DNAJB6, a Key Factor in Neuronal Sensitivity to Amyloidogenesis.

CAG-repeat expansions in at least eight different genes cause neurodegeneration. The length of the extended polyglutamine stretches in the corresponding proteins is proportionally related to their aggregation propensity. Although these proteins are ubiquitously expressed, they predominantly cause toxicity to neurons. To understand this neuronal hypersensitivity, we generated induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines of spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 and Huntington's disease patients. iPSC generation and neuronal differentiation are unaffected by polyglutamine proteins and show no spontaneous aggregate formation. However, upon glutamate treatment, aggregates form in neurons but not in patient-derived neural progenitors. During differentiation, the chaperone network is drastically rewired, including loss of expression of the anti-amyloidogenic chaperone DNAJB6. Upregulation of DNAJB6 in neurons antagonizes glutamate-induced aggregation, while knockdown of DNAJB6 in progenitors results in spontaneous polyglutamine aggregation. Loss of DNAJB6 expression upon differentiation is confirmed in vivo, explaining why stem cells are intrinsically protected against amyloidogenesis and protein aggregates are dominantly present in neurons.

Functional diversity between HSP70 paralogs caused by variable interactions with specific co-chaperones.

Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) chaperones play a central role in protein quality control and are crucial for many cellular processes, including protein folding, degradation, and disaggregation. Human HSP70s compose a family of 13 members that carry out their functions with the aid of even larger families of co-chaperones. A delicate interplay between HSP70s and co-chaperone recruitment is thought to determine substrate fate, yet it has been generally assumed that all Hsp70 paralogs have similar activities and are largely functionally redundant. However, here we found that when expressed in human cells, two highly homologous HSP70s, HSPA1A and HSPA1L, have opposing effects on cellular handling of various substrates. For example, HSPA1A reduced aggregation of the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-associated protein variant superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1)-A4V, whereas HSPA1L enhanced its aggregation. Intriguingly, variations in the substrate-binding domain of these HSP70s did not play a role in this difference. Instead, we observed that substrate fate is determined by differential interactions of the HSP70s with co-chaperones. Whereas most co-chaperones bound equally well to these two HSP70s, Hsp70/Hsp90-organizing protein (HOP) preferentially bound to HSPA1L, and the Hsp110 nucleotide-exchange factor HSPH2 preferred HSPA1A. The role of HSPH2 was especially crucial for the HSPA1A-mediated reduction in SOD1-A4V aggregation. These findings reveal a remarkable functional diversity at the level of the cellular HSP70s and indicate that this diversity is defined by their affinities for specific co-chaperones such as HSPH2.

Aberrant Compartment Formation by HSPB2 Mislocalizes Lamin A and Compromises Nuclear Integrity and Function.

Small heat shock proteins (HSPBs) contain intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs), but the functions of these IDRs are still unknown. Here, we report that, in mammalian cells, HSPB2 phase separates to form nuclear compartments with liquid-like properties. We show that phase separation requires the disordered C-terminal domain of HSPB2. We further demonstrate that, in differentiating myoblasts, nuclear HSPB2 compartments sequester lamin A. Increasing the nuclear concentration of HSPB2 causes the formation of aberrant nuclear compartments that mislocalize lamin A and chromatin, with detrimental consequences for nuclear function and integrity. Importantly, phase separation of HSPB2 is regulated by HSPB3, but this ability is lost in two identified HSPB3 mutants that are associated with myopathy. Our results suggest that HSPB2 phase separation is involved in reorganizing the nucleoplasm during myoblast differentiation. Furthermore, these findings support the idea that aberrant HSPB2 phase separation, due to HSPB3 loss-of-function mutations, contributes to myopathy.

BAG3 induces the sequestration of proteasomal clients into cytoplasmic puncta: implications for a proteasome-to-autophagy switch.

Eukaryotic cells use autophagy and the ubiquitin-proteasome system as their major protein degradation pathways. Upon proteasomal impairment, cells switch to autophagy to ensure proper clearance of clients (the proteasome-to-autophagy switch). The HSPA8 and HSPA1A cochaperone BAG3 has been suggested to be involved in this switch. However, at present it is still unknown whether and to what extent BAG3 can indeed reroute proteasomal clients to the autophagosomal pathway. Here, we show that BAG3 induces the sequestration of ubiquitinated clients into cytoplasmic puncta colabeled with canonical autophagy linkers and markers. Following proteasome inhibition, BAG3 upregulation significantly contributes to the compensatory activation of autophagy and to the degradation of the (poly)ubiquitinated proteins. BAG3 binding to the ubiquitinated clients occurs through the BAG domain, in competition with BAG1, another BAG family member, that normally directs ubiquitinated clients to the proteasome. Therefore, we propose that following proteasome impairment, increasing the BAG3/BAG1 ratio ensures the "BAG-instructed proteasomal to autophagosomal switch and sorting" (BIPASS).

Salisphere derived c-Kit+ cell transplantation restores tissue homeostasis in irradiated salivary gland.

INTRODUCTION: During radiotherapy salivary glands of head and neck cancer patients are unavoidably co-irradiated, potentially resulting in life-long impairment. Recently we showed that transplantation of salisphere-derived c-Kit expressing cells can functionally regenerate irradiated salivary glands. This study aims to select a more potent subpopulation of c-Kit(+) cells, co-expressing stem cell markers and to investigate whether long-term tissue homeostasis is restored after stem cell transplantation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Salisphere derived c-Kit(+) cells that co-expressed CD24 and/or CD49f markers, were intra-glandularly injected into 15 Gy irradiated submandibular glands of mice. Particularly, c-Kit(+)/CD24(+)/CD49f(+) cell transplanted mice improved saliva production (54.59 ± 11.1%) versus the irradiated control group (21.5 ± 8.7%). Increase in expression of cells with differentiated duct cell markers like, cytokeratins (CK8, 18, 7 and 14) indicated functional recovery of this compartment. Moreover, ductal stem cell marker expression like c-Kit, CD133, CD24 and CD49f reappeared after transplantation indicating long-term functional maintenance potential of the gland. Furthermore, a normalization of vascularization as indicated by CD31 expression and reduction of fibrosis was observed, indicative of normalization of the microenvironment. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that stem cell transplantation not only rescues hypo-salivation, but also restores tissue homeostasis of the irradiated gland, necessary for long-term maintenance of adult tissue.

Identification of the Drosophila ortholog of HSPB8: implication of HSPB8 loss of function in protein folding diseases.

Protein aggregation is a hallmark of many neuronal disorders, including the polyglutamine disorder spinocerebellar ataxia 3 and peripheral neuropathies associated with the K141E and K141N mutations in the small heat shock protein HSPB8. In cells, HSPB8 cooperates with BAG3 to stimulate autophagy in an eIF2α-dependent manner and facilitates the clearance of aggregate-prone proteins (Carra, S., Seguin, S. J., Lambert, H., and Landry, J. (2008) J. Biol. Chem. 283, 1437-1444; Carra, S., Brunsting, J. F., Lambert, H., Landry, J., and Kampinga, H. H. (2009) J. Biol. Chem. 284, 5523-5532). Here, we first identified Drosophila melanogaster HSP67Bc (Dm-HSP67Bc) as the closest functional ortholog of human HSPB8 and demonstrated that, like human HSPB8, Dm-HSP67Bc induces autophagy via the eIF2α pathway. In vitro, both Dm-HSP67Bc and human HSPB8 protected against mutated ataxin-3-mediated toxicity and decreased the aggregation of a mutated form of HSPB1 (P182L-HSPB1) associated with peripheral neuropathy. Up-regulation of both Dm-HSP67Bc and human HSPB8 protected and down-regulation of endogenous Dm-HSP67Bc significantly worsened SCA3-mediated eye degeneration in flies. The K141E and K141N mutated forms of human HSPB8 that are associated with peripheral neuropathy were significantly less efficient than wild-type HSPB8 in decreasing the aggregation of both mutated ataxin 3 and P182L-HSPB1. Our current data further support the link between the HSPB8-BAG3 complex, autophagy, and folding diseases and demonstrate that impairment or loss of function of HSPB8 might accelerate the progression and/or severity of folding diseases.

Stwl modifies chromatin compaction and is required to maintain DNA integrity in the presence of perturbed DNA replication.

Hydroxyurea, a well-known DNA replication inhibitor, induces cell cycle arrest and intact checkpoint functions are required to survive DNA replication stress induced by this genotoxic agent. Perturbed DNA synthesis also results in elevated levels of DNA damage. It is unclear how organisms prevent accumulation of this type of DNA damage that coincides with hampered DNA synthesis. Here, we report the identification of stonewall (stwl) as a novel hydroxyurea-hypersensitive mutant. We demonstrate that Stwl is required to prevent accumulation of DNA damage induced by hydroxyurea; yet, Stwl is not involved in S/M checkpoint regulation. We show that Stwl is a heterochromatin-associated protein with transcription-repressing capacities. In stwl mutants, levels of trimethylated H3K27 and H3K9 (two hallmarks of silent chromatin) are decreased. Our data provide evidence for a Stwl-dependent epigenetic mechanism that is involved in the maintenance of the normal balance between euchromatin and heterochromatin and that is required to prevent accumulation of DNA damage in the presence of DNA replication stress.

HspB8 participates in protein quality control by a non-chaperone-like mechanism that requires eIF2{alpha} phosphorylation.

Aggregation of mutated proteins is a hallmark of many neurodegenerative disorders, including Huntington disease. We previously reported that overexpression of the HspB8.Bag3 chaperone complex suppresses mutated huntingtin aggregation via autophagy. Classically, HspB proteins are thought to act as ATP-independent molecular chaperones that can bind unfolded proteins and facilitate their processing via the help of ATP-dependent chaperones such as the Hsp70 machine, in which Bag3 may act as a molecular link between HspB, Hsp70, and the ubiquitin ligases. However, here we show that HspB8 and Bag3 act in a non-canonical manner unrelated to the classical chaperone model. Rather, HspB8 and Bag3 induce the phosphorylation of the alpha-subunit of the translation initiator factor eIF2, which in turn causes a translational shut-down and stimulates autophagy. This function of HspB8.Bag3 does not require Hsp70 and also targets fully folded substrates. HspB8.Bag3 activity was independent of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress kinase PERK, demonstrating that its action is unrelated to ER stress and suggesting that it activates stress-mediated translational arrest and autophagy through a novel pathway.

Cytokine treatment improves parenchymal and vascular damage of salivary glands after irradiation.

PURPOSE: During radiotherapy for head and neck cancer, co-irradiation (IR) of salivary glands results in acute and often lifelong hyposalivation. Recently, we showed that bone marrow-derived cells (BMC) can partially facilitate postradiation regeneration of the mouse submandibular gland. In this study, we investigate whether optimized mobilization of BMCs can further facilitate regeneration of radiation-damaged salivary glands. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Salivary glands of mice reconstituted with eGFP+ bone marrow cells were irradiated with a single dose of 15 Gy. One month later, BMCs were mobilized using granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) or the combination of FMS-like tyrosine kinase-3 ligand, stem cell factor, and G-CSF (termed F/S/G) as mobilizing agents. Salivary gland function and morphology were evaluated at 90 days post-IR by measuring the saliva flow rate, the number of acinar cells, and the functionality of the vasculature. RESULTS: Compared with G-CSF alone, the combined F/S/G treatment mobilized a 10-fold higher number and different types of BMCs to the bloodstream and increased the number of eGFP+ cells in the irradiated submandibular gland from 49% to 65%. Both treatments reduced radiation-induced hyposalivation from almost nothing in the untreated group to approximately 20% of normal amount. Surprisingly, however, F/S/G treatment resulted in significant less damage to submandibular blood vessels and induced BMC-derived neovascularization. CONCLUSIONS: Post-IR F/S/G treatment facilitates regeneration of the submandibular gland and ameliorates vascular damage. The latter is partly due to BMCs differentiating in vascular cells but is likely to also result from direct stimulation of existing blood vessel cells.

Keratinocyte growth factor prevents radiation damage to salivary glands by expansion of the stem/progenitor pool.

Irradiation of salivary glands during radiotherapy treatment of patients with head and neck cancer evokes persistent hyposalivation. This results from depletion of stem cells, which renders the gland incapable of replenishing saliva to produce acinar cells. The aim of this study was to investigate whether it is possible to expand the salivary gland stem/progenitor cell population, thereby preventing acinar cell depletion and subsequent gland dysfunction after irradiation. To induce cell proliferation, keratinocyte growth factor (DeltaN23-KGF, palifermin) was administered to C57BL/6 mice for 4 days before and/or after local irradiation of salivary glands. Salivary gland vitality was quantified by in vivo saliva flow rates, morphological measurements, and a newly developed in vitro salisphere progenitor/stem cell assay. Irradiation of salivary glands led to a pronounced reduction in the stem cells of the tissues, resulting in severe hyposalivation and a reduced number of acinar cells. DeltaN23-KGF treatment for 4 days before irradiation indeed induced salivary gland stem/progenitor cell proliferation, increasing the stem and progenitor cell pool. This did not change the relative radiation sensitivity of the stem/progenitor cells, but, as a consequence, an absolute higher number of stem/progenitor cells and acinar cells survived after radiation. Postirradiation treatment with DeltaN23-KGF also improved gland function, and this effect was much more pronounced in DeltaN23-KGF pretreated animals. Post-treatment with DeltaN23-KGF seemed to act through accelerated expansion of the pool of progenitor/stem cells that survived the irradiation treatment. Overall, our data indicate that DeltaN23-KGF is a promising drug to enhance the number of salivary gland progenitor/stem cells and consequently prevent radiation-induced hyposalivation. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.

Rescue of salivary gland function after stem cell transplantation in irradiated glands.

Head and neck cancer is the fifth most common malignancy and accounts for 3% of all new cancer cases each year. Despite relatively high survival rates, the quality of life of these patients is severely compromised because of radiation-induced impairment of salivary gland function and consequential xerostomia (dry mouth syndrome). In this study, a clinically applicable method for the restoration of radiation-impaired salivary gland function using salivary gland stem cell transplantation was developed. Salivary gland cells were isolated from murine submandibular glands and cultured in vitro as salispheres, which contained cells expressing the stem cell markers Sca-1, c-Kit and Musashi-1. In vitro, the cells differentiated into salivary gland duct cells and mucin and amylase producing acinar cells. Stem cell enrichment was performed by flow cytrometric selection using c-Kit as a marker. In vitro, the cells differentiated into amylase producing acinar cells. In vivo, intra-glandular transplantation of a small number of c-Kit(+) cells resulted in long-term restoration of salivary gland morphology and function. Moreover, donor-derived stem cells could be isolated from primary recipients, cultured as secondary spheres and after re-transplantation ameliorate radiation damage. Our approach is the first proof for the potential use of stem cell transplantation to functionally rescue salivary gland deficiency.

Grp/DChk1 is required for G2-M checkpoint activation in Drosophila S2 cells, whereas Dmnk/DChk2 is dispensable.

Cell-cycle checkpoints are signal-transduction pathways required to maintain genomic stability in dividing cells. Previously, it was reported that two kinases essential for checkpoint signalling, Chk1 and Chk2 are structurally conserved. In contrast to yeast, Xenopus and mammals, the Chk1- and Chk2-dependent pathways in Drosophila are not understood in detail. Here, we report the function of these checkpoint kinases, referred to as Grp/DChk1 and Dmnk/DChk2 in Drosophila Schneider's cells, and identify an upstream regulator as well as downstream targets of Grp/DChk1. First, we demonstrate that S2 cells are a suitable model for G(2)/M checkpoint studies. S2 cells display Grp/DChk1-dependent and Dmnk/DChk2-independent cell-cycle-checkpoint activation in response to hydroxyurea and ionizing radiation. S2 cells depleted for Grp/DChk1 using RNA interference enter mitosis in the presence of impaired DNA integrity, resulting in prolonged mitosis and mitotic catastrophe. Grp/DChk1 is phosphorylated in a Mei-41/DATR-dependent manner in response to hydroxyurea and ionizing radiation, indicating that Mei-41/ATR is an upstream component in the Grp/DChk1 DNA replication and DNA-damage-response pathways. The level of Cdc25(Stg) and phosphorylation status of Cdc2 are modulated in a Grp/DChk1-dependent manner in response to hydroxyurea and irradiation, indicating that these cell-cycle regulators are downstream targets of the Grp/DChk1-dependent DNA replication and DNA-damage responses. By contrast, depletion of Dmnk/DChk2 by RNA interference had little effect on checkpoint responses to hydroxyurea and irradiation. We conclude that Grp/DChk1, and not Dmnk/DChk2, is the main effector kinase involved in G(2)/M checkpoint control in Drosophila cells.