Project description:Protein acyltransferase DHHC3 is upregulated in malignant and metastatic human breast cancer, and its elevated expression correlates with diminished survival not only in human breast cancer but also in six other cancer types. In a direct demonstration of pro-tumor DHHC3 function, ZDHHC3 ablation diminished both MDA-MB-231 mammary cell xenografts growth and the size of metastatic lung colonies. Gene array data and fluorescence dye assays documented increased oxidative stress and senescence in ZDHHC3-ablated cells. Consistent with increased senescence, ZDHHC3-ablated tumors showed enhanced recruitment of innate immune cells (anti-tumor macrophages, NK cells) associated with clearance of senescent tumors. ZDHHC3-ablation effects (decreased tumor growth, increased oxidative stress, increased senescence) were reversed upon reconstitution with wildtype, but not enzyme active site-deficient DHHC3. ZDHHC3-ablation effects on oxidative stress/senescence were also substantially reversed upon concomitant ablation of upregulated oxidative stress driver TXNIP. Diminished DHHC3-dependent palmitoylation of ERGIC3 protein likely plays a key role in TXNIP upregulation. In conclusion, through its palmitoylation activity, DHHC3 supports in vivo breast tumor growth by a mechanism involving negative modulation of tumor cell oxidative stress and senescence.
Project description:MCF7 breast cancer cells are a luminal-type breast cancer with moderate native levels of SIM2s. To determine effects of SIM2s on tumor progression, cells were stably transduced with SIM2si shRNA to knockdown expression, inducing an EMT effect. Microarray analysis was performed to determine genetic pathways involved in this phenotype. The coordination of cellular metabolism is a key factor in the progression of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) to invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). Pathways regulating the balance between oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis are unclear. We have found that transcription factor Singleminded-2s (SIM2s), commonly lost with breast cancer progression, contributes to metabolic regulation by controlling glycolytic flux and cellular senescence. Through promotion of p21 and cellular senescence, SIM2s decreases glycolytic enzyme activity and promotes oxidative phosphorylation in breast cancer. These, coupled with increased autophagy and ROS, inhibit tumor growth and metastasis. We use microarrays to detail the global gene programming changes that occur with loss of SIM2s gene expression. Scrambled and SIM2si cells were grown in triplicate for RNA extraction and hybridization on Amersham microarrays.
Project description:MCF7 breast cancer cells are a luminal-type breast cancer with moderate native levels of SIM2s. To determine effects of SIM2s on tumor progression, cells were stably transduced with SIM2si shRNA to knockdown expression, inducing an EMT effect. Microarray analysis was performed to determine genetic pathways involved in this phenotype. The coordination of cellular metabolism is a key factor in the progression of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) to invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). Pathways regulating the balance between oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis are unclear. We have found that transcription factor Singleminded-2s (SIM2s), commonly lost with breast cancer progression, contributes to metabolic regulation by controlling glycolytic flux and cellular senescence. Through promotion of p21 and cellular senescence, SIM2s decreases glycolytic enzyme activity and promotes oxidative phosphorylation in breast cancer. These, coupled with increased autophagy and ROS, inhibit tumor growth and metastasis. We use microarrays to detail the global gene programming changes that occur with loss of SIM2s gene expression.
Project description:The tumor suppressor BRCA1 regulates DNA damage responses and multiple other processes. Among these, BRCA1 heterodimerizes with BARD1 to ubiquitylate targets via its N-terminal RING domain. Here we show that BRCA1 promotes oxidative metabolism via degradation of Oct1, a transcription factor with pro-glycolytic/tumorigenic effects. BRCA1 E3 ubiquitin ligase mutation skews cells towards a glycolytic metabolic profile while elevating Oct1 protein. CRISPR-mediated Oct1 deletion reverts the glycolytic phenotype. RNAseq confirms the deregulation of metabolic genes. BRCA1 mediates direct Oct1 ubiquitylation and degradation, and mutation of two ubiquitylated Oct1 lysines insulates the protein against BRCA1-mediated destabilization. Oct1 deletion in MCF-7 breast cancer cells does not perturb growth in standard culture, but inhibits growth in soft agar and xenografts. Oct1 protein levels correlate positively with tumor aggressiveness, and inversely with BRCA1, in primary breast cancer samples. These results identify BRCA1 as an Oct1 ubiquitin ligase that catalyzes Oct1 degradation to promote oxidative metabolism.
Project description:Cellular senescence is an irreversible cell growth arrest state linked to loss of tissue function and aging in mammals. The cellular transition from proliferation to senescence is marked by increased expression of the cell-cycle inhibitor p16INK4A and formation of senescence-associated heterochromatin foci (SAHF). It is known that SAHF formation depends primarily on HIRA-mediated nucleosome assembly of H3.3, and that the serine/threonine protein kinase Pak2 regulates HIRA-mediated nucleosome assembly of histone H3.3. Here, we tested the role of Pak2 in the regulation of cellular senescence. Depletion of Pak2 delays premature cellular senescence in both oncogene-induced senescence in human fibroblasts IMR90 cells and in oxidative stress induced senescence of mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Furthermore, overexpression of Pak2 promotes senescence of IMR90 cells. Importantly, depletion of Pak2 in mice delays the onset of some of the aging-associated phenotypes and extend life span of a progeroid mouse model. Lastly, we showed that Pak2 is required for expression of a group of genes involved in cellular senescence and regulates the deposition of newly synthesized H3.3 onto chromatin in senescent cells. Together, our results demonstrate that Pak2 is an important regulator of cellular senescence and organismal aging, in part through the regulation of gene expression and H3.3 nucleosome assembly.
Project description:The application of ketogenic diet (KD) (high fat/low carbohydrate/adequate protein) as an auxiliary cancer therapy is a field of growing attention. KD provides sufficient energy supply for healthy cells, while possibly impairing energy production in highly glycolytic tumor cells. Moreover, KD regulates insulin and tumor related growth factors (like insulin growth factor-1, IGF-1). In order to provide molecular evidence for the proposed additional inhibition of tumor growth when combining chemotherapy with KD, we applied untargeted quantitative metabolome analysis on a spontaneous breast cancer xenograft mouse model, using MDA-MB-468 cells. Healthy mice and mice bearing breast cancer xenografts and receiving cyclophosphamide chemotherapy were compared after treatment with control diet and KD. Metabolomic profiling was performed on plasma samples, applying high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Statistical analysis revealed metabolic fingerprints comprising numerous significantly regulated features in the group of mice bearing breast cancer. This fingerprint disappeared after treatment with KD, resulting in recovery to the metabolic status observed in healthy mice receiving control diet. Moreover, amino acid metabolism as well as fatty acid transport were found to be affected by both the tumor and the applied KD. Our results provide clear evidence of a significant molecular effect of adjuvant KD in the context of tumor growth inhibition and suggest additional mechanisms of tumor suppression beyond the proposed constrain in energy supply of tumor cells.
Project description:Cathepsin D is reportedly to be closely associated with tumor development, migration and invasion, but its pathological mechanism is not fully elucidated. We aimed to evaluate phenotypic changes and molecular events in response to cathepsin D knockdown. Lowering endogenous cathepsin D abundance (CR) induced senescence in HeLa cells, leading to reduced rate of cell proliferation and impaired tumorigenesis in a mouse model. Quantitative proteomics revealed that compared with control cells (EV), the abundances of several typical lysosomal proteases were decreased in the lysosomal fraction in CR cells. We further showed that cathepsin D knockdown caused increased permeability of lysosomal membrane and ROS accumulation in CR cells, and the scavenging of ROS by antioxidant was able to rescue cell senescence. Despite the increased ROS, the proteomic data suggested a global reduction of redox-related proteins in CR cells. Subsequent analysis indicated that the transcriptional activity of nuclear factor erythroid-related factor 2 (Nrf2), which regulates the expression of groups of antioxidant enzymes, was down-regulated by cathepsin D knockdown. Importantly, Nrf2 over-expression significantly reduced cell senescence. Although transient oxidative stress promoted the accumulation of Nrf2 in the nucleus, we showed that the Nrf2 protein exited nucleus if oxidative stress persisted. In addition, when cathepsin D was transiently knocked down, the cathepsin-related events followed a sequential order, including lysosomal leakage during the early stage, followed by oxidative stress augmentation, and ultimately Nrf2 down-regulation and senescence. Our results suggest the roles of cathepsin D in cancer cells in maintaining lysosomal integrity, redox balance and Nrf2 activity, thus promoting tumorigenesis.
Project description:In this study, we have used techniques from cell biology, biochemistry, and genetics to investigate the role of the tyrosine phosphatase Shp2 in tumor cells of MMTV-PyMT mouse mammary glands. Genetic ablation or pharmacological inhibition of Shp2 induces senescence, as determined by the activation of senescence-associated ?-gal (SA-?-gal), cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1B (p27), p53, and histone 3 trimethylated lysine 9 (H3K9me3). Senescence induction leads to inhibition of self-renewal of tumor cells and blockage of tumor formation and growth. A signaling cascade was identified that acts downstream of Shp2 to counter senescence: Src, Focal adhesion kinase and Map kinase inhibit senescence by activating the expression of S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (Skp2), Aurora kinase A (Aurka), and the Notch ligand Delta-like 1 (Dll1), which block p27 and p53. Remarkably, the expression of Shp2 and of selected target genes predicts human breast cancer outcome. We conclude that therapies which rely on senescence induction by inhibiting Shp2 or controlling its target gene products may be useful in blocking breast cancer. Primary mammary tumor cells from MMTV-PyMT mice were cultured as mammospheres for 10 days and then treated with specific inhibitors of Notch (DAPT), MEK1 (U0126), FAK (TAE226), or Src (PP2) for another 2 days. Mammospheres were then subjected to RNA isolation. Each group contains 3 replicates.
Project description:The application of ketogenic diet (KD) (high fat/low carbohydrate/adequate protein) as an auxiliary cancer therapy is a field of growing attention. KD provides sufficient energy supply for healthy cells, while possibly impairing energy production in highly glycolytic tumor cells. Moreover, KD regulates insulin and tumor related growth factors (like insulin growth factor-1, IGF-1). In order to provide molecular evidence for the proposed additional inhibition of tumor growth when combining chemotherapy with KD, we applied untargeted quantitative metabolome analysis on a spontaneous breast cancer xenograft mouse model, using MDA-MB-468 cells. Healthy mice and mice bearing breast cancer xenografts and receiving cyclophosphamide chemotherapy were compared after treatment with control diet and KD. Metabolomic profiling was performed on plasma samples, applying high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Statistical analysis revealed metabolic fingerprints comprising numerous significantly regulated features in the group of mice bearing breast cancer. This fingerprint disappeared after treatment with KD, resulting in recovery to the metabolic status observed in healthy mice receiving control diet. Moreover, amino acid metabolism as well as fatty acid transport were found to be affected by both the tumor and the applied KD. Our results provide clear evidence of a significant molecular effect of adjuvant KD in the context of tumor growth inhibition and suggest additional mechanisms of tumor suppression beyond the proposed constrain in energy supply of tumor cells.