bims-unfpre Biomed News
on Unfolded protein response
Issue of 2020–04–26
eleven papers selected by
Susan Logue, University of Manitoba
  1. Tissue-selective regulation of protein homeostasis and unfolded protein response signalling in sporadic ALS.
  2. ATF6 as a Nodal Regulator of Proteostasis in the Heart.
  3. Mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor is an ER-resident chaperone that protects against reductive stress in the heart.
  4. Targeting of Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) Stress in Gliomas.
  5. Thapsigargin promotes colorectal cancer cell migration through upregulation of lncRNA MALAT1.
  6. MYC and the unfolded protein response in cancer: synthetic lethal partners in crime?
  7. LncRNA GOLGA2P10 is induced by PERK/ATF4/CHOP signaling and protects tumor cells from ER stress-induced apoptosis by regulating Bcl-2 family members.
  8. The UPR sensor IRE1α and the adenovirus E3-19K glycoprotein sustain persistent and lytic infections.
  9. Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) Controls Major Senescence Hallmarks.
  10. The gene for the lysosomal protein LAMP3 is a direct target of the transcription factor ATF4.
  11. GRP78 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells is a new predictive marker for the benefit of taxanes in breast cancer neoadjuvant treatment.
  1. J Cell Mol Med. 2020 Apr 23.
    Tissue-selective regulation of protein homeostasis and unfolded protein response signalling in sporadic ALS.
    Luigi Montibeller, Li Yi Tan, Joo Kyung Kim, Praveen Paul, Jacqueline de Belleroche.
      Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a disorder that affects motor neurons in motor cortex and spinal cord, and the degeneration of both neuronal populations is a critical feature of the disease. Abnormalities in protein homeostasis (proteostasis) are well established in ALS. However, they have been investigated mostly in spinal cord but less so in motor cortex. Herein, we monitored the unfolded protein (UPR) and heat shock response (HSR), two major proteostasis regulatory pathways, in human post-mortem tissue derived from the motor cortex of sporadic ALS (SALS) and compared them to those occurring in spinal cord. Although the UPR was activated in both tissues, specific expression of select UPR target genes, such as PDIs, was observed in motor cortex of SALS cases strongly correlating with oligodendrocyte markers. Moreover, we found that endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD) and HSR genes, which were activated predominately in spinal cord, correlated with the expression of neuronal markers. Our results indicate that proteostasis is strongly and selectively activated in SALS motor cortex and spinal cord where subsets of these genes are associated with specific cell type. This study expands our understanding of convergent molecular mechanisms occurring in motor cortex and spinal cord and highlights cell type-specific contributions.
    Keywords:  ERAD; PDI; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); frontotemporal lobar dementia (FTLD); heat shock response (HSR); unfolded protein response (UPR)
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1111/jcmm.15170
  2. Front Physiol. 2020 ;11 267
    ATF6 as a Nodal Regulator of Proteostasis in the Heart.
    Christopher C Glembotski, Adrian Arrieta, Erik A Blackwood, Winston T Stauffer.
      Proteostasis encompasses a homeostatic cellular network in all cells that maintains the integrity of the proteome, which is critical for optimal cellular function. The components of the proteostasis network include protein synthesis, folding, trafficking, and degradation. Cardiac myocytes have a specialized endoplasmic reticulum (ER) called the sarcoplasmic reticulum that is well known for its role in contractile calcium handling. However, less studied is the proteostasis network associated with the ER, which is of particular importance in cardiac myocytes because it ensures the integrity of proteins that are critical for cardiac contraction, e.g., ion channels, as well as proteins necessary for maintaining myocyte viability and interaction with other cell types, e.g., secreted hormones and growth factors. A major aspect of the ER proteostasis network is the ER unfolded protein response (UPR), which is initiated when misfolded proteins in the ER activate a group of three ER transmembrane proteins, one of which is the transcription factor, ATF6. Prior to studies in the heart, ATF6 had been shown in model cell lines to be primarily adaptive, exerting protective effects by inducing genes that encode ER proteins that fortify protein-folding in this organelle, thus establishing the canonical role for ATF6. Subsequent studies in isolated cardiac myocytes and in the myocardium, in vivo, have expanded roles for ATF6 beyond the canonical functions to include the induction of genes that encode proteins outside of the ER that do not have known functions that are obviously related to ER protein-folding. The identification of such non-canonical roles for ATF6, as well as findings that the gene programs induced by ATF6 differ depending on the stimulus, have piqued interest in further research on ATF6 as an adaptive effector in cardiac myocytes, underscoring the therapeutic potential of activating ATF6 in the heart. Moreover, discoveries of small molecule activators of ATF6 that adaptively affect the heart, as well as other organs, in vivo, have expanded the potential for development of ATF6-based therapeutics. This review focuses on the ATF6 arm of the ER UPR and its effects on the proteostasis network in the myocardium.
    Keywords:  ATF6; ER stress; cardiac myocyte; proteostasis; unfolded protein response
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2020.00267
  3. J Biol Chem. 2020 Apr 23. pii: jbc.RA120.013345. [Epub ahead of print]
    Mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor is an ER-resident chaperone that protects against reductive stress in the heart.
    Adrian Arrieta, Erik A Blackwood, Winston T Stauffer, Michelle Santo Domingo, Alina S Bilal, Donna J Thuerauf, Amber N Pentoney, Cathrine Aivati, Anup V Sarakki, Shirin Doroudgar, Christopher C Glembotski.
      We have previously demonstrated that ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) impairs endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-based protein folding in the heart and thereby activates an unfolded protein response (UPR) sensor and effector, activated transcription factor 6α (ATF6). ATF6 then induces mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF), an ER-resident protein with no known structural homologs and unclear ER function. To determine MANF's function in the heart in vivo, here we developed a cardiomyocyte-specific MANF-knockdown mouse model. The MANF knockdown increased cardiac damage after I/R, which was reversed by AAV9-mediated ectopic MANF expression. Mechanistically, MANF knockdown in cultured neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs) impaired protein folding in the ER and cardiomyocyte viability during simulated I/R. However, this was not due to MANF-mediated protection from reactive oxygen species generated during reperfusion. Since I/R impairs oxygen-dependent ER protein disulfide formation and such impairment can be caused by reductive stress in the ER, we examined the effects of the reductive ER stressor dithiothreitol (DTT). MANF knockdown in NRVMs increased cell death from DTT-mediated reductive ER stress, but not from non-reductive ER stresses caused by thapsigargin-mediated ER Ca+2 depletion or tunicamycin-mediated inhibition of ER protein glycosylation. In vitro, recombinant MANF exhibited chaperone activity that was dependent on its conserved cysteine residues. Moreover, in cells, MANF bound to a model ER protein exhibiting improper disulfide bond formation during reductive ER stress, but did not bind to this protein during non-reductive ER stress. We conclude that MANF is an ER chaperone that enhances protein folding and myocyte viability during reductive ER stress.
    Keywords:  cardiomyocyte; chaperone; endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress); heart function; ischemia; ischemia/reperfusion; mesencephalic astrocyte derived neurotrophic factor; protein folding; reductive stress
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.RA120.013345
  4. Pharmacol Res. 2020 Apr 16. pii: S1043-6618(20)31131-2. [Epub ahead of print] 104823
    Targeting of Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) Stress in Gliomas.
    Mariam Markouli, Dimitrios Strepkos, Athanasios G Papavassiliou, Christina Piperi.
      Gliomas remain a group of malignant brain tumors with dismal prognosis and limited treatment options with molecular mechanisms being constantly investigated. The past decade, extracellular stress and intracellular DNA damage have been shown to disturb proteostasis leading to Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) stress that is implicated in the regulation of gene expression and the pathogenesis of several tumor types, including gliomas. Upon ER stress induction, neoplastic cells activate the adaptive mechanism of unfolded protein response (UPR), an integrated signaling system that either restores ER homeostasis or induces cell apoptosis. Recently, the manipulation of the UPR has emerged as a new therapeutic target in glioma treatment. General UPR activators or selective GRP78, ATF6 and PERK inducers have been detected to modulate cell proliferation and induce apoptosis of glioma cells. At the same time, target-specific UPR inhibitors and small molecule proteostasis disruptors, work in reverse to increase misfolded proteins and cause a dysregulation in protein maturation and sorting, thus preventing the growth of neoplastic cells. Herein, we discuss the pathogenic implication of ER stress in gliomas onset and progression, providing an update on the current UPR modifying agents that can be potentially used in glioma treatment.
    Keywords:  Atazanavir (PubChem CID: 148192); Brefeldin A (PubChem CID: 5287620); Bufothionine (PubChem CID: 5315536); Cannabidiol (PubChem CID: 644019); Docosahexaenoic acid (PubChem CID: 445580); ER stress; Fluoxetine (PubChem CID: 3386); ISRIB (PubChem CID: 1011240); Nelfinavir (PubChem CID: 64143); Perillyl Alcohol (PubChem CID: 10819); Temozolomide (PubChem CID: 5394); UPR; glioma; gliomas; inhibitors; proteostasis; therapy
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phrs.2020.104823
  5. Oncol Rep. 2020 Feb 13.
    Thapsigargin promotes colorectal cancer cell migration through upregulation of lncRNA MALAT1.
    Xia Jiang, Dongyun Li, Guiqi Wang, Jue Liu, Xingkai Su, Weifang Yu, Yuanyuan Wang, Congjie Zhai, Yuegeng Liu, Zengren Zhao.
      Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common tumor in the world; however, the role and mechanism of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in CRC metastasis remains largely unclear. Metastasis‑associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) is a long non‑coding RNA (lncRNA), which has previously been associated with CRC metastasis. It has been suggested that ER stress pathways regulate lncRNA expression; however, the effect of ER stress on MALAT1 expression in cancer is unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between ER stress pathways, MALAT1 expression and cell migration in CRC cells. ER stress was induced by thapsigargin (TG); low dose TG induced the migration of HT29 and HCT116 cells, but not SW1116 and SW620 cells. This effect was associated with increased expression levels of MALAT1, as the knockdown of MALAT1 prevented TG‑induced cell migration. TG‑induced MALAT1 expression was associated with inositol‑requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1) expression and activation of the protein kinase R (PKR)‑like ER kinase (PERK) signaling pathway. X‑box‑binding protein 1 (XBP1) and activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) binding sites were predicted to be located in the MALAT1 gene promoter regions and the expression of MALAT1 was positively associated with XBP1 and ATF4 expression levels in CRC tissue samples. Thus, these findings indicated that ER stress may promote the migration of CRC cells and contribute to the progression of CRC through the activation of the IRE1/XBP1 and PERK/eIF2α/ATF4 signaling pathways. In conclusion, to the best of our knowledge, this study is the first report that lncRNA MALAT1 expression is regulated by the IRE1/XBP1 pathway in CRC.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3892/or.2020.7502
  6. EMBO Mol Med. 2020 Apr 20. e11845
    MYC and the unfolded protein response in cancer: synthetic lethal partners in crime?
    Tingting Zhang, Ningning Li, Chaoyang Sun, Yang Jin, Xia Sheng.
      The transcription factors of the MYC family play pivotal roles in the initiation and progression of human cancers. High oncogenic level of MYC invades low-affinity sites and enhancer sequences, which subsequently alters the transcriptome, causes metabolic imbalance, and induces stress response. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) not only plays a central role in maintaining proteostasis, but also contributes to other key biological processes, including Ca2+ metabolism and the synthesis of lipids and glucose. Stress conditions, such as shortage in glucose or oxygen and disruption of Ca2+ homeostasis, may perturb proteostasis and induce the unfolded protein response (UPR), which either restores homeostasis or triggers cell death. Crucial roles of ER stress and UPR signaling have been implicated in various cancers, from oncogenesis to treatment response. Here, we summarize the current knowledge on the interaction between MYC and UPR signaling, and its contribution to cancer development. We also discuss the potential of targeting key UPR signaling nodes as novel synthetic lethal strategies in MYC-driven cancers.
    Keywords:   MYC ; UPR ; ER stress; cancer; synthetic lethality
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.15252/emmm.201911845
  7. Cell Death Dis. 2020 Apr 24. 11(4): 276
    LncRNA GOLGA2P10 is induced by PERK/ATF4/CHOP signaling and protects tumor cells from ER stress-induced apoptosis by regulating Bcl-2 family members.
    Meng-Zhi Wu, Tao Fu, Jin-Xi Chen, Ying-Ying Lin, Jin-E Yang, Shi-Mei Zhuang.
      Elevated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is frequently observed in cancers, whereas sustained ER stress may trigger apoptosis. How cancer cells escape from ER stress-induced apoptosis remain unclear. Here, we found that a pseudogene-derived lncRNA, Golgin A2 pseudogene 10 (GOLGA2P10), was frequently upregulated in HCC tissues and significantly elevated in hepatoma cells treated with ER stress inducers, such as tunicamycin and thapsigargin. Higher GOLGA2P10 level was correlated with shorter recurrence-free survival of HCC patients. Upon ER stress, CHOP directly bound to the promoter of GOLGA2P10 and induced its transcription via the PERK/ATF4/CHOP pathway. Interestingly, the ER stress inducer-stimulated apoptosis was promoted by silencing GOLGA2P10 but was antagonized by overexpressing GOLGA2P10. Both gain- and loss-of-function analyses disclosed that GOLGA2P10 increased BCL-xL protein level, promoted BAD phosphorylation, and conferred tumor cells with resistance to ER stress-induced apoptosis. Moreover, BCL-xL overexpression or BAD knockdown abrogated the apoptosis-promoting effect of GOLGA2P10 silencing. Consistently, the Ser75Ala mutation in BAD, which caused phosphorylation-resistance, further enhanced the promoting effect of BAD in tunicamycin-induced apoptosis. These results suggest that ER stress induces GOLGA2P10 transcription through the PERK/ATF4/CHOP pathway, and upregulation of GOLGA2P10 protects tumor cells from the cytotoxic effect of persistent ER stress in tumor microenvironment by regulating Bcl-2 family members, which highlight GOLGA2P10 as a potential target for anticancer therapy.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41419-020-2469-1
  8. Nat Commun. 2020 Apr 24. 11(1): 1997
    The UPR sensor IRE1α and the adenovirus E3-19K glycoprotein sustain persistent and lytic infections.
    Vibhu Prasad, Maarit Suomalainen, Yllza Jasiqi, Silvio Hemmi, Patrick Hearing, Louise Hosie, Hans-Gerhard Burgert, Urs F Greber.
      Persistent viruses cause chronic disease, and threaten the lives of immunosuppressed individuals. Here, we elucidate a mechanism supporting the persistence of human adenovirus (AdV), a virus that can kill immunosuppressed patients. Cell biological analyses, genetics and chemical interference demonstrate that one of five AdV membrane proteins, the E3-19K glycoprotein specifically triggers the unfolded protein response (UPR) sensor IRE1α in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), but not other UPR sensors, such as protein kinase R-like ER kinase (PERK) and activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6). The E3-19K lumenal domain activates the IRE1α nuclease, which initiates mRNA splicing of X-box binding protein-1 (XBP1). XBP1s binds to the viral E1A-enhancer/promoter sequence, and boosts E1A transcription, E3-19K levels and lytic infection. Inhibition of IRE1α nuclease interrupts the five components feedforward loop, E1A, E3-19K, IRE1α, XBP1s, E1A enhancer/promoter. This loop sustains persistent infection in the presence of the immune activator interferon, and lytic infection in the absence of interferon.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-15844-2
  9. Trends Biochem Sci. 2020 May;pii: S0968-0004(20)30051-7. [Epub ahead of print]45(5): 371-374
    Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) Controls Major Senescence Hallmarks.
    Corinne Abbadie, Olivier Pluquet.
      Senescence is a complex cellular state, which can be considered as a stress response phenotype. However, the mechanisms through which cells acquire and maintain this phenotype are not fully understood. In this paper, it is argued that the unfolded protein response (UPR) may represent a signalling platform that is associated with the major senescence hallmarks.
    Keywords:  endoplasmic reticulum; proteostasis; secretome, metabolism; senescence; unfolded protein response
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibs.2020.02.005
  10. J Biol Chem. 2020 Apr 20. pii: jbc.RA119.011864. [Epub ahead of print]
    The gene for the lysosomal protein LAMP3 is a direct target of the transcription factor ATF4.
    Thomas D Burton, Anthony O Fedele, Jianling Xie, Lauren Sandeman, Christopher G Proud.
      Autophagy and lysosomal activities play a key role in the cell by initiating and carrying out the degradation of misfolded proteins. Transcription factor EB (TFEB) functions as a master controller of lysosomal biogenesis and function during lysosomal stress, controlling most, but, importantly, not all lysosomal genes. Here, we sought to better understand the regulation of lysosomal genes whose expression does not appear to be controlled by TFEB. Sixteen of these genes were screened for transactivation in response to diverse cellular insults. mRNA levels for lysosomal-associated membrane protein 3 (LAMP3), a gene that is highly up-regulated in many forms of cancer, including breast and cervical cancers, were significantly increased during the integrated stress response (ISR), which occurs in eukaryotic cells in response to accumulation of unfolded and misfolded proteins. Of note, results from siRNA-mediated knockdown of activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) and overexpression of exogenous ATF4 cDNA, indicated that ATF4 up-regulates LAMP3 mRNA levels. Finally, ChIP assays verified an ATF4-binding site in the LAMP3 gene promoter, and a dual luciferase assay confirmedthat this ATF4-binding site is indeed required for transcriptional up-regulation of LAMP3 These results reveal that ATF4 directly regulates LAMP3, representing the first identification of a gene for a lysosomal component whose expression is directly controlled by ATF4. This finding may provide a key link between stresses such as accumulation of unfolded proteins and modulation of autophagy, which removes them.
    Keywords:  activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4); autophagy; cell stress; eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2); lysosomal-associated membrane protein 3 (LAMP3); lysosome; mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1); protein misfolding; transcription factor EB (TFEB); unfolded protein response (UPR)
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.RA119.011864
  11. BMC Cancer. 2020 Apr 19. 20(1): 333
    GRP78 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells is a new predictive marker for the benefit of taxanes in breast cancer neoadjuvant treatment.
    Annat Raiter, Julia Lipovetzki, Ido Lubin, Rinat Yerushalmi.
       BACKGROUND: Breast cancer treatment is tailored to the specific cancer subtype. Often, systemic treatment is given prior to surgery. Chemotherapy induces significant endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-mediated cell death and upregulation of 78-kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP78). We hypothesized that chemotherapy induces ER stress not only in the tumor tissue but also in immune cells, which may affect the response to anti-cancer treatment.
    METHODS: We determined the surface expression of GRP78 on 15 different peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) subpopulations in 20 breast cancer patients at three time points of the neoadjuvant treatment, i.e., at baseline, after anthracycline treatment, and after taxanes treatment. For this purpose, we performed flow cytometric analyses and analyzed the data using ANOVA and the Tukey test. Serum cytokine levels were also evaluated, and their levels were correlated with response to treatment using the t-test after log transformation and Mann-Whitney U Wilcoxon W test.
    RESULTS: A significant increase in GRP78 expression in PBMCs was documented during the taxane phase, only in patients who achieved pathological complete response (pCR). GRP78-positive clones correlated with increased serum levels of interferon gamma (IFNγ).
    CONCLUSIONS: The presence of GRP78-positive clones in certain PBMC subpopulations in pCR patients suggests a dynamic interaction between ER stress and immune responsiveness. The correlation of GRP78-positive clones with increased levels of IFNγ supports the idea that GRP78 expression in PBMCs might serve as a new predictive marker to identify the possible benefits of taxanes in the neoadjuvant setting.
    Keywords:  Breast cancer; GRP78 expression; Interferon gamma; Neoadjuvant chemotherapy; Peripheral blood mononuclear cells
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-020-06835-z
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