Intercellular communication is vital to ensure tissue and organism homeostasis and can occur directly, between neighbour cells via gap junctions (GJ), or indirectly, at longer distances, through extracellular vesicles, including exosomes. Exosomes, as intercellular carriers of messenger molecules, mediate the transfer of biological information between donor and acceptor cells. Although the biological effects of exosomes in target cells have been intensively studied, the mechanisms that govern exosomal uptake are not fully understood. Here, we show that Connexin 43 (Cx43), the most widely expressed GJ protein, is present in exosomes in the form of hexameric channels and, more importantly, that exosomal Cx43 is able to modulate the interaction and transfer of information between exosomes and acceptor cells. This study envisions a new paradigm where Cx43-containing channels mediate the release of exosomal content into cells, which constitutes a novel and unanticipated mechanism to modulate intercellular communication.

The transcription factor hiF1 is mostly regulated by the oxygen-dependent proteasomal degradation of the labile subunit hiF1A. recent data showed degradation of hiF1A in the lysosome through chaperone-mediated autophagy (cMA). however the molecular mechanism involved has not been elucidated. This study shows that the KFerQ-like motif, that has been identified in all cMA substrates, is required to mediate the interaction between hiF1A and the chaperone hSpA8. Moreover, mutations in the KFerQ-like motif of hiF1A preclude the interaction with the cMA receptor LAMp2A, thus inhibiting its lysosomal degradation. importantly, we show for the first time that the ubiquitin ligase STUB1 is required for degradation of hiF1A in the lysosome by cMA. indeed, mutations in STUB1 that inhibit either the ubiquitin ligase activity or its ability to bind to hSpA8, both prevent degradation of hiF1A by cMA. Moreover, we show that hiF1A binds to and is translocated into intact lysosomes isolated from rat livers. This new pathway for degradation of hiF1A does not depend on the presence of oxygen and is activated in response to nutrient deprivation such that the levels of hiF1A bound to cMA positive lysosomes significantly increase in starved animal livers and the binding of hiF1A to LAMp2A increases in response to serum deprivation. Moreover, excessive degradation of hiF1A by cMA compromises cells' ability to respond to and survive under hypoxia, suggesting that this pathway might be of pathophysiological importance in conditions that combine hypoxia with starvation. leucinylleucinylleucinal/proteasome inhibitor; MTT, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide; RCC, renal cell carcinoma; Serpinb, serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade B/Ovalbumin; SLC2A1, solute carrier family 2 (facilitated glucose transporter)/glucose transporter; STUB1, STIP1 homology and U-box containing protein 1; TPR, tetratricopeptide repeat; UPS, ubiquitin-proteasome system; VEGFA, vascular endothelial growth factor A; u-box, modified RING finger domain lacking the metal-chelating residues

Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy is a selective form of autophagy. Recently, the degradation of a newly identified CMA substrate, the HIF1A transcription factor, was found to be regulated by the ubiquitin ligase STUB1. In this study we show, for the first time, that K63 ubiquitination is necessary for CMA degradation of HIF1A in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, STUB1 mediates K63 linked ubiquitination of HIF1A. Our findings add a new regulatory step and increase the specificity of the molecular mechanism involved in CMA degradation of HIF1A, expanding the role of ubiquitination to yet another biological process, since the same mechanism might be applicable to other CMA substrates.

Introduction Polyneuropathy signs (Neuropathy Impairment Score, NIS), neurophysiologic tests (m+7Ionis), disability, and health scores were assessed in baseline evaluations of 100 patients entered into an oligonucleotide familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP) trial. Methods We assessed: 1) Proficiency of grading neurologic signs and correlation with neurophysiologic tests, and 2) clinometric performance of mNIS+7Ionis and its subscores and correlation with disability and health scores. Results The modified Neuropathy Impairment Score + 7 neurophysiologic tests (mNIS+7Ionis) sensitively detected, characterized and broadly scaled diverse polyneuropathy impairments. Polyneuropathy signs (NIS and subscores) correlated with neurophysiology tests, disability, and health scores. Smart Somatotopic Quantitative Sensation Testing of Heat as Pain 5 provided a needed measure of small fiber involvement not adequately assessed by other tests. Discussion Specially trained neurologists accurately assessed neuropathy signs as compared to referenced neurophysiologic tests. The score, mNIS+7Ionis, broadly detected, characterized, and scaled polyneuropathy abnormality in FAP, which correlated with disability and health scores.