The neonatal period in mammals is characterized by high rates of growth, attributed to rapid myonuclear accretion and protein deposition in muscle. Low-birth-weight (LBWT) neonates experience restricted muscle development, which leads to impaired postnatal growth and metabolic disorders later in life. The overall hypothesis of this dissertation was that dysfunction of myogenic satellite cells and aberrant regulation of protein synthesis and degradation signaling predispose LBWT neonatal pigs to slower postnatal growth. We sought to determine the proliferation and differentiation of satellite cells (SCs) derived from skeletal muscle of LBWT neonatal pigs and to elucidate the cellular mechanisms that regulate protein synthesis and degradation in LBWT pig muscles. Newborn pigs were considered as normal-birth-weight (NBWT) or LBWT when weight at birth was within 0.5 SD and below 2 SD of litter average respectively. SCs isolated from longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle of NBWT and LBWT neonatal pigs displayed similar proliferation rates. Fusion was modestly diminished in SCs from muscle of LBWT pigs compared with their NBWT siblings, suggesting SCs were not intrinsically different between the two groups and were unlikely a major contributor to the impaired muscle growth of LBWT pigs. Plasma and muscle insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I was diminished in LBWT compared with NBWT pigs. In addition, reduced activation of key components of IGF-I downstream signaling pathway in LBWT pigs muscle may lead to diminished translation initiation signaling and thus decreased protein synthesis in these animals. However, IGF-I receptor expression and myostatin signaling inversely correlated to LBWT, indicating they may participate in compensatory responses for the reduction in protein synthesis signaling. Expression of eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF) 4F complex subunits, eIF4E, eIF4G, and eIF4A was reduced in LBWT compared with NBWT pigs. This would suggest that diminished translation initiation signaling in skeletal muscle of LBWT pigs is the main factor that predisposes LBWT pigs to slower growth rates in the neonatal period. In contrast, changes in protein degradation signaling do not appear to affect protein turnover in LBWT neonatal pigs. / PHD / Animals display the fastest growth during their neonatal age, especially the rapid muscle growth. Postnatal muscle growth is driven by satellite cell-mediated myonuclear accretion and muscle fiber hypertrophy, which happens when muscle protein synthesis rates surpass protein degradation rates. However, muscle development is restricted in low-birth-weight (LBWT) neonates, leading to their impaired postnatal growth. In the presented studies, we sought to characterize the functions of satellite cells (SCs) derived from skeletal muscle of LBWT neonatal pigs and to elucidate the cellular mechanisms that regulate protein synthesis and degradation in LBWT pig muscles, comparing with normal-birth-weight (NBWT) piglets. SCs isolated from longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle of NBWT and LBWT neonatal pigs displayed similar activities, suggesting SCs were not intrinsically different between the NBWT and LBWT pigs. Plasma and muscle insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I was diminished in LBWT compared with NBWT pigs. In addition, reduced activation of key components of IGF-I downstream signaling pathway in LBWT pigs muscle may lead to diminished translation initiation signaling and thus decreased protein synthesis in these animals. Indeed, protein abundance of eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF) 4F complex subunits was reduced in LBWT compared with NBWT pigs. This would suggest that diminished translation initiation signaling in skeletal muscle of LBWT pigs is the main factor that predisposes LBWT pigs to slower growth rates in the neonatal period. In contrast, changes in protein degradation signaling do not appear to affect protein turnover in LBWT neonatal pigs.

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi realizar estudos acerca da degradação anaeróbia de proteínas no tocante à cinética de consumo de substrato e às rotas metabólicas presentes no processo. Inicialmente, realizou-se um estudo comparativo da degradação de efluentes sintéticos em reatores anaeróbios horizontais de leito fixo (RAHLFs) em escala de bancada. Nesse intuito, foi proposto um modelo cinética de primeira ordem de reações em série e paralelo, que permitiu a estimativa dos parâmetros cinéticos das várias etapas do processo estudado. As fontes de carbono nos efluentes sintéticos foram primeiramente compostas por compostos protéicos, tendo sido posteriormente adicionadas fontes de carboidratos e lipídeos à sua composição. Nesse intuito, utilizaram-se duas proteínas, caseína e soro albumina bovina (S.A.B.), e um hidrolisado protéico, peptona. Os resultados preditos pelo modelo cinético proposto apresentaram boa correlação com os dados experimentais e, com isso, foi possível o entendimento dos vários aspectos envolvidos na degradação de compostos protéicos em reatores que apresentam regime de escoamento predominantemente pistonado. A peptona foi mais rapidamente consumida, seguida pela caseína e finalmente pela S.A.B.. A presença de lipídeos nos efluentes sintéticos utilizados se constituiu no maior problema para o processo estudado. Análises de microscopia e biologia molecular mostraram que houve realocação da biomassa nos RAHLFs à medida que foram adicionadas fontes alternativas de carbono aos efluentes sintéticos à base de proteína. As morfologias encontradas foram comuns em todos os ensaios realizados, tendo predominado as semelhantes a Methanosaeta sp., bacilos fluorescentes e não fluorescentes, bacilos curvos e cocos não fluorescentes. Também foram visualizados três tipos de filamentos, espiroquetas e morfologias semelhantes a Methanosarcina sp. A segunda etapa do presente trabalho foi o estudo comparativo do processo de degradação de água residuária proveniente de abatedouro de aves em dois reatores um UASB e um RAHLF. O modelo cinético de primeira ordem se ajustou bem aos dados de decaimento de matéria orgânica em ambos os reatores. Dessa forma, foi possível concluir que no reator UASB, o mecanismo de adsorção do material colóide e solúvel nos grânulos parece ter regulado o processo, resultando em maior velocidade de remoção dessas frações de matéria orgânica. No RAHLF, o que parece ter regulado o processo foi a retenção de sólidos orgânicos, aumentando, dessa forma, a velocidade de remoção dessa fração de matéria orgânica. / This work reports on the anaerobic degradation of proteins from the standpoint of substrate consumption kinetics and metabolic routes. Initially, a comparative study of synthetic effluents in a bench scale horizontal-flow anaerobic immobilized biomass (HAIB) reactor was carried out. For this purpose, a kinetic model of irreversible first-order series-parallel reactions with two intermediate products was proposed. This allowed the estimative the kinetic parameters of several steps of the process. The carbon source in the synthetic effluents was composed primarily of casein, peptone and bovine serum albumin (B.S.A.). Then, sources of carbohydrate and lipid were added to the composition. The proposed model fitted the experimental protein degradation data well and allowed the best comprehension of the process. Thus it was possible to understand several aspects about the degradation of the protein substrates utilized in HAIB reactors. In relation to degradation rate, it was concluded that peptone was the most rapidly consumed, followed by casein, and finally BSA. Regarding substrate composition, the major problem for the studied process was the presence of lipids in the synthetics effluents. The results obtained from the microbiological analysis showed that relocation of biomass in the HAIBs reactors happened in correlation with the addition of alternative carbon sources to synthetic protein effluents. In all assays, common morphologies were found. These werepredominantly Methanosaeta sp. - like archaeas, fluorescent bacillus (three types), non-fluorescent bacillus (6 types), curved bacillus and non-fluorescent coccus. Three types of filaments, spirochetes and Methanosarcina sp. - like archaeas were also found. In a second phase, a comparative analysis of the degradation process of wastewater from a poultry slaughterhouse was carried out in two different reactors, one up flow anaerobic sludge blacked (UASB), and one HAIB. The first order kinetic model proposed fitted the experimental organic matter degradation data well in UASB and HAIB reactors treating residual water from avian abattoirs. In the UASB reactor, the adsorption mechanism of the granules for colloid and soluble material seems to regulate the process. This results in a higher rate of removal for these fractions of organic material. However, in the HAIB reactor, what seems to be controlling the process was the retention of organic solids, which increased the removal rate for this fraction of organic material.

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi realizar estudos acerca da degradação anaeróbia de proteínas no tocante à cinética de consumo de substrato e às rotas metabólicas presentes no processo. Inicialmente, realizou-se um estudo comparativo da degradação de efluentes sintéticos em reatores anaeróbios horizontais de leito fixo (RAHLFs) em escala de bancada. Nesse intuito, foi proposto um modelo cinética de primeira ordem de reações em série e paralelo, que permitiu a estimativa dos parâmetros cinéticos das várias etapas do processo estudado. As fontes de carbono nos efluentes sintéticos foram primeiramente compostas por compostos protéicos, tendo sido posteriormente adicionadas fontes de carboidratos e lipídeos à sua composição. Nesse intuito, utilizaram-se duas proteínas, caseína e soro albumina bovina (S.A.B.), e um hidrolisado protéico, peptona. Os resultados preditos pelo modelo cinético proposto apresentaram boa correlação com os dados experimentais e, com isso, foi possível o entendimento dos vários aspectos envolvidos na degradação de compostos protéicos em reatores que apresentam regime de escoamento predominantemente pistonado. A peptona foi mais rapidamente consumida, seguida pela caseína e finalmente pela S.A.B.. A presença de lipídeos nos efluentes sintéticos utilizados se constituiu no maior problema para o processo estudado. Análises de microscopia e biologia molecular mostraram que houve realocação da biomassa nos RAHLFs à medida que foram adicionadas fontes alternativas de carbono aos efluentes sintéticos à base de proteína. As morfologias encontradas foram comuns em todos os ensaios realizados, tendo predominado as semelhantes a Methanosaeta sp., bacilos fluorescentes e não fluorescentes, bacilos curvos e cocos não fluorescentes. Também foram visualizados três tipos de filamentos, espiroquetas e morfologias semelhantes a Methanosarcina sp. A segunda etapa do presente trabalho foi o estudo comparativo do processo de degradação de água residuária proveniente de abatedouro de aves em dois reatores um UASB e um RAHLF. O modelo cinético de primeira ordem se ajustou bem aos dados de decaimento de matéria orgânica em ambos os reatores. Dessa forma, foi possível concluir que no reator UASB, o mecanismo de adsorção do material colóide e solúvel nos grânulos parece ter regulado o processo, resultando em maior velocidade de remoção dessas frações de matéria orgânica. No RAHLF, o que parece ter regulado o processo foi a retenção de sólidos orgânicos, aumentando, dessa forma, a velocidade de remoção dessa fração de matéria orgânica. / This work reports on the anaerobic degradation of proteins from the standpoint of substrate consumption kinetics and metabolic routes. Initially, a comparative study of synthetic effluents in a bench scale horizontal-flow anaerobic immobilized biomass (HAIB) reactor was carried out. For this purpose, a kinetic model of irreversible first-order series-parallel reactions with two intermediate products was proposed. This allowed the estimative the kinetic parameters of several steps of the process. The carbon source in the synthetic effluents was composed primarily of casein, peptone and bovine serum albumin (B.S.A.). Then, sources of carbohydrate and lipid were added to the composition. The proposed model fitted the experimental protein degradation data well and allowed the best comprehension of the process. Thus it was possible to understand several aspects about the degradation of the protein substrates utilized in HAIB reactors. In relation to degradation rate, it was concluded that peptone was the most rapidly consumed, followed by casein, and finally BSA. Regarding substrate composition, the major problem for the studied process was the presence of lipids in the synthetics effluents. The results obtained from the microbiological analysis showed that relocation of biomass in the HAIBs reactors happened in correlation with the addition of alternative carbon sources to synthetic protein effluents. In all assays, common morphologies were found. These werepredominantly Methanosaeta sp. - like archaeas, fluorescent bacillus (three types), non-fluorescent bacillus (6 types), curved bacillus and non-fluorescent coccus. Three types of filaments, spirochetes and Methanosarcina sp. - like archaeas were also found. In a second phase, a comparative analysis of the degradation process of wastewater from a poultry slaughterhouse was carried out in two different reactors, one up flow anaerobic sludge blacked (UASB), and one HAIB. The first order kinetic model proposed fitted the experimental organic matter degradation data well in UASB and HAIB reactors treating residual water from avian abattoirs. In the UASB reactor, the adsorption mechanism of the granules for colloid and soluble material seems to regulate the process. This results in a higher rate of removal for these fractions of organic material. However, in the HAIB reactor, what seems to be controlling the process was the retention of organic solids, which increased the removal rate for this fraction of organic material.

In eukaryotes protein degradation is performed by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. The 26S proteasome, a 2.5MDa large multimeric molecular machine, consists of more than 30 subunits and represents the core component of this proteolytic pathway. The complex is assembled from a proteolytically active 20S proteasome and two 19S regulator cap complexes. So far crystal structure, topology and enzymatic mechanism have only been elucidated for the 20S proteasome core particle (CP). CPs are assembled from four stacked rings of seven subunits each, following an alpha7beta7beta7alpha7-stochiometry. The strict established order of the proteasomal assembly and maturation is essential to prevent uncontrolled and premature protein degradation in the cell. CPs belong to the class of Ntn-hydrolases. Peptide hydrolysis is performed inside a central cavity at the active sites of the beta-type subunits, with Ogam of the hydroxyl group of the N-terminal threonine acting as the nucleophile. Release of the proteolytically active threonine through N-O-Acetyl rearrangement is the last step of the proteasomal assembly. Compartmentalisation of CPs is an important way to regulate substrate access to the central cavity as well as release of the generated oligopeptides. The activity of eukaryotic CPs are controlled by an unique mechanism: docking of regulatory complexes, like Blm3, PA28 or 19S, causes a conformational change of the N-terminal residues of the latent alpha-subunits, resulting in an activation of the proteolytically active sites. Archaebacterial CPs lack such regulatory gating mechanism. The controlled degradation of proteins by the proteasome dominates a variety of biological essential processes, like metabolic adaptation, apoptosis, inflammation, immune and stress response, as well as cell proliferation and cell differentiation. Selective and specific natural and synthetic inhibitors of CPs might find their practical application in treatment of cancer or inflammatory diseases.

Nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 1 (NRF1) and NRF2 are essential for maintaining redox homeostasis and coordinating cellular stress responses. They are highly homologous transcription factors that regulate the expression of genes bearing antioxidant-response elements (AREs). Genetic ablation of NRF1 or NRF2 results in vastly different phenotypic outcomes, implying that they play different roles and may be differentially regulated. Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1) is the main negative regulator of NRF2 and mediates ubiquitylation and degradation of NRF2 through its NRF2-ECH homology-like domain 2 (Neh2). Here, we report that KEAP1 binds to the Neh2-like (Neh2L) domain of NRF1 and stabilizes it. Consistently, NRF1 is more stable in KEAP1(+/+) than in KEAP1(-/-) isogenic cell lines, whereas NRF2 is dramatically stabilized in KEAP1(-/-) cells. Replacing NRF1's Neh2L domain with NRF2's Neh2 domain renders NRF1 sensitive to KEAP1-mediated degradation, indicating that the amino acids between the DLG and ETGE motifs, not just the motifs themselves, are essential for KEAP1-mediated degradation. Systematic site-directed mutagenesis identified the core amino acid residues required for KEAP1-mediated degradation and further indicated that the DLG and ETGE motifs with correct spacing are insufficient as a KEAP1 degron. Our results offer critical insights into our understanding of the differential regulation of NRF1 and NRF2 by KEAP1 and their different physiological roles.

Cytosolic protein degradation is crucial for cellular homeostasis as it orchestrates protein turnover by destruction of misfolded, unstable and abnormal proteins. This process has two main stages: (i) an ATP-dependent stage mediated by unfoldases and proteases, and (ii) an ATP-independent stage mediated by various peptidases. The ATP dependent proteases recognise target proteins and cleave them into smaller peptides. These enzymes comprise the ATPase-family-associated-with-various-cellular-activities domain that is important for unfolding target proteins. Subsequently, unfolded proteins enter a barrel-shaped proteolytic chamber, an architecture conserved throughout prokaryotes, archea and eukaryotes, where the peptide bond is hydrolysed in an ATP-independent manner. The smaller peptides released are broken down by ATP-independent peptidases into free amino acids recycled into the cellular pool. In prokaryotes, major cellular protein degradation functions are performed by Clp and Lon proteases. Earlier studies in our laboratory have shown the role of an ATP-independent peptidase, AminopeptidaseN, in sodium salicylate (NaSal) induced growth inhibition. NaSal belongs to the family of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and its acetyl ester, Aspirin, is a very widely used analgesic. It is produced by plants as a defence response and is known to cause different effects, including xenobiotic stress i. e. stress mediated by compounds which are not naturally produced or expected to be present in the organism in bacteria. In bacteria, salicylate modulates outer membrane proteins, virulence factors, and reduces motility. In addition, NaSal is able induce “phenotypic antibiotic resistance” by binding to MarR and de-repressing the mar operon. NaSal promotes the dissociation of MarR from the promoter site leading to transcription of MarA, a transcription factor that induces several genes that encode the AcrAB-TolC pump which effluxes multiple antibiotics from the cell. The present study investigates the possible roles of ATP-dependent proteases, Lon and Clp, during growth reduction of E. coli induced with high (2-3 mM) amounts of NaSal. The growth of the Lon mutant (lon), but not clpP, was found to be greatly reduced with high doses of NaSal in the media. Our hypothesis was that the lack of Lon led to the accumulation of high amounts of substrate proteins, which led to its greater sensitivity with high doses of NaSal. To identify the substrate protein/s and to better understand the mechanism of action, single and double mutants (with lon) of E. coli lacking several prominent Lon substrates, i.e. MarA, RcsA, StpA, SulA and UmuD, were generated and screened for rescue of growth with 2-3 mM NaSal. MarA, a transcription factor, was identified to be important during NaSal-induced growth reduction. It modulates outer membrane proteins and induces the AcrAB-TolC pump that increases the efflux of antibiotics from the cell. Also, RT-PCR analysis revealed that the levels of marA and its targets, acrA and acrB, were higher in the lon strain suggesting that the MarA protein levels were stabilised the cell in the absence of Lon. Further studies using approriate strains demonstrated that one of the effectors of MarA, i.e. the AcrAB-TolC efflux pump, was not involved in the NaSal-induced growth inhibition of lon. Therefore, in presence of higher doses of NaSal, MarA is upregulated due to de-repression of the operon. The levels of MarA are regulated by Lon via degradation but in the absence of Lon, MarA levels are stabilised and lead to upregulation of MarA and its target genes like AcrAB-TolC. This study identifies higher amounts of MarA to be responsible for NaSal-induced growth inhibition of lon. Subsequently, experiments were conducted to demonstrate the role of MarA and its targets in antibiotic resistance with low dose (0.5 mM) NaSal that does not affect growth. This low dose of NaSal was able to upregulate marA and its target genes, acrA, acrB and tolC. Quantification of antibiotic resistance further revealed an induction in resistance by 0.5 mM NaSal in a MarA- and AcrB-dependent fashion. Studies using atomic force microscopy demonstrated that ciprofloxacin-induced cell elongation was lower in lon due to higher levels of MarA. Therefore, low dose of NaSal is capable of upregulating MarA and inducing antibiotic resistance but does not affect cell growth. This part of the study addresses the roles of Lon protease, its substrate MarA and MarA-induced targets, e.g. AcrB, during NaSal-mediated growth reduction and antibiotic resistance. The factors contributing to antibiotic resistance in bacteria are an important area of study for the global public health care system. Antibiotic resistance can be acquired by transmittance of genetic material, accumulation of antibiotic resistant mutations in the target molecule or can be induced by certain compounds present in the environment like NaSal. For rapid identification of compounds that may behave in a similar fashion as NaSal, a 96-well plate based screen was developed utilising the growth inhibition feature of the lon strain. The compounds were selected on the basis of their structural (phenolic compounds) and functional (Non-Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs or NSAIDs) similarity to NaSal. Through this screen, four compounds were identified that lowered the growth of lon more than that of wild type strain and may be important in inducing phenotypic antibiotic resistance: Acetaminophen (anti-pyretic), Ibuprofen (NSAID), and two phenolic uncouplers, Carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone (CCCP) and 2,4-dinitrophenol (2,4-DNP). Notably, another compound Phenylbutazone (NSAID), which is used to lower inflammation in animals, did not reduce the growth of E. coli. RNA expression analysis revealed that these four compounds, but not phenylbutazone, induced the expression of marA and its target gene involved in antibiotic efflux, acrB. Furthermore, dose dependent and comparative studies with Nasal demonstrated differential effects of these four compounds in inducing antibiotic resistance with respect to ciprofloxacin, tetracycline and nalidixic acid. The two uncouplers were much more effective in inducing antibiotic resistance at lower doses than the NSAIDs. As NSAIDs are clinically important compounds, the study suggests that it would be desirable to screen them for induction of antibiotic resistance. The approach elucidated in this study has the potential to identify additional compounds present in the environment that may contribute to antibiotic resistance in bacteria. Overall, this study delineates the roles of Lon protease and its substrate, MarA, during NaSal-mediated responses, involving antibiotic resistance and/or growth reduction in E. coli. In addition, four other compounds were identified that could induce phenotypic antibiotic resistance in E. coli in a MarA-dependent manner. These observations may have implications in the adaptation of bacteria under different environmental conditions.

La régulation et le contrôle-qualité de l'expression génique permettent respectivement de maintenir un équilibre entre synthèse et dégradation des ARNm répondant aux besoins cellulaires et d'empêcher l'expression d'ARNm ou protéines aberrants potentiellement toxiques. Pour mieux comprendre ces processus cytoplasmiques, je me suis intéressée à Jlp2, Tac4 et Ska1, trois protéines ayant des liens physiques ou fonctionnels avec des acteurs du contrôle-qualité des ARNm et peptides appartenant aux complexes RQC et SKI. Jlp2 montre des liens de létalité synthétique avec les complexes RQC et SKI mais son absence n'altère pas le " NonStop mRNA Decay ". Elle pourrait donc être impliquée dans une autre voie de contrôle dépendante des complexes RQC et SKI. Tac4 est une ARN hélicase putative associée aux ribosomes, au niveau de l'hélice H16 de l'ARNr 18S comme son homologue putatif mammifère DHX29. Elle interagit également au niveau de régions 3'UTR d'ARNm. Ces observations suggèrent que Tac4 pourrait être impliquée dans la réinitiation de la traduction et le sauvetage de ribosomes non-dissociés récemment identifiés dans la région 3'UTR d'ARNm. Enfin, nous avons identifié Ska1, une protéine appartenant à une nouvelle sous-population de complexes SKI. Nos données suggèrent que ce complexe SKI-Ska1 est impliqué dans la dégradation de transcrits dépourvus de ribosome. Nous proposons un modèle selon lequel ce complexe SKI-Ska1 agirait durant la dégradation de 3'UTR avec l'exosome, puis en arrivant dans la région codante et en rencontrant un ribosome, Ska1 se dissocierait du complexe pour lui permettre d'interagir directement avec le ribosome et poursuivre la dégradation 3'-5' de l'ARN. / Mechanisms responsible for the regulation of gene expression and its quality-control are required, respectively for maintaining an equilibrium between mRNA synthesis and degradation and to prevent synthesis of aberrant mRNAs and proteins potentially toxic for the cells. To better understand these quality-control processes, I studied three factors, Jlp2, Tac4 and Ska1, with physical or functional links described with factors involved in mRNA and protein quality-control, the RQC and SKI complexes. Jlp2 shows synthetic lethality with the RQC and SKI complexes but its deletion has no effect on the NonStop mRNA Decay, suggesting that Jlp2 could be implicated in another control pathway linked to the RQC and SKI complexes. Tac4 is a putative RNA helicase bound to ribosomes, on the 18S rRNA H16 helix, as its mammalian putative homolog DHX29. DHX29 plays a role in translation initiation but surprisingly, Tac4 interacts, in addition to ribosomes, with mRNA 3’UTRs. These observations suggest that Tac4 could be implicated in translation reinitiation and rescue of non-dissociated-ribosomes, recently described within mRNA 3’UTRs. Finally, we identified Ska1, a new factor associated to a SKI complex subpopulation. Our observations suggest that the SKI-Ska1 complex is implicated in the degradation of transcripts devoid of ribosomes. It suggests a model by which the SKI complex would proceed in two steps. First, the SKI-Ska1 complex could assist the exosome to degrade 3’UTR regions of RNAs and then, when its reaches the coding region and encounter a ribosome, Ska1 would leave the complex and allow it to interact directly with ribosomes to proceed further in the 3’-5’ RNA degradation.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a ligand-activated signaling molecule which controls tumor growth and metastasis, T cell differentiation, and liver development. Expression levels of this receptor protein are sensitive to the cellular p23 protein levels in immortalized cancer cell lines. As little as 30% reduction of the p23 cellular content can suppress the AHR function. Here we reported that down-regulation of the p23 protein content in normal, untransformed human bronchial/tracheal epithelial cells to 48% of its content also suppresses the AHR protein levels to 54% of its content. This p23-mediated suppression of AHR is responsible for the repression of (1) the ligand-dependent induction of the cyp1a1 gene transcription; (2) the benzo[a]pyrene- or cigarette smoke condensate-induced CYP1A1 enzyme activity, and (3) the benzo[a]pyrene and cigarette smoke condensate-mediated production of reactive oxygen species. Reduction of the p23 content does not alter expression of oxidative stress genes or production of PGE2. Down-regulation of p23 suppresses the AHR protein levels in two other untransformed cell types, namely human breast MCF-10A and mouse immune regulatory Tr1 cells. Collectively, down-regulation of p23 suppresses the AHR protein levels in normal and untransformed cells and can in principle protect our lung epithelial cells from AHR-dependent oxidative damage caused by exposure to agents from environment and cigarette smoking. The AHR is expressed in triple-negative and non-triple-negative breast cancer cells. It affects breast cancer growth and crosstalk with the estrogen receptor signaling. Normally the AHR is degraded shortly after ligand activation via the action of 26S proteasome. Here we report that the piperazinylpyrimidine compound Q18 triggers AHR protein degradation which is mediated through chaperone-mediated autophagy in triple-negative breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-468 and MDA-MB-231). This lysosomal degradation of AHR exhibits the following characteristics: (1) not observed in non-triple-negative breast cancer cells (MCF-7, T47D, and MDA-MB-361); (2) inhibited by progesterone receptor B but not estrogen receptor alpha; (3) reversed by chloroquine but not MG132; (4) required LAMP2A; (5) triggered by 6 amino-nicotinamide and starvation and (6) involved AHR-LAMP2A interaction mediated by 6 amino-nicotinamide and starvation. The NEKFF sequence localized at amino acid 558 of human AHR is a KFERQ-like motif of chaperone-mediated autophagy, essential for the LAMP2A-mediated AHR protein degradation.

No description available.

<p>Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a detrimental neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the presence of large protein aggregates in the brain called Lewy bodies, which are primarily composed of the protein α-synuclein (αSyn). Due to the dysregulation of αSyn levels in PD, controlling its levels through the manipulation of protein degradation pathways has been suggested as a therapeutic avenue for the treatment of PD and related diseases. Although αSyn is known to be degraded through the autophagy and proteasome pathways, it is one of only a few known substrates of the ubiquitin-independent proteasome pathway, which utilizes the 20S core particle of the proteasome (20S CP) to degrade proteins. We therefore hypothesize that small molecule stimulation of the 20S CP will enhance αSyn degradation and reduce αSyn pathology, providing a therapeutic benefit in PD models.</p><p>We began our studies by developing a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) reporter assay to monitor 20S CP activity and screen for small molecule stimulators. This assay provides a greater dynamic range to detect 20S CP stimulation compared to the most commonly used assay to monitor proteasome activity. Using the FRET assay, we were able to identify a number of novel 20S CP stimulators that differ in structure as well as potency and degree of stimulation. We next evaluated the ability of four small molecule stimulators to enhance protein degradation by the 20S CP in a biochemical assay using 15 different purified proteins. These 15 proteins include known substrates of the 20S CP and vary in size and degree of disorder. From this assay, we demonstrate that a 20S CP stimulator is likely to enhance the degradation of highly disordered proteins, such as αSyn, but the effect on other protein levels appears to be distinct for each stimulator. Two of our more potent stimulators, AM-404 and miconazole, were used with the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib for subsequent studies in HEK-293T cells in which we corroborated the results of our biochemical assay. While both AM-404 and miconazole were shown to impact highly disordered proteins, there was not much overlap between the proteins shown to be affected by each stimulator. Due to the distinct effect of each stimulator on protein regulation by the 20S CP, this study indicates the potential of tailoring a small molecule 20S CP stimulator to enhance the degradation of particular substrates.</p><p>Since AM-404 and miconazole were shown to impact 20S CP activity in different ways, we next evaluated whether either stimulator would be able to prevent the αSyn-induced inhibition of the 20S CP. High levels of αSyn have been shown to lead to proteasome impairment in biochemical and cell studies. We confirm 20S CP impairment in the presence of micromolar amounts of αSyn, and we demonstrate that miconazole, but not AM-404, is effective at maintaining 20S CP activity in the presence of increasing concentrations of αSyn. We also show that αSyn-overexpressing PC12 cells (PC12 C4 cells) display reduced proteasome activity compared to the parent cell line. Miconazole and AM-404 increased proteasome activity in PC12 C4 cells, which were more sensitive to 20S CP stimulation than non-transfected PC12 cells, but miconazole was shown to be more effective at modulating αSyn phosphorylated at Ser129 in PC12 C4 cells. </p><p>Our results reveal the dynamic nature of the 20S CP and the ways in which its activity can be modulated to affect protein levels. While AM-404 is effective at stimulating the 20S CP to enhance the degradation of some proteins, miconazole was shown to be more efficient at modulating αSyn levels and impacting αSyn pathology, as it relates to 20S CP impairment. While the results described here mark the beginning of an exciting area of study, we do demonstrate the therapeutic potential of 20S CP stimulation to combat PD. </p><div><br></div>