Project description:To investigate the genes that are modulated by acidic extracellular pH, we treated the mouse B16-BL6 cells with acidic medium and then analyzed them comprehensively by cDNA microarray.
Project description:The purpose of this study was to examine how Mtb integrates acidic pH and available carbon sources as environmental cues to regulate its metabolism and growth rate. RNA-seq transcriptional profiling of M. tuberculosis growing at acidic or neutral pH, in pyruvate or glycerol, was examined. These studies identified carbon source-dependent and -independent pH-dependent adaptations.
Project description:Cytokines interact with their receptors in the extracellular space to control immune responses. How the physicochemical properties of the extracellular space influence cytokine signaling is incompletely elucidated. Here, we show that the activity of interleukin (IL)-2, a critical cytokine in T cell immunity, is profoundly affected by pH, limiting IL-2 signaling within the acidic environment of tumors. Generation of lactic acid by tumors limits STAT5 activation, effector differentiation and anti-tumor immunity by CD8+ T cells and renders high-dose IL-2 therapy poorly effective. Directed evolution enabled selection of a pH-selective IL-2 mutein (Switch-2). Switch-2 binds the IL-2 receptor subunit IL-2Ra with higher affinity, triggers STAT5 activation and drives CD8+ T cell effector function more potently at acidic pH than at neutral pH. Consequently, high-dose Switch-2 therapy induces potent immune activation and tumor rejection with reduced on-target toxicity in normal tissues. Finally, we find that sensitivity to pH is a generalizable property of a diverse range of cytokines with broad relevance to immunity and immunotherapy in healthy and diseased tissues.
Project description:Cytokines interact with their receptors in the extracellular space to control immune responses. How the physicochemical properties of the extracellular space influence cytokine signaling is incompletely elucidated. Here, we show that the activity of interleukin (IL)-2, a critical cytokine in T cell immunity, is profoundly affected by pH, limiting IL-2 signaling within the acidic environment of tumors. Generation of lactic acid by tumors limits STAT5 activation, effector differentiation and anti-tumor immunity by CD8+ T cells and renders high-dose IL-2 therapy poorly effective. Directed evolution enabled selection of a pH-selective IL-2 mutein (Switch-2). Switch-2 binds the IL-2 receptor subunit IL-2Ra with higher affinity, triggers STAT5 activation and drives CD8+ T cell effector function more potently at acidic pH than at neutral pH. Consequently, high-dose Switch-2 therapy induces potent immune activation and tumor rejection with reduced on-target toxicity in normal tissues. Finally, we find that sensitivity to pH is a generalizable property of a diverse range of cytokines with broad relevance to immunity and immunotherapy in healthy and diseased tissues.
Project description:The conditions of the tumor microenvironment, such as hypoxia and nutrient starvation, play critical roles in cancer progression. However, the role of acidic extracellular pH in cancer progression is not studied as extensively as that of hypoxia. Here, we show that extracellular acidic pH (pH 6.8) triggered activation of sterol regulatory element-binding protein 2 (SREBP2) by stimulating nuclear translocation and promoter binding to its targets along with intracellular acidification. Interestingly, inhibition of SREBP2, but not SREBP1, suppressed the upregulation of low pH-induced cholesterol biosynthesis-related genes. Moreover, acyl-CoA synthetase short-chain family member 2 (ACSS2), a direct SREBP2 target, provided a growth advantage to cancer cells under acidic pH. Furthermore, acidic pH-responsive SREBP2 target genes were associated with reduced overall survival of cancer patients. Thus, our findings show that SREBP2 is a key transcriptional regulator of metabolic genes and progression of cancer cells, partly in response to extracellular acidification.
Project description:To investigate the function of Rfg1 in sensing acidic pH and regulating filamentation in C. albicans, we performed the global gene expression profile analysis of WT and rfg1/rfg1 mutant.We reveal that Rfg1 is an essential acidic pH sensor in C. albicans. Rfg1 regulates filamentous growth in acidic pH condition via co-regulation of Rim101-Phr1 pathway, cAMP signaling pathway,and the transcription factors Bcr1, Efg1, Flo8, and Hgc1.
Project description:The purpose of this study was to examine how Mtb integrates acidic pH and available carbon sources as environmental cues to regulate its metabolism and growth rate. RNA-seq transcriptional profiling of M. tuberculosis growing at acidic or neutral pH, in pyruvate or glycerol, was examined. These studies identified carbon source-dependent and -independent pH-dependent adaptations. Mtb strain CDC1551 was grown in standing T-75 flasks in 40 mL of medium seeded an initial OD of 0.1. We examined medium in four conditions pH 7.0 10 mM glycerol, pH 5.7 10 mM glycerol, pH 7.0 10 mM pyruvate, pH 5.7 10 mM pyruvate. Following 3 days of incubation at 37C, RNA was isolated from the bacterial cultures and used for RNA-seq.
Project description:The purpose of this study was to identify genes that are differentially expressed upon prrA overexpression, to reveal the impact of PrrA on global transcription in acidic pH and/or high chloride conditions.
Project description:Acidic tissue microenvironment is commonly found in a variety of pathophysiological conditions. GPR4 is a proton-sensing G protein-coupled receptor that is fully activated by acidic extracellular pH but has lesser activity at the physiological pH 7.4 and minimal activity at more alkaline pH. To determine the effects of GPR4 activation by acidosis on vascular endothelial cells, we examined the global gene expression of the acidosis response in primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) with varying level of GPR4.
Project description:Trefoil factor family member 2 (Tff2) is significantly involved in intestinal tumor growth in ApcMin/+ mice, which can be used as a human colon cancer model. TFF2, which encodes TFF2 (spasmolytic protein 1) is highly expressed in human cancer tissues, including the pancreas, colon and bile ducts, as well as in normal gastric and duodenum tissues. By contrast, TFF2 exhibits low expression levels in other normal tissues, including the small and large intestine. Furthermore, TFF2 expression has not been detected in DLD-1 cells, a cell line derived from human colon cancer. The trigger of TFF2 expression in normal and tumor cells remains unknown. Highly malignant tumor tissues are characterized by higher temperatures and lower pH (6.2-6.9) than in normal tissues, where the normal pH ranges from 7.2 to 7.4. This microenvironment exacerbates malignancy by promoting the acquisition of cell death resistance, drug resistance and immune escape. Therefore, the present study examined how TFF2 expression is affected in cultured cells that imitate the tumor tissue microenvironment. The incubation temperature was increased from 37 to 40˚C, but no expression of TFF2 was induced. Subsequently, a culture solution with an acidic pH was prepared to simulate the Warburg effect in tumors. TFF2 expression was increased by 42.8- and 5.8-fold in cells cultured in acidic medium at pH 6.5 and 6.8 compared with at pH 7.4, respectively, as determined using the relative quantification method following quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The present study also analyzed fluctuations in the expression levels of genes other than TFF2, under acidic conditions. Acidic conditions upregulated the expression of genes related to cell membranes and glycoproteins, based on the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery. In conclusion, TFF2 was highly expressed under acidic conditions, implying that it may have an important function in protecting the plasma membrane from acidic environments in both normal and cancer cells. These findings warrant further investigation of TFF2 as a target of cancer therapy and diagnosis.