Endosome fusion

FIGURE 2 3-7 Schematic diagram of the synaptic vesicle cycle. Neurotransmitter-filled vesicles held in the reserve pool are trafficked to a readily releasable pool where they are docked, primed and fused with the plasmalemma at the synaptic cleft. Also depicted is the clathrin-mediated endocy-tosis of the fused vesicles, which is followed by their uncoating and recycling via early endosomal fusion and budding of vesicles. This returns the vesicles to the reserve pool. Some of the phosphoproteins which regulate these steps are shown. For a more detailed description of this process and the phosphoproteins involved the reader is directed to the excellent text by Cowen et al. [67]. 

Luzio JP, Rous BA, Bright NA, Pryor PR, Mullock BM, Piper RC. Lysosome-endosome fusion and lysosome biogenesis. J Cell Sci 2000 113(Pt 9) 1515-1524. 

For process development purposes it is useful to consider two steps in the infection process. First the binding and post-attachment steps (internaHsation, endosomal fusion, lysosomal routing, and gene deUver to the nucleus) and secondly the expressing phase of the baculovirus components and production of the product of interest. 

Chloroquine drastically improves the transfection of cells when DNA/polylysine conjugates are used (Zenke et al., 1990 Midoux et al., 1993). So far, the mechanism of action of chloroquine has not been completely elucidated. Chloroquine is supposed to protect the internalized plasmid from intracellular degradation as a result of the neutralization of acidic compartments and the inhibition of endosome fusion with lysosomes. Furthermore, the swelling of vesicles can be induced when the concentration of chloroquine is high enough. However, there is no direct relationship between the neutralization of the acidic cell compartments and the transfection efficiency (Erbacher et al., 1996a). Once taken up by the cells, chloroquine accumulates inside acidic vesicles where it can reach a concentration more than 50 mM, based on the estimated volume of the vesicular compartments. At physiological pH, 82% of chloroquine is protonated and can bind to nucleic acids. Therefore, the interaction of chloroquine with DNA appears to be... 

In case of local gastrointestinal treatments nucleic acid drugs shall be taken up by enterocytes, usually through endocytosis. The route of uptake determines, subsequently, nucleic acid trafficking and lifetime in the cell. Endocytosis is a multistep process involving binding, internalization, formation of endosomes, fusion with lysosomes, and lysis. The low pH and enzymes within... 

G.-P. Li and H. Qian. Kinetic timing a novel mechanism for improving the accuracy of GTPase timers in endosome fusion and other biological processes. Traffic, 3 249-255, 2002. 

Phosphatidyl-inositol-3-OH kinase (PI(3)kinase) plays an important role in the fusion of endosomes. Phosphatidyl-inositol-3-phosphate (PI(3)P), a product of this enzyme, is enriched in early endosomes, and blocking PI(3)kinase activity with the small molecule wortmannin prevents endosome fusion. This fungal natural product has been shown to inhibit the endocytosis of transferrin, horseradish peroxidase, and albumin (44, 45). 

Hammond TG, Majewski RR, Kaysen JH, Goda FO, Navar GL, Pontillon F, Verroust PJ, Gentamicin inhibits rat renal cortical homo-typlc endosomal fusion role of megalln. Am J Physiol, 1997 272 (41) F117-23. 

Biwersi J, Emans N, Verkman AS. Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator activation stimulates endosome fusion in vivo. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1996 93 12484. 

Gorvel, J. P., Chavrier, P., Zerial, M., and Gruenberg, J. (1991). rab5 controls early endosome fusion in vitro. Cell 64, 915-925. 

FIGURE 27.6 Example of the cellular internalization of ricin. The process involves endocytosis by coated pits and vesicles (A) or smooth pits and vesicles, followed by vesicle-endosome fusion (B). Ridn molecules can then return to the cell surface by exocytosis, or the vesicles may fuse to lysosomes for toxin destruction. Source Mustmtions taken from Audi et al. (2005). 

In addition to binding to sialic acid residues of the carbohydrate side chains of cellular proteins that the virus exploits as receptors, hemagglutinin has a second function in the infection of host cells. Viruses, bound to the plasma membrane via their membrane receptors, are taken into the cells by endocytosis. Proton pumps in the membrane of endocytic vesicles that now contain the bound viruses cause an accumulation of protons and a consequent lowering of the pH inside the vesicles. The acidic pH (below pH 6) allows hemagglutinin to fulfill its second role, namely, to act as a membrane fusogen by inducing the fusion of the viral envelope membrane with the membrane of the endosome. This expels the viral RNA into the cytoplasm, where it can begin to replicate. 

In addition to secretory cells, many non-secretory cells are capable of regulating exocytotic fusion of transport vesicles that are derived from endosomal precursors. For instance, vesicles enriched in plasma membrane transport proteins are incorporated in a regulated manner in order to alter metabolite fluxes. Examples include the glucose transporter GLUT-4 in muscle and fat tissues, a key element in the control of... 

FIG. 15 Cellular entry and intracellular kinetics of the cationic lipid-DNA complexes. Cationic lipid-DOPE liposomes form electrostatic complexes with DNA, and, in this case, also transferrin (Tf) is incorporated. Cellular uptake by endoc5dosis and endosomal acidification can be blocked with cytochaiasin B and bafilomycin Aj, respectively. DNA is proposed to be released at the level of endosomal wall after fusion of the carrier lipids with endosomal bilayer. This process is facilitated by the formation of inverted hexagonal DOPE phase as illustrated in the lower corner on the right. After its release to the C5doplasm DNA may enter the nucleus. (From Ref. 253. By permission of Nature Publishing Group.)... 

Other systems like electroporation have no lipids that might help in membrane sealing or fusion for direct transfer of the nucleic acid across membranes they have to generate transient pores, a process where efficiency is usually directly correlated with membrane destruction and cytotoxicity. Alternatively, like for the majority of polymer-based polyplexes, cellular uptake proceeds by clathrin- or caveolin-dependent and related endocytic pathways [152-156]. The polyplexes end up inside endosomes, and the membrane disruption happens in intracellular vesicles. It is noteworthy that several observed uptake processes may not be functional in delivery of bioactive material. Subsequent intracellular obstacles may render a specific pathway into a dead end [151, 154, 156]. With time, endosomal vesicles become slightly acidic (pH 5-6) and finally fuse with and mature into lysosomes. Therefore, polyplexes have to escape into the cytosol to avoid the nucleic acid-degrading lysosomal environment, and to deliver the therapeutic nucleic acid to the active site. Either the carrier polymer or a conjugated endosomolytic domain has to mediate this process [157], which involves local lipid membrane perturbation. Such a lipid membrane interaction could be a toxic event if occurring at the cell surface or mitochondrial membrane. Thus, polymers that show an endosome-specific membrane activity are favorable. 

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