Cannabinoid and planar cell polarity signaling converges to direct placentation

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (38) ◽  
pp. e2108201118
Author(s):  
Yeon Sun Kim ◽  
Yingju Li ◽  
Jia Yuan ◽  
Jean-Paul Borg ◽  
Xiaofei Sun ◽  
...  

Directed trophoblast migration toward the maternal mesometrial pole is critical for placentation and pregnancy success. Trophoblasts replace maternal arterial endothelial cells to increase blood supply to the placenta. Inferior trophoblast invasion results in pregnancy complications including preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, miscarriage, and preterm delivery. The maternal chemotactic factors that direct trophoblast migration and the mechanism by which trophoblasts respond to these factors are not clearly understood. Here, we show that invasive trophoblasts deficient in Vangl2, a core planar cell polarity (PCP) component, fail to invade in maternal decidua, and this deficiency results in middle-gestational fetal demise. Previously, we have shown that tightly regulated endocannabinoids via G protein–coupled cannabinoid receptor CB1 are critical to the invasion of trophoblasts called spiral artery trophoblast giant cells (SpA-TGCs). We find that CB1 directly interacts with VANGL2. Trophoblast stem cells devoid of Cnr1 and/or Vangl2 show compromised cell migration. To study roles of VANGL2 and CB1 in trophoblast invasion in vivo, we conditionally deleted Cnr1 (coding CB1) and Vangl2 in progenitors of SpA-TGCs using trophoblast-specific protein alpha (Tpbpa)-Cre. We observed that signaling mediated by VANGL2 and CB1 restrains trophoblasts from random migration by keeping small GTPases quiescent. Our results show that organized PCP in trophoblasts is indispensable for their directed movement and that CB1 exerts its function by direct interaction with membrane proteins other than its canonical G protein–coupled receptor role.

Author(s):  
Jinpeng Sun ◽  
Daolai Zhang ◽  
Yanfei Wang ◽  
Hal Lin ◽  
Xiao Yu ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aya Mikdache ◽  
Marie-José Boueid ◽  
Lorijn van der Spek ◽  
Emilie Lesport ◽  
Brigitte Delespierre ◽  
...  

AbstractThe Regulator of G protein signaling 4 (Rgs4) is a member of the RGS proteins superfamily that modulates the activity of G-protein coupled receptors. It is mainly expressed in the nervous system and is linked to several neuronal signaling pathways; however, its role in neural development in vivo remains inconclusive. Here, we generated and characterized a rgs4 loss of function model (MZrgs4) in zebrafish. MZrgs4 embryos showed motility defects and presented reduced head and eye sizes, reflecting defective motoneurons axon outgrowth and a significant decrease in the number of neurons in the central and peripheral nervous system. Forcing the expression of Rgs4 specifically within motoneurons rescued their early defective outgrowth in MZrgs4 embryos, indicating an autonomous role for Rgs4 in motoneurons. We also analyzed the role of Akt, Erk and mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling cascades and showed a requirement for these pathways in motoneurons axon outgrowth and neuronal development. Drawing on pharmacological and rescue experiments in MZrgs4, we provide evidence that Rgs4 facilitates signaling mediated by Akt, Erk and mTOR in order to drive axon outgrowth in motoneurons and regulate neuronal numbers.


2015 ◽  
Vol 88 (3) ◽  
pp. 617-623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly R. Monk ◽  
Jörg Hamann ◽  
Tobias Langenhan ◽  
Saskia Nijmeijer ◽  
Torsten Schöneberg ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (12) ◽  
pp. 1303-1310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guan-Yu Ren ◽  
Chun-Yang Chen ◽  
Wei-Guo Chen ◽  
Ya Huang ◽  
Li-Qiang Qin ◽  
...  

Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG), a lignan extracted from flaxseed, has been shown to suppress benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). However, little is known about the mechanistic basis for its anti-BPH activity. The present study showed that enterolactone (ENL), the mammalian metabolite of SDG, shared the similar binding site of G1 on a new type of membranous estrogen receptor, G-protein-coupled estrogen eceptor 1 (GPER), by docking simulations method. ENL and G1 (the specific agonist of GPER) inhibited the proliferation of human prostate stromal cell line WPMY-1 as shown by MTT assay and arrested cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase, which was displayed by propidium iodide staining following flow cytometer examination. Silencing GPER by short interfering RNA attenuated the inhibitory effect of ENL on WPMY-1 cells. The therapeutic potential of SDG in the treatment of BPH was confirmed in a testosterone propionate-induced BPH rat model. SDG significantly reduced the enlargement of the rat prostate and the number of papillary projections of prostatic alveolus and thickness of the pseudostratified epithelial and stromal cells when comparing with the model group. Mechanistic studies showed that SDG and ENL increased the expression of GPER both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, ENL-induced cell cycle arrest may be mediated by the activation of GPER/ERK pathway and subsequent upregulation of p53 and p21 and downregulation of cyclin D1. This work, in tandem with previous studies, will enhance our knowledge regarding the mechanism(s) of dietary phytochemicals on BPH prevention and ultimately expand the scope of adopting alternative approaches in BPH treatment.


2010 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 326-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
R van Boxtel ◽  
B Vroling ◽  
P Toonen ◽  
I J Nijman ◽  
H van Roekel ◽  
...  

2000 ◽  
Vol 113 (13) ◽  
pp. 2463-2470 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Santini ◽  
R.B. Penn ◽  
A.W. Gagnon ◽  
J.L. Benovic ◽  
J.H. Keen

Non-visual arrestins (arrestin-2 and arrestin-3) play critical roles in the desensitization and internalization of many G protein-coupled receptors. In vitro experiments have shown that both non-visual arrestins bind with high and approximately comparable affinities to activated, phosphorylated forms of receptors. They also exhibit high affinity binding, again of comparable magnitude, to clathrin. Further, agonist-promoted internalization of many receptors has been found to be stimulated by exogenous over-expression of either arrestin2 or arrestin3. The existence of multiple arrestins raises the question whether stimulated receptors are selective for a specific endogenous arrestin under more physiological conditions. Here we address this question in RBL-2H3 cells, a cell line that expresses comparable levels of endogenous arrestin-2 and arrestin-3. When (beta)(2)-adrenergic receptors are stably expressed in these cells the receptors internalize efficiently following agonist stimulation. However, by immunofluorescence microscopy we determine that only arrestin-3, but not arrestin-2, is rapidly recruited to clathrin coated pits upon receptor stimulation. Similarly, in RBL-2H3 cells that stably express physiological levels of m1AChR, the addition of carbachol selectively induces the localization of arrestin-3, but not arrestin-2, to coated pits. Thus, this work demonstrates coupling of G protein-coupled receptors to a specific non-visual arrestin in an in vivo setting.


2001 ◽  
Vol 357 (2) ◽  
pp. 587-592 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nickolai O. DULIN ◽  
Sergei N. ORLOV ◽  
Chad M. KITCHEN ◽  
Tatyana A. VOYNO-YASENETSKAYA ◽  
Joseph M. MIANO

A hallmark of cultured smooth muscle cells (SMCs) is the rapid down-regulation of several lineage-restricted genes that define their in vivo differentiated phenotype. Identifying factors that maintain an SMC differentiated phenotype has important implications in understanding the molecular underpinnings governing SMC differentiation and their subversion to an altered phenotype in various disease settings. Here, we show that several G-protein coupled receptors [α-thrombin, lysophosphatidic acid and angiotensin II (AII)] increase the expression of smooth muscle calponin (SM-Calp) in rat and human SMC. The increase in SM-Calp protein appears to be selective for G-protein-coupled receptors as epidermal growth factor was without effect. Studies using AII showed a 30-fold increase in SM-Calp protein, which was dose- and time-dependent and mediated by the angiotensin receptor-1 (AT1 receptor). The increase in SM-Calp protein with AII was attributable to transcriptional activation of SM-Calp based on increases in steady-state SM-Calp mRNA, increases in SM-Calp promoter activity and complete abrogation of protein induction with actinomycin D. To examine the potential role of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk1/2), protein kinase B, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and protein kinase C in AII-induced SM-Calp, inhibitors to each of the signalling pathways were used. None of these signalling molecules appears to be crucial for AII-induced SM-Calp expression, although Erk1/2 may be partially involved. These results identify SM-Calp as a target of AII-mediated signalling, and suggest that the SMC response to AII may incorporate a novel activity of SM-Calp.


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