Fumihiko Urano

IRE1 couples endoplasmic reticulum load to secretory capacity by processing the XBP-1 mRNA

The unfolded protein response (UPR), caused by stress, matches the folding capacity of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the load of client proteins in the organelle. In yeast, processing of HAC1 mRNA by activated Ire1 leads to synthesis of the transcription factor Hac1 and activation of the UPR. The responses to activated IRE1 in metazoans are less well understood. Here we demonstrate that mutations in either ire-1 or the transcription-factor-encoding xbp-1 gene abolished the UPR in Caenorhabditis elegans. Mammalian XBP-1 is essential for immunoglobulin secretion and development of plasma cells, and high levels of XBP-1 messenger RNA are found in specialized secretory cells. Activation of the UPR causes IRE1-dependent splicing of a small intron from the XBP-1 mRNA both in C. elegans and mice. The protein encoded by the processed murine XBP-1 mRNA accumulated during the UPR, whereas the protein encoded by unprocessed mRNA did not. Purified mouse IRE1 accurately cleaved XBP-1 mRNA in vitro, indicating that XBP-1 mRNA is a direct target of IRE1 endonucleolytic activity. Our findings suggest that physiological ER load regulates a developmental decision in higher eukaryotes.

Autophagy Is Activated for Cell Survival after Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress

ABSTRACT Eukaryotic cells deal with accumulation of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by the unfolded protein response, involving the induction of molecular chaperones, translational attenuation, and ER-associated degradation, to prevent cell death. Here, we found that the autophagy system is activated as a novel signaling pathway in response to ER stress. Treatment of SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cells with ER stressors markedly induced the formation of autophagosomes, which were recognized at the ultrastructural level. The formation of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-LC3-labeled structures (GFP-LC3“ dots”), representing autophagosomes, was extensively induced in cells exposed to ER stress with conversion from LC3-I to LC3-II. In IRE1-deficient cells or cells treated with c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor, the autophagy induced by ER stress was inhibited, indicating that the IRE1-JNK pathway is required for autophagy activation after ER stress. In contrast, PERK-deficient cells and ATF6 knockdown cells showed that autophagy was induced after ER stress in a manner similar to the wild-type cells. Disturbance of autophagy rendered cells vulnerable to ER stress, suggesting that autophagy plays important roles in cell survival after ER stress.

Thioredoxin-interacting protein mediates ER stress-induced β cell death through initiation of the inflammasome.

Recent clinical and experimental evidence suggests that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress contributes to the life-and-death decisions of β cells during the progression of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Although crosstalk between inflammation and ER stress has been suggested to play a significant role in β cell dysfunction and death, a key molecule connecting ER stress to inflammation has not been identified. Here we report that thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) is a critical signaling node that links ER stress and inflammation. TXNIP is induced by ER stress through the PERK and IRE1 pathways, induces IL-1β mRNA transcription, activates IL-1β production by the NLRP3 inflammasome, and mediates ER stress-mediated β cell death. Collectively, our results suggest that TXNIP is a potential therapeutic target for diabetes and ER stress-related human diseases such as Wolfram syndrome.

Compartment-specific perturbation of protein handling activates genes encoding mitochondrial chaperones.

Protein folding in the mitochondria is assisted by nuclear-encoded compartment-specific chaperones but regulation of the expression of their encoding genes is poorly understood. We found that the mitochondrial matrix HSP70 and HSP60 chaperones, encoded by the Caenorhabditis elegans hsp-6 and hsp-60 genes, were selectively activated by perturbations that impair assembly of multi-subunit mitochondrial complexes or by RNAi of genes encoding mitochondrial chaperones or proteases, which lead to defective protein folding and processing in the organelle. hsp-6 and hsp-60 induction was specific to perturbed mitochondrial protein handling, as neither heat-shock nor endoplasmic reticulum stress nor manipulations that impair mitochondrial steps in intermediary metabolism or ATP synthesis activated the mitochondrial chaperone genes. These observations support the existence of a mitochondrial unfolded protein response that couples mitochondrial chaperone gene expression to changes in the protein handling environment in the organelle.

Amyloid beta induces neuronal cell death through ROS-mediated ASK1 activation

Amyloid β (Aβ) is a main component of senile plaques in Alzheimers disease and induces neuronal cell death. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress have been implicated in Aβ-induced neurotoxicity. We have reported that apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) is required for ROS- and ER stress-induced JNK activation and apoptosis. Here we show the involvement of ASK1 in Aβ-induced neuronal cell death. Aβ activated ASK1 mainly through production of ROS but not through ER stress in cultured neuronal cells. Importantly, ASK1−/− neurons were defective in Aβ-induced JNK activation and cell death. These results indicate that ROS-mediated ASK1 activation is a key mechanism for Aβ-induced neurotoxicity, which plays a central role in Alzheimers disease.

Measuring ER stress and the unfolded protein response using mammalian tissue culture system

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) functions to properly fold and process secreted and transmembrane proteins. Environmental and genetic factors that disrupt ER function cause an accumulation of misfolded and unfolded proteins in the ER lumen, a condition termed ER stress. ER stress activates a signaling network called the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) to alleviate this stress and restore ER homeostasis, promoting cell survival and adaptation. However, under unresolvable ER stress conditions, the UPR promotes apoptosis. Here, we discuss the current methods to measure ER stress levels, UPR activation, and subsequent pathways in mammalian cells. These methods will assist us in understanding the UPR and its contribution to ER stress-related disorders such as diabetes and neurodegeneration.

WFS1 is a novel component of the unfolded protein response and maintains homeostasis of the endoplasmic reticulum in pancreatic beta-cells

In Wolfram syndrome, a rare form of juvenile diabetes, pancreatic β-cell death is not accompanied by an autoimmune response. Although it has been reported that mutations in the WFS1 gene are responsible for the development of this syndrome, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying β-cell death caused by the WFS1 mutations remain unknown. Here we report that WFS1 is a novel component of the unfolded protein response and has an important function in maintaining homeostasis of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in pancreatic β-cells. WFS1 encodes a transmembrane glyco-protein in the ER. WFS1 mRNA and protein are induced by ER stress. The expression of WFS1 is regulated by inositol requiring 1 and PKR-like ER kinase, central regulators of the unfolded protein response. WFS1 is normally up-regulated during insulin secretion, whereas inactivation of WFS1 in β-cells causes ER stress and β-cell dysfunction. These results indicate that the pathogenesis of Wolfram syndrome involves chronic ER stress in pancreatic β-cells caused by the loss of function of WFS1.

Wolfram syndrome 1 gene negatively regulates ER stress signaling in rodent and human cells

Wolfram syndrome is an autosomal-recessive disorder characterized by insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, caused by nonautoimmune loss of beta cells, and neurological dysfunctions. We have previously shown that mutations in the Wolfram syndrome 1 (WFS1) gene cause Wolfram syndrome and that WFS1 has a protective function against ER stress. However, it remained to be determined how WFS1 mitigates ER stress. Here we have shown in rodent and human cell lines that WFS1 negatively regulates a key transcription factor involved in ER stress signaling, activating transcription factor 6alpha (ATF6alpha), through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. WFS1 suppressed expression of ATF6alpha target genes and repressed ATF6alpha-mediated activation of the ER stress response element (ERSE) promoter. Moreover, WFS1 stabilized the E3 ubiquitin ligase HRD1, brought ATF6alpha to the proteasome, and enhanced its ubiquitination and proteasome-mediated degradation, leading to suppression of ER stress signaling. Consistent with these data, beta cells from WFS1-deficient mice and lymphocytes from patients with Wolfram syndrome exhibited dysregulated ER stress signaling through upregulation of ATF6alpha and downregulation of HRD1. These results reveal a role for WFS1 in the negative regulation of ER stress signaling and in the pathogenesis of diseases involving chronic, unresolvable ER stress, such as pancreatic beta cell death in diabetes.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress and pancreatic β-cell death

In pancreatic β-cells, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is an important cellular compartment for insulin biosynthesis, which accounts for half of the total protein production in these cells. Protein flux through the ER must be carefully monitored to prevent dysregulation of ER homeostasis and stress. ER stress elicits a signaling cascade known as the unfolded protein response (UPR), which influences both life and death decisions in cells. β-cell loss is a pathological component of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and recent findings suggest that ER stress is involved. In this review, we address the transition from the physiological ER stress response to the pathological response, and explore the mechanisms of ER stress-mediated β-cell loss during the progression of diabetes.

Male sterility and enhanced radiation sensitivity in TLS−/− mice

TLS (also known as FUS) is an RNA‐binding protein that contributes the N‐terminal half of fusion oncoproteins implicated in the development of human liposarcomas and leukemias. Here we report that male mice homozygous for an induced mutation in TLS are sterile with a marked increase in the number of unpaired and mispaired chromosomal axes in pre‐meiotic spermatocytes. Nuclear extracts from TLS−/− testes lack an activity capable of promoting pairing between homologous DNA sequences in vitro, and TLS−/− mice and embryonic fibroblasts exhibit increased sensitivity to ionizing irradiation. These results are consistent with a role for TLS in homologous DNA pairing and recombination.