Host ZCCHC3 blocks HIV-1 infection and production through a dual mechanism.

Most mammalian cells prevent viral infection and proliferation by expressing various restriction factors and sensors that activate the immune system. Several host restriction factors that inhibit human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) have been identified, but most of them are antagonized by viral proteins. Here, we describe CCHC-type zinc-finger-containing protein 3 (ZCCHC3) as a novel HIV-1 restriction factor that suppresses the production of HIV-1 and other retroviruses, but does not appear to be directly antagonized by viral proteins. It acts by binding to Gag nucleocapsid (GagNC) via zinc-finger motifs, which inhibits viral genome recruitment and results in genome-deficient virion production. ZCCHC3 also binds to the long terminal repeat on the viral genome via the middle-folded domain, sequestering the viral genome to P-bodies, which leads to decreased viral replication and production. This distinct, dual-acting antiviral mechanism makes upregulation of ZCCHC3 a novel potential therapeutic strategy.

Quantitative image mean squared displacement (iMSD) analysis of the dynamics of Aquaporin 2 within the membrane of live cells.

Nanodomains are a biological membrane phenomenon which have a large impact on various cellular processes. They are often analysed by looking at the lateral dynamics of membrane lipids or proteins. The localization of the plasma membrane protein aquaporin-2 in nanodomains has so far been unknown. In this study, we use total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy to image Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cells expressing aquaporin-2 tagged with mEos 3.2. Then, image mean squared displacement (iMSD) approach was used to analyse the diffusion of aquaporin-2, revealing that aquaporin-2 is confined within membrane nanodomains. Using iMSD analysis, we found that the addition of the drug forskolin increases the diffusion of aquaporin-2 within the confined domains, which is in line with previous studies. Finally, we observed an increase in the size of the membrane domains and the extent of trapping of aquaporin-2 after stimulation with forskolin.

Super-Resolution Imaging of Fas/CD95 Reorganization Induced by Membrane-Bound Fas Ligand Reveals Nanoscale Clustering Upstream of FADD Recruitment.

Signaling through the TNF-family receptor Fas/CD95 can trigger apoptosis or non-apoptotic cellular responses and is essential for protection from autoimmunity. Receptor clustering has been observed following interaction with Fas ligand (FasL), but the stoichiometry of Fas, particularly when triggered by membrane-bound FasL, the only form of FasL competent at inducing programmed cell death, is not known. Here we used super-resolution microscopy to study the behavior of single molecules of Fas/CD95 on the plasma membrane after interaction of Fas with FasL on planar lipid bilayers. We observed rapid formation of Fas protein superclusters containing more than 20 receptors after interactions with membrane-bound FasL. Fluorescence correlation imaging demonstrated recruitment of FADD dependent on an intact Fas death domain, with lipid raft association playing a secondary role. Flow-cytometric FRET analysis confirmed these results, and also showed that some Fas clustering can occur in the absence of FADD and caspase-8. Point mutations in the Fas death domain associated with autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) completely disrupted Fas reorganization and FADD recruitment, confirming structure-based predictions of the critical role that these residues play in Fas-Fas and Fas-FADD interactions. Finally, we showed that induction of apoptosis correlated with the ability to form superclusters and recruit FADD.

Revisiting Membrane Microdomains and Phase Separation: A Viral Perspective.

Retroviruses selectively incorporate a specific subset of host cell proteins and lipids into their outer membrane when they bud out from the host plasma membrane. This specialized viral membrane composition is critical for both viral survivability and infectivity. Here, we review recent findings from live cell imaging of single virus assembly demonstrating that proteins and lipids sort into the HIV retroviral membrane by a mechanism of lipid-based phase partitioning. The findings showed that multimerizing HIV Gag at the assembly site creates a liquid-ordered lipid phase enriched in cholesterol and sphingolipids. Proteins with affinity for this specialized lipid environment partition into it, resulting in the selective incorporation of proteins into the nascent viral membrane. Building on this and other work in the field, we propose a model describing how HIV Gag induces phase separation of the viral assembly site through a mechanism involving transbilayer coupling of lipid acyl chains and membrane curvature changes. Similar phase-partitioning pathways in response to multimerizing structural proteins likely help sort proteins into the membranes of other budding structures within cells.

ER membranes exhibit phase behavior at sites of organelle contact.

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the site of synthesis of secretory and membrane proteins and contacts every organelle of the cell, exchanging lipids and metabolites in a highly regulated manner. How the ER spatially segregates its numerous and diverse functions, including positioning nanoscopic contact sites with other organelles, is unclear. We demonstrate that hypotonic swelling of cells converts the ER and other membrane-bound organelles into micrometer-scale large intracellular vesicles (LICVs) that retain luminal protein content and maintain contact sites with each other through localized organelle tethers. Upon cooling, ER-derived LICVs phase-partition into microscopic domains having different lipid-ordering characteristics, which is reversible upon warming. Ordered ER lipid domains mark contact sites with ER and mitochondria, lipid droplets, endosomes, or plasma membrane, whereas disordered ER lipid domains mark contact sites with lysosomes or peroxisomes. Tethering proteins concentrate at ER-organelle contact sites, allowing time-dependent behavior of lipids and proteins to be studied at these sites. These findings demonstrate that LICVs provide a useful model system for studying the phase behavior and interactive properties of organelles in intact cells.

Author Correction: A lipid-based partitioning mechanism for selective incorporation of proteins into membranes of HIV particles.

In the version of this article originally published, the name of co-author Marc C. Johnson was missing the middle initial. The middle initial 'C.' has been added in the author list as well as in the 'author contributions' section (as M.C.J.). The error has been corrected in the PDF and HTML versions of the paper.

A lipid-based partitioning mechanism for selective incorporation of proteins into membranes of HIV particles.

Particles that bud off from the cell surface, including viruses and microvesicles, typically have a unique membrane protein composition distinct from that of the originating plasma membrane. This selective protein composition enables viruses to evade the immune response and infect other cells. But how membrane proteins sort into budding viruses such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains unclear. Proteins could passively distribute into HIV-assembly-site membranes producing compositions resembling pre-existing plasma-membrane domains. Here, we demonstrate that proteins instead sort actively into HIV-assembly-site membranes, generating compositions enriched in cholesterol and sphingolipids that undergo continuous remodelling. Proteins are recruited into and removed from the HIV assembly site through lipid-based partitioning, initiated by oligomerization of the HIV structural protein Gag. Changes in membrane curvature at the assembly site further amplify this sorting process. Thus, a lipid-based sorting mechanism, aided by increasing membrane curvature, generates the unique membrane composition of the HIV surface.

Regulation of Plasma Membrane Nanodomains of the Water Channel Aquaporin-3 Revealed by Fixed and Live Photoactivated Localization Microscopy.

Several aquaporin (AQP) water channels are short-term regulated by the messenger cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), including AQP3. Bulk measurements show that cAMP can change diffusive properties of AQP3; however, it remains unknown how elevated cAMP affects AQP3 organization at the nanoscale. Here we analyzed AQP3 nano-organization following cAMP stimulation using photoactivated localization microscopy (PALM) of fixed cells combined with pair correlation analysis. Moreover, in live cells, we combined PALM acquisitions of single fluorophores with single-particle tracking (spt-PALM). These analyses revealed that AQP3 tends to cluster and that the diffusive mobility is confined to nanodomains with radii of ∼150 nm. This domain size increases by ∼30% upon elevation of cAMP, which, however, is not accompanied by a significant increase in the confined diffusion coefficient. This regulation of AQP3 organization at the nanoscale may be important for understanding the mechanisms of water AQP3-mediated water transport across plasma membranes.

Immature HIV-1 lattice assembly dynamics are regulated by scaffolding from nucleic acid and the plasma membrane.

The packaging and budding of Gag polyprotein and viral RNA is a critical step in the HIV-1 life cycle. High-resolution structures of the Gag polyprotein have revealed that the capsid (CA) and spacer peptide 1 (SP1) domains contain important interfaces for Gag self-assembly. However, the molecular details of the multimerization process, especially in the presence of RNA and the cell membrane, have remained unclear. In this work, we investigate the mechanisms that work in concert between the polyproteins, RNA, and membrane to promote immature lattice growth. We develop a coarse-grained (CG) computational model that is derived from subnanometer resolution structural data. Our simulations recapitulate contiguous and hexameric lattice assembly driven only by weak anisotropic attractions at the helical CA-SP1 junction. Importantly, analysis from CG and single-particle tracking photoactivated localization (spt-PALM) trajectories indicates that viral RNA and the membrane are critical constituents that actively promote Gag multimerization through scaffolding, while overexpression of short competitor RNA can suppress assembly. We also find that the CA amino-terminal domain imparts intrinsic curvature to the Gag lattice. As a consequence, immature lattice growth appears to be coupled to the dynamics of spontaneous membrane deformation. Our findings elucidate a simple network of interactions that regulate the early stages of HIV-1 assembly and budding.

AMPK and vacuole-associated Atg14p orchestrate µ-lipophagy for energy production and long-term survival under glucose starvation.

Dietary restriction increases the longevity of many organisms, but the cell signaling and organellar mechanisms underlying this capability are unclear. We demonstrate that to permit long-term survival in response to sudden glucose depletion, yeast cells activate lipid-droplet (LD) consumption through micro-lipophagy (µ-lipophagy), in which fat is metabolized as an alternative energy source. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation triggered this pathway, which required Atg14p. More gradual glucose starvation, amino acid deprivation or rapamycin did not trigger µ-lipophagy and failed to provide the needed substitute energy source for long-term survival. During acute glucose restriction, activated AMPK was stabilized from degradation and interacted with Atg14p. This prompted Atg14p redistribution from ER exit sites onto liquid-ordered vacuole membrane domains, initiating µ-lipophagy. Our findings that activated AMPK and Atg14p are required to orchestrate µ-lipophagy for energy production in starved cells is relevant for studies on aging and evolutionary survival strategies of different organisms.

Myosin VI facilitates connexin 43 gap junction accretion.

In this study, we demonstrate myosin VI enrichment at Cx43 (also known as GJA1)-containing gap junctions (GJs) in heart tissue, primary cardiomyocytes and cell culture models. In primary cardiac tissue and in fibroblasts from the myosin VI-null mouse as well as in tissue culture cells transfected with siRNA against myosin VI, we observe reduced GJ plaque size with a concomitant reduction in intercellular communication, as shown by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) and a new method of selective calcein administration. Analysis of the molecular role of myosin VI in Cx43 trafficking indicates that myosin VI is dispensable for the delivery of Cx43 to the cell surface and connexon movement in the plasma membrane. Furthermore, we cannot corroborate clathrin or Dab2 localization at gap junctions and we do not observe a function for the myosin-VI-Dab2 complex in clathrin-dependent endocytosis of annular gap junctions. Instead, we found that myosin VI was localized at the edge of Cx43 plaques by using total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy and use FRAP to identify a plaque accretion defect as the primary manifestation of myosin VI loss in Cx43 homeostasis. A fuller understanding of this derangement may explain the cardiomyopathy or gliosis associated with the loss of myosin VI.

The nanoscale spatial organization of B-cell receptors on immunoglobulin M- and G-expressing human B-cells.

B-cell activation is initiated by the binding of antigen to the B-cell receptor (BCR). Here we used dSTORM superresolution imaging to characterize the nanoscale spatial organization of immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG BCRs on the surfaces of resting and antigen--activated human peripheral blood B-cells. We provide insights into both the fundamental process of antigen-driven BCR clustering and differences in the spatial organization of IgM and IgG BCRs that may contribute to the characteristic differences in the responses of naive and memory B-cells to antigen. We provide evidence that although both IgM and IgG BCRs reside in highly heterogeneous protein islands that vary in size and number of BCR single-molecule localizations, both resting and activated B-cells intrinsically maintain a high -frequency of single isolated BCR localizations, which likely represent BCR monomers. IgG BCRs are more clustered than IgM BCRs on resting cells and form larger protein islands after antigen activation. Small, dense BCR clusters likely formed via protein-protein interactions are present on the surface of resting cells, and antigen activation induces these to come together to form less dense, larger islands, a process likely governed, at least in part, by protein-lipid interactions.

Fas/CD95 prevents autoimmunity independently of lipid raft localization and efficient apoptosis induction.

Mutations affecting the apoptosis-inducing function of the Fas/CD95 TNF-family receptor result in autoimmune and lymphoproliferative disease. However, Fas can also costimulate T-cell activation and promote tumour cell growth and metastasis. Palmitoylation at a membrane proximal cysteine residue enables Fas to localize to lipid raft microdomains and induce apoptosis in cell lines. Here, we show that a palmitoylation-defective Fas C194V mutant is defective in inducing apoptosis in primary mouse T cells, B cells and dendritic cells, while retaining the ability to enhance naive T-cell differentiation. Despite inability to efficiently induce cell death, the Fas C194V receptor prevents the lymphoaccumulation and autoimmunity that develops in Fas-deficient mice. These findings indicate that induction of apoptosis through Fas is dependent on receptor palmitoylation in primary immune cells, and Fas may prevent autoimmunity by mechanisms other than inducing apoptosis.

AQP2 Plasma Membrane Diffusion Is Altered by the Degree of AQP2-S256 Phosphorylation.

Fine tuning of urine concentration occurs in the renal collecting duct in response to circulating levels of arginine vasopressin (AVP). AVP stimulates intracellular cAMP production, which mediates exocytosis of sub-apical vesicles containing the water channel aquaporin-2 (AQP2). Protein Kinase A (PKA) phosphorylates AQP2 on serine-256 (S256), which triggers plasma membrane accumulation of AQP2. This mediates insertion of AQP2 into the apical plasma membrane, increasing water permeability of the collecting duct. AQP2 is a homo-tetramer. When S256 on all four monomers is changed to the phosphomimic aspartic acid (S256D), AQP2-S256D localizes to the plasma membrane and internalization is decreased. In contrast, when S256 is mutated to alanine (S256A) to mimic non-phosphorylated AQP2, AQP2-S256A localizes to intracellular vesicles as well as the plasma membrane, with increased internalization from the plasma membrane. S256 phosphorylation is not necessary for exocytosis and dephosphorylation is not necessary for endocytosis, however, the degree of S256 phosphorylation is hypothesized to regulate the kinetics of AQP2 endocytosis and thus, retention time in the plasma membrane. Using k-space Image Correlation Spectroscopy (kICS), we determined how the number of phosphorylated to non-phosphorylated S256 monomers in the AQP2 tetramer affects diffusion speed of AQP2 in the plasma membrane. When all four monomers mimicked constitutive phosphorylation (AQP2-S256D), diffusion was faster than when all four were non-phosphorylated (AQP2-S256A). AQP2-WT diffused at a speed similar to that of AQP2-S256D. When an average of two or three monomers in the tetramer were constitutively phosphorylated, the average diffusion coefficients were not significantly different to that of AQP2-S256D. However, when only one monomer was phosphorylated, diffusion was slower and similar to AQP2-S256A. Thus, AQP2 with two to four phosphorylated monomers has faster plasma membrane kinetics, than the tetramer which contains just one or no phosphorylated monomers. This difference in diffusion rate may reflect behavior of AQP2 tetramers destined for either plasma membrane retention or endocytosis.

Structural Basis and Functional Role of Intramembrane Trimerization of the Fas/CD95 Death Receptor.

Fas (CD95, Apo-1, or TNFRSF6) is a prototypical apoptosis-inducing death receptor in the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) superfamily. While the extracellular domains of TNFRs form trimeric complexes with their ligands and the intracellular domains engage in higher-order oligomerization, the role of the transmembrane (TM) domains is unknown. We determined the NMR structures of mouse and human Fas TM domains in bicelles that mimic lipid bilayers. Surprisingly, these domains use proline motifs to create optimal packing in homotrimer assembly distinct from classical trimeric coiled-coils in solution. Cancer-associated and structure-based mutations in Fas TM disrupt trimerization in vitro and reduce apoptosis induction in vivo, indicating the essential role of intramembrane trimerization in receptor activity. Our data suggest that the structures represent the signaling-active conformation of Fas TM, which appears to be different from the pre-ligand conformation. Analysis of other TNFR sequences suggests proline-containing sequences as common motifs for receptor TM trimerization.

ER trapping reveals Golgi enzymes continually revisit the ER through a recycling pathway that controls Golgi organization.

Whether Golgi enzymes remain localized within the Golgi or constitutively cycle through the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is unclear, yet is important for understanding Golgi dependence on the ER. Here, we demonstrate that the previously reported inefficient ER trapping of Golgi enzymes in a rapamycin-based assay results from an artifact involving an endogenous ER-localized 13-kD FK506 binding protein (FKBP13) competing with the FKBP12-tagged Golgi enzyme for binding to an FKBP-rapamycin binding domain (FRB)-tagged ER trap. When we express an FKBP12-tagged ER trap and FRB-tagged Golgi enzymes, conditions precluding such competition, the Golgi enzymes completely redistribute to the ER upon rapamycin treatment. A photoactivatable FRB-Golgi enzyme, highlighted only in the Golgi, likewise redistributes to the ER. These data establish Golgi enzymes constitutively cycle through the ER. Using our trapping scheme, we identify roles of rab6a and calcium-independent phospholipase A2 (iPLA2) in Golgi enzyme recycling, and show that retrograde transport of Golgi membrane underlies Golgi dispersal during microtubule depolymerization and mitosis.

TMC1 and TMC2 Localize at the Site of Mechanotransduction in Mammalian Inner Ear Hair Cell Stereocilia.

Mechanosensitive ion channels at stereocilia tips mediate mechanoelectrical transduction (MET) in inner ear sensory hair cells. Transmembrane channel-like 1 and 2 (TMC1 and TMC2) are essential for MET and are hypothesized to be components of the MET complex, but evidence for their predicted spatiotemporal localization in stereocilia is lacking. Here, we determine the stereocilia localization of the TMC proteins in mice expressing TMC1-mCherry and TMC2-AcGFP. Functionality of the tagged proteins was verified by transgenic rescue of MET currents and hearing in Tmc1(Δ/Δ);Tmc2(Δ/Δ) mice. TMC1-mCherry and TMC2-AcGFP localize along the length of immature stereocilia. However, as hair cells develop, the two proteins localize predominantly to stereocilia tips. Both TMCs are absent from the tips of the tallest stereocilia, where MET activity is not detectable. This distribution was confirmed for the endogenous proteins by immunofluorescence. These data are consistent with TMC1 and TMC2 being components of the stereocilia MET channel complex.

Photocontrollable fluorescent proteins for superresolution imaging.

Superresolution fluorescence microscopy permits the study of biological processes at scales small enough to visualize fine subcellular structures that are unresolvable by traditional diffraction-limited light microscopy. Many superresolution techniques, including those applicable to live cell imaging, utilize genetically encoded photocontrollable fluorescent proteins. The fluorescence of these proteins can be controlled by light of specific wavelengths. In this review, we discuss the biochemical and photophysical properties of photocontrollable fluorescent proteins that are relevant to their use in superresolution microscopy. We then describe the recently developed photoactivatable, photoswitchable, and reversibly photoswitchable fluorescent proteins, and we detail their particular usefulness in single-molecule localization-based and nonlinear ensemble-based superresolution techniques. Finally, we discuss recent applications of photocontrollable proteins in superresolution imaging, as well as how these applications help to clarify properties of intracellular structures and processes that are relevant to cell and developmental biology, neuroscience, cancer biology and biomedicine.

MicroRNA binding to the HIV-1 Gag protein inhibits Gag assembly and virus production.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, 18-22 nt long, noncoding RNAs that act as potent negative gene regulators in a variety of physiological and pathological processes. To repress gene expression, miRNAs are packaged into RNA-induced silencing complexes (RISCs) that target mRNAs for degradation and/or translational repression in a sequence-specific manner. Recently, miRNAs have been shown to also interact with proteins outside RISCs, impacting cellular processes through mechanisms not involving gene silencing. Here, we define a previously unappreciated activity of miRNAs in inhibiting RNA-protein interactions that in the context of HIV-1 biology blocks HIV virus budding and reduces virus infectivity. This occurs by miRNA binding to the nucleocapsid domain of the Gag protein, the main structural component of HIV-1 virions. The resulting miRNA-Gag complexes interfere with viral-RNA-mediated Gag assembly and viral budding at the plasma membrane, with imperfectly assembled Gag complexes endocytosed and delivered to lysosomes. The blockade of virus production by miRNA is reversed by adding the miRNA's target mRNA and stimulated by depleting Argonaute-2, suggesting that when miRNAs are not mediating gene silencing, they can block HIV-1 production through disruption of Gag assembly on membranes. Overall, our findings have significant implications for understanding how cells modulate HIV-1 infection by miRNA expression and raise the possibility that miRNAs can function to disrupt RNA-mediated protein assembly processes in other cellular contexts.

LKB1/AMPK and PKA control ABCB11 trafficking and polarization in hepatocytes.

Polarization of hepatocytes is manifested by bile canalicular network formation and activation of LKB1 and AMPK, which control cellular energy metabolism. The bile acid, taurocholate, also regulates development of the canalicular network through activation of AMPK. In the present study, we used collagen sandwich hepatocyte cultures from control and liver-specific LKB1 knockout mice to examine the role of LKB1 in trafficking of ABCB11, the canalicular bile acid transporter. In polarized hepatocytes, ABCB11 traffics from Golgi to the apical plasma membrane and endogenously cycles through the rab 11a-myosin Vb recycling endosomal system. LKB1 knockout mice were jaundiced, lost weight and manifested impaired bile canalicular formation and intracellular trafficking of ABCB11, and died within three weeks. Using live cell imaging, fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), particle tracking, and biochemistry, we found that LKB1 activity is required for microtubule-dependent trafficking of ABCB11 to the canalicular membrane. In control hepatocytes, ABCB11 trafficking was accelerated by taurocholate and cAMP; however, in LKB1 knockout hepatocytes, ABCB11 trafficking to the apical membrane was greatly reduced and restored only by cAMP, but not taurocholate. cAMP acted through a PKA-mediated pathway which did not activate AMPK. Our studies establish a regulatory role for LKB1 in ABCB11 trafficking to the canalicular membrane, hepatocyte polarization, and canalicular network formation.