Membrane protein degradation by AAA proteases in mitochondria: extraction of substrates from either membrane surface

Two AAA proteases, each with its catalytic site at the opposite membrane surface, mediate the ATP-dependent degradation of mitochondrial inner membrane proteins. We demonstrate here that a model substrate polypeptide containing hydrophilic domains at both sides of the membrane can be completely degraded by either of the AAA proteases, if solvent-exposed domains are in an unfolded state. A short protein tail protruding from the membrane surface is sufficient to allow the proteolytic attack of an AAA protease that facilitates domain unfolding at the opposite side. Our results provide a rationale for the membrane arrangement of AAA proteases in mitochondria and demonstrate that degradation of membrane proteins by AAA proteases involves an active extraction of transmembrane segments and transport of solvent-exposed domains across the membrane.     

Hemolytic activity of Serratia marcescens

A cell-bound hemolytic activity was found in several strains of Serratia marcescens. One Serratia cell per ten erythrocytes was sufficient to cause complete lysis of human erythrocytes within 2 h in the liquid assay. The hemolytic activity resided in the membrane fraction and could be inactivated by incubating cells with proteases. The hemolytic activity was greatly enhanced in actively metabolizing Serratia cells and was partially controlled by the iron supply. Hemolysis was accompanied by degradation of erythrocyte membrane proteins (band 3 and 6, glycophorin) and was independent of the blood group. The exoprotease secreted by S. marcescens in large amounts was not involved in hemolysis. Comparison with various hemolytic strains of Escherichia coli showed that hemolysis of erythrocytes was more pronounced with S. marcescens than with E. coli. In contrast to hemolysis by E. coli, lysis of erythrocytes by S. marcescens was not enhanced by Ca²⁺ ions.Dedicated to Professor Dr. Gerhart Drews on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

The rate of osmotic hemolysis A relationship with membrane bilayer fluidity

A first-order semilogarithmic plot of the decrease in turbidity that takes place during hemolysis is used to define an apparent rate of hemolysis. The effect on this rate of hemolysis of various membrane modifications is studied. Triton X-100, ethanol and chlorpromazine, which dissolve into the membrane, all increase the rate of hemolysis, even though the same concentration of ethanol and chlorpromazine has been shown to decrease the osmotic fragility. Glutaraldehyde, azodicarboxylic acid-bisdimethylamide (diamide) and intracellular Ca²⁺ are used to produce cross-links on membrane proteins. All of these reagents decrease cell deformability but have different effects on the rate of hemolysis, with Ca²⁺ increasing, glutaraldehyde decreasing and diamide producing almost no effect on the rate. These modifications are also found to alter the ESR specra of the stearic acid spin-label, 2-(14-carboxytetradecyl)-2-ethyl-4,4-dimethyl-3-oxazolidinyloxyl, which probes mobility in the hydrophobic core of the lipid bilayer. A correlation between the effect of membrane modification on bilayer fluidity and the rate of hemolysis suggests that the rate-limiting process which determines the rate of hemolysis involves rupturing of the bilayer.     

Identification of a Porphyromonas gingivalis novel protein sov required for the secretion of gingipains

Gingipains are extracellular proteases important for the virulence of Porphyromonas gingivalis; however, the mechanism for the secretion of gingipains is poorly understood. In this report, we found that insertion mutants for PG0809 (83K1 and 83K2) were defective in black pigmentation and hemolysis. We cloned and sequenced PG0809 and found that PG0809 contains two additional nucleotides that are not deposited in the W83 genome database. The revised sequence reveals an in-frame fusion of PG0810 and PG0809 and is designated the sov gene. We constructed a sov deletion mutant (83K3) and showed that 83K3 was defective in the activities of black pigmentation, hemolysis, and hemagglutination. Furthermore, in 83K3, the activities of gingipains were severely reduced whereas those of other secreted proteases DPPIV, DPP-7, and PtpA were not affected. Immunoblot analysis using anti-RgpB antiserum showed that Arg-gingipains were poorly secreted in an outer membrane or into an extracellular portion but accumulated within the cells of 83K3, suggesting the secretion of gingipains is defected in 83K3. Taken together, our findings indicated that Sov is a novel protein required for the secretion of gingipains and suggested that the secretion system for gingipains is different from the conserved secretion systems.     

Proteolysis mediated by the membrane‐integrated ATP‐dependent protease FtsH has a unique nonlinear dependence on ATP hydrolysis rates

ATPases associated with diverse cellular activities (AAA+) proteases utilize ATP hydrolysis to actively unfold native or misfolded proteins and translocate them into a protease chamber for degradation. This basic mechanism yields diverse cellular consequences, including the removal of misfolded proteins, control of regulatory circuits, and remodeling of protein conformation. Among various bacterial AAA+ proteases, FtsH is only membrane‐integrated and plays a key role in membrane protein quality control. Previously, we have shown that FtsH has substantial unfoldase activity for degrading membrane proteins overcoming a dual energetic burden of substrate unfolding and membrane dislocation. Here, we asked how efficiently FtsH utilizes ATP hydrolysis to degrade membrane proteins. To answer this question, we measured degradation rates of the model membrane substrate GlpG at various ATP hydrolysis rates in the lipid bilayers. We find that the dependence of degradation rates on ATP hydrolysis rates is highly nonlinear: (i) FtsH cannot degrade GlpG until it reaches a threshold ATP hydrolysis rate; (ii) after exceeding the threshold, the degradation rates steeply increase and saturate at the ATP hydrolysis rates far below the maxima. During the steep increase, FtsH efficiently utilizes ATP hydrolysis for degradation, consuming only 40–60% of the total ATP cost measured at the maximal ATP hydrolysis rates. This behavior does not fundamentally change against water‐soluble substrates as well as upon addition of the macromolecular crowding agent Ficoll 70. The Hill analysis shows that the nonlinearity stems from coupling of three to five ATP hydrolysis events to degradation, which represents unique cooperativity compared to other AAA+ proteases including ClpXP, HslUV, Lon, and proteasomes.     

AAA proteases with catalytic sites on opposite membrane surfaces comprise a proteolytic system for the ATP-dependent degradation of inner membrane proteins in mitochondria.

The mechanism of selective protein degradation of membrane proteins in mitochondria has been studied employing a model protein that is subject to rapid proteolysis within the inner membrane. Protein degradation was mediated by two different proteases: (i) the m-AAA protease, a protease complex consisting of multiple copies of the ATP-dependent metallopeptidases Yta1Op (Afg3p) and Yta12p (Rcalp); and (ii) by Ymelp (Ytallp) that also is embedded in the inner membrane. Ymelp, highly homologous to Yta1Op and Yta12p, forms a complex of approximately 850 kDa in the inner membrane and exerts ATP-dependent metallopeptidase activity. While the m-AAA protease exposes catalytic sites to the mitochondrial matrix, Ymelp is active in the intermembrane space. The Ymelp complex was therefore termed 'i-AAA protease'. Analysis of the proteolytic fragments indicated cleavage of the model polypeptide at the inner and outer membrane surface and within the membrane-spanning domain. Thus, two AAA proteases with their catalytic sites on opposite membrane surfaces constitute a novel proteolytic system for the degradation of membrane proteins in mitochondria.     

A role of falcipain-2, principal cysteine proteases of Plasmodium falciparum in merozoite egression

The process of merozoite release in Plasmodium falciparum involves rupture of the parasitophorous vacuole membrane and erythrocyte plasma membrane. Through the use of protease inhibitors that halt the merozoite release, a number of parasite proteases, especially serine, aspartic, and cysteine proteases, have been implicated in the schizont rupture. To understand the precise role of cysteine proteases in the merozoite release, in the present study, we treated P. falciparum cultures with siRNAs corresponding to falcipain-1, falcipain-2, and falcipain-3, the three papain-family proteases of the parasite. Treatment of malaria parasites with either of the falcipain siRNAs considerably reduced parasite growth. Morphological examination of the siRNA treated parasite cultures revealed that most of the parasites in falcipain-2 siRNA treated cultures were arrested at schizont stage. Analysis of a transgenic P. falciparum line expressing chimeric-GFP upon treatment with falcipain-2 siRNA revealed block in the rupture of erythrocyte membrane at the time of merozoite egression. These results suggest that falcipain-2 is an important parasitic protease that participates in hemoglobin degradation and in the merozoite release.     

Erythrocyte membrane cholesterol: An explanation of the aging effect on the rate of hemolysis

The rate of osmotic hemolysis and the erythrocyte membrane lipid composition has been studied for blood samples obtained from male donors between 18 and 95 years of age. The rate of hemolysis is found to decrease as a function of age while the membrane cholesterol content increases with age. No significant change in the phospholipid content is detected. A causative relationship between the increase in cholesterol and the decrease in rate is inidicated by $\text{in vitro}$ experiments which demonstrate an inverse relationship between the cholesterol content and the rate of hemolysis.     

Membrane proteases: roles in tissue remodeling and tumour invasion.

The coordinated control of extracellular matrix degradation on the cell surface involves three crucial elements: secreted proteases and their inhibitors, surface protease receptors and integral membrane proteases. The roles that each of these elements play in cell surface proteolysis are described. The localization of proteases to the cell surface, protease activation, and regulation of cell surface proteolysis by protease inhibitors are key issues for elucidating the role of membrane proteases in tissue remodeling and tumour invasion.     

Degradation of Rat Brain Cholinergic Muscarinic Receptors In Vitro: Enhancement by Agonists and Inhibition by Antagonists

Cholinergic muscarinic receptors undergo proteolytic degradation in vitro under physiological conditions as shown by a loss in [3H]quinuclidinylbenzilate binding activity. The serine protease inhibitor phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride was very effective in diminishing the receptor loss. Soybean trypsin inhibitor was less effective. Both EDTA and EGTA were also effective in abolishing receptor degradation, suggesting the involvement of metallopeptidases in the process. Calcium-dependent neutral proteases requiring sulfhydryl reducing agents did not seem to be involved in receptor degradation. Dithiothreitol failed to enhance receptor degradation and iodoacetamide, leupeptin, and antipain, inhibitors of this enzyme class, failed to alter receptor loss as measured by radioligand binding. Most of the proteolytic activity occurred in the cytosol and was readily resolved from the receptor in the membrane fraction. We found that [3H]quinuclidinylbenzilate, an antagonist, inhibited the rate of receptor loss. On the other hand, agonists (acetylcholine, methacholine, and muscarine) appeared to enhance the rate of receptor loss. We postulate that these opposite effects are due to differences in receptor conformation in response to ligand binding. Susceptibility to proteolysis may therefore serve as a probe for receptor conformation.     

Sugar transport in reversibly hemolyzed avian erythrocytes.

The technique of reversible hemolysis represents one approach which may be used to study transport regulation in nucleated red cells. After 1 h of incubation at 37 degrees C, 88% of the ghosts regained their permeability barrier to L-glucose. In these ghosts, the carrier-mediated rate of entry of 3-O-methylglucose was more than 10-fold greater than the rate in intact cells. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase prevented ghosts from resealing when it was present at the time of hemolysis. Albumin, lactic dehydrogenase and peroxidase did not have this effect. Sugar transport rate could not be tested in the unsealed ghosts. Two possible mechanisms for the effect of hypotonic hemolysis on sugar transport rate were discussed: (1) altered membrane organization and (2) loss of intracellular compounds which bind to the membrane and inhibit transport in intact cells.     

Lytic activity from schistosomes: interactions with blood cells

1. The schistosome lytic agent hemolyzed animal red blood cells (RBCs) containing high concentrations of membrane phosphatidyl choline (dog, mouse, and rat) more efficiently than RBCs having no phosphatidyl choline (goat and sheep). 2. Human mononuclear cells lost viability in the presence of the schistosome lytic agent. 3. Preincubating the lytic agent with phosphatidyl choline or bovine serum albumin reduced its lytic activity. 4. Extracellular albumin protected the RBCs from schistosome induced hemolysis. 5. Pretreatment of the RBCs with various proteases enhanced lysis by 10-30%.     

Plasma Membrane Repair Is Regulated Extracellularly by Proteases Released from Lysosomes

Eukaryotic cells rapidly repair wounds on their plasma membrane. Resealing is Ca^2+-dependent, and involves exocytosis of lysosomes followed by massive endocytosis. Extracellular activity of the lysosomal enzyme acid sphingomyelinase was previously shown to promote endocytosis and wound removal. However, whether lysosomal proteases released during cell injury participate in resealing is unknown. Here we show that lysosomal proteases regulate plasma membrane repair. Extracellular proteolysis is detected shortly after cell wounding, and inhibition of this process blocks repair. Conversely, surface protein degradation facilitates plasma membrane resealing. The abundant lysosomal cysteine proteases cathepsin B and L, known to proteolytically remodel the extracellular matrix, are rapidly released upon cell injury and are required for efficient plasma membrane repair. In contrast, inhibition of aspartyl proteases or RNAi-mediated silencing of the lysosomal aspartyl protease cathepsin D enhances resealing, an effect associated with the accumulation of active acid sphingomyelinase on the cell surface. Thus, secreted lysosomal cysteine proteases may promote repair by facilitating membrane access of lysosomal acid sphingomyelinase, which promotes wound removal and is subsequently downregulated extracellularly by a process involving cathepsin D.     

Regulated degradation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase in permeabilized cells.

We have studied the regulated degradation of the enzyme 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase within the endoplasmic reticulum in cells permeabilized with digitonin. Using Chinese hamster ovary cells transfected with a plasmid encoding HMGal, a chimeric protein containing the membrane domain of HMG-CoA reductase coupled to beta-galactosidase, we have demonstrated mevalonate and sterol-stimulated loss of beta-galactosidase activity. In pulse-chase experiments we have demonstrated mevalonate-stimulated degradation of both HMGal and HMG-CoA reductase. The rate of mevalonate-stimulated degradation observed in permeabilized cells tends to be slightly slower than that observed in intact cells treated with mevalonate and is dependent upon incubation of cells with mevalonate prior to permeabilization. The degradation process measured in this report extends a previous report of HMG-CoA reductase degradation in digitonin-permeabilized cells (Leonard, D. A., and Chen, H. W. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 7914-7919) by mimicking key physiological features of the in vivo process, including: stimulation by regulatory molecules, specifically mevalonate and sterols; inhibition by cycloheximide; and inhibition by an inhibitor of neutral cysteine proteases.     

Degradation of unassembled Vph1p reveals novel aspects of the yeast ER quality control system

The endoplasmic reticulum quality control (ERQC) system retains and degrades soluble and membrane proteins that misfold or fail to assemble. Vph1p is the 100 kDa membrane subunit of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae V-ATPase, which together with other subunits, assembles into the V-ATPase in the ER, requiring the ER resident protein Vma22p. In vma22Delta cells, Vph1p remains an integral membrane protein with wild-type topology in the ER membrane before undergoing a rapid and concerted degradation requiring neither vacuolar proteases nor transport to the Golgi. Failure to assemble targets Vph1p for degradation in a process involving ubiquitylation, the proteasome and cytosolic but not ER lumenal chaperones. Vph1p appears to possess the traits of a 'classical' ERQC substrate, yet novel characteristics are involved in its degradation: (i) UBC genes other than UBC6 and UBC7 are involved and (ii) components of the ERQC system identified to date (Der1p, Hrd1p/Der3p and Hrd3p) are not required. These data suggest that other ERQC components must exist to effect the degradation of Vph1p, perhaps comprising an alternative pathway.     

The reduction-oxidation status may influence the degradation of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase

NADH and NADPH accelerate the 'in vitro' rate of proteolysis of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) by elastase and other proteases, including lysosomal proteases. NAD+ and NADP+ have the opposite effect. Since there is a good correlation between proteolytic susceptibility of proteins and their 'in vivo' degradation rates, a possible role of the reduction-oxidation status in controlling the intracellular degradation of GAPDH is advanced.     

Membrane proteases and tetraspanins

TEMs (tetraspanin-enriched microdomains) are specialized platforms in the plasma membrane that include adhesion receptors and enzymes. Insertion into TEMs dictates the local concentration of these molecules, regulates their internalization rate, their interaction and cross-talk with other receptors at the plasma membrane and provides links with certain signalling pathways. We focus on the associations described for tetraspanins with membrane proteases and their substrates, reviewing the emerging evidence in the literature that suggests that TEMs might be essential platforms for regulating protein shedding, RIP (regulated intramembrane proteolysis) and matrix degradation and assembly.     

AAA proteases: cellular machines for degrading membrane proteins

AAA proteases are a conserved class of ATP-dependent proteases that mediate the degradation of membrane proteins in bacteria, mitochondria and chloroplasts. They combine proteolytic and chaperone-like activities and thus form a membrane-integrated quality-control system. Inactivation of AAA proteases causes severe defects in various organisms, including neurodegeneration in humans. Proteolysis by AAA proteases is modulated by another membrane-protein complex that is composed of prohibitins in eukaryotic cells and related proteins in bacteria.     

Differential sensitivity of intestinal brush border enzymes to pancreatic and lysosomal proteases.

Isolated human intestinal brush border membranes were used as sources of enzyme to study their degradation by proteolytic enzymes. Human intestinal brush border hydrolases undergo degradation by two separate proteolytic systems. Sucrase and alkaline phosphatase are degraded by pancreatic proteases (e.g. chymotrypsin) at neutral pH, whereas trehalase is degraded by lysosomal extracts at acid pH. Both the membrane bound and membrane free isolated enzymes had similar sensitivity to proteolytic enzymes. Thus, initial removal from the membrane is not essential as a prerequisite to proteolysis. It is postulated that the brush border membrane of the intestine is subject to proteolysis by pancreatic enzymes from the external cell surface and by lysosomal proteases within the cell.