Biomedical subjects

Thorsten Hoppe

Publications and source records attributed to Thorsten Hoppe.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

A conserved role of Caenorhabditis elegans CDC-48 in ER-associated protein degradation.

Protein degradation mediated by the ubiquitin/proteasome system is essential for the elimination of misfolded proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to adapt to ER stress. It has been reported that the AAA ATPase p97/VCP/CDC48 is required in this pathway for protein dislocation across the ER membrane and subsequent ubiquitin dependent degradation by the 26S proteasome in the cytosol. Throughout ER-associated protein degradation, p97 cooperates with a binary Ufd1/Npl4-complex. In Caenorhabditis elegans two homologs of p97, designated CDC-48.1 and CDC-48.2, exist. Our results indicate that both p97 homologs interact with UFD-1/NPL-4 in a similar CDC-48(UFD-1/NPL-4) complex. RNAi mediated depletion of the corresponding genes induces ER stress resulting in hypersensitivity to conditions which induce increased levels of unfolded proteins in the ER lumen. Together, these data suggest an evolutionarily conserved retro-translocation machinery at the endoplasmic reticulum.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

PubMed2005

A Caenorhabditis elegans Parkin mutant with altered solubility couples alpha-synuclein aggregation to proteotoxic stress.

Mutations in the human parkin gene encoding an E3 ubiquitin ligase have been associated with early-onset recessive forms of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the molecular mechanisms by which mutations in the parkin gene cause PD are still under debate. Here, we identified and characterized the Caenorhabditis elegans parkin homolog, pdr-1. PDR-1 protein physically associates and cooperates with a conserved degradation machinery to mediate ubiquitin conjugation. Strikingly, in contrast to pdr-1 loss-of-function mutants, an in-frame deletion variant with altered solubility and intracellular localization properties is hypersensitive toward different proteotoxic stress conditions. Both endoplasmic reticulum-derived folding stress and cytosolic stress conferred by expression of mutant human alpha-synuclein resulted in severe developmental defects and lethality in pdr-1(lg103) mutant background. Furthermore, we show that the corresponding truncated protein PDR-1(Deltaaa24-247) aggregates in cell culture, but still interacts with its ubiquitylation co-enzymes. Thus, it might block the cellular degradation/detoxification machinery and therefore renders worms highly vulnerable to protein folding stress. In contrast to other complete gene knockouts or RNAi models of Parkin function, this C. elegans model recapitulates Parkin insolubility and aggregation similar to several autosomal recessive juvenile parkinsonism (AR-JP)-linked Parkin mutations. We suggest that such Parkin variants that either confer a neomorphic function or a partial loss-of-function may help to further elucidate the biological function of Parkin in vivo and the pathogenic mechanisms resulting in AR-JP. Due to high-throughput capacity of C. elegans, this model is particularly well suited to identify genetic and chemical modifiers of toxicity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2005

Multiubiquitylation by E4 enzymes: 'one size' doesn't fit all.

Selective protein degradation by the 26S proteasome requires the covalent attachment of several ubiquitin molecules in the form of a multiubiquitin chain. Ubiquitylation usually involves three classes of enzymes: a ubiquitin-activating enzyme (E1), a ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (E2) and a ubiquitin ligase (E3). However, in some cases, multiubiquitylation requires the additional activity of certain ubiquitin-chain elongation factors. Yeast UFD2 (ubiquitin fusion degradation), for example, binds to oligoubiquitylated substrates (proteins modified by only a few ubiquitin molecules) and catalyses multiubiquitin-chain assembly in collaboration with E1, E2 and E3. Enzymes possessing this specific activity have been proposed to be termed 'E4 enzymes'. Recent studies have provided accumulating evidence that has led some researchers in the field to conclude that E4, indeed, represents a distinct and novel class of enzymes.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

PubMed2005

Orchestra for assembly and fate of polyubiquitin chains.

Selective protein degradation by the 26 S proteasome usually requires a polyubiquitin chain attached to the protein substrate by three classes of enzymes: a ubiquitin-activating enzyme (E1), a ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (E2), and a ubiquitin ligase (E3). This reaction can produce different polyubiquitin chains that, depending on size and linkage type, can provide distinct intracellular signals. Interestingly, polyubiquitination is sometimes regulated by additional conjugation factors, called E4s (polyubiquitin chain conjugation factors). Yeast UFD2 (ubiquitin fusion degradation protein-2), the first E4 to be described, binds to the ubiquitin moieties of preformed conjugates and catalyses ubiquitin-chain elongation together with E1, E2, and E3. Recent studies have illustrated that the E4 enzyme UFD2 co-operates with an orchestra of ubiquitin-binding factors in an escort pathway to transfer and deliver polyubiquitinated substrates to the 26 S proteasome. Here we propose a model in which E4-dependent polyubiquitination pathways are modulated by different ubiquitin-binding proteins, using ataxin-3 as an example.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Regulation of the myosin-directed chaperone UNC-45 by a novel E3/E4-multiubiquitylation complex in C. elegans.

The organization of the motor protein myosin into motile cellular structures requires precise temporal and spatial control. Caenorhabditis elegans UNC-45 facilitates this by functioning both as a chaperone and as a Hsp90 cochaperone for myosin during thick filament assembly. Consequently, mutations in C. elegans unc-45 result in paralyzed animals with severe myofibril disorganization in striated body wall muscles. Here, we report a new E3/E4 complex, formed by CHN-1, the C. elegans ortholog of CHIP (carboxyl terminus of Hsc70-interacting protein), and UFD-2, an enzyme known to have ubiquitin conjugating E4 activity in yeast, as necessary and sufficient to multiubiquitylate UNC-45 in vitro. The phenotype of unc-45 temperature-sensitive animals is partially suppressed by chn-1 loss of function, while UNC-45 overexpression in worms deficient for chn-1 results in severely disorganized muscle cells. These results identify CHN-1 and UFD-2 as a functional E3/E4 complex and UNC-45 as its physiologically relevant substrate.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

C. elegans, a model for aging with high-throughput capacity.

The 1 mm long nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is one of the prime animal models to study the genetics of aging. Wild type animals under laboratory conditions live only for an average of 18 days, whereas mutations in about 50 genes have been identified that extend longevity up to sixfold. High-throughput analyses have been devised that allow large-scale analysis to identify additional genes, as well as compounds that affect life-span.

Aging↗