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Gong X, Liu Y, Liang K, Chen Z, Ding K, Qiu L, Wei J, Du H. Cucurbitacin I exerts its anticancer effects by inducing cell cycle arrest via the KAT2a-ube2C/E2F1 pathway and inhibiting HepG2-induced macrophage M2 polarization. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2024; 738:150508. [PMID: 39151295 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.150508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2024] [Revised: 07/26/2024] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/19/2024]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies globally, particularly prevalent in China, where it accounts for nearly half of the world's new cases and deaths each year, but has limited therapeutic options. This study systematically investigated the impact of cucurbitacin I on HCC cell lines including SK-Hep-1, Huh-7, and HepG2. The results revealed that cucurbitacin I not only inhibited cell proliferation, cell migration and colony formation, but also induced apoptosis in HCC cells. The apoptotic induction was accompanied by a decrease in the expression of the anti-apoptotic factor B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl2), and an elevation in the expression levels of pro-apoptotic factors, including tumor protein p53 (P53), bcl2 associated X-apoptosis regulator (Bax), and caspase3 (Cas3). Additionally, cucurbitacin I caused cell cycle arrest by modulating the lysine acetyltransferase 2A (KAT2A)-E2F transcription factor 1 (E2F1)/Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 C (UBE2C) signaling axis. In terms of regulation on tumor microenvironment, cucurbitacin I was demonstrated the ability to inhibit HCC cell-induced M2 polarization of macrophages. This comprehensive study unveils the multifaceted anti-cancer mechanisms of cucurbitacin I, providing robust support for its potential application in the treatment of HCC, offering new avenues for the future development of HCC treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaocheng Gong
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Yunfei Liu
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Keying Liang
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Zixi Chen
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Ke Ding
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Li Qiu
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Jinfen Wei
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Hongli Du
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, PR China.
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2
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Chang CH, Liu F, Militi S, Hester S, Nibhani R, Deng S, Dunford J, Rendek A, Soonawalla Z, Fischer R, Oppermann U, Pauklin S. The pRb/RBL2-E2F1/4-GCN5 axis regulates cancer stem cell formation and G0 phase entry/exit by paracrine mechanisms. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3580. [PMID: 38678032 PMCID: PMC11055877 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47680-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024] Open
Abstract
The lethality, chemoresistance and metastatic characteristics of cancers are associated with phenotypically plastic cancer stem cells (CSCs). How the non-cell autonomous signalling pathways and cell-autonomous transcriptional machinery orchestrate the stem cell-like characteristics of CSCs is still poorly understood. Here we use a quantitative proteomic approach for identifying secreted proteins of CSCs in pancreatic cancer. We uncover that the cell-autonomous E2F1/4-pRb/RBL2 axis balances non-cell-autonomous signalling in healthy ductal cells but becomes deregulated upon KRAS mutation. E2F1 and E2F4 induce whereas pRb/RBL2 reduce WNT ligand expression (e.g. WNT7A, WNT7B, WNT10A, WNT4) thereby regulating self-renewal, chemoresistance and invasiveness of CSCs in both PDAC and breast cancer, and fibroblast proliferation. Screening for epigenetic enzymes identifies GCN5 as a regulator of CSCs that deposits H3K9ac onto WNT promoters and enhancers. Collectively, paracrine signalling pathways are controlled by the E2F-GCN5-RB axis in diverse cancers and this could be a therapeutic target for eliminating CSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao-Hui Chang
- Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, Botnar Research Centre, University of Oxford, Old Road, Oxford, OX3 7LD, UK
| | - Feng Liu
- Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, Botnar Research Centre, University of Oxford, Old Road, Oxford, OX3 7LD, UK
| | - Stefania Militi
- Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, Botnar Research Centre, University of Oxford, Old Road, Oxford, OX3 7LD, UK
| | - Svenja Hester
- Target Discovery Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, Old Road, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - Reshma Nibhani
- Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, Botnar Research Centre, University of Oxford, Old Road, Oxford, OX3 7LD, UK
| | - Siwei Deng
- Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, Botnar Research Centre, University of Oxford, Old Road, Oxford, OX3 7LD, UK
| | - James Dunford
- Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, Botnar Research Centre, University of Oxford, Old Road, Oxford, OX3 7LD, UK
| | - Aniko Rendek
- Department of Histopathology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Zahir Soonawalla
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Oxford University Hospitals NHS, Oxford, UK
| | - Roman Fischer
- Target Discovery Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, Old Road, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - Udo Oppermann
- Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, Botnar Research Centre, University of Oxford, Old Road, Oxford, OX3 7LD, UK
| | - Siim Pauklin
- Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, Botnar Research Centre, University of Oxford, Old Road, Oxford, OX3 7LD, UK.
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Militi S, Nibhani R, Jalali M, Pauklin S. RBL2-E2F-GCN5 guide cell fate decisions during tissue specification by regulating cell-cycle-dependent fluctuations of non-cell-autonomous signaling. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113146. [PMID: 37725511 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113146] [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: 01/15/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The retinoblastoma family proteins (RBs) and E2F transcription factors are cell-autonomous regulators of cell-cycle progression, but they also impact fate choice in addition to tumor suppression. The range of mechanisms involved remains to be uncovered. Here, we show that RBs, particularly RBL2/p130, repress WNT ligands such as WNT4 and WNT8A, thereby directing ectoderm specification between neural crest to neuroepithelium. RBL2 achieves this function through cell-cycle-dependent cooperation with E2Fs and GCN5 on the regulatory regions of WNT loci, which direct neuroepithelial versus neural crest specification by temporal fluctuations of WNT/β-catenin and DLL/NOTCH signaling activity. Thus, the RB-E2F bona fide cell-autonomous axis controls cell fate decisions, and RBL2 regulates field effects via WNT ligands. This reveals a non-cell-autonomous function of RBL2-E2F in stem cell and tissue progenitor differentiation that has broader implications for cell-cycle-dependent cell fate specification in organogenesis, adult stem cells, tissue homeostasis, and tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Militi
- Botnar Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Old Road, Headington, Oxford OX3 7LD, UK
| | - Reshma Nibhani
- Botnar Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Old Road, Headington, Oxford OX3 7LD, UK
| | - Morteza Jalali
- Anne McLaren Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Siim Pauklin
- Botnar Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Old Road, Headington, Oxford OX3 7LD, UK.
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Liu Q, Pillus L, Petty EL. Functional tug of war between kinases, phosphatases, and the Gcn5 acetyltransferase in chromatin and cell cycle checkpoint controls. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2023; 13:jkad021. [PMID: 36772957 PMCID: PMC10085806 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
Covalent modifications of chromatin regulate genomic structure and accessibility in diverse biological processes such as transcriptional regulation, cell cycle progression, and DNA damage repair. Many histone modifications have been characterized, yet understanding the interactions between these and their combinatorial effects remains an active area of investigation, including dissecting functional interactions between enzymes mediating these modifications. In budding yeast, the histone acetyltransferase Gcn5 interacts with Rts1, a regulatory subunit of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). Implicated in the interaction is the potential for the dynamic phosphorylation of conserved residues on histone H2B and the Cse4 centromere-specific histone H3 variant. To probe these dynamics, we sought to identify kinases which contribute to the phosphorylated state. In a directed screen beginning with in silico analysis of the 127 members of yeast kinome, we have now identified 16 kinases with genetic interactions with GCN5 and specifically found distinct roles for the Hog1 stress-activated protein kinase. Deletion of HOG1 (hog1Δ) rescues gcn5Δ sensitivity to the microtubule poison nocodazole and the lethality of the gcn5Δ rts1Δ double mutant. The Hog1-Gcn5 interaction requires the conserved H2B-T91 residue, which is phosphorylated in vertebrate species. Furthermore, deletion of HOG1 decreases aneuploidy and apoptotic populations in gcn5Δ cells. Together, these results introduce Hog1 as a kinase that functionally opposes Gcn5 and Rts1 in the context of the spindle assembly checkpoint and suggest further kinases may also influence GCN5's functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qihao Liu
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-034, USA
| | - Lorraine Pillus
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-034, USA
| | - Emily L Petty
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-034, USA
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Lin CJ, Yang SY, Hsu LH, Yu SJ, Chen YL. The Gcn5-Ada2-Ada3 histone acetyltransferase module has divergent roles in pathogenesis of Candida glabrata. Med Mycol 2023; 61:myad004. [PMID: 36715154 DOI: 10.1093/mmy/myad004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Candida glabrata is an opportunistic fungal pathogen and the second most prevalent species isolated from candidiasis patients. C. glabrata has intrinsic tolerance to antifungal drugs and oxidative stresses and the ability to adhere to mucocutaneous surfaces. However, knowledge about the regulation of its virulence traits is limited. The Spt-Ada-Gcn5 acetyltransferase (SAGA) complex modulates gene transcription by histone acetylation through the histone acetyltransferase (HAT) module comprised of Gcn5-Ada2-Ada3. Previously, we showed that the ada2 mutant was hypervirulent but displayed decreased tolerance to antifungal drugs and cell wall perturbing agents. In this study, we further characterized the functions of Ada3 and Gcn5 in C. glabrata. We found that single, double, or triple deletions of the HAT module, as expected, resulted in a decreased level of acetylation on histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9) and defective growth. These mutants were more susceptible to antifungal drugs, oxidative stresses, and cell wall perturbing agents compared with the wild-type. In addition, HAT module mutants exhibited enhanced agar invasion and upregulation of adhesin and proteases encoding genes, whereas the biofilm formation of those mutants was impaired. Interestingly, HAT module mutants exhibited enhanced induction of catalases (CTA1) expression upon treatment with H2O2 compared with the wild-type. Lastly, although ada3 and gcn5 exhibited marginal hypervirulence, the HAT double and triple mutants were hypervirulent in a murine model of candidiasis. In conclusion, the HAT module of the SAGA complex plays unique roles in H3K9 acetylation, drug tolerance, oxidative stress response, adherence, and virulence in C. glabrata.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi-Jan Lin
- Institute of Molecular Biology, National Chung Hsing University, 40227 Taichung, Taiwan
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, National Taiwan University, 10617 Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Sheng-Yung Yang
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, National Taiwan University, 10617 Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Li-Hang Hsu
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, National Taiwan University, 10617 Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shang-Jie Yu
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, National Taiwan University, 10617 Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ying-Lien Chen
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, National Taiwan University, 10617 Taipei, Taiwan
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Jaiswal B, Agarwal A, Gupta A. Lysine Acetyltransferases and Their Role in AR Signaling and Prostate Cancer. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:886594. [PMID: 36060957 PMCID: PMC9428678 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.886594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The development and growth of a normal prostate gland, as well as its physiological functions, are regulated by the actions of androgens through androgen receptor (AR) signaling which drives multiple cellular processes including transcription, cellular proliferation, and apoptosis in prostate cells. Post-translational regulation of AR plays a vital role in directing its cellular activities via modulating its stability, nuclear localization, and transcriptional activity. Among various post-translational modifications (PTMs), acetylation is an essential PTM recognized in AR and is governed by the regulated actions of acetyltransferases and deacetyltransferases. Acetylation of AR has been identified as a critical step for its activation and depending on the site of acetylation, the intracellular dynamics and activity of the AR can be modulated. Various acetyltransferases such as CBP, p300, PCAF, TIP60, and ARD1 that are known to acetylate AR, may directly coactivate the AR transcriptional function or help to recruit additional coactivators to functionally regulate the transcriptional activity of the AR. Aberrant expression of acetyltransferases and their deregulated activities have been found to interfere with AR signaling and play a key role in development and progression of prostatic diseases, including prostate cancer (PCa). In this review, we summarized recent research advances aimed at understanding the role of various lysine acetyltransferases (KATs) in the regulation of AR activity at the level of post-translational modifications in normal prostate physiology, as well as in development and progression of PCa. Considering the critical importance of KATs in modulating AR activity in physiological and patho-physiological context, we further discussed the potential of targeting these enzymes as a therapeutic option to treat AR-related pathology in combination with hormonal therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bharti Jaiswal
- Integrative Chemical Biology (ICB), Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (inStem), Bengaluru, India
- *Correspondence: Ashish Gupta, ; Bharti Jaiswal,
| | - Akanksha Agarwal
- Epigenetics and Human Disease Laboratory, Centre of Excellence in Epigenetics (CoEE) Department of Life Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Delhi, UP, India
| | - Ashish Gupta
- Epigenetics and Human Disease Laboratory, Centre of Excellence in Epigenetics (CoEE) Department of Life Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Delhi, UP, India
- *Correspondence: Ashish Gupta, ; Bharti Jaiswal,
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