Dynamic and tissue-specific proteolytic processing of chemerin in obese mice.

Chemerin is a chemoattractant involved in immunity as well as an adipokine, whose activity is regulated by successive proteolytic cleavages at its C-terminus. Chemerin's C-terminal sequence and its proteolytic cleavage sites are highly conserved between human and mouse, as well as in other species. We produced, purified and characterized different mouse chemerin forms. Ca2+ mobilization assay showed that the EC50 values for mchem161T and mchem157R were 135.8 ± 158 nM and 71.2 ± 55.4 nM, respectively, whereas mchem156S and mchem155F had a 20-fold higher potency with an EC50 of 4.6 ± 1.8 nM and 3.6 ± 3.0 nM, respectively, likely representing the two physiologically active forms of chemerin. No agonist activity was found for mchem154A. Similar results were obtained in a chemotaxis assay. To identify and quantify the in vivo mouse chemerin forms in biological samples, we developed specific ELISAs for mchem162K, mchem157R, mchem156S, mchem155F and mchem154A, using antibodies raised against peptides from the C-terminus of the different mouse chemerin forms. The prochemerin form, mchem162K, was the major chemerin form in plasma with its increase matching the increase of total plasma chemerin in obese mice. During the onset of obesity in high-fat diet fed mice, mchem156S was elevated in plasma. In contrast, mchem155F was the dominant form in epididymal fat extracts. Our study provides the first direct evidence that mouse chemerin undergoes extensive, dynamic and tissue-specific proteolytic processing in vivo, similar to human chemerin, underlining the importance of measuring individual chemerin forms in studies of chemerin biology in mouse models.

Chemerin 156F, generated by chymase cleavage of prochemerin, is elevated in joint fluids of arthritis patients.

BACKGROUND: Chemerin is a chemoattractant involved in immunity that also functions as an adipokine. Chemerin is secreted as an inactive precursor (chem163S), and its activation requires proteolytic cleavages at its C-terminus, involving proteases in coagulation, fibrinolysis, and inflammation. Previously, we found chem158K was the dominant chemerin form in synovial fluids from patients with arthritis. In this study, we aimed to characterize a distinct cleaved chemerin form, chem156F, in osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Purified chem156F was produced in transfected CHO cells. To quantify chem156F in OA and RA samples, we developed a specific ELISA for chem156F using antibody raised against a peptide representing the C-terminus of chem156F. RESULTS: Ca2+ mobilization assays showed that the EC50 values for chem163S, chem156F, and chem157S were 252 ± 141 nM, 133 ± 41.5 nM, and 5.83 ± 2.48 nM, respectively. chem156F was more active than its precursor, chem163S, but very much less potent than chem157S, the most active chemerin form. Chymase was shown to be capable of cleaving chem163S at a relevant rate. Using the chem156F ELISA we found a substantial amount of chem156F present in synovial fluids from patients with OA and RA, 24.06 ± 5.51 ng/ml and 20.35 ± 5.19 ng/ml (mean ± SEM, n = 25) respectively, representing 20% of total chemerin in OA and 76.7% of chemerin in RA synovial fluids. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that chymase cleavage of chem163S to partially active chem156F can be found in synovial fluids where it can play a role in modulation of the inflammation in joints.

Prochemerin cleavage by factor XIa links coagulation and inflammation.

Chemerin is a chemoattractant and adipokine that circulates in blood as inactive prochemerin (chem163S). Chem163S is activated by a series of C-terminal proteolytic cleavages resulting in diverse chemerin forms with different levels of activity. We screened a panel of proteases in the coagulation, fibrinolytic, and inflammatory cascades to identify those that process prochemerin in plasma. Factor XIa (FXIa) cleaved chem163S, generating a novel chemerin form, chem162R, as an intermediate product, and chem158K, as the final product. Processing at Arg162 was not required for cleavage at Lys158 or regulation of chemerin bioactivity. Contact phase activation of human platelet-poor plasma by kaolin led to cleavage of chem163S, which was undetectable in FXI-depleted plasma and markedly enhanced in platelet-rich plasma (PRP). Contact phase activation by polyphosphate in PRP resulted in 75% cleavage of chem163S. This cleavage was partially inhibited by hirudin, which blocks thrombin activation of FXI. After activation of plasma, levels of the most potent form of chemerin, chem157S, as well as inactive chem155A, increased. Plasma levels of chem163S in FXI-deficient patients were significantly higher compared with a matched control group (91 ± 10 ng/mL vs 58 ± 3 ng/mL, n = 8; P < .01) and inversely correlated with the plasma FXI levels. Thus FXIa, generated on contact phase activation, cleaves chem163S to generate chem158K, which can be further processed to the most active chemerin form, providing a molecular link between coagulation and inflammation.

Thrombin-cleaved fragments of osteopontin are overexpressed in malignant glial tumors and provide a molecular niche with survival advantage.

Osteopontin (OPN), which is highly expressed in malignant glioblastoma (GBM), possesses inflammatory activity modulated by proteolytic cleavage by thrombin and plasma carboxypeptidase B2 (CPB2) at a highly conserved cleavage site. Full-length OPN (OPN-FL) was elevated in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from all cancer patients compared with noncancer patients. However, thrombin-cleaved OPN (OPN-R) and thrombin/CPB2-double-cleaved OPN (OPN-L) levels were markedly increased in GBM and non-GBM gliomas compared with systemic cancer and noncancer patients. Cleaved OPN constituted ∼23 and ∼31% of the total OPN in the GBM and non-GBM CSF samples, respectively. OPN-R was also elevated in GBM tissues. Thrombin-antithrombin levels were highly correlated with cleaved OPN, but not OPN-FL, suggesting that the cleaved OPN fragments resulted from increased thrombin and CPB2 in this extracellular compartment. Levels of VEGF and CCL4 were increased in CSF of GBM and correlated with the levels of cleaved OPN. GBM cell lines were more adherent to OPN-R and OPN-L than OPN-FL. Adhesion to OPN altered gene expression, in particular genes involved with cellular processes, cell cycle regulation, death, and inflammation. OPN and its cleaved forms promoted motility of U-87 MG cells and conferred resistance to apoptosis. Although functional mutation of the RGD motif in OPN largely abolished these functions, OPN(RAA)-R regained significant cell binding and signaling function, suggesting that the SVVYGLR motif in OPN-R may substitute for the RGD motif if the latter becomes inaccessible. OPN cleavage contributes to GBM development by allowing more cells to bind in niches where they acquire anti-apoptotic properties.

Chemerin158K protein is the dominant chemerin isoform in synovial and cerebrospinal fluids but not in plasma.

Chemerin is a chemoattractant involved in immunity that may also function as an adipokine. Chemerin circulates as an inactive precursor (chem163S), and its activation requires proteolytic cleavages at its C terminus, involving proteases involved in coagulation, fibrinolysis, and inflammation. However, the key proteolytic steps in prochemerin activation in vivo remain to be established. Previously, we have shown that C-terminal cleavage of chem163S by plasmin to chem158K, followed by a carboxypeptidase cleavage, leads to the most active isoform, chem157S. To identify and quantify the in vivo chemerin isoforms in biological specimens, we developed specific ELISAs for chem163S, chem158K, and chem157S, using antibodies raised against peptides from the C terminus of the different chemerin isoforms. We found that the mean plasma concentrations of chem163S, chem158K, and chem157S were 40 ± 7.9, 8.1 ± 2.9, and 0.7 ± 0.8 ng/ml, respectively. The total level of cleaved and noncleaved chemerins in cerebrospinal fluids was ∼10% of plasma levels whereas it was elevated ∼2-fold in synovial fluids from patients with arthritis. On the other hand, the fraction of cleaved chemerins was much higher in synovial fluid and cerebrospinal fluid samples than in plasma (∼75%, 50%, and 18% respectively). Chem158K was the dominant chemerin isoform, and it was not generated by ex vivo processing, indicating that cleavage of prochemerin at position Lys-158, whether by plasmin or another serine protease, represents a major step in prochemerin activation in vivo. Our study provides the first direct evidence that chemerin undergoes extensive proteolytic processing in vivo, underlining the importance of measuring individual isoforms.

Proteolytic cleavage of chemerin protein is necessary for activation to the active form, Chem157S, which functions as a signaling molecule in glioblastoma.

Chemerin is a chemoattractant involved in innate and adaptive immunity as well as an adipokine implicated in adipocyte differentiation. Chemerin circulates as an inactive precursor in blood whose bioactivity is closely regulated through proteolytic processing at its C terminus. We developed methodology for production of different recombinant chemerin isoforms (chem163S, chem157S, and chem155A) which allowed us to obtain large quantities of these proteins with purity of >95%. Chem158K was generated from chem163S by plasmin cleavage. Characterization by mass spectrometry and Edman degradation demonstrated that both the N and C termini were correct for each isoform. Ca(2+) mobilization assays showed that the EC(50) values for chem163S and chem158K were 54.2 ± 19.9 nm and 65.2 ± 13.2 nm, respectively, whereas chem157S had a ∼50-fold higher potency with an EC(50) of 1.2 ± 0.7 nm. Chem155A had no agonist activity and weak antagonist activity, causing a 50% reduction of chem157S activity at a molar ratio of 100:1. Similar results were obtained in a chemotaxis assay. Because chem158K is the dominant form in cerebrospinal fluid from patients with glioblastoma (GBM), we examined the significance of chemerin in GBM biology. In silico analysis showed chemerin mRNA was significantly increased in tissue from grade III and IV gliomas. Furthermore, U-87 MG cells, a human GBM line, express the chemerin receptors, chemokine-like receptor 1 and chemokine receptor-like 2, and chem157S triggered Ca(2+) flux. This study emphasized the necessity of appropriate C-terminal proteolytic processing to generate the likely physiologic form of active chemerin, chem157S, and suggested a possible role in malignant GBM.

Phosphorylation and up-regulation of diacylglycerol kinase gamma via its interaction with protein kinase C gamma.

Diacylglycerol (DAG) acts as an allosteric activator of protein kinase C (PKC) and is converted to phosphatidic acid by DAG kinase (DGK). Therefore, DGK is thought to be a negative regulator of PKC activation. Here we show molecular mechanisms of functional coupling of the two kinases. gammaPKC directly associated with DGKgamma through its accessory domain (AD), depending on Ca2+ as well as phosphatidylserine/diolein in vitro. Mass spectrometric analysis and mutation studies revealed that gammaPKC phosphorylated Ser-776 and Ser-779 in the AD of DGKgamma. The phosphorylation by gammaPKC resulted in activation of DGKgamma because a DGKgamma mutant in which Ser-776 and Ser-779 were substituted with glutamic acid to mimic phosphorylation exhibited significantly higher activity compared with wild type DGKgamma and an unphosphorylatable DGKgamma mutant. Importantly, the interaction of the two kinases and the phosphorylation of DGKgamma by gammaPKC could be confirmed in vivo, and overexpression of the AD of DGKgamma inhibited re-translocation of gammaPKC. These results demonstrate that localization and activation of the functionally correlated kinases, gammaPKC and DGKgamma, are spatio-temporally orchestrated by their direct association and phosphorylation, contributing to subtype-specific regulation of DGKgamma and DAG signaling.

Nuclear transportation of diacylglycerol kinase gamma and its possible function in the nucleus.

Diacylglycerol kinases (DGKs) convert diacylglycerol (DG) to phosphatidic acid, and both lipids are known to play important roles in lipid signal transduction. Thereby, DGKs are considered to be a one of the key players in lipid signaling, but its physiological function remains to be solved. In an effort to investigate one of nine subtypes, we found that DGKgamma came to be localized in the nucleus with time in all cell lines tested while seen only in the cytoplasm at the early stage of culture, indicating that DGKgamma is transported from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. The nuclear transportation of DGKgamma didn't necessarily need DGK activity, but its C1 domain was indispensable, suggesting that the C1 domain of DGKgamma acts as a nuclear transport signal. Furthermore, to address the function of DGKgamma in the nucleus, we produced stable cell lines of wild-type DGKgamma and mutants, including kinase negative, and investigated their cell size, growth rate, and cell cycle. The cells expressing the kinase-negative mutant of DGKgamma were larger in size and showed slower growth rate, and the S phase of the cells was extended. These findings implicate that nuclear DGKgamma regulates cell cycle.

Immunocytochemical localization of a neuron-specific diacylglycerol kinase beta and gamma in the developing rat brain.

Diacylglycerol kinase (DGK) phosphorylates diacylglycerol (DG) to produce phosphatidic acid (PA) and is, therefore, a potential terminator of DG signaling. DG and PA are important intracellular second messengers. DG directly binds protein kinase C (PKC) then activates this multifunctional enzyme. Ca2+-dependent and brain-specific DGKs, alpha, beta, and gamma, are suggested to play pivotal roles in the central nervous system. To elucidate the DGK function in neuronal development, we studied the developmental changes of DGKalpha, beta, and gamma in the postnatal rat brain. By immunoblot analysis, DGKalpha and gamma subtypes were present at birth and then gradually increased, while DGKbeta was not present at birth or postnatal day 3, then increased rapidly from day 14 to reach maximum at day 28. Immunohistochemically, DGKbeta and gamma were distributed in different brain regions. In most brain regions, DGKgamma showed sustained expression throughout the postnatal developmental periods. Interestingly, a temporal expression of DGKgamma was observed in the medial geniculate nucleus during day 3 to 14, and a delay of DGKgamma expression was seen in Purkinje cells, which was coincident with dendritic growth of Purkinje cells. In the hippocampal pyramidal cell, both DGKbeta and gamma were abundant but subcellular localization was different. DGKgamma localized in the cytosol while DGKbeta localized along the membrane structure. These findings suggest that each DGK subtype has a spatio-temporally different function in the developmental neurons.