Transcytosis in thyroid follicle cells.

Inside-out follicles prepared from pig thyroid glands were used for studies on endocytosis. endocytosis. In this in vitro system, only the apical plasma membranes of follicle cells were exposed to tracers added to the culture medium. Cationized ferritin (CF) bound to the apical plasma membrane and was transferred first to endosomes and to lysosomes (within 5 min). Later, after approximately 30 min, CF was also found in stacked Golgi cisternae. In addition, a small fraction of endocytic vesicles carrying CF particles became inserted into the lateral (at approximately 11 min) and the basal (at approximately 16 min) plasma membranes. Morphometric evaluation of CF adhering to the basolateral cell surfaces showed that the vesicular transport across thyroid follicle cells (transcytosis) was temperature-sensitive; it ceased at 15 degrees C but increased about ninefold in follicles stimulated with thyrotropin (TSH). Thyroglobulin-gold conjugates and [3H]thyroglobulin (synthesized in separate follicle preparations in the presence of [3H]leucine) were absorbed to the apical plasma membrane and detected mainly in lysosomes. A small fraction was also transported to the basolateral cell surfaces where the thyroglobulin preparations detached and accumulated in the newly formed central cavity. As in the case of CF, transcytosis of thyroglobulin depended on the stimulation of follicles with TSH. The observations showed that a transepithelial vesicular transport operates in thyroid follicle cells. This transport is regulated by TSH and includes the transfer of thyroglobulin from the apical to the basolateral plasma membranes. Transcytosis of thyroglobulin could explain the occurrence of intact thyroglobulin in the circulation of man and several mammalian species.

The localization of endogenous peroxidase in the lacrimal gland of the rat during postnatal development. Electron microscope cytochemical and biochemical studies.

The distribution of endogenous peroxidase activity in the lacrimal gland of the rat during postnatal development was investigated by electron microscope cytochemistry Peroxidase activity is first found 6 hr after birth in only a few acinar cells At this stage, reaction product fills only localized segments of the scant rough endoplasmic reticulum and of the perinuclear cisternae. Peroxidase activity thus develops asynchronously in a given cell as well as in the secretory cell population as a whole 2 days after birth, all cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum of a peroxidase-positive cell contain reaction product, but the majority of the acinar cells is still negative During the next days, the number of peroxidase-positive cells and the amount of the rough endoplasmic reticulum increase rapidly. By 15 days postparturition, all secretory cells are peroxidase-positive. Reaction product is then found in all cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum including the perinuclear cisternae, in smooth surface vesicles located mainly between the rough endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi stacks, in condensing vacuoles, and in all secretory granules The Golgi cisternae rarely contain reaction product In total homogenates and in fractions of glandular tissue of adult rats, peroxidatic and catalatic activities are demonstrable. The microsomal fractions and the postmicrosomal supernatants were used to separate peroxidase from catalase by precipitation with ammonium sulfate, and the following parameters were determined: substrate (H(2)O(2-)) optimum ( approximately 2.0 x 10(-4)M), pH-optimum (pH 6 5), temperature-optimum (42 degrees C), and the absorption maximum (415 nm before and 425 nm after addition of H(2)O(2)) The same parameters were obtained from lacrimal fluid peroxidase. Both peroxidase from lacrimal gland and that from lacrimal fluid are almost completely inhibited by 10(-3)M aminotriazole and are possibly identical enzymes. Peroxidase is secreted into lacrimal fluid, which does not contain catalase.

Isolation of insoluble secretory product from bovine thyroid: extracellular storage of thyroglobulin in covalently cross-linked form.

Extracellular storage of thyroglobulin (TG) is an important prerequisite for maintaining constant levels of thyroid hormones in vertebrates. Storage of large amounts is made possible by compactation of TG in the follicle lumen with concentrations of at least 100-400 mg/ml. We recently observed that the luminal content from bovine thyroids can be isolated in an intact state and be separated from soluble TG. For this purpose, bovine thyroid tissue was homogenized and subjected to various steps of purification. This procedure resulted in a pellet of single globules measuring 20-120 microns in diameter. Scanning electron microscopy revealed a unique cobblestone-like surface pattern of isolated globules, showing in detail the impressions of the apical plasma membranes of thyrocytes which had formerly surrounded the luminal content before tissue homogenization. Isolated thyroid globules were rapidly digested by trypsin but extremely resistant to various protein solubilization procedures. Homogenization of isolated globules resulted in the release of approximately 3% of total protein, showing that only a minor proportion of TG was loosely incorporated in thyroid globules whereas approximately 22% appeared to be interconnected with the globule matrix by disulfide bridges. Analysis by SDS-gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting confirmed that the protein released by this procedure consisted of TG. The vast majority (approximately 75%) of the globule matrix protein was found to be covalently cross-linked by non-disulfide bonds. TG in isolated globules was highly iodinated (approximately 55 iodine atoms per 12-S TG subunit) suggesting that the covalent nondisulfide cross-linking occurs in part during the iodination of TG and that this process involves the formation of intermolecular dityrosine bridges. Mechanisms must exist which solubilize or disperse the insoluble luminal content prior to endocytosis of TG.

Exocytosis in secretory cells of rat lacrimal gland. Peroxidase release from lobules and isolated cells upon cholinergic stimulation.

Release of peroxidase from secretory cells of rat lacrimal gland upon cholinergic stimulation was studied in vitro with single lobules and isolated cells (lacrimocytes). Isolated lobules, kept in Eagle's medium, remain structurally intact and reaction product of peroxidase is confined to cisternae of rough endoplasmic reticulum, elements of the Golgi apparatus, and all secretory granules. Morphologically, exocytosis occurs by membrane fusion and discharge of granule content. The highest rate of peroxidase released from lobules is observed at 10(-4) M carbamylcholine. The specific activity of peroxidase released into the medium is fourfold higher as compared to the lobules. Release of peroxidase is suppressed by atropine when added before or after the addition of carbamylcholine. At 4 degrees C, no peroxidase release occurs upon cholinergic stimulation. The exocytotic release of peroxidase is dependent on energy supply, as indicated by substantial inhibition (at 37 degrees C) under anoxic conditions or in the presence of dinitrophenol, KCN, or carboxyatractyloside. Furthermore, the process is sensitive to colchicine and vinblastine. Isolated lacrimocytes, consiting of 95% secretory acinar cells, are prepared by digestion with collagenase, hyaluronidase, and trypsin. They retain the characteristic polarity of secretory cells in situ, and localization of peroxidase is the same as in lobules. Since isolated lacrimocytes respond to cholinergic stimulation in the same way as lobules, the receptors are not damaged by the isolation procedure and appear to be associated directly with the exocrine cell. Oxygen uptake by isolated lacrimocytes is about 14 nmol O2 X min-1 X 10(-6) cells; it is about doubled by uncoupling with dinitrophenol. Oxygen uptake rises by 20-30% above the resting rate upon cholinergic stimulation. This additional uptake is suppressed by atropine or by added cholinesterase, indicating that continuous receptor occupancy may be required for the energy demand by exocytosis. On the basis of the specific activity of peroxidase in the medium, the energy demand resulting from cholinergic stimulation is estimated to be 0.08 mumol ATP (or energy-rich phosphate bonds) per microgram of protein released from the lacrimocytes.

Cholera toxin is exported from microsomes by the Sec61p complex.

After endocytosis cholera toxin is transported to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), from where its A1 subunit (CTA1) is assumed to be transferred to the cytosol by an as-yet unknown mechanism. Here, export of CTA1 from the ER to the cytosol was investigated in a cell-free assay using either microsomes loaded with CTA1 by in vitro translation or reconstituted microsomes containing CTA1 purified from V. cholerae. Export of CTA1 from the microsomes was time- and adenosine triphosphate-dependent and required lumenal ER proteins. By coimmunoprecipitation CTA1 was shown to be associated during export with the Sec61p complex, which mediates import of proteins into the ER. Export of CTA1 was inhibited when the Sec61p complexes were blocked by nascent polypeptides arrested during import, demonstrating that the export of CTA1 depended on translocation-competent Sec61p complexes. Export of CTA1 from the reconstituted microsomes indicated the de novo insertion of the toxin into the Sec61p complex from the lumenal side. Our results suggest that Sec61p complex-mediated protein export from the ER is not restricted to ER-associated protein degradation but is also used by bacterial toxins, enabling their entry into the cytosol of the target cell.

Characterization of translocation contact sites involved in the import of mitochondrial proteins.

Import of proteins into the mitochondrial matrix requires translocation across two membranes. Translocational intermediates of mitochondrial proteins, which span the outer and inner membrane simultaneously and thus suggest that translocation occurs in one step, have recently been described (Schleyer, M., and W. Neupert, 1985, Cell, 43:339-350). In this study we present evidence that distinct membrane areas are involved in the translocation process. Mitochondria that had lost most of their outer membrane by digitonin treatment (mitoplasts) still had the ability to import proteins. Import depended on proteinaceous structures of the residual outer membrane and on a factor that is located between the outer and inner membranes and that could be extracted with detergent plus salt. Translocational intermediates, which had been preformed before fractionation, remained with the mitoplasts under conditions where most of the outer membrane was subsequently removed. Submitochondrial vesicles were isolated in which translocational intermediates were enriched. Immunocytochemical studies also suggested that the translocational intermediates are located in areas where outer and inner membranes are in close proximity. We conclude that the membrane-potential-dependent import of precursor proteins involves translocation contact sites where the two membranes are closely apposed and are linked in a stable manner.

Translocation arrest by reversible folding of a precursor protein imported into mitochondria. A means to quantitate translocation contact sites.

Passage of precursor proteins through translocation contact sites of mitochondria was investigated by studying the import of a fusion protein consisting of the NH2-terminal 167 amino acids of yeast cytochrome b2 precursor and the complete mouse dihydrofolate reductase. Isolated mitochondria of Neurospora crassa readily imported the fusion protein. In the presence of methotrexate import was halted and a stable intermediate spanning both mitochondrial membranes at translocation contact sites accumulated. The complete dihydrofolate reductase moiety in this intermediate was external to the outer membrane, and the 136 amino acid residues of the cytochrome b2 moiety remaining after cleavage by the matrix processing peptidase spanned both outer and inner membranes. Removal of methotrexate led to import of the intermediate retained at the contact site into the matrix. Thus unfolding at the surface of the outer mitochondrial membrane is a prerequisite for passage through translocation contact sites. The membrane-spanning intermediate was used to estimate the number of translocation sites. Saturation was reached at 70 pmol intermediate per milligram of mitochondrial protein. This amount of translocation intermediates was calculated to occupy approximately 1% of the total surface of the outer membrane. The morphometrically determined area of close contact between outer and inner membranes corresponded to approximately 7% of the total outer membrane surface. Accumulation of the intermediate inhibited the import of other precursor proteins suggesting that different precursor proteins are using common translocation contact sites. We conclude that the machinery for protein translocation into mitochondria is present at contact sites in limited number.

Microbodies (peroxisomes) containing catalase in myocardium: morphological and biochemical evidence.

Microbodies characterized by a single limiting membrane and finely granular matrix occur in mouse myocardium and appear in close spatial relation to mitochondria and sarcoplasmic reticulum. The presence of catalase in the microbodies is revealed cytochemically and confirmed biochemically by direct measurement of its activity in myocardial tissue fractions. It is suggested that the microbodies may play an important role in myocardial lipid metabolism.

Extrathyroidal release of thyroid hormones from thyroglobulin by J774 mouse macrophages.

Thyroglobulin appears in the circulation of vertebrates at species-specific concentrations. We have observed that the clearance of thyroglobulin from the circulation occurs in the liver by macrophages. Here we show that the thyroid hormones T3 and T4 were released by incubation of mouse macrophages (J774) with thyroglobulin. Thyroid hormone release was a fast process, with an initial rate of approximately 20 pmol T4/mg per min and approximately 0.6 pmol T3/mg per min, indicating that macrophages preferentially release T4. The bulk of released thyroid hormones appeared after 5 min of incubation of macrophages with thyroglobulin, whereas degradation of the protein was detectable only after several hours. During internalization of thyroglobulin, endocytic vesicles and endosomes were reached at 5 min and lysosomes at 60 min. T4 release started extracellularly by secreted proteases and continued along the endocytic pathway of thyroglobulin, whereas T3 release occurred mainly intracellularly when thyroglobulin had reached the lysosomes. This shows that the release of both hormones occurred at distinct cellular sites. Our in vitro observations suggest that macrophages in situ represent an extrathyroidal source for thyroid hormones from circulating thyroglobulin.

Extracellularly occurring histone H1 mediates the binding of thyroglobulin to the cell surface of mouse macrophages.

Thyroglobulin is the major secretory protein of thyroid epithelial cells. Part of thyroglobulin reaches the circulation of vertebrates by transcytosis across the epithelial wall of thyroid follicles. Clearance of thyroglobulin from the circulation occurs within the liver via internalization of thyroglobulin by macrophages. Here we have analyzed the interaction of thyroglobulin with the cell surface of J774 macrophages with the aim to identify the possible thyroglobulin-binding sites on macrophages. Binding of thyroglobulin to J774 cells was saturated at approximately 100 nM thyroglobulin with a Kd of 50 nM, and it was competed by the ligand itself. Preincubation of J774 cells with thyroglobulin resulted in downregulation of thyroglobulin-binding sites, indicating internalization of thyroglobulin and its binding proteins. By affinity chromatography, two proteins from J774 cells were identified as thyroglobulin-binding proteins with an apparent molecular mass of approximately 33 kD. Unexpectedly, both proteins were identified as histone H1 by protein sequencing. The occurrence of histone H1 at the plasma membrane was further proven by biotinylation or immunolabeling of J774 cells. The in vitro interaction between histone H1 and thyroglobulin was analyzed by surface plasmon resonance that revealed a Kd at 46 nM. In situ, histone H1 was colocalized to FITC-Tg-containing endocytic compartments of Kupffer cells, i.e., liver macrophages. We conclude that histone H1 is detectable at the cell surface of macrophages where it serves as a thyroglobulin-binding protein and mediates thyroglobulin endocytosis.

Secretion of sulfated thyroglobulin.

Thyroid follicle cells from various mammalian species incorporate 35-SO4(2-). Light and electron microscopic autoradiographs show that the Golgi complex is the predominant site of sulfate incorporation and that the secretory product accumulating in the follicle lumen is sulfated. In order to determine which components of the luminal content carry the sulfate residues, inside-out follicles from pig thyroid glands were incubated in the presence of 35-SO4(2-) and the secretory product released into the culture medium was analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The observations show that the secretory product consists of sulfated thyroglobulin and that approximately 13 sulfate residues are bound covalently to 1 molecule of dimeric thyroglobulin. Digestion of 35-SO4(2-)-thyroglobulin with endoglycosidase H removes 20 to 30% of the radioactivity, indicating that the high mannose carbohydrate side chains carry sulfate residues. The complex carbohydrate side chains are apparently free of sulfate since treatment with endoglycosidase D did not alter the sulfate content. About 2/3 of the sulfate is cleaved by hydrolysis with 1 M HCl (5 min, 95 degrees C) indicating the presence of tyrosine sulfate. Part of the sulfate is exposed and presumably located on the surface of the thyroglobulin molecule as suggested by the direct accessibility of 35-SO4(2-)-thyroglobulin to digestion with sulfatases. The sulfate residues contribute to the anionic state of thyroglobulin. It is postulated that the sulfate residues operate in the regulation of thyroglobulin transport in the cell and in the tight packaging of thyroglobulin in the follicle lumen.

Mannose 6-phosphate receptor in porcine thyroid follicle cells. Localization and possible implications for the intracellular transport of thyroglobulin.

Thyroglobulin has been shown to be phosphorylated and to carry the mannose 6-phosphate (M6P) signal in terminal position. In order to investigate whether the cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor (CI-MPR) can possibly play a role in the transport of thyroglobulin the localization of the receptor was analyzed in thyroid follicle cells. The immunocytochemical observations showed that the CI-MPR is primarily located in elements of the endocytic pathway such as coated pits and endosomes. This localization of the CI-MPR in thyrocytes differs from the receptor sites in other cell types by the rare occurrence of the CI-MPR in cisternae of the Golgi complex. The observations are interpreted as an indication that the relatively small amount of receptor in the Golgi complex might be occupied primarily by lysosomal hydrolases. The CI-MPR in thyrocytes might, therefore, be unable to bind and to convey thyroglobulin efficiently. The receptor is, however, a binding site for thyroglobulin at the apical plasma membrane and may, therefore, be involved in the binding of thyroglobulin and its transfer from the follicle lumen to lysosomes.

Membrane retrieval in epithelial cells of isolated thyroid follicles.

Follicles from rat and pig thyroid glands were isolated by digestion with collagenase. The epithelial cells of isolated follicles maintain their structural and functional polarity as shown by incorporation of 3H-leucine and autoradiography. To trace the fate of surface membrane, isolated follicles were opened, stimulated with thyrotropin and incubated for various time intervals with cationized ferritin (CF), uncharged dextran, native ferritin (NF), and latex spheres (0.5 mum in diameter) which were either pre-coated with CF or added together with CF. Uncharged dextran and native ferritin did not bind to the luminal cell membrane, were taken up in small amounts and accumulated in lysosomes; anionic NF was not found in Golgi cisternae in contrast to uncharged dextran which occassionally reached a few Golgi stacks. CF bound rapidly and in clusters to the luminal plasmalemma, preferentially to coated pits, was taken up by endocytosis, accumulated in lysosomes after 5 min and reached the Golgi cisternae after 30 min. Latex spheres were taken up by engulfment through fusion of microvilli and reached the lysosomes. CF particles coating the latex spheres may detach at this station and reach the Golgi cisternae. The findings show that the route of small tracers depends on the charge of the tracer, in agreement with results obtained by Farquhar [8]. Vesicles carrying NF can be traced to lysosomes only, whereas vesicles containing uncharged dextran or - more conspicuously -CF also fuse with Golgi membranes. Large tracers (latex beads) reach only the lysosomes, but CF taken up with them may move to Golgi cisternae.

A colloidal gold labeling technique for the direct determination of the surface area of eukaryotic cells.

We have developed a colloidal gold labeling technique for the direct quantitation of the cell surface area. The method is based on coating the cell surface with [195Au] colloidal gold-protein complexes followed by morphometric determination of the labeling density (gold particles/micron2 cell surface) and radiometric determination of the total number of gold particles bound per cell. The ratio of both values directly gives the cell surface area. The accuracy of the method was shown using Staphylococcus aureus cells as a model system, where the cell surface area determined with our assay (4.0 microns2) corresponded well to the value calculated from the radius of the cells (3.6 microns2). In a more complex model system J-774 mouse macrophages were labeled with different amounts of [195Au] gold-protein complexes to show that the assay is independent of the degree of saturation of the cell surface binding sites. Both high (135 Au/microns2) and low (65 Au/microns2) labeling densities resulted in a surface area of about 1200 microns2. The technique finally was applied to L-929 fibroblasts to determine the increase of the cell surface area when the cells change from a spherical to a flat monolayer state. We found that the cell surface area increased 3-fold during the spreading process. The results show that the colloidal gold labeling technique allows the direct determination of the surface area of complex eukaryotic cells. The technique is suitable for the quantitation of changes in the surface architecture known to occur in different functional states of eukaryotic cells.

Structural and functional polarity of inside-out follicles prepared from pig thyroid gland.

Within 24 h of suspension culture, follicle segments isolated from pig thyroid gland form closed follicular spheres. Their wall consists of a single layer of epithelial cells and is impermeable to various tracers. The structural polarity of all follicle cells is reversed: The apical plasma membrane faces the culture medium and the basal plasmalemma is directed towards the central cavity. The reversed polarity of follicles in suspension culture is retained for several days. Newly synthetized thyroglobulin does not accumulate in the central cavity but is secreted into the culture medium. After stimulation with thyrotropin thyroglobulin is internalized and transferred to lysosomes. The findings show that the reversed bidirectional transport of thyroglobulin coincides with the structural inside-out polarity of reconstituted follicles. After uptake of thyroglobulin, thyroxine and triiodothyronine are released by follicle cells and accumulate in the culture medium. The amount of thyroid hormones released depends on the concentration of thyroglobulin available for endocytosis and on the stimulation of inside-out follicles by thyrotropin.

Interactions between protein-gold complexes and cell surfaces: a method for precise quantitation.

We have developed a rapid and precise electron microscope technique for the quantitation of gold particles in suspension using latex microspheres as a reference (EM latex technique). This technique allowed us to determine the specific absorption of colloidal gold at its absorption maximum (520 nm) and the average number of ligands ([125I]IgG) bound to one gold particle. On the basis of these values important binding characteristics of protein-gold complexes to cell surfaces were analyzed in a model system consisting of Staphylococcus aureus with protein A on the cell wall as a specific binding site for IgG-Au. Our observations showed that the number of binding sites represented by one IgG-gold complex depended primarily on the particle size, with one 20-nm IgG-Au corresponding to 15 and one 6-nm IgG-Au to 2.5 binding sites. Hence, the efficiency of binding of IgG-Au complexes increased with decreasing gold particle size. Saturation of binding sites, however, was not achieved. The technique also made possible the determination of the affinity between IgG-Au complexes and the cell surface; this affinity can either be regarded as a characteristic of the ligand IgG or of the gold particle. We observed that the affinity of IgG decreased with the size of the gold particles to which IgG was bound, whereas the affinity of the entire gold particle increased with particle size. The EM latex technique for quantitation of gold particles extends the general use of protein-gold complexes to the quantitative characterization of their interaction with cell surface constituents.

Reinternalization of secretory proteins during membrane recycling in rat pancreatic acinar cells.

Membrane recycling in pancreatic acinar cells involves endocytic vesicle formation at the apical cell surface and rapid membrane traffic to the Golgi complex. During this process a small amount of extracellular content is taken up from the acinar lumen. In order to determine whether secretory proteins already released into the pancreatic acinar lumen are reinternalized during membrane retrieval, 3H-labeled amylase or 125I-labeled secretory proteins were reinfused through the pancreatic duct until the lumina were reached. Tissue samples from various time points were prepared for light and electron microscope autoradiography. The observations showed that [3H]amylase and, to a lesser extent, the 125I-labeled secretory proteins were internalized at the apical cell surface and rapidly (within 2-5 min) transferred to the Golgi cisternae and the condensing vacuoles; only a minor proportion of silver grains was observed over lysosomes. In addition, at later time points, mature secretion granules close to the Golgi complex became labeled. The results indicate that exocytosis in the rat exocrine pancreas does not operate at 100% efficiency; part of the exported amylase and part of the total secretion product are reinternalized concomitantly with the endocytic removal of plasma membrane and are copackaged together with newly synthesized secretory proteins.

Iodination of mature cathepsin D in thyrocytes as an indicator for its transport to the cell surface.

Thyrocytes are known for their ability to iodinate thyroglobulin from which the thyroid hormones are generated. In the intact thyroid gland the iodination process is almost exclusively executed at the apical plasma membrane of thyroid epithelial cells. Here, we show that freshly isolated thyrocytes iodinated polypeptides other than thyroglobulin and that one of the major iodinated polypeptides was the mature form of the lysosomal protease cathepsin D (CD). The detection of mature CD as an iodinated polypeptide suggested that a fraction of the lysosomally maturated enzyme was delivered to the apical plasma membrane where it became available for iodination. After labeling of thyrocytes with [35S]methionine/cysteine overnight part of the mature CD was released into the culture medium. This was abolished by inhibiting maturation of CD with NH4Cl, indicating that mature CD appeared in the medium after its proteolytic maturation in an acidic compartment. Besides CD other soluble lysosomal polypeptides like the beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase and the sphingolipid-activating protein D (Sap D) were iodinated and partially secreted as mature polypeptides. In contrast, the membrane-associated lysosomal ceramidase was iodinated and partially secreted as immature single-chain enzyme and not as fully maturated two-chain enzyme. These data indicate that a portion of mature CD and other soluble lysosomal enzymes is delivered from lysosomes to the cell surface whereas some membrane-associated enzymes from the terminal lysosomal compartment are efficiently excluded from this process.

Interaction of carbachol and isoproterenol on O2 consumption and morphology of isolated acini from rat parotid gland.

Acini from rat parotid gland were isolated by digestion with collagenase. Oxygen consumption rates were measured after stimulation with carbachol and isoproterenol applied either simultaneously or subsequently to each other. The corresponding morphological effects were examined by electron microscopy. The results demonstrate that a) carbachol always induces increased O2 consumption rates with concomitant formation of vacuoles, b) isoproterenol stimulates exocytosis and higher O2 consumption rates only when added before carbachol and c) isoproterenol has no effect when given simultaneously with or subsequently to carbachol.

A possible role for the Alzheimer amyloid precursor protein in the regulation of epidermal basal cell proliferation.

The regulation of epidermal growth involves a number of ions, growth factors and cytokines and possibly additional but as yet unknown factors. Here we report on the potential role of the secretory N-terminal domain (sAPP) of the Alzheimer amyloid precursor protein (APP) in the regulation of keratinocyte proliferation. In human skin APP was detectable predominantly in the basal cell layer of the epidermis whereas the immunocytochemical signal in the underlying mesenchymal tissue was very low. Cultured normal human keratinocytes expressed the three APP isoforms 695, 751 and 770 with highest values for the isoforms 751 and 770. HaCaT cells, a spontaneously immortalized human keratinocyte cell line, exhibited almost identical patterns in the expression of the APP isoforms and in the release of endogenous sAPP. In HaCaT cells, recombinant sAPP (sAPPrec) was found to compete with endogenous sAPP for the same binding sites. Binding of sAPPrec was specific and occurred in microdomains of approximately 0.1 to approximately 0.3 microm in diameter. At 10 nM, sAPPrec binding induced a 2- to 4-fold increase in the rate of cell growth. sAPP concentrations in the conditioned media were found to reach 5-20 nM which is in the mitogenic range of sAPPrec. The proliferative effect of sAPP was inhibited by approximately 50% when antisense oligonucleotides directed against the APP mRNA were applied. The predominant expression of