Oligomeric Structure of the Human Reduced Folate
Carrier: IDENTIFICATION OF HOMO-OLIGOMERS AND DOMINANT-NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON
CARRIER EXPRESSION AND
FUNCTION* |
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Authors: | Zhanjun Hou and Larry H Matherly |
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Institution: | ‡Developmental Therapeutics Program, Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, the §Cancer Biology Graduate Program, and the ¶Department of Pharmacology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan 48201 |
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Abstract: | The ubiquitously expressed reduced folate carrier (RFC) is the major
transport system for folate cofactors in mammalian cells and tissues. Previous
considerations of RFC structure and mechanism were based on the notion that
RFC monomers were sufficient to mediate transport of folate and antifolate
substrates. The present study examines the possibility that human RFC (hRFC)
exists as higher order homo-oligomers. By chemical cross-linking, transiently
expressed hRFC in hRFC-null HeLa (R5) cells with the homobifunctional
cross-linker 1,3-propanediyl bis-methanethiosulfonate and Western blotting,
hRFC species with molecular masses of hRFC homo-oligomers were identified.
Hemagglutinin- and Myc epitope-tagged hRFC proteins expressed in R5 cells were
co-immunoprecipitated from both membrane particulate and surface-enriched
membrane fractions, indicating that oligomeric hRFC is expressed at the cell
surface. By co-expression of wild type and inactive mutant S138C hRFCs,
combined with surface biotinylation and confocal microscopy, a
dominant-negative phenotype was demonstrated involving greatly decreased cell
surface expression of both mutant and wild type carrier caused by impaired
intracellular trafficking. For another hRFC mutant (R373A), expression of
oligomeric wild type-mutant hRFC was accompanied by a significant and
disproportionate loss of wild type activity unrelated to the level of surface
carrier. Collectively, our results demonstrate the existence of hRFC
homo-oligomers. They also establish the likely importance of these higher
order hRFC structures to intracellular trafficking and carrier function.Folates are members of the B class of vitamins that are required for the
synthesis of nucleotide precursors, serine, and methionine in one-carbon
transfer reactions (1). Because
mammals cannot synthesize folates de novo, cellular uptake of these
derivatives is essential for cell growth and tissue regeneration
(2,
3). Folates are hydrophilic
anionic molecules that do not cross biological membranes by diffusion alone,
so it is not surprising that sophisticated membrane transport systems have
evolved to facilitate their accumulation by mammalian cells.The ubiquitously expressed reduced folate carrier
(RFC)2 is widely
considered to be the major transport system for folate co-factors in mammalian
cells and tissues (3,
4). RFC plays a generalized
role in folate transport and provides specialized tissue functions such as
transport across the basolateral membrane of renal proximal tubules
(5), transplacental transport
of folates (6), and folate
transport across the blood-brain barrier
(7), although the contribution
of RFC to intestinal absorption of folates remains controversial
(8,
9). Loss of RFC expression or
function portends potentially profound physiologic and developmental
consequences associated with folate deficiency
(10). RFC is also a major
transporter of antifolate drugs used for cancer chemotherapy such as
methotrexate (Mtx), pemetrexed, and raltitrexed
(4). Loss of RFC expression or
synthesis of mutant RFC protein in tumor cells results in antifolate
resistance caused by incomplete inhibition of cellular enzyme targets and low
levels of antifolate substrate for polyglutamate synthesis
(4,
11).Reflecting its particular physiologic and pharmacologic importance,
interest in RFC structure and function has been high. Since 1994, when murine
RFC was first cloned (12),
application of state-of-the-art molecular biology and biochemistry methods for
characterizing polytopic membrane proteins has led to a progressively detailed
picture of the molecular structure of the carrier, including its membrane
topology, N-glycosylation, functionally or structurally important
domains and amino acids, and packing of α-helix transmembrane domains
(TMDs) (4,
13). Although no crystal
structure for RFC has yet been reported, a detailed homology model for human
RFC (hRFC) based on the bacterial lactose/proton symporter LacY and glycerol
3-phosphate/inorganic phosphate antiporter GlpT was generated
(13,
14) that permits testing of
hypotheses related to hRFC structure and mechanism in a manner not previously
possible.Considerations of hRFC structure and mechanism to date have all been based
on the notion that a single 591-amino acid hRFC molecule is sufficient to
mediate concentrative uptake of folate and antifolate substrates. However, a
growing literature suggests that quaternary structure involving the formation
of higher order oligomers (e.g. dimers, tetramers, etc.) is commonly
an important feature of the structure and function of many membrane
transporters
(15-18).
For major facilitator superfamily proteins, both monomeric (e.g.
LacY, GlpT, UhpT, and GLUT3)
(19-22)
and oligomeric (e.g. LacS, AE1, GLUT1, and TetA)
(23-28)
structures have been reported, establishing the lack of a clear structural
consensus for these related proteins.In this report, we explore the question of whether hRFC exists as a
homo-oligomeric species composed of multiple hRFC monomers. Based on results
with an assortment of biochemical methods with wt and a collection of mutant
hRFC proteins, we not only demonstrate the existence of oligomeric hRFC but
also establish the probable importance of these higher order structures to
intracellular trafficking and carrier function. |
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