Endoplasmic reticulum quality control and apoptosis.

The ER is one of the most important folding compartments within the cell, as well as an intracellular Ca^(2+) storage organelle and it contains a number of Ca^(2+) regulated molecular chaperones responsible for the proper folding of glycosylated as well as non-glycosylated proteins. The luminal environment of the ER contains Ca^(2+) which is involved in regulating chaperones such as calnexin and calreticulin, as well as apoptotic proteins caspase-12 and Bap31, which may play an important role in determining cellular sensitivity to ER stress and apoptosis. The ER quality control system consists of several molecular chaperones, including calnexin, that assist in properly folding proteins and transporting them through the ER as well as sensing misfolded proteins, attempting to refold them and if this is not possible, targeting them for degradation. Accumulation of misfolded protein in the ER leads to activation of genes responsible for the expression of ER chaperones. The UPR mechanism involves transcriptional activation of chaperones by the membrane-localized transcription factor ATF6, in conjunction with the ER membrane kinase IRE1, as well as translational repression of protein synthesis by another ER membrane kinase PERK. When accumulation of misfolded protein becomes toxic, apoptosis is triggered, potentially with IRE1 involved in signaling via caspase-12. Both the extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways appear to culminate in the activation of caspases and this results in the recruitment of mitochondria in an essential amplifying manner. Bap31 may direct pro-apoptotic crosstalk between the ER and the mitochondria via Ca^(2+) in conjunction with caspase-12 and calnexin. Accordingly, ER stress and the resultant Ca^(2+) release must be very carefully regulated because of their effects in virtually all areas of cell function

Glycoprotein Quality Control and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) supports many cellular processes and performs diverse functions, including protein synthesis, translocation across the membrane, integration into the membrane, folding, and posttranslational modifications including N-linked glycosylation; and regulation of Ca2+ homeostasis. In mammalian systems, the majority of proteins synthesized by the rough ER have N-linked glycans critical for protein maturation. The N-linked glycan is used as a quality control signal in the secretory protein pathway. A series of chaperones, folding enzymes, glucosidases, and carbohydrate transferases support glycoprotein synthesis and processing. Perturbation of ER-associated functions such as disturbed ER glycoprotein quality control, protein glycosylation and protein folding results in activation of an ER stress coping response. Collectively this ER stress coping response is termed the unfolded protein response (UPR), and occurs through the activation of complex cytoplasmic and nuclear signaling pathways. Cellular and ER homeostasis depends on balanced activity of the ER protein folding, quality control, and degradation pathways; as well as management of the ER stress coping response

Endoplasmic reticulum stress associated responses in cancer

AbstractThe endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is responsible for many housekeeping functions within the cell and is an important site for pathways that regulates its state of homeostasis. When cellular states perturb ER functions, a phenomenon termed “ER stress” activates a number of pathways to counteract the associated damages; these pathways are together called the unfolded protein response (UPR). The UPR has a dualistic function; it exists to alleviate damage associated with ER stress, however, if this is not possible, then it signals for cell death through apoptosis. Cancer cells are shown to be very resilient under extreme environmental stress and an increasing number of studies have indicated that this may be largely due to an altered state of the UPR. The role of ER stress and the UPR in cancer is still not clear, however many components are involved and may prove to be promising targets in future anti-cancer therapy. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Calcium Signaling in Health and Disease. Guest Editors: Geert Bultynck, Jacques Haiech, Claus W. Heizmann, Joachim Krebs, and Marc Moreau

Calreticulin and the Heart

Calreticulin is an endoplasmic Ca2+ binding protein and molecular chaperone. As a cardiac embryonic gene, calreticulin is essential for heart development. The protein supports Ca2+-dependent signaling events that are critical to cardiomyocyte differentiation and cardiogenesis. The increased expression of calreticulin and endoplasmic reticulum/sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ capacity produces cardiomyocytes with enhanced efficiency, and detrimental mechanical stretching of cardiac fibroblasts, leading to cardiac pathology. Deletion of the calreticulin gene in adult cardiomyocytes results in left ventricle dilation, an impaired electrocardiogram, and heart failure. These observations indicate that a well-adjusted endoplasmic reticulum and calreticulin-dependent Ca2+ pool in cardiomyocytes are critical for the maintenance of proper cardiac function

Endoplasmic reticulum and the microRNA environment in the cardiovascular system.

Stress responses are important to human physiology and pathology and the inability to adapt to cellular stress leads to cell death. To mitigate cellular stress and re-establish homeostasis, cells, including those in the cardiovascular system, activate stress coping response mechanisms. The endoplasmic reticulum, a component of the cellular reticular network in cardiac cells, mobilizes so-called endoplasmic reticulum stress coping responses, such as the unfolded protein response (UPR). MicroRNAs play an important part in the maintenance of cellular and tissue homeostasis, perform a central role in the biology of the cardiac myocyte, and are involved in pathological cardiac function and remodeling. In this report we review a link between endoplasmic reticulum homeostasis and microRNA with an emphasis on the impact on stress responses in the cardiovascular system.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author