The Saccharomyces cerevisiae YFR041C/ERJ5 gene encoding a type I membrane protein with a J domain is required to preserve the folding capacity of the endoplasmic reticulum

YFR041C/ERJ5 was identified in Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a gene regulated by the unfolded protein response pathway (UPR). The open reading frame of the gene has a J domain characteristic of the DnaJ chaperone family of proteins that regulate the activity of Hsp70 chaperones. We determined the expression and topology of Erj5p, a type I membrane protein with a J domain in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) that colocalizes with Kar2p, the major Hsp70 in the yeast ER. We identified synthetic interactions of Deltaerj5 with mutations in genes involved in protein folding in the ER (kar2-159, Deltascj1Deltajem1) and in the induction of the unfolded protein response (Deltaire1). Loss of Erj5p in yeast cells with impaired ER protein folding capacity increased sensitivity to agents that cause ER stress. We identified the ERJ5 mRNA and confirmed that agents that promote accumulation of misfolded proteins in the ER regulate its abundance. We found that loss of the non-essential ERJ5 gene leads to a constitutively induced UPR, indicating that ERJ5 is required for maintenance of an optimal folding environment in the yeast ER.     

Light enhances the unfolded protein response as measured by BiP2 gene expression and the secretory GFP-2SC marker in Arabidopsis

Disruption of the protein-folding capacity in the ER induces the accumulation of unfolded proteins and ER stress, which activate the unfolded protein response (UPR). Although UPR has been extensively studied in yeast and mammals, much less is known about UPR and its relationship with light in plants. Here, we examined the effects of chemically induced UPR and light on a molecular marker of UPR (binding protein, BiP2, gene expression) and a secretory green fluorescent protein marker (GFP-2SC) that is trafficked from the ER to vacuole in Arabidopsis thaliana (L). UPR, which was induced by DTT and tunicamycin (TM), increased Bip2 mRNA levels and decreased the levels of microsomal and vacuolar forms of GFP-2SC. Treatment with protease inhibitors lessened the effects of DTT and TM on GFP-2SC, indicating the decrease in GFP levels partially involved protein degradation. Light treatments synergistically enhanced the decrease in GFP levels in both the ER and vacuole and induced the expression of UPR marker genes for BiP2 and protein disulfide isomerase (PDI, EC 5.3.4.1). DTT and TM treatments required light for maximal induction of the UPR. Light-induced UPR occurred during the daily dark to light cycle and when dark-adapted plants were exposed to light. We propose that light activates the UPR to increase the protein folding capacity in the ER to accommodate an increase in translation during dark to light transitions.     

FAD-linked presenilin-1 mutants impede translation regulation under ER stress

FAD mutations in presenilin-1 (PS1) cause attenuation of the induction of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident chaperone GRP78/BiP under ER stress, due to disturbed function of IRE1, the sensor for accumulation of unfolded protein in the ER lumen. PERK, an ER-resident transmembrane protein kinase, is also a sensor for the unfolded protein response (UPR), causing phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2alpha (eIF2alpha) to inhibit translation initiation. Here, we report that the FAD mutant PS1 disturbs the UPR by attenuating both the activation of PERK and the phosphorylation of eIF2alpha. Consistent with the results of a disturbed UPR, inhibition of protein synthesis under ER stress was impaired in cells expressing PS1 mutants. These results suggest that mutant PS1 impedes general translational attenuation regulated by PERK and eIF2alpha, resulting in an increased load of newly synthesized proteins into the ER and subsequently increasing vulnerability to ER stress.     

Deregulated unfolded protein response in chronic wounds of diabetic ob/ob mice: A potential connection to inflammatory and angiogenic disorders in diabetes-impaired wound healing

Type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) represents an important metabolic disorder, firmly connected to obesity and low level of chronic inflammation caused by deregulation of fat metabolism. The convergence of chronic inflammatory signals and nutrient overloading at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) leads to activation of ER-specific stress responses, the unfolded protein response (UPR). As obesity and T2D are often associated with impaired wound healing, we investigated the role of UPR in the pathologic of diabetic-impaired cutaneuos wound healing. We determined the expression patterns of the three UPR branches during normal and diabetes-impaired skin repair. In healthy and diabetic mice, injury led to a strong induction of BiP (BiP/Grp78), C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) and splicing of X-box-binding protein (XBP)1. Diabetic-impaired wounds showed gross and sustained induction of UPR associated with increased expression of the pro-inflammatory chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)2 as compared to normal healing wounds. In vitro, treatment of RAW264.7 macrophages with tunicamycin, and subsequently stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interferon (IFN)-γ enhances MIP2 mRNA und protein expression compared to proinflammatory stimulation alone. However, LPS/IFNγ induced vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) production was blunted by tunicamycin induced-ER stress.     

The antitumor natural compound falcarindiol promotes cancer cell death by inducing endoplasmic reticulum stress

Falcarindiol (FAD) is a natural polyyne with various beneficial biological activities. We show here that FAD preferentially kills colon cancer cells but not normal colon epithelial cells. Furthermore, FAD inhibits tumor growth in a xenograft tumor model and exhibits strong synergistic killing of cancer cells with 5-fluorouracil, an approved cancer chemotherapeutic drug. We demonstrate that FAD-induced cell death is mediated by induction of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR). Decreasing the level of ER stress, either by overexpressing the ER chaperone protein glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) or by knockout of components of the UPR pathway, reduces FAD-induced apoptosis. In contrast, increasing the level of ER stress by knocking down GRP78 potentiates FAD-induced apoptosis. Finally, FAD-induced ER stress and apoptosis is correlated with the accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins, suggesting that FAD functions at least in part by interfering with proteasome function, leading to the accumulation of unfolded protein and induction of ER stress. Consistent with this, inhibition of protein synthesis by cycloheximide significantly decreases the accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins and blocks FAD-induced ER stress and cell death. Taken together, our study shows that FAD is a potential new anticancer agent that exerts its activity through inducing ER stress and apoptosis.     

Decreased protein expression and intermittent recoveries in BiP levels result from cellular stress during heterologous protein expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Cells are inherently robust to environmental perturbations and have evolved to recover readily from short-term exposure to heat, pH changes, and nutrient deprivation during times of stress. The stress of unfolded protein accumulation has been implicated previously in low protein yields during heterologous protein expression. Here we describe the dynamics of the response to this stress, termed the unfolded protein response (UPR), during the expression of the single chain antibody 4-4-20 (scFv) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Expression of scFv decreased the growth rate of yeast cells whether the scFv was expressed from single-copy plasmids or integrated into the chromosome. However, the growth rates recovered at longer expression times, and surprisingly, the recovery occurred more quickly in the high-copy integration strains. The presence of a functional UPR pathway was necessary for a recovery of normal growth rates. During the growth inhibition, the UPR pathway appeared to be activated, resulting in decreased intracellular scFv levels and intermittent recovery of the chaperone BiP within the endoplasmic reticulum. Intracellular scFv was observed primarily in the endoplasmic reticulum, consistent with activation of the UPR pathway. Although the intracellular scFv levels dropped over the course of the expression, this was not a result of scFv secretion. A functional UPR pathway was necessary for the drop in intracellular scFv, suggesting that the decrease was a direct response of UPR activation. Taken together, these results suggest that control of heterologous gene expression to avoid UPR activation will result in higher production levels.     

Role of the unfolded protein response pathway in secretory stress and regulation of INO1 expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The unfolded protein response pathway (UPR) enables the cell to cope with the buildup of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). UPR loss-of-function mutants, hac1Delta and ire1Delta, are also inositol auxotrophs, a phenotype associated with defects in expression of INO1, the most highly regulated of a set of genes encoding enzymes of phospholipid metabolism. We now demonstrate that the UPR plays a functional role in membrane trafficking under conditions of secretory stress in yeast. Mutations conferring a wide range of membrane trafficking defects exhibited negative genetic interaction when combined with ire1Delta and hac1Delta. At semipermissive temperatures, carboxypeptidase Y transit time to the vacuole was slower in Sec(-) cells containing an ire1Delta or hac1Delta mutation than in Sec(-) cells with an intact UPR. The UPR was induced in Sec(-) cells defective in subcellular membrane trafficking events ranging from ER vesicle trafficking to distal secretion and in erg6Delta cells challenged with brefeldin A. However, the high levels of UPR induction observed under these conditions were not correlated with elevated INO1 expression. Indeed, many of the Sec(-) mutants that had elevated UPR expression at semipermissive growth temperatures failed to achieve wild-type levels of INO1 expression under these same conditions.     

Lipid-Induced ER Stress: Synergistic Effects of Sterols and Saturated Fatty Acids

Stress within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) induces a coordinated response, namely the unfolded protein response (UPR), devoted to helping the ER cope with the accumulation of misfolded proteins. Failure of the UPR plays an important role in several human diseases. Recent studies report that intracellular accumulation of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and cholesterol, seen in diseases of high incidence, such as obesity or atherosclerosis, results in ER stress. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of perturbations to lipid homeostasis on ER stress/UPR induction in the model eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae . We show that SFA originating from either endogenous (preclusion of fatty acid desaturation) or exogenous (feeding with extracellular SFA) sources trigger ER stress and that ergosterol, the major sterol in yeast, acts synergistically with SFA in this process. This latter effect is connected to ergosterol accumulation within microsomal fractions from SFA-accumulating cells, which display highly saturated phospholipid content. Moreover, treating the cells with the molecular chaperone 4-phenyl butyrate abolishes UPR induction, suggesting that lipid-induced ER stress leads to an overload of misfolded protein that acts, in turn, as the molecular signal for induction of the UPR. The present data are discussed in the context of human diseases that involve lipid deregulation.     

Differential requirement of unfolded protein response pathway for calreticulin expression in Caenorhabditis elegans

Accumulation of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum triggers the unfolded protein response (UPR) pathway, which increases the expression of chaperones to maintain the homeostasis. Calreticulin is a calcium-binding chaperone located in the lumen of endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Here we show that in response to a UPR inducing reagent, tunicamycin, the expression of calreticulin (crt-1) is specifically up-regulated in Caenorhabditis elegans. Tunicamycin (TM) induced expression of the crt-1 requires IRE-1 and XBP-1 but is ATF-6 and PEK-1 independent. Analysis of the crt-1 promoter reveals a putative XBP-1 binding site at the -284 to -278 bp region, which was shown to be necessary for TM-mediated induction. Genetic analysis of crt-1 mutants and mutants of UPR pathway genes show various degrees of developmental arrest upon TM treatment. Our results suggest that the TM-induced UPR pathway culminates in the up-regulation of crt-1, which protects the worm from deleterious accumulation of unfolded proteins in the ER. Knockdown of the crt-1, pdi-2, or pdi-3 increased the crt-1 expression, whereas knockdown of the hsp-3 or hsp-4 did not have any effect on crt-1 expression, indicating the existence of complex compensatory networks to cope up with ER stress.