Cytosolic entry of Shiga-like toxin a chain from the yeast endoplasmic reticulum requires catalytically active Hrd1p

The manipulation of cell signaling and host cell biology by cholera toxin

Vibrio cholerae colonizes the small intestine and releases cholera toxin into the extracellular space. The toxin binds to the apical surface of the epithelium, is internalized into the host endomembrane system, and escapes into the cytosol where it activates the stimulatory alpha subunit of the heterotrimeric G protein by ADP-ribosylation. This initiates a cAMP-dependent signaling pathway that stimulates chloride efflux into the gut, with diarrhea resulting from the accompanying osmotic movement of water into the intestinal lumen. G protein signaling is not the only host system manipulated by cholera toxin, however. Other cellular mechanisms and signaling pathways active in the intoxication process include endocytosis through lipid rafts, retrograde transport to the endoplasmic reticulum, the endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation system for protein delivery to the cytosol, the unfolded protein response, and G protein de-activation through degradation or the function of ADP-ribosyl hydrolases. Although toxin-induced chloride efflux is thought to be an irreversible event, alterations to these processes could facilitate cellular recovery from intoxication. This review will highlight how cholera toxin exploits signaling pathways and other cell biology events to elicit a diarrheal response from the host.

Therapeutic Uses of Bacterial Subunit Toxins

The B subunit pentamer verotoxin (VT aka Shiga toxin-Stx) binding to its cellular glycosphingolipid (GSL) receptor, globotriaosyl ceramide (Gb₃) mediates internalization and the subsequent receptor mediated retrograde intracellular traffic of the AB5 subunit holotoxin to the endoplasmic reticulum. Subunit separation and cytosolic A subunit transit via the ER retrotranslocon as a misfolded protein mimic, then inhibits protein synthesis to kill cells, which can cause hemolytic uremic syndrome clinically. This represents one of the most studied systems of prokaryotic hijacking of eukaryotic biology. Similarly, the interaction of cholera AB5 toxin with its GSL receptor, GM1 ganglioside, is the key component of the gastrointestinal pathogenesis of cholera and follows the same retrograde transport pathway for A subunit cytosol access. Although both VT and CT are the cause of major pathology worldwide, the toxin–receptor interaction is itself being manipulated to generate new approaches to control, rather than cause, disease. This arena comprises two areas: anti neoplasia, and protein misfolding diseases. CT/CTB subunit immunomodulatory function and anti-cancer toxin immunoconjugates will not be considered here. In the verotoxin case, it is clear that Gb₃ (and VT targeting) is upregulated in many human cancers and that there is a relationship between GSL expression and cancer drug resistance. While both verotoxin and cholera toxin similarly hijack the intracellular ERAD quality control system of nascent protein folding, the more widespread cell expression of GM1 makes cholera the toxin of choice as the means to more widely utilise ERAD targeting to ameliorate genetic diseases of protein misfolding. Gb₃ is primarily expressed in human renal tissue. Glomerular endothelial cells are the primary VT target but Gb₃ is expressed in other endothelial beds, notably brain endothelial cells which can mediate the encephalopathy primarily associated with VT2-producing E. coli infection. The Gb₃ levels can be regulated by cytokines released during EHEC infection, which complicate pathogenesis. Significantly Gb₃ is upregulated in the neovasculature of many tumours, irrespective of tumour Gb₃ status. Gb₃ is markedly increased in pancreatic, ovarian, breast, testicular, renal, astrocytic, gastric, colorectal, cervical, sarcoma and meningeal cancer relative to the normal tissue. VT has been shown to be effective in mouse xenograft models of renal, astrocytoma, ovarian, colorectal, meningioma, and breast cancer. These studies are herein reviewed. Both CT and VT (and several other bacterial toxins) access the cell cytosol via cell surface ->ER transport. Once in the ER they interface with the protein folding homeostatic quality control pathway of the cell -ERAD, (ER associated degradation), which ensures that only correctly folded nascent proteins are allowed to progress to their cellular destinations. Misfolded proteins are translocated through the ER membrane and degraded by cytosolic proteosome. VT and CT A subunits have a C terminal misfolded protein mimic sequence to hijack this transporter to enter the cytosol. This interface between exogenous toxin and genetically encoded endogenous mutant misfolded proteins, provides a new therapeutic basis for the treatment of such genetic diseases, e.g., Cystic fibrosis, Gaucher disease, Krabbe disease, Fabry disease, Tay-Sachs disease and many more. Studies showing the efficacy of this approach in animal models of such diseases are presented.

Toxins Utilize the Endoplasmic Reticulum-Associated Protein Degradation Pathway in Their Intoxication Process

Several bacterial and plant AB-toxins are delivered by retrograde vesicular transport to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), where the enzymatically active A subunit is disassembled from the holotoxin and transported to the cytosol. In this process, toxins subvert the ER-associated degradation (ERAD) pathway. ERAD is an important part of cellular regulatory mechanism that targets misfolded proteins to the ER channels, prior to their retrotranslocation to the cytosol, ubiquitination and subsequent degradation by a protein-degrading complex, the proteasome. In this article, we present an overview of current understanding of the ERAD-dependent transport of AB-toxins to the cytosol. We describe important components of ERAD and discuss their significance for toxin transport. Toxin recognition and disassembly in the ER, transport through ER translocons and finally cytosolic events that instead of overall proteasomal degradation provide proper folding and cytotoxic activity of AB-toxins are discussed as well. We also comment on recent reports presenting medical applications for toxin transport through the ER channels.

Monitoring Protein Dynamics in Protein O-Mannosyltransferase Mutants In Vivo by Tandem Fluorescent Protein Timers

For proteins entering the secretory pathway, a major factor contributing to maturation and homeostasis is glycosylation. One relevant type of protein glycosylation is O-mannosylation, which is essential and evolutionarily-conserved in fungi, animals, and humans. Our recent proteome-wide study in the eukaryotic model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae revealed that more than 26% of all proteins entering the secretory pathway receive O-mannosyl glycans. In a first attempt to understand the impact of O-mannosylation on these proteins, we took advantage of a tandem fluorescent timer (tFT) reporter to monitor different aspects of protein dynamics. We analyzed tFT-reporter fusions of 137 unique O-mannosylated proteins, mainly of the secretory pathway and the plasma membrane, in mutants lacking the major protein O-mannosyltransferases Pmt1, Pmt2, or Pmt4. In these three pmtΔ mutants, a total of 39 individual proteins were clearly affected, and Pmt-specific substrate proteins could be identified. We observed that O-mannosylation may cause both enhanced and diminished protein abundance and/or stability when compromised, and verified our findings on the examples of Axl2-tFT and Kre6-tFT fusion proteins. The identified target proteins are a valuable resource towards unraveling the multiple functions of O-mannosylation at the molecular level.

A Simple Fluorescence-based Reporter Assay to Identify Cellular Components Required for Ricin Toxin A Chain (RTA) Trafficking in Yeast

Bacterial and plant A/B toxins exploit the natural trafficking pathways in eukaryotic cells to reach their intracellular target(s) in the cytosol and to ultimately kill. Such A/B toxins generally consist of an enzymatically active Asubunit (e.g., ricin toxin A (RTA)) and one or more cell binding Bsubunit(s), which are responsible for toxin binding to specific cell surface receptors. Our current knowledge of how A/B toxins are capable of efficiently intoxicating cells helped scientists to understand fundamental cellular mechanisms, like endocytosis and intracellular protein sorting in higher eukaryotic cells. From a medical point of view, it is likewise important to identify the major toxin trafficking routes to find adequate treatment solutions for patients or to eventually develop therapeutic toxin-based applications for cancer therapy. Since genome-wide analyses of A/B toxin trafficking in mammalian cells is complex, time-consuming, and expensive, several studies on A/B toxin transport have been performed in the yeast model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Despite being less complex, fundamental cellular processes in yeast and higher eukaryotic cells are similar and very often results obtained in yeast can be transferred to the mammalian situation. Here, we describe a fast and easy to use reporter assay to analyze the intracellular trafficking of RTA in yeast. An essential advantage of the new assay is the opportunity to investigate not only RTA retro-translocation from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) into the cytosol, but rather endocytosis and retrograde toxin transport from the plasma membrane into the ER. The assay makes use of a reporter plasmid that allows indirect measurement of RTA toxicity through fluorescence emission of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) after in vivo translation. Since RTA efficiently prevents the initiation of protein biosynthesis by 28S rRNA depurination, this assay allows the identification of host cell proteins involved in intracellular RTA transport through the detection of changes in fluorescence emission.

A Case for Sec61 Channel Involvement in ERAD

Proteins that misfold in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) need to be transported back to the cytosol for degradation by proteasomes, a process known as ER-associated degradation (ERAD). The first candidate discussed as a retrograde protein transport conduit was the Sec61 channel which is responsible for secretory protein transport into the ER during biogenesis. The Sec61 channel binds the proteasome 19S regulatory particle which can extract an ERAD substrate from the ER. Nevertheless its role as a general export channel has been dismissed, and Hrd1 and Der1 have been proposed as alternatives. The discovery of export-specific sec61 mutants and of mammalian ERAD substrates whose export is dependent on the 19S regulatory particle suggest that dismissal of a role of Sec61 in export may have been premature.

Glycosylation-directed quality control of protein folding

Membrane-bound and soluble proteins of the secretory pathway are commonly glycosylated in the endoplasmic reticulum. These adducts have many biological functions, including, notably, their contribution to the maturation of glycoproteins. N-linked glycans are of oligomeric structure, forming configurations that provide blueprints to precisely instruct the folding of protein substrates and the quality control systems that scrutinize it. O-linked mannoses are simpler in structure and were recently found to have distinct functions in protein quality control that do not require the complex structure of N-linked glycans. Together, recent studies reveal the breadth and sophistication of the roles of these glycan-directed modifications in protein biogenesis.

A bacterial toxin and a nonenveloped virus hijack ER-to-cytosol membrane translocation pathways to cause disease

A dedicated network of cellular factors ensures that proteins translocated into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are folded correctly before they exit this compartment en route to other cellular destinations or for secretion. When proteins misfold, selective ER-resident enzymes and chaperones are recruited to rectify the protein-misfolding problem in order to maintain cellular proteostasis. However, when a protein becomes terminally misfolded, it is ejected into the cytosol and degraded by the proteasome via a pathway called ER-associated degradation (ERAD). Strikingly, toxins and viruses can hijack elements of the ERAD pathway to access the host cytosol and cause infection. This review focuses on emerging data illuminating the molecular mechanisms by which these toxic agents co-opt the ER-to-cytosol translocation process to cause disease.

Analysis of antibody production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: effects of ER protein quality control disruption

One of the main limitations for heterologous protein production in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the protein-folding capacity in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Accumulation of unfolded proteins triggers the unfolded protein response (UPR), which resolves the stress by increasing the capacity for protein folding and removal of unfolded proteins by the ER-associated degradation (ERAD) system. In order to analyze the influence of ERAD on production of a human IgG, we disrupted ERAD at different stages by deletion of the HTM1, YOS9, HRD1, HRD3, or UBC7 gene, with or without a disruption of the UPR by deletion of the IRE1 gene. All deletion strains were viable and did not exhibit a growth phenotype under normal growth conditions. Deletion of HTM1 resulted in a small increase in antibody production, whereas a small decrease in antibody production was observed in the Δhrd1, Δhrd3, and Δubc7 yeast strains, and a stronger decrease in the Δyos9 yeast strain. Deletion of the IRE1 gene had contrasting effects in the ERAD mutants, with a strongly decreased production in wild-type cells and partially reversed effects in combination with the Δhtm1 or the Δyos9 deletions. In order to study IgG clearance from the ER, an assay was developed using the inhibitory effect of glucose on the GAL1 promoter that is driving IgG expression. The Δyos9Δire1and Δhtm1Δire1 strains showed a delayed IgG clearance from the cells, showing that removal of components for the generation and recognition of the glycan signal needed for ERAD-mediated protein degradation might increase the IgG ER residence time.

Whole-genome RNAi screen highlights components of the endoplasmic reticulum/Golgi as a source of resistance to immunotoxin-mediated cytotoxicity

Immunotoxins (antibody-toxin fusion proteins) target surface antigens on cancer cells and kill these cells via toxin-mediated inhibition of protein synthesis. To identify genes controlling this process, an RNAi whole-genome screen (∼ 22,000 genes at three siRNAs per gene) was conducted via monitoring the cytotoxicity of the mesothelin-directed immunotoxin SS1P. SS1P, a Pseudomonas exotoxin-based immunotoxin, was chosen because it is now in clinical trials and has produced objective tumor regressions in patients. High and low concentrations of SS1P were chosen to allow for the identification of both mitigators and sensitizers. As expected, silencing known essential genes in the immunotoxin pathway, such as mesothelin, furin, KDEL receptor 2, or members of the diphthamide pathway, protected cells. Of greater interest was the observation that many RNAi targets increased immunotoxin sensitivity, indicating that these gene products normally contribute to inefficiencies in the killing pathway. Of the top sensitizers, many genes encode proteins that locate to either the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) or Golgi and are annotated as part of the secretory system. Genes related to the ER-associated degradation system were not among high-ranking mitigator or sensitizer candidates. However, the p97 inhibitor eeyarestatin 1 enhanced immunotoxin killing. Our results highlight potential targets for chemical intervention that could increase immunotoxin killing of cancer cells and enhance our understanding of toxin trafficking.

Hydrophobicity of protein determinants influences the recognition of substrates by EDEM1 and EDEM2 in human cells

Background

EDEM1 and EDEM2 are crucial regulators of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated degradation (ERAD) that extracts misfolded glycoproteins from the calnexin chaperone system. The degradation of ERAD substrates involves mannose trimming of N-linked glycans; however the precise mechanism of substrate recognition and sorting to the ERAD pathway is still poorly understood. It has previously been demonstrated that EDEM1 and EDEM2 binding does not require the trimming of substrate glycans or even ERAD substrate glycosylation, thus suggesting that both chaperones probably recognize misfolded regions of aberrant proteins.

Results

In this work, we focused on the substrate recognition by EDEM1 and EDEM2, asking whether hydrophobicity of protein determinants might be important for these interactions in human cells. In the study we used ricin, a protein toxin that utilizes the ERAD pathway in its retrotranslocation from the ER to the cytosol, and a model misfolded protein, the pancreatic isoform of human β-secretase, BACE457. Mutations in the hydrophobic regions of these proteins allowed us to obtain mutated forms with increased and decreased hydrophobicity.

Conclusions

Our data provide the first evidence that recognition of ERAD substrates by EDEM1 and EDEM2 might be determined by a sufficiently high hydrophobicity of protein determinants. Moreover, EDEM proteins can bind hydrophobic transmembrane regions of misfolded ERAD substrates. These data contribute to the general understanding of the regulation of ERAD in mammalian cells.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12860-015-0047-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Ricin trafficking in cells

The heterodimeric plant toxin ricin binds exposed galactosyls at the cell surface of target mammalian cells, and, following endocytosis, is transported in vesicular carriers to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Subsequently, the cell-binding B chain (RTB) and the catalytic A chain (RTA) are separated reductively, RTA embeds in the ER membrane and then retrotranslocates (or dislocates) across this membrane. The protein conducting channels used by RTA are usually regarded as part of the ER-associated protein degradation system (ERAD) that removes misfolded proteins from the ER for destruction by the cytosolic proteasomes. However, unlike ERAD substrates, cytosolic RTA avoids destruction and folds into a catalytic conformation that inactivates its target ribosomes. Protein synthesis ceases, and subsequently the cells die apoptotically. This raises questions about how this protein avoids the pathways that are normally sanctioned for ER-dislocating substrates. In this review we focus on the molecular events that occur with non-tagged ricin and its isolated subunits at the ER–cytosol interface. This focus reveals that intra-membrane interactions of RTA may control its fate, an area that warrants further investigation.

Toxin instability and its role in toxin translocation from the endoplasmic reticulum to the cytosol

AB toxins enter a host cell by receptor-mediated endocytosis. The catalytic A chain then crosses the endosome or endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane to reach its cytosolic target. Dissociation of the A chain from the cell-binding B chain occurs before or during translocation to the cytosol, and only the A chain enters the cytosol. In some cases, AB subunit dissociation is facilitated by the unique physiology and function of the ER. The A chains of these ER-translocating toxins are stable within the architecture of the AB holotoxin, but toxin disassembly results in spontaneous or assisted unfolding of the isolated A chain. This unfolding event places the A chain in a translocation-competent conformation that promotes its export to the cytosol through the quality control mechanism of ER-associated degradation. A lack of lysine residues for ubiquitin conjugation protects the exported A chain from degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome system, and an interaction with host factors allows the cytosolic toxin to regain a folded, active state. The intrinsic instability of the toxin A chain thus influences multiple steps of the intoxication process. This review will focus on the host-toxin interactions involved with A chain unfolding in the ER and A chain refolding in the cytosol.

CD4 and BST-2/tetherin proteins retro-translocate from endoplasmic reticulum to cytosol as partially folded and multimeric molecules

CD4 and BST-2/Tetherin are cellular membrane proteins targeted to degradation by the HIV-1 protein Vpu. In both cases proteasomal degradation following recruitment into the ERAD pathway has been described. CD4 is a type I transmembrane glycoprotein, with four extracellular immunoglobulin-like domains containing three intrachain disulfide bridges. BST-2/Tetherin is an atypical type II transmembrane glycoprotein with an N-terminal transmembrane domain and a C-terminal glycophosphatidylinositol anchor, which dimerizes through three interchain bridges. We investigated spontaneous and Vpu-induced retro-translocation of CD4 and BST-2/Tetherin using our novel biotinylation technique in living cells to determine ER-to-cytosol retro-translocation of proteins. We found that CD4 retro-translocates with oxidized intrachain disulfide bridges, and only upon proteasomal inhibition does it accumulate in the cytosol as already reduced and deglycosylated molecules. Similarly, BST-2/Tetherin is first exposed to the cytosol as a dimeric oxidized complex and then becomes deglycosylated and reduced to monomers. These results raise questions on the required features of the putative retro-translocon, suggesting alternative retro-translocation mechanisms for membrane proteins in which complete cysteine reduction and unfolding are not always strictly required before ER to cytosol dislocation.

A deubiquitinase negatively regulates retro-translocation of nonubiquitinated substrates

Although cholera toxin is a nonubiquitinated substrate that undergoes retro-translocation to the cytosol, this study identifies a deubiquitinase that controls toxin retro-translocation.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane–bound E3 ubiquitin ligases promote ER-associated degradation (ERAD) by ubiquitinating a retro-translocated substrate that reaches the cytosol from the ER, targeting it to the proteasome for destruction. Recent findings implicate ERAD-associated deubiquitinases (DUBs) as positive and negative regulators during ERAD, reflecting the different consequences of deubiquitinating a substrate prior to proteasomal degradation. These observations raise the question of whether a DUB can control the fate of a nonubiquitinated ERAD substrate. In this study, we probed the role of the ERAD-associated DUB, YOD1, during retro-translocation of the nonubiquitinated cholera toxin A1 (CTA1) peptide, a critical intoxication step. Through combining knockdown, overexpression, and binding studies, we demonstrated that YOD1 negatively controls CTA1 retro-translocation, likely by deubiquitinating and inactivating ubiquitinated ERAD components that normally promote toxin retro-translocation. YOD1 also antagonizes the proteasomal degradation of nonglycosylated pro-α factor, a postulated nonubiquitinated yeast ERAD substrate, in mammalian cells. Our findings reveal that a cytosolic DUB exerts a negative function during retro-translocation of nonubiquitinated substrates, potentially by acting on elements of the ERAD machinery.

The proteasome cap RPT5/Rpt5p subunit prevents aggregation of unfolded ricin A chain

The plant cytotoxin ricin enters mammalian cells by receptor-mediated endocytosis, undergoing retrograde transport to the ER (endoplasmic reticulum) where its catalytic A chain (RTA) is reductively separated from the holotoxin to enter the cytosol and inactivate ribosomes. The currently accepted model is that the bulk of ER-dislocated RTA is degraded by proteasomes. We show in the present study that the proteasome has a more complex role in ricin intoxication than previously recognized, that the previously reported increase in sensitivity of mammalian cells to ricin in the presence of proteasome inhibitors simply reflects toxicity of the inhibitors themselves, and that RTA is a very poor substrate for proteasomal degradation. Denatured RTA and casein compete for a binding site on the regulatory particle of the 26S proteasome, but their fates differ. Casein is degraded, but the mammalian 26S proteasome AAA (ATPase associated with various cellular activities)-ATPase subunit RPT5 acts as a chaperone that prevents aggregation of denatured RTA and stimulates recovery of catalytic RTA activity in vitro. Furthermore, in vivo, the ATPase activity of Rpt5p is required for maximal toxicity of RTA dislocated from the Saccharomyces cerevisiae ER. The results of the present study implicate RPT5/Rpt5p in the triage of substrates in which either activation (folding) or inactivation (degradation) pathways may be initiated.

Identification of a peptide-based neutralizer that potently inhibits both Shiga toxins 1 and 2 by targeting specific receptor-binding regions

Shiga toxin (Stx) is a major virulence factor of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli that occasionally causes fatal systemic complications. We recently developed a tetravalent peptide (PPP-tet) that neutralizes the cytotoxicity of Stx2 using a multivalent peptide library approach. In this study, we used this technique to identify a series of tetravalent peptides that bound to Stx1, another major Stx family member, with high affinity by targeting one receptor-binding site of the B subunit. One peptide, MMA-tet, markedly inhibited Stx1 and Stx2 cytotoxicity with greater potency than PPP-tet. After forming a complex with Stx1 through its specific receptor-binding region, MMA-tet did not affect vesicular transport of the toxin to the endoplasmic reticulum but substantially rescued inhibition of the protein synthesis induced by Stx1. Oral application of MMA-tet protected mice from a fatal dose of an E. coli O157:H7 strain producing both toxins. MMA-tet may be a promising therapeutic agent against the infection.