Goodpasture antigen-binding protein (GPBP) directs myofibril formation: identification of intracellular downstream effector 130-kDa GPBP-interacting protein (GIP130)

Loss of RTN3 phenocopies chronic kidney disease and results in activation of the IGF2-JAK2 pathway in proximal tubular epithelial cells

Reticulon 3 (RTN3) is an endoplasmic reticulum protein that has previously been shown to play roles in neurodegenerative diseases, but little is known about its function in the kidneys. The aim of the present study was to clarify the roles of RTN3 in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and kidney fibrosis. In this study, RTN3 levels were measured in kidney tissues from healthy controls and CKD or kidney fibrosis patients. An RTN3-null mouse model was generated to explore the pathophysiological roles of RTN3 in the kidneys. The underlying mechanisms were studied in primary proximal tubular epithelial cells and HEK293 cells in vitro. The results showed that (1) a reduction in RTN3 in mice induces CKD and kidney fibrosis; (2) decreased RTN3 expression is found in patients with CKD; (3) RTN3 plays critical roles in regulating collagen biosynthesis and mitochondrial function; and (4) mechanistically, RTN3 regulates these phenotypes by interacting with GC-Rich Promoter Binding Protein 1 (GPBP1), which activates the IGF2-JAK2-STAT3 pathway. Our study indicates that RTN3 might play crucial roles in CKD and kidney fibrosis and that a reduction in RTN3 in the kidneys might be a risk factor for CKD and kidney fibrosis.

A protein (RTN3) known to be involved in neurodegenerative diseases may play a causative role in kidney fibrosis or scarring, and chronic kidney disease (CKD). An estimated 20% of CKD cases may have genetic causes and identifying the genes involved may help find better treatments. Ri-Qiang Yan at the University of Connecticut Health, Farmington, USA, and Rong Xian at Central South University, China, noticed that mice in which the gene coding for RTN3 was inactivated had kidney fibrosis. The researchers showed that RTN3 levels were also lower in kidney tissues of patients with CKD than in healthy individuals and that RTN3 levels were inversely proportional to disease progression. Further investigation showed that decreased RTN3 caused extra collagen deposition and misshapen mitochondria, the cellular powerhouses, in the kidney. These results identify a potential novel risk factor for CKD.

Natural Ligand-Mimetic and Nonmimetic Inhibitors of the Ceramide Transport Protein CERT

Lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) are recognized as key players in the inter-organelle trafficking of lipids and are rapidly gaining attention as a novel molecular target for medicinal products. In mammalian cells, ceramide is newly synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and converted to sphingomyelin in the trans-Golgi regions. The ceramide transport protein CERT, a typical LTP, mediates the ER-to-Golgi transport of ceramide at an ER-distal Golgi membrane contact zone. About 20 years ago, a potent inhibitor of CERT, named (1R,3S)-HPA-12, was found by coincidence among ceramide analogs. Since then, various ceramide-resembling compounds have been found to act as CERT inhibitors. Nevertheless, the inevitable issue remains that natural ligand-mimetic compounds might directly bind both to the desired target and to various undesired targets that share the same natural ligand. To resolve this issue, a ceramide-unrelated compound named E16A, or (1S,2R)-HPCB-5, that potently inhibits the function of CERT has recently been developed, employing a series of in silico docking simulations, efficient chemical synthesis, quantitative affinity analysis, protein-ligand co-crystallography, and various in vivo assays. (1R,3S)-HPA-12 and E16A together provide a robust tool to discriminate on-target effects on CERT from off-target effects. This short review article will describe the history of the development of (1R,3S)-HPA-12 and E16A, summarize other CERT inhibitors, and discuss their possible applications.

Macrophages directly contribute collagen to scar formation during zebrafish heart regeneration and mouse heart repair

Canonical roles for macrophages in mediating the fibrotic response after a heart attack include extracellular matrix turnover and activation of cardiac fibroblasts to initiate collagen deposition. Here we reveal that macrophages directly contribute collagen to the forming post-injury scar. Unbiased transcriptomics shows an upregulation of collagens in both zebrafish and mouse macrophages following heart injury. Adoptive transfer of macrophages, from either collagen-tagged zebrafish or adult mouse GFPtpz-collagen donors, enhances scar formation via cell autonomous production of collagen. In zebrafish, the majority of tagged collagen localises proximal to the injury, within the overlying epicardial region, suggesting a possible distinction between macrophage-deposited collagen and that predominantly laid-down by myofibroblasts. Macrophage-specific targeting of col4a3bpa and cognate col4a1 in zebrafish significantly reduces scarring in cryoinjured hosts. Our findings contrast with the current model of scarring, whereby collagen deposition is exclusively attributed to myofibroblasts, and implicate macrophages as direct contributors to fibrosis during heart repair.

Macrophages mediate the fibrotic response after a heart attack by extracellular matrix turnover and cardiac fibroblasts activation. Here the authors identify an evolutionarily-conserved function of macrophages that contributes directly to the forming post-injury scar through cell-autonomous deposition of collagen.

Unicellular ancestry and mechanisms of diversification of Goodpasture antigen-binding protein

The emergence of the basement membrane (BM), a specialized form of extracellular matrix, was essential in the unicellular transition to multicellularity. However, the mechanism is unknown. Goodpasture antigen-binding protein (GPBP), a BM protein, was uniquely poised to play diverse roles in this transition owing to its multiple isoforms (GPBP-1, -2, and -3) with varied intracellular and extracellular functions (ceramide trafficker and protein kinase). We sought to determine the evolutionary origin of GPBP isoforms. Our findings reveal the presence of GPBP in unicellular protists, with GPBP-2 as the most ancient isoform. In vertebrates, GPBP-1 assumed extracellular function that is further enhanced by membrane-bound GPBP-3 in mammalians, whereas GPBP-2 retained intracellular function. Moreover, GPBP-2 possesses a dual intracellular/extracellular function in cnidarians, an early nonbilaterian group. We conclude that GPBP functioning both inside and outside the cell was of fundamental importance for the evolutionary transition to animal multicellularity and tissue evolution.

Selective targeting of collagen IV in the cancer cell microenvironment reduces tumor burden

Goodpasture antigen-binding protein (GPBP) is an exportable¹ Ser/Thr kinase that induces collagen IV expansion and has been associated with chemoresistance following epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Here we demonstrate that cancer EMT phenotypes secrete GPBP (mesenchymal GPBP) which displays a predominant multimeric oligomerization and directs the formation of previously unrecognized mesh collagen IV networks (mesenchymal collagen IV). Yeast two-hybrid (YTH) system was used to identify a ²⁶⁰SHCIE²⁶⁴ motif critical for multimeric GPBP assembly which then facilitated design of a series of potential peptidomimetics. The compound 3-[4''-methoxy-3,2'-dimethyl-(1,1';4',1'')terphenyl-2''-yl]propionic acid, or T12, specifically targets mesenchymal GPBP and disturbs its multimerization without affecting kinase catalytic site. Importantly, T12 reduces growth and metastases of tumors populated by EMT phenotypes. Moreover, low-dose doxorubicin sensitizes epithelial cancer precursor cells to T12, thereby further reducing tumor load. Given that T12 targets the pathogenic mesenchymal GPBP, it does not bind significantly to normal tissues and therapeutic dosing was not associated with toxicity. T12 is a first-in-class drug candidate to treat cancer by selectively targeting the collagen IV of the tumor cell microenvironment.

Embryo implantation triggers dynamic spatiotemporal expression of the basement membrane toolkit during uterine reprogramming

Basement membranes (BMs) are specialized extracellular scaffolds that influence behaviors of cells in epithelial, endothelial, muscle, nervous, and fat tissues. Throughout development and in response to injury or disease, BMs are fine-tuned with specific protein compositions, ultrastructure, and localization. These features are modulated through implements of the BM toolkit that is comprised of collagen IV, laminin, perlecan, and nidogen. Two additional proteins, peroxidasin and Goodpasture antigen-binding protein (GPBP), have recently emerged as potential members of the toolkit. In the present study, we sought to determine whether peroxidasin and GPBP undergo dynamic regulation in the assembly of uterine tissue BMs in early pregnancy as a tractable model for dynamic adult BMs. We explored these proteins in the context of collagen IV and laminin that are known to extensively change for decidualization. Electron microscopic analyses revealed: 1) a smooth continuous layer of BM in between the epithelial and stromal layers of the preimplantation endometrium; and 2) interrupted, uneven, and progressively thickened BM within the pericellular space of the postimplantation decidua. Quantification of mRNA levels by qPCR showed changes in expression levels that were complemented by immunofluorescence localization of peroxidasin, GPBP, collagen IV, and laminin. Novel BM-associated and subcellular spatiotemporal localization patterns of the four components suggest both collective pericellular functions and distinct functions in the uterus during reprogramming for embryo implantation.

Basement membrane ultrastructure and component localization data from uterine tissues during early mouse pregnancy

Basement membranes (BMs) are specialized extracellular scaffolds that provide architecture and modulate cell behaviors in tissues, such as fat, muscle, endothelium, endometrium, and decidua. Properties of BMs are maintained in homeostasis for most adult tissues. However, BM ultrastructure, composition, and localization are rapidly altered in select uterine tissues that are reprogrammed during pregnancy to enable early maternal-embryo interactions. Here, our data exhibit both static and dynamic BMs that were tracked in mouse uterine tissues during pre-, peri-, and postimplantation periods of pregnancy. The data exhibit spatial-temporal patterns of BM property regulation that coincide with the progression of adapted physiology. Further interpretation and discussion of these data in this article are described in the associated research article titled, "Embryo implantation triggers dynamic spatiotemporal expression of the basement membrane toolkit during uterine reprogramming" (C.R. Jones-Paris, S. Paria, T. Berg, J. Saus, G. Bhave, B.C. Paria, B.G. Hudson, 2016) [1].

Co-evolution of sphingomyelin and the ceramide transport protein CERT

Life creates many varieties of lipids. The choline-containing sphingophospholipid sphingomyelin (SM) exists ubiquitously or widely in vertebrates and lower animals, but is absent or rare in bacteria, fungi, protists, and plants. In the biosynthesis of SM, ceramide, which is synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum, is transported to the Golgi region by the ceramide transport protein CERT, probably in a non-vesicular manner, and is then converted to SM by SM synthase, which catalyzes the reaction of phosphocholine transfer from phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) to ceramide. Recent advances in genomics and lipidomics indicate that the phylogenetic occurrence of CERT and its orthologs is nearly parallel to that of SM. Based on the chemistry of lipids together with evolutionary aspects of SM and CERT, several concepts are here proposed. SM may serve as a chemically inert and robust, but non-covalently interactive lipid class at the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane. The functional domains and peptidic motifs of CERT are separated by exon units, suggesting an exon-shuffling mechanism for the generation of an ancestral CERT gene. CERT may have co-evolved with SM to bypass a competing metabolic reaction at the bifurcated point in the anabolism of ceramide. Human CERT is identical to the splicing variant of human Goodpasture antigen-binding protein (GPBP) annotated as an extracellular non-canonical serine/threonine protein kinase. The relationship between CERT and GPBP has also been discussed from an evolutionary aspect. Moreover, using an analogy of "compatible (or osmoprotective) solutes" that can accumulate to very high concentrations in the cytosol without denaturing proteins, choline phospholipids such as PtdCho and SM may act as compatible phospholipids in biomembranes. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled New Frontiers in Sphingolipid Biology.