Tsuneo Imanaka

Peroxisomal ABC transporters: Structure, function and role in disease

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters belong to one of the largest families of membrane proteins, and are present in almost all living organisms from eubacteria to mammals. They exist on plasma membranes and intracellular compartments such as the mitochondria, peroxisomes, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus and lysosomes, and mediate the active transport of a wide variety of substrates in a variety of different cellular processes. These include the transport of amino acids, polysaccharides, peptides, lipids and xenobiotics, including drugs and toxins. Three ABC transporters belonging to subfamily D have been identified in mammalian peroxisomes. The ABC transporters are half-size and assemble mostly as a homodimer after posttranslational transport to peroxisomal membranes. ABCD1/ALDP and ABCD2/ALDRP are suggested to be involved in the transport of very long chain acyl-CoA with differences in substrate specificity, and ABCD3/PMP70 is involved in the transport of long and branched chain acyl-CoA. ABCD1 is known to be responsible for X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD), an inborn error of peroxisomal β-oxidation of very long chain fatty acids. Here, we summarize recent advances and important points in our advancing understanding of how these ABC transporters target and assemble to peroxisomal membranes and perform their functions in physiological and pathological processes, including the neurodegenerative disease, X-ALD.

Efflux of baicalin, a flavone glucuronide of Scutellariae Radix, on Caco-2 cells through multidrug resistance-associated protein 2

Baicalin and its aglycone, baicalein, being are strong antioxidants and have various pharmacological actions. Baicalein has shown a unique metabolic fate in rat intestine, being excreted into the intestinal lumen from mucosal (epithelial) cells following glucuronidation of baicalein absorbed after oral administration. The purpose of this study was to examine the absorption and excretion of baicalin and baicalein in a Caco‐2 cell monolayer model to evaluate the disposition of baicalin and baicalein in the human intestine. When baicalein at 5μM was loaded on the apical side of the Caco‐2 cell monolayer, baicalein was not transferred to the basolateral side, but more baicalin was excreted onto the apical side than was being absorbed onto the basolateral side. The amount of baicalin recovered on both sides accounted for more than 90% of the baicalein absorbed from the apical surface. This was supported by the fact that Caco‐2 cell microsomes showed UDP‐glucuronate glucuronosyl‐transferase activity towards baicalein to form baicalin. On the other hand, when baicalein was loaded at higher concentrations, baicalin excretion became saturated, and then baicalein was transferred to the basolateral side. Furthermore, baicalin efflux was not inhibited by MDR1/P‐glycoprotein substrates such as ciclosporin and vinblastine, but significantly inhibited by multidrug resistance‐associated protein 2 (MRP2, ABCC2) substrates such as probenecid and genistein. MRP2 was also detected in Caco‐2 cells by Western blotting using specific antibodies. In addition, baicalin, but not baicalein, enhanced dose‐dependently the vanadate‐sensitive ATPase activity of human MRP2. These results indicated that, in Caco‐2 cells, any baicalein absorbed after loading at low concentrations of baicalein was not transferred to the basolateral side, but was first transformed into baicalin in the cells and excreted through the action of MRP2, mainly to the apical side.

70-kDa peroxisomal membrane protein related protein (P70R/ABCD4) localizes to endoplasmic reticulum not peroxisomes, and NH2-terminal hydrophobic property determines the subcellular localization of ABC subfamily D proteins

70-kDa peroxisomal membrane protein related protein (P70R/ABCD4) is a member of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) protein subfamily D. ABC subfamily D proteins are also known as peroxisomal ABC proteins. Therefore, P70R is thought to be a peroxisomal membrane protein. However, the subcellular localization of P70R is not extensively investigated. In this study, we transiently expressed P70R in fusion with HA (P70R-HA) in CHO cells and examined subcellular localization by immunofluorescence. Surprisingly, P70R-HA was localized to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), not to peroxisomes. To examine the ER-targeting property of P70R, we expressed various NH(2)-terminal deletion constructs of P70R. Among the NH(2)-terminal deletion constructs, mutant proteins starting with hydrophobic transmembrane segment (TMS) were localized to ER, but the ones containing the NH(2)-terminal hydrophilic cytosolic domain were not. ABC subfamily D proteins destined for peroxisomes have NH(2)-terminal hydrophilic region adjacent to TMS1. However, only P70R lacks the region and is translated with NH(2)-terminal hydrophobic TMS1. Furthermore, attachment of the NH(2)-terminal hydrophilic domain to the NH(2)-terminus of P70R excluded P70R from the ER-targeting pathway. These data suggest that P70R resides in the ER but not the peroxisomal membranes, and the hydrophobic property of NH(2)-terminal region determines the subcellular localization of ABC subfamily D proteins.

ABC Subfamily D Proteins and Very Long Chain Fatty Acid Metabolism as Novel Targets in Adrenoleukodystrophy

Peroxisomes are involved in a variety of metabolic processes, including β-oxidation of fatty acids, especially very long chain fatty acids. Three peroxisomal ABC proteins belonging to subfamily D have been identified in mammalian peroxisomes that have an important role in fatty acid metabolism. ABCD1/ALDP and ABCD2/ALDRP are suggested to be involved in the transport of very long chain acyl-CoA, and ABCD3/PMP70 is involved in the transport of long chain acyl-CoA. ABCD1 is known to be responsible for X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD); an inborn error of peroxisomal β-oxidation of very long chain fatty acids. X-ALD is characterized biochemically by the accumulation of very long chain fatty acids in all tissues, including the brain white matter. Progressive demyelination of the central nervous system and adrenal dysfunction have been observed. The pharmacological up-regulation of peroxisomal β-oxidation of very long chain fatty acids and the suppression of fatty acid elongation are important aspects of an optimal therapeutic approach. Attractive targets for the treatment of X-ALD patients include the ABCD2 as well as elongase that is involved in the elongation of very long chain fatty acids. In addition, stabilization of mutant ABCD1 that has retained some of its function might be another approach, since most of the mutant ABCD1s with a missense mutation are degraded rapidly by proteasomes before or after targeting to peroxisomes. Protection of the central nervous system against oxidative damage is also important in order to delay the progress of disease. We summarize recent pharmaceutical studies and consider the potential for future X-ALD therapies.

Adrenoleukodystrophy: subcellular localization and degradation of adrenoleukodystrophy protein (ALDP/ABCD1) with naturally occurring missense mutations.

Mutation in the X‐chromosomal adrenoleukodystrophy gene (ALD; ABCD1) leads to X‐linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X‐ALD), a severe neurodegenerative disorder. The encoded adrenoleukodystrophy protein (ALDP/ABCD1) is a half‐size peroxisomal ATP‐binding cassette protein of 745 amino acids in humans. In this study, we chose nine arbitrary mutant human ALDP forms (R104C, G116R, Y174C, S342P, Q544R, S606P, S606L, R617H, and H667D) with naturally occurring missense mutations and examined the intracellular behavior. When expressed in X‐ALD fibroblasts lacking ALDP, the expression level of mutant His‐ALDPs (S606L, R617H, and H667D) was lower than that of wild type and other mutant ALDPs. Furthermore, mutant ALDP‐green fluorescence proteins (S606L and H667D) stably expressed in CHO cells were not detected due to rapid degradation. Interestingly, the wild type ALDP co‐expressed in these cells also disappeared. In the case of X‐ALD fibroblasts from an ALD patient (R617H), the mutant ALDP was not detected in the cells, but appeared upon incubation with a proteasome inhibitor. When CHO cells expressing mutant ALDP‐green fluorescence protein (H667D) were cultured in the presence of a proteasome inhibitor, both the mutant and wild type ALDP reappeared. In addition, mutant His‐ALDP (Y174C), which has a mutation between transmembrane domain 2 and 3, did not exhibit peroxisomal localization by immunofluorescense study. These results suggest that mutant ALDPs, which have a mutation in the COOH‐terminal half of ALDP, including S606L, R617H, and H667D, were degraded by proteasomes after dimerization. Further, the region between transmembrane domain 2 and 3 is important for the targeting of ALDP to the peroxisome.

Molecular Species of Phospholipids with Very Long Chain Fatty Acids in Skin Fibroblasts of Zellweger Syndrome

The ratio of C26:0/C22:0 fatty acids in patient lipids is widely accepted as a critical clinical criterion of peroxisomal diseases, such as Zellweger syndrome and X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD). However, phospholipid molecular species with very long chain fatty acids (VLCFA) have not been precisely characterized. In the present study, the structures of such molecules in fibroblasts of Zellweger syndrome and X-ALD were examined using LC–ESI–MS/MS analysis. In fibroblasts from Zellweger patients, a large number of VLCFA-containing molecular species were detected in several phospholipid classes as well as neutral lipids, including triacylglycerol and cholesteryl esters. Among these lipids, phosphatidylcholine showed the most diversity in the structures of VLCFA-containing molecular species. Some VLCFA possessed longer carbon chains and/or larger number of double bonds than C26:0-fatty acid (FA). Similar VLCFA were also found in other phospholipid classes, such as phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine. In addition, VLCFA-containing phospholipid species showed some differences among fibroblasts from Zellweger patients. It appears that phospholipids with VLCFA, with or without double bonds, as well as C26:0-FA might affect cellular functions, thus leading to the pathogenesis of peroxisomal diseases, such as Zellweger syndrome and X-ALD.

A Novel Double Mutation in the ABCD1 Gene in a Patient with X-linked Adrenoleukodystrophy: Analysis of the Stability and Function of the Mutant ABCD1 Protein

We diagnosed an adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN) patient with a double novel missense mutation, c.284C>A (p.A95D) and c.290A>T (p.H97L) in a single ABCD1 allele. In skin fibroblasts from the patient, no ABCD1 protein was detected by immunoblot analysis, and the C24:0 β-oxidation activity was decreased to a level at which the ABCD1 protein was absent. To determine the responsible gene mutation in the patient, we constructed three kinds of mutated ABCD1 gene expression vectors (c.284C>A, c.290A>T or c.284C>A/c.290A>T) and transfected them into CHO cells stably expressing GFP-SKL (CHO/GFP-SKL cells) or CADDS fibroblasts lacking the ABCD1 gene. ABCD1 (p.H97L) displayed the correct peroxisomal localization in CHO/GFP-SKL cells, but ABCD1 (p.A95D) and ABCD1 (p.A95D/p.H97L) were diffuse in the cytosol. Furthermore, ABCD1 (p.H97L) was detected by immunoblot analysis and restored the C24:0 β-oxidation activity in the CADDS fibroblasts, as the wild type ABCD1 did. On the other hand, ABCD1 (p.A95D) and ABCD1 (p.A95D/p.H97L) were not detected and the C24:0 β-oxidation activity was not restored. These results clearly show that c.284C>A is the responsible gene mutation, whereas c.290A>T is a novel polymorphism.

Evaluation of the role of the Endoplasmic Reticulum-Golgi transit in the biogenesis of peroxisomal membrane proteins in wild type and peroxisome biogenesis mutant CHO cells

Peroxisomes are thought to be formed by division of pre-existing peroxisomes after the import of newly synthesized proteins. However, it has been recently suggested that the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) provides an alternative de novo mechanism for peroxisome biogenesis in some cells. To test a possible role of the ER-Golgi transit in peroxisome biogenesis in mammalian cells, we evaluated the biogenesis of three peroxisomal membrane proteins (PMPs): ALDRP (adrenoleukodystrophy related protein), PMP70 and Pex3p in CHO cells. We constructed chimeric genes encoding these PMPs and green fluorescent protein (GFP), and transiently transfected them to wild type and mutant CHO cells, in which normal peroxisomes were replaced by peroxisomal membrane ghosts. The expressed proteins were targeted to peroxisomes and peroxisomal ghosts correctly in the presence or absence of Brefeldin A (BFA), a drug known to block the ER-Golgi transit. Furthermore, low temperature did not disturb the targeting of Pex3p-GFP to peroxisomes. We also constructed two chimeric proteins of PMPs containing an ER retention signal DEKKMP: GFP-ALDRP-DEKKMP and myc- Pex3p-DEKKMP. These proteins were mostly targeted to peroxisomes. No colocalization with an ER maker was found. These results suggest that the classical ER-Golgi pathway does not play a major role in the biogenesis of mammalian PMPs.

JTT-553, a novel Acyl CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) 1 inhibitor, improves glucose metabolism in diet-induced obesity and genetic T2DM mice.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) arises primarily due to lifestyle factors and genetics. A number of lifestyle factors are known to be important in the development of T2DM, including obesity. JTT-553, a novel Acyl CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 inhibitor, reduced body weight depending on dietary fat in diet-induced obesity (DIO) rats in our previous study. Here, the effect of JTT-553 on glucose metabolism was evaluated using body weight reduction in T2DM mice. JTT-553 was repeatedly administered to DIO and KK-A(y) mice. JTT-553 reduced body weight gain and fat weight in both mouse models. In DIO mice, JTT-553 decreased insulin, non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA), total cholesterol (TC), and liver triglyceride (TG) plasma concentrations in non-fasting conditions. JTT-553 also improved insulin-dependent glucose uptake in adipose tissues and glucose intolerance in DIO mice. In KK-A(y) mice, JTT-553 decreased glucose, NEFA, TC and liver TG plasma concentrations in non-fasting conditions. JTT-553 also decreased glucose, insulin, and TC plasma concentrations in fasting conditions. In addition, JTT-553 decreased TNF-α mRNA levels and increased GLUT4 mRNA levels in adipose tissues in KK-A(y) mice. These results suggest that JTT-553 improves insulin resistance in adipose tissues and systemic glucose metabolism through reductions in body weight.

The Structure of Physarum polycephalum Hemagglutinin I Suggests a Minimal Carbohydrate Recognition Domain of Legume Lectin Fold

Physarum polycephalum hemagglutinin I (HA1) is a 104-residue protein that is secreted to extracellular space. The crystal structure of HA1 has a β-sandwich fold found among lectin structures, such as legume lectins and galectins. Interestingly, the β-sandwich of HA1 lacks a jelly roll motif and is essentially composed of two simple up-and-down β-sheets. This up-and-down β-sheet motif is well conserved in other legume lectin-like proteins derived from animals, plants, bacteria, and viruses. It is more noteworthy that the up-and-down β-sheet motif includes many residues that make contact with the target carbohydrates. Our NMR data demonstrate that HA1 lacking a jelly roll motif also binds to its target glycopeptide. Taken together, these data show that the up-and-down β-sheet motif provides a fundamental scaffold for the binding of legume lectin-like proteins to the target carbohydrates, and the structure of HA1 suggests a minimal carbohydrate recognition domain.