Small GTPases of the Rab family not only regulate target recognition in membrane traffic but also control other cellular functions such as cytoskeletal transport and autophagy. Here we show that Rab26 is specifically associated with clusters of synaptic vesicles in neurites. Overexpression of active but not of GDP-preferring Rab26 enhances vesicle clustering, which is particularly conspicuous for the EGFP-tagged variant, resulting in a massive accumulation of synaptic vesicles in neuronal somata without altering the distribution of other organelles. Both endogenous and induced clusters co-localize with autophagy-related proteins such as Atg16L1, LC3B and Rab33B but not with other organelles. Furthermore, Atg16L1 appears to be a direct effector of Rab26 and binds Rab26 in its GTP-bound form, albeit only with low affinity. We propose that Rab26 selectively directs synaptic and secretory vesicles into preautophagosomal structures, suggesting the presence of a novel pathway for degradation of synaptic vesicles.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05597.001

Background: Guinea pig serum and liver contain an enzyme with L-asparaginase activity. Results: H0W0T5_CAVPO (gpASNase1) displays a low micromolar K m with Asn. Structures of apo and ASP complex are presented. Conclusion: gpASNase1is the likely identity of a guinea pig L-asparaginase endowed with anticancer properties. Significance: The high sequence identity to the human enzymes and its lack of L-glutaminase activity make gpASNase1 a potential replacement for the bacterial enzymes.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common type of pediatric cancer, although about 4 of every 10 cases occur in adults. The enzyme drug l-asparaginase serves as a cornerstone of ALL therapy and exploits the asparagine dependency of ALL cells. In addition to hydrolyzing the amino acid l-asparagine, all FDA-approved l-asparaginases also have significant l-glutaminase coactivity. Since several reports suggest that l-glutamine depletion correlates with many of the side effects of these drugs, enzyme variants with reduced l-glutaminase coactivity might be clinically beneficial if their antileukemic activity would be preserved. Here we show that novel low l-glutaminase variants developed on the backbone of the FDA-approved l-asparaginase were highly efficacious against both T- and B-cell ALL, while displaying reduced acute toxicity features. These results support the development of a new generation of safer l-asparaginases without l-glutaminase activity for the treatment of human ALL. A new l-asparaginase-based therapy is less toxic compared with FDA-approved high l-glutaminase enzymes .

Bacterial L-asparaginases play an important role in the treatment of certain types of blood cancers. We are exploring the guinea pig L-asparaginase (gpASNase1) as a potential replacement of the immunogenic bacterial enzymes. The exact mechanism used by L-asparaginases to catalyze the hydrolysis of asparagine into aspartic acid and ammonia has been recently put into question. Earlier experimental data suggested that the reaction proceeds via a covalent intermediate using a ping-pong mechanism, whereas recent computational work advocates the direct displacement of the amine by an activated water. To shed light on this controversy, we generated gpASNase1 mutants of conserved active site residues (T19A, T116A, T19A/T116A, K188M, and Y308F) suspected to play a role in hydrolysis. Using x-ray crystallography, we determined the crystal structures of the T19A, T116A, and K188M mutants soaked in asparagine. We also characterized their steady-state kinetic properties and analyzed the conversion of asparagine to aspartate using NMR. Our structures reveal bound asparagine in the active site that has unambiguously not formed a covalent intermediate. Kinetic and NMR assays detect significant residual activity for all of the mutants. Furthermore, no burst of ammonia production was observed that would indicate covalent intermediate formation and the presence of a ping-pong mechanism. Hence, despite using a variety of techniques, we were unable to obtain experimental evidence that would support the formation of a covalent intermediate. Consequently, our observations support a direct displacement rather than a ping-pong mechanism for L-asparaginases.Currently, there still exists a gap in knowledge regarding the enzymatic mechanism by which L-asparaginases hydrolyze the amino acid L-asparagine to L-aspartic acid and ammonia (Fig. 1A). L-Asparaginases have garnered special attention because of their clinical use in the treatment of certain blood cancers (1). In addition, L-asparaginases are also used commercially by the food industry for reducing the production of acrylamide (2), a compound being investigated for its toxicity and carcinogenicity in humans. Hence, understanding the enzymatic mechanism of these important enzymes can be used to inform the design of variants with improved properties. Our specific interest is with the guinea pig L-asparaginase type I enzyme, which holds potential as a replacement for the currently clinically used bacterial enzymes (see more below).L-Asparaginases can be divided, based on sequence and structural homology, into two unrelated families: type I and II L-asparaginases belong to one family, and type III enzymes belong to another (3). The type I and II enzymes are very similar in terms of overall structure and conservation of active site residues (3). In Escherichia coli, the type I enzyme is cytoplasmic, and type II is periplasmic (3). In addition to having different cellular localization, bacterial type II enzymes have a much lower K m value for Asn (low micromolar versus millimolar). This ϳ...

L-Asparaginase (L-ASNase) is an enzyme that hydrolyses the amino acid asparagine into aspartic acid and ammonia. Systemic administration of bacterial L-ASNase is successfully used to lower the bioavailability of this non-essential amino acid and to eradicate rapidly proliferating cancer cells with a high demand for exogenous asparagine. Currently, it is a cornerstone drug in the treatment of the most common pediatric cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Since these lymphoblasts lack the expression of asparagine synthetase (ASNS), these cells depend on the uptake of extracellular asparagine for survival. Interestingly, recent reports have illustrated that L-ASNase may also have clinical potential for the treatment of other aggressive subtypes of hematological or solid cancers. However, immunogenic and other severe adverse side effects limit optimal clinical use and often lead to treatment discontinuation. The design of optimized and novel L-ASNase formulations provides opportunities to overcome these limitations. In addition, identification of multiple L-ASNase resistance mechanisms, including ASNS promoter reactivation and desensitization, has fueled research into promising novel drug combinations to overcome chemoresistance. In this review, we discuss recent insights into L-ASNase adverse effects, resistance both in hematological and solid tumors, and how novel L-ASNase variants and drug combinations can expand its clinical applicability.