Proteasome System (proteasome + system)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Rnf19a, a ubiquitin protein ligase, and Psmc3, a component of the 26S proteasome, Tether to the acrosome membranes and the head,tail coupling apparatus during rat spermatid development

DEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS, Issue 7 2009
Eugene Rivkin
Abstract We report the cDNA cloning of rat testis Rnf19a, a ubiquitin protein ligase, and show 98% and 93% protein sequence identity of testicular mouse and human Rnf19a, respectively. Rnf19a interacts with Psmc3, a protein component of the 19S regulatory cap of the 26S proteasome. During spermatid development, Rnf19a and Psmc3 are initially found in Golgi-derived proacrosomal vesicles. Later on, Rnf19a, Psmc3, and ubiquitin are seen along the cytosolic side of the acrosomal membranes and the acroplaxome, a cytoskeletal plate linking the acrosome to the spermatid nuclear envelope. Rnf19a and Psmc3 accumulate at the acroplaxome marginal ring,manchette perinuclear ring region during spermatid head shaping and in the developing sperm head,tail coupling apparatus and tail. Rnf19a and Psmc3 may interact directly or indirectly with each other, presumably pointing to the participation of the ubiquitin,proteasome system in acrosome biogenesis, spermatid head shaping, and development of the head-tail coupling apparatus and tail. Developmental Dynamics 238:1851,1861, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


BSc2118 is a novel proteasome inhibitor with activity against multiple myeloma

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HAEMATOLOGY, Issue 2 2010
Jan Sterz
Abstract Objectives:, The ubiquitin,proteasome system emerged as a new therapeutic target in cancer treatment. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the effects of the novel proteasome inhibitor BSc2118 on t(4;14) positive and negative multiple myeloma (MM) cells and normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC). Methods:, Human MM cell lines OPM-2, RPMI-8226, and U266 and primary MM cells from bone marrow aspirates were exposed to BSc2118. Cytotoxicity levels were evaluated using the MTT-test. BSc2118-induced apoptosis was analyzed by annexin-V assay. Further methods used included proteasomal activity determination, cell cycle analysis, western blot, and transcription factor assays. Results:, In OPM-2, RPMI-8226, U266 cell lines and primary MM cells, BSc2118 caused dose-dependent growth inhibitory effects. After 48 h, dose-dependent apoptosis occurred both in cell lines and primary myeloma cells irrespective of t(4;14). A significant G2-M cell cycle arrest occurred after 24 h. Furthermore, we observed a marked inhibition of intracellular proteasome activity, an increase in intracellular p21 levels, and an inhibition of NF-,B activation. The toxicity against PBMNC remained low, suggesting a broad therapeutic range of this agent. Conclusion:, Taken together, BSc2118 shows significant antimyeloma activity and may be considered as a promising agent in cancer drug development. [source]


Activated Rac1, but not the tumorigenic variant Rac1b, is ubiquitinated on Lys 147 through a JNK-regulated process

FEBS JOURNAL, Issue 2 2008
Orane Visvikis
Ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation have recently emerged as an additional level of regulation of activated forms of Rho GTPases. To characterize this novel regulatory pathway and to gain insight into its biological significance, we studied the ubiquitination of two constitutively activated forms of Rac1, i.e. the mutationally activated Rac1L61, and the tumorigenic splice variant Rac1b, which is defective for several downstream signaling pathways, including JNK activation. Whereas Rac1L61 undergoes polyubiquitination and subsequent proteasomal degradation in HEK293 cells, Rac1b is poorly ubiquitinated and appears to be much more resistant to proteasomal degradation than Rac1L61. Mutational analysis of all lysine residues in Rac1 revealed that the major target site for Rac1 ubiquitination is Lys147, a solvent-accessible residue that has a similar conformation in Rac1b. Like Rac1L61, Rac1b was found to be largely associated with plasma membrane, a known prerequisite for Rac1 ubiquitination. Interestingly, Rac1b ubiquitination could be stimulated by coexpression of Rac1L61, suggesting positive regulation of Rac1 ubiquitination by Rac1 downstream signaling. Indeed, ubiquitination of Rac1L61 is critically dependent on JNK activation. In conclusion: (a) Rac1b appears to be more stable than Rac1L61 with regard to the ubiquitin,proteasome system, and this may be of importance for the expression and tumorigenic capacity of Rac1b; and (b) ubiquitination of activated Rac1 occurs through a JNK-activated process, which may explain the defective ubiquitination of Rac1b. The JNK-dependent activation of Rac1 ubiquitination would create a regulatory loop allowing the cell to counteract excessive activation of Rac1 GTPase. [source]


Proteasome-driven turnover of tryptophan hydroxylase is triggered by phosphorylation in RBL2H3 cells, a serotonin producing mast cell line

FEBS JOURNAL, Issue 19 2002
Yoshiko Iida
We previously demonstrated in mast cell lines RBL2H3 and FMA3 that tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) undergoes very fast turnover driven by 26S-proteasomes [Kojima, M., Oguro, K., Sawabe, K., Iida, Y., Ikeda, R., Yamashita, A., Nakanishi, N. & Hasegawa, H. (2000) J. Biochem (Tokyo) 2000, 127, 121,127]. In the present study, we have examined an involvement of TPH phosphorylation in the rapid turnover, using non-neural TPH. The proteasome-driven degradation of TPH in living cells was accelerated by okadaic acid, a protein phosphatase inhibitor. Incorporation of 32P into a 53-kDa protein, which was judged to be TPH based on autoradiography and Western blot analysis using anti-TPH serum and purified TPH as the size marker, was observed in FMA3 cells only in the presence of both okadaic acid and MG132, inhibitors of protein phosphatase and proteasome, respectively. In a cell-free proteasome system constituted mainly of RBL2H3 cell extracts, degradation of exogenous TPH isolated from mastocytoma P-815 cells was inhibited by protein kinase inhibitors KN-62 and K252a but not by H89. Consistent with the inhibitor specificity, the same TPH was phosphorylated by exogenous Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II in the presence of Ca2+ and calmodulin but not by protein kinase A (catalytic subunit). TPH protein thus phosphorylated by Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II was digested more rapidly in the cell-free proteasome system than was the nonphosphorylated enzyme. These results indicated that the phosphorylation of TPH was a prerequisite for proteasome-driven TPH degradation. [source]


Preserving organelle vitality: peroxisomal quality control mechanisms in yeast

FEMS YEAST RESEARCH, Issue 6 2009
Eda Bener Aksam
Abstract Cellular proteins and organelles such as peroxisomes are under continuous quality control. Upon synthesis in the cytosol, peroxisomal proteins are kept in an import-competent state by chaperones or specific proteins with an analogous function to prevent degradation by the ubiquitin,proteasome system. During protein translocation into the organelle, the peroxisomal targeting signal receptors (Pex5, Pex20) are also continuously undergoing quality control to enable efficient functioning of the translocon (RADAR pathway). Even upon maturation of peroxisomes, matrix enzymes and peroxisomal membranes remain subjected to quality control. As a result of their oxidative metabolism, peroxisomes are producers of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which may damage proteins and lipids. To counteract ROS-induced damage, yeast peroxisomes contain two important antioxidant enzymes: catalase and an organelle-specific peroxiredoxin. Additionally, a Lon-type protease has recently been identified in the peroxisomal matrix, which is capable of degrading nonfunctional proteins. Finally, cellular housekeeping processes keep track of the functioning of peroxisomes so that dysfunctional organelles can be quickly removed via selective autophagy (pexophagy). This review provides an overview of the major processes involved in quality control of yeast peroxisomes. [source]


Dysfunction of the unfolded protein response increases neurodegeneration in aged rat hippocampus following proteasome inhibition

AGING CELL, Issue 6 2009
María Paz Gavilán
Summary Dysfunctions of the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) have been proposed to be involved in the aetiology and/or progression of several age-related neurodegenerative disorders. However, the mechanisms linking proteasome dysfunction to cell degeneration are poorly understood. We examined in young and aged rat hippocampus the activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR) under cellular stress induced by proteasome inhibition. Lactacystin injection blocked proteasome activity in young and aged animals in a similar extent and increased the amount of ubiquitinated proteins. Young animals activated the three UPR arms, IRE1,, ATF6, and PERK, whereas aged rats failed to induce the IRE1, and ATF6, pathways. In consequence, aged animals did not induce the expression of pro-survival factors (chaperones, Bcl-XL and Bcl-2), displayed a more sustained expression of pro-apoptotic markers (CHOP, Bax, Bak and JKN), an increased caspase-3 processing. At the cellular level, proteasome inhibition induced neuronal damage in young and aged animals as assayed using Fluorojade-B staining. However, degenerating neurons were evident as soon as 24 h postinjection in aged rats, but it was delayed up to 3 days in young animals. Our findings show evidence supporting age-related dysfunctions in the UPR activation as a potential mechanism linking protein accumulation to cell degeneration. An imbalance between pro-survival and pro-apoptotic proteins, because of noncanonical activation of the UPR in aged rats, would increase the susceptibility to cell degeneration. These findings add a new molecular vision that might be relevant in the aetiology of several age-related neurodegenerative disorders. [source]


Dysfunction of the ubiquitin,proteasome system in Parkinson's disease

JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY, Issue 2003
P. Jenner
The cause of nigral cell degeneration and Lewy body formation in Parkinson's disease (PD) remains unknown but may involve impaired proteolysis. Evidence from both sporadic and familial forms of PD suggest the involvement of alterations in the ubiquitin,proteasomal system. In postmortem tissues from PD cases, there is a loss of 26S proteasomal enzyme activity coupled to a decrease in the expression of ,-subunits in substantia nigra while ,-subunit expression remains unchanged. The expression of PA700 is up-regulated in a number of brain regions in PD but not in substantia nigra. Interestingly, there was little or no expression of PA28 in the nigra in both aged control tissue or in PD. These data suggest that alterations in protein handling may be key to the formation of Lewy bodies in PD. Indeed, in vitro and in vivo inhibition of proteasomal activity causes the death of dopaminergic neurones. Recent evidence suggests that the formation of Lewy bodies may be linked to impaired proteasomal function in centrosomes leading to aggresome formation. [source]


Identification of testis-specific ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis

MOLECULAR REPRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT, Issue 7 2010
Naoto Yokota
The ubiquitin,proteasome system is known to play a key role in fertilization in ascidians, sea urchins, and mammals. To obtain insights into the ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes (Ube2) involved in reproductive systems, we systematically explored Ube2 enzymes expressed in the testis of the ascidian Ciona intestinalis. Here, we report cDNA cloning and characterization of a novel type of Ube2r (Ci0100152677) that is capable of making a thiolester bond with ubiquitin. Northern analysis, whole-mount in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry indicate that this enzyme is exclusively expressed in the testis, mainly in the germ cells during the late stage of spermatogenesis, and is localized in the sperm head and tail, suggesting possible participation in fertilization or spermatogenesis/spermiogenesis. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 77: 640,647, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


The ubiquitin protein catabolic disorders

NEUROPATHOLOGY & APPLIED NEUROBIOLOGY, Issue 3 2001
Robert Layfield
The ubiquitin,proteasome system of intracellular proteolysis is essential for cell viability. We propose the concept that neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, as well as other conditions including some types of cancer, collectively represent a raft of ,ubiquitin protein catabolic disorders' in which altered function of the ubiquitin,proteasome system can cause or directly contribute to disease pathogenesis. Genetic abnormalities within the ubiquitin pathway, either in ubiquitin-ligase (E3) enzymes or in deubiquitinating enzymes, cause disease because of problems associated with substrate recognition or supply of free ubiquitin, respectively. In some cases, mutations in protein substrates of the ubiquitin,proteasome system may directly contribute to disease progression because of inefficient substrate recognition. Mutations in transcripts for the ubiquitin protein itself (as a result of ,molecular misreading') also affect ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis with catastrophic consequences. This has been shown in Alzheimer's disease and could apply to other age-associated neurodegenerative conditions. Within the nervous system, accumulation of unwanted proteins as a result of defective ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis may contribute to aggregation events, which underlie the pathogenesis of several major human neurodegenerative diseases. [source]


Prion protein is ubiquitinated after developing protease resistance in the brains of scrapie-infected mice

THE JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY, Issue 1 2004
Shin-Chung Kang
Abstract Although the key event in the pathology of prion diseases is thought to be the conversion of cellular prion protein (PrPC) to the protease-resistant scrapie species termed PrPSc, the factors that contribute to neurodegeneration in scrapie-infected animals are poorly understood. One probable determinant could be when the accumulation of PrPSc in infected brain overwhelms the ubiquitin,proteasome system and triggers the degenerative cascade. In the present study, it was found that in mouse brains infected with the ME7 scrapie strain, the level of ubiquitin protein conjugates increased significantly at ,144 days post-infection (pi) when clinical signs first become apparent. This elevation correlated with the detection of protease-resistant PrPSc and a decline in two endopeptidase activities associated with proteasome function. However, ubiquitination of PrP was only detected at the terminal stage, 3 weeks after the development of clinical symptoms (,165 days pi). These results suggest that ubiquitination of PrP is a late event phenomenon and this conjugation occurs after the formation of protease-resistant PrPSc. Whether this post-translational modification and the impairment of proteasome function are pivotal events in the pathogenesis of prion diseases remains to be determined. Copyright © 2004 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Attenuation of pain and inflammation in adjuvant-induced arthritis by the proteasome inhibitor MG132

ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 7 2010
Aisha S. Ahmed
Objective In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), pain and joint destruction are initiated and propagated by the production of proinflammatory mediators. Synthesis of these mediators is regulated by the transcription factor NF-,B, which is controlled by the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS). The present study explored the effects of the proteasome inhibitor MG132 on inflammation, pain, joint destruction, and expression of sensory neuropeptides as markers of neuronal response in a rat model of arthritis. Methods Arthritis was induced in rats by injection of heat-killed Mycobacterium butyricum. Arthritis severity was scored, and nociception was evaluated by mechanical pressure applied to the hind paw. Joint destruction was assessed by radiologic and histologic analyses. NF-,B DNA-binding activity was analyzed by electromobility shift assay, and changes in the expression of the p50 NF-,B subunit and the proinflammatory neuropeptides substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) were detected by immunohistochemistry. Results Arthritic rats treated with MG132 demonstrated a marked reduction in inflammation, pain, and joint destruction. The elevated DNA-binding activity of the NF-,B/p50 homodimer and p50, as well as the neuronal expression of SP and CGRP, observed in the ankle joints of arthritic rats were normalized after treatment with MG132. Conclusion In arthritic rats, inhibition of proteasome reduced the severity of arthritis and reversed the pain behavior associated with joint inflammation. These effects may be mediated through the inhibition of NF-,B activation and may possibly involve the peripheral nervous system. New generations of nontoxic proteasome inhibitors may represent a novel pharmacotherapy for RA. [source]


Protein Targets of Oxidative Damage in Human Neurodegenerative Diseases with Abnormal Protein Aggregates

BRAIN PATHOLOGY, Issue 2 2010
Anna Martínez
Abstract Human neurodegenerative diseases with abnormal protein aggregates are associated with aberrant post-translational modifications, solubility, aggregation and fibril formation of selected proteins which cannot be degraded by cytosolic proteases, ubiquitin,protesome system and autophagy, and, therefore, accumulate in cells and extracellular compartments as residual debris. In addition to the accumulation of "primary" proteins, several other mechanisms are involved in the degenerative process and probably may explain crucial aspects such as the timing, selective cellular vulnerability and progression of the disease in particular individuals. One of these mechanisms is oxidative stress, which occurs in the vast majority of, if not all, degenerative diseases of the nervous system. The present review covers most of the protein targets that have been recognized as modified proteins mainly using bidimensional gel electrophoresis, Western blotting with oxidative and nitrosative markers, and identified by mass spectrometry in Alzheimer disease; certain tauopathies such as progressive supranuclear palsy, Pick disease, argyrophilic grain disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration linked to mutations in tau protein, for example, FTLD-tau, Parkinson disease and related ,-synucleinopathies; Huntington disease; and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, together with related animal and cellular models. Vulnerable proteins can be mostly grouped in defined metabolic pathways covering glycolysis and energy metabolism, cytoskeletal, chaperoning, cellular stress responses, and members of the ubiquitin,proteasome system. Available information points to the fact that vital metabolic pathways are hampered by protein oxidative damage in several human degenerative diseases and that oxidative damage occurs at very early stages of the disease. Yet parallel functional studies are limited and further work is needed to document whether protein oxidation results in loss of activity and impaired performance. A better understanding of proteins susceptible to oxidation and nitration may serve to define damaged metabolic networks at early stages of disease and to advance therapeutic interventions to attenuate disease progression. [source]