The human ABCB6 protein is the functional homologue of HMT-1 proteins mediating cadmium detoxification.

ABCB6 belongs to the family of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, which transport various molecules across extra- and intra-cellular membranes, bearing significant impact on human disease and pharmacology. Although mutations in the ABCB6 gene have been linked to a variety of pathophysiological conditions ranging from transfusion incompatibility to pigmentation defects, its precise cellular localization and function is not understood. In particular, the intracellular localization of ABCB6 has been a matter of debate, with conflicting reports suggesting mitochondrial or endolysosomal expression. ABCB6 shows significant sequence identity to HMT-1 (heavy metal tolerance factor 1) proteins, whose evolutionarily conserved role is to confer tolerance to heavy metals through the intracellular sequestration of metal complexes. Here, we show that the cadmium-sensitive phenotype of Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Caenorhabditis elegans strains defective for HMT-1 is rescued by the human ABCB6 protein. Overexpression of ABCB6 conferred tolerance to cadmium and As(III) (As2O3), but not to As(V) (Na2HAsO4), Sb(V), Hg(II), or Zn(II). Inactivating mutations of ABCB6 abolished vacuolar sequestration of cadmium, effectively suppressing the cadmium tolerance phenotype. Modulation of ABCB6 expression levels in human glioblastoma cells resulted in a concomitant change in cadmium sensitivity. Our findings reveal ABCB6 as a functional homologue of the HMT-1 proteins, linking endolysosomal ABCB6 to the highly conserved mechanism of intracellular cadmium detoxification.

Subcellular Duplex DNA and G-Quadruplex Interaction Profiling of a Hexagonal PtII Metallacycle.

Metal-driven self-assembly afforded a multitude of fascinating supramolecular coordination complexes (SCCs) with applications as catalysts, host-guest, and stimuli-responsive systems. However, the interest in the biological applications of SCCs is only starting to emerge and thorough characterization of their behavior in biological milieus is still lacking. Herein, we report on the synthesis and detailed in-cell tracking of a Pt2 L2 metallacycle. We show that our hexagonal supramolecule accumulates in cancer cell nuclei, exerting a distinctive blue fluorescence staining of chromatin resistant to UV photobleaching selectively in nucleolar G4-rich regions. SCC co-localizes with epitopes of the quadruplex-specific antibody BG4 and replaces other well-known G4 stabilizers. Moreover, the photophysical changes accompanying the metallacycle binding to G4s in solution (fluorescence quenching, absorption enhancement) also take place intracellularly, allowing its subcellular interaction tracking.

ABCB6 Resides in Melanosomes and Regulates Early Steps of Melanogenesis Required for PMEL Amyloid Matrix Formation.

Genetically inheritable pigmentation defects provide a unique opportunity to reveal the function of proteins contributing to melanogenesis. Dyschromatosis universalis hereditaria (DUH) is a rare pigmentary genodermatosis associated with mutations in the ABCB6 gene. Here we use optical and electron microscopy imaging combined with biochemical tools to investigate the localization and function of ABCB6 in pigment cells. We show that ABCB6 localizes to the membrane of early melanosomes and lysosomes of the human melanocytic cell line MNT-1. Depletion of ABCB6 by siRNA impaired PMEL amyloidogenesis in early melanosomes and induced aberrant accumulation of multilamellar aggregates in pigmented melanosomes. PMEL fibril formation and normal maturation of pigmented melanosomes could be restored by the overexpression of wild-type ABCB6 but not by variants containing an inactivating catalytic mutation (K629M) or the G579E DUH mutation. In line with the impairment of PMEL matrix formation in the absence of ABCB6, morphological analysis of the retinal pigment epithelium of ABCB6 knockout mice revealed a significant decrease of melanosome numbers. Our study extends the localization of ABCB6 to melanosomes, suggesting a potential link between the function of ABCB6 and the etiology of DUH to amyloid formation in pigment cells.

Photounbinding of calmodulin from a family of CaM binding peptides.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown that fluorescently labeled antibodies can be dissociated from their antigen by illumination with laser light. The mechanism responsible for the photounbinding effect, however, remains elusive. Here, we give important insights into the mechanism of photounbinding and show that the effect is not restricted to antibody/antigen binding. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We present studies of the photounbinding of labeled calmodulin (CaM) from a set of CaM-binding peptides with different affinities to CaM after one- and two-photon excitation. We found that the photounbinding effect becomes stronger with increasing binding affinity. Our observation that photounbinding can be influenced by using free radical scavengers, that it does not occur with either unlabeled protein or non-fluorescent quencher dyes, and that it becomes evident shortly after or with photobleaching suggest that photounbinding and photobleaching are closely linked. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The experimental results exclude surface effects, or heating by laser irradiation as potential causes of photounbinding. Our data suggest that free radicals formed through photobleaching may cause a conformational change of the CaM which lowers their binding affinity with the peptide or its respective binding partner.