scholarly journals Impairment of Proteasome and Autophagy Underlying the Pathogenesis of Leukodystrophy

Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 1124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dar-Shong Lin ◽  
Che-Sheng Ho ◽  
Yu-Wen Huang ◽  
Tsu-Yen Wu ◽  
Tsung-Han Lee ◽  
...  

Impairment of the ubiquitin-proteasome-system (UPS) and autophagy causing cytoplasmic aggregation of ubiquitin andp62 have been implicated in the pathogenesis of most neurodegenerative disorders, yet, they have not been fully elucidated in leukodystrophies. The relationship among impairment of UPS, autophagy, and globoid cell leukodystrophy (GLD), one of the most common demyelinating leukodystrophies, is clarified in this study. We examined the ubiquitin and autophagy markers in the brains of twitcher mice, a murine model of infantile GLD, and in human oligodendrocytes incubated with psychosine. Immunohistochemical examinations showed spatiotemporal accumulation of ubiquitin- and p62-aggregates mainly in the white matter of brain and spinal cord at disease progression. Western blot analysis demonstrated a significant accumulation of ubiquitin, p62, and LC3-II in insoluble fraction in parallel with progressive demyelination and neuroinflammation in twitcher brains. In vitro study validated a dose- and time-dependent cytotoxicity of psychosine upon autophagy and UPS machinery. Inhibition of autophagy and UPS exacerbated the accumulation of insoluble ubiquitin, p62, and LC3-II proteins mediated by psychosine cytotoxicity as well as increased cytoplasmic deposition of ubiquitin- and p62-aggregates, and accumulation of autophagosomes and autolysosomes. Further, the subsequent accumulation of reactive oxygen species and reduction of mitochondrial respiration led to cell death. Our studies validate the impairment of proteasome and autophagy underlying the pathogenesis of GLD. These findings provide a novel insight into pathogenesis of GLD and suggest a specific pathomechanism as an ideal target for therapeutic approaches.

Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 110
Author(s):  
Dina Aweida ◽  
Shenhav Cohen

Protein degradation maintains cellular integrity by regulating virtually all biological processes, whereas impaired proteolysis perturbs protein quality control, and often leads to human disease. Two major proteolytic systems are responsible for protein breakdown in all cells: autophagy, which facilitates the loss of organelles, protein aggregates, and cell surface proteins; and the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), which promotes degradation of mainly soluble proteins. Recent findings indicate that more complex protein structures, such as filamentous assemblies, which are not accessible to the catalytic core of the proteasome in vitro, can be efficiently degraded by this proteolytic machinery in systemic catabolic states in vivo. Mechanisms that loosen the filamentous structure seem to be activated first, hence increasing the accessibility of protein constituents to the UPS. In this review, we will discuss the mechanisms underlying the disassembly and loss of the intricate insoluble filamentous myofibrils, which are responsible for muscle contraction, and whose degradation by the UPS causes weakness and disability in aging and disease. Several lines of evidence indicate that myofibril breakdown occurs in a strictly ordered and controlled manner, and the function of AAA-ATPases is crucial for their disassembly and loss.


2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aida Kozlic ◽  
Nikola Winter ◽  
Theresia Telser ◽  
Jakob Reimann ◽  
Katrin Rose ◽  
...  

The N-degron pathway is a branch of the ubiquitin-proteasome system where amino-terminal residues serve as degradation signals. In a synthetic biology approach, we expressed ubiquitin ligase PRT6 and ubiquitin conjugating enzyme 2 (AtUBC2) from Arabidopsis thaliana in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain with mutation in its endogenous N-degron pathway. The two enzymes re-constitute part of the plant N-degron pathway and were probed by monitoring the stability of co-expressed GFP-linked plant proteins starting with Arginine N-degrons. The novel assay allows for straightforward analysis, whereas in vitro interaction assays often do not allow detection of the weak binding of N-degron recognizing ubiquitin ligases to their substrates, and in planta testing is usually complex and time-consuming.


Pharmaceutics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ylenia Jabalera ◽  
Beatriz Garcia-Pinel ◽  
Raul Ortiz ◽  
Guillermo Iglesias ◽  
Laura Cabeza ◽  
...  

Conventional chemotherapy against colorectal cancer (CRC), the third most common cancer in the world, includes oxaliplatin (Oxa) which induces serious unwanted side effects that limit the efficiency of treatment. Therefore, alternative therapeutic approaches are urgently required. In this work, biomimetic magnetic nanoparticles (BMNPs) mediated by MamC were coupled to Oxa to evaluate the potential of the Oxa–BMNP nanoassembly for directed local delivery of the drug as a proof of concept for the future development of targeted chemotherapy against CRC. Electrostatic interactions between Oxa and BMNPs trigger the formation of the nanoassembly and keep it stable at physiological pH. When the BMNPs become neutral at acidic pH values, the Oxa is released, and such a release is greatly potentiated by hyperthermia. The coupling of the drug with the BMNPs improves its toxicity to even higher levels than the soluble drug, probably because of the fast internalization of the nanoassembly by tumor cells through endocytosis. In addition, the BMNPs are cytocompatible and non-hemolytic, providing positive feedback as a proof of concept for the nanoassembly. Our study clearly demonstrates the applicability of Oxa–BMNP in colon cancer and offers a promising nanoassembly for targeted chemotherapy against this type of tumor.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. 4151
Author(s):  
Lucie Tumova ◽  
Michal Zigo ◽  
Peter Sutovsky ◽  
Marketa Sedmikova ◽  
Pavla Postlerova

Sperm capacitation, one of the key events during successful fertilization, is associated with extensive structural and functional sperm remodeling, beginning with the modification of protein composition within the sperm plasma membrane. The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), a multiprotein complex responsible for protein degradation and turnover, participates in capacitation events. Previous studies showed that capacitation-induced shedding of the seminal plasma proteins such as SPINK2, AQN1, and DQH from the sperm surface is regulated by UPS. Alterations in the sperm surface protein composition also relate to the porcine β-microseminoprotein (MSMB/PSP94), seminal plasma protein known as immunoglobulin-binding factor, and motility inhibitor. MSMB was detected in the acrosomal region as well as the flagellum of ejaculated boar spermatozoa, while the signal disappeared from the acrosomal region after in vitro capacitation (IVC). The involvement of UPS in the MSMB degradation during sperm IVC was studied using proteasomal interference and ubiquitin-activating enzyme (E1) inhibiting conditions by image-based flow cytometry and Western blot detection. Our results showed no accumulation of porcine MSMB either under proteasomal inhibition or under E1 inhibiting conditions. In addition, the immunoprecipitation study did not detect any ubiquitination of sperm MSMB nor was MSMB detected in the affinity-purified fraction containing ubiquitinated sperm proteins. Based on our results, we conclude that UPS does not appear to be the regulatory mechanism in the case of MSMB and opening new questions for further studies. Thus, the capacitation-induced processing of seminal plasma proteins on the sperm surface may be more complex than previously thought, employing multiple proteolytic systems in a non-redundant manner.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (21) ◽  
pp. 5300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyung Ho Han ◽  
Minseok Kwak ◽  
Tae Hyeong Lee ◽  
Min-soo Park ◽  
In-ho Jeong ◽  
...  

The ubiquitin–proteasome system is an essential regulator of several cellular pathways involving oncogenes. Deubiquitination negatively regulates target proteins or substrates linked to both hereditary and sporadic forms of cancer. The deubiquitinating enzyme ubiquitin-specific protease 14 (USP14) is associated with proteasomes where it trims the ubiquitin chain on the substrate. Here, we found that USP14 is highly expressed in patients with lung cancer. We also demonstrated that USP14 inhibitors (IU1-47 and siRNA-USP14) significantly decreased cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in lung cancer. Remarkably, we found that USP14 negatively regulates lung tumorigenesis not only through apoptosis but also through the autophagy pathway. Our findings suggest that USP14 plays a crucial role in lung tumorigenesis and that USP14 inhibitors are potent drugs in lung cancer treatment.


2012 ◽  
Vol 443 (3) ◽  
pp. 681-689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wan Ning Vanessa Chow ◽  
Hon Wing Luk ◽  
Ho Yin Edwin Chan ◽  
Kwok-Fai Lau

An unstable expansion of the polyglutamine repeat within exon 1 of the protein Htt (huntingtin) causes HD (Huntington's disease). Mounting evidence shows that accumulation of N-terminal mutant Htt fragments is the source of disruption of normal cellular processes which ultimately leads to neuronal cell death. Understanding the degradation mechanism of mutant Htt and improving its clearance has emerged as a new direction in developing therapeutic approaches to treat HD. In the present study we show that the brain-enriched adaptor protein FE65 is a novel interacting partner of Htt. The binding is mediated through WW–polyproline interaction and is dependent on the length of the polyglutamine tract. Interestingly, a reduction in mutant Htt protein level was observed in FE65-knockdown cells, and the process requires the UPS (ubiquitin/proteasome system). Moreover, the ubiquitination level of mutant Htt was found to be enhanced when FE65 is knocked down. Immunofluroescence staining revealed that FE65 associates with mutant Htt aggregates. Additionally, we demonstrated that overexpression of FE65 increases mutant Htt-induced cell death both in vitro and in vivo. These results suggest that FE65 facilitates the accumulation of mutant Htt in cells by preventing its degradation via the UPS, and thereby enhances the toxicity of mutant Htt.


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