Amylopectinosis of the fatal epilepsy Lafora disease resists autophagic glycogen catabolism

In this Correspondence, B. Minassian and colleagues report that GHF201, an autophagy activator shown to diminish abnormal glycogen aggregates in a mouse model of Adult Polyglucosan Body Disease, fails to reduce such accumulations in a mouse model of Lafora disease.

The Beneficial Effect of Mitochondrial Transfer Therapy in 5XFAD Mice via Liver–Serum–Brain Response

We recently reported the benefit of the IV transferring of active exogenous mitochondria in a short-term pharmacological AD (Alzheimer’s disease) model. We have now explored the efficacy of mitochondrial transfer in 5XFAD transgenic mice, aiming to explore the underlying mechanism by which the IV-injected mitochondria affect the diseased brain. Mitochondrial transfer in 5XFAD ameliorated cognitive impairment, amyloid burden, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Exogenously injected mitochondria were detected in the liver but not in the brain. We detected alterations in brain proteome, implicating synapse-related processes, ubiquitination/proteasome-related processes, phagocytosis, and mitochondria-related factors, which may lead to the amelioration of disease. These changes were accompanied by proteome/metabolome alterations in the liver, including pathways of glucose, glutathione, amino acids, biogenic amines, and sphingolipids. Altered liver metabolites were also detected in the serum of the treated mice, particularly metabolites that are known to affect neurodegenerative processes, such as carnosine, putrescine, C24:1-OH sphingomyelin, and amino acids, which serve as neurotransmitters or their precursors. Our results suggest that the beneficial effect of mitochondrial transfer in the 5XFAD mice is mediated by metabolic signaling from the liver via the serum to the brain, where it induces protective effects. The high efficacy of the mitochondrial transfer may offer a novel AD therapy.

Metabolomic profiling of triple negative breast cancer cells suggests that valproic acid can enhance the anticancer effect of cisplatin

Cisplatin is an effective chemotherapeutic agent for treating triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Nevertheless, cisplatin-resistance might develop during the course of treatment, allegedly by metabolic reprograming, which might influence epigenetic regulation. We hypothesized that the histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) valproic acid (VPA) can counter the cisplatin-induced metabolic changes leading to its resistance. We performed targeted metabolomic and real time PCR analyses on MDA-MB-231 TNBC cells treated with cisplatin, VPA or their combination. 22 (88%) out of the 25 metabolites most significantly modified by the treatments, were acylcarnitines (AC) and three (12%) were phosphatidylcholines (PCs). The most discernible effects were up-modulation of AC by cisplatin and, contrarily, their down-modulation by VPA, which was partial in the VPA-cisplatin combination. Furthermore, the VPA-cisplatin combination increased PCs, sphingomyelins (SM) and hexose levels, as compared to the other treatments. These changes predicted modulation of different metabolic pathways, notably fatty acid degradation, by VPA. Lastly, we also show that the VPA-cisplatin combination increased mRNA levels of the fatty acid oxidation (FAO) promoting enzymes acyl-CoA synthetase long chain family member 1 (ACSL1) and decreased mRNA levels of fatty acid synthase (FASN), which is the rate limiting enzyme of long-chain fatty acid synthesis. In conclusion, VPA supplementation altered lipid metabolism, especially fatty acid oxidation and lipid synthesis, in cisplatin-treated MDA-MB-231 TNBC cells. This metabolic reprogramming might reduce cisplatin resistance. This finding may lead to the discovery of new therapeutic targets, which might reduce side effects and counter drug tolerance in TNBC patients.

Multifaceted Analyses of Isolated Mitochondria Establish the Anticancer Drug 2-Hydroxyoleic Acid as an Inhibitor of Substrate Oxidation and an Activator of Complex IV-Dependent State 3 Respiration

The synthetic fatty acid 2-hydroxyoleic acid (2OHOA) has been extensively investigated as a cancer therapy mainly based on its regulation of membrane lipid composition and structure, activating various cell fate pathways. We discovered, additionally, that 2OHOA can uncouple oxidative phosphorylation, but this has never been demonstrated mechanistically. Here, we explored the effect of 2OHOA on mitochondria isolated by ultracentrifugation from U118MG glioblastoma cells. Mitochondria were analyzed by shotgun lipidomics, molecular dynamic simulations, spectrophotometric assays for determining respiratory complex activity, mass spectrometry for assessing beta oxidation and Seahorse technology for bioenergetic profiling. We showed that the main impact of 2OHOA on mitochondrial lipids is their hydroxylation, demonstrated by simulations to decrease co-enzyme Q diffusion in the liquid disordered membranes embedding respiratory complexes. This decreased co-enzyme Q diffusion can explain the inhibition of disjointly measured complexes I–III activity. However, it doesn’t explain how 2OHOA increases complex IV and state 3 respiration in intact mitochondria. This increased respiration probably allows mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation to maintain ATP production against the 2OHOA-mediated inhibition of glycolytic ATP production. This work correlates 2OHOA function with its modulation of mitochondrial lipid composition, reflecting both 2OHOA anticancer activity and adaptation to it by enhancement of state 3 respiration.

Alleviation of a polyglucosan storage disorder by enhancement of autophagic glycogen catabolism

This work employs adult polyglucosan body disease (APBD) models to explore the efficacy and mechanism of action of the polyglucosan-reducing compound 144DG11. APBD is a glycogen storage disorder (GSD) caused by glycogen branching enzyme (GBE) deficiency causing accumulation of poorly branched glycogen inclusions called polyglucosans. 144DG11 improved survival and motor parameters in a GBE knockin (Gbeys/ys ) APBD mouse model. 144DG11 reduced polyglucosan and glycogen in brain, liver, heart, and peripheral nerve. Indirect calorimetry experiments revealed that 144DG11 increases carbohydrate burn at the expense of fat burn, suggesting metabolic mobilization of pathogenic polyglucosan. At the cellular level, 144DG11 increased glycolytic, mitochondrial, and total ATP production. The molecular target of 144DG11 is the lysosomal membrane protein LAMP1, whose interaction with the compound, similar to LAMP1 knockdown, enhanced autolysosomal degradation of glycogen and lysosomal acidification. 144DG11 also enhanced mitochondrial activity and modulated lysosomal features as revealed by bioenergetic, image-based phenotyping and proteomics analyses. As an effective lysosomal targeting therapy in a GSD model, 144DG11 could be developed into a safe and efficacious glycogen and lysosomal storage disease therapy.

The Implications for Cells of the Lipid Switches Driven by Protein-Membrane Interactions and the Development of Membrane Lipid Therapy

The cell membrane contains a variety of receptors that interact with signaling molecules. However, agonist-receptor interactions not always activate a signaling cascade. Amphitropic membrane proteins are required for signal propagation upon ligand-induced receptor activation. These proteins localize to the plasma membrane or internal compartments; however, they are only activated by ligand-receptor complexes when both come into physical contact in membranes. These interactions enable signal propagation. Thus, signals may not propagate into the cell if peripheral proteins do not co-localize with receptors even in the presence of messengers. As the translocation of an amphitropic protein greatly depends on the membrane's lipid composition, regulation of the lipid bilayer emerges as a novel therapeutic strategy. Some of the signals controlled by proteins non-permanently bound to membranes produce dramatic changes in the cell's physiology. Indeed, changes in membrane lipids induce translocation of dozens of peripheral signaling proteins from or to the plasma membrane, which controls how cells behave. We called these changes "lipid switches", as they alter the cell's status (e.g., proliferation, differentiation, death, etc.) in response to the modulation of membrane lipids. Indeed, this discovery enables therapeutic interventions that modify the bilayer's lipids, an approach known as membrane-lipid therapy (MLT) or melitherapy.

Defective ATP breakdown activity related to an ENTPD1 gene mutation demonstrated using 31P NMR spectroscopy

The ecto-nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase-1 (E-NTPDase-1, CD39) enzyme is responsible for the breakdown of extracellular ATP to ADP and then to AMP by a two-step process. Defective CD39 activity has been described in a variety of medical conditions including malignancy and rheumatic diseases and has been proved to be of major diagnostic and clinical importance. Here we show for the first time that a ³¹P NMR spectroscopy methodology enables the quantification of these two steps in a single blood sample. We have applied this assay to determine the E-NTPDase activity on human mononuclear cells taken from two siblings affected by a stop-codon mutation in the ENTPD1 gene, their obligatory heterozygous parents, and healthy volunteers. The affected subjects presented low ATP breakdown activity, mainly expressed as low AMP production.

Guaiacol as a drug candidate for treating adult polyglucosan body disease

Adult polyglucosan body disease (APBD) is a late-onset disease caused by intracellular accumulation of polyglucosan bodies, formed due to glycogen-branching enzyme (GBE) deficiency. To find a treatment for APBD, we screened 1,700 FDA-approved compounds in fibroblasts derived from APBD-modeling GBE1-knockin mice. Capitalizing on fluorescent periodic acid-Schiff reagent, which interacts with polyglucosans in the cell, this screen discovered that the flavoring agent guaiacol can lower polyglucosans, a result also confirmed in APBD patient fibroblasts. Biochemical assays showed that guaiacol lowers basal and glucose 6-phosphate-stimulated glycogen synthase (GYS) activity. Guaiacol also increased inactivating GYS1 phosphorylation and phosphorylation of the master activator of catabolism, AMP-dependent protein kinase. Guaiacol treatment in the APBD mouse model rescued grip strength and shorter lifespan. These treatments had no adverse effects except making the mice slightly hyperglycemic, possibly due to the reduced liver glycogen levels. In addition, treatment corrected penile prolapse in aged GBE1-knockin mice. Guaiacol's curative effects can be explained by its reduction of polyglucosans in peripheral nerve, liver, and heart, despite a short half-life of up to 60 minutes in most tissues. Our results form the basis to use guaiacol as a treatment and prepare for the clinical trials in APBD.

Triacylglycerol mimetics regulate membrane interactions of glycogen branching enzyme: implications for therapy

Adult polyglucosan body disease (APBD) is a neurological disorder characterized by adult-onset neurogenic bladder, spasticity, weakness, and sensory loss. The disease is caused by aberrant glycogen branching enzyme (GBE) (GBE1Y329S) yielding less branched, globular, and soluble glycogen, which tends to aggregate. We explore here whether, despite being a soluble enzyme, GBE1 activity is regulated by protein-membrane interactions. Because soluble proteins can contact a wide variety of cell membranes, we investigated the interactions of purified WT and GBE1Y329S proteins with different types of model membranes (liposomes). Interestingly, both triheptanoin and some triacylglycerol mimetics (TGMs) we have designed (TGM0 and TGM5) markedly enhance GBE1Y329S activity, possibly enough for reversing APBD symptoms. We show that the GBE1Y329S mutation exposes a hydrophobic amino acid stretch, which can either stabilize and enhance or alternatively, reduce the enzyme activity via alteration of protein-membrane interactions. Additionally, we found that WT, but not Y329S, GBE1 activity is modulated by Ca²⁺ and phosphatidylserine, probably associated with GBE1-mediated regulation of energy consumption and storage. The thermal stabilization and increase in GBE1Y329S activity induced by TGM5 and its omega-3 oil structure suggest that this molecule has a considerable therapeutic potential for treating APBD.

A differential autophagy-dependent response to DNA double-strand breaks in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells from sporadic ALS patients

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an incurable motor neurodegenerative disease caused by a diversity of genetic and environmental factors that leads to neuromuscular degeneration and has pathophysiological implications in non-neural systems. Our previous work showed abnormal levels of mRNA expression for biomarker genes in non-neuronal cell samples from ALS patients. The same genes proved to be differentially expressed in the brain, spinal cord and muscle of the SOD1^G93A ALS mouse model. These observations support the idea that there is a pathophysiological relevance for the ALS biomarkers discovered in human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) isolated from bone marrow samples of ALS patients (ALS-hMSCs). Here, we demonstrate that ALS-hMSCs are also a useful patient-based model to study intrinsic cell molecular mechanisms of the disease. We investigated the ALS-hMSC response to oxidative DNA damage exerted by neocarzinostatin (NCS)-induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). We found that the ALS-hMSCs responded to this stress differently from cells taken from healthy controls (HC-hMSCs). Interestingly, we found that ALS-hMSC death in response to induction of DSBs was dependent on autophagy, which was initialized by an increase of phosphorylated (p)AMPK, and blocked by the class III phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3MeA). ALS-hMSC death in response to DSBs was not apoptotic as it was caspase independent. This unique ALS-hMSC-specific response to DNA damage emphasizes the possibility that an intrinsic abnormal regulatory mechanism controlling autophagy initiation exists in ALS-patient-derived hMSCs. This mechanism may also be relevant to the most-affected tissues in ALS. Hence, our approach might open avenues for new personalized therapies for ALS.

Summary: A novel endogenous disease mechanism in cells from ALS patients after NCS-induced DNA damage.

Structural basis of glycogen branching enzyme deficiency and pharmacologic rescue by rational peptide design

Glycogen branching enzyme 1 (GBE1) plays an essential role in glycogen biosynthesis by generating α-1,6-glucosidic branches from α-1,4-linked glucose chains, to increase solubility of the glycogen polymer. Mutations in the GBE1 gene lead to the heterogeneous early-onset glycogen storage disorder type IV (GSDIV) or the late-onset adult polyglucosan body disease (APBD). To better understand this essential enzyme, we crystallized human GBE1 in the apo form, and in complex with a tetra- or hepta-saccharide. The GBE1 structure reveals a conserved amylase core that houses the active centre for the branching reaction and harbours almost all GSDIV and APBD mutations. A non-catalytic binding cleft, proximal to the site of the common APBD mutation p.Y329S, was found to bind the tetra- and hepta-saccharides and may represent a higher-affinity site employed to anchor the complex glycogen substrate for the branching reaction. Expression of recombinant GBE1-p.Y329S resulted in drastically reduced protein yield and solubility compared with wild type, suggesting this disease allele causes protein misfolding and may be amenable to small molecule stabilization. To explore this, we generated a structural model of GBE1-p.Y329S and designed peptides ab initio to stabilize the mutation. As proof-of-principle, we evaluated treatment of one tetra-peptide, Leu-Thr-Lys-Glu, in APBD patient cells. We demonstrate intracellular transport of this peptide, its binding and stabilization of GBE1-p.Y329S, and 2-fold increased mutant enzymatic activity compared with untreated patient cells. Together, our data provide the rationale and starting point for the screening of small molecule chaperones, which could become novel therapies for this disease.

Pompe disease: Shared and unshared features of lysosomal storage disorders

Pompe disease, an inherited deficiency of lysosomal acid α-glucosidase (GAA), is a severe metabolic myopathy with a wide range of clinical manifestations. It is the first recognized lysosomal storage disorder and the first neuromuscular disorder for which a therapy (enzyme replacement) has been approved. As GAA is the only enzyme that hydrolyses glycogen to glucose in the acidic environment of the lysosome, its deficiency leads to glycogen accumulation within and concomitant enlargement of this organelle. Since the introduction of the therapy, the overall understanding of the disease has progressed significantly, but the pathophysiology of muscle damage is still not fully understood. The emerging complex picture of the pathological cascade involves disturbance of calcium homeostasis, mitochondrial abnormalities, dysfunctional autophagy, accumulation of toxic undegradable materials, and accelerated production of lipofuscin deposits that are unrelated to aging. The relationship of Pompe disease to other lysosomal storage disorders and potential therapeutic interventions for Pompe disease are discussed.

Deep intronic GBE1 mutation in manifesting heterozygous patients with adult polyglucosan body disease

IMPORTANCE

We describe a deep intronic mutation in adult polyglucosan body disease. Similar mechanisms can also explain manifesting heterozygous cases in other inborn metabolic diseases.

OBJECTIVE

To explain the genetic change consistently associated with manifesting heterozygous patients with adult polyglucosan body disease.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This retrospective study took place from November 8, 2012, to November 7, 2014. We studied 35 typical patients with adult polyglucosan body disease, of whom 16 were heterozygous for the well-known c.986A>C mutation in the glycogen branching enzyme gene (GBE1) but harbored no other known mutation in 16 exons.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

All 16 manifesting heterozygous patients had lower glycogen branching activity compared with homozygous patients, which showed inactivation of the apparently normal allele. We studied the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) structure and the genetic change due to the elusive second mutation.

RESULTS

When we reverse transcribed and sequenced the mRNA of GBE1, we found that all manifesting heterozygous patients had the c.986A>C mutant mRNA and complete lack of mRNA encoded by the second allele. We identified a deep intronic mutation in this allele, GBE1-IVS15+5289_5297delGTGTGGTGGinsTGTTTTTTACATGACAGGT, which acts as a gene trap, creating an ectopic last exon. The mRNA transcript from this allele missed the exon 16 and 3'UTR and encoded abnormal GBE causing further decrease of enzyme activity from 18% to 8%.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

We identified the deep intronic mutation, which acts as a gene trap. This second-most common adult polyglucosan body disease mutation explains another founder effect in all Ashkenazi-Jewish cases.

Defects in calcium homeostasis and mitochondria can be reversed in Pompe disease

Mitochondria-induced oxidative stress and flawed autophagy are common features of neurodegenerative and lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs). Although defective autophagy is particularly prominent in Pompe disease, mitochondrial function has escaped examination in this typical LSD. We have found multiple mitochondrial defects in mouse and human models of Pompe disease, a life-threatening cardiac and skeletal muscle myopathy: a profound dysregulation of Ca(2+) homeostasis, mitochondrial Ca(2+) overload, an increase in reactive oxygen species, a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential, an increase in caspase-independent apoptosis, as well as a decreased oxygen consumption and ATP production of mitochondria. In addition, gene expression studies revealed a striking upregulation of the β 1 subunit of L-type Ca(2+) channel in Pompe muscle cells. This study provides strong evidence that disturbance of Ca(2+) homeostasis and mitochondrial abnormalities in Pompe disease represent early changes in a complex pathogenetic cascade leading from a deficiency of a single lysosomal enzyme to severe and hard-to-treat autophagic myopathy. Remarkably, L-type Ca(2+)channel blockers, commonly used to treat other maladies, reversed these defects, indicating that a similar approach can be beneficial to the plethora of lysosomal and neurodegenerative disorders.

A novel SCARB2 mutation in progressive myoclonus epilepsy indicated by reduced β-glucocerebrosidase activity

Action myoclonus renal failure (AMRF) syndrome is a rare form of progressive myoclonus epilepsy with renal dysfunction related to mutations in the SCARB2 gene. This gene is involved in lysosomal mannose-6-phosphate-independent trafficking of β-glucocerebrosidase (GC), an enzyme deficient in Gaucher disease. We report a family with myoclonic epilepsy, ataxia and skeletal muscle atrophy but without cognitive impairment or overt renal disease. A novel SCARB2 mutation was indicated by a striking discrepancy between lymphocyte and fibroblast GC activity in the proband evaluated for possible Gaucher disease. Our findings expand the genetic and phenotypic diversity of AMRF and suggest that low GC activity may present an important biochemical clue to the diagnosis of AMRF.

Polyglucosan neurotoxicity caused by glycogen branching enzyme deficiency can be reversed by inhibition of glycogen synthase

Uncontrolled elongation of glycogen chains, not adequately balanced by their branching, leads to the formation of an insoluble, presumably neurotoxic, form of glycogen called polyglucosan. To test the suspected pathogenicity of polyglucosans in neurological glycogenoses, we have modeled the typical glycogenosis Adult Polyglucosan Body Disease (APBD) by suppressing glycogen branching enzyme 1 (GBE1, EC 2.4.1.18) expression using lentiviruses harboring short hairpin RNA (shRNA). GBE1 suppression in embryonic cortical neurons led to polyglucosan accumulation and associated apoptosis, which were reversible by rapamycin or starvation treatments. Further analysis revealed that rapamycin and starvation led to phosphorylation and inactivation of glycogen synthase (GS, EC 2.4.1.11), dephosphorylated and activated in the GBE1-suppressed neurons. These protective effects of rapamycin and starvation were reversed by overexpression of phosphorylation site mutant GS only if its glycogen binding site was intact. While rapamycin and starvation induce autophagy, autophagic maturation was not required for their corrective effects, which prevailed even if autophagic flux was inhibited by vinblastine. Furthermore, polyglucosans were not observed in any compartment along the autophagic pathway. Our data suggest that glycogen branching enzyme repression in glycogenoses can cause pathogenic polyglucosan buildup, which might be corrected by GS inhibition.

Adult polyglucosan body disease: Natural History and Key Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings

OBJECTIVE

Adult polyglucosan body disease (APBD) is an autosomal recessive leukodystrophy characterized by neurogenic bladder, progressive spastic gait, and peripheral neuropathy. Polyglucosan bodies accumulate in the central and peripheral nervous systems and are often associated with glycogen branching enzyme (GBE) deficiency. To improve clinical diagnosis and enable future evaluation of therapeutic strategies, we conducted a multinational study of the natural history and imaging features of APBD.

METHODS

We gathered clinical, biochemical, and molecular findings in 50 APBD patients with GBE deficiency from Israel, the United States, France, and the Netherlands. Brain and spine magnetic resonance images were reviewed in 44 patients.

RESULTS

The most common clinical findings were neurogenic bladder (100%), spastic paraplegia with vibration loss (90%), and axonal neuropathy (90%). The median age was 51 years for the onset of neurogenic bladder symptoms, 63 years for wheelchair dependence, and 70 years for death. As the disease progressed, mild cognitive decline may have affected up to half of the patients. Neuroimaging showed hyperintense white matter abnormalities on T2 and fluid attenuated inversion recovery sequences predominantly in the periventricular regions, the posterior limb of the internal capsule, the external capsule, and the pyramidal tracts and medial lemniscus of the pons and medulla. Atrophy of the medulla and spine was universal. p.Y329S was the most common GBE1 mutation, present as a single heterozygous (28%) or homozygous (48%) mutation.

INTERPRETATION

APBD with GBE deficiency, with occasional exceptions, is a clinically homogenous disorder that should be suspected in patients with adult onset leukodystrophy or spastic paraplegia with early onset of urinary symptoms and spinal atrophy.

Iron redistribution as a therapeutic strategy for treating diseases of localized iron accumulation

Defective iron utilization leading to either systemic or regional misdistribution of the metal has been identified as a critical feature of several different disorders. Iron concentrations can rise to toxic levels in mitochondria of excitable cells, often leaving the cytosol iron-depleted, in some forms of neurodegeneration with brain accumulation (NBIA) or following mutations in genes associated with mitochondrial functions, such as ABCB7 in X-linked sideroblastic anemia with ataxia (XLSA/A) or the genes encoding frataxin in Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA). In anemia of chronic disease (ACD), iron is withheld by macrophages, while iron levels in extracellular fluids (e.g., plasma) are drastically reduced. One possible therapeutic approach to these diseases is iron chelation, which is known to effectively reduce multiorgan iron deposition in iron-overloaded patients. However, iron chelation is probably inappropriate for disorders associated with misdistribution of iron within selected tissues or cells. One chelator in clinical use for treating iron overload, deferiprone (DFP), has been identified as a reversed siderophore, that is, an agent with iron-relocating abilities in settings of regional iron accumulation. DFP was applied to a cell model of FRDA, a paradigm of a disorder etiologically associated with cellular iron misdistribution. The treatment reduced the mitochondrial levels of labile iron pools (LIP) that were increased by frataxin deficiency. DFP also conferred upon cells protection against oxidative damage and concomitantly mediated the restoration of various metabolic parameters, including aconitase activity. Administration of DFP to FRDA patients for 6 months resulted in selective and significant reduction in foci of brain iron accumulation (assessed by T2* MRI) and initial functional improvements, with only minor changes in net body iron stores. The prospects of drug-mediated iron relocation versus those of chelation are discussed in relation to other disorders involving iron misdistribution, such as ACD and XLSA/A.

Cell functions impaired by frataxin deficiency are restored by drug-mediated iron relocation

Various human disorders are associated with misdistribution of iron within or across cells. Friedreich ataxia (FRDA), a deficiency in the mitochondrial iron-chaperone frataxin, results in defective use of iron and its misdistribution between mitochondria and cytosol. We assessed the possibility of functionally correcting the cellular properties affected by frataxin deficiency with a siderophore capable of relocating iron and facilitating its metabolic use. Adding the chelator deferiprone at clinical concentrations to inducibly frataxin-deficient HEK-293 cells resulted in chelation of mitochondrial labile iron involved in oxidative stress and in reactivation of iron-depleted aconitase. These led to (1) restoration of impaired mitochondrial membrane and redox potentials, (2) increased adenosine triphosphate production and oxygen consumption, and (3) attenuation of mitochondrial DNA damage and reversal of hypersensitivity to staurosporine-induced apoptosis. Permeant chelators of higher affinity than deferiprone were not as efficient in restoring affected functions. Thus, although iron chelation might protect cells from iron toxicity, rendering the chelated iron bioavailable might underlie the capacity of deferiprone to restore cell functions affected by frataxin deficiency, as also observed in FRDA patients. The siderophore-like properties of deferiprone provide a rational basis for treating diseases of iron misdistribution, such as FRDA, anemia of chronic disease, and X-linked sideroblastic anemia with ataxia.

GGA function is required for maturation of neuroendocrine secretory granules

Secretory granule (SG) maturation has been proposed to involve formation of clathrin-coated vesicles (CCVs) from immature SGs (ISGs). We tested the effect of inhibiting CCV budding by using the clathrin adaptor GGA (Golgi-associated, gamma-ear-containing, ADP-ribosylation factor-binding protein) on SG maturation in neuroendocrine cells. Overexpression of a truncated, GFP-tagged GGA, VHS (Vps27, Hrs, Stam)-GAT (GGA and target of myb (TOM))-GFP led to retention of MPR, VAMP4, and syntaxin 6 in mature SGs (MSGs), suggesting that CCV budding from ISGs is inhibited by the SG-localizing VHS-GAT-GFP. Furthermore, VHS-GAT-GFP-overexpression disrupts prohormone convertase 2 (PC2) autocatalytic cleavage, processing of secretogranin II to its product p18, and the correlation between PC2 and p18 levels. All these effects were not observed if full-length GGA1-GFP was overexpressed. Neither GGA1-GFP nor VHS-GAT-GFP perturbed SG protein budding from the TGN, or homotypic fusion of ISGs. Reducing GGA3 levels by using short interfering (si)RNA also led to VAMP4 retention in SGs, and inhibition of PC2 activity. Our results suggest that inhibition of CCV budding from ISGs downregulates the sorting from the ISGs and perturbs the intragranular activity of PC2.

The labile iron pool: characterization, measurement, and participation in cellular processes(1)

The cellular labile iron pool (LIP) is a pool of chelatable and redox-active iron, which is transitory and serves as a crossroad of cell iron metabolism. Various attempts have been made to analyze the levels of LIP following cell disruption. The chemical identity of this pool has remained poorly characterized due to the multiplicity of iron ligands present in cells. However, the levels of LIP recently have been assessed with novel nondisruptive techniques that rely on the application of fluorescent metalosensors. Methodologically, a fluorescent chelator loaded into living cells binds to components of the LIP and undergoes stoichiometric fluorescence quenching. The latter is revealed and quantified in situ by addition of strong permeating iron chelators. Depending on the intracellular distribution of the sensing and chelating probes, LIP can be differentially traced in subcellular structures, allowing the dynamic assessment of its levels and roles in specific cell compartments. The labile nature of LIP was also revealed by its capacity to promote formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), whether from endogenous or exogenous redox-active sources. LIP and ROS levels were shown to follow similar "rise and fall" patterns as a result of changes in iron import vs. iron chelation or ferritin (FT) degradation vs. ferritin synthesis. Those patterns conform with the accepted role of LIP as a self-regulatory pool that is sensed by cytosolic iron regulatory proteins (IRPs) and feedback regulated by IRP-dependent expression of iron import and storage machineries. However, LIP can also be modulated by biochemical mechanisms that override the IRP regulatory loops and, thereby, contribute to basic cellular functions. This review deals with novel methodologies for assessing cellular LIP and with recent studies in which changes in LIP and ROS levels played a determining role in cellular processes.

Repression of ferritin expression modulates cell responsiveness to H-ras-induced growth

We assessed the role of the cell labile iron pool in mediating oncogene-induced cell proliferation via repression of ferritin expression. When HEK-293 cells, engineered to inducibly express either active (+) or dominant-negative (-) forms of the H-ras oncogene, were treated with antisense nucleotides to ferritin subunits they displayed (a) decreased ferritin levels, (b) increased labile iron pool and either (c) faster growth in cells induced to express H-Ras (+) or (d) recovery from growth retardation in dominant-negative H-Ras-induced cells. Our studies support the view that the role of down-modulation of ferritin expression by some oncogene-evoked proliferation proceeds via expansion of the cellular labile iron pool.

Ferritin expression modulates cell cycle dynamics and cell responsiveness to H-ras-induced growth via expansion of the labile iron pool

Repression or overexpression of ferritin accelerated or retarded cell cycling respectively, via changes in the cellular labile iron pool (LIP). A rise in LIP is caused by ferritin repression enhanced growth, induced by H-ras, and reverted growth arrest is induced by dominant negative H-ras. The studies indicate that repression of ferritin expression provides a mechanism by which certain oncogenes lead to cell growth stimulation.

Repression of the heavy ferritin chain increases the labile iron pool of human K562 cells

The role of ferritin in the modulation of the labile iron pool was examined by repressing the heavy subunit of ferritin in K562 cells transfected with an antisense construct. Repression of the heavy ferritin subunit evoked an increase in the chemical levels and pro-oxidant activity of the labile iron pool and, in turn, caused a reduced expression of transferrin receptors and increased expression of the light ferritin subunit.

Repression of ferritin expression increases the labile iron pool, oxidative stress, and short-term growth of human erythroleukemia cells

The role of ferritin expression on the labile iron pool of cells and its implications for the control of cell proliferation were assessed. Antisense oligodeoxynucleotides were used as tools for modulating the expression of heavy and light ferritin subunits of K562 cells. mRNA and protein levels of each subunit were markedly reduced by 2-day treatment with antisense probes against the respective subunit. Although the combined action of antisense probes against both subunits reduced their protein expression, antisense repression of one subunit led to an increased protein expression of the other. Antisense treatment led to a rise in the steady-state labile iron pool, a rise in the production of reactive oxygen species after pro-oxidative challenges and in protein oxidation, and the down-regulation of transferrin receptors. When compared to the repression of individual subunits, co-repression of each subunit evoked a more than additive increase in the labile iron pool and the extent of protein oxidation. These treatments had no detectable effects on the long-term growth of cells. However, repression of ferritin synthesis facilitated the renewal of growth and the proliferation of cells pre-arrested at the G(1)/S phase. Renewed cell growth was significantly less dependent on external iron supply when ferritin synthesis was repressed and its degradation inhibited by lysosomal antiproteases. This study provides experimental evidence that links the effect of ferritin repression on growth stimulation to the expansion of the labile iron pool.

Fluorescence analysis of the labile iron pool of mammalian cells

The labile iron pool (LIP) of cells constitutes a cytosolic fraction of iron which is accessible to permeant chelators and contains the cells' metabolically and catalytically reactive iron. LIP is maintained by a balanced movement of iron from extra- and intracellular sources. We describe here an approach for tracing LIP levels in living cells based on the fluorescent probe calcein (CA). This probe binds Fe(II) rapidly, stoichiometrically, and reversibly while forming fluorescence-quenched CA-Fe complexes. Cells are loaded with CA via its acetomethoxy precursor CA-AM, attaining 1-10 microM intracellular concentrations and retaining full viability. LIP is defined here operationally as the sum of "free" and CA-bound iron of the cell. The method for assessing LIP is based on the measurement of: (a) the total intracellular concentration of CA in CA-loaded cells ([CA]1), which is estimated from fluorimetric measurements of CA in a given suspension of cells, the number of cells, and the cell volume; (b) the intracellular [CA-Fe], the concentration of [CA] bound to metals (> 95% iron), which is assessed from the relative rise in fluorescence (delta F) elicited by addition of highly permeant and high-affinity binding chelators such as salicyladehyde-isonicotinoyl-hydrazone (SIH) and the value of [CA]1; and (c) the "free" cell iron concentration [Fe(II)], which is computed from the experimentally determined values of CA-Fe(II)'s dissociation constant (Kd) in various cell lines grown in suspension (Kd = 0.22 +/- 0.01 microM). The value of cellular LIP is defined as the sum of [CA-Fe] and [Fe]. It is derived from the experimental determination of [CA]1 and [CA-Fe] and from calculation of [Fe] by application of the mass law equation using the Kd value of [CA-Fe]. The estimated values of LIP for resting erythroid and myeloid cells are in the range of 0.2-1.5 microM. The values varied commensurately with cell iron loads and iron chelator treatment. The method provides a simple, noninvasive tool for on-line monitoring of cytosolic iron under normal and abnormal conditions of cell iron supply and for assessing the dynamics of intracellular iron in living cells.