Endosomal trafficking in schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a severe and heritable neuropsychiatric disorder, which arises due to a combination of common genetic variation, rare loss of function variation, and copy number variation. Functional genomic evidence has been used to identify candidate genes affected by this variation, which revealed biological pathways that may be disrupted in schizophrenia. Understanding the contributions of these pathways are critical next steps in understanding schizophrenia pathogenesis. A number of genes involved in endocytosis are implicated in schizophrenia. In this review, we explore the history of endosomal trafficking in schizophrenia and highlight new endosomal candidate genes. We explore the function of these candidate genes and hypothesize how their dysfunction may contribute to schizophrenia.

Kinesin-14 motors participate in a force balance at microtubule plus-ends to regulate dynamic instability.

Kinesin-14 molecular motors represent an essential class of proteins that bind microtubules and walk toward their minus-ends. Previous studies have described important roles for Kinesin-14 motors at microtubule minus-ends, but their role in regulating plus-end dynamics remains controversial. Kinesin-14 motors have been shown to bind the EB family of microtubule plus-end binding proteins, suggesting that these minus-end-directed motors could interact with growing microtubule plus-ends. In this work, we explored the role of minus-end-directed Kinesin-14 motor forces in controlling plus-end microtubule dynamics. In cells, a Kinesin-14 mutant with reduced affinity to EB proteins led to increased microtubule lengths. Cell-free biophysical microscopy assays were performed using Kinesin-14 motors and an EB family marker of growing microtubule plus-ends, Mal3, which revealed that when Kinesin-14 motors bound to Mal3 at growing microtubule plus-ends, the motors subsequently walked toward the minus-end, and Mal3 was pulled away from the growing microtubule tip. Strikingly, these interactions resulted in an approximately twofold decrease in the expected postinteraction microtubule lifetime. Furthermore, generic minus-end-directed tension forces, generated by tethering growing plus-ends to the coverslip using λ-DNA, led to an approximately sevenfold decrease in the expected postinteraction microtubule growth length. In contrast, the inhibition of Kinesin-14 minus-end-directed motility led to extended tip interactions and to an increase in the expected postinteraction microtubule lifetime, indicating that plus-ends were stabilized by nonmotile Kinesin-14 motors. Together, we find that Kinesin-14 motors participate in a force balance at microtubule plus-ends to regulate microtubule lengths in cells.

Schizophrenia-Linked Protein tSNARE1 Regulates Endosomal Trafficking in Cortical Neurons.

TSNARE1, which encodes the protein tSNARE1, is a high-confidence gene candidate for schizophrenia risk, but nothing is known about its cellular or physiological function. We identified the major gene products of TSNARE1 and their cytoplasmic localization and function in endosomal trafficking in cortical neurons. We validated three primary isoforms of TSNARE1 expressed in human brain, all of which encode a syntaxin-like Qa SNARE domain. RNA-sequencing data from adult and fetal human brain suggested that the majority of tSNARE1 lacks a transmembrane domain that is thought to be necessary for membrane fusion. Biochemical data demonstrate that tSNARE1 can compete with Stx12 for incorporation into an endosomal SNARE complex, supporting its possible role as an inhibitory SNARE. Live-cell imaging in cortical neurons from mice of both sexes demonstrated that brain tSNARE1 isoforms localized to the endosomal network. The most abundant brain isoform, tSNARE1c, localized most frequently to Rab7+ late endosomes, and endogenous tSNARE1 displayed a similar localization in human neural progenitor cells and neuroblastoma cells. In mature rat neurons from both sexes, tSNARE1 localized to the dendritic shaft and dendritic spines, supporting a role for tSNARE1 at the postsynapse. Expression of either tSNARE1b or tSNARE1c, which differ only in their inclusion or exclusion of an Myb-like domain, delayed the trafficking of the dendritic endosomal cargo Nsg1 into late endosomal and lysosomal compartments. These data suggest that tSNARE1 regulates endosomal trafficking in cortical neurons, likely by negatively regulating early endosomal to late endosomal trafficking.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Schizophrenia is a severe and polygenic neuropsychiatric disorder. Understanding the functions of high-confidence candidate genes is critical toward understanding how their dysfunction contributes to schizophrenia pathogenesis. TSNARE1 is one of the high-confidence candidate genes for schizophrenia risk, yet nothing was known about its cellular or physiological function. Here we describe the major isoforms of TSNARE1 and their cytoplasmic localization and function in the endosomal network in cortical neurons. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that the majority of brain tSNARE1 acts as a negative regulator to endolysosomal trafficking.

Exocyst structural changes associated with activation of tethering downstream of Rho/Cdc42 GTPases.

The exocyst complex plays a critical role in determining both temporal and spatial dynamics of exocytic vesicle tethering and fusion with the plasma membrane. However, the mechanism by which the exocyst functions and how it is regulated remain poorly understood. Here we describe a novel biochemical assay for the examination of exocyst function in vesicle tethering. Importantly, the assay is stimulated by gain-of-function mutations in the Exo70 component of the exocyst, selected for their ability to bypass Rho/Cdc42 activation in vivo. Single-particle electron microscopy and 3D reconstructions of negatively stained exocyst complexes reveal a structural change in the mutant exocyst that exposes a binding site for the v-SNARE. We demonstrate a v-SNARE requirement in our tethering assay and increased v-SNARE binding to exocyst gain-of-function complexes. Together, these data suggest an allosteric mechanism for activation involving a conformational change in one subunit of the complex, which is relayed through the complex to regulate its biochemical activity in vitro, as well as overall function in vivo.

TRIM9-dependent ubiquitination of DCC constrains kinase signaling, exocytosis, and axon branching.

Extracellular netrin-1 and its receptor deleted in colorectal cancer (DCC) promote axon branching in developing cortical neurons. Netrin-dependent morphogenesis is preceded by multimerization of DCC, activation of FAK and Src family kinases, and increases in exocytic vesicle fusion, yet how these occurrences are linked is unknown. Here we demonstrate that tripartite motif protein 9 (TRIM9)-dependent ubiquitination of DCC blocks the interaction with and phosphorylation of FAK. Upon netrin-1 stimulation TRIM9 promotes DCC multimerization, but TRIM9-dependent ubiquitination of DCC is reduced, which promotes an interaction with FAK and subsequent FAK activation. We found that inhibition of FAK activity blocks elevated frequencies of exocytosis in vitro and elevated axon branching in vitro and in vivo. Although FAK inhibition decreased soluble N-ethylmaleimide attachment protein receptor (SNARE)-mediated exocytosis, assembled SNARE complexes and vesicles adjacent to the plasma membrane increased, suggesting a novel role for FAK in the progression from assembled SNARE complexes to vesicle fusion in developing murine neurons.

Mechanism of microtubule lumen entry for the α-tubulin acetyltransferase enzyme αTAT1.

Microtubules are structural polymers inside of cells that are subject to posttranslational modifications. These posttranslational modifications create functionally distinct subsets of microtubule networks in the cell, and acetylation is the only modification that takes place in the hollow lumen of the microtubule. Although it is known that the α-tubulin acetyltransferase (αTAT1) is the primary enzyme responsible for microtubule acetylation, the mechanism for how αTAT1 enters the microtubule lumen to access its acetylation sites is not well understood. By performing biochemical assays, fluorescence and electron microscopy experiments, and computational simulations, we found that αTAT1 enters the microtubule lumen through the microtubule ends, and through bends or breaks in the lattice. Thus, microtubule structure is an important determinant in the acetylation process. In addition, once αTAT1 enters the microtubule lumen, the mobility of αTAT1 within the lumen is controlled by the affinity of αTAT1 for its acetylation sites, due to the rapid rebinding of αTAT1 onto highly concentrated α-tubulin acetylation sites. These results have important implications for how acetylation could gradually accumulate on stable subsets of microtubules inside of the cell.

The chemical biology of Cu(II) complexes with imidazole or thiazole containing ligands: Synthesis, crystal structures and comparative biological activity.

The synthesis and characterization of two copper(II) complexes containing 2-(2-pyridyl)benzimidazole (PyBIm) are reported with the biological activity of these two complexes and a third Cu(II) complex containing 2-(2-pyridyl)benzothiazole (PyBTh). Complex 1, [Cu(PyBIm)(NO3)(H2O)](NO3), is a four coordinate, distorted square planar species with one ligand (N,N), nitrate and water bound to Cu(II). The [Cu(PyBIm)3](BF4)2 complex (2) has distorted octahedral geometry with a 3:1 Py(BIm) ligand to metal ratio. The distorted trigonal bi-pyramidal geometry of compound 3, [Cu(PyBTh)2(H2O)](BF4)2, is comprised of two PyBTh ligands and one water. Biological activity of 1-3 has been assessed by analyzing DNA interaction, nuclease ability, cytotoxic activity and antibacterial properties. Complex 3 exhibits potent concentration dependent SC-DNA cleavage forming single- and double-nicked DNA in contrast to the weak activity of complexes 1 and 2. Mechanistic studies indicate that all complexes utilize an oxidative mechanism however 1 and 2 employ O2(-) as the principal reactive oxygen species while the highly active 3 utilizes (1)O2. The interaction between 1-3 and DNA was investigated using fluorescence emission spectroscopy and revealed all complexes strongly intercalate DNA with Kapp values of 2.65 × 10(6), 1.85 × 10(6) and 2.72 × 10(6)M(-1), respectively. Cytotoxic effects of 1-3 were examined using HeLa and K562 cells and show cell death in the micromolar range with the activity of 1 ≈ 2 and were slightly higher than 3. Similar reactivity was observed in the antibacterial studies with E. coli and S. aureus. A detailed comparative analysis of the three complexes is presented.

Suppression of microtubule assembly kinetics by the mitotic protein TPX2.

TPX2 is a widely conserved microtubule-associated protein that is required for mitotic spindle formation and function. Previous studies have demonstrated that TPX2 is required for the nucleation of microtubules around chromosomes; however, the molecular mechanism by which TPX2 promotes microtubule nucleation remains a mystery. In this study, we found that TPX2 acts to suppress tubulin subunit off-rates during microtubule assembly and disassembly, thus allowing for the support of unprecedentedly slow rates of plus-end microtubule growth, and also leading to a dramatically reduced microtubule shortening rate. These changes in microtubule dynamics can be explained in computational simulations by a moderate increase in tubulin-tubulin bond strength upon TPX2 association with the microtubule lattice, which in turn acts to reduce the departure rate of tubulin subunits from the microtubule ends. Thus, the direct suppression of tubulin subunit off-rates by TPX2 during microtubule growth and shortening could provide a molecular mechanism to explain the nucleation of new microtubules in the presence of TPX2.

A delay prior to mitotic entry triggers caspase 8-dependent cell death in p53-deficient Hela and HCT-116 cells.

Stathmin/Oncoprotein 18, a microtubule destabilizing protein, is required for survival of p53-deficient cells. Stathmin-depleted cells are slower to enter mitosis, but whether delayed mitotic entry triggers cell death or whether stathmin has a separate pro-survival function was unknown. To test these possibilities, we abrogated the cell cycle delay by inhibiting Wee1 in synchronized, stathmin-depleted cells and found that apoptosis was reduced to control levels. Synchronized cells treated with a 4 hour pulse of inhibitors to CDK1 or both Aurora A and PLK1 delayed mitotic entry and apoptosis was triggered only in p53-deficient cells. We did not detect mitotic defects downstream of the delayed mitotic entry, indicating that cell death is activated by a mechanism distinct from those activated by prolonged mitotic arrest. Cell death is triggered by initiator caspase 8, based on its cleavage to the active form and by rescue of viability after caspase 8 depletion or treatment with a caspase 8 inhibitor. In contrast, initiator caspase 9, activated by prolonged mitotic arrest, is not activated and is not required for apoptosis under our experimental conditions. P53 upregulates expression of cFLIPL, a protein that blocks caspase 8 activation. cFLIPL levels are lower in cells lacking p53 and these levels are reduced to a greater extent after stathmin depletion. Expression of FLAG-tagged cFLIPL in p53-deficient cells rescues them from apoptosis triggered by stathmin depletion or CDK1 inhibition during G2. These data indicate that a cell cycle delay in G2 activates caspase 8 to initiate apoptosis specifically in p53-deficient cells.