Calnexin and calreticulin binding to human thyroperoxidase is required for its first folding step(s) but is not sufficient to promote efficient cell surface expression.

Human thyroperoxidase (hTPO) is a type I transmembrane-bound heme-containing glycoprotein that catalyzes the synthesis of thyroid hormones. In a previous study we stably expressed hTPO in Chinese hamster ovary cells and observed that after the synthesis, only 20% of the hTPO molecules were recognized by a monoclonal antibody (mAb 15) directed against a conformational structure, and that only 2% were able to reach the cell surface. In the present study it was proposed to determine how calnexin (CNX) and calreticulin (CRT) contribute to the folding of hTPO. Sequential immunoprecipitation was performed using anti-CNX or anti-CRT followed by anti-hTPO antibodies, and the results showed that CNX and CRT were associated with hTPO. Inhibiting the interactions between CNX or CRT and hTPO using castanospermine greatly reduced the first step(s) in the hTPO folding process. Under these conditions, the half-life of this enzyme was greatly reduced (2.5 vs. 17 h in the control experiments), and hTPO was degraded via the proteasome pathway. This reduced the rate of hTPO transport to the cell surface. Overexpression of CNX or CRT into the hTPO-CHO cells was found to enhance the first hTPO folding step(s) by 20-60%, but did not increase the level of hTPO present at the cell surface. All in all, these findings provide evidence that CNX and CRT are crucial to the first step(s) in hTPO folding, but that interactions with other molecular chaperones are required for the last folding steps to take place.