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This review focuses on one of the 16 proteins composing the V-ATPase complex responsible for resorbing bone: the a3 subunit. The rationale for focusing on this biomolecule is that mutations in this one protein account for over 50% of osteopetrosis cases, highlighting its critical role in bone physiology. Despite its essential role in bone remodeling and its involvement in bone diseases, little is known about the way in which this subunit is targeted and regulated within osteoclasts. To this end, this review is broadened to include the three other mammalian paralogues (a1, a2 and a4) and the two yeast orthologs (Vph1p and Stv1p). By examining the literature on all of the paralogues/orthologs of the V-ATPase a subunit, we hope to provide insight into the molecular mechanisms and future research directions specific to a3. This review starts with an overview on bone, highlighting the role of V-ATPases in osteoclastic bone resorption. We then cover V-ATPases in other location/functions, highlighting the roles which the four mammalian a subunit paralogues might play in differential targeting and/or regulation. We review the ways in which the energy of ATP hydrolysis is converted into proton translocation, and go in depth into the diverse role of the a subunit, not only in proton translocation but also in lipid binding, cell signaling and human diseases. Finally, the therapeutic implication of targeting a3 specifically for bone diseases and cancer is discussed, with concluding remarks on future directions.

All NOS isoforms are involved in OTM with different expression patterns between tension and pressure sides, with nNOS being more involved in early OTM events. NOS expression did not change in osteocytes, suggesting that PDL cells rather than osteocytes are the mechanosensors in early OTM events with regard to NO signaling.

pep5 mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae accumulate inactive precursors to the vacuolar hydrolases. The PEP5 gene was isolated from a genomic DNA library by complementation of the pep5-8 mutation. Deletion analysis localized the complementing activity to a 3.3-kb DNA fragment. DNA sequence analysis of the PEP5 gene revealed an open reading frame of 1029 codons with a calculated molecular mass for the encoded protein of 117,403 D. Deletion/disruption of the PEP5 gene did not kill the cells. The resulting strains grow very slowly at 37 degrees. The disruption mutant showed greatly decreased activities of all vacuolar hydrolases examined, including PrA, PrB, CpY, and the repressible alkaline phosphatase. Apparently normal precursors forms of the proteases accumulated in pep5 mutants, as did novel forms of PrB antigen. Antibodies raised to a fusion protein that contained almost half of the PEP5 open reading frame allowed detection by immunoblot of a protein of relative molecular mass 107 kD in extracts prepared from wild-type cells. Cell fractionation showed the PEP5 gene product is enriched in the vacuolar fraction and appears to be a peripheral vacuolar membrane protein.

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