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Published on: July 3, 2015
Intracellular trafficking of tropoelastin
1Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
Researchers investigated how tropoelastin is secreted, finding it may use an acidic compartment after the Golgi. This suggests a unique trafficking pathway for elastic fiber formation.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
- Extracellular Matrix
Background:
- Elastin secretion involves soluble tropoelastin monomers forming elastic fibers.
- The intracellular pathway and chaperone complex for tropoelastin secretion are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the specific intracellular pathway of tropoelastin secretion.
- To elucidate the role of intracellular compartments in tropoelastin trafficking.
Main Methods:
- Immunofluorescence staining and immunoprecipitation in fetal bovine chondrocytes and ligamentum nuchae fibroblasts.
- Treatment with secretion-disrupting agents (brefeldin A, monensin, ammonium chloride, chloroquine, bafilomycin A1).
Main Results:
- Brefeldin A and monensin inhibited secretion, causing accumulation in ER/Golgi or Golgi, respectively.
- pH-altering agents and bafilomycin A1 led to intracellular tropoelastin accumulation in vesicles/endosomes and TGN/secretory vesicles.
- Tropoelastin secretion was diminished by bafilomycin A1, indicating involvement of acidic compartments.
Conclusions:
- Tropoelastin secretion may be diverted from the constitutive pathway after the Golgi.
- An acidic compartment appears to be involved in tropoelastin sorting and/or trafficking to the cell surface.
- Further research is needed to identify this compartment and its precise role.
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