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Miedel MT, Graf NJ, Stephen KE, Long OS, Pak SC, Perlmutter DH, Silverman GA, Luke CJ. A pro-cathepsin L mutant is a luminal substrate for endoplasmic-reticulum-associated degradation in C. elegans. PLoS One 2012; 7:e40145. [PMID: 22768338 PMCID: PMC3388072 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0040145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2012] [Accepted: 06/01/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Endoplasmic-reticulum associated degradation (ERAD) is a major cellular misfolded protein disposal pathway that is well conserved from yeast to mammals. In yeast, a mutant of carboxypeptidase Y (CPY*) was found to be a luminal ER substrate and has served as a useful marker to help identify modifiers of the ERAD pathway. Due to its ease of genetic manipulation and the ability to conduct a genome wide screen for modifiers of molecular pathways, C. elegans has become one of the preferred metazoans for studying cell biological processes, such as ERAD. However, a marker of ERAD activity comparable to CPY* has not been developed for this model system. We describe a mutant of pro-cathepsin L fused to YFP that no longer targets to the lysosome, but is efficiently eliminated by the ERAD pathway. Using this mutant pro-cathepsin L, we found that components of the mammalian ERAD system that participate in the degradation of ER luminal substrates were conserved in C. elegans. This transgenic line will facilitate high-throughput genetic or pharmacological screens for ERAD modifiers using widefield epifluorescence microscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark T. Miedel
- Department of Pediatrics, Cell Biology and Physiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Nathan J. Graf
- Department of Pediatrics, Cell Biology and Physiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Kate E. Stephen
- Department of Pediatrics, Cell Biology and Physiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Olivia S. Long
- Department of Pediatrics, Cell Biology and Physiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Stephen C. Pak
- Department of Pediatrics, Cell Biology and Physiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - David H. Perlmutter
- Department of Pediatrics, Cell Biology and Physiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Gary A. Silverman
- Department of Pediatrics, Cell Biology and Physiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Cliff J. Luke
- Department of Pediatrics, Cell Biology and Physiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Bhatia SR, Miedel MT, Chotoo CK, Graf NJ, Hood BL, Conrads TP, Silverman GA, Luke CJ. Using C. elegans to identify the protease targets of serpins in vivo. Methods Enzymol 2011; 499:283-99. [PMID: 21683259 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-386471-0.00014-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/21/2023]
Abstract
Most serpins inhibit serine and/or cysteine proteases, and their inhibitory activities are usually defined in vitro. However, the physiological protease targets of most serpins are unknown despite many years of research. This may be due to the rapid degradation of the inactive serpin:protease complexes and/or the conditions under which the serpin inhibits the protease. The model organism Caenorhabditis elegans is an ideal system for identifying protease targets due to powerful forward and reverse genetics, as well as the ease of creating transgenic animals. Using combinatorial approaches of genetics and biochemistry in C. elegans, the true in vivo protease targets of the endogenous serpins can be elucidated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sangeeta R Bhatia
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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