Enzyme Atg7 Research Articles

Insights into noncanonical E1 enzyme activation from the structure of autophagic E1 Atg7 with Atg8

Autophagy is the degradation of cellular organelles via the lysosomal pathway. The autophagic ubiquitin-like (Ubl) molecule Atg8 is activated by the E1-like enzyme Atg7. As this noncanonical E1 enzyme's domain organization is unique among Ubl-activating E1 enzymes, the structural basis for its interactions with Atg8 and partner E2 enzymes remains obscure. Here we present the structure of the N-terminal domain of Atg7, revealing a unique protein fold and interactions with both autophagic E2 enzymes Atg3 and Atg10. The structure of the C-terminal domain of Atg7 in complex with Atg8 shows the mode of dimerization and mechanism of recognition of Atg8. Notably, the catalytic cysteine residue in Atg7 is positioned close to the C-terminal glycine of Atg8, its target for thioester formation, potentially eliminating the need for large conformational rearrangements characteristic of other E1s.

Physiological pH and Acidic Phospholipids Contribute to Substrate Specificity in Lipidation of Atg8

Yeast Atg8 and its mammalian homolog LC3 are ubiquitin-like proteins involved in autophagy, a primary pathway for degradation of cytosolic constituents in vacuoles/lysosomes. Whereas the lipid phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) was identified as the sole in vivo target of their conjugation reactions, in vitro studies showed that the same system can mediate the conjugation of these proteins with phosphatidylserine as efficiently as with PE. Here, we show that, in contrast to PE conjugation, the in vitro phosphatidylserine conjugation of Atg8 is markedly suppressed at physiological pH. Furthermore, the addition of acidic phospholipids to liposomes also results in the preferential formation of the Atg8-PE conjugate. We have successfully captured authentic thioester intermediates, allowing us to elucidate which step in the conjugation reaction is affected by these changes in pH and membrane lipid composition. We propose that these factors contribute to the selective formation of Atg8-PE in the cell.

The Atg12-Atg5 Conjugate Has a Novel E3-like Activity for Protein Lipidation in Autophagy

Autophagy is a bulk degradation process in eukaryotic cells; autophagosomes enclose cytoplasmic components for degradation in the lysosome/vacuole. Autophagosome formation requires two ubiquitin-like conjugation systems, the Atg12 and Atg8 systems, which are tightly associated with expansion of autophagosomal membrane. Previous studies have suggested that there is a hierarchy between these systems; the Atg12 system is located upstream of the Atg8 system in the context of Atg protein organization. However, the concrete molecular relationship is unclear. Here, we show using an in vitro Atg8 conjugation system that the Atg12-Atg5 conjugate, but not unconjugated Atg12 or Atg5, strongly enhances the formation of the other conjugate, Atg8-PE. The Atg12-Atg5 conjugate promotes the transfer of Atg8 from Atg3 to the substrate, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), by stimulating the activity of Atg3. We also show that the Atg12-Atg5 conjugate interacts with both Atg3 and PE-containing liposomes. These results indicate that the Atg12-Atg5 conjugate is a ubiquitin-protein ligase (E3)-like enzyme for Atg8-PE conjugation reaction, distinctively promoting protein-lipid conjugation.

Stimulation of ATG12-ATG5 Conjugation by Ribonucleic Acid

The ubiquitin-like conjugation reactions, ATG8/microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3/MAP1LC3 (LC3) to phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and ATG12 to ATG5, are biochemical hallmarks for autophagy, a cellular process that degrades bulk cellular proteins and organelles. The two conjugation reactions share the same E1-like enzyme ATG7 but have different E2-like enzymes, ATG3 for LC3-PE and ATG10 for ATG12-ATG5. In cells, ATG12-ATG5 conjugation appears to be required for LC3-PE conjugation. Previously, in vitro reconstitution of LC3-PE conjugation, but not the upstream ATG12-ATG5 conjugation, was reported. In this study, we describe for the first time the de novo reconstitution of mammalian ATG12-ATG5 conjugation by using purified recombinant proteins. We show that ATG7, ATG10 and ATP as an energy source are all essential for ATG12-ATG5 conjugation, and mutation of the specific lysine residue of ATG5 for ATG12 conjugation abrogates the reaction. Furthermore, a potent stimulating activity for ATG12-ATG5 conjugation was detected in mammalian cell extracts, and was surprisingly identified as ribosomes. Our detail biochemical analyses indicate that the ribonucleic acid (RNA) component of ribosomes is both necessary and sufficient for this stimulation.

Autophagy in MHC Class II Presentation: Sampling from Within

MHC class II molecules usually present exogenous antigens, but peptidome analyses have also identified many antigens from cytosolic or nuclear sources. In this issue of Immunity, Schmid et al. show that MHC class II molecules can present these through autophagosomes.

Macrophages Rapidly Transfer Pathogens from Lipid Raft Vacuoles to Autophagosomes

Macrophages activate autophagy as an immediate response to Legionella pneumophila infection, but what marks the pathogen phagosome as a target for the autophagy machinery is not known. Because a variety of bacteria, parasites, viruses, and toxins that associate with the endoplasmic reticulum enter host cells by a cholesterol-dependent route, we tested the hypothesis that autophagy is triggered when microbes engage components of lipid raft domains. As the intracellular respiratory pathogen L. pneumophila or the extracellular uropathogen FimH+ Escherichia coli entered macrophages by a cholesterol-sensitive mechanism, they immediately resided in vacuoles rich in glycosylphosphatidylinositol moieties and the autophagy enzyme Atg7. As expected for autophagosomes, the vacuoles sequentially acquired the endoplasmic reticulum protein BiP, the autophagy markers Atg8 and monodansyl-cadaverine, and the lysosomal protein LAMP-1. A robust macrophage response to the pathogens was cholesterol-dependent, since fewer Atg7-rich vacuoles were observed when macrophages were pre-treated with methyl-beta-cyclodextrin or filipin. A model in which macrophages exploit autophagy to capture pathogens within the lipid raft pathway for antigen presentation prior to disposal in lysosomes is discussed.

Autophagy is an immediate macrophage response to Legionella pneumophila.

After ingestion by macrophages, Legionella pneumophila enter spacious vacuoles that are quickly enveloped by endoplasmic reticulum (ER), then slowly transferred to lysosomes. Here we demonstrate that the macrophage autophagy machinery recognizes the pathogen phagosome as cargo for lysosome delivery. The autophagy conjugation enzyme Atg7 immediately translocated to phagosomes harbouring virulent Legionella. Subsequently, Atg8, a second autophagy enzyme, and monodansyl-cadaverine (MDC), a dye that accumulates in acidic autophagosomes, decorated the pathogen vacuoles. The autophagy machinery responded to 10-30 kDa species released into culture supernatants by Type IV secretion-competent Legionella, as judged by the macrophages' processing of Atg8 and formation of vacuoles that sequentially acquired Atg7, Atg8 and MDC. When compared with autophagosomes stimulated by rapamycin, Legionella vacuoles acquired Atg7, Atg8 and MDC more slowly, and Atg8 processing was also delayed. Moreover, compared with autophagosomes of Legionella-permissive naip5 mutant A/J macrophages, those of resistant C57BL/6 J macrophages matured quickly, preventing efficient Legionella replication. Accordingly, we discuss a model in which macrophages elevate autophagy as a barrier to infection, a decision influenced by regulatory interactions between Naip proteins and caspases.