Keiju Kamijo

Molecular cloning of cDNA encoding rat very long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase.

The cDNA encoding rat very long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase (VLACS) was cloned, using degenerative primers synthesized according to the partial amino acid sequences of the peptide fragments of the purified rat liver enzyme. The longest cDNA insert was 2972 base pairs with a 1860-base pair open reading frame encoding 620 amino acids. The calculated molecular mass of 70,692 daltons was consistent with size of the purified enzyme. In Northern blot analysis, a single band was detected at the position of about 3 kilobases, corresponding to the size of the cloned cDNA. cDNA-directed expression in Escherichia coli resulted in accumulation of expressed protein, as an inclusion body. An antibody was raised using this expressed protein to characterize the cDNA and the enzyme. The subcellular localization of VLACS in peroxisomes and microsomes was demonstrated in Western blot analysis. The specific activity and the substrate specificity of the cDNA expressed enzyme in COS-1 cells were consistent with those of the purified rat enzyme. The predicted amino acid sequence of VLACS had a high sequence similarity to fatty acid transport protein (Schaffer, J. E., and Lodish, H. F. (1994) Cell 79, 427-436), and was considered to have domains for adenylation and thioester formation. The entire structure of VLACS was dissimilar to that of long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase (Suzuki, H., Kawarabayashi, Y., Kondo, Y., Abe, T., Nishikawa, K., Kimura, S., Hashimoto, T., and Yamamoto, T. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 8681-8685), except for the domains.

Inhibition of Peroxisome Proliferator Signaling Pathways by Thyroid Hormone Receptor COMPETITIVE BINDING TO THE RESPONSE ELEMENT

Peroxisome proliferators (e.g. clofibric acid) and thyroid hormone play an important role in the metabolism of lipids. These effectors display their action through their own nuclear receptors, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) and thyroid hormone receptor (TR). PPAR and TR are ligand-dependent, DNA binding, trans-acting transcriptional factors belonging to the erbA-related nuclear receptor superfamily. The present study focused on the convergence of the effectors on the peroxisome proliferator response element (PPRE). Transcriptional activation induced by PPAR through a PPRE was significantly suppressed by cotransfection of TR in transient transfection assays. The inhibition, however, was not affected by adding 3,5,3′-triiodo-L-thyronine (T3). Furthermore, the inhibition was not observed in cells cotransfected with retinoic acid receptor or vitamin D3 receptor. The inhibitory action by TR was lost by introducing a mutation in the DNA binding domain of TR, indicating that competition for DNA binding is involved in the molecular basis of this functional interaction. Gel shift assays revealed that TRs, expressed in insect cells, specifically bound to the 32P-labeled PPRE as heterodimers with the retinoid X receptor (RXR). Both PPAR and TR bind to PPRE, although only PPAR mediates transcriptional activation via PPRE. TR·RXR heterodimers are potential competitors with PPAR·RXR for binding to PPREs. It is concluded that PPAR-mediated gene expression is negatively controlled by TR at the level of PPAR binding to PPRE. We report here the novel action of thyroid hormone receptor in controlling gene expression through PPREs.

Nucleotide sequence of the human 70 kDa peroxisomal membrane protein: a member of ATP-binding cassette transporters☆

The cDNA sequence of human liver 70 kDa peroxisomal membrane protein (hPMP70) was determined. The nucleotide sequence contains an open reading frame of 1977 base pairs and encodes an amino acid sequence of 659 residues which exhibits 95.0% identity with that of rat liver PMP70. hPMP70 shares close similarity to the members of a superfamily of ATP-binding transport proteins.

cDNA cloning of rat liver 2,4-dienoyl-CoA reductase.

cDNA clones of 2,4-dienoyl-CoA reductase were isolated from rat liver cDNA libraries constructed in phages lambda gt11 and lambda gt10. Hybrid selected translation analysis revealed that 2,4-dienoyl-CoA reductase was translated as a polypeptide with a molecular weight of about 36,000, which was about 3,000 molecular weight units larger than mature reductase. Sequencing analysis revealed that the open reading frame encoded a polypeptide consisting of 335 amino acid residues (predicted molecular weight = 36,132), which contained an N-terminal extension peptide of 34 amino acid residues (presequence) in addition to the mature enzyme. Thus, 2,4-dienoyl-CoA reductase is synthesized as a larger precursor polypeptide, and the N-terminal extension peptide may be acting as the mitochondrial import signal.

Aggregate formation and degradation of overexpressed wild-type and mutant urate oxidase proteins. Quality control of organelle-destined proteins by the endoplasmic reticulum

Abstract. To analyze the cellular response caused by the overexpression of proteins in subcellular compartments, we constructed four expression clones encoding wild-type peroxisomal urate oxidase (UO), truncated UO lacking the peroxisomal targeting signal (UOdC), and chimeric UOs with a mitochondrial targeting signal (MTS) at the N-terminus of UOdC (MUOdC) or UO (MUO). After transfection, we examined COS-1 and HEK293 cells by immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and pulse-chase experiments. The overexpressed UO and UOdC formed large electron-dense aggregates with no limiting membrane in both the cytoplasm and the nucleus. The UO aggregates exhibited the crystalloid structure quite similar to that of rat liver peroxisomal cores, whereas the UOdC aggregates formed a loose mass consisting of small dense substructures. The overexpressed MUOdC and MUO, on the other hand, formed other types of aggregates which were distributed in the cytoplasm. They consisted of tubular and circular membrane structures, which were morphologically confirmed to be derived from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). No immunolabeling signals for MUOdC and MUO were present free in the cytoplasm and most of them were associated with membrane structures, suggesting that overexpressed UO containing the MTS attached to the ER membranes soon after synthesis and segregated from the cytosolic compartment. All the UO aggregates were stained for ubiquitin antigen. Pulse-chase experiments in combination with proteasome inhibitors suggested that proteasomes did not contribute to the degradation of these products.

Two novel missense mutations in the ATP-binding domain of the adrenoleukodystrophy gene : immunoblotting and immunocytological study of two patients

Two novel missense mutations, 1939G to A (R518Q) and 20I7A to G (Q544R) were identified in Japanese patients with adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). They are located in exon 6, which encodes part of the putative adenosine triphosphate binding domain of ALD protein. The ALD protein carrying the R518Q mutation was undetectable in fibroblasts, by immunoblot and immunofluorescence analysis, white the Q544R mutation had no apparent effect on the stability and localization of the ALD protein, but is expected to affect its function.

Correction by gene expression of biochemical abnormalities in fibroblasts from Zellweger patients.

Zellweger syndrome is a prototype of peroxisomal biogenesis disorders and a fatal autosomal recessive disease with no effective therapy. We identified nine genetic complementation groups of these disorders, and mutations in peroxisome assembly factor-1 (PAF-1) and the 70-kD peroxisomal membrane protein (PMP70) genes have been detected by our group F and Roschers group 1, respectively. We now describe permanent recovery from generalized peroxisomal abnormalities in fibroblasts of a Zellweger patient from group F, such as biochemical defects of peroxisomal β-oxidation, plasmalogen biosynthesis, and morphologic absence of peroxisomes, by stable transfection of human cDNA encoding PAF-1. In the light of these observations, we designed a gene expression system using fibroblasts from patients with peroxisomal biogenesis disorders. In Zellweger fibroblasts obtained from Roschers group 1 and transfected with human cDNA encoding PMP70, peroxisomes were not morphologically identifiable, and peroxisomal function did not normalize.

Degradation of Overexpressed Wild-type and Mutant Uricase Proteins in Cultured Cells

Wild-type and mutated urate oxidase (UO) proteins were overexpressed in Cos-1 and HEK293 cells and were analyzed by Western blotting and several morphological methods. By immunoelectron microscopy, wild-type UO formed large aggregates in the cytoplasm and nucleoplasm and exhibited a crystalloid structure. Mutated UO (UOdC), from which 28 amino acids, including peroxisomal targeting signal at the C-terminus, were deleted, formed dispersed aggregates in the cytoplasm and nucleus. Chimeric UO (MUOdC), which was made by addition of the mitochondrial targeting signal of serine:pyruvate/glyoxylate aminotransferase to the N-terminus of UOdC, attached to ER to form a complicated MUOdC-ER complex. These three structures were immunostained for ubiquitin- and p32-subunits of proteasomes. Western blotting showed strong signal for UO and UOdC but very weak signal for MUOdC. The results suggest that overexpressed UO and UOdC accumulate in the cells because their synthesis rate is higher than the degradation rate, whereas MUOdC forming a complex with ER is degraded very rapidly. The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway may be involved in the degradation of these proteins.

The 70-kDa Peroxisomal Membrane Protein

The 70 kDa peroxisomal membrane polypeptide is one of the major integral polyeptides and its content varies in accord with proliferation of peroxisomes. The structural analysis of the cDNA for this polypeptide and its topological study indicate that this membrane polypeptide anchors to the membrane via six transmembrane segments on amino-terminus, and the carboxy-terminal region having ATP-binding domain exposes to the cytosol. The possible role of this protein is discussed.