Günter Lochnit

Cell Surface Tetraspanin Tspan8 Contributes to Molecular Pathways of Exosome-Induced Endothelial Cell Activation

Tumor-derived exosomes containing the tetraspanin Tspan8 can efficiently induce angiogenesis in tumors and tumor-free tissues. However, little information exists on exosome-endothelial cell (EC) interactions or the proangiogenic role of tetraspanins, which are a constitutive component of exosomes. In this study, we used a rat adenocarcinoma model (AS-Tspan8) to explore the effects of exosomal Tspan8 on angiogenesis. Tspan8 contributed to a selective recruitment of proteins and mRNA into exosomes, including CD106 and CD49d, which were implicated in exosome-EC binding and EC internalization. We found that EC internalized Tspan8-CD49d complex-containing exosomes. Exosome uptake induced vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-independent regulation of several angiogenesis-related genes, including von Willebrand factor, Tspan8, chemokines CXCL5 and MIF, chemokine receptor CCR1, and, together with VEGF, VEGF receptor 2. EC uptake of Tspan8-CD49d complex-containing exosomes was accompanied by enhanced EC proliferation, migration, sprouting, and maturation of EC progenitors. Unraveling these new pathways of exosome-initiated EC regulation could provide new options for therapeutic interference with tumor-induced angiogenesis.

Hyperglycemia Impairs Proteasome Function by Methylglyoxal

OBJECTIVE The ubiquitin-proteasome system is the main degradation machinery for intracellularly altered proteins. Hyperglycemia has been shown to increase intracellular levels of the reactive dicarbonyl methylglyoxal (MGO) in cells damaged by diabetes, resulting in modification of proteins and alterations of their function. In this study, the influence of MGO-derived advanced glycation end product (AGE) formation on the activity of the proteasome was investigated in vitro and in vivo. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS MGO-derived AGE modification of proteasome subunits was analyzed by mass spectrometry, immunoprecipitation, and Western blots. Proteasome activity was analyzed using proteasome-specific fluorogenic substrates. Experimental models included bovine retinal endothelial cells, diabetic Ins2Akita mice, glyoxalase 1 (GLO1) knockdown mice, and streptozotocin (STZ)-injected diabetic mice. RESULTS In vitro incubation with MGO caused adduct formation on several 20S proteasomal subunit proteins. In cultured endothelial cells, the expression level of the catalytic 20S proteasome subunit was not altered but proteasomal chymotrypsin-like activity was significantly reduced. In contrast, levels of regulatory 19S proteasomal proteins were decreased. In diabetic Ins2Akita, STZ diabetic, and nondiabetic and diabetic G101 knockdown mice, chymotrypsin-like activity was also reduced and MGO modification of the 20S-β2 subunit was increased. CONCLUSIONS Hyperglycemia-induced formation of MGO covalently modifies the 20S proteasome, decreasing its activity in the diabetic kidney and reducing the polyubiquitin receptor 19S-S5a. The results indicate a new link between hyperglycemia and impairment of cell functions.

Structural elucidation and monokine-inducing activity of two biologically active zwitterionic glycosphingolipids derived from the porcine parasitic nematode Ascaris suum.

 The isolated neutral glycosphingolipid fraction from the pig parasitic nematode,Ascaris suum, was fractionated by silica gel chromatography to yield a neutral and a zwitterionic glycosphingolipid fraction, the latter of which mainly contained two zwitterionic glycosphingolipids termed components A and C. Preliminary chemical characterization with hydrofluoric acid treatment and immunochemical characterization with a phosphocholine-specific monoclonal antibody indicated that both components contained phosphodiester substitutions: phosphocholine for component A, and phosphocholine and phosphoethanolamine for component C. Both components were biologically active in inducing human peripheral blood mononuclear cells to release the inflammatory monokines tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin 1, and interleukin 6. Component A was the more bioactive molecule, and its biological activity was abolished on removal of the phosphocholine substituent by hydrofluoric acid. The glycosphingolipid components were structurally analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, liquid secondary ion mass spectrometry, methylation analysis, 1H NMR spectroscopy, exoglycosidase cleavage, and ceramide analysis. Their chemical structures were elucidated to be (see Structure I below),           phosphocholine 6 − ‖ Component A                   Gal ( α 1 – 3 ) GalNAc ( β 1 – 4 ) GlcNAc ( β 1 – 3 ) Man ( β 1 – 4 ) Glc ( β 1 – 1 )   ceramide           phosphocholine 6   _ ‖                 ‖ _   6 phosphoethanolamine   Component C                   Gal ( α 1 – 3 ) GalNAc ( β 1 – 4 ) GlcNAc ( β 1 – 3 ) Man ( β 1 – 4 ) Glc ( β 1 – 1 )   ceramide Structure I  The carbohydrate moiety oligosaccharide core was characterized as belonging to the arthro series of protostomial glycosphingolipids. The ceramide moiety was distinguished by (R)-2-hydroxytetracosanoic acid as the dominant fatty acid species and by the C17 iso-branched sphingosine and sphinganine bases, 15-methylhexadecasphing-4-enine and 15-methylhexadecasphinganine, respectively.

Biosynthesis of truncated N-linked oligosaccharides results from non-orthologous hexosaminidase-mediated mechanisms in nematodes, plants, and insects.

In many invertebrates and plants, the N-glycosylation profile is dominated by truncated paucimannosidic N-glycans, i.e. glycans consisting of a simple trimannosylchitobiosyl core often modified by core fucose residues. Even though they lack antennal N-acetylglucosamine residues, the biosynthesis of these glycans requires the sequential action of GlcNAc transferase I, Golgi mannosidase II, and, finally, β-N-acetylglucosaminidases. In Drosophila, the recently characterized enzyme encoded by the fused lobes (fdl) gene specifically removes the non-reducing N-acetylglucosamine residue from the α1,3-antenna of N-glycans. In the present study, we examined the products of five β-N-acetylhexosaminidase genes from Caenorhabditis elegans (hex-1 to hex-5, corresponding to reading frames T14F9.3, C14C11.3, Y39A1C.4, Y51F10.5, and Y70D2A.2) in addition to three from Arabidopsis thaliana (AtHEX1, AtHEX2, and AtHEX3, corresponding to reading frames At1g65590, At3g55260, and At1g05590). Based on homology, the Caenorhabditis HEX-1 and all three Arabidopsis enzymes are members of the same sub-family as the aforementioned Drosophila fused lobes enzyme but either act as chitotriosidases or non-specifically remove N-acetylglucosamine from both N-glycan antennae. The other four Caenorhabditis enzymes are members of a distinct sub-family; nevertheless, two of these enzymes displayed the same α1,3-antennal specificity as the fused lobes enzyme. Furthermore, a deletion of part of the Caenorhabditis hex-2 gene drastically reduces the native N-glycan-specific hexosaminidase activity in mutant worm extracts and results in a shift in the N-glycan profile, which is a demonstration of its in vivo enzymatic relevance. Based on these data, it is hypothesized that the genetic origin of paucimannosidic glycans in nematodes, plants, and insects involves highly divergent members of the same hexosaminidase gene family.

The Wnt Pathway Controls Cell Death Engulfment, Spindle Orientation, and Migration through CED-10/Rac

Specificity in Wnt-mediated developmental processes, such as directional cell cleavage, migration, and engulfment of dead cells in C. elegans, arises from the use of distinct Wnt pathway signalling modules.

Probing protein-chromophore interactions in Cph1 phytochrome by mutagenesis

We have investigated mutants of phytochrome Cph1 from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis PCC6803 in order to study chromophore–protein interactions. Cph1Δ2, the 514‐residue N‐terminal sensor module produced as a recombinant His6‐tagged apoprotein in Escherichia coli, autoassembles in vitro to form a holoprotein photochemically indistinguishable from the full‐length product. We generated 12 site‐directed mutants of Cph1Δ2, focusing on conserved residues which might be involved in chromophore–protein autoassembly and photoconversion. Folding, phycocyanobilin‐binding and Pr→Pfr photoconversion were analysed using CD and UV–visible spectroscopy. MALDI‐TOF‐MS confirmed C259 as the chromophore attachment site. C259L is unable to attach the chromophore covalently but still autoassembles to form a red‐shifted photochromic holoprotein. H260Q shows UV–visible properties similar to the wild‐type at pH 7.0 but both Pr and Pfr (reversibly) bleach at pH 9.0, indicating that the imidazole side chain buffers chromophore protonation. Mutations at E189 disturbed folding but the residue is not essential for chromophore–protein autoassembly. In D207A, whereas red irradiation of the ground state leads to bleaching of the red Pr band as in the wild‐type, a Pfr‐like peak does not arise, implicating D207 as a proton donor for a deprotonated intermediate prior to Pfr. UV‐Vis spectra of both H260Q under alkaline conditions and D207A point to a particular significance of protonation in the Pfr state, possibly implying proton migration (release and re‐uptake) during Pr→Pfr photoconversion. The findings are discussed in relation to the recently published 3D structure of a bacteriophytochrome fragment [Wagner JR, Brunzelle JS, Forest KT & Vierstra RD (2005) Nature438, 325–331].

Membrane-Associated, Boron-Interacting Proteins Isolated by Boronate Affinity Chromatography

Boron deficiency symptoms point to a role for boron in plant membranes, but the molecular partners interacting with boron have not yet been identified. The objective of the present study was to isolate and identify membrane-associated proteins with an ability to interact with boron. Boron-interacting proteins were isolated from root microsomal preparations of arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and maize (Zea mays) using phenylboronate affinity chromatography, subsequently separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and identified using MALDI-TOF (matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight) peptide mass fingerprinting. Twenty-six boron-binding membrane-associated proteins were identified in A. thaliana, and nine in Z. mays roots. Additional unidentified proteins were also present. Common to both species were the beta-subunit of mitochondrial ATP synthase, several beta-glucosidases, a luminal-binding protein and fructose bisphosphate aldolase. In A. thaliana, binding of these proteins to boron was significantly reduced after 4 d of boron deprivation. The relatively high number of diverse proteins identified as boron interacting, many of which are usually enriched in membrane microdomains, supports the hypothesis that boron plays a role in plant membranes by cross-linking glycoproteins, and may be involved in their recruitment to membrane microdomains.

Structural analysis of glycolipids from Borrelia burgdorferi

In this study the lipids of Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, were analyzed. Lipids comprise about 25-30% of the cell dry weight. The lipid fraction could be separated by HPTLC into 11 components. Staining of these components revealed two glycolipids and two phospholipids. The glycolipids represented about 50% of the total lipids and comprised only galactose as monosaccharide constituents. By means of mass spectrometric and gas chromatographic analysis both glycolipids could be identified as alpha-galactosyl-diacylglycerolipids with different fatty acid compositions. The phospholipids were identified as phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylglycerol. Immunoassays with sera from patients with Lyme disease showed antibody reactivity only to the glycolipids, which was present in all stages of the disease. Other lipid components seemed to be non-immunogenic in Lyme disease. The glycolipids of B. burgdorferi may be, thus, considered promising candidates for diagnosis and possibly also for vaccination.

Immunomodulatory properties of Ascaris suum glycosphingolipids – phosphorylcholine and non‐phosphorylcholine‐dependent effects

Immunomodulatory properties of phosphorylcholine (PC)‐containing glycosphingolipids from Ascaris suum were investigated utilizing immune cells from BALB/c mice. Proliferation of splenic B cells induced either via F(ab′)2 fragments of anti‐murine Ig (anti‐Ig) or LPS was significantly reduced when the glycosphingolipids were present in the culture medium. However whereas the LPS‐mediated effect was dependent on the PC moiety of the glycosphingolipids, the result generated when using anti‐Ig was not. Analysis of cell cycle status and mitochondrial potential indicated that the combination of the glycosphingolipids and anti‐Ig reduced B cell proliferation, at least in part, by inducing apoptosis. Consistent with the observed suppression of B cell activation/cell cycle progression, investigation of the effect of glycosphingolipid pre‐exposure on mitogenic B cell signal transduction pathways activated by anti‐Ig, revealed a PC‐independent inhibitory effect on dual (thr/tyr) phosphorylation and activation of ErkMAPKinase. The glycosphingolipids were also investigated for their inhibitory effect on LPS/IFN‐γ induced Th1/pro‐inflammatory cytokine production by peritoneal macrophages. It was found that IL‐12 p40 production was inhibited and in an apparently PC‐dependent manner. Overall these data indicate that PC‐containing glycosphingolipids of A. suum appear to have at least two immunomodulatory constituents – PC and an as yet unknown component.

Phosphocholine-containing, zwitterionic glycosphingolipids of adult Onchocerca volvulus as highly conserved antigenic structures of parasitic nematodes.

Human Onchocerca volvulus infection sera were found to recognize zwitterionic glycolipids of O. volvulus and to cross-react with those of other parasitic nematodes (Ascaris suum, Setaria digitata and Litomosoides sigmodontis). By the use of an epitope-specific monoclonal antibody, zwitterionic glycolipids of all these nematode species were observed to contain the antigenic determinant phosphocholine. A hyperimmune serum specific for arthro-series glycolipid structures reacted with the various neutral glycolipids of all these nematodes, which demonstrated that their oligosaccharide moieties belonged to the arthro-series of protostomial glycolipids. These results indicated that arthro-series glycosphingolipids carrying, in part, phosphocholine substituents, represent highly conserved, antigenic glycolipid markers of parasitic nematodes. Three glycolipid components of the O. volvulus zwitterionic fraction were structurally characterized by matrix-assisted laser-desorption/ionization time-of-flight MS, methylation analysis and exoglycosidase treatment. Their chemical structures were elucidated to be phosphocholine-6GlcNAc(beta1-3)Man(beta1-4)Glc(1-1)ceramide, GalNAc(beta1-4)[phosphocholine-6]GlcNAc(beta1-3)Man(beta1-4)Glc(1-1) ceramide and Gal(alpha1-3)GalNAc(beta1-4)[phosphocholine-6]GlcNAc(beta1-3)Man(beta 1-4)Glc(1-1)ceramide for the zwitterionic ceramide tri-, tetra- and penta-hexosides respectively. The ceramide composition was found to be dominated by 2-hydroxylated docosanoic (C(22h:0)), tricosanoic (C(23h:0)) and tetracosanoic (C(24h:0)) acids, and C(17) sphingosine (C(d17:1)) (where (h) is hydroxylated and (d) is dihydroxylated).