The most common mutation of the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR), deltaF508-CFTR, is a trafficking mutant that is retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and targeted for rapid intracellular degradation, at least in part by the ubiquitin/proteasome system. We have previously demonstrated that this trafficking defect can be repaired in vitro, and partially in vivo, by the pharmaceutical agent Sodium 4- Phenylbutyrate (4PBA). However, the mechanism by which 4PBA repairs deltaF508-CFTR trafficking is not known, 4PBA is a known regulator of gene transcription, although, at effective concentrations in vitro, it does not significantly alter CFTR mRNA levels. Given this evidence, the overall hypothesis of this proposal is that 4PBA repairs the intracellular trafficking of deltaF508-CFTR by regulation of a protein or proteins important in the regulation of folding of nascent proteins and targeting of misfolded proteins for intracellular degradation. Specifically, we will test the hypothesis that 4PBA repairs deltaF508-CFTR intracellular trafficking by down-regulating the expression of Hsc70, the constitutively expressed member of the 70 kDa heat shock protein family that is necessary for the ubiquitination and proteasome degradation of a number of cellular proteins. This specific hypothesis is addressed in the present proposal in the studies directed at the following principal specific aims. (1) To determine whether specific modulation of Hsc70 expression in vitro by means other than 4PBA treatment results in alterations of deltaF508-CFTR and wild type CFTR intracellular trafficking. (2) To determine the mechanism by which 4PBA regulates Hsc70 at the protein and mRNA level by examining the influence of 4PBA on the kinetics of synthesis and degradation of Hsc70 protein and mRNA.
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