bims-unfpre Biomed News
on Unfolded protein response
Issue of 2021‒02‒07
twelve papers selected by
Susan Logue
University of Manitoba
  1. PERK-mediated induction of microRNA-483 disrupts cellular ATP homeostasis during the unfolded protein response.
  2. ER stress increases store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) and augments basal insulin secretion in pancreatic beta cells.
  3. The Roles of the Ubiquitin-Proteasome System in the Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Pathway.
  4. C. elegans electrotaxis behavior is modulated by heat shock response and unfolded protein response signaling pathways.
  5. Enforced dimerization between XBP1s and ATF6f enhances the protective effects of the unfolded protein response (UPR) in models of neurodegeneration.
  6. ER Stress-Sensor Proteins and ER-Mitochondrial Crosstalk-Signaling Beyond (ER) Stress Response.
  7. The hydroxyquinoline analog YUM70 inhibits GRP78 to induce ER stress-mediated apoptosis in pancreatic cancer.
  8. The gene for the lysosomal protein LAMP3 is a direct target of the transcription factor ATF4.
  9. Cytoplasmic vacuolation with endoplasmic reticulum stress directs sorafenib induced non-apoptotic cell death in hepatic stellate cells.
  10. The ER stress response mediator ERO1 triggers cancer metastasis by favoring the angiogenic switch in hypoxic conditions.
  11. Global Spread of a Local Fire: Transmission of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress via Connexin 43.
  12. Purine-based Ir(III) complexes for sensing viscosity of endo-plasmic reticulum with fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy.
  1. J Biol Chem. 2020 Jan 03. pii: S0021-9258(17)49563-9. [Epub ahead of print]295(1): 237-249
    PERK-mediated induction of microRNA-483 disrupts cellular ATP homeostasis during the unfolded protein response.
    Nobuhiko Hiramatsu, Karen Chiang, Cathrine Aivati, Jeffrey J Rodvold, Ji-Min Lee, Jaeseok Han, Leon Chea, Maurizio Zanetti, Edward H Koo, Jonathan H Lin.
      Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress activates the unfolded protein response (UPR), which reduces levels of misfolded proteins. However, if ER homeostasis is not restored and the UPR remains chronically activated, cells undergo apoptosis. The UPR regulator, PKR-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK), plays an important role in promoting cell death when persistently activated; however, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we profiled the microRNA (miRNA) transcriptome in human cells exposed to ER stress and identified miRNAs that are selectively induced by PERK signaling. We found that expression of a PERK-induced miRNA, miR-483, promotes apoptosis in human cells. miR-483 induction was mediated by a transcription factor downstream of PERK, activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), but not by the CHOP transcription factor. We identified the creatine kinase brain-type (CKB) gene, encoding an enzyme that maintains cellular ATP reserves through phosphocreatine production, as being repressed during the UPR and targeted by miR-483. We found that ER stress, selective PERK activation, and CKB knockdown all decrease cellular ATP levels, leading to increased vulnerability to ER stress-induced cell death. Our findings identify miR-483 as a downstream target of the PERK branch of the UPR. We propose that disruption of cellular ATP homeostasis through miR-483-mediated CKB silencing promotes ER stress-induced apoptosis.
    Keywords:  ATP; F1F0-ATPase; PKR-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK); activating transcription factor-4 (ATF-4); creatine kinase B (CKB); endoplasmic reticulum (ER); endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress); fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET); microRNA (miRNA); stress response; translation; translation control; unfolded protein response (UPR)
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.RA119.008336
  2. J Biol Chem. 2020 Apr 24. pii: S0021-9258(17)50297-5. [Epub ahead of print]295(17): 5685-5700
    ER stress increases store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) and augments basal insulin secretion in pancreatic beta cells.
    Irina X Zhang, Jianhua Ren, Suryakiran Vadrevu, Malini Raghavan, Leslie S Satin.
      Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterized by impaired glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and increased peripheral insulin resistance. Unremitting endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress can lead to beta-cell apoptosis and has been linked to type 2 diabetes. Although many studies have attempted to link ER stress and T2DM, the specific effects of ER stress on beta-cell function remain incompletely understood. To determine the interrelationship between ER stress and beta-cell function, here we treated insulin-secreting INS-1(832/13) cells or isolated mouse islets with the ER stress-inducer tunicamycin (TM). TM induced ER stress as expected, as evidenced by activation of the unfolded protein response. Beta cells treated with TM also exhibited concomitant alterations in their electrical activity and cytosolic free Ca2+ oscillations. As ER stress is known to reduce ER Ca2+ levels, we tested the hypothesis that the observed increase in Ca2+ oscillations occurred because of reduced ER Ca2+ levels and, in turn, increased store-operated Ca2+ entry. TM-induced cytosolic Ca2+ and membrane electrical oscillations were acutely inhibited by YM58483, which blocks store-operated Ca2+ channels. Significantly, TM-treated cells secreted increased insulin under conditions normally associated with only minimal release, e.g. 5 mm glucose, and YM58483 blocked this secretion. Taken together, these results support a critical role for ER Ca2+ depletion-activated Ca2+ current in mediating Ca2+-induced insulin secretion in response to ER stress.
    Keywords:  SOCE; beta cell; calcium signaling; cellular calcium homeostasis; diabetes; endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress); insulin resistance; insulin secretion; pancreatic islet; store-operated calcium channel; unfolded protein response (UPR)
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.RA120.012721
  3. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Feb 03. pii: 1526. [Epub ahead of print]22(4):
    The Roles of the Ubiquitin-Proteasome System in the Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Pathway.
    Junyan Qu, Tingting Zou, Zhenghong Lin.
      The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a highly dynamic organelle in eukaryotic cells, which is essential for synthesis, processing, sorting of protein and lipid metabolism. However, the cells activate a defense mechanism called endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress) response and initiate unfolded protein response (UPR) as the unfolded proteins exceed the folding capacity of the ER due to the environmental influences or increased protein synthesis. ER stress can mediate many cellular processes, including autophagy, apoptosis and senescence. The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is involved in the degradation of more than 80% of proteins in the cells. Today, increasing numbers of studies have shown that the two important components of UPS, E3 ubiquitin ligases and deubiquitinases (DUBs), are tightly related to ER stress. In this review, we summarized the regulation of the E3 ubiquitin ligases and DUBs in ER stress.
    Keywords:  E3 ubiquitin ligases; UPR; UPS; deubiquitinases; endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress)
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22041526
  4. Sci Rep. 2021 Feb 04. 11(1): 3115
    C. elegans electrotaxis behavior is modulated by heat shock response and unfolded protein response signaling pathways.
    Shane K B Taylor, Muhammad H Minhas, Justin Tong, P Ravi Selvaganapathy, Ram K Mishra, Bhagwati P Gupta.
      The nematode C. elegans is a leading model to investigate the mechanisms of stress-induced behavioral changes coupled with biochemical mechanisms. Our group has previously characterized C. elegans behavior using a microfluidic-based electrotaxis device, and showed that worms display directional motion in the presence of a mild electric field. In this study, we describe the effects of various forms of genetic and environmental stress on the electrotactic movement of animals. Using exposure to chemicals, such as paraquat and tunicamycin, as well as mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) unfolded protein response (UPR) mutants, we demonstrate that chronic stress causes abnormal movement. Additionally, we report that pqe-1 (human RNA exonuclease 1 homolog) is necessary for the maintenance of multiple stress response signaling and electrotaxis behavior of animals. Further, exposure of C. elegans to several environmental stress-inducing conditions revealed that while chronic heat and dietary restriction caused electrotaxis speed deficits due to prolonged stress, daily exercise had a beneficial effect on the animals, likely due to improved muscle health and transient activation of UPR. Overall, these data demonstrate that the electrotaxis behavior of worms is susceptible to cytosolic, mitochondrial, and ER stress, and that multiple stress response pathways contribute to its preservation in the face of stressful stimuli.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-82466-z
  5. Mol Ther. 2021 Feb 02. pii: S1525-0016(21)00067-8. [Epub ahead of print]
    Enforced dimerization between XBP1s and ATF6f enhances the protective effects of the unfolded protein response (UPR) in models of neurodegeneration.
    René L Vidal, Denisse Sepulveda, Paulina Troncoso-Escudero, Paula Garcia-Huerta, Constanza Gonzalez, Lars Plate, Carolina Jerez, José Canovas, Claudia A Rivera, Valentina Castillo, Marisol Cisternas, Sirley Leal, Alexis Martinez, Julia Grandjean, Hilal A Lashuel, Alberto J M Martin, Veronica Latapiat, Soledad Matus, Pablo Sardi, R Luke Wiseman, Claudio Hetz.
      Alteration to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) proteostasis is observed on a variety of neurodegenerative diseases associated with abnormal protein aggregation. Activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR) enables an adaptive reaction to recover ER proteostasis and cell function. The UPR is initiated by specialized stress sensors that engage gene expression programs through the concerted action of the transcription factors ATF4, ATF6f, and XBP1s. Although UPR signaling is generally studied as unique linear signaling branches, correlative evidence suggests that ATF6f and XBP1s may physically interact to regulate a subset of UPR-target genes. Here, we designed an ATF6f-XBP1s fusion protein termed UPRplus that behaves as a heterodimer in terms of its selective transcriptional activity. Cell-based studies demonstrated that UPRplus has stronger an effect in reducing the abnormal aggregation of mutant huntingtin and alpha-synuclein when compared to XBP1s or ATF6 alone. We developed a gene transfer approach to deliver UPRplus into the brain using adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) and demonstrated potent neuroprotection in vivo in preclinical models of Parkinson´s and Huntington´s disease. These results support the concept where directing UPR-mediated gene expression toward specific adaptive programs may serve as a possible strategy to optimize the beneficial effects of the pathway in different disease conditions.
    Keywords:  ATF6; ER stress; Huntington`s Disease; Parkinson`s Disease; UPR; XBP1; protein aggregation
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymthe.2021.01.033
  6. Biomolecules. 2021 Jan 28. pii: 173. [Epub ahead of print]11(2):
    ER Stress-Sensor Proteins and ER-Mitochondrial Crosstalk-Signaling Beyond (ER) Stress Response.
    Vaishali Kumar, Shuvadeep Maity.
      Recent studies undoubtedly show the importance of inter organellar connections to maintain cellular homeostasis. In normal physiological conditions or in the presence of cellular and environmental stress, each organelle responds alone or in coordination to maintain cellular function. The Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria are two important organelles with very specialized structural and functional properties. These two organelles are physically connected through very specialized proteins in the region called the mitochondria-associated ER membrane (MAM). The molecular foundation of this relationship is complex and involves not only ion homeostasis through the shuttling of calcium but also many structural and apoptotic proteins. IRE1alpha and PERK are known for their canonical function as an ER stress sensor controlling unfolded protein response during ER stress. The presence of these transmembrane proteins at the MAM indicates its potential involvement in other biological functions beyond ER stress signaling. Many recent studies have now focused on the non-canonical function of these sensors. In this review, we will focus on ER mitochondrial interdependence with special emphasis on the non-canonical role of ER stress sensors beyond ER stress.
    Keywords:  ER stress; endoplasmic reticulum; mitochondria associated membrane (MAM)
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/biom11020173
  7. Cancer Res. 2021 Feb 02. pii: canres.1540.2020. [Epub ahead of print]
    The hydroxyquinoline analog YUM70 inhibits GRP78 to induce ER stress-mediated apoptosis in pancreatic cancer.
    Soma Samanta, Suhui Yang, Bikash Debnath, Ding Xue, Yuting Kuang, Kavya Ramkumar, Amy S Lee, Mats Ljungman, Nouri Neamati.
      GRP78 (Glucose-regulated protein, 78 kDa) is a key regulator of ER (endoplasmic reticulum) stress signaling. Cancer cells are highly proliferative and have high demand for protein synthesis and folding, which results in significant stress on the ER. To respond to ER stress and maintain cellular homeostasis, cells activate the unfolded protein response (UPR) that promotes either survival or apoptotic death. Cancer cells utilize the UPR to promote survival and growth. In this study, we describe the discovery of a series of novel hydroxyquinoline GRP78 inhibitors. A representative analog, YUM70, inhibited pancreatic cancer cell growth in vitro and showed in vivo efficacy in a pancreatic cancer xenograft model with no toxicity to normal tissues. YUM70 directly bound GRP78 and inactivated its function, resulting in ER stress-mediated apoptosis. A YUM70 analog conjugated with BODIPY show co-localization of the compound with GRP78 in the ER. Moreover, a YUM70-PROTAC (PROteolysis TArgeting Chimera) was synthesized to force degradation of GRP78 in pancreatic cancer cells. YUM70 showed a strong synergistic cytotoxicity with topotecan and vorinostat. Together, our study demonstrates that YUM70 is a novel inducer of ER stress with preclinical efficacy as a monotherapy or in combination with topoisomerase and HDAC inhibitors in pancreatic cancer.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-20-1540
  8. J Biol Chem. 2020 May 22. pii: S0021-9258(17)50273-2. [Epub ahead of print]295(21): 7418-7430
    The gene for the lysosomal protein LAMP3 is a direct target of the transcription factor ATF4.
    Thomas D Burton, Anthony O Fedele, Jianling Xie, Lauren Y Sandeman, Christopher G Proud.
      Autophagy and lysosomal activities play a key role in the cell by initiating and carrying out the degradation of misfolded proteins. Transcription factor EB (TFEB) functions as a master controller of lysosomal biogenesis and function during lysosomal stress, controlling most but, importantly, not all lysosomal genes. Here, we sought to better understand the regulation of lysosomal genes whose expression does not appear to be controlled by TFEB. Sixteen of these genes were screened for transactivation in response to diverse cellular insults. mRNA levels for lysosomal-associated membrane protein 3 (LAMP3), a gene that is highly up-regulated in many forms of cancer, including breast and cervical cancers, were significantly increased during the integrated stress response, which occurs in eukaryotic cells in response to accumulation of unfolded and misfolded proteins. Of note, results from siRNA-mediated knockdown of activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) and overexpression of exogenous ATF4 cDNA indicated that ATF4 up-regulates LAMP3 mRNA levels. Finally, ChIP assays verified an ATF4-binding site in the LAMP3 gene promoter, and a dual-luciferase assay confirmed that this ATF4-binding site is indeed required for transcriptional up-regulation of LAMP3. These results reveal that ATF4 directly regulates LAMP3, representing the first identification of a gene for a lysosomal component whose expression is directly controlled by ATF4. This finding may provide a key link between stresses such as accumulation of unfolded proteins and modulation of autophagy, which removes them.
    Keywords:  activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4); autophagy; cell stress; eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2); lysosomal-associated membrane protein 3 (LAMP3); lysosome; mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1); protein misfolding; transcription factor EB (TFEB); unfolded protein response (UPR)
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.RA119.011864
  9. Sci Rep. 2021 Feb 04. 11(1): 3089
    Cytoplasmic vacuolation with endoplasmic reticulum stress directs sorafenib induced non-apoptotic cell death in hepatic stellate cells.
    Sachin Sharma, Shaikh Maryam Ghufran, Sampa Ghose, Subhrajit Biswas.
      The activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are the major cells that secrete the ECM proteins and drive the pathogenesis of fibrosis in chronic liver disease. Targeting of HSCs by modulating their activation and proliferation has emerged as a promising approach in the development of anti-fibrotic therapy. Sorafenib, a multi-kinase inhibitor has shown anti-fibrotic properties by inhibiting the survival and proliferation of HSCs. In present study we investigated sorafenib induced cytoplasmic vacuolation mediated decreased cell viability of HSCs in dose and time dependent manner. In this circumstance, sorafenib induces ROS and ER stress in HSCs without involvement of autophagic signals. The protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide treatment significantly decreased the sorafenib-induced cytoplasmic vacuolation with increasing cell viability. Antioxidant human serum albumin influences the viability of HSCs by reducing sorafenib induced vacuolation and cell death. However, neither caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK nor autophagy inhibitor chloroquine could rescue the HSCs from sorafenib-induced cytoplasmic vacuolation and cell death. Using TEM and ER organelle tracker, we conclude that the cytoplasmic vacuoles are due to ER dilation. Sorafenib treatment induces calreticulin and GPR78, and activates IRE1α-XBP1s axis of UPR pathway, which eventually trigger the non-apoptotic cell death in HSCs. This study provides a notable mechanistic insight into the ER stress directed non-apoptotic cell death with future directions for the development of efficient anti-fibrotic therapeutic strategies.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-82381-3
  10. Oncogene. 2021 Feb 02.
    The ER stress response mediator ERO1 triggers cancer metastasis by favoring the angiogenic switch in hypoxic conditions.
    Ersilia Varone, Alessandra Decio, Alexander Chernorudskiy, Lucia Minoli, Laura Brunelli, Federica Ioli, Arianna Piotti, Roberta Pastorelli, Maddalena Fratelli, Marco Gobbi, Raffaella Giavazzi, Ester Zito.
      Solid tumors are often characterized by a hypoxic microenvironment which contributes, through the hypoxia-inducible factor HIF-1, to the invasion-metastasis cascade. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress also leads tumor cells to thrive and spread by inducing a transcriptional and translational program, the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR), aimed at restoring ER homeostasis. We studied ERO1 alpha (henceforth ERO1), a protein disulfide oxidase with the tumor-relevant characteristic of being positively regulated by both ER stress and hypoxia. Analysis of the redox secretome indicated that pro-angiogenic HIF-1 targets, were blunted in ERO1-devoid breast cancer cells under hypoxic conditions. ERO1 deficiency reduced tumor cell migration and lung metastases by impinging on tumor angiogenesis, negatively regulating the upstream ATF4/CHOP branch of the UPR and selectively impeding oxidative folding of angiogenic factors, among which VEGF-A. Thus, ERO1 deficiency acted synergistically with the otherwise feeble curative effects of anti-angiogenic therapy in aggressive breast cancer murine models and it might be exploited to treat cancers with pathological HIF-1-dependent angiogenesis. Furthermore, ERO1 levels are higher in the more aggressive basal breast tumors and correlate inversely with the disease- and metastasis-free interval of breast cancer patients. Thus, taking advantage of our in vitro data on ERO1-regulated gene products we identified a gene set associated with ERO1 expression in basal tumors and related to UPR, hypoxia, and angiogenesis, whose levels might be investigated in patients as a hallmark of tumor aggressiveness and orient those with lower levels toward an effective anti-angiogenic therapy.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41388-021-01659-y
  11. Cell Metab. 2021 Feb 02. pii: S1550-4131(21)00009-7. [Epub ahead of print]33(2): 229-230
    Global Spread of a Local Fire: Transmission of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress via Connexin 43.
    Yoon Mee Yang, Ekihiro Seki.
      Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is essential in the development of obesity, insulin resistance, and hepatosteatosis. In the latest issue of Cell Metabolism, Tirosh et al. (2020) demonstrate that intracellular ER stress can be transmitted to neighboring hepatocytes via connexin 43, thus propagating ER stress and promoting hepatosteatosis and insulin resistance.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2021.01.009
  12. Chem Commun (Camb). 2021 Feb 03.
    Purine-based Ir(III) complexes for sensing viscosity of endo-plasmic reticulum with fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy.
    Xin Liu, Kun Li, Lei Shi, Hong Zhang, Yan-Hong Liu, Hao-Yuan Wang, Nan Wang, Xiao-Qi Yu.
      Novel purine-based iridium complexes were designed for selective determination of ER viscosity. The Ir-PH possessed excellent ER targeting ability and could distinguish the viscosity changes under ER stress by fluorescence lifetime image microscopy (FLIM), which may accelerate the development of relative quantitative detection of microenvironment changes at the subcellular level.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1039/d0cc07867k
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