title: Reconstitution of human hepatoma endosome-endosome fusion in vitro: potential roles for an endoprotease and a phosphoprotein phosphatase.
abstract: We developed a sensitive fluorometric assay to study in vitro fusion between early endosomes isolated from the human hepatoma, Hep G2. Biochemical characterization of this assay showed that fusion between endosomal vesicles was dependent on physiologic temperature, cytosol, and ATP. Fusion was inhibited by pretreatment of vesicles and cytosol with either 1 mM N-ethylmaleimide or 20 microM GTP gamma S. Neither 3 mM ethylene glycol-bis-(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid nor 1 mM CaCl2 significantly affected fusion. In addition, ATP gamma S neither inhibited fusion at 50 microM nor supported fusion at 5 mM. To further our understanding of the factors regulating fusion, inhibitors of endoprotease activity and phosphotyrosine phosphatase activity were assayed for their effect on fusion. The dipeptide inhibitor of endoprotease activity, Cbz-gly-phe-amide, inhibited fusion 70% at 3 mM whereas a dipeptide analogue, Cbz-gly-gly-amide, was without effect. Furthermore, orthovanadate, an inhibitor of phosphotyrosine phosphatase activity, stimulated fusion twofold at 0.5 mM. These results suggest that both tyrosine dephosphorylation and endoprotease activity contribute to the regulation of endosome fusion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pitt
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Schwartz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000473:pathology*; D002459:Cell Fusion / Q000187:drug effects; D004151:Dipeptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000502:physiology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005033:Ethylmaleimide / Q000494:pharmacology; D016244:Guanosine 5'-O-(3-Thiotriphosphate) / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D008561:Membrane Fusion; D051379:Mice; D015388:Organelles / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases / Q000502:physiology*; D011480:Protease Inhibitors; D051381:Rats; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D004151:Dipeptides; D011480:Protease Inhibitors; D016244:Guanosine 5'-O-(3-Thiotriphosphate); C066375:carbobenzoxyglycylphenylalanine amide; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases; D010450:Endopeptidases; D005033:Ethylmaleimide