Project description:Selective autophagy of the endoplasmic reticulum, known as ER-phagy, is essential to maintain ER homeostasis. We recently showed that members of the autophagy receptor family FAM134 are regulated by phosphorylation-dependent ubiquitination. In an unbiased screen we had identified several kinases downstream of mTOR with profound impact on ER-phagy flux, upon them ATR and CK2. Inhibition of CK2 by SGC-CK2-1 prevented regulatory ubiquitination of FAM134B and FAM134C upon autophagy activation as well as the formation of high-density FAM134B- and FAM134C-clusters. Here we report on additional resource data of global proteomics upon CK2 and ATR inhibition, respectively. Our data suggests that the function of CK2 is mainly limited to the ER / ER-phagy and Golgi, while ATR inhibition by VE-822 affects the vast majority of organelles / selective autophagy pathways.
Project description:Lysosomal-autophagic degradation of Endoplasmic Reticulum via autophagy (ER-phagy) is emerging as critical regulator of ER homeostasis and function. However, the molecular mechanisms governing ER-phagy are still unknown. Working in chondrocytes, we found that ER-phagy and lysosome biogenesis are co-activated by FGF signaling during hypertrophic differentiation, a mandatory step for bone formation. FGF induced ER-phagy trough IRS1-dependent inhibition of the insulin signaling and activation of MiT/TFE transcription factors, master regulators of lysosome biogenesis. MiT/TFE promoted ER-phagy through the induction of the ER-phagy receptor FAM134B. Notably, the activation of ER-phagy promotes chondrocytes differentiation and secretion of factors required for cartilage replacement by bone. Consistently, medaka fish knock-down for FAM134B have impaired ossification of cranial bones. Thus, ER-phagy is a transcriptionally regulated process that participates to cell differentiation during development.
Project description:Autophagy is a conserved degradative process that promotes cellular homeostasis under stress conditions. Under nutrient starvation autophagy is largely non-selective, promoting indiscriminate breakdown of cytosolic components. Conversely, selective autophagy is responsible for the specific turnover of damaged organelles. We hypothesized that selective autophagy may be regulated by distinct upstream signaling from starvation induced autophagy to promote organelle turn-over. To address this question, we conducted kinome-wide CRISPR screens using the DsRed-IRES-GFP-p62 reporter line to identify distinct signaling pathways responsible for the regulation of basal autophagy, starvation-induced autophagy, and two types of selective autophagy, ER-phagy and pexophagy. The Brunello kinome library was designed to enhance on-target activity while minimizing off-target effects, ensuring the effectiveness and efficiency of our screens. These parallel screens identified established and novel autophagy shared regulators under these conditions, as well as kinases specifically required for ER-phagy or pexophagy. More specifically, CDK11A and NME3 were further characterized to be selective ER-phagy regulators. Meanwhile, PAN3 and CDC42BPG were identified as activator or inhibitor of pexophagy, respectively. Collectively, these datasets provide the first comparative description of the kinase signaling specificity, separating regulation of selective autophagy and bulk autophagy.
Project description:Lysosomal degradation of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) via autophagy (ER-phagy) is emerging as a critical regulator of cell homeostasis and function1. The recent identification of ER-phagy receptors has shed light on the molecular mechanism underlining this process; however, the signaling pathways regulating ER-phagy in response to cellular needs are still largely unknown. We found that the nutrient responsive transcription factors TFEB and TFE3 - master regulators of lysosomal biogenesis and autophagy2- control ER-phagy by inducing the expression of the ER-phagy receptor FAM134B. The TFEB/TFE3-FAM134B axis promotes ER-phagy activation upon prolonged starvation. In addition, we discovered that this pathway is activated in chondrocytes by FGF signaling, a critical regulator of cell differentiation 3. FGF signaling induces a JNK-dependent proteasomal degradation of the insulin receptor substrate 1, which inhibits the insulin-PI3K-PKB/Akt-mTORC1 pathway and promotes TFEB/TFE3 nuclear translocation and FAM134B induction. Consistent with a role of the TFEB/TFE3-FAM134B axis in chondrocytes, FAM134B knock-down impairs cartilage growth and mineralization in medaka fish. This study identifies a new signaling pathway that allows ER-phagy to respond to both metabolic and developmental cues.
Project description:Lysosomal degradation of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) via autophagy (ER-phagy) is emerging as a critical regulator of ER homeostasis and function1. The selective incorporation of ER fragments into nascent autophagosomes is facilitated by ER resident proteins, ER-phagy receptors, that bind the autophagosomal LC3 protein via the cytosolic LC3 interacting domain (LIR) (REF). However, the molecular mechanisms that regulate ER-phagy in response to cellular needs are still largely unknown. We found that the MiT/TFE transcription factors - master regulators of lysosomal biogenesis and autophagy2- control ER-phagy by inducing the expression of the ER-phagy receptor FAM134B. This pathway is robustly activated in chondrocytes by FGF signaling, a critical regulator of chondrocyte differentiation3. FGF triggers TFEB/TFE3-mediated ER-phagy through JNK-dependent proteasomal degradation of the insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) protein and inhibition of the insulin signaling. FAM134B knock-down impairs cartilage growth and mineralization in medaka fish, suggesting a physiological role for this process during skeletal growth. Notably, we showed that the TFEB/TFE3-FAM134B axis promotes ER-phagy activation upon prolonged starvation. Thus, this study identifies MiT/TFE-factors as key transcriptional activators of ER-phagy in response to both metabolic and developmental cues.
Project description:The degradation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) via selective autophagy is driven by the ER-phagy receptors that facilitate the incorporation of ER-fragments into nascent autophagosomes. How these receptors are regulated, in response to ER-phagy-inducing stimuluses, is largely unknown. Here we propose that starvation, as well as mTOR inhibition, triggers ER-phagy primarily through the activation of the ER-phagy receptor FAM134C. In physiological, nutrient reach, conditions FAM134C is phosphorylated by the Casein kinase 2 (CK2) protein at specific residues negatively affecting FAM134C interaction with the LC3 proteins, thereby preventing ER-phagy. Pharmacological or starvation-induced mTORC1 inhibition limits phosphorylation of FAM134C by CK2, hence promoting FAM134C activation and ER-phagy. Moreover, inhibition of CK2 or the expression of a phospho-mutant FAM134C protein is sufficient to stimulate ER-phagy. Conversely, starvation induced ER-phagy is inhibited in cells and mice that lack FAM134C or expressing a phospho-mimetic FAM134C protein. Overall, these data describe a new mechanism regulating ER-phagy and provides an example of cargo selectivity mechanism during starvation induced autophagy.
Project description:Selective autophagy of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), known as ER-phagy, is an important regulator of ER remodeling and is critical to maintaining cellular homeostasis during environmental changes. We recently showed that members of the FAM134 family play a role during stress-induced ER-phagy. However, the mechanisms on how they are activated remain largely unknown. In this study, we analyzed mTOR-mediated phosphorylation of FAM134 as a trigger of FAM134-driven ER-phagy. An unbiased screen of kinase inhibitors revealed that CK2 is essential for ER-phagy driven by FAM134B and FAM134C after inhibition of mTOR. Using superresolution microscopy, we showed that CK2 activity is essential for the formation of high-density groups of FAM134B and FAM134C. Continually, the FAM134B and FAM134C proteins that carry point mutations of selected serine residues within their reticulon homology domain are unable to form high-density clusters. Furthermore, we provide evidence that ubiquitination regulates ER-phagy receptors and that dense clustering of FAM134B and FAM134C requires events upstream of ubiquitination. Treatment with the CK2 inhibitor SGC-CK2-1 or mutation of phosphosites prevents Torin1-induced ER-phagy flux as well as ubiquitination of FAM134 proteins, and consistently treatment with E1 inhibitor suppresses Torin1-induced ER-phagy flux. Therefore, we propose that CK2 dependent phosphorylation of ER-phagy receptors precedes ubiquitin-dependent activation of ER-phagy flux.
Project description:Comprehensive understanding of the transcriptional foundations of human intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury is imperative to find therapeutic targets and improve patient outcome. Here we analysed transcriptomes of the IR-injured human intestine, and showed that over 1,800 genes were significantly differentially expressed, predominantly during reperfusion. Intriguingly, protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) was one of the most perturbed pathways, which was supported by ontology analysis. The IR-triggered transcriptome is organized into distinct co-expression networks, and implied a role for HIF1-alpha in the response towards unfolded proteins. Unfolded protein response activation as a consequence of ER stress was further validated in a large sample set, revealing strong correlations between expression of ER stress genes IRE1, XBP1 and BiP and autophagy gene LC3B. Moreover, signs of ER stress and autophagy, particularly ER phagy, were apparent in Paneth cells. Collectively, these findings provide new evidence for key involvement of protein folding stress in IR-induced intestinal injury in man. The ensuing ER stress, together with its manifestations in Paneth cells, likely contributes to IR-induced complications including bacterial penetration and inflammation.
Project description:The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) functions in protein and lipid synthesis, calcium ion flux, and inter-organelle communication, all of which are driven by the ER proteome landscape. ER is remodeled in part through autophagy-dependent protein turnover involving membrane-embedded ER-phagy receptors1,2. A refined tubular ER network is formed in neurons within highly polarized dendrites and axons3,4. Autophagy-deficient neurons in vivo display axonal ER accumulation within synaptic ER boutons, associated with hyper-excitability,5 and the ER-phagy receptor FAM134B has been genetically linked with human sensory and autonomic neuropathy6,7. However, mechanisms and receptor selectivity underlying ER remodeling by autophagy in neurons is limited. Here, we employ genetic, proteomic and computational tools to create a quantitative landscape of ER proteome remodeling via selective autophagy during conversion of stem cells to induced neurons in vitro. Through analysis of single and combinatorial ER-phagy receptor mutants coupled with an allelic series computational framework, we delineate the extent to which each of five receptors contributes to both the magnitude of ER turnover by autophagy and the selectivity of clearance for individual ER proteins. We define specific subsets of reticulon-domain containing ER-tubule shaping proteins or luminal proteins as preferred clients for autophagic turnover via distinct receptors. Using spatial sensors and flux reporters, we demonstrate receptor-specific autophagic capture of ER in axons, which correlates with aberrant accumulation of ER in axonal structures in ER-phagy receptor or autophagy-deficient cells. This molecular inventory of ER proteome remodeling and versatile genetic toolkit provides a quantitative framework for understanding the contributions of individual ER-phagy receptors for reshaping this critical organelle during transitions in cell states.