Dataset Information

Dysregulated Sonic hedgehog signaling and medulloblastoma consequent to IFN-alpha-stimulated STAT2-independent production of IFN-gamma in the brain.

ABSTRACT: The type I IFNs (IFN-alpha and IFN-beta), which are crucial in antiviral defense and immune regulation, signal via the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) pathway with activation of STAT1 and STAT2. Here, the function of STAT2 was studied in transgenic mice (termed GIFN/STAT2-/-) with CNS production of IFN-alpha. Surprisingly, GIFN/STAT2-/-, but not GIFN/STAT1-null, transgenic mice, with CNS production of IFN-alpha, died prematurely with medulloblastoma. An immune response also induced in the brain of the GIFN/STAT2-/- mice was associated with IFN-gamma gene expression by CD3+ T cells and the activation of the STAT1, STAT3, STAT4, and STAT5 molecules. Expression of the Sonic hedgehog (Shh) and the downstream transcriptional factor Gli-1 genes, implicated in the pathogenesis of medulloblastoma, was found to be significantly increased and cotranscribed in cerebellar granule neurons of the GIFN/STAT2-/- mice. IFN-gamma, but not IFN-alpha, induced STAT1-dependent expression of the Shh gene in cultured cerebellar granule neurons. Thus, there is an unexpected and extraordinarily adverse biological potency of IFN-alpha in the CNS when the primary signal transduction molecule STAT2 is absent. Moreover, a hitherto unknown role is indicated for the immune system in the pathogenesis of developmental disorders and tumorigenesis of the CNS via dysregulated Shh signaling mediated by IFN-gamma.

SUBMITTER: Wang J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC171394 | biostudies-literature | 2003 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Dysregulated Sonic hedgehog signaling and medulloblastoma consequent to IFN-alpha-stimulated STAT2-independent production of IFN-gamma in the brain.

Wang Jianping J Pham-Mitchell Ngan N Schindler Christian C Campbell Iain L IL

The Journal of clinical investigation 20030801 4

The type I IFNs (IFN-alpha and IFN-beta), which are crucial in antiviral defense and immune regulation, signal via the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) pathway with activation of STAT1 and STAT2. Here, the function of STAT2 was studied in transgenic mice (termed GIFN/STAT2-/-) with CNS production of IFN-alpha. Surprisingly, GIFN/STAT2-/-, but not GIFN/STAT1-null, transgenic mice, with CNS production of IFN-alpha, died prematurely with medulloblastoma. An i ...[more]

PMID: 12925694

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Project description:Cancer genomics has revealed many genes and core molecular processes that contribute to human malignancies, but the genetic and molecular bases of many rare cancers remains unclear. Genetic predisposition accounts for 5 to 10% of cancer diagnoses in children1,2, and genetic events that cooperate with known somatic driver events are poorly understood. Pathogenic germline variants in established cancer predisposition genes have been recently identified in 5% of patients with the malignant brain tumour medulloblastoma3. Here, by analysing all protein-coding genes, we identify and replicate rare germline loss-of-function variants across ELP1 in 14% of paediatric patients with the medulloblastoma subgroup Sonic Hedgehog (MBSHH). ELP1 was the most common medulloblastoma predisposition gene and increased the prevalence of genetic predisposition to 40% among paediatric patients with MBSHH. Parent-offspring and pedigree analyses identified two families with a history of paediatric medulloblastoma. ELP1-associated medulloblastomas were restricted to the molecular SHH? subtype4 and characterized by universal biallelic inactivation of ELP1 owing to somatic loss of chromosome arm 9q. Most ELP1-associated medulloblastomas also exhibited somatic alterations in PTCH1, which suggests that germline ELP1 loss-of-function variants predispose individuals to tumour development in combination with constitutive activation of SHH signalling. ELP1 is the largest subunit of the evolutionarily conserved Elongator complex, which catalyses translational elongation through tRNA modifications at the wobble (U34) position5,6. Tumours from patients with ELP1-associated MBSHH were characterized by a destabilized Elongator complex, loss of Elongator-dependent tRNA modifications, codon-dependent translational reprogramming, and induction of the unfolded protein response, consistent with loss of protein homeostasis due to Elongator deficiency in model systems7-9. Thus, genetic predisposition to proteome instability may be a determinant in the pathogenesis of paediatric brain cancers. These results support investigation of the role of protein homeostasis in other cancer types and potential for therapeutic interference.

Project description:Cancer genomics has illuminated a wide spectrum of genes and core molecular processes contributing to human malignancy. Still, the genetic and molecular basis of many cancers remains only partially explained. Genetic predisposition accounts for 5-10% of cancer diagnoses and genetic events cooperating with known somatic driver events are poorly understood. Analyzing established cancer predisposition genes in medulloblastoma (MB), a malignant childhood brain tumor, we recently identified pathogenic germline variants that account for 5% of all MB patients. Here, by extending our previous analysis to include all protein-coding genes, we discovered and replicated rare germline loss-of-function (LoF) variants across Elongator Complex Protein 1 (ELP1) on 9q31.3 in 15% of pediatric MBSHH cases, thus implicating ELP1 as the most common MB predisposition gene and increasing genetic predisposition to 40% for pediatric MBSHH. Inheritance was verified based on parent-offspring and pedigree analysis, which identified two families with a history of pediatric MB. ELP1-associated MBs were restricted to the molecular SHH subtype and were characterized by universal biallelic inactivation of ELP1 due to somatic loss of chromosome 9q. The majority of ELP1-associated MBs exhibited co-occurring somatic PTCH1 (9q22.32) alterations, suggesting that ELP1-deficiency predisposes to tumor development in combination with constitutive activation of SHH signaling. ELP1 is an essential subunit of the evolutionary conserved Elongator complex, whose primary function is to enable efficient translational elongation through tRNAs modifications at the wobble (U34) position. Biochemical, transcriptional, and proteomic analyses revealed that ELP1-associated MBSHH are characterized by a destabilized core Elongator complex, loss of Elongator-dependent tRNA modifications, codon-dependent translational reprogramming, and induction of the unfolded protein response (UPR), consistent with deregulation of protein homeostasis due to Elongator-deficiency in model systems. Our findings suggest that genetic predisposition to proteome instability is a previously underappreciated determinant in the pathogenesis of pediatric brain cancer. These results provide strong rationale for further investigating the role of protein homeostasis in other pediatric and adult cancer types and potential opportunities for novel therapeutic interference.

Dataset Information

Dysregulated Sonic hedgehog signaling and medulloblastoma consequent to IFN-alpha-stimulated STAT2-independent production of IFN-gamma in the brain.

Publications

Dysregulated Sonic hedgehog signaling and medulloblastoma consequent to IFN-alpha-stimulated STAT2-independent production of IFN-gamma in the brain.

Similar Datasets

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