CD63在戊型肝炎病毒感染中的作用机制

本研究旨在寻找戊型肝炎病毒(hepatitis E virus,HEV)衣壳蛋白ORF2的相互作用蛋白,探讨其在HEV感染中的作用。采用酵母双杂交方法从人肝细胞文库中筛选与HEV ORF2相互作用的蛋白,结果显示CD63与HEV ORF2相互作用。Pull-down实验提示原核表达的ORF2与CD63结合较弱,而免疫共沉淀实验提示真核表达的ORF2能与CD63结合。流式细胞术检测结果显示,HEV易感细胞PLC/PRF/5细胞膜表面的CD63表达水平普遍低于HEV非易感细胞。过表达CD63抑制PLC/PRF/5细胞的HEV感染,而小干扰RNA(small interfering RNA,siRNA)干扰CD63表达则促进HEV感染。结果提示,CD63能与HEV ORF2相互作用,可能抑制HEV感染肝细胞。     

Muted蛋白介导CD63在嗜铬细胞大致密核粒的定位

大致密核心颗粒(Large dense-core vesicles,LDCVs)是一种溶酶体相关细胞器(Lysosome-related organelles,LROs),在细胞受到刺激时快速释放其内含物,从而调节机体生长发育、物质代谢和能量代谢等,维持机体的稳态。Muted蛋白是溶酶体相关细胞器生物发生复合体-1(Biogenesis of lysosomal organelles complex-1,BLOC-1)的一个亚基,参与调控溶酶体和多种细胞特异性LROs的生物学发生。四联体跨膜蛋白CD63最初被定位在内体-溶酶体系统,后来发现它也参与部分LROs膜的组成。CD63是否存在于LDCVs尚不清楚,其靶向运输过程是否依赖Muted蛋白也不明确。本研究以肾上腺嗜铬细胞为细胞模型,采用荧光共定位、活细胞追踪和密度梯度离心等实验鉴定CD63蛋白为LDCVs的膜组分,并探讨了其生物学功能。活细胞实验显示CD63-YFP特异性定位在NPY-dsRed标记的LDCVs上,并动态参与LDCVs膜的组成;密度梯度离心实验表明高密度区的CD63与LDCVs的标记蛋白VMAT1共同出峰;Muted蛋白缺乏的小鼠(Bloc1s5基因突变)是一种理想的Hermansky-Pudlak综合征(HPS)小鼠模型, 免疫印迹实验显示该突变体小鼠肾上腺组织中CD63蛋白含量明显减少,暗示Muted蛋白可能参与CD63的分选。以上结果表明CD63是LDCVs的膜成分,CD63在胞内的稳态水平依赖于Muted蛋白,为HPS的病理发生机制提供一定的理论依据。     

近红外荧光蛋白标记乳腺癌细胞外泌体的构建及鉴定

外泌体(Exosomes)是一种大小为30~100 nm的细胞外膜囊泡,与细胞的生物学功能及细胞间的信号传递有着密切的关系,尤其在癌症的诊断及治疗等领域发挥重要作用。为将外泌体更好地应用于乳腺癌肿瘤传递机制的研究,本文首先通过分子克隆手段将近红外荧光蛋白iRFP682基因和外泌体标记蛋白CD63基因克隆到含腺相关病毒(Adeno-associated virus,AAV)末端倒置重复序列(Inverted repeat terminal,ITR)的质粒载体上,构建融合表达近红外荧光蛋白和CD63蛋白的重组真核表达载体。然后再与辅助质粒共转染AAV-293细胞,包装重组腺相关病毒、纯化测量滴度后用于感染乳腺癌细胞,最后通过荧光筛选出稳定表达近红外荧光蛋白的乳腺癌细胞株。通过对乳腺癌稳定株的分离、纯化及鉴定,最终得到一个新型生物标记物：iRFP682标记的乳腺癌细胞来源的外泌体,为后续研究外泌体在乳腺癌肿瘤微环境中的分布及信号传递提供保障。     

Differential effects of p63 mutants on transactivation of p53 and/or p63 responsive genes

p63, known to play a role in development, has more recently also been implicated in cancer progression. Mutations in p63 have been shown to be responsible for several human developmental diseases. Differential splicing of the p63 gene gives rise to p63 isoforms, which can act either as tumor suppressors or as oncogene. In this report, we studied the effects of naturally occurring TAp637 mutants on the regulation of p53/p63 and p63 specific target genes. We observed significant differences among p63 mutants to regulate the p53/p63 and p63 specific target genes. Additionally, we observed a differential effect of p63 mutants on wildtype-p63-mediated induction ofp53/p63 and p63 specific target genes. We also demonstrated that these mutants differentially regulate the binding of wildtype p63 to the promoter of target genes. Furthermore, the effects of these mutants on cell death and survival were consistent with their ability to regulate the downstream targets when compared to wildtype TAp63T. In summary, our data demonstrate that p63 mutants exhibit differential effects on p63 and p53/p63 specific target genes and on the induction of apoptosis, and provide further insight into the function of p63.     

2-methoxyestradiol-induced cell death in osteosarcoma cells is preceded by cell cycle arrest

2-Methoxyestradiol (2-ME), a naturally occurring mammalian metabolite of 17beta-Estradiol (E2), induces cell death in osteosarcoma cells. To further understand the molecular mechanisms of action, we have investigated cell cycle progression in 2-ME-treated human osteosarcoma (MG63, SaOS-2 and LM7 [corrected]) cells. At 5 microM, 2-ME induced growth arrest by inducing a block in cell cycle; 2-ME-treatment resulted in 2-fold increases in G1 phase cells and a decrease in S phase cells in MG63 and SaOS-2 osteosarcoma cell lines, compared to the appropriate vehicle controls. 2-ME-treatment induced a threefold increase in the G2 phase in LM7 [corrected] osteosarcoma cells. The results demonstrated steroid specificity, as the tumorigenic metabolite, 16alpha-hydroxyestradiol (16-OHE), did not have any effect on cell cycle progression in osteosarcoma cells. The cell cycle arrest coincided with an increase in expression of the cell cycle markers p21, p27 and p53 proteins in 2-ME-treated osteosarcoma cells. Also, MG63 cells, transiently transfected with cDNA for a 'loss of function mutant' RNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR) protein, were resistant to 2-ME-induced cell cycle arrest. These results suggest that 2-ME works in concert with factors regulating cell cycle progression, and cell cycle arrest precedes cell death in 2-ME-treated osteosarcoma cells.     

Heat shock protein 90 regulates the stability of MEKK3 in HEK293 cells

Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is a molecular chaperone required for the conformational maturation and function of certain signaling proteins. Hsp90 inhibitors cause the inactivation, destabilization and eventual degradation of Hsp90 client proteins through occupying the ATP/ADP binding pocket of Hsp90. In the present study, we found that Hsp90 interacted with MEKK3 in HEK293 cells. Hsp90 inhibitors reduced the level of endogenous MEKK3 in time- and dose-dependent manners, and this decrease was reversed by Hsp90 overexpression. In addition, Hsp90 RNAi destabilized MEKK3. A selective inhibitor of Hsp90, geldanamycin (GA), shortened MEKK3 half-life, and induced ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of MEKK3. These results strongly suggested that Hsp90 could work as the molecular chaperone of MEKK3.     

Trafficking and function of the tetraspanin CD63

Tetraspanins comprise a large superfamily of cell surface-associated membrane proteins characterized by four transmembrane domains. They participate in a variety of cellular processes, like cell activation, adhesion, differentiation and tumour invasion. At the cell surface, tetraspanins form networks with a wide diversity of proteins called tetraspanin-enriched microdomains (TEMs). CD63 was the first characterized tetraspanin. In addition to its presence in TEMs, CD63 is also abundantly present in late endosomes and lysosomes. CD63 at the cell surface is endocytosed via a clathrin-dependent pathway, although recent studies suggest the involvement of other pathways as well and we here present evidence for a role of caveolae in CD63 endocytosis. In late endosomes, CD63 is enriched on the intraluminal vesicles, which by specialized cells are secreted as exosomes through fusion of endosomes with the plasma membrane. The complex localization pattern of CD63 suggests that its intracellular trafficking and distribution must be tightly regulated. In this review we discuss the latest insights in CD63 trafficking and its emerging function as a transport regulator of its interaction partners. Finally, the involvement of CD63 in cancer will be discussed.