Post-proteasomal and proteasome-independent generation of MHC class I ligands.

Peptide ligands presented by MHC class I molecules are produced by intracellular proteolysis, which often involves multiple steps. Initial antigen degradation seems to rely almost invariably on the proteasome, although tripeptidyl peptidase II (TPP II) and insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) may be able to substitute for the proteasome in rare cases. Recent evidence suggests that the net effect of cytosolic aminopeptidases is destruction of potential class I ligands, although a positive role in selected cases has been documented. This may apply particularly to the trimming of long precursors by TPP II. In contrast, trimming of ligand precursors in the endoplasmic reticulum is essential for the generation of suitable peptides and has a substantial impact on the repertoire of ligands presented. Trimming by the ER aminopeptidase (ERAP) enzymes most likely acts on free precursors and is adapted to the needs of class I molecules by way of a molecular ruler mechanism. Trimming by ERAP enzymes also occurs for cross-presented ligands, which can alternatively be processed in a special endosomal compartment by insulin-regulated aminopeptidase.

Production of an antigenic peptide by insulin-degrading enzyme.

Most antigenic peptides presented by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules are produced by the proteasome. Here we show that a proteasome-independent peptide derived from the human tumor protein MAGE-A3 is produced directly by insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE), a cytosolic metallopeptidase. Cytotoxic T lymphocyte recognition of tumor cells was reduced after metallopeptidase inhibition or IDE silencing. Separate inhibition of the metallopeptidase and the proteasome impaired degradation of MAGE-A3 proteins, and simultaneous inhibition of both further stabilized MAGE-A3 proteins. These results suggest that MAGE-A3 proteins are degraded along two parallel pathways that involve either the proteasome or IDE and produce different sets of antigenic peptides presented by MHC class I molecules.

Immunohistochemical evidence of ubiquitous distribution of the metalloendoprotease insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE; insulysin) in human non-malignant tissues and tumor cell lines.

Immunohistochemical evidence of ubiquitous distribution of the metalloprotease insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE; insulysin) in human non-malignant tissues and tumor cells is presented. Immunohistochemical staining was performed on a multi-organ tissue microarray (pancreas, lung, kidney, central/peripheral nervous system, liver, breast, placenta, myocardium, striated muscle, bone marrow, thymus, and spleen) and on a cell microarray of 31 tumor cell lines of different origin, as well as trophoblast cells and normal blood lymphocytes and granulocytes. IDE protein was expressed in all the tissues assessed and all the tumor cell lines except for Raji and HL-60. Trophoblast cells and granulocytes, but not normal lymphocytes, were also IDE-positive.

Insulin degrading enzyme is a cellular receptor mediating varicella-zoster virus infection and cell-to-cell spread.

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) causes chickenpox and shingles. While varicella is likely spread as cell-free virus to susceptible hosts, the virus is transmitted by cell-to-cell spread in the body and in vitro. Since VZV glycoprotein E (gE) is essential for virus infection, we postulated that gE binds to a cellular receptor. We found that insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) interacts with gE through its extracellular domain. Downregulation of IDE by siRNA, or blocking of IDE with antibody, with soluble IDE protein extracted from liver, or with bacitracin inhibited VZV infection. Cell-to-cell spread of virus was also impaired by blocking IDE. Transfection of cell lines impaired for VZV infection with a plasmid expressing human IDE resulted in increased entry and enhanced infection with cell-free and cell-associated virus. These studies indicate that IDE is a cellular receptor for both cell-free and cell-associated VZV.

Insulin inhibits peroxisomal fatty acid oxidation in isolated rat hepatocytes.

Inhibition by insulin of long chain fatty acid oxidation in mitochondria is mediated in part by elevating malonyl-CoA levels, which inhibit carnitine palmitoyl-transferase I. Whether insulin alters peroxisomal oxidation has not been studied. We present data which show that insulin inhibits the oxidation of palmitic acid by peroxisomes (IC(50) = 8.5 x 10(-11) M) at hormone concentrations 100-fold less than those needed for mitochondrial inhibition (IC(50) = 1.3 x 10(-8) M). We used a purified peroxisome preparation to study the mechanism of insulin action. Insulin had a direct effect in the peroxisome preparations to decrease oxygen consumption, fatty acyl-CoA oxidizing system activity and acyl-CoA oxidase by approximately 40%, 30% and 15%, respectively. Since insulin degrading enzyme (IDE) is an insulin-binding protein known to be in peroxisomes, we studied the effect of an inhibitory anti-IDE antibody on the ability of insulin to inhibit the fatty acyl-CoA oxidizing system. The antibody eliminated the inhibitory effect of insulin. We conclude that insulin inhibits peroxisomal fatty acid oxidation by a mechanism requiring IDE.

ATP inhibits insulin-degrading enzyme activity.

We studied the ability of ATP to inhibit in vitro the degrading activity of insulin-degrading enzyme. The enzyme was purified from rat skeletal muscle by successive chromatographic steps. The last purification step showed two bands at 110 and 60 kDa in polyacrylamide gel. The enzyme was characterized by its insulin degradation activity, the substrate competition of unlabeled to labeled insulin, the profile of enzyme inhibitors, and the recognition by a specific antibody. One to 5 mM ATP induced a dose-dependent inhibition of insulin degradation (determined by trichloroacetic acid precipitation and insulin antibody binding). Inhibition by 3 mM adenosine 5'-diphosphate, adenosine 5'-monophosphate, guanosine 5'-triphosphate, pyrophosphate, beta-gamma-methyleneadenosine 5'-triphosphate, adenosine 5'-O-(3 thiotriphosphate), and dibutiryl cyclic adenosine 5'-monophosphate was 74%, 4%, 38%, 46%, 65%, 36%, and 0%, respectively, of that produced by 3 mM ATP. Kinetic analysis of ATP inhibition suggested an allosteric effect as the plot of 1/v (insulin degradation) versus ATP concentration was not linear and the Hill coefficient was more than 1 (1.51 and 2.44). The binding constant for allosteric inhibition was KiT = 1.5 x 10(-7) M showing a decrease of enzyme affinity induced by ATP. We conclude that ATP has an inhibitory effect on the insulin degradation activity of the enzyme.

Preparation and characterization of novel substrates of insulin proteinase (EC 3.4.99.45).

The specificity of insulin proteinase (EC 3.4.99.45) has been difficult to categorize using only its natural substrates. By exploiting the fact that two substrates competing for the same enzyme inhibit one another, we have found some new substrates of the insulin proteinase from porcine muscle. Two of these substrates, a tryptic fragment of BSA and a fragment of cytochrome c, have been shown to be cleaved at a single site. The albumin fragment, as well as another fragment of cytochrome c., have susceptibilities (Vmax/Km) comparable with that of insulin. In a second aspect of the study, the porcine-muscle enzyme was shown to be related to other members of its superfamily in that it was immunoprecipitated by a monoclonal antibody raised against the insulin-degrading enzyme from human red blood cells and has the same cleavage sites on insulin as has the rat skeletal-muscle insulin proteinase. We note, however, a possible discrepancy between our results and those of another group regarding the subunit size (110 kDa) of the immunoprecipitated material.

Affinity purification of insulin-degrading enzyme and its endogenous inhibitor from rat liver.

A metallothiol protease called insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) seems to be implicated in insulin metabolism to terminate the response of cells to hormone, as well as in other biological functions, including muscle differentiation, regulation of growth factor levels, and antigen processing. In order to obtain highly pure and biologically active IDE, we have developed an immunoaffinity method using a monoclonal antibody to this enzyme (9B12). When the cytosolic fraction of rat liver was first applied to a 9B12-coupled Affi-Gel 10 column, more than 97% of the insulin-degrading activity was absorbed. Among various kinds of buffers successfully eluting the enzyme, only the buffer with a high pH (pH 11) could retain the full biological activity of this enzyme. IDE was further purified via two steps of chromatography using Mono Q anion exchange and Superose 12 molecular sieve columns. The final preparation showed a single band at 110 kDa on reduced sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). In the eluate from the immunoaffinity column, the inhibitory activity associated with the enzyme was also observed. To better recover this endogenous inhibitor, heat-treated cytosolic fraction was fractionated by ammonium sulfate precipitation and applied to the immunoaffinity column on which IDE had been adsorbed. Then, IDE and its inhibitor could be co-eluted with pH 11 as a complex form. After heat treatment of this fraction, the inhibitor was further purified using the same series of chromatography as IDE to more than 20,000-fold; it showed a 14 kDa band on SDS-PAGE. It inhibited both the insulin degradation by IDE in a competitive manner and the cross-linking of 125I-insulin to IDE. Highly purified IDE and the endogenous inhibitor will be useful tools for better understanding the various biological functions of this enzyme.

Human red blood cell insulin-degrading enzyme and rat skeletal muscle insulin protease share antigenic sites and generate identical products from insulin.

The mechanisms of cellular insulin degradation remain uncertain. Considerable evidence now exists that the primary cellular insulin-degrading activity is a metallothiol proteinase. Two similar degrading activities have been purified and characterized. Insulin protease has been purified from rat skeletal muscle and insulin-degrading enzyme from human red blood cells. Whereas the two degrading activities share a number of similar properties, significant differences have also been reported; and it is not at all established that they are the same enzyme. To examine this, we have compared antigenic and catalytic properties of the two enzymatic activities. Monoclonal antibodies against the red blood cell enzyme adsorb the skeletal muscle enzyme; and on Western blots, the antibodies react with an identical 110-kDa protein. Immunoaffinity-purified enzymes from both red blood cells and skeletal muscle degrade [125I]iodo(B26)insulin to the same products as seen with purified insulin protease and with intact liver and kidney. Chelator-treated muscle and red blood cell enzymes can be reactivated with either Mn2+ or Ca2+. Thus, insulin-degrading enzyme and insulin protease have similar properties. These results support the hypothesis that these activities reside in the same enzyme.

Inhibition of insulin degradation by hepatoma cells after microinjection of monoclonal antibodies to a specific cytosolic protease.

Four monoclonal antibodies were identified by their ability to bind to 125I-labeled insulin covalently linked to a cytosolic insulin-degrading enzyme from human erythrocytes. All four antibodies were also found to remove more than 90% of the insulin-degrading activity from erythrocyte extracts. These antibodies were shown to be directed to different sites on the enzyme by mapping studies and by their various properties. Two antibodies recognized the insulin-degrading enzyme from rat liver; one inhibited the erythrocyte enzyme directly; and two recognized the enzyme after gel electrophoresis and transfer to nitrocellulose filters. By this latter procedure and immunoprecipitation from metabolically labeled cells, the enzyme from a variety of tissues was shown to be composed of a single polypeptide chain of apparent Mr 110,000. Finally, these monoclonal antibodies were microinjected into the cytoplasm of a human hepatoma cell line to assess the contribution of this enzyme to insulin degradation in the intact cell. In five separate experiments, preloading of cells with these monoclonal antibodies resulted in an inhibition of insulin degradation of 18-54% (average 39%) and increased the amount of 125I-labeled insulin associated with the cells. In contrast, microinjection of control antibody or an extraneous monoclonal antibody had no effect on insulin degradation or on the amount of insulin associated with the cells. Moreover, the monoclonal antibodies to the insulin-degrading enzyme caused no significant inhibition of degradation of another molecule, low density lipoprotein. Thus, these results support a role for this enzyme in insulin degradation in the intact cell.

Immunochemical studies on the insulin-degrading enzyme from pig and rat skeletal muscle.

Insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE), which proteolytically degraded insulin with a high degree of specificity, was purified from pig skeletal muscle by ammonium sulfate precipitation, chromatography on Bio-Gel P-200 and DEAE-cellulose, and finally rechromatography on Sephadex G-200 (rechromatography fraction). The enzyme was also purified by affinity chromatography (affinity fraction). Both fractions migrated as a single component at the same position on polyacrylamidegel disc electrophoresis. Antiserum against pig muscle IDE was obtained by immunization of rabbits using the rechromatography fraction. By means of antiserum, it was shown that pig muscle IDE (affinity fraction), rat muscle cytosol-, and membrane-IDE gave a precipitin band of identity in Ouchterlony double-immunodiffusion systems. Quantitative immunoprecipitin data demonstrated that the antiserum inhibited the activities of the above three IDEs compared with normal rabbit serum. These data suggest that the insulin-degrading enzyme from porcine muscle and that from rat muscle have similar immunologic properties. The antiserum described here should be a useful tool for the examination of subcellular distribution and the quantitative analysis of insulin-degrading enzyme. It may also be helpful in determining the physiologic significance of IDE.