Time-resolved direct observations of proteins in action provide essential mechanistic insights into biological processes. Here, we present mechanisms of action of protein disulfide isomerase ...(PDI)-the most versatile disulfide-introducing enzyme in the endoplasmic reticulum-during the catalysis of oxidative protein folding. Single-molecule analysis by high-speed atomic force microscopy revealed that oxidized PDI is in rapid equilibrium between open and closed conformations, whereas reduced PDI is maintained in the closed state. In the presence of unfolded substrates, oxidized PDI, but not reduced PDI, assembles to form a face-to-face dimer, creating a central hydrophobic cavity with multiple redox-active sites, where substrates are likely accommodated to undergo accelerated oxidative folding. Such PDI dimers are diverse in shape and have different lifetimes depending on substrates. To effectively guide proper oxidative protein folding, PDI regulates conformational dynamics and oligomeric states in accordance with its own redox state and the configurations or folding states of substrates.
Complicated and sophisticated protein homeostasis (proteostasis) networks in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), comprising disulfide catalysts, molecular chaperones, and their regulators, help to ...maintain cell viability. Newly synthesized proteins inserted into the ER need to fold and assemble into unique native structures to fulfill their physiological functions, and this is assisted by protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) family. Herein, we focus on recent advances in understanding the detailed mechanisms of PDI family members as guides for client folding and assembly to ensure the efficient production of secretory proteins.
In mammalian cells, nearly one-third of proteins are inserted into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), where they undergo oxidative folding and chaperoning assisted by approximately 20 members of the ...protein disulfide isomerase family (PDIs). PDIs consist of multiple thioredoxin-like domains and recognize a wide variety of proteins via highly conserved interdomain flexibility. Although PDIs have been studied intensely for almost 50 years, exactly how they maintain protein homeostasis in the ER remains unknown, and is important not only for fundamental biological understanding but also for protein misfolding- and aggregation-related pathophysiology. Herein, we review recent advances in structural biology and biophysical approaches that explore the underlying mechanism by which PDIs fulfil their distinct functions to promote productive protein folding and scavenge misfolded proteins in the ER, the primary factory for efficient production of the secretome.
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•Oxidative folding and chaperoning in the ER are assisted by ~20 PDI family members.•PDIs recognize and act on clients via conserved interdomain flexibility.•Exactly how PDIs maintain protein homeostasis remains to be uncovered.•Aberrant PDI activity leads to protein misfolding- and aggregation-related pathology.
ERp44 retrieves some endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident enzymes and immature oligomers of secretory proteins from the Golgi. Association of ERp44 with its clients is regulated by pH-dependent ...mechanisms, but the molecular details are not fully understood. Here we report high-resolution crystal structures of human ERp44 at neutral and weakly acidic pH. These structures reveal key regions in the C-terminal tail (C tail) missing in the original crystal structure, including a regulatory histidine-rich region and a subsequent extended loop. The former region forms a short α-helix (α16), generating a histidine-clustered site (His cluster). At low pH, the three Trx-like domains of ERp44 (“a,” “b,” and “b′”) undergo significant rearrangements, likely induced by protonation of His157 located at the interface between the a and b domains. The α16-helix is partially unwound and the extended loop is disordered in weakly acidic conditions, probably due to electrostatic repulsion between the protonated histidines in the His cluster. Molecular dynamics simulations indicated that helix unwinding enhances the flexibility of the C tail, disrupting its normal hydrogen-bonding pattern. The observed pH-dependent conformational changes significantly enlarge the positively charged regions around the client-binding site of ERp44 at low pH. Mutational analyses showed that ERp44 forms mixed disulfides with specific cysteines residing on negatively charged loop regions of Ero1α. We propose that the protonation states of the essential histidines regulate the ERp44–client interaction by altering the C-tail dynamics and surface electrostatic potential of ERp44.
Oxidative protein folding occurs primarily in the mammalian endoplasmic reticulum, enabled by a diverse network comprising more than 20 members of the protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) family and ...more than five PDI oxidases. Although the canonical disulfide bond formation pathway involving Ero1α and PDI has been well-studied so far, the physiological roles of the newly identified PDI oxidases, glutathione peroxidase-7 (GPx7) and -8 (GPx8), are only poorly understood. We here demonstrated that human GPx7 has much higher reactivity with H2O2 and hence greater PDI oxidation activity than human GPx8. The high reactivity of GPx7 is due to the presence of a catalytic tetrad at the redox-active site, which stabilizes the sulfenylated species generated upon the reaction with H2O2. Although it was previously postulated that GPx7 catalysis involved a highly reactive peroxidatic cysteine that can be sulfenylated by H2O2, we revealed that a resolving cysteine instead regulates the PDI oxidation activity of GPx7. We also determined that GPx7 formed complexes preferentially with PDI and P5 in H2O2-treated cells. Altogether, these results suggest that human GPx7 functions as an H2O2-dependent PDI oxidase in cells, whereas PDI oxidation may not be the central physiological role of human GPx8.
How and when disulfide bonds form in proteins relative to the stage of their folding is a fundamental question in cell biology. Two models describe this relationship: the folded precursor model, in ...which a nascent structure forms before disulfides do, and the quasi-stochastic model, where disulfides form prior to folding. Here we investigated oxidative folding of three structurally diverse substrates, β2-microglobulin, prolactin, and the disintegrin domain of ADAM metallopeptidase domain 10 (ADAM10), to understand how these mechanisms apply in a cellular context. We used a eukaryotic cell-free translation system in which we could identify disulfide isomers in stalled translation intermediates to characterize the timing of disulfide formation relative to translocation into the endoplasmic reticulum and the presence of non-native disulfides. Our results indicate that in a domain lacking secondary structure, disulfides form before conformational folding through a process prone to nonnative disulfide formation, whereas in proteins with defined secondary structure, native disulfide formation occurs after partial folding. These findings reveal that the nascent protein structure promotes correct disulfide formation during cotranslational folding.
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an asbestos‐related aggressive malignant neoplasm. Due to the difficulty of achieving curative surgical resection in most patients with MPM, a combination ...chemotherapy of cisplatin and pemetrexed has been the only approved regimen proven to improve the prognosis of MPM. However, the median overall survival time is at most 12 mo even with this regimen. There has been therefore a pressing need to develop a novel chemotherapeutic strategy to bring about a better outcome for MPM. We found that expression of interleukin‐1 receptor (IL‐1R) was upregulated in MPM cells compared with normal mesothelial cells. We also investigated the biological significance of the interaction between pro‐inflammatory cytokine IL‐1β and the IL‐1R in MPM cells. Stimulation by IL‐1β promoted MPM cells to form spheroids along with upregulating a cancer stem cell marker CD26. We also identified tumor‐associated macrophages (TAMs) as the major source of IL‐1β in the MPM microenvironment. Both high mobility group box 1 derived from MPM cells and the asbestos‐activated inflammasome in TAMs induced the production of IL‐1β, which resulted in enhancement of the malignant potential of MPM. We further performed immunohistochemical analysis using clinical MPM samples obtained from patients who were treated with the combination of platinum plus pemetrexed, and found that the overexpression of IL‐1R tended to correlate with poor overall survival. In conclusion, the interaction between MPM cells and TAMs through a IL‐1β/IL‐1R signal could be a promising candidate as the target for novel treatment of MPM (Hyogo College of Medicine clinical trial registration number: 2973).
In the present study, we clarified the role of tumor‐associated macrophages (TAMs) in the reinforcement of malignant potential of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) cells. High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) released from MPM cells (signal 1) induces pro‐interleukin (IL)‐1β production through interactions with Toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4) in TAMs. In TAMs, phagocytosed asbestos constitutively activates the inflammasome (signal 2), which causes maturation and secretion of IL‐1β. Secreted IL‐1β interacts with the IL‐1 receptor on MPM cells via a paracrine mechanism. Finally, MPM cells acquire a cancer stem cell (CSC)‐like phenotype.
Oxidative folding in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) involves ER oxidoreductin 1 (Ero1)-mediated disulfide formation in protein disulfide isomerase (PDI). In this process, Ero1 consumes oxygen (O2) ...and releases hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), but none of the published Ero1 crystal structures reveal any potential pathway for entry and exit of these reactants. We report that additional mutation of the Cys208–Cys241 disulfide in hyperactive Ero1α (Ero1α-C104A/C131A) potentiates H2O2 production, ER oxidation, and cell toxicity. This disulfide clamps two helices that seal the flavin cofactor where O2 is reduced to H2O2. Through its carboxyterminal active site, PDI unlocks this seal by forming a Cys208/Cys241-dependent mixed-disulfide complex with Ero1α. The H2O2-detoxifying glutathione peroxidase 8 also binds to the Cys208/Cys241 loop region. Supported by O2 diffusion simulations, these data describe the first enzymatically controlled O2 access into a flavoprotein active site, provide molecular-level understanding of Ero1α regulation and H2O2 production/detoxification, and establish the deleterious consequences of constitutive Ero1 activity.
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•The regulatory Cys208–Cys241 disulfide in Ero1α is opened by PDI.•Ero1α devoid of all regulatory cysteines displays lethal levels of oxidase activity.•The Cys208/Cys241 switch regulates O2 access to the active site.•Binding of GPx8 to the Cys208/Cys241 region ensures detoxification of produced H2O2.
Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is characterized by one of neuroendocrine tumors, and is a clinically aggressive cancer due to its rapid growth, early dissemination, and rapid acquisition of multidrug ...resistance to chemotherapy. Moreover, the standard chemotherapeutic regimen in SCLC has not changed for three decades despite of the dramatic therapeutic improvement in non-SCLC. The development of a novel therapeutic strategy for SCLC has become a pressing issue. We found that expression of Eph receptor A2 (EphA2) is upregulated in three of 13 SCLC cell lines and five of 76 SCLC tumor samples. Genetic inhibition using siRNA of EphA2 significantly suppressed the cellular proliferation via induction of cell cycle arrest in SBC-5 cells. Furthermore, small molecule inhibitors of EphA2 (ALW–II–41-27 and dasatinib) also exclusively inhibited proliferation of EphA2-positive SCLC cells by the same mechanism. Collectively, EphA2 could be a promising candidate as a therapeutic target for SCLC.
•Prognosis of SCLC remains poor over 30 years and targetable oncogenes are yet to be discovered.•EphA2 is a unique RTK which transactivates other growth factor receptors as a ‘hub’ receptor.•EphA2 is overexpressed in a subset of SCLC cell lines and clinical samples.•EphA2 inhibition shows antitumor effects on EphA2-positive SCLC via induction of cell cycle arrest.•EphA2-targeting is promising as a novel molecular targeted therapy in SCLC.
ERp57, a member of the protein disulfide isomerase family, is a ubiquitous disulfide catalyst that functions in the oxidative folding of various clients in the mammalian endoplasmic reticulum (ER). ...In concert with ER lectin-like chaperones calnexin and calreticulin (CNX/CRT), ERp57 functions in virtually all folding stages from co-translation to post-translation, and thus plays a critical role in maintaining protein homeostasis, with direct implication for pathology. Here, we present mechanisms by which Ca2+ regulates the formation of the ERp57-calnexin complex. Biochemical and isothermal titration calorimetry analyses revealed that ERp57 strongly interacts with CNX via a non-covalent bond in the absence of Ca2+. The ERp57-CNX complex not only promoted the oxidative folding of human leukocyte antigen heavy chains, but also inhibited client aggregation. These results suggest that this complex performs both enzymatic and chaperoning functions under abnormal physiological conditions, such as Ca2+ depletion, to effectively guide proper oxidative protein folding. The findings shed light on the molecular mechanisms underpinning crosstalk between the chaperone network and Ca2+.
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