MitoNEET-dependent formation of intermitochondrial junctions.

MitoNEET (mNEET) is a dimeric mitochondrial outer membrane protein implicated in many facets of human pathophysiology, notably diabetes and cancer, but its molecular function remains poorly characterized. In this study, we generated and analyzed mNEET KO cells and found that in these cells the mitochondrial network was disturbed. Analysis of 3D-EM reconstructions and of thin sections revealed that genetic inactivation of mNEET did not affect the size of mitochondria but that the frequency of intermitochondrial junctions was reduced. Loss of mNEET decreased cellular respiration, because of a reduction in the total cellular mitochondrial volume, suggesting that intermitochondrial contacts stabilize individual mitochondria. Reexpression of mNEET in mNEET KO cells restored the WT morphology of the mitochondrial network, and reexpression of a mutant mNEET resistant to oxidative stress increased in addition the resistance of the mitochondrial network to H2O2-induced fragmentation. Finally, overexpression of mNEET increased strongly intermitochondrial contacts and resulted in the clustering of mitochondria. Our results suggest that mNEET plays a specific role in the formation of intermitochondrial junctions and thus participates in the adaptation of cells to physiological changes and to the control of mitochondrial homeostasis.

STIM1L traps and gates Orai1 channels without remodeling the cortical ER.

STIM proteins populate and expand cortical endoplasmic reticulum (ER) sheets to mediate store-operated Ca(2+) entry (SOCE) by trapping and gating Orai channels in ER-plasma membrane clusters. A longer splice variant, STIM1L, forms permanent ER-plasma membrane clusters and mediates rapid Ca(2+) influx in muscle. Here, we used electron microscopy, total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy and Ca(2+) imaging to establish the trafficking and signaling properties of the two STIM1 isoforms in Stim1(-/-)/Stim2(-/-) fibroblasts. Unlike STIM1, STIM1L was poorly recruited into ER-plasma membrane clusters and did not mediate store-dependent expansion of cortical ER cisternae. Removal of the STIM1 lysine-rich tail prevented store-dependent cluster enlargement, whereas inhibition of cytosolic Ca(2+) elevations or removal of the STIM1L actin-binding domain had no impact on cluster expansion. Finally, STIM1L restored robust but not accelerated SOCE and clustered with Orai1 channels more slowly than STIM1 following store depletion. These results indicate that STIM1L does not mediate rapid SOCE but can trap and gate Orai1 channels efficiently without remodeling cortical ER cisternae. The ability of STIM proteins to induce cortical ER formation is dispensable for SOCE and requires the lysine-rich tail of STIM1 involved in binding to phosphoinositides.

Cranio-lenticulo-sutural dysplasia is caused by a SEC23A mutation leading to abnormal endoplasmic-reticulum-to-Golgi trafficking.

Cranio-lenticulo-sutural dysplasia (CLSD) is an autosomal recessive syndrome characterized by late-closing fontanels, sutural cataracts, facial dysmorphisms and skeletal defects mapped to chromosome 14q13-q21 (ref. 1). Here we show, using a positional cloning approach, that an F382L amino acid substitution in SEC23A segregates with this syndrome. SEC23A is an essential component of the COPII-coated vesicles that transport secretory proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi complex. Electron microscopy and immunofluorescence show that there is gross dilatation of the endoplasmic reticulum in fibroblasts from individuals affected with CLSD. These cells also exhibit cytoplasmic mislocalization of SEC31. Cell-free vesicle budding assays show that the F382L substitution results in loss of SEC23A function. A phenotype reminiscent of CLSD is observed in zebrafish embryos injected with sec23a-blocking morpholinos. Our observations suggest that disrupted endoplasmic reticulum export of the secretory proteins required for normal morphogenesis accounts for CLSD.

The [corrected] SEC23-SEC31 [corrected] interface plays critical role for export of procollagen from the endoplasmic reticulum.

COPII proteins are essential for exporting most cargo molecules from the endoplasmic reticulum. The membrane-facing surface of the COPII proteins (especially SEC23-SEC24) interacts directly or indirectly with the cargo molecules destined for exit. As we characterized the SEC23A mutations at the SEC31 binding site identified from patients with cranio-lenticulo-sutural dysplasia, we discovered that the SEC23-SEC31 interface can also influence cargo selection. Remarkably, M702V SEC23A does not compromise COPII assembly, vesicle size, and packaging of cargo molecules into COPII vesicles that we have tested but induces accumulation of procollagen in the endoplasmic reticulum when expressed in normal fibroblasts. We observed that M702V SEC23A activates SAR1B GTPase more than wild-type SEC23A when SEC13-SEC31 is present, indicating that M702V SEC23A causes premature dissociation of COPII from the membrane. Our results indicate that a longer stay of COPII proteins on the membrane is required to cargo procollagen than other molecules and suggest that the SEC23-SEC31 interface plays a critical role in capturing various cargo molecules.

Paracrinology of islets and the paracrinopathy of diabetes.

New results have brought to light the importance of the regulation of glucagon by ß-cells in the development of diabetes. In this perspective, we examine the normal paracrinology of α- and ß-cells in nondiabetic pancreatic islets. We propose a Sherringtonian model of coordinated reciprocal secretory responses of these juxtaposed cells that secrete glucagon and insulin, hormones with opposing actions on the liver. As insulin is a powerful inhibitor of glucagon, we propose that within-islet inhibition of α-cells by ß-cells creates an insulin-to-glucagon ratio that maintains glycemic stability even in extremes of glucose influx or efflux. By contrast, in type 1 diabetes mellitus, α-cells lack constant action of high insulin levels from juxtaposed ß-cells. Replacement with exogenous insulin does not approach paracrine levels of secreted insulin except with high doses that "overinsulinize" the peripheral insulin targets, thereby promoting glycemic volatility. Based on the stable normoglycemia of mice with type 1 diabetes during suppression of glucagon with leptin, we conclude that, in the absence of paracrine regulation of α-cells, tonic inhibition of α-cells improves the dysregulated glucose homeostasis. These results have considerable medical implications, as they suggest new approaches to normalize the extreme volatility of glycemia in diabetic patients.

Induction of cortical endoplasmic reticulum by dimerization of a coatomer-binding peptide anchored to endoplasmic reticulum membranes.

Cortical endoplasmic reticulum (cER) is a permanent feature of yeast cells but occurs transiently in most animal cell types. Ist2p is a transmembrane protein that permanently localizes to the cER in yeast. When Ist2 is expressed in mammalian cells, it induces abundant cER containing Ist2. Ist2 cytoplasmic C-terminal peptide is necessary and sufficient to induce cER. This peptide sequence resembles classic coat protein complex I (COPI) coatomer protein-binding KKXX signals, and indeed the dimerized peptide binds COPI in vitro. Controlled dimerization of this peptide induces cER in cells. RNA interference experiments confirm that coatomer is required for cER induction in vivo, as are microtubules and the microtubule plus-end binding protein EB1. We suggest that Ist2 dimerization triggers coatomer binding and clustering of this protein into domains that traffic at the microtubule growing plus-end to generate the cER beneath the plasma membrane. Sequences similar to the Ist2 lysine-rich tail are found in mammalian STIM proteins that reversibly induce the formation of cER under calcium control.

The genetic basis of a craniofacial disease provides insight into COPII coat assembly.

Proteins trafficking through the secretory pathway must first exit the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) through membrane vesicles created and regulated by the COPII coat protein complex. Cranio-lenticulo-sutural dysplasia (CLSD) was recently shown to be caused by a missense mutation in SEC23A, a gene encoding one of two paralogous COPII coat proteins. We now elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying this disease. In vitro assays reveal that the mutant form of SEC23A poorly recruits the Sec13-Sec31 complex, inhibiting vesicle formation. Surprisingly, this effect is modulated by the Sar1 GTPase paralog used in the reaction, indicating distinct affinities of the two human Sar1 paralogs for the Sec13-Sec31 complex. Patient cells accumulate numerous tubular cargo-containing ER exit sites devoid of observable membrane coat, likely representing an intermediate step in COPII vesicle formation. Our results indicate that the Sar1-Sec23-Sec24 prebudding complex is sufficient to form cargo-containing tubules in vivo, whereas the Sec13-Sec31 complex is required for membrane fission.

Transmembrane domains control exclusion of membrane proteins from clathrin-coated pits.

Efficient sorting of proteins is essential to allow transport between intracellular compartments while maintaining their specific composition. During endocytosis, membrane proteins can be concentrated in endocytic vesicles by specific interactions between their cytoplasmic domains and cytosolic coat proteins. It is, however, unclear whether they can be excluded from transport vesicles and what the determinants for this sorting could be. Here, we show that in the absence of cytosolic sorting signals, transmembrane domains control the access of surface proteins to endosomal compartments. They act in particular by determining the degree of exclusion of membrane proteins from endocytic clathrin-coated vesicles. When cytosolic endocytosis signals are present, it is the combination of cytosolic and transmembrane determinants that ultimately controls the efficiency with which a given transmembrane protein is endocytosed.

From the Cover: STIM1-induced precortical and cortical subdomains of the endoplasmic reticulum.

Store-operated calcium entry relies on the formation of a specialized compartment derived from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and closely apposed to the plasma membrane. In this study, detailed ultrastructural analysis revealed the existence of three distinct structures derived from conventional ER: precortical ER, cortical ER, and thin cortical ER. Precortical subdomains of the ER enriched in STIM1 can form without contacting the plasma membrane. Upon ER calcium depletion, these subdomains are translocated to the plasma membrane to form cortical ER, which is still connected to the conventional ER. Thin cortical ER, depleted of BiP and deprived of attached ribosomes, may represent a specialized region dedicated to calcium regulation and not engaged in protein translocation and folding. These observations form the basis for future structure-function analysis of cortical ER.

Lipid homeostasis, lipotoxicity and the metabolic syndrome.

In the 20th century industrialized nations have become afflicted with an unprecedented pandemic of increased adiposity. In the United States, the epicenter of the epidemic, over 2/3 of the population, is overweight and 1 of every 6 Americans carries the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome. Although genes determine susceptibility to environmental factors, the epidemic is clearly due to increased consumption of calorie-dense, highly lipogenic foods, coupled with a marked decrease in physical exertion resulting from modern technologies. If this lifestyle continues, morbid consequences are virtually inevitable. They include type II diabetes and a cluster of disorders known as "the metabolic syndrome" usually appearing in middle age. The morbid consequences of the chronic caloric surplus are buffered before middle age by the partitioning of these calories as fat in the adipocyte compartment which is specifically designed to store triglycerides. Leptin has been proposed as the major hormonal regulator of the partitioning of surplus calories. However, multiple factors can determine the storage capacity of the fat tissue and when it is exceeded ectopic lipid deposition begins. The organs affected in metabolic syndrome include skeletal muscle, liver, heart and pancreas, which are now known to contain abnormal levels of triglycerides. While neutral fat is probably harmless, it is an index of ectopic lipid overload. Fatty acid derivatives can interfere with the function of the cell and ultimately lead to its demise through lipoapoptosis, the consequences of which are gradual organ failure.

Exomer: A coat complex for transport of select membrane proteins from the trans-Golgi network to the plasma membrane in yeast.

A yeast plasma membrane protein, Chs3p, transits to the mother-bud neck from a reservoir comprising the trans-Golgi network (TGN) and endosomal system. Two TGN/endosomal peripheral proteins, Chs5p and Chs6p, and three Chs6p paralogues form a complex that is required for the TGN to cell surface transport of Chs3p. The role of these peripheral proteins has not been clear, and we now provide evidence that they create a coat complex required for the capture of membrane proteins en route to the cell surface. Sec7p, a Golgi protein required for general membrane traffic and functioning as a nucleotide exchange factor for the guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-binding protein Arf1p, is required to recruit Chs5p to the TGN surface in vivo. Recombinant forms of Chs5p, Chs6p, and the Chs6p paralogues expressed in baculovirus form a complex of approximately 1 MD that binds synthetic liposomes in a reaction requiring acidic phospholipids, Arf1p, and the nonhydrolyzable GTPgammaS. The complex remains bound to liposomes centrifuged on a sucrose density gradient. Thin section electron microscopy reveals a spiky coat structure on liposomes incubated with the full complex, Arf1p, and GTPgammaS. We termed the novel coat exomer for its role in exocytosis from the TGN to the cell surface. Unlike other coats (e.g., coat protein complex I, II, and clathrin/adaptor protein complex), the exomer does not form buds or vesicles on liposomes.

Adipogenic capacity and the susceptibility to type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

To determine whether adipocyte storage capacity influences the onset and severity of type 2 diabetes and other components of the metabolic syndrome, we made normal and db/db mice resistant to obesity by overexpressing leptin receptor-b on the aP2-Lepr-b promoter. On a 4% diet, these mice have no phenotype, but on a 60% fat diet, they resist diet-induced obesity because constitutive adipocyte-specific overexpression of Lepr-b prevents obesity via the antilipogenic autocrine/paracrine action of leptin on adipocytes. After 8 months on the same 60% fat diet, body fat of transgenic mice was 70% below WT controls. Cardiac and liver fat was elevated in the transgenics, and their hyperinsulinemia was more marked, suggesting greater insulin resistance. The aP2-Lepr-b transgene also prevented obesity in db/db mice; at 10 weeks of age their body fat was half that of the db/db mice. This lack of obesity was attributable to reduced expression of sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c and its target lipogenic enzymes in adipose tissue and a 6-fold increase in Pref-1 mRNA. Severe diabetes was present in transgenics at 4 weeks of age, 10 weeks before db/db controls. Echocardiographic evidence of cardiomyopathy appeared at 10 weeks, weeks before the db/db mice. Histologically, loss of beta cells and myocardial fibrosis was present in the transgenic group at least 6 weeks before the db/db mice. These results suggest that the expression level of genes that regulate the adipogenic response to overnutrition profoundly influences the age of onset and severity of diet-induced type 2 diabetes and co-morbidities.

Diabetes and apoptosis: lipotoxicity.

Obesity is an established risk factor in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease; all components that are part of the metabolic syndrome. Traditionally, insulin resistance has been defined in a glucocentric perspective. However, elevated systemic levels of fatty acids are now considered significant contributors towards the pathophysiological aspects associated with the syndrome. An overaccumulation of unoxidized long-chain fatty acids can saturate the storage capacity of adipose tissue, resulting in a lipid 'spill over' to non-adipose tissues, such as the liver, muscle, heart, and pancreatic-islets. Under these circumstances, such ectopic lipid deposition can have deleterious effects. The excess lipids are driven into alternative non-oxidative pathways, which result in the formation of reactive lipid moieties that promote metabolically relevant cellular dysfunction (lipotoxicity) and programmed cell-death (lipoapoptosis). Here, we focus on how both of these processes affect metabolically significant cell-types and highlight how lipotoxicity and sequential lipoapoptosis are as major mediators of insulin resistance, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Sec16p potentiates the action of COPII proteins to bud transport vesicles.

SEC16 encodes a 240-kD hydrophilic protein that is required for transport vesicle budding from the ER in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Sec16p is tightly and peripherally bound to ER membranes, hence it is not one of the cytosolic proteins required to reconstitute transport vesicle budding in a cell-free reaction. However, Sec16p is removed from the membrane by salt washes, and using such membranes we have reconstituted a vesicle budding reaction dependent on the addition of COPII proteins and pure Sec16p. Although COPII vesicle budding is promoted by GTP or a nonhydrolyzable analogue, guanylimide diphosphate (GMP-PNP), Sec16p stimulation is dependent on GTP in the reaction. Details of coat protein assembly and Sec16p-stimulated vesicle budding were explored with synthetic liposomes composed of a mixture of lipids, including acidic phospholipids (major-minor mix), or a simple binary mixture of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). Sec16p binds to major-minor mix liposomes and facilitates the recruitment of COPII proteins and vesicle budding in a reaction that is stimulated by Sar1p and GMP-PNP. Thin-section electron microscopy confirms a stimulation of budding profiles produced by incubation of liposomes with COPII and Sec16p. Whereas acidic phospholipids in the major-minor mix are required to recruit pure Sec16p to liposomes, PC/PE liposomes bind Sar1p-GTP, which stimulates the association of Sec16p and Sec23/24p. We propose that Sec16p nucleates a Sar1-GTP-dependent initiation of COPII assembly and serves to stabilize the coat to premature disassembly after Sar1p hydrolyzes GTP.

i-SNAREs: inhibitory SNAREs that fine-tune the specificity of membrane fusion.

A new functional class of SNAREs, designated inhibitory SNAREs (i-SNAREs), is described here. An i-SNARE inhibits fusion by substituting for or binding to a subunit of a fusogenic SNAREpin to form a nonfusogenic complex. Golgi-localized SNAREs were tested for i-SNARE activity by adding them as a fifth SNARE together with four other SNAREs that mediate Golgi fusion reactions. A striking pattern emerges in which certain subunits of the cis-Golgi SNAREpin function as i-SNAREs that inhibit fusion mediated by the trans-Golgi SNAREpin, and vice versa. Although the opposing distributions of the cis- and trans-Golgi SNAREs themselves could provide for a countercurrent fusion pattern in the Golgi stack, the gradients involved would be strongly sharpened by the complementary countercurrent distributions of the i-SNAREs.

Forgotten but not gone: the rediscovery of fatty heart, the most common unrecognized disease in America.

Until 60 years ago, fatty heart was an accepted clinical entity. Since then, its very existence has been questioned, despite the fact that 2 of 3 Americans are now obese or overweight and obesity has been shown to be correlated with cardiac functional abnormalities. In 2000, a syndrome of "lipotoxic cardiomyopathy" resembling earlier pathologic descriptions of fatty human hearts was described in rodents, and fatty infiltration of cardiomyocytes was subsequently reported in patients with congestive failure. Now, magnetic resonance spectroscopy has been adapted to permit routine noninvasive screening for fatty heart. The use of this technique in human volunteers indicates that cardiomyocyte fat correlates well with body mass index and is elevated in uncomplicated obesity. It is more severe when glucose tolerance becomes abnormal or diabetes is present. It is associated with impaired diastolic filling, even in seemingly asymptomatic obese volunteers. Because fatty heart can be readily prevented by lifestyle modification and pharmacologic interventions that reduce caloric intake and increase fatty acid oxidation, it seems important to recognize its existence so as to intervene as early as possible.

Countercurrent distribution of two distinct SNARE complexes mediating transport within the Golgi stack.

Genetic and biochemical evidence has established that a SNARE complex consisting of syntaxin 5 (Sed5)-mYkt6 (Ykt6)-GOS28 (Gos1)-GS15 (Sft1) is required for transport of proteins across the Golgi stack in animals (yeast). We have utilized quantitative immunogold labeling to establish the cis-trans distribution of the v-SNARE GS15 and the t-SNARE subunits GOS28 and syntaxin 5. Whereas the distribution of the t-SNARE is nearly even across the Golgi stack from the cis to the trans side, the v-SNARE GS15 is present in a gradient of increasing concentration toward the trans face of the stack. This contrasts with a second distinct SNARE complex, also required for intra-Golgi transport, consisting of syntaxin 5 (Sed5)-membrin (Bos1)-ERS24 (Sec22)-rBet1 (Bet1), whose v-(rBet1) and t-SNARE subunits (membrin and ERS24), progressively decrease in concentration toward the trans face. Transport within the stack therefore appears to utilize countercurrent gradients of two Golgi SNAREpins and may involve a mechanism akin to homotypic fusion.

Lipoapoptosis: its mechanism and its diseases.

The balance between cell division and cell death determines the cell population of an organ. When cell death exceeds cell replacement in an organ, a functional deficit is created. A metabolic cause of programmed cell death, lipoapoptosis, has recently been identified to occur in obesity and aging. If nonadipose tissues are exposed to an excess of long-chain fatty acids, unless leptin action increases their oxidation sufficiently, unoxidized fatty acids enter nonoxidative pathways. While initially they are sequestered as harmless neutral fat, ultimately some will enter more toxic pathways. One of these, the de novo ceramide pathway, has been implicated in the lipoapoptosis of beta-cells and myocardiocytes of congenitally obese rats in which leptin action is defective. Here we review the mechanisms of lipoapoptosis and the diseases that result from this cause of a diminishing cell population of these organs. We suggest that some of the components of the metabolic syndrome of obese humans and the sarcopenia of aging may be result of failure of leptin liporegulation to prevent lipid overload of lean body mass and lipoapoptosis in certain organ systems.

Mitofusin-2 independent juxtaposition of endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria: an ultrastructural study.

Besides its role in controlling the morphology of mitochondria, mitofusin-2 has been proposed to tether mitochondria to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), based largely on light microscopic analysis. In this study we have examined by electron microscopy the organization of ER and mitochondria in cells expressing or not mitofusin-2. Contrary to previous studies, we observed that loss of mitofusin-2 increased ER-mitochondria juxtaposition. These results suggest that mitofusin-2 does not play a critical role in the juxtapostion of ER and mitochondria, and highlight the essential role of ultrastructural analysis to visualize and measure contact between two intracellular compartments.

Coordination of COPII vesicle trafficking by Sec23.

Coat protein complex II (COPII) is a multi-subunit protein complex responsible for the formation of membrane vesicles at the endoplasmic reticulum. The assembly of this complex on the endoplasmic reticulum membrane needs to be tightly regulated to ensure efficient and specific incorporation of cargo proteins into nascent vesicles. Recent studies of a genetic disease affecting COPII function, and a structural analysis of COPII subunit interactions emphasize the central role of the Sec23 subunit in COPII coat assembly. Similarly, the demonstration that Sec23 interacts physically and functionally with proteins involved in both vesicle tethering and the transport along microtubules indicates that the Sec23 subunit is crucially important in linking COPII vesicle formation to anterograde transport events.