bims-pimaco Biomed News
on PI3K and MAPK signalling in colorectal cancer
Issue of 2022–09–18
eleven papers selected by
Lucas B. Zeiger, CRUK Scotland Institute, Beatson Institute for Cancer Research
  1. Recent advances and limitations of mTOR inhibitors in the treatment of cancer.
  2. A Rag GTPase dimer code defines the regulation of mTORC1 by amino acids.
  3. Sequential conversion of PtdIns3P to PtdIns(3,5)P2 via endosome maturation couples nutrient signaling to lysosome reformation and basal autophagy.
  4. Tissue-restricted inhibition of mTOR using chemical genetics.
  5. Structural basis for FLCN RagC GAP activation in MiT-TFE substrate-selective mTORC1 regulation.
  6. Brain-restricted mTOR inhibition with binary pharmacology.
  7. RNF43 mutations predict response to anti-BRAF/EGFR combinatory therapies in BRAFV600E metastatic colorectal cancer.
  8. The SREBP-dependent regulation of cyclin D1 coordinates cell proliferation and lipid synthesis.
  9. Development of selective inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase C2α.
  10. Structural insights into the pSer/pThr dependent regulation of the SHP2 tyrosine phosphatase in insulin and CD28 signaling.
  11. The effect of Nrf2 deletion on the proteomic signature in a human colorectal cancer cell line.
  1. Cancer Cell Int. 2022 Sep 15. 22(1): 284
    Recent advances and limitations of mTOR inhibitors in the treatment of cancer.
    Eunus S Ali, Kangkana Mitra, Shamima Akter, Sarker Ramproshad, Banani Mondal, Ishaq N Khan, Muhammad Torequl Islam, Javad Sharifi-Rad, Daniela Calina, William C Cho.
      The PI3K-Akt-mechanistic (formerly mammalian) target of the rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway is important in a variety of biological activities, including cellular proliferation, survival, metabolism, autophagy, and immunity. Abnormal PI3K-Akt-mTOR signalling activation can promote transformation by creating a cellular environment conducive to it. Deregulation of such a system in terms of genetic mutations and amplification has been related to several human cancers. Consequently, mTOR has been recognized as a key target for the treatment of cancer, especially for treating cancers with elevated mTOR signaling due to genetic or metabolic disorders. In vitro and in vivo, rapamycin which is an immunosuppressant agent actively suppresses the activity of mTOR and reduces cancer cell growth. As a result, various sirolimus-derived compounds have now been established as therapies for cancer, and now these medications are being investigated in clinical studies. In this updated review, we discuss the usage of sirolimus-derived compounds and other drugs in several preclinical or clinical studies as well as explain some of the challenges involved in targeting mTOR for treating various human cancers.
    Keywords:  Cancer; Rapamycin; Targeted therapy; mTOR inhibitors; mTOR pathway; mTORC1; mTORC2
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s12935-022-02706-8
  2. Nat Cell Biol. 2022 Sep;24(9): 1394-1406
    A Rag GTPase dimer code defines the regulation of mTORC1 by amino acids.
    Peter Gollwitzer, Nina Grützmacher, Sabine Wilhelm, Daniel Kümmel, Constantinos Demetriades.
      Amino acid availability controls mTORC1 activity via a heterodimeric Rag GTPase complex that functions as a scaffold at the lysosomal surface, bringing together mTORC1 with its activators and effectors. Mammalian cells express four Rag proteins (RagA-D) that form dimers composed of RagA/B bound to RagC/D. Traditionally, the Rag paralogue pairs (RagA/B and RagC/D) are referred to as functionally redundant, with the four dimer combinations used interchangeably in most studies. Here, by using genetically modified cell lines that express single Rag heterodimers, we uncover a Rag dimer code that determines how amino acids regulate mTORC1. First, RagC/D differentially define the substrate specificity downstream of mTORC1, with RagD promoting phosphorylation of its lysosomal substrates TFEB/TFE3, while both Rags are involved in the phosphorylation of non-lysosomal substrates such as S6K. Mechanistically, RagD recruits mTORC1 more potently to lysosomes through increased affinity to the anchoring LAMTOR complex. Furthermore, RagA/B specify the signalling response to amino acid removal, with RagB-expressing cells maintaining lysosomal and active mTORC1 even upon starvation. Overall, our findings reveal key qualitative differences between Rag paralogues in the regulation of mTORC1, and underscore Rag gene duplication and diversification as a potentially impactful event in mammalian evolution.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41556-022-00976-y
  3. Autophagy. 2022 Sep 14.
    Sequential conversion of PtdIns3P to PtdIns(3,5)P2 via endosome maturation couples nutrient signaling to lysosome reformation and basal autophagy.
    Samuel J Rodgers, Emily I Jones, Christina A Mitchell, Meagan J McGrath.
      Macroautophagy/autophagy occurs basally under nutrient-rich conditions in most mammalian cells, contributing to protein and organelle quality control, and protection against ageing and neurodegeneration. During autophagy, lysosomes are heavily utilized via their fusion with autophagosomes and must be repopulated to maintain autophagic degradative capacity. During starvation-induced autophagy, lysosomes are generated via de novo biogenesis under the control of TFEB (transcription factor EB), or by the recycling of autolysosome membranes via autophagic lysosome reformation (ALR). However, these lysosome repopulation processes do not operate under nutrient-rich conditions. In our recent study, we identify a sequential phosphoinositide conversion pathway that enables lysosome repopulation under nutrient-rich conditions to facilitate basal autophagy. Phosphatidylinositol-3,4-bisphosphate (PtdIns[3,4]P2) signals generated downstream of phosphoinositide 3-kinase alpha (PI3Kα) during growth factor stimulation are converted to phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate (PtdIns3P) on endosomes by INPP4B (inositol polyphosphate-4-phosphatase type II B). We show that PtdIns3P is retained as endosomes mature into endolysosomes, and serves as a substrate for PIKFYVE (phosphoinositide kinase, FYVE-type zinc finger containing) to generate phosphatidylinositol-3,5-bisphosphate (PtdIns[3,5]P2) to promote SNX2-dependent lysosome reformation, basal autophagic flux and protein aggregate degradation. Therefore, endosome maturation couples nutrient signaling to lysosome repopulation during basal autophagy by delivering PI3Kα-derived PtdIns3P to endolysosomes for PtdIns(3,5)P2-dependent lysosome reformation.
    Keywords:  INPP4B; PI3Kα; PIKFYVE; endosome; lysosome; phosphoinositides; proteostasis
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1080/15548627.2022.2124499
  4. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Sep 20. 119(38): e2204083119
    Tissue-restricted inhibition of mTOR using chemical genetics.
    Douglas R Wassarman, Kondalarao Bankapalli, Leo J Pallanck, Kevan M Shokat.
      Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a highly conserved eukaryotic protein kinase that coordinates cell growth and metabolism, and plays a critical role in cancer, immunity, and aging. It remains unclear how mTOR signaling in individual tissues contributes to whole-organism processes because mTOR inhibitors, like the natural product rapamycin, are administered systemically and target multiple tissues simultaneously. We developed a chemical-genetic system, termed selecTOR, that restricts the activity of a rapamycin analog to specific cell populations through targeted expression of a mutant FKBP12 protein. This analog has reduced affinity for its obligate binding partner FKBP12, which reduces its ability to inhibit mTOR in wild-type cells and tissues. Expression of the mutant FKBP12, which contains an expanded binding pocket, rescues the activity of this rapamycin analog. Using this system, we show that selective mTOR inhibition can be achieved in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and human cells, and we validate the utility of our system in an intact metazoan model organism by identifying the tissues responsible for a rapamycin-induced developmental delay in Drosophila.
    Keywords:  Drosophila; kinase inhibitor; mTOR; rapamycin; tissue specific
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2204083119
  5. Sci Adv. 2022 Sep 16. 8(37): eadd2926
    Structural basis for FLCN RagC GAP activation in MiT-TFE substrate-selective mTORC1 regulation.
    Rachel M Jansen, Roberta Peruzzo, Simon A Fromm, Adam L Yokom, Roberto Zoncu, James H Hurley.
      The mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) regulates cell growth and catabolism in response to nutrients through phosphorylation of key substrates. The tumor suppressor folliculin (FLCN) is a RagC/D guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase)-activating protein (GAP) that regulates mTORC1 phosphorylation of MiT-TFE transcription factors, controlling lysosome biogenesis and autophagy. We determined the cryo-electron microscopy structure of the active FLCN complex (AFC) containing FLCN, FNIP2, the N-terminal tail of SLC38A9, the RagAGDP:RagCGDP.BeFx- GTPase dimer, and the Ragulator scaffold. Relative to the inactive lysosomal FLCN complex structure, FLCN reorients by 90°, breaks contact with RagA, and makes previously unseen contacts with RagC that position its Arg164 finger for catalysis. Disruption of the AFC-specific interfaces of FLCN and FNIP2 with RagC eliminated GAP activity and led to nuclear retention of TFE3, with no effect on mTORC1 substrates S6K or 4E-BP1. The structure provides a basis for regulation of an mTORC1 substrate-specific pathway and a roadmap to discover MiT-TFE family selective mTORC1 antagonists.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.add2926
  6. Nature. 2022 Sep 14.
    Brain-restricted mTOR inhibition with binary pharmacology.
    Ziyang Zhang, Qiwen Fan, Xujun Luo, Kevin Lou, William A Weiss, Kevan M Shokat.
      On-target-off-tissue drug engagement is an important source of adverse effects that constrains the therapeutic window of drug candidates1,2. In diseases of the central nervous system, drugs with brain-restricted pharmacology are highly desirable. Here we report a strategy to achieve inhibition of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) while sparing mTOR activity elsewhere through the use of the brain-permeable mTOR inhibitor RapaLink-1 and the brain-impermeable FKBP12 ligand RapaBlock. We show that this drug combination mitigates the systemic effects of mTOR inhibitors but retains the efficacy of RapaLink-1 in glioblastoma xenografts. We further present a general method to design cell-permeable, FKBP12-dependent kinase inhibitors from known drug scaffolds. These inhibitors are sensitive to deactivation by RapaBlock, enabling the brain-restricted inhibition of their respective kinase targets.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05213-y
  7. Nat Med. 2022 Sep 12.
    RNF43 mutations predict response to anti-BRAF/EGFR combinatory therapies in BRAFV600E metastatic colorectal cancer.
    Elena Elez, Javier Ros, Jose Fernández, Guillermo Villacampa, Ana Belén Moreno-Cárdenas, Carlota Arenillas, Kinga Bernatowicz, Raquel Comas, Shanshan Li, David Philip Kodack, Roberta Fasani, Ariadna Garcia, Javier Gonzalo-Ruiz, Alejandro Piris-Gimenez, Paolo Nuciforo, Grainne Kerr, Rossana Intini, Aldo Montagna, Marco Maria Germani, Giovanni Randon, Ana Vivancos, Ron Smits, Diana Graus, Raquel Perez-Lopez, Chiara Cremolini, Sara Lonardi, Filippo Pietrantonio, Rodrigo Dienstmann, Josep Tabernero, Rodrigo A Toledo.
      Anti-BRAF/EGFR therapy was recently approved for the treatment of metastatic BRAFV600E colorectal cancer (mCRCBRAF-V600E). However, a large fraction of patients do not respond, underscoring the need to identify molecular determinants of treatment response. Using whole-exome sequencing in a discovery cohort of patients with mCRCBRAF-V600E treated with anti-BRAF/EGFR therapy, we found that inactivating mutations in RNF43, a negative regulator of WNT, predict improved response rates and survival outcomes in patients with microsatellite-stable (MSS) tumors. Analysis of an independent validation cohort confirmed the relevance of RNF43 mutations to predicting clinical benefit (72.7% versus 30.8%; P = 0.03), as well as longer progression-free survival (hazard ratio (HR), 0.30; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.12-0.75; P = 0.01) and overall survival (HR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.10-0.71; P = 0.008), in patients with MSS-RNF43mutated versus MSS-RNF43wild-type tumors. Microsatellite-instable tumors invariably carried a wild-type-like RNF43 genotype encoding p.G659fs and presented an intermediate response profile. We found no association of RNF43 mutations with patient outcomes in a control cohort of patients with MSS-mCRCBRAF-V600E tumors not exposed to anti-BRAF targeted therapies. Overall, our findings suggest a cross-talk between the MAPK and WNT pathways that may modulate the antitumor activity of anti-BRAF/EGFR therapy and uncover predictive biomarkers to optimize the clinical management of these patients.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-022-01976-z
  8. Front Oncol. 2022 ;12 942386
    The SREBP-dependent regulation of cyclin D1 coordinates cell proliferation and lipid synthesis.
    Arwa Aldaalis, Maria T Bengoechea-Alonso, Johan Ericsson.
      The sterol regulatory-element binding protein (SREBP) family of transcription factors regulates cholesterol, fatty acid, and triglyceride synthesis and metabolism. However, they are also targeted by the ubiquitin ligase Fbw7, a major tumor suppressor, suggesting that they could regulate cell growth. Indeed, enhanced lipid synthesis is a hallmark of many human tumors. Thus, the SREBP pathway has recently emerged as a potential target for cancer therapy. We have previously demonstrated that one of these transcription factors, SREBP1, is stabilized and remains associated with target promoters during mitosis, suggesting that the expression of these target genes could be important as cells enter G1 and transcription is restored. Activation of cyclin D-cdk4/6 complexes is critical for the phosphorylation and inactivation of the retinoblastoma protein (Rb) family of transcriptional repressors and progression through the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Importantly, the cyclin D-cdk4/6-Rb regulatory axis is frequently dysregulated in human cancer. In the current manuscript, we demonstrate that SREBP1 activates the expression of cyclin D1, a coactivator of cdk4 and cdk6, by binding to an E-box in the cyclin D1 promoter. Consequently, inactivation of SREBP1 in human liver and breast cancer cell lines reduces the expression of cyclin D1 and attenuates Rb phosphorylation. Rb phosphorylation in these cells can be rescued by restoring cyclin D1 expression. On the other hand, expression of active SREBP1 induced the expression of cyclin D1 and increased the phosphorylation of Rb in a manner dependent on cyclin D1 and cdk4/6 activity. Inactivation of SREBP1 resulted in reduced expression of cyclin D1, attenuated phosphorylation of Rb, and reduced proliferation. Inactivation of SREBP1 also reduced the insulin-dependent regulation of the cyclin D1 gene. At the same time, SREBP1 is known to play an important role in supporting lipid synthesis in cancer cells. Thus, we propose that the SREBP1-dependent regulation of cyclin D1 coordinates cell proliferation with the enhanced lipid synthesis required to support cell growth.
    Keywords:  CDK4; CDK6; Rb; cancer; cyclin D1; lipids; proliferation; srebp
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2022.942386
  9. Nat Chem Biol. 2022 Sep 15.
    Development of selective inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase C2α.
    Wen-Ting Lo, Hassane Belabed, Murat Kücükdisli, Juliane Metag, Yvette Roske, Polina Prokofeva, Yohei Ohashi, André Horatscheck, Davide Cirillo, Michael Krauss, Christopher Schmied, Martin Neuenschwander, Jens Peter von Kries, Guillaume Médard, Bernhard Kuster, Olga Perisic, Roger L Williams, Oliver Daumke, Bernard Payrastre, Sonia Severin, Marc Nazaré, Volker Haucke.
      Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase type 2α (PI3KC2α) and related class II PI3K isoforms are of increasing biomedical interest because of their crucial roles in endocytic membrane dynamics, cell division and signaling, angiogenesis, and platelet morphology and function. Herein we report the development and characterization of PhosphatidylInositol Three-kinase Class twO INhibitors (PITCOINs), potent and highly selective small-molecule inhibitors of PI3KC2α catalytic activity. PITCOIN compounds exhibit strong selectivity toward PI3KC2α due to their unique mode of interaction with the ATP-binding site of the enzyme. We demonstrate that acute inhibition of PI3KC2α-mediated synthesis of phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphates by PITCOINs impairs endocytic membrane dynamics and membrane remodeling during platelet-dependent thrombus formation. PITCOINs are potent and selective cell-permeable inhibitors of PI3KC2α function with potential biomedical applications ranging from thrombosis to diabetes and cancer.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-022-01118-z
  10. Nat Commun. 2022 Sep 16. 13(1): 5439
    Structural insights into the pSer/pThr dependent regulation of the SHP2 tyrosine phosphatase in insulin and CD28 signaling.
    András Zeke, Tamás Takács, Péter Sok, Krisztina Németh, Klára Kirsch, Péter Egri, Ádám Levente Póti, Isabel Bento, Gábor E Tusnády, Attila Reményi.
      Serine/threonine phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate (IRS) proteins is well known to modulate insulin signaling. However, the molecular details of this process have mostly been elusive. While exploring the role of phosphoserines, we have detected a direct link between Tyr-flanking Ser/Thr phosphorylation sites and regulation of specific phosphotyrosine phosphatases. Here we present a concise structural study on how the activity of SHP2 phosphatase is controlled by an asymmetric, dual phosphorylation of its substrates. The structure of SHP2 has been determined with three different substrate peptides, unveiling the versatile and highly dynamic nature of substrate recruitment. What is more, the relatively stable pre-catalytic state of SHP2 could potentially be useful for inhibitor design. Our findings not only show an unusual dependence of SHP2 catalytic activity on Ser/Thr phosphorylation sites in IRS1 and CD28, but also suggest a negative regulatory mechanism that may also apply to other tyrosine kinase pathways as well.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32918-5
  11. BMC Cancer. 2022 Sep 13. 22(1): 979
    The effect of Nrf2 deletion on the proteomic signature in a human colorectal cancer cell line.
    Omid Cheraghi, Bahareh Dabirmanesh, Farideh Ghazi, Massoud Amanlou, Mona Atabakhshi-Kashi, Yaghoub Fathollahi, Khosro Khajeh.
       BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancer and the third leading cause of death worldwide. Increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is observed in many types of cancer cells. Several studies have reported that an increase in ROS production could affect the expression of proteins involved in ROS-scavenging, detoxification and drug resistance. Nuclear factor erythroid 2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a known transcription factor for cellular response to oxidative stress. Several researches exhibited that Nrf2 could exert multiple functions and expected to be a promising therapeutic target in many cancers. Here, Nrf2 was knocked down in colorectal cancer cell line HT29 and changes that occurred in signaling pathways and survival mechanisms were evaluated.
    METHODS: The influence of chemotherapy drugs (doxorubicin and cisplatin), metastasis and cell viability were investigated. To explore the association between specific pathways and viability in HT29-Nrf2-, proteomic analysis, realtime PCR and western blotting were performed.
    RESULTS: In the absence of Nrf2 (Nrf2-), ROS scavenging and detoxification potential were dramatically faded and the HT29-Nrf2- cells became more susceptible to drugs. However, a severe decrease in viability was not observed. Bioinformatic analysis of proteomic data revealed that in Nrf2- cells, proteins involved in detoxification processes, respiratory electron transport chain and mitochondrial-related compartment were down regulated. Furthermore, proteins related to MAPKs, JNK and FOXO pathways were up regulated that possibly helped to overcome the detrimental effect of excessive ROS production.
    CONCLUSIONS: Our results revealed MAPKs, JNK and FOXO pathways connections in reducing the deleterious effect of Nrf2 deficiency, which can be considered in cancer therapy.
    Keywords:  MAPK pathway; Mitochondria; Nrf2; Proteomics
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-022-10055-y
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