Abstract P082: Cardiac Calcium Handling and Protein Phosphatase 2A Activity Are Differentially Regulated by JNK1 and JNK2 MAP Kinases

2011 ◽  
Vol 109 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Honey B Golden ◽  
Linley E Watson ◽  
Donald M Foster ◽  
David E Dostal

We previously identified the JNK-B56α-PP2A signaling axis as a major target in anthrax lethal toxin (LT)-induced cardiac dysfunction. Thus, we further tested whether LT-mediated loss in cardiac function is a consequence of dysregulated calcium handling resulting from JNK inactivation. To biochemically recapitulate the signaling effects of LT, we infected NRVM with HA-B56α adenovirus and determined PP2A activity as well as Ca 2+ i measurements. Over-expression of HA-B56α in NRVM did not induce a significant increase in cellular PP2A activity, however, it did induce a significant increase (p<0.01) in Ca 2+ i compared to virus control. Furthermore, PLB, PP2Ac and Akt protein co-immunoprecipitated with HA-B56α, and immunostaining revealed colocalization of B56α with PLB at the SR. Since B56α over-expression alone was not sufficient to induce PP2A activity or PP2A-mediated Ca 2+ i dysregulation, we hypothesized that JNK may serve as a functional regulator of Ca 2+ i handling through PP2A activation as well as B56α protein levels. Adenoviral-mediated over-expression of MEK7 in NRVM resulted in a significant reduction in LT-mediated Ca 2+ i dysregulation compared to virus control (p<0.01). To further determine whether the protection of MEK7 is mediated by JNK1 or JNK2, gain-of-function/loss-of-function experiments were performed utilizing adenoviral constructs for CA-MEK7, DN-JNK1 and DN-JNK2. Results confirmed that the protective effect of active MEK7 over-expression on Ca 2+ i was significantly lost with knock-down of JNK1 compared to JNK2 (p<0.05), suggesting that JNK1 plays a more substantial role in regulating PP2A activity than JNK2. Furthermore, the selective knock-down of JNK1 also increased Ca 2+ i levels (p<0.001) compared to MEK7 during LT treatment, which reveals the importance of JNK1 in PP2A-mediated Ca 2+ i dysregulation. Interestingly, immunoblotting of PLB did not reveal a JNK-dependent difference in PLB phosphorylation at Ser 16 , however, loss of JNK2 almost completely inhibited p-PLB-Thr 17 . Thus, our results suggest that JNK1 and JNK2 may differentially regulate Ca 2+ i through PP2A activation and PLB-Thr 17 phosphorylation, respectively.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yeoh Sue Lynn ◽  
Alina Letzel ◽  
Clemence Bernard Hannah Somerfield ◽  
Kyle Kyser ◽  
Emily Lin ◽  
...  

AbstractThe transcription factor Odd-skipped has been implicated in many developmental processes in Drosophila melanogaster. Odd-skipped is expressed in a small cluster of neurons (Slater, Levy et al.) in the developing and adult CNS but its role in neurogenesis has so far not been addressed. Here we show that Odd-skipped plays a pivotal role in neurite growth and arborization during development. Loss-of-Odd-skipped function prevents neurite outgrowth whereas over and miss-expression causes neurite growth and arborization defects. In addition, miss-expression of Odd-skipped can induce cell death in some neural sub types. The neurite growth and arborization defects associated with Odd-skipped over expression correlates with a reduction in the pre-synaptically targeted protein Bruchpilot in axonal arbours suggesting an overall decrease in Odd neural synapse formation. This is supported by behavioural data showing that larvae in which Odd-skipped is overexpressed behave similarly to larvae in which Odd neurons are silenced showing that increasing Odd-skipped protein levels affect neural function. Finally, we demonstrate that using RNAi against Odd-skipped does not knock down Odd-skipped protein but instead cause an increase in protein levels compared to control larvae. This data demonstrates that RNAi can cause up-regulation of protein levels highlighting the importance of verifying protein levels when using RNAi approaches for knock-down.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhanwang Wang ◽  
Dong He ◽  
Yuxing Zhu ◽  
Xueying Hu ◽  
Yi Jin ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Increasing evidence have emphasized the importance of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in various human cancers progression. Forkhead box D1 antisense RNA1 (FOXD1-AS1) is a novel lncRNA and plays vital regulatory role in diverse biological processes of cancers. However, the biological function, molecular mechanism and clinical significance of FOXD1-AS1 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma is still unknown.Methods: Comprehensive bioinformatics analysis and qRT-PCR was conducted to detect the expression level of FOXD1-AS1. Loss-of-function and gain-of-function experiments were performed to verify the functions of FOXD1-AS1 in proliferation, migration, invasion, apoptosis and glycolysis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in vitro and in vivo. Further bioinformatics analysis and experiments were carried out to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms of FOXD1-AS1. Results: FOXD1-AS1 was significantly overexpressed in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and associated with poor survival in patients. Knockdown of FOXD1-AS1 significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration, invasion and glycolysis, and promotes apoptosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma, whereas over-expression of FOXD1-AS1 has the opposite effect. Mechanistically, we found that FOXD1-AS1 could upregulate the expression of FOXD1 through stabilizing the FOXD1 expression at mRNA and protein levels, and FOXD1 increased the glycolysis level by transcriptionally upregulating the expression of LDHA, PKM and ENO1, thus playing an oncogenic role in nasopharyngeal carcinoma progression. Conclusion: FOXD1-AS1 plays a critical regulatory role in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The identified FOXD1-AS1/FOXD1 axis may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (11) ◽  
pp. 3021-3036 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hua Yu ◽  
Jun Ding ◽  
Hongwen Zhu ◽  
Yao Jing ◽  
Hu Zhou ◽  
...  

Abstract The lysyl oxidase (LOX) family is closely related to the progression of glioma. To ensure the clinical significance of LOX family in glioma, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was mined and the analysis indicated that higher LOXL1 expression was correlated with more malignant glioma progression. The functions of LOXL1 in promoting glioma cell survival and inhibiting apoptosis were studied by gain- and loss-of-function experiments in cells and animals. LOXL1 was found to exhibit antiapoptotic activity by interacting with multiple antiapoptosis modulators, especially BAG family molecular chaperone regulator 2 (BAG2). LOXL1-D515 interacted with BAG2-K186 through a hydrogen bond, and its lysyl oxidase activity prevented BAG2 degradation by competing with K186 ubiquitylation. Then, we discovered that LOXL1 expression was specifically upregulated through the VEGFR-Src-CEBPA axis. Clinically, the patients with higher LOXL1 levels in their blood had much more abundant BAG2 protein levels in glioma tissues. Conclusively, LOXL1 functions as an important mediator that increases the antiapoptotic capacity of tumor cells, and approaches targeting LOXL1 represent a potential strategy for treating glioma. In addition, blood LOXL1 levels can be used as a biomarker to monitor glioma progression.


BMC Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengwu Xiao ◽  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Meimian Hua ◽  
Huan Chen ◽  
Bin Yang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The tripartite motif (TRIM) family proteins exhibit oncogenic roles in various cancers. The roles of TRIM27, a member of the TRIM super family, in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remained unexplored. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the clinical impact and roles of TRIM27 in the development of RCC. Methods The mRNA levels of TRIM27 and Kaplan–Meier survival of RCC were analyzed from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Real-time PCR and Western blotting were used to measure the mRNA and protein levels of TRIM27 both in vivo and in vitro. siRNA and TRIM27 were exogenously overexpressed in RCC cell lines to manipulate TRIM27 expression. Results We discovered that TRIM27 was elevated in RCC patients, and the expression of TRIM27 was closely correlated with poor prognosis. The loss of function and gain of function results illustrated that TRIM27 promotes cell proliferation and inhibits apoptosis in RCC cell lines. Furthermore, TRIM27 expression was positively associated with NF-κB expression in patients with RCC. Blocking the activity of NF-κB attenuated the TRIM27-mediated enhancement of proliferation and inhibition of apoptosis. TRIM27 directly interacted with Iκbα, an inhibitor of NF-κB, to promote its ubiquitination, and the inhibitory effects of TRIM27 on Iκbα led to NF-κB activation. Conclusions Our results suggest that TRIM27 exhibits an oncogenic role in RCC by regulating NF-κB signaling. TRIM27 serves as a specific prognostic indicator for RCC, and strategies targeting the suppression of TRIM27 function may shed light on future therapeutic approaches.


Development ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 119 (3) ◽  
pp. 711-720 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. W. Rothenpieler ◽  
G. R. Dressler

The conversion of mesenchyme to epithelium during the embryonic development of the mammalian kidney requires reciprocal inductive interactions between the ureter and the responding metanephric mesenchyme. The Pax-2 gene is activated in the mesenchyme in response to induction and is subsequently down-regulated in more differentiated cells derived from the mesenchyme. Pax-2 belongs to a family of genes, at least three of which encode morphogenetic regulatory transcription factors. In order to determine the role of Pax-2 during kidney development, we have generated a loss- of-function phenotype using antisense oligonucleotides in mouse kidney organ cultures. These oligonucleotides can specifically inhibit Pax-2 protein accumulation in kidney mesenchyme cells, where the intracellular concentrations are maximal. The kidney organ cultures were stained with uvomurulin and laminin antibodies as markers for epithelium formation. With significantly reduced Pax-2 protein levels, kidney mesenchyme cells fail to aggregate and do not undergo the sequential morphological changes characteristic of epithelial cell formation. The data demonstrate that Pax-2 function is required for the earliest phase of mesenchyme-to-epithelium conversion.


Development ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 121 (1) ◽  
pp. 225-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Begemann ◽  
A.M. Michon ◽  
L. vd Voorn ◽  
R. Wepf ◽  
M. Mlodzik

The Drosophila seven-up (svp) gene specifies outer photoreceptor cell fate in eye development and encodes an orphan nuclear receptor with two isoforms. Transient expression under the sevenless enhancer of either svp isoform leads to a dosage-dependent transformation of cone cells into R7 photoreceptors, and at a lower frequency, R7 cells into outer photoreceptors. To investigate the cellular pathways involved, we have taken advantage of the dosage sensitivity and screened for genes that modify this svp-induced phenotype. We show that an active Ras pathway is essential for the function of both Svp isoforms. Loss-of-function mutations in components of the Ras signal transduction cascade act as dominant suppressors of the cone cell transformation, whilst loss-of-function mutations in negative regulators of Ras-activity act as dominant enhancers. Furthermore, Svp-mediated transformation of cone cells to outer photoreceptors, reminiscent of its wild-type function in specifying R3/4 and R1/6 identity, requires an activated Ras pathway in the same cells, or alternatively dramatic increase in ectopic Svp protein levels. Our results indicate that svp is only fully functional in conjunction with activated Ras. Since we find that mutations in the Egf-receptor are also among the strongest suppressors of svp-mediated cone cell transformation, we propose that the Ras activity in cone cells is due to low level Egfr signaling. Several models that could account for the observed svp regulation by the Ras pathway are discussed.


2012 ◽  
Vol 111 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shirin Doroudgar ◽  
Mirko Völkers ◽  
Donna J Thuerauf ◽  
Ashley Bumbar ◽  
Mohsin Khan ◽  
...  

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is essential for protein homeostasis, or proteostasis, which governs the balance of the proteome. In addition to secreted and membrane proteins, proteins bound for many other cellular locations are also made on ER-bound ribosomes, emphasizing the importance of protein quality and quantity control in the ER. Unlike cytosolic E3 ubiquitin ligases studied in the heart, synoviolin/Hrd1, which has not been studied in the heart, is an ER transmembrane E3 ubiquitin ligase, which we found to be upregulated upon protein misfolding in cardiac myocytes. Given the strategic location of synoviolin in the ER membrane, we addressed the hypothesis that synoviolin is critical for regulating the balance of the proteome, and accordingly, myocyte size. We showed that in vitro, adenovirus-mediated overexpression of synoviolin decreased cardiac myocyte size and protein synthesis, but unlike atrophy-related ubiquitin ligases, synoviolin did not increase global protein degradation. Furthermore, targeted gene therapy using adeno-associated virus 9 (AAV9) showed that overexpression of synoviolin in the left ventricle attenuated maladaptive cardiac hypertrophy and preserved cardiac function in mice subjected to trans-aortic constriction (AAV9-control TAC = 22.5 ± 6.2% decrease in EF vs. AAV9-synoviolin TAC at 6 weeks post TAC; P<0.001), and decreased mTOR activity. Since calcium is a major regulator of cardiac myocyte size, we examined the effects of synoviolin gain- or loss-of-function, using AAV9-synoviolin, or an miRNA designed to knock down synoviolin, respectively. While synoviolin gain-of-function did not affect calcium handling in isolated adult myocytes, synoviolin loss-of-function increased calcium transient amplitude (P<0.01), prolonged spark duration (P<0.001), and increased spark width (P<0.001). Spark frequency and amplitude were unaltered upon synoviolin gain- or loss-of-function. Whereas SR calcium load was unaltered by synoviolin loss-of-function, SERCA-mediated calcium removal was reduced (P<0.05). In conclusion, our studies suggest that in the heart, synoviolin is 1) a critical component of proteostasis, 2) a novel determinant of cardiac myocyte size, and 3) necessary for proper calcium handling.


Stroke ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rong Xie ◽  
Michelle Cheng ◽  
Mei Li ◽  
Robert Sapolsky ◽  
Heng Zhao

Background and Objective: Akt is a serine-threonine kinase that plays critical role in promoting cell survival. Akt consists of three isoforms (Akt1, 2, 3), with Akt3 predominantly expressed in the brain. Although Akt pathway has been shown to mediate neuronal survival in cerebral ischemic injury, it is unclear how these Akt isoforms contribute to neuronal protection, and whether exogenous Akt can protect the brain against ischemic injury or not. In this study, we over-expressed Akt isoforms and its downstream signaling proteins such as FKHR and PRAS40 to investigate the role of the Akt pathway along with its potential relationship with the mTOR pathway in stroke. Methods: Sprauge Dawley rats (250∼280g) were used for all studies. A lentiviral vector consists of a CMV promoter driving IRES-eGFP was used to clone an active Akt 1 and 3 (cAKt 1 and 3), dominant-negative Akt (AktDN), active FKHR (AAA FKHR), and PRAS40. Lentivirus expressing these genes were added to primary mixed cortical cultures for two days prior to oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) (MOI=1:5). Neuronal survival was measured by LDH release. Lentivirus were stereotaxically injected into the cortex, and rats were subjected to focal ischemia induced by distal MCA occlusion combined with bilateral CCA occlusion. Western blotting and immunofluorescent confocal microscopy were used to detect the expression of Akt isoforms and other proteins in both the Akt and mTOR pathways. Results: Western blotting analysis showed that both endogenous Akt1 and 3 proteins degraded as early as 1 h after stroke, while Akt2 protein remained unchanged until 24 h after stroke. In vitro studies showed that over-expression of both constitutively active cAkt1 and cAkt3 decreased LDH release after OGD, while AktDN worsened neuronal death ( P <0.05). In vivo over-expression of cAkt1, cAkt3 and PRAS40 reduced infarct size after stroke ( P <0.01). Gene transfer of cAkt1 and 3 also promoted protein levels of pAkt (phosphorylated Akt), pPRAS40, pFKHR, pPTEN, pmTOR, but not pGSK3β. Both in vitro and in vivo studies showed that over-expression of cAkt3 resulted in a stronger protection than cAkt1 ( P <0.05). Interestingly, cAkt3 gene transfer preserved both endogenous protein levels of Akt1 and 3, whereas cAkt1 gene transfer only preserved endogenous Akt1. Furthermore, cAkt3 promoted higher pmTOR levels than cAkt1. Treatment of rapamycin, an mTOR inhibitor, blocked the protective effects of both cAkt1 and cAkt3 both in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion: Lentiviral-mediated overexpression of cAkt3 confers stronger protection than that of cAkt1, by maintaining both endogenous Akt1 and Akt3, as well as promoting higher mTOR activities after stroke.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (S1) ◽  
pp. 58-59
Author(s):  
Houda Alachkar ◽  
Martin Mutonga ◽  
Amanda de Albuquerque ◽  
Rucha Deo ◽  
Gregory Malnassy ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Unlike the high cure rates (90%) of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), that of adults is still lagging behind and better therapies are needed. Maternal embryonic leucine-zipper kinase (MELK) is aberrantly upregulated in cancer, and implicated in cancer stem cell survival. A recent study has identified FOXM1, a MELK substrate, as a therapeutic target in B cell ALL (B-ALL). Thus, we hypothesized that MELK may act as a therapeutic target in ALL via targeting FOXM1 activity. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Western blot and qPCR were used to assess MELK expression in 14 ALL cell lines. Knock-down and kinase inhibition approaches targeting MELK expression and function, followed by CCK-8 and Annexin V (flow cytometry) assays to measure cell viability and apoptosis, respectively. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: MELK was significantly upregulated in patients with ALL (oncomine data analysis). MELK was also significantly higher in B-ALL and T-ALL cell lines compared with that in blood cells of healthy donors. MELK knock-down significantly decreased cell viability (40%–70%, p<0.05, Fig. 1) in ALL cells, and induced apoptosis (~40%). OTS167, a potent MELK inhibitor exhibited cytotoxic activities in both B and T-ALL cells. The IC50 of OTS167 ranged from 20 to 60 nM; we also found a significant increase in apoptosis (p<0.05). Mechanistically, MELK inhibition resulted in decrease of FOXM1 protein levels 3 hours post-treatment. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: MELK is highly expressed in ALL and represents a novel therapeutic target likely via modulating FOXM1 activity. Functional and mechanistic studies will complement and ensure the success of the undergoing Phase I/II clinical trial of OTS167 in patients with refractory or relapsed AML, ALL, and other advanced hematologic malignancies.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Encarnación Medina-Carmona ◽  
Rogelio J. Palomino-Morales ◽  
Julian E. Fuchs ◽  
Esperanza Padín-Gonzalez ◽  
Noel Mesa-Torres ◽  
...  

Abstract Protein dynamics is essential to understand protein function and stability, even though is rarely investigated as the origin of loss-of-function due to genetic variations. Here, we use biochemical, biophysical, cell and computational biology tools to study two loss-of-function and cancer-associated polymorphisms (p.R139W and p.P187S) in human NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), a FAD-dependent enzyme which activates cancer pro-drugs and stabilizes several oncosuppressors. We show that p.P187S strongly destabilizes the NQO1 dimer in vitro and increases the flexibility of the C-terminal domain, while a combination of FAD and the inhibitor dicoumarol overcome these alterations. Additionally, changes in global stability due to polymorphisms and ligand binding are linked to the dynamics of the dimer interface, whereas the low activity and affinity for FAD in p.P187S is caused by increased fluctuations at the FAD binding site. Importantly, NQO1 steady-state protein levels in cell cultures correlate primarily with the dynamics of the C-terminal domain, supporting a directional preference in NQO1 proteasomal degradation and the use of ligands binding to this domain to stabilize p.P187S in vivo. In conclusion, protein dynamics are fundamental to understanding loss-of-function in p.P187S and to develop new pharmacological therapies to rescue this function.


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