Dörte Hesse

β Phorbol Ester- and Diacylglycerol-Induced Augmentation of Transmitter Release Is Mediated by Munc13s and Not by PKCs

Munc13-1 is a presynaptic protein with an essential role in synaptic vesicle priming. It contains a diacylglycerol (DAG)/beta phorbol ester binding C(1) domain and is a potential target of the DAG second messenger pathway that may act in parallel with PKCs. Using genetically modified mice that express a DAG/beta phorbol ester binding-deficient Munc13-1(H567K) variant instead of the wild-type protein, we determined the relative contribution of PKCs and Munc13-1 to DAG/beta phorbol ester-dependent regulation of neurotransmitter release. We show that Munc13s are the main presynaptic DAG/beta phorbol ester receptors in hippocampal neurons. Modulation of Munc13-1 activity by second messengers via the DAG/beta phorbol ester binding C(1) domain is essential for use-dependent alterations of synaptic efficacy and survival.

Quantitative and Integrative Proteome Analysis of Peripheral Nerve Myelin Identifies Novel Myelin Proteins and Candidate Neuropathy Loci

Peripheral nerve myelin facilitates rapid impulse conduction and normal motor and sensory functions. Many aspects of myelin biogenesis, glia–axonal interactions, and nerve homeostasis are poorly understood at the molecular level. We therefore hypothesized that only a fraction of all relevant myelin proteins has been identified so far. Combining gel-based and gel-free proteomic approaches, we identified 545 proteins in purified mouse sciatic nerve myelin, including 36 previously known myelin constituents. By mass spectrometric quantification, the predominant P0, periaxin, and myelin basic protein constitute 21, 16, and 8% of the total myelin protein, respectively, suggesting that their relative abundance was previously misestimated due to technical limitations regarding protein separation and visualization. Focusing on tetraspan-transmembrane proteins, we validated novel myelin constituents using immuno-based methods. Bioinformatic comparison with mRNA-abundance profiles allowed the categorization in functional groups coregulated during myelin biogenesis and maturation. By differential myelin proteome analysis, we found that the abundance of septin 9, the protein affected in hereditary neuralgic amyotrophy, is strongly increased in a novel mouse model of demyelinating neuropathy caused by the loss of prion protein. Finally, the systematic comparison of our compendium with the positions of human disease loci allowed us to identify several candidate genes for hereditary demyelinating neuropathies. These results illustrate how the integration of unbiased proteome, transcriptome, and genome data can contribute to a molecular dissection of the biogenesis, cell biology, metabolism, and pathology of myelin.

Oxidants generated by the myeloperoxidase-halide system activate the fifth component of human complement, C5.

Hypochlorite and taurine chloramine (T-NCI) convert native fifth component of human complement (C5) to an activated state. This is evident from loss of functional properties of native C5 and acquisition of a binding site for C6 which is characteristic of C5b, the physiological activation fragment of C5. The complex of activated C5 with C6 is capable of combining with the components C7, C8, and C9 forming the cytotoxic terminal complement complex C5-9. The activation of C5 and its assembly with the late reacting complement components has been detected by reactive lysis, i.e. hemolysis of unsensitized red cells upon incubation with the activated C5 and the reacting complement components C6-C9. T-NCl does, however, not cleave any peptide bond in C5 as happens in the physiological activation process but converts the intact protein to the activated form. The conversion is accompanied and probably caused by oxidation of methionine residues in the C5 protein to methionine sulfoxide. Since hypochlorite and T-NCl are biological products generated by the myeloperoxidase-halide system of stimulated leukocytes, the activation of C5 by these agents may be one way to complement activation during inflammation and tissue injury.

Activation of the fifth component of human complement, C5, without cleavage, by methionine oxidizing agents

Purified human C5 was incubated with chloramine T (Cl-T) or N-chloro-succinimide (N-Cl-S) in barbital buffer, pH 7.2. The treatment led to C5 activation: Cl-T- and N-Cl-S-treated C5 acquired a binding site for C6; upon incubation with C6 and subsequent addition of C7, C8 and C9 a membrane attack complex formed which lysed non-sensitized guinea pig red cells (reactive lysis). While the physiological activation of C5 follows its specific cleavage, the resulting fragment C5b representing the activated C5 and expressing the C6 binding site, the treatment with the mentioned chemicals does not lead to fragmentation of the C5 protein. So, functionally, the product of the chemical treatment is C5b-like, but chemically, it comprises the whole protein; no C5a is released. Cl-T and N-Cl-S are known to more or less selectively oxidize methionine residues in proteins, dependent on the conditions. Other sensitive amino acid residues are tryptophan and cysteine. Conditions were chosen for treatment of C5 with Cl-T which exclude attack on tryptophan, and we have ensured that human C5 does not contain free cysteine residues. Further, oxidation of about 60% of the methionine residues of C5 by Cl-T was demonstrated by amino acid analysis. So, all evidence points to methionine residue(s) as the site of attack of Cl-T and probably also of N-Cl-S. The oxidation product of methionine, its sulphoxide, may cause a change in structural conformation of C5 which involves expression of the C6 binding site. Earlier it was found that oxidation of C5 by hydroxyl radicals leads to its activation without cleavage. Since the properties of this C5b-like product resemble those of the product of treatment with Cl-T and N-Cl-S, it is suggested that the formerly found activation of human C5 by hydroxyl radicals is also mediated by oxidation of methionine residue(s) in the C5 protein.

Widespread expression of erythropoietin receptor in brain and its induction by injury

Erythropoietin (EPO) exerts potent neuroprotective, neuroregenerative and procognitive functions. However, unequivocal demonstration of erythropoietin receptor (EPOR) expression in brain cells has remained difficult since previously available anti-EPOR antibodies (EPOR-AB) were unspecific. We report here a new, highly specific, polyclonal rabbit EPOR-AB directed against different epitopes in the cytoplasmic tail of human and murine EPOR and its characterization by mass spectrometric analysis of immunoprecipitated endogenous EPOR, Western blotting, immunostaining and flow cytometry. Among others, we applied genetic strategies including overexpression, Lentivirus-mediated conditional knockout of EpoR and tagged proteins, both on cultured cells and tissue sections, as well as intracortical implantation of EPOR-transduced cells to verify specificity. We show examples of EPOR expression in neurons, oligodendroglia, astrocytes and microglia. Employing this new EPOR-AB with double-labeling strategies, we demonstrate membrane expression of EPOR as well as its localization in intracellular compartments such as the Golgi apparatus. Moreover, we show injury-induced expression of EPOR. In mice, a stereotactically applied stab wound to the motor cortex leads to distinct EpoR expression by reactive GFAP-expressing cells in the lesion vicinity. In a patient suffering from epilepsy, neurons and oligodendrocytes of the hippocampus strongly express EPOR. To conclude, this new analytical tool will allow neuroscientists to pinpoint EPOR expression in cells of the nervous system and to better understand its role in healthy conditions, including brain development, as well as under pathological circumstances, such as upregulation upon distress and injury.

Activation of the fifth component of human complement by oxygen-derived free radicals, and by methionine oxidizing agents : a comparison

The fifth component of human complement, C5, was activated by non-enzymical, chemical treatment in either of two ways: 1) by oxidation with a hydroxyl radical (OH.) generating system consisting of H2O2, FeEDTA, and ascorbate, activation product called C5(H2O2); 2) by oxidation with chloramine T, activation product called C5(Cl-T). Evaluating earlier findings, completed by new results, both products were compared. Both products are C5-like in that they are capable of binding C6 and form the nucleus for the cytotoxic complex C5-9. Both differ from C5b, the natural activation product of C5, as they comprise the whole, uncleaved C5 protein, and do not immediately decay when not bound to C6. In both cases the treatment involves oxidation of methionine residues in the C5 protein. However, while chloramine T specifically attacks only methionine, oxidation by the OH. generating system involves other amino acid residues, in addition. This probably explains the lower yield of C5b-like activity after treatment with H2O2, and other quantitative differences between C5(H2O2) and C5(Cl-T). Whereas the generation of C5(H2O2) may be physiologically relevant, C5(Cl-T) may prove to be a suitable object for the study of changes in the C5 molecule essential for its activation.

An automated in-gel digestion/iTRAQ-labeling workflow for robust quantification of gel-separated proteins

Simple protein separation by 1DE is a widely used method to reduce sample complexity and to prepare proteins for mass spectrometric identification via in‐gel digestion. While several automated solutions are available for in‐gel digestion particularly of small cylindric gel plugs derived from 2D gels, the processing of larger 1D gel‐derived gel bands with liquid handling work stations is less well established in the field. Here, we introduce a digestion device tailored to this purpose and validate its performance in comparison to manual in‐gel digestion. For relative quantification purposes, we extend the in‐gel digestion procedure by iTRAQ labeling of the tryptic peptides and show that automation of the entire workflow results in robust quantification of proteins from samples of different complexity and dynamic range. We conclude that automation improves accuracy and reproducibility of our iTRAQ workflow as it minimizes the variability in both, digestion and labeling efficiency, the two major causes of irreproducible results in chemical labeling approaches.

Mitochondria-derived and extra-mitochondrial human type-1 porin are identical as revealed by amino acid sequencing and electrophysiological characterisation.

Abstract In mammalian cells porin channels are localised in both mitochondrial outer membranes and extra-mitochondrial membranes. We isolated mitochondria-derived porin of a human lymphoblastoid B cell line, determined its amino acid sequence and characterised its channel properties. Interestingly, the amino acid sequence of this porin preparation and, correspondingly, its electrophysiological characteristics in a reconstituted system were identical to those of ‘Porin 31HL’, the human type-1 porin purified from a crude membrane preparation of the same cell line using a different purification protocol. The results raise questions about targeting, insertion and orientation of human type-1 porin in different membranes.