Sergey Ryazantsev

Activated microglia in cortex of mouse models of mucopolysaccharidoses I and IIIB

α-N-Acetylglucosaminidase deficiency (mucopolysaccharidosis IIIB, MPS IIIB) and α-l-iduronidase deficiency (MPS I) are heritable lysosomal storage diseases; neurodegeneration is prominent in MPS IIIB and in severe cases of MPS I. We have obtained morphologic and molecular evidence for the involvement of microglia in brain pathology of mouse models of the two diseases. In the cortex, a subset of microglia (sometimes perineuronal) consists of cells that are probably phagocytic; they have large storage vacuoles, react with MOMA-2 (monoclonal antibody against macrophages) and Griffonia simplicifolia isolectin IB4, and stain intensely for the lysosomal proteins Lamp-1, Lamp-2, and cathepsin D as well as for GM3 ganglioside. MOMA-2-positive cells appear at 1 and 6 months in MPS IIIB and MPS I mice, respectively, but though their number increases with age, they remain sparse. However, a profusion of cells carrying the macrophage CD68/macrosialin antigen appear in the cortex of both mouse models at 1 month. mRNA encoding CD68/macrosialin also increases at that time, as shown by microarray and Northern blot analyses. Ten other transcripts elevated in both mouse models are associated with macrophage functions, including complement C4, the three subunits of complement C1q, lysozyme M, cathepsins S and Z, cytochrome b558 small subunit, macrophage-specific protein 1, and DAP12. An increase in IFN-γ and IFN-γ receptor was observed by immunohistochemistry. These functional increases may represent activation of resident microglia, an influx and activation of blood monocytes, or both. They show an inflammatory component of brain disease in the two MPS, as is known for many neurodegenerative disorders.

Evidence for Proteotoxicity in β Cells in Type 2 Diabetes: Toxic Islet Amyloid Polypeptide Oligomers Form Intracellularly in the Secretory Pathway

The islet in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterized by a deficit in beta cells and islet amyloid derived from islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP), a protein co-expressed with insulin by beta cells. It is increasingly appreciated that the toxic form of amyloidogenic proteins is not amyloid but smaller membrane-permeant oligomers. Using an antibody specific for toxic oligomers and cryo-immunogold labeling in human IAPP transgenic mice, human insulinoma and pancreas from humans with and without T2DM, we sought to establish the abundance and sites of formation of IAPP toxic oligomers. We conclude that IAPP toxic oligomers are formed intracellularly within the secretory pathway in T2DM. Most striking, IAPP toxic oligomers appear to disrupt membranes of the secretory pathway, and then when adjacent to mitochondria, disrupt mitochondrial membranes. Toxic oligomer-induced secretory pathway and mitochondrial membrane disruption is a novel mechanism to account for cellular dysfunction and apoptosis in T2DM.

A yeast DNA J protein required for uncoating of clathrin-coated vesicles in vivo

Clathrin-coated vesicles mediate diverse processes such as nutrient uptake, downregulation of hormone receptors, formation of synaptic vesicles, virus entry, and transport of biosynthetic proteins to lysosomes. Cycles of coat assembly and disassembly are integral features of clathrin-mediated vesicular transport (Fig. 1a). Coat assembly involves recruitment of clathrin triskelia, adaptor complexes and other factors that influence coat assembly, cargo sequestration, membrane invagination and scission (Fig. 1a). Coat disassembly is thought to be essential for fusion of vesicles with target membranes and for recycling components of clathrin coats to the cytoplasm for further rounds of vesicle formation. In vitro, cytosolic heat-shock protein 70 (Hsp70) and the J-domain co-chaperone auxilin catalyse coat disassembly. However, a specific function of these factors in uncoating in vivo has not been demonstrated, leaving the physiological mechanism and significance of uncoating unclear. Here we report the identification and characterization of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae J-domain protein, Aux1. Inactivation of Aux1 results in accumulation of clathrin-coated vesicles, impaired cargo delivery, and an increased ratio of vesicle-associated to cytoplasmic clathrin. Our results demonstrate an in vivo uncoating function of a J domain co-chaperone and establish the physiological significance of uncoating in transport mediated by clathrin-coated vesicles.

Sanfilippo syndrome type B, a lysosomal storage disease, is also a tauopathy

Sanfilippo syndrome type B (mucopolysaccharidosis III B, MPS III B) is an autosomal recessive, neurodegenerative disease of children, characterized by profound mental retardation and dementia. The primary cause is mutation in the NAGLU gene, resulting in deficiency of α-N-acetylglucosaminidase and lysosomal accumulation of heparan sulfate. In the mouse model of MPS III B, neurons and microglia display the characteristic vacuolation of lysosomal storage of undegraded substrate, but neurons in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) display accumulation of several additional substances. We used whole genome microarray analysis to examine differential gene expression in MEC neurons isolated by laser capture microdissection from Naglu−/− and Naglu+/− mice. Neurons from the lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC) were used as tissue controls. The highest increase in gene expression (6- to 7-fold between mutant and control) in MEC and LEC neurons was that of Lyzs, which encodes lysozyme, but accumulation of lysozyme protein was seen in MEC neurons only. Because of a report that lysozyme induced the formation of hyperphosphorylated tau (P-tau) in cultured neurons, we searched for P-tau by immunohistochemistry. P-tau was found in MEC of Naglu−/− mice, in the same neurons as lysozyme. In older mutant mice, it was also seen in the dentate gyrus, an area important for memory. Electron microscopy of dentate gyrus neurons showed cytoplasmic inclusions of paired helical filaments, P-tau aggregates characteristic of tauopathies—a group of age-related dementias that include Alzheimer disease. Our findings indicate that the Sanfilippo syndrome type B should also be considered a tauopathy.

Treatment of the mouse model of mucopolysaccharidosis I with retrovirally transduced bone marrow

Mucopolysaccharidosis I is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by mutations in the IDUA gene, resulting in deficiency of alpha-L-iduronidase and accumulation of glycosaminoglycans. Bone marrow transplantation has been the only available therapy, soon to be joined by enzyme replacement. We have tested retroviral gene therapy in a knockout mouse model of the disease. Bone marrow from Idua-/- male donor mice was transduced with human IDUA cDNA in an MND vector and transplanted into 6-8-week-old, lethally irradiated female Idua-/- mice. Sham-treated mice received Idua-/- bone marrow that was either unmodified or transduced with eGFP. Unmodified Idua+/+ (wild type) bone marrow was transplanted for comparison. Recipient mice were sacrificed 2-6 months after transplantation. Three biochemical parameters were used to gauge therapeutic success: appearance of alpha-L-iduronidase activity, reduction of beta-hexosaminidase activity and reduction of soluble glycosaminoglycan accumulation. Transplantation of unmodified +/+ bone marrow was effective in reducing storage in liver and spleen, but not in kidney or brain. The level of alpha-L-iduronidase activity achieved by transplantation of IDUA-transduced bone marrow varied greatly between experiments. But even modest activity resulted in correction of pathology of kidney, bladder epithelium, fibrocartilage, choroid plexus, and thalamus, as seen by light microscopy, while electron microscopy showed the presence of some normal neurons in the cortex. The partial correction of brain pathology is attributed to migration of donor hematopoietic cells, demonstrated by the presence of the Y chromosome and of normal microglia in the brain of mice receiving IDUA cDNA.

Calcium-activated calpain-2 is a mediator of beta cell dysfunction and apoptosis in type 2 diabetes

The islet in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and the brain in neurodegenerative diseases share progressive cell dysfunction, increased apoptosis, and accumulation of locally expressed amyloidogenic proteins (islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) in T2DM). Excessive activation of the Ca2+-sensitive protease calpain-2 has been implicated as a mediator of oligomer-induced cell death and dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases. To establish if human IAPP toxicity is mediated by a comparable mechanism, we overexpressed human IAPP in rat insulinoma cells and freshly isolated human islets. Pancreas was also obtained at autopsy from humans with T2DM and nondiabetic controls. We report that overexpression of human IAPP leads to the formation of toxic oligomers and increases beta cell apoptosis mediated by increased cytosolic Ca2+ and hyperactivation of calpain-2. Cleavage of α-spectrin, a marker of calpain hyperactivation, is increased in beta cells in T2DM. We conclude that overactivation of Ca2+-calpain pathways contributes to beta cell dysfunction and apoptosis in T2DM.

A novel mitochondrial outer membrane protein, MOMA-1, that affects cristae morphology in Caenorhabditis elegans

Relatively constant diameters of Caenorhabditis elegans mitochondria and their cristae are disrupted by mutations in a novel mitochondrial outer membrane protein, MOMA-1, and by mutations in a mitofilin homologue, which is anchored in the inner membrane. Genetic data suggest that these proteins act in the same pathway but localize to different membranes.

Three-dimensional visualization of gammaherpesvirus life cycle in host cells by electron tomography.

Gammaherpesviruses are etiologically associated with human tumors. A three-dimensional (3D) examination of their life cycle in the host is lacking, significantly limiting our understanding of the structural and molecular basis of virus-host interactions. Here, we report the first 3D visualization of key stages of the murine gammaherpesvirus 68 life cycle in NIH 3T3 cells, including viral attachment, entry, assembly, and egress, by dual-axis electron tomography. In particular, we revealed the transient processes of incoming capsids injecting viral DNA through nuclear pore complexes and nascent DNA being packaged into progeny capsids in vivo as a spool coaxial with the putative portal vertex. We discovered that intranuclear invagination of both nuclear membranes is involved in nuclear egress of herpesvirus capsids. Taken together, our results provide the structural basis for a detailed mechanistic description of gammaherpesvirus life cycle and also demonstrate the advantage of electron tomography in dissecting complex cellular processes of viral infection.

HPAF-II, a cell culture model to study pancreatic epithelial cell structure and function.

Objectives: Epithelial cells have distinct apical and basolateral plasma membrane domains separated by tight junctions. This phenotype is essential for the directional transport functions of epithelial cells. Here we characterized a well-differentiated pancreatic epithelial cell line to establish a useful model for understanding the mechanisms involved in the regulation of junctional complexes, polarity, and disease processes in the pancreas. Methods: Immunofluorescence of cell junction marker proteins and electron microscopy were used to determine the presence of tight junctions, adherens junctions, and desmosomes. The functionality of tight junctions was tested by transepithelial resistance measurements and transepithelial permeability studies of nonionic molecules. Tight junction function in polarity was determined by laser scanning confocal microscopy. Results: Immunofluorescence analysis in HPAF-II cells revealed tight junction localization of ZO-1, occludin, and claudin-4; adherens junction localization of E-cadherin and β-catenin; and desmosomal localization of desmocollin. Transmission electron microscopy showed the presence of tight junctions, adherens junctions, and des-mosomes, and freeze-fracture electron microscopy revealed the presence of distinct anastomosing tight junction strands. Transepithelial electrical resistance and permeability measurements revealed functional tight junctions. In addition, 3-dimensional images of the monolayer generated by laser scanning confocal microscopy revealed that HPAF-II cells show polarity. Immunoblotting and RT-PCR analyses revealed high expression levels of E-cadherin and Na,K-ATPase β-subunit but low levels of the transcription factor Snail in HPAF-II cells compared with MiaPaCa-2 cells. Conclusion: The HPAF-II cell line is a well-differentiated human pancreatic carcinoma cell line that should be useful as a model for studies aimed at understanding epithelial polarity, regulation of junctional complexes, and disease processes in pancreas.

α-Catenin overrides Src-dependent activation of β-catenin oncogenic signaling

Loss of α-catenin is one of the characteristics of prostate cancer. The catenins (α and β) associated with E-cadherin play a critical role in the regulation of cell-cell adhesion. Tyrosine phosphorylation of β-catenin dissociates it from E-cadherin and facilitates its entry into the nucleus, where β-catenin acts as a transcriptional activator inducing genes involved in cell proliferation. Thus, β-catenin regulates cell-cell adhesion and cell proliferation. Mechanisms controlling the balance between these functions of β-catenin invariably are altered in cancer. Although a wealth of information is available about β-catenin deregulation during oncogenesis, much less is known about how or whether α-catenin regulates β-catenin functions. In this study, we show that α-catenin acts as a switch regulating the cell-cell adhesion and proliferation functions of β-catenin. In α-catenin-null prostate cancer cells, reexpression of α-catenin increased cell-cell adhesion and decreased β-catenin transcriptional activity, cyclin D1 levels, and cell proliferation. Further, Src-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of β-catenin is a major mechanism for decreased β-catenin interaction with E-cadherin in α-catenin-null cells. α-Catenin attenuated the effect of Src phosphorylation by increasing β-catenin association with E-cadherin. We also show that α-catenin increases the sensitivity of prostate cancer cells to a Src inhibitor in suppressing cell proliferation. This study reveals for the first time that α-catenin is a key regulator of β-catenin transcriptional activity and that the status of α-catenin expression in tumor tissues might have prognostic value for Src targeted therapy. [Mol Cancer Ther 2008;7(6):1386–97]