Addition Of Calpain Inhibitors Research Articles

Epidermal growth factor promotes cyclin G2 degradation via calpain-mediated proteolysis in gynaecological cancer cells.

Cyclin G2 (CCNG2) is an atypical cyclin that functions to inhibit cell cycle progression and is often dysregulated in human cancers. We have previously shown that cyclin G2 is highly unstable and can be degraded through the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway. Furthermore, cyclin G2 contains a PEST domain, which has been suggested to act as a signal for degradation by multiple proteases. In this study, we determined if calpains, a family of calcium-dependent proteases, are also involved in cyclin G2 degradation. The addition of calpain inhibitors or silencing of calpain expression by siRNAs strongly enhanced cyclin G2 levels. On the other hand, incubation of cell lysates with purified calpains or increasing the intracellular calcium concentration resulted in a decrease in cyclin G2 levels. Interestingly, the effect of calpain was found to be dependent on the phosphorylation of cyclin G2. Using a kinase inhibitor library, we found that Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) Receptor is involved in cyclin G2 degradation and treatment with its ligand, EGF, induced cyclin G2 degradation. In addition, the presence of the PEST domain is necessary for calpain and EGF action. When the PEST domain was completely removed, calpain or EGF treatment failed to trigger degradation of cyclin G2. Taken together, these novel findings demonstrate that EGF-induced, calpain-mediated proteolysis contributes to the rapid destruction of cyclin G2 and that the PEST domain is critical for EGF/calpain actions.

Activity-dependent rapid local RhoA synthesis is required for hippocampal synaptic plasticity.

Dendritic protein synthesis and actin cytoskeleton reorganization are important events required for the consolidation of hippocampal LTP and memory. However, the temporal and spatial relationships between these two processes remain unclear. Here, we report that treatment of adult rat hippocampal slices with BDNF or with tetraethylammonium (TEA), which induces a chemical form of LTP, produces a rapid and transient increase in RhoA protein levels. Changes in RhoA were restricted to dendritic spines of CA3 and CA1 and require de novo protein synthesis regulated by mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). BDNF-mediated stimulation of RhoA activity, cofilin phosphorylation, and actin polymerization were completely suppressed by protein synthesis inhibitors. Furthermore, intrahippocampal injections of RhoA antisense oligodeoxynucleotides inhibited theta burst stimulation (TBS)-induced RhoA upregulation in dendritic spines and prevented LTP consolidation. Addition of calpain inhibitors after BDNF or TEA treatment maintained RhoA levels elevated and prolonged the effects of BDNF and TEA on actin polymerization. Finally, the use of isoform-selective calpain inhibitors revealed that calpain-2 was involved in RhoA synthesis, whereas calpain-1 mediated RhoA degradation. Overall, this mechanism provides a novel link between dendritic protein synthesis and reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton in hippocampal dendritic spines during LTP consolidation.

Human Papillomavirus E7 Requires the Protease Calpain to Degrade the Retinoblastoma Protein

Cervical cancers transformed by high risk human papilloma virus (HPV) express the E7 oncoprotein, which accelerates the degradation of the retinoblastoma protein (Rb). Here we show that the E7-mediated degradation of Rb requires the calcium-activated cysteine protease, calpain. E7 bound and activated mu-calpain and promoted cleavage at Rb(810), with mutation of this residue preventing E7-mediated degradation. The calpain cleavage product, Rb(1-810), was unable to mediate cell cycle arrest but retained the ability to repress E6/E7 transcription. E7 also promoted the accelerated proteasomal degradation of Rb(1-810). Calpain inhibitors reduced the viability of HPV-transformed cells and synergized with cisplatin. Calpain, thus, emerges as a central player in E7-mediated degradation of Rb and represents a potential new drug target for the treatment of HPV-associated lesions.

Constant expression of mouse calpastatin isoforms during differentiation in myoblast cell line, C2C12.

C2C12 is a myoblast cell line which is used to studydifferentiation into multinucleated cells in vitro. Addition of calpain inhibitors, calpeptin orE-64d, to the culture medium prevented the myoblasticfusion of C2C12 cells. Immunoblot studies usingaffinity-purified antibody, revealed that the expressedlevels of mouse calpastatin remained unaltered duringC2C12 cell fusion. The detected calpastatin migratedas a protein of 130 kDa on SDS-polyacrylamide gelelectrophoresis. The estimated molecular mass wassomewhat greater than that in mouse liver anderythrocytes, and much greater than that reported inrat myoblasts. The 130 kDa isoform may contain anadditional N-terminal region designated XL domainfound in bovine calpastatin.

スケトウダラ塩すり身の坐りに及ぼすシステインプロテアーゼ阻害剤の影響

Effect of cysteine protease inhibitor on the setting of the Alaska pollack surimi paste was studied in order to clarify the mechanism for the formation of 150kDa protein component in the paste during its setting. The addition of calpain inhibitor I and II to the paste increased the breaking force and the breaking strain of the suwari gel caused at 30°C for 5h and suppressed the formation of the 150kDa protein component. The addition of N-ethylmaleimide or iodoacetamide also suppressed the formation of this component, but remarkably lowered the breaking force and the breaking strain. The EDTA and EGTA scarcely changed the formation. From the results, it was presumed that the 150kDa component was formed by the catalysis of coexisting cysteine protease, and as a result the increment of the breaking force and the breaking strain was suppressed.

Calpain may produce a CA 2+-independent form of kinase C in long-term potentiation

Both an enhancement of Ca 2+-independent kinase activity in the supernatant fraction and enhanced breakdown of type β kinase C (PKC-β) were observed in the hippocampus after induction of tetanus-induced long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampal CA1 region of rat. The enhanced activity was inhibited by the PKC-specific inhibitor, PKC 19–36. Both phenomena were also observed simultaneously in the in vitro model system in which hippocampal homogenate was treated with CaCl 2, and both enhancements were inhibited by the addition of calpain inhibitors, leupeptin and benzyloxycarbonyl-Leu-Met-H. The results suggest that Ca 2+-independent kinase activity enhanced in the supernatant fraction during LTP derives from the catalytic fragment of PKC-β released by calpain.

Rapid down-regulation of protein kinase C in (chediak-higashi syndrome) beige mouse by phorbol ester

Protein kinase C(PKC) activity in macrophages and polymorphonuclear leukocytes was assayed in beige mouse, the model of Chediak-Higashi syndrome, control C57BL/6 and the heterozygous (+/bg) mice. Regarding enzyme activity in the cytosolic and membrane fractions of these cells, there was no difference between beige mouse and the control. After short-term activation by TPA, the translocated membrane-bound PKC activity in beige mouse decreased rapidly compared with that in control mouse. However, the cytosolic PKC activity decreased at just the same pace as the control. The change in [3H] PDBu binding paralleled the changes in PKC activity. An increase in Ca2+/phospholipid-independent protein kinase by TPA was notable in the membrane fraction of beige mouse. The increase in the kinase activity was abolished and the PKC activity recovered to normal level by the addition of calpain inhibitor, leupeptin, to the incubation of cells along with TPA. Therefore, these findings suggest that a rapid decrease in membrane-bound PKC activity in beige mouse by TPA stimulation is associated with calpain.