ATF6 is essential for human cone photoreceptor development

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (39) ◽  
pp. e2103196118
Author(s):  
Heike Kroeger ◽  
Julia M. D. Grandjean ◽  
Wei-Chieh Jerry Chiang ◽  
Daphne D. Bindels ◽  
Rebecca Mastey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Adaptive Optics ◽  
Vision Loss ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Unfolded Protein ◽  
Cone Development ◽  
Activating Transcription Factor ◽  
Induced Pluripotent ◽  
Protein Response ◽  
Rod Structures

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) signaling promote the pathology of many human diseases. Loss-of-function variants of the UPR regulator Activating Transcription Factor 6 (ATF6) cause severe congenital vision loss diseases such as achromatopsia by unclear pathomechanisms. To investigate this, we generated retinal organoids from achromatopsia patient induced pluripotent stem cells carrying ATF6 disease variants and from gene-edited ATF6 null hESCs. We found that achromatopsia patient and ATF6 null retinal organoids failed to form cone structures concomitant with loss of cone phototransduction gene expression, while rod photoreceptors developed normally. Adaptive optics retinal imaging of achromatopsia patients carrying ATF6 variants also showed absence of cone inner/outer segment structures but preserved rod structures, mirroring the defect in cone formation observed in our retinal organoids. These results establish that ATF6 is essential for human cone development. Interestingly, we find that a selective small molecule ATF6 signaling agonist restores the transcriptional activity of some ATF6 disease-causing variants and stimulates cone growth and gene expression in patient retinal organoids carrying these variants. These findings support that pharmacologic targeting of the ATF6 pathway can promote human cone development and should be further explored for blinding retinal diseases.

scholarly journals The Endoplasmic Reticulum Proteostasis Regulator ATF6 is Essential for Human Cone Photoreceptor Development

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heike Kroeger ◽  
Julia M. D. Grandjean ◽  
Wei-Chieh Jerry Chiang ◽  
Daphne Bindels ◽  
Rebecca Mastey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Adaptive Optics ◽  
Vision Loss ◽  
Photoreceptor Cells ◽  
Cone Photoreceptor ◽  
Cone Photoreceptors ◽  
Unfolded Protein ◽  
Activating Transcription Factor ◽  
Protein Response ◽  
Rod Structures

AbstractDysregulation of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) is implicated in the pathology of many human diseases associated with ER stress. Inactivating genetic variants in the UPR regulator Activating Transcription Factor 6 (ATF6) cause severe congenital heritable vision loss in patients by an unknown pathomechanism. To investigate this, we generated retinal organoids from patient iPSCs carrying ATF6 disease-causing variants and ATF6 null hESCs generated by CRISPR. Interestingly, we found that cone photoreceptor cells in ATF6 mutant retinal organoids lacked inner and outer segments concomitant with absence of cone phototransduction gene expression; while rod photoreceptors developed normally. Adaptive optics retinal imaging of patients with disease-causing variants in ATF6 also showed absence of cone inner/outer segment structures but preserved rod structures, mirroring the phenotypes observed in our retinal organoids. These results reveal that ATF6 is essential for the formation of human cone photoreceptors, and associated absence of cone phototransduction components explains the severe visual impairment in patients with ATF6 -associated retinopathy. Moreover, we show that a selective small molecule ATF6 activator compound restores the transcriptional activity of ATF6 disease-causing variants and stimulates the growth of cone photoreceptors in patient retinal organoids, demonstrating that pharmacologic targeting of ATF6 signaling is a therapeutic strategy that needs to be further explored for blinding retinal diseases.

scholarly journals IRE1 Alpha/XBP1 Axis Sustains Primary Effusion Lymphoma Cell Survival by Promoting Cytokine Release and STAT3 Activation

Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 118
Author(s):  
Roberta Gonnella ◽  
Maria Saveria Gilardini Montani ◽  
Luisa Guttieri ◽  
Maria Anele Romeo ◽  
Roberta Santarelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Effusion Lymphoma ◽  
B Cell Lymphoma ◽  
Vascular Endothelial ◽  
Unfolded Protein ◽  
Oncogenic Pathways ◽  
Activating Transcription Factor ◽  
High Level ◽  
Protein Response ◽  
Endothelial Growth Factor ◽  
Constitutive Phosphorylation

Primary Effusion Lymphoma (PEL) is a highly aggressive B cell lymphoma associated with Kaposi’s Sarcoma-associated Herpesvirus (KSHV). It is characterized by a high level of basal Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) stress, Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) activation and constitutive phosphorylation of oncogenic pathways such as the Signal Transducer and activator of Transcription (STAT3). In this study, we found that the inositol requiring kinase (IRE) 1alpha/X-box binding protein (XBP1) axis of UPR plays a key role in the survival of PEL cells, while double stranded RNA-activated protein kinase-like ER kinase (PERK) and activating transcription factor (ATF) 6 slightly influence it, in correlation with the capacity of the IRE1alpha/XBP1 axis to induce the release of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10 and Vascular-Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF). Moreover, we found that IRE1alpha/XBP1 inhibition reduced STAT3 Tyr705 phosphorylation and induced a pro-survival autophagy in PEL cells. In conclusion, this study suggests that targeting the IRE1alpha/XBP1 axis represents a promising strategy against PEL cells and that the cytotoxic effect of this treatment may be potentiated by autophagy inhibition.

scholarly journals Activating Transcription Factor 4 Is Translationally Regulated by Hypoxic Stress

2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (17) ◽  
pp. 7469-7482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaime D. Blais ◽  
Vasilisa Filipenko ◽  
Meixia Bi ◽  
Heather P. Harding ◽  
David Ron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Microarray Analysis ◽  
Initiation Factor ◽  
Hypoxic Stress ◽  
Unfolded Protein ◽  
Activating Transcription Factor 4 ◽  
Activating Transcription Factor ◽  
The Unfolded Protein Response ◽  
Protein Response ◽  
Transcription Factor 4

ABSTRACT Hypoxic stress results in a rapid and sustained inhibition of protein synthesis that is at least partially mediated by eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (eIF2α) phosphorylation by the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) kinase PERK. Here we show through microarray analysis of polysome-bound RNA in aerobic and hypoxic HeLa cells that a subset of transcripts are preferentially translated during hypoxia, including activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), an important mediator of the unfolded protein response. Changes in mRNA translation during the unfolded protein response are mediated by PERK phosphorylation of the translation initiation factor eIF2α at Ser-51. Similarly, PERK is activated and is responsible for translational regulation under hypoxic conditions, while inducing the translation of ATF4. The overexpression of a C-terminal fragment of GADD34 that constitutively dephosphorylates eIF2α was able to attenuate the phosphorylation of eIF2α and severely inhibit the induction of ATF4 in response to hypoxic stress. These studies demonstrate the essential role of ATF4 in the response to hypoxic stress, define the pathway for its induction, and reveal that GADD34, a target of ATF4 activation, negatively regulates the eIF2α-mediated inhibition of translation. Taken with the concomitant induction of additional ER-resident proteins identified by our microarray analysis, this study suggests an important integrated response between ER signaling and the cellular adaptation to hypoxic stress.

scholarly journals Transcriptome Analysis of Recombinant Protein Secretion by Aspergillus nidulans and the Unfolded-Protein Response In Vivo

2005 ◽  
Vol 71 (5) ◽  
pp. 2737-2747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew H. Sims ◽  
Manda E. Gent ◽  
Karin Lanthaler ◽  
Nigel S. Dunn-Coleman ◽  
Stephen G. Oliver ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Recombinant Protein ◽  
Unfolded Protein Response ◽  
Aspergillus Nidulans ◽  
Filamentous Fungi ◽  
Protein Secretion ◽  
Unfolded Protein ◽  
The Unfolded Protein Response ◽  
Protein Response

ABSTRACT Filamentous fungi have a high capacity for producing large amounts of secreted proteins, a property that has been exploited for commercial production of recombinant proteins. However, the secretory pathway, which is key to the production of extracellular proteins, is rather poorly characterized in filamentous fungi compared to yeast. We report the effects of recombinant protein secretion on gene expression levels in Aspergillus nidulans by directly comparing a bovine chymosin-producing strain with its parental wild-type strain in continuous culture by using expressed sequence tag microarrays. This approach demonstrated more subtle and specific changes in gene expression than those observed when mimicking the effects of protein overproduction by using a secretion blocker. The impact of overexpressing a secreted recombinant protein more closely resembles the unfolded-protein response in vivo.

scholarly journals HiPSC-Derived Hepatocyte-like Cells Can Be Used as a Model for Transcriptomics-Based Study of Chemical Toxicity

Toxics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Sreya Ghosh ◽  
Jonathan De Smedt ◽  
Tine Tricot ◽  
Susana Proença ◽  
Manoj Kumar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Response To Treatment ◽  
Chemical Toxicity ◽  
Hepatocellular Injury ◽  
Unfolded Protein ◽  
Toxicity Studies ◽  
Toxicity Risk ◽  
Transcriptomics Data ◽  
Induced Pluripotent ◽  
Protein Response

Traditional toxicity risk assessment approaches have until recently focussed mainly on histochemical readouts for cell death. Modern toxicology methods attempt to deduce a mechanistic understanding of pathways involved in the development of toxicity, by using transcriptomics and other big data-driven methods such as high-content screening. Here, we used a recently described optimised method to differentiate human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) to hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs), to assess their potential to classify hepatotoxic and non-hepatotoxic chemicals and their use in mechanistic toxicity studies. The iPSC-HLCs could accurately classify chemicals causing acute hepatocellular injury, and the transcriptomics data on treated HLCs obtained by TempO-Seq technology linked the cytotoxicity to cellular stress pathways, including oxidative stress and unfolded protein response (UPR). Induction of these stress pathways in response to amiodarone, diclofenac, and ibuprofen, was demonstrated to be concentration and time dependent. The transcriptomics data on diclofenac-treated HLCs were found to be more sensitive in detecting differentially expressed genes in response to treatment, as compared to existing datasets of other diclofenac-treated in vitro hepatocyte models. Hence iPSC-HLCs generated by transcription factor overexpression and in metabolically optimised medium appear suitable for chemical toxicity detection as well as mechanistic toxicity studies.

scholarly journals Mitochondrial UPR negatively regulates wounding-induced innate immune response in C. elegans epidermis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianzhi Zhao ◽  
Hongying Fu ◽  
Hengda Zhou ◽  
Xuecong Ren ◽  
Yuanyuan Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Innate Immune Response ◽  
Tissue Damage ◽  
P38 Map Kinase ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Unfolded Protein ◽  
Protein Response

Tissue damage elicits a rapid innate immune response that is essential for efficient wound healing and survival of metazoans. It is well known that p38 MAPK kinase, TGF-β, and hemidesmosome signaling pathways have been involved in wounding-induced innate immunity in C. elegans. Here, we find that loss of function of ATFS-1 increased innate immune response while an elevated level of mitochondrial unfolded protein response (mitoUPR) inhibits the innate immune response upon epidermal wounding. Epidermal wounding triggers the nucleus export of ATFS-1 and inhibits themitoUPR in C. elegans epidermis. Moreover, genetic analysis suggests that ATFS-1 functions upstream of the p38 MAP kinase, TGF-β, and DAF-16 signaling pathways in regulating AMPs induction. Thus, our results suggest that the mitoUPR function as an intracellular signal required to fine-tune innate immune response after tissue damage.

scholarly journals Enforced dimerization between XBP1s and ATF6f enhances the protective effects of the unfolded protein response (UPR) in models of neurodegeneration

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
René L. Vidal ◽  
Denisse Sepulveda ◽  
Paulina Troncoso-Escudero ◽  
Paula Garcia-Huerta ◽  
Constanza Gonzalez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Unfolded Protein Response ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Cell Function ◽  
Alpha Synuclein ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Unfolded Protein ◽  
The Unfolded Protein Response ◽  
Protein Response

AbstractAlteration to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) proteostasis is observed on a variety of neurodegenerative diseases associated with abnormal protein aggregation. Activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR) enables an adaptive reaction to recover ER proteostasis and cell function. The UPR is initiated by specialized stress sensors that engage gene expression programs through the concerted action of the transcription factors ATF4, ATF6f, and XBP1s. Although UPR signaling is generally studied as unique linear signaling branches, correlative evidence suggests that ATF6f and XBP1s may physically interact to regulate a subset of UPR-target genes. Here, we designed an ATF6f-XBP1s fusion protein termed UPRplus that behaves as a heterodimer in terms of its selective transcriptional activity. Cell-based studies demonstrated that UPRplus has stronger an effect in reducing the abnormal aggregation of mutant huntingtin and alpha-synuclein when compared to XBP1s or ATF6 alone. We developed a gene transfer approach to deliver UPRplus into the brain using adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) and demonstrated potent neuroprotection in vivo in preclinical models of Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease. These results support the concept where directing UPR-mediated gene expression toward specific adaptive programs may serve as a possible strategy to optimize the beneficial effects of the pathway in different disease conditions.

scholarly journals IreA controls endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced autophagy and survival through homeostasis recovery

2018 ◽  
pp. MCB.00054-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eunice Domínguez-Martín ◽  
Laura Ongay-Larios ◽  
Laura Kawasaki ◽  
Olivier Vincent ◽  
Gerardo Coello ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Er Stress ◽  
Cell Survival ◽  
Eukaryotic Cell ◽  
Functional Link ◽  
Unfolded Protein ◽  
Transcriptional Changes ◽  
The Unfolded Protein Response ◽  
Protein Response

The Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) is an adaptive pathway that restores cellular homeostasis after endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. The ER-resident kinase/ribonuclease Ire1 is the only UPR sensor conserved during evolution. Autophagy, a lysosomal degradative pathway, also contributes to the recovery of cell homeostasis after ER-stress but the interplay between these two pathways is still poorly understood. We describe the Dictyostelium discoideum ER-stress response and characterize its single bonafide Ire1 orthologue, IreA. We found that tunicamycin (TN) triggers a gene-expression reprogramming that increases the protein folding capacity of the ER and alleviates ER protein load. Further, IreA is required for cell-survival after TN-induced ER-stress and is responsible for nearly 40% of the transcriptional changes induced by TN. The response of Dictyostelium cells to ER-stress involves the combined activation of an IreA-dependent gene expression program and the autophagy pathway. These two pathways are independently activated in response to ER-stress but, interestingly, autophagy requires IreA at a later stage for proper autophagosome formation. We propose that unresolved ER-stress in cells lacking IreA causes structural alterations of the ER, leading to a late-stage blockade of autophagy clearance. This unexpected functional link may critically affect eukaryotic cell survival under ER-stress.

Development and validation of an unfolded protein response-related gene signature to predict overall survival in HNSCC.

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e18033-e18033
Author(s):  
Jun Chen ◽  
Bei Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Overall Survival ◽  
Unfolded Protein Response ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Risk Group ◽  
Gene Signature ◽  
Related Gene ◽  
Hallmarks Of Cancer ◽  
Unfolded Protein ◽  
Protein Response

e18033 Background: Genomic expression profiles have enabled the classification of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) into molecular sub-types and provide prognostic information, which have implications for the personalized treatment of HNSCC beyond clinical and pathological features. Methods: Gene-expression profiling was identified in TCGA- HNSCC (n = 492) and validated with the Gene Expression Ominibus (GEO) dataset(n = 270) for which RNA sequencing data and clinical covariates were available. A single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) algorithm were used to quantified the levels of various hallmarks of cancer. And LASSO Cox regression model was used to screen robust prognostic biomarkers to identify the best set of survival-associated gene signatures in HNSCC. Statistical analyses were performed using R version 3.4.4. Results: We identified unfolded protein response as the primary risk factor for survival（cox coefficient = 17.4 [8.4-26.3], P < 0.001）among various hallmarks of cancer in TCGA- HNSCC. And unfolded protein response ssGESA scores were significantly elevated in patients who died during follow up (P = 0.009). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that patients with low ssGSEA scores of unfolded protein response exhibited better OS (HR = 0.69, P = 0.008). And we established an unfolded protein response-related gene signature based on lasso cox. We then apply the unfolded protein response -related gene signature to classify patients into the high risk group and the low risk group with the cutoff of 0.18. Adjusted for stage，age，gender, our signature was an independent risk factor for overall survival in TCGA cohorts (HR = 0.39 [0.28-0.53],P = < 0.001). In external independent cohorts, similar results were observed. In the validation cohort GEO65858, the patients with high unfolded protein response score showed longer survival (HR = 0.62 [0.38-1.0], P = 0.049). And adjusted for stage，age，HPV state, the multivariate cox regression analysis showed that unfolded protein response-related gene signature exhibited an independent risk prediction for overall survival in 270 patients with HNSCC (HR = 0.57 [0.35-0.94], P = 0.026). Conclusions: By analyzing the gene-expression data with bioinformation approach, we developed and validated a risk prediction model with unfolded protein response -related expression scores in HNSCC, which have the potential to identify patients who could have better overall survival.

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