The molecular mechanism involved in the exocytosis of
arginine vasopressin (AVP) is not fully known.
Rabphilin-3A has been suggested as a novel
autoantigen in infundibulo-neurohypophysitis (LINH), which leads to
central diabetes insipidus through insufficient secretion of AVP. However, the role of
rabphilin-3A in the pathogenesis of LINH remains unclear. Thus, the aim of the present study was to identify
proteins binding
rabphilin-3A in the posterior pituitary. Using
glutathione S-transferase (GST)-pulldown assays and proteomic analyses,
cullin-associated NEDD8-dissociated
protein 1 (CAND1) was identified as a rabphilin-3A-binding
protein in the posterior pituitary. Co-immunoprecipitation assays indicated that CAND1 interacted endogenously with
rabphilin-3A. In addition, immunohistochemistry experiments showed that CAND1 immunoreactivity was detected mainly in the posterior pituitary, intermediate lobe, and the supraoptic nucleus in the hypothalamus, and less in the anterior lobe, partially co-localizing with
rabphilin-3A. Overexpression of CAND1 resulted in deubiquitylation of
rabphilin-3A in PC12 cells. Moreover, overexpression of CAND1 in PC12 cells co-transfected with AVP enhanced both basal and KCl-stimulated AVP secretion. The findings indicate that CAND1 inhibits the ubiquitylation of
rabphilin-3A and positively regulates AVP secretion. These data shed light on a novel potential mechanism involving
rabphilin-3A in AVP secretion, and suggest a new role of CAND1 as a regulator of
hormone or
neurotransmitter secretion.