Using a pulse-chase approach combined with immunoprecipitation, we showed that newly synthesized influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) and vesicular stomatitis virus G protein ssociate transiently during their folding with calnexin, a membranebound endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperone. Inhibitors of N-linked glycosylation (tunicamycin) and glucosidases I and II (castanospermine and 1-deoxynojirimycin) prew vented the association, whereas inhibitors of ER a-mannosidases did not. Our results indicated that binding of these viral glycoproteins to calnexin correlated closely with the composition of their N-linked oligosaccharide side chains. Proteins with monoglucosylated oligosaccharides were the most likely binding species. On the basis of our data and existing information concerning the role of monoglucosylated oligosaccharides on glycoproteins, we propose that the ER contains a unique folding and quality control machinery in which calnein acts as a chaperone that binds proteins with partially glucose-timmed carbohydrate side chains. In this model glucosidases I and H serve as signal modifiers and UDP-glucose:glycoprotein glucosyltransferase, as a folding sensor.The lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) provides a highly specialized compartment for the folding and oligomeric assembly of secretory proteins, plasma membrane proteins, and proteins destined for the various organelles of the vacuolar system. Their conformational maturation is a complex process determined not only by the amino acid sequence but also by post-and cotranslational modifications, by the intralumenal milieu, and by a variety of chaperones and folding enzymes present (for recent reviews, see refs. 1 and 2). The ER possesses an efficient but still poorly understood "quality control" system to ensure that transport is limited to properly folded and assembled proteins (3).Of the covalent modifications that occur in the ER, the cotranslational addition of N-linked oligosaccharides in the form of a 14-saccharide core unit (Glc3Man9GlcNAc2) is one ofthe most common (4). Glycosylation inhibitors, mutant cell lines, and site-specific mutagenesis of consensus glycosylation sequences have shown that it is crucial for the folding of many, but not all, glycoproteins (5,6). Without added sugars, proteins misfold, aggregate, and get degraded without transport to the Golgi complex. For optimal folding and secretion, some glycoproteins must undergo a series of early trimming steps involving the removal of the three terminal glucose residues (7-9). Trimming, catalyzed by glucosidases I and II, begins on the nascent chain and is followed by a series of ER a-mannosidase cleavages (4).As part of our studies on the folding of influenza hemagglutinin (HA)

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Disruptions of the melanocortin signaling system have been linked to obesity. We investigated a possible role of the central nervous melanocortin system (CNS-Mcr) in the control of adiposity through effects on nutrient partitioning and cellular lipid metabolism independent of nutrient intake. We report that pharmacological inhibition of melanocortin receptors (Mcr) in rats and genetic disruption of Mc4r in mice directly and potently promoted lipid uptake, triglyceride synthesis, and fat accumulation in white adipose tissue (WAT), while increased CNS-Mcr signaling triggered lipid mobilization. These effects were independent of food intake and preceded changes in adiposity. In addition, decreased CNS-Mcr signaling promoted increased insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake in WAT while decreasing glucose utilization in muscle and brown adipose tissue. Such CNS control of peripheral nutrient partitioning depended on sympathetic nervous system function and was enhanced by synergistic effects on liver triglyceride synthesis. Our findings offer an explanation for enhanced adiposity resulting from decreased melanocortin signaling, even in the absence of hyperphagia, and are consistent with feeding-independent changes in substrate utilization as reflected by respiratory quotient, which is increased with chronic Mcr blockade in rodents and in humans with loss-of-function mutations in MC4R. We also reveal molecular underpinnings for direct control of the CNS-Mcr over lipid metabolism. These results suggest ways to design more efficient pharmacological methods for controlling adiposity. IntroductionEnergy homeostasis, the balance of caloric intake and energy expenditure, is regulated by closely interconnected neuroendocrine and autonomic pathways emanating from and controlled by the CNS. Specific neurocircuitry, which is mainly located in hypothalamic and brain stem areas, continuously monitors signals reflecting energy status and initiates appropriate behavioral and metabolic responses to fluctuations in nutrient availability (1-4). Melanocortin neurons expressing genes encoding the endogenous ligands for melanocortin receptors (Mcr) are essential components of the system within the CNS that controls nutrient intake and energy metabolism (5-10). The central nervous melanocortin system (CNS-Mcr) is also the direct central

Abstract. Proteins synthesized in the ER are generally transported to the Golgi complex and beyond only when they have reached a fully folded and assembled conformation. To analyze how the selective retention of misfolded proteins works, we monitored the longterm fate of a membrane glycoprotein with a temperature-dependent folding defect, the G protein of tsO45 vesicular stomatitis virus. We used indirect immunofluorescence, immunoelectron microscopy, and a novel Nycodenz gradient centrifugation procedure for separating the ER, the intermediate compartment, and the Golgi complex. We also employed the folding and recycling inlaibitors dithiothreitol and AIF4-, and coimmunoprecipitation with calnexin antibodies. The results showed that the misfolded G protein is not retained in the ER alone; it can move to the intermediate compartment and to the cis-Golgi network but is then recycled back to the ER. In the ER it is associated with ealnexin and BiP/GRP78. Of these two chaperones, only BiP/GRP78 seems to accompany it through the recycling circuit. Thus, the retention of this misfolded glycoprotein is the result of multiple mechanisms including calnexin binding in the ER and selective retrieval from the intermediate compartment and the cis-Golgi network.

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) contains molecular chaperones that facilitate the folding of proteins in mammalian cells. Biosynthetic labeling was used to study the interactions of two chaperones, BiP and calnexin, with vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) glycoprotein (G protein). Coimmunoprecipitation of G protein with the chaperones showed that BiP bound maximally to early folding intermediates of G protein, whereas calnexin bound after a short lag to more folded molecules. Castanospermine, an inhibitor of ER glucosidases, blocked the binding of proteins to calnexin and inhibited G protein folding. Interaction with calnexin was necessary for efficient folding of G protein and for retention of partially folded forms.