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Jean Massoulié

Publications and source records attributed to Jean Massoulié.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Assembly of acetylcholinesterase tetramers by peptidic motifs from the proline-rich membrane anchor, PRiMA: competition between degradation and secretion pathways of heteromeric complexes.

The membrane-bound form of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) constitutes the major component of this enzyme in the mammalian brain. These molecules are hetero-oligomers, composed of four AChE catalytic subunits of type T (AChE(T)), associated with a transmembrane protein of type 1, called PRiMA (proline-rich membrane anchor). PRiMA consists of a signal peptide, an extracellular domain that contains a proline-rich motif (14 prolines with an intervening leucine, P4LP10), a transmembrane domain, and a cytoplasmic domain. Expression of AChE(T) subunits in transfected COS cells with a truncated PRiMA, without its transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains (P(stp54) mutant), produced secreted heteromeric complexes (T4-P(stp54)), instead of membrane-bound tetramers. In this study, we used a series of deletions and point mutations to analyze the interaction between the extracellular domain of PRiMA and AChE(T) subunits. We confirmed the importance of the polyproline stretches and defined a peptidic motif (RP4LP10RL), which induces the assembly and secretion of a heteromeric complex with four AChE(T) subunits, nearly as efficiently as the entire extracellular domain of PRiMA. It is noteworthy that deletion of the N-terminal segment preceding the prolines had little effect. Interestingly, short PRiMA mutants, truncated within the proline-rich motif, reduced both cellular and secreted AChE activity, suggesting that their interaction with AChE(T) subunits induces their intracellular degradation.

Acetylcholinesterase↗
PubMed2006

The C-terminal T peptide of cholinesterases: structure, interactions, and influence on protein folding and secretion.

Mammalian cholinergic tissues mostly express the T splice variant of acetylcholinesterase, in which the catalytic domain is associated with a C-terminal peptide of 40 residues, called the t peptide (Massoulié, 2002). Homologous t peptides exist in all vertebrate cholinesterases, acetylcholinesterases (AChEs), and butyrylcholinesterases (BChEs): they contain a series of seven conserved aromatic residues, including three tryptophans, and a cysteine at position-4 of their C-terminus. The major AChE isozyme of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans also contains a similar peptide. Although the C-terminal t peptides do not seem to affect the catalytic activity of cholinesterases, they determine their physiological function, because they allow cholinesterase subunits of type T to form oligomers and to associate with structural anchoring proteins. When reduced to their catalytic domain, AChE subunits without a t peptide are active but remain monomeric and soluble.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2006

Readthrough acetylcholinesterase expression remains minor after stress or exposure to inhibitors.

The gene of mammalian acetylcholinesterase (AChE) generates multiple molecular forms, by alternative splicing of its transcripts and association of the tailed variant (AChET) with structural proteins. In the mammalian brain, the major AChE species consists of AChET tetramers anchored to the cell membrane of neurons by the PRiMA protein (Perrier et al., 2002). Stress and anticholinesterase inhibitors have been reported to induce rapid and long-lasting expression of the readthrough variant (AChER) in the mouse brain (Kaufer et al., 1998). In the readthrough transcript, there is no splicing after the last exon encoding the catalytic domain, so that the entire alternatively spliced 3' region is maintained. It encodes a C-terminal peptide with no specific interaction properties: COS cells transfected with AChER produce a soluble, nonamphiphilic monomeric form. We quantified AChER and total AChE expression in the mouse brain after an immobilization stress and after heat shock in neuroblastoma cells, and compared the observed effects with those induced by irreversible AChE inhibition (Perrier et al., 2005).

Acetylcholinesterase↗
PubMed2005

The C-terminal peptides of acetylcholinesterase: cellular trafficking, oligomerization and functional anchoring.

In vertebrates, the catalytic domain of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) may be associated with several C-terminal peptides generated by alternative splicing in the 3' region of transcripts. The "readthrough" (R) variant results from a lack of splicing after the last exon encoding the catalytic domain. Such a variant has been observed in Torpedo and in mammals; its C-terminal r peptide, also called "AChE Related Peptide" (ARP), is poorly conserved between rodents and humans. In rodents, it is significantly expressed in embryonic tissues and at a very low level in the brain of adult mice; it may be increased under various stress conditions, but remains very low. The "hydrophobic" (H) variant generates glycolipid (GPI)-anchored dimers, which are expressed in muscles of Torpedo, and in blood cells of mammals; H variants exist in Torpedo and in mammals, but apparently not in other vertebrate classes, suggesting that they were lost during evolution of early vertebrates and re-appeared independently in mammals. The "tailed" (T) variant exists in all vertebrate cholinesterases and their C-terminal t peptides are strongly conserved; in mammals, AChE(T) subunits represent the major type of acetylcholinesterase in cholinergic tissues. They produce a wide variety of oligomeric forms, ranging from monomers to heteromeric assemblies containing the anchoring proteins ColQ (collagen-tailed forms) and PRiMA (membrane-bound tetramers), which constitute the major functional enzyme species in mammalian muscles and brain, respectively. The oligomerization of AChE(T) subunits depends largely on the properties of their C-terminal t peptide. These peptides contain seven conserved aromatic residues, including three tryptophans, and are organized in an amphiphilic alpha helix in which these residues form a hydrophobic cluster. The presence of a cysteine is required for dimerization, while aromatic residues are necessary for tetramerization. In the collagen-tailed molecules, four t peptides form a coiled coil around a proline-rich motif (PRAD) located in the N-terminal region of ColQ. The t peptide also strongly influences the folding and cellular trafficking of AChE(T) subunits: the presence of hydrophobic residues induces partial misfolding leading to inactive protein, while aromatic residues, organized or not in an amphiphilic helix, induce intracellular degradation through the "Endoplasmic Reticulum Associated Degradation" (ERAD) pathway, rather than secretion. It has been proposed that the r and t C-terminal peptides, or fragments of these peptides, may exert independent, non cholinergic biological functions: this interesting possibility still needs to be documented, especially in view of their various degrees of evolutionary conservation.

Acetylcholinesterase↗
PubMed2005

The readthrough variant of acetylcholinesterase remains very minor after heat shock, organophosphate inhibition and stress, in cell culture and in vivo.

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) exists in various molecular forms, depending on alternative splicing of its transcripts and association with structural proteins. Tetramers of the 'tailed' variant (AChE(T)), which are anchored in the cell membrane of neurons by the PRiMA (Proline Rich Membrane Anchor) protein, constitute the main form of AChE in the mammalian brain. In the mouse brain, stress and anticholinesterase inhibitors have been reported to induce expression of the unspliced 'readthrough' variant (AChE(R)) mRNA which produces a monomeric form. To generalize this observation, we attempted to quantify AChE(R) and AChE(T) after organophosphate intoxication in the mouse brain and compared the observed effects with those of stress induced by swimming or immobilization; we also analyzed the effects of heat shock and AChE inhibition on neuroblastoma cells. Active AChE molecular forms were characterized by sedimentation and non-denaturing electrophoresis, and AChE transcripts were quantified by real-time PCR. We observed a moderate increase of the AChE(R) transcript in some cases, both in the mouse brain and in neuroblastoma cultures, but we did not detect any increase of the corresponding active enzyme.

Acetylcholinesterase↗
PubMed2004

The synaptic acetylcholinesterase tetramer assembles around a polyproline II helix.

Functional localization of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in vertebrate muscle and brain depends on interaction of the tryptophan amphiphilic tetramerization (WAT) sequence, at the C-terminus of its major splice variant (T), with a proline-rich attachment domain (PRAD), of the anchoring proteins, collagenous (ColQ) and proline-rich membrane anchor. The crystal structure of the WAT/PRAD complex reveals a novel supercoil structure in which four parallel WAT chains form a left-handed superhelix around an antiparallel left-handed PRAD helix resembling polyproline II. The WAT coiled coils possess a WWW motif making repetitive hydrophobic stacking and hydrogen-bond interactions with the PRAD. The WAT chains are related by an approximately 4-fold screw axis around the PRAD. Each WAT makes similar but unique interactions, consistent with an asymmetric pattern of disulfide linkages between the AChE tetramer subunits and ColQ. The P59Q mutation in ColQ, which causes congenital endplate AChE deficiency, and is located within the PRAD, disrupts crucial WAT-WAT and WAT-PRAD interactions. A model is proposed for the synaptic AChE(T) tetramer.

Acetylcholinesterase↗
PubMed2004

Determinants of the t peptide involved in folding, degradation, and secretion of acetylcholinesterase.

The C-terminal 40-residue t peptide of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) forms an amphiphilic alpha helix with a cluster of seven aromatic residues. It allows oligomerization and induces a partial degradation of AChE subunits through the endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation pathway. We show that the t peptide induces the misfolding of a fraction of AChE subunits, even when mutations disorganized the cluster of aromatic residues or when these residues were replaced by leucines, indicating that this effect is due to hydrophobic residues. Mutations in the aromatic-rich region affected the cellular fate of AChE in a similar manner, with or without mutations that prevented dimerization. Degradation was decreased and secretion was increased when aromatic residues were replaced by leucines, and the opposite occurred when the amphiphilic alpha helix was disorganized. The last two residues (Asp-Leu) somewhat resembled an endoplasmic reticulum retention signal and caused a partial retention but only in mutants possessing aromatic residues in their t peptide. Our results suggested that several "signals" in the catalytic domain and in the t peptide act cooperatively for AChE quality control.

Acetylcholinesterase↗
PubMed2004

Transcriptional regulation of acetylcholinesterase-associated collagen ColQ: differential expression in fast and slow twitch muscle fibers is driven by distinct promoters.

The presence of a collagenous protein (ColQ) characterizes the collagen-tailed forms of acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase at vertebrate neuromuscular junctions which is tethered in the synaptic basal lamina. ColQ subunits, differing mostly by their signal sequences, are encoded by transcripts ColQ-1 and ColQ-1a, which are differentially expressed in slow and fast twitch muscles in mammals. Two distinct promoters, pColQ-1 and pColQ-1a, were isolated from the upstream sequences of human COLQ gene; they showed muscle-specific expression and were activated by myogenic transcriptional elements in cultured myotubes. After in vivo DNA transfection, pColQ-1 showed strong activity in slow twitch muscle (e.g. soleus), whereas pColQ-1a was preferably expressed in fast twitch muscle (e.g. tibialis). Mutation analysis of the ColQ promoters suggested that the muscle fiber type-specific expression pattern of ColQ transcripts were regulated by a slow upsteam regulatory element (SURE) and a fast intronic regulatory element (FIRE). These regulatory elements were responsive to a calcium ionophore and to calcineurin inhibition by cyclosporine A. The slow fiber type-specific expression of ColQ-1 was abolished by the mutation of an NFAT element in pColQ-1. Moreover, both the ColQ promoters contained N-box element that was responsible for the synapse-specific expression of ColQ transcripts. These results explain the specific expression patterns of collagen-tailed acetylcholinesterase in slow and fast muscle fibers.

Acetylcholinesterase↗
PubMed2004

The C-terminal t peptide of acetylcholinesterase forms an alpha helix that supports homomeric and heteromeric interactions.

Acetylcholinesterase subunits of type T (AChET) possess an alternatively spliced C-terminal peptide (t peptide) which endows them with amphiphilic properties, the capacity to form various homo-oligomers and to associate, as a tetramer, with anchoring proteins containing a proline rich attachment domain (PRAD). The t peptide contains seven conserved aromatic residues. By spectroscopic analyses of the synthetic peptides covering part or all of the t peptide of Torpedo AChET, we show that the region containing the aromatic residues adopts an alpha helical structure, which is favored in the presence of lipids and detergent micelles: these residues therefore form a hydrophobic cluster in a sector of the helix. We also analyzed the formation of disulfide bonds between two different AChET subunits, and between AChET subunits and a PRAD-containing protein [the N-terminal fragment of the ColQ protein (QN)] possessing two cysteines upstream or downstream of the PRAD. This shows that, in the complex formed by four T subunits with QN (T4-QN), the t peptides are not folded on themselves as hairpins but instead are all oriented in the same direction, antiparallel to that of the PRAD. The formation of disulfide bonds between various pairs of cysteines, introduced by mutagenesis at various positions in the t peptides, indicates that this complex possesses a surprising flexibility.

Acetylcholinesterase↗
PubMed2004

Elements of the C-terminal t peptide of acetylcholinesterase that determine amphiphilicity, homomeric and heteromeric associations, secretion and degradation.

The C-terminal t peptide (40 residues) of vertebrate acetylcholinesterase (AChE) T subunits possesses a series of seven conserved aromatic residues and forms an amphiphilic alpha-helix; it allows the formation of homo-oligomers (monomers, dimers and tetramers) and heteromeric associations with the anchoring proteins, ColQ and PRiMA, which contain a proline-rich motif (PRAD). We analyzed the influence of mutations in the t peptide of Torpedo AChE(T) on oligomerization and secretion. Charged residues influenced the distribution of homo-oligomers but had little effect on the heteromeric association with Q(N), a PRAD-containing N-terminal fragment of ColQ. The formation of homo-tetramers and Q(N)-linked tetramers required a central core of four aromatic residues and a peptide segment extending to residue 31; the last nine residues (32-40) were not necessary, although the formation of disulfide bonds by cysteine C37 stabilized T(4) and T(4)-Q(N) tetramers. The last two residues of the t peptide (EL) induced a partial intracellular retention; replacement of the C-terminal CAEL tetrapeptide by KDEL did not prevent tetramerization and heteromeric association with Q(N), indicating that these associations take place in the endoplasmic reticulum. Mutations that disorganize the alpha-helical structure of the t peptide were found to enhance degradation. Co-expression with Q(N) generally increased secretion, mostly as T(4)-Q(N) complexes, but reduced it for some mutants. Thus, mutations in this small, autonomous interaction domain bring information on the features that determine oligomeric associations of AChE(T) subunits and the choice between secretion and degradation.

Acetylcholinesterase↗
PubMed2003

The C-terminal T peptide of acetylcholinesterase enhances degradation of unassembled active subunits through the ERAD pathway.

The catalytic domain of acetylcholinesterase AChE(T) subunits is followed by a C-terminal T peptide which mediates their association with the proline-rich attachment domain (PRAD) of anchoring proteins. Addition of the T peptide induced intracellular degradation and concomitantly reduced to variable degrees the secretion of AChE species differing in their oligomerization capacity and of human alkaline phosphatase. The T peptide forms an amphiphilic alpha-helix, containing a series of conserved aromatic residues. Replacement of two, four or five aromatic residues gradually suppressed degradation and increased secretion. Co-expression with a PRAD- containing protein induced the assembly of PRAD-linked tetramers in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and allowed partial secretion of a dimerization- defective mutant; by masking the aromatic side chains, hetero-oligomerization rescued this enzyme from degradation. Degradation was due to ERAD, since it was not blocked by brefeldin A but was sensitive to proteasome inhibitors. Kifunensine reduced degradation, suggesting a cooperativity between the glycosylated catalytic domain and the non-glycosylated T peptide. This system appears particularly well suited to analyze the mechanisms which determine the degradation of correctly folded multidomain proteins in the ER.

Acetylcholinesterase↗
PubMed2003

Trimerization domain of the collagen tail of acetylcholinesterase.

In the collagen-tailed forms of cholinesterases, each subunit of a specific triple helical collagen, ColQ, may be attached through a proline-rich domain (PRAD) situated in its N-terminal noncollagenous region, to tetramers of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) or butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). This heteromeric assembly ensures the functional anchoring of AChE in extracellulare matrices, for example, at the neuromuscular junction. In this study, we analyzed the influence of deletions in the noncollagenous C-terminal region of ColQ on its capacity to form a triple helix. We show that an 80-residue segment located downstream of the collagenous regions contains the trimerization domain, that it can form trimers without the collagenous regions, and that a pair of cysteines located at the N-boundary of this domain facilitates oligomerization, although it is not absolutely required. We further show that AChE subunits can associate with nonhelical collagen ColQ monomers, forming ColQ-associated tetramers (G4-Q), which are secreted or are anchored at the cell surface when the C-terminal domain of ColQ is replaced by a GPI-addition signal.

Acetylcholinesterase↗
PubMed2003

Expression of PRiMA in the mouse brain: membrane anchoring and accumulation of 'tailed' acetylcholinesterase.

We analysed the expression of PRiMA (proline-rich membrane anchor), the membrane anchor of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), by in situ hybridization in the mouse brain. We compared the pattern of PRiMA transcripts with that of AChE transcripts, as well as those of choline acetyltransferase and M1 muscarinic receptors which are considered pre- and postsynaptic cholinergic markers. We also analysed cholinesterase activity and its molecular forms in several brain structures. The results suggest that PRiMA expression is predominantly or exclusively related to the cholinergic system and that anchoring of cholinesterases to cell membranes by PRiMA represents a limiting factor for production of the AChE tailed splice variant (AChET)-PRiMA complex, which represents the major AChE component in the brain. This enzyme species is mostly associated with cholinergic neurons because the pattern of PRiMA mRNA expression largely coincides with that of ChAT. We also show that, in both mouse and human, PRiMA proteins exist as two alternative splice variants which differ in their cytoplasmic regions.

Acetylcholinesterase↗
PubMed2002

Transcriptional regulation of gene expression by the coding sequence: An attempt to enhance expression of human AChE.

In a previous report, Morel and Massoulié showed that Bungarus AChE (bBAChE) is produced more efficiently than rat AChE in various expression systems, mainly because the Bungarus coding sequence exerts a stimulatory effect on transcription (Morel and Massoulié, 2000). They reported that a 5' Bungarus fragment could partially transfer this property to a CAT expression vector. This appeared to offer the possibility of increasing the production of recombinant proteins. In the present paper, we show that insertion of this fragment in the transcribed region, before the polyadenylation site, may have either stimulatory or inhibitory effects, depending on the vector and on the reporter gene. Since the stimulatory effect of Bungarus coding region could not be attached to a small number of discrete motifs, we reasoned that it might result from a general feature of the sequence. Therefore it might be possible to partially transfer this property to the very homologous human AChE (hHAChE) coding sequence by modifications based on synonymous codons, which increased nucleotide identity between the 5' fragment (721 nucleotides) of bBAChE and hHAChE from 71% to 85%. The production of human AChE in transfected COS cells was increased nearly 2-fold with this modified construct, but still remained about 4-fold smaller than that of Bungarus AChE. There was no change in expression level in transformed Pichia pastoris. We thus confirm that coding sequences can strongly influence gene expression, but in a manner that depends on the context and cannot yet be predicted.

Acetylcholinesterase↗
PubMed2002

PRiMA: the membrane anchor of acetylcholinesterase in the brain.

As a tetramer, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is anchored to the basal lamina of the neuromuscular junction and to the membrane of neuronal synapses. We have previously shown that collagen Q (ColQ) anchors AChE at the neuromuscular junction. We have now cloned the gene PRiMA (proline-rich membrane anchor) encoding the AChE anchor in mammalian brain. We show that PRiMA is able to organize AChE into tetramers and to anchor them at the surface of transfected cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate that AChE is actually anchored in neural cell membranes through its interaction with PRiMA. Finally, we propose that only PRiMA anchors AChE in mammalian brain and muscle cell membranes.

Acetylcholinesterase↗
PubMed2002

Non-antisense cellular responses to oligonucleotides.

Oligonucleotides induce various cellular responses which are not due to the blockade of protein synthesis by an antisense mechanism. Oligonucleotides presenting double-stranded or G-quartet structures (ribo- or deoxyribonucleotides, phosphodiester or phosphorothioated) induce retraction of neurites and aggregation of chicken retinal cells within 10-20 h. This effect is reversible, non-toxic; it appears to require internalization and can be mimicked by treatment of the cells with an RGDS peptide. The oligonucleotides appear to trigger a cascade of intracellular events, affecting the adhesive properties of integrins. In addition, a subset of oligonucleotides induced platelet aggregation, probably through their interaction with membrane receptors. Recognition of these effects is important for the design and interpretation of antisense experiments.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The origin of the molecular diversity and functional anchoring of cholinesterases.

Vertebrates possess two cholinesterases, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) which both hydrolyze acetylcholine, but differ in their specificity towards other substrates, and in their sensitivity to inhibitors. In mammals, the AChE gene produces three types of coding regions through the choice of 3' splice acceptor sites, generating proteins which possess the same catalytic domain, associated with distinct C-terminal peptides. AChE subunits of type R ('readthrough') produce soluble monomers; they are expressed during development and induced by stress in the mouse brain. AChE subunits of type H ('hydrophobic') produce GPI-anchored dimers, but also secreted molecules; they are mostly expressed in blood cells. Subunits of type T ('tailed') exist for both AChE and BChE. They represent the enzyme forms expressed in brain and muscle. These subunits generate a variety of quaternary structures, including homomeric oligomers (monomers, dimers, tetramers), as well as hetero-oligomeric assemblies with anchoring proteins, ColQ and PRiMA. Mutations in the four-helix bundle (FHB) zone of the catalytic domain indicate that subunits of type H and T use the same interaction for dimerization. On the other hand, the C-terminal T peptide is necessary for tetramerization. Four T peptides, organized as amphiphilic alpha helices, can assemble around proline-rich motifs of ColQ or PRiMA. The association of AChE(T) or BChE subunits with ColQ produces collagen-tailed molecules, which are inserted in the extracellular matrix, e.g. in the basal lamina of neuromuscular junctions. Their association with PRiMA produces membrane-bound tetramers which constitute the predominant form of cholinesterases in the mammalian brain; in muscles, the level of PRiMA-anchored tetramers is regulated by exercise, but their functional significance remains unknown. In brain and muscles, the hydrolysis of acetylcholine by cholinesterases, in different contexts, and their possible noncatalytic functions clearly depend on their localization by ColQ or PRiMA.

Acetylcholinesterase↗