bims-cagime Biomed News
on Cancer, aging and metabolism
Issue of 2021‒12‒05
thirty-four papers selected by
Kıvanç Görgülü
Technical University of Munich
  1. Mitochondrial homeostasis is maintained in the absence of autophagy.
  2. Innervated mouse pancreas organoids as an ex vivo model to study pancreatic neuropathy in pancreatic cancer.
  3. Metabolic reprogramming by driver mutation-tumor microenvironment interplay in pancreatic cancer: new therapeutic targets.
  4. CHK1 protects oncogenic KRAS-expressing cells from DNA damage and is a target for pancreatic cancer treatment.
  5. Fumarate is a terminal electron acceptor in the mammalian electron transport chain.
  6. Cysteine 253 of UCP1 regulates energy expenditure and sex-dependent adipose tissue inflammation.
  7. Glutamine deprivation triggers NAGK-dependent hexosamine salvage.
  8. Oncogenic dependency on STAT3 serine phosphorylation in KRAS mutant lung cancer.
  9. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition: a hallmark in pancreatic cancer stem cell migration, metastasis formation, and drug resistance.
  10. Peroxisomal support of mitochondrial respiratory efficiency promotes ER stress survival.
  11. Pharmacological reduction of mitochondrial iron triggers a non-canonical BAX/BAK dependent cell death.
  12. Personalized phosphoproteomics identifies functional signaling.
  13. Sequential first-line treatment with nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine and FOLFIRINOX in metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma: GABRINOX phase Ib-II controlled clinical trial.
  14. Cell cycle regulation of ER membrane biogenesis protects against chromosome missegregation.
  15. GDF15 in Appetite and Exercise: Essential Player or Coincidental Bystander?
  16. Serine catabolism generates liver NADPH and supports hepatic lipogenesis.
  17. Targeting cancer metabolism in the era of precision oncology.
  18. Native glycan fragments detected by MALDI mass spectrometry imaging are independent prognostic factors in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
  19. PharmacoDB 2.0: improving scalability and transparency of in vitro pharmacogenomics analysis.
  20. Targeting Treg-expressed STAT3 enhances NK-mediated surveillance of metastasis and improves therapeutic response in pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
  21. Global mitochondrial protein import proteomics reveal distinct regulation by translation and translocation machinery.
  22. Local acetate inhibits brown adipose tissue function.
  23. CRYPTOCHROMES promote daily protein homeostasis.
  24. Metabolic targeting of cancer by a ubiquinone uncompetitive inhibitor of mitochondrial complex I.
  25. Deciphering cell signaling networks with massively multiplexed biosensor barcoding.
  26. Taste sensing and sugar detection mechanisms in Drosophila larval primary taste center.
  27. What do cellular responses to acidity tell us about cancer?
  28. A growth factor-expressing macrophage subpopulation orchestrates regenerative inflammation via GDF-15.
  29. Smaug1 membrane-less organelles respond to AMPK/mTOR and affect mitochondrial function‡.
  30. Comprehensive targeting of resistance to inhibition of RTK signaling pathways by using glucocorticoids.
  31. Ensuring scientific reproducibility in bio-macromolecular modeling via extensive, automated benchmarks.
  32. β3-adrenergic receptor downregulation leads to adipocyte catecholamine resistance in obesity.
  33. Starvation-induced proteasome assemblies in the nucleus link amino acid supply to apoptosis.
  34. Noninvasive Models Screen New-Onset Diabetics at Low Risk of Early-Onset Pancreatic Cancer.
  1. Mol Cell Oncol. 2021 ;8(5): 1984162
    Mitochondrial homeostasis is maintained in the absence of autophagy.
    Christina G Towers.
      Autophagy is a central recycling process, and it plays a complex role in cancer. We discovered that when autophagy is blocked, cancer cells compensate by increasing mitochondrial-derived vesicles. However, there are many unanswered questions remaining, particularly in the context of the dual roles of autophagy in cancer.
    Keywords:  Autophagy; cancer; mitochondria; mitochondrial derived vesicles; mitophagy
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1080/23723556.2021.1984162
  2. STAR Protoc. 2021 Dec 17. 2(4): 100935
    Innervated mouse pancreas organoids as an ex vivo model to study pancreatic neuropathy in pancreatic cancer.
    H Erdinc Besikcioglu, Ümmügülsüm Yurteri, Enkhtsetseg Munkhbaatar, Linhan Ye, Fangfang Zhang, Alessandra Moretti, Carmen Mota Reyes, Candan Özoğul, Helmut Friess, Güralp O Ceyhan, Rouzanna Istvanffy, Ihsan Ekin Demir.
      Pancreatic cancer is characterized by bi-directional interactions between pancreatic cancer cells and stromal cells including neural cells. The absence of neural cells in pancreatic organoids limits the investigation of cell- cell interaction and tumor innervation. This protocol describes how to generate innervated wild type (WT) and Kras+/LSLG12D Trp53fl/f lp48+/Cre (KPC) murine pancreatic organoids. To specifically investigate neurogenesis, organoids are co-cultured with iPSCs-derived neural crest cells, while co-culture with dorsal root ganglia explants is used for comparing organoids with mature neurons. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Huch et al. (2013), Boj et al. (2015), and Demir et al. (2014).
    Keywords:  Cancer; Cell Differentiation; Cell culture; Cell isolation; Model Organisms; Neuroscience; Organoids; Stem Cells
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xpro.2021.100935
  3. Cancer Metastasis Rev. 2021 Dec 02.
    Metabolic reprogramming by driver mutation-tumor microenvironment interplay in pancreatic cancer: new therapeutic targets.
    Henriette Berg Andersen, Renata Ialchina, Stine Falsig Pedersen, Dominika Czaplinska.
      Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest cancers globally with a mortality rate exceeding 95% and very limited therapeutic options. A hallmark of PDAC is its acidic tumor microenvironment, further characterized by excessive fibrosis and depletion of oxygen and nutrients due to poor vascularity. The combination of PDAC driver mutations and adaptation to this hostile environment drives extensive metabolic reprogramming of the cancer cells toward non-canonical metabolic pathways and increases reliance on scavenging mechanisms such as autophagy and macropinocytosis. In addition, the cancer cells benefit from metabolic crosstalk with nonmalignant cells within the tumor microenvironment, including pancreatic stellate cells, fibroblasts, and endothelial and immune cells. Increasing evidence shows that this metabolic rewiring is closely related to chemo- and radioresistance and immunosuppression, causing extensive treatment failure. Indeed, stratification of human PDAC tumors into subtypes based on their metabolic profiles was shown to predict disease outcome. Accordingly, an increasing number of clinical trials target pro-tumorigenic metabolic pathways, either as stand-alone treatment or in conjunction with chemotherapy. In this review, we highlight key findings and potential future directions of pancreatic cancer metabolism research, specifically focusing on novel therapeutic opportunities.
    Keywords:  Acidosis; Clinical trials; Glycolysis; Lipid metabolism; Metabolic subtypes; PDAC
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10555-021-10004-4
  4. Cell Rep. 2021 Nov 30. pii: S2211-1247(21)01546-1. [Epub ahead of print]37(9): 110060
    CHK1 protects oncogenic KRAS-expressing cells from DNA damage and is a target for pancreatic cancer treatment.
    Jennifer E Klomp, Ye S Lee, Craig M Goodwin, Björn Papke, Jeff A Klomp, Andrew M Waters, Clint A Stalnecker, Jonathan M DeLiberty, Kristina Drizyte-Miller, Runying Yang, J Nathaniel Diehl, Hongwei H Yin, Mariaelena Pierobon, Elisa Baldelli, Meagan B Ryan, Siqi Li, Jackson Peterson, Amber R Smith, James T Neal, Aaron K McCormick, Calvin J Kuo, Christopher M Counter, Emanuel F Petricoin, Adrienne D Cox, Kirsten L Bryant, Channing J Der.
      We apply genetic screens to delineate modulators of KRAS mutant pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) sensitivity to ERK inhibitor treatment, and we identify components of the ATR-CHK1 DNA damage repair (DDR) pathway. Pharmacologic inhibition of CHK1 alone causes apoptotic growth suppression of both PDAC cell lines and organoids, which correlates with loss of MYC expression. CHK1 inhibition also activates ERK and AMPK and increases autophagy, providing a mechanistic basis for increased efficacy of concurrent CHK1 and ERK inhibition and/or autophagy inhibition with chloroquine. To assess how CHK1 inhibition-induced ERK activation promotes PDAC survival, we perform a CRISPR-Cas9 loss-of-function screen targeting direct/indirect ERK substrates and identify RIF1. A key component of non-homologous end joining repair, RIF1 suppression sensitizes PDAC cells to CHK1 inhibition-mediated apoptotic growth suppression. Furthermore, ERK inhibition alone decreases RIF1 expression and phenocopies RIF1 depletion. We conclude that concurrent DDR suppression enhances the efficacy of ERK and/or autophagy inhibitors in KRAS mutant PDAC.
    Keywords:  CHK1; DNA damage; ERK; KRAS; MYC; RIF1; pancreatic cancer
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110060
  5. Science. 2021 Dec 03. 374(6572): 1227-1237
    Fumarate is a terminal electron acceptor in the mammalian electron transport chain.
    Jessica B Spinelli, Paul C Rosen, Hans-Georg Sprenger, Anna M Puszynska, Jessica L Mann, Julian M Roessler, Andrew L Cangelosi, Antonia Henne, Kendall J Condon, Tong Zhang, Tenzin Kunchok, Caroline A Lewis, Navdeep S Chandel, David M Sabatini.
      [Figure: see text].
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abi7495
  6. Cell Metab. 2021 Nov 24. pii: S1550-4131(21)00531-3. [Epub ahead of print]
    Cysteine 253 of UCP1 regulates energy expenditure and sex-dependent adipose tissue inflammation.
    Evanna L Mills, Cathal Harmon, Mark P Jedrychowski, Haopeng Xiao, Anja V Gruszczyk, Gary A Bradshaw, Nhien Tran, Ryan Garrity, Dina Laznik-Bogoslavski, John Szpyt, Hannah Prendeville, Lydia Lynch, Michael P Murphy, Steven P Gygi, Bruce M Spiegelman, Edward T Chouchani.
      Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) is a major regulator of brown and beige adipocyte energy expenditure and metabolic homeostasis. However, the widely employed UCP1 loss-of-function model has recently been shown to have a severe deficiency in the entire electron transport chain of thermogenic fat. As such, the role of UCP1 in metabolic regulation in vivo remains unclear. We recently identified cysteine-253 as a regulatory site on UCP1 that elevates protein activity upon covalent modification. Here, we examine the physiological importance of this site through the generation of a UCP1 cysteine-253-null (UCP1 C253A) mouse, a precise genetic model for selective disruption of UCP1 in vivo. UCP1 C253A mice exhibit significantly compromised thermogenic responses in both males and females but display no measurable effect on fat accumulation in an obesogenic environment. Unexpectedly, we find that a lack of C253 results in adipose tissue redox stress, which drives substantial immune cell infiltration and systemic inflammatory pathology in adipose tissues and liver of male, but not female, mice. Elevation of systemic estrogen reverses this male-specific pathology, providing a basis for protection from inflammation due to loss of UCP1 C253 in females. Together, our results establish the UCP1 C253 activation site as a regulator of acute thermogenesis and sex-dependent tissue inflammation.
    Keywords:  UCP1; cysteine; inflammation; metabolism; reactive oxygen species; sex differences
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2021.11.003
  7. Elife. 2021 11 30. pii: e62644. [Epub ahead of print]10
    Glutamine deprivation triggers NAGK-dependent hexosamine salvage.
    Sydney Campbell, Clementina Mesaros, Luke Izzo, Hayley Affronti, Michael Noji, Bethany E Schaffer, Tiffany Tsang, Kathryn Sun, Sophie Trefely, Salisa Kruijning, John Blenis, Ian A Blair, Kathryn E Wellen.
      Tumors frequently exhibit aberrant glycosylation, which can impact cancer progression and therapeutic responses. The hexosamine biosynthesis pathway (HBP) produces uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc), a major substrate for glycosylation in the cell. Prior studies have identified the HBP as a promising therapeutic target in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA). The HBP requires both glucose and glutamine for its initiation. The PDA tumor microenvironment is nutrient poor, however, prompting us to investigate how nutrient limitation impacts hexosamine synthesis. Here, we identify that glutamine limitation in PDA cells suppresses de novo hexosamine synthesis but results in increased free GlcNAc abundance. GlcNAc salvage via N-acetylglucosamine kinase (NAGK) is engaged to feed UDP-GlcNAc pools. NAGK expression is elevated in human PDA, and NAGK deletion from PDA cells impairs tumor growth in mice. Together, these data identify an important role for NAGK-dependent hexosamine salvage in supporting PDA tumor growth.
    Keywords:  N-acetylglucosamine kinase; cancer biology; glutamine; hexosamine; human; mouse; pancreatic cancer
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.62644
  8. Oncogene. 2021 Dec 03.
    Oncogenic dependency on STAT3 serine phosphorylation in KRAS mutant lung cancer.
    Sultan Alhayyani, Louise McLeod, Alison C West, Jesse J Balic, Christopher Hodges, Liang Yu, Julian A Smith, Zdenka Prodanovic, Steven Bozinovski, Beena Kumar, Saleela M Ruwanpura, Mohamed I Saad, Brendan J Jenkins.
      The oncogenic potential of the latent transcription factor signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)3 in many human cancers, including lung cancer, has been largely attributed to its nuclear activity as a tyrosine-phosphorylated (pY705 site) transcription factor. By contrast, an alternate mitochondrial pool of serine phosphorylated (pS727 site) STAT3 has been shown to promote tumourigenesis by regulating metabolic processes, although this has been reported in only a restricted number of mutant RAS-addicted neoplasms. Therefore, the involvement of STAT3 serine phosphorylation in the pathogenesis of most cancer types, including mutant KRAS lung adenocarcinoma (LAC), is unknown. Here, we demonstrate that LAC is suppressed in oncogenic KrasG12D-driven mouse models engineered for pS727-STAT3 deficiency. The proliferative potential of the transformed KrasG12D lung epithelium, and mutant KRAS human LAC cells, was significantly reduced upon pS727-STAT3 deficiency. Notably, we uncover the multifaceted capacity of constitutive pS727-STAT3 to metabolically reprogramme LAC cells towards a hyper-proliferative state by regulating nuclear and mitochondrial (mt) gene transcription, the latter via the mtDNA transcription factor, TFAM. Collectively, our findings reveal an obligate requirement for the transcriptional activity of pS727-STAT3 in mutant KRAS-driven LAC with potential to guide future therapeutic targeting approaches.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41388-021-02134-4
  9. J Cancer Metastasis Treat. 2020 ;pii: 36. [Epub ahead of print]6
    Epithelial-mesenchymal transition: a hallmark in pancreatic cancer stem cell migration, metastasis formation, and drug resistance.
    Ahmad R Safa.
      Metastasis, tumor progression, and chemoresistance are the major causes of death in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Tumor dissemination is associated with the activation of an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process, a program by which epithelial cells lose their cell polarity and cell-to-cell adhesion, and acquire migratory and invasive abilities to become mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). These MSCs are multipotent stromal cells capable of differentiating into various cell types and trigger the phenotypic transition from an epithelial to a mesenchymal state. Therefore, EMT promotes migration and survival during cancer metastasis and confers stemness features to particular subsets of cells. Furthermore, a major problem limiting our ability to treat PDAC is the existence of rare populations of pancreatic cancer stem cells (PCSCs) or cancer-initiating cells in pancreatic tumors. PCSCs may represent sub-populations of tumor cells resistant to therapy which are most crucial for driving invasive tumor growth. These cells are capable of regenerating the cellular heterogeneity associated with the primary tumor when xenografted into mice. Therefore, the presence of PCSCs has prognostic relevance and influences the therapeutic response of tumors. PCSCs express markers of cancer stem cells (CSCs) including CD24, CD133, CD44, and epithelial specific antigen as well as the drug transporter ABCG2 grow as spheroids in a defined growth medium. A major difficulty in studying tumor cell dissemination and metastasis has been the identification of markers that distinguish metastatic cancer cells from cells that are normally circulating in the bloodstream or at sites where these cells metastasize. Evidence highlights a linkage between CSC and EMT. In this review, The current understanding of the PCSCs, signaling pathways regulating these cells, PDAC heterogeneity, EMT mechanism, and links between EMT and metastasis in PCSCs are summarised. This information may provide potential therapeutic strategies to prevent EMT and trigger CSC growth inhibition and cell death.
    Keywords:  Pancreatic cancer; cancer stem cells; drug resistance; epithelial-mesenchymal transition; metastasis
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.20517/2394-4722.2020.55
  10. J Cell Sci. 2021 Dec 02. pii: jcs.259254. [Epub ahead of print]
    Peroxisomal support of mitochondrial respiratory efficiency promotes ER stress survival.
    Imadeddin Hijazi, Emily Wang, Michelle Orozco, Sarah Pelton, Amy Chang.
      Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) occurs when cellular demand for protein folding exceeds the capacity of the organelle. Adaptation and cell survival in response to ERS requires a critical contribution by mitochondria and peroxisomes. During ERS response, mitochondrial respiration increases to ameliorate reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation; we now show in yeast that peroxisome abundance also increases to promote an adaptive response. In pox1▵ cells, defective in peroxisomal ß oxidation of fatty acids, respiratory response to ERS is impaired, and ROS accrues. However, respiratory response to ERS is rescued, and ROS production is mitigated in pox1▵ cells by overexpression of Mpc1, the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier that provides another source of acetyl CoA to fuel the TCA cycle and oxidative phosphorylation. Using proteomics, select mitochondrial proteins were identified that undergo upregulation by ERS to remodel respiratory machinery. Several peroxisome-based proteins were also increased, corroborating the peroxisomal role in ERS adaptation. Finally, ERS stimulates assembly of respiratory complexes into higher order supercomplexes, underlying increased electron transfer efficiency. Our results highlight peroxisomal and mitochondrial support for ERS adaptation to favor cell survival.
    Keywords:  Endoplasmic reticulum; Mitochondria; Stress survival
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1242/jcs.259254
  11. Cancer Discov. 2021 Dec 03. pii: candisc.0522.2021. [Epub ahead of print]
    Pharmacological reduction of mitochondrial iron triggers a non-canonical BAX/BAK dependent cell death.
    Sylvain Garciaz, Andrew A Guirguis, Sebastian Muller, Fiona C Brown, Yih-Chih Chan, Ali Motazedian, Caitlin L Rowe, James A Kuzich, Kah Lok Chan, Kevin Tran, Lorey Smith, Laura MacPherson, Brian Liddicoat, Enid Y N Lam, Tatiana Caneque, Marian L Burr, Veronique Litalien, Giovanna Pomilio, Mathilde Poplineau, Estelle Duprez, Sarah-Jane Dawson, Georg Ramm, Andrew G Cox, Kristin K Brown, David C S Huang, Andrew H Wei, Kate McArthur, Raphael Rodriguez, Mark A Dawson.
      Cancer cell metabolism is increasingly recognised as providing an exciting therapeutic opportunity. However, a drug that directly couples targeting of a metabolic dependency with the induction of cell death in cancer cells has largely remained elusive. Here we report that the drug-like small molecule ironomycin (AM5) reduces the mitochondrial iron load, resulting in the potent disruption of mitochondrial metabolism. Ironomycin promotes the recruitment and activation of BAX/BAK but the resulting mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP) does not lead to potent activation of the apoptotic caspases, nor is the ensuing cell death prevented by inhibiting the previously established pathways of programmed cell death. Consistent with the fact that ironomycin and BH3 mimetics induce MOMP through independent non-redundant pathways, we find that ironomycin exhibits marked in vitro and in vivo synergy with venetoclax and overcomes venetoclax resistance in primary patient samples.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1158/2159-8290.CD-21-0522
  12. Nat Biotechnol. 2021 Dec 02.
    Personalized phosphoproteomics identifies functional signaling.
    Elise J Needham, Janne R Hingst, Benjamin L Parker, Kaitlin R Morrison, Guang Yang, Johan Onslev, Jonas M Kristensen, Kurt Højlund, Naomi X Y Ling, Jonathan S Oakhill, Erik A Richter, Bente Kiens, Janni Petersen, Christian Pehmøller, David E James, Jørgen F P Wojtaszewski, Sean J Humphrey.
      Protein phosphorylation dynamically integrates environmental and cellular information to control biological processes. Identifying functional phosphorylation amongst the thousands of phosphosites regulated by a perturbation at a global scale is a major challenge. Here we introduce 'personalized phosphoproteomics', a combination of experimental and computational analyses to link signaling with biological function by utilizing human phenotypic variance. We measure individual subject phosphoproteome responses to interventions with corresponding phenotypes measured in parallel. Applying this approach to investigate how exercise potentiates insulin signaling in human skeletal muscle, we identify both known and previously unidentified phosphosites on proteins involved in glucose metabolism. This includes a cooperative relationship between mTOR and AMPK whereby the former directly phosphorylates the latter on S377, for which we find a role in metabolic regulation. These results establish personalized phosphoproteomics as a general approach for investigating the signal transduction underlying complex biology.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-021-01099-9
  13. ESMO Open. 2021 Nov 24. pii: S2059-7029(21)00280-5. [Epub ahead of print]6(6): 100318
    Sequential first-line treatment with nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine and FOLFIRINOX in metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma: GABRINOX phase Ib-II controlled clinical trial.
    E Assenat, C de la Fouchardière, F Portales, M Ychou, A Debourdeau, F Desseigne, S Iltache, C Fiess, C Mollevi, T Mazard.
      BACKGROUND: Nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine (AG) and FOLFIRINOX (FFX) are promising drugs in metastatic pancreatic cancer (MPC). This study evaluated a new first-line sequential treatment (AG followed by FFX) in MPC that might overcome resistance to primary therapy and delay tumor progression.PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with histologically/cytologically confirmed MPC were included in a multicentric trial receiving AG (day 1, 8 and 15) followed by FFX (day 29 and 43). In phase Ib, three dose-levels were tested for maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended phase II dose. In phase II, the main outcome was the objective response rate (ORR) and secondarily safety, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).
    RESULTS: In phase Ib, we included 33 patients (31 assessable) of median age 61.0 years (range 42-75 years) and represented by 54.8% males. Five dose-limiting toxicities were reported without any death. The main grade 3/4 toxicities were neutropenia with spontaneous resolution (35.5%/32.3%), venous thromboembolism (grade 3: 22.6%) and thrombopenia (grade 3: 29.0%), while the MTD was not reached. In phase II, we included 58 patients of median age 60 years (range 34-72 years), 50% males and with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group stage score 0 and 1 of 37.9% and 62.1%, respectively. They received a median of 4 (1-9) cycles in 8.5 months (0.5-19.8 months). The ORR was 64.9% [95% confidence interval (CI) 51.1% to 77.1%], and neurotoxicity was remarkably low. The main grade 3-4 toxicities were venous thromboembolism, thrombopenia, neutropenia/febrile neutropenia, nausea, diarrhea, weight loss and asthenia without any death. Tumor response was complete in 3.5% and partial in 61.4%, while disease was stable in 19.3% and progressive in 15.8% of patients. The median PFS was 10.5 months (95% CI 6.0-12.5 months) and median OS was 15.1 months (95% CI 10.6-20.1 months).
    CONCLUSION: Sequential AG and FFX showed acceptable toxicity as first-line treatment with no limiting neurotoxicity, while high response rate and survival justify randomized trials.
    Keywords:  FOLFIRINOX; adenocarcinoma; gemcitabine; metastasis; nab-paclitaxel; pancreatic cancer
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esmoop.2021.100318
  14. Dev Cell. 2021 Nov 24. pii: S1534-5807(21)00894-7. [Epub ahead of print]
    Cell cycle regulation of ER membrane biogenesis protects against chromosome missegregation.
    Holly Merta, Jake W Carrasquillo Rodríguez, Maya I Anjur-Dietrich, Tevis Vitale, Mitchell E Granade, Thurl E Harris, Daniel J Needleman, Shirin Bahmanyar.
      Failure to reorganize the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in mitosis results in chromosome missegregation. Here, we show that accurate chromosome segregation in human cells requires cell cycle-regulated ER membrane production. Excess ER membranes increase the viscosity of the mitotic cytoplasm to physically restrict chromosome movements, which impedes the correction of mitotic errors leading to the formation of micronuclei. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that the protein phosphatase CTDNEP1 counteracts mTOR kinase to establish a dephosphorylated pool of the phosphatidic acid phosphatase lipin 1 in interphase. CTDNEP1 control of lipin 1 limits the synthesis of fatty acids for ER membrane biogenesis in interphase that then protects against chromosome missegregation in mitosis. Thus, regulation of ER size can dictate the biophysical properties of mitotic cells, providing an explanation for why ER reorganization is necessary for mitotic fidelity. Our data further suggest that dysregulated lipid metabolism is a potential source of aneuploidy in cancer cells.
    Keywords:  CTDNEP1; aneuploidy; lipid homeostasis; lipin; mTOR; medulloblastoma; micronuclei; mitosis; nuclear assembly
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2021.11.009
  15. Endocrinology. 2021 Nov 25. pii: bqab242. [Epub ahead of print]
    GDF15 in Appetite and Exercise: Essential Player or Coincidental Bystander?
    Anders B Klein, Maximilian Kleinert, Erik A Richter, Christoffer Clemmensen.
      Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) has recently moved to the forefront of metabolism research. When administered pharmacologically, GDF15 reduces food intake and lowers body weight via the hindbrain-situated receptor GFRAL (glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor family receptor alpha like). Endogenous GDF15 is a ubiquitous cellular stress signal that can be produced and secreted by a variety of cell types. Circulating levels are elevated in a series of disease states, but also in response to exogenous agents such as metformin, colchicine, AICAR and cisplatin. Recently, exercise has emerged as a relevant intervention to interrogate GDF15 physiology. Prolonged endurance exercise increases circulating GDF15 to levels otherwise associated with certain pathological states and in response to metformin treatment. Yet, the jury is still out as to whether GDF15 is a functional 'exerkine' mediating organ-to-brain cross-talk or whether it is a coincidental bystander. In this review, we discuss the putative physiological implication of exercise-induced GDF15, focusing on the potential impact on appetite and metabolism.
    Keywords:  Exercise; GDF15; appetite; energy balance; exerkine; growth differentiation factor 15
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1210/endocr/bqab242
  16. Nat Metab. 2021 Nov 29.
    Serine catabolism generates liver NADPH and supports hepatic lipogenesis.
    Zhaoyue Zhang, Tara TeSlaa, Xincheng Xu, Xianfeng Zeng, Lifeng Yang, Gang Xing, Gregory J Tesz, Michelle F Clasquin, Joshua D Rabinowitz.
      Carbohydrate can be converted into fat by de novo lipogenesis, a process upregulated in fatty liver disease. Chemically, de novo lipogenesis involves polymerization and reduction of acetyl-CoA, using NADPH as the electron donor. The feedstocks used to generate acetyl-CoA and NADPH in lipogenic tissues remain, however, unclear. Here we show using stable isotope tracing in mice that de novo lipogenesis in adipose is supported by glucose and its catabolism via the pentose phosphate pathway to make NADPH. The liver, in contrast, derives acetyl-CoA for lipogenesis from acetate and lactate, and NADPH from folate-mediated serine catabolism. Such NADPH generation involves the cytosolic serine pathway in liver running in the opposite direction to that observed in most tissues and tumours, with NADPH made by the SHMT1-MTHFD1-ALDH1L1 reaction sequence. SHMT inhibition decreases hepatic lipogenesis. Thus, liver folate metabolism is distinctively wired to support cytosolic NADPH production and lipogenesis. More generally, while the same enzymes are involved in fat synthesis in liver and adipose, different substrates are used, opening the door to tissue-specific pharmacological interventions.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-021-00487-4
  17. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2021 Dec 03.
    Targeting cancer metabolism in the era of precision oncology.
    Zachary E Stine, Zachary T Schug, Joseph M Salvino, Chi V Dang.
      One hundred years have passed since Warburg discovered alterations in cancer metabolism, more than 70 years since Sidney Farber introduced anti-folates that transformed the treatment of childhood leukaemia, and 20 years since metabolism was linked to oncogenes. However, progress in targeting cancer metabolism therapeutically in the past decade has been limited. Only a few metabolism-based drugs for cancer have been successfully developed, some of which are in - or en route to - clinical trials. Strategies for targeting the intrinsic metabolism of cancer cells often did not account for the metabolism of non-cancer stromal and immune cells, which have pivotal roles in tumour progression and maintenance. By considering immune cell metabolism and the clinical manifestations of inborn errors of metabolism, it may be possible to isolate undesirable off-tumour, on-target effects of metabolic drugs during their development. Hence, the conceptual framework for drug design must consider the metabolic vulnerabilities of non-cancer cells in the tumour immune microenvironment, as well as those of cancer cells. In this Review, we cover the recent developments, notable milestones and setbacks in targeting cancer metabolism, and discuss the way forward for the field.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41573-021-00339-6
  18. EJNMMI Res. 2021 Dec 01. 11(1): 120
    Native glycan fragments detected by MALDI mass spectrometry imaging are independent prognostic factors in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
    Na Sun, Marija Trajkovic-Arsic, Fengxia Li, Yin Wu, Corinna Münch, Thomas Kunzke, Annette Feuchtinger, Katja Steiger, Anna Melissa Schlitter, Wilko Weichert, Irene Esposito, Jens T Siveke, Axel Walch.
      BACKGROUND: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains one of the deadliest malignancies to date. The impressively developed stroma that surrounds and modulates the behavior of cancer cells is one of the main factors regulating the PDAC growth, metastasis and therapy resistance. Here, we postulate that stromal and cancer cell compartments differentiate in protein/lipid glycosylation patterns and analyze differences in glycan fragments in those compartments with clinicopathologic correlates.RESULTS: We analyzed native glycan fragments in 109 human FFPE PDAC samples using high mass resolution matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometric imaging (MALDI-FT-ICR-MSI). Our method allows detection of native glycan fragments without previous digestion with PNGase or any other biochemical reaction. With this method, 8 and 18 native glycans were identified as uniquely expressed in only stromal or only cancer cell compartment, respectively. Kaplan-Meier survival model identified glycan fragments that are expressed in cancer cell or stromal compartment and significantly associated with patient outcome. Among cancer cell region-specific glycans, 10 predicted better and 6 worse patient survival. In the stroma, 1 glycan predicted good and 4 poor patient survival. Using factor analysis as a dimension reduction method, we were able to group the identified glycans in 2 factors. Multivariate analysis revealed that these factors can be used as independent survival prognostic elements with regard to the established Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) classification both in tumor and stroma regions.
    CONCLUSION: Our method allows in situ detection of naturally occurring glycans in FFPE samples of human PDAC tissue and highlights the differences among glycans found in stromal and cancer cell compartment offering a basis for further exploration on the role of specific glycans in cancer-stroma communication.
    Keywords:  Glycans; MALDI-FT-ICR-MSI; PDAC
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s13550-021-00862-y
  19. Nucleic Acids Res. 2021 Nov 26. pii: gkab1084. [Epub ahead of print]
    PharmacoDB 2.0: improving scalability and transparency of in vitro pharmacogenomics analysis.
    Nikta Feizi, Sisira Kadambat Nair, Petr Smirnov, Gangesh Beri, Christopher Eeles, Parinaz Nasr Esfahani, Minoru Nakano, Denis Tkachuk, Anthony Mammoliti, Evgeniya Gorobets, Arvind Singh Mer, Eva Lin, Yihong Yu, Scott Martin, Marc Hafner, Benjamin Haibe-Kains.
      Cancer pharmacogenomics studies provide valuable insights into disease progression and associations between genomic features and drug response. PharmacoDB integrates multiple cancer pharmacogenomics datasets profiling approved and investigational drugs across cell lines from diverse tissue types. The web-application enables users to efficiently navigate across datasets, view and compare drug dose-response data for a specific drug-cell line pair. In the new version of PharmacoDB (version 2.0, https://pharmacodb.ca/), we present (i) new datasets such as NCI-60, the Profiling Relative Inhibition Simultaneously in Mixtures (PRISM) dataset, as well as updated data from the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer (GDSC) and the Genentech Cell Line Screening Initiative (gCSI); (ii) implementation of FAIR data pipelines using ORCESTRA and PharmacoDI; (iii) enhancements to drug-response analysis such as tissue distribution of dose-response metrics and biomarker analysis; and (iv) improved connectivity to drug and cell line databases in the community. The web interface has been rewritten using a modern technology stack to ensure scalability and standardization to accommodate growing pharmacogenomics datasets. PharmacoDB 2.0 is a valuable tool for mining pharmacogenomics datasets, comparing and assessing drug-response phenotypes of cancer models.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkab1084
  20. Clin Cancer Res. 2021 Dec 03. pii: clincanres.2767.2021. [Epub ahead of print]
    Targeting Treg-expressed STAT3 enhances NK-mediated surveillance of metastasis and improves therapeutic response in pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
    Miles Piper, Benjamin Van Court, Adam Mueller, Shuichi Watanabe, Thomas Bickett, Shilpa Bhatia, Laurel B Darragh, Maxwell Mayeda, Diemmy Nguyen, Jacob Gadwa, Michael Knitz, Sophia Corbo, Rustain Morgan, Jung-Jae Lee, Alexander Dent, Karyn Goodman, Wells Messersmith, Richard Schulick, Marco Del Chiaro, Yuwen Zhu, Ross M Kedl, Laurel Lenz, Sana D Karam.
      PURPOSE: Metastasis remains a major hurdle in treating aggressive malignancies such as pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Improving response to treatment, therefore, requires a more detailed characterization of the cellular populations involved in controlling metastatic burden.METHODS: Patient PDAC tissue samples were subjected to RNA sequencing analysis to identify changes in immune infiltration following RT. Genetically engineered mouse strains in combination with orthotopic tumor models of PDAC were used to characterize disease progression. Flow cytometry was used to analyze tumor infiltrating, circulating, and nodal immune populations.
    RESULTS: We demonstrate that although RT increases the infiltration and activation of DCs, it also increases the infiltration of Tregs while failing to recruit NK and CD8 T cells in PDAC patient samples. In murine orthotopic tumor models, we show that genetic and pharmacologic depletion of Tregs and NK cells enhances and attenuates response to RT, respectively. We further demonstrate that targeted inhibition of STAT3 on Tregs results in improved control of local and distant disease progression and enhanced NK-mediated immunosurveillance of metastasis. Moreover, combination treatment of STAT3 ASO and RT invigorated systemic immune activation and conferred a survival advantage in orthotopic and metastatic tumor models. Finally, we show the response to STAT3 ASO + RT treatment is dependent on NK and DC subsets.
    CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest targeting Treg-mediated immunosuppression is a critical step in mediating a response to treatment and identify NK cells as not only a prognostic marker of improved survival, but also as an effector population that functions to combat metastasis.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-21-2767
  21. Mol Cell. 2021 Nov 19. pii: S1097-2765(21)00954-0. [Epub ahead of print]
    Global mitochondrial protein import proteomics reveal distinct regulation by translation and translocation machinery.
    Jasmin Adriana Schäfer, Süleyman Bozkurt, Jonas Benjamin Michaelis, Kevin Klann, Christian Münch.
      Most mitochondrial proteins are translated in the cytosol and imported into mitochondria. Mutations in the mitochondrial protein import machinery cause human pathologies. However, a lack of suitable tools to measure protein uptake across the mitochondrial proteome has prevented the identification of specific proteins affected by import perturbation. Here, we introduce mePRODmt, a pulsed-SILAC based proteomics approach that includes a booster signal to increase the sensitivity for mitochondrial proteins selectively, enabling global dynamic analysis of endogenous mitochondrial protein uptake in cells. We applied mePRODmt to determine protein uptake kinetics and examined how inhibitors of mitochondrial import machineries affect protein uptake. Monitoring changes in translation and uptake upon mitochondrial membrane depolarization revealed that protein uptake was extensively modulated by the import and translation machineries via activation of the integrated stress response. Strikingly, uptake changes were not uniform, with subsets of proteins being unaffected or decreased due to changes in translation or import capacity.
    Keywords:  SILAC; TMT; disease; integrated stress response; mitochondria; protein translocation; proteomics; proteostasis; respiratory chain complexes; translation
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2021.11.004
  22. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Dec 07. pii: e2116125118. [Epub ahead of print]118(49):
    Local acetate inhibits brown adipose tissue function.
    Wenfei Sun, Hua Dong, Christian Wolfrum.
      Brown adipose tissue has been extensively studied in the last decade for its potential to counteract the obesity pandemic. However, the paracrine regulation within brown tissue is largely unknown. Here, we show that local acetate directly inhibits brown fat thermogenesis, without changing acetate levels in the circulation. We demonstrate that modulating acetate within brown tissue at physiological levels blunts its function and systemically decreases energy expenditure. Using a series of transcriptomic analyses, we identified genes related to the tricarboxylic acid cycle and brown adipocyte formation, which are down-regulated upon local acetate administration. Overall, these findings demonstrate that local acetate inhibits brown fat function.
    Keywords:  RNA-seq; acetate; brown adipose tissue; obesity
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2116125118
  23. EMBO J. 2021 Nov 29. e2021108883
    CRYPTOCHROMES promote daily protein homeostasis.
    David C S Wong, Estere Seinkmane, Aiwei Zeng, Alessandra Stangherlin, Nina M Rzechorzek, Andrew D Beale, Jason Day, Martin Reed, Sew Y Peak-Chew, Christine T Styles, Rachel S Edgar, Marrit Putker, John S O'Neill.
      The daily organisation of most mammalian cellular functions is attributed to circadian regulation of clock-controlled protein expression, driven by daily cycles of CRYPTOCHROME-dependent transcriptional feedback repression. To test this, we used quantitative mass spectrometry to compare wild-type and CRY-deficient fibroblasts under constant conditions. In CRY-deficient cells, we found that temporal variation in protein, phosphopeptide, and K+ abundance was at least as great as wild-type controls. Most strikingly, the extent of temporal variation within either genotype was much smaller than overall differences in proteome composition between WT and CRY-deficient cells. This proteome imbalance in CRY-deficient cells and tissues was associated with increased susceptibility to proteotoxic stress, which impairs circadian robustness, and may contribute to the wide-ranging phenotypes of CRY-deficient mice. Rather than generating large-scale daily variation in proteome composition, we suggest it is plausible that the various transcriptional and post-translational functions of CRY proteins ultimately act to maintain protein and osmotic homeostasis against daily perturbation.
    Keywords:  CRYPTOCHROME; circadian rhythm; clock mutant; protein homeostasis; proteotoxic stress
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.15252/embj.2021108883
  24. Cell Chem Biol. 2021 Nov 23. pii: S2451-9456(21)00479-7. [Epub ahead of print]
    Metabolic targeting of cancer by a ubiquinone uncompetitive inhibitor of mitochondrial complex I.
    Shashi Jain, Cheng Hu, Jerome Kluza, Wei Ke, Guiyou Tian, Madalina Giurgiu, Andreas Bleilevens, Alexandre Rosa Campos, Adriana Charbono, Elmar Stickeler, Jochen Maurer, Elke Holinski-Feder, Arkadii Vaisburg, Matthias Bureik, Guangcheng Luo, Philippe Marchetti, Yabin Cheng, Dieter A Wolf.
      SMIP004-7 is a small molecule inhibitor of mitochondrial respiration with selective in vivo anti-cancer activity through an as-yet unknown molecular target. We demonstrate here that SMIP004-7 targets drug-resistant cancer cells with stem-like features by inhibiting mitochondrial respiration complex I (NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase, complex I [CI]). Instead of affecting the quinone-binding site targeted by most CI inhibitors, SMIP004-7 and its cytochrome P450-dependent activated metabolite(s) have an uncompetitive mechanism of inhibition involving a distinct N-terminal region of catalytic subunit NDUFS2 that leads to rapid disassembly of CI. SMIP004-7 and an improved chemical analog selectively engage NDUFS2 in vivo to inhibit the growth of triple-negative breast cancer transplants, a response mediated at least in part by boosting CD4+ and CD8+ T cell-mediated immune surveillance. Thus, SMIP004-7 defines an emerging class of ubiquinone uncompetitive CI inhibitors for cell autonomous and microenvironmental metabolic targeting of mitochondrial respiration in cancer.
    Keywords:  NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase; NDUFS2; SMIP004-7; cancer metabolic targeting; cancer stem cells; drug-resistant cancer; immunometabolism; uncompetitive inhibition
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chembiol.2021.11.002
  25. Cell. 2021 Nov 18. pii: S0092-8674(21)01320-9. [Epub ahead of print]
    Deciphering cell signaling networks with massively multiplexed biosensor barcoding.
    Jr-Ming Yang, Wei-Yu Chi, Jessica Liang, Saki Takayanagi, Pablo A Iglesias, Chuan-Hsiang Huang.
      Genetically encoded fluorescent biosensors are powerful tools for monitoring biochemical activities in live cells, but their multiplexing capacity is limited by the available spectral space. We overcome this problem by developing a set of barcoding proteins that can generate over 100 barcodes and are spectrally separable from commonly used biosensors. Mixtures of barcoded cells expressing different biosensors are simultaneously imaged and analyzed by deep learning models to achieve massively multiplexed tracking of signaling events. Importantly, different biosensors in cell mixtures show highly coordinated activities, thus facilitating the delineation of their temporal relationship. Simultaneous tracking of multiple biosensors in the receptor tyrosine kinase signaling network reveals distinct mechanisms of effector adaptation, cell autonomous and non-autonomous effects of KRAS mutations, as well as complex interactions in the network. Biosensor barcoding presents a scalable method to expand multiplexing capabilities for deciphering the complexity of signaling networks and their interactions between cells.
    Keywords:  KRAS; adaptation; barcode; cell non-autonomous effect; fluorescent biosensor; live cell imaging; machine learning; multiplexing; receptor tyrosine kinase; signaling network
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2021.11.005
  26. Elife. 2021 Dec 03. pii: e67844. [Epub ahead of print]10
    Taste sensing and sugar detection mechanisms in Drosophila larval primary taste center.
    G Larisa Maier, Nikita Komarov, Felix Meyenhofer, Jae Young Kwon, Simon G Sprecher.
      Despite the small number of gustatory sense neurons, Drosophila larvae are able to sense a wide range of chemicals. Although evidence for taste multimodality has been provided in single neurons, an overview of gustatory responses at the periphery is missing and hereby we explore whole-organ calcium imaging of the external taste center. We find that neurons can be activated by different combinations of taste modalities including of opposite hedonic valence and identify distinct temporal dynamics of response. Although sweet sensing has not been fully characterized so far in the external larval gustatory organ, we recorded responses elicited by sugar. Previous findings established that larval sugar sensing relies on the Gr43a pharyngeal receptor, but the question remains if external neurons contribute to this taste. Here we postulate that external and internal gustation use distinct and complementary mechanisms in sugar sensing and we identify external sucrose sensing neurons.
    Keywords:  D. melanogaster; neuroscience
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.67844
  27. Cancer Metastasis Rev. 2021 Nov 30.
    What do cellular responses to acidity tell us about cancer?
    Wiktoria Blaszczak, Pawel Swietach.
      The notion that invasive cancer is a product of somatic evolution is a well-established theory that can be modelled mathematically and demonstrated empirically from therapeutic responses. Somatic evolution is by no means deterministic, and ample opportunities exist to steer its trajectory towards cancer cell extinction. One such strategy is to alter the chemical microenvironment shared between host and cancer cells in a way that no longer favours the latter. Ever since the first description of the Warburg effect, acidosis has been recognised as a key chemical signature of the tumour microenvironment. Recent findings have suggested that responses to acidosis, arising through a process of selection and adaptation, give cancer cells a competitive advantage over the host. A surge of research efforts has attempted to understand the basis of this advantage and seek ways of exploiting it therapeutically. Here, we review key findings and place these in the context of a mathematical framework. Looking ahead, we highlight areas relating to cellular adaptation, selection, and heterogeneity that merit more research efforts in order to close in on the goal of exploiting tumour acidity in future therapies.
    Keywords:  Acid–base; Adaptation; Cell lines; Evolution; Metabolism; Phenotype; Selection; Variation; pH
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10555-021-10005-3
  28. J Exp Med. 2022 Jan 03. pii: e20210420. [Epub ahead of print]219(1):
    A growth factor-expressing macrophage subpopulation orchestrates regenerative inflammation via GDF-15.
    Andreas Patsalos, Laszlo Halasz, Miguel A Medina-Serpas, Wilhelm K Berger, Bence Daniel, Petros Tzerpos, Máté Kiss, Gergely Nagy, Cornelius Fischer, Zoltan Simandi, Tamas Varga, Laszlo Nagy.
      Muscle regeneration is the result of the concerted action of multiple cell types driven by the temporarily controlled phenotype switches of infiltrating monocyte-derived macrophages. Pro-inflammatory macrophages transition into a phenotype that drives tissue repair through the production of effectors such as growth factors. This orchestrated sequence of regenerative inflammatory events, which we termed regeneration-promoting program (RPP), is essential for proper repair. However, it is not well understood how specialized repair-macrophage identity develops in the RPP at the transcriptional level and how induced macrophage-derived factors coordinate tissue repair. Gene expression kinetics-based clustering of blood circulating Ly6Chigh, infiltrating inflammatory Ly6Chigh, and reparative Ly6Clow macrophages, isolated from injured muscle, identified the TGF-β superfamily member, GDF-15, as a component of the RPP. Myeloid GDF-15 is required for proper muscle regeneration following acute sterile injury, as revealed by gain- and loss-of-function studies. Mechanistically, GDF-15 acts both on proliferating myoblasts and on muscle-infiltrating myeloid cells. Epigenomic analyses of upstream regulators of Gdf15 expression identified that it is under the control of nuclear receptors RXR/PPARγ. Finally, immune single-cell RNA-seq profiling revealed that Gdf15 is coexpressed with other known muscle regeneration-associated growth factors, and their expression is limited to a unique subpopulation of repair-type macrophages (growth factor-expressing macrophages [GFEMs]).
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20210420
  29. J Cell Sci. 2021 Dec 03. pii: jcs.253591. [Epub ahead of print]
    Smaug1 membrane-less organelles respond to AMPK/mTOR and affect mitochondrial function‡.
    Ana J Fernández-Alvarez, María Gabriela Thomas, Malena L Pascual, Martín Habif, Jerónimo Pimentel, Agustín A Corbat, João P Pessoa, Pablo E La Spina, Lara Boscaglia, Anne Plessis, Maria Carmo-Fonseca, Hernán E Grecco, Marta Casado, Graciela L Boccaccio.
      Smaug is a conserved translational regulator that binds numerous mRNAs, including nuclear transcripts that encode mitochondrial enzymes. Smaug orthologs form cytosolic membrane-less organelles (MLOs) in several organisms and cell types. We have performed single-molecule FISH assays that revealed that SDHB and UQCRC1 mRNAs associate with Smaug1 bodies in U2OS cells. Loss of function of Smaug1 and Smaug2 affected both mitochondrial respiration and morphology of the mitochondrial network. Phenotype rescue by Smaug1 transfection depends on the presence of its RNA binding domain. Moreover, we identified specific Smaug1 domains involved in MLO formation, and found that impaired Smaug1 MLO condensation correlates with mitochondrial defects. Mitochondrial Complex I inhibition by rotenone -but not strong mitochondrial uncoupling by CCCP- rapidly induced Smaug1 MLOs dissolution. Metformin and rapamycin elicited similar effects, which were blocked by pharmacological inhibition of AMPK. Finally, we found that Smaug1 MLO dissolution weakens the interaction with target mRNAs, thus enabling their release. We propose that mitochondrial respiration and the AMPK/mTOR balance controls the condensation and dissolution of Smaug1 MLOs, thus regulating nuclear mRNAs that encode key mitochondrial proteins.
    Keywords:  AMPK; Membrane-less organelles; Metformin; Mitochondria; Processing bodies; Smaug; Uqcrc1
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1242/jcs.253591
  30. Nat Commun. 2021 Dec 01. 12(1): 7014
    Comprehensive targeting of resistance to inhibition of RTK signaling pathways by using glucocorticoids.
    Ke Gong, Gao Guo, Nicole A Beckley, Xiaoyao Yang, Yue Zhang, David E Gerber, John D Minna, Sandeep Burma, Dawen Zhao, Esra A Akbay, Amyn A Habib.
      Inhibition of RTK pathways in cancer triggers an adaptive response that promotes therapeutic resistance. Because the adaptive response is multifaceted, the optimal approach to blunting it remains undetermined. TNF upregulation is a biologically significant response to EGFR inhibition in NSCLC. Here, we compared a specific TNF inhibitor (etanercept) to thalidomide and prednisone, two drugs that block TNF and also other inflammatory pathways. Prednisone is significantly more effective in suppressing EGFR inhibition-induced inflammatory signals. Remarkably, prednisone induces a shutdown of bypass RTK signaling and inhibits key resistance signals such as STAT3, YAP and TNF-NF-κB. Combined with EGFR inhibition, prednisone is significantly superior to etanercept or thalidomide in durably suppressing tumor growth in multiple mouse models, indicating that a broad suppression of adaptive signals is more effective than blocking a single component. We identify prednisone as a drug that can effectively inhibit adaptive resistance with acceptable toxicity in NSCLC and other cancers.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-27276-7
  31. Nat Commun. 2021 Nov 29. 12(1): 6947
    Ensuring scientific reproducibility in bio-macromolecular modeling via extensive, automated benchmarks.
    Julia Koehler Leman, Sergey Lyskov, Steven M Lewis, Jared Adolf-Bryfogle, Rebecca F Alford, Kyle Barlow, Ziv Ben-Aharon, Daniel Farrell, Jason Fell, William A Hansen, Ameya Harmalkar, Jeliazko Jeliazkov, Georg Kuenze, Justyna D Krys, Ajasja Ljubetič, Amanda L Loshbaugh, Jack Maguire, Rocco Moretti, Vikram Khipple Mulligan, Morgan L Nance, Phuong T Nguyen, Shane Ó Conchúir, Shourya S Roy Burman, Rituparna Samanta, Shannon T Smith, Frank Teets, Johanna K S Tiemann, Andrew Watkins, Hope Woods, Brahm J Yachnin, Christopher D Bahl, Chris Bailey-Kellogg, David Baker, Rhiju Das, Frank DiMaio, Sagar D Khare, Tanja Kortemme, Jason W Labonte, Kresten Lindorff-Larsen, Jens Meiler, William Schief, Ora Schueler-Furman, Justin B Siegel, Amelie Stein, Vladimir Yarov-Yarovoy, Brian Kuhlman, Andrew Leaver-Fay, Dominik Gront, Jeffrey J Gray, Richard Bonneau.
      Each year vast international resources are wasted on irreproducible research. The scientific community has been slow to adopt standard software engineering practices, despite the increases in high-dimensional data, complexities of workflows, and computational environments. Here we show how scientific software applications can be created in a reproducible manner when simple design goals for reproducibility are met. We describe the implementation of a test server framework and 40 scientific benchmarks, covering numerous applications in Rosetta bio-macromolecular modeling. High performance computing cluster integration allows these benchmarks to run continuously and automatically. Detailed protocol captures are useful for developers and users of Rosetta and other macromolecular modeling tools. The framework and design concepts presented here are valuable for developers and users of any type of scientific software and for the scientific community to create reproducible methods. Specific examples highlight the utility of this framework, and the comprehensive documentation illustrates the ease of adding new tests in a matter of hours.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-27222-7
  32. J Clin Invest. 2021 Nov 30. pii: e153357. [Epub ahead of print]
    β3-adrenergic receptor downregulation leads to adipocyte catecholamine resistance in obesity.
    Joseph M Valentine, Maryam Ahmadian, Omer Keinan, Mohammad Abu-Odeh, Peng Zhao, Xin Zhou, Mark P Keller, Hui Gao, Ruth T Yu, Christopher Liddle, Michael Downes, Jin Zhang, Aldons J Lusis, Alan D Attie, Ronald M Evans, Mikael Rydén, Alan R Saltiel.
      The dysregulation of energy homeostasis in obesity involves multi-hormone resistance. Although leptin and insulin resistance have been well characterized, catecholamine resistance remains largely unexplored. Murine β3-adrenergic receptor expression in adipocytes is orders of magnitude higher compared to other isoforms. While resistant to classical desensitization pathways, its mRNA (Adrb3) and protein expression are dramatically downregulated after ligand exposure (homologous desensitization). β3-adrenergic receptor downregulation also occurs after high fat diet feeding, concurrent with catecholamine resistance and elevated inflammation. This downregulation is recapitulated in vitro by TNFα treatment (heterologous desensitization). Both homologous and heterologous desensitization of Adrb3 were triggered by induction of the pseudokinase TRIB1 downstream of the EPAC/RAP2A/PI-PLC pathway. TRIB1 in turn degraded the primary transcriptional activator of Adrb3, CEBPα. EPAC/RAP inhibition enhanced catecholamine-stimulated lipolysis and energy expenditure in obese mice. Moreover, adipose tissue expression of genes in this pathway correlated with body weight extremes in a cohort of genetically diverse mice, and with BMI in two independent cohorts of humans. These data implicate a new signaling axis that may explain reduced hormone-stimulated lipolysis in obesity and resistance to therapeutic interventions with β3-adrenergic receptor agonists.
    Keywords:  Adipose tissue; Cell Biology; G proteins; Metabolism; Obesity
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI153357
  33. Nat Commun. 2021 Nov 30. 12(1): 6984
    Starvation-induced proteasome assemblies in the nucleus link amino acid supply to apoptosis.
    Maxime Uriarte, Nadine Sen Nkwe, Roch Tremblay, Oumaima Ahmed, Clémence Messmer, Nazar Mashtalir, Haithem Barbour, Louis Masclef, Marion Voide, Claire Viallard, Salima Daou, Djaileb Abdelhadi, Daryl Ronato, Mohammadjavad Paydar, Anaïs Darracq, Karine Boulay, Nicolas Desjardins-Lecavalier, Przemyslaw Sapieha, Jean-Yves Masson, Mikhail Sergeev, Benjamin H Kwok, Laura Hulea, Frédérick A Mallette, Eric Milot, Bruno Larrivée, Hugo Wurtele, El Bachir Affar.
      Eukaryotic cells have evolved highly orchestrated protein catabolic machineries responsible for the timely and selective disposal of proteins and organelles, thereby ensuring amino acid recycling. However, how protein degradation is coordinated with amino acid supply and protein synthesis has remained largely elusive. Here we show that the mammalian proteasome undergoes liquid-liquid phase separation in the nucleus upon amino acid deprivation. We termed these proteasome condensates SIPAN (Starvation-Induced Proteasome Assemblies in the Nucleus) and show that these are a common response of mammalian cells to amino acid deprivation. SIPAN undergo fusion events, rapidly exchange proteasome particles with the surrounding milieu and quickly dissolve following amino acid replenishment. We further show that: (i) SIPAN contain K48-conjugated ubiquitin, (ii) proteasome inhibition accelerates SIPAN formation, (iii) deubiquitinase inhibition prevents SIPAN resolution and (iv) RAD23B proteasome shuttling factor is required for SIPAN formation. Finally, SIPAN formation is associated with decreased cell survival and p53-mediated apoptosis, which might contribute to tissue fitness in diverse pathophysiological conditions.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-27306-4
  34. Pancreas. 2021 Oct 01. 50(9): 1326-1330
    Noninvasive Models Screen New-Onset Diabetics at Low Risk of Early-Onset Pancreatic Cancer.
    Salman Khan, Samee Al Heraki, Justin T Kupec.
      OBJECTIVES: Several noninvasive models have been developed to identify new-onset diabetics at higher risk of developing pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). However, they need external validation before implementation.METHODS: This study validated one such model (Boursi model) among a cohort of new-onset diabetics. A bivariate analysis of the model's components was done between patients who developed PDAC and type 2 diabetics. The model performance was assessed through receiver-operative characteristic curve analysis.
    RESULTS: Patients with PDAC had significantly lower total cholesterol and alkaline phosphatase at diagnosis of diabetes (P < 0.01). They were observed losing body mass index (BMI) preceding diagnosis (ΔBMI = -0.42 kg/m2, P < 0.01). The model's area under the curve was 0.83 (95% confidence interval, 0.79-0.88). The cutoff that maximized the Youden index was at 0.8%. At this cutoff, the sensitivity was 75%, specificity was 80%, and the prevalence of pancreatic cancer increased from 0.19% at baseline to 0.69%.
    CONCLUSIONS: Boursi model enriches the prevalence of PDAC among new-onset diabetics.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1097/MPA.0000000000001917
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