Project description:BACKGROUND & AIMS: C/EBPbeta is involved in numerous process as carcinogenesis but its role is still not clear due to the existence of an active form (LAP) and an inhibitory form (LIP) of this transcription factor. The main goals of the present research were (i) the identification of genes inversely regulated by LAP and LIP i-e the genuine C/EBPbeta molecular signature in the Hep3B human hepatoma cell line (ii) a better understanding of LAP and LIP respective role in hepatic cells survival and proliferation (iii) the search of the C/EBPbeta signature among hepatocellular carcinomas. METHODS: Using Tet-off expression system we engineered Hep3BLAP and Hep3BLIP cells, in which LAP and LIP were over-expressed respectively. Then, using both expression profiling (DNA arrays) and ChIP-on-chip analysis, we identified genes inversely and/or directly regulated by each of the C/EBPbeta isoforms. The expression levels of these genes regulated by LAP/LIP were compared in controls and HCCs patients. RESULTS: We identified 676 genes inversely regulated by LAP and LIP and among these, 45 are direct targets. Using functional studies, we displayed the opposite role of LAP and LIP in staurosporine-induced cell death and the implication of LAP in the repression of Hep3B cells proliferation. Finally we identified a subgroup of HCCs with a deregulation of 165 genes belonging to C/EBPbeta signature and coding for proteins involved in chemoresistance and metastasis formation. CONCLUSIONS: Our study increases knowledge on LAP and LIP functions and provides first evidence that their molecular signature in the HCCs could predict tumor evolution.
Project description:BACKGROUND & AIMS: C/EBPbeta is involved in numerous process as carcinogenesis but its role is still not clear due to the existence of an active form (LAP) and an inhibitory form (LIP) of this transcription factor. The main goals of the present research were (i) the identification of genes inversely regulated by LAP and LIP i-e the genuine C/EBPbeta molecular signature in the Hep3B human hepatoma cell line (ii) a better understanding of LAP and LIP respective role in hepatic cells survival and proliferation (iii) the search of the C/EBPbeta signature among hepatocellular carcinomas. METHODS: Using Tet-off expression system we engineered Hep3BLAP and Hep3BLIP cells, in which LAP and LIP were over-expressed respectively. Then, using both expression profiling (DNA arrays) and ChIP-on-chip analysis, we identified genes inversely and/or directly regulated by each of the C/EBPbeta isoforms. The expression levels of these genes regulated by LAP/LIP were compared in controls and HCCs patients. RESULTS: We identified 676 genes inversely regulated by LAP and LIP and among these, 45 are direct targets. Using functional studies, we displayed the opposite role of LAP and LIP in staurosporine-induced cell death and the implication of LAP in the repression of Hep3B cells proliferation. Finally we identified a subgroup of HCCs with a deregulation of 165 genes belonging to C/EBPbeta signature and coding for proteins involved in chemoresistance and metastasis formation. CONCLUSIONS: Our study increases knowledge on LAP and LIP functions and provides first evidence that their molecular signature in the HCCs could predict tumor evolution. Total genomic DNA were extracted from 3 Hep3BLAP expressing LAP and were labelled Cy3 fluorochrome. Genomic DNA were extracted from 3 Hep3BLAP expressing LAP, were immunoprecipited with anti-CEBPbeta antibody and were labelled with Cy5 fluorochrome. Each sample was hybridized on an Agilent two-color microarray G4489A (Human Promoter ChIP-on-Chip Set 244K).
Project description:C/EBPβ plays a major role in numerous biological processes but unfortunately its precise role is not still clear and conflicting studies showed that this transcription factor could have contradictory functions. These latter arise from the complexity of mechanisms regulating C/EBPβ activity. Indeed, C/EBPβ encodes an intronless gene that generates a single mRNA that is alternatively translated into two major isoforms of 35kDa (liver-enriched activator protein: LAP) and 20kDa (liver-enriched inhibitory protein: LIP). LAP is the active isoform of this transcription factor whereas LIP, a truncated isoform negatively regulate C/EBPβ-LAP-mediated gene expression. The main goal of our research was to understand how LAP and LIP isoforms governe C/EBPβ cellular functions with the identification of new genes and pathways regulated by these isoforms in the human Hep3B hepatoma cell line. For this purpose an original in vitro system characterized by a target genes induction with the activatory C/EBPß isoform LAP and a target genes repression with the inhibitory C/EBPß isoform (LIP) was used to identify the genuine C/EBPβ molecular signature. Using a cDNA microarray which provides a complete coverage of the liver transcriptome, we identified 676 genes inversely regulated by LAP and LIP. These selected genes are involved in many biological processes as the hepatic metabolism (cholesterol), detoxification, induction of apoptosis and negative regulation of the cell proliferation. According to the involvement of C/EBPβ in hepatic carcinogenesis we focused on cell cycle regulation and apoptosis. Through functional studies, we proved for the first time that LIP plays in favor of the survival of the Hep3B cells whereas LAP makes the cells more sensitive to staurosporine-induced cell death. Moreover, a lot of studies demonstrated that the anti-proliferative action of C/EBPβ mainly depends on RB protein. By studying the rate of Hep3B cells proliferation which overexpress LAP, we brought to the fore that this isoform would be able to induce a repression of the Hep3B cells line proliferation - a RB- and p53- negative cell line. Thus, LAP seems able to induce the repression of proliferation by a different metabolic way from the RB one. Keywords: comparison of cells expressing LAP or LIP RNA were extracted from 5 Hep3BLAPexpressing LAP, 5 Hep3BLAP control without expression of LAP, 5 Hep3BLIP expressing LIP and 5 Hep3BLIP control without epression of LIP. Each sample was hybridized once in 5 different nylon membranes.
Project description:C/EBPβ plays a major role in numerous biological processes but unfortunately its precise role is not still clear and conflicting studies showed that this transcription factor could have contradictory functions. These latter arise from the complexity of mechanisms regulating C/EBPβ activity. Indeed, C/EBPβ encodes an intronless gene that generates a single mRNA that is alternatively translated into two major isoforms of 35kDa (liver-enriched activator protein: LAP) and 20kDa (liver-enriched inhibitory protein: LIP). LAP is the active isoform of this transcription factor whereas LIP, a truncated isoform negatively regulate C/EBPβ-LAP-mediated gene expression. The main goal of our research was to understand how LAP and LIP isoforms governe C/EBPβ cellular functions with the identification of new genes and pathways regulated by these isoforms in the human Hep3B hepatoma cell line. For this purpose an original in vitro system characterized by a target genes induction with the activatory C/EBPß isoform LAP and a target genes repression with the inhibitory C/EBPß isoform (LIP) was used to identify the genuine C/EBPβ molecular signature. Using a cDNA microarray which provides a complete coverage of the liver transcriptome, we identified 676 genes inversely regulated by LAP and LIP. These selected genes are involved in many biological processes as the hepatic metabolism (cholesterol), detoxification, induction of apoptosis and negative regulation of the cell proliferation. According to the involvement of C/EBPβ in hepatic carcinogenesis we focused on cell cycle regulation and apoptosis. Through functional studies, we proved for the first time that LIP plays in favor of the survival of the Hep3B cells whereas LAP makes the cells more sensitive to staurosporine-induced cell death. Moreover, a lot of studies demonstrated that the anti-proliferative action of C/EBPβ mainly depends on RB protein. By studying the rate of Hep3B cells proliferation which overexpress LAP, we brought to the fore that this isoform would be able to induce a repression of the Hep3B cells line proliferation - a RB- and p53- negative cell line. Thus, LAP seems able to induce the repression of proliferation by a different metabolic way from the RB one. Keywords: comparison of cells expressing LAP or LIP
Project description:Activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in cancers can occur through loss of PTEN. Transcriptional profiling of pathway inhibitors identified the tumor suppressor RhoB as a gene markedly upregulated by lipid-based Akt inhibitors (LBAI). Here, we demonstrate that the C/EBPbeta full-length isoform LAP is responsible for transcriptional induction through its binding site within the RhoB proximal promoter. LBAI strongly transactivate RhoB by switching translation of C/EBPbeta from the truncated isoform LIP to LAP via PACT-mediated PKR activation in cancer cells with high Akt activity. Unlike PTEN commonly mutated, endogenous RhoB tumor-suppressive activity can be reconstituted by restoring its expression, which was noninvasively monitored by a RhoB promoter-driven luciferase reporter in living mice. LBAI administration increased luciferase activity and decreased the growth of human tumor xenografts. Increased PKR activation by LBAI leads to more robust RhoB induction and cytotoxicity than other PI3K/Akt/mTOR axis inhibitors, revealing a novel strategy for cancer therapy.
Project description:Activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in cancers can occur through loss of PTEN. Transcriptional profiling of pathway inhibitors identified the tumor suppressor RhoB as a gene markedly upregulated by lipid-based Akt inhibitors (LBAI). Here, we demonstrate that the C/EBPbeta full-length isoform LAP is responsible for transcriptional induction through its binding site within the RhoB proximal promoter. LBAI strongly transactivate RhoB by switching translation of C/EBPbeta from the truncated isoform LIP to LAP via PACT-mediated PKR activation in cancer cells with high Akt activity. Unlike PTEN commonly mutated, endogenous RhoB tumor-suppressive activity can be reconstituted by restoring its expression, which was noninvasively monitored by a RhoB promoter-driven luciferase reporter in living mice. LBAI administration increased luciferase activity and decreased the growth of human tumor xenografts. Increased PKR activation by LBAI leads to more robust RhoB induction and cytotoxicity than other PI3K/Akt/mTOR axis inhibitors, revealing a novel strategy for cancer therapy. H157 cells were plated 2 x 10^6 in T-75 flasks in RPMI 1640 containing 10% FBS and incubated for 24h. The medium was then changed to RPMI 1640 with 0.1% FBS and the cells were incubated overnight. The following morning, cells were treated with 10 microM of LY294002, OSU03012, PIA23, Perifosine, Miltefosine, API-2, DZ-50, or 100 nM of Wortmannin and Rapamycin for 6 hours, or an equal amount of DMSO as control. Following incubation, total RNA was extracted from cells in T-75 flasks using TRIzol reagent (Invitrogen). Two dye-swapped replicates were performed for each treatment.
Project description:Two long and one truncated isoforms (termed LAP*, LAP, and LIP, respectively) of the transcription factor CCAAT enhancer binding protein beta (C/EBPβ) are expressed from a single intronless Cebpb gene by alternative translation initiation. Isoform expression is sensitive to mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)-mediated activation of the translation initiation machinery and relayed through an upstream open reading frame (uORF) on the C/EBPβ mRNA. The truncated C/EBPβ LIP, initiated by high mTOR activity, has been implied in neoplasia, but it was never shown whether endogenous C/EBPβ LIP may function as an oncogene. In this study, we examined spontaneous tumor formation in C/EBPβ knockin mice that constitutively express only the C/EBPβ LIP isoform from its own locus. Our data show that deregulated C/EBPβ LIP predisposes to oncogenesis in many tissues. Gene expression profiling suggests that C/EBPβ LIP supports a protumorigenic microenvironment, resistance to apoptosis, and alteration of cytokine/chemokine expression. The results imply that enhanced translation reinitiation of C/ EBPβ LIP promotes tumorigenesis. Accordingly, pharmacological restriction of mTOR function might be a therapeutic option in tumorigenesis that involves enhanced expression of the truncated C/EBPβ LIP isoform.
Project description:Two long and one truncated isoforms (termed LAP*, LAP, and LIP, respectively) of the transcription factor CCAAT enhancer binding protein beta (C/EBPM-NM-2) are expressed from a single intronless Cebpb gene by alternative translation initiation. Isoform expression is sensitive to mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)-mediated activation of the translation initiation machinery and relayed through an upstream open reading frame (uORF) on the C/EBPM-NM-2 mRNA. The truncated C/EBPM-NM-2 LIP, initiated by high mTOR activity, has been implied in neoplasia, but it was never shown whether endogenous C/EBPM-NM-2 LIP may function as an oncogene. In this study, we examined spontaneous tumor formation in C/EBPM-NM-2 knockin mice that constitutively express only the C/EBPM-NM-2 LIP isoform from its own locus. Our data show that deregulated C/EBPM-NM-2 LIP predisposes to oncogenesis in many tissues. Gene expression profiling suggests that C/EBPM-NM-2 LIP supports a protumorigenic microenvironment, resistance to apoptosis, and alteration of cytokine/chemokine expression. The results imply that enhanced translation reinitiation of C/ EBPM-NM-2 LIP promotes tumorigenesis. Accordingly, pharmacological restriction of mTOR function might be a therapeutic option in tumorigenesis that involves enhanced expression of the truncated C/EBPM-NM-2 LIP isoform. A cohort of C/EBPb LIP heterozygous (+/L) and wild type (+/+) mice were kept over 25 months and animals showing palpable lymphoma were sacrificed. The lymphoma developed spontaneously. For each genotype, 5 lymphoma were used for RNA preparation and gene expression profiling analysis.
Project description:The RNA binding protein Lin28b is highly expressed during embryogenesis but its expression declines in adult tissues, and aberrant expression of Lin28b is associated with tumour development and maintenance. Lin28b regulates the translation of several glycolytic and mitochondrial enzymes in order to enhance cellular metabolism and energy production. Lin28b is repressed by let-7 family microRNAs in a reciprocal negative regulatory circuitry where Lin28b suppresses maturation of let-7. This circuitry obtains input from master regulators such as MYC that transcriptionally upregulates Lin28b, which is required for let-7 suppression and proliferation. Not much is known of how this circuitry is regulated through transcription of the let-7 microRNAs. Here we show that the transcription factor C/EBPbeta-LIP induces aerobic glycolysis and mitochondrial respiration reminiscent to cancer cell metabolism. By integrating transcriptome, proteome and metabolic flux analysis, we reveal that this LIP-induced metabolic reprogramming is dependent on Lin28b and that LIP enhances Lin28b expression through transcriptional repression of the let-7 microRNA family. Transgenic mice overexpressing LIP have reduced levels of let-7 in bone marrow, skin and spleen, which is associated with induction of Lin28b and hyperplasia. This study establishes LIP as a regulator of the let-7/Lin28b regulatory circuitry and we hypothesize that the LIP-controlled let-7/Lin28b regulation is involved in the de-regulation of tissue homeostasis and tumourigenesis.