Degradation of the precursor of mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase in chicken embryo fibroblasts

The precursor of mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase accumulates in the cytosol of cultured chicken embryo fibroblasts if its import into mitochondria is inhibited by an uncoupling agent. However, its accumulation is limited by degradation with a half-life of only approximately 5 min (Jaussi, R., Sonderegger, P., Flückiger, J., and Christen, P. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 13334-13340). The aim of the present study was the characterization of the proteolytic system(s) responsible for this very rapid intracellular degradation. On depleting chicken embryo fibroblasts of ATP, the rate of degradation of the precursor was lowered by approximately 70%. Chicken embryo fibroblasts depleted of divalent metal ions showed a degradative activity of 10% of the initial value. Reconstitution of these cells with Mg2+ and Ca2+ increased the degradative activity from 10 to 107 and 24%, respectively. Thiol reagents almost completely prevented the degradation, whereas specific peptide inhibitors of cysteine proteases or inhibitors of intralysosomal proteolysis decreased the rate of degradation by only approximately 30%. Inhibitors of serine proteases had little effect. No rapid degradation of the precursor was observed in crude extracts of chicken embryo fibroblasts. The data indicate that the bulk of the precursor accumulated under conditions of import block is degraded by one or several cytosolic proteases dependent on ATP, Mg2+, and thiol groups of unknown localization, conceivably by proteolytic enzymes identical with or similar to one of the high molecular weight cytosolic proteases (Waxman, L., Fagan, J.M., Tanaka, K., and Goldberg, A. L. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 11994-12000). The rest of the precursor appears to be degraded by lysosomes.     

Competition between calnexin and BiP in the endoplasmic reticulum can lead to the folding or degradation of human thyroperoxidase

Previous studies on the fate of human thyroperoxidase (hTPO) molecules have shown that, after being synthesized, these glycoproteins interact with calnexin and calreticulin and that only some of them are able to acquire a partially folded structure. The aim of the present study was to further investigate the potential role of BiP, another major protein chaperon. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments showed the occurrence of interactions between hTPO and BiP. Pulse-chase studies showed that, when hTPO was expressed in a Chinese hamster ovary cell line overexpressing 5 times more BiP than the parent cells, the rate of hTPO recognized by a monoclonal antibody directed against a conformational structure decreased by 50% after 5 h of chase. Overexpression of the BiP-ATPase mutant G37T also led to a decrease in the correct folding rate of hTPO. When this protein was pulsed in the presence of 35S-(Met + Cys) and the reducing agent dithiotreitol and then chased in a culture medium without dithiothreitol, a 2.5-fold decrease in the correct folding rate was observed in cells overexpressing BiP, whereas co-overexpression of calnexin and Erp57 led to an increase in both the unfolded and partially folded form of hTPO after the pulse step. All of these findings show that BiP and calnexin have opposite effects on the folding behavior of hTPO and that the action of specific molecular chaperones may therefore crucially determine the fate of glycoproteins.     

3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase is sterol-dependently cleaved by cathepsin L-type cysteine protease in the isolated endoplasmic reticulum

We have recently shown that 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane protein, is degraded in ER membranes prepared from sterol pretreated cells and that such degradation is catalyzed by a cysteine protease within the reductase membrane domain. The use of various protease inhibitors suggested that degradation of HMG-CoA reductase in vitro is catalyzed by a cathepsin L-type cysteine protease. Purified ER contains E-64-sensitive cathepsin L activity whose inhibitor sensitivity was well matched to that of HMG-CoA reductase degradation in vitro. CLIK-148 (cathepsin L inhibitor) inhibited degradation of HMG-CoA reductase in vitro. Purified cathepsin L also efficiently cleaved HMG-CoA reductase in isolated ER preparations. To determine whether a cathepsin L-type cysteine protease is involved in sterol-regulated degradation of HMG-CoA reductase in vivo, we examined the effect of E-64d, a membrane-permeable cysteine protease inhibitor, in living cells. While lactacystin, a proteasome-specific inhibitor, inhibited sterol-dependent degradation of HMG-CoA reductase, E-64d failed to do so. In contrast, degradation of HMG-CoA reductase in sonicated cells was inhibited by E-64d, CLIK-148, and leupeptin but not by lactacystin. Our results indicate that HMG-CoA reductase is degraded by the proteasome under normal conditions in living cells and that it is cleaved by cathepsin L leaked from lysosomes during preparation of the ER, thus clarifying the apparently paradoxical in vivo and in vitro results. Cathepsin L-dependent proteolysis was observed to occur preferentially in sterol-pretreated cells, suggesting that sterol treatment results in conformational changes in HMG-CoA reductase that make it more susceptible to such cleavage.     

Ubiquitin-proteasome-dependent degradation of apolipoprotein B100 in vitro

Apolipoprotein B100 (apoB) is a large secretory protein that forms very low density lipoprotein in liver. An in vitro degradation assay was developed using rabbit reticulocyte (RR) lysate in order to investigate the mechanism of intracellular degradation of newly synthesized apoB by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. [³H]apoB, isolated from [³H]leucine pulsed/chased Hep G2 cells, was degraded 51% when incubated for 2 h at 37°C in an assay mixture that included RR lysate (source of the ubiquitin conjugation system and proteasome) and an exogenous ATP regenerating system. ApoB degradation was ATP-dependent and degradation fragments were not observed suggesting that the very large apoB molecule was extensively degraded. ApoB degradation was decreased to 50% when potent proteasome inhibitors, clasto-lactacystin β-lactone (10 μM) or MG-132 (50 μM), were added to the reaction mixture, but was not affected by the cysteine protease inhibitor, E-64, or the serine protease inhibitor, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride. ApoB degradation was inhibited by the mutant ubiquitin protein K48R and by ubiquitin aldehyde, an inhibitor of ubiquitin-protein isopeptidases. During incubation ubiquitination of apoB increased even as apoB was being degraded. These results suggest that in vitro degradation of apoB, a large secretory protein that is normally found in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) lumen or associated with the ER membrane, was proteasome-dependent and involved both ubiquitination and deubiquitination steps.     

The ATP-independent pathway in red blood cells that degrades oxidant-damaged hemoglobin.

Studies were carried out to characterize further the cytoplasmic ATP- and ubiquitin-independent proteolytic system in red blood cells that degrades hemoglobin damaged by exposure to oxidants (Fagan, J. M., Waxman, L., and Goldberg, A. L. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 5705-5713). Several proteases were ruled out as having a major role in the degradation of oxidant-treated hemoglobin (Ox-Hb). Acid hydrolases are not active in this process since the degradation of Ox-Hb has a pH optimum between 6 and 8. The calpains are also not involved since inhibitors of cysteine proteases (leupeptin and trans-epoxysuccinyl-L-leucylamido-(3-methyl)butane) did not diminish the increased proteolysis in intact erythrocytes treated with oxidants or in lysates to which Ox-Hb was added. The degradation of Ox-Hb was unaffected by inhibitors of serine and aspartic proteases. Removal of the high M(r) multicatalytic proteinase by immunoprecipitation also did not significantly affect the degradation of Ox-Hb in erythrocyte lysates. The degradation of Ox-Hb was sensitive to metal chelators and sulfhydryl-modifying reagents but not to specific inhibitors of known metalloproteases. Insulin, which is rapidly degraded in lysates, completely blocked the degradation of Ox-Hb. Insulin- and Ox-Hb-hydrolyzing activity was also inhibited following immunoprecipitation of the 100-kDa metalloinsulinase. The metalloinsulinase, which is inhibited by sulfhydryl-modifying reagents and which requires divalent metals, may therefore participate in the degradation of hemoglobin damaged by oxidants in erythrocytes.     

Mechanistic Insights into the Enhancement of Adeno-Associated Virus Transduction by Proteasome Inhibitors

Proteasome inhibitors (e.g., bortezomib, MG132) are known to enhance adeno-associated virus (AAV) transduction; however, whether this results from pleotropic proteasome inhibition or off-target serine and/or cysteine protease inhibition remains unresolved. Here, we examined recombinant AAV (rAAV) effects of a new proteasome inhibitor, carfilzomib, which specifically inhibits chymotrypsin-like proteasome activity and no other proteases. We determined that proteasome inhibitors act on rAAV through proteasome inhibition and not serine or cysteine protease inhibition, likely through positive changes late in transduction.     

Newly synthesized human delta opioid receptors retained in the endoplasmic reticulum are retrotranslocated to the cytosol, deglycosylated, ubiquitinated, and degraded by the proteasome

We have previously shown that only a fraction of the newly synthesized human delta opioid receptors is able to leave the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and reach the cell surface (Pet?j?-Repo, U. E, Hogue, M., Laperrière, A., Walker, P., and Bouvier, M. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 13727-13736). In the present study, we investigated the fate of those receptors that are retained intracellularly. Pulse-chase experiments revealed that the disappearance of the receptor precursor form (M(r) 45,000) and of two smaller species (M(r) 42,000 and 39,000) is inhibited by the proteasome blocker, lactacystin. The treatment also promoted accumulation of the mature receptor form (M(r) 55,000), indicating that the ER quality control actively routes a significant proportion of rescuable receptors for proteasome degradation. In addition, degradation intermediates that included full-length deglycosylated (M(r) 39,000) and ubiquitinated forms of the receptor were found to accumulate in the cytosol upon inhibition of proteasome function. Finally, coimmunoprecipitation experiments with the beta-subunit of the Sec61 translocon complex revealed that the receptor precursor and its deglycosylated degradation intermediates interact with the translocon. Taken together, these results support a model in which misfolded or incompletely folded receptors are transported to the cytoplasmic side of the ER membrane via the Sec61 translocon, deglycosylated and conjugated with ubiquitin prior to degradation by the cytoplasmic 26 S proteasomes.     

Degradation of T-cell receptor chains in the endoplasmic reticulum is inhibited by inhibitors of cysteine proteases.

The endoplasmic reticulum, or an organelle closely associated with it, contains proteases that can be used to remove partially assembled or improperly folded proteins. Very little is known at present about the types of protease that degrade these proteins. The beta chain and cluster of differentiation (CD)3 delta subunit of the human T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) are degraded shortly after synthesis. In this study Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells transfected with either beta or delta were incubated with a panel of protease inhibitors, and the rates of degradation of the transfected proteins were followed using chain-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). Of the protease inhibitors tested, degradation of both chains was highly sensitive to sulfhydryl reagents and peptidyl inhibitors of cysteine proteases. Concentrations of inhibitors that produced near complete inhibition of degradation in the endoplasmic reticulum did not cause gross changes in cellular ATP levels nor did they significantly slow constitutive secretion from CHO cells. The inhibitors did not affect the ability of CHO cells to synthesize and assemble disulphide-linked TCR zeta dimers. We conclude that the protease inhibitors were not toxic to cells and did not affect the biosynthetic activity of the endoplasmic reticulum. Furthermore, they did not alter the ability of the endoplasmic reticulum to deliver its content to the Golgi apparatus. Taken together, these results suggest that the cysteine protease inhibitors slow degradation in the endoplasmic reticulum through an action on cysteine proteases. The results imply that the endoplasmic reticulum contains cysteine proteases that can be used to remove retained proteins.     

Conformational maturation of CFTR but not its mutant counterpart (delta F508) occurs in the endoplasmic reticulum and requires ATP.

Metabolic labeling experiments followed by immunoprecipitation were performed to investigate the kinetics, location and inhibitor sensitivity of degradation of both wild-type (wt) and mutant (delta F508) cystic fibrosis conductance transmembrane regulator (CFTR). At the earliest stages of the biosynthetic process, both wt and delta F508 CFTR were found to be susceptible to degradation by endogenous proteases. Virtually all delta F508 CFTR and 45-80% of wt CFTR were rapidly degraded with a similar half-life (t1/2 approximately 0.5 h). The remaining wt CFTR attained a protease-resistant configuration regardless of whether traffic between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi was operational. Metabolic energy is required for the conformational transition, but not to maintain the stability of the protease-resistant wt CFTR. Intracellular degradation of delta F508 CFTR and of incompletely folded wt CFTR occurs in a non-lysosomal, pre-Golgi compartment, as indicated by the sensitivity of proteolysis to different inhibitors and temperature. Accordingly, products of the degradation of delta F508 CFTR could be detected by immunoblotting in isolated ER, but not in the Golgi. Together, these results suggest a dynamic equilibrium between two forms of wt CFTR in the ER: an incompletely folded, protease-sensitive form which is partially converted by an ATP-dependent process to a more mature form that is protease-resistant and capable of leaving the ER. The inability delta F508 CFTR to undergo such a transition renders it susceptible to complete and rapid degradation in a pre-Golgi compartment.     

Endoproteolytic cleavage of human thyroperoxidase: role of the propeptide in the protein folding process

Human thyroperoxidase (hTPO), the key enzyme involved in thyroid hormone synthesis, is synthesized in the form of a 933-amino acid polypeptide that subsequently undergoes posttranslational modifications such as N- and O-glycosylation and heme fixation. In the present study, it was established that the N-terminal part of hTPO is cleaved during the maturation of the enzyme. In the first set of experiments performed in this study, Chines hamster ovary (CHO) cells transfected with hTPO cDNA generated four different species after deglycosylation, namely a 98-kDa species, which corresponds to the full-length deglycosylated hTPO, and two 94-kDa and one 92-kDa species, which were truncated in the N-terminal parts. The three latter forms were detected only at the cell surface. A proprotein convertase inhibitor prevented these cleavages, and experiments using monensin and brefeldin A showed that they occurred in a post-endoplasmic reticulum compartment. Site-directed mutagenesis studies were performed in which Arg65 was identified as one of the cleavage sites. In the second part of the study, hTPO from human thyroid glands was purified using a monoclonal antibody recognizing the folded form of hTPO. Amino acid determination showed that the N-terminal part of this protein begins at Thr109. This cleavage process differs from that observed in CHO cells. The fact that this hTPO was endoglucosaminidase H-sensitive indicated that the cleavage of the propeptide occurs in the endoplasmic reticulum. To analyze the role of the hTPO prosequence, cDNAs with and without prosequence (Cys15-Lys108) were transfected into CHO cells. hTPO propeptide deletion drastically decreased the proportion of the folded hTPO form, and under these conditions the cell surface activity disappeared completely. These results strongly suggest that the prosequence plays a crucial role as an intramolecular chaperone, facilitating the folding of hTPO.     

The proteasome participates in degradation of mutant alpha 1-antitrypsin Z in the endoplasmic reticulum of hepatoma-derived hepatocytes

Because retention of mutant alpha(1)-antitrypsin (alpha(1)-AT) Z in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is associated with liver disease in alpha(1)-AT-deficient individuals, the mechanism by which this aggregated glycoprotein is degraded has received considerable attention. In previous studies using stable transfected human fibroblast cell lines and a cell-free microsomal translocation system, we found evidence for involvement of the proteasome in degradation of alpha(1)-ATZ (Qu, D., Teckman, J. H., Omura, S., and Perlmutter, D. H. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 22791-22795). In more recent studies, Cabral et al. (Cabral, C. M., Choudhury, P., Liu, Y., and Sifers, R. N. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 25015-25022) found that degradation of alpha(1)-ATZ in a stable transfected murine hepatoma cell line was inhibited by tyrosine phosphatase inhibitors, but not by the proteasomal inhibitor lactacystin and concluded that the proteasome was only involved in ER degradation of alpha(1)-ATZ in nonhepatocytic cell types or in cell types with levels of alpha(1)-AT expression that are substantial lower than that which occurs in hepatocytes. To examine this important issue in further detail, in this study we established rat and murine hepatoma cell lines with constitutive and inducible expression of alpha(1)-ATZ. In each of these cell lines degradation of alpha(1)-ATZ was inhibited by lactacystin, MG132, epoxomicin, and clasto-lactacystin beta-lactone. Using the inducible expression system to regulate the relative level of alpha(1)-ATZ expression, we found that lactacystin had a similar inhibitory effect on degradation of alpha(1)-ATZ at high and low levels of alpha(1)-AT expression. Although there is substantial evidence that other mechanisms contribute to ER degradation of alpha(1)-ATZ, the data reported here indicate that the proteasome plays an important role in many cell types including hepatocytes.     

Regulated degradation of an endoplasmic reticulum membrane protein in a tubular lysosome in Leishmania mexicana

The cell surface of the human parasite Leishmania mexicana is coated with glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored macromolecules and free GPI glycolipids. We have investigated the intracellular trafficking of green fluorescent protein- and hemagglutinin-tagged forms of dolichol-phosphate-mannose synthase (DPMS), a key enzyme in GPI biosynthesis in L. mexicana promastigotes. These functionally active chimeras are found in the same subcompartment of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) as endogenous DPMS but are degraded as logarithmically growing promastigotes reach stationary phase, coincident with the down-regulation of endogenous DPMS activity and GPI biosynthesis in these cells. We provide evidence that these chimeras are constitutively transported to and degraded in a novel multivesicular tubule (MVT) lysosome. This organelle is a terminal lysosome, which is labeled with the endocytic marker FM 4-64, contains lysosomal cysteine and serine proteases and is disrupted by lysomorphotropic agents. Electron microscopy and subcellular fractionation studies suggest that the DPMS chimeras are transported from the ER to the lumen of the MVT via the Golgi apparatus and a population of 200-nm multivesicular bodies. In contrast, soluble ER proteins are not detectably transported to the MVT lysosome in either log or stationary phase promastigotes. Finally, the increased degradation of the DPMS chimeras in stationary phase promastigotes coincides with an increase in the lytic capacity of the MVT lysosome and changes in the morphology of this organelle. We conclude that lysosomal degradation of DPMS may be important in regulating the cellular levels of this enzyme and the stage-dependent biosynthesis of the major surface glycolipids of these parasites.     

Modulation of the ERK pathway of signal transduction by cysteine proteinase inhibitors

Cell proliferation requires the coordinate synthesis and degradation of many proteins. In addition to the well‐characterized involvement of the proteasome in the degradation of several cell cycle‐regulated proteins, it has been established that cysteine proteinases are also involved in the control of cell proliferation, but their role is currently not understood. By using both synthetic cysteine proteinase inhibitors and overexpression of T‐kininogen (T‐KG), a physiologically relevant cysteine proteinase inhibitor, we show that inhibition of cysteine proteinases results in a severe inhibition of the ERK pathway of signal transduction. Mechanistically, this effect appears to be the result of stabilization of the ERK phosphatase MKP‐1, which leads to an enhanced dephosphorylation (and hence inactivation) of ERK molecules. These results are specific to cysteine proteinase inhibitors and are not observed when either serine proteinases or the proteasome are inhibited. We hypothesize that inhibition of cysteine proteinases in vivo leads to a dysregulation of the ERK pathway, which results in an inability of the cell to transmit to the nucleus the signals generated by the presence of growth factors, thus resulting in loss of cell proliferation. J. Cell. Biochem. 80:11–23, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Mannosidase action, independent of glucose trimming, is essential for proteasome-mediated degradation of unassembled glycosylated Ig light chains

In order to study the role of N-glycans in the ER-associated degradation of unassembled immunoglobulin light (Ig L) chains, we introduced N-glycan acceptor sites into the variable domain of the murine Ig L chain kappaNS1, which is unfolded in unassembled molecules. We investigated the fate of kappaNS1 glycosylated at position 70 (K70) and of a double mutant (kappa18/70) in stably transfected HeLa cells. Degradation of both chains was impaired by lactacystin, a specific inhibitor of the proteasome. The mannosidase inhibitor dMNJ also blocked degradation in a step preceding proteasome action, as did two protein synthesis inhibitors, cycloheximide and puromycin. In contrast, ER glucosidase inhibitors dramatically accelerated the degradation of the chains when added either pre- or posttranslationally. The accelerated degradation was sensitive to lactacystin, dMNJ and cycloheximide, too. None of these drugs, except lactacystin, affected the degradation of unglycosylated kappaNS1 chains. We conclude that ER mannosidases and proteasome activities, but not glucose trimming (and therefore, most likely not the calnexin/calreticulin UDP:glucose glycoprotein glucosyl transferase cycle), are essential for ER-associated degradation (ERAD) of soluble glycoproteins. A role for a short-lived protein, acting before or simultaneously to ER mannosidases, is suggested.     

Effective activation of the proenzyme form of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (pro-uPA) by the cysteine protease cathepsin L.

Increased levels of both the cysteine protease, cathepsin L, and the serine protease, uPA (urokinase-type plasminogen activator), are present in solid tumors and are correlated with malignancy. uPA is released by tumor cells as an inactive single-chain proenzyme (pro-uPA) which has to be activated by proteolytic cleavage. We analyzed in detail the action of the cysteine protease, cathepsin L, on recombinant human pro-uPA. Enzymatic assays, SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis revealed that cathepsin L is a potent activator of pro-uPA. As determined by N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis, activation of pro-uPA by cathepsin L is achieved by cleavage of the Lys158-Ile159 peptide bond, a common activation site of serine proteases such as plasmin and kallikrein. Similar to cathepsin B (Kobayashi et al., J. Biol. Chem. (1991) 266, 5147-5152) cleavage of pro-uPA by cathepsin L was most effective at acidic pH (molar ratio of cathepsin L to pro-uPA of 1:2,000). Nevertheless, even at pH 7.0, pro-uPA was activated by cathepsin L, although a 10-fold higher concentration of cathepsin L was required. As tumor cells may produce both pro-uPA and cathepsin L, implications for the activation of tumor cell-derived pro-uPA by cathepsin L may be considered. Different pathways of activation of pro-uPA in tumor tissues may coexist: (i) autocatalytic intrinsic activation of pro-uPA; (ii) activation by serine proteases (plasmin, kallikrein, Factor XIIa); and (iii) activation by cysteine proteases (cathepsin B and L).     

Degradation of M r 25,000 Protein by Cathepsin L-like Protease in Xenopus laevis Oocytes

A phosphorylated protein with a molecular mass of 25,000 (pp25) is involved in Xenopus laevis vitellogenin B1 and partially overlaps with phosvitin and lipovitellin 2. The protease responsible for pp25 degradation was studied in vitro since this occurs during embryogenesis. Initially, a protease thought to be a contaminant of the purified pp25 preparation was analyzed and an antipain-sensitive protease presumed to be involved. When commercially available proteases were examined, pp25 was not degraded by calpain I or 20S proteasome, but it was degraded by cathepsin L in vitro. A survey of the protease responsible for pp25 degradation in the cytoplasm of Xenopus oocytes found partially purified pp25 was degraded in partly antipain-sensitive manner. These results suggest that an antipain-sensitive protease or cathepsin L (or a related protease) is a candidate for pp25 degradation.     

Cellular tolerance of prion protein PrP in yeast involves proteolysis and the unfolded protein response

Secretory proteins undergo a stringent quality control process in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Misfolded ER proteins are returned to the cytosol and destroyed by the proteasome. Prion protein PrP is degraded by the proteasome in mammalian cells. However, the significance of proteolysis on PrP-induced cell death is controversial. Moreover, the specific pathway involved in PrP degradation remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the unglycosylated form of human PrP is subjected to the ER-associated protein degradation (ERAD) process in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We also show that unglycosylated PrP is degraded by the Hrd1-Hrd3 pathway. Accumulation of misfolded proteins triggers the unfolded protein response (UPR), which promotes substrate refolding. Interestingly, we find that the expression of PrP leads to growth impairment in cells deficient in UPR and ERAD. These findings raise the possibility that decreased UPR activity and proteolysis may contribute to the pathogenesis of some prion-related diseases.     

Delay of Iris flower senescence by protease inhibitors

Visible senescence of the flag tepals in Iris x hollandica (cv. Blue Magic) was preceded by a large increase in endoprotease activity. Just before visible senescence about half of total endoprotease activity was apparently due to cysteine proteases, somewhat less than half to serine proteases, with a minor role of metalloproteases. Treatment of isolated tepals with the purported serine protease inhibitors AEBSF [4-(2-aminoethyl)-benzenesulfonyl fluoride] or DFP (diisopropyl-fluorophosphate) prevented the increase in endoprotease activity and considerably delayed or prevented the normal senescence symptoms. The specific cysteine protease-specific E-64d reduced maximum endoprotease activity by 30%, but had no effect on the time to visible senescence. Zinc chloride and aprotinin reduced maximum endoprotease activity by c. 50 and 40%, respectively, and slightly delayed visible senescence. A proteasome inhibitor (Z-leu-leu-Nva-H) slightly delayed tepal senescence, which indicates that protein degradation in the proteasome may play a role in induction of the visible senescence symptoms. It is concluded that visible senescence is preceded by large-scale protein degradation, which is apparently mainly due to cysteine- and serine protease activity, and that two (unspecific) inhibitors of serine proteases considerably delay the senescence symptoms.     

未折叠蛋白质应答

内质网是真核细胞中蛋白质合成、折叠与分泌的重要细胞器.细胞进化出一套完整的机制来监督和帮助内质网内蛋白质的折叠与修饰.而当错误折叠的蛋白质累积时,细胞通过一系列信号转导途径,对其进行应答,包括增强蛋白质折叠能力、停滞大多数蛋白质的翻译、加速蛋白质的降解等.如果内质网功能素乱持续,细胞将最终启动凋亡程序.这些反应被统称为未折叠蛋白质应答(unfolded protein response,UPR).UPR是多个信号转导通路的总称,包括IRE1-XBP1、PERK-ATF4以及ATF6等信号途径.除了应激条件外,UPR还被用于正常生理条件下的调节,例如胆固醇合成代谢的负反馈调控.