1
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Cuevas-Navarro A, Wagner M, Van R, Swain M, Mo S, Columbus J, Allison MR, Cheng A, Messing S, Turbyville TJ, Simanshu DK, Sale MJ, McCormick F, Stephen AG, Castel P. RAS-dependent RAF-MAPK hyperactivation by pathogenic RIT1 is a therapeutic target in Noonan syndrome-associated cardiac hypertrophy. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadf4766. [PMID: 37450595 PMCID: PMC10348673 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf4766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
RIT1 is a RAS guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) that regulates different aspects of signal transduction and is mutated in lung cancer, leukemia, and in the germline of individuals with Noonan syndrome. Pathogenic RIT1 proteins promote mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) hyperactivation; however, this mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we show that RAF kinases are direct effectors of membrane-bound mutant RIT1 necessary for MAPK activation. We identify critical residues in RIT1 that facilitate interaction with membrane lipids and show that these are necessary for association with RAF kinases and MAPK activation. Although mutant RIT1 binds to RAF kinases directly, it fails to activate MAPK signaling in the absence of classical RAS proteins. Consistent with aberrant RAF/MAPK activation as a driver of disease, we show that pathway inhibition alleviates cardiac hypertrophy in a mouse model of RIT1 mutant Noonan syndrome. These data shed light on the function of pathogenic RIT1 and identify avenues for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Cuevas-Navarro
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Morgan Wagner
- NCI RAS Initiative, Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research Inc., Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Richard Van
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Monalisa Swain
- NCI RAS Initiative, Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research Inc., Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Stephanie Mo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - John Columbus
- NCI RAS Initiative, Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research Inc., Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Madeline R. Allison
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Alice Cheng
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Simon Messing
- NCI RAS Initiative, Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research Inc., Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Thomas J. Turbyville
- NCI RAS Initiative, Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research Inc., Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Dhirendra K. Simanshu
- NCI RAS Initiative, Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research Inc., Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Matthew J. Sale
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Frank McCormick
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Andrew G. Stephen
- NCI RAS Initiative, Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research Inc., Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Pau Castel
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
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2
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Leegaard A, Gregersen PA, Nielsen TØ, Bjerre JV, Handrup MM. Succesful MEK-inhibition of severe hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in RIT1-related Noonan Syndrome. Eur J Med Genet 2022; 65:104630. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmg.2022.104630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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3
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Wang J, Wu B, Zhang Y, Ge L, Wang J. Site-Specific 19F NMR Method for Detecting Arf6 GEF Activity. Anal Chem 2022; 94:8181-8186. [PMID: 35658403 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.1c05563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) of small GTPase (sGTPase) coordinate signal networks in normal cells and dysfunction in cancer. Therefore, effective monitoring of GEF activity is very important for studying the regulation of sGTPase signal transduction. In this study, we developed a 1D 19F NMR-based method for rapid detection of the GEF activity of sGTPases. The activity of Arf6GEF in vitro and cell lysate environment can be conveniently detected by tracking the conformational changes of the Arf6 switch region where a tfmF site-specific 19F labeling at Phe47 was introduced. This strategy could potentially be applied to monitor the conformational change of Arf6 or other sGTPase and detect the activities of sGTPase regulatory proteins in physiology and pathology environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiarong Wang
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031, P. R. China
| | - Bo Wu
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031, P. R. China
| | - Youjia Zhang
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031, P. R. China.,University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, P. R. China
| | - Liang Ge
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031, P. R. China
| | - Junfeng Wang
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031, P. R. China.,Institute of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230031, P. R. China
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4
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Sun L, Xi S, Zhou Z, Zhang F, Hu P, Cui Y, Wu S, Wang Y, Wu S, Wang Y, Du Y, Zheng J, Yang H, Chen M, Yan Q, Yu D, Shi C, Zhang Y, Xie D, Guan XY, Li Y. Elevated expression of RIT1 hyperactivates RAS/MAPK signal and sensitizes hepatocellular carcinoma to combined treatment with sorafenib and AKT inhibitor. Oncogene 2022; 41:732-744. [PMID: 34845378 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-021-02130-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Hyperactivation of RAS/MAPK signaling is commonly observed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Gain-of-function mutations of canonical RAS genes, however, are rarely detected and it remains unclear how the activity of this pathway is turned on during hepatocarcinogenesis. We performed a comprehensive analysis of RAS superfamily genetic alterations across ten subfamilies, 152 members in 377 HCC patients from the Cancer Genome Atlas database. RIT1 (Ras-like without CAAX 1) was the most frequently altered RAS member amplified in 13% of the HCC cohort. Both genomic amplification and CREB-mediated transcriptional activation contributed to the elevated RIT1 expression, and its overexpression correlated with RAS/MAPK activation and poor prognosis. Then, we found that RIT1-induced angiogenesis via the MEK/ERK/EIF4E/HIF1-α/VEGFA axis. MAP3K11 and MAP3K12, in addition to CRAF, could mediate this process by binding to RIT1. Moreover, RIT1 increased the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and AKT to promote cell survival under reactive oxygen species stress. Based on this mechanistic understanding, we treated RIT1-overexpressing HCC with combined regimen sorafenib plus AKT inhibitor, and achieved enhanced antitumor effects in vivo. Our study reveals RAS "orphan" member RIT1 as the most common genetic alteration of RAS family in HCC and combination of sorafenib with AKT inhibitor might be a promising treatment strategy for RIT1-overexpressing HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liangzhan Sun
- Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- State Key Laboratory for Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Shaoyan Xi
- Department of Pathology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China and Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhengdong Zhou
- Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Feifei Zhang
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Pengchao Hu
- Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yuzhu Cui
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Shasha Wu
- Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Ying Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China and Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shayi Wu
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yanchen Wang
- Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yuyang Du
- Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jingyi Zheng
- Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Hui Yang
- Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Miao Chen
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Qian Yan
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- State Key Laboratory for Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Dandan Yu
- Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- State Key Laboratory for Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Chaoran Shi
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Dan Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China and Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xin-Yuan Guan
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
- State Key Laboratory for Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China and Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China.
- University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China.
| | - Yan Li
- Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.
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5
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Lo A, Holmes K, Kamlapurkar S, Mundt F, Moorthi S, Fung I, Fereshetian S, Watson J, Carr SA, Mertins P, Berger AH. Multiomic characterization of oncogenic signaling mediated by wild-type and mutant RIT1. Sci Signal 2021; 14:eabc4520. [PMID: 34846918 PMCID: PMC8848860 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.abc4520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Aberrant activation of the RAS family of guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases) is prevalent in lung adenocarcinoma, with somatic mutation of KRAS occurring in ~30% of tumors. We previously identified somatic mutations and amplifications of the gene encoding RAS family GTPase RIT1 in lung adenocarcinomas. To explore the biological pathways regulated by RIT1 and how they relate to the oncogenic KRAS network, we performed quantitative proteomic, phosphoproteomic, and transcriptomic profiling of isogenic lung epithelial cells in which we ectopically expressed wild-type or cancer-associated variants of RIT1 and KRAS. We found that both mutant KRAS and mutant RIT1 promoted canonical RAS signaling and that overexpression of wild-type RIT1 partially phenocopied oncogenic RIT1 and KRAS, including induction of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Our findings suggest that RIT1 protein abundance is a factor in its pathogenic function. Therefore, chromosomal amplification of wild-type RIT1 in lung and other cancers may be tumorigenic.
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Affiliation(s)
- April Lo
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Kristin Holmes
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Shriya Kamlapurkar
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Filip Mundt
- Proteomics Platform, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institute, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
- Present address: Proteomics technology platform, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine and Berlin Institute of Health at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 13125 Berlin, Germany
| | - Sitapriya Moorthi
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Iris Fung
- Proteomics Platform, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Shaunt Fereshetian
- Proteomics Platform, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Jacqueline Watson
- Proteomics Platform, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Steven A. Carr
- Proteomics Platform, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Philipp Mertins
- Proteomics Platform, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Current affiliation: Proteomics Platform, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Society, 13092 Berlin, Germany
| | - Alice H. Berger
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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6
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Vichas A, Riley AK, Nkinsi NT, Kamlapurkar S, Parrish PCR, Lo A, Duke F, Chen J, Fung I, Watson J, Rees M, Gabel AM, Thomas JD, Bradley RK, Lee JK, Hatch EM, Baine MK, Rekhtman N, Ladanyi M, Piccioni F, Berger AH. Integrative oncogene-dependency mapping identifies RIT1 vulnerabilities and synergies in lung cancer. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4789. [PMID: 34373451 PMCID: PMC8352964 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24841-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
CRISPR-based cancer dependency maps are accelerating advances in cancer precision medicine, but adequate functional maps are limited to the most common oncogenes. To identify opportunities for therapeutic intervention in other rarer subsets of cancer, we investigate the oncogene-specific dependencies conferred by the lung cancer oncogene, RIT1. Here, genome-wide CRISPR screening in KRAS, EGFR, and RIT1-mutant isogenic lung cancer cells identifies shared and unique vulnerabilities of each oncogene. Combining this genetic data with small-molecule sensitivity profiling, we identify a unique vulnerability of RIT1-mutant cells to loss of spindle assembly checkpoint regulators. Oncogenic RIT1M90I weakens the spindle assembly checkpoint and perturbs mitotic timing, resulting in sensitivity to Aurora A inhibition. In addition, we observe synergy between mutant RIT1 and activation of YAP1 in multiple models and frequent nuclear overexpression of YAP1 in human primary RIT1-mutant lung tumors. These results provide a genome-wide atlas of oncogenic RIT1 functional interactions and identify components of the RAS pathway, spindle assembly checkpoint, and Hippo/YAP1 network as candidate therapeutic targets in RIT1-mutant lung cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Athea Vichas
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Amanda K Riley
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Naomi T Nkinsi
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Shriya Kamlapurkar
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Phoebe C R Parrish
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - April Lo
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Fujiko Duke
- Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jennifer Chen
- Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Iris Fung
- Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Matthew Rees
- Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Austin M Gabel
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Computational Biology Program, Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - James D Thomas
- Computational Biology Program, Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Robert K Bradley
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Computational Biology Program, Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - John K Lee
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Emily M Hatch
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Marina K Baine
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA
| | - Natasha Rekhtman
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA
| | - Marc Ladanyi
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA
| | - Federica Piccioni
- Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Merck Research Laboratories, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alice H Berger
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
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7
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Killoran RC, Smith MJ. NMR Detection Methods for Profiling RAS Nucleotide Cycling. METHODS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (CLIFTON, N.J.) 2021; 2262:169-182. [PMID: 33977476 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1190-6_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
RAS oncoproteins exhibit a switch-like behavior to drive diverse signaling cascades. In the active GTP-bound state, a conformational change occurs in these enzymes that enables interaction with downstream effectors. Nucleotide-dependent conformational exchange is easily detected with real-time NMR (RT-NMR) spectroscopy. RT-NMR has been firmly established as an effective assay to measure RAS oncoprotein nucleotide exchange and GTP hydrolysis kinetics and can further determine the regulatory activity of guanine exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase activating proteins (GAPs). It is now possible to multiplex these assays, allowing for the precise monitoring of activation states for mixtures of RAS oncoproteins or other RAS superfamily GTPases. Here, we describe the protocols necessary to express and purify isotopically labeled RAS and detail how to carry out an RT-NMR assay on a singular RAS protein or on a mixture of small GTPases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan C Killoran
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Matthew J Smith
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada. .,Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
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8
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Migliori AD, Patel LA, Neale C. The RIT1 C-terminus associates with lipid bilayers via charge complementarity. Comput Biol Chem 2021; 91:107437. [PMID: 33517146 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2021.107437] [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: 08/20/2020] [Revised: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
RIT1 is a member of the Ras superfamily of small GTPases involved in regulation of cellular signaling. Mutations to RIT1 are involved in cancer and developmental disorders. Like many Ras subfamily members, RIT1 is localized to the plasma membrane. However, RIT1 lacks the C-terminal prenylation that helps many other subfamily members adhere to cellular membranes. We used molecular dynamics simulations to examine the mechanisms by which the C-terminal peptide (CTP) of RIT1 associates with lipid bilayers. We show that the CTP is unstructured and that its membrane interactions depend on lipid composition. While a 12-residue region of the CTP binds strongly to anionic bilayers containing phosphatidylserine lipids, the CTP termini fray from the membrane allowing for accommodation of the RIT1 globular domain at the membrane-water interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy D Migliori
- Center for Nonlinear Studies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, United States; Theoretical Biology and Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, United States
| | - Lara A Patel
- Center for Nonlinear Studies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, United States; Theoretical Biology and Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, United States
| | - Chris Neale
- Theoretical Biology and Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, United States.
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9
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Van R, Cuevas-Navarro A, Castel P, McCormick F. The molecular functions of RIT1 and its contribution to human disease. Biochem J 2020; 477:2755-2770. [PMID: 32766847 PMCID: PMC7787054 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20200442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
RIT1 is a member of the Ras family of GTPases that direct broad cellular physiological responses through tightly controlled signaling networks. The canonical Ras GTPases are well-defined regulators of the RAF/MEK/ERK pathway and mutations in these are pathogenic in cancer and a class of developmental disorders termed RASopathies. Emerging clinical evidences have now demonstrated a role for RIT1 in RASopathies, namely Noonan syndrome, and various cancers including lung adenocarcinoma and myeloid malignancies. While RIT1 has been mostly described in the context of neuronal differentiation and survival, the mechanisms underlying aberrant RIT1-mediated signaling remain elusive. Here, we will review efforts undertaken to characterize the biochemical and functional properties of the RIT1 GTPase at the molecular, cellular, and organismal level, as well as provide a phenotypic overview of different human conditions caused by RIT1 mutations. Deeper understanding of RIT1 biological function and insight to its pathogenic mechanisms are imperative to developing effective therapeutic interventions for patients with RIT1-mutant Noonan syndrome and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Van
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA, U.S.A
| | - Antonio Cuevas-Navarro
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA, U.S.A
| | - Pau Castel
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA, U.S.A
| | - Frank McCormick
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA, U.S.A
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10
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Song Z, Liu T, Chen J, Ge C, Zhao F, Zhu M, Chen T, Cui Y, Tian H, Yao M, Li J, Li H. HIF-1α-induced RIT1 promotes liver cancer growth and metastasis and its deficiency increases sensitivity to sorafenib. Cancer Lett 2019; 460:96-107. [PMID: 31247273 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2019.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2019] [Revised: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Ras-like-without-CAAX-1 (RIT1) belongs to the RAS superfamily of small GTPases, which plays critical roles in tumor progression. However, little is known about the roles of RIT1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here we found that RIT1 expression was positively associated with the presence of intrahepatic metastasis and the histological grade of HCC and higher RIT1 expression indicated shorter overall survival in HCC patients. In vitro and in vivo studies revealed that RIT1 functioned as an oncogene, as overexpression of RIT1 enhanced HCC cell proliferation and aggressive behavior, whereas silencing RIT1 expression repressed the malignant behaviors. Furthermore, RIT1 deficiency increased drug sensitivity to sorafenib treatment. We further demonstrated that hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) directly transcriptionally upregulated RIT1, and its stableness was positively correlated with RIT1 expression in HCC tissues. Knockdown of RIT1 attenuated the invasion and migration induced by hypoxia. Collectively, our data highlight the significance of HIF-1α/RIT1 axis in driving HCC progression and sorafenib resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Song
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Tengfei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Jing Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Chao Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Fangyu Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Miaoxin Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Taoyang Chen
- Qidong Liver Cancer Institute, Qidong, Jiangsu, 226200, China
| | - Ying Cui
- Cancer Institute of Guangxi, Nanning, Guangxi, 530021, China
| | - Hua Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Ming Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Jinjun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Hong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200032, China.
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Meyer zum Büschenfelde U, Brandenstein LI, von Elsner L, Flato K, Holling T, Zenker M, Rosenberger G, Kutsche K. RIT1 controls actin dynamics via complex formation with RAC1/CDC42 and PAK1. PLoS Genet 2018; 14:e1007370. [PMID: 29734338 PMCID: PMC5937737 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2017] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
RIT1 belongs to the RAS family of small GTPases. Germline and somatic RIT1 mutations have been identified in Noonan syndrome (NS) and cancer, respectively. By using heterologous expression systems and purified recombinant proteins, we identified the p21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1) as novel direct effector of RIT1. We found RIT1 also to directly interact with the RHO GTPases CDC42 and RAC1, both of which are crucial regulators of actin dynamics upstream of PAK1. These interactions are independent of the guanine nucleotide bound to RIT1. Disease-causing RIT1 mutations enhance protein-protein interaction between RIT1 and PAK1, CDC42 or RAC1 and uncouple complex formation from serum and growth factors. We show that the RIT1-PAK1 complex regulates cytoskeletal rearrangements as expression of wild-type RIT1 and its mutant forms resulted in dissolution of stress fibers and reduction of mature paxillin-containing focal adhesions in COS7 cells. This effect was prevented by co-expression of RIT1 with dominant-negative CDC42 or RAC1 and kinase-dead PAK1. By using a transwell migration assay, we show that RIT1 wildtype and the disease-associated variants enhance cell motility. Our work demonstrates a new function for RIT1 in controlling actin dynamics via acting in a signaling module containing PAK1 and RAC1/CDC42, and highlights defects in cell adhesion and migration as possible disease mechanism underlying NS. Noonan syndrome (NS) belongs to the RASopathies, a group of developmental diseases caused by mutations in genes encoding RAS-MAPK pathway components. Germline mutations in RIT1 have been identified in NS. RIT1 belongs to the RAS superfamily, however, the cellular function of RIT1 remains elusive. We show that RIT1 binds p21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1), an effector of the RHO GTPases RAC1 and CDC42, which are important regulators of cytoskeletal dynamics. NS-associated RIT1 mutants enhance complex formation between RIT1, RAC1/CDC42 and PAK1. Expression of wild-type or mutant forms of RIT1 caused loss of stress fibers and mature focal adhesions and enhanced cell motility. Our data suggest that dysfunction in actin dynamics is a novel aspect in the pathophysiology of RASopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Leonie von Elsner
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Kristina Flato
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tess Holling
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Martin Zenker
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Hospital Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Georg Rosenberger
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- * E-mail: (KK); (GR)
| | - Kerstin Kutsche
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- * E-mail: (KK); (GR)
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