1
|
Natsume M, Niwa M, Ichikawa S, Okamoto T, Tsutsui H, Usukura D, Murata T, Abe R, Shimonaka M, Nishida T, Shiina I, Obata Y. Brefeldin A and M-COPA block the export of RTKs from the endoplasmic reticulum via simultaneous inactivation of ARF1, ARF4, and ARF5. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:107327. [PMID: 38679330 PMCID: PMC11127164 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Normal receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) need to reach the plasma membrane (PM) for ligand-induced activation, whereas its cancer-causing mutants can be activated before reaching the PM in organelles, such as the Golgi/trans-Golgi network (TGN). Inhibitors of protein export from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), such as brefeldin A (BFA) and 2-methylcoprophilinamide (M-COPA), can suppress the activation of mutant RTKs in cancer cells, suggesting that RTK mutants cannot initiate signaling in the ER. BFA and M-COPA block the function of ADP-ribosylation factors (ARFs) that play a crucial role in ER-Golgi protein trafficking. However, among ARF family proteins, the specific ARFs inhibited by BFA or M-COPA, that is, the ARFs involved in RTKs transport from the ER, remain unclear. In this study, we showed that M-COPA blocked the export of not only KIT but also PDGFRA/EGFR/MET RTKs from the ER. ER-retained RTKs could not fully transduce anti-apoptotic signals, thereby leading to cancer cell apoptosis. Moreover, a single knockdown of ARF1, ARF3, ARF4, ARF5, or ARF6 could not block ER export of RTKs, indicating that BFA/M-COPA treatment cannot be mimicked by the knockdown of only one ARF member. Interestingly, simultaneous transfection of ARF1, ARF4, and ARF5 siRNAs mirrored the effect of BFA/M-COPA treatment. Consistent with these results, in vitro pulldown assays showed that BFA/M-COPA blocked the function of ARF1, ARF4, and ARF5. Taken together, these results suggest that BFA/M-COPA targets at least ARF1, ARF4, and ARF5; in other words, RTKs require the simultaneous activation of ARF1, ARF4, and ARF5 for their ER export.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Miyuki Natsume
- Laboratory of Intracellular Traffic & Oncology, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan; Faculty of Science, Department of Applied Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mariko Niwa
- Laboratory of Intracellular Traffic & Oncology, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan; Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Sho Ichikawa
- Laboratory of Intracellular Traffic & Oncology, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan; Faculty of Science, Department of Applied Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takuma Okamoto
- Laboratory of Intracellular Traffic & Oncology, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan; Faculty of Science, Department of Applied Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hisazumi Tsutsui
- Faculty of Science, Department of Applied Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Daiki Usukura
- Faculty of Science, Department of Applied Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takatsugu Murata
- Faculty of Science, Department of Applied Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ryo Abe
- Tokyo University of Science, Noda, Chiba, Japan
| | - Motoyuki Shimonaka
- Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Toshirou Nishida
- National Cancer Center Hospital, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan; Laboratory of Nuclear Transport Dynamics, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan
| | - Isamu Shiina
- Faculty of Science, Department of Applied Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuuki Obata
- Laboratory of Intracellular Traffic & Oncology, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Altintas DM, Comoglio PM. An Observatory for the MET Oncogene: A Guide for Targeted Therapies. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4672. [PMID: 37760640 PMCID: PMC10526818 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15184672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The MET proto-oncogene encodes a pivotal tyrosine kinase receptor, binding the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF, also known as scatter factor, SF) and governing essential biological processes such as organogenesis, tissue repair, and angiogenesis. The pleiotropic physiological functions of MET explain its diverse role in cancer progression in a broad range of tumors; genetic/epigenetic alterations of MET drive tumor cell dissemination, metastasis, and acquired resistance to conventional and targeted therapies. Therefore, targeting MET emerged as a promising strategy, and many efforts were devoted to identifying the optimal way of hampering MET signaling. Despite encouraging results, however, the complexity of MET's functions in oncogenesis yields intriguing observations, fostering a humbler stance on our comprehension. This review explores recent discoveries concerning MET alterations in cancer, elucidating their biological repercussions, discussing therapeutic avenues, and outlining future directions. By contextualizing the research question and articulating the study's purpose, this work navigates MET biology's intricacies in cancer, offering a comprehensive perspective.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Paolo M. Comoglio
- IFOM ETS—The AIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, 20139 Milano, Italy;
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Pathmanathan S, Yao Z, Coelho P, Valla R, Drecun L, Benz C, Snider J, Saraon P, Grozavu I, Kotlyar M, Jurisica I, Park M, Stagljar I. B cell linker protein (BLNK) is a regulator of Met receptor signaling and trafficking in non-small cell lung cancer. iScience 2022; 25:105419. [DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
|
4
|
Altintas DM, Gallo S, Basilico C, Cerqua M, Bocedi A, Vitacolonna A, Botti O, Casanova E, Rancati I, Milanese C, Notari S, Gambardella G, Ricci G, Mastroberardino PG, Boccaccio C, Crepaldi T, Comoglio PM. The PSI Domain of the MET Oncogene Encodes a Functional Disulfide Isomerase Essential for the Maturation of the Receptor Precursor. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232012427. [PMID: 36293286 PMCID: PMC9604360 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232012427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Revised: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The tyrosine kinase receptor encoded by the MET oncogene has been extensively studied. Surprisingly, one extracellular domain, PSI, evolutionary conserved between plexins, semaphorins, and integrins, has no established function. The MET PSI sequence contains two CXXC motifs, usually found in protein disulfide isomerases (PDI). Using a scrambled oxidized RNAse enzymatic activity assay in vitro, we show, for the first time, that the MET extracellular domain displays disulfide isomerase activity, abolished by PSI domain antibodies. PSI domain deletion or mutations of CXXC sites to AXXA or SXXS result in a significant impairment of the cleavage of the MET 175 kDa precursor protein, abolishing the maturation of α and β chains, of, respectively, 50 kDa and 145 kDa, disulfide-linked. The uncleaved precursor is stuck in the Golgi apparatus and, interestingly, is constitutively phosphorylated. However, no signal transduction is observed as measured by AKT and MAPK phosphorylation. Consequently, biological responses to the MET ligand—hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)—such as growth and epithelial to mesenchymal transition, are hampered. These data show that the MET PSI domain is functional and is required for the maturation, surface expression, and biological functions of the MET oncogenic protein.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dogus Murat Altintas
- IFOM, FIRC Institute for Molecular Oncology, Via Adamello 16, 20139 Milano, Italy
- Correspondence: (D.M.A.); (P.M.C.)
| | - Simona Gallo
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, 10060 Candiolo, Italy
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, Strada Provinciale 142, 10060 Candiolo, Italy
| | | | - Marina Cerqua
- IFOM, FIRC Institute for Molecular Oncology, Via Adamello 16, 20139 Milano, Italy
| | - Alessio Bocedi
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Technologies, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Annapia Vitacolonna
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, 10060 Candiolo, Italy
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, Strada Provinciale 142, 10060 Candiolo, Italy
| | - Orsola Botti
- IFOM, FIRC Institute for Molecular Oncology, Via Adamello 16, 20139 Milano, Italy
| | - Elena Casanova
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, Strada Provinciale 142, 10060 Candiolo, Italy
| | - Ilaria Rancati
- IFOM, FIRC Institute for Molecular Oncology, Via Adamello 16, 20139 Milano, Italy
| | - Chiara Milanese
- IFOM, FIRC Institute for Molecular Oncology, Via Adamello 16, 20139 Milano, Italy
| | - Sara Notari
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Technologies, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Giorgia Gambardella
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Technologies, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Giorgio Ricci
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Technologies, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Pier Giorgio Mastroberardino
- IFOM, FIRC Institute for Molecular Oncology, Via Adamello 16, 20139 Milano, Italy
- Department of Life, Health, and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Carla Boccaccio
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, 10060 Candiolo, Italy
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, Strada Provinciale 142, 10060 Candiolo, Italy
| | - Tiziana Crepaldi
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, 10060 Candiolo, Italy
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, Strada Provinciale 142, 10060 Candiolo, Italy
| | - Paolo Maria Comoglio
- IFOM, FIRC Institute for Molecular Oncology, Via Adamello 16, 20139 Milano, Italy
- Correspondence: (D.M.A.); (P.M.C.)
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Kim E, Novak LC, Lin C, Colic M, Bertolet LL, Gheorghe V, Bristow CA, Hart T. Dynamic rewiring of biological activity across genotype and lineage revealed by context-dependent functional interactions. Genome Biol 2022; 23:140. [PMID: 35768873 PMCID: PMC9241233 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-022-02712-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Coessentiality networks derived from CRISPR screens in cell lines provide a powerful framework for identifying functional modules in the cell and for inferring the roles of uncharacterized genes. However, these networks integrate signal across all underlying data and can mask strong interactions that occur in only a subset of the cell lines analyzed. RESULTS Here, we decipher dynamic functional interactions by identifying significant cellular contexts, primarily by oncogenic mutation, lineage, and tumor type, and discovering coessentiality relationships that depend on these contexts. We recapitulate well-known gene-context interactions such as oncogene-mutation, paralog buffering, and tissue-specific essential genes, show how mutation rewires known signal transduction pathways, including RAS/RAF and IGF1R-PIK3CA, and illustrate the implications for drug targeting. We further demonstrate how context-dependent functional interactions can elucidate lineage-specific gene function, as illustrated by the maturation of proreceptors IGF1R and MET by proteases FURIN and CPD. CONCLUSIONS This approach advances our understanding of context-dependent interactions and how they can be gleaned from these data. We provide an online resource to explore these context-dependent interactions at diffnet.hart-lab.org.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eiru Kim
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,Present Address: Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR), San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Lance C Novak
- TRACTION, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Chenchu Lin
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Medina Colic
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Lori L Bertolet
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Veronica Gheorghe
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Christopher A Bristow
- TRACTION, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Traver Hart
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA. .,Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Abstract
Analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 sequence revealed a multibasic furin cleavage site at the S1/S2 boundary of the spike protein distinguishing this virus from SARS-CoV. Furin, the best-characterized member of the mammalian proprotein convertases, is an ubiquitously expressed single pass type 1 transmembrane protein. Cleavage of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein by furin promotes viral entry into lung cells. While furin knockout is embryonically lethal, its knockout in differentiated somatic cells is not, thus furin provides an exciting therapeutic target for viral pathogens including SARS-CoV-2 and bacterial infections. Several peptide-based and small-molecule inhibitors of furin have been recently reported, and select cocrystal structures have been solved, paving the way for further optimization and selection of clinical candidates. This perspective highlights furin structure, substrates, recent inhibitors, and crystal structures with emphasis on furin's role in SARS-CoV-2 infection, where the current data strongly suggest its inhibition as a promising therapeutic intervention for SARS-CoV-2.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Essam
Eldin A. Osman
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo 11562, Egypt
| | - Alnawaz Rehemtulla
- Department
of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Nouri Neamati
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Desole C, Gallo S, Vitacolonna A, Vigna E, Basilico C, Montarolo F, Zuppini F, Casanova E, Miggiano R, Ferraris DM, Bertolotto A, Comoglio PM, Crepaldi T. Engineering, Characterization, and Biological Evaluation of an Antibody Targeting the HGF Receptor. Front Immunol 2021; 12:775151. [PMID: 34925346 PMCID: PMC8679783 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.775151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and its receptor (MET) promote several physiological activities such as tissue regeneration and protection from cell injury of epithelial, endothelial, neuronal and muscle cells. The therapeutic potential of MET activation has been scrutinized in the treatment of acute tissue injury, chronic inflammation, such as renal fibrosis and multiple sclerosis (MS), cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. On the other hand, the HGF-MET signaling pathway may be caught by cancer cells and turned to work for invasion, metastasis, and drug resistance in the tumor microenvironment. Here, we engineered a recombinant antibody (RDO24) and two derived fragments, binding the extracellular domain (ECD) of the MET protein. The antibody binds with high affinity (8 nM) to MET ECD and does not cross-react with the closely related receptors RON nor with Semaphorin 4D. Deletion mapping studies and computational modeling show that RDO24 binds to the structure bent on the Plexin-Semaphorin-Integrin (PSI) domain, implicating the PSI domain in its binding to MET. The intact RDO24 antibody and the bivalent Fab2, but not the monovalent Fab induce MET auto-phosphorylation, mimicking the mechanism of action of HGF that activates the receptor by dimerization. Accordingly, the bivalent recombinant molecules induce HGF biological responses, such as cell migration and wound healing, behaving as MET agonists of therapeutic interest in regenerative medicine. In vivo administration of RDO24 in the murine model of MS, represented by experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), delays the EAE onset, mitigates the early clinical symptoms, and reduces inflammatory infiltrates. Altogether, these results suggest that engineered RDO24 antibody may be beneficial in multiple sclerosis and possibly other types of inflammatory disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Desole
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, Candiolo, Italy
| | - Simona Gallo
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, Candiolo, Italy.,Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, Candiolo, Italy
| | - Annapia Vitacolonna
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, Candiolo, Italy.,Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, Candiolo, Italy
| | - Elisa Vigna
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, Candiolo, Italy.,Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, Candiolo, Italy
| | | | - Francesca Montarolo
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), Orbassano, Italy.,Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Torino, Italy
| | | | | | - Riccardo Miggiano
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy.,IXTAL srl, Novara, Italy
| | - Davide Maria Ferraris
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy.,IXTAL srl, Novara, Italy
| | | | | | - Tiziana Crepaldi
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, Candiolo, Italy.,Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, Candiolo, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Desole C, Gallo S, Vitacolonna A, Montarolo F, Bertolotto A, Vivien D, Comoglio P, Crepaldi T. HGF and MET: From Brain Development to Neurological Disorders. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:683609. [PMID: 34179015 PMCID: PMC8220160 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.683609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and its tyrosine kinase receptor, encoded by the MET cellular proto-oncogene, are expressed in the nervous system from pre-natal development to adult life, where they are involved in neuronal growth and survival. In this review, we highlight, beyond the neurotrophic action, novel roles of HGF-MET in synaptogenesis during post-natal brain development and the connection between deregulation of MET expression and developmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). On the pharmacology side, HGF-induced MET activation exerts beneficial neuroprotective effects also in adulthood, specifically in neurodegenerative disease, and in preclinical models of cerebral ischemia, spinal cord injuries, and neurological pathologies, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and multiple sclerosis (MS). HGF is a key factor preventing neuronal death and promoting survival through pro-angiogenic, anti-inflammatory, and immune-modulatory mechanisms. Recent evidence suggests that HGF acts on neural stem cells to enhance neuroregeneration. The possible therapeutic application of HGF and HGF mimetics for the treatment of neurological disorders is discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Desole
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.,Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, Candiolo, Italy
| | - Simona Gallo
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.,Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, Candiolo, Italy
| | - Annapia Vitacolonna
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.,Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, Candiolo, Italy
| | - Francesca Montarolo
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, Orbassano, Italy.,Neurobiology Unit, Neurology, CReSM (Regional Referring Center of Multiple Sclerosis), San Luigi Gonzaga University Hospital, Orbassano, Italy.,Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Antonio Bertolotto
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, Orbassano, Italy.,Neurobiology Unit, Neurology, CReSM (Regional Referring Center of Multiple Sclerosis), San Luigi Gonzaga University Hospital, Orbassano, Italy
| | - Denis Vivien
- INSERM U1237, University of Caen, Gyp Cyceron, Caen, France.,Department of Clinical Research, Caen-Normandie University Hospital, Caen, France
| | - Paolo Comoglio
- IFOM, FIRC Institute for Molecular Oncology, Milan, Italy
| | - Tiziana Crepaldi
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.,Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, Candiolo, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
State of the structure address on MET receptor activation by HGF. Biochem Soc Trans 2021; 49:645-661. [PMID: 33860789 DOI: 10.1042/bst20200394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The MET receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) and its cognate ligand hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) comprise a signaling axis essential for development, wound healing and tissue homeostasis. Aberrant HGF/MET signaling is a driver of many cancers and contributes to drug resistance to several approved therapeutics targeting other RTKs, making MET itself an important drug target. In RTKs, homeostatic receptor signaling is dependent on autoinhibition in the absence of ligand binding and orchestrated set of conformational changes induced by ligand-mediated receptor dimerization that result in activation of the intracellular kinase domains. A fundamental understanding of these mechanisms in the MET receptor remains incomplete, despite decades of research. This is due in part to the complex structure of the HGF ligand, which remains unknown in its full-length form, and a lack of high-resolution structures of the complete MET extracellular portion in an apo or ligand-bound state. A current view of HGF-dependent MET activation has evolved from biochemical and structural studies of HGF and MET fragments and here we review what these findings have thus far revealed.
Collapse
|
10
|
Tan AC, Loh TJ, Kwang XL, Tan GS, Lim KH, Tan DSW. Novel Therapies for Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer with MET Exon 14 Alterations: A Spotlight on Capmatinib. LUNG CANCER-TARGETS AND THERAPY 2021; 12:11-20. [PMID: 33776501 PMCID: PMC7987308 DOI: 10.2147/lctt.s263610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
MET exon 14 (METex14) alterations are now an established therapeutically tractable target in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Recently reported trials of several MET tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) in this patient population have demonstrated promising efficacy data in both the treatment naïve and pre-treated settings and have led to regulatory approvals. This review will focus on practical diagnostic considerations for METex14 alterations, the trial evidence for capmatinib in this molecular subset including dosing and toxicity management, and the future therapeutic landscape of METex14 altered NSCLC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aaron C Tan
- Division of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore, 169610, Singapore
| | - Tracy J Loh
- Department of Pathology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, 169608, Singapore
| | - Xue Lin Kwang
- Division of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore, 169610, Singapore
| | - Gek San Tan
- Department of Pathology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, 169608, Singapore
| | - Kiat Hon Lim
- Department of Pathology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, 169608, Singapore
| | - Daniel S W Tan
- Division of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore, 169610, Singapore
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Xu B, Muramatsu T, Inazawa J. Suppression of MET Signaling Mediated by Pitavastatin and Capmatinib Inhibits Oral and Esophageal Cancer Cell Growth. Mol Cancer Res 2020; 19:585-597. [PMID: 33443139 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-20-0688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Revised: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Despite increasing knowledge on oral and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC and ESCC), specific medicines against both have not yet been developed. Here, we aimed to find novel anticancer drugs through functional cell-based screening of an FDA-approved drug library against OSCC and ESCC. Pitavastatin, an HMGCR inhibitor, emerged as an anticancer drug that inhibits tumor growth by downregulating AKT and ERK signals in OSCC and ESCC cells. One of the mechanisms by which pitavastatin inhibits cell growth might be the suppression of MET signaling through immature MET due to dysfunction of the Golgi apparatus. Moreover, the sensitivity of tumor growth to pitavastatin might be correlated with GGPS1 expression levels. In vivo therapeutic models revealed that the combination of pitavastatin with capmatinib, a MET-specific inhibitor, dramatically reduced tumor growth. Our findings suggest that GGPS1 expression could be a biomarker in cancer therapy with pitavastatin, and the combination of pitavastatin with capmatinib might be a promising therapeutic strategy in OSCC and ESCC. IMPLICATIONS: This study provides new insight into the mechanism of pitavastatin as an anticancer drug and suggests that the combination of pitavastatin with capmatinib is a useful therapeutic strategy in OSCC and ESCC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bo Xu
- Department of Molecular Cytogenetics, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomoki Muramatsu
- Department of Molecular Cytogenetics, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan. .,Laboratory for Integrated Research Projects on Intractable Diseases, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Johji Inazawa
- Department of Molecular Cytogenetics, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan. .,Bioresource Research Center, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
El Darsa H, El Sayed R, Abdel-Rahman O. MET Inhibitors for the Treatment of Gastric Cancer: What's Their Potential? J Exp Pharmacol 2020; 12:349-361. [PMID: 33116950 PMCID: PMC7547764 DOI: 10.2147/jep.s242958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Gastric cancer remains a disease with a dismal prognosis. Extensive efforts to find targetable disease drivers in gastric cancer were implemented to improve patient outcomes. Beyond anti-HER2 therapy, MET pathway seems to be culprit of cancer invasiveness with MET-overexpressing tumors having poorer prognosis. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors targeting the HGF/MET pathway were studied in MET-positive gastric cancer, but no substantial benefit was proven. Some patients responded in early phase trials but later developed resistance. Others failed to show any benefit at all. Etiologies of resistance may entail inappropriate patient selection with a lack of MET detection standardization, tumor alternative pathways, variable MET amplification, and genetic variation. Optimizing MET detection techniques and better understanding the MET pathway, as well as tumor bypass mechanisms, are an absolute need to devise means to overcome resistance using targeted therapy alone, or in combination with other synergistic agents to improve outcomes of patients with MET-positive GC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haidar El Darsa
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Oncology, Cross Cancer Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Rola El Sayed
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Omar Abdel-Rahman
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Oncology, Cross Cancer Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Harada Y, Nakajima K, Suzuki T, Fukushige T, Kondo K, Seino J, Ohkawa Y, Suzuki T, Inoue H, Kanekura T, Dohmae N, Taniguchi N, Maruyama I. Glycometabolic Regulation of the Biogenesis of Small Extracellular Vesicles. Cell Rep 2020; 33:108261. [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
|
14
|
He Z, Khatib AM, Creemers JWM. Loss of Proprotein Convertase Furin in Mammary Gland Impairs proIGF1R and proIR Processing and Suppresses Tumorigenesis in Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12092686. [PMID: 32962246 PMCID: PMC7563341 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12092686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is known to have a poor prognosis and limited treatment options. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the role of Furin, a proprotein convertase involved in the activation of wide range of protein precursors in TNBC progression. The generation of a TNBC mouse model lacking Furin specifically in the mammary gland confirmed that Furin is implicated in TNBC tumor progression and the derived lung metastasis. Further analysis revealed that the proteolytic activation of proIGF1R and proIR receptors, two substrates of Furin involved in TNBC were inhibited in these mice and was associated with reduced AKT and ERK1/2 expression and phosphorylation. In addition, Furin is frequently overexpressed in TNBC tumors and correlates with poor patient prognosis, suggesting the use of Furin inhibition as a potential adjunct therapy in TNBC. Abstract In triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines, the proprotein convertase Furin cleaves and then activates several protein precursors involved in oncogenesis. However, the in vivo role of Furin in the mammary gland and how mammary gland-specific Furin knockout specifically influences tumor initiation and progression of TNBC is unknown. Here, we report that Furin is frequently overexpressed in TNBC tumors and this correlates with poor prognosis in patients with TNBC tumors. In a whey acidic protein (WAP)-induced mammary epithelial cell-specific Furin knockout mouse model, mice show normal mammary development. However, loss of Furin in mammary glands inhibits primary tumor growth and lung metastasis in an oncogene-induced TNBC mouse model. Further analysis of TNBC mice lacking Furin revealed repressed maturation of the Furin substrates proIGF1R and proIR that are associated with reduced expression and activation of their downstream effectors PI3K/AKT and MAPK/ERK1/2. In addition, these tissues showed enhanced apoptotic signaling. In conclusion, our findings reveal that upregulated Furin expression reflects the poor prognosis of TNBC patients and highlights the therapeutic potential of inhibiting Furin in TNBC tumors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zongsheng He
- Laboratory of Biochemical Neuroendocrinology, Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven), 3000 Leuven, Belgium;
| | - Abdel-Majid Khatib
- INSERM, LAMC, UMR 1029, Allée Geoffroy St Hilaire, 33615 Pessac, France
- Digestive group, Institut Bergonié, 33000 Bordeaux, France
- Correspondence: (A.-M.K.); (J.W.M.C.)
| | - John W. M. Creemers
- Laboratory of Biochemical Neuroendocrinology, Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven), 3000 Leuven, Belgium;
- Correspondence: (A.-M.K.); (J.W.M.C.)
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
The c-MET oncoprotein: Function, mechanisms of degradation and its targeting by novel anti-cancer agents. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2020; 1864:129650. [PMID: 32522525 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2020.129650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Revised: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The c-MET oncoprotein drives cancer progression in a variety of tumors through its signaling transduction pathways. This oncoprotein is also degraded by multiple mechanisms involving the lysosome, proteasome and cleavage by proteases. Targeting c-MET degradation pathways may result in effective therapeutic strategies. SCOPE OF REVIEW Since the discovery of oncogenic functions of c-MET, there has been a great deal of effort to develop anti-cancer drugs targeting this oncoprotein. Unexpectedly, novel di-2-pyridylketone thiosemicarbazones that demonstrate marked anti-tumor activity, down-regulate c-MET through their ability to bind intracellular iron and via mechanisms including, down-regulation of MET mRNA, enhanced lysosomal processing and increased metalloprotease-mediated cleavage. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS The c-MET oncoprotein regulation and degradation pathways are complex. However, with increasing understanding of its degradation mechanisms, there is also greater opportunities to therapeutically target these pathways. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE Understanding the mechanisms of degradation of c-MET protein and its regulation could lead to novel therapeutics.
Collapse
|
16
|
Han K, Pierce SE, Li A, Spees K, Anderson GR, Seoane JA, Lo YH, Dubreuil M, Olivas M, Kamber RA, Wainberg M, Kostyrko K, Kelly MR, Yousefi M, Simpkins SW, Yao D, Lee K, Kuo CJ, Jackson PK, Sweet-Cordero A, Kundaje A, Gentles AJ, Curtis C, Winslow MM, Bassik MC. CRISPR screens in cancer spheroids identify 3D growth-specific vulnerabilities. Nature 2020; 580:136-141. [PMID: 32238925 PMCID: PMC7368463 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2099-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 177] [Impact Index Per Article: 44.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Cancer genomics studies have identified thousands of putative cancer driver genes1. Development of high-throughput and accurate models to define the functions of these genes is a major challenge. Here we devised a scalable cancer-spheroid model and performed genome-wide CRISPR screens in 2D monolayers and 3D lung-cancer spheroids. CRISPR phenotypes in 3D more accurately recapitulated those of in vivo tumours, and genes with differential sensitivities between 2D and 3D conditions were highly enriched for genes that are mutated in lung cancers. These analyses also revealed drivers that are essential for cancer growth in 3D and in vivo, but not in 2D. Notably, we found that carboxypeptidase D is responsible for removal of a C-terminal RKRR motif2 from the α-chain of the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor that is critical for receptor activity. Carboxypeptidase D expression correlates with patient outcomes in patients with lung cancer, and loss of carboxypeptidase D reduced tumour growth. Our results reveal key differences between 2D and 3D cancer models, and establish a generalizable strategy for performing CRISPR screens in spheroids to reveal cancer vulnerabilities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kyuho Han
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Sarah E Pierce
- Program in Cancer Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Amy Li
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Kaitlyn Spees
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Gray R Anderson
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jose A Seoane
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Yuan-Hung Lo
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Michael Dubreuil
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Program in Cancer Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Micah Olivas
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Roarke A Kamber
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Michael Wainberg
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Kaja Kostyrko
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Marcus R Kelly
- Program in Cancer Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Maryam Yousefi
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Scott W Simpkins
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - David Yao
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Keonil Lee
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Calvin J Kuo
- Program in Cancer Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Peter K Jackson
- Program in Cancer Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Baxter Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Anshul Kundaje
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Andrew J Gentles
- Departments of Medicine and Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Christina Curtis
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Program in Cancer Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Monte M Winslow
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Program in Cancer Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Michael C Bassik
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Program in Cancer Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Program in Chemistry, Engineering and Medicine for Human Health (ChEM-H), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Miao W, Sakai K, Sato H, Imamura R, Jangphattananont N, Takagi J, Nishita M, Minami Y, Matsumoto K. Impaired ligand-dependent MET activation caused by an extracellular SEMA domain missense mutation in lung cancer. Cancer Sci 2019; 110:3340-3349. [PMID: 31342590 PMCID: PMC6778621 DOI: 10.1111/cas.14142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2019] [Revised: 07/02/2019] [Accepted: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Aberrant activation of the MET/hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) receptor participates in the malignant behavior of cancer cells, such as invasion‐metastasis and resistance to molecular targeted drugs. Many mutations in the MET extracellular region have been reported, but their significance is largely unknown. Here, we report the dysregulation of mutant MET originally found in a lung cancer patient with Val370 to Asp370 (V370D) replacement located in the extracellular SEMA domain. MET‐knockout cells were prepared and reconstituted with WT‐MET or V370D‐MET. HGF stimulation induced MET dimerization and biological responses in cells reconstituted with WT‐MET, but HGF did not induce MET dimerization and failed to induce biological responses in V370D‐MET cells. The V370D mutation abrogated HGF‐dependent drug resistance of lung cancer cells to epidermal growth factor receptor‐tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR‐TKI). Compared with WT‐MET cells, V370D‐MET cells showed different activation patterns in receptor tyrosine kinases upon exposure to survival/growth‐stressed conditions. Surface plasmon resonance analysis indicated that affinity between the extracellular region of V370D‐MET and HGF was reduced compared with that for WT‐MET. Further analysis of the association between V370D‐MET and the separate domains of HGF indicated that the SP domain of HGF was unchanged, but its association with the NK4 domain of HGF was mostly lost in V370D‐MET. These results indicate that the V370D mutation in the MET receptor impairs the functional association with HGF and is therefore a loss‐of‐function mutation. This mutation may change the dependence of cancer cell growth/survival on signaling molecules, which may promote cancer cell characteristics under certain conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wenyu Miao
- Division of Tumor Dynamics and Regulation, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.,College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
| | - Katsuya Sakai
- Division of Tumor Dynamics and Regulation, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.,Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Hiroki Sato
- Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Ryu Imamura
- Division of Tumor Dynamics and Regulation, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.,Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Nawaphat Jangphattananont
- Division of Tumor Dynamics and Regulation, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Junichi Takagi
- Laboratory of Protein Synthesis and Expression, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Michiru Nishita
- Division of Cell Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Minami
- Division of Cell Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
| | - Kunio Matsumoto
- Division of Tumor Dynamics and Regulation, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.,Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.,Institute for Frontier Science Initiative, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Frazier NM, Brand T, Gordan JD, Grandis J, Jura N. Overexpression-mediated activation of MET in the Golgi promotes HER3/ERBB3 phosphorylation. Oncogene 2019; 38:1936-1950. [PMID: 30390071 PMCID: PMC6417953 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-018-0537-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2018] [Revised: 09/07/2018] [Accepted: 09/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Ligand-dependent oligomerization of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) results in their activation through highly specific conformational changes in the extracellular and intracellular receptor domains. These conformational changes are unique for each RTK subfamily, limiting cross-activation between unrelated RTKs. The proto-oncogene MET receptor tyrosine kinase overcomes these structural constraints and phosphorylates unrelated RTKs in numerous cancer cell lines. The molecular basis for these interactions is unknown. We investigated the mechanism by which MET phosphorylates the human epidermal growth factor receptor-3 (HER3 or ERBB3), a catalytically impaired RTK whose phosphorylation by MET has been described as an essential component of drug resistance to inhibitors targeting EGFR and HER2. We find that in untransformed cells, HER3 is not phosphorylated by MET in response to ligand stimulation, but rather to increasing levels of MET expression, which results in ligand-independent MET activation. Phosphorylation of HER3 by its canonical co-receptors, EGFR and HER2, is achieved by engaging an allosteric site on the HER3 kinase domain, but this site is not required when HER3 is phosphorylated by MET. We also observe that HER3 preferentially interacts with MET during its maturation along the secretory pathway, before MET is post translationally processed by cleavage within its extracellular domain. This results in accumulation of phosphorylated HER3 in the Golgi apparatus. We further show that in addition to HER3, MET phosphorylates other RTKs in the Golgi, suggesting that this mechanism is not limited to HER3 phosphorylation. These data demonstrate a link between MET overexpression and its aberrant activation in the Golgi endomembranes and suggest that non-canonical interactions between MET and other RTKs occur during maturation of receptors. Our study highlights a novel aspect of MET signaling in cancer that would not be accessible to inhibition by therapeutic antibodies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Michael Frazier
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Toni Brand
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94113, USA
| | - John D Gordan
- Division of Hematology and Oncology - University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Jennifer Grandis
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94113, USA
| | - Natalia Jura
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA.
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Anestis A, Zoi I, Karamouzis MV. Current advances of targeting HGF/c-Met pathway in gastric cancer. ANNALS OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE 2018; 6:247. [PMID: 30069449 PMCID: PMC6046293 DOI: 10.21037/atm.2018.04.42] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Despite the advances in systemic chemotherapy, gastric adenocarcinoma (GC) remains the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths with poor prognosis. The heterogeneity of GC indicates that novel biomarkers should be established in order to further classify tumors and develop individual targeted therapies. High-quality preclinical and clinical research has demonstrated that growth factor (HGF)-hepatocyte growth factor receptor (c-Met) pathway plays a pivotal role on the growth, survival and invasiveness of GC. In particular, aberrant activation of HGF/c-Met signaling pathway has been associated with poor clinical outcomes, suggesting the therapeutic potential of c-Met. This has stimulated the development and evaluation of a number of c-Met targeted agents in an advance disease setting. In this review, we summarize the current state of the art in the advances on the inhibition of c-Met pathway, with particular emphasis on the clinical testing of c-Met targeted therapeutic agents. Furthermore, we discuss the challenges facing the incorporation of c-Met targeted agents in randomized trials, with the idea that the definition of the appropriate genetic and molecular context for the use of these agents remains the priority.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aristomenis Anestis
- Molecular Oncology Unit, Department of Biological Chemistry, ‘Laiko’ General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Ilianna Zoi
- Molecular Oncology Unit, Department of Biological Chemistry, ‘Laiko’ General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Michalis V. Karamouzis
- Molecular Oncology Unit, Department of Biological Chemistry, ‘Laiko’ General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
- First Department of Internal Medicine, ‘Laiko’ General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Solovyeva NI, Gureeva TA, Timoshenko OS, Moskvitina TA, Kugaevskaya EV. Furin as proprotein convertase and its role in normal and pathological biological processes. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW), SUPPLEMENT SERIES B: BIOMEDICAL CHEMISTRY 2017. [DOI: 10.1134/s1990750817020081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
|
21
|
Targeting c-MET in gastrointestinal tumours: rationale, opportunities and challenges. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 2017; 14:562-576. [PMID: 28374784 DOI: 10.1038/nrclinonc.2017.40] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Data from many preclinical studies, including those using cellular models of colorectal, gastric, gastro-oesophageal and gastro-oesophageal junction cancers, indicate that the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)-hepatocyte growth factor receptor (c-MET) pathway is vital for the growth, survival and invasive potential of gastrointestinal cancers. Following the availability of data from these various studies, and data on c-MET expression as a biomarker that indicates a poor prognosis in patients with gastrointestinal cancer and increased c-MET expression, inhibitors targeting this pathway have entered the clinic in the past decade. However, the design of clinical trials that incorporate the use of HGF/c-MET inhibitors in their most appropriate genetic and molecular context remains crucial. Recognizing and responding to this challenge, the European Commission funded Framework 7 MErCuRIC programme is running a biomarker-enriched clinical trial investigating the efficacy of combined c-MET/MEK inhibition in patients with RAS-mutant or RAS-wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer with aberrant c-MET expression. The design of this trial enables the continued refinement of the predictive biomarker and co-development of companion diagnostics. In this Review, we focus on advances in our understanding of inhibition of the HGF/c-MET pathway in patients with gastro-intestinal cancers, the prominent challenges facing the clinical translation and implementation of agents targeting HGF/c-MET, and discuss the various efforts, and associated obstacles to the discovery and validation of biomarkers that will enable patient stratification in this context.
Collapse
|
22
|
A mini-review of c-Met as a potential therapeutic target in melanoma. Biomed Pharmacother 2017; 88:194-202. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2017.01.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2016] [Revised: 12/28/2016] [Accepted: 01/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
|
23
|
Zhu L, Xiong X, Kim Y, Okada N, Lu F, Zhang H, Sun H. Acid sphingomyelinase is required for cell surface presentation of Met receptor tyrosine kinase in cancer cells. J Cell Sci 2016; 129:4238-4251. [PMID: 27802163 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.191684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2016] [Accepted: 09/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are embedded in the lipid bilayer of the plasma membrane, but the specific roles of various lipids in cell signaling remain largely uncharacterized. We have previously found that acid sphingomyelinase (ASM; also known as SMPD1) regulates the conserved DAF-2 (the ortholog IGF-1R in mammals) RTK signaling pathway in Caenorhabditis elegans How ASM and its catalytic products, ceramides, control RTK signaling pathways remain unclear. Here, we report that ASM regulates the homeostasis of Met, an RTK that is frequently overexpressed in various cancers. Inactivation of ASM led to a rapid loss of Met from the plasma membrane, reduced Met phosphorylation and activation, and induced Met accumulation in the trans-Golgi network (TGN). However, trafficking of integrin β3 and vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein (VSVG) was largely unaffected. Knockdown of syntaxin 6 (STX6) also blocked the Golgi exit of Met. Depletion of either ASM or STX6 led to aberrant trafficking of Met to lysosomes, promoting its degradation. Our studies reveal that ASM and ceramides, together with STX6 and cholesterol, constitute a new regulatory mechanism for the exit of Met from the Golgi during its biosynthetic route, which is used to rapidly replenish and regulate the plasma membrane levels of Met in various cancer cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Linyu Zhu
- School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89135, USA
| | - Xiahui Xiong
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89135, USA
| | - Yongsoon Kim
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89135, USA
| | - Naomi Okada
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89135, USA
| | - Fei Lu
- School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Hui Zhang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89135, USA
| | - Hong Sun
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89135, USA
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Ilangumaran S, Villalobos-Hernandez A, Bobbala D, Ramanathan S. The hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)–MET receptor tyrosine kinase signaling pathway: Diverse roles in modulating immune cell functions. Cytokine 2016; 82:125-39. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cyto.2015.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2015] [Revised: 12/11/2015] [Accepted: 12/12/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
|
25
|
Van Der Steen N, Giovannetti E, Pauwels P, Peters GJ, Hong DS, Cappuzzo F, Hirsch FR, Rolfo C. cMET Exon 14 Skipping: From the Structure to the Clinic. J Thorac Oncol 2016; 11:1423-32. [PMID: 27223456 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtho.2016.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2016] [Revised: 05/02/2016] [Accepted: 05/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The abnormal stimulation of the multiple signal transduction pathways downstream of the receptor tyrosine kinase mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (cMET) promotes cellular transformation, tumor motility, and invasion. Therefore, cMET has been the focus of prognostic and therapeutic studies in different tumor types, including non-small cell lung cancer. In particular, several cMET inhibitors have been developed as innovative therapeutic candidates and are currently under investigation in clinical trials. However, one of the challenges in establishing effective targeted treatments against cMET remains the accurate identification of biomarkers for the selection of responsive subsets of patients. Recently, splice site mutations have been discovered in cMET that lead to the skipping of exon 14, impairing the breakdown of the receptor. Patients with NSCLC who are carrying this splice variant typically overexpress the cMET receptor and show a response to small molecule inhibitors of cMET. Here, we review the main differences at the structural level between the wild-type and the splice variants of cMET and their influence on cMET signaling. We clarify the reason why this variant responds to small molecule inhibitors and their prognostic/predictive role.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nele Van Der Steen
- Department of Medical Oncology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Pathology, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Antwerp, Belgium; Center for Oncological Research, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Elisa Giovannetti
- Department of Medical Oncology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Cancer Pharmacology Lab, Italian Association for Cancer Research Start-Up Unit, University of Pisa, Hospital of Cisanello, Pisa, Italy
| | - Patrick Pauwels
- Department of Pathology, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Antwerp, Belgium; Center for Oncological Research, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Godefridus J Peters
- Department of Medical Oncology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - David S Hong
- Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | | | - Fred R Hirsch
- Division of Medical Oncology, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Christian Rolfo
- Center for Oncological Research, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium; Phase I Early Clinical Trials Unit, Oncology Department, Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium.
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Finisguerra V, Prenen H, Mazzone M. Preclinical and clinical evaluation of MET functions in cancer cells and in the tumor stroma. Oncogene 2016; 35:5457-5467. [PMID: 26996670 DOI: 10.1038/onc.2016.36] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2015] [Revised: 01/09/2016] [Accepted: 01/09/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
A lot of attention has been dedicated to investigate the role of the tyrosine kinase receptor MET in tumors. The acquired notion that cancer cells from different histological origin strictly rely on the engagement of this specific oncogene for their growth and survival has certainly justified the development and the use of MET-targeted therapies in the clinic. However, the function and involvement of this pathway in the stroma (that often constitutes >50% of the global cellularity of the tumor) may offer the opportunity to conceive new patient stratification criteria, rational drug design and guided trials of new combination treatments. In this review, we will summarize and discuss the role of MET in cancer cells but especially in different stromal compartments, in light of the results showed by past and recent preclinical and clinical trials with anti-MET drugs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- V Finisguerra
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Brussels, Belgium.,de Duve Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - H Prenen
- Digestive Oncology, University Hospitals Leuven and Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - M Mazzone
- Lab of Molecular Oncology and Angiogenesis, Vesalius Research Center, VIB, Leuven, Belgium.,Lab of Molecular Oncology and Angiogenesis, Vesalius Research Center, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Solovyeva N, Gureeva T, Timoshenko O, Moskvitina T, Kugaevskaya E. Furin as proprotein convertase and its role in normal and pathological biological processes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 62:609-621. [DOI: 10.18097/pbmc20166206609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Furin belongs to serine intracellular Ca2+-dependent endopeptidases of the subtilisin family, also known as proprotein convertase (PC). Human furin is synthesized as zymogen with a molecular weight of 104 kDa, which is then activated by autocatalytic in two stages. This process can occur when zymogen migrates from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi apparatus, where a large part of furin is accumulated. The molecular weigh t of the active furin is 98 kDa. Furin relates to enzymes with a narrow substrate specificity: it hydrolyzes peptide bonds at the site of paired basic amino acids and furin activity exhibits in a wide pH range 5-8. Its main biological function is activation of the functionally important protein precursors. It is accompanied by the launch of a cascade of reactions, which lead to appearance of biologically active molecules involved in realization of specific biological functions both in normal and in some patologicheskih processes. Furin substrates are biologically important proteins such as enzymes, hormones, growth factors and differentiation, receptors, adhesion proteins, proteins of blood plasma. Furin plays an important role in the development of processes such as proliferation, invasion, cell migration, survival, maintenance of homeostasis, embryogenesis, as well as the development of a number of pathologies, including cardiovascular, oncologic and neurodegenerative diseases. Furin and furin-like proprotein convertases participate as key factors in the realization of the regulatory functions of proteolytic enzymes, the value of which is currently being evaluated as most important in comparison with the degradative function of proteases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - T.A. Gureeva
- Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, Moscow, Russia
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
28
|
Identification of a novel MET mutation in high-grade glioma resulting in an auto-active intracellular protein. Acta Neuropathol 2015; 130:131-44. [PMID: 25862637 PMCID: PMC4469304 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-015-1420-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2015] [Revised: 03/13/2015] [Accepted: 03/25/2015] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
MET has gained interest as a therapeutic target for a number of malignancies because of its involvement in tumorigenesis, invasion and metastasis. At present, a number of inhibitors, both antibodies against MET or its ligand hepatocyte growth factor, and small molecule MET tyrosine kinase inhibitors are in clinical trials. We here describe a novel variant of MET that is expressed in 6 % of high-grade gliomas. Characterization of this mutation in a glioma cell line revealed that it consists of an intronic deletion, resulting in a splice event connecting an intact splice donor site in exon 6 with the next splice acceptor site being that of exon 9. The encoded protein lacks parts of the extracellular IPT domains 1 and 2, encoded by exons 7 and 8, resulting in a novel pseudo-IPT and is named METΔ7−8. METΔ7−8 is located predominantly in the cytosol and is constitutively active. The auto-activating nature of METΔ7−8, in combination with a lack of transmembrane localization, renders METΔ7−8 not targetable using antibodies, although the protein is efficiently deactivated by MET-specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Testing of MET-expressing tumors for the presence of this variant may be important for treatment decision making.
Collapse
|
29
|
Genome-Wide siRNA Screen Identifies Complementary Signaling Pathways Involved in Listeria Infection and Reveals Different Actin Nucleation Mechanisms during Listeria Cell Invasion and Actin Comet Tail Formation. mBio 2015; 6:e00598-15. [PMID: 25991686 PMCID: PMC4442140 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00598-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Listeria monocytogenes enters nonphagocytic cells by a receptor-mediated mechanism that is dependent on a clathrin-based molecular machinery and actin rearrangements. Bacterial intra- and intercellular movements are also actin dependent and rely on the actin nucleating Arp2/3 complex, which is activated by host-derived nucleation-promoting factors downstream of the cell receptor Met during entry and by the bacterial nucleation-promoting factor ActA during comet tail formation. By genome-wide small interfering RNA (siRNA) screening for host factors involved in bacterial infection, we identified diverse cellular signaling networks and protein complexes that support or limit these processes. In addition, we could precise previously described molecular pathways involved in Listeria invasion. In particular our results show that the requirements for actin nucleators during Listeria entry and actin comet tail formation are different. Knockdown of several actin nucleators, including SPIRE2, reduced bacterial invasion while not affecting the generation of comet tails. Most interestingly, we observed that in contrast to our expectations, not all of the seven subunits of the Arp2/3 complex are required for Listeria entry into cells or actin tail formation and that the subunit requirements for each of these processes differ, highlighting a previously unsuspected versatility in Arp2/3 complex composition and function. Listeria is a bacterial pathogen that induces its internalization within the cytoplasm of human cells and has been used for decades as a major molecular tool to manipulate cells in order to explore and discover cellular functions. We have inactivated individually, for the first time in epithelial cells, all the genes of the human genome to investigate whether each gene modifies positively or negatively the Listeria infectious process. We identified novel signaling cascades that have never been associated with Listeria infection. We have also revisited the role of the molecular complex Arp2/3 involved in the polymerization of the actin cytoskeleton, which was shown previously to be required for Listeria entry and movement inside host cells, and we demonstrate that contrary to the general dogma, some subunits of the complex are dispensable for both Listeria entry and bacterial movement.
Collapse
|
30
|
Chen HM, Yu K, Tang XY, Bao ZS, Jiang T, Fan XL, Chen XW, Su XD. Enhanced expression and phosphorylation of the MET oncoprotein by glioma-specific PTPRZ1-MET fusions. FEBS Lett 2015; 589:1437-43. [PMID: 25935522 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2015.04.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2015] [Revised: 03/30/2015] [Accepted: 04/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
PTPRZ1-MET (ZM) proteins are a group of fusion proteins identified in human gliomas by high-throughput transcriptome sequencing. ZM fusions are associated with poor prognosis in afflicted glioma patients and mediate oncogenic effects in assays. In this study, we show that ZM-carrying patients have increased hepatocyte growth factor receptor (MET) mRNA expression levels induced by fusion with receptor-type tyrosine-protein phosphatase zeta (PTPRZ1). Furthermore, ZM fusions preserve fundamental properties of wild-type MET with respect to processing and dimerization, and enhance phosphorylation in an hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)-dependent and independent manner. Our findings suggest that ZM induces gliomas through elevated expression and phosphorylation of the MET oncoprotein.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hui-Min Chen
- Biodynamic Optical Imaging Center (BIOPIC), School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, China
| | - Kai Yu
- Biodynamic Optical Imaging Center (BIOPIC), School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Xiao-yan Tang
- Biodynamic Optical Imaging Center (BIOPIC), School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Zhao-shi Bao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China; Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Tao Jiang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China; Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Xiao-Long Fan
- Laboratory of Neuroscience and Brain Development, Beijing Key Laboratory of Gene Resource and Molecular Development, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiao-Wei Chen
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Centre for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Xiao-Dong Su
- Biodynamic Optical Imaging Center (BIOPIC), School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Van Der Steen N, Pauwels P, Gil-Bazo I, Castañon E, Raez L, Cappuzzo F, Rolfo C. cMET in NSCLC: Can We Cut off the Head of the Hydra? From the Pathway to the Resistance. Cancers (Basel) 2015; 7:556-73. [PMID: 25815459 PMCID: PMC4491670 DOI: 10.3390/cancers7020556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2015] [Revised: 02/19/2015] [Accepted: 03/05/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In the last decade, the tyrosine kinase receptor cMET, together with its ligand hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), has become a target in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Signalization via cMET stimulates several oncological processes amongst which are cell motility, invasion and metastasis. It also confers resistance against several currently used targeted therapies, e.g., epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors. In this review, we will discuss the basic structure of cMET and the most important signaling pathways. We will also look into aberrations in the signaling and the effects thereof in cancer growth, with the focus on NSCLC. Finally, we will discuss the role of cMET as resistance mechanism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nele Van Der Steen
- Center for Oncological Research Antwerp, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, Wilrijk 2610, Belgium; E-Mails: (N.V.D.S.); (P.P.)
| | - Patrick Pauwels
- Center for Oncological Research Antwerp, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, Wilrijk 2610, Belgium; E-Mails: (N.V.D.S.); (P.P.)
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Pathology Department, Antwerp University Hospital, Wilrijkstraat 10, Edegem 2650, Belgium
| | - Ignacio Gil-Bazo
- Department of Oncology, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona 31008, Spain; E-Mails: (I.G.-B.); (E.C.)
| | - Eduardo Castañon
- Department of Oncology, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona 31008, Spain; E-Mails: (I.G.-B.); (E.C.)
- Phase I-Early Clinical Trials Unit, Oncology Department, Antwerp University Hospital, Wilrijkstraat 10, Edegem 2650, Belgium
| | - Luis Raez
- Thoracic Oncology Program, Memorial Cancer Institute, Memorial Health Care System, Pembroke Pines, FL 33024, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Federico Cappuzzo
- Thoracic Oncology Program, Memorial Cancer Institute, Memorial Health Care System, Pembroke Pines, FL 33024, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Christian Rolfo
- Center for Oncological Research Antwerp, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, Wilrijk 2610, Belgium; E-Mails: (N.V.D.S.); (P.P.)
- Phase I-Early Clinical Trials Unit, Oncology Department, Antwerp University Hospital, Wilrijkstraat 10, Edegem 2650, Belgium
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: ; Tel.: +32-3-821-3646; Fax: +32-3-825-1592
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Baldanzi G, Graziani A. Physiological Signaling and Structure of the HGF Receptor MET. Biomedicines 2014; 3:1-31. [PMID: 28536396 PMCID: PMC5344233 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines3010001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2014] [Accepted: 12/09/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The "hepatocyte growth factor" also known as "scatter factor", is a multifunctional cytokine with the peculiar ability of simultaneously triggering epithelial cell proliferation, movement and survival. The combination of those proprieties results in the induction of an epithelial to mesenchymal transition in target cells, fundamental for embryogenesis but also exploited by tumor cells during metastatization. The hepatocyte growth factor receptor, MET, is a proto-oncogene and a prototypical transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor. Inhere we discuss the MET molecular structure and the hepatocyte growth factor driven physiological signaling which coordinates epithelial proliferation, motility and morphogenesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gianluca Baldanzi
- Department Translational Medicine, University Piemonte Orientale, via Solaroli 17, 28100 Novara, Italy.
| | - Andrea Graziani
- Department Translational Medicine, University Piemonte Orientale, via Solaroli 17, 28100 Novara, Italy.
- Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milano, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Prat M, Oltolina F, Basilico C. Monoclonal Antibodies against the MET/HGF Receptor and Its Ligand: Multitask Tools with Applications from Basic Research to Therapy. Biomedicines 2014; 2:359-383. [PMID: 28548076 PMCID: PMC5344273 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines2040359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2014] [Revised: 11/21/2014] [Accepted: 11/24/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies can be seen as valuable tools for many aspects of basic as well as applied sciences. In the case of MET/HGFR, they allowed the identification of truncated isoforms of the receptor, as well as the dissection of different epitopes, establishing structure-function relationships. Antibodies directed against MET extracellular domain were found to be full or partial receptor agonists or antagonists. The agonists can mimic the effects of the different isoforms of the natural ligand, but with the advantage of being more stable than the latter. Thus, some agonist antibodies promote all the biological responses triggered by MET activation, including motility, proliferation, morphogenesis, and protection from apoptosis, while others can induce only a migratory response. On the other hand, antagonists can inhibit MET-driven biological functions either by competing with the ligand or by removing the receptor from the cell surface. Since MET/HGFR is often over-expressed and/or aberrantly activated in tumors, monoclonal antibodies can be used as probes for MET detection or as "bullets" to target MET-expressing tumor cells, thus pointing to their use in diagnosis and therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Prat
- Department of Health Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale, via Solaroli 17, 28100 Novara, Italy.
| | - Francesca Oltolina
- Department of Health Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale, via Solaroli 17, 28100 Novara, Italy.
| | - Cristina Basilico
- Laboratory of Exploratory Research, Candiolo Cancer Institute, Str. Prov. 142, 10060 Candiolo, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Plasticity versus specificity in RTK signalling modalities for distinct biological outcomes in motor neurons. BMC Biol 2014; 12:56. [PMID: 25124859 PMCID: PMC4169644 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-014-0056-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2014] [Accepted: 07/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Multiple growth factors are known to control several aspects of neuronal biology, consecutively acting as morphogens to diversify neuronal fates, as guidance cues for axonal growth, and as modulators of survival or death to regulate neuronal numbers. The multiplicity of neuronal types is permitted by the combinatorial usage of growth factor receptors, each of which is expressed in distinct and overlapping subsets of neurons, and by the multitasking role of growth factor receptors, which recruit multiple signalling cascades differentially required for distinct biological outcomes. We have explored signalling robustness in cells where a given receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) elicits qualitatively distinct outcomes. As the HGF/Met system regulates several biological responses in motor neurons (MN) during neuromuscular development, we have investigated the signalling modalities through which the HGF/Met system impacts on MN biology, and the degree of robustness of each of these functions, when challenged with substitutions of signalling pathways. RESULTS Using a set of mouse lines carrying signalling mutations that change the Met phosphotyrosine binding preferences, we have asked whether distinct functions of Met in several MN subtypes require specific signalling pathways, and to which extent signalling plasticity allows a pleiotropic system to exert distinct developmental outcomes. The differential ability of signalling mutants to promote muscle migration versus axonal growth allowed us to uncouple an indirect effect of HGF/Met signalling on nerve growth through the regulation of muscle size from a direct regulation of motor growth via the PI3 kinase (PI3K), but not Src kinase, pathway. Furthermore, we found that HGF/Met-triggered expansion of Pea3 expression domain in the spinal cord can be accomplished through several alternative signalling cascades, differentially sensitive to the Pea3 dosage. Finally, we show that the regulation of MN survival by HGF/Met can equally be achieved in vitro and in vivo by alternative signalling cascades involving either PI3K-Akt or Src and Mek pathways. CONCLUSIONS Our findings distinguish MN survival and fate specification, as RTK-triggered responses allowing substitutions of the downstream signalling routes, from nerve growth patterning, which depends on a selective, non-substitutable pathway.
Collapse
|
35
|
Targeting tumor micro-environment for design and development of novel anti-angiogenic agents arresting tumor growth. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2013; 113:333-54. [PMID: 24139944 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2013.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2013] [Revised: 10/05/2013] [Accepted: 10/08/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Angiogenesis: a process of generation of new blood vessels has been proved to be necessary for sustained tumor growth and cancer progression. Inhibiting angiogenesis pathway has long been remained a significant hope for the development of novel, effective and target orientated antitumor agents arresting the tumor proliferation and metastasis. The process of neoangiogenesis as a biological process is regulated by several pro- and anti-angiogenic factors, especially vascular endothelial growth factor, fibroblast growth factor, epidermal growth factor, hypoxia inducible factor 1 and transforming growth factor. Every endothelial cell destined for vessel formation is equipped with receptors for these angiogenic peptides. Moreover, numerous other angiogenic cytokines such as platelet derived growth factor (PGDF), placenta growth factor (PGF), nerve growth factor (NGF), stem-cell factor (SCF), and interleukins-2, 4, 6 etc. These molecular players performs critical role in regulating the angiogenic switch. Couple of decade's research in molecular aspects of tumor biology has unraveled numerous structural and functional mysteries of these angiogenic peptides. In present article, a detailed update on the functional and structural peculiarities of the various angiogenic peptides is described focusing on structural opportunities made available that has potential to be used to modulate function of these angiogenic peptides in developing therapeutic agents targeting neoplastic angiogenesis. The data may be useful in the mainstream of developing novel anticancer agents targeting tumor angiogenesis. We also discuss major therapeutic agents that are currently used in angiogenesis associated therapies as well as those are subject of active research or are in clinical trials.
Collapse
|
36
|
Hepatocyte growth factor signaling in intrapancreatic ductal cells drives pancreatic morphogenesis. PLoS Genet 2013; 9:e1003650. [PMID: 23935514 PMCID: PMC3723531 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2012] [Accepted: 06/04/2013] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In a forward genetic screen for regulators of pancreas development in zebrafish, we identified donut(s908) , a mutant which exhibits failed outgrowth of the exocrine pancreas. The s908 mutation leads to a leucine to arginine substitution in the ectodomain of the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) tyrosine kinase receptor, Met. This missense mutation impedes the proteolytic maturation of the receptor, its trafficking to the plasma membrane, and diminishes the phospho-activation of its kinase domain. Interestingly, during pancreatogenesis, met and its hgf ligands are expressed in pancreatic epithelia and mesenchyme, respectively. Although Met signaling elicits mitogenic and migratory responses in varied contexts, normal proliferation rates in donut mutant pancreata together with dysmorphic, mislocalized ductal cells suggest that met primarily functions motogenically in pancreatic tail formation. Treatment with PI3K and STAT3 inhibitors, but not with MAPK inhibitors, phenocopies the donut pancreatic defect, further indicating that Met signals through migratory pathways during pancreas development. Chimera analyses showed that Met-deficient cells were excluded from the duct, but not acinar, compartment in the pancreatic tail. Conversely, wild-type intrapancreatic duct and "tip cells" at the leading edge of the growing pancreas rescued the donut phenotype. Altogether, these results reveal a novel and essential role for HGF signaling in the intrapancreatic ducts during exocrine morphogenesis.
Collapse
|
37
|
Kato S, Zhang R, Roberts JD. Proprotein convertases play an important role in regulating PKGI endoproteolytic cleavage and nuclear transport. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 2013; 305:L130-40. [PMID: 23686857 PMCID: PMC3726948 DOI: 10.1152/ajplung.00391.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2012] [Accepted: 05/15/2013] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Nitric oxide and cGMP modulate vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) phenotype by regulating cell differentiation and proliferation. Recent studies suggest that cGMP-dependent protein kinase I (PKGI) cleavage and the nuclear translocation of a constitutively active kinase fragment, PKGIγ, are required for nuclear cGMP signaling in SMC. However, the mechanisms that control PKGI proteolysis are unknown. Inspection of the amino acid sequence of a PKGI cleavage site that yields PKGIγ and a protease database revealed a putative minimum consensus sequence for proprotein convertases (PCs). Therefore we investigated the role of PCs in regulating PKGI proteolysis. We observed that overexpression of PCs, furin and PC5, but not PC7, which are all expressed in SMC, increase PKGI cleavage in a dose-dependent manner in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells. Moreover, furin-induced proteolysis of mutant PKGI, in which alanines were substituted into the putative PC consensus sequence, was decreased in these cells. In addition, overexpression of furin increased PKGI proteolysis in LoVo cells, which is an adenocarcinoma cell line expressing defective furin without PC activity. Also, expression of α1-PDX, an engineered serpin-like PC inhibitor, reduced PC activity and decreased PKGI proteolysis in HEK293 cells. Last, treatment of low-passage rat aortic SMC with membrane-permeable PC inhibitor peptides decreased cGMP-stimulated nuclear PKGIγ translocation. These data indicate for the first time that PCs have a role in regulating PKGI proteolysis and the nuclear localization of its active cleavage product, which are important for cGMP-mediated SMC phenotype.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shin Kato
- Cardiovascular Research Center of the General Medical Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
38
|
Niemann HH. Structural basis of MET receptor dimerization by the bacterial invasion protein InlB and the HGF/SF splice variant NK1. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2012; 1834:2195-204. [PMID: 23123275 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2012.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2012] [Revised: 10/19/2012] [Accepted: 10/23/2012] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The structural basis of ligand-induced dimerization of the receptor tyrosine kinase MET by its natural ligand hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF) is not well understood. However, interesting insight into the molecular mechanism of MET dimerization has emerged from crystal structures of MET in complex with a bacterial agonist, the invasion protein internalin B (InlB) from pathogenic Listeria monocytogenes. MET activation by InlB promotes uptake of bacteria into host cells. Structural and biophysical data suggest that InlB is monomeric on its own but dimerizes upon binding to the membrane-anchored MET receptor promoting the formation of a signaling active 2:2 complex. The dimerization interface is small and unusually located on the convex side of the curved InlB leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domain. As InlB does not dimerize in solution, the dimerization site could only be identified by studying packing contacts of InlB in various crystal forms and had to be proven by scrutinizing its biological relevance in cellular assays. InlB dimerization is thus an example of a low-affinity contact that appears irrelevant in solution but becomes physiologically significant in the context of 2-dimensional diffusion restricted to the membrane plane. The resulting 2:2 InlB:MET complex has an InlB dimer at its center with one MET molecule bound peripherally to each InlB. This model of ligand-mediated MET dimerization may serve as a blue-print to understand MET activation by NK1, a naturally occurring HGF/SF splice variant and MET agonist. Crystal structures of NK1 repeatedly show a NK1 dimer, in which residues implicated in MET-binding are located on the outside. Thus, MET dimerization by NK1 may also be ligand-mediated with a NK1 dimer at the center of the 2:2 complex with one MET molecule bound peripherally to each NK1. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Emerging recognition and activation mechanisms of receptor tyrosine kinases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hartmut H Niemann
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, 33501 Bielefeld, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Li BQ, Cai YD, Feng KY, Zhao GJ. Prediction of protein cleavage site with feature selection by random forest. PLoS One 2012; 7:e45854. [PMID: 23029276 PMCID: PMC3445488 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0045854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2012] [Accepted: 08/23/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteinases play critical roles in both intra and extracellular processes by binding and cleaving their protein substrates. The cleavage can either be non-specific as part of degradation during protein catabolism or highly specific as part of proteolytic cascades and signal transduction events. Identification of these targets is extremely challenging. Current computational approaches for predicting cleavage sites are very limited since they mainly represent the amino acid sequences as patterns or frequency matrices. In this work, we developed a novel predictor based on Random Forest algorithm (RF) using maximum relevance minimum redundancy (mRMR) method followed by incremental feature selection (IFS). The features of physicochemical/biochemical properties, sequence conservation, residual disorder, amino acid occurrence frequency, secondary structure and solvent accessibility were utilized to represent the peptides concerned. Here, we compared existing prediction tools which are available for predicting possible cleavage sites in candidate substrates with ours. It is shown that our method makes much more reliable predictions in terms of the overall prediction accuracy. In addition, this predictor allows the use of a wide range of proteinases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bi-Qing Li
- Key Laboratory of Systems Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, P. R. China
- Shanghai Center for Bioinformation Technology, Shanghai, P. R. China
| | - Yu-Dong Cai
- Institute of Systems Biology, Shanghai University, Shanghai, P. R. China
- * E-mail:
| | - Kai-Yan Feng
- Beijing Genomics Institute, Shenzhen Beishan Industrial Zone, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China
| | - Gui-Jun Zhao
- Children's Hospital of Shanghai, Shanghai Institute of Medical Genetics, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P. R. China
- Key Lab of Embryo Molecular Biology, Ministry of Health, China, and Shanghai Lab of Embryo and Reproduction Engineering, Shanghai, P. R. China
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Greenall SA, Gherardi E, Liu Z, Donoghue JF, Vitali AA, Li Q, Murphy R, Iamele L, Scott AM, Johns TG. Non-agonistic bivalent antibodies that promote c-MET degradation and inhibit tumor growth and others specific for tumor related c-MET. PLoS One 2012; 7:e34658. [PMID: 22511956 PMCID: PMC3325269 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0034658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2011] [Accepted: 03/06/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The c-MET receptor has a function in many human cancers and is a proven therapeutic target. Generating antagonistic or therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting c-MET has been difficult because bivalent, intact anti-Met antibodies frequently display agonistic activity, necessitating the use of monovalent antibody fragments for therapy. By using a novel strategy that included immunizing with cells expressing c-MET, we obtained a range of mAbs. These c-MET mAbs were tested for binding specificity and anti-tumor activity using a range of cell-based techniques and in silico modeling. The LMH 80 antibody bound an epitope, contained in the small cysteine-rich domain of c-MET (amino acids 519–561), that was preferentially exposed on the c-MET precursor. Since the c-MET precursor is only expressed on the surface of cancer cells and not normal cells, this antibody is potentially tumor specific. An interesting subset of our antibodies displayed profound activities on c-MET internalization and degradation. LMH 87, an antibody binding the loop connecting strands 3d and 4a of the 7-bladed β-propeller domain of c-MET, displayed no intrinsic agonistic activity but promoted receptor internalization and degradation. LMH 87 inhibited HGF/SF-induced migration of SK-OV-3 ovarian carcinoma cells, the proliferation of A549 lung cancer cells and the growth of human U87MG glioma cells in a mouse xenograft model. These results indicate that c-MET antibodies targeting epitopes controlling receptor internalization and degradation provide new ways of controlling c-MET expression and activity and may enable the therapeutic targeting of c-MET by intact, bivalent antibodies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sameer A. Greenall
- Oncogenic Signaling Laboratory, Monash Institute of Medical Research, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Zhanqi Liu
- Tumour Targeting Laboratory, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jacqueline F. Donoghue
- Oncogenic Signaling Laboratory, Monash Institute of Medical Research, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Angela A. Vitali
- Tumour Targeting Laboratory, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Qian Li
- Oncogenic Signaling Laboratory, Monash Institute of Medical Research, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Roger Murphy
- Tumour Targeting Laboratory, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Luisa Iamele
- Medical Research Council Centre, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew M. Scott
- Tumour Targeting Laboratory, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
| | - Terrance G. Johns
- Oncogenic Signaling Laboratory, Monash Institute of Medical Research, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Abstract
Uncontrolled cell survival, growth, angiogenesis and metastasis are essential hallmarks of cancer. Genetic and biochemical data have demonstrated that the growth and motility factor hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF) and its receptor, the tyrosine kinase MET, have a causal role in all of these processes, thus providing a strong rationale for targeting these molecules in cancer. Parallel progress in understanding the structure and function of HGF/SF, MET and associated signalling components has led to the successful development of blocking antibodies and a large number of small-molecule MET kinase inhibitors. In this Review, we discuss these advances, as well as results from recent clinical studies that demonstrate that inhibiting MET signalling in several types of solid human tumours has major therapeutic value.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ermanno Gherardi
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 2QH, UK.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
42
|
Schjoldager KTBG, Vester-Christensen MB, Goth CK, Petersen TN, Brunak S, Bennett EP, Levery SB, Clausen H. A systematic study of site-specific GalNAc-type O-glycosylation modulating proprotein convertase processing. J Biol Chem 2011; 286:40122-32. [PMID: 21937429 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m111.287912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Site-specific GalNAc-type O-glycosylation is emerging as an important co-regulator of proprotein convertase (PC) processing of proteins. PC processing is crucial in regulating many fundamental biological pathways and O-glycans in or immediately adjacent to processing sites may affect recognition and function of PCs. Thus, we previously demonstrated that deficiency in site-specific O-glycosylation in a PC site of the fibroblast growth factor, FGF23, resulted in marked reduction in secretion of active unprocessed FGF23, which cause familial tumoral calcinosis and hyperostosis hyperphosphatemia. GalNAc-type O-glycosylation is found on serine and threonine amino acids and up to 20 distinct polypeptide GalNAc transferases catalyze the first addition of GalNAc to proteins making this step the most complex and differentially regulated steps in protein glycosylation. There is no reliable prediction model for O-glycosylation especially of isolated sites, but serine and to a lesser extent threonine residues are frequently found adjacent to PC processing sites. In the present study we used in vitro enzyme assays and ex vivo cell models to systematically address the boundaries of the region within site-specific O-glycosylation affect PC processing. The results demonstrate that O-glycans within at least ±3 residues of the RXXR furin cleavage site may affect PC processing suggesting that site-specific O-glycosylation is a major co-regulator of PC processing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katrine Ter-Borch Gram Schjoldager
- Center for Glycomics, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and School of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
43
|
Shiga A, Nozaki H, Yokoseki A, Nihonmatsu M, Kawata H, Kato T, Koyama A, Arima K, Ikeda M, Katada S, Toyoshima Y, Takahashi H, Tanaka A, Nakano I, Ikeuchi T, Nishizawa M, Onodera O. Cerebral small-vessel disease protein HTRA1 controls the amount of TGF-β1 via cleavage of proTGF-β1. Hum Mol Genet 2011; 20:1800-10. [PMID: 21320870 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddr063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Cerebral small-vessel disease is a common disorder in elderly populations; however, its molecular basis is not well understood. We recently demonstrated that mutations in the high-temperature requirement A (HTRA) serine peptidase 1 (HTRA1) gene cause a hereditary cerebral small-vessel disease, cerebral autosomal recessive arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CARASIL). HTRA1 belongs to the HTRA protein family, whose members have dual activities as chaperones and serine proteases and also repress transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) family signaling. We demonstrated that CARASIL-associated mutant HTRA1s decrease protease activity and fail to decrease TGF-β family signaling. However, the precise molecular mechanism for decreasing the signaling remains unknown. Here we show that increased expression of ED-A fibronectin is limited to cerebral small arteries and is not observed in coronary, renal arterial or aortic walls in patients with CARASIL. Using a cell-mixing assay, we found that HTRA1 decreases TGF-β1 signaling triggered by proTGF-β1 in the intracellular space. HTRA1 binds and cleaves the pro-domain of proTGF-β1 in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and cleaved proTGF-β1 is degraded by ER-associated degradation. Consequently, the amount of mature TGF-β1 is reduced. These results establish a novel mechanism for regulating the amount of TGF-β1, specifically, the intracellular cleavage of proTGF-β1 in the ER.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Atsushi Shiga
- Department of Neurology, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata 951-8122, Japan
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
44
|
Ma Q, Zhang K, Guin S, Zhou YQ, Wang MH. Deletion or insertion in the first immunoglobulin-plexin-transcription (IPT) domain differentially regulates expression and tumorigenic activities of RON receptor Tyrosine Kinase. Mol Cancer 2010; 9:307. [PMID: 21114864 PMCID: PMC3001714 DOI: 10.1186/1476-4598-9-307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2010] [Accepted: 11/29/2010] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Activation of the RON receptor tyrosine kinase, a member of the c-MET family, regulates tumorigenic phenotypes. The RON extracellular domains are critical in regulating these activities. The objective of this study was to determine the role of the first IPT domain in regulating RON-mediated tumorigenic activities and the underlying mechanisms. Results Two RON variants, RON160 and RONE5/6in with deletion and insertion in the first IPT domain, respectively, were molecularly cloned. RON160 was a splicing variant generated by deletion of 109 amino acids encoded by exons 5 and 6. In contrast, RONE5/6in was derived from a transcript with an insertion of 20 amino acids between exons 5 and 6. Both RON160 and RONE5/6in were proteolytically matured into two-chain receptor and expressed on the cell surface. RON160 was constitutively active with tyrosine phosphorylation. However, activation of RONE5/6in required ligand stimulation. Deletion resulted in the resistance of RON160 to proteolytic digestion by cell associated trypsin-like enzymes. RON160 also resisted anti-RON antibody-induced receptor internalization. These features contributed to sustained intracellular signaling cascades. On the other hand, RONE5/6in was highly susceptible to protease digestion, which led to formation of a truncated variant known as RONp110. RONE5/6in also underwent rapid internalization upon anti-RON antibody treatment, which led to signaling attenuation. Although ligand-induced activation of RONE5/6in partially caused epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), it was RON160 that showed cell-transforming activities in cell focus formation and anchorage-independent growth. RON160-mediated EMT is also associated with increased motile/invasive activity. Conclusions Alterations in the first IPT domain in extracellular region differentially regulate RON mediated tumorigenic activities. Deletion of the first IPT results in formation of oncogenic variant RON160. Enhanced degradation and internalization with attenuated signaling cascades could be the mechanisms underlying non-tumorigenic features of RONE5/6in.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qi Ma
- Laboratory of Cancer Biology in State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, P, R, China
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
45
|
Furin targeted drug delivery for treatment of rhabdomyosarcoma in a mouse model. PLoS One 2010; 5:e10445. [PMID: 20454619 PMCID: PMC2862740 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0010445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2009] [Accepted: 04/01/2010] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children. Improvement of treatment efficacy and decreased side effects through tumor-targeted drug delivery would be desirable. By panning with a phage-displayed cyclic random peptide library we selected a peptide with strong affinity for RMS in vitro and in vivo. The peptide minimal binding motif Arg-X-(Arg/Lys)(Arg/Lys) identified by alanine-scan, suggested the target receptor to be a proprotein convertase (PC). Expression profiling of all PCs in RMS biopsies and cell lines revealed consistent high expression levels for the membrane-bound furin and PC7. Direct binding of RMS-P3 peptide to furin was demonstrated by affinity chromatography and supported by activity and colocalization studies. Treatment of RMS in mice with doxorubicin coupled to the targeting peptide resulted in a two-fold increase in therapeutic efficacy compared to doxorubicin treatment alone. Our findings indicate surface-furin binding as novel mechanism for therapeutic cell penetration which needs to be further investigated. Furthermore, this work demonstrates that specific targeting of membrane-bound furin in tumors is possible for and suggests that RMS and other tumors might benefit from proprotein convertases targeted drug delivery.
Collapse
|
46
|
Tian S. A 20 Residues Motif Delineates the Furin Cleavage Site and its Physical Properties May Influence Viral Fusion. BIOCHEMISTRY INSIGHTS 2009. [DOI: 10.4137/bci.s2049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Furin is a proprotein convertase that proteolytically cleaves protein precursors to yield functional proteins. Efficient cleavage depends on the presence of a specific sequence motif on the substrate. Currently, the cleavage site motif is described as a four amino acid pattern: R-X-[K/R]-R⇓. However, not all furin cleavage recognition sites can be described by this pattern and not all R-X-[K/R]-R⇓ sites are cleaved by furin. Since many furin substrates are involved in the pathogenesis of viral infection and human diseases, it is important to accurately characterize the furin cleavage site motif. In this study, the furin cleavage site motif was characterized using statistical analysis. The data were interpreted within the 3D crystal structure of the furin catalytic domain. The results indicate that the furin cleavage site motif is comprised of about 20 residues, P14-P6′. Specific physical properties such as volume, charge, and hydrophilicity are required at specific positions. The furin cleavage site motif is divided into two parts: 1) one core region (8 amino acids, positions P6-P2′) packed inside the furin binding pocket; 2) two polar regions (8 amino acids, positions P7–P14; and 4 amino acids, positions P3′-P6′) located outside the furin binding pocket. The physical properties of the core region contribute to the binding strength of the furin substrate, while the polar regions provide a solvent accessible environment and facilitate the accessibility of the core region to the furin binding pocket. This furin cleavage site motif also revealed a dynamic relationship linking the evolution of physical properties in region P1′-P6′ of viral fusion peptides, furin cleavage efficacy, and viral infectivity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sun Tian
- Institute of Biomechanics, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510640, China
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Gyamera-Acheampong C, Mbikay M. Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 4 in mammalian fertility: a review. Hum Reprod Update 2008; 15:237-47. [DOI: 10.1093/humupd/dmn060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
|
48
|
Tam EM, Runyon ST, Santell L, Quan C, Yao X, Kirchhofer D, Skelton NJ, Lazarus RA. Noncompetitive inhibition of hepatocyte growth factor-dependent Met signaling by a phage-derived peptide. J Mol Biol 2008; 385:79-90. [PMID: 18973760 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2008.09.091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2008] [Revised: 09/12/2008] [Accepted: 09/16/2008] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Dysregulation of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)-induced signaling via its receptor tyrosine kinase Met results in tumor progression and metastasis. To initiate signaling, pro-HGF must be proteolytically activated to reveal a secondary Met binding site within the serine protease-like beta-chain of HGF. Although HGF/Met is a large complex, we sought to discover relatively small antagonists that might interfere with this critical Met binding region. Pools of disulfide-constrained random peptide libraries displayed on phage were selected for binding to HGF, ultimately resulting in a disulfide-constrained 15-mer peptide (VNWVCFRDVGCDWVL) termed HB10, which bound to the recombinant human HGF beta-chain (HGF beta) and competitively inhibited binding to Met with an IC(50) of 450 nM. In MDA-MB435 cells, HB10 reduced HGF-dependent Met phosphorylation by 70%, and phosphorylation of downstream kinases AKT and ERK1/ERK2 by 74% and 69%, respectively. Addition of HB10 also inhibited HGF-dependent migration of these cells with an IC(50) of approximately 20 microM. The 2D (1)H-NMR structure of HB10 revealed a beta-hairpin loop stabilized by the disulfide bond and cross-strand pairing of Trp3 and Trp13. HGF beta mutants deficient in Met binding also have reduced HB10 binding, suggesting an overlapping binding site. Notably HB10 did not inhibit full length HGF binding to Met. Thus steric hindrance of the interaction between HGF beta domain binding to Met is sufficient for inhibiting full-length HGF-dependent Met signaling and cell migration that is consistent with a noncompetitive inhibitory mechanism of Met signal transduction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eric M Tam
- Department of Protein Engineering, Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
49
|
Basilico C, Arnesano A, Galluzzo M, Comoglio PM, Michieli P. A high affinity hepatocyte growth factor-binding site in the immunoglobulin-like region of Met. J Biol Chem 2008; 283:21267-77. [PMID: 18495663 PMCID: PMC2475716 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m800727200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and its high affinity receptor, the tyrosine
kinase Met, play a key role in embryo development and tumor invasion. Both HGF
and Met are established targets for cancer therapy. However, the mechanism of
their interaction is complex and remains elusive. HGF is secreted as a
monomeric precursor (pro-HGF) that binds to but does not activate Met. Mature
HGF is a α/β heterodimer containing a high affinity Met-binding
site in the α-chain (HGF-α) and a low affinity Met-binding site in
the β-chain (HGF-β). The extracellular portion of Met contains a
semaphorin (Sema) domain, a cysteine-rich hinge (plexin-semaphorin-integrin),
and four immunoglobulin-like domains (immunoglobulin-like regions in plexins
and transcription factors (IPT) 1-4). HGF-β binds to Sema through a low
affinity contact. The domain of Met responsible for high affinity binding to
HGF-α has not been identified yet. Here we show that this long sought
after binding site lies in the immunoglobulin-like region of Met and more
precisely in IPT 3 and 4. We also show that IPT 3 and 4 are sufficient to
transmit the signal for kinase activation to the cytoplasm, although the lack
of Sema makes the receptor equally sensitive to mature HGF and pro-HGF.
Finally, we provide evidence that soluble Met-derived proteins containing
either the low affinity or high affinity HGF-binding site antagonize
HGF-induced invasive growth both in vitro and in xenografts. These
data suggest that the immunoglobulin-like region of Met cooperates with the
Sema domain in binding to HGF and in controlling Met kinase activity. Although
the IPT-HGF-α interaction provides binding strength, the Sema-HGF-β
contact confers selective sensitivity to the active form of the ligand.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Basilico
- Division of Molecular Oncology, Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment, University of Turin Medical School, I-10060 Candiolo, Turin, Italy
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
50
|
Tolbert WD, Daugherty J, Gao C, Xie Q, Miranti C, Gherardi E, Vande Woude G, Xu HE. A mechanistic basis for converting a receptor tyrosine kinase agonist to an antagonist. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2007; 104:14592-7. [PMID: 17804794 PMCID: PMC1965485 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0704290104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) activates the Met receptor tyrosine kinase by binding and promoting receptor dimerization. Here we describe a mechanistic basis for designing Met antagonists based on NK1, a natural variant of HGF containing the N-terminal and the first kringle domain. Through detailed biochemical and structural analyses, we demonstrate that both mouse and human NK1 induce Met dimerization via a conserved NK1 dimer interface. Mutations designed to alter the NK1 dimer interface abolish its ability to promote Met dimerization but retain full Met-binding activity. Importantly, these NK1 mutants act as Met antagonists by inhibiting HGF-mediated cell scattering, proliferation, branching, and invasion. The ability to separate the Met-binding activity of NK1 from its Met dimerization activity thus provides a rational basis for designing Met antagonists. This strategy of antagonist design may be applicable for other growth factor receptors by selectively abolishing the receptor activation ability but not the receptor binding of the growth factors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Qian Xie
- Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, and
| | - Cindy Miranti
- Laboratory of Integrin Signaling and Tumorigenesis, Van Andel Research Institute, 333 Bostwick Avenue, Grand Rapids, MI 49503; and
| | - Ermanno Gherardi
- Medical Research Council Centre, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 2QH, United Kingdom
- To whom correspondence may be addressed. E-mail: or
| | | | - H. Eric Xu
- *Laboratory of Structural Sciences
- To whom correspondence may be addressed. E-mail: or
| |
Collapse
|