Search

Recent evidence indicates that newly synthesized major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I proteins interact with calnexin, a transmembrane endoplasmic reticulum protein specific for certain glycoproteins bearing monoglucosylated glycans. Here, we studied the association of newly synthesized class I proteins with calreticulin, a soluble calnexin-related ER protein, in murine T cells. We found that, unlike calnexin-class I interactions, calreticulin assembly with class I proteins was markedly decreased in the absence of [[Beta].sub.2] microglobulin expression and that calreticulin associated with a subset of class I glycoforms distinct from those assembled with calnexin but similar to those bound to TAP (transporter associated with antigen processing) proteins. Finally, these studies show that deglucosylation of N-linked glycans is important for dissociation of class I proteins from both calreticulin and TAP and that the vast majority of newly synthesized class I proteins associated with calreticulin are simultaneously assembled with TAP. The data demonstrate that calnexin and calreticulin chaperones assemble with distinct MHC class I assembly intermediates in the ER and show that glycan processing is functionally coupled to release of MHC class I proteins from peptide transport molecules.

Studies on the differential routing of internalized epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFRs) induced by EGF, TGFα, and the superagonist EGF-TGFα chimera E4T suggested a correlation between receptor recycling and their mitogenic potency. EGFR sorting to lysosomes depends on its kinase domain and its ubiquitination by Cbl proteins. Proteasomes have also been proposed to regulate EGFR degradation, but the underlying mechanism remains obscure. Here we evaluated EGFR activation, Cbl recruitment, EGFR ubiquitination and degradation in response to EGF, TGFα, and E4T. We also determined the fate of activated EGFRs and Cbl proteins by using v. ATPase (bafilomycin A1) and proteasome (lactacystin) inhibitors. Our results demonstrate that E4T and TGFα provoke decreased Cbl recruitment, EGFR ubiquitination and EGFR degradation compared with EGF. Furthermore, bafilomycin treatment blocks EGFR but not c-Cbl degradation. In contrast, lactacystin treatment blocks EGF-induced c-Cbl degradation but does not block EGFR degradation, even though lactacystin causes a minor delay in EGFR degradation. Surprisingly, even though bafilomycin completely blocks EGFR degradation, it does not prevent EGFR de-ubiquitination upon prolonged EGF stimulation. Strikingly, when combined with bafilomycin, lactacystin treatment stabilizes the ubiquitinated EGFR and prevents its de-ubiquitination. We conclude that the enhanced EGFR recycling that has been observed in HER-14 cells following TGFα or E4T stimulation correlates with decreased EGFR ubiquitination and EGFR degradation, and that proteasomal activity is required for de-ubiquitination of the EGFR prior to its lysosomal degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]