Mitochondrial E3 ubiquitin ligase MARCHF5 controls BAK function independently of BH3-only proteins
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Intrinsic apoptosis is principally regulated by the BCL-2 family of proteins, but some non-BCL-2 proteins also serve as important regulators. To identify novel apoptosis regulators, we performed a genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 library screen, and it identified the mitochondrial E3 ubiquitin ligase MARCHF5/MITOL/RNF153 as an important regulator of BAK apoptotic function. Deleting MARCHF5 in multiple BAX-deficient cell lines conferred profound resistance to BH3-mimetic drugs. The loss of MARCHF5 or its E3 ubiquitin ligase activity surprisingly drove BAK to adopt an active conformation, with resistance to BH3-mimetics afforded by the formation of inhibitory complexes with pro-survival proteins MCL-1 and BCL-XL. Importantly, these changes to BAK conformation and pro-survival association occurred independently of BH3-only proteins. This study identifies a mechanism by which MARCHF5 regulates apoptotic cell death and provides new insight into how cancer cells respond to BH3-mimetic drugs. These data also highlight the emerging role of ubiquitin signalling in apoptosis that may be exploited therapeutically.
Project description:TP53-mutant blood cancers remain a major clinical challenge. BH3-mimetic drugs inhibit BCL-2 pro-survival proteins to promote cancer cell apoptosis. Despite acting downstream of TP53, functional TP53 is required for maximal cancer cell killing by BH3-mimetics through an unknown mechanism. Here, we report TP53 can be activated following BH3-mimetic induced mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization, which leads to induction of BH3-only proteins, thereby potentiating the pro-apoptotic signal. TP53-deficient lymphomas lack this feed-forward loop, providing opportunities for survival and disease relapse after BH3-mimetic treatment. The therapeutic barrier imposed by defects in TP53 could be overcome by direct activation of the cGAS/STING pathway, which promotes apoptosis of blood cancer cells through TP53-independent BH3-only protein upregulation. Combining clinically relevant STING agonists with BH3-mimetics efficiently killed TP53-mutant mouse B lymphoma, human NK/T lymphoma and acute myeloid leukemia cells. This represents a promising therapy regime that can be fast-tracked to tackle TP53-mutant blood cancers in the clinic.
Project description:BAK and BAX, the effectors of intrinsic apoptosis, undergo major reconfiguration to an activated conformer that self-associates to damage mitochondria and cause cell death. However, the dynamic structural mechanisms that describe this reconfiguration in the presence of a membrane have yet to be fully elucidated. To explore the metamorphosis of membrane-bound BAK, we employed hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) on liposomes comprising mitochondrial lipids. The HDX-MS profile of BAK on a membrane was broadly consistent with the known solution structures of inactive BAK. Following activation, HDX-MS resolved major reconfigurations in BAK. Mutagenesis led by our HDX-MS profiling revealed that the BCL-2 homology (BH) 4 domain maintains BAK in its inactive conformation and disrupting this was sufficient for constitutive BAK activation. Moreover, the entire BAK N-terminus that precedes the BAK oligomerisation domains became disordered post-activation and remained disordered in the activated oligomer. Cleavage of the N-terminus potentiated BAK-mediated membrane permeabilisation on liposomes and mitochondria. Together, HDX-MS reveals new insights into the dynamic nature of BAK activating conformation change in a membrane that will reveal new opportunities for therapeutic targeting.
Project description:BH3 mimetics are increasingly used as anti-cancer therapeutics either alone or in conjunction with other chemotherapies. However, mounting evidence has also demonstrated that BH3 mimetics induce varied amounts of cell death in healthy immune populations. In order to maximize their clinical potential, it is essential to understand how BH3 mimetics affect discrete immune populations and to determine how BH3 mimetic pressure causes immune system adaptation. Here we focus on the BCL-2 specific inhibitor venetoclax (ABT-199) and its effects following short-term and long-term BCL-2 blockade on T cell subsets. Seven day "short-term” ex vivo and in vivo BCL-2 inhibition led to divergent cell death sensitivity patterns in CD8+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, and Tregs resulting in shifting of global T cell populations towards a more memory T cell state with increased expression of BCL-2, BCL-XL, and MCL-1. However, twenty-eight day “long-term” BCL-2 blockade during T cell engraftment following bone marrow transplantation did not lead to changes in the global T cell landscape. Despite the lack of changes in T cell proportions, animals treated with venetoclax developed CD8+ and CD4+ T cells with high levels of BCL-2 and were more resistant to apoptotic stimuli. Further, we demonstrate through RNA profiling that T cells adapt while under BCL-2 blockade post-transplant and develop a more activated genotype. Taken together, these data emphasize the importance of evaluating how BH3 mimetics affect the immune system in different treatment modalities and disease contexts and suggest that venetoclax should be further explored as an immunomodulatory compound.
Project description:Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) transforms into an acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) with associated increased bone marrow blast infiltration. Using a transgenic mouse model, MRP8[NRASD12/hBCL-2], in which the NRAS:BCL-2 complex at the mitochondria induces MDS progressing to AML with dysplastic features, we studied the therapeutic potential of a BCL-2 homology domain 3 (BH3) mimetic inhibitor, ABT-737. Treatment significantly extended lifespan, increased survival of lethally irradiated secondary recipients transplanted with treated cells compared with cells from untreated mice, with a reduction of bone marrow (BM) blasts, LSK and progenitor populations by increased apoptosis of infiltrating blasts of diseased mice assessed in vivo by Tc-99m-labeled Annexin V single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and ex vivo by Annexin V/7AAD flow cytometry, TUNEL, caspase 3 cleavage and re-localization of the NRAS:BCL-2 complex from mitochondria to plasma membrane. Phosphoprotein analysis showed restoration of wild-type AKT, ERK1/2 and MEK patterns in spleen cells after treatment, which show reduced mitochondrial membrane potential. Exon specific gene expression profiling corroborates the reduction of leukemic cells, with an increase in expression of genes coding for stem cell development and maintenance, myeloid differentiation and apoptosis. Myelodysplastic features persist underscoring targeting of BCL-2-mediated effects on MDS-AML transformation and survival of leukemic cells. NRASD12/BCL-2 double transgenic mice were analysed by enriching for primitive Sca1+ cells from splenocytes from untreated and ABT-737 treated mice. RNA was extracted analysed for gene expression profiles using exon specific arrays.
Project description:Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL) are aggressive diseases with poor response to chemotherapy and dismal survival. Identification of effective strategies to target PTCL biology represents an urgent need. Here we report that PTCL are sensitive to transcription-targeting drugs, and, in particular, to THZ1, a covalent inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7). The STAT-signaling pathway is highly vulnerable to THZ1 even in PTCL cells that carry the activating STAT3 mutation Y640F. In mutant cells, CDK7 inhibition decreases STAT3 chromatin binding and expression of highly transcribed target genes like MYC, PIM1, MCL1, CD30, IL2RA, CDC25A and IL4R. In surviving cells, THZ1 decreases the expression of STAT-regulated anti-apoptotic BH3 family members MCL1 and BCL-XL sensitizing PTCL cells to BH3 mimetic drugs. Accordingly, the combination of THZ1 and the BH3 mimetic obatoclax improves lymphoma growth control in a primary PTCL ex vivo culture and in two STAT3-mutant PTCL xenografts, delineating a potential targeted agent-based therapeutic option for these patients.
Project description:RNA expression analysis was performed to compare patterns to sensitivity to BCL2 inhibitors (ABT-263). Overexpression of the prosurvival Bcl-2 family members (Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and Mcl-1) is commonly associated with tumor maintenance, progression and chemoresistance. We previously reported the discovery of ABT-737, a potent, small molecule Bcl-2 family protein inhibitor. A major limitation of ABT-737 is that it is not orally bioavailable. This may limit its use for chronic single agent treatment and the flexibility to dose in combination with parenteral chemotherapy. Here we report the discovery and biological properties of ABT-263, a potent, orally bioavailable Bad-like BH3 mimetic (Kiâ??s of < 1 nM for Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and Bcl-w). The oral bioavailability of ABT-263 in preclinical animal models is 20% - 50%, depending on formulation. ABT-263 disrupts Bcl-2/Bcl-xL interactions with pro-death proteins (e.g., Bim) in cells leading to the initiation of apoptosis within 2 hr post-treatment. In human tumor cells, ABT-263 rapidly induces Bax translocation, cytochrome c release and subsequent programmed cell death. Oral administration of ABT-263 alone induces complete tumor regressions in xenograft models of small cell lung cancer and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. In xenograft models of aggressive B-cell lymphoma and multiple myeloma where ABT-263 exhibits modest or no single agent activity, it significantly enhances the efficacy of clinically relevant therapeutic regimens. These data provide the rationale for clinical trials evaluating ABT-263 in SCLC and B-cell malignancies. The oral efficacy of ABT-263 should provide dosing flexibility to maximize clinical utility as both a single agent and in combination with standard chemotherapeutic regimens. Experiment Overall Design: Naive cell lines were isolated in duplicate or triplicate (only a single for H69AR) to determine RNA expression pattern.
Project description:Intrinsic apoptosis is critical for normal physiology including the prevention of tumor formation. BAX and BAK, which are essential for mediating this process and for the cytotoxic action of many anti-cancer drugs, are thought to be regulated through similar mechanisms and act redundantly to drive apoptosis. Here we have established the various mitochondrial complexes that contain VDAC1, VDAC2, VDAC3 and BAX or BAK.
Project description:Cellular senescence contributes to a variety of pathologies associated with aging and is implicated as a cellular state in which cancer cells can survive treatment. Reported senolytic drug treatments act through varying molecular mechanisms, but heterogeneous efficacy across the diverse contexts of cellular senescence indicates a need for predictive biomarkers of senolytic activity. Using multi-parametric analyses of commonly reported molecular features of the senescent phenotype, we assayed a variety of models, including malignant and nonmalignant cells, using several triggers of senescence induction and found no predictive power of these traditional senescence markers to identify senolytic drug sensitivity. We sought to identify novel drug targets in senescent cells that were insensitive to frequently implemented senolytic therapies, such as Navitoclax (ABT263), using quantitative mass spectrometry to measure changes in the senescent proteome, compared to cells which acquire an acute sensitivity to ABT263 with senescence induction. Inhibition of the antioxidant GPX4 or the Bcl-2 family member MCL-1 using small molecule compounds in combination with ABT263 significantly increased the induction of apoptosis in some, but not all, previously insensitive senescent cells. We then asked if we could use BH3 profiling to measure differences in mitochondrial apoptotic priming in these models of cellular senescence and predict sensitivity to the ABT263 or the combination of dasatinib and quercetin (D+Q). We found, despite being significantly less primed for apoptosis overall, the dependence of senescent mitochondria on BCL-xL was significantly correlated to senescent cell killing by both ABT263 and D+Q, despite no significant changes in the gene or protein expression of BCL-xL. However, our data caution against broad classification of drugs as globally senolytic and instead provide impetus for context-specific senolytic targets and propose BH3 profiling as an effective predictive biomarker.
Project description:Amyloid light chain amyloidosis (AL) is an incurable protein misfolding disorder characterized by the production of amyloidogenic immunoglobulin light chains by clonal populations of plasma cells. These abnormal light chains accumulate as amyloid fibrils in vital organs and cause multi-organ dysfunction that can be rapidly fatal. Current treatment regimens, which include proteasome inhibitors, were developed for the treatment of the more common plasma cell disease multiple myeloma and have demonstrated efficacy in AL amyloidosis. However, use of these agents is frequently limited due to multi-organ dysfunction at presentation, resulting in a median survival of 2-3 years and underscoring the need for novel therapies. By analyzing bone marrow-derived plasma cells from 44 patients with AL amyloidosis, we find that clonal plasma cells are highly primed to undergo apoptosis and exhibit strong dependencies on pro-survival BCL-2 family proteins that can potentially be targeted by recently-developed BH3 mimetics. In particular, we find that clonal plasma cells are highly dependent on the pro-survival MCL-1 and undergo apoptosis in response to single-agent treatment with an MCL-1 inhibitor. Notably, this MCL-1 dependency is indirectly targeted by the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib, which is currently the standard of care for this disease, via the stabilization of Noxa and its direct inhibitory binding to MCL-1. BCL-2 inhibition with the FDA-approved inhibitor venetoclax (ABT-199) sensitizes plasma cells to bortezomib treatment and other front-line therapies, which can be observed in vitro and in vivo. Mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis reveals changes in signaling pathways regulating apoptosis, proliferation and mitochondrial metabolism between isogenic AL amyloidosis and multiple myeloma cells that divergently alter their sensitivity to therapy. Overall, our results indicate that BH3 mimetics may be highly effective therapies for AL amyloidosis that exploit inherent and induced dependencies on pro-survival proteins.
Project description:Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) transforms into an acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) with associated increased bone marrow blast infiltration. Using a transgenic mouse model, MRP8[NRASD12/hBCL-2], in which the NRAS:BCL-2 complex at the mitochondria induces MDS progressing to AML with dysplastic features, we studied the therapeutic potential of a BCL-2 homology domain 3 (BH3) mimetic inhibitor, ABT-737. Treatment significantly extended lifespan, increased survival of lethally irradiated secondary recipients transplanted with treated cells compared with cells from untreated mice, with a reduction of bone marrow (BM) blasts, LSK and progenitor populations by increased apoptosis of infiltrating blasts of diseased mice assessed in vivo by Tc-99m-labeled Annexin V single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and ex vivo by Annexin V/7AAD flow cytometry, TUNEL, caspase 3 cleavage and re-localization of the NRAS:BCL-2 complex from mitochondria to plasma membrane. Phosphoprotein analysis showed restoration of wild-type AKT, ERK1/2 and MEK patterns in spleen cells after treatment, which show reduced mitochondrial membrane potential. Exon specific gene expression profiling corroborates the reduction of leukemic cells, with an increase in expression of genes coding for stem cell development and maintenance, myeloid differentiation and apoptosis. Myelodysplastic features persist underscoring targeting of BCL-2-mediated effects on MDS-AML transformation and survival of leukemic cells.