tumor cell line, are known to be induced by the treatment of estradiol (E2), insulin, and epidermal growth factor (EGF). We examined changes in the localization of cathepsins B, H, and L, lysosomal cysteine proteinases, in GH4C1 cells before and after hormonal treatment. Northern blotting and immunofluorescence microscopy showed that both mRNAs and intracellular protein concentrations of these enzymes were increased in the hormone-induced cells. By immunoelectron microscopy, immunogold particles indicating cathepsins B, H, and L were localized not only in lysosomes but also in some secretory granules. To further examine the molecular forms of these proteinases in secretory granules, radiolabeling and immunoprecipitation methods were applied to the media of the cells incubated with or without secretagogues (100 nM 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate and 50 microM forskolin); the proforms of cathepsins B, H, and L were secreted from the cells by the constitutive pathway, whereas the mature forms of cathepsins B and H, and the proform and mature form of cathepsin L were secreted by the regulated pathway. These results suggest that in hormone-induced GH4C1 cells, cathepsins B, H, and L are sorted from the Golgi complex not only into lysosomes but also into secretory granules, in which proforms of cathepsins B and H, and a part of procathepsin L are processed into mature forms.

Neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis--late-infantile or Jansky-Bielschowsky type--revisited.

The tissues from three patients with late-infantile NCL originally described by Max Bielschowsky became available to apply modern techniques such as fluorescence microscopy, electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry. While regular tinctorial preparations of the tissues documented a neuronal storage disorder in all three patients' tissues, the accumulated material proved to be autofluorescent, showed the ultrastructure of curvilinear lipopigments, and reacted strongly with an antibody against the subunit-C of mitochondrial ATP synthase, a major component of lipopigments in NCL and also with an antibody against sphingolipid activator proteins. Thus, these modern morphological techniques demonstrated that the originally described three siblings with late-infantile "amaurotic familial idiocy" really had neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis of the late-infantile or Jansky-Bielschowsky type, according to current diagnostic criteria. This type of archival study may also contribute to the mosaic of medical history.

Structural organization of the gene encoding rat cystatin beta.

A genomic DNA clone encompassing the gene (cy beta) encoding rat cystatin beta (Cy beta) was isolated by screening with a rat cy beta cDNA as a probe. The gene spans about 2.6 kb and comprises three exons. The first intron is located between Lys22 and Val23 and the second between Lys56 and Val57 in the deduced amino acid sequence of Cy beta. The second exon contains the highly conserved QVVAG sequence which, unlike the sequence of other cystatin family members, is not split by an intron. In the 5'-upstream region, three SP-1-binding sites exist, but no typical TATA-box or CAAT-box sequences are found. The difference in the organization of the rat cy beta gene, encoding a family-1 cystatin, from that encoding members of the other cystatin families, suggests that cy beta diverged from a common ancestral gene earlier than the separation of genes encoding family-2 and family-3 cystatins.

Multi-step processing of procathepsin L in vitro.

The proteolytic processes involved in the conversion of procathepsin L to cathepsin L on a negatively charged surface, dextran sulfate, were studied. Upon incubation for 30 min at 37 degrees C, pH 5.5 with dextran-sulfate and dithiothreitol, purified procathepsin L showed maximal activation and, correspondingly, the complete conversion to the 30 kDa, single chain mature form of enzyme was observed. In contrast, incubation under the same conditions on ice rather than at 37 degrees C for 30 or 60 min resulted in partial proteolysis to produce a 31 kDa form without a significant increase in activity. Amino terminal amino acid sequence analyses showed that the 30 kDa form obtained by incubation at 37 degrees C corresponds to the purified form of mature cathepsin L with a 2 amino acid extension at the amino terminal, and that the 31 kDa form generated by incubation on ice possesses a 6 amino acid amino terminal extension, suggesting that the activation and processing of procathepsin L are different processes, and that 4 amino acid residues (Glu-Pro-Leu-Met) at the carboxyterminal in the propeptide function to prevent the activation of processed cathepsin L.

Effect of proteinase inhibitors on intracellular processing of cathepsin B, H and L in rat macrophages.

The effects of various proteinase inhibitors on the processing of lysosomal cathepsins B, H and L were investigated in cultured rat peritoneal macrophages. The processing of newly synthesized pro-cathepsins B, H and L to the mature single-chain enzymes was sensitive to a metal chelator,1,10-phenanthroline, and a synthetic metalloendopeptidase substrate, Z-Gly-Leu-NH2, and insensitive to inhibitors of serine proteinases, aspartic proteinases and cysteine proteinases. Inhibitors of cysteine proteinases, E-64-d and leupeptin, inhibited the processing of the single-chain forms of cathepsins B, H and L to the two-chain forms. These results suggest that (a) metal endopeptidase(s) is (are) involved in the propeptide processing of cathepsin B, H and L, and that proteolytic cleavages of the mature single-chain cathepsins are accomplished by cysteine proteinases in lysosomes.

Generation of both MHC class I- and class II-restricted antigenic peptides from exogenously added ovalbumin in murine phagosomes.

The phagosome fraction derived from a murine macrophage cell line (J774.1), which had internalized ovalbumin (OVA)-coated latex beads, was isolated. The peptides recovered from the phagosome fraction were separated on reverse phase HPLC and each fraction was analyzed for the content of either major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I- or class II-restricted OVA-derived peptide. Both peptides were detected in the phagosome fraction after less than 15 min of internalization. It was also indicated that phagosomes degrade OVA protein into both MHC class I- and class II-restricted antigenic peptides by employing the same types of cathepsins. Furthermore, the results suggest that the MHC class I-restricted peptide rapidly exits from the phagosome to the cytosol. These findings illustrate a potential role for phagosomes not only in MHC class II-restricted but also in MHC class I-restricted exogenous antigen presentation pathways. Our results also point to the vital role of phagosomes in non-cytosolic antigen presentation pathway, in which further degradation of antigens by the proteasome is dispensable.

The selective role of cathepsins B and D in the lysosomal degradation of endogenous and exogenous proteins.

A selective inhibitor of cathepsin B, a derivative of E-64 (compound CA-074), and pepstatin-asialofetuin, a potent inhibitor of cathepsin D, were used for an in vivo study of the selective role of these proteinases in lysosomal proteolysis. Administration of compound CA-074 or pepstatinasialofetuin to rats caused only a slight shift of the lysosomal density and no increase in sequestered enzymes in the autolysosomal fraction, although cathepsin B or D activity in the liver was markedly inhibited. These treatments also had little effect on the inhibition of the degradation of endocytosed FITC-labeled asialofetuin. In contrast, leupeptin treatment caused marked inhibition of lysosomal degradation of endogenous and exogenous proteins. These results suggest a small contribution of cathepsins B and D to the initiation of lysosomal proteolysis.

Biosyntheses and processing of lysosomal cysteine proteinases in rat macrophages.

The intracellular processing and release of three lysosomal cysteine proteinases, cathepsin B, H and L, by rat peritoneal macrophages were investigated by pulse-chase experiments. Newly synthesized procathepsins B (39 kDa), H(41 kDa) and L (39 kDa) after 15 min labeling were processed to the mature, single-chain enzymes within 1 h. The single-chain forms of cathepsin B, H and L were further processed to two-chain forms at different rates: conversion of cathepsin L to the two-chain form was rapid, whereas the conversions cathepsin B and H took at least 6 h. Macrophages released 30% of the procathepsins B and L, and 10% of the procathepsin H.