title: Calnexin is involved in apoptosis induced by endoplasmic reticulum stress in the fission yeast.
abstract: Stress conditions affecting the functions of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) cause the accumulation of unfolded proteins. ER stress is counteracted by the unfolded-protein response (UPR). However, under prolonged stress the UPR initiates a proapoptotic response. Mounting evidence indicate that the ER chaperone calnexin is involved in apoptosis caused by ER stress. Here, we report that overexpression of calnexin in Schizosaccharomyces pombe induces cell death with apoptosis markers. Cell death was partially dependent on the Ire1p ER-stress transducer. Apoptotic death caused by calnexin overexpression required its transmembrane domain (TM), and involved sequences on either side of the ER membrane. Apoptotic death caused by tunicamycin was dramatically reduced in a strain expressing endogenous levels of calnexin lacking its TM and cytosolic tail. This demonstrates the involvement of calnexin in apoptosis triggered by ER stress. A genetic screen identified the S. pombe homologue of the human antiapoptotic protein HMGB1 as a suppressor of apoptotic death due to calnexin overexpression. Remarkably, overexpression of human calnexin in S. pombe also provoked apoptotic death. Our results argue for the conservation of the role of calnexin in apoptosis triggered by ER stress, and validate S. pombe as a model to elucidate the mechanisms of calnexin-mediated cell death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada.
authors.forename: Renée
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Guérin
authors.forename: Geneviève
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Arseneault
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dumont
authors.forename: Luis A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Rokeach
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis; D037281:Calnexin / Q000502:physiology*; D016923:Cell Death; D002470:Cell Survival; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000378:metabolism*; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D024243:HMGB1 Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009154:Mutation; D010957:Plasmids; D011489:Protein Denaturation; D012568:Schizosaccharomyces / Q000378:metabolism; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D024243:HMGB1 Protein; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins; D037281:Calnexin