Intracellular trafficking of Brucella abortus in J774 macrophages.

Brucella abortus is a facultative intracellular bacterium capable of surviving inside professional and nonprofessional phagocytes. The microorganism remains in membrane-bound compartments that in several cell types resemble modified endoplasmic reticulum structures. To monitor the intracellular transport of B. abortus in macrophages, the kinetics of fusion of phagosomes with preformed lysosomes labeled with colloidal gold particles was observed by electron microscopy. The results indicated that phagosomes containing live B. abortus were reluctant to fuse with lysosomes. Furthermore, newly endocytosed material was not incorporated into these phagosomes. These observations indicate that the bacteria strongly affect the normal maturation process of macrophage phagosomes. However, after overnight incubation, a significant percentage of the microorganisms were found in large phagosomes containing gold particles, resembling phagolysosomes. Most of the Brucella bacteria present in phagolysosomes were not morphologically altered, suggesting that they can also resist the harsh conditions prevalent in this compartment. About 50% colocalization of B. abortus with LysoSensor, a weak base that accumulates in acidic compartments, was observed, indicating that the B. abortus bacteria do not prevent phagosome acidification. In contrast to what has been described for HeLa cells, only a minor percentage of the microorganisms were found in compartments labeled with monodansylcadaverine, a marker for autophagosomes, and with DiOC6 (3,3'-dihexyloxacarbocyanine iodide), a marker for the endoplasmic reticulum. These results indicate that B. abortus bacteria alter phagosome maturation in macrophages. However, acidification does occur in these phagosomes, and some of them can eventually mature to phagolysosomes.

A phorbol ester-binding protein is required downstream of Rab5 in endosome fusion.

Previous observations indicate that a zinc and phorbol ester binding factor is necessary for endosome fusion. To further characterize the role of this factor in the process, we used an in vitro endosome fusion assay supplemented with recombinant Rab5 proteins. Both zinc depletion and addition of calphostin C, an inhibitor of protein kinase C, inhibited endosome fusion in the presence of active Rab5. Addition of the phorbol ester PMA (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate) reversed the inhibition of endosome fusion caused by a Rab5 negative mutant. Moreover, PMA stimulated fusion in the presence of Rab5 immunodepleted cytosol. These results suggest that the phorbol ester binding protein is acting downstream of Rab5 in endosome fusion.

A factor with a zinc- and phorbol ester-binding domain is necessary for endosome fusion.

An inhibitory effect of several zinc chelators on endosome fusion reconstituted in an in vitro system has been recently reported (A. Aballay et al., 1995, Biochem. J. 312, 919-923). The factor that requires zinc for its activity is still unknown. Since the regulatory domain of protein kinase C (PKC) contains cysteine-rich motifs which coordinate zinc, we suspected that PKC or a PKC-like protein might be that factor. To test this hypothesis, we studied the effect of calphostin C, a specific inhibitor of PKC that interacts with the cysteine-rich motif, and PMA (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate), an activator of several PKC isoforms that bind to the same region, on endosome fusion. Calphostin C inhibited endosome fusion in a zinc-regulated manner, whereas PMA enhanced endosome fusion. Moreover, fusion was strongly stimulated when both PMA and zinc were added together to zinc-depleted fusion reactions. Inhibitors of the catalytic domain of PKC had no effect on the assay suggesting that the kinase activity is not required. In contrast, a glutathione S-transferase fusion protein containing a cysteine-rich region of the regulatory domain of PKCgamma inhibited endosome fusion in a PMA-dependent manner. Western blot analysis demonstrated the presence of proteins containing PKC-like cysteine-rich regions that are released from endosomal fractions by zinc chelators. These results indicate that the previously proposed zinc-dependent factor required for endosome fusion could be either a PKC isoform or a protein containing the phorbol ester-binding domain of PKC.

Calcium- and zinc-binding proteins in intracellular transport.

The complex mechanism of intracellular transport is regulated by free calcium in different manners. Calcium binding proteins regulate several aspects of the vesicle fusion mechanism mediated by NSF (N-ethylmaleimide sensitive fusion factor). At least in some regulated exocytosis, calcium-binding proteins are the trigger for fusion downstream of NSF, Still, calcium-binding proteins, such as annexins, may be part of a different fusion mechanism mediating some specific transport steps or working in parallel to the NSF-dependent fusion process. Calcium is not the only ion necessary for the function of factors involved in vesicular transport. A zinc requirement has been also proposed. One of the zinc-dependent factors is probably a protein with a cysteine-rich region that coordinates zinc and binds phorbol esters. Although protein kinase C is the more prominent family of proteins carrying this domain, the factor necessary for transport does not appear to function as a kinase.

Zn2+ depletion blocks endosome fusion.

Fusion among endosomes is an important step for transport and sorting of internalized macromolecules. Working in a cell-free system, we previously reported that endosome fusion requires cytosol and ATP, and is sensitive to N-ethylmaleimide. Fusion is regulated by monomeric and heterotrimeric GTP-binding proteins. We now report that fusion can proceed at very low Ca2+ concentrations, i.e. < 30 nM. Moreover, fusion is not affected when intravesicular Ca2+ is depleted by preincubation of vesicles with calcium ionophores (5 microM ionomycin or A23187) in the presence of calcium chelators (5 mM EGTA or 60 mM EDTA). The results indicate that fusion can proceed at extremely low concentrations of intravesicular and extravesicular Ca2+. However, BAPTA [1,2-bis-(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetra-acetic acid], a relatively specific Ca2+ chelator, inhibits fusion. BAPTA binds other metals besides Ca2+. We present evidence that BAPTA inhibition is due not to Ca2+ chelation but to Zn2+ depletion. TPEN [N,N,N',N'-tetrakis-(2-pyridylmethyl) ethylenediamine], another metal-ion chelator with low affinity for Ca2+, also inhibited fusion. TPEN- and BAPTA-inhibited fusions were restored by addition of Zn2+. Zn(2+)-dependent fusion presents the same characteristics as control fusion. In intact cells, TPEN inhibited transport along the endocytic pathway. The results indicate that Zn2+ depletion blocks endosome fusion, suggesting that this ion is necessary for the function of one or more factors involved in the fusion process.