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Müller WEG, Neufurth M, Wang S, Schröder HC, Wang X. Polyphosphate Nanoparticles: Balancing Energy Requirements in Tissue Regeneration Processes. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024:e2309528. [PMID: 38470207 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202309528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Nanoparticles of a particular, evolutionarily old inorganic polymer found across the biological kingdoms have attracted increasing interest in recent years not only because of their crucial role in metabolism but also their potential medical applicability: it is inorganic polyphosphate (polyP). This ubiquitous linear polymer is composed of 10-1000 phosphate residues linked by high-energy anhydride bonds. PolyP causes induction of gene activity, provides phosphate for bone mineralization, and serves as an energy supplier through enzymatic cleavage of its acid anhydride bonds and subsequent ATP formation. The biomedical breakthrough of polyP came with the development of a successful fabrication process, in depot form, as Ca- or Mg-polyP nanoparticles, or as the directly effective polymer, as soluble Na-polyP, for regenerative repair and healing processes, especially in tissue areas with insufficient blood supply. Physiologically, the platelets are the main vehicles for polyP nanoparticles in the circulating blood. To be biomedically active, these particles undergo coacervation. This review provides an overview of the properties of polyP and polyP nanoparticles for applications in the regeneration and repair of bone, cartilage, and skin. In addition to studies on animal models, the first successful proof-of-concept studies on humans for the healing of chronic wounds are outlined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Werner E G Müller
- ERC Advanced Investigator Grant Research Group at the Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Duesbergweg 6, D-55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Meik Neufurth
- ERC Advanced Investigator Grant Research Group at the Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Duesbergweg 6, D-55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Shunfeng Wang
- ERC Advanced Investigator Grant Research Group at the Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Duesbergweg 6, D-55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Heinz C Schröder
- ERC Advanced Investigator Grant Research Group at the Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Duesbergweg 6, D-55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Xiaohong Wang
- ERC Advanced Investigator Grant Research Group at the Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Duesbergweg 6, D-55128, Mainz, Germany
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Raju R, Piña JO, Roth DM, Chattaraj P, Kidwai FK, Faucz FR, Iben J, Fridell G, Dale RK, D’Souza RN. Profiles of Wnt pathway gene expression during tooth morphogenesis. Front Physiol 2024; 14:1316635. [PMID: 38274045 PMCID: PMC10809389 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1316635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Mouse and human genetic studies indicate key roles of the Wnt10a ligand in odontogenesis. Previous studies have identified effectors and regulators of the Wnt signaling pathway actively expressed during key stages of tooth morphogenesis. However, limitations in multiplexing and spatial resolution hindered a more comprehensive analysis of these signaling molecules. Here, profiling of transcriptomes using fluorescent multiplex in situ hybridization and single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) provide robust insight into the synchronized expression patterns of Wnt10a, Dkk1, and Sost simultaneously during tooth development. First, we identified Wnt10a transcripts restricted to the epithelium at the stage of tooth bud morphogenesis, contrasting that of Sost and Dkk1 localization to the dental mesenchyme. By embryonic day 15.5 (E15.5), a marked shift of Wnt10a expression from dental epithelium to mesenchyme was noted, while Sost and Dkk1 expression remained enriched in the mesenchyme. By postnatal day 0 (P0), co-localization patterns of Wnt10a, Dkk1, and Sost were observed in both terminally differentiating and secreting odontoblasts of molars and incisors. Interestingly, Wnt10a exhibited robust expression in fully differentiated ameloblasts at the developing cusp tip of both molars and incisors, an observation not previously noted in prior studies. At P7 and 14, after the mineralization of dentin and enamel, Wnt10a expression was limited to odontoblasts. Meanwhile, Wnt modulators showed reduced or absent signals in molars. In contrast, strong signals persisted in ameloblasts (for Wnt10a) and odontoblasts (for Wnt10a, Sost, and Dkk1) towards the proximal end of incisors, near the cervical loop. Our scRNA-seq analysis used CellChat to further contextualize Wnt pathway-mediated communication between cells by examining ligand-receptor interactions among different clusters. The co-localization pattern of Wnt10a, Dkk1, and Sost in both terminally differentiating and secreting odontoblasts of molars and incisors potentially signifies the crucial ligand-modulator interaction along the gradient of cytodifferentiation starting from each cusp tip towards the apical region. These data provide cell type-specific insight into the role of Wnt ligands and mediators during epithelial-mesenchymal interactions in odontogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Resmi Raju
- Section on Craniofacial Genetic Disorders, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Jeremie Oliver Piña
- Section on Craniofacial Genetic Disorders, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Daniela M. Roth
- Section on Craniofacial Genetic Disorders, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, United States
- School of Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Parna Chattaraj
- Section on Craniofacial Genetic Disorders, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Fahad K. Kidwai
- Section on Craniofacial Genetic Disorders, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Fabio R. Faucz
- Molecular Genomics Core, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - James Iben
- Molecular Genomics Core, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Gus Fridell
- Bioinformatics and Scientific Programming Core, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Ryan K. Dale
- Bioinformatics and Scientific Programming Core, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Rena N. D’Souza
- Section on Craniofacial Genetic Disorders, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, United States
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Qi X, Hu Q, Elghobashi-Meinhardt N, Long T, Chen H, Li X. Molecular basis of Wnt biogenesis, secretion, and Wnt7-specific signaling. Cell 2023; 186:5028-5040.e14. [PMID: 37852257 PMCID: PMC10841698 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.09.021] [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: 07/23/2023] [Revised: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Wnt proteins are enzymatically lipidated by Porcupine (PORCN) in the ER and bind to Wntless (WLS) for intracellular transport and secretion. Mechanisms governing the transfer of these low-solubility Wnts from the ER to the extracellular space remain unclear. Through structural and functional analyses of Wnt7a, a crucial Wnt involved in central nervous system angiogenesis and blood-brain barrier maintenance, we have elucidated the principles of Wnt biogenesis and Wnt7-specific signaling. The Wnt7a-WLS complex binds to calreticulin (CALR), revealing that CALR functions as a chaperone to facilitate Wnt transfer from PORCN to WLS during Wnt biogenesis. Our structures, functional analyses, and molecular dynamics simulations demonstrate that a phospholipid in the core of Wnt-bound WLS regulates the association and dissociation between Wnt and WLS, suggesting a lipid-mediated Wnt secretion mechanism. Finally, the structure of Wnt7a bound to RECK, a cell-surface Wnt7 co-receptor, reveals how RECKCC4 engages the N-terminal domain of Wnt7a to activate Wnt7-specific signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofeng Qi
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
| | - Qinli Hu
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | | | - Tao Long
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Hongwen Chen
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Xiaochun Li
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
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Sheridan K, Berleant J, Bathe M, Condon A, Williams VV. Factorization and pseudofactorization of weighted graphs. DISCRETE APPLIED MATHEMATICS (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS : 1988) 2023; 337:81-105. [PMID: 37213330 PMCID: PMC10194401 DOI: 10.1016/j.dam.2023.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
For unweighted graphs, finding isometric embeddings of a graph G is closely related to decompositions of G into Cartesian products of smaller graphs. When G is isomorphic to a Cartesian graph product, we call the factors of this product a factorization of G. When G is isomorphic to an isometric subgraph of a Cartesian graph product, we call those factors a pseudofactorization of G. Prior work has shown that an unweighted graph's pseudofactorization can be used to generate a canonical isometric embedding into a product of the smallest possible pseudofactors. However, for arbitrary weighted graphs, which represent a richer variety of metric spaces, methods for finding isometric embeddings or determining their existence remain elusive, and indeed pseudofactorization and factorization have not previously been extended to this context. In this work, we address the problem of finding the factorization and pseudofactorization of a weighted graph G, where G satisfies the property that every edge constitutes a shortest path between its endpoints. We term such graphs minimal graphs, noting that every graph can be made minimal by removing edges not affecting its path metric. We generalize pseudofactorization and factorization to minimal graphs and develop new proof techniques that extend the previously proposed algorithms due to Graham and Winkler [Graham and Winkler, '85] and Feder [Feder, '92] for pseudofactorization and factorization of unweighted graphs. We show that any n-vertex, m-edge graph with positive integer edge weights can be factored in O(m2) time, plus the time to find all pairs shortest paths (APSP) distances in a weighted graph, resulting in an overall running time of O(m2+n2 log log n) time. We also show that a pseudofactorization for such a graph can be computed in O(mn) time, plus the time to solve APSP, resulting in an O(mn+n2 log log n) running time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin Sheridan
- Department of of Computer Science, University of Texas, Austin, TX
- To whom correspondence should be addressed:
| | - Joseph Berleant
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Mark Bathe
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Anne Condon
- Department of Computer Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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Hamida OB, Kim MK, Kwack MH. The role of dexamethasone in mediating the contradictory effects of Wnt antagonists SFRP2 and SFRP3 on human hair follicle growth. Sci Rep 2023; 13:16504. [PMID: 37783752 PMCID: PMC10545675 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-43688-5] [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: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress can be one of the leading causes of hair loss. Stress related hormones, glucocorticoids (GCs), secretion by hair follicle have been mentioned in literature and proven to exert an inhibitory effect on hair follicle cells growth by modulating the expression of target genes related to cell proliferation and cycling. The gene modulating effect of the synthetic GC, dexamethasone (DEX), in human dermal papilla (DP) cells has been outlined in this study by mediating a contradictory effect on the expression of secreted frizzled related protein 2 (SFRP2) and SFRP3. The SFRP2 and SFRP3 possess a regulating effect on wnt signaling pathway. Their structural similarities to the cysteine-rich-domain of the frizzled receptors (FZD) allow their binding to the wnt ligands causing the blocking of the wnt ligands-receptors complex. The SFRP family members have been known as inhibitors of the wnt signaling modulating the proliferation and development of various cells. In hair follicle cells, SFRP2 activity has been reported positively on the proliferation of keratinocytes. However, the SFRP3 effect hasn't been well addressed. Under stress, the investigation of the mRNA and protein expressions of SFRP members in human DP cells revealed opposite expressions where SFRP2 decreased while SFRP3 increased by DEX. The proliferation rate of hair keratinocytes outer root sheath was detected via immunofluorescence highlighting the stimulatory effect of SFRP2 and the inhibitory effect of SFRP3. Here, we sought to determine the effect of GC agonist on SFRPs expression and their effect on hair follicle growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ons Ben Hamida
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-Ro, Jung-Gu, Daegu, 41944, Republic of Korea
| | - Moon Kyu Kim
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-Ro, Jung-Gu, Daegu, 41944, Republic of Korea.
- Hair Transplantation Center, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
| | - Mi Hee Kwack
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-Ro, Jung-Gu, Daegu, 41944, Republic of Korea.
- BK21 FOUR KNU Convergence Educational Program of Biomedical Sciences for Creative Future Talents, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
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Pilat JM, Brown RE, Chen Z, Berle NJ, Othon AP, Washington MK, Anant SA, Kurokawa S, Ng VH, Thompson JJ, Jacobse J, Goettel JA, Lee E, Choksi YA, Lau KS, Short SP, Williams CS. SELENOP modifies sporadic colorectal carcinogenesis and WNT signaling activity through LRP5/6 interactions. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:e165988. [PMID: 37166989 PMCID: PMC10313376 DOI: 10.1172/jci165988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Although selenium deficiency correlates with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, the roles of the selenium-rich antioxidant selenoprotein P (SELENOP) in CRC remain unclear. In this study, we defined SELENOP's contributions to sporadic CRC. In human single-cell cRNA-Seq (scRNA-Seq) data sets, we discovered that SELENOP expression rose as normal colon stem cells transformed into adenomas that progressed into carcinomas. We next examined the effects of Selenop KO in a mouse adenoma model that involved conditional, intestinal epithelium-specific deletion of the tumor suppressor adenomatous polyposis coli (Apc) and found that Selenop KO decreased colon tumor incidence and size. We mechanistically interrogated SELENOP-driven phenotypes in tumor organoids as well as in CRC and noncancer cell lines. Selenop-KO tumor organoids demonstrated defects in organoid formation and decreases in WNT target gene expression, which could be reversed by SELENOP restoration. Moreover, SELENOP increased canonical WNT signaling activity in noncancer and CRC cell lines. In defining the mechanism of action of SELENOP, we mapped protein-protein interactions between SELENOP and the WNT coreceptors low-density lipoprotein receptor-related proteins 5 and 6 (LRP5/6). Last, we confirmed that SELENOP-LRP5/6 interactions contributed to the effects of SELENOP on WNT activity. Overall, our results position SELENOP as a modulator of the WNT signaling pathway in sporadic CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rachel E. Brown
- Program in Cancer Biology
- Medical Scientist Training Program, and
| | - Zhengyi Chen
- Program in Chemical and Physical Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Epithelial Biology Center, VUMC, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Nathaniel J. Berle
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | | | - M. Kay Washington
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | | | - Suguru Kurokawa
- Department of Pharmacy, Osaka Ohtani University, Tondabayashi, Osaka, Japan
| | | | | | - Justin Jacobse
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Willem Alexander Children’s Hospital, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
- Veterans Affairs Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Jeremy A. Goettel
- Program in Cancer Biology
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Center for Mucosal Inflammation and Cancer, VUMC, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Ethan Lee
- Program in Cancer Biology
- Epithelial Biology Center, VUMC, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology and
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Yash A. Choksi
- Program in Cancer Biology
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Veterans Affairs Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Center for Mucosal Inflammation and Cancer, VUMC, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Ken S. Lau
- Program in Chemical and Physical Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Epithelial Biology Center, VUMC, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Center for Mucosal Inflammation and Cancer, VUMC, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology and
- Department of Surgery, VUMC, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Sarah P. Short
- Program in Cancer Biology
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Center for Mucosal Inflammation and Cancer, VUMC, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Christopher S. Williams
- Program in Cancer Biology
- Medical Scientist Training Program, and
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Veterans Affairs Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Center for Mucosal Inflammation and Cancer, VUMC, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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Egbuna C, Patrick‐Iwuanyanwu KC, Onyeike EN, Uche CZ, Ogoke UP, Riaz M, Ibezim EN, Khan J, Adedokun KA, Imodoye SO, Bello IO, Awuchi CG. Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway inhibitors, glycyrrhizic acid, solanine, polyphyllin I, crocin, hypericin, tubeimoside-1, diosmin, and rutin in medicinal plants have better binding affinities and anticancer properties: Molecular docking and ADMET study. Food Sci Nutr 2023; 11:4155-4169. [PMID: 37457177 PMCID: PMC10345731 DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.3405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway plays a role in cancer development, organogenesis, and embryogenesis. The abnormal activation promotes cancer stem cell renewal, proliferation, and differentiation. In the present study, molecular docking simulation and ADMET studies were carried out on selected bioactive compounds in search of β-catenin protein inhibitors for drug discovery against cancer. Blind docking simulation was performed using PyRx software on Autodock Vina. β-catenin protein (PDB ID: 1jdh) and 313 bioactive compounds (from PubChem database) with selected standard anticancer drugs were used for molecular docking. The ADMET properties of the best-performing compounds were calculated using SwissADME and pkCMS web servers. The results obtained from the molecular docking study showed that glycyrrhizic acid, solanine, polyphyllin I, crocin, hypericin, tubeimoside-1, diosmin, and rutin had the best binding interactions with β-catenin protein based on their binding affinities. Glycyrrhizic acid and solanine had the same and lowest binding energy of -8.5 kcal/mol. This was followed by polyphyllin I with -8.4 kcal/mol, and crocin, hypericin, and tubeimoside-1 which all had a binding energy of 8.1 kcal/mol. Other top-performing compounds include diosmin and rutin with binding energy of -8.0 kcal/mol. The ADMET study revealed that the following compounds glycyrrhizic acid, solanine, polyphyllin I, crocin, hypericin, tubeimoside-1, diosmin, rutin, and baicalin all violated Lipinski's rule of 5 which implies poor oral bioavailability. However, based on the binding energy score, it was suggested that these pharmacologically active compounds are potential molecules to be tested against cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chukwuebuka Egbuna
- Africa Centre of Excellence in Public Health and Toxicological Research (ACE‐PUTOR)University of Port‐HarcourtPort HarcourtNigeria
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of ScienceUniversity of Port HarcourtPort HarcourtNigeria
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural SciencesChukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu UniversityUliNigeria
| | - Kingsley C. Patrick‐Iwuanyanwu
- Africa Centre of Excellence in Public Health and Toxicological Research (ACE‐PUTOR)University of Port‐HarcourtPort HarcourtNigeria
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of ScienceUniversity of Port HarcourtPort HarcourtNigeria
| | - Eugene N. Onyeike
- Africa Centre of Excellence in Public Health and Toxicological Research (ACE‐PUTOR)University of Port‐HarcourtPort HarcourtNigeria
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of ScienceUniversity of Port HarcourtPort HarcourtNigeria
| | - Chukwuemelie Zedech Uche
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Basic Medical SciencesUniversity of NigeriaNsukkaNigeria
| | - Uchenna Petronilla Ogoke
- Biostatistics and Computation Unit, Department of Mathematics and StatisticsUniversity of Port HarcourtPort HarcourtNigeria
| | - Muhammad Riaz
- Department of Allied Health SciencesUniversity of SargodhaSargodhaPakistan
| | - Ebube Nnamdi Ibezim
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural SciencesChukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu UniversityUliNigeria
| | - Johra Khan
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical SciencesMajmaah UniversityAl MajmaahSaudi Arabia
- Health and Basic Sciences Research CenterMajmaah UniversityAl MajmaahSaudi Arabia
| | - Kamoru A. Adedokun
- Department of ImmunologyRoswell Park Comprehensive Cancer CenterBuffaloNew YorkUSA
| | - Sikiru O. Imodoye
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Huntsman Cancer InstituteUniversity of UtahSalt Lake CityUtahUSA
| | - Ibrahim O. Bello
- Department of Biological SciencesSouthern Illinois University EdwardsvilleEdwardsvilleIllinoisUSA
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Alvarez-Rodrigo I, Willnow D, Vincent JP. The logistics of Wnt production and delivery. Curr Top Dev Biol 2023; 153:1-60. [PMID: 36967191 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2023.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
Wnts are secreted proteins that control stem cell maintenance, cell fate decisions, and growth during development and adult homeostasis. Wnts carry a post-translational modification not seen in any other secreted protein: during biosynthesis, they are appended with a palmitoleoyl moiety that is required for signaling but also impairs solubility and hence diffusion in the extracellular space. In some contexts, Wnts act only in a juxtacrine manner but there are also instances of long range action. Several proteins and processes ensure that active Wnts reach the appropriate target cells. Some, like Porcupine, Wntless, and Notum are dedicated to Wnt function; we describe their activities in molecular detail. We also outline how the cell infrastructure (secretory, endocytic, and retromer pathways) contribute to the progression of Wnts from production to delivery. We then address how Wnts spread in the extracellular space and form a signaling gradient despite carrying a hydrophobic moiety. We highlight particularly the role of lipid-binding Wnt interactors and heparan sulfate proteoglycans. Finally, we briefly discuss how evolution might have led to the emergence of this unusual signaling pathway.
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Shi J, Ma C, Hao X, Luo H, Li M. Reserve of Wnt/β-catenin Signaling Alleviates Mycoplasma pneumoniae P1-C-induced Inflammation in airway epithelial cells and lungs of mice. Mol Immunol 2023; 153:60-74. [PMID: 36444819 DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2022.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) is the most common pathogen of respiratory tract infections in both children and adults. M. pneumoniae P1 adhesin plays an important role in the pathogenesis of M. pneumoniae infection by mediating the attachment of pathogen to host cells. The inoculation of C-terminal residuals of P1 (P1-C) showed a protective role from M. pneumoniae infection. Accumulated evidence suggests that the Wnt/β-Catenin signaling is implicated in regulation of inflammatory responses to bacterial infections. However, mechanisms underlying the regulatory roles of Wnt signaling in host cells in response to M. pneumoniae infections are incompletely understood. In the present study, the impact and molecular mechanism of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in immune responses induced by M. pneumoniae P1-C were investigated. The results demonstrated that the P1-C could activate Wnt/β-catenin and Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling in primary mouse airway epithelial cells cultured in an air-liquid interface (ALI) state. Interestingly, the inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling by an adenovirus-mediated Wnt inhibitor Dickkopf-1 (Dkk1) gene transduction alleviated the P1-C induced inflammation fibrosis in mouse lung, accompanied by the reduced expression of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers. Mechanistical analysis further demonstrated that the Dkk1 could suppress the expression of JAK2/STAT1-STAT3 and Caspase3, 8/Bax signaling in mouse lung tissues. In vitro study further revealed that XAV939, a small molecule of Wnt/β-catenin inhibitor, inhibited the P1-C-activated TLR4/MyD88 signaling and cytokine productions in primary mouse airway ALI epithelial cells. This study thus provides an insight into the function of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in regulation of the pathogenesis of M. pneumoniae infection, suggesting that targeting Wnt/β-catenin signaling by gene transduction of Dkk1, or pharmacological molecules of inhibitor may be a promised approach that worthy of further investigation in the treatment of M. pneumoniae pneumonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Shi
- Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Conservation and Utilization of Special Biological Resources of Western China, College of Life Science, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China; Department of Ningxia Key Laboratory of Clinical Pathogenic Microbiology, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China
| | - Chunji Ma
- Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Conservation and Utilization of Special Biological Resources of Western China, College of Life Science, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China
| | - Xiujing Hao
- Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Conservation and Utilization of Special Biological Resources of Western China, College of Life Science, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China
| | - Haixia Luo
- Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Conservation and Utilization of Special Biological Resources of Western China, College of Life Science, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China
| | - Min Li
- Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Conservation and Utilization of Special Biological Resources of Western China, College of Life Science, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China.
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10
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Roa Fuentes LA, Bloemen M, Carels CE, Wagener FA, Von den Hoff JW. Retinoic acid effects on in vitro palatal fusion and WNT signaling. Eur J Oral Sci 2022; 130:e12899. [PMID: 36303276 PMCID: PMC10092745 DOI: 10.1111/eos.12899] [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: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Retinoic acid is the main active vitamin A derivate and a key regulator of embryonic development. Excess of retinoic acid can disturb palate development in mice leading to cleft palate. WNT signaling is one of the main pathways in palate development. We evaluated the effects of retinoic acid on palate fusion and WNT signaling in in vitro explant cultures. Unfused palates from E13.5 mouse embryos were cultured for 4 days with 0.5 μM, 2 μM or without retinoic acid. Apoptosis, proliferation, WNT signaling and bone formation were analyzed by histology and quantitative PCR. Retinoic acid treatment with 0.5 and 2.0 μM reduced palate fusion from 84% (SD 6.8%) in the controls to 56% (SD 26%) and 16% (SD 19%), respectively. Additionally, 2 μM retinoic acid treatment increased Axin2 expression. Retinoic acid also increased the proliferation marker Pcna as well as the number of Ki-67-positive cells in the palate epithelium. At the same time, the WNT inhibitors Dkk1, Dkk3, Wif1 and Sfrp1 were downregulated at least two-fold. Retinoic acid also down-regulated Alpl and Col1a2 gene expression. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was notably reduced in the osteogenic areas of the retinoic acid- treated palates. Our data suggest that retinoic acid impairs palate fusion and bone formation by upregulation of WNT signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laury Amelia Roa Fuentes
- Department of Orthodontics and Craniofacial Biology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,MERLN Institute for Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine, Department of Instructive Biomaterial Engineering (IBE), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Marjon Bloemen
- Department of Orthodontics and Craniofacial Biology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Carine El Carels
- Department of Human Genetics, KU University Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Frank Adtg Wagener
- Department of Orthodontics and Craniofacial Biology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Johannes W Von den Hoff
- Department of Orthodontics and Craniofacial Biology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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11
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Abstract
Since its initial identification in 1992 as a possible class 1 cell-surface receptor without a known parent ligand, receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 1 (ROR1) has stimulated research, which has made apparent its significance in embryonic development and cancer. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) was the first malignancy found to have distinctive expression of ROR1, which can help distinguish leukemia cells from most noncancer cells. Aside from its potential utility as a diagnostic marker or target for therapy, ROR1 also factors in the pathophysiology of CLL. This review is a report of the studies that have elucidated the expression, biology, and evolving strategies for targeting ROR1 that hold promise for improving the therapy of patients with CLL or other ROR1-expressing malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J. Kipps
- Center for Novel Therapeutics, Moores Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
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12
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Ma Y, Li Y, Huang M, Meng Y. Triptolide inhibits T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia by affecting aberrant epigenetic events in the Wnt signalling pathway. J Chemother 2022:1-10. [PMID: 35666085 DOI: 10.1080/1120009x.2022.2082347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive haematologic disease that accounts for 15% of childhood and 25% of adult ALL cases. Triptolide (TPL) is an active component of Tripterygium wilfordii and was recently discovered to suppress the growth of some cancers, including ALL, but the underlying mechanism has yet to be elucidated. Dysfunction of the Wnt signalling pathway has been reported to be an important event in the pathogenesis of T-ALL. In this study, we investigated the effects of TPL on the Wnt pathway and found that it suppressed the expression of TCF7, C-MYC and β-catenin in T-ALL cell lines. Then, we indicated that TPL induced the expression of Wnt pathway antagonists, including WIF1, SOX17, CDH1 and SFRP5, in T-ALL cells. Further analysis indicated that TPL induced the demethylation of these genes, which may be related to the inhibited expression of methyltransferases DNMT1 and DNMT3a. In conclusion, our results suggest that TPL inhibits T-ALL by inhibiting aberrant epigenetic events in dysregulated Wnt signalling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanna Ma
- Center for Tumor Diagnosis and Therapy, Jinshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Li
- Center for Tumor Diagnosis and Therapy, Jinshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Mei Huang
- Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Yuesheng Meng
- Center for Tumor Diagnosis and Therapy, Jinshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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13
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Schröder HC, Wang X, Neufurth M, Wang S, Tan R, Müller WEG. Inorganic Polymeric Materials for Injured Tissue Repair: Biocatalytic Formation and Exploitation. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10030658. [PMID: 35327460 PMCID: PMC8945818 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10030658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Two biocatalytically produced inorganic biomaterials show great potential for use in regenerative medicine but also other medical applications: bio-silica and bio-polyphosphate (bio-polyP or polyP). Biosilica is synthesized by a group of enzymes called silicateins, which mediate the formation of amorphous hydrated silica from monomeric precursors. The polymeric silicic acid formed by these enzymes, which have been cloned from various siliceous sponge species, then undergoes a maturation process to form a solid biosilica material. The second biomaterial, polyP, has the extraordinary property that it not only has morphogenetic activity similar to biosilica, i.e., can induce cell differentiation through specific gene expression, but also provides metabolic energy through enzymatic cleavage of its high-energy phosphoanhydride bonds. This reaction is catalyzed by alkaline phosphatase, a ubiquitous enzyme that, in combination with adenylate kinase, forms adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from polyP. This article attempts to highlight the biomedical importance of the inorganic polymeric materials biosilica and polyP as well as the enzymes silicatein and alkaline phosphatase, which are involved in their metabolism or mediate their biological activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heinz C. Schröder
- ERC Advanced Investigator Group, Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany; (H.C.S.); (X.W.); (M.N.); (S.W.)
| | - Xiaohong Wang
- ERC Advanced Investigator Group, Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany; (H.C.S.); (X.W.); (M.N.); (S.W.)
| | - Meik Neufurth
- ERC Advanced Investigator Group, Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany; (H.C.S.); (X.W.); (M.N.); (S.W.)
| | - Shunfeng Wang
- ERC Advanced Investigator Group, Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany; (H.C.S.); (X.W.); (M.N.); (S.W.)
| | - Rongwei Tan
- Shenzhen Lando Biomaterials Co., Ltd., Building B3, Unit 2B-C, China Merchants Guangming Science Park, Guangming District, Shenzhen 518107, China;
| | - Werner E. G. Müller
- ERC Advanced Investigator Group, Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Duesbergweg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany; (H.C.S.); (X.W.); (M.N.); (S.W.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-6131-3925910
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14
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Schröder HC, Wang X, Neufurth M, Wang S, Müller WEG. Biomimetic Polyphosphate Materials: Toward Application in Regenerative Medicine. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR AND SUBCELLULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 61:83-130. [PMID: 35697938 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-01237-2_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) has attracted increasing attention as a biomedical polymer or biomaterial with a great potential for application in regenerative medicine, in particular in the fields of tissue engineering and repair. The interest in polyP is based on two properties of this physiological polymer that make polyP stand out from other polymers: polyP has morphogenetic activity by inducing cell differentiation through specific gene expression, and it functions as an energy store and donor of metabolic energy, especially in the extracellular matrix or in the extracellular space. No other biopolymer applicable in tissue regeneration/repair is known that is endowed with this combination of properties. In addition, polyP can be fabricated both in the form of a biologically active coacervate and as biomimetic amorphous polyP nano/microparticles, which are stable and are activated by transformation into the coacervate phase after contact with protein/body fluids. PolyP can be used in the form of various metal salts and in combination with various hydrogel-forming polymers, whereby (even printable) hybrid materials with defined porosities and mechanical and biological properties can be produced, which can even be loaded with cells for 3D cell printing or with drugs and support the growth and differentiation of (stem) cells as well as cell migration/microvascularization. Potential applications in therapy of bone, cartilage and eye disorders/injuries and wound healing are summarized and possible mechanisms are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heinz C Schröder
- ERC Advanced Investigator Group, Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Xiaohong Wang
- ERC Advanced Investigator Group, Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Meik Neufurth
- ERC Advanced Investigator Group, Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Shunfeng Wang
- ERC Advanced Investigator Group, Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Werner E G Müller
- ERC Advanced Investigator Group, Institute for Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.
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15
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Wnt Inhibitory Factor 1 Binds to and Inhibits the Activity of Sonic Hedgehog. Cells 2021; 10:cells10123496. [PMID: 34944004 PMCID: PMC8699845 DOI: 10.3390/cells10123496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The hedgehog (Hh) and Wnt pathways, crucial for the embryonic development and stem cell proliferation of Metazoa, have long been known to have similarities that argue for their common evolutionary origin. A surprising additional similarity of the two pathways came with the discovery that WIF1 proteins are involved in the regulation of both the Wnt and Hh pathways. Originally, WIF1 (Wnt Inhibitory Factor 1) was identified as a Wnt antagonist of vertebrates, but subsequent studies have shown that in Drosophila, the WIF1 ortholog serves primarily to control the distribution of Hh. In the present, work we have characterized the interaction of the human WIF1 protein with human sonic hedgehog (Shh) using Surface Plasmon Resonance spectroscopy and reporter assays monitoring the signaling activity of human Shh. Our studies have shown that human WIF1 protein binds human Shh with high affinity and inhibits its signaling activity efficiently. Our observation that the human WIF1 protein is a potent antagonist of human Shh suggests that the known tumor suppressor activity of WIF1 may not be ascribed only to its role as a Wnt inhibitor.
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16
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Azadian Z, Hosseini S, Dizjikan ZP, Kazemi J, Marzouni ET, Wang PY, Alipour A, Shahsavarani H. Computational and in vitro validation of cardiogenic induction of quercetin on adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells through the inhibition of Wnt and non-Smad-dependent TGF-β pathways. J Cell Biochem 2021; 123:450-468. [PMID: 34825407 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.30189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Exploiting human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) was proposed as a promising therapeutic approach for cardiovascular disease due to their capacity to differentiate into cardiac cells. Though modulation of the intracellular signaling pathways dominantly WNT/β catenin and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) have been reported to promote differentiation of hMSCs into cardiomyocytes in the prevailing literature, a safe and reproducible system for their clinical application has not yet turned into reality. In the present study, the molecular docking-based strategy was first applied for evaluating the potency of some natural phenolic compounds in the modulation of Wnt and TGF-β signaling pathways using a vital class of crystallographic protein structures of WNT signaling regulators such as Frizzled, Disheveled, GSK3-β, β-catenin, LRP 5/6 extracellular domain, Tankyrase and their variety of active pockets. Then, the impacts of plant-derived chemical compounds on the regulation of the relevant signals for the differentiation of hMSCs into the definitive mesoderm lineage and cardiac progenitors were assessed in vitro. Data obtained revealed the synergistic activity of Wnt and TGF-β superfamily to direct cardiac differentiation in human cardiogenesis by comparing cardiac gene expression in the presence and absence of the TGF-β inhibitors. We found that the inhibitory effect of canonical Wnt/β-catenin is sufficient to cause proper cardiomyocyte differentiation, but the TGF-β pathway plays a vital role in enhancing the expression of the cardiomyocyte-specific marker (cTnT). It was found that quercetin, a p38MAPK inhibitor with the high energy dock to the active pocket of Wnt receptors, promotes cardiac differentiation via the inhibition of both Wnt and non-Smad TGF-β pathways. Altogether, data presented here can contribute to the development of a feasible and efficient cardiac differentiation protocol as an "off-the-shelf" therapeutic source using novel natural agents for cardiac repair or regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Azadian
- Department of Cell and Molecular Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.,Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine and Biomedical Innovations, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Saadi Hosseini
- Department of Cell and Molecular Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.,Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine and Biomedical Innovations, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zohre Panahi Dizjikan
- Department of Cell and Molecular Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Javad Kazemi
- Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine and Biomedical Innovations, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Eisa Tahmasbpour Marzouni
- Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine and Biomedical Innovations, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Peng-Yuan Wang
- Stem Cell Bioengineering Lab, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Atefeh Alipour
- Department of Nanobiotechnology, Pasteur institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hosein Shahsavarani
- Department of Cell and Molecular Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.,Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine and Biomedical Innovations, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
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17
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Liu X, Shan W, Li T, Gao X, Kong F, You H, Kong D, Qiao S, Tang R. Cellular retinol binding protein-1 inhibits cancer stemness via upregulating WIF1 to suppress Wnt/β-catenin pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma. BMC Cancer 2021; 21:1224. [PMID: 34775955 PMCID: PMC8590789 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-021-08967-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background CRBP-1, a cytosolic chaperone of vitamin A, is identified in a serious number of cancers; however, its biological role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) needs to be further explored. The aim of our present study is to explore the roles and mechanisms of CRBP-1 in regulating liver cancer by using in vitro and in vivo biology approaches. Methods The expression level of CRBP-1 was detected using immunohistochemistry in HCC and matching adjacent non-tumorous liver tissues. Following established stable CRBP-1 overexpressed HCC cell lines, the cell growth and tumorigenicity were investigated both in vitro and in vivo. Intracellular retinoic acid was quantified by ELISA. The relationship between CRBP-1 and WIF1 was validated by using dual luciferase and ChIP analyses. Results The low expression of CRBP-1 was observed in HCC tissues compared to the normal liver tissues, while high CRBP-1 expression correlated with clinicopathological characteristics and increased overall survival in HCC patients. Overexpression of CRBP-1 significantly inhibited cell growth and tumorigenicity both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, overexpression of CRBP-1 suppressed tumorsphere formation and cancer stemness related genes expression in HCC. Mechanically, CRBP-1 inhibited Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway to suppress cancer cell stemness of HCC. Furthermore, our results revealed that CRBP-1 could increase the intracellular levels of retinoic acid, which induced the activation of RARs/RXRs leading to the transcriptional expression of WIF1, a secreted antagonist of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, by physically interacting with the region on WIF1 promoter. Conclusion Our findings reveal that CRBP-1 is a crucial player in the initiation and progression of HCC, which provide a novel independent prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for the diagnosis and treatment of HCC. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-021-08967-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangye Liu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, 221004, People's Republic of China.
| | - Wenhua Shan
- Cancer Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, 221002, People's Republic of China
| | - Tingting Li
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, 221004, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoge Gao
- Cancer Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, 221002, People's Republic of China
| | - Fanyun Kong
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, 221004, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongjuan You
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, 221004, People's Republic of China
| | - Delong Kong
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, 221004, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuxi Qiao
- Cancer Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, 221002, People's Republic of China
| | - Renxian Tang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, 221004, People's Republic of China.
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18
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Abstract
Liver metastasis, originating either from a primary liver or other cancer types, represent a large cancer-related burden. Therefore, studies that add to better understanding of its molecular basis are needed. Herein, the role of the Wnt signaling pathway in liver metastasis is outlined. Its role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), motility, migration, metastasis formation, and other steps of the metastatic cascade are presented. Additionally, the roles of the Wnt signaling pathway in the liver metastasis formation of colorectal, breast, gastric, lung, melanoma, pancreatic, and prostate cancer are explored. The special emphasis is given to the role of the Wnt signaling pathway in the communication between the many of the components of the primary and secondary cancer microenvironment that contribute to the metastatic outgrowth in the liver. The data presented herein are a review of the most recent publications and advances in the field that add to the idea that the Wnt pathway is among the drivers of liver metastasis and that its targeting could potentially relieve liver metastasis–related complications.
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19
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Salbach-Hirsch J, Rauner M, Hofbauer C, Hofbauer LC. New insights into the role of glycosaminoglycans in the endosteal bone microenvironment. Biol Chem 2021; 402:1415-1425. [PMID: 34323057 DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2021-0174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The bone microenvironment is a complex tissue in which heterogeneous cell populations of hematopoietic and mesenchymal origin interact with environmental cues to maintain tissue integrity. Both cellular and matrix components are subject to physiologic challenges and can dynamically respond by modifying cell/matrix interactions. When either component is impaired, the physiologic balance is lost. Here, we review the current state of knowledge of how glycosaminoglycans - organic components of the bone extracellular matrix - influence the bone micromilieu. We point out how they interact with mediators of distinct signaling pathways such as the RANKL/OPG axis, BMP and WNT signaling, and affect the activity of bone remodeling cells within the endosteal niche summarizing their potential for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Salbach-Hirsch
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolic Bone Diseases, Department of Medicine III, Medical Center, Technische Universität Dresden, D-01307 Dresden, Germany
- Center for Healthy Aging, Medical Center, Technische Universität Dresden, D-01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Martina Rauner
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolic Bone Diseases, Department of Medicine III, Medical Center, Technische Universität Dresden, D-01307 Dresden, Germany
- Center for Healthy Aging, Medical Center, Technische Universität Dresden, D-01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Christine Hofbauer
- NCT Dresden and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, D-01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Lorenz C Hofbauer
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolic Bone Diseases, Department of Medicine III, Medical Center, Technische Universität Dresden, D-01307 Dresden, Germany
- Center for Healthy Aging, Medical Center, Technische Universität Dresden, D-01307 Dresden, Germany
- Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD), D-01307 Dresden, Germany
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20
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Chen H, Song F, Long F. WNT7B overexpression rescues bone loss caused by glucocorticoids in mice. FASEB J 2021; 35:e21683. [PMID: 34118078 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202100151rr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids, widely prescribed for anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive purposes, are the most common secondary cause for osteoporosis and related fractures. Current anti-resorptive and anabolic therapies are insufficient for treating glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis due to contraindications or concerns of side effects. Glucocorticoids have been shown to disrupt Wnt signaling in osteoblast-lineage cells, but the efficacy for Wnt proteins to restore bone mass after glucocorticoid therapy has not been examined. Here by using two mouse genetic models wherein WNT7B expression is temporally activated by either tamoxifen or doxycycline in osteoblast-lineage cells, we show that WNT7B recovers bone mass following glucocorticoid-induced bone loss, thanks to increased osteoblast number and function. However, WNT7B overexpression in bone either before or after glucocorticoid treatments does not ameliorate the abnormal accumulation of body fat. The study demonstrates a potent bone anabolic function for WNT7B in countering glucocorticoid-induced bone loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Chen
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.,Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Fangfang Song
- Translational Research Program of Pediatric Orthopedics, Department of Surgery, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,The State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Basic Science of Stomatology and Key Laboratory for Oral Biomedicine of Ministry of Education, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Fanxin Long
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.,Translational Research Program of Pediatric Orthopedics, Department of Surgery, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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21
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Jagga S, Sharma AR, Lee YH, Nam JS, Lee SS. Sclerostin-Mediated Impaired Osteogenesis by Fibroblast-Like Synoviocytes in the Particle-Induced Osteolysis Model. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:666295. [PMID: 34250013 PMCID: PMC8260695 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.666295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Engineered biomaterials are envisioned to replace, augment, or interact with living tissues for improving the functional deformities associated with end-stage joint pathologies. Unfortunately, wear debris from implant interfaces is the major factor leading to periprosthetic osteolysis. Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) populate the intimal lining of the synovium and are in direct contact with wear debris. This study aimed to elucidate the effect of Ti particles as wear debris on human FLSs and the mechanism by which they might participate in the bone remodeling process during periprosthetic osteolysis. FLSs were isolated from synovial tissue from patients, and the condition medium (CM) was collected after treating FLSs with sterilized Ti particles. The effect of CM was analyzed for the induction of osteoclastogenesis or any effect on osteogenesis and signaling pathways. The results demonstrated that Ti particles could induce activation of the NFκB signaling pathway and induction of COX-2 and inflammatory cytokines in FLSs. The amount of Rankl in the conditioned medium collected from Ti particle–stimulated FLSs (Ti CM) showed the ability to stimulate osteoclast formation. The Ti CM also suppressed the osteogenic initial and terminal differentiation markers for osteoprogenitors, such as alkaline phosphate activity, matrix mineralization, collagen synthesis, and expression levels of Osterix, Runx2, collagen 1α, and bone sialoprotein. Inhibition of the WNT and BMP signaling pathways was observed in osteoprogenitors after the treatment with the Ti CM. In the presence of the Ti CM, exogenous stimulation by WNT and BMP signaling pathways failed to stimulate osteogenic activity in osteoprogenitors. Induced expression of sclerostin (SOST: an antagonist of WNT and BMP signaling) in Ti particle–treated FLSs and secretion of SOST in the Ti CM were detected. Neutralization of SOST in the Ti CM partially restored the suppressed WNT and BMP signaling activity as well as the osteogenic activity in osteoprogenitors. Our results reveal that wear debris–stimulated FLSs might affect bone loss by not only stimulating osteoclastogenesis but also suppressing the bone-forming ability of osteoprogenitors. In the clinical setting, targeting FLSs for the secretion of antagonists like SOST might be a novel therapeutic approach for preventing bone loss during inflammatory osteolysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Supriya Jagga
- Institute for Skeletal Aging and Orthopedic Surgery, Hallym University-Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Chuncheon, South Korea
| | - Ashish Ranjan Sharma
- Institute for Skeletal Aging and Orthopedic Surgery, Hallym University-Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Chuncheon, South Korea
| | - Yeon Hee Lee
- Institute for Skeletal Aging and Orthopedic Surgery, Hallym University-Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Chuncheon, South Korea
| | - Ju-Suk Nam
- Institute for Skeletal Aging and Orthopedic Surgery, Hallym University-Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Chuncheon, South Korea
| | - Sang-Soo Lee
- Institute for Skeletal Aging and Orthopedic Surgery, Hallym University-Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Chuncheon, South Korea
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22
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Zhao Y, Jolly S, Benvegnu S, Jones EY, Fish PV. Small-molecule inhibitors of carboxylesterase Notum. Future Med Chem 2021; 13:1001-1015. [PMID: 33882714 PMCID: PMC8130783 DOI: 10.4155/fmc-2021-0036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Notum has recently been identified as a negative regulator of Wnt signaling through the removal of an essential palmitoleate group from Wnt proteins. There are emerging reports that Notum plays a role in human disease, with published data suggesting that targeting Notum could represent a new therapeutic approach for treating cancer, osteoporosis and neurodegenerative disorders. Complementary hit-finding strategies have been applied with successful approaches that include high-throughput screening, activity-based protein profiling, screening of fragment libraries and virtual screening campaigns. Structural studies are accelerating the discovery of new inhibitors of Notum. Three fit-for-purpose examples are LP-922056, ABC99 and ARUK3001185. The application of these small-molecule inhibitors is helping to further advance an understanding of the role Notum plays in human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuguang Zhao
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Henry Wellcome Building for Genomic Medicine, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Sarah Jolly
- Alzheimer's Research UK UCL Drug Discovery Institute, University College London, Cruciform Building, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Stefano Benvegnu
- Alzheimer's Research UK UCL Drug Discovery Institute, University College London, Cruciform Building, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - E Yvonne Jones
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Henry Wellcome Building for Genomic Medicine, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Paul V Fish
- Alzheimer's Research UK UCL Drug Discovery Institute, University College London, Cruciform Building, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
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Song D, He G, Shi Y, Ni J, Long F. Functional interaction between Wnt and Bmp signaling in periosteal bone growth. Sci Rep 2021; 11:10782. [PMID: 34031510 PMCID: PMC8144582 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-90324-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Wnt and Bmp proteins are well known to regulate bone development and homeostasis. Although both signals are extensively studied, their potential interaction in vivo is less well understood. Previous studies have shown that deletion of Bmpr1a, a type I receptor for Bmp signaling, results in excessive trabecular bone formation while diminishing periosteal bone growth. Moreover, forced-expression of the Wnt antagonist Sost suppresses the overgrowth of trabecular bone caused by Bmpr1a deletion, thus implicating hyperactive Wnt signaling in the excessive trabecular bone formation. However, it remains uncertain whether Wnt and Bmp signaling interacts in regulating the periosteal bone growth. Here we show that multiple Wnt genes are markedly suppressed in the cortical bone without Bmpr1a. Importantly, overexpression of Wnt7b fully rescues periosteal bone growth in the Bmpr1a-deficient mice. Thus, pharmacological activation of Wnt signaling can restore normal bone size without intact Bmp signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deye Song
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, Hunan, China.,Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Guangxu He
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, Hunan, China.,Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Yu Shi
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.,State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases and National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jiangdong Ni
- Department of Orthopedics, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, Hunan, China
| | - Fanxin Long
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA. .,Translational Research Program in Pediatric Orthopedics, Department of Surgery, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA. .,Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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Ueland T, Astrup E, Otterdal K, Lekva T, Janardhanan J, Prakash JAJ, Thomas K, Michelsen AE, Aukrust P, Varghese GM, Damås JK. Secreted Wnt antagonists in scrub typhus. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021; 15:e0009185. [PMID: 33914733 PMCID: PMC8112706 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Revised: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The mechanisms that control local and systemic inflammation in scrub typhus have only been partially elucidated. The wingless (Wnt) signaling pathways are emerging as important regulators of inflammation and infection, but have not been investigated in scrub typhus. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Plasma levels of secreted Wnt antagonists (i.e. DKK-1, sFRP-3, WIF-1 and SOST) were analyzed in patients with scrub typhus (n = 129), patients with similar febrile illness without O. tsutsugamushi infection (n = 31), febrile infectious disease controls, and in healthy controls (n = 31) from the same area of South India, and were correlated to markers of inflammation, immune and endothelial cell activation as well as for their association with organ specific dysfunction and mortality in these patients. We found i) Levels of SOST and in particular sFRP-3 and WIF-1 were markedly increased and DKK-1 decreased in scrub typhus patients at admission to the hospital compared to healthy controls. ii) In recovering scrub typhus patients, SOST, sFRP-3 and WIF-1 decreased and DKK-1 increased. iii) SOST was positively correlated with markers of monocyte/macrophage and endothelial/vascular activation as well as with renal dysfunction and poor outcome iv) Finally, regulation of Wnt pathways by O. tsutsugamushi in vitro in monocytes and ex vivo in mononuclear cells isolated from patients with scrub typhus, as evaluated by gene expression studies available in public repositories, revealed markedly attenuated canonical Wnt signaling. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Our findings suggest that scrub typhus is characterized by attenuated Wnt signaling possibly involving dysregulated levels of several secreted pathway antagonists. The secreted Wnt antagonist SOST was strongly associated with renal dysfunction and poor prognosis in these patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thor Ueland
- Research Institute of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- K.G. Jebsen Thrombosis Research and Expertise Center, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway
- * E-mail:
| | - Elisabeth Astrup
- Research Institute of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway
| | - Kari Otterdal
- Research Institute of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Tove Lekva
- Research Institute of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Jeshina Janardhanan
- Department of Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - John A. J. Prakash
- Department of Microbiology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Kurien Thomas
- Department of Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Annika E. Michelsen
- Research Institute of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Pål Aukrust
- Research Institute of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Section of Clinical Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - George M. Varghese
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Jan K. Damås
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
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Abdelazeem ME, Abdelhaleem MI, Mohamed RA, Abdelaleem EA. The role of Dickkopf-1 as a biomarker in systemic lupus erythematosus and active lupus nephritis. EGYPTIAN RHEUMATOLOGY AND REHABILITATION 2021. [DOI: 10.1186/s43166-021-00064-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic disease which is mainly attributed to autoantibodies, cytokines, and immune complex deposition. Studies have demonstrated that cytokines and autoantibodies were strongly associated with renal diseases and can be used for the prediction of patients with lupus nephritis (LN). However, antibodies to dsDNA and the reduction of complements were also detected in non-LN patients as well as clinically non-active SLE patients. The current study was performed to detect the role of serum DKK-1 as a biomarker for the identification of SLE patients and patients with LN and its relation to disease activity and severity. The study was conducted on fifty clinically diagnosed SLE patients who were diagnosed according to Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) classification criteria for SLE, in addition to thirty healthy control volunteers matched for age and sex. Assessment of SLE disease activity was done using Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI). Assessment of SLE disease severity was done using the Systemic Lupus International Collaborative Clinics/American College of Rheumatology (SLICC/ACR) damage index. Serum levels of DKK-1 were measured for all participants by ELISA using commercially available kits.
Results
DKK-1 serum levels were significantly higher among active lupus nephritis cases as compared with SLE cases with no LN and with healthy controls (9197.60 μg/uL ± 2939.2 μg/uL vs. 6405.15 μg/uL ± 2018.91 μg/uL vs. 2790.33 μg/uL ± 833.49 μg/uL) respectively (p-values < 0.001). DKK-1 concentration was significantly higher among SLE patients with positive as compared with negative anti-double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) antibodies (p-value < 0.001). According to receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, serum DKK-1 level diagnosed the SLE at a statistically significant level with a 98% sensitivity and 70% specificity and serum DKK-1 level also diagnosed active lupus nephritis at a 90% sensitivity and 63% specificity.
Conclusion
DKK-1 could diagnose SLE and lupus nephritis with high sensitivity and specificity. Serum DKK-1 is a reliable biomarker for the identification of SLE and patients with LN and could be used as a key molecule for the diagnosis of SLE and as a prognostic indicator of LN.
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Ozalp O, Cark O, Azbazdar Y, Haykir B, Cucun G, Kucukaylak I, Alkan-Yesilyurt G, Sezgin E, Ozhan G. Nradd Acts as a Negative Feedback Regulator of Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling and Promotes Apoptosis. Biomolecules 2021; 11:100. [PMID: 33466728 PMCID: PMC7828832 DOI: 10.3390/biom11010100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Wnt/β-catenin signaling controls many biological processes for the generation and sustainability of proper tissue size, organization and function during development and homeostasis. Consequently, mutations in the Wnt pathway components and modulators cause diseases, including genetic disorders and cancers. Targeted treatment of pathway-associated diseases entails detailed understanding of the regulatory mechanisms that fine-tune Wnt signaling. Here, we identify the neurotrophin receptor-associated death domain (Nradd), a homolog of p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR), as a negative regulator of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in zebrafish embryos and in mammalian cells. Nradd significantly suppresses Wnt8-mediated patterning of the mesoderm and neuroectoderm during zebrafish gastrulation. Nradd is localized at the plasma membrane, physically interacts with the Wnt receptor complex and enhances apoptosis in cooperation with Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Our functional analyses indicate that the N-glycosylated N-terminus and the death domain-containing C-terminus regions are necessary for both the inhibition of Wnt signaling and apoptosis. Finally, Nradd can induce apoptosis in mammalian cells. Thus, Nradd regulates cell death as a modifier of Wnt/β-catenin signaling during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ozgun Ozalp
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center (IBG), Dokuz Eylul University Health Campus, Inciralti-Balcova, 35340 Izmir, Turkey; (O.O.); (O.C.); (Y.A.); (B.H.); (G.C.); (I.K.); (G.A.-Y.)
- Izmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute (IBG-Izmir), Dokuz Eylul University, Inciralti-Balcova, 35340 Izmir, Turkey
| | - Ozge Cark
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center (IBG), Dokuz Eylul University Health Campus, Inciralti-Balcova, 35340 Izmir, Turkey; (O.O.); (O.C.); (Y.A.); (B.H.); (G.C.); (I.K.); (G.A.-Y.)
- Izmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute (IBG-Izmir), Dokuz Eylul University, Inciralti-Balcova, 35340 Izmir, Turkey
| | - Yagmur Azbazdar
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center (IBG), Dokuz Eylul University Health Campus, Inciralti-Balcova, 35340 Izmir, Turkey; (O.O.); (O.C.); (Y.A.); (B.H.); (G.C.); (I.K.); (G.A.-Y.)
- Izmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute (IBG-Izmir), Dokuz Eylul University, Inciralti-Balcova, 35340 Izmir, Turkey
| | - Betul Haykir
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center (IBG), Dokuz Eylul University Health Campus, Inciralti-Balcova, 35340 Izmir, Turkey; (O.O.); (O.C.); (Y.A.); (B.H.); (G.C.); (I.K.); (G.A.-Y.)
- Institute of Physiology, Switzerland and National Center of Competence in Research NCCR Kidney, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Gokhan Cucun
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center (IBG), Dokuz Eylul University Health Campus, Inciralti-Balcova, 35340 Izmir, Turkey; (O.O.); (O.C.); (Y.A.); (B.H.); (G.C.); (I.K.); (G.A.-Y.)
- Izmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute (IBG-Izmir), Dokuz Eylul University, Inciralti-Balcova, 35340 Izmir, Turkey
| | - Ismail Kucukaylak
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center (IBG), Dokuz Eylul University Health Campus, Inciralti-Balcova, 35340 Izmir, Turkey; (O.O.); (O.C.); (Y.A.); (B.H.); (G.C.); (I.K.); (G.A.-Y.)
- Institute of Zoology-Developmental Biology, University of Cologne, 50674 Cologne, Germany
| | - Gozde Alkan-Yesilyurt
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center (IBG), Dokuz Eylul University Health Campus, Inciralti-Balcova, 35340 Izmir, Turkey; (O.O.); (O.C.); (Y.A.); (B.H.); (G.C.); (I.K.); (G.A.-Y.)
| | - Erdinc Sezgin
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden;
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, MRC Human Immunology Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford OX39DS, UK
| | - Gunes Ozhan
- Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center (IBG), Dokuz Eylul University Health Campus, Inciralti-Balcova, 35340 Izmir, Turkey; (O.O.); (O.C.); (Y.A.); (B.H.); (G.C.); (I.K.); (G.A.-Y.)
- Izmir International Biomedicine and Genome Institute (IBG-Izmir), Dokuz Eylul University, Inciralti-Balcova, 35340 Izmir, Turkey
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Schuitemaker JHN, Beernink RHJ, Franx A, Cremers TIFH, Koster MPH. First trimester secreted Frizzled-Related Protein 4 and other adipokine serum concentrations in women developing gestational diabetes mellitus. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0242423. [PMID: 33206702 PMCID: PMC7673552 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0242423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The aim of this study was to evaluate whether soluble frizzled-related protein 4 (sFRP4) concentration in the first trimester of pregnancy is individually, or in combination with Leptin, Chemerin and/or Adiponectin, associated with the development of gestational diabetes (GDM). Methods In a nested case-control study, 50 women with GDM who spontaneously conceived and delivered a live-born infant were matched with a total of 100 uncomplicated singleton control pregnancies based on body mass index (± 2 kg/m2), gestational age at sampling (exact day) and maternal age (± 2 years). In serum samples, obtained between 70–90 days gestational age, sFRP4, Chemerin, Leptin and Adiponectin concentrations were determined by ELISA. Statistical comparisons were performed using univariate and multi-variate logistic regression analysis after logarithmic transformation of the concentrations. Discrimination of the models was assessed by the area under the curve (AUC). Results First trimester sFRP4 concentrations were significantly increased in GDM cases (2.04 vs 1.93 ng/ml; p<0.05), just as Chemerin (3.19 vs 3.15 ng/ml; p<0.05) and Leptin (1.44 vs 1.32 ng/ml; p<0.01). Adiponectin concentrations were significantly decreased (2.83 vs 2.94 ng/ml; p<0.01) in GDM cases. Further analysis only showed a weak, though significant, correlation of sFRP4 with Chemerin (R2 = 0.124; p<0.001) and Leptin (R2 = 0.145; p<0.001), and Chemerin with Leptin (R2 = 0.282; p<0.001) in the control group. In a multivariate logistic regression model of these four markers, only Adiponectin showed to be significantly associated with GDM (odds ratio 0.12, 95%CI 0.02–0.68). The AUC of this model was 0.699 (95%CI 0.605–0.793). Conclusion In the first trimester of pregnancy, a multi-marker model with sFRP4, Leptin, Chemerin and Adiponectin is associated with the development of GDM. Therefore, this panel seems to be an interesting candidate to further evaluate for prediction of GDM in a prospective study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joost H. N. Schuitemaker
- Division of Medical Biology, Department of Pathology and Medical Biology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Research & Development, IQ Products BV, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Rik H. J. Beernink
- Research & Development, IQ Products BV, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Analytical Biochemistry, Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | - Arie Franx
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas I. F. H. Cremers
- Department of Analytical Biochemistry, Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Maria P. H. Koster
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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Trajanoska K, Rivadeneira F. Genomic Medicine: Lessons Learned From Monogenic and Complex Bone Disorders. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2020; 11:556610. [PMID: 33162933 PMCID: PMC7581702 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2020.556610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Current genetic studies of monogenic and complex bone diseases have broadened our understanding of disease pathophysiology, highlighting the need for medical interventions and treatments tailored to the characteristics of patients. As genomic research progresses, novel insights into the molecular mechanisms are starting to provide support to clinical decision-making; now offering ample opportunities for disease screening, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. Drug targets holding mechanisms with genetic support are more likely to be successful. Therefore, implementing genetic information to the drug development process and a molecular redefinition of skeletal disease can help overcoming current shortcomings in pharmaceutical research, including failed attempts and appalling costs. This review summarizes the achievements of genetic studies in the bone field and their application to clinical care, illustrating the imminent advent of the genomic medicine era.
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Mahy W, Patel M, Steadman D, Woodward HL, Atkinson BN, Svensson F, Willis NJ, Flint A, Papatheodorou D, Zhao Y, Vecchia L, Ruza RR, Hillier J, Frew S, Monaghan A, Costa A, Bictash M, Walter MW, Jones EY, Fish PV. Screening of a Custom-Designed Acid Fragment Library Identifies 1-Phenylpyrroles and 1-Phenylpyrrolidines as Inhibitors of Notum Carboxylesterase Activity. J Med Chem 2020; 63:9464-9483. [PMID: 32787107 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c00660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The Wnt family of proteins are secreted signaling proteins that play key roles in regulating cellular functions. Recently, carboxylesterase Notum was shown to act as a negative regulator of Wnt signaling by mediating the removal of an essential palmitoleate. Here we disclose two new chemical scaffolds that inhibit Notum enzymatic activity. Our approach was to create a fragment library of 250 acids for screening against Notum in a biochemical assay followed by structure determination by X-ray crystallography. Twenty fragments were identified as hits for Notum inhibition, and 14 of these fragments were shown to bind in the palmitoleate pocket of Notum. Optimization of 1-phenylpyrrole 20, guided by structure-based drug design, identified 20z as the most potent compound from this series. Similarly, the optimization of 1-phenylpyrrolidine 8 gave acid 26. This work demonstrates that inhibition of Notum activity can be achieved by small, drug-like molecules possessing favorable in vitro ADME profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Mahy
- Alzheimer's Research UK UCL Drug Discovery Institute, University College London, Cruciform Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Mikesh Patel
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom
| | - David Steadman
- Alzheimer's Research UK UCL Drug Discovery Institute, University College London, Cruciform Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Hannah L Woodward
- Alzheimer's Research UK UCL Drug Discovery Institute, University College London, Cruciform Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Benjamin N Atkinson
- Alzheimer's Research UK UCL Drug Discovery Institute, University College London, Cruciform Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Fredrik Svensson
- Alzheimer's Research UK UCL Drug Discovery Institute, University College London, Cruciform Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, Kings Cross, London NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
| | - Nicky J Willis
- Alzheimer's Research UK UCL Drug Discovery Institute, University College London, Cruciform Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Alister Flint
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom
| | - Dimitra Papatheodorou
- UCL School of Pharmacy, University College London, 29-39 Brunswick Square, Bloomsbury, London WC1N 1AX, United Kingdom
| | - Yuguang Zhao
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, The Henry Wellcome Building for Genomic Medicine, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7BN, United Kingdom
| | - Luca Vecchia
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, The Henry Wellcome Building for Genomic Medicine, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7BN, United Kingdom
| | - Reinis R Ruza
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, The Henry Wellcome Building for Genomic Medicine, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7BN, United Kingdom
| | - James Hillier
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, The Henry Wellcome Building for Genomic Medicine, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7BN, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Frew
- Alzheimer's Research UK UCL Drug Discovery Institute, University College London, Cruciform Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Amy Monaghan
- Alzheimer's Research UK UCL Drug Discovery Institute, University College London, Cruciform Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Artur Costa
- Alzheimer's Research UK UCL Drug Discovery Institute, University College London, Cruciform Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Magda Bictash
- Alzheimer's Research UK UCL Drug Discovery Institute, University College London, Cruciform Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Magnus W Walter
- Eli Lilly, Erl Wood Manor, Windlesham, Surrey GU20 6PH, United Kingdom
| | - E Yvonne Jones
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, The Henry Wellcome Building for Genomic Medicine, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7BN, United Kingdom
| | - Paul V Fish
- Alzheimer's Research UK UCL Drug Discovery Institute, University College London, Cruciform Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, Kings Cross, London NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
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Mouse WIF1 Is Only Modified with O-Fucose in Its EGF-like Domain III Despite Two Evolutionarily Conserved Consensus Sites. Biomolecules 2020; 10:biom10091250. [PMID: 32872229 PMCID: PMC7565927 DOI: 10.3390/biom10091250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Revised: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The Wnt Inhibitory Factor 1 (Wif1), known to inhibit Wnt signaling pathways, is composed of a WIF domain and five EGF-like domains (EGF-LDs) involved in protein interactions. Despite the presence of a potential O-fucosylation site in its EGF-LDs III and V, the O-fucose sites occupancy has never been demonstrated for WIF1. In this study, a phylogenetic analysis on the distribution, conservation and evolution of Wif1 proteins was performed, as well as biochemical approaches focusing on O-fucosylation sites occupancy of recombinant mouse WIF1. In the monophyletic group of gnathostomes, we showed that the consensus sequence for O-fucose modification by Pofut1 is highly conserved in Wif1 EGF-LD III while it was more divergent in EGF-LD V. Using click chemistry and mass spectrometry, we demonstrated that mouse WIF1 was only modified with a non-extended O-fucose on its EGF-LD III. In addition, a decreased amount of mouse WIF1 in the secretome of CHO cells was observed when the O-fucosylation site in EGF-LD III was mutated. Based on sequence comparison and automated protein modeling, we suggest that the absence of O-fucose on EGF-LD V of WIF1 in mouse and probably in most gnathostomes, could be related to EGF-LD V inability to interact with POFUT1.
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Ruan Y, Kim HN, Ogana H, Kim YM. Wnt Signaling in Leukemia and Its Bone Marrow Microenvironment. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21176247. [PMID: 32872365 PMCID: PMC7503842 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21176247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Revised: 08/16/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Leukemia is an aggressive hematologic neoplastic disease. Therapy-resistant leukemic stem cells (LSCs) may contribute to the relapse of the disease. LSCs are thought to be protected in the leukemia microenvironment, mainly consisting of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC), endothelial cells, and osteoblasts. Canonical and noncanonical Wnt pathways play a critical role in the maintenance of normal hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) and LSCs. In this review, we summarize recent findings on the role of Wnt signaling in leukemia and its microenvironment and provide information on the currently available strategies for targeting Wnt signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongsheng Ruan
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology, Oncology, Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA; (Y.R.); (H.N.K.); (H.O.)
- Department of Pediatrics, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Hye Na Kim
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology, Oncology, Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA; (Y.R.); (H.N.K.); (H.O.)
| | - Heather Ogana
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology, Oncology, Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA; (Y.R.); (H.N.K.); (H.O.)
| | - Yong-Mi Kim
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology, Oncology, Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA; (Y.R.); (H.N.K.); (H.O.)
- Correspondence:
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Green DG, Whitener AE, Mohanty S, Mistretta B, Gunaratne P, Yeh AT, Lekven AC. Wnt signaling regulates neural plate patterning in distinct temporal phases with dynamic transcriptional outputs. Dev Biol 2020; 462:152-164. [PMID: 32243887 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2020.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2019] [Revised: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The process that partitions the nascent vertebrate central nervous system into forebrain, midbrain, hindbrain, and spinal cord after neural induction is of fundamental interest in developmental biology, and is known to be dependent on Wnt/β-catenin signaling at multiple steps. Neural induction specifies neural ectoderm with forebrain character that is subsequently posteriorized by graded Wnt signaling: embryological and mutant analyses have shown that progressively higher levels of Wnt signaling induce progressively more posterior fates. However, the mechanistic link between Wnt signaling and the molecular subdivision of the neural ectoderm into distinct domains in the anteroposterior (AP) axis is still not clear. To better understand how Wnt mediates neural AP patterning, we performed a temporal dissection of neural patterning in response to manipulations of Wnt signaling in zebrafish. We show that Wnt-mediated neural patterning in zebrafish can be divided into three phases: (I) a primary AP patterning phase, which occurs during gastrulation, (II) a mes/r1 (mesencephalon-rhombomere 1) specification and refinement phase, which occurs immediately after gastrulation, and (III) a midbrain-hindbrain boundary (MHB) morphogenesis phase, which occurs during segmentation stages. A major outcome of these Wnt signaling phases is the specification of the major compartment divisions of the developing brain: first the MHB, then the diencephalic-mesencephalic boundary (DMB). The specification of these lineage divisions depends upon the dynamic changes of gene transcription in response to Wnt signaling, which we show primarily involves transcriptional repression or indirect activation. We show that otx2b is directly repressed by Wnt signaling during primary AP patterning, but becomes resistant to Wnt-mediated repression during late gastrulation. Also during late gastrulation, Wnt signaling becomes both necessary and sufficient for expression of wnt8b, en2a, and her5 in mes/r1. We suggest that the change in otx2b response to Wnt regulation enables a transition to the mes/r1 phase of Wnt-mediated patterning, as it ensures that Wnts expressed in the midbrain and MHB do not suppress midbrain identity, and consequently reinforce formation of the DMB. These findings integrate important temporal elements into our spatial understanding of Wnt-mediated neural patterning and may serve as an important basis for a better understanding of neural patterning defects that have implications in human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- David G Green
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, 77204-5001, USA
| | - Amy E Whitener
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-3258, USA
| | - Saurav Mohanty
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, 77204-5001, USA
| | - Brandon Mistretta
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, 77204-5001, USA
| | - Preethi Gunaratne
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, 77204-5001, USA
| | - Alvin T Yeh
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-3120, USA
| | - Arne C Lekven
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, 77204-5001, USA.
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Inducible expression of Wnt7b promotes bone formation in aged mice and enhances fracture healing. Bone Res 2020; 8:4. [PMID: 32047703 PMCID: PMC6997361 DOI: 10.1038/s41413-019-0081-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2019] [Revised: 10/14/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
There remain unmet clinical needs for safe and effective bone anabolic therapies to treat aging-related osteoporosis and to improve fracture healing in cases of nonunion or delayed union. Wnt signaling has emerged as a promising target pathway for developing novel bone anabolic drugs. Although neutralizing antibodies against the Wnt antagonist sclerostin have been tested, Wnt ligands themselves have not been fully explored as a potential therapy. Previous work has demonstrated Wnt7b as an endogenous ligand upregulated during osteoblast differentiation, and that Wnt7b overexpression potently stimulates bone accrual in the mouse. The earlier studies however did not address whether Wnt7b could promote bone formation when specifically applied to aged or fractured bones. Here we have developed a doxycycline-inducible strategy where Wnt7b is temporally induced in the bones of aged mice or during fracture healing. We report that forced expression of Wnt7b for 1 month starting at 15 months of age greatly stimulated trabecular and endosteal bone formation, resulting in a marked increase in bone mass. We further tested the effect of Wnt7b on bone healing in a murine closed femur fracture model. Induced expression of Wnt7b at the onset of fracture did not affect the initial cartilage formation but promoted mineralization of the subsequent bone callus. Thus, targeted delivery of Wnt7b to aged bones or fracture sites may be explored as a potential therapy.
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Zheng C, Shan L, Tong P, Efferth T. Cardiotoxicity and Cardioprotection by Artesunate in Larval Zebrafish. Dose Response 2020; 18:1559325819897180. [PMID: 31975974 PMCID: PMC6958657 DOI: 10.1177/1559325819897180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2019] [Revised: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Although artesunate (ART) is generally accepted as a safe and well-tolerated
first-line treatment of severe malaria, cases of severe side effects and
toxicity of this compound are also documented. This study applied larval
zebrafishes to determine the acute toxicity and efficacy of ART and performed
RNA-sequencing analyses to unravel the underlying signaling pathways
contributing to ART’s activities. Results from acute toxicity assay showed that
a single-dose intravenous injection of ART from 3.6 ng/fish (1/9 maximum
nonlethal concentration) to 41.8 ng/fish (lethal dose 10%) obviously induced
pericardial edema, circulation defects, yolk sac absorption delay, renal edema,
and swim bladder loss, indicating acute cardiotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, and
developmental toxicity of ART. Efficacy assay showed that ART at 1/2 lowest
observed adverse effect level (LOAEL) exerted cardioprotective effects on
zebrafishes with verapamil-induced heart failure. Artesunate significantly
restored cardiac malformation, venous stasis, cardiac output decrease, and blood
flow dynamics reduction. No adverse events were observed with this treatment,
indicating that ART at doses below LOAEL was effective and safe. These results
indicate that ART at low doses was cardioprotective, but revealed cardiotoxicity
at high doses. RNA-sequencing analysis showed that gene expression of
frizzled class receptor 7a (fzd7a) was
significantly upregulated in zebrafishes with verapamil-induced heart failure
and significantly downregulated if ART at 1/2 LOAEL was coadministrated,
indicating that fzd7a-modulated Wnt signaling may mediate the
cardioprotective effect of ART. For the first time, this study revealed the
biphasic property of ART, providing in-depth knowledge on the pharmacological
efficacy-safety profile for its therapeutic and safe applications in clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuanrui Zheng
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Letian Shan
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Peijian Tong
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Thomas Efferth
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Institute of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
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Ueland T, Åkerblom A, Ghukasyan T, Michelsen AE, Becker RC, Bertilsson M, Himmelmann A, James SK, Siegbahn A, Storey RF, Kontny F, Aukrust P, Wallentin L. Admission Levels of DKK1 (Dickkopf-1) Are Associated With Future Cardiovascular Death in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndromes. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2019; 39:294-302. [PMID: 30580572 DOI: 10.1161/atvbaha.118.311042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Objective- The Wnt/wingless signaling antagonist DKK1 (dickkopf-1) regulates platelet-mediated inflammation and may contribute to plaque destabilization. We hypothesized that DKK1 would be associated with cardiovascular outcomes. Approach and Results- We determined DKK1 levels in serum samples obtained before randomization, at discharge, and 1 and 6 months in a subset of 5165 patients with acute coronary syndromes in the PLATO trial (Platelet Inhibition and Patient Outcomes; NCT00391872). The median (interquartile range) DKK1 concentrations were 0.61 (0.20-1.27) ng/mL at baseline and increased during follow-up. The hazard ratio (95% CIs) for the composite end point (cardiovascular death, nonprocedural spontaneous myocardial infarction, or stroke) during 1 year of follow-up, per 50% increase in baseline DKK1 concentration, was 1.06 (1.02-1.10), P=0.0011, and remained significant in fully adjusted analysis with 14 conventional clinical and demographic and 6 biochemical variables, including NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide), hs-TnT (high-sensitivity troponin T), and GDF-15 (growth differentiation factor 15; 1.05 [1.00-1.09]; P=0.028). This association was mainly driven by the association with cardiovascular death, where a gradual increase in event rates was observed with increasing quartiles of DKK1 (2.7%, 3.0%, 4.3%, and 5.0%) and remained significant and unmodified in fully adjusted analysis (hazard ratio, 1.10 [1.04-1.17]; P=0.002). Change in DKK1 and levels at 1 month were unrelated to outcomes. A modifying effect of ticagrelor on DKK1 discharge levels was observed but not associated with prognosis. Conclusions- In patients with acute coronary syndromes treated with dual antiplatelet treatment, admission DKK1 levels were independently associated with a composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke and with cardiovascular death alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thor Ueland
- From the Research Institute of Internal Medicine, National Hospital (T.U., A.E.M., P.A.), University of Oslo, Norway.,K.G. Jebsen Inflammatory Research Center (T.U., P.A.), University of Oslo, Norway.,K.G. Jebsen Thrombosis Research and Expertise Center, University of Tromsø, Norway (T.U., P.A.)
| | - Axel Åkerblom
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medical Sciences (A.Å, S.K.J., L.W.), Uppsala University, Sweden.,Uppsala Clinical Research Center (A.Å, T.G., M.B., S.K.J., A.S., L.W.), Uppsala University, Sweden
| | - Tatevik Ghukasyan
- Uppsala Clinical Research Center (A.Å, T.G., M.B., S.K.J., A.S., L.W.), Uppsala University, Sweden
| | - Annika E Michelsen
- From the Research Institute of Internal Medicine, National Hospital (T.U., A.E.M., P.A.), University of Oslo, Norway
| | - Richard C Becker
- Division of Cardiovascular Health and Disease, Heart, Lung and Vascular Institute, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, OH (R.C.B.)
| | - Maria Bertilsson
- Uppsala Clinical Research Center (A.Å, T.G., M.B., S.K.J., A.S., L.W.), Uppsala University, Sweden
| | | | - Stefan K James
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medical Sciences (A.Å, S.K.J., L.W.), Uppsala University, Sweden.,Uppsala Clinical Research Center (A.Å, T.G., M.B., S.K.J., A.S., L.W.), Uppsala University, Sweden
| | - Agneta Siegbahn
- Uppsala Clinical Research Center (A.Å, T.G., M.B., S.K.J., A.S., L.W.), Uppsala University, Sweden.,Department of Medical Sciences, Clinical Chemistry (A.S.), Uppsala University, Sweden
| | - Robert F Storey
- Department of Infection, Immunity, and Cardiovascular Disease, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom (R.F.S.)
| | - Frederic Kontny
- Department of Cardiology, Stavanger University Hospital, Norway (F.K.).,Drammen Heart Center, Norway (F.K.)
| | - Pål Aukrust
- From the Research Institute of Internal Medicine, National Hospital (T.U., A.E.M., P.A.), University of Oslo, Norway.,K.G. Jebsen Inflammatory Research Center (T.U., P.A.), University of Oslo, Norway.,K.G. Jebsen Thrombosis Research and Expertise Center, University of Tromsø, Norway (T.U., P.A.).,Section of Clinical Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Norway (P.A.)
| | - Lars Wallentin
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medical Sciences (A.Å, S.K.J., L.W.), Uppsala University, Sweden.,Uppsala Clinical Research Center (A.Å, T.G., M.B., S.K.J., A.S., L.W.), Uppsala University, Sweden
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Liu J, Yi J, Wu H, Zheng L, Zhang G. Prepupae and pupae transcriptomic characterization of Trichogramma chilonis. Genomics 2019; 112:1651-1659. [PMID: 31626898 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2019.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Revised: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The egg parasitoid, Trichogramma chilonis, has significant control effects on agriculture and forestry pests and is widely employed in southern China for the biological control of lepidopteran pests. In this study, transcriptomic analysis was used to gain a clear understanding of the molecular changes in prepupae and pupae of T. chilonis. A total of 16.88 Gb of clean data were obtained and finally assembled into 43,136 unigenes, 18,880 of which were annotated. After FPKM standardization, 117 and 838 specific expression genes were found in prepupae and pupae, respectively. There were 3129 differentially expressed genes between prepupae and pupae. Compared to pupae, 806 genes were up-regulated and 2323 were down-regulated in prepupae. Background on the T. chilonis transcriptome, the enriched GO function and KEGG pathway analysis of DEGs were considered. As indicated by GO classification, up-regulated genes were mainly involved in chitin metabolism, cell adhesion and endocytic, while most down-regulated genes were involved in synthesis of cell components, ion transport and biological regulation. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that 458 DEGs were enriched in 94 metabolic pathways. DEGs involved in nucleotide replication and transcription, substance metabolism, insect hormone biosynthesis, cell growth and death, reproductive metabolism, circadian rhythms and signal transduction pathways were up-regulated or down-regulated to different degrees, indicating that these genes played important roles during the process of metamorphosis in T. chilonis. This study provides a rich data source for the future study of T. chilonis molecular and biological mechanisms. A large number of genes related to metamorphosis were found based on comparison analysis between prepupae and pupae transcriptomes. This study lays a good foundation for in-depth study of gene transcription and regulation mechanisms during T. chilonis metamorphosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianbai Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Biocontrol, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Jiequn Yi
- Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Pesticide and Fertilizer, Guangdong Provincial Bioengineering Institute (Guangzhou Sugarcane Industry Research Institute), Guangzhou 510316, China
| | - Han Wu
- Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Pesticide and Fertilizer, Guangdong Provincial Bioengineering Institute (Guangzhou Sugarcane Industry Research Institute), Guangzhou 510316, China
| | - Lingyan Zheng
- State Key Laboratory for Biocontrol, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Guren Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Biocontrol, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.
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Atkinson BN, Steadman D, Zhao Y, Sipthorp J, Vecchia L, Ruza RR, Jeganathan F, Lines G, Frew S, Monaghan A, Kjær S, Bictash M, Jones EY, Fish PV. Discovery of 2-phenoxyacetamides as inhibitors of the Wnt-depalmitoleating enzyme NOTUM from an X-ray fragment screen. MEDCHEMCOMM 2019; 10:1361-1369. [PMID: 31534655 PMCID: PMC6727465 DOI: 10.1039/c9md00096h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Accepted: 04/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
NOTUM is a carboxylesterase that has been shown to act by mediating the O-depalmitoleoylation of Wnt proteins resulting in suppression of Wnt signaling. Here, we describe the development of NOTUM inhibitors that restore Wnt signaling for use in in vitro disease models where NOTUM over activity is an underlying cause. A crystallographic fragment screen with NOTUM identified 2-phenoxyacetamide 3 as binding in the palmitoleate pocket with modest inhibition activity (IC50 33 μM). Optimization of hit 3 by SAR studies guided by SBDD identified indazole 38 (IC50 0.032 μM) and isoquinoline 45 (IC50 0.085 μM) as potent inhibitors of NOTUM. The binding of 45 to NOTUM was rationalized through an X-ray co-crystal structure determination which showed a flipped binding orientation compared to 3. However, it was not possible to combine NOTUM inhibition activity with metabolic stability as the majority of the compounds tested were rapidly metabolized in an NADPH-independent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin N Atkinson
- Alzheimer's Research UK UCL Drug Discovery Institute , University College London , Cruciform Building, Gower Street , London , WC1E 6BT , UK . ; Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 6971
| | - David Steadman
- Alzheimer's Research UK UCL Drug Discovery Institute , University College London , Cruciform Building, Gower Street , London , WC1E 6BT , UK . ; Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 6971
| | - Yuguang Zhao
- Division of Structural Biology , Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics , University of Oxford , The Henry Wellcome Building for Genomic Medicine, Roosevelt Drive , Oxford , OX3 7BN , UK . ; Tel: +44 (0)1865 287 546
| | - James Sipthorp
- Alzheimer's Research UK UCL Drug Discovery Institute , University College London , Cruciform Building, Gower Street , London , WC1E 6BT , UK . ; Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 6971
- The Francis Crick Institute , 1 Midland Road , London , NW1 1AT , UK
| | - Luca Vecchia
- Division of Structural Biology , Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics , University of Oxford , The Henry Wellcome Building for Genomic Medicine, Roosevelt Drive , Oxford , OX3 7BN , UK . ; Tel: +44 (0)1865 287 546
| | - Reinis R Ruza
- Division of Structural Biology , Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics , University of Oxford , The Henry Wellcome Building for Genomic Medicine, Roosevelt Drive , Oxford , OX3 7BN , UK . ; Tel: +44 (0)1865 287 546
| | - Fiona Jeganathan
- Alzheimer's Research UK UCL Drug Discovery Institute , University College London , Cruciform Building, Gower Street , London , WC1E 6BT , UK . ; Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 6971
| | - Georgie Lines
- Alzheimer's Research UK UCL Drug Discovery Institute , University College London , Cruciform Building, Gower Street , London , WC1E 6BT , UK . ; Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 6971
| | - Sarah Frew
- Alzheimer's Research UK UCL Drug Discovery Institute , University College London , Cruciform Building, Gower Street , London , WC1E 6BT , UK . ; Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 6971
| | - Amy Monaghan
- Alzheimer's Research UK UCL Drug Discovery Institute , University College London , Cruciform Building, Gower Street , London , WC1E 6BT , UK . ; Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 6971
| | - Svend Kjær
- The Francis Crick Institute , 1 Midland Road , London , NW1 1AT , UK
| | - Magda Bictash
- Alzheimer's Research UK UCL Drug Discovery Institute , University College London , Cruciform Building, Gower Street , London , WC1E 6BT , UK . ; Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 6971
| | - E Yvonne Jones
- Division of Structural Biology , Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics , University of Oxford , The Henry Wellcome Building for Genomic Medicine, Roosevelt Drive , Oxford , OX3 7BN , UK . ; Tel: +44 (0)1865 287 546
| | - Paul V Fish
- Alzheimer's Research UK UCL Drug Discovery Institute , University College London , Cruciform Building, Gower Street , London , WC1E 6BT , UK . ; Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 6971
- The Francis Crick Institute , 1 Midland Road , London , NW1 1AT , UK
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Kerekes K, Bányai L, Trexler M, Patthy L. Structure, function and disease relevance of Wnt inhibitory factor 1, a secreted protein controlling the Wnt and hedgehog pathways. Growth Factors 2019; 37:29-52. [PMID: 31210071 DOI: 10.1080/08977194.2019.1626380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Wnts and Hedgehogs (Hh) are large, lipid-modified extracellular morphogens that play key roles in embryonic development and stem cell proliferation of Metazoa. Both morphogens signal through heptahelical Frizzled-type receptors of the G-Protein Coupled Receptor family and there are several other similarities that suggest a common evolutionary origin of the Hh and Wnt pathways. There is evidence that the secreted protein, Wnt inhibitory factor 1 (WIF1) modulates the activity of both Wnts and Hhs and may thus contribute to the intertwining of these pathways. In this article, we review the structure, evolution, molecular interactions and functions of WIF1 with major emphasis on its role in carcinogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krisztina Kerekes
- a Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences , Budapest , Hungary
| | - László Bányai
- a Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences , Budapest , Hungary
| | - Mária Trexler
- a Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences , Budapest , Hungary
| | - László Patthy
- a Institute of Enzymology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences , Budapest , Hungary
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Synergy with TGFβ ligands switches WNT pathway dynamics from transient to sustained during human pluripotent cell differentiation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:4989-4998. [PMID: 30819898 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1815363116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
WNT/β-catenin signaling is crucial to all stages of life. It controls early morphogenetic events in embryos, maintains stem cell niches in adults, and is dysregulated in many types of cancer. Despite its ubiquity, little is known about the dynamics of signal transduction or whether it varies across contexts. Here we probe the dynamics of signaling by monitoring nuclear accumulation of β-catenin, the primary transducer of canonical WNT signals, using quantitative live cell imaging. We show that β-catenin signaling responds adaptively to constant WNT signaling in pluripotent stem cells, and that these dynamics become sustained on differentiation. Varying dynamics were also observed in the response to WNT in commonly used mammalian cell lines. Signal attenuation in pluripotent cells is observed even at saturating doses, where ligand stability does not affect the dynamics. TGFβ superfamily ligands Activin and BMP, which coordinate with WNT signaling to pattern the gastrula, increase the β-catenin response in a manner independent of their ability to induce new WNT ligand production. Our results reveal how variables external to the pathway, including differentiation status and cross-talk with other pathways, dramatically alter WNT/β-catenin dynamics.
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40
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Schaefer KN, Peifer M. Wnt/Beta-Catenin Signaling Regulation and a Role for Biomolecular Condensates. Dev Cell 2019; 48:429-444. [PMID: 30782412 PMCID: PMC6386181 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2019.01.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2018] [Revised: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 01/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Wnt/β-Catenin signaling plays key roles in tissue homeostasis and cell fate decisions in embryonic and post-embryonic development across the animal kingdom. As a result, pathway mutations are associated with developmental disorders and many human cancers. The multiprotein destruction complex keeps signaling off in the absence of Wnt ligands and needs to be downregulated for pathway activation. We discuss new insights into destruction complex activity and regulation, highlighting parallels to the control of other cell biological processes by biomolecular condensates that form by phase separation to suggest that the destruction complex acts as a biomolecular condensate in Wnt pathway regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina N Schaefer
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Mark Peifer
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB#3280, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3280, USA; Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
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41
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Rahmani B, Hamedi Asl D, Naserpour Farivar T, Azad M, Sahmani M, Gheibi N. Omega-3 PUFA Alters the Expression Level but Not the Methylation Pattern of the WIF1 Gene Promoter in a Pancreatic Cancer Cell Line (MIA PaCa-2). Biochem Genet 2019; 57:477-486. [PMID: 30649640 DOI: 10.1007/s10528-018-9895-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2018] [Accepted: 11/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of death in both males and females, with a 5-year relative survival rate of 8%. The Wnt signaling pathway has a significant role in the pathogenesis of many tumors, including those of pancreatic cancer. Hypermethylation of the Wnt inhibitory Factor-1 (WIF1) gene promoter have been detected in different types of cancer. In contrast, the anticancer effects of long-chain omega-3 PUFA (ALA) have been reported. Regarding its anticancer effects, in this study, we investigated the effects of various concentrations of omega-3 PUFA on expression level and promoter methylation of the WIF1 gene in MIA PaCa-2 cells in 24, 48, and 72 h after treatment. MIA PaCa-2 cells were treated with different concentrations of omega-3 PUFA (25, 50, 100, 250, 500, and 1000 μM). Cell viability assay was carried out followed by quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and methylation-specific PCR (MSP). This investigation suggested that dietary consumption of omega-3 PUFAs (250-1000 μM) has a significant effect on the proliferation and WIF1 gene expression of the MIA PaCa-2 cancer cell line but no effect on the promoter methylation of this gene. Changes in promoter methylation were not observed in any of the treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Babak Rahmani
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran
| | - Dariush Hamedi Asl
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran
| | | | - Mehdi Azad
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Medicine, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran
| | - Mehdi Sahmani
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Genetic, Faculty of Medicine, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
| | - Nematollah Gheibi
- Cellular and Molecular Research Centre, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
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ShamsEldeen AM, Ashour H, Shoukry HS, Fadel M, Kamar SS, Aabdelbaset M, Rashed LA, Ammar HI. Combined treatment with systemic resveratrol and resveratrol preconditioned mesenchymal stem cells, maximizes antifibrotic action in diabetic cardiomyopathy. J Cell Physiol 2018; 234:10942-10963. [PMID: 30537190 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.27947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2018] [Accepted: 10/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Hend Ashour
- Department of Physiology Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University Giza Egypt
| | - Heba Samy Shoukry
- Department of Physiology Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University Giza Egypt
| | - Mostafa Fadel
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Endoscopy Unit, Animal Reproduction Research Institute Giza Egypt
| | - Samaa Samir Kamar
- Department of Medical Histology Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University Giza Egypt
| | | | - Laila Ahmed Rashed
- Department of Biochemistry Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University Giza Egypt
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Poggi L, Casarosa S, Carl M. An Eye on the Wnt Inhibitory Factor Wif1. Front Cell Dev Biol 2018; 6:167. [PMID: 30574494 PMCID: PMC6292148 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2018.00167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2018] [Accepted: 11/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The coordinated interplay between extrinsic activating and repressing cell signaling molecules is pivotal for embryonic development and subsequent tissue homeostasis. This is well exemplified by studies on the evolutionarily conserved Wnt signaling pathways. Tight temporal and spatial regulation of Wnt signaling activity is required throughout lifetime, from maternal stages before gastrulation until and throughout adulthood. Outside cells, the action of numerous Wnt ligands is counteracted and fine-tuned by only a handful of well characterized secreted inhibitors, such as for instance Dickkopf, secreted Frizzled Related Proteins and Cerberus. Here, we give an overview of our current understanding of another secreted Wnt signaling antagonist, the Wnt inhibitory factor Wif1. Wif1 can directly interact with various Wnt ligands and inhibits their binding to membrane bound receptors. Epigenetic promoter methylation of Wif1, leading to silencing of its transcription and concomitant up-regulation of Wnt signaling, is a common feature during cancer progression. Furthermore, an increasing number of reports describe Wif1 involvement in regulating processes during embryonic development, which so far has not received as much attention. We will summarize our knowledge on Wif1 function and its mode of action with a particular focus on the zebrafish (Danio rerio). In addition, we highlight the potential of Wif1 research to understand and possibly influence mechanisms underlying eye diseases and regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Poggi
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Ophthalmology, Centre for Integrative Biology, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Simona Casarosa
- Laboratory of Neural Development and Regeneration, Centre for Integrative Biology, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Matthias Carl
- Laboratory of Translational Neurogenetics, Centre for Integrative Biology, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
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Villar J, Zhang H, Slutsky AS. Lung Repair and Regeneration in ARDS: Role of PECAM1 and Wnt Signaling. Chest 2018; 155:587-594. [PMID: 30392791 DOI: 10.1016/j.chest.2018.10.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2018] [Revised: 10/18/2018] [Accepted: 10/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
ARDS is an acute inflammatory pulmonary process triggered by severe pulmonary and systemic insults to the alveolar-capillary membrane. This causes increased vascular permeability and the development of interstitial and alveolar protein-rich edema, leading to acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. Supportive treatment includes the use of lung-protective ventilatory strategies that decrease the work of breathing, can improve oxygenation, and minimize ventilator-induced lung injury. Despite substantial advances in supportive measures, there are no specific pharmacologic treatments for ARDS, and the overall hospital mortality rate remains about 40% in most series. The pathophysiology of ARDS involves interactions among multiple mechanisms, including immune cell infiltration, cytokine storm, alveolar-capillary barrier disruption, cell apoptosis, and the development of fibrosis. Here we review some new developments in the molecular basis of lung injury, with a focus on possible novel pharmacologic interventions aimed at improving the outcomes of patients with ARDS. Our focus is on platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1, which contributes to the maintenance and restoration of vascular integrity following barrier disruption. We also highlight the wingless-related integration site signaling pathway, which appears to be a central mechanism for lung healing as well as for fibrotic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús Villar
- CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Multidisciplinary Organ Dysfunction Evaluation Research Network, Research Unit, Hospital Universitario Dr Negrin, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain; Keenan Research Center for Biomedical Sciences at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada
| | - Haibo Zhang
- Keenan Research Center for Biomedical Sciences at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada; Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Department of Anesthesia and Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Arthur S Slutsky
- Keenan Research Center for Biomedical Sciences at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada; Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
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Nardi I, Reno T, Yun X, Sztain T, Wang J, Dai H, Zheng L, Shen B, Kim J, Raz D. Triptolide inhibits Wnt signaling in NSCLC through upregulation of multiple Wnt inhibitory factors via epigenetic modifications to Histone H3. Int J Cancer 2018; 143:2470-2478. [PMID: 30006924 PMCID: PMC6483070 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.31756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2017] [Revised: 05/01/2018] [Accepted: 06/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
In the last decade, it has become clear that epigenetic changes act together with genetic mutations to promote virtually every stage of tumorigenesis and cancer progression. This knowledge has triggered searches for "epigenetic drugs" that can be developed into new cancer therapies. Here we report that triptolide reduced lung cancer incidence from 70% to 10% in a Fen1 E160D transgenic mouse model and effectively inhibited cancer growth and metastasis in A549 and H460 mouse xenografts. We found that triptolide induced lung cancer cell apoptosis that was associated with global epigenetic changes to histone 3 (H3). These global epigenetic changes in H3 are correlated with an increase in protein expression of five Wnt inhibitory factors that include WIF1, FRZB, SFRP1, ENY2, and DKK1. Triptolide had no effect on DNA methylation status at any of the CpG islands located in the promoter regions of all five Wnt inhibitory factors. Wnt expression is implicated in promoting the development and progression of many lung cancers. Because of this, the potential to target Wnt signaling with drugs that induce epigenetic modifications provides a new avenue for developing novel therapies for patients with these tumor types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaac Nardi
- City of Hope Medical Center, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Baum Family Thoracic Oncology laboratory; Beckman Research Institute
| | - Theresa Reno
- City of Hope Medical Center, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Baum Family Thoracic Oncology laboratory; Beckman Research Institute
| | - Xinwei Yun
- City of Hope Medical Center, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Baum Family Thoracic Oncology laboratory; Beckman Research Institute
| | - Terra Sztain
- City of Hope Medical Center, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Baum Family Thoracic Oncology laboratory; Beckman Research Institute
| | - Jami Wang
- City of Hope Medical Center, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Baum Family Thoracic Oncology laboratory; Beckman Research Institute
| | - Huifang Dai
- Department of Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics, Duarte, California
| | - Li Zheng
- Department of Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics, Duarte, California
| | - Binghui Shen
- Department of Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics, Duarte, California
| | - Jae Kim
- City of Hope Medical Center, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Baum Family Thoracic Oncology laboratory; Beckman Research Institute
| | - Dan Raz
- City of Hope Medical Center, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Baum Family Thoracic Oncology laboratory; Beckman Research Institute
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Cai C, Sang C, Du J, Jia H, Tu J, Wan Q, Bao B, Xie S, Huang Y, Li A, Li J, Yang K, Wang S, Lu Q. Knockout of tnni1b in zebrafish causes defects in atrioventricular valve development via the inhibition of the myocardial wnt signaling pathway. FASEB J 2018; 33:696-710. [PMID: 30044923 DOI: 10.1096/fj.201800481rr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The proper development of atrioventricular (AV) valves is critical for heart morphogenesis and for the formation of the cardiac conduction system. Defects in AV valve development are the most common type of congenital heart defect. Cardiac troponin I ( ctnni), a structural and regulatory protein involved in cardiac muscle contraction, is a subunit of the troponin complex, but the functions and molecular mechanisms of ctnni during early heart development remain unclear. We created a knockout zebrafish model in which troponin I type 1b ( tnni1b) ( Tnni-HC, heart and craniofacial) was deleted using the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat/clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat-associated protein system. In the homozygous mutant, the embryos showed severe pericardial edema, malformation of the heart tube, reduction of heart rate without contraction and with almost no blood flow, heart cavity congestion, and lack of an endocardial ring or valve leaflet, resulting in 88.8 ± 6.0% lethality at 7 d postfertilization. Deletion of tnni1b caused the abnormal expression of several markers involved in AV valve development, including bmp4, cspg2, has2, notch1b, spp1, and Alcam. Myocardial re-expression of tnni1b in mutants partially rescued the pericardial edema phenotype and AV canal (AVC) developmental defects. We further showed that tnni1b knockout in zebrafish and ctnni knockdown in rat h9c2 myocardial cells inhibited cardiac wnt signaling and that myocardial reactivation of wnt signaling partially rescued the abnormal expression of AVC markers caused by the tnni1b deletion. Taken together, our data suggest that tnni1b plays a vital role in zebrafish AV valve development by regulating the myocardial wnt signaling pathway.-Cai, C., Sang, C., Du, J., Jia, H., Tu, J., Wan, Q., Bao, B., Xie, S., Huang, Y., Li, A., Li, J., Yang, K., Wang, S., Lu, Q. Knockout of tnni1b in zebrafish causes defects in atrioventricular valve development via the inhibition of myocardial wnt signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Cai
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Caijun Sang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Juan Du
- School Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China; and
| | - Haibo Jia
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jiayi Tu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Qing Wan
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Binghao Bao
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Shanglun Xie
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Ying Huang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Ao Li
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jiayu Li
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Kun Yang
- Exercise Immunology Center, Wuhan Sports University, Wuhan, China
| | - Song Wang
- Exercise Immunology Center, Wuhan Sports University, Wuhan, China
| | - Qunwei Lu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Center for Human Genome Research, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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Yang X, Zhu S, Li L, Zhang L, Xian S, Wang Y, Cheng Y. Identification of differentially expressed genes and signaling pathways in ovarian cancer by integrated bioinformatics analysis. Onco Targets Ther 2018; 11:1457-1474. [PMID: 29588600 PMCID: PMC5858852 DOI: 10.2147/ott.s152238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The mortality rate associated with ovarian cancer ranks the highest among gynecological malignancies. However, the cause and underlying molecular events of ovarian cancer are not clear. Here, we applied integrated bioinformatics to identify key pathogenic genes involved in ovarian cancer and reveal potential molecular mechanisms. Results The expression profiles of GDS3592, GSE54388, and GSE66957 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, which contained 115 samples, including 85 cases of ovarian cancer samples and 30 cases of normal ovarian samples. The three microarray datasets were integrated to obtain differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and were deeply analyzed by bioinformatics methods. The gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichments of DEGs were performed by DAVID and KOBAS online analyses, respectively. The protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks of the DEGs were constructed from the STRING database. A total of 190 DEGs were identified in the three GEO datasets, of which 99 genes were upregulated and 91 genes were downregulated. GO analysis showed that the biological functions of DEGs focused primarily on regulating cell proliferation, adhesion, and differentiation and intracellular signal cascades. The main cellular components include cell membranes, exosomes, the cytoskeleton, and the extracellular matrix. The molecular functions include growth factor activity, protein kinase regulation, DNA binding, and oxygen transport activity. KEGG pathway analysis showed that these DEGs were mainly involved in the Wnt signaling pathway, amino acid metabolism, and the tumor signaling pathway. The 17 most closely related genes among DEGs were identified from the PPI network. Conclusion This study indicates that screening for DEGs and pathways in ovarian cancer using integrated bioinformatics analyses could help us understand the molecular mechanism underlying the development of ovarian cancer, be of clinical significance for the early diagnosis and prevention of ovarian cancer, and provide effective targets for the treatment of ovarian cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Yang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
| | - Shaoming Zhu
- Department of Urology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University
| | - Li Li
- sDepartment of Pharmacology, Wuhan University Health Science Center, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Li Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
| | - Shu Xian
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
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Pellicelli M, Hariri H, Miller JA, St-Arnaud R. Lrp6 is a target of the PTH-activated αNAC transcriptional coregulator. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS 2018; 1861:61-71. [PMID: 29413898 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2018.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Revised: 01/08/2018] [Accepted: 01/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
In the nucleus of differentiated osteoblasts, the alpha chain of nascent polypeptide associated complex (αNAC) interacts with cJUN transcription factors to regulate the expression of target genes, including Osteocalcin (Bglap2). PTH induces the phosphorylation of αNAC on serine 99 through a Gαs-PKA dependent pathway. This leads to activation of αNAC and expression of Bglap2. To identify additional target genes regulated by PTH-activated αNAC, we performed ChIP-Seq against αNAC in PTH-treated MC3T3-E1 cells. This identified Low density lipoprotein receptor-Related Protein 6 (Lrp6) as a potential αNAC target. LRP6 acts as a co-receptor for the PTH receptor to allow optimal activation of PTH signaling. PTH increased Lrp6 mRNA levels in primary osteoblasts. Conventional quantitative ChIP confirmed the ChIP-Seq results. To assess whether αNAC plays a critical role in PTH-stimulated Lrp6 expression, we knocked-down Naca expression in MC3T3-E1 cells. Reduction of αNAC levels decreased basal expression of Lrp6 by 30% and blocked the stimulation of Lrp6 expression by PTH. We cloned the proximal mouse Lrp6 promoter (-2523/+120 bp) upstream of the luciferase reporter. Deletion and point mutations analysis in electrophoretic mobility shift assays and transient transfections identified a functional αNAC binding site centered around -343 bp. ChIP and ChIP-reChIP against JUND and αNAC showed that they cohabit on the proximal Lrp6 promoter. Luciferase assays confirmed that PTH-activated αNAC potentiated JUND-mediated Lrp6 transcription and Jund knockdown abolished this response. This study identified a novel αNAC target gene induced downstream of PTH signaling and represents the first characterization of the regulation of Lrp6 transcription in osteoblasts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Pellicelli
- Research Centre, Shriners Hospitals for Children - Canada, H4A 0A9, Canada
| | - Hadla Hariri
- Research Centre, Shriners Hospitals for Children - Canada, H4A 0A9, Canada; Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Julie A Miller
- Research Centre, Shriners Hospitals for Children - Canada, H4A 0A9, Canada; Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - René St-Arnaud
- Research Centre, Shriners Hospitals for Children - Canada, H4A 0A9, Canada; Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, H3A 1A1, Canada; Department of Surgery, McGill University, H3A 1A1, Canada; Department of Medicine, McGill University, H3A 1A1, Canada; Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec H3H 2R9, Canada.
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49
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Driehuis E, Clevers H. WNT signalling events near the cell membrane and their pharmacological targeting for the treatment of cancer. Br J Pharmacol 2017; 174:4547-4563. [PMID: 28244067 PMCID: PMC5727251 DOI: 10.1111/bph.13758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2016] [Revised: 02/16/2017] [Accepted: 02/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
WNT signalling is an essential signalling pathway for all multicellular animals. Although first described more than 30 years ago, new components and regulators of the pathway are still being discovered. Considering its importance in both embryonic development and adult homeostasis, it is not surprising that this pathway is often deregulated in human diseases such as cancer. Recently, it became clear that in addition to cytoplasmic components such as β-catenin, other, membrane-bound or extracellular, components of the WNT pathway are also altered in cancer. This review gives an overview of the recent discoveries on WNT signalling events near the cell membrane. Furthermore, membrane-associated components of the WNT pathway, which are more accessible for therapeutic intervention, as well therapeutic approaches that already target those components will be discussed. In this way, we hope to stimulate the development of effective anti-cancer therapies that target this fascinating pathway. LINKED ARTICLES This article is part of a themed section on WNT Signalling: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Opportunities. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v174.24/issuetoc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Else Driehuis
- Hubrecht InstituteRoyal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW)UtrechtThe Netherlands
- University medical center (UMC)UtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Hans Clevers
- Hubrecht InstituteRoyal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW)UtrechtThe Netherlands
- University medical center (UMC)UtrechtThe Netherlands
- Princess Maxime Center (PMC)UtrechtThe Netherlands
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50
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Su H, Sureda-Gomez M, Rabaneda-Lombarte N, Gelabert M, Xie J, Wu W, Adell T. A C-terminally truncated form of β-catenin acts as a novel regulator of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in planarians. PLoS Genet 2017; 13:e1007030. [PMID: 28976975 PMCID: PMC5643146 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2017] [Revised: 10/16/2017] [Accepted: 09/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
β-Catenin, the core element of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, is a multifunctional and evolutionarily conserved protein which performs essential roles in a variety of developmental and homeostatic processes. Despite its crucial roles, the mechanisms that control its context-specific functions in time and space remain largely unknown. The Wnt/β-catenin pathway has been extensively studied in planarians, flatworms with the ability to regenerate and remodel the whole body, providing a ‘whole animal’ developmental framework to approach this question. Here we identify a C-terminally truncated β-catenin (β-catenin4), generated by gene duplication, that is required for planarian photoreceptor cell specification. Our results indicate that the role of β-catenin4 is to modulate the activity of β-catenin1, the planarian β-catenin involved in Wnt signal transduction in the nucleus, mediated by the transcription factor TCF-2. This inhibitory form of β-catenin, expressed in specific cell types, would provide a novel mechanism to modulate nuclear β-catenin signaling levels. Genomic searches and in vitro analysis suggest that the existence of a C-terminally truncated form of β-catenin could be an evolutionarily conserved mechanism to achieve a fine-tuned regulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in specific cellular contexts. The Wnt signaling pathway is essential for proper intercellular communication in every developmental process since it controls basic cellular events as cell fate or proliferation. The key element of the Wnt signaling is β-catenin, which controls the transcription of multiple genes in the Wnt receiving cell. A main level of regulation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling occurs in the cytoplasm, where β-catenin protein levels depend on the activity of the β-catenin destruction complex. However, once it reaches the nucleus, β-catenin transcriptional activity requires a fine-tuned regulation to enable the multiple context-specific responses that it performs. These nuclear mechanisms that regulate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling remain poorly understood. Here we report the existence of C-terminal truncated forms of β-catenin in planarians (β-cat3 and 4), which, in vitro, do not show transactivation activity and compete with the canonical planarian β-catenin (β-cat1), thus acting as competitor inhibitors. Functional analyses in planarians indicate that β-cat4 acts as a negative regulator of β-cat1 during planarian eye photoreceptor specification. We provide evidence to suggest that this novel mechanism for the regulation of nuclear β-catenin activity could be conserved across animal evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanxia Su
- MOE Key Laboratory of Protein Science, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Miquel Sureda-Gomez
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística,Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona and Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
| | - Neus Rabaneda-Lombarte
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística,Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona and Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
| | - Maria Gelabert
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística,Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona and Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
| | - Jianlei Xie
- MOE Key Laboratory of Protein Science, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Wu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Protein Science, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Teresa Adell
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística,Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona and Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
- * E-mail:
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