GFP reporter mouse models of UPS proteolytic function.
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Animals↗
Biomedical subjects
Asangi R K Kumarapeli
Publications and source records attributed to Asangi R K Kumarapeli.
Intrasarcoplasmic amyloidosis impairs proteolytic function of proteasomes in cardiomyocytes by compromising substrate uptake.
The presence of increased ubiquitinated proteins and amyloid oligomers in failing human hearts strikingly resembles the characteristic pathology in the brain of many neurodegenerative diseases. The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is responsible for degradation of most cellular proteins and plays essential roles in virtually all cellular processes. UPS impairment by aberrant protein aggregation was previously shown in cell culture but remains to be demonstrated in intact animals. Mechanisms underlying the impairment are poorly understood. We report here that UPS proteolytic function is severely impaired in the heart of a mouse model of intrasarcoplasmic amyloidosis caused by cardiac-restricted expression of a human desmin-related myopathy-linked missense mutation of alphaB-crystallin (CryAB(R120G)). The UPS impairment was detected before cardiac hypertrophy, and failure became discernible, suggesting that defective protein turnover likely contributes to cardiac remodeling and failure in this model. Further analyses reveal that the impairment is likely attributable to insufficient delivery of substrate proteins into the 20S proteasomes, and depletion of key components of the 19S subcomplex may be responsible. The derangement is likely caused by aberrant protein aggregation rather than loss of function of the CryAB gene because UPS malfunction was not evident in CryAB-null hearts and inhibition of aberrant protein aggregation by Congo red or a heat shock protein significantly attenuated CryAB(R120G)-induced UPS malfunction in cultured cardiomyocytes. Because of the central role of the UPS in cell regulation and the high intrasarcoplasmic amyloidosis prevalence in failing human hearts, our data suggest a novel pathogenic process in cardiac disorders with abnormal protein aggregation.
Amyloidosis↗
A novel transgenic mouse model reveals deregulation of the ubiquitin-proteasome system in the heart by doxorubicin.
Ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) mediated proteolysis is responsible for the degradation of majority of cellular proteins, thereby playing essential roles in maintaining cellular homeostasis and regulating a number of cellular functions. UPS dysfunction was implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous disorders, including neurodegenerative disease, muscular dystrophy, and a subset of cardiomyopathies. However, monitoring in vivo functional changes of the UPS remains a challenge, which hinders the elucidation of UPS pathophysiology. We have recently created a novel transgenic mouse model that ubiquitously expresses a surrogate protein substrate for the UPS. The present study validates its suitability to monitor in vivo changes of UPS proteolytic function in virtually all major organs. Primary culture of cells derived from the adult transgenic mice was also developed and tested for their applications in probing UPS involvement in pathogenesis. Applying these newly established in vivo and in vitro approaches, we have proven in the present study that doxorubicin enhances UPS function in the heart and in cultured cardiomyocytes, suggesting that UPS hyper-function may play an important role in the acute cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin therapy.
Animals↗
Genetic modification of the heart: chaperones and the cytoskeleton.
In the past decade, genetic modification has been extensively employed to define (patho)physiological roles of chaperones and the cytoskeleton in the heart, promoting dramatic advances in this field. Both loss-of-function and gain-of-function approaches have been used productively. alphaB-Crystallin (CryAB) is the most abundant small heat shock protein (HSP) in the heart. A missense mutation (R120G) in CryAB that is linked to human desmin-related myopathy (DRM), has proved in transgenic (TG) mice to be causative, likely through compromising the function of both CryAB and desmin filaments and inducing aberrant protein aggregation. For the molecular chaperones, the consensus gained is that up-regulation of each of the HSPs in the heart is protective against insults such as ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. CryAB modulates protein aggregation of abnormal desmin. With respect to the cytoskeleton, disruption of the non-sarcomeric actin linkage at the intercalated discs via overexpressing the VASP-EHV1 domain is sufficient to cause dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Up-regulation of microtubule-associated protein 4 (MAP4) results in microtubule densification. Myocyte contractile malfunction characteristic of pressure overload hypertrophy is recapitulated by cardiac-restricted overexpression of MAP4. In contrast, overexpression of desmin filaments by itself is not detrimental to the heart. Although loss-of-function studies have been more limited, ablation of the desmin gene causes mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis, resulting in cardiomyopathy in mice. From function studies, abnormal desmin aggregation and disruption of the desmin networks resulting from expression of either mutant desmin or mutant CryAB have been shown to remodel the heart and compromise cardiac function, suggesting their synergistic roles in disease pathogenesis.
Actin Cytoskeleton↗