Calnexin deficiency and endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced apoptosis

In this study, we used calnexin-deficient cells to investigate the role of this protein in ER stress-induced apoptosis. We found that calnexin-deficient cells are relatively resistant to ER stress-induced apoptosis. However, caspase 3 and 8 cleavage and cytochrome c release were unchanged in these cells, indicating that ER to mitochondria "communication" during apoptotic stimulation is not affected in the absence of calnexin. The Bcl-2:Bax ratio was also not significantly changed in calnexin-deficient cells regardless of whether the ER stress was induced with thapsigargin or not. Ca(2+) homeostasis and ER morphology were unaffected by the lack of calnexin, but ER stress-induced Bap31 cleavage was significantly inhibited. Immunoprecipitation experiments revealed that Bap31 forms complexes with calnexin, which may play a role in apoptosis. The results suggest that calnexin may not play a role in the initiation of the ER stress but that the protein has an effect on later apoptotic events via its influence on Bap31 function.     

ER stress and its functional link to mitochondria: role in cell survival and death

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the primary site for synthesis and folding of secreted and membrane-bound proteins. Proteins are translocated into ER lumen in an unfolded state and require protein chaperones and catalysts of protein folding to assist in proper folding. Properly folded proteins traffic from the ER to the Golgi apparatus; misfolded proteins are targeted to degradation. Unfolded protein response (UPR) is a highly regulated intracellular signaling pathway that prevents accumulation of misfolded proteins in the ER lumen. UPR provides an adaptive mechanism by which cells can augment protein folding and processing capacities of the ER. If protein misfolding is not resolved, the UPR triggers apoptotic cascades. Although the molecular mechanisms underlying ER stress-induced apoptosis are not completely understood, increasing evidence suggests that ER and mitochondria cooperate to signal cell death. Mitochondria and ER form structural and functional networks (mitochondria-associated ER membranes [MAMs]) essential to maintain cellular homeostasis and determine cell fate under various pathophysiological conditions. Regulated Ca(2+) transfer from the ER to the mitochondria is important in maintaining control of prosurvival/prodeath pathways. We discuss the signaling/communication between the ER and mitochondria and focus on the role of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore in these complex processes.     

Regulation of calnexin sub-cellular localization modulates endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the cellular compartment where proteins enter the secretory pathway, undergo post-translational modifications and acquire a correct conformation. If these functions are chronically altered, specific ER stress signals are triggered to promote cell death through the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. Here, we show that tunicamycin causes significant alteration of calnexin sub-cellular distribution in MCF-7 cells. Interestingly, this correlates with the absence of both tunicamycin-induced calnexin phosphorylation as well as tunicamycin-induced cell death. Under these conditions, calnexin-associated Bap31, an ER integral membrane protein, is subjected to a caspase-8 cleavage pattern within a specific sub-compartment of the ER. These results suggest that MCF-7 resistance to ER stress-induced apoptosis is partially mediated by the expression level of calnexin which in turn controls its sub-cellular localization, and its association with Bap31. These data may delineate a resistance mechanism to the ER stress-induced intrinsic apoptotic pathway.     

Protein folding and quality control in the endoplasmic reticulum

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a highly versatile protein factory that is equipped with chaperones and folding enzymes essential for protein folding. ER quality control guided by these chaperones is essential for life. Whereas correctly folded proteins are exported from the ER, misfolded proteins are retained and selectively degraded. At least two main chaperone classes, BiP and calnexin/calreticulin, are active in ER quality control. Folding factors usually are found in complexes. Recent work emphasises more than ever that chaperones act in concert with co-factors and with each other.     

Coupling endoplasmic reticulum stress to the cell death program

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) regulates protein synthesis, protein folding and trafficking, cellular responses to stress and intracellular calcium (Ca(2+)) levels. Alterations in Ca(2+) homeostasis and accumulation of misfolded proteins in the ER cause ER stress that ultimately leads to apoptosis. Prolonged ER stress is linked to the pathogenesis of several different neurodegenerative disorders. Apoptosis is a form of cell death that involves the concerted action of a number of intracellular signaling pathways including members of the caspase family of cysteine proteases. The two main apoptotic pathways, the death receptor ('extrinsic') and mitochondrial ('intrinsic') pathways, are activated by caspase-8 and -9, respectively, both of which are found in the cytoplasm. Recent studies point to the ER as a third subcellular compartment implicated in apoptotic execution. Here, we review evidence for the contribution of various cellular molecules that contribute to ER stress and subsequent cellular death. It is hoped that dissection of the molecular components and pathways that alter ER structure and function and ultimately promote cellular death will provide a framework for understanding degenerative disorders that feature misfolded proteins.     

Protein quality control in the ER: The recognition of misfolded proteins

The mechanism, in molecular terms of protein quality control, specifically of how the cell recognizes and discriminates misfolded proteins, remains a challenge. In the secretory pathway the folding status of glycoproteins passing through the endoplasmic reticulum is marked by the composition of the N-glycan. The different glycoforms are recognized by specialized lectins. The folding sensor UGGT acts as an unusual molecular chaperone and covalently modifies the Man9 N-glycan of a misfolded protein by adding a glucose moiety and converts it to Glc1Man9 that rebinds the lectin calnexin. However, further links between the folding status of a glycoprotein and the composition of the N-glycan are unclear. There is little unequivocal evidence for other proteins in the ER recognizing the N-glycan and also acting as molecular chaperones. Nevertheless, based upon a few examples, we suggest that this function is carried out by individual proteins in several different complexes. Thus, calnexin binds the protein disulfide isomerase ERp57, that acts upon Glc1Man9 glycoproteins. In another example the protein disulfide isomerase ERdj5 binds specifically to EDEM (which is probably a mannosidase) and a lectin OS9, and reduces the disulfide bonds of bound glycoproteins destined for ERAD. Thus the glycan recognition is performed by a lectin and the chaperone function performed by a specific partner protein that can recognize misfolded proteins. We predict that this will be a common arrangement of proteins in the ER and that members of protein foldase families such as PDI and PPI will bind specifically to lectins in the ER. Molecular chaperones BiP and GRp94 will assist in the folding of proteins bound in these complexes as well as in the folding of non-glycoproteins.     

Cleavage of calnexin caused by apoptotic stimuli: implication for the regulation of apoptosis

Calnexin is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident molecular chaperone that plays an essential role in the correct folding of membrane proteins. We found that calnexin is subjected to partial cleavage in apoptotic mouse cells. Both ER stress-inducing and ER stress-non-inducing apoptotic stimuli caused the cleavage of calnexin, indicating that this event does not always occur downstream of ER stress. The inhibition of caspases that target the amino acid sequence DXXD abrogated calnexin cleavage in apoptotic stimulus-treated cells. In addition, disruption of one of two DXXD sequences located in the cytoplasmic domain caused calnexin to escape cleavage during apoptosis. Furthermore, calnexin was cleaved in vitro by recombinant caspase-3 or caspase-7. Finally, the overexpression of a presumed cleavage product of calnexin partly inhibited apoptosis. These results collectively suggest that caspase-3 or caspase-7 cleaves calnexin, whose cleaved product leads to the attenuation of apoptosis.     

Contrasting functions of calreticulin and calnexin in glycoprotein folding and ER quality control

Calreticulin and calnexin are homologous lectins that serve as molecular chaperones for glycoproteins in the endoplasmic reticulum of eukaryotic cells. Here we show that calreticulin depletion specifically accelerates the maturation of cellular and viral glycoproteins with a modest decrease in folding efficiency. Calnexin depletion prevents proper maturation of some proteins such as influenza hemagglutinin but does not interfere appreciably with the maturation of several others. A dramatic loss of stringency in the ER quality control with transport at the cell surface of misfolded glycoprotein conformers is only observed when substrate access to both calreticulin and calnexin is prevented. Although not fully interchangeable during assistance of glycoprotein folding, calreticulin and calnexin may work, independently, as efficient and crucial factors for retention in the ER of nonnative polypeptides.     

Chaperones and foldases in endoplasmic reticulum stress signaling in plants

Molecular chaperones and foldases are a diverse group of proteins that in vivo bind to misfolded or unfolded proteins (non-native or unstable proteins) and play important role in their proper folding. Stress conditions compel altered and heightened chaperone and foldase expression activity in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which highlights the role of these proteins, due to which several of the proteins under these classes were identified as heat shock proteins. Different chaperones and foldases are active in different cellular compartment performing specific tasks. The review will discuss the role of ER chaperones and foldases under stress conditions, to maintain proper protein folding dynamics in the plant cells and recent advances in the field. The ER chaperones and foldases, which are described in article, are binding protein (BiP), glucose regulated protein (GRP94), protein-disulfide isomerase (PDI), peptidyl-prolyl isomerases (PPI) or immunophilins, calnexin and calreticulin.Key words: Abiotic stress, chaperones, endoplasmic reticulum, foldases, immunophilins, protein folding, signal transduction     

Quality control in the secretory pathway: retention of a misfolded viral membrane glycoprotein involves cycling between the ER, intermediate compartment, and Golgi apparatus

Proteins synthesized in the ER are generally transported to the Golgi complex and beyond only when they have reached a fully folded and assembled conformation. To analyze how the selective retention of misfolded proteins works, we monitored the long-term fate of a membrane glycoprotein with a temperature-dependent folding defect, the G protein of tsO45 vesicular stomatitis virus. We used indirect immunofluorescence, immunoelectron microscopy, and a novel Nycodenz gradient centrifugation procedure for separating the ER, the intermediate compartment, and the Golgi complex. We also employed the folding and recycling inhibitors dithiothreitol and AIF4-, and coimmunoprecipitation with calnexin antibodies. The results showed that the misfolded G protein is not retained in the ER alone; it can move to the intermediate compartment and to the cis-Golgi network but is then recycled back to the ER. In the ER it is associated with calnexin and BiP/GRP78. Of these two chaperones, only BiP/GRP78 seems to accompany it through the recycling circuit. Thus, the retention of this misfolded glycoprotein is the result of multiple mechanisms including calnexin binding in the ER and selective retrieval from the intermediate compartment and the cis-Golgi network.     

Role of calnexin in the glycan-independent quality control of proteolipid protein

The endoplasmic (ER) quality control apparatus ensures that misfolded or unassembled proteins are not deployed within the cell, but are retained in the ER and degraded. A glycoprotein-specific system involving the ER lectins calnexin and calreticulin is well documented, but very little is known about mechanisms that may operate for non-glycosylated proteins. We have used a folding mutant of a non- glycosylated membrane protein, proteolipid protein (PLP), to examine the quality control of this class of polypeptide. We find that calnexin associates with newly synthesized PLP molecules, binding stably to misfolded PLP. Calnexin also binds stably to an isolated transmembrane domain of PLP, suggesting that this chaperone is able to monitor the folding and assembly of domains within the ER membrane. Notably, this glycan-independent interaction with calnexin significantly retards the degradation of misfolded PLP. We propose that calnexin contributes to the quality control of non-glycosylated polytopic membrane proteins by binding to misfolded or unassembled transmembrane domains, and discuss our findings in relation to the role of calnexin in the degradation of misfolded proteins.     

Calnexin-dependent regulation of tunicamycin-induced apoptosis in breast carcinoma MCF-7 cells

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) has evolved specific mechanisms to ensure protein folding as well as the maintenance of its own homeostasis. When these functions are not achieved, specific ER stress signals are triggered to activate either adaptive or apoptotic responses. Here, we demonstrate that MCF-7 cells are resistant to tunicamycin-induced apoptosis. We show that the expression level of the ER chaperone calnexin can directly influence tunicamycin sensitivity in this cell line. Interestingly, the expression of a calnexin lacking the chaperone domain (DeltaE) partially restores their sensitivity to tunicamycin-induced apoptosis. Indeed, we show that DeltaE acts as a scaffold molecule to allow the cleavage of Bap31 and thus generate the proapoptotic p20 fragment. Utilizing the ability of MCF-7 cells to resist tunicamycin-induced apoptosis, we have characterized a molecular mechanism by which calnexin regulates ER-stress-mediated apoptosis in a manner independent of its chaperone functions but dependent of its binding to Bap31.     

Endoplasmic Reticulum Enrollment in Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer??s disease (AD) poses a huge challenge for society and health care worldwide as molecular pathogenesis of the disease is poorly understood and curative treatment does not exist. The mechanisms leading to accelerated neuronal cell death in AD are still largely unknown, but accumulation of misfolded disease-specific proteins has been identified as potentially involved. In the present review, we describe the essential role of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in AD. Despite the function that mitochondria may play as the central major player in the apoptotic process, accumulating evidence highlights ER as a critical organelle in AD. Stress that impairs ER physiology leads to accumulation of unfolded or misfolded proteins, such as amyloid ?? (A??) peptide, the major component of amyloid plaques. In an attempt to ameliorate the accumulation of unfolded proteins, ER stress triggers a protective cellular mechanism, which includes the unfolded protein response (UPR). However, when activation of the UPR is severe or prolonged enough, the final cellular outcome is pathologic apoptotic cell death. Distinct pathways can be activated in this process, involving stress sensors such as the JNK pathway or ER chaperones such as Bip/GRP94, stress modulators such as Bcl-2 family proteins, or even stress effectors such as caspase-12. Here, we detail the involvement of the ER and associated stress pathways in AD and discuss potential therapeutic strategies targeting ER stress.