Sub-chronic administration of LY294002 sensitizes cervical cancer cells to chemotherapy by enhancing mitochondrial JNK signaling

Mitochondrial P-JNK target, SAB (SH3BP5), in regulation of cell death

Cell death occurs in various circumstances, such as homeostasis, stress response, and defense, via specific pathways and mechanisms that are regulated by specific activator-induced signal transductions. Among them, Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) participate in various aspects, and the recent discovery of JNKs and mitochondrial protein SAB interaction in signal regulation of cell death completes our understanding of the mechanism of sustained activation of JNK (P-JNK), which leads to triggering of the machinery of cell death. This understanding will lead the investigators to discover the modulators facilitating or preventing cell death for therapeutic application in acute or chronic diseases and cancer. We discuss here the mechanism and modulators of the JNK-SAB-ROS activation loop, which is the core component of mitochondria-dependent cell death, specifically apoptosis and mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT)-driven necrosis, and which may also contribute to cell death mechanisms of ferroptosis and pyroptosis. The discussion here is based on the results and evidence discovered from liver disease models, but the JNK-SAB-ROS activation loop to sustain JNK activation is universally applicable to various disease models where mitochondria and reactive oxygen species contribute to the mechanism of disease.

Encapsulation of PI3K Inhibitor LY294002 within Polymer Nanoparticles Using Ion Pairing Flash Nanoprecipitation

Flash nanoprecipitation (FNP) is a turbulent mixing process capable of reproducibly producing polymer nanoparticles loaded with active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The nanoparticles produced with this method consist of a hydrophobic core surrounded by a hydrophilic corona. FNP produces nanoparticles with very high loading levels of nonionic hydrophobic APIs. However, hydrophobic compounds with ionizable groups are not as efficiently incorporated. To overcome this, ion pairing agents (IPs) can be incorporated into the FNP formulation to produce highly hydrophobic drug salts that efficiently precipitate during mixing. We demonstrate the encapsulation of the PI3K inhibitor, LY294002, within poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(D,L lactic acid) nanoparticles. We investigated how incorporating two hydrophobic IPs (palmitic acid (PA) and hexadecylphosphonic acid (HDPA)) during the FNP process affected the LY294002 loading and size of the resulting nanoparticles. The effect of organic solvent choice on the synthesis process was also examined. While the presence of either hydrophobic IP effectively increased the encapsulation of LY294002 during FNP, HDPA resulted in well-defined colloidally stable particles, while the PA resulted in ill-defined aggregates. The incorporation of hydrophobic IPs with FNP opens the door for the intravenous administration of APIs that were previously deemed unusable due to their hydrophobic nature.

HPV16 E6E7 up-regulates KIF2A expression by activating JNK/c-Jun signal, is beneficial to migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer death in women. Human papillomavirus (HPV16) E6/E7 heterogenous expression in C33A cells increased the mRNA and protein levels of KIF2A, while siRNA deletion of endogenous E6/E7 reduced the mRNA and protein levels of KIF2A in SiHa cells. KIF2A promoted cell migration and invasion, and regulated the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related proteins in C33A and SiHa cells. The exogenous expression of E6/E7 in C33A cells increased the phosphorylation of Akt, ERK, and JNK. However, Akt (API-2) and ERK (PD98059) inhibitors had no effect on the increase in KIF2A expression induced by E6/E7, while JNK inhibitors (JNK-IN-8 and SP600125) blocked the increase in KIF2A expression induced by E6/E7. The exogenous expression of E6/E7 increased the levels of transcription factor c-Jun, which is the classic substrate of JNK. Knockdown of c-Jun reduced the increase in KIF2A expression induced by E6/E7. In summary, KIF2A plays a key role in the motility and metastasis of cervical cancer. HPV16 E6/E7 can increase the levels of transcription factor c-Jun by activating the JNK signal, thereby up-regulating the transcriptional expression of KIF2A.

trans-Fatty acids facilitate DNA damage-induced apoptosis through the mitochondrial JNK-Sab-ROS positive feedback loop

trans-Fatty acids (TFAs) are unsaturated fatty acids that contain one or more carbon-carbon double bonds in trans configuration. Epidemiological evidence has linked TFA consumption with various disorders, including cardiovascular diseases. However, the underlying pathological mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we show a novel toxic mechanism of TFAs triggered by DNA damage. We found that elaidic acid (EA) and linoelaidic acid, major TFAs produced during industrial food manufacturing (so-called as industrial TFAs), but not their corresponding cis isomers, facilitated apoptosis induced by doxorubicin. Consistently, EA enhanced UV-induced embryonic lethality in C. elegans worms. The pro-apoptotic action of EA was blocked by knocking down Sab, a c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)-interacting protein localizing at mitochondrial outer membrane, which mediates mutual amplification of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and JNK activation. EA enhanced doxorubicin-induced mitochondrial ROS generation and JNK activation, both of which were suppressed by Sab knockdown and pharmacological inhibition of either mitochondrial ROS generation, JNK, or Src-homology 2 domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase 1 (SHP1) as a Sab-associated protein. These results demonstrate that in response to DNA damage, TFAs drive the mitochondrial JNK-Sab-ROS positive feedback loop and ultimately apoptosis, which may provide insight into the common pathogenetic mechanisms of diverse TFA-related disorders.

Expression of mitochondrial membrane-linked SAB determines severity of sex-dependent acute liver injury

SH3 domain-binding protein that preferentially associates with Btk (SAB) is an outer-membrane docking protein for JNK-mediated impairment of mitochondrial function. Deletion of Sab in hepatocytes inhibits sustained JNK activation and cell death. The current study demonstrates that an increase in SAB expression enhanced the severity of acetaminophen-induced (APAP-induced) liver injury. Female mice were resistant to liver injury and exhibited markedly decreased hepatic SAB protein expression compared with male mice. The mechanism of SAB repression involved a pathway from ERα to p53 expression that induced miR34a-5p. miR34a-5p targeted the Sab mRNA coding region, thereby repressing SAB expression. Fulvestrant or p53 knockdown decreased miR34a-5p and increased SAB expression in female mice, leading to increased injury from APAP and TNF/galactosamine. In contrast, an ERα agonist increased p53 and miR34a-5p, which decreased SAB expression and hepatotoxicity in male mice. Hepatocyte-specific deletion of miR34a also increased the severity of liver injury in female mice, which was prevented by GalNAc-ASO knockdown of Sab. Similar to mice, premenopausal women expressed elevated levels of hepatic p53 and low levels of SAB, whereas age-matched men expressed low levels of p53 and high levels of SAB, but there was no difference in SAB expression between the sexes in the postmenopausal stage. In conclusion, SAB expression levels determined the severity of JNK-dependent liver injury. Female mice expressed low levels of hepatic SAB protein because of the ERα/p53/miR34a pathway, which repressed SAB expression and accounted for the resistance to liver injury seen in these females.

Phosphoregulation on mitochondria: Integration of cell and organelle responses

Mitochondria are highly integrated organelles that are crucial to cell adaptation and mitigating adverse physiology. Recent studies demonstrate that fundamental signal transduction pathways incorporate mitochondrial substrates into their biological programs. Reversible phosphorylation is emerging as a useful mechanism to modulate mitochondrial function in accordance with cellular changes. Critical serine/threonine protein kinases, such as the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), protein kinase A (PKA), PTEN-induced kinase-1 (PINK1), and AMP-dependent protein kinase (AMPK), readily translocate to the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM), the interface of mitochondria-cell communication. OMM protein kinases phosphorylate diverse mitochondrial substrates that have discrete effects on organelle dynamics, protein import, respiratory complex activity, antioxidant capacity, and apoptosis. OMM phosphorylation events can be tempered through the actions of local protein phosphatases, such as mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) and protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), to regulate the extent and duration of signaling. The central mediators of OMM signal transduction are the scaffold proteins because the relative abundance of these accessory proteins determines the magnitude and duration of a signaling event on the mitochondrial surface, which dictates the biological outcome of a local signal transduction pathway. The concentrations of scaffold proteins, such as A-kinase anchoring proteins (AKAPs) and Sab (or SH3 binding protein 5-SH3BP5), have been shown to influence neuronal survival and vulnerability, respectively, in models of Parkinson's disease (PD), highlighting the importance of OMM signaling to health and disease. Despite recent progress, much remains to be discovered concerning the mechanisms of OMM signaling. Nonetheless, enhancing beneficial OMM signaling events and inhibiting detrimental protein-protein interactions on the mitochondrial surface may represent highly selective approaches to restore mitochondrial health and homeostasis and mitigate organelle dysfunction in conditions such as PD.

The Regulation of JNK Signaling Pathways in Cell Death through the Interplay with Mitochondrial SAB and Upstream Post-Translational Effects

c-Jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK) activity plays a critical role in modulating cell death, which depends on the level and duration of JNK activation. The kinase cascade from MAPkinase kinase kinase (MAP3K) to MAPkinase kinase (MAP2K) to MAPKinase (MAPK) can be regulated by a number of direct and indirect post-transcriptional modifications, including acetylation, ubiquitination, phosphorylation, and their reversals. Recently, a JNK-mitochondrial SH3-domain binding protein 5 (SH3BP5/SAB)-ROS activation loop has been elucidated, which is required to sustain JNK activity. Importantly, the level of SAB expression in the outer membrane of mitochondria is a major determinant of the set-point for sustained JNK activation. SAB is a docking protein and substrate for JNK, leading to an intramitochondrial signal transduction pathway, which impairs electron transport and promotes reactive oxygen species (ROS) release to sustain the MAPK cascade.

Sab concentrations indicate chemotherapeutic susceptibility in ovarian cancer cell lines

The occurrence of chemotherapy-resistant tumors makes ovarian cancer (OC) the most lethal gynecological malignancy. While many factors may contribute to chemoresistance, the mechanisms responsible for regulating tumor vulnerability are under investigation. Our analysis of gene expression data revealed that Sab, a mitochondrial outer membrane (MOM) scaffold protein, was down-regulated in OC patients. Sab-mediated signaling induces cell death, suggesting that this apoptotic pathway is diminished in OC. We examined Sab expression in a panel of OC cell lines and found that the magnitude of Sab expression correlated to chemo-responsiveness; wherein, OC cells with low Sab levels were chemoresistant. The Sab levels were reflected by a corresponding amount of stress-induced c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) on the MOM. BH3 profiling and examination of Bcl-2 and BH3-only protein concentrations revealed that cells with high Sab concentrations were primed for apoptosis, as determined by the decrease in pro-survival Bcl-2 proteins and an increase in pro-apoptotic BH3-only proteins on mitochondria. Furthermore, overexpression of Sab in chemoresistant cells enhanced apoptotic priming and restored cellular vulnerability to a combination treatment of cisplatin and paclitaxel. Contrariwise, inhibiting Sab-mediated signaling or silencing Sab expression in a chemosensitive cell line resulted in decreased apoptotic priming and increased resistance. The effects of silencing on Sab on the resistance to chemotherapeutic agents were emulated by the silencing or inhibition of JNK, which could be attributed to changes in Bcl-2 protein concentrations induced by sub-chronic JNK inhibition. We propose that Sab may be a prognostic biomarker to discern personalized treatments for OC patients.

Sab mediates mitochondrial dysfunction involved in imatinib mesylate-induced cardiotoxicity

Imatinib mesylate is an effective treatment for chronic myelogenous leukemia and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Although imatinib mesylate is highly tolerable, it has been implicated in severe congestive heart failure in mouse models and patients. A hallmark of imatinib mesylate-induced cardiotoxicity is mitochondrial dysfunction. The mitochondrial scaffold Sab has been implicated in facilitating signaling responsible for mitochondrial dysfunction in a c-Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK)-dependent manner. We examined the impact of Sab-mediated signaling on imatinib mesylate cardiotoxicity in H9c2 rat cardiomyocyte-like cells. Silencing Sab increased the LD₅₀ of imatinib mesylate 4-fold in H9c2 cells. Disrupting Sab-mediated signaling prevented imatinib mesylate-induced apoptosis as well. Knockdown of Sab or inhibition with a small peptide prevented oxidative stress, which was indicated by decreased reactive oxygen species production, lipid peroxidation, and protein carbonylation. Further, inhibition of Sab-related signaling partially rescued deficits in mitochondrial respiration, ATP production, and membrane potential in imatinib mesylate-treated H9c2 cells. Conversely, over-expression of Sab in H9c2 cells increased the cardiotoxicity of imatinib mesylate in vitro decreasing the LD₅₀ over 4-fold. Sab expression was induced in H9c2 cells following cardiovascular-like stress in an AP-1 dependent manner. These data demonstrate that imatinib mesylate influences mitochondrial signaling leading to mitochondrial dysfunction and cardiotoxicity.