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Abstract
Stem cells have the ability to self-renew and differentiate into specialized cell types, and, in the human body, they reside in specialized microenvironments called "stem cell niches." Although several niches have been described and studied in vivo, their functional replication in vitro is still incomplete. The in vitro culture of pluripotent stem cells may represent one of the most advanced examples in the effort to create an artificial or synthetic stem cell niche. A focus has been placed on the development of human stem cell microenvironments due to their significant clinical implications, in addition to the potential differences between animal and human cells. In this concise review we describe the advances in human pluripotent stem cell culture, and explore the idea that the knowledge gained from this model could be replicated to create synthetic niches for other human stem cell populations, which have proven difficult to maintain in vitro.
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102
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The extracellular matrix in breast cancer. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2016; 97:41-55. [PMID: 26743193 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2015.12.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 261] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2015] [Revised: 12/18/2015] [Accepted: 12/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The extracellular matrix (ECM) is increasingly recognized as an important regulator in breast cancer. ECM in breast cancer development features numerous changes in composition and organization when compared to the mammary gland under homeostasis. Matrix proteins that are induced in breast cancer include fibrillar collagens, fibronectin, specific laminins and proteoglycans as well as matricellular proteins. Growing evidence suggests that many of these induced ECM proteins play a major functional role in breast cancer progression and metastasis. A number of the induced ECM proteins have moreover been shown to be essential components of metastatic niches, promoting stem/progenitor signaling pathways and metastatic growth. ECM remodeling enzymes are also markedly increased, leading to major changes in the matrix structure and biomechanical properties. Importantly, several ECM components and ECM remodeling enzymes are specifically induced in breast cancer or during tissue regeneration while healthy tissues under homeostasis express exceedingly low levels. This may indicate that ECM and ECM-associated functions may represent promising drug targets against breast cancer, providing important specificity that could be utilized when developing therapies.
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103
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104
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Liu X, Li H, Rajurkar M, Li Q, Cotton JL, Ou J, Zhu LJ, Goel HL, Mercurio AM, Park JS, Davis RJ, Mao J. Tead and AP1 Coordinate Transcription and Motility. Cell Rep 2016; 14:1169-1180. [PMID: 26832411 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.12.104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 161] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2015] [Revised: 11/11/2015] [Accepted: 12/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The Tead family transcription factors are the major intracellular mediators of the Hippo-Yap pathway. Despite the importance of Hippo signaling in tumorigenesis, Tead-dependent downstream oncogenic programs and target genes in cancer cells remain poorly understood. Here, we characterize Tead4-mediated transcriptional networks in a diverse range of cancer cells, including neuroblastoma, colorectal, lung, and endometrial carcinomas. By intersecting genome-wide chromatin occupancy analyses of Tead4, JunD, and Fra1/2, we find that Tead4 cooperates with AP1 transcription factors to coordinate target gene transcription. We find that Tead-AP1 interaction is JNK independent but engages the SRC1-3 co-activators to promote downstream transcription. Furthermore, we show that Tead-AP1 cooperation regulates the activity of the Dock-Rac/CDC42 module and drives the expression of a unique core set of target genes, thereby directing cell migration and invasion. Together, our data unveil a critical regulatory mechanism underlying Tead- and AP1-controlled transcriptional and functional outputs in cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangfan Liu
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Huapeng Li
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Mihir Rajurkar
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Qi Li
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Jennifer L Cotton
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Jianhong Ou
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Lihua J Zhu
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Hira L Goel
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Arthur M Mercurio
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Joo-Seop Park
- Divisions of Pediatric Urology and Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Roger J Davis
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Junhao Mao
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.
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105
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Zhou Y, Huang T, Cheng ASL, Yu J, Kang W, To KF. The TEAD Family and Its Oncogenic Role in Promoting Tumorigenesis. Int J Mol Sci 2016; 17:ijms17010138. [PMID: 26805820 PMCID: PMC4730377 DOI: 10.3390/ijms17010138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2015] [Revised: 01/14/2016] [Accepted: 01/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The TEAD family of transcription factors is necessary for developmental processes. The family members contain a TEA domain for the binding with DNA elements and a transactivation domain for the interaction with transcription coactivators. TEAD proteins are required for the participation of coactivators to transmit the signal of pathways for the downstream signaling processes. TEADs also play an important role in tumor initiation and facilitate cancer progression via activating a series of progression-inducing genes, such as CTGF, Cyr61, Myc and Gli2. Recent studies have highlighted that TEADs, together with their coactivators, promote or even act as the crucial parts in the development of various malignancies, such as liver, ovarian, breast and prostate cancers. Furthermore, TEADs are proposed to be useful prognostic biomarkers due to the ideal correlation between high expression and clinicopathological parameters in gastric, breast, ovarian and prostate cancers. In this review, we summarize the functional role of TEAD proteins in tumorigenesis and discuss the key role of TEAD transcription factors in the linking of signal cascade transductions. Improved knowledge of the TEAD proteins will be helpful for deep understanding of the molecular mechanisms of tumorigenesis and identifying ideal predictive or prognostic biomarkers, even providing clinical translation for anticancer therapy in human cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhang Zhou
- Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
- Institute of Digestive Disease, Partner State Key Laboratory of Digestive Disease, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Science, Sir Y.K. Pao Cancer Center, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
- Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518000, China.
| | - Tingting Huang
- Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
- Institute of Digestive Disease, Partner State Key Laboratory of Digestive Disease, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Science, Sir Y.K. Pao Cancer Center, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
- Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518000, China.
| | - Alfred S L Cheng
- Institute of Digestive Disease, Partner State Key Laboratory of Digestive Disease, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
- Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518000, China.
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Jun Yu
- Institute of Digestive Disease, Partner State Key Laboratory of Digestive Disease, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
- Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518000, China.
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Wei Kang
- Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
- Institute of Digestive Disease, Partner State Key Laboratory of Digestive Disease, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Science, Sir Y.K. Pao Cancer Center, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
- Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518000, China.
| | - Ka Fai To
- Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
- Institute of Digestive Disease, Partner State Key Laboratory of Digestive Disease, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Science, Sir Y.K. Pao Cancer Center, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
- Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518000, China.
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106
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Dupont S. Role of YAP/TAZ in cell-matrix adhesion-mediated signalling and mechanotransduction. Exp Cell Res 2015; 343:42-53. [PMID: 26524510 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2015.10.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 305] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2015] [Accepted: 10/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Signalling from the extracellular matrix (ECM) is a fundamental cellular input that sustains proliferation, opposes cell death and regulates differentiation. Through integrins, cells perceive both the chemical composition and physical properties of the ECM. In particular, cell behaviour is profoundly influenced by the mechanical elasticity or stiffness of the ECM, which regulates the ability of cells to develop forces through their contractile actomyosin cytoskeleton and to mature focal adhesions. This mechanosensing ability affects fundamental cellular functions, such that alterations of ECM stiffness is nowadays considered not a simple consequence of pathology, but a causative input driving aberrant cell behaviours. We here discuss recent advances on how mechanical signals intersect nuclear transcription and in particular the activity of YAP/TAZ transcriptional coactivators, known downstream transducers of the Hippo pathway and important effectors of ECM mechanical cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sirio Dupont
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua Medical School, via Bassi 58/B, 35131 Padua, Italy.
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107
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The Hippo transducers TAZ and YAP in breast cancer: oncogenic activities and clinical implications. Expert Rev Mol Med 2015; 17:e14. [PMID: 26136233 DOI: 10.1017/erm.2015.12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The Hippo signalling is emerging as a tumour suppressor pathway whose function is regulated by an intricate network of intracellular and extracellular cues. Defects in the signal cascade lead to the activation of the Hippo transducers TAZ and YAP. Compelling preclinical evidence showed that TAZ/YAP are often aberrantly engaged in breast cancer (BC), where their hyperactivation culminates into a variety of tumour-promoting functions such as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, cancer stem cell generation and therapeutic resistance. Having acquired a more thorough understanding in the biology of TAZ/YAP, and the molecular outputs they elicit, has prompted a first wave of exploratory, clinically-focused analyses aimed at providing initial hints on the prognostic/predictive significance of their expression. In this review, we discuss oncogenic activities linked with TAZ/YAP in BC, and we propose clinical strategies for investigating their role as biomarkers in the clinical setting. Finally, we address the therapeutic potential of TAZ/YAP targeting and the modalities that, in our opinion, should be pursued in order to further study the biological and clinical consequences of their inhibition.
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108
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Hansen CG, Moroishi T, Guan KL. YAP and TAZ: a nexus for Hippo signaling and beyond. Trends Cell Biol 2015; 25:499-513. [PMID: 26045258 DOI: 10.1016/j.tcb.2015.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 412] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2014] [Revised: 05/02/2015] [Accepted: 05/05/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The Hippo pathway is a potent regulator of cellular proliferation, differentiation, and tissue homeostasis. Here we review the regulatory mechanisms of the Hippo pathway and discuss the function of Yes-associated protein (YAP)/transcriptional coactivator with a PDZ-binding domain (TAZ), the prime mediators of the Hippo pathway, in stem cell biology and tissue regeneration. We highlight their activities in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm and discuss their role as a signaling nexus and integrator of several other prominent signaling pathways such as the Wnt, G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), epidermal growth factor (EGF), bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)/transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ), and Notch pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carsten Gram Hansen
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.,Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Toshiro Moroishi
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.,Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Kun-Liang Guan
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.,Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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109
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Abstract
Skeletal loading is an important physiological regulator of bone mass. Theoretically, mechanical forces or administration of drugs that activate bone mechanosensors would be a novel treatment for osteoporotic disorders, particularly age-related osteoporosis and other bone loss caused by skeletal unloading. Uncertainty regarding the identity of the molecular targets that sense and transduce mechanical forces in bone, however, has limited the therapeutic exploitation of mechanosesning pathways to control bone mass. Recently, two evolutionally conserved mechanosensing pathways have been shown to function as "physical environment" sensors in cells of the osteoblasts lineage. Indeed, polycystin-1 (Pkd1, or PC1) and polycystin-2 (Pkd2, or PC2' or TRPP2), which form a flow sensing receptor channel complex, and TAZ (transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif, or WWTR1), which responds to the extracellular matrix microenvironment act in concert to reciprocally regulate osteoblastogenesis and adipogenesis through co-activating Runx2 and a co-repressing PPARγ activities. Interactions of polycystins and TAZ with other putative mechanosensing mechanism, such as primary cilia, integrins and hemichannels, may create multifaceted mechanosensing networks in bone. Moreover, modulation of polycystins and TAZ interactions identify novel molecular targets to develop small molecules that mimic the effects of mechanical loading on bone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhousheng Xiao
- Department of Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38165, USA
| | - Leigh Darryl Quarles
- Department of Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38165, USA
- Coleman College of Medicine Building, Suite B216, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 956 Court Avenue, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
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