Glypicans shield the Wnt lipid moiety to enable signalling at a distance.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: McGough IJ
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7610841 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Hypothesis and proof of concept:
Our hypothesis is that increase in cellular iron import proteins (TfR1, DMT1) occur early in the adenoma-carcinoma sequence through mutations in APC and lead to cellular iron loading. As demonstrated in our previous work the effects of this iron loading is to mediate increased Wnt signalling resulting in c-myc induction. This in turn serves to increase the expression of iron import proteins (TfR1, DMT1) and decrease the expression of iron export (ferroportin [FPN]) and storage (ferritin) proteins. Such a hypothesis explains how Wnt signalling controls iron metabolism and ensures that there is adequate cellular iron for ATP generation and cellular proliferation.
Experimental design:
To test such a hypothesis we aim to prospectively collect the following colorectal tissue from patients attending for colonoscopy:
1. Normal colonic mucosa in patients with no colorectal pathology (n = 30)
2. Polyps and matched normal colon (n = 30)
3. Colorectal cancers and matched normal colon (n = 30)
We also intend to collect serum and urine from the following patient groups:
4. Normal colonoscopy (n = 30)
5. Colorectal adenomas (n = 30)
6. Colorectal cancers (n = 30)
Primary outcome(s): Measured at baseline, using the expression of proteins in the tissue and serum to detect the cellular and systemic iron transport proteins. The techniques used will include mass spectrometry, western blotting, real time PCR and immunohistochemistry.
| 2416626 | ecrin-mdr-crc
Project description:Wnt proteins are lipid-modified glycoproteins that have important roles in development, adult tissue homeostasis and disease. Secretion of Wnt proteins from producing cells is mediated by the Wnt-binding protein MIG-14/Wls, which binds Wnt in the Golgi network and transports it to the cell surface for release. It has recently been shown that recycling of MIG-14/Wls from the plasma membrane to the trans-Golgi network is required for efficient Wnt secretion, but the mechanism of this retrograde transport pathway is still poorly understood. In this study, we report the identification of MTM-6 and MTM-9 as novel regulators of MIG-14/Wls trafficking in Caenorhabditis elegans. MTM-6 and MTM-9 are myotubularin lipid phosphatases that function as a complex to dephosphorylate phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate, a central regulator of endosomal trafficking. We show that mutation of mtm-6 or mtm-9 leads to defects in several Wnt-dependent processes and demonstrate that MTM-6 is required in Wnt-producing cells as part of the MIG-14/Wls-recycling pathway. This function is evolutionarily conserved, as the MTM-6 orthologue DMtm6 is required for Wls stability and Wg secretion in Drosophila. We conclude that regulation of endosomal trafficking by the MTM-6/MTM-9 myotubularin complex is required for the retromer-dependent recycling of MIG-14/Wls and Wnt secretion.
| S-EPMC3018790 | biostudies-literature
Project description:SummaryGlypicans are heparan sulfate proteoglycans that are bound to the outer surface of the plasma membrane by a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol anchor. Homologs of glypicans are found throughout the Eumetazoa. There are six family members in mammals (GPC1 to GPC6). Glypicans can be released from the cell surface by a lipase called Notum, and most of them are subjected to endoproteolytic cleavage by furin-like convertases. In vivo evidence published so far indicates that the main function of membrane-attached glypicans is to regulate the signaling of Wnts, Hedgehogs, fibroblast growth factors and bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs). Depending on the context, glypicans may have a stimulatory or inhibitory activity on signaling. In the case of Wnt, it has been proposed that the stimulatory mechanism is based on the ability of glypicans to facilitate and/or stabilize the interaction of Wnts with their signaling receptors, the Frizzled proteins. On the other hand, GPC3 has recently been reported to inhibit Hedgehog protein signaling during development by competing with Patched, the Hedgehog receptor, for Hedgehog binding. Surprisingly, the regulatory activity of glypicans in the Wnt, Hedgehog and BMP signaling pathways is only partially dependent on the heparan sulfate chains.
| S-EPMC2441458 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Wnt proteins control diverse biological processes through ?-catenin-dependent canonical signalling and ?-catenin-independent non-canonical signalling. The mechanisms by which these signalling pathways are differentially triggered and controlled are not fully understood. Dishevelled (Dvl) is a scaffold protein that serves as the branch point of these pathways. Here, we show that cholesterol selectively activates canonical Wnt signalling over non-canonical signalling under physiological conditions by specifically facilitating the membrane recruitment of the PDZ domain of Dvl and its interaction with other proteins. Single-molecule imaging analysis shows that cholesterol is enriched around the Wnt-activated Frizzled and low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5/6 receptors and plays an essential role for Dvl-mediated formation and maintenance of the canonical Wnt signalling complex. Collectively, our results suggest a new regulatory role of cholesterol in Wnt signalling and a potential link between cellular cholesterol levels and the balance between canonical and non-canonical Wnt signalling activities.
| S-EPMC4100210 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Proper assignment of cellular fates relies on correct interpretation of Wnt and Hedgehog (Hh) signals. Members of the Wnt Inhibitory Factor-1 (WIF1) family are secreted modulators of these extracellular signaling pathways. Vertebrate WIF1 binds Wnts and inhibits their signaling, but its Drosophila melanogaster ortholog Shifted (Shf) binds Hh and extends the range of Hh activity in the developing D. melanogaster wing. Shf activity is thought to depend on reinforcing interactions between Hh and glypican HSPGs. Using zebrafish embryos and the heterologous system provided by D. melanogaster wing, we report on the contribution of glypican HSPGs to the Wnt-inhibiting activity of zebrafish Wif1 and on the protein domains responsible for the differences in Wif1 and Shf specificity. We show that Wif1 strengthens interactions between Wnt and glypicans, modulating the biphasic action of glypicans towards Wnt inhibition; conversely, glypicans and the glypican-binding "EGF-like" domains of Wif1 are required for Wif1's full Wnt-inhibiting activity. Chimeric constructs between Wif1 and Shf were used to investigate their specificities for Wnt and Hh signaling. Full Wnt inhibition required the "WIF" domain of Wif1, and the HSPG-binding EGF-like domains of either Wif1 or Shf. Full promotion of Hh signaling requires both the EGF-like domains of Shf and the WIF domains of either Wif1 or Shf. That the Wif1 WIF domain can increase the Hh promoting activity of Shf's EGF domains suggests it is capable of interacting with Hh. In fact, full-length Wif1 affected distribution and signaling of Hh in D. melanogaster, albeit weakly, suggesting a possible role for Wif1 as a modulator of vertebrate Hh signaling.
| S-EPMC3285576 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The aim of this work was to search for the biological function of protein isoprenylation. For this purpose, peptides were synthesized and, by using a convenient protocol, were farnesylated or geranylated at the thiol group of the C-terminal cysteine. The interaction of these peptides with photoactivated rhodopsin (Rho*, which is functionally equivalent to metarhodopsin II) was studied with the use of sheep rod outer segments. The sheep rod outer segments, although chosen because of the unavailability of bovine material in the U.K., had favourable optical properties for the direct determination of spectral changes in membrane suspensions. At 20 degrees C and pH 8.0, the t((1/2)) of the conversion of metarhodopsin II (Meta II) (lambda(max) 389 nm) into Meta III (lambda(max) 463 nm) was 3.2 min (less than 1.5 min at 37 degrees C). The t((1/2)) was unaltered in the presence of non-farnesyl peptides but increased by approx. 20% with farnesyl-N-acetylcysteine, by approx. 60% with farnesyl peptide containing residues 544-558 of rhodopsin kinase and by approx. 140% with farnesyl peptide corresponding to residues 60-71 of the gamma-subunit of visual transducin. The effect of various peptides on the activities of bovine and sheep rhodopsin kinase was also studied. In this assay the non-farnesyl peptides and common detergents were found to be inactive; however, all the farnesyl peptides inhibited the activity to various extents. Cumulatively, the results show that, whereas the farnesyl peptides as well as a number of membrane-disrupting detergents affected the conversion from Meta II into Meta III, the inhibition of the activity of rhodopsin kinase was achieved only by the farnesyl peptides. The results are interpreted as showing that Meta II possesses a binding site for the recognition of the farnesyl group that can be used either by the farnesyl moiety of rhodopsin kinase or transducin to make the initial encounter, which can then develop into multivalent interactions characterized by the structure, and the desired function, of each protein.
| S-EPMC1220944 | biostudies-other
Project description:Wnt proteins modulate cell proliferation and differentiation and the self-renewal of stem cells by inducing ?-catenin-dependent signalling through the Wnt receptor frizzled (FZD) and the co-receptors LRP5 and LRP6 to regulate cell fate decisions and the growth and repair of several tissues. The 19 mammalian Wnt proteins are cross-reactive with the 10 FZD receptors, and this has complicated the attribution of distinct biological functions to specific FZD and Wnt subtype interactions. Furthermore, Wnt proteins are modified post-translationally by palmitoylation, which is essential for their secretion, function and interaction with FZD receptors. As a result of their acylation, Wnt proteins are very hydrophobic and require detergents for purification, which presents major obstacles to the preparation and application of recombinant Wnt proteins. This hydrophobicity has hindered the determination of the molecular mechanisms of Wnt signalling activation and the functional importance of FZD subtypes, and the use of Wnt proteins as therapeutic agents. Here we develop surrogate Wnt agonists, water-soluble FZD-LRP5/LRP6 heterodimerizers, with FZD5/FZD8-specific and broadly FZD-reactive binding domains. Similar to WNT3A, these Wnt agonists elicit a characteristic ?-catenin signalling response in a FZD-selective fashion, enhance the osteogenic lineage commitment of primary mouse and human mesenchymal stem cells, and support the growth of a broad range of primary human organoid cultures. In addition, the surrogates can be systemically expressed and exhibit Wnt activity in vivo in the mouse liver, regulating metabolic liver zonation and promoting hepatocyte proliferation, resulting in hepatomegaly. These surrogates demonstrate that canonical Wnt signalling can be activated by bi-specific ligands that induce receptor heterodimerization. Furthermore, these easily produced, non-lipidated Wnt surrogate agonists facilitate functional studies of Wnt signalling and the exploration of Wnt agonists for translational applications in regenerative medicine.
| S-EPMC5815871 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Canonical Wnt signalling plays an important role in development, tissue homeostasis, and cancer. At the cellular level, canonical Wnt signalling acts by regulating cell fate, cell growth, and cell proliferation. With regard to proliferation, there is increasing evidence for a complex interaction between canonical Wnt signalling and the cell cycle. Mitogenic Wnt signalling regulates cell proliferation by promoting G1 phase. In mitosis, components of the Wnt signalling cascade function directly in spindle formation. Moreover, Wnt signalling is strongly activated in mitosis, suggesting that 'mitotic Wnt signalling' plays an important role to orchestrate a cell division program. Here, we review the complex interplay between Wnt signalling and the cell cycle.
| S-EPMC3380213 | biostudies-other
Project description:Aberrant regulation of the Wnt signalling pathway has emerged as a prevalent theme in cancer biology. This chapter summarizes the research that provides a proof of concept for inhibiting Wnt signalling in cancer, the potential means by which this could be achieved, and some recent advances towards this goal. A brief discussion of molecular diagnostics and possible safety concerns is also provided.
| S-EPMC3380214 | biostudies-other
Project description:Glypicans are a group of cell-surface glycoproteins in which heparan sulfate (HS) glycosaminoglycan chains are covalently linked to a protein core. The glypican gene family is broadly conserved across animal species and plays important roles in biological processes. Glypicans can function as coreceptors for multiple signaling molecules known for regulating cell growth, motility, and differentiation. Some members of the glypican family, including glypican 2 (GPC2) and glypican 3 (GPC3), are expressed in childhood cancers and liver cancers, respectively. Antibody-based therapies targeting glypicans are being investigated in preclinical and clinical studies, with the goal of treating solid tumors that do not respond to standard therapies. These studies may establish glypicans as a new class of therapeutic targets for treating cancer.
| S-EPMC6209326 | biostudies-literature