Syndecans Reside in Sphingomyelin-Enriched Low-Density Fractions of the Plasma Membrane Isolated from a Parathyroid Cell Line

BACKGROUND: Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) are one of the basic constituents of plasma membranes. Specific molecular interactions between HSPGs and a number of extracellular ligands have been reported. Mechanisms involved in controlling the localization and abundance of HSPG on specific domains on the cell surface, such as membrane rafts, could play important regulatory roles in signal transduction. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using metabolic radiolabeling and sucrose-density gradient ultracentrifugation techniques, we identified [(35)S]sulfate-labeled macromolecules associated with detergent-resistant membranes (DRMs) isolated from a rat parathyroid cell line. DRM fractions showed high specific radioactivity ([(35)S]sulfate/mg protein), implying the specific recruitment of HSPGs to the membrane rafts. Identity of DRM-associated [(35)S]sulfate-labeled molecules as HSPGs was confirmed by Western blotting with antibodies that recognize heparan sulfate (HS)-derived epitope. Analyses of core proteins by SDS-PAGE revealed bands with an apparent MW of syndecan-4 (30-33 kDa) and syndecan-1 (70 kDa) suggesting the presence of rafts with various HSPG species. DRM fractions enriched with HSPGs were characterized by high sphingomyelin content and found to only partially overlap with the fractions enriched in ganglioside GM1. HSPGs could be also detected in DRMs even after prior treatment of cells with heparitinase. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Both syndecan-1 and syndecan-4 have been found to specifically associate with membrane rafts and their association seemed independent of intact HS chains. Membrane rafts in which HSPGs reside were also enriched with sphingomyelin, suggesting their possible involvement in FGF signaling. Further studies, involving proteomic characterization of membrane domains containing HSPGs might improve our knowledge on the nature of HSPG-ligand interactions and their role in different signaling platforms

Interactome Analyses Identify Ties of PrPC and Its Mammalian Paralogs to Oligomannosidic N-Glycans and Endoplasmic Reticulum-Derived Chaperones

The physiological environment which hosts the conformational conversion of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) to disease-associated isoforms has remained enigmatic. A quantitative investigation of the PrPC interactome was conducted in a cell culture model permissive to prion replication. To facilitate recognition of relevant interactors, the study was extended to Doppel (Prnd) and Shadoo (Sprn), two mammalian PrPC paralogs. Interestingly, this work not only established a similar physiological environment for the three prion protein family members in neuroblastoma cells, but also suggested direct interactions amongst them. Furthermore, multiple interactions between PrPC and the neural cell adhesion molecule, the laminin receptor precursor, Na/K ATPases and protein disulfide isomerases (PDI) were confirmed, thereby reconciling previously separate findings. Subsequent validation experiments established that interactions of PrPC with PDIs may extend beyond the endoplasmic reticulum and may play a hitherto unrecognized role in the accumulation of PrPSc. A simple hypothesis is presented which accounts for the majority of interactions observed in uninfected cells and suggests that PrPC organizes its molecular environment on account of its ability to bind to adhesion molecules harboring immunoglobulin-like domains, which in turn recognize oligomannose-bearing membrane proteins

The small-molecule iron transport inhibitor ferristatin/NSC306711 promotes degradation of the transferrin receptor

Iron delivery by transferrin (Tf) is accomplished through clathrin-mediated endocytosis of Tf receptors. The small molecule NSC306711 inhibits iron uptake from the Tf-TfR pathway. Here we show that the drug\u27s mechanism of action is to induce internalization and degradation of unoccupied Tf receptors through an unexpected endocytic pathway. Unlike classical clathrin-mediated Tf receptor endocytosis, internalization promoted by NSC306711 is independent of clathrin and dynamin, and is sensitive to the cholesterol-depleting agents filipin and nystatin. The finding of this cholesterol-dependent Tf receptor internalization pathway through use of the small-molecule inhibitor sheds light on the pleiotropic nature of membrane trafficking dynamics and adds a complex dimension to our understanding of receptor regulation. Because of its unusual properties to inhibit iron uptake, we refer to NSC306711 as ferristatin

Proteasomes and ubiquitin are involved in the turnover of the wild-type prion protein

Prion diseases propagate by converting a normal glycoprotein of the host, PrP(C), into a pathogenic ‘prion’ conformation. Several misfolding mutants of PrP(C) are degraded through the ER-associated degradation (ERAD)–proteasome pathway. In their infectious form, prion diseases such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy involve PrP(C) of wild-type sequence. In contrast to mutant PrP, wild-type PrP(C) was hitherto thought to be stable in the ER and thus immune to ERAD. Using proteasome inhibitors, we now show that ∼10% of nascent PrP(C) molecules are diverted into the ERAD pathway. Cells incubated with N-acetyl-leucinal-leucinal-norleucinal (ALLN), lactacystin or MG132 accumulated both detergent-soluble and insoluble PrP species. The insoluble fraction included an unglycosylated 26 kDa PrP species with a protease-resistant core, and a M(r) ‘ladder’ that contained ubiquitylated PrP. Our results show for the first time that wild-type PrP(C) molecules are subjected to ERAD, in the course of which they are dislocated into the cytosol and ubiquitylated. The presence of wild-type PrP molecules in the cytosol may have potential pathogenic implications