Dual roles for Spt5 in pre-mRNA processing and transcription elongation revealed by identification of Spt5-associated proteins.

During transcription elongation, eukaryotic RNA polymerase II (Pol II) must contend with the barrier presented by nucleosomes. The conserved Spt4-Spt5 complex has been proposed to regulate elongation through nucleosomes by Pol II. To help define the mechanism of Spt5 function, we have characterized proteins that coimmunopurify with Spt5. Among these are the general elongation factors TFIIF and TFIIS as well as Spt6 and FACT, factors thought to regulate elongation through nucleosomes. Spt5 also coimmunopurified with the mRNA capping enzyme and cap methyltransferase, and spt4 and spt5 mutations displayed genetic interactions with mutations in capping enzyme genes. Additionally, we found that spt4 and spt5 mutations lead to accumulation of unspliced pre-mRNA. Spt5 also copurified with several previously unstudied proteins; we demonstrate that one of these is encoded by a new member of the SPT gene family. Finally, by immunoprecipitating these factors we found evidence that Spt5 participates in at least three Pol II complexes. These observations provide new evidence of roles for Spt4-Spt5 in pre-mRNA processing and transcription elongation.

Association of polymorphisms at the SR-BI gene locus with plasma lipid levels and body mass index in a white population.

The scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI) is a lipoprotein receptor that has been shown to be important in high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) metabolism in mice. To determine its role in humans, we have characterized the human SR-BI gene and investigated its genetic variation in 489 white men and women. Five variants were demonstrated: 2 in introns (3 and 5) and 3 in exons (1, 8, and 11). Three variants at exons 1 and 8 and intron 5 with allele frequencies >0.1 were used to examine associations with lipid or anthropometric variables. The exon 1 variant was significantly (P<0.05) associated with increased HDL-C and lower low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) values in men, but no associations were observed in women. The exon 8 variant was associated in women with lower LDL-C concentrations (3.05+/-0.98 mmol/L and 3.00+/-0.93 mmol/L for heterozygotes and homozygotes, respectively) compared with women homozygous for the common allele (3.39+/-1.09 mmol/L, P=0. 043). No associations for this variant were observed in men. Women carriers of the intron 5 variant showed a higher body mass index (23. 8+/-3.8 kg/m2, P=0.031) than those women homozygous for the common allele (22.4+/-3.4 kg/m2). Similar results were observed after haplotype analysis. Multiple regression analysis using HDL-C, LDL-C, and body mass index as dependent variables and age, sex, and each of the genetic variants as predictors also provided similar results. The associations found with both LDL-C and HDL-C suggest that SR-BI may play a role in the metabolism of both lipoprotein classes in humans.

Trafficking of cell-surface amyloid beta-protein precursor. I. Secretion, endocytosis and recycling as detected by labeled monoclonal antibody.

Amyloid beta-protein, the principal constituent of amyloid fibrils found in senile plaques and blood vessels in Alzheimer's disease, is constitutively produced and released into medium of cultured cells. Amyloid beta-protein is derived by proteolysis of the beta-amyloid precursor protein by unclear mechanisms. Beta-amyloid precursor protein is a transmembrane protein which can be processed to release a large secretory product or processed in the endosomal/lysosomal pathway without secretion. Previous studies have shown that from the cell surface, beta-amyloid precursor protein may be released after cleavage or internalized without cleavage, the latter in a pathway that both produces amyloid beta-protein and also targets some molecules to the lysosomal compartment. Analysis of beta-amyloid precursor protein trafficking is confounded by the concomitant secretion and internalization of molecules from the cell surface. To address this issue, we developed an assay, based on the binding of radioiodinated monoclonal antibody, to measure the release and internalization of cell surface beta-amyloid precursor protein in transfected cells. With this approach, we showed that surface beta-amyloid precursor protein is either rapidly released or internalized, such that the duration at the cell surface is very short. Approximately 30% of cell surface beta-amyloid precursor protein molecules are released. Following internalization, a fraction of molecules are recycled while the majority of molecules are rapidly sorted to the lysosomal compartment for degradation When the C terminus of beta-amyloid precursor protein is deleted, secretion is increased by approximately 2.5-fold as compared to wild-type molecules. There is concomitant decrease in internalization in these mutant molecules as well as prolongation of the resident time on the cell surface. This observation is consistent with recent evidence that signals within the cytoplasmic domain mediate beta-amyloid precursor protein internalization.

Enhanced release of amyloid beta-protein from codon 670/671 "Swedish" mutant beta-amyloid precursor protein occurs in both secretory and endocytic pathways.

The mutation at codons 670/671 of beta-amyloid precursor protein (betaPP) dramatically elevates amyloid beta-protein (Abeta) production. Since increased Abeta may be responsible for the disease phenotype identified from a Swedish kindred with familial Alzheimer's disease, evaluation of the cellular mechanism(s) responsible for the enhanced Abeta release may suggest potential therapies for Alzheimer's disease. In this study, we analyzed Chinese hamster ovary cells stably transfected with either wild type betaPP (betaPP-wt) or "Swedish" mutant betaPP (betaPP-sw) for potential differences in betaPP processing. We confirmed that increased amounts of Abeta and a beta-secretase-cleaved COOH-terminally truncated soluble betaPP (betaPPs) were secreted from betaPP-sw cells. As shown previously for betaPP-wt cells, Abeta was released more slowly than the secretion of betaPPs from surface-labeled betaPP-sw cells, indicating that endocytosis of cell surface betaPP is one source of Abeta production. In contrast, by [35S]methionine metabolic labeling, the rates of Abeta and betaPPs release were virtually identical for both cell lines. In addition, the identification of intracellular betaPPs and Abeta shortly after pulse labeling suggests that Abeta is produced in the secretory pathway. Interestingly, more Abeta was present in medium from betaPP-sw cells than betaPP-wt cells after either cell surface iodination or [35S]methionine labeling, indicating that betaPP-sw cells have enhanced Abeta release in both the endocytic and secretory pathways. Furthermore, a variety of drug treatments known to affect protein processing similarly reduced Abeta release from both betaPP-wt and betaPP-sw cells. Taken together, the data suggest that the processing pathway for betaPP is similar for both betaPP-wt and betaPP-sw cells and that increased Abeta production by betaPP-sw cells arises from enhanced cleavage of mutant betaPP by beta-secretase, the as-yet unidentified enzyme(s) that cleaves at the NH2 terminus of Abeta.

Aggregation of secreted amyloid beta-protein into sodium dodecyl sulfate-stable oligomers in cell culture.

Filamentous aggregates of the 40-42-residue amyloid beta-protein (A beta) accumulate progressively in the limbic and cerebral cortex in Alzheimer's disease, where they are intimately associated with neuronal and glial cytopathology. Attempts to model this cytotoxicity in vitro using synthetic peptides have shown that monomeric A beta is relatively inert, whereas aggregated A beta reproducibly exerts a variety of neurotoxic effects. The processes that mediate the conversion of monomeric A beta into a toxic aggregated state are thus of great interest. Previous studies of this conversion have employed high concentrations (10(-5)-10(-3) M) of synthetic A beta peptides under nonbiological conditions. We report here the detection of small amounts (< 10(-9) M) of SDS-stable A beta oligomers in the culture media of Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing endogenous or transfected amyloid beta-protein precursor genes. The identity of these oligomers (primarily dimers and trimers) was established by immunoprecipitation with a panel of A beta antibodies, by electrophoretic comigration with synthetic A beta oligomers, and by amino acid sequencing. The oligomeric A beta species comprised approximately 10-20% of the total immunoprecipitable A beta in these cultures. A truncated A beta species beginning at Arg 5 was enriched in the oligomers, suggesting that amino-terminal heterogeneity can influence A beta oligomerization in this system. Addition of Congo red (10 microM) during metabolic labeling of the cells led to increased monomeric and decreased oligomeric A beta. The ability to detect and quantitate oligomers of secreted A beta peptides in cell culture should facilitate dynamic studies of the critical process of initial A beta aggregation under physiological conditions.

Evidence that production and release of amyloid beta-protein involves the endocytic pathway.

Amyloid beta-protein (A beta), the 40-43-amino acid polypeptide that is the principal constituent of senile plaques found in Alzheimer's disease, is constitutively produced and released into medium of cultured cells by an unclear mechanism. In this study, we report that one route of A beta generation involves the internalization of cell surface amyloid precursor protein (beta PP) via the coated pit-mediated endocytic pathway. Radiolabeled A beta can be recovered in medium following selective cell surface radioiodination, indicating that cell surface beta PP is a direct precursor to A beta. In addition, deletion of the cytoplasmic domains of beta PP or depletion of potassium in medium, both of which resulted in reduced beta PP internalization, significantly diminished A beta release. Moreover, pulse-chase experiments after surface radioiodination showed that the kinetics of beta PP secretion and A beta release was different, with the latter occurring at a significantly slower rate. We therefore hypothesize that the internalization of cell surface beta PP via coated pit-mediated endocytosis is one pathway leading to A beta generation and release into medium.