分类: 生物学 >> 生物物理学 >> 免疫学 提交时间: 2016-05-12
摘要: NK cells play a pivotal role in innate immune responses against pathogenic infections. However, the underlying mechanisms driving defined NK functions remain largely elusive. In this study, we identified a novel endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane protein, ER adaptor protein (ERAdP), which is constitutively expressed in human and mouse NK cells. ERAdP is expressed at low levels in peripheral NK cells of hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma patients. We show that ERAdP initiates NK cell activation through the NF-kappa B pathway. Notably, ERAdP interacts with ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme 13 (Ubc13) to potentiate its charging activity. Thus, ERAdP augments Ubc13-mediated NF-kappa B essential modulator ubiquitination to trigger the Ubc13-mediated NF-kappa B pathway, leading to NK cell activation. Finally, ERAdP transgenic mice display hyperactivated NK cells that are more resistant to pathogenic infections. Therefore, understanding the mechanism of ERAdP-mediated NK cell activation will provide strategies for treatment of infectious diseases.
分类: 生物学 >> 生物物理学 >> 细胞生物学 提交时间: 2016-05-11
摘要: Angiogenesis, a process that newly-formed blood vessels sprout from pre-existing ones, is vital for vertebrate development and adult homeostasis. Previous studies have demonstrated that the neuronal guidance molecule netrin-1 participates in angiogenesis and morphogenesis of the vascular system. Netrin-1 exhibits dual activities in angiogenesis: either promoting or inhibiting angiogenesis. The anti-angiogenic activity of netrin-1 is mediated by UNC5B receptor. However, how netrin-1 promotes angiogenesis remained unclear. Here we report that CD146, an endothelial transmembrane protein of the immunoglobulin superfamily, is a receptor for netrin-1. Netrin-1 binds to CD146 with high affinity, inducing endothelial cell activation and downstream signaling in a CD146-dependent manner. Conditional knockout of the cd146 gene in the murine endothelium or disruption of netrin-CD146 interaction by a specific anti-CD146 antibody blocks or reduces netrin-1-induced angiogenesis. In zebrafish embryos, downregulating either netrin-1a or CD146 results in vascular defects with striking similarity. Moreover, knocking down CD146 blocks ectopic vascular sprouting induced by netrin-1 overexpression. Together, our data uncover CD146 as a previously unknown receptor for netrin-1 and also reveal a functional ligand for CD146 in angiogenesis, demonstrating the involvement of netrin-CD146 signaling in angiogenesis during vertebrate development.
分类: 生物学 >> 生物物理学 提交时间: 2016-05-05
摘要: Secreted Wnts play diverse roles in a non-cell-autonomous fashion. However, the cell-autonomous effect of unsecreted Wnts remains unknown. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is observed in specialized secretory cells and participates in pathophysiological processes. The correlation between Wnt secretion and ER stress remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrated that Drosophila miR-307a initiates ER stress specifically in wingless (wg)-expressing cells through targeting wntless (wls/evi). This phenotype could be mimicked by retromer loss-of-function or porcupine (porc) depletion, and rescued by wg knockdown, arguing that unsecreted Wg triggers ER stress. Consistently, we found that disrupting the secretion of human Wnt5a also induced ER stress in mammalian cells. Furthermore, we showed that a C-terminal KKVY-motif of Wg is required for its retrograde Golgi-to-ER transport, thus inducing ER stress. Next, we investigated if COPI, the regulator of retrograde transport, is responsible for unsecreted Wg to induce ER stress. To our surprise, we found that COPI acts as a novel regulator of Wg secretion. Taken together, this study reveals a previously unknown Golgi-to-ER retrograde route of Wg, and elucidates a correlation between Wnt secretion and ER stress during development.