Rab6 regulates recycling and retrograde trafficking of MR1 molecules.

Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are an innate-like T cell subset important in the early response to bacterial and viral lung pathogens. MAIT cells recognize bacterial small molecule metabolites presented on the Class I-like molecule MR1. As with other Class I and Class II molecules, MR1 can likely sample ligands in the intracellular environment through multiple cellular pathways. Rab6, a small GTPase that regulates a number of endosomal trafficking pathways including retrograde transport to the trans-Golgi network (TGN), is involved in the presentation of ligands from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) to MAIT cells. The Rab6-mediated trafficking pathway contains endosomal compartments that share features with the Mtb intracellular compartment. Using inducible expression of MR1, this study demonstrates that Rab6 regulates the recycling of MR1 molecules from the cell surface through endosomal trafficking compartments to the TGN. This Rab6-dependent pool of recycled MR1, which is available for reloading with ligands from bacterial pathogens like Mtb, may be important for early recognition of infected cells by MAIT cells in the lung.

[Selective autophagy mechanism against Group A Streptococcus infection].

Autophagy acts as an intracellular host defense system against invading pathogenic microorganisms such as Group A Streptococcus (GAS). Autophagy is a membrane-mediated degradation system that is regulated by intracellular membrane trafficking regulators, including small GTPase Rab proteins. Here, we revealed Rab GTPase network that regulate autophagosome formation against GAS. A unique set of Rab GTPases coordinates autophagy to enable to form huge autophagosomes surrounding GAS by linking recycling endosomes and trans Golgi-network. We also found that NLRP4, one of intracellular pathogen recognition receptor, directs Rho signaling to facilitate autophagosome formation. In this article, we would like to show our findings on how host autophagy regulators coordinate autophagy during GAS infection.

Modulation of cis- and trans- Golgi and the Rab9A-GTPase during infection by Besnoitia besnoiti, Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum.

Like most intracellular pathogens, the apicomplexan parasites Besnoitia besnoiti, Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum scavenge metabolites from their host cells. Recruitment of the Golgi complex to the vicinity of the parasitophorous vacuole (PV) is likely to aid in this process. In this work, we comparatively assessed B. besnoiti, T. gondii and N. caninum infected human retinal pigmented epithelial (hTERT-RPE-1) cells at 24 h post-infection and used antibodies to confirm Golgi ribbon compaction in B. besnoiti, and Golgi ribbon dispersion in T. gondii, while no alteration in Golgi morphology was seen in N. caninum infected cells. In either case, the Golgi stacks of infected cells contained both cis- (GM130) and trans- (TGN46) Golgi proteins. The localization of Rab9A, an important regulator of endosomal trafficking, was also studied. GFP-tagged Rab9A was recruited to the vicinity of the PV of all three parasites. Toxoplasma-infected cells exhibited increased expression of Rab9A in comparison to non-infected cells. However, Rab9A expression levels remained unaltered upon infection with N. caninum and B. besnoiti tachyzoites. In contrast to Rab9A, a GFP-tagged dominant negative mutant form of Rab9A (Rab9A DN), was not recruited to the PV, and the expression of Rab9A DN did not affect host cell invasion nor replication by all three parasites. Thus, B. besnoiti, T. gondii and N. caninum show similarities but also differences in how they affect constituents of the endosomal/secretory pathways.

Sorting Motifs in the Cytoplasmic Tail of the Immunomodulatory E3/49K Protein of Species D Adenoviruses Modulate Cell Surface Expression and Ectodomain Shedding.

The E3 transcription unit of human species C adenoviruses (Ads) encodes immunomodulatory proteins that mediate direct protection of infected cells. Recently, we described a novel immunomodulatory function for E3/49K, an E3 protein uniquely expressed by species D Ads. E3/49K of Ad19a/Ad64, a serotype that causes epidemic keratokonjunctivitis, is synthesized as a highly glycosylated type I transmembrane protein that is subsequently cleaved, resulting in secretion of its large ectodomain (sec49K). sec49K binds to CD45 on leukocytes, impairing activation and functions of natural killer cells and T cells. E3/49K is localized in the Golgi/trans-Golgi network (TGN), in the early endosomes, and on the plasma membrane, yet the cellular compartment where E3/49K is cleaved and the protease involved remained elusive. Here we show that TGN-localized E3/49K comprises both newly synthesized and recycled molecules. Full-length E3/49K was not detected in late endosomes/lysosomes, but the C-terminal fragment accumulated in this compartment at late times of infection. Inhibitor studies showed that cleavage occurs in a post-TGN compartment and that lysosomotropic agents enhance secretion. Interestingly, the cytoplasmic tail of E3/49K contains two potential sorting motifs, YXXΦ (where Φ represents a bulky hydrophobic amino acid) and LL, that are important for binding the clathrin adaptor proteins AP-1 and AP-2in vitro Surprisingly, mutating the LL motif, either alone or together with YXXΦ, did not prevent proteolytic processing but increased cell surface expression and secretion. Upon brefeldin A treatment, cell surface expression was rapidly lost, even for mutants lacking all known endocytosis motifs. Together with immunofluorescence data, we propose a model for intracellular E3/49K transport whereby cleavage takes place on the cell surface by matrix metalloproteases.

Protein sorting at the trans-Golgi network.

The trans-Golgi network (TGN) is an important cargo sorting station within the cell where newly synthesized proteins are packaged into distinct transport carriers that are targeted to various destinations. To maintain the fidelity of protein transport, elaborate protein sorting machinery is employed to mediate sorting of specific cargo proteins into distinct transport carriers. Protein sorting requires assembly of the cytosolic sorting machinery onto the TGN membrane and capture of cargo proteins. We review the cytosolic and transmembrane sorting machinery that function at the TGN and describe molecular interactions and regulatory mechanisms that enable accurate protein sorting. In addition, we highlight the importance of TGN sorting in physiology and disease.

Tetherin can restrict cell-free and cell-cell transmission of HIV from primary macrophages to T cells.

Bst-2/Tetherin inhibits the release of HIV by tethering newly formed virus particles to the plasma membrane of infected cells. Although the mechanisms of Tetherin-mediated restriction are increasingly well understood, the biological relevance of this restriction in the natural target cells of HIV is unclear. Moreover, whether Tetherin exerts any restriction on the direct cell-cell spread of HIV across intercellular contacts remains controversial. Here we analyse the restriction endogenous Tetherin imposes on HIV transmission from primary human macrophages, one of the main targets of HIV in vivo. We find that the mRNA and protein levels of Tetherin in macrophages are comparable to those in T cells from the same donors, and are highly upregulated by type I interferons. Improved immunocytochemistry protocols enable us to demonstrate that Tetherin localises to the cell surface, the trans-Golgi network, and the macrophage HIV assembly compartments. Tetherin retains budded virions in the assembly compartments, thereby impeding the release and cell-free spread of HIV, but it is not required for the maintenance of these compartments per se. Notably, using a novel assay to quantify cell-cell spread, we show that Tetherin promotes the transfer of virus clusters from macrophages to T cells and thereby restricts the direct transmission of a dual-tropic HIV-1. Kinetic analyses provide support for the notion that this direct macrophage-T cell spread is mediated, at least in part, by so-called virological synapses. Finally, we demonstrate that the viral Vpu protein efficiently downregulates the cell surface and overall levels of Tetherin, and thereby abrogates this HIV restriction in macrophages. Together, our study shows that Tetherin, one of the most potent HIV restriction factors identified to date, can inhibit virus spread from primary macrophages, regardless of the mode of transmission.

Soluble polysialylated NCAM: a novel player of the innate immune system in the lung.

Posttranslational modification of the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) by polysialic acid (polySia) is well studied in the nervous system and described as a dynamic modulator of plastic processes like precursor cell migration, axon fasciculation, and synaptic plasticity. Here, we describe a novel function of polysialylated NCAM (polySia-NCAM) in innate immunity of the lung. In mature lung tissue of healthy donors, polySia was exclusively attached to the transmembrane isoform NCAM-140 and located to intracellular compartments of epithelial cells. In patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, however, increased polySia levels and processing of the NCAM carrier were observed. Processing of polysialylated NCAM was reproduced in a mouse model by bleomycin administration leading to an activation of the inflammasome and secretion of interleukin (IL)-1ß. As shown in a cell culture model, polySia-NCAM-140 was kept in the late trans-Golgi apparatus of lung epithelial cells and stimulation by IL-1ß or lipopolysaccharide induced metalloprotease-mediated ectodomain shedding, resulting in the secretion of soluble polySia-NCAM. Interestingly, polySia chains of secreted NCAM neutralized the cytotoxic activity of extracellular histones as well as DNA/histone-network-containing "neutrophil extracellular traps", which are formed during invasion of microorganisms. Thus, shedding of polySia-NCAM by lung epithelial cells may provide a host-protective mechanism to reduce tissue damage during inflammatory processes.

HIV-1 Nef compensates for disorganization of the immunological synapse by inducing trans-Golgi network-associated Lck signaling.

The Nef protein of HIV-1 facilitates viral replication and disease progression in vivo. Nef disturbs the organization of immunological synapses between infected CD4(+) T lymphocytes and antigen-presenting B-lymphocytes to interfere with TCR proximal signaling. Paradoxically, Nef enhances distal TCR signaling in infected CD4(+) T lymphocytes, an effect thought to be involved in its role in AIDS pathogenesis. Using quantitative confocal microscopy and cell fractionation of Nef-expressing cells and HIV-1-infected primary human T lymphocytes, we found that Nef induces intracellular compartmentalization of TCR signaling to adjust TCR responses to antigenic stimulation. Nef reroutes kinase-active pools of the TCR signaling master switch Lck away from the plasma membrane (PM) to the trans-Golgi network (TGN), thereby preventing the recruitment of active Lck to the immunological synapse after TCR engagement and limiting signal initiation at the PM. Instead, Nef triggers Lck-dependent activation of TGN-associated Ras-Erk signaling to promote the production of the T lymphocyte survival factor IL-2 and to enhance virus spread. Overexpression of the Lck PM transporter Unc119 restores Nef-induced subversions of Lck trafficking and TCR signaling. Nef therefore hijacks Lck sorting to selectively activate TGN-associated arms of compartmentalized TCR signaling. By tailoring T-lymphocyte responses to antigenic stimulation, Nef optimizes the environment for HIV-1 replication.

Innate immunity defects in Hermansky-Pudlak type 2 syndrome.

Adaptor protein-3 (AP-3) is an ubiquitous cytoplasmic complex that shuttles cargo proteins from the trans-Golgi and a tubular-endosomal compartment to endosome-lysosome-related organelles. Lack of the beta3A subunit of this complex causes Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome type 2, an autosomal recessive disease characterized by partial albinism, prolonged bleeding tendency, and immunodeficiency. To investigate the pathogenesis of immunodeficiency, we studied natural killer (NK) cells and neutrophil functions in 2 previously unreported siblings affected by Hermansky-Pudlak type 2 syndrome. In both patients we observed a dramatic reduction of cytolytic activity of freshly isolated and of IL-2-activated NK cells. Levels of perforin were reduced in unstimulated NK cells, thereby accounting for the impairment of NK cytolitic activity. In addition, analysis of neutrophils in these patients demonstrated that intracellular elastase content was largely reduced while CD63 expression on plasma membrane was substantially increased. Taken together, these observations suggest that type 2 Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome is characterized by defects of innate immunity.

Stabilin-1 localizes to endosomes and the trans-Golgi network in human macrophages and interacts with GGA adaptors.

Stabilin-1 and stabilin-2 constitute a novel family of fasciclin domain-containing hyaluronan receptor homologues recently described by us. Whereas stabilin-1 is expressed in sinusoidal endothelial cells and in macrophages in vivo, stabilin-2 is absent from the latter. In the present study, we analyzed the subcellular distribution of stabilin-1 in primary human macrophages. Using flow cytometry, expression of stabilin-1 was demonstrated on the surface of interleukin-4/dexamethasone-stimulated macrophages (MPhi2). By immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy, we established that stabilin-1 is preferentially localized in early endosome antigen-1-positive early/sorting endosomes and in recycling endosomes identified by transferrin endocytosis. Association of stabilin-1 was infrequently seen with p62 lck ligand-positive late endosomes and with CD63-positive lysosomes but not in lysosome-associated membrane protein-1-positive lysosomes. Stabilin-1 was also found in the trans-Golgi network (TGN) but not in Golgi stack structures. Glutathione S-transferase pull-down assay revealed that the cytoplasmic tail of stabilin-1 but not stabilin-2 binds to recently discovered Golgi-localized, gamma-ear-containing, adenosine 5'-diphosphate-ribosylation factor-binding (GGA) adaptors GGA1, GGA2, and GGA3 long, mediating traffic between Golgi and endosomal/lysosomal compartments. Stabilin-1 did not bind to GGA3 short, which lacks a part of the Vps27p/Hrs/STAM domain. Deletion of DDSLL and LL amino acid motifs resulted in decreased binding of stabilin-1 with GGAs. A small portion of stabilin-1 colocalized with GGA2 and GGA3 in the TGN in MPhi2. Treatment with brefeldin A resulted in accumulation of stabilin-1 in the TGN. Our results suggest that stabilin-1 is involved in the GGA-mediated sorting processes at the interface of the biosynthetic and endosomal pathways; similarly to other GGA-interacting proteins, stabilin-1 may thus function in endocytic and secretory processes of human macrophages.