Lysosomes behave as Ca2+-regulated exocytic vesicles in fibroblasts and epithelial cells

Exocytosis of storage material in a lysosomal disorder

Lysosomal exocytosis is a ubiquitously occurring process, which has a physiological role in repair of wounds of the plasma membrane. Lysosomal storage disorders are a group of more than 40 different diseases, which are characterized by intralysosomal storage of various substances. Metachromatic leukodystrophy is a lysosomal disease caused by the deficiency of arylsulfatase A, which results in the storage of the sphingolipid 3-O-sulfogalactosylceramide (sulfatide) in, e.g., oligodendrocytes and distal tubule kidney cells. Here we show that sulfatide storing cultured primary kidney cells of arylsulfatase A deficient mice can undergo calcium induced lysosomal exocytosis and that this results in the delivery of storage material to the culture medium. In metachromatic leukodystrophy extracellular sulfatide has been found in urine and cerebrospinal fluid. Lysosomal exocytosis may explain the presence of sulfatide in these body fluids.

Kinetics of MTT-formazan exocytosis in phagocytic and non-phagocytic cells

MTT is taken up by cells by endocytosis and reduced to formazan in the endosomal/lysosomal compartment. Formazan is deposited intracellularly as blue granules and is later exocytosed as needle-like formazan crystals. The present study involves an analysis of the pattern of exocytosis of MTT in different cell types showing clearcut differences in the response that can be associated to their ability to phagocytose. To further assess the characteristics of the exocytic mechanism of MTT/formazan, different experimental conditions were assayed. When culture medium with decreasing serum concentration was used as a metabolic modulator no variations were observed in the proportion of cells with formazan crystals. Conversely, the markedly sensitivity of phagocytic cells to increasing concentrations of genistein constituted a remarkable difference with non-phagocytic cells. These results must be considered when the modulation of MTT exocytosis is used as a signal of the progress of human diseases.

The scrapie prion protein is present in flotillin-1-positive vesicles in central- but not peripheral-derived neuronal cell lines

Abstract Transmissible prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative diseases associated with the conversion of the normal host prion protein (PrP c) into an abnormal isoform (PrP Sc) that accumulates in brain. This pathology affects neurons of the central nervous system whereas no clear toxic effect has been reported for peripheral neurons. We examined the subcellular distribution of PrP c and PrP Sc in the scrapie-infected mouse neuronal cell lines GT1-7 and N2a, derived, respectively, from the central and peripheral nervous system. We observed that in both cell types, PrP c is present in the endocytic compartment, mainly in LAMP-1-positive late endosomes, but excluded from LYAAT-1-lysosomes. In contrast, PrP Sc was distributed differently in the two cell lines. In infected N2a, PrP Sc and PrP c had comparable distribution patterns. In infected GT1-7, PrP Sc is present in an additional vesicular compartment which is flotillin-1-positive. The level of expression of flotillin-1 is higher in GT1-7 than in N2a cells, but no difference is observed between infected and noninfected cells. In Alzheimer's disease patients, it has been reported that flotillin-1 is abundant in brain areas containing the beta-amyloid protein, which accumulates in endosomal vesicles in primary neurons. We propose that the flotillin compartment could store aggregated proteins and play a role in these neurodegenerative pathologies.

Cytolysin-dependent evasion of lysosomal killing

Local host defenses limit proliferation and systemic spread of pathogenic bacteria from sites of mucosal colonization. For pathogens such as streptococci that fail to grow intracellularly, internalization and killing by epithelial cells contribute to the control of bacterial growth and dissemination. Here, we show that group A Streptococcus (GAS), the agent of streptococcal sore throat and invasive soft tissue infections, evades internalization and intracellular killing by pharyngeal epithelial cells. Production of the cholesterol-binding cytotoxin streptolysin O (SLO) prevented internalization of GAS into lysosomes. In striking contrast, GAS rendered defective in production of SLO were internalized directly or rapidly transported into lysosomes, where they were killed by a pH-dependent mechanism. Because SLO is the prototype of cholesterol-dependent cytolysins produced by many Gram-positive bacteria, cytolysin-mediated evasion of lysosomal killing may be a general mechanism to protect such pathogens from clearance by host epithelial cells.

The small chemical vacuolin-1 inhibits Ca(2+)-dependent lysosomal exocytosis but not cell resealing

Resealing after wounding, the process of repair following plasma membrane damage, requires exocytosis. Vacuolins are molecules that induce rapid formation of large, swollen structures derived from endosomes and lysosomes by homotypic fusion combined with uncontrolled fusion of the inner and limiting membranes of these organelles. Vacuolin-1, the most potent compound, blocks the Ca(2+)-dependent exocytosis of lysosomes induced by ionomycin or plasma membrane wounding, without affecting the process of resealing. In contrast, other cell structures and membrane trafficking functions including exocytosis of enlargeosomes are unaffected. Because cells heal normally in the presence of vacuolin-1, we suggest that lysosomes are dispensable for resealing.

Microscopy and cytochemistry of the biogenesis of the parasitophorous vacuole

Some parasitic protozoa are able to penetrate into host cells where they multiply. The process of penetration involves steps such as attachment to the host cell surface, internalization of the protozoan through an endocytic process with the formation of a parasitophorous vacuole (PV), and the subsequent interaction of the protozoan with the membrane lining the PV. This review analyzes the biogenesis of the PV from a morphological and cytochemical perspective. Special emphasis is given to (a) the localization of plasma membrane-associated enzymes such as Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase, Ca(2+)-ATPase, 5'-nucleotidase, and NAD(P)H-oxidase, (b) glycoconjugates, detected using labeled lectins, (c) anionic sites, detected using cationic particles, and (d) integral membrane proteins, using freeze-fracture replicas, and lipids during the formation of the PV containing Trypanosoma cruzi, Leishmania, Toxoplasma gondii, and Plasmodium.

Host cell actin polymerization is required for cellular retention of Trypanosoma cruzi and early association with endosomal/lysosomal compartments

One of the hallmarks of Trypanosoma cruzi invasion of non-professional phagocytes is facilitation of the process by host cell actin depolymerization. Host cell entry by invasive T. cruzi trypomastigotes is accomplished by exploiting a cellular wound repair process involving Ca(2+)-regulated lysosome exocytosis (i.e. lysosome-dependent) or by engaging a recently recognized lysosome-independent pathway. It was originally postulated that cortical actin microfilaments present a barrier to lysosome-plasma membrane fusion and that transient actin depolymerization enhances T. cruzi entry by increasing access to the plasma membrane for lysosome fusion. Here we demonstrate that cytochalasin D treatment of host cells inhibits early lysosome association with invading T. cruzi trypomastigotes by uncoupling the cell penetration step from lysosome recruitment and/or fusion. These findings provide the first indication that lysosome-dependent T. cruzi entry is initiated by plasma membrane invagination similar to that observed for lysosome-independent entry. Furthermore, prolonged disruption of host cell actin microfilaments results in significant loss of internalized parasites from infected host cells. Thus, the ability of internalized trypomastigotes to remain cell-associated and to fuse with host cell lysosomes is critically dependent upon host cell actin reassembly, revealing an unanticipated role for cellular actin remodelling in the T. cruzi invasion process.

Defective lysosomal exocytosis and plasma membrane repair in Chediak-Higashi/beige cells

Plasma membrane resealing is a Ca(2+)-dependent process that involves the exocytosis of intracellular vesicles next to the wound site. Recent studies revealed that conventional lysosomes behave as Ca(2+)-regulated secretory compartments and play a central role in membrane resealing. These findings raised the possibility that the complex pathology of lysosomal diseases might also include defects in plasma membrane repair. Here, we investigated the capacity for lysosomal exocytosis and membrane resealing of fibroblasts derived from Chediak-Higashi syndrome (CHS) patients, or from beige-J mice. By using a sensitive electroporation/fluorescence-activated cell sorter-based assay, we show that lysosomal exocytosis triggered by membrane wounding is impaired in both human Chediak-Higashi and mouse beige-J fibroblasts. Lysosomal exocytosis increased when the normal size of lysosomes was restored in beige-J cells by expression of the CHS/Beige protein. A similar effect was seen when the lysosomal enlargement in beige-J cells was reversed by treatment with E64d. In addition, the survival of Chediak-Higashi and beige-J fibroblasts after wounding was reduced, indicating that impaired lysosomal exocytosis inhibits membrane resealing in these mutant cells. Thus, the severe symptoms exhibited by CHS patients may also include defects in the ability of cells to repair plasma membrane lesions.

Functional links between mucolipin-1 and Ca2+-dependent membrane trafficking in mucolipidosis IV

Most of the membrane trafficking phenomena including those involving the interactions between endosomes and lysosomes are regulated by changes in intracellular Ca2+ (Cai). These processes are disturbed in some types of mucolipidoses and other lysosomal storage disorders, such as mucolipidosis IV (MLIV), a neurological disorder that usually presents during the first year of life with blindness, cognitive impairment, and psychomotor delays. It is caused by mutations in MCOLN1, the gene encoding mucolipin-1 (MLN1), which we have recently established to represent a Ca2+-permeable cation channel that is transiently modulated by changes in Cai. The cells of MLIV patients contain enlarged lysosomes that are likely associated with abnormal sorting and trafficking of these and related organelles. We studied fibroblasts from MLIV patients and found disturbed Ca2+ signaling and large acidic organelles such as late endosomes and lysosomes (LEL) with altered cellular localization in these cells. The fusion between LEL vesicles in these cells was defective. This is a Ca2+-dependent process related to signaling pathways involved in regulation of Ca2+ homeostasis and trafficking. The MLN1 channels could play a key role in Ca2+ release from LEL vesicles, which triggers the fusion and trafficking of these organelles. The characterization of this MLN1-mediated Ca2+-dependent process should provide new insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms that lead to the development of MLIV and other mucolipidoses associated with similar disturbances in membrane trafficking.

The potentials of MS-based subproteomic approaches in medical science: the case of lysosomes and breast cancer

Because of the great number of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, and though this disease presents the lowest mortality rate among cancers, breast cancer remains a major public health problem. As for any cancer, the tumorigenic and metastatic processes are still hardly understood, and the biochemical markers that allow either a precise monitoring of the disease or the classification of the numerous forms of breast cancer remain too scarce. Therefore, great hopes are put on the development of high-throughput genomic and proteomic technologies. Such comprehensive techniques should help in understanding the processes and in defining steps of the disease by depicting specific genes or protein profiles. Because techniques dedicated to the current proteomic challenges are continuously improving, the probability of the discovery of new potential protein biomarkers is rapidly increasing. In addition, the identification of such markers should be eased by lowering the sample complexity; e.g., by sample fractionation, either according to specific physico-chemical properties of the proteins, or by focusing on definite subcellular compartments. In particular, proteins of the lysosomal compartment have been shown to be prone to alterations in their localization, expression, or post-translational modifications (PTMs) during the cancer process. Some of them, such as the aspartic protease cathepsin D (CatD), have even been proven as participating actively in the disease progression. The present review aims at giving an overview of the implication of the lysosome in breast cancer, and at showing how subproteomics and the constantly refining MS-based proteomic techniques may help in making breast cancer research progress, and thus, hopefully, in improving disease treatment.

Synaptotagmin VII restricts fusion pore expansion during lysosomal exocytosis

Synaptotagmin is considered a calcium-dependent trigger for regulated exocytosis. We examined the role of synaptotagmin VII (Syt VII) in the calcium-dependent exocytosis of individual lysosomes in wild-type (WT) and Syt VII knockout (KO) mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy. In WT MEFs, most lysosomes only partially released their contents, their membrane proteins did not diffuse into the plasma membrane, and inner diameters of their fusion pores were smaller than 30 nm. In Syt VII KO MEFs, not only was lysosomal exocytosis triggered by calcium, but all of these restrictions on fusion were also removed. These observations indicate that Syt VII does not function as the calcium-dependent trigger for lysosomal exocytosis. Instead, it restricts the kinetics and extent of calcium-dependent lysosomal fusion.

Identification of SNAREs involved in synaptotagmin VII-regulated lysosomal exocytosis

Ca2+-regulated exocytosis of lysosomes has been recognized recently as a ubiquitous process, important for the repair of plasma membrane wounds. Lysosomal exocytosis is regulated by synaptotagmin VII, a member of the synaptotagmin family of Ca2+-binding proteins localized on lysosomes. Here we show that Ca2+-dependent interaction of the synaptotagmin VII C(2)A domain with SNAP-23 is facilitated by syntaxin 4. Specific interactions also occurred in cell lysates between the plasma membrane t-SNAREs SNAP-23 and syntaxin 4 and the lysosomal v-SNARE TI-VAMP/VAMP7. Following cytosolic Ca2+ elevation, SDS-resistant complexes containing SNAP-23, syntaxin 4, and TI-VAMP/VAMP7 were detected on membrane fractions. Lysosomal exocytosis was inhibited by the SNARE domains of syntaxin 4 and TI-VAMP/VAMP7 and by cleavage of SNAP-23 with botulinum neurotoxin E, thereby functionally implicating these SNAREs in Ca2+-regulated exocytosis of conventional lysosomes.

The matrix protein of Marburg virus is transported to the plasma membrane along cellular membranes: exploiting the retrograde late endosomal pathway

VP40, the matrix protein of Marburg virus, is a peripheral membrane protein that has been shown to associate with membranes of multivesicular bodies (MVBs) (L. Kolesnikova, H. Bugany, H.-D. Klenk, and S. Becker, J. Virol. 76:1825-1838, 2002). The present study revealed that VP40 is bound to cellular membranes rapidly after synthesis. Time course studies were performed to trace the distribution of VP40 during the course of expression. First, VP40 was homogenously distributed throughout the cytoplasm, although the majority of protein (70%) was already membrane associated. Next, VP40 accumulated in MVBs and in tubular protrusions emerging from MVBs. Finally, VP40 appeared in a patch-like pattern beneath the plasma membrane. These morphological results were supported by iodixanol density gradient analyses. The majority of VP40-positive membranes were first detected comigrating with small vesicles. VP40 was then shifted to fractions containing endosomal marker proteins, and later, to fractions containing plasma membrane marker proteins. Blocking of protein synthesis by use of cycloheximide at the time when VP40 was mainly associated with the small vesicles did not prevent the redistribution of VP40 to the late endosomes and further to the plasma membrane. The inhibition of intracellular vesicular trafficking by monensin significantly reduced the appearance of VP40 at the plasma membrane. In conclusion, we suggest that the transport of the Marburg virus matrix protein VP40 involves its accumulation in MVBs followed by the redistribution of VP40-enriched membrane clusters to the plasma membrane.

Cell wounding in early experimental acute pancreatitis

It is well established that damage to the outer membrane of cells is a common phenomenon allowing abnormal transmission of substances into the cytosol. Penetration of albumin into acinar cells has been detected in experimental acute pancreatitis, raising the possibility that membrane damage is a very early event, potentially representing the first changes leading to pancreatitis. To determine if direct damage to the cell membrane is a key factor during induction of acute pancreatitis, thus altering the balance of extra- and intracellular substances, fluorescein-dextran was administered with supramaximal doses of caerulein via the jugular vein or by injection directly into the pancreas. This tracer rapidly penetrates into cells. Two patterns of tracer penetration are observed: cytosolic and vesicular/vacuolar. Fluorescein-dextran administered intravenously with caerulein penetrates into the cytosol of acinar cells within 10 min. Strong cytoplasmic fluorescence occurs within 5 min after direct injection. It may be concluded that supramaximal caerulein, administered in vivo, damages the cell membrane of acinar cells, allowing large molecules to enter the cytosol. Thus Ca(2+) and other substances may enter the cells in abnormally high concentrations, initiating the cellular changes characteristic of pancreatitis. The results raise the question whether membrane wounding may play a role in the initiation of human pancreatitis.

Preconditioning-induced cytoprotection in hepatocytes requires Ca(2+)-dependent exocytosis of lysosomes

A short period of hypoxia reduces the cytotoxicity produced by a subsequent prolonged hypoxia in isolated hepatocytes. This phenomenon, termed hypoxic preconditioning, is mediated by the activation of adenosine A2A-receptor and is associated with the attenuation of cellular acidosis and Na+ overload normally occurring during hypoxia. Bafilomycin, an inhibitor of the vacuolar H+/ATPase, reverts the latter effects and abrogates the preconditioning-induced cytoprotection. Here we provide evidence that the acquisition of preconditioning-induced cytoprotection requires the fusion with plasma membrane and exocytosis of endosomal-lysosomal organelles. Poisons of the vesicular traffic, such as wortmannin and 3-methyladenine, which inhibit phosphatydilinositol 3-kinase, or cytochalasin D, which disassembles the actin cytoskeleton, prevented lysosome exocytosis and also abolished the preconditioning-associated protection from acidosis and necrosis provoked by hypoxia. Preconditioning was associated with the phosphatydilinositol 3-kinase-dependent increase of cytosolic [Ca2+]. Chelation of free cytosolic Ca2+ in preconditioned cells prevented lysosome exocytosis and the acquisition of cytoprotection. We conclude that lysosome-plasma membrane fusion is the mechanism through which hypoxic preconditioning allows hepatocytes to preserve the intracellular pH and survive hypoxic stress. This process is under the control of phosphatydilinositol 3-kinase and requires the integrity of the cytoskeleton and the rise of intracellular free calcium ions.

Biosynthesis and alternate targeting of the lysosomal cysteine protease cathepsin L

Upregulation of cathepsin L expression, whether during development or cell transformation, or mediated by ectopic expression from a plasmid, alters the targeting of the protease and thus its physiological function. Upregulated procathepsin L is targeted to small dense core vesicles and to the dense cores of multivesicular bodies, as well as to lysosomes and to the plasma membrane for selective secretion. The multivesicular vesicles resemble secretory lysosomes characterized in specialized cell types in that they are endosomes that stably store an upregulated protein and they possess the tetraspanin CD63. Morphologically the multivesicular endosomes also resemble late endosomes, but they store procathepsin L, not the active protease, and they are not the major site for LAMP-1 accumulation. Distinction between the lysosomal proenzyme and active protease thus identifies two populations of multivesicular endosomes in fibroblasts, one a storage compartment and one an enzymatically active compartment. A distinctive targeting pathway using aggregation is utilized to enrich the storage endosomes with a particular lysosomal protease that can potentially activate and be secreted.

Plasma Membrane Disruption: Repair, Prevention, Adaptation

Many metazoan cells inhabit mechanically stressful environments and, consequently, their plasma membranes are frequently disrupted. Survival requires that the cell rapidly repair or reseal the disruption. Rapid resealing is an active and complex structural modification that employs endomembrane as its primary building block, and cytoskeletal and membrane fusion proteins as its catalysts. Endomembrane is delivered to the damaged plasma membrane through exocytosis, a ubiquitous Ca2+-triggered response to disruption. Tissue and cell level architecture prevent disruptions from occurring, either by shielding cells from damaging levels of force, or, when this is not possible, by promoting safe force transmission through the plasma membrane via protein-based cables and linkages. Prevention of disruption also can be a dynamic cell or tissue level adaptation triggered when a damaging level of mechanical stress is imposed. Disease results from failure of either the preventive or resealing mechanisms.

Differential expression of lysosomal associated membrane protein (LAMP-1) during mammalian spermiogenesis

The mammalian acrosome is a secretory vesicle of mature sperms that plays an important role in fertilization. Recent evidence had pointed out that some components found at endosomes in somatic cells are associated with the developing acrosome during the early steps of spermiogenesis. Moreover, the mammalian acrosome contains many enzymes found within lysosomes in somatic cells. In this work, we studied the dynamics of some components of the endosome/lysosome system, as a way to understand the complex membrane trafficking circuit established during spermatogenesis. We show that the cation independent-mannose-6-phosphate receptor (CI-MPR) is transiently expressed in the cytoplasm of mid-stage spermatids (steps 5-11). On the other hand, gamma-adaptin, an adaptor molecule of a complex involved in trafficking from the Golgi to lysosomes, was expressed in cytoplasmic vesicles only in pachytene and Cap-phase spermatids (steps 1-5). Our major finding is that the lysosomal protein LAMP-1 is differentially expressed during spermiogenesis. LAMP-1 appears late in spermatogenesis (Acrosome-phase) contrasting with LAMP-2, which is present throughout the complete process. Both proteins appear to be associated with cytoplasmic vesicles and not with the developing acrosome. None of the studied proteins is present in epididymal spermatozoa. Our results suggest that the CI-MPR could be involved in membrane trafficking and/or acrosomal shaping during spermiogenesis.

Structural maturation of rubella virus in the Golgi complex

Rubella virus (RUB) assembles its replication complexes (RCs) in modified organelles of endo‐lysosomal origin, known as cytopathic vacuoles (CPVs). These peculiar structures are key elements of RUB factories, where rough endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, and Golgi are recruited. Bicistronic RUB replicons expressing an antibiotic resistance gene either in the presence or the absence of the RUB capsid (C) gene were used to study the structure of RCs in transfected cells. Confocal microscopy showed that the RUB replicase components P90 and P150 localized to CPVs, as did double‐stranded RNA (dsRNA), a marker for RNA synthesis. Electron microscopy (EM) showed that replicons generated CPVs containing small vesicles and large vacuoles, similar to CPVs from RUB‐infected cells and that the replicase proteins were sufficient for organelle recruitment. Some of these CPVs contained straight membranes. When cross‐sectioned, these rigid membranes appeared to be sheets of closely packed proteins. Immuno‐EM revealed that these sheets, apparently in contact with the cytosol, contained both P150 and P90, as well as dsRNA, and thus could be two‐dimensional arrays of functional viral replicases. Labelling of dsRNA after streptolysin‐O permeabilization showed that replication of viral genome takes place on the cytoplasmic side of CPVs. When present, C accumulated around CPVs. Mitochondrial protein P32 was detected within modified CPVs, the first demonstration of involvement of this protein, which interacts with C, with RCs.

Novel PI 3-kinase-dependent mechanisms of trypanosome invasion and vacuole maturation

Mammalian cell invasion by the protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, is facilitated by the activation of host cell phosphatidylinositol 3 (PI 3)-kinases. We demonstrate that the well-characterized Ca2+-regulated lysosome-mediated parasite entry pathway is abolished by wortmannin pretreatment. In addition, we have characterized a novel route of T. cruzi invasion unexpectedly revealed in the course of this study. For over a decade, targeted exocytosis of lysosomes at the host cell plasma membrane was considered as the primary mechanism for T. cruzi entry into non-professional phagocytic cells. We now provide evidence that a significant fraction (50% or greater) of invading T. cruzi trypomastigotes exploit an alternate actin-independent entry pathway that involves formation of a tightly associated host cell plasma membrane-derived vacuole enriched in the lipid products of class I PI 3-kinases, PtdInsP3/PtdIns(3,4)P2. Initially devoid of lysosomal markers, the resultant parasite-containing vacuoles gradually acquire lysosome associated membrane protein 1 (lamp-1) and fluid phase endocytic tracer from the lysosomal compartment. In striking contrast to latex bead phagosomes, few T. cruzi vacuoles associate with the early endosomal marker, EEA1 and the 'maturation' process becomes refractory to PI 3-kinase inhibition immediately following parasite internalization. Jointly, these data provide a new paradigm for T. cruzi invasion of non-professional phagocytic cells and reveal a novel vacuole maturation process that appears to bypass the requirement for EEA1.

Impaired membrane resealing and autoimmune myositis in synaptotagmin VII-deficient mice

Members of the synaptotagmin family have been proposed to function as Ca2+ sensors in membrane fusion. Syt VII is a ubiquitously expressed synaptotagmin previously implicated in plasma membrane repair and Trypanosoma cruzi invasion, events which are mediated by the Ca2+-regulated exocytosis of lysosomes. Here, we show that embryonic fibroblasts from Syt VII-deficient mice are less susceptible to trypanosome invasion, and defective in lysosomal exocytosis and resealing after wounding. Examination of mutant mouse tissues revealed extensive fibrosis in the skin and skeletal muscle. Inflammatory myopathy, with muscle fiber invasion by leukocytes and endomysial collagen deposition, was associated with elevated creatine kinase release and progressive muscle weakness. Interestingly, similar to what is observed in human polymyositis/dermatomyositis, the mice developed a strong antinuclear antibody response, characteristic of autoimmune disorders. Thus, defective plasma membrane repair in tissues under mechanical stress may favor the development of inflammatory autoimmune disease.

Revisiting the role of SNAREs in exocytosis and membrane fusion

For over a decade SNARE hypotheses have been proposed to explain the mechanism of membrane fusion, yet the field still lacks sufficient evidence to conclusively identify the minimal components of native fusion. Consequently, debate concerning the postulated role(s) of SNAREs in membrane fusion continues. The focus of this review is to revisit original literature with a current perspective. Our analysis begins with the earliest studies of clostridial toxins, leading to various cellular and molecular approaches that have been used to test for the roles of SNAREs in exocytosis. We place much emphasis on distinguishing between specific effects on membrane fusion and effects on other critical steps in exocytosis. Although many systems can be used to study exocytosis, few permit selective access to specific steps in the pathway, such as membrane fusion. Thus, while SNARE proteins are essential to the physiology of exocytosis, assay limitations often prevent definitive conclusions concerning the molecular mechanism of membrane fusion. In all, the SNAREs are more likely to function upstream as modulators or priming factors of fusion.

Importance of lysosomal cysteine proteases in lung disease

The human lysosomal cysteine proteases are a family of 11 proteases whose members include cathepsins B, C, H, L, and S. The biology of these proteases was largely ignored for decades because of their lysosomal location and the belief that their function was limited to the terminal degradation of proteins. In the past 10 years, this view has changed as these proteases have been found to have specific functions within cells. This review highlights some of these functions, specifically their roles in matrix remodeling and in regulating the immune response, and their relationship to lung diseases.

Conserved features of endocytosis in Dictyostelium

Endocytosis in protozoa is often regarded as largely different from the pathways operating in mammalian cells. Experiments in the amoeba Dictyostelium, one of the genetically tractable single-celled organisms, have allowed us to manipulate the flow through endocytic compartments and to study the dynamic distribution of molecules by means of green fluorescent protein fusions. This review attempts to compile the molecular data available from Dictyostelium and assign them to specific steps of internalization by phagocytosis or macropinocytosis and to subsequent stages of the endocytic pathway. Parallels to phagocytes of the mammalian immune system are emphasized. The major distinctive feature between mammalian phagocytes and free-living cells is the need for osmoregulation. Therefore Dictyostelium cells possess a contractile vacuole that has occasionally obscured analysis of endocytosis but is now found to be entirely separate from endocytic organelles. In conclusion, the potential of Dictyostelium amoebas to provide a model system of mammalian phagocytes is ever increasing.

Secretory granule exocytosis

Regulated exocytosis of secretory granules or dense-core granules has been examined in many well-characterized cell types including neurons, neuroendocrine, endocrine, exocrine, and hemopoietic cells and also in other less well-studied cell types. Secretory granule exocytosis occurs through mechanisms with many aspects in common with synaptic vesicle exocytosis and most likely uses the same basic protein components. Despite the widespread expression and conservation of a core exocytotic machinery, many variations occur in the control of secretory granule exocytosis that are related to the specialized physiological role of particular cell types. In this review we describe the wide range of cell types in which regulated secretory granule exocytosis occurs and assess the evidence for the expression of the conserved fusion machinery in these cells. The signals that trigger and regulate exocytosis are reviewed. Aspects of the control of exocytosis that are specific for secretory granules compared with synaptic vesicles or for particular cell types are described and compared to define the range of accessory control mechanisms that exert their effects on the core exocytotic machinery.

Biosynthesis, glycosylation, and enzymatic processing in vivo of human tripeptidyl-peptidase I

Human tripeptidyl-peptidase I (TPP I, CLN2 protein) is a lysosomal serine protease that removes tripeptides from the free N termini of small polypeptides and also shows a minor endoprotease activity. Due to various naturally occurring mutations, an inherited deficiency of TPP I activity causes a fatal lysosomal storage disorder, classic late infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (CLN2). In the present study, we analyzed biosynthesis, glycosylation, transport, and proteolytic processing of this enzyme in stably transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells as well as maturation of the endocytosed proenzyme in CLN2 lymphoblasts, fibroblasts, and N2a cells. Human TPP I was initially identified as a single precursor polypeptide of approximately 68 kDa, which, within a few hours, was converted to the mature enzyme of approximately 48 kDa. Compounds affecting the pH of intracellular acidic compartments, those interfering with the intracellular vesicular transport as well as inhibition of the fusion between late endosomes and lysosomes by temperature block or 3-methyladenine, hampered the conversion of TPP I proenzyme into the mature form, suggesting that this process takes place in lysosomal compartments. Digestion of immunoprecipitated TPP I proenzyme with both N-glycosidase F and endoglycosidase H as well as treatment of the cells with tunicamycin reduced the molecular mass of TPP I proenzyme by approximately 10 kDa, which indicates that all five potential N-glycosylation sites in TPP I are utilized. Mature TPP I was found to be partially resistant to endo H treatment; thus, some of its N-linked oligosaccharides are of the complex/hybrid type. Analysis of the effect of various classes of protease inhibitors and mutation of the active site Ser(475) on human TPP I maturation in cultured cells demonstrated that although TPP I zymogen is capable of autoactivation in vitro, a serine protease that is sensitive to AEBSF participates in processing of the proenzyme to the mature, active form in vivo.

Susceptibility of lysosomes to rupture is a determinant for plasma membrane disruption in tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced cell death

Since a release of intracellular contents can induce local inflammatory responses, mechanisms that lead to loss of plasma membrane integrity in cell death are important to know. We showed previously that deficiency of the plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPase 4 (PMCA4) in L929 cells impaired tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha)-induced enlargement of lysosomes and reduced cell death. The lysosomal changes can be determined by measuring the total volume of intracellular acidic compartments per cell (VAC), and we show here that inhibition of the increase in VAC due to PMCA4 deficiency not only reduced cell death but also converted TNF-alpha-induced cell death from a process involving disruption of the plasma membrane to a cell demise with a nearly intact plasma membrane. The importance of the size of lysosomes in determining plasma membrane integrity during cell death was supported by the observations that chemical inhibitors that reduce VAC also reduced the plasma membrane disruption induced by TNF-alpha in wild-type L929 cells, while increases in VAC due to genetic mutation, senescence, cell culture conditions, and chemical inhibitors all changed the morphology of cell death from one with an originally nearly intact plasma membrane to one with membrane disruption in a number of different cells. Moreover, the ATP depletion-mediated change from apoptosis to necrosis is also associated with the increases of VAC. The increase in lysosomal size may due to intracellular self-digestion of dying cells. Big lysosomes are easy to rupture, and the release of hydrolytic enzymes from ruptured lysosomes can cause plasma membrane disruption.

Trafficking of lysosomal cathepsin B-green fluorescent protein to the surface of thyroid epithelial cells involves the endosomal/lysosomal compartment

Cathepsin B, a lysosomal cysteine proteinase, is involved in limited proteolysis of thyroglobulin with thyroxine liberation at the apical surface of thyroid epithelial cells. To analyze the trafficking of lysosomal enzymes to extracellular locations of thyroid epithelial cells, we have expressed a chimeric protein consisting of rat cathepsin B and green fluorescent protein. Heterologous expression in CHO cells validated the integrity of the structural motifs of the chimeric protein for targeting to endocytic compartments. Homologous expression, colocalization and transport experiments with rat thyroid epithelial cell lines FRT or FRTL-5 demonstrated the correct sorting of the chimeric protein into the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum, and its subsequent transport via the Golgi apparatus and the trans-Golgi network to endosomes and lysosomes. In addition, the chimeras were secreted as active enzymes from FRTL-5 cells in a thyroid-stimulating-hormone-dependent manner. Immunoprecipitation experiments after pulse-chase radiolabeling showed that secreted chimeras lacked the propeptide of cathepsin B. Thus, the results suggest that cathepsin B is first transported to endosomes/lysosomes from where its matured form is retrieved before being secreted, supporting the view that endosome/lysosome-derived cathepsin B contributes to the potential of extracellular proteolysis in the thyroid.

Identification and characterization of the single channel function of human mucolipin-1 implicated in mucolipidosis type IV, a disorder affecting the lysosomal pathway

Mucolipin-1 (MLN1) is a membrane protein with homology to the transient receptor potential channels and other non-selective cation channels. It is encoded by the MCOLN1 gene, which is mutated in patients with mucolipidosis type IV (MLIV), an autosomal recessive disease that is characterized by severe abnormalities in neurological development as well as by ophthalmologic defects. At the cellular level, MLIV is associated with abnormal lysosomal sorting and trafficking. Here we identify the channel function of human MLN1 and characterize its properties. MLN1 represents a novel Ca(2+)-permeable channel that is transiently modulated by changes in [Ca(2+)]. It is also permeable to Na(+) and K(+). Large unitary conductances were measured in the presence of these cations. With its Ca(2+) permeability and modulation by [Ca(2+)], MLN1 could play a major role in Ca(2+) transport regulating lysosomal exocytosis and potentially other phenomena related to the trafficking of late endosomes and lysosomes.

Membrane proximal lysosomes are the major vesicles responsible for calcium-dependent exocytosis in nonsecretory cells

Similar to its role in secretory cells, calcium triggers exocytosis in nonsecretory cells. This calcium-dependent exocytosis is essential for repair of membrane ruptures. Using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, we observed that many organelles implicated in this process, including ER, post-Golgi vesicles, late endosomes, early endosomes, and lysosomes, were within 100 nm of the plasma membrane (in the evanescent field). However, an increase in cytosolic calcium led to exocytosis of only the lysosomes. The lysosomes that fused were predominantly predocked at the plasma membrane, indicating that calcium is primarily responsible for fusion and not recruitment of lysosomes to the cell surface.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae porin P1.B induces endosome exocytosis and a redistribution of Lamp1 to the plasma membrane

The immunoglobulin A (IgA) protease secreted by pathogenic Neisseria spp. cleaves Lamp1, thereby altering lysosomes in a cell and promoting bacterial intracellular survival. We sought to determine how the IgA protease gains access to cellular Lamp1 in order to better understand the role of this cleavage event in bacterial infection. In a previous report, we demonstrated that the pilus-induced Ca(2+) transient triggers lysosome exocytosis in human epithelial cells. This, in turn, increases the level of Lamp1 at the plasma membrane, where it can be cleaved by IgA protease. Here, we show that porin also induces a Ca(2+) flux in epithelial cells. This transient is similar in nature to that observed in phagocytes exposed to porin. In contrast to the pilus-induced Ca(2+) transient, the porin-induced event does not trigger lysosome exocytosis. Instead, it stimulates exocytosis of early and late endosomes and increases Lamp1 on the cell surface. These results indicate that Neisseria pili and porin perturb Lamp1 trafficking in epithelial cells by triggering separate and distinct Ca(2+)-dependent exocytic events, bringing Lamp1 to the cell surface, where it can be cleaved by IgA protease.

Cell signalling and Trypanosoma cruzi invasion

Mammalian cell invasion by the protozoan pathogen Trypanosoma cruzi is critical to its survival in the host. To promote its entry into a wide variety of non-professional phagocytic cells, infective trypomastigotes exploit an arsenal of heterogenous surface glycoproteins, secreted proteases and signalling agonists to actively manipulate multiple host cell signalling pathways. Signals initiated in the parasite upon contact with mammalian cells also function as critical regulators of the invasion process. Whereas the full spectrum of cellular responses modulated by T. cruzi is not yet known, mounting evidence suggests that these pathways impinge on a number of cellular processes, in particular the ubiquitous wound-repair mechanism exploited for lysosome-mediated parasite entry. Furthermore, differential engagement of host cell signalling pathways in a cell type-specific manner and modulation of host cell gene expression by T. cruzi are becoming recognized as essential determinants of infectivity and intracellular survival by this pathogen.

Don't bother to knock--the cell invasion strategy of Trypanosoma cruzi

The protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi is responsible for Chagas disease, a serious debilitating disease that affects millions of people in Latin America. Trypomastigotes, the infective forms, are capable of invading and replicating in different cell types. The invasion process involves a gradual recruitment and fusion of host cell lysosomes at the parasite entry site, and is regulated by intracellular free Ca2+ transients triggered by trypomastigotes in host cells. This unusual, Ca2+-dependent lysosome exocytosis pathway was recently shown to be involved in the mechanism by which mammalian cells repair lesions on their plasma membrane.

Lysosomes and the plasma membrane: trypanosomes reveal a secret relationship

Studies of the cell invasion mechanism of the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi led to a series of novel findings, which revealed a previously unsuspected ability of conventional lysosomes to fuse with the plasma membrane. This regulated exocytic process, previously regarded mostly as a specialization of certain cell types, was recently shown to play an important role in the mechanism by which cells reseal their plasma membrane after injury.

What’s special about secretory lysosomes?

Lysosomes are organelles specialised for their role in intracellular protein degradation. A small number of cell types also use their lysosomes as regulated secretory organelles. These secretory lysosomes package additional secretory products, respond to extracellular stimuli and fuse with the plasma membrane to release their contents. Recent research has identified unique components of the secretory machinery in these cells. However, studies on conventional lysosomes in non-secretory cells reveal that even their lysosomes can fuse with the plasma membrane in response to membrane damage. What then is special about secretory lysosomes?

Studies on glycogen autophagy: effects of phorbol myristate acetate, ionophore A23187, or phentolamine

The effects of agents that could manipulate the lysosomal calcium such as phorbol myristate acetate, ionophore A23187, and phentolamine on the lysosomal glycogen degradation were studied by electron microscopy, morphometric analysis, and biochemical assays in newborn rat hepatocytes. Phorbol myristate acetate, which promotes the input of calcium to lysosomes, increased the total volume of autophagic vacuoles and the activity of lysosomal glycogen-hydrolyzing acid alpha 1,4 glucosidase and decreased the fractional volume of undigested glycogen inside the autophagic vacuoles and also decreased the activity of acid mannose 6-phosphatase. Ionophore A23187, which releases lysosomal calcium, produced opposite results in these enzyme activities. Phentolamine, an alpha-adrenergic blocking agent which interferes with the generation of phosphoinositides and may activate the lysosomal calcium uptake pump, increased the total volume of autophagic vacuoles and the activity of lysosomal glycogen-hydrolyzing acid glucosidase and decreased the fractional volume of undigested glycogen inside the autophagic vacuoles. The results of this study constitute evidence that changes in lysosomal calcium may influence certain aspects of autophagy, including the degradation of glycogen inside the autophagic vacuoles. They also support our previous postulate [Kalamidas and Kotoulas (2000a,b) Histol Histopathol 15:29-35, 1011-1018] that stimulation of autophagic mechanisms in newborn rat hepatocytes may be associated with acid mannose 6-phosphatase activity-deficient lysosomes.

Cellular hijacking: a common strategy for microbial infection

Eukaryotic cells are under constant attack from microbial intruders seeking a selective advantage for survival, propagation and dissemination. Microbial infections can often result in disease and might even be lethal to the host if they are not combatted effectively. Studies of host-pathogen interactions have revealed that virulence often requires the usurpation of existing cell signaling pathways or membrane traffic machinery of the host. Such studies provide a rich source of cell biological data that will probably prove essential for future efforts designed to either thwart these attacks or learn from them.

The biogenesis and functions of exosomes

Exosomes are membrane vesicles with a diameter of 40-100 nm that are secreted by many cell types into the extracellular milieu. They correspond to the internal vesicles of an endosomal compartment, the multivesicular body and are released upon exocytic fusion of this organelle with the plasma membrane. Intracellularly, they are formed by inward budding of the endosomal membrane in a process that sequesters particular proteins and lipids. The unique composition of exosomes may confer specific functions on them upon secretion. Although their physiological role in vivo is far from being unraveled, it is apparent that they function in a multitude of processes, including intercellular communication during the immune response. Exosomes may have evolved early in the evolution of multicellular organisms and also seem to be important for tissue developmental processes.

Phorbol ester activation of a proteolytic cascade capable of activating latent transforming growth factor-betaL a process initiated by the exocytosis of cathepsin B

12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) suppresses the proliferation of the human breast epithelial cell line MCF10A-Neo by initiating proteolytic processes that activate latent transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta in the serum used to supplement culture medium. Within 1 h of treatment, cultures accumulated an extracellular activity capable of cleaving a substrate for urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). This activity was inhibited by plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 or antibodies to uPA but not tPA. Pro-uPA activation was preceded by dramatic changes in lysosome trafficking and the extracellular appearance of cathepsin B and beta-hexosaminidase but not cathepsins D or L. Co-treatment of cultures with the cathepsin B inhibitors CA-074 or Z-FA-FMK suppressed the cytostatic effects of TPA and activation of pro-uPA. In the absence of TPA, exogenously added cathepsin B activated pro-uPA and suppressed MCF10A-Neo proliferation. The cytostatic effects of both TPA and cathepsin B were suppressed in cells cultured in medium depleted of plasminogen/plasmin or supplemented with neutralizing TGF-beta antibody. Pretreatment with cycloheximide did not suppress the exocytosis of cathepsin B or the activation of pro-uPA. Hence, TPA activates signaling processes that trigger the exocytosis of a subpopulation of lysosomes/endosomes containing cathepsin B. Subsequently, extracellular cathepsin B initiates a proteolytic cascade involving uPA, plasminogen, and plasmin that activates serum-derived latent TGF-beta.

Calcium-dependent transferrin receptor recycling in bovine chromaffin cells

The release of regulated secretory granules is known to be calcium dependent. To examine the Ca2+-dependence of other exocytic fusion events, transferrin recycling in bovine chromaffin cells was examined. Internalised 125I-transferrin was released constitutively from cells with a half-time of about 7 min. Secretagogues that triggered catecholamine secretion doubled the rate of 125I-transferrin release, the time courses of the two triggered secretory responses being similar. The triggered 125I-transferrin release came from recycling endosomes rather than from sorting endosomes or a triggered secretory vesicle pool. Triggered 125I-transferrin release, like catecholamine secretion from the same cells, was calcium dependent but the affinities for calcium were very different. The extracellular calcium concentrations that gave rise to half-maximal evoked secretion were 0.1 mm for 125I-transferrin and 1.0 mm for catecholamine, and the intracellular concentrations were 0.1 microm and 1 microm, respectively. There was significant 125I-transferrin recycling in the virtual absence of intracellular Ca2+, but the rate increased when Ca2+ was raised above 1 nm, and peaked at 1 microm when the rate had doubled. Botulinum toxin type D blocked both transferrin recycling and catecholamine secretion. These results indicate that a major component of the vesicular transport required for the constitutive recycling of transferrin in quiescent cells is calcium dependent and thus under physiological control, and also that some of the molecular machinery involved in transferrin recycling/fusion processes is shared with that for triggered neurosecretion.

Quantal release of free radicals during exocytosis of phagosomes

Secretion of lysosomes and related organelles is important for immune system function. High-resolution membrane capacitance techniques were used to track changes in membrane area in single phagocytes during opsonized polystyrene bead uptake and release. Secretagogue stimulation of cells preloaded with beads resulted in immediate vesicle discharge, visualized as step increases in capacitance. The size of the increases were consistent with phagosome size. This hypothesis was confirmed by direct observation of dye release from bead-containing phagosomes after secretagogue stimulation. Capacitance recordings of exocytosis were correlated with quantal free radical release, as determined by amperometry. Thus, phagosomes undergo regulated secretion in macrophages, one function of which may be to deliver sequestered free radicals to the extracellular space.

P-selectin targeting to secretory lysosomes of Rbl-2H3 cells

The biogenesis of secretory lysosomes, which combine characteristics of both lysosomes and secretory granules, is currently of high interest. In particular, it is not clear whether delivery of membrane proteins to the secretory lysosome requires lysosomal, secretory granule, or some novel targeting determinants. Heterologous expression of P-selectin has established that this membrane protein contains targeting signals for both secretory granules and lysosomes. P-selectin is therefore an ideal probe with which to determine the signals required for targeting to secretory lysosomes. We have exploited subcellular fractionation and immunofluorescence microscopy to monitor targeting of transiently expressed wild-type and mutant horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-P-selectin chimeras to secretory lysosomes of Rbl-2H3 cells. The exposure of the HRP chimeras to intracellular proteolysis was also determined as a third monitor of secretory lysosome targeting. Our data show that HRP-P-selectin accumulates in secretory lysosomes of Rbl-2H3 cells using those cytoplasmic sequences previously found to be sufficient for targeting to conventional lysosomes. This work highlights the similar sorting signals used for targeting of membrane proteins to conventional lysosomes and secretory lysosomes.

Repairing a torn cell surface: make way, lysosomes to the rescue

Biological membranes are often described as `self-sealing' structures. If indeed membranes do have an inherent capacity for repair, does this explain how a cell can rapidly reseal a very large (1-1000 μm2)disruption in its plasma membrane? It is becoming increasingly clear that, in nucleated animal cells, the cytoplasm plays an active and essential role in resealing. A rapid and apparently chaotic membrane fusion response is initiated locally in the cytoplasm by the Ca2+ that floods in through a disruption: cytoplasmic vesicles are thereby joined with one another(homotypically) and with the surrounding plasma membrane (exocytotically). As a consequence, internal membrane is added to cell surface membrane at the disruption site. In the case of large disruptions, this addition is hypothesized to function as a `patch'. In sea urchin eggs, the internal compartment used is the yolk granule. Several recent studies have significantly advanced our understanding of how cells survive disruption-inducing injuries. In fibroblasts, the lysosome has been identified as a key organelle in resealing. Protein markers of the lysosome membrane appear on the surface of fibroblasts at sites of disruption. Antibodies against lysosome-specific proteins, introduced into the living fibroblast,inhibit its resealing response. In gastric eptithelial cells, local depolymerization of filamentous actin has been identified as a crucial step in resealing: it may function to remove a barrier to lysosome-plasma membrane contact leading to exocytotic fusion. Plasma membrane disruption in epithelial cells induces depolymerization of cortical filamentous actin and, if this depolymerization response is inhibited, resealing is blocked. In the Xenopus egg, the cortical cytoskeleton has been identified as an active participant in post-resealing repair of disruption-related damage to underlying cell cortex. A striking, highly localized actin polymerization response is observable around the margin of cortical defects. A myosin powered contraction occurring within this newly formed zone of F-actin then drives closure of the defect in a purse-string fashion.

Soluble HLA class I molecules induce natural killer cell apoptosis through the engagement of CD8: evidence for a negative regulation exerted by members of the inhibitory receptor superfamily

Herein, we show that CD8(dull), CD8(intermediate), and CD8(bright) natural killer (NK) cell clones can be identified. Triggering of CD8 with its natural ligand(s), represented by soluble HLA class I (sHLA-I), isolated either from serum of healthy donors or from HLA-I(-) 721.221 lymphoblastoid cell line transfected with HLA-A2, -Cw4, and -Bw46 alleles, or HLA-G1 leads to NK cell apoptosis. The magnitude of this effect directly correlated with the level of CD8 expression. sHLA-I-induced apoptosis depends on the interaction with CD8, as it was inhibited by masking this molecule with specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Moreover, sHLA-I or CD8 cross-linking with specific mAbs elicited intracellular calcium increases, Fas ligand (FasL) messenger RNA transcription, and FasL secretion, which were needed for delivering the death signal. Indeed, this apoptosis was inhibited by preincubation of NK cell clones with Fas or FasL antagonist mAbs, indicating that the Fas/FasL pathway is involved. Furthermore, members of the inhibitory receptor superfamily, such as CD94/NKG2 complex or killer inhibitory receptors, were shown to exert an inhibitory effect on sHLA-I-mediated apoptosis and secretion of FasL. These findings suggest that interaction between sHLA-I and CD8 evokes an apoptotic signal that is down-regulated by inhibitory receptor superfamily that function as survival receptors in NK cells.

In vivo and in vitro modulation of HLA-DM and HLA-DO is induced by B lymphocyte activation

Ag presentation via HLA class II molecules in B lymphocytes depends on the coordinated action of HLA-DM, the catalyst of class II-peptide loading, and HLA-DO, a pH-dependent modulator of DM, the expression of which is almost completely restricted to B lymphocytes. The relative expression levels of both class II modulators are critical for the composition of the HLA class II peptide repertoire. The data in this work demonstrate that DO and DM expression are both dependent on the cellular activation status in primary human B lymphocytes. In vivo low-density activated primary human B lymphocytes show a prominent reduction in DO and DM expression when compared with high-density resting primary B lymphocytes. In vitro, reduction of DO and DM expression can be induced by B lymphocyte activation via the B cell receptor or by use of the phorbol ester, PMA. Specific inhibition of protein kinase C resulted in a significant reduction of HLA-DO and is potentially due to protein degradation in lysosomal compartments as the phenomenon is reversed by chloroquine. Thus, the expression of the dedicated HLA class II chaperone DM and its pH-dependent modulator DO is regulated and tightly controlled by the activation status of the B lymphocyte.

Resistance to tumor necrosis factor-induced cell death mediated by PMCA4 deficiency

We used retrovirus insertion-mediated random mutagenesis to generate tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-resistant lines from L929 cells. Using this approach, we discovered that the plasma membrane calcium ATPase 4 (PMCA4) is required for TNF-induced cell death in L929 cells. Under basal conditions, PMCA4-deficient (PMCA(mut)) cells have a normal phenotype. However, stimulation with TNF induces an abnormal increase in the intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)). The substantially elevated [Ca(2+)](i) caused resistance to TNF-induced cell death. We found that an increase in the total volume of acidic compartments (VAC), mainly constituted by lysosomes, is a common event in cell death caused by a variety of agonists. The increased [Ca(2+)](i) in PMCA(mut) cells promoted lysosome exocytosis, which, at least in part, accounted for the inhibition of TNF-induced increase in VAC and cell death. Promoting lysosome exocytosis by calcium inhibited TNF-induced cell death in wild-type L929 cells, while inhibition of lysosome exocytosis or increase of VAC by sucrose restored the sensitivity of PMCA(mut) cells to TNF-induced cell death. Thus, increase of the volume of acidic compartment is a part of the cell death process, and the antideath effect of calcium is mediated, at least in part, by inhibition of the TNF-induced increase in VAC.

Membrane repair: Ca(2+)-elicited lysosomal exocytosis

Cells in exposed positions are subject to injury and therefore need membrane repair mechanisms. Ca(2+) entry inevitably follows membrane rupture and recent studies indicate that this elicits repair via Ca(2+)-activated exocytosis of lysosomes, regulated by lysosomal synaptotagmin VII.