Project description:Cancer therapy resistance, whether it is pre-existing, emerges after acquiring de novo mutations, or occurs through non-genetic adaptationwhether pre-existing or arising following the acquisition of de novo mutations and via non-genetic adaptation , is stillremains a clinical challenge. Multiple anticancer drugs are thought to cause cell death via increasing mitochondrial ROS which are a bioproduct of oxidative phosphorylation. However, when properly titrated, ROS can also promote cancer cell adaptation. In keeping line with this, upregulation of mitochondrial respiration coupled to high ROS-scavenging capacity is a characteristic shared by drug-tolerant cells in several cancers. Translational fidelity in the mitochondria and in the cytosol is essential for cell fitness and thus oxidative damage to the ribosomes should be prevented at all costs. While mechanisms for recognizing and repairing such damage exist in the cytoplasm, the status within mitochondria remains unclear. By performing ascorbate peroxidase (APEX)-proximity ligation assay directed to the mitochondrial matrix followed by isolation and sequencing of RNA associated to mitochondrial proteins, we identified the nuclear encoded lncRNA ROSALIND as a interacting partner of ribosomes. ROSALIND is upregulated in recurrent tumours and its expression can discriminate between responders and non-responders to immune checkpoint blockade in a melanoma cohort of patients. Featuring an unusually high G content, ROSALIND serves as a substrate for oxidation. Consequently, inhibiting ROSALIND leads to an increase in ROS and protein oxidation, resulting in severe mitochondrial respiration defects. This, in turn, impairs melanoma cell viability and immunogenicity both in vitro and ex vivo in preclinical humanized cancer models. These findings underscore the role of ROSALIND as a novel ROS buffering system, safeguarding mitochondrial translation from oxidative stress, and shed light on potential therapeutic strategies for overcoming cancer therapy resistance.
Project description:Cancer therapy resistance, whether pre-existing or arising upon acquisition of de novo mutations and via non-genetic adaptation, is still a clinical challenge. Multiple anticancer drugs are thought to cause cell death via increasing mitochondrial ROS which are a bioproduct of oxidative phosphorylation. However, when properly titrated, ROS can also promote cancer cell adaptation. In keeping with this, upregulation of mitochondrial respiration coupled with high ROS-scavenging capacity is a characteristic shared by drug-tolerant cells in several cancers. Translational fidelity in the mitochondria and in the cytosol is essential for cell fitness and thus oxidative damage to the ribosomes should be prevented at all costs. While mechanisms for recognizing and repairing such damage exist in the cytoplasm, the status within mitochondria remains unclear. By performing Ascorbate PEroXidase (APEX)-proximity ligation assay directed to the mitochondrial matrix followed by isolation and sequencing of RNA associated to mitochondrial proteins, we identified the nuclear-encoded lncRNA ROSALIND as an interacting partner of ribosomes. ROSALIND is upregulated in recurrent tumours and its expression can discriminate between responders and non-responders to immune checkpoint blockade in a melanoma cohort of patients. Featuring an unusually high G content, ROSALIND serves as a substrate for oxidation. Consequently, inhibiting ROSALIND leads to an increase in ROS and protein oxidation, resulting in severe mitochondrial respiration defects. This, in turn, impairs melanoma cell viability and increases immunogenicity both in vitro and ex vivo in preclinical humanized cancer models. These findings underscore the role of ROSALIND as a novel ROS buffering system, safeguarding mitochondrial translation from oxidative stress, and shed light on potential therapeutic strategies for overcoming cancer therapy resistance.
Project description:Engrailed homeoproteins are expressed in adult dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra. In Engrailed1 heterozygous mice, these neurons start dying at 6 weeks, are more sensitive to oxidative stress and progressively develop traits similar to those observed following an acute and strong oxidative stress inflected to wild-type neurons. These changes include DNA strand breaks and the modification (intensity and distribution) of several nuclear and nucleolar heterochromatin marks. Engrailed1 and Engrailed2 are biochemically equivalent transducing proteins previously used to antagonize dopaminergic neuron death in Engrailed heterozygous mice and in mouse models of Parkinson disease. Accordingly, we show that, following an acute oxidative stress, a single Engrailed2 injection restores all nuclear and nucleolar heterochromatin marks, decreases the number of DNA strand breaks and protects dopaminergic neurons against apoptosis. RNA-seq data for differentially expressed genes in the SNpc of En1+/- mice, En2 infused mice and 6-OHDA/En2 injection experiments.
Project description:With the increase of atmospheric oxygen 2.3 billion years ago, mechanisms evolved to mitigate the toxic effects of oxygen radicals. Telomeres appear particularly susceptible to oxidative damage, which leads to cellular and organismal aging, cancer, cardiac failure and other diseases. Specific mechanisms of telomere protection from oxidative damage and the molecular consequences of the damage have not been described. Here, we identify the antioxidant enzyme peroxiredoxin 1 (PRDX1) enriched in telomeric chromatin in S and G2 phases of the cell cycle during which telomeres become replicated. PRDX1 depletion leads to oxidative damage of telomeric DNA without affecting the bulk of genomic DNA. The oxidized nucleotide 8-oxo-2’deoxyguanosine-5’-triphosphate (8oxodGTP) can be incorporated by telomerase into telomeric repeats but it mediates premature chain termination when incorporated as first G in the telomeric 5’-TTAGGG-3’ sequence. In dependency of the alignment position within the telomerase RNA template, terminus 8oxoG containing DNA substrates also completely block extension by telomerase. We propose two major mechanisms by which PRDX1 counteracts telomere damage and aging. In safeguarding telomeres from oxygen radicals, PRDX1 prevents DNA damage, telomere replication defects and mutations that will perturb recognition of telomeric DNA by shelterin components. In preventing modification of the telomeric DNA substrate and the dNTP pool, PRDX1 preserves telomeres for elongation by telomerase.
Project description:Engrailed homeoproteins are expressed in adult dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra. In Engrailed1 heterozygous mice, these neurons start dying at 6 weeks, are more sensitive to oxidative stress and progressively develop traits similar to those observed following an acute and strong oxidative stress inflected to wild-type neurons. These changes include DNA strand breaks and the modification (intensity and distribution) of several nuclear and nucleolar heterochromatin marks. Engrailed1 and Engrailed2 are biochemically equivalent transducing proteins previously used to antagonize dopaminergic neuron death in Engrailed heterozygous mice and in mouse models of Parkinson disease. Accordingly, we show that, following an acute oxidative stress, a single Engrailed2 injection restores all nuclear and nucleolar heterochromatin marks, decreases the number of DNA strand breaks and protects dopaminergic neurons against apoptosis.
Project description:In this study, we show that pediatric T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) has an alternative mechanism for aberrant splicing that involves post-translational regulation of the splicing machinery via deubiquitination.
Project description:In this study, we show that pediatric T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) has an alternative mechanism for aberrant splicing that involves post-translational regulation of the splicing machinery via deubiquitination.
Project description:In this study, we show that pediatric T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) has an alternative mechanism for aberrant splicing that involves post-translational regulation of the splicing machinery via deubiquitination.