Endocrinology Vol. 139, No. 7 3232-3240
Copyright © 1998 by The Endocrine Society
Nerve Growth Factor Processing and Trafficking Events Following TrkA-Mediated Endocytosis1
Antje Zapf-Colby and
Jerrold M. Olefsky
Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, and Department of Medicine,
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, School of Medicine,
University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093
Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Jerrold M. Olefsky, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093-0673. E-mail: jolefsky{at}ucsd.edu
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Abstract
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We expressed the high affinity nerve growth factor receptor TrkA in
Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) fibroblasts to study nerve growth factor
(NGF) trafficking and processing events following receptor-mediated
ligand internalization in a nonneuronal and p75 minus cell line. These
stable clonal cell lines express approximately 2.5 x
105 TrkA receptors and bind 125I-NGF with high
affinity (Kd = 4 x 10-10 M).
The TrkA receptors are autophosphorylated on tyrosine residues upon NGF
stimulation and are capable of tyrosine phosphorylating downstream
signaling molecules. The t1/2 of 125I-NGF
internalization is 5 min, and the probability of an occupied TrkA
receptor internalizing within 1 min at 37 C is 9.8%. By 2 h
following endocytosis, less than 10% of internalized
125I-NGF is degraded, as determined by TCA precipitation.
Thirty minutes following ligand endocytosis, endocytosed
125I-NGF is delivered back to the cell surface and released
by the cell (retroendocytosis), possibly by remaining associated with
recycling TrkA receptors. We measured the effect of acidification on
125I-NGF-TrkA association and found that, at pH 6, 40% of
125I-NGF remains bound. Thus, NGF may remain associated
with the TrkA receptor at low pH conditions in the endosome and can
thereby be targeted back to the plasma membrane for release by the
cell. In conclusion: 1) TrkA, in the absence of p75, is fully capable
of mediating 125I-NGF endocytosis; 2) internalized
125I-NGF is slowly and inefficiently degraded; 3) following
internalization, 125I-NGF is retroendocytosed; and 4) the
ability of 125I-NGF to remain receptor-associated during
acidic conditions may provide a mechanism for its retroendocytosis via
recycling TrkA vesicles.
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Introduction
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NERVE GROWTH FACTOR is a polypeptide
hormone that exists as a dimer of 26,500 daltons (1). Although studies
with NGF have focused largely on its role in the survival and
maintenance of a subset of developing and maturing neuronal cells,
evidence is now emerging that nonneuronal functions in the endocrine
and immune systems can also be attributed to NGF (2, 3, 4, 5, 6). NGF binds two
distinct receptors: TrkA, a 140-kDa transmembrane receptor tyrosine
kinase, and p75, a member of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor
and Fas (Apo11/CD95) superfamily. TrkA, the high affinity NGF
receptor, is necessary and sufficient for several NGF mediated
biological effects (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14); the role of p75 in NGF stimulated signal
transduction is thus not clear. However, some recent evidence of p75
participation in NGF mediated signaling events, alone (15) or in
collaboration with TrkA (16), is now emerging. Receptor-mediated NGF
internalization (17) can be mediated through TrkA (18, 19, 20), but the
role of p75 in this process is still controversial (7, 21, 22).
NGF endocytosis has been characterized in neuronal cells and in the
sympathetic neuronal-like PC12 cell line (23). It has been established
that NGF internalization in neuronal cells occurs via retrograde
transport of the growth factor from the nerve terminals to the cell
body (24). Clearly, fibroblasts and other nonneuronal cells differ
morphologically from neuronal cells due to the absence of axons.
Retrograde transport, therefore, plays no role in NGF uptake in these
cells. Since endocrine and immune functions of NGF have been
established, we pursued the characterization of NGF internalization in
a nonneuronal cell line, i.e. transfected fibroblasts stably
expressing TrkA. Many neuronal cell lines coexpress Trk and p75.
Internalization mediated through p75 in the absence of Trk has been
examined in glial cell lines (21), in sympathetic neurons (24), and in
mutant PC12 (PC12nnr) cell lines (7, 22), however, little information
is published on NGF internalization and subsequent trafficking and
processing events in a p75 minus cell line. Thus, our studies in
CHO/TrkA cells address NGF internalization, processing, and trafficking
in a nonneuronal context and in the absence of p75.
Endocytosis, a general and distinctive property of all eukaryotic
cells, refers to the uptake of macromolecular material into a
membrane-limited organelle in a living cell. The process of
receptor-mediated endocytosis is comprised of noncovalent binding of
ligand to cell-surface receptors, which induces the clustering of these
complexes in clathrin-coated pits (25, 26, 27). The ligand-receptor
complexes are internalized as coated pits invaginate and pinch off to
form small intracellular coated vesicles. Clathrin is rapidly removed
from the vesicles giving rise to endosomes (28, 29). In these
structures, acidification takes place, followed by a sorting step which
establishes the destination of receptor and ligand. Receptors and
ligands can be recycled to the cell surface (30, 31), degraded by
lysosomal enzymes, or sequestered in an intracellular compartment. We
designate the intact ligand recycling process retroendocytosis
(32, 33, 34, 35), sometimes referred to as recycling, exocytosis, diacytosis,
transcytosis, or re-externalization in the literature.
TrkA endocytosis has not been well characterized, but recent evidence
suggests that TrkA receptors are internalized by a clathrin-mediated
mechanism (19). Our findings describe these events of
125I-NGF internalization, processing, and retroendocytosis
mediated through the TrkA receptor in the absence of p75. We find
that 125I-NGF is capable of efficient internalization
and retroendocytosis, and propose that its ability to stay associated
with the TrkA receptor under acidic conditions diverts it from
lysosomal degradation.
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Materials and Methods
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Materials
CHO-K1 cells were purchased from the American Type Tissue
Culture Collection (Rockville, MD). Permission to use the human Trk
complementary DNA (cDNA) (pDM69) was generously granted by M. Chao.
Lipofectamine, Geneticin (G418), GlutaMAX-1, and immunoprecipitin were
obtained from Gibco BRL, Life Technologies Inc. (Gaithersburg, MD).
Gentamicin sulfate and FBS were bought from Gemini Bioproducts
(Calabasas, CA). 125I-NGF was purchased form NEN Research
Products (DuPont Company, Wilmington, DE). 2.5 S NGF (grade II) and BSA
(fraction V, heat shock) were purchased from Boehringer Mannheim
(Indianapolis, IN). Trichloroacetic acid, deoxycholic acid, sodium
orthovanadate, and sodium fluoride were obtained from Sigma (St. Louis,
MO). Immobilon-P membrane was purchased from Millipore (Bedford, MA).
Rabbit IgG agarose beads were bought from Sigma Immunochemicals (St.
Louis, MO). 16.5% Tris-Tricine Ready Gels were purchased from Bio-Rad
(Hercules, CA).
Antibodies
Anti-Trk antiserum 203 was generously provided by D. R.
Kaplan, NCI-Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center
(Frederick, MD). Polyclonal anti-Trk antibody 1087 was kindly donated
by W. C. Mobley (UCSF, San Francisco, CA). PY20 antibody was
bought from Transduction Laboratories, (Lexington, KY). Polyclonal
antihuman p75 antibody was purchased from Promega (Madison, WI).
Cell culture
CHO/TrkA cells were maintained in HAMS/F12 medium supplemented
with 10% FCS, 1 x GlutaMAX-1, 50 µg/ml gentamicin sulfate, 500
µg/ml G418 at 5% CO2. PC12 cells were routinely grown in
DME/high glucose supplemented with 10% horse serum, 5% FCS, 1 x
GlutaMAX-1, 50 µg/ml gentamicin sulfate at 7.5% CO2.
Generation of stable CHO/TrkA cells
pDM69 was digested with EcoRI to excise the human
TrkA cDNA insert. The ends of the insert were blunted and ligated into
the polylinker region of the EcoRV-digested CLDN vector. CHO
cells were transfected with this plasmid via the lipofectamine method
followed by G418 selection (500 µg/ml). Clonal cell lines were
established and individual clones were screened for TrkA expression by
125I-NGF binding.
125I-NGF equilibrium binding studies
1 x 105 CHO/TrkA cells per well were plated
into six-well plates 2 days before binding study, such that on the day
of the experiment, 4 x 105 cells/well were present.
After rinsing twice with ice-cold PBS, 900 µl KRP-HEPES binding
buffer including 1 ng/ml final (1 x 105 cpm)
125I-NGF were added per well, immediately followed by
addition of 100 µl of 10 x cold NGF of varying final
concentrations ranging from 11000 ng/ml. After overnight incubations
at 4 C, unbound ligand was removed by three PBS washes, cells were
lysed in 0.4 N NaOH, and cpms were determined in
-counter. Curve fitting and data analysis were performed with LIGAND
software version 4.1 (NIH) (36).
p75 Western blotting
Fifty micrograms of PC12 and CHO/TrkA protein were subjected to
7.5% SDS-PAGE. After transfer onto Immobilon, the membranes were
incubated for 1 h at RT in TBS/0.1% Tween20 (TBST) containing 1%
BSA, followed by a 2-h incubation with anti-p75 antibody (1:1000) in
TBST. After several washes with TBST, a 30-min incubation with goat
antirabbit IgG-HRP (1:1000) was performed at RT. Following washing with
TBST, enhanced chemiluminescence (ECL) was performed.
Western blotting with anti-Trk antibody 1087
CHO and CHO/TrkA cells plated in 60 mm plates were lysed in 200
µl lysis buffer (30 mM Tris, pH 7.5, 150 mM
NaCl, 1% TX-100, 0.5% deoxycholate, 10 mM EDTA, 0.1%
SDS, 1 mM PMSF, 800 KIU/ml aprotinin, 1 µM
leupeptin, 1 mM sodium orthovanadate, 160 mM
sodium fluoride). After centrifugation at 14,000 rpm, protein
concentrations were determined with the supernatants and 50 µg of
protein were subjected to 7.5% SDS-PAGE. After transfer of proteins
onto Immobilon, the membrane was incubated in TBST/2% BSA for 1 h
at RT followed by incubation with polyclonal anti-Trk antibody 1087
(1:2000) for 2 h in TBST/2% BSA at RT. After several washes in
TBST, goat antirabbit IgG-HRP (1:2000) was added for 30 min followed by
detection with ECL.
Immunoprecipitation with anti-Trk antiserum 203
CHO/TrkA cells were plated in 60 mm dishes and starved the
following day for 48 h in HAMS/F12/0.1% BSA. Cells were treated
for 5 min with or without 100 ng/ml NGF, immediately washed with
ice-cold PBS and lysed in 750 µl lysis buffer. After centrifugation
at 14,000 rpm, 4 µl anti-Trk antisera 203 were added to each
supernatant followed by rotation for 2 h at 4 C. Immunocomplexes
were precipitated with protein A sepharose beads. Beads were washed 4
times, boiled in 100 µl 1 x Laemmlis buffer and 40 µl were
subjected to 7.5% SDS-PAGE, followed by Western blotting with
antiphosphotyrosine antibody PY20 (1:1000 in TBST/2.5% BSA). The same
membrane was stripped for 10 min in 0.5 M NaCl/0.5
M acetic acid at RT. After blocking in TBST/2.5% BSA, the
membrane was reprobed with polyclonal anti-Trk antibody 1087 (1:2000)
to verify equal protein loading.
125I-NGF internalization
CHO/TrkA cells were plated at 50% confluency the day before the
experiment in six-well plates. Cells were rinsed twice with ice-cold
PBS and once with KRP-HEPES binding buffer (pH 7.5). Cells were
incubated at 37 C in the presence of 1 ng/ml 125I-NGF in
binding buffer for various times, followed by aspiration of unbound
ligand and three washes with 2 ml ice-cold binding buffer. One
milliliter acidic binding buffer (pH 3.5) was added per well, and cells
were transferred to 4 C for 10 min to remove surface-bound ligand. This
acid wash plus one additional 1 ml wash were transferred to a
borosilicate culture tube. Cells were washed 3 more times with 2 ml
acidic binding buffer and lysed with 1 ml 0.4 N NaOH for 30
min. Lysates and one additional 1 ml wash were transferred to separate
tube. Acid-extractable and nonextractable cpms were measured in
-counter.
The method for determining the endocytic rate constant of occupied
receptors was previously described (25, 26, 32). Briefly, internalized
and surface radioactivity was measured as described above at 1-min
intervals for 6 min. Surface values were integrated over time using the
trapezoidal rule, and values were plotted against internalized cpms.
The slope of the plot at any point is equal to the specific
internalization rate of occupied receptors (Ke) at that
time. Linear regression was performed using Statview, Abacus Concepts,
Inc. (Berkeley, CA).
Internalized 125I-NGF degradation
Cells were treated for various times with 1 ng/ml
125I-NGF at 37 C. Acid-extractable 125I-NGF was
collected and counted, and acid-resistant 125I-NGF was
subjected to 7.5% TCA precipitation. Cells were lysed in 1 ml 0.4 N
NaOH/1%BSA for 15 min, and 500 µl of lysate were incubated with 500
µl 15% TCA on ice for 30 min. Samples were centrifuged at 14,000 rpm
and supernatants plus one 7.5% TCA wash were transferred to tube. Cpms
of pellet and supernatants were determined in a
-counter. In our
hands, this method is consistently 7080% efficient, as determined by
the ability of intact 125I-NGF to precipitate. The TCA
precipitation method has been used previously to monitor
125I-NGF degradation (21, 37). Treatment with 0.4 N NaOH
does not contribute to 125I-NGF degradation.
Retroendocytosis
CHO/TrkA cells were plated as described above 12 days before
the experiment. Cells were washed twice with ice-cold PBS and once with
binding buffer (pH 7.5). One milliliter of 3 ng/ml 125I-NGF
in binding buffer was added per well, and cells were incubated for 20
min at 37 C. Unbound ligand was immediately aspirated and surface-bound
ligand was removed by acid wash as described above. Cells were washed
two more times with acidic binding buffer, twice with PBS, and once
with binding buffer (pH 7.5). 1 ml of 37 C binding buffer was added per
well, and cells were transferred to 37 C for various times. At the
appropriate time, 500 µl media were transferred to an Eppendorf tube
containing 500 µl 15% TCA. TCA precipitation procedure was followed
as above. The cells were washed 3 times with PBS and lysed, and counted
as above.
Tris-Tricine gel electrophoresis of TCA precipitated
125I-NGF
TCA pellets from parallel 10- and 30-min media time-points in
the retroendocytosis experiment above were washed with ice-cold
acetone, and the pellet was solubilized in 50 µl 4 x
Tris-Tricine sample buffer (0.1 M Tris-HCl, pH 6.8, 24%
glycerol, 1% SDS, 2% ß-mercaptoethanol, 0.02% Coomassie G-250).
After boiling for 10 min and centrifugation at 14,000 rpm, the samples
were subjected to 16.5% Tris-Tricine gel electorphoresis at 100 V
using Bio-Rads Tris-Tricine Ready Gels for peptides and small
proteins. For molecular weight controls, 0.1 µCi of
125I-NGF, 7.5% TCA-precipitated 125I-NGF (0.1
µCi before TCA-precipitation), and Bio-Rads peptide and small
protein molecular weight marker were also included. The gel was placed
in 40% methanol/10% acetic acid fixative solution for 30 min. The
molecular weight lane was cut off from the rest of the gel and stained
for 1 h in 0.025% Coomassie Blue G-250 for 1 h and destained
in 10% acetic acid for 3 x 15-min washes. The rest of the gel
was wrapped in plastic and placed on film for 50 days and
developed.
pH binding studies
CHO/TrkA cells were incubated with 1 ng/ml 125I-NGF
in KRP-HEPES binding buffer, pH 68, at 4 C overnight in the presence
and absence of 330 ng/ml unlabeled NGF to determine specific
binding.
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Results
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125I-NGF equilibrium binding analysis
We performed NGF competition binding studies in CHO/TrkA cells at
equilibrium conditions (4 C, overnight) and subjected the data to
Scatchard analysis to obtain an equilibrium binding constant and the
number of receptor binding sites per cell. The ligand displacement
curve demonstrates an IC50 of 3 x 10-9
M (Fig. 1A
) and Scatchard
analysis (Fig. 1B
) performed with the LIGAND program yielded a
Kd of 4 x 10-10 M and
approximately 2.5 x 105 binding sites per cell. The
one binding site model was the preferential fit, which is consistent
with the fact that CHO cells do not express p75 (M. Chao, personal
communication). The absence of p75 in these clones was verified by
Western blotting experiments with an antihuman p75 antibody raised
against the highly conserved extracellular domain of p75. p75
expression is clearly detectable in PC12 cells, but no immunoreactivity
was observed even when 100 µg of cell lysates were used (Fig. 2
). It is possible, however, that a high
number of low affinity binding sites do exist on these cells, as
suggested by the curvilinear Scatchard plot. The two site model
predicts Kd values of 3 x 10-10 and
4 x 10-8 M, with approximately 2 x
105 high- and 2 x 106 low-affinity
binding sites. This is consistent with published observations in
transfected NIH3T3 expressing Trk receptors (18, 38), where Scatchard
analysis also points to two binding sites, despite the absence of p75
in these cells. These binding studies clearly reveal that CHO/TrkA
cells express high affinity 125I-NGF binding sites.

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Figure 1. Equilibrium binding of 125I-NGF.
CHO/TrkA cells were incubated with 1 ng/ml of 125I-NGF and
various concentrations of unlabeled NGF overnight at 4 C in a total
volume of 0.5 ml. Values represent means of triplicate determinations
of specific binding. A, Ligand displacement curve; B, Scatchard plot.
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Figure 2. CHO/TrkA cells do not express p75. Fifty
micrograms of PC12 and CHO/TrkA cell lysates were subjected to Western
analysis with anti-p75 antibody as described in Materials and
Methods.
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TrkA mediates tyrosine phosphorylation
To further ascertain TrkA expression in our cell lines, we
conducted Western blotting experiments with 50 µg of protein obtained
from CHO parental and TrkA cDNA transfected cells and demonstrate the
presence of an approximately 140-kDa protein that is immunoreactive
with polyclonal anti-Trk antibody 1087 in CHO/TrkA cells but not in CHO
parental cells (Fig. 3A
). The fainter
approximately 110-kDa band, which is also immunoreactive with the
anti-Trk antibody, is most likely the high-mannose precursor to mature
TrkA (19, 39). To assess TrkA function, we performed
immunoprecipitation experiments with protein obtained from
NGF-stimulated CHO/TrkA cells using anti-Trk antiserum 203 and analyzed
the tyrosine phosphorylation state of the immunoprecipitated protein.
Western blot analysis with antiphosphotyrosine antibody PY20 indicates
that a 140-kDa tyrosine phosphorylated protein is clearly detectable in
cells stimulated for 5 min with NGF but not in the basal state,
demonstrating TrkAs ability to autophosphorylate in these cells (Fig. 3B
, left panel). TrkA is maximally tyrosine phosphorylated
between 5 and 10 min, and even at 30 min continues to be phosphorylated
above basal levels (data not shown). To verify that similar amounts of
protein were immunoprecipitated with anti-trk antiserum 203 in the
basal and NGF stimulated state, the membrane was stripped and reprobed
with anti-trk antibody 1087. Clearly, equal amounts of TrkA are present
(Fig. 3B
, right panel). The 25- and 50-kDa bands represent
the rabbit IgG light and heavy chains, respectively, as polyclonal
antibodies were employed for immunoprecipitation and Western blotting.
In addition, Western blot analysis of protein obtained from NGF
stimulated cells with the antiphosphotyrosine antibody PY20 revealed an
increase in the tyrosine phosphorylation states of several cellular
proteins, including a 140-kDa protein, presumably TrkA, as early as 1
min following NGF treatment (Fig. 3C
), clearly demonstrating that TrkA
is capable of mediating further downstream tyrosine phosphorylation
events. Together, these ligand binding and phosphorylation studies
demonstrate that CHO/TrkA cells express functional TrkA receptors
capable of mediating autophosphorylation and tyrosine phosphorylation
of downstream signaling proteins.

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Figure 3. CHO/TrkA cells express functional TrkA receptors.
A, Parental CHO and CHO/TrkA whole cell lysates were subjected to
SDS-PAGE followed by Western blotting with polyclonal anti-Trk antibody
1087. B, Cell lysates were prepared from CHO/TrkA cells incubated at 37
C in the presence or absence of 100 ng/ml NGF for 5 min followed by
immunoprecipitation with anti-Trk antiserum 203 and by Western blotting
analysis using antiphosphotyrosine antibody PY20 (left
panel); the same blot was stripped and reprobed with polyclonal
anti-Trk antibody 1087 to verify equal amounts of immunoprecipitated
TrkA (right panel). In all panels, the
140-kDa TrkA receptor is indicated by an arrow. C,
CHO/TrkA lysates from unstimulated and 1 min NGF stimulated cells were
subjected to SDS-PAGE followed by Western blotting analysis with
antibody PY20.
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125I-NGF internalization
Because cell surface ligand is acid extractable, whereas
intracellular 125I-NGF is not, the ability to distinguish
surface-bound from internalized 125I-NGF allowed us to
determine a t1/2 of 5 min for NGF endocytosis. After 2
h, 72.4% of cell-associated 125I-NGF was found
intracellularly (Fig. 4A
). We performed
kinetic studies, according to the method of Wiley and Cunningham (40, 41), to obtain a value for the endocytic rate constant
(Ke), the cellular constant that defines the probability of
an occupied receptor (i.e. TrkA) being internalized in 1 min
at 37 C. By integrating the amount of surface bound
125I-NGF (acid-released 125I-NGF) at early time
points and plotting each value vs. the amount of
internalized 125I-NGF at the same time-point, the
Ke is derived from the slope of the plot (Fig. 4B
). The
Ke for the 125I-NGF-Trk complex is 0.098;
i.e. there is a 9.8% probability that an occupied Trk
receptor will internalize in 1 min at 37 C.

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Figure 4. Time-course of 125I-NGF
internalization. Cells were incubated for various times (1120 min)
with 1 ng/ml 125I-NGF at 37 C. At the indicated times, cpms
of acid-sensitive (surface-bound) and acid-resistant (internalized)
125I-NGF were determined. A, Values are expressed as % of
total cpms [[ internalized cpm/(surface cpm + internalized cpm)]
(100)] and represent means ± SEM of four independent
experiments, performed in triplicate. B, Surface values were integrated
over time, and values were plotted against internalized
125I-NGF to determine Ke as described in
Materials and Methods.
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125I-NGF degradation
Degradation of internalized 125I-NGF was monitored by
the TCA precipitation method. This approach has been previously used to
measure 125I-NGF degradation in PC12 and glial cell lines
(21, 37). Figure 5
shows the time-course
of the various components of cell associated radioactivity. The cells
were incubated with 125I-NGF and at each time point acid
extractable (cell surface) and nonextractable (internalized) cpms were
determined. The intracellular 125I-NGF was further
subdivided into degraded and intact components. As can be seen, during
the early part of the time course, most of the cell associated
radioactivity was surface bound, but at approximately 30 min, surface
binding of 125I-NGF reaches steady state while
internalization progressively continues. At 120 min 75% is
internalized and 25% is surface-bound, and of the internalized
125I-NGF 95% is intact and 5% degraded.

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Figure 5. Time-course of internalized 125I-NGF
processing. CHO/TrkA cells were incubated for indicated times with 1
ng/ml 125I-NGF. The amount of surface-bound
125I-NGF was assessed by acid-wash, and acid-resistant
(internalized) 125I-NGF was subjected to TCA precipitation,
as described in Materials and Methods. Values depicted
represent the mean cpms ± SEM (for some data points
too small to be seen) of one of three independent experiments with
similar results, each performed in triplicate.
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Retroendocytosis
Internalized ligand can either undergo lysosomal degradation or
bypass this route and travel back to the cell surface, where endosomal
fusion with the plasma membrane can result in the release of intact
ligand. Delivery of ligand to the lysosome results in degradation
followed by the release of fragments into the surrounding medium. By
quantitating the relative amounts of degraded vs. intact
ligand released into the medium after internalization, we were able to
evaluate NGFs ability to undergo retroendocytosis. Cells were
incubated with 3 ng/ml 125I-NGF for 20 min at 37 C to allow
for ligand internalization; surface-bound ligand was then removed by
acid-wash, and the cells were reincubated in 37 C buffer to follow the
release of the internalized 125I-ligand. At various times
after this reincubation, media was collected and assayed for intactness
of ligand by the TCA precipitation method (Fig. 6A
). TCA-precipitable (intact) ligand is
already detectable 5 min after reincubation (i.e. 25 min
after the onset of internalization), whereas TCA-soluble (degraded)
125I-NGF does not appear until 10 min after reincubation.
After 90 min, approximately 60% of released ligand is
TCA-precipitable, indicating that 125I-NGF is
preferentially sorted into a recycling, rather than lysosomal
degradation pathway.

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Figure 6. 125I-NGF undergoes retroendocytosis.
CHO/TrkA cells were incubated with 3 ng/nl 125I-NGF for 20
min at 37 C. Free and cell-surface bound ligand was removed as
described in Materials and Methods section and cells
were returned to 37 C. At indicated times, media were subjected to TCA
precipitation. A, Radioactivity of TCA-precipitable and TCA-soluble
present in media and of cell-associated material were determined.
Values are expressed as % of total (cell- and media-associated) cpms.
Data represent mean ± SEM of four independent
experiments performed in triplicate. B, TCA pellets from the 30- and
10-min time points were resolubilized and subjected to 16.5%
Tris-Tricine gel electrophoresis (lanes 3 and 4, respectively) as
explained in Materials and Methods. Intact tracer
125I-NGF (lane 2) and intact TCA-precipitated tracer
125I-NGF (lane 1) were included for molecular weight
comparsion. The intact NGF monomer at 13 kDa is indicated by the
arrow.
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To determine if TCA-precipitable 125I-NGF includes
partially degraded 125I-NGF, we subjected resolubilized TCA
pellets from the 10- and 30-min retroendocytosis time-points
(corresponding to 30 and 50 min after the onset of internalization) to
gel electrophoresis using 16.5% Tris-Tricine gels that allow for the
separation of peptides and small proteins. We compared the molecular
weights of the TCA-precipitated 125I-NGF obtained from
these time-points to the original intact tracer 125I-NGF
and to TCA-precipitated intact tracer 125I-NGF. As can be
seen in Fig. 6B
, the molecular weight of the bands in lanes 3 and 4
(30- and 10-min time-points, respectively) comigrate with the 13-kDa
bands obtained from intact tracer 125I-NGF (lane 2) and
TCA-precipitated intact tracer 125I-NGF (lane 1). NGF
usually exists as a dimer of 26 kDa; however, the reducing conditions
in this experiment yield NGF monomers. No bands of molecular weight
less than 13,000 were visible, demonstrating that the TCA precipitation
method is valid for separating intact from degraded NGF. Together,
these studies demonstrate that NGF is capable of retroendocytosis and
that the TCA precipitation method is valid for separating intact from
degraded 125I-NGF.
The effect of pH on 125I-NGF binding
As the endosome undergoes maturation, the vesicular milieu becomes
increasingly acidic resulting in dissociation of ligand-receptor
complexes. Because 125I-NGF preferentially undergoes
retroendocytosis, rather than entering a degradation pathway, we
hypothesized that 125I-NGF stays bound to its receptor
despite the decreases in pH, and thereby returns to the cell-surface by
continuing association with a recycling receptor. To assess this idea,
we analyzed the effect of changes in pH on 125I-NGF binding
to whole cells. Although 125I-NGF binding decreases in
response to a fall in pH, this effect is much less than for other
peptide hormone receptor complexes (6), and even at pH 6, 40% of
maximal binding remained (Fig. 7
). This
finding suggests a possible mechanism underlying the efficient NGF
recycling observed in these cells.

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Figure 7. The effect of pH on 125I-NGF binding.
125I-NGF binding was performed at different pH conditions
overnight at 4 C in the presence and absence of unlabeled NGF to
determine specific binding. Values are expressed as % of maximal
binding relative to the maximal binding obtained at pH 8.0 (100%) and
represent the mean ±SD of two independent experiments
performed in duplicate.
|
|
 |
Discussion
|
|---|
Since many TrkA expressing cell lines also express p75, it has
proven difficult to determine the individual contributions of each
receptor to NGF internalization. Others have addressed this issue by
taking advantage of the different affinities of NGF for its two
receptors, and by using p75 blocking antibodies or an NGF mutant to
determine TrkAs role in endocytosis (20, 42). Although p75 binding is
decreased in these studies, this low affinity receptor could still
interact with TrkA and, thereby, modulate NGF internalization.
Researchers have also used the mutant PC12nnr cell line, which no
longer responds to NGF and contains primarily low affinity (presumably
p75) binding sites, to address the contribution of p75 to NGF
internalization. Results in these cell lines are contradictory;
i.e. Green et al. (7) detected no NGF
internalization, whereas Eveleth and Bradshaw (22) detected some NGF
endocytosis, albeit characteristically different from parental PC12
cells. These studies highlight the difficulties in dissecting the
relative contributions of the individual receptors to NGF endocytosis
in cell lines coexpressing TrkA and p75. Kahle et al. (20)
have addressed this problem by characterizing NGF endocytosis mediated
through p75 in a glial Trk minus cell line. Although it has been
demonstrated in Trk expressing NIH3T3 cells that the Trk receptor is
capable of mediating NGF endocytosis (18), thorough analysis
determining the TrkA endocytic rate constant, kinetics of NGF
degradation, and NGF retroendocytosis in a cell line without p75 has
not been reported. We, therefore, addressed these issues in a p75 minus
cell line.
Our findings corroborate Jing et al.s observation in
NIH3T3 cells that TrkA can mediate efficient and rapid NGF
internalization, in the absence of p75. Because we have previously
performed the same experiments with insulin and IGF-I in fibroblasts
(6), we are able to compare them to our findings in this study with
NGF. The endocytic rate constants for IGF-I, NGF, and insulin are 0.07,
0.1, and 0.2 min-1, respectively, indicating that
125I-NGF-bound TrkAs probability of internalizing within
1 min at 37 C is approximately half that of insulins. Although these
studies do not address the mechanism underlying this observation,
various possibilities that arent mutually exclusive exist. The
binding affinities of the ligands for their receptors may differ,
permitting a higher affinity ligand to internalize more rapidly.
However, all these ligands bind their respective tyrosine kinase
receptors with affinities in the low nM range, thus
rendering this possibility an unlikely mechanism for the observed
differences in endocytic rate constants. Alternatively, the rates at
which the various receptors diffuse in the plasma membrane and pass
through a coated pit may differ, which could account for different
internalization kinetics. Furthermore, the efficiency with which
ligand-receptor-complexes become trapped in coated pits and the rate at
which coated pits give rise to endosomes may differentially affect
rates of receptor-mediated endocytosis. Potentially distinct
interactions of the ligand-bound tyrosine kinase receptors with
clathrin-associated proteins, such as
-adaptin or ß-arrestin,
may further contribute to the observed differences in internalization
rates between NGF, IGF-I, and insulin. Clearly, there are many steps
which participate in the modulation of internalization kinetics. This
highlights the complexity and potential of regulation of growth factor
action before internalization.
The majority of internalized 125I-NGF escapes degradation,
as evidenced by its absence in TCA-soluble fractions of internalized
radioactivity. We propose that the ability of NGF to remain associated
with its receptor in acidic conditions, indicative of the endosomal
milieu, protects it from being targeted to the lysosome. The ability of
NGF to remain receptor-associated is further supported by the
appearance of TCA-precipitable NGF in the extracellular medium 25 min
following internalization. Receptor recycling has been documented in
several systems and recent cross-linking studies suggest that TrkA may
recycle between 1030 min after initiation of internalization (19). It
is, therefore, likely, that intact NGF can return to the cell surface
as the receptors are reincorporated into the plasma membrane. This is
the first demonstration of NGF retroendocytosis in the absence of p75.
Eveleth et al. (22) suggest that the observed
retroendocytosis in PC12nnr5 cells could be due to p75 because Trk
function in these mutant cells is defective. Although p75 may
contribute to NGF retroendocytosis, we demonstrate that TrkA is
sufficient for this process.
Other potential mechanisms may also contribute to NGFs efficient
retroendoctyosis. To our knowledge, no endosomal NGF degradation enzyme
has been discovered, unlike is the case for insulin, which is degraded
by an endosomal acidic thiol metalloprotease that functions optimally
at low pH (43). Thus, the absence of endosomal degradation may serve to
protect NGFs integrity. An alternative mechanism by which NGF may be
protected from degradation may be through its interaction with low
affinity binding sites that, according to binding analysis, may be
present on these cells. The identity of these binding sites is unknown;
perhaps they are binding proteins that protect NGF from
degradation.
Tyrosine kinase receptors and their respective ligands activate a
multitude of identical signal transduction molecules, yet their
biological effects are distinct. It has been suggested that specificity
of growth factor action can be achieved by differences in the kinetics
of activation of signaling proteins. Others have published that NGF
elicits a higher and more sustained level of ERK1/2 activation in
comparison to other growth factors (44, 45, 46, 47), and we have observed
similar findings in CHO/TrkA cells (unpublished observations). It is
possible that a ligand is able to mediate signaling events not only at
the plasma membrane but continues to do so from the endosome, provided
it is still bound to its receptor. The hypothesis that internalized
ligand-receptor complexes can extend the signaling process initiated at
the plasma membrane was proposed by Posner et al. (48, 49)
and several studies (50, 51) have addressed this in the insulin and EGF
receptor system. Furthermore, Grimes et al. (19) demonstrate
that endosomal TrkA receptors remain associated with NGF, are
autophosphorylated, and associate with PLC-
, suggesting that
endocytosed ligand-receptor complexes can continue to participate in
signal transduction events. Thus, strong and sustained ERK1/2
activation in the case of NGF could be the direct result of prolonged
internalized ligand-receptor association and lack of NGF lysosomal
degradation. Perhaps NGF cannot fulfill its biological functions
adequately unless it is internalized. This can be tested by measuring
NGFs biological effects in cell lines expressing Trk receptor
mutants, which lack the ability to internalize yet maintain their
tyrosine kinase activity upon ligand-binding. Because we observed very
efficient retroendocytosis of NGF, it is possible that retroendocytosed
NGF could bind once again to cell-surface receptors and thereby
continue to activate downstream molecules, such as ERK1/2. Thus, we
hypothesize that the processes following receptor-mediated endocytosis,
including ligand-receptor dissociation, ligand degradation, and ligand
trafficking, can play critical roles in imparting growth factor
specificity.
It has been previously suggested that functions of receptor-mediated
ligand internalization include down-regulation of receptors and
termination of signal transduction. However, recent evidence suggesting
the ability of endosomal ligand-receptor pairs to contribute to signal
transduction, modifies this original view. The function of
receptor-mediated endocytosis may be to regulate, either positively or
negatively, ligand initiated signaling events. NGF, a chronically
required factor involved in cell survival and differentiation, may
sustain signaling through relatively longer association with its
receptor, its ability to bypass lysosomal degradation, and subsequent
retroendocytosis.
 |
Acknowledgments
|
|---|
We thank W. C. Mobley and D. R. Kaplan and for
generously providing us with anti-Trk antibodies and M. Reff for the
CLDN vector. F. H. Gage kindly provided us with pDM69 with
generous permission from M. Chao.
 |
Footnotes
|
|---|
1 This work was supported by a predoctoral fellowship (A.Z.-C.) from
NIH institutional training grant 5-T32-AG-0021605 and by NIH Grant
DK-33651 (J.M.O.). These studies were performed in partial fulfillment
of a Ph.D. degree (A.Z.-C.) in the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program
at the University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California. 
Received March 2, 1998.
 |
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