Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A1 (ALDH1A1), an enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of lipid aldehydes to lipid carboxylic acids, plays pleiotropic roles in UV-radiation resistance, melanogenesis, and stem cell maintenance. In this study, a combination of RNAi and pharmacologic approaches were used to determine which ALDH1A1 substrates and products regulate melanogenesis. Initial studies revealed that neither the UV-induced lipid aldehyde 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal nor the ALDH1A1 product all-trans retinoic acid appreciably induced melanogenesis. In contrast, both the ALDH1A1 substrate 9-cis retinal and its corresponding product 9-cis retinoic acid potently induced the accumulation of MITF mRNA, Tyrosinase mRNA, and melanin. ALDH1A1 depletion inhibited the ability of 9-cis retinal but not 9-cis retinoic acid to stimulate melanogenesis, indicating that ALDH1A1 regulates melanogenesis by catalyzing the conversion of 9-cis retinal to 9-cis retinoic acid. The addition of potent ALDH1A inhibitors (cyanamide or Angeli’s salt) suppressed Tyrosinase and MITF mRNA accumulation in vitro and also melanin accumulation in skin equivalents, suggesting that 9-cis retinoids regulate melanogenesis in the intact epidermis. Taken together, these studies not only identify cyanamide as a potential novel treatment for hyperpigmentary disorders, but also identify 9-cis retinoic acid as a pigment stimulatory agent that may have clinical utility in the treatment of hypopigmentary disorders, such as vitiligo.

Background

Riboflavin (RF) is essential for normal cellular metabolic activities. Human cells obtain RF from their surroundings via a carrier-mediated process that involves RF transporters -1, -2 & -3 (hRFVT -1, -2 & -3; products of SLC52A1, -A2 and -A3 genes, respectively). Little is known about the structural features of these transporters that are important for their function/cell biology. Our aim in this study was to address these issues for the hRFVT-2, a transporter linked to the neurodegenerative disorder Brown-Vialetto-Van Laere Syndrome (BVVLS).

Methods

We used comparative protein-structure modelling to predict residues that interact with two amino acids known to be critical for hRFVT-2 function (the clinical mutants L123 and L339), site-directed mutagenesis, and truncation approach in the human-derived brain U87 cell model.

Results

First we showed that the defect in the function of the L123 and L339 hRFVT-2 clinical mutants is related to a reduction in protein stability/translation efficiency and to retention of the protein in the ER. Mutating V120 and L121 (residues predicted to interact with L123) and L342 (a residue predicted to interact with L339) also led to a significant inhibition in hRFVT-2 function (with no change in membrane expression); this inhibition was associated with changes in protein stability/translation efficiency (in the case of V120A and L342A) and an impairment in transport function (in the case of L121). Truncating the N- and C- terminals of hRFVT-2 led to significant inhibition in RF uptake, which was associated with changes in protein stability/translation efficiency (it was also associated with a partial impairment in membrane targeting in the case of the N-terminal truncation).

Conclusion

These investigations report on identification of residues/sequences in the hRFVT-2 protein that is important for its physiological function and cell biology.

Thiamin plays a critical role in cellular energy metabolism. Mammalian cells obtain the vitamin from their surroundings, converted it to thiamin pyrophosphate (TPP) in the cytoplasm, followed by uptake of TPP by mitochondria via a carrier-mediated process that involves the MTPPT (product of the SLC25A19 gene). Previous studies have characterized different physiological/biological aspects of the human MTPPT (hMTPPT), but less is known about structural features that are important for its function. Here, we used a protein-docking model ("Phyre2" and "DockingServer") to predict residues that may be important for function (substrate recognition) of the hMTPPT; we also examined the role of conserved positively-charged residues predicted ("PRALINE") to be in the trans-membrane domains (TMDs) in uptake of the negatively-charged TPP. Among the six residues predicted by the docking model (i.e., Thr(29), Arg(30), Ile(33), Ser(34), Asp(37) and Phe(298)), only Ile(33), Ser(34) and Asp(37) were found to be critical for function. While no change in translational efficiency/protein stability of the Ser(34) mutant was observed, both the Ile(33) and Asp(37) mutants showed a decrease in this parameter(s); there was also a decrease in the expression of the latter two mutants in mitochondria. A need for a polar residue at position 34 of the hMTPPT was evident. Our findings with the positively-charged residues (i.e., His(82), His(137), Lys(231) and Lys(291)) predicted in the TMD showed that His(137) and Lys(291) are important for function (via a role in proper delivery of the protein to mitochondria). These investigations provide important information about the structure-function relationship of the hMTPPT.

The intestinal absorption process of vitamin B2 (riboflavin, RF) is carrier-mediated, and all three known human RF transporters, i.e., hRFVT-1, -2, and -3 (products of the SLC52A1, 2 & 3 genes, respectively) are expressed in the gut. We have previously shown that the intestinal RF uptake process is adaptively regulated by substrate level, but little is known about the molecular mechanism(s) involved. Using human intestinal epithelial NCM460 cells maintained under RF deficient and over-supplemented (OS) conditions, we now show that the induction in RF uptake in RF deficiency is associated with an increase in expression of the hRFVT-2 & -3 (but not hRFVT-1) at the protein and mRNA levels. Focusing on hRFVT-3, the predominant transporter in the intestine, we also observed an increase in the level of expression of its hnRNA and activity of its promoter in the RF deficiency state. An increase in the level of expression of the nuclear factor Sp1 (which is important for activity of the SLC52A3 promoter) was observed in RF deficiency, while mutating the Sp1/GC site in the SLC52A3 promoter drastically decreased the level of induction in SLC52A3 promoter activity in RF deficiency. We also observed specific epigenetic changes in the SLC52A3 promoter in RF deficiency. Finally, an increase in hRFVT-3 protein expression at the cell surface was observed in RF deficiency. Results of these investigations show, for the first time, that transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms are involved in the adaptive regulation of intestinal RF uptake by the prevailing substrate level.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by Amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) containing plaques and cognitive deficits. The pathophysiology of AD also involves neuroinflammation. Vitamin B1 (thiamin) is indispensable for normal cellular energy metabolism. Thiamin homeostasis is altered in AD, and its deficiency is known to aggravate AD pathology. Little, however, is known about possible alterations in level of expression of thiamin transporters-1 and -2 (THTR-1 and -2) in the brain of AD, and whether pro-inflammatory cytokines affect thiamin uptake by brain cells. We addressed these issues using brain tissue samples [prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus (HIP)] from AD patients and from 5XFAD mouse model of AD, together with cultured human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells as model. Our results revealed a significantly lower expression of both THTR-1 and THTR-2 in the PFC and HIP of AD patients and 5XFAD mouse model of AD compared to appropriate normal controls. Further, we found that exposure of the SH-SY5Y cells to pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) led to a significant inhibition in thiamin uptake. Focusing on IL-1β, we found the inhibition in thiamin uptake to be time-dependent and reversible; it was also associated with a substantial reduction in expression of THTR-1 (but not THTR-2) protein and mRNA as well as a decrease in promoter activity of the SLC19A2 gene (which encodes THTR-1). Finally, using transcriptomic analysis, we found that thiamin availability in SH-SY5Y cells caused changes in the expression of genes relevant to AD pathways. These studies demonstrate, for the first time, that thiamin transport physiology/molecular biology parameters are negatively impacted in AD brain and that pro-inflammatory cytokines inhibit thiamin uptake by neuroblastoma cells. The results also support a possible role for thiamin in the pathophysiology of AD.