bims-cagime Biomed News
on Cancer, aging and metabolism
Issue of 2020–06–14
forty-nine papers selected by
Kıvanç Görgülü, Technical University of Munich
  1. Clinically Actional Strategies for Studying Neural Influences in Cancer.
  2. Epigenetic Landscape in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: On the Way to Overcoming Drug Resistance?
  3. Glutamine depletion regulates Slug to promote EMT and metastasis in pancreatic cancer.
  4. Functional interplay of Epstein-Barr virus oncoproteins in a mouse model of B cell lymphomagenesis.
  5. Inducible deletion of skeletal muscle AMPKℵ 1 reveals that AMPK is required for nucleotide balance but 2 dispensable for muscle glucose uptake and fat oxidation during exercise.
  6. AP-1 imprints a reversible transcriptional programme of senescent cells.
  7. Distinct pre-initiation steps in human mitochondrial translation.
  8. PEBP1 acts as a rheostat between prosurvival autophagy and ferroptotic death in asthmatic epithelial cells.
  9. Metabolic Reprograming via Deletion of CISH in Human iPSC-Derived NK Cells Promotes In Vivo Persistence and Enhances Anti-tumor Activity.
  10. RAS-targeted therapies: is the undruggable drugged?
  11. Distinct iNKT Cell Populations Use IFNγ or ER Stress-Induced IL-10 to Control Adipose Tissue Homeostasis.
  12. Influences of circulatory factors on intervertebral disc aging phenotype.
  13. Association of Glycated Hemoglobin Levels With Risk of Pancreatic Cancer.
  14. Local Mitochondrial ATP Production Regulates Endothelial Fatty Acid Uptake and Transport.
  15. Senescent Cells: Emerging Targets for Human Aging and Age-Related Diseases.
  16. Restriction of essential amino acids dictates the systemic metabolic response to dietary protein dilution.
  17. MERIT, a cellular system coordinating lysosomal repair, removal and replacement.
  18. Mitotic phosphorylation of the ULK complex regulates cell cycle progression.
  19. Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition compromises vascular integrity to induce Myc-mediated metabolic reprogramming in kidney fibrosis.
  20. Atypical protein kinase C iota (PKCλ/ι) ensures mammalian development by establishing the maternal-fetal exchange interface.
  21. Lipid and protein dynamics that shape nuclear envelope identity.
  22. Classical and Nonclassical Intercellular Communication in Senescence and Ageing.
  23. Early intervention exercise training does not delay prostate cancer progression in Pten-/- mice.
  24. A multi-omics analysis reveals the unfolded protein response regulon and stress-induced resistance to folate-based antimetabolites.
  25. Caveolin-1 inhibits breast cancer stem cells via c-Myc-mediated metabolic reprogramming.
  26. Histone Methylation Connects DNA Repair to Metabolism in Cancer Cells.
  27. Autophagosome biogenesis and human health.
  28. Endolysosomal Targeting of Mitochondria Is Integral to BAX-Mediated Mitochondrial Permeabilization during Apoptosis Signaling.
  29. Human CNS barrier-forming organoids with cerebrospinal fluid production.
  30. Understanding Complexity of Cancer Genomes: Lessons from Errors.
  31. Membrane-proximal F-actin restricts local membrane protrusions and directs cell migration.
  32. Cell Type- and Stimulation-Dependent Transcriptional Programs Regulated by Atg16L1 and Its Crohn's Disease Risk Variant T300A.
  33. CALCOCO1 acts with VAMP-associated proteins to mediate ER-phagy.
  34. Structure of a nascent membrane protein as it folds on the BAM complex.
  35. Increased glucocorticoid concentrations in early life cause mitochondrial inefficiency and short telomeres.
  36. A myelin basic protein fragment induces sexually dimorphic transcriptome signatures of neuropathic pain in mice.
  37. Puncta intended: connecting the dots between autophagy and cell stress networks.
  38. High-fat diet induced obesity and age influence the telomere shelterin complex and telomerase gene expression in mouse adipose tissue.
  39. How Do Cells Adapt? Stories Told in Landscapes.
  40. Failed Apoptosis Enhances Melanoma Cancer Cell Aggressiveness.
  41. Multi-phenotype CRISPR-Cas9 Screen Identifies p38 Kinase as a Target for Adoptive Immunotherapies.
  42. Molecular Tumor Boards in Clinical Practice.
  43. Atg21 organizes Atg8 lipidation at the contact of the vacuole with the phagophore.
  44. Cell Death in the Origin and Treatment of Cancer.
  45. FoxO suppresses endoplasmic reticulum stress to inhibit growth of Tsc1-deficient tissues under nutrient restriction.
  46. Integrative phenotyping of glycemic responders upon clinical weight loss using multi-omics.
  47. Temperature-dependent activity of kinesins is regulable.
  48. FBXL4 deficiency increases mitochondrial removal by autophagy.
  49. Xist Repeats A and B Account for Two Distinct Phases of X Inactivation Establishment.
  1. Cancer Cell. 2020 Jun 09. pii: S1535-6108(20)30273-7. [Epub ahead of print]
    Clinically Actional Strategies for Studying Neural Influences in Cancer.
    Ihsan Ekin Demir, Carmen Mota Reyes, Wasfi Alrawashdeh, Güralp O Ceyhan, Sylvie Deborde, Helmut Friess, Kivanc Görgülü, Rouzanna Istvanffy, David Jungwirth, Rohini Kuner, Maria Maryanovich, Shorook Na'ara, Simon Renders, Jami L Saloman, Nicole N Scheff, Hendrik Steenfadt, Pavel Stupakov, Vera Thiel, Divij Verma, Bengi Su Yilmaz, Ruth A White, Timothy C Wang, Richard J Wong, Paul S Frenette, Ziv Gil, Brian M Davis.
      Neuro-glial activation is a recently identified hallmark of growing cancers. Targeting tumor hyperinnervation in preclinical and small clinical trials has yielded promising antitumor effects, highlighting the need of systematic analysis of neural influences in cancer (NIC). Here, we outline the strategies translating these findings from bench to the clinic.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2020.05.023
  2. Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Jun 08. pii: E4091. [Epub ahead of print]21(11):
    Epigenetic Landscape in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: On the Way to Overcoming Drug Resistance?
    Sona Ciernikova, Julie Earl, María Laura García Bermejo, Viola Stevurkova, Alfredo Carrato, Bozena Smolkova.
      Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most aggressive solid malignancies due to the rapid rate of metastasis and high resistance to currently applied cancer therapies. The complex mechanism underlying the development and progression of PDAC includes interactions between genomic, epigenomic, and signaling pathway alterations. In this review, we summarize the current research findings on the deregulation of epigenetic mechanisms in PDAC and the influence of the epigenome on the dynamics of the gene expression changes underlying epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is responsible for the invasive phenotype of cancer cells and, therefore, their metastatic potential. More importantly, we provide an overview of the studies that uncover potentially actionable pathways. These studies provide a scientific basis to test epigenetic drug efficacy in synergy with other anticancer therapies in future clinical trials, in order to reverse acquired therapy resistance. Thus, epigenomics has the potential to generate relevant new knowledge of both a biological and clinical impact. Moreover, the potential, hurdles, and challenges of predictive biomarker discoveries will be discussed, with a special focus on the promise of liquid biopsies.
    Keywords:  drug resistance; epi-drugs; epigenetics; epithelial–mesenchymal transition; liquid biopsy; pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21114091
  3. J Exp Med. 2020 Sep 07. pii: e20200388. [Epub ahead of print]217(9):
    Glutamine depletion regulates Slug to promote EMT and metastasis in pancreatic cancer.
    Maria Victoria Recouvreux, Matthew R Moldenhauer, Koen M O Galenkamp, Michael Jung, Brian James, Yijuan Zhang, Andrew Lowy, Anindya Bagchi, Cosimo Commisso.
      Tumor cells rely on glutamine to fulfill their metabolic demands and sustain proliferation. The elevated consumption of glutamine can lead to intratumoral nutrient depletion, causing metabolic stress that has the potential to impact tumor progression. Here, we show that nutrient stress caused by glutamine deprivation leads to the induction of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that glutamine deficiency regulates EMT through the up-regulation of the EMT master regulator Slug, a process that is dependent on both MEK/ERK signaling and ATF4. We find that Slug is required in PDAC cells for glutamine deprivation-induced EMT, cell motility, and nutrient stress survival. Importantly, we decipher that Slug is associated with nutrient stress in PDAC tumors and is required for metastasis. These results delineate a novel role for Slug in the nutrient stress response and provide insight into how nutrient depletion might influence PDAC progression.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20200388
  4. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2020 Jun 10. pii: 201921139. [Epub ahead of print]
    Functional interplay of Epstein-Barr virus oncoproteins in a mouse model of B cell lymphomagenesis.
    Thomas Sommermann, Tomoharu Yasuda, Jonathan Ronen, Tristan Wirtz, Timm Weber, Ulrike Sack, Rebecca Caeser, Jingwei Zhang, Xun Li, Van Trung Chu, Anna Jauch, Kristian Unger, Daniel J Hodson, Altuna Akalin, Klaus Rajewsky.
      Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a B cell transforming virus that causes B cell malignancies under conditions of immune suppression. EBV orchestrates B cell transformation through its latent membrane proteins (LMPs) and Epstein-Barr nuclear antigens (EBNAs). We here identify secondary mutations in mouse B cell lymphomas induced by LMP1, to predict and identify key functions of other EBV genes during transformation. We find aberrant activation of early B cell factor 1 (EBF1) to promote transformation of LMP1-expressing B cells by inhibiting their differentiation to plasma cells. EBV EBNA3A phenocopies EBF1 activities in LMP1-expressing B cells, promoting transformation while inhibiting differentiation. In cells expressing LMP1 together with LMP2A, EBNA3A only promotes lymphomagenesis when the EBNA2 target Myc is also overexpressed. Collectively, our data support a model where proproliferative activities of LMP1, LMP2A, and EBNA2 in combination with EBNA3A-mediated inhibition of terminal plasma cell differentiation critically control EBV-mediated B cell lymphomagenesis.
    Keywords:  B cell lymphomagenesis; EBNA; Epstein-Barr virus; LMP1; plasma cell differentiation
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1921139117
  5. Mol Metab. 2020 Jun 03. pii: S2212-8778(20)30102-2. [Epub ahead of print] 101028
    Inducible deletion of skeletal muscle AMPKℵ 1 reveals that AMPK is required for nucleotide balance but 2 dispensable for muscle glucose uptake and fat oxidation during exercise.
    Janne R Hingst, Rasmus Kjøbsted, Jesper B Birk, Nicolas O Jørgensen, Magnus R Larsen, Kohei Kido, Jeppe Kjærgaard Larsen, Sasha A S Kjeldsen, Joachim Fentz, Christian Frøsig, Stephanie Holm, Andreas M Fritzen, Tine L Dohlmann, Steen Larsen, Marc Foretz, Benoit Viollet, Peter Schjerling, Peter Overby, Jens F Halling, Henriette Pilegaard, Ylva Helsten, Jørgen F P Wojtaszewski.
       OBJECTIVE: Current evidence for AMPK-mediated regulation of skeletal muscle metabolism during exercise is mainly based on transgenic mouse models with chronic (lifelong) disruption of AMPK function. Findings based on such models are potentially biased by secondary effects related to chronic lack of AMPK function. In an attempt to study the direct effect(s) of AMPK on muscle metabolism during exercise, we generated a new mouse model with inducible muscle-specific deletion of AMPKα catalytic subunits in adult mice.
    METHODS: Tamoxifen-inducible and muscle-specific AMPKα1/α2 double KO mice (AMPKα imdKO) were generated using the Cre/loxP system with the Cre driven by the human skeletal muscle actin (HSA) promotor.
    RESULTS: During treadmill running at the same relative exercise intensity, AMPKα imdKO mice showed greater depletion of muscle ATP, which was associated with accumulation of the deamination product IMP. Muscle-specific deletion of AMPKα in adult mice promptly reduced maximal running speed, muscle glycogen content and was associated with reduced expression of UGP2, a key component of the glycogen synthesis pathway. Muscle mitochondrial respiration, whole body substrate utilization as well as muscle glucose uptake and fatty acid (FA) oxidation during muscle contractile activity remained unaffected by muscle-specific deletion AMPKα subunits in adult mice.
    CONCLUSIONS: Inducible deletion of AMPKα subunits in adult mice reveals that AMPK is required for maintaining muscle ATP levels and nucleotide balance during exercise, but is dispensable for regulating muscle glucose uptake, FA oxidation and substrate utilization during exercise.
    Keywords:  AMPK; exercise; fat oxidation; glucose uptake; glycogen; muscle metabolism
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molmet.2020.101028
  6. Nat Cell Biol. 2020 Jun 08.
    AP-1 imprints a reversible transcriptional programme of senescent cells.
    Ricardo Iván Martínez-Zamudio, Pierre-François Roux, José Américo N L F de Freitas, Lucas Robinson, Gregory Doré, Bin Sun, Dimitri Belenki, Maja Milanovic, Utz Herbig, Clemens A Schmitt, Jesús Gil, Oliver Bischof.
      Senescent cells affect many physiological and pathophysiological processes. While select genetic and epigenetic elements for senescence induction have been identified, the dynamics, epigenetic mechanisms and regulatory networks defining senescence competence, induction and maintenance remain poorly understood, precluding the deliberate therapeutic targeting of senescence for health benefits. Here, we examined the possibility that the epigenetic state of enhancers determines senescent cell fate. We explored this by generating time-resolved transcriptomes and epigenome profiles during oncogenic RAS-induced senescence and validating central findings in different cell biology and disease models of senescence. Through integrative analysis and functional validation, we reveal links between enhancer chromatin, transcription factor recruitment and senescence competence. We demonstrate that activator protein 1 (AP-1) 'pioneers' the senescence enhancer landscape and defines the organizational principles of the transcription factor network that drives the transcriptional programme of senescent cells. Together, our findings enabled us to manipulate the senescence phenotype with potential therapeutic implications.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41556-020-0529-5
  7. Nat Commun. 2020 Jun 10. 11(1): 2932
    Distinct pre-initiation steps in human mitochondrial translation.
    Anas Khawaja, Yuzuru Itoh, Cristina Remes, Henrik Spåhr, Olessya Yukhnovets, Henning Höfig, Alexey Amunts, Joanna Rorbach.
      Translation initiation in human mitochondria relies upon specialized mitoribosomes and initiation factors, mtIF2 and mtIF3, which have diverged from their bacterial counterparts. Here we report two distinct mitochondrial pre-initiation assembly steps involving those factors. Single-particle cryo-EM revealed that in the first step, interactions between mitochondria-specific protein mS37 and mtIF3 keep the small mitoribosomal subunit in a conformation favorable for a subsequent accommodation of mtIF2 in the second step. Combination with fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy analyses suggests that mtIF3 promotes complex assembly without mRNA or initiator tRNA binding, where exclusion is achieved by the N-terminal and C-terminal domains of mtIF3. Finally, the association of large mitoribosomal subunit is required for initiator tRNA and leaderless mRNA recruitment to form a stable initiation complex. These data reveal fundamental aspects of mammalian protein synthesis that are specific to mitochondria.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16503-2
  8. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2020 Jun 08. pii: 201921618. [Epub ahead of print]
    PEBP1 acts as a rheostat between prosurvival autophagy and ferroptotic death in asthmatic epithelial cells.
    Jinming Zhao, Haider H Dar, Yanhan Deng, Claudette M St Croix, Zhipeng Li, Yoshinori Minami, Indira H Shrivastava, Yulia Y Tyurina, Emily Etling, Joel C Rosenbaum, Tadao Nagasaki, John B Trudeau, Simon C Watkins, Ivet Bahar, Hülya Bayır, Andy P VanDemark, Valerian E Kagan, Sally E Wenzel.
      Temporally harmonized elimination of damaged or unnecessary organelles and cells is a prerequisite of health. Under Type 2 inflammatory conditions, human airway epithelial cells (HAECs) generate proferroptotic hydroperoxy-arachidonoyl-phosphatidylethanolamines (HpETE-PEs) as proximate death signals. Production of 15-HpETE-PE depends on activation of 15-lipoxygenase-1 (15LO1) in complex with PE-binding protein-1 (PEBP1). We hypothesized that cellular membrane damage induced by these proferroptotic phospholipids triggers compensatory prosurvival pathways, and in particular autophagic pathways, to prevent cell elimination through programmed death. We discovered that PEBP1 is pivotal to driving dynamic interactions with both proferroptotic 15LO1 and the autophagic protein microtubule-associated light chain-3 (LC3). Further, the 15LO1-PEBP1-generated ferroptotic phospholipid, 15-HpETE-PE, promoted LC3-I lipidation to stimulate autophagy. This concurrent activation of autophagy protects cells from ferroptotic death and release of mitochondrial DNA. Similar findings are observed in Type 2 Hi asthma, where high levels of both 15LO1-PEBP1 and LC3-II are seen in HAECs, in association with low bronchoalveolar lavage fluid mitochondrial DNA and more severe disease. The concomitant activation of ferroptosis and autophagy by 15LO1-PEBP1 complexes and their hydroperoxy-phospholipids reveals a pathobiologic pathway relevant to asthma and amenable to therapeutic targeting.
    Keywords:  asthma; autophagy; ferroptosis
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1921618117
  9. Cell Stem Cell. 2020 Jun 10. pii: S1934-5909(20)30206-X. [Epub ahead of print]
    Metabolic Reprograming via Deletion of CISH in Human iPSC-Derived NK Cells Promotes In Vivo Persistence and Enhances Anti-tumor Activity.
    Huang Zhu, Robert H Blum, Davide Bernareggi, Eivind Heggernes Ask, Zhengming Wu, Hanna Julie Hoel, Zhipeng Meng, Chengsheng Wu, Kun-Liang Guan, Karl-Johan Malmberg, Dan S Kaufman.
      Cytokine-inducible SH2-containing protein (CIS; encoded by the gene CISH) is a key negative regulator of interleukin-15 (IL-15) signaling in natural killer (NK) cells. Here, we develop human CISH-knockout (CISH-/-) NK cells using an induced pluripotent stem cell-derived NK cell (iPSC-NK cell) platform. CISH-/- iPSC-NK cells demonstrate increased IL-15-mediated JAK-STAT signaling activity. Consequently, CISH-/- iPSC-NK cells exhibit improved expansion and increased cytotoxic activity against multiple tumor cell lines when maintained at low cytokine concentrations. CISH-/- iPSC-NK cells display significantly increased in vivo persistence and inhibition of tumor progression in a leukemia xenograft model. Mechanistically, CISH-/- iPSC-NK cells display improved metabolic fitness characterized by increased basal glycolysis, glycolytic capacity, maximal mitochondrial respiration, ATP-linked respiration, and spare respiration capacity mediated by mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling that directly contributes to enhanced NK cell function. Together, these studies demonstrate that CIS plays a key role to regulate human NK cell metabolic activity and thereby modulate anti-tumor activity.
    Keywords:  CISH; IL-15; JAK-STAT; acute myelogenous leukemia; cell therapy; iPSCs; immunotherapy; mTOR; metabolic reprograming; natural killer cells
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stem.2020.05.008
  10. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2020 Jun 11.
    RAS-targeted therapies: is the undruggable drugged?
    Amanda R Moore, Scott C Rosenberg, Frank McCormick, Shiva Malek.
      RAS (KRAS, NRAS and HRAS) is the most frequently mutated gene family in cancers, and, consequently, investigators have sought an effective RAS inhibitor for more than three decades. Even 10 years ago, RAS inhibitors were so elusive that RAS was termed 'undruggable'. Now, with the success of allele-specific covalent inhibitors against the most frequently mutated version of RAS in non-small-cell lung cancer, KRASG12C, we have the opportunity to evaluate the best therapeutic strategies to treat RAS-driven cancers. Mutation-specific biochemical properties, as well as the tissue of origin, are likely to affect the effectiveness of such treatments. Currently, direct inhibition of mutant RAS through allele-specific inhibitors provides the best therapeutic approach. Therapies that target RAS-activating pathways or RAS effector pathways could be combined with these direct RAS inhibitors, immune checkpoint inhibitors or T cell-targeting approaches to treat RAS-mutant tumours. Here we review recent advances in therapies that target mutant RAS proteins and discuss the future challenges of these therapies, including combination strategies.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41573-020-0068-6
  11. Cell Metab. 2020 Jun 05. pii: S1550-4131(20)30256-4. [Epub ahead of print]
    Distinct iNKT Cell Populations Use IFNγ or ER Stress-Induced IL-10 to Control Adipose Tissue Homeostasis.
    Nelson M LaMarche, Harry Kane, Ayano C Kohlgruber, Han Dong, Lydia Lynch, Michael B Brenner.
      Adipose tissue invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are phenotypically different from other iNKT cells because they produce IL-10 and control metabolic homeostasis. Why that is the case is unclear. Here, using single-cell RNA sequencing, we found several adipose iNKT clusters, which we grouped into two functional populations based on NK1.1 expression. NK1.1NEG cells almost exclusively produced IL-10 and other regulatory cytokines, while NK1.1POS iNKT cells predominantly produced IFNγ. Mechanistically, biochemical fractionation revealed that free fatty acids drive IL-10 production primarily in NK1.1NEG iNKT cells via the IRE1α-XBP1s arm of the unfolded protein response. Correspondingly, adoptive transfer of adipose tissue NK1.1NEG iNKT cells selectively restored metabolic function in obese mice. Further, we found an unexpected role for NK1.1POS iNKT cells in lean adipose tissue, as IFNγ licenses natural killer cell-mediated macrophage killing to limit pathological macrophage expansion. Together, these two iNKT cell populations utilize non-redundant pathways to preserve metabolic integrity.
    Keywords:  ER stress; NK cells; adipose tissue; iNKT cells; inflammation; lipids; macrophages; obesity
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2020.05.017
  12. Aging (Albany NY). 2020 Jun 11. 12
    Influences of circulatory factors on intervertebral disc aging phenotype.
    Changbin Lei, Debora Colangelo, Prashanti Patil, Vivian Li, Kevin Ngo, Dong Wang, Qing Dong, Matthew J Yousefzadeh, Hongsheng Lin, Joon Lee, James Kang, Gwendolyn Sowa, Tony Wyss-Coray, Laura J Niedernhofer, Paul D Robbins, Derek M Huffman, Nam Vo.
      Whether disc aging is influenced by factors beyond its local environment is an important unresolved question. Here we performed heterochronic parabiosis in mice to study the effects of circulating factors in young and old blood on age-associated intervertebral disc degeneration. Compared to young isochronic pairs (Y-Y), young mice paired with old mice (Y-O) showed significant increases in levels of disc MMP-13 and ADAMTS4, aggrecan fragmentation, and histologic tissue degeneration, but negligible changes in cellular senescence markers (p16INK4a, p21Cip1). Compared to old isochronic pairs (O-O), old mice paired with young mice (O-Y) exhibited a significant decrease in expression of cellular senescence markers (p16, p21, p53), but only marginal decreases in the levels of disc MMP-13 and ADAMTS4, aggrecan fragmentation, and histologic degeneration. Thus, exposing old mice to young blood circulation greatly suppressed disc cellular senescence, but only slightly decreased disc matrix imbalance and degeneration. Conversely, exposing young mice to old blood accelerated their disc matrix imbalance and tissue degeneration, with little effects on disc cellular senescence. Thus, non-cell autonomous effects of circulating factors on disc cellular senescence and matrix homeostasis are complex and suggest that disc matrix homeostasis is modulated by systemic factors and not solely through local disc cellular senescence.
    Keywords:  aging; heterochronic parabiosis; intervertebral disc; proteoglycan; systemic factors
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.103421
  13. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Jun 01. 3(6): e204945
    Association of Glycated Hemoglobin Levels With Risk of Pancreatic Cancer.
    Bechien U Wu, Rebecca K Butler, Eva Lustigova, Jean M Lawrence, Wansu Chen.
       Importance: New-onset diabetes after the age of 50 years is a potential indicator of pancreatic cancer. Understanding the associations between hyperglycemia, diabetes, and pancreatic cancer, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, is key to developing an approach to early detection.
    Objective: To assess the association of elevation in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) with the risk of pancreatic cancer.
    Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study was conducted using data collected from an integrated health care system in California. A total of 851 402 patients aged 50 to 84 years who had HbA1c measurements taken between 2010 and 2014 were identified as the base cohort, with 12 contemporaneous cohorts created based on varying HbA1c thresholds (ie, 6.1%, 6.3%, 6.5%, and 6.7%) and prior diabetes status. Data analysis was conducted from August 2018 to September 2019.
    Main Outcomes and Measures: New cases of pancreatic cancer identified through cancer registry and California death files during a 3-year period. Three-year risk, incidence rate, sensitivity, number of patients needed to screen to detect 1 case, timing, and stage at diagnosis were determined.
    Results: Among 851 402 patients in the base cohort, 447 502 (52.5%) were women, 255 441 (30.0%) were Hispanic participants, 383 685 (45.1%) were non-Hispanic white participants, 100 477 (11.8%) were Asian participants, and 88 969 (10.4%) were non-Hispanic black participants, with a median (interquartile range) age of 62 (56-69) years and a median (interquartile range) HbA1c level of 6.0% (5.7%-6.6%). The incidence rate of pancreatic cancer was 0.45 (95% CI, 0.43-0.49) per 1000 person-years. After excluding prior diabetes as well as confirmation of new-onset hyperglycemia based on an HbA1c level of 6.5%, a total of 20 012 patients remained, with 74 of 1041 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cases (7.1%) from the base cohort included. The rate of pancreatic cancer was 0.72 (95% CI, 0.32-1.42) per 1000 person-years among Asian patients, 0.83 (95% CI, 0.35-1.71) per 1000 person-years among non-Hispanic black patients, 0.84 (95% CI, 0.48-1.37) per 1000 person-years among Hispanic patients, and 2.37 (95% CI, 1.75-3.14) per 1000 person-years among non-Hispanic white patients. Overall, 42 of 74 cancers (56.8%) were diagnosed within 1 year of the index laboratory test. Among 1041 total cases, 708 (68.0%) had staging information available, of whom 465 (65.7%) had stage III or IV disease at diagnosis. In the base cohort, the number needed to undergo evaluation to identify a single case of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma was 818 (95% CI, 770-869), with estimates ranging from 206 (95% CI, 160-264) to 600 (95% CI, 540-666) in the subcohorts.
    Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this study suggest that screening patients for pancreatic cancer based solely on elevation in HbA1c level is unlikely to represent an effective strategy. Future efforts to identify a high-risk population based on changes in glycemic parameters should account for racial/ethnic differences.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.4945
  14. Cell Metab. 2020 Jun 02. pii: S1550-4131(20)30257-6. [Epub ahead of print]
    Local Mitochondrial ATP Production Regulates Endothelial Fatty Acid Uptake and Transport.
    Ayon Ibrahim, Nora Yucel, Boa Kim, Zoltan Arany.
      Most organs use fatty acids (FAs) as a key nutrient, but little is known of how blood-borne FAs traverse the endothelium to reach underlying tissues. We conducted a small-molecule screen and identified niclosamide as a suppressor of endothelial FA uptake and transport. Structure/activity relationship studies demonstrated that niclosamide acts through mitochondrial uncoupling. Inhibitors of oxidative phosphorylation and the ATP/ADP translocase also suppressed FA uptake, pointing principally to ATP production. Decreasing total cellular ATP by blocking glycolysis did not decrease uptake, indicating that specifically mitochondrial ATP is required. Endothelial FA uptake is promoted by fatty acid transport protein 4 (FATP4) via its ATP-dependent acyl-CoA synthetase activity. Confocal microscopy revealed that FATP4 resides in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and that endothelial ER is intimately juxtaposed with mitochondria. Together, these data indicate that mitochondrial ATP production, but not total ATP levels, drives endothelial FA uptake and transport via acyl-CoA formation in mitochondrial/ER microdomains.
    Keywords:  ATP; FATP4; endothelial; fatty acid; mitochondria; niclosamide; vectorial acylation
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2020.05.018
  15. Trends Biochem Sci. 2020 Jul;pii: S0968-0004(20)30085-2. [Epub ahead of print]45(7): 578-592
    Senescent Cells: Emerging Targets for Human Aging and Age-Related Diseases.
    Shuling Song, Eric W-F Lam, Tamara Tchkonia, James L Kirkland, Yu Sun.
      Aging is a major risk factor for numerous human pathologies, including cardiovascular, metabolic, musculoskeletal, and neurodegenerative conditions and various malignancies. While our understanding of aging is far from complete, recent advances suggest that targeting fundamental aging processes can delay, prevent, or alleviate age-related disorders. Cellular senescence is physiologically beneficial in several contexts, but it has causal roles in multiple chronic diseases. New studies have illustrated the promising feasibility and safety to selectively ablate senescent cells from tissues, a therapeutic modality that holds potential for treating multiple chronic pathologies and extending human healthspan. Here, we review molecular links between cellular senescence and age-associated complications and highlight novel therapeutic avenues that may be exploited to target senescent cells in future geriatric medicine.
    Keywords:  SASP; cellular senescence; clinical trials; geroscience; senolytics
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibs.2020.03.008
  16. Nat Commun. 2020 Jun 09. 11(1): 2894
    Restriction of essential amino acids dictates the systemic metabolic response to dietary protein dilution.
    Yann W Yap, Patricia M Rusu, Andrea Y Chan, Barbara C Fam, Andreas Jungmann, Samantha M Solon-Biet, Christopher K Barlow, Darren J Creek, Cheng Huang, Ralf B Schittenhelm, Bruce Morgan, Dieter Schmoll, Bente Kiens, Matthew D W Piper, Mathias Heikenwälder, Stephen J Simpson, Stefan Bröer, Sofianos Andrikopoulos, Oliver J Müller, Adam J Rose.
      Dietary protein dilution (DPD) promotes metabolic-remodelling and -health but the precise nutritional components driving this response remain elusive. Here, by mimicking amino acid (AA) supply from a casein-based diet, we demonstrate that restriction of dietary essential AA (EAA), but not non-EAA, drives the systemic metabolic response to total AA deprivation; independent from dietary carbohydrate supply. Furthermore, systemic deprivation of threonine and tryptophan, independent of total AA supply, are both adequate and necessary to confer the systemic metabolic response to both diet, and genetic AA-transport loss, driven AA restriction. Dietary threonine restriction (DTR) retards the development of obesity-associated metabolic dysfunction. Liver-derived fibroblast growth factor 21 is required for the metabolic remodelling with DTR. Strikingly, hepatocyte-selective establishment of threonine biosynthetic capacity reverses the systemic metabolic response to DTR. Taken together, our studies of mice demonstrate that the restriction of EAA are sufficient and necessary to confer the systemic metabolic effects of DPD.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16568-z
  17. Autophagy. 2020 Jun 10.
    MERIT, a cellular system coordinating lysosomal repair, removal and replacement.
    Jingyue Jia, Aurore Claude-Taupin, Yuexi Gu, Seong Won Choi, Ryan Peters, Bhawana Bissa, Michal H Mudd, Lee Allers, Sandeep Pallikkuth, Keith A Lidke, Michelle Salemi, Brett Phinney, Muriel Mari, Fulvio Reggiori, Vojo Deretic.
      Membrane integrity is essential for cellular survival and function. The spectrum of mechanisms protecting cellular and intracellular membranes is not fully known. Our recent work has uncovered a cellular system termed MERIT for lysosomal membrane repair, removal and replacement. Specifically, lysosomal membrane damage induces, in succession, ESCRT-dependent membrane repair, macroautophagy/autophagy-dominant removal of damaged lysosomes, and initiation of lysosomal biogenesis via transcriptional programs. The MERIT system is governed by galectins, a family of cytosolically synthesized lectins recognizing β-galactoside glycans. We found in this study that LGALS3 (galectin 3) detects membrane damage by detecting exposed lumenal glycosyl groups, recruits and organizes ESCRT components PDCD6IP/ALIX, CHMP4A, and CHMPB at damaged sites on the lysosomes, and facilitates ESCRT-driven repair of lysosomal membrane. At later stages, LGALS3 cooperates with TRIM16, an autophagy receptor-regulator, to engage autophagy machinery in removal of excessively damaged lysosomes. In the absence of LGALS3, repair and autophagy are less efficient, whereas TFEB nuclear translocation increases to compensate lysosomal deficiency via de novo lysosomal biogenesis. The MERIT system protects endomembrane integrity against a broad spectrum of agents damaging the endolysosomal network including lysosomotropic drugs, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, or neurotoxic MAPT/tau.
    Keywords:  Autophagy; ESCRT; TFEB; TRIM; tauopathies; transferrin receptor; tuberculosis
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1080/15548627.2020.1779451
  18. PLoS Biol. 2020 Jun;18(6): e3000718
    Mitotic phosphorylation of the ULK complex regulates cell cycle progression.
    Akinori Yamasaki, Yui Jin, Yoshinori Ohsumi.
      Autophagy is an intracellular degradation pathway targeting organelles and macromolecules, thereby regulating various cellular functions. Phosphorylation is a key posttranscriptional protein modification implicated in the regulation of biological function including autophagy. Under asynchronous conditions, autophagy activity is predominantly suppressed by mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase, but whether autophagy-related genes (ATG) proteins are phosphorylated differentially throughout the sequential phases of the cell cycle remains unclear. In this issue, Li and colleagues report that cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) phosphorylates the ULK complex during mitosis. This phosphorylation induces autophagy and, surprisingly, is shown to drive cell cycle progression. This work reveals a yet-unappreciated role for autophagy in cell cycle progression and enhances our understanding of the specific phase-dependent autophagy regulation during cellular growth and proliferation.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000718
  19. Sci Signal. 2020 Jun 09. pii: eaaz2597. [Epub ahead of print]13(635):
    Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition compromises vascular integrity to induce Myc-mediated metabolic reprogramming in kidney fibrosis.
    Sara Lovisa, Eliot Fletcher-Sananikone, Hikaru Sugimoto, Janine Hensel, Sharmistha Lahiri, Alexandre Hertig, Gangadhar Taduri, Erica Lawson, Rajan Dewar, Ignacio Revuelta, Noritoshi Kato, Chang-Jiun Wu, Roland L Bassett, Nagireddy Putluri, Michael Zeisberg, Elisabeth M Zeisberg, Valerie S LeBleu, Raghu Kalluri.
      Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) is a cellular transdifferentiation program in which endothelial cells partially lose their endothelial identity and acquire mesenchymal-like features. Renal capillary endothelial cells can undergo EndMT in association with persistent damage of the renal parenchyma. The functional consequence(s) of EndMT in kidney fibrosis remains unexplored. Here, we studied the effect of Twist or Snail deficiency in endothelial cells on EndMT in kidney fibrosis. Conditional deletion of Twist1 (which encodes Twist) or Snai1 (which encodes Snail) in VE-cadherin+ or Tie1+ endothelial cells inhibited the emergence of EndMT and improved kidney fibrosis in two different kidney injury/fibrosis mouse models. Suppression of EndMT limited peritubular vascular leakage, reduced tissue hypoxia, and preserved tubular epithelial health and function. Hypoxia, which was exacerbated by EndMT, resulted in increased Myc abundance in tubular epithelial cells, enhanced glycolysis, and suppression of fatty acid oxidation. Pharmacological suppression or epithelial-specific genetic ablation of Myc in tubular epithelial cells ameliorated fibrosis and restored renal parenchymal function and metabolic homeostasis. Together, these findings demonstrate a functional role for EndMT in the response to kidney capillary endothelial injury and highlight the contribution of endothelial-epithelial cross-talk in the development of kidney fibrosis with a potential for therapeutic intervention.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1126/scisignal.aaz2597
  20. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2020 Jun 08. pii: 201920201. [Epub ahead of print]
    Atypical protein kinase C iota (PKCλ/ι) ensures mammalian development by establishing the maternal-fetal exchange interface.
    Bhaswati Bhattacharya, Pratik Home, Avishek Ganguly, Soma Ray, Ananya Ghosh, Md Rashedul Islam, Valerie French, Courtney Marsh, Sumedha Gunewardena, Hiroaki Okae, Takahiro Arima, Soumen Paul.
      In utero mammalian development relies on the establishment of the maternal-fetal exchange interface, which ensures transportation of nutrients and gases between the mother and the fetus. This exchange interface is established via development of multinucleated syncytiotrophoblast cells (SynTs) during placentation. In mice, SynTs develop via differentiation of the trophoblast stem cell-like progenitor cells (TSPCs) of the placenta primordium, and in humans, SynTs are developed via differentiation of villous cytotrophoblast (CTB) progenitors. Despite the critical need in pregnancy progression, conserved signaling mechanisms that ensure SynT development are poorly understood. Herein, we show that atypical protein kinase C iota (PKCλ/ι) plays an essential role in establishing the SynT differentiation program in trophoblast progenitors. Loss of PKCλ/ι in the mouse TSPCs abrogates SynT development, leading to embryonic death at approximately embryonic day 9.0 (E9.0). We also show that PKCλ/ι-mediated priming of trophoblast progenitors for SynT differentiation is a conserved event during human placentation. PKCλ/ι is selectively expressed in the first-trimester CTBs of a developing human placenta. Furthermore, loss of PKCλ/ι in CTB-derived human trophoblast stem cells (human TSCs) impairs their SynT differentiation potential both in vitro and after transplantation in immunocompromised mice. Our mechanistic analyses indicate that PKCλ/ι signaling maintains expression of GCM1, GATA2, and PPARγ, which are key transcription factors to instigate SynT differentiation programs in both mouse and human trophoblast progenitors. Our study uncovers a conserved molecular mechanism, in which PKCλ/ι signaling regulates establishment of the maternal-fetal exchange surface by promoting trophoblast progenitor-to-SynT transition during placentation.
    Keywords:  cytotrophoblast; human trophoblast stem cell; placenta; protein kinase Cλ/ι; syncytiotrophoblast
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1920201117
  21. Mol Biol Cell. 2020 Jun 15. 31(13): 1315-1323
    Lipid and protein dynamics that shape nuclear envelope identity.
    Shirin Bahmanyar, Christian Schlieker.
      The nuclear envelope (NE) is continuous with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), yet the NE carries out many functions distinct from those of bulk ER. This functional specialization depends on a unique protein composition that defines NE identity and must be both established and actively maintained. The NE undergoes extensive remodeling in interphase and mitosis, so mechanisms that seal NE holes and protect its unique composition are critical for maintaining its functions. New evidence shows that closure of NE holes relies on regulated de novo lipid synthesis, providing a link between lipid metabolism and generating and maintaining NE identity. Here, we review regulation of the lipid bilayers of the NE and suggest ways to generate lipid asymmetry across the NE despite its direct continuity with the ER. We also discuss the elusive mechanism of membrane fusion during nuclear pore complex (NPC) biogenesis. We propose a model in which NPC biogenesis is carefully controlled to ensure that a permeability barrier has been established before membrane fusion, thereby avoiding a major threat to compartmentalization.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1091/mbc.E18-10-0636
  22. Trends Cell Biol. 2020 Jun 03. pii: S0962-8924(20)30100-8. [Epub ahead of print]
    Classical and Nonclassical Intercellular Communication in Senescence and Ageing.
    Juan Antonio Fafián-Labora, Ana O'Loghlen.
      Intercellular communication refers to the different ways through which cells communicate with each other and transfer a variety of messages. These communication methods involve a number of different processes that occur individually or simultaneously, which change depending on the physiological or pathological context. The best characterized means of intercellular communication is the release of soluble factors that affect the function of neighboring cells. However, there are many other ways by which cells can communicate with each other. Here, we review the different means of intercellular communication including soluble factors in the context of senescence, ageing, and age-related diseases.
    Keywords:  SASP; ageing; extracellular vesicles; intercellular communication; metabolites; senescence
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tcb.2020.05.003
  23. Prostate. 2020 Jun 10.
    Early intervention exercise training does not delay prostate cancer progression in Pten-/- mice.
    Renea A Taylor, Simon G Farrelly, Ashlee K Clark, Matthew J Watt.
       BACKGROUND: There is convincing evidence that men with advanced prostate cancer experience improved quality of life as a result of exercise therapy, although there is limited preclinical, and no clinical, data to directly support the notion that exercise training improves prostate cancer prognosis or outcome. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of regular exercise training on the early stages of prostate cancer progression, as well as assessing whether alterations to prostate cancer metabolism are induced by exercise.
    METHODS: Mice with prostate-specific deletion of Pten (Pten-/- ) remained sedentary or underwent 6 weeks of endurance exercise training or high-intensity exercise training involving treadmill running. At the conclusion of the training period, the prostate lobes were excised. A portion of fresh tissue was used to assess glucose, glutamine, and fatty acid metabolism by radiometric techniques and a second portion was fixed for histopathology.
    RESULTS: Despite the implementation of an effective exercise regime, as confirmed by improvements in running capacity, neither prostate mass, cell proliferation or the incidence of high-grade prostate intraepithelial hyperplasia or noninvasive carcinoma in situ were significantly different between groups. Similarly, neither glucose uptake, oxidation and de novo lipogenesis, glutamine oxidation, or fatty acid uptake, oxidation and storage into various lipids were significantly different in prostate tissue obtained from untrained and exercise trained mice.
    CONCLUSIONS: These results show that 6 weeks of moderate or high-intensity exercise training does not alter substrate metabolism in the prostate or slow the progression of Pten-null prostate cancer. These results question whether exercise is a useful therapy to prevent or delay prostate cancer progression.
    Keywords:  exercise; lipid metabolism; metabolism; neoplasia; prostate cancer
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/pros.24024
  24. Nat Commun. 2020 Jun 10. 11(1): 2936
    A multi-omics analysis reveals the unfolded protein response regulon and stress-induced resistance to folate-based antimetabolites.
    Stefan Reich, Chi D L Nguyen, Canan Has, Sascha Steltgens, Himanshu Soni, Cristina Coman, Moritz Freyberg, Anna Bichler, Nicole Seifert, Dominik Conrad, Christiane B Knobbe-Thomsen, Björn Tews, Grischa Toedt, Robert Ahrends, Jan Medenbach.
      Stress response pathways are critical for cellular homeostasis, promoting survival through adaptive changes in gene expression and metabolism. They play key roles in numerous diseases and are implicated in cancer progression and chemoresistance. However, the underlying mechanisms are only poorly understood. We have employed a multi-omics approach to monitor changes to gene expression after induction of a stress response pathway, the unfolded protein response (UPR), probing in parallel the transcriptome, the proteome, and changes to translation. Stringent filtering reveals the induction of 267 genes, many of which have not previously been implicated in stress response pathways. We experimentally demonstrate that UPR-mediated translational control induces the expression of enzymes involved in a pathway that diverts intermediate metabolites from glycolysis to fuel mitochondrial one-carbon metabolism. Concomitantly, the cells become resistant to the folate-based antimetabolites Methotrexate and Pemetrexed, establishing a direct link between UPR-driven changes to gene expression and resistance to pharmacological treatment.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16747-y
  25. Cell Death Dis. 2020 Jun 11. 11(6): 450
    Caveolin-1 inhibits breast cancer stem cells via c-Myc-mediated metabolic reprogramming.
    Shengqi Wang, Neng Wang, Yifeng Zheng, Bowen Yang, Pengxi Liu, Fengxue Zhang, Min Li, Juxian Song, Xu Chang, Zhiyu Wang.
      Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) are considered to be the root of breast cancer occurrence and progression. However, the characteristics and regulatory mechanisms of BCSCs metabolism have been poorly revealed, which hinders the development of metabolism-targeted treatment strategies for BCSCs elimination. Herein, we demonstrated that the downregulation of Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) usually occurred in BCSCs and was associated with a metabolic switch from mitochondrial respiration to aerobic glycolysis. Meanwhile, Cav-1 could inhibit the self-renewal capacity and aerobic glycolysis activity of BCSCs. Furthermore, Cav-1 loss was associated with accelerated mammary-ductal hyperplasia and mammary-tumor formation in transgenic mice, which was accompanied by enrichment and enhanced aerobic glycolysis activity of BCSCs. Mechanistically, Cav-1 could promote Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL)-mediated ubiquitination and degradation of c-Myc in BCSCs through the proteasome pathway. Notably, epithelial Cav-1 expression significantly correlated with a better overall survival and delayed onset age of breast cancer patients. Together, our work uncovers the characteristics and regulatory mechanisms of BCSCs metabolism and highlights Cav-1-targeted treatments as a promising strategy for BCSCs elimination.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41419-020-2667-x
  26. Cancer Discov. 2020 Jun 12.
    Histone Methylation Connects DNA Repair to Metabolism in Cancer Cells.
      Metabolites produced in cancer cells interfered with resolution of DNA double-strand breaks.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1158/2159-8290.CD-RW2020-089
  27. Cell Discov. 2020 ;6 33
    Autophagosome biogenesis and human health.
    Tsuyoshi Kawabata, Tamotsu Yoshimori.
      Autophagy degrades the cytoplasmic contents engulfed by autophagosomes. Besides providing energy and building blocks during starvation via random degradation, autophagy selectively targets cytotoxic components to prevent a wide range of diseases. This preventive activity of autophagy is supported by many studies using animal models and reports identifying several mutations in autophagy-related genes that are associated with human genetic disorders, which have been published in the past decade. Here, we summarize the molecular mechanisms of autophagosome biogenesis involving the proteins responsible for these genetic disorders, demonstrating a role for autophagy in human health. These findings will help elucidate the underlying mechanisms of autophagy-related diseases and develop future medications.
    Keywords:  Macroautophagy; Protein quality control
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41421-020-0166-y
  28. Dev Cell. 2020 Jun 04. pii: S1534-5807(20)30403-2. [Epub ahead of print]
    Endolysosomal Targeting of Mitochondria Is Integral to BAX-Mediated Mitochondrial Permeabilization during Apoptosis Signaling.
    Tim Sen Wang, Isabelle Coppens, Anna Saorin, Nathan Ryan Brady, Anne Hamacher-Brady.
      Mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP) is a core event in apoptosis signaling. However, the underlying mechanism of BAX and BAK pore formation remains incompletely understood. We demonstrate that mitochondria are globally and dynamically targeted by endolysosomes (ELs) during MOMP. In response to pro-apoptotic BH3-only protein signaling and pharmacological MOMP induction, ELs increasingly form transient contacts with mitochondria. Subsequently, ELs rapidly accumulate within the entire mitochondrial compartment. This switch-like accumulation period temporally coincides with mitochondrial BAX clustering and cytochrome c release. Remarkably, interactions of ELs with mitochondria control BAX recruitment and pore formation. Knockdown of Rab5A, Rab5C, or USP15 interferes with EL targeting of mitochondria and functionally uncouples BAX clustering from cytochrome c release, while knockdown of the Rab5 exchange factor Rabex-5 impairs both BAX clustering and cytochrome c release. Together, these data reveal that EL-mitochondrial inter-organelle communication is an integral regulatory component of functional MOMP execution during cellular apoptosis signaling.
    Keywords:  Apoptosis; BCL-2-associated X protein (BAX); Rab5; Rabex-5/RabGEF1; USP15; endolysosomes; endosomes; mitochondria; mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP); regulated cell death
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2020.05.014
  29. Science. 2020 Jun 11. pii: eaaz5626. [Epub ahead of print]
    Human CNS barrier-forming organoids with cerebrospinal fluid production.
    Laura Pellegrini, Claudia Bonfio, Jessica Chadwick, Farida Begum, Mark Skehel, Madeline A Lancaster.
      Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a vital liquid, providing nutrients, signaling molecules, and clearing out toxic byproducts from the brain. The CSF is produced by the choroid plexus (ChP), a protective epithelial barrier that also prevents free entry from the blood. Here, we establish human ChP organoids with a selective barrier and CSF-like fluid secretion in self-contained compartments. We show that this in vitro barrier exhibits the same selectivity to small molecules as in vivo, and that ChP-CSF organoids can predict CNS permeability of novel compounds. The transcriptomic and proteomic signature of ChP-CSF organoids reveal a high degree of similarity to in vivo. Finally, the intersection of single cell transcriptomics and proteomic analysis uncovers key human CSF components produced by previously unidentified specialized epithelial subtypes.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaz5626
  30. Dev Cell. 2020 Jun 08. pii: S1534-5807(20)30393-2. [Epub ahead of print]53(5): 500-502
    Understanding Complexity of Cancer Genomes: Lessons from Errors.
    Sara Martin, Stefano Santaguida.
      Deconstructing the events leading to cancer genome rearrangements is key to understanding tumorigenesis. In a recent issue of Science, Umbreit, Zhang et al. elegantly show that complex genome evolution is the result of a cascade of events initiated by a single error during cell division.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2020.05.004
  31. Science. 2020 Jun 12. 368(6496): 1205-1210
    Membrane-proximal F-actin restricts local membrane protrusions and directs cell migration.
    Anjali Bisaria, Arnold Hayer, Damien Garbett, Daniel Cohen, Tobias Meyer.
      Cell migration is driven by local membrane protrusion through directed polymerization of F-actin at the front. However, F-actin next to the plasma membrane also tethers the membrane and thus resists outgoing protrusions. Here, we developed a fluorescent reporter to monitor changes in the density of membrane-proximal F-actin (MPA) during membrane protrusion and cell migration. Unlike the total F-actin concentration, which was high in the front of migrating cells, MPA density was low in the front and high in the back. Back-to-front MPA density gradients were controlled by higher cofilin-mediated turnover of F-actin in the front. Furthermore, nascent membrane protrusions selectively extended outward from areas where MPA density was reduced. Thus, locally low MPA density directs local membrane protrusions and stabilizes cell polarization during cell migration.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aay7794
  32. J Immunol. 2020 Jun 10. pii: ji1900750. [Epub ahead of print]
    Cell Type- and Stimulation-Dependent Transcriptional Programs Regulated by Atg16L1 and Its Crohn's Disease Risk Variant T300A.
    Mukund Varma, Motohiko Kadoki, Ariel Lefkovith, Kara L Conway, Kevin Gao, Vishnu Mohanan, Betsabeh Khoramian Tusi, Daniel B Graham, Isabel J Latorre, Andrew C Tolonen, Bernard Khor, Aylwin Ng, Ramnik J Xavier.
      Genome-wide association studies have identified common genetic variants impacting human diseases; however, there are indications that the functional consequences of genetic polymorphisms can be distinct depending on cell type-specific contexts, which produce divergent phenotypic outcomes. Thus, the functional impact of genetic variation and the underlying mechanisms of disease risk are modified by cell type-specific effects of genotype on pathological phenotypes. In this study, we extend these concepts to interrogate the interdependence of cell type- and stimulation-specific programs influenced by the core autophagy gene Atg16L1 and its T300A coding polymorphism identified by genome-wide association studies as linked with increased risk of Crohn's disease. We applied a stimulation-based perturbational profiling approach to define Atg16L1 T300A phenotypes in dendritic cells and T lymphocytes. Accordingly, we identified stimulus-specific transcriptional signatures revealing T300A-dependent functional phenotypes that mechanistically link inflammatory cytokines, IFN response genes, steroid biosynthesis, and lipid metabolism in dendritic cells and iron homeostasis and lysosomal biogenesis in T lymphocytes. Collectively, these studies highlight the combined effects of Atg16L1 genetic variation and stimulatory context on immune function.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.1900750
  33. EMBO J. 2020 Jun 11. e2019103649
    CALCOCO1 acts with VAMP-associated proteins to mediate ER-phagy.
    Thaddaeus Mutugi Nthiga, Birendra Kumar Shrestha, Eva Sjøttem, Jack-Ansgar Bruun, Kenneth Bowitz Larsen, Zambarlal Bhujabal, Trond Lamark, Terje Johansen.
      The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) plays important roles in protein synthesis and folding, and calcium storage. The volume of the ER and expression of its resident proteins are increased in response to nutrient stress. ER-phagy, a selective form of autophagy, is involved in the degradation of the excess components of the ER to restore homeostasis. Six ER-resident proteins have been identified as ER-phagy receptors so far. In this study, we have identified CALCOCO1 as a novel ER-phagy receptor for the degradation of the tubular ER in response to proteotoxic and nutrient stress. CALCOCO1 is a homomeric protein that binds directly to ATG8 proteins via LIR- and UDS-interacting region (UIR) motifs acting co-dependently. CALCOCO1-mediated ER-phagy requires interaction with VAMP-associated proteins VAPA and VAPB on the ER membranes via a conserved FFAT-like motif. Depletion of CALCOCO1 causes expansion of the ER and inefficient basal autophagy flux. Unlike the other ER-phagy receptors, CALCOCO1 is peripherally associated with the ER. Therefore, we define CALCOCO1 as a soluble ER-phagy receptor.
    Keywords:   FFAT ; VAPA ; Autophagy; CALCOCO1; ER-phagy
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.15252/embj.2019103649
  34. Nature. 2020 Jun 11.
    Structure of a nascent membrane protein as it folds on the BAM complex.
    David Tomasek, Shaun Rawson, James Lee, Joseph S Wzorek, Stephen C Harrison, Zongli Li, Daniel Kahne.
      Mitochondria, chloroplasts and Gram-negative bacteria are encased in a double layer of membranes. The outer membrane contains proteins with a β-barrel structure1,2. β-Barrels are sheets of β-strands wrapped into a cylinder, in which the first strand is hydrogen-bonded to the final strand. Conserved multi-subunit molecular machines fold and insert these proteins into the outer membrane3-5. One subunit of the machines is itself a β-barrel protein that has a central role in folding other β-barrels. In Gram-negative bacteria, the β-barrel assembly machine (BAM) consists of the β-barrel protein BamA, and four lipoproteins5-8. To understand how the BAM complex accelerates folding without using exogenous energy (for example, ATP)9, we trapped folding intermediates on this machine. Here we report the structure of the BAM complex of Escherichia coli folding BamA itself. The BamA catalyst forms an asymmetric hybrid β-barrel with the BamA substrate. The N-terminal edge of the BamA catalyst has an antiparallel hydrogen-bonded interface with the C-terminal edge of the BamA substrate, consistent with previous crosslinking studies10-12; the other edges of the BamA catalyst and substrate are close to each other, but curl inward and do not pair. Six hydrogen bonds in a membrane environment make the interface between the two proteins very stable. This stability allows folding, but creates a high kinetic barrier to substrate release after folding has finished. Features at each end of the substrate overcome this barrier and promote release by stepwise exchange of hydrogen bonds. This mechanism of substrate-assisted product release explains how the BAM complex can stably associate with the substrate during folding and then turn over rapidly when folding is complete.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2370-1
  35. J Exp Biol. 2020 Jun 12. pii: jeb.222513. [Epub ahead of print]
    Increased glucocorticoid concentrations in early life cause mitochondrial inefficiency and short telomeres.
    Stefania Casagrande, Antoine Stier, Pat Monaghan, Jasmine L Loveland, Winifred Boner, Sara Lupi, Rachele Trevisi, Michaela Hau.
      Telomeres are DNA structures that protect chromosome ends. However, telomeres shorten during cell replication and at critically low lengths can reduce cell replicative potential, induce cell senescence and decrease fitness. Stress exposure, which elevates glucocorticoid hormone concentrations, can exacerbate telomere attrition. This phenomenon has been attributed to increased oxidative stress generated by glucocorticoids ('oxidative stress hypothesis'). We recently suggested that glucocorticoids could increase telomere attrition during stressful periods by reducing the resources available for telomere maintenance through changes in the metabolic machinery ('metabolic telomere attrition hypothesis'). Here we tested whether experimental increases in glucocorticoid levels affected telomere length and mitochondrial function in wild great tit (Parus major) nestlings during the energy-demanding early growth. We monitored resulting corticosterone (Cort) concentrations in plasma, and in red blood cells, telomere lengths and mitochondrial metabolism (metabolic rate, proton leak, oxidative phosphorylation, maximal mitochondrial capacity and mitochondrial inefficiency). We assessed oxidative damage caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolites as well as the total non-enzymatic antioxidant protection in plasma. Compared with control (Ctrl) nestlings, Cort-nestlings had higher baseline corticosterone, shorter telomeres and higher mitochondrial metabolic rate. Importantly, Cort-nestlings showed increased mitochondrial proton leak, leading to a decreased ATP production efficiency. Treatment groups did not differ in oxidative damage or antioxidants. Hence, glucocorticoid-induced telomere attrition is associated with changes in mitochondrial metabolism, but not with ROS production. These findings support the hypothesis that shortening of telomere length during stressful periods is mediated by glucocorticoids through metabolic rearrangements.
    Keywords:  Glucocorticoid receptor; Metabolism; Mitochondria; Nr3c1; Oxidative stress; Proton leak; Telomere
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.222513
  36. J Biol Chem. 2020 Jun 12. pii: jbc.RA120.013696. [Epub ahead of print]
    A myelin basic protein fragment induces sexually dimorphic transcriptome signatures of neuropathic pain in mice.
    Andrei V Chernov, Swathi K Hullugundi, Kelly A Eddinger, Jennifer Dolkas, Albert G Remacle, Mila Angert, Brian P James, Tony L Yaksh, Alex Y Strongin, Veronica I Shubayev.
      In the peripheral nerve, mechanosensitive axons are insulated by myelin, a multilamellar membrane formed by Schwann cells. Here, we offer first evidence that a myelin degradation product induces mechanical hypersensitivity and global transcriptomics changes in a sex-specific manner. Focusing on downstream signaling events of the functionally active 84-104 myelin basic protein (MBP84-104) fragment released after nerve injury, we demonstrate that exposing the sciatic nerve to MBP84-104 via endoneurial injection produces robust mechanical hypersensitivity in female, but not in male, mice. RNA-Seq and systems biology analyses revealed a striking sexual dimorphism in molecular signatures of the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and spinal cord response, not observed at the nerve injection site. Mechanistically, intra-sciatic MBP84-104 induced phospholipase C (PLC)-driven (females) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase-driven (males) phospholipid metabolism (tier 1). PLC/inositol trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) and estrogen receptor co-regulation in spinal cord yielded Ca2+-dependent nociceptive signaling induction in females that was suppressed in males (tier 2). IP3R inactivation by intrathecal xestospongin C attenuated the female-specific hypersensitivity induced by MBP84-104. According to sustained sensitization in tiers 1-2, T cell-related signaling spreads to the DRG and spinal cord in females, but remains localized to the sciatic nerve in males (tier 3). These results are consistent with our previous finding that MBP84-104-induced pain is T cell-dependent. In summary, an autoantigenic peptide endogenously released in nerve injury triggers multi-site, sex-specific transcriptome changes, leading to neuropathic pain only in female mice. MBP84-104 acts through sustained co-activation of metabolic, estrogen receptor-mediated nociceptive and autoimmune signaling programs.
    Keywords:  RNA-seq; analgesia; chronic pain; dorsal root ganglia; mechanical allodynia; myelin; neuroinflammation; pain; sexual dimorphism; transcriptomics
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.RA120.013696
  37. Autophagy. 2020 Jun 07. 1-6
    Puncta intended: connecting the dots between autophagy and cell stress networks.
    Cally J Ho, Gayathri Samarasekera, Katharina Rothe, Jing Xu, Kevin C Yang, Emily Leung, Michelle Chan, Xiaoyan Jiang, Sharon M Gorski.
      Proteome profiling and global protein-interaction approaches have significantly improved our knowledge of the protein interactomes of autophagy and other cellular stress-response pathways. New discoveries regarding protein complexes, interaction partners, interaction domains, and biological roles of players that are part of these pathways are emerging. The fourth Vancouver Autophagy Symposium showcased research that expands our understanding of the protein interaction networks and molecular mechanisms underlying autophagy and other cellular stress responses in the context of distinct stressors. In the keynote presentation, Dr. Wade Harper described his team's recent discovery of a novel reticulophagy receptor for selective autophagic degradation of the endoplasmic reticulum, and discussed molecular mechanisms involved in ribophagy and non-autophagic ribosomal turnover. In other presentations, both omic and targeted approaches were used to reveal molecular players of other cellular stress responses including amyloid body and stress granule formation, anastasis, and extracellular vesicle biogenesis. Additional topics included the roles of autophagy in disease pathogenesis, autophagy regulatory mechanisms, and crosstalk between autophagy and cellular metabolism in anti-tumor immunity. The relationship between autophagy and other cell stress responses remains a relatively unexplored area in the field, with future investigations required to understand how the various processes are coordinated and connected in cells and tissues.
    ABBREVIATIONS: A-bodies: amyloid bodies; ACM: amyloid-converting motif; AMFR/gp78: autocrine motility factor receptor; ATG: autophagy-related; ATG4B: autophagy related 4B cysteine peptidase; CALCOCO2/NDP52: calcium binding and coiled-coil domain 2; CAR T: chimeric antigen receptor T; CASP3: caspase 3; CCPG1: cell cycle progression 1; CAR: chimeric antigen receptor; CML: chronic myeloid leukemia; CCOCs: clear cell ovarian cancers; CVB3: coxsackievirus B3; CRISPR-Cas9: clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-CRISPR associated protein 9; DDXs: DEAD-box helicases; EIF2S1/EIF-2alpha: eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 subunit alpha; EIF2AK3: eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 alpha kinase 3; ER: endoplasmic reticulum; EV: extracellular vesicle; FAO: fatty acid oxidation; GABARAP: GABA type A receptor-associated protein; ILK: integrin linked kinase; ISR: integrated stress response; MTOR: mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase; MPECs: memory precursory effector T cells; MAVS: mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein; NBR1: NBR1 autophagy cargo receptor; PI4KB/PI4KIIIβ: phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase beta; PLEKHM1: pleckstrin homology and RUN domain containing M1; RB1CC1: RB1 inducible coiled-coil 1; RTN3: reticulon 3; rIGSRNAs: ribosomal intergenic noncoding RNAs; RPL29: ribosomal protein L29; RPS3: ribosomal protein S3; S. cerevisiae: Saccharomyces cerevisiae; sEV: small extracellular vesicles; S. pombe: Schizosaccharomyces pombe; SQSTM1: sequestosome 1; SF3B1: splicing factor 3b subunit 1; SILAC-MS: stable isotope labeling with amino acids in cell culture-mass spectrometry; SNAP29: synaptosome associated protein 29; TEX264: testis expressed 264, ER-phagy receptor; TNBC: triple-negative breast cancer; ULK1: unc-51 like autophagy activating kinase 1; VAS: Vancouver Autophagy Symposium.
    Keywords:  Cellular stress responses; Vancouver autophagy symposium; macroautophagy; proteomics; selective autophagy
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1080/15548627.2020.1775394
  38. Physiol Rep. 2020 Jun;8(11): e14461
    High-fat diet induced obesity and age influence the telomere shelterin complex and telomerase gene expression in mouse adipose tissue.
    Samuel I Bloom, Andrei Tuluca, Stephen J Ives, Thomas H Reynolds.
      Obesity and aging are linked to inflammation and increased risk of chronic disease. Telomeres are the endcaps of chromosomes that are regulated by telomerase, the enzyme that elongates telomeres, as well as a protein complex known as shelterin. Telomere dysfunction is associated with inflammation, aging, and disease. However, the effect of high-fat diet (HFD) induced obesity and advancing age on the shelterin complex and telomerase in adipose tissue is unknown. The present study investigated the effects of obesity and aging on C57BL/6J mice adipose tissue mRNA expression of shelterin complex genes. Young (YG) mice (3 mo) were randomly assigned to be fed either a high-fat diet (YG + HFD; 60% kcal from fat) or a low-fat diet (YG + LFD; 10% kcal from fat). A subset of mice were aged until 16 months. Body weight and epididymal white adipose tissue (EWAT) weight increased with age or a HFD. There was a trend for increased Terf2 expression, as expression was increased in HFD + YG by ~47% and aged mice by ~80%. Pot1b expression was increased in aged mice by ~35%-60% compared to YG, independent of diet. mTert, the gene that codes for the catalytic subunit of telomerase, was significantly elevated in aged mice. Changes in telomere associated gene expression was accompanied by changes in expression of inflammatory markers Mcp1 and Tnfα. These findings suggest obesity and age impact expression of shelterin complex and telomerase related genes in adipose, perhaps altering telomere function in adipose tissue thereby increasing inflammation and risk of chronic disease.
    Keywords:  aging; obesity; telomeres
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.14461
  39. Annu Rev Chem Biomol Eng. 2020 Jun 07. 11 155-182
    How Do Cells Adapt? Stories Told in Landscapes.
    Luca Agozzino, Gábor Balázsi, Jin Wang, Ken A Dill.
      Cells adapt to changing environments. Perturb a cell and it returns to a point of homeostasis. Perturb a population and it evolves toward a fitness peak. We review quantitative models of the forces of adaptation and their visualizations on landscapes. While some adaptations result from single mutations or few-gene effects, others are more cooperative, more delocalized in the genome, and more universal and physical. For example, homeostasis and evolution depend on protein folding and aggregation, energy and protein production, protein diffusion, molecular motor speeds and efficiencies, and protein expression levels. Models provide a way to learn about the fitness of cells and cell populations by making and testing hypotheses.
    Keywords:  adaptation; evolution; fitness; homeostasis; landscape
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-chembioeng-011720-103410
  40. Cell Rep. 2020 Jun 09. pii: S2211-1247(20)30711-7. [Epub ahead of print]31(10): 107731
    Failed Apoptosis Enhances Melanoma Cancer Cell Aggressiveness.
    Kevin Berthenet, Camila Castillo Ferrer, Deborah Fanfone, Nikolay Popgeorgiev, David Neves, Philippe Bertolino, Benjamin Gibert, Hector Hernandez-Vargas, Gabriel Ichim.
      Triggering apoptosis remains an efficient strategy to treat cancer. However, apoptosis is no longer a final destination since cancer cells can undergo partial apoptosis without dying. Recent evidence shows that partial mitochondrial permeabilization and non-lethal caspase activation occur under certain circumstances, although it remains unclear how failed apoptosis affects cancer cells. Using a cancer cell model to trigger non-lethal caspase activation, we find that melanoma cancer cells undergoing failed apoptosis have a particular transcriptomic signature associated with focal adhesions, transendothelial migration, and modifications of the actin cytoskeleton. In line with this, cancer cells surviving apoptosis gain migration and invasion properties in vitro and in vivo. We further demonstrate that failed apoptosis-associated gain in invasiveness is regulated by the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway, whereas its RNA sequencing signature is found in metastatic melanoma. These findings advance our understanding of how cell death can both cure and promote cancer.
    Keywords:  caspase reporter; failed apoptosis; invasion; melanoma; metastasis; migration
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2020.107731
  41. Cancer Cell. 2020 Jun 08. pii: S1535-6108(20)30254-3. [Epub ahead of print]37(6): 818-833.e9
    Multi-phenotype CRISPR-Cas9 Screen Identifies p38 Kinase as a Target for Adoptive Immunotherapies.
    Devikala Gurusamy, Amanda N Henning, Tori N Yamamoto, Zhiya Yu, Nikolaos Zacharakis, Sri Krishna, Rigel J Kishton, Suman K Vodnala, Arash Eidizadeh, Li Jia, Christine M Kariya, Mary A Black, Robert Eil, Douglas C Palmer, Jenny H Pan, Madhusudhanan Sukumar, Shashank J Patel, Nicholas P Restifo.
      T cells are central to all currently effective cancer immunotherapies, but the characteristics defining therapeutically effective anti-tumor T cells have not been comprehensively elucidated. Here, we delineate four phenotypic qualities of effective anti-tumor T cells: cell expansion, differentiation, oxidative stress, and genomic stress. Using a CRISPR-Cas9-based genetic screen of primary T cells we measured the multi-phenotypic impact of disrupting 25 T cell receptor-driven kinases. We identified p38 kinase as a central regulator of all four phenotypes and uncovered transcriptional and antioxidant pathways regulated by p38 in T cells. Pharmacological inhibition of p38 improved the efficacy of mouse anti-tumor T cells and enhanced the functionalities of human tumor-reactive and gene-engineered T cells, paving the way for clinically relevant interventions.
    Keywords:  CD19 CAR T cell; CRISPR-Cas9 screen; DNA damage; NY-ESO-1; ROS; adoptive transfer immunotherapy; differentiation; multi-phenotype; neoantigen TIL; p38
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2020.05.004
  42. Trends Cancer. 2020 Jun 06. pii: S2405-8033(20)30163-1. [Epub ahead of print]
    Molecular Tumor Boards in Clinical Practice.
    Claudio Luchini, Rita T Lawlor, Michele Milella, Aldo Scarpa.
      Next-generation sequencing (NGS) application in clinical practice requires the implementation of molecular tumor boards (MTBs). Starting from a systematic review of literature, we discuss the MTB-related key points: MTB aims and composition, types of tumors to discuss, types of molecular analyses, methods for classifying actionability, appropriate turnaround time, and cost management.
    Keywords:  MTB; molecular tumor board; personalized medicine; precision oncology; target therapy
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trecan.2020.05.008
  43. Autophagy. 2020 Jun 09. 1-21
    Atg21 organizes Atg8 lipidation at the contact of the vacuole with the phagophore.
    Lena Munzel, Piotr Neumann, Florian B Otto, Roswitha Krick, Janina Metje-Sprink, Benjamin Kroppen, Narain Karedla, Jörg Enderlein, Michael Meinecke, Ralf Ficner, Michael Thumm.
      Coupling of Atg8 to phosphatidylethanolamine is crucial for the expansion of the crescent-shaped phagophore during cargo engulfment. Atg21, a PtdIns3P-binding beta-propeller protein, scaffolds Atg8 and its E3-like complex Atg12-Atg5-Atg16 during lipidation. The crystal structure of Atg21, in complex with the Atg16 coiled-coil domain, showed its binding at the bottom side of the Atg21 beta-propeller. Our structure allowed detailed analyses of the complex formation of Atg21 with Atg16 and uncovered the orientation of the Atg16 coiled-coil domain with respect to the membrane. We further found that Atg21 was restricted to the phagophore edge, near the vacuole, known as the vacuole isolation membrane contact site (VICS). We identified a specialized vacuolar subdomain at the VICS, typical of organellar contact sites, where the membrane protein Vph1 was excluded, while Vac8 was concentrated. Furthermore, Vac8 was required for VICS formation. Our results support a specialized organellar contact involved in controlling phagophore elongation.
    Keywords:  Atg16; Atg21; Atg8 lipidation; VICS; organellar contact site; phagophore elongation
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1080/15548627.2020.1766332
  44. Mol Cell. 2020 May 28. pii: S1097-2765(20)30315-4. [Epub ahead of print]
    Cell Death in the Origin and Treatment of Cancer.
    Andreas Strasser, David L Vaux.
      Cell death, or, more specifically, cell suicide, is a process of fundamental importance to human health. Throughout our lives, over a million cells are produced every second. When organismal growth has stopped, to balance cell division, a similar number of cells must be removed. This is achieved by activation of molecular mechanisms that have evolved so that cells can destroy themselves. The first clues regarding the nature of one of these mechanisms came from studying genes associated with cancer, in particular the gene for BCL-2. Subsequent studies revealed that mutations or other defects that inhibit cell death allow cells to accumulate, prevent removal of cells with damaged DNA, and increase the resistance of malignant cells to chemotherapy. Knowledge of this mechanism has allowed development of drugs that kill cancer cells by directly activating the cell death machinery and by synergizing with conventional chemotherapy as well as targeted agents to achieve improved outcomes for cancer patients.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2020.05.014
  45. Elife. 2020 Jun 11. pii: e53159. [Epub ahead of print]9
    FoxO suppresses endoplasmic reticulum stress to inhibit growth of Tsc1-deficient tissues under nutrient restriction.
    Avantika Gupta, Hugo Stocker.
      The transcription factor FoxO has been shown to block proliferation and progression in mTORC1-driven tumorigenesis but the picture of the relevant FoxO target genes remains incomplete. Here, we employed RNA-seq profiling on single clones isolated using laser capture microdissection from Drosophila larval eye imaginal discs to identify FoxO targets that restrict the proliferation of Tsc1-deficient cells under nutrient restriction (NR). Transcriptomics analysis revealed downregulation of endoplasmic reticulum-associated protein degradation pathway components upon foxo knockdown. Induction of ER stress pharmacologically or by suppression of other ER stress response pathway components led to an enhanced overgrowth of Tsc1 knockdown tissue. Increase of ER stress in Tsc1 loss-of-function cells upon foxo knockdown was also confirmed by elevated expression levels of known ER stress markers. These results highlight the role of FoxO in limiting ER stress to regulate Tsc1 mutant overgrowth.
    Keywords:  D. melanogaster; ER stress; FoxO; Tsc1; cancer biology; genetics; genomics; laser capture microdissection
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.53159
  46. Sci Rep. 2020 Jun 08. 10(1): 9236
    Integrative phenotyping of glycemic responders upon clinical weight loss using multi-omics.
    Armand Valsesia, Anirikh Chakrabarti, Jörg Hager, Dominique Langin, Wim H M Saris, Arne Astrup, Ellen E Blaak, Nathalie Viguerie, Mojgan Masoodi.
      Weight loss aims to improve glycemic control in obese but strong variability is observed. Using a multi-omics approach, we investigated differences between 174 responders and 201 non-responders, that had lost >8% body weight following a low-caloric diet (LCD, 800 kcal/d for 8 weeks). The two groups were comparable at baseline for body composition, glycemic control, adipose tissue transcriptomics and plasma ketone bodies. But they differed significantly in their response to LCD, including improvements in visceral fat, overall insulin resistance (IR) and tissue-specific IR. Transcriptomics analyses found down-regulation in key lipogenic genes (e.g. SCD, ELOVL5) in responders relative to non-responders; metabolomics showed increase in ketone bodies; while proteomics revealed differences in lipoproteins. Findings were consistent between genders; with women displaying smaller improvements owing to a better baseline metabolic condition. Integrative analyses identified a plasma omics model that was able to predict non-responders with strong performance (on a testing dataset, the Receiving Operating Curve Area Under the Curve (ROC AUC) was 75% with 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) [67%, 83%]). This model was based on baseline parameters without the need for intrusive measurements and outperformed clinical models (p = 0.00075, with a +14% difference on the ROC AUCs). Our approach document differences between responders and non-responders, with strong contributions from liver and adipose tissues. Differences may be due to de novo lipogenesis, keto-metabolism and lipoprotein metabolism. These findings are useful for clinical practice to better characterize non-responders both prior and during weight loss.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-65936-8
  47. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2020 Jun 04. pii: S0006-291X(20)31095-0. [Epub ahead of print]
    Temperature-dependent activity of kinesins is regulable.
    F Doval, K Chiba, R J McKenney, K M Ori-McKenney, M D Vershinin.
      Cytoskeletal transport in cells is driven by enzymes whose activity shows sensitive, typically Arrhenius, dependence on temperature. Often, the duration and outcome of cargo transport is determined by the relative success of kinesin vs. dynein motors, which can simultaneously bind to individual cargos and move in opposite direction on microtubules. The question of how kinesin and dynein activity remain coupled over the large temperature ranges experienced by some cells is one of clear biological relevance. We report a break in the Arrhenius behavior of both kinesin-1 and kinesin-3 enzymatic activity at 4.7 °C and 10.5 °C, respectively. Further, we report that this transition temperature significantly changes as a function of chemical background: addition of 200 mM TMAO increases transition temperatures by ∼6 °C in all cases. Our results show that Arrhenius trend breaks are common to all cytoskeletal motors and open a broad question of how such activity transitions are regulated in vivo. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Many cytoskeletal motors studied to date follow Arrhenius kinetics, at least from room temperature up to mammalian body temperature. However the thermal dynamic range is typically finite, and breaks in Arrhenius trends are commonly observed at biologically relevant temperatures. Here we report that the thermal dynamic range of kinesins is also limited and moreover that the location of the Arrhenius break for kinesins can shift significantly based on chemical backgrounds. This implies that the balance of multiple motor cargo transport along the cytoskeleton is far more tunable as a function of temperature than previously appreciated.
    Keywords:  Arrhenius; Kinesin; Temperature
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.05.157
  48. EMBO Mol Med. 2020 Jun 11. e11659
    FBXL4 deficiency increases mitochondrial removal by autophagy.
    David Alsina, Oleksandr Lytovchenko, Aleksandra Schab, Ilian Atanassov, Florian A Schober, Min Jiang, Camilla Koolmeister, Anna Wedell, Robert W Taylor, Anna Wredenberg, Nils-Göran Larsson.
      Pathogenic variants in FBXL4 cause a severe encephalopathic syndrome associated with mtDNA depletion and deficient oxidative phosphorylation. To gain further insight into the enigmatic pathophysiology caused by FBXL4 deficiency, we generated homozygous Fbxl4 knockout mice and found that they display a predominant perinatal lethality. Surprisingly, the few surviving animals are apparently normal until the age of 8-12 months when they gradually develop signs of mitochondrial dysfunction and weight loss. One-year-old Fbxl4 knockouts show a global reduction in a variety of mitochondrial proteins and mtDNA depletion, whereas lysosomal proteins are upregulated. Fibroblasts from patients with FBXL4 deficiency and human FBXL4 knockout cells also have reduced steady-state levels of mitochondrial proteins that can be attributed to increased mitochondrial turnover. Inhibition of lysosomal function in these cells reverses the mitochondrial phenotype, whereas proteasomal inhibition has no effect. Taken together, the results we present here show that FBXL4 prevents mitochondrial removal via autophagy and that loss of FBXL4 leads to decreased mitochondrial content and mitochondrial disease.
    Keywords:  FBXL4; autophagy; mitochondrial disease; mtDNA; oxidative phosphorylation
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.15252/emmm.201911659
  49. Dev Cell. 2020 Jun 10. pii: S1534-5807(20)30410-X. [Epub ahead of print]
    Xist Repeats A and B Account for Two Distinct Phases of X Inactivation Establishment.
    David Colognori, Hongjae Sunwoo, Danni Wang, Chen-Yu Wang, Jeannie T Lee.
      X chromosome inactivation (XCI) is a global silencing mechanism by which XX and XY mammals equalize X-linked gene dosages. XCI begins with an establishment phase during which Xist RNA spreads and induces de novo heterochromatinization across a female X chromosome and is followed by a maintenance phase when multiple epigenetic pathways lock down the inactive X (Xi) state. Involvement of Polycomb repressive complexes 1 and 2 in XCI has been intensively studied but with conflicting conclusions regarding their recruitment and role in Xi silencing. Here, we reveal that establishment of XCI has two phases and reconcile the roles that Xist repeats A and B play in gene silencing and Polycomb recruitment. Repeat A initiates both processes, whereas repeat B bolsters or stabilizes them thereafter. Once established, XCI no longer requires repeat A during maintenance. These findings integrate disparate studies and present a unified view of Xist's role in Polycomb-mediated silencing.
    Keywords:  PRC1; PRC2; Polycomb; X inactivation; Xist; epigenetics; lncRNA; repeat A; repeat B
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2020.05.021
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