ADAM17 has multidomain structure that includes a pro-domain, a metallo-protease domain, a disintegrin domain, a cysteine-rich domain, an EGF-like domain, a transmembrane domain, and a cytoplasmic tail.[7][8][9] The metalloprotease domain is responsible for the enzyme's catalytic activity, cleaving membrane-bound proteins, including cytokines like TNF-alpha, to release their soluble forms. The disintegrin and cysteine-rich domains are implicated in cell adhesion and interaction with integrins, while the transmembrane domain anchors the protein in the membrane. The cytoplasmic tail is involved in intracellular signaling and protein-protein interactions. ADAM17's activity is tightly regulated through multiple mechanisms, including the removal of its pro-domain and interactions with regulatory proteins such as TIMPs (tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases).[10]
Function
ADAM17 is understood to be involved in the processing of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) at the surface of the cell, and from within the intracellular membranes of the trans-Golgi network. This process, which is also known as 'shedding', involves the cleavage and release of a soluble ectodomain from membrane-bound pro-proteins (such as pro-TNF-α), and is of known physiological importance. ADAM17 was the first 'sheddase' to be identified, and is also understood to play a role in the release of a diverse variety of membrane-anchored cytokines, cell adhesion molecules, receptors, ligands, and enzymes.
Cloning of the TNF-α gene revealed it to encode a 26 kDa type II transmembrane pro-polypeptide that becomes inserted into the cell membrane during its maturation. At the cell surface, pro-TNF-α is biologically active, and is able to induce immune responses via juxtacrine intercellular signaling. However, pro-TNF-α can undergo a proteolytic cleavage at its Ala76-Val77 amide bond, which releases a soluble 17kDa extracellular domain (ectodomain) from the pro-TNF-α molecule. This soluble ectodomain is the cytokine commonly known as TNF-α, which is of pivotal importance in paracrine signaling. This proteolytic liberation of soluble TNF-α is catalyzed by ADAM17.
ADAM17 may play a prominent role in the Notch signaling pathway, during the proteolytic release of the Notch intracellular domain (from the Notch1 receptor) that occurs following ligand binding. ADAM17 also regulates the MAP kinase signaling pathway by regulating shedding of the EGFR ligand amphiregulin in the mammary gland.[11] ADAM17 also has a role in the shedding of L-selectin, a cellular adhesion molecule.[12]
Activation
The localization of ADAM17 is speculated to be an important determinant of shedding activity. TNF-α processing has classically been understood to occur in the trans-Golgi network, and be closely connected to transport of soluble TNF-α to the cell surface. Shedding is also associated with clustering of ADAM17 with its substrate, membrane bound TNF, in lipid rafts. [13] The overall process is called substrate presentation and regulated by cholesterol. Research also suggests that the majority of mature, endogenous ADAM17 may be localized to a perinuclear compartment, with only a small amount of TACE being present on the cell surface. The localization of mature ADAM17 to a perinuclear compartment, therefore, raises the possibility that ADAM17-mediated ectodomain shedding may also occur in the intracellular environment, in contrast with the conventional model.
Functional ADAM17 has been documented to be ubiquitously expressed in the human colon, with increased activity in the colonic mucosa of patients with ulcerative colitis, a main form of inflammatory bowel disease. Other experiments have also suggested that expression of ADAM17 may be inhibited by ethanol.[14]
Adam17 may facilitate entry of the SARS‑CoV‑2 virus, possibly by enabling fusion of virus particles with the cytoplasmic membrane.[20] Adam17 has similar ACE2 cleavage activity as TMPRSS2, but by forming soluble ACE2, Adam17 may actually have the protective effect of blocking circulating SARS‑CoV‑2 virus particles.[20]
Recently, ADAM17 was discovered as a crucial mediator of resistance to radiotherapy. Radiotherapy can induce a dose-dependent increase of furin-mediated cleavage of the ADAM17 proform to active ADAM17, which results in enhanced ADAM17 activity in vitro and in vivo. It was also shown that radiotherapy activates ADAM17 in non-small cell lung cancer, which results in shedding of multiple survival factors, growth factor pathway activation, and radiotherapy-induced treatment resistance.[21]
^"Human PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
^"Mouse PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
^Black RA, Rauch CT, Kozlosky CJ, Peschon JJ, Slack JL, Wolfson MF, et al. (February 1997). "A metalloproteinase disintegrin that releases tumour-necrosis factor-alpha from cells". Nature. 385 (6618): 729–733. Bibcode:1997Natur.385..729B. doi:10.1038/385729a0. PMID9034190. S2CID4251053.
^Moss ML, Jin SL, Milla ME, Bickett DM, Burkhart W, Carter HL, et al. (February 1997). "Cloning of a disintegrin metalloproteinase that processes precursor tumour-necrosis factor-alpha". Nature. 385 (6618): 733–736. Bibcode:1997Natur.385..733M. doi:10.1038/385733a0. PMID9034191. S2CID4335616.
^Primakoff P, Myles DG (February 2000). "The ADAM gene family: surface proteins with adhesion and protease activity". Trends in Genetics. 16 (2): 83–87. doi:10.1016/s0168-9525(99)01926-5. PMID10652535.
^Tellier E, Canault M, Rebsomen L, Bonardo B, Juhan-Vague I, Nalbone G, et al. (December 2006). "The shedding activity of ADAM17 is sequestered in lipid rafts". Experimental Cell Research. 312 (20): 3969–3980. doi:10.1016/j.yexcr.2006.08.027. PMID17010968.
^Taïeb J, Delarche C, Ethuin F, Selloum S, Poynard T, Gougerot-Pocidalo MA, et al. (December 2002). "Ethanol-induced inhibition of cytokine release and protein degranulation in human neutrophils". Journal of Leukocyte Biology. 72 (6): 1142–1147. doi:10.1189/jlb.72.6.1142. PMID12488495. S2CID9712196.
Black RA (January 2002). "Tumor necrosis factor-alpha converting enzyme". The International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology. 34 (1): 1–5. doi:10.1016/S1357-2725(01)00097-8. PMID11733179.
Hirohata S, Seldin MF, Apte SS (November 1998). "Chromosomal assignment of two ADAM genes, TACE (ADAM17) and MLTNB (ADAM19), to human chromosomes 2 and 5, respectively, and of Mltnb to mouse chromosome 11". Genomics. 54 (1): 178–179. doi:10.1006/geno.1998.5544. PMID9806848.
Cerretti DP, Poindexter K, Castner BJ, Means G, Copeland NG, Gilbert DJ, et al. (August 1999). "Characterization of the cDNA and gene for mouse tumour necrosis factor alpha converting enzyme (TACE/ADAM17) and its location to mouse chromosome 12 and human chromosome 2p25". Cytokine. 11 (8): 541–551. doi:10.1006/cyto.1998.0466. PMID10433800.
Kärkkäinen I, Rybnikova E, Pelto-Huikko M, Huovila AP (June 2000). "Metalloprotease-disintegrin (ADAM) genes are widely and differentially expressed in the adult CNS". Molecular and Cellular Neurosciences. 15 (6): 547–560. doi:10.1006/mcne.2000.0848. PMID10860581. S2CID36643322.
