Merlin sumoylation is required for its tumor suppressor activity

NF2-Related Schwannomatosis (NF2): Molecular Insights and Therapeutic Avenues

NF2-related schwannomatosis (NF2) is a genetic syndrome characterized by the growth of benign tumors in the nervous system, particularly bilateral vestibular schwannomas, meningiomas, and ependymomas. This review consolidates the current knowledge on NF2 syndrome, emphasizing the molecular pathology associated with the mutations in the gene of the same name, the NF2 gene, and the subsequent dysfunction of its product, the Merlin protein. Merlin, a tumor suppressor, integrates multiple signaling pathways that regulate cell contact, proliferation, and motility, thereby influencing tumor growth. The loss of Merlin disrupts these pathways, leading to tumorigenesis. We discuss the roles of another two proteins potentially associated with NF2 deficiency as well as Merlin: Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP), which may promote tumor growth, and Raf kinase inhibitory protein (RKIP), which appears to suppress tumor development. Additionally, this review discusses the efficacy of various treatments, such as molecular therapies that target specific pathways or inhibit neomorphic protein-protein interaction caused by NF2 deficiency. This overview not only expands on the fundamental understanding of NF2 pathophysiology but also explores the potential of novel therapeutic targets that affect the clinical approach to NF2 syndrome.

Modulation of Tau Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease by Dietary Bioactive Compounds

Tau is a microtubule-associated protein essential for microtubule assembly and stability in neurons. The abnormal intracellular accumulation of tau aggregates is a major characteristic of brains from patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other tauopathies. In AD, the presence of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), which is composed of hyperphosphorylated tau protein, is positively correlated with the severity of the cognitive decline. Evidence suggests that the accumulation and aggregation of tau cause synaptic dysfunction and neuronal degeneration. Thus, the prevention of abnormal tau phosphorylation and elimination of tau aggregates have been proposed as therapeutic strategies for AD. However, currently tau-targeting therapies for AD and other tauopathies are limited. A number of dietary bioactive compounds have been found to modulate the posttranslational modifications of tau, including phosphorylation, small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) mediated modification (SUMOylation) and acetylation, as well as inhibit tau aggregation and/or promote tau degradation. The advantages of using these dietary components over synthetic substances in AD prevention and intervention are their safety and accessibility. This review summarizes the mechanisms leading to tau pathology in AD and highlights the effects of bioactive compounds on the hyperphosphorylation, aggregation and clearance of tau protein. The potential of using these bioactive compounds for AD prevention and intervention is also discussed.

Overview of the regulation of the class IA PI3K/AKT pathway by SUMO

The phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway is a major regulator of metabolism, migration, survival, proliferation, and antiviral immunity. Both an overactivation and an inhibition of the PI3K/AKT pathway are related to different pathologies. Activation of this signaling pathway is tightly controlled through a multistep process and its deregulation can be associated with aberrant post-translational modifications including SUMOylation. Here, we review the complex modulation of the PI3K/AKT pathway by SUMOylation and we discuss its putative incvolvement in human disease.

PAK5 promotes RNA helicase DDX5 sumoylation and miRNA-10b processing in a kinase-dependent manner in breast cancer

P21-activated kinase 5 (PAK5) plays an important role in tumors. However, the functional role of PAK5 in mammary tumorigenesis in vivo remains unclear. Here, we show that PAK5 deficiency represses MMTV-PyVT-driven breast tumorigenesis. DEAD-box RNA helicase 5 (DDX5) is a substrate of PAK5, which is phosphorylated on threonine 69. PAK5-mediated DDX5 phosphorylation promotes breast cancer cell proliferation and metastasis. The increased expression levels of PAK5 and phospho-DDX5 threonine 69 are associated with metastasis and poor clinical outcomes of patients. PAK5 facilitates the phosphorylation-dependent sumoylation of DDX5 to stabilize DDX5. Both the phosphorylation and sumoylation of DDX5 enhance the formation of a DDX5/Drosha/DGCR8 complex, thus promoting microRNA-10b processing. Finally, we verify decreased expression of DDX5 phosphorylation and sumoylation and mature miR-10b in PAK5-/-/MMTV-PyVT transgenic mice. Our findings provide insights into the function of PAK5 in microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis, which might be a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer.

Wrestling and Wrapping: A Perspective on SUMO Proteins in Schwann Cells

Schwann cell development and peripheral nerve myelination are finely orchestrated multistep processes; some of the underlying mechanisms are well described and others remain unknown. Many posttranslational modifications (PTMs) like phosphorylation and ubiquitination have been reported to play a role during the normal development of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and in demyelinating neuropathies. However, a relatively novel PTM, SUMOylation, has not been studied in these contexts. SUMOylation involves the covalent attachment of one or more small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) proteins to a substrate, which affects the function, cellular localization, and further PTMs of the conjugated protein. SUMOylation also regulates other proteins indirectly by facilitating non-covalent protein–protein interaction via SUMO interaction motifs (SIM). This pathway has important consequences on diverse cellular processes, and dysregulation of this pathway has been reported in several diseases including neurological and degenerative conditions. In this article, we revise the scarce literature on SUMOylation in Schwann cells and the PNS, we propose putative substrate proteins, and we speculate on potential mechanisms underlying the possible involvement of this PTM in peripheral myelination and neuropathies.

Two Sides of the Coin: Ezrin/Radixin/Moesin and Merlin Control Membrane Structure and Contact Inhibition

The merlin-ERM (ezrin, radixin, moesin) family of proteins plays a central role in linking the cellular membranes to the cortical actin cytoskeleton. Merlin regulates contact inhibition and is an integral part of cell–cell junctions, while ERM proteins, ezrin, radixin and moesin, assist in the formation and maintenance of specialized plasma membrane structures and membrane vesicle structures. These two protein families share a common evolutionary history, having arisen and separated via gene duplication near the origin of metazoa. During approximately 0.5 billion years of evolution, the merlin and ERM family proteins have maintained both sequence and structural conservation to an extraordinary level. Comparing crystal structures of merlin-ERM proteins and their complexes, a picture emerges of the merlin-ERM proteins acting as switchable interaction hubs, assembling protein complexes on cellular membranes and linking them to the actin cytoskeleton. Given the high level of structural conservation between the merlin and ERM family proteins we speculate that they may function together.

SET SUMOylation promotes its cytoplasmic retention and induces tau pathology and cognitive impairments

PP2A is a major regulator of tau phosphorylation, which is principally regulated by an endogenous nuclear protein inhibitor 2 of PP2A (I₂^PP2A), also named SET. However, how SET is post-translationally regulated and translocates from the nucleus to the cytoplasm remain incompletely understood. Here we show SET is SUMOylated at K68 residue that induces its cytoplasmic retention, resulting in Alzheimer disease (AD) like tau pathology and cognitive defects. SET is predominantly SUMOylated at K68 that leads to its translocation from the nucleus to the cytoplasm and subsequently induces inhibition of PP2A and hyperphosphorylation of tau in HEK-293 cells. Moreover, overexpression of wild type SET significantly inhibits PP2A activity, leading to tau hyperphosphorylation, less synapse loss and cognitive deficits. Conversely, blocking SET SUMOylation via mutating Lys 68 to Arg rescues tau pathology and cognitive impairments in C57/BL6 mice infected with adeno-associated virus encoding SET. Further, β-amyloid exposure of rat primary hippocampal neurons induces a dose-dependent SUMOylation of SET. Our findings suggest that SET SUMOylation stimulates its cytoplasmic retention and inhibits PP2A activity, consequently leading to tau hyperphosphorylation and cognitive impairments, which provides a new insight into the AD-like tau pathology.

NF2 signaling pathway plays a pro-apoptotic role in β-adrenergic receptor stimulated cardiac myocyte apoptosis

β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) stimulation induces cardiac myocyte apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. Neurofibromin 2 (NF2) is a member of the ezrin/radixin/moesin (ERM) family of proteins. Post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation and sumoylation affect NF2 activity, subcellular localization and function. Here, we tested the hypothesis that β-AR stimulation induces post-translational modifications of NF2, and NF2 plays a pro-apoptotic role in β-AR-stimulated myocyte apoptosis.

α-catenin SUMOylation increases IκBα stability and inhibits breast cancer progression

α-catenin has been demonstrated to suppress several different types of cancers. Here we demonstrate that α-catenin is modified by SUMO protein, which covalently binds α-catenin at the carboxy terminus at lysine 870. Substitution of lysine 870 with arginine completely abolishes α-catenin SUMOylation. This modification can be removed by SENP1. However, α-catenin SUMOylation does not affect its stability and subcellular localization. In addition, we observed that the SUMOylation-deficient α-catenin mutant has a reduced interaction with IκBα which prevents subsequent ubiquitination of IκBα, and therefore a reduced suppression of expression of the NF-κB target genes TNF-α, IL-8, VEGF, and uPA. In addition, the α-catenin SUMOylation mutant shows impaired suppression of tumor growth. These results demonstrate that SUMOylation at lysine 870 of α-catenin plays a key role in the suppression of the NF-κB pathway, which inhibits breast cancer tumor growth and migration.

SUMOylation of IQGAP1 promotes the development of colorectal cancer

IQGAP1 is a conserved multifunctional protein implicated in tumorigenesis. An aberrant expression of IQGAP1 widely exists in many cancers, but the SUMOylation modification of IQGAP1 in carcinogenesis is unknown by now. Here we first time explore biological functions of IQGAP1 SUMOylation in promoting colorectal cancer progression in vitro and in vivo. The expression of IQGAP1 and its SUMOylation level are both increased in human colorectal carcinoma (CRC) cells and tissues. IQGAP1 is mainly SUMOylated by SUMO1 at the K1445 residue, which could stabilize IQGAP1 by reducing protein ubiquitination. IQGAP1 SUMOylation improves CRC cell growth, cell migration and tumorigenesis in vivo through activating the phosphorylation of ERK, MEK and AKT. While the SUMOylation site mutation at K1445 of IQGAP1 greatly reduces CRC cell proliferation, migration ability and tumor growth of CRC-xenograft mice by suppressing phosphorylation of ERK, MEK and AKT. Our findings discover the IQGAP1 SUMOylation is a novel regulatory mechanism to enhance tumorigenesis and development of CRC in vitro and in vivo.

SUMOylation of large tumor suppressor 1 at Lys751 attenuates its kinase activity and tumor-suppressor functions

Large tumor suppressor (Lats) plays a critical role in maintaining cellular homeostasis and is the core to mediate Hippo growth-inhibitory signaling pathway. SUMOylation is a reversible and dynamic process that regulates a variety of cell functions. Here, we show that SUMOylation of Lats1 affects its kinase activity specifically towards Hippo signaling. Small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) 1 interacts with and directly SUMOylates Lats1, whereas loss of SUMOylation pathway function disrupts Lats1 SUMOylation. Among potential SUMOylation sites on hLats1, K751 and K830 are conversed and essential for maintaining the transcriptional output of Hippo signaling, whereas K751 mutation more significantly abolishes SUMO1-induced Lats1 SUMOylation than K830 mutation. Though Lats1 SUMOylation at K751 affects neither its subcellular distribution nor its interactions with YAP and TAZ, it significantly destabilizes the phosphorylated Lats1 (Thr1079 but not Ser909), resulting in the attenuation of Lats1 kinase activity and inhibition of Hippo signaling. Moreover, HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma cells express significantly more SUMOylated Lats1 than LO2 normal human hepatic cells, and in HepG2 cells or HepG2 cells xenografts, Lats1 SUMOylation at K751 consistently attenuates Lats1 kinase activity and subsequently suppresses Hippo signaling, resulting in not only the promotion of cell proliferation and colony formation but also the suppression of cell apoptosis. Together, we demonstrate that Lats1 SUMOylation at K751 suppresses its kinase activity and subsequently attenuates its tumor-suppressor functions. Thus, this study provides additional insight into how Hippo signaling is regulated and highlights the potentially critical role of Lats1 SUMOylation in tumor development.

NF2 Activates Hippo Signaling and Promotes Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in the Heart

RATIONALE

NF2 (neurofibromin 2) is an established tumor suppressor that promotes apoptosis and inhibits growth in a variety of cell types, yet its function in cardiomyocytes remains largely unknown.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to determine the role of NF2 in cardiomyocyte apoptosis and ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in the heart.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We investigated the function of NF2 in isolated cardiomyocytes and mouse myocardium at baseline and in response to oxidative stress. NF2 was activated in cardiomyocytes subjected to H2O2 and in murine hearts subjected to I/R. Increased NF2 expression promoted the activation of Mst1 (mammalian sterile 20-like kinase 1) and the inhibition of Yap (Yes-associated protein), whereas knockdown of NF2 attenuated these responses after oxidative stress. NF2 increased the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes that appeared dependent on Mst1 activity. Mice deficient for NF2 in cardiomyocytes, NF2 cardiomyocyte-specific knockout (CKO), were protected against global I/R ex vivo and showed improved cardiac functional recovery. Moreover, NF2 cardiomyocyte-specific knockout mice were protected against I/R injury in vivo and showed the upregulation of Yap target gene expression. Mechanistically, we observed nuclear association between NF2 and its activator MYPT-1 (myosin phosphatase target subunit 1) in cardiomyocytes, and a subpopulation of stress-induced nuclear Mst1 was diminished in NF2 CKO hearts. Finally, mice deficient for both NF2 and Yap failed to show protection against I/R indicating that Yap is an important target of NF2 in the adult heart.

CONCLUSIONS

NF2 is activated by oxidative stress in cardiomyocytes and mouse myocardium and facilitates apoptosis. NF2 promotes I/R injury through the activation of Mst1 and inhibition of Yap, thereby regulating Hippo signaling in the adult heart.

SUMOylation of TARBP2 regulates miRNA/siRNA efficiency

Small RNA-induced gene silencing is essential for post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression; however, it remains unclear how miRNA/siRNA efficiency is regulated. Here we show that TARBP2 is SUMOylated at K52, which can be enhanced by its phosphorylation. This modification can stabilize TARBP2 via repressing its K⁴⁸-linked ubiquitination. We find that TARBP2 SUMOylation does not influence the overall production of mature miRNAs, but it regulates miRNA/siRNA efficiency. SUMOylated TARBP2 recruits Ago2 to constitute the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC)-loading complex (RLC), and simultaneously promotes more pre-miRNAs to load into the RLC. Consequently, Ago2 is stabilized and miRNAs/siRNAs bound by TARBP2/Dicer is effectively transferred to Ago2. Thus, these processes lead to the formation of the effective RISC for RNA interference (RNAi). Collectively, our data suggest that SUMOylation of TARBP2 is required for regulating miRNA/siRNA efficiency, which is a general mechanism of miRNA/siRNA regulation.

As part of the miRNA-generating machinery, TARBP2 stabilizes the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) loading complex (RLC). Here, Chen et al. show that sumoylation of TARBP2 regulates RNAi efficiency by increasing precursor miRNAs loaded on RLC.

Molecular insights into NF2/Merlin tumor suppressor function

The FERM domain protein Merlin, encoded by the NF2 tumor suppressor gene, regulates cell proliferation in response to adhesive signaling. The growth inhibitory function of Merlin is induced by intercellular adhesion and inactivated by joint integrin/receptor tyrosine kinase signaling. Merlin contributes to the formation of cell junctions in polarized tissues, activates anti-mitogenic signaling at tight-junctions, and inhibits oncogenic gene expression. Thus, inactivation of Merlin causes uncontrolled mitogenic signaling and tumorigenesis. Merlin's predominant tumor suppressive functions are attributable to its control of oncogenic gene expression through regulation of Hippo signaling. Notably, Merlin translocates to the nucleus where it directly inhibits the CRL4(DCAF1) E3 ubiquitin ligase, thereby suppressing inhibition of the Lats kinases. A dichotomy in NF2 function has emerged whereby Merlin acts at the cell cortex to organize cell junctions and propagate anti-mitogenic signaling, whereas it inhibits oncogenic gene expression through the inhibition of CRL4(DCAF1) and activation of Hippo signaling. The biochemical events underlying Merlin's normal function and tumor suppressive activity will be discussed in this Review, with emphasis on recent discoveries that have greatly influenced our understanding of Merlin biology.