Here, to study lipid-protein interactions that contribute to the biogenesis of regulated secretory vesicles, we have developed new approaches by which to label proteins in vivo, using photoactivatable cholesterol and glycerophospholipids. We identify synaptophysin as a major specifically cholesterol-binding protein in PC12 cells and brain synaptic vesicles. Limited cholesterol depletion, which has little effect on total endocytic activity, blocks the biogenesis of synaptic-like microvesicles (SLMVs) from the plasma membrane. We propose that specific interactions between cholesterol and SLMV membrane proteins, such as synaptophysin, contribute to both the segregation of SLMV membrane constituents from plasma-membrane constituents, and the induction of synaptic-vesicle curvature.

Weibel-Palade body (WPB) exocytosis underlies hormone-evoked VWF secretion from endothelial cells (ECs). We identify new endogenous components of the WPB: Rab3B, Rab3D, and the Rab27A/ Rab3 effector Slp4-a (granuphilin), and determine their role in WPB exocytosis. We show that Rab3B, Rab3D, and Rab27A contribute to Slp4-a localization to WPBs. siRNA knockdown of Slp4-a, MyRIP, Rab3B, Rab3D, Rab27A, or Rab3B/ Rab27A, or overexpression of EGFPSlp4-a or EGFP-MyRIP showed that Slp4-a is a positive and MyRIP a negative regulator of WPB exocytosis and that Rab27A alone mediates these effects. We found that ECs maintain a constant amount of cellular Rab27A irrespective of the WPB pool size and that Rab27A (and Rab3s) cycle between WPBs and a cytosolic pool. The dynamic redistribution of Rab proteins markedly decreased the Rab27A concentration on individual WPBs with increasing WPB number per cell. Despite this, the probability of WPB release was independent of WPB pool size showing that WPB exocytosis is not determined simply by the absolute amount of Rab27A and its effectors on WPBs. Instead, we propose that the probability of release is determined by the fractional occupancy of WPB-Rab27A by Slp4-a and MyRIP, with the balance favoring exocytosis. (Blood. 2012;120(13):2757-2767) IntroductionHormone-evoked VWF secretion from endothelial cells (ECs) is mediated by exocytosis of specialized secretory granules (SGs) called Weibel-Palade bodies (WPBs). 1 WPB exocytosis is triggered by increases in intracellular free Ca 2ϩ or cAMP concentrations, and involves a number of molecular components, including the Nethylmaleimide-sensitive factor, VAMP3, SNAP23, syntaxin 4, RalA, the annexin A2/S100A10 complex, and phospholipase D. [2][3][4][5][6][7] In addition, Rab proteins also regulate WPB exocytosis. A subset of Rab proteins, including Rab3A-3D, Rab27A/B, and Rab37, is associated with SGs in different cell types where they regulate SG biogenesis, trafficking, and exocytosis. 8 Secretory cells often express a mixture of these "secretory" Rabs, which may have overlapping or distinct functions. Human ECs are reported to express mRNA for Rab3A, Rab3D, and Rab37,3,9,10 Rab3B protein, 11 and Rab27A mRNA and protein. 12,13 To date, Rab27A is the only endogenous EC Rab protein that has been detected on WPBs. Through its effector MyRIP and Myosin Va, Rab27A is proposed to negatively regulate WPB exocytosis. 13,14 Rab27A can interact with different effector molecules, and many secretory cells express a mixture of these effectors. 8 In these cases, SG exocytosis probably depends on the balance of Rab27A interactions with the complement of Rab effectors in the cell.In addition to MyRIP, ECs contain mRNA for the Rab27A effector Slp4-a (granuphilin). 13 Slp4-a links SGs to the plasma membrane (PM) through SG-associated Rab proteins (principally Rab27A), PM-associated syntaxins (1a, 2, or 3) and soluble Munc18 isoforms. [15][16][17][18][19] Syntaxins exist in open and closed conformations that determine their participation in SNARE complex f...

Synaptic vesicles, which have been a paradigm for the fusion of a vesicle with its target membrane, also serve as a model for understanding the formation of a vesicle from its donor membrane. Synaptic vesicles, which are formed and recycled at the periphery of the neuron, contain a highly restricted set of neuronal proteins. Insight into the trafficking of synaptic vesicle proteins has come from studying not only neurons but also neuroendocrine cells, which form synaptic-like microvesicles (SLMVs). Formation and recycling of synaptic vesicles/SLMVs takes place from the early endosome and the plasma membrane. The cytoplasmic machinery of synaptic vesicle/SLMV formation and recycling has been studied by a variety of experimental approaches, in particular using cell-free systems. This has revealed distinct machineries for membrane budding and fission. Budding is mediated by clathrin and clathrin adaptors, whereas fission is mediated by dynamin and its interacting protein SH3p4, a lysophosphatidic acid acyl transferase.

In endothelial cells, the multifunctional blood glycoprotein von Willebrand Factor (VWF) is stored for rapid exocytic release in specialized secretory granules called Weibel-Palade bodies (WPBs). Electron cryomicroscopy at the thin periphery of whole, vitrified human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) is used to directly image WPBs and their interaction with a 3D network of closely apposed membranous organelles, membrane tubules, and filaments. Fourier analysis of images and tomographic reconstruction show that VWF is packaged as a helix in WPBs. The helical signature of VWF tubules is used to identify VWF-containing organelles and characterize their paracrystalline order in low dose images. We build a 3D model of a WPB in which individual VWF helices can bend, but in which the paracrystalline packing of VWF tubules, closely wrapped by the WPB membrane, is associated with the rod-like morphology of the granules.electron cryomicroscopy ͉ paracrystal ͉ von Willebrand factor ͉ tomography E ndothelial cells line the inner surfaces of blood vessels and play important roles in hemostasis, thrombosis, and inflammation. Some of these roles are achieved by secretion of the large, multimeric blood glycoprotein von Willebrand factor (VWF). VWF has multiple ligands and on acute release functions as an adhesive protein to bind platelets to sites of vascular injury. VWF circulating in the bloodstream also functions as a carrier for coagulation Factor VIII, increasing its lifetime. Defects in VWF and its storage are responsible for bleeding disorders including von Willebrand's disease (1).VWF is synthesized as a 350-kDa precursor (proVWF) that forms disulfide-linked dimers in the ER through its C-terminal cysteine knot domain. Proteolytic cleavage of proVWF in the Golgi gives rise to the N-terminal propolypeptide (a 100-kDa protein called proregion) and to mature VWF dimers that form large homo-oligomers through disulfide-links near each of its mature N-termini, a process catalyzed by proregion (2, 3). VWF and proregion remain non-covalently associated and are stored together in specialized secretory organelles called WeibelPalade bodies (WPBs), first identified by EM of fixed tissue sections as rod-shaped organelles containing fine tubules (4). Secretagogues stimulate WPB exocytosis, releasing VWF and other low molecular weight molecules such as cytokines and chemokines into the bloodstream (5), although mature VWF and its proregion account for greater than 95% of the protein in the granule (6). On release, VWF multimers are able to unfurl to strings up to 100 m long and associate with multiple ligands on platelet and endothelial cell surfaces at the site of vascular injury to help form a platelet plug. Mechanical shear exposes ligand binding sites on VWF as well as sites for cleavage by the protease ADAMTS13, which regulates the length of VWF multimers in the bloodstream (7).Like most other secretory granules, WPBs are thought to form at the trans-Golgi network (TGN) in a pH-dependent process. P-selectin is also recru...

A mis-sense point mutation in the human VAPB gene is associated with a familial form of motor neuron disease that has been classified as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis type VIII. Affected individuals suffer from a spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or an atypical slowly progressing form of ALS. Mammals have two homologous VAP genes, vapA and vapB. VAPA and VAPB share 76% similar or identical amino acid residues; both are COOH-terminally anchored membrane proteins enriched on the endoplasmic reticulum. Several functions have been ascribed to VAP proteins including membrane trafficking, cytoskeleton association and membrane docking interactions for cytoplasmic factors. It is shown here that VAPA and VAPB are expressed in tissues throughout the body but at different levels, and that they are present in overlapping but distinct regions of the endoplasmic reticulum. The disease-associated mutation in VAPB, VAPB(P56S), lies within a highly conserved N-terminal region of the protein that shares extensive structural homology with the major sperm protein (MSP) from nematodes. The MSP domain of VAPA and VAPB is found to interact with the ER-localized transcription factor ATF6. Over expression of VAPB or VAPB(P56S) attenuates the activity of ATF6-regulated transcription and the mutant protein VAPB(P56S) appears to be a more potent inhibitor of ATF6 activity. These data indicate that VAP proteins interact directly with components of ER homeostatic and stress signalling systems and may therefore be parts of a previously unidentified regulatory pathway. The mis-function of such regulatory systems may contribute to the pathological mechanisms of degenerative motor neuron disease.

−1 (n = 9) at 0.3 μM and 3.66 ± 0.45 WPB s −1 at 100 μM histamine (n = 15). These occurred 2-5 s after histamine addition and declined to lower rates with continued stimulation. The initial delays and maximal rate of exocytosis were unaffected by removal of external Ca 2+ indicating that the initial burst of secretion is driven by Ca 2+ release from internal stores, but sustained exocytosis required external Ca 2+ . Data were compared to exocytosis evoked by a maximal concentration of the strong secretagogue ionomycin (1 μM), for which there was a delay between calcium elevation and secretion of 1.67 ± 0.24 s (n = 6), and a peak fusion rate of ∼10 WPB s −1 .

Endothelial cells store the adhesive glyco-protein von Willebrand factor (VWF) in Weibel-Palade bodies (WPBs), distinctively shaped regulated secretory or-ganelles that undergo exocytosis in response to secretagogue. A significant proportion of newly synthesized VWF is also secreted spontaneously from non-stimulated cells, through what is thought to be the constitutive secretory pathway. To learn more about VWF trafficking, we performed kinetic analyses of the storage and nonstimulated secretion of VWF in cultured human endothelial cells. We found that most VWF was secreted through a route that was significantly delayed compared with constitutive secretion , although this pathway was responsible for secretion of a small amount of uncleaved VWF precursor. Disruption of pH-dependent sorting processes with am-monium chloride converted the secretion kinetics of mature VWF to that of its precursor. Conversely, preventing consti-tutive secretion of nascent protein with brefeldin A had only a modest effect on the spontaneous release of VWF, showing that most VWF secreted by nonstimu-lated cells was not constitutive secretion but basal release of a post-Golgi storage organelle, presumably the WPB. These data suggest that VWF is sorted to the regulated secretory pathway in endothe-lial cells much more efficiently than previously reported. (Blood. 2008;112:957-964)

The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated a multi-faceted rapid response by the scientific community, bringing researchers, health officials and industry together to address the ongoing public health emergency. To meet this challenge, participants need an informed approach for working safely with the etiological agent, the novel human coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Work with infectious SARS-CoV-2 is currently restricted to high-containment laboratories, but material can be handled at a lower containment level after inactivation. Given the wide array of inactivation reagents that are being used in laboratories during this pandemic, it is vital that their effectiveness is thoroughly investigated. Here, we evaluated a total of 23 commercial reagents designed for clinical sample transportation, nucleic acid extraction and virus inactivation for their ability to inactivate SARS-CoV-2, as well as seven other common chemicals including detergents and fixatives. As part of this study, we have also tested five filtration matrices for their effectiveness at removing the cytotoxic elements of each reagent, permitting accurate determination of levels of infectious virus remaining following treatment. In addition to providing critical data informing inactivation methods and risk assessments for diagnostic and research laboratories working with SARS-CoV-2, these data provide a framework for other laboratories to validate their inactivation processes and to guide similar studies for other pathogens.