Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine, Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, June 2002. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Committee on Neurobiology, December 2002. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, June 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / Cancer is defined as the abnormal growth of genetically mutated or perturbant cells. Nicotine is a known cancer promoter and an apoptotic suppressor. This alkaloid acts on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors which affects the ubiquitin-proteasome protein degradation pathway and ultimately hinders apoptosis. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is an interconnecting organelle which synthesises proteins and its quality control processes ensures the proper protein folding, post-translational modifications and conformation of secretory and trans-membrane proteins. Studies demonstrated that the antibiotic, Tunicamycin (Tm) and the sesquiterpene lactone, Thapsigargin (Tg) causes ER stress and consequently cellular arrest. Tm interferes with N-glycosylation of newly synthesised proteins triggering the unfolded protein response, while Tg inhibits intracellular Ca2+ ATPases resulting in increased cytosolic Ca2+. Studies showed that these compounds have potential pro-apoptotic effects. The combinatorial effects of nicotine, Tm and Tg may produce antagonistic or synergistic effects and provide a therapeutic tool against breast cancer. The aim of the study was to determine the apoptotic effects of nicotine, Tm, and Tg on human breast carcinoma (MCF-7) at various time intervals and further to elucidate whether selected ratios of their combinations resulted in synergistic or antagonistic effects.

No description available.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of obesity-related inflammation and insulin resistance in adipose tissue. However, the mechanisms responsible for induction of ER stress are presently unclear. Proper ER redox state is crucial for oxidative protein folding and secretion and impaired protein folding in ER leads to induction of unfolded protein response and ER stress. However, while ER redox state is more oxidizing compared to the rest of the cell, its regulation is poorly understood. In order to determine the effects of ER redox state on development of ER stress and insulin resistance, several fluorescence-based sensors have been developed. However, these sensors have yielded results that are inconsistent with each other and with earlier non-fluorescence-based studies. In this study we attempted to develop and characterize a sensitive tool to study the ER redox state in adipocytes in real-time by targeting a new generation of redox-sensitive green fluorescent protein (roGFP) to ER. The roGFP1-iL sensor targeted to the ER is termed ‘eroGFP1-iL’ by convention. The ER-targeting eroGFP1-iL construct contains the signal peptide from adiponectin and the ER retention motif KDEL and has a midpoint reduction potential of -229 mV in vitro in oxidized and reduced lipoic acid. Despite having a midpoint reduction potential that is 50 mV higher than the previously determined midpoint reduction potential of the ER, eroGFP1-iL was found capable of detecting both oxidizing and reducing changes in the ER. In an attempt to determine the mechanisms by which roGFP1-iL detects oxidizing changes, we found that, first, glutathione mediated the formation of disulfide-bonded roGFP1-iL dimers with an intermediate excitation fluorescence spectrum resembling a mixture of oxidized and reduced monomers. Second, glutathione facilitated dimerization of roGFP1-iL, which in effect shifted the equilibrium from oxidized monomers to dimers, thereby increasing the molecule’s reduction potential compared with a dithiol redox buffer like lipoic acid. From this study, we concluded that the glutathione redox couple in ER significantly raised the reduction potential of roGFP1-iL in vivo by facilitating its dimerization while preserving its ratiometric nature, which makes it suitable for monitoring oxidizing and reducing changes in ER with high reliability in real-time. The ability of roGFP1-iL to detect both oxidizing and reducing changes in ER and its dynamic response in glutathione redox buffer between approximately -190 and -130 mV in vitro suggest a range of ER redox potential consistent with those determined by earlier approaches that did not involve fluorescent sensors. Our primary aim in developing eroGFP1-iL as a redox-sensing tool was to be able to assess whether redox changes represent an early initiator of ER stress in obesity-induced reduction in high molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin in circulation. Hypoxia is a known mediator of redox changes. We found that oligomerization of HMW adiponectin was impaired in the hypoxic conditions observed in differentiated fat cells. The redox-active antioxidant ascorbate was found capable of reversing hypoxia-induced ER stress. Lastly, we demonstrated that changes in ER redox condition is associated with ER stress response and is implicated in the mechanism of action of the insulin-sensitizing agent troglitazone and desensitizing agent palmitate. Using the redox sensing property of eroGFP1-iL, palmitate was found to be an effective modulator of redox changes in the ER and troglitazone was found to cause oxidizing changes in the ER. The action of palmitate in causing aberrant ER redox conditions was associated with aberrant HMW adiponectin multimerization. Palmitate-induced ER stress was ameliorated by troglitazone. Taken together, the data suggest a potential role of ER redox changes in ER stress and impaired protein folding in adipocytes.

Homeostatic synaptic plasticity (HSP) regulates synaptic strength in response to changing neuronal firing patterns. This form of plasticity is defined by neurons’ ability to sense and over time integrate their level of firing activity, and to actively maintain it within a defined range. For instance, a compensatory increase in synaptic strength occurs when neuronal activity is chronically attenuated. However, the underpinning cellular mechanisms of this fundamental neural process remain poorly understood. We previously found that during activity deprivation, HSP leads to an increase in α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic (AMPA) receptor function as well as a shift in subunit composition from Ca2+-impermeable GluA2-containing AMPA receptors to Ca2+-permeable GluA2-lacking AMPA receptors not only at synapses, but also at extrasynaptic sites. Neurons therefore appear to be actively enhancing Ca2+ entry, possibly as a compensatory mechanism in response to a prolonged Ca2+ deficit. To test whether the homeostatic response may, at least in part, be mediated by internal Ca2+ stores, we depleted endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+ stores by using the Sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPases (SERCA) pump blocker cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) for a prolonged period. Interestingly, we have found that prolonged Ca2+-store depletion leads not only to an increase in synaptic strength per se, but also a cell-wide increase in synaptic Ca2+-permeable GluA2-lacking AMPARs. This increase in Ca2+ influx following periods of inactivity is conceptually highly reminiscent of a store-operated response, whereby cells re-establish their calcium levels following Ca2+ store depletion using cell surface Ca2+ channels. Our results suggest that neurons use synaptic receptors as means to regulate store Ca2+ levels, thus significantly expanding our understanding of the repertoire used by neurons to modulate cellular excitability.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Biochemistry / Master / Master of Philosophy

Abstract ORIENTIA TSUTSUGAMUSHI ANKYRIN REPEAT-PROTEIN FAMILY TARGETING OF THE HOST ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM By Lauren VieBrock, B.S. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University, 2015 Director: Jason A. Carlyon, Ph.D. Professor Microbiology and Immunology Scrub typhus is an understudied, potentially fatal febrile illness, which poses threat to one billion people annually in the Asia-Pacific region. The host-pathogen interactions that facilitate the intracellular survival of the etiologic agent, Orientia tsutsugamushi, are not well understood. The Orientia tsutsugamushi genome encodes a large number of ankyrin repeat-containing proteins (Anks), key virulence factors for other intracellular pathogens, as well as components for Type I (T1SS) and Type 4 secretion systems (T4SS), commonly used to deliver them. We sought to characterize the roles of the Anks in O. tsutsugamushi infection. In this study, we demonstrated that O. tsutsugamushi expressed all 20 anks and the genes for the T1SS, for which they are substrates. Many ectopically expressed Anks displayed a tropism for the host endoplasmic reticulum (ER). These results suggest the importance of the Anks and the ER to Orientia tsutsugamushi pathobiology. We demonstrated that O. tsutsugamushi tightly associated with the ER and induced ER stress and defects in protein secretion of its host cells. Therefore, we hypothesized that the ER-tropic anks expressed during the initial hours of infection are critical for establishing infection and do so by interacting with specific host cell targets to modulate host cell function to benefit intracellular survival. ER-tropic Ank4 was detected as expressed early in infection and was further characterized for its contribution to the alterations of the ER during infection. Bat3 was identified as a target of Ank4, and Ank4 expression correlated with a decrease in Bat3 protein levels, induction of ER stress, and defects in protein secretion. These effects were Ank4 F-box dependent, implicating polyubiquitination and proteosomal degradation of Bat3. As Ank4 colocalized with Bat3, a chaperone component of ER-associated degradation (ERAD) of misfolded proteins, ERAD function was measured in cells expressing Ank4. In an F-box dependent manner, Ank4 expression resulted in decreased degradation of a model substrate and indicated inhibition of the ERAD pathway. Similarly, we demonstrated that in O. tsutsugamushi infection, Bat3 levels were significantly reduced early in infection and ERAD degradation was inhibited. After several days of infection however, Bat3 levels and ERAD degradation had both recovered, suggesting temporal modulation of ERAD in infection. Taken together, these data suggest that O. tsutsugamushi has a large capacity to disrupt the host ER, exemplified by Ank4 mediated ERAD dysfunction by depletion of host Bat3.

Le Réticulum endoplasmique (RE) est le premier compartiment intracellulaire traversé par les protéines sécrétées. Au sein de cet organite, les protéines acquièrent une conformation native, et subissent de nombreuses modifications post-traductionnelles telles que la N-glycosylation ou la formation de ponts disulfures. Dans certaines conditions (stress réducteurs, hypoxie, privation en glucose…) des protéines anormalement conformées s’accumulent au sein du RE ce qui conduit à l’induction de l'Unfolded Protein Response (UPR). Cette réponse va alors tout d’abord induire l’inhibition de la traduction, ce qui limite l’entrée de nouvelles protéines dans le RE. En parallèle, un programme transcriptionnel spécifique conduit à l’augmentation de l’expression de protéines impliquées dans le repliement et la dégradation des protéines accumulées dans la lumière du RE. Cette réponse adaptative intégrée est contrôlée principalement par 3 protéines transmembranaires du RE : PERK (PKR-related ER kinase), ATF6 (Activating transcription factor) et enfin IRE1 (Inositol requiring kinase 1) sur laquelle porte notre étude. Au cours de ma thèse, j’ai tout d’abord participé à une étude démontrant que l’activation des voies de signalisation dépendantes d’IRE1 contribuait à la surexpression du VEGF-A in vitro et régulait l’angiogenèse et la croissance tumorale in vivo dans un modèle de greffe orthotopique de cellules U87 dérivées de gliomes humains. Cette protéine pourrait donc constituer une cible thérapeutique potentielle. Ces résultats nous ont par conséquent amenés à identifier des modulateurs de l’activité de la protéine IRE1. Pour cela nous avons développé un test in vitro permettant d’évaluer l’étape essentielle dans l’activation de la protéine IRE1, sa dimérisation. Ce test nous a permis d’identifier un peptide capable d’interférer dans la formation des dimères de la protéine IRE1, mais aussi et de façon inattendue, d’accroître son activité endoribonucléase in vitro et in vivo. Ainsi, nous proposons que ce peptide interfacial issu du domaine kinase de la protéine IRE1 pourrait promouvoir un changement conformationnel du domaine cytosolique de la protéine entière et par conséquent, potentialiserait de façon significative son activité endoribonucléasique. Ce modulateur identifié pourrait donc représenter un nouvel outil à potentiel thérapeutique utilisable par exemple dans des maladies conformationnelles. / The endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) is the first intracellular compartment encountered by secretory proteins. In this organelle proteins acquire their correct conformation and undergo many post-translational modifications such as N-glycosylation or disulphide bond formation. Under specific environmental conditions (reductive stress, hypoxia, glucose deprivation …), protein folding is perturbed and uncorrectly folded proteins accumulate in the lumen of the ER. This leads to the activation of an adaptive response named the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR). The UPR consists in an attenuation of protein translation and an activation of a specific transcriptional program. This integrated adaptive response is mediated by 3 transmembrane ER resident proteins: PERK (PKR-related ER kinase), ATF6 (Activating transcription Factor) and IRE1 (Inositol requiring kinase 1) and we focused more particularly on IRE1. During my PhD thesis, I participated to a study that demonstrated the role of IRE1 signaling in the regulation of VEGF expression in vitro and tumor growth and angiogenesis in vivo. The latter was carried out using a ortotopic implantation model of human glioma-derived cells. As a consequence IRE1 could certainly constitute a potential therapeutic target. In an attempt to modulate IRE1 activity, we aimed at identifying artificial modulators of its activity. To this end, we designed an in vitro assay capable of monitoring the first essential step in IRE1 activation process, namely its dimerization. This assay allowed us to identify a peptide able to interfere with IRE1 dimer formation, but, unexpectedly, to also increase its RNAse activity in vitro and in vivo. We propose that this interfacial peptide, derived from IRE1 kinase domain could promote a conformational change in IRE1 cytosolic domain and consequently lead to an increase in its enzymatic activity. This modulator could represent a new tool with therapeutic potential that could then be used in protein misfolding diseases for instance.