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Molecular Neurodegeneration Nov 2022The family of VPS10p-Domain (D) receptors comprises five members named SorLA, Sortilin, SorCS1, SorCS2 and SorCS3. While their physiological roles remain incompletely... (Review)
Review
The family of VPS10p-Domain (D) receptors comprises five members named SorLA, Sortilin, SorCS1, SorCS2 and SorCS3. While their physiological roles remain incompletely resolved, they have been recognized for their signaling engagements and trafficking abilities, navigating a number of molecules between endosome, Golgi compartments, and the cell surface. Strikingly, recent studies connected all the VPS10p-D receptors to Alzheimer's disease (AD) development. In addition, they have been also associated with diseases comorbid with AD such as diabetes mellitus and major depressive disorder. This systematic review elaborates on genetic, functional, and mechanistic insights into how dysfunction in VPS10p-D receptors may contribute to AD etiology, AD onset diversity, and AD comorbidities. Starting with their functions in controlling cellular trafficking of amyloid precursor protein and the metabolism of the amyloid beta peptide, we present and exemplify how these receptors, despite being structurally similar, regulate various and distinct cellular events involved in AD. This includes a plethora of signaling crosstalks that impact on neuronal survival, neuronal wiring, neuronal polarity, and synaptic plasticity. Signaling activities of the VPS10p-D receptors are especially linked, but not limited to, the regulation of neuronal fitness and apoptosis via their physical interaction with pro- and mature neurotrophins and their receptors. By compiling the functional versatility of VPS10p-D receptors and their interactions with AD-related pathways, we aim to further propel the AD research towards VPS10p-D receptor family, knowledge that may lead to new diagnostic markers and therapeutic strategies for AD patients.
Topics: Humans; Alzheimer Disease; Amyloid beta-Peptides; Depressive Disorder, Major; Protein Transport; Nerve Growth Factors
PubMed: 36397124
DOI: 10.1186/s13024-022-00576-2 -
Biological Chemistry Jul 2023Most mitochondrial proteins are nuclear-encoded and imported by the protein import machinery based on specific targeting signals. The proteins that carry an...
Most mitochondrial proteins are nuclear-encoded and imported by the protein import machinery based on specific targeting signals. The proteins that carry an amino-terminal targeting signal (presequence) are imported via the presequence import pathway that involves the translocases of the outer and inner membranes - TOM and TIM23 complexes. In this article, we discuss how mitochondrial matrix and inner membrane precursor proteins are imported along the presequence pathway in with a focus on the dynamics of the TIM23 complex, and further update with some of the key findings that advanced the field in the last few years.
Topics: Protein Transport; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Mitochondria; Mitochondrial Proteins; Mitochondrial Precursor Protein Import Complex Proteins
PubMed: 37155927
DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2023-0133 -
The Biochemical Journal Aug 2021Mitochondria import about 1000 proteins that are produced as precursors on cytosolic ribosomes. Defects in mitochondrial protein import result in the accumulation of... (Review)
Review
Mitochondria import about 1000 proteins that are produced as precursors on cytosolic ribosomes. Defects in mitochondrial protein import result in the accumulation of non-imported precursor proteins and proteotoxic stress. The cell is equipped with different quality control mechanisms to monitor protein transport into mitochondria. First, molecular chaperones guide unfolded proteins to mitochondria and deliver non-imported proteins to proteasomal degradation. Second, quality control factors remove translocation stalled precursor proteins from protein translocases. Third, protein translocases monitor protein sorting to mitochondrial subcompartments. Fourth, AAA proteases of the mitochondrial subcompartments remove mislocalized or unassembled proteins. Finally, impaired efficiency of protein transport is an important sensor for mitochondrial dysfunction and causes the induction of cellular stress responses, which could eventually result in the removal of the defective mitochondria by mitophagy. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of quality control mechanisms that govern mitochondrial protein transport.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Mitochondria; Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins; Mitochondrial Membranes; Mitophagy; Models, Biological; Protein Precursors; Protein Transport; Quality Control
PubMed: 34436539
DOI: 10.1042/BCJ20190584 -
Biochemical Society Transactions Feb 2020Chloroplasts are photosynthetic plant organelles descended from a bacterial ancestor. The vast majority of chloroplast proteins are synthesized in the cytosol and then... (Review)
Review
Chloroplasts are photosynthetic plant organelles descended from a bacterial ancestor. The vast majority of chloroplast proteins are synthesized in the cytosol and then imported into the chloroplast post-translationally. Translocation complexes exist in the organelle's outer and inner envelope membranes (termed TOC and TIC, respectively) to facilitate protein import. These systems recognize chloroplast precursor proteins and mediate their import in an energy-dependent manner. However, many unanswered questions remain regarding mechanistic details of the import process and the participation and functions of individual components; for example, the cytosolic events that mediate protein delivery to chloroplasts, the composition of the TIC apparatus, and the nature of the protein import motor all require resolution. The flux of proteins through TOC and TIC varies greatly throughout development and in response to specific environmental cues. The import process is, therefore, tightly regulated, and it has emerged that the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) plays a key role in this regard, acting at several different steps in the process. The UPS is involved in: the selective degradation of transcription factors that co-ordinate the expression of chloroplast precursor proteins; the removal of unimported chloroplast precursor proteins in the cytosol; the inhibition of chloroplast biogenesis pre-germination; and the reconfiguration of the TOC apparatus in response to developmental and environmental signals in a process termed chloroplast-associated protein degradation. In this review, we highlight recent advances in our understanding of protein import into chloroplasts and how this process is regulated by the UPS.
Topics: Chloroplast Proteins; Chloroplasts; Cytosol; Organelles; Photosynthesis; Plant Proteins; Plants; Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex; Protein Precursors; Protein Transport; Proteolysis; Ubiquitin
PubMed: 31922184
DOI: 10.1042/BST20190274 -
Trends in Cell Biology Jun 2021Membranes surrounding cells or organelles represent barriers to proteins and other molecules. However, specific proteins can cross membranes by different translocation... (Review)
Review
Membranes surrounding cells or organelles represent barriers to proteins and other molecules. However, specific proteins can cross membranes by different translocation systems, the best studied being the Sec61/SecY channel. This channel forms a hydrophilic, hourglass-shaped membrane channel, with a lateral gate towards the surrounding lipid. However, recent studies show that an aqueous pore is not required in other cases of protein translocation. The Hrd1 complex, mediating the retrotranslocation of misfolded proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) lumen into the cytosol, contains multispanning proteins with aqueous luminal and cytosolic cavities, and lateral gates juxtaposed in a thinned membrane region. A locally thinned, distorted lipid bilayer also allows protein translocation in other systems, suggesting a new paradigm to overcome the membrane barrier.
Topics: Endoplasmic Reticulum; Endoplasmic Reticulum-Associated Degradation; Lipid Bilayers; Protein Transport; Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
PubMed: 33531207
DOI: 10.1016/j.tcb.2021.01.002 -
Microbiology Spectrum Jul 2019In bacteria, the Sec translocase mediates the translocation of proteins into and across the cytoplasmic membrane. It consists of a protein conducting channel SecYEG, the... (Review)
Review
In bacteria, the Sec translocase mediates the translocation of proteins into and across the cytoplasmic membrane. It consists of a protein conducting channel SecYEG, the ATP-dependent motor SecA, and the accessory SecDF complex. Here we discuss the function and structure of the Sec translocase.
Topics: Bacteria; Bacterial Proteins; Cell Membrane; Protein Transport; SEC Translocation Channels; SecA Proteins
PubMed: 31373268
DOI: 10.1128/microbiolspec.PSIB-0028-2019 -
Current Opinion in Cell Biology Aug 2019Cytoskeletal motors of the dynein, kinesin and myosin superfamilies maintain and adapt subcellular organelle organization to meet functional demands and support the... (Review)
Review
Cytoskeletal motors of the dynein, kinesin and myosin superfamilies maintain and adapt subcellular organelle organization to meet functional demands and support the vesicular transport of material between organelles. These motors require the capacity to specifically recognize the vesicle/organelle to be transported and are capable of selective recognition of multiple cargo. Recent studies have begun to uncover the molecular basis for motor recruitment and have highlighted the role of organelle-associated 'cargo-adaptor' proteins in cellular transport. These adaptors possess sequences and/or structural features that enable both motor recruitment and activation from regulated, inactive, states to enable motility on the cytoskeleton. Motor-cargo adaptor interactions define a key organelle-cytoskeleton interface, acting as crucial regulatory hubs to enable the cell to finely control membrane trafficking and organelle dynamics. Understanding the molecular basis of these interactions may offer new opportunities to control and manipulate cytoskeletal and organelle dynamics for the development of new research tools and potentially therapeutics.
Topics: Cytoskeleton; Humans; Organelles; Protein Transport
PubMed: 30952037
DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2019.02.010 -
Journal of Integrative Plant Biology Feb 2023Subcellular organelles in eukaryotes are surrounded by lipid membranes. In an endomembrane system, vesicle trafficking is the primary mechanism for the delivery of... (Review)
Review
Subcellular organelles in eukaryotes are surrounded by lipid membranes. In an endomembrane system, vesicle trafficking is the primary mechanism for the delivery of organellar proteins to specific organelles. However, organellar proteins for chloroplasts, mitochondria, the nucleus, and peroxisomes that are translated in the cytosol are directly imported into their target organelles. Chloroplasts are a plant-specific organelle with outer and inner envelope membranes, a dual-membrane structure that is similar to mitochondria. Interior chloroplast proteins translated by cytosolic ribosomes are thus translocated through TOC and TIC complexes (translocons in the outer and inner envelope of chloroplasts, respectively), with stromal ATPase motor proteins playing a critical role in pulling pre-proteins through these import channels. Over the last three decades, the identity and function of TOC/TIC components and stromal motor proteins have been actively investigated, which has shed light on the action mechanisms at a molecular level. However, there remains some disagreement over the exact composition of TIC complexes and genuine stromal motor proteins. In this review, we discuss recent findings on the mechanisms by which proteins are translocated through TOC/TIC complexes and discuss future prospects for this field of research.
Topics: Plant Proteins; Chloroplasts; Chloroplast Proteins; Organelles; Protein Transport
PubMed: 36223071
DOI: 10.1111/jipb.13385 -
EMBO Reports Dec 2023Protein translocation across the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane is an essential step during protein entry into the secretory pathway. The conserved Sec61...
Protein translocation across the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane is an essential step during protein entry into the secretory pathway. The conserved Sec61 protein-conducting channel facilitates polypeptide translocation and coordinates cotranslational polypeptide-processing events. In cells, the majority of Sec61 is stably associated with a heterotetrameric membrane protein complex, the translocon-associated protein complex (TRAP), yet the mechanism by which TRAP assists in polypeptide translocation remains unknown. Here, we present the structure of the core Sec61/TRAP complex bound to a mammalian ribosome by cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM). Ribosome interactions anchor the Sec61/TRAP complex in a conformation that renders the ER membrane locally thinner by significantly curving its lumenal leaflet. We propose that TRAP stabilizes the ribosome exit tunnel to assist nascent polypeptide insertion through Sec61 and provides a ratcheting mechanism into the ER lumen mediated by direct polypeptide interactions.
Topics: Animals; SEC Translocation Channels; Membrane Proteins; Endoplasmic Reticulum; Mammals; Peptides; Protein Transport
PubMed: 37983950
DOI: 10.15252/embr.202357910 -
Molecular Therapy : the Journal of the... May 2021Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are RNAs with a unique circular structure that is generated from back-splicing processes. These circular molecules were discovered more than 40... (Review)
Review
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are RNAs with a unique circular structure that is generated from back-splicing processes. These circular molecules were discovered more than 40 years ago but failed to raise scientific interest until lately. Increasing studies have found that these circular RNAs might not just be byproducts of the splicing process but possess important regulatory functions through different cellular events. Most circular RNAs are currently being studied in the field of cancer, and many of them have been confirmed to be involved in the process of tumorigenesis. However, many circular RNAs are implicated in the developmental stages of diseases other than cancer. In this review, we focus on discussing the role of circular RNAs in non-cancer diseases, especially in cardiovascular diseases. Following the summary of the life cycle of circRNAs, we provide input on studying circRNA-protein interactions based on our experience, which modulate protein translocation. Furthermore, we outline the potential of circRNAs to be potent biomarkers, effective therapeutic targets, and potential treatments in cardiovascular diseases as well as other non-cancer fields.
Topics: Cardiovascular Diseases; Early Diagnosis; Genetic Markers; Humans; Molecular Targeted Therapy; Protein Transport; Proteins; RNA, Circular
PubMed: 33484969
DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2021.01.018