Modulation of N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor activity upon amino acid deprivation

Adaptation of eukaryotic cells to changing environmental conditions entails rapid regulation of protein targeting and transport to specific organelles. Such adaptation is well exemplified in mammalian cells exposed to nitrogen starvation that are triggered to form and transport autophagosomes to lysosomes, thus constituting an inducible intracellular trafficking pathway. Here we investigated the relationship between the general secretory machinery and the autophagic pathway in Chinese hamster ovary cells grown in the absence of amino acid. Utilizing VSVG-YFP (vesicular stomatitis virus G protein fused to yellow fluorescent protein) and norepinephrine as markers for constitutive and regulated exocytosis, respectively, we found that secretion is attenuated in cells grown in media lacking amino acid. Such decrease in exocytosis stems from partial inhibition of N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor ATPase activity, which in turn causes an accumulation of SNARE complexes at both the Golgi apparatus and the plasma membrane of the starved cells. These findings expose a novel cellular strategy to attenuate secretion of proteins under conditions of limited amino acid supply.