Overexpression of E2F1 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma: a potential impact of erroneous regulation by thyroid hormone nuclear receptors

G ATA2 mediates the negative regulation of the prepro-thyrotropin-releasing hormone gene by liganded T3 receptor β2 in the rat hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus

Thyroid hormone (T3) inhibits thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) synthesis in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN). Although the T3 receptor (TR) β2 is known to mediate the negative regulation of the prepro-TRH gene, its molecular mechanism remains unknown. Our previous studies on the T3-dependent negative regulation of the thyrotropin β subunit (TSHβ) gene suggest that there is a tethering mechanism, whereby liganded TRβ2 interferes with the function of the transcription factor, GATA2, a critical activator of the TSHβ gene. Interestingly, the transcription factors Sim1 and Arnt2, the determinants of PVN differentiation in the hypothalamus, are reported to induce expression of TRβ2 and GATA2 in cultured neuronal cells. Here, we confirmed the expression of the GATA2 protein in the TRH neuron of the rat PVN using immunohistochemistry with an anti-GATA2 antibody. According to an experimental study from transgenic mice, a region of the rat prepro-TRH promoter from nt. -547 to nt. +84 was able to mediate its expression in the PVN. We constructed a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene containing this promoter sequence (rTRH(547)-CAT) and showed that GATA2 activated the promoter in monkey kidney-derived CV1 cells. Deletion and mutation analyses identified a functional GATA-responsive element (GATA-RE) between nt. -357 and nt. -352. When TRβ2 was co-expressed, T3 reduced GATA2-dependent promoter activity to approximately 30%. Unexpectedly, T3-dependent negative regulation was maintained after mutation of the reported negative T3-responsive element, site 4. T3 also inhibited the GATA2-dependent transcription enhanced by cAMP agonist, 8-bromo-cAMP. A rat thyroid medullary carcinoma cell line, CA77, is known to express the preproTRH mRNA. Using a chromatin immunoprecipitation assay with this cell line where GATA2 expression plasmid was transfected, we observed the recognition of the GATA-RE by GATA2. We also confirmed GATA2 binding using gel shift assay with the probe for the GATA-RE. In CA77 cells, the activity of rTRH(547)-CAT was potentiated by overexpression of GATA2, and it was inhibited in a T3-dependent manner. These results suggest that GATA2 transactivates the rat prepro-TRH gene and that liganded TRβ2 interferes with this activation via a tethering mechanism as in the case of the TSHβ gene.

The Mechanism of Negative Transcriptional Regulation by Thyroid Hormone: Lessons From the Thyrotropin β Subunit Gene

Thyroid hormone (T3) activates (positive regulation) or represses (negative regulation) target genes at the transcriptional level. The molecular mechanism of the former has been elucidated in detail; however, the mechanism for negative regulation has not been established. The best example of the gene that is negatively regulated by T3 is the thyrotropin (thyroid-stimulating hormone) β subunit (TSHβ) gene. Analogous to the T3-responsive element (TRE) in positive regulation, a negative TRE (nTRE) has been postulated in the TSHβ gene. However, TSHβ promoter analysis, performed in the presence of transcription factors Pit1 and GATA2, which are determinants of thyrotroph differentiation in the pituitary, revealed that the nTRE is dispensable for inhibition by T3. We propose a tethering model in which the T3 receptor is tethered to GATA2 via protein-protein interaction and inhibits GATA2-dependent transactivation of the TSHβ gene in a T3-dependent manner.

Triiodothyronine regulates cell growth and survival in renal cell cancer

Triiodothyronine plays an important role in the regulation of kidney cell growth, differentiation and metabolism. Patients with renal cell cancer who develop hypothyreosis during tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment have statistically longer survival. In this study, we developed cell based model of triiodothyronine (T3) analysis in RCC and we show the different effects of T3 on renal cell cancer (RCC) cell growth response and expression of the thyroid hormone receptor in human renal cell cancer cell lines from primary and metastatic tumors along with human kidney cancer stem cells. Wild-type thyroid hormone receptor is ubiquitously expressed in human renal cancer cell lines, but normalized against healthy renal proximal tube cell expression its level is upregulated in Caki-2, RCC6, SKRC-42, SKRC-45 cell lines. On the contrary the mRNA level in the 769-P, ACHN, HKCSC, and HEK293 cells is significantly decreased. The TRβ protein was abundant in the cytoplasm of the 786-O, Caki-2, RCC6, and SKRC-45 cells and in the nucleus of SKRC-42, ACHN, 769-P and cancer stem cells. T3 has promoting effect on the cell proliferation of HKCSC, Caki-2, ASE, ACHN, SK-RC-42, SMKT-R2, Caki-1, 786-0, and SK-RC-45 cells. Tyrosine kinase inhibitor, sunitinib, directly inhibits proliferation of RCC cells, while thyroid hormone receptor antagonist 1-850 (CAS 251310‑57-3) has less significant inhibitory impact. T3 stimulation does not abrogate inhibitory effect of sunitinib. Renal cancer tumor cells hypostimulated with T3 may be more responsive to tyrosine kinase inhibition. Moreover, some tumors may be considered as T3-independent and present aggressive phenotype with thyroid hormone receptor activated independently from the ligand. On the contrary proliferation induced by deregulated VHL and or c-Met pathways may transgress normal T3 mediated regulation of the cell cycle.

Transcriptome Profiling of Caco-2 Cancer Cell Line following Treatment with Extracts from Iodine-Biofortified Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

Although iodization of salt is the most common method used to obtain iodine-enriched food, iodine deficiency disorders are still a global health problem and profoundly affect the quality of human life. Iodine is required for the synthesis of thyroid hormones, which are crucial regulators of human metabolism, cell growth, proliferation, apoptosis and have been reported to be involved in carcinogenesis. In this study, for the first time, we evaluated the effect of iodine-biofortified lettuce on transcriptomic profile of Caco-2 cancer cell line by applying the Whole Human Genome Microarray assay. We showed 1326 differentially expressed Caco-2 transcripts after treatment with iodine-biofortified (BFL) and non-fortified (NFL) lettuce extracts. We analysed pathways, molecular functions, biological processes and protein classes based on comparison between BFL and NFL specific genes. Iodine, which was expected to act as a free ion (KI-NFL) or at least in part to be incorporated into lettuce macromolecules (BFL), differently regulated pathways of numerous transcription factors leading to different cellular effects. In this study we showed the inhibition of Caco-2 cells proliferation after treatment with BFL, but not potassium iodide (KI), and BFL-mediated induction of mitochondrial apoptosis and/or cell differentiation. Our results showed that iodine-biofortified plants can be effectively used by cells as an alternative source of this trace element. Moreover, the observed differences in action of both iodine sources may suggest a potential of BFL in cancer treatment.

Regulation of E2F1 by the von Hippel-Lindau tumour suppressor protein predicts survival in renal cell cancer patients

Biallelic mutations of the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) gene are the most common cause of sporadic and inherited renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Loss of VHL has been reported to affect cell proliferation by deregulating cell cycle-associated proteins. We report that the VHL gene product (pVHL) inhibits E2F1 expression at both mRNA and protein level in zebrafish and human RCC cells, while loss of VHL increases E2F1 expression in patient kidney tumour tissue and RCC cells, resulting in a delay of cell cycle progression. RCCs from von Hippel-Lindau patients with known germline VHL mutations express significantly more E2F1 compared to sporadic RCCs with either clear-cell (cc) or non-cc histology. Analysis of 138 primary RCCs reveals that E2F1 expression is significantly higher in tumours with a diameter ≤7 cm and with a favourable American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage. The expression of E2F1 in RCC significantly correlates with p27 expression, suggesting that increased expression of E2F1 in RCC induces tumour cell senescence via p27. Cox regression analysis shows significant prediction of E2F1 expression for disease-free survival and overall survival, implying that E2F1 expression in kidney tumour is a novel prognostic factor for patients with RCC.

Small-molecule hormones: molecular mechanisms of action

Small-molecule hormones play crucial roles in the development and in the maintenance of an adult mammalian organism. On the molecular level, they regulate a plethora of biological pathways. Part of their actions depends on their transcription-regulating properties, exerted by highly specific nuclear receptors which are hormone-dependent transcription factors. Nuclear hormone receptors interact with coactivators, corepressors, basal transcription factors, and other transcription factors in order to modulate the activity of target genes in a manner that is dependent on tissue, age and developmental and pathophysiological states. The biological effect of this mechanism becomes apparent not earlier than 30-60 minutes after hormonal stimulus. In addition, small-molecule hormones modify the function of the cell by a number of nongenomic mechanisms, involving interaction with proteins localized in the plasma membrane, in the cytoplasm, as well as with proteins localized in other cellular membranes and in nonnuclear cellular compartments. The identity of such proteins is still under investigation; however, it seems that extranuclear fractions of nuclear hormone receptors commonly serve this function. A direct interaction of small-molecule hormones with membrane phospholipids and with mRNA is also postulated. In these mechanisms, the reaction to hormonal stimulus appears within seconds or minutes.

Disturbed expression of splicing factors in renal cancer affects alternative splicing of apoptosis regulators, oncogenes, and tumor suppressors

Background

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common type of renal cancer. One of the processes disturbed in this cancer type is alternative splicing, although phenomena underlying these disturbances remain unknown. Alternative splicing consists of selective removal of introns and joining of residual exons of the primary transcript, to produce mRNA molecules of different sequence. Splicing aberrations may lead to tumoral transformation due to synthesis of impaired splice variants with oncogenic potential. In this paper we hypothesized that disturbed alternative splicing in ccRCC may result from improper expression of splicing factors, mediators of splicing reactions.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Using real-time PCR and Western-blot analysis we analyzed expression of seven splicing factors belonging to SR proteins family (SF2/ASF, SC35, SRp20, SRp75, SRp40, SRp55 and 9G8), and one non-SR factor, hnRNP A1 (heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1) in 38 pairs of tumor-control ccRCC samples. Moreover, we analyzed splicing patterns of five genes involved in carcinogenesis and partially regulated by analyzed splicing factors: RON, CEACAM1, Rac1, Caspase-9, and GLI1.

Conclusions/Significance

We found that the mRNA expression of splicing factors was disturbed in tumors when compared to paired controls, similarly as levels of SF2/ASF and hnRNP A1 proteins. The correlation coefficients between expression levels of specific splicing factors were increased in tumor samples. Moreover, alternative splicing of five analyzed genes was also disturbed in ccRCC samples and splicing pattern of two of them, Caspase-9 and CEACAM1 correlated with expression of SF2/ASF in tumors. We conclude that disturbed expression of splicing factors in ccRCC may possibly lead to impaired alternative splicing of genes regulating tumor growth and this way contribute to the process of carcinogenesis.

Untranslated regions of thyroid hormone receptor beta 1 mRNA are impaired in human clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Thyroid hormone receptor β1 (TRβ1) is a hormone-dependent transcription factor activated by 3,5,3'-l-triiodothyronine (T3). TRβ1 functions as a tumor suppressor and disturbances of the THRB gene are frequent findings in cancer. Translational control mediated by untranslated regions (UTRs) regulates cell proliferation, metabolism and responses to cellular stress, processes that are involved in carcinogenesis. We hypothesized that reduced TRβ1 expression in clear cell renal cell cancer (ccRCC) results from regulatory effects of TRβ1 5' and 3'UTRs on protein translation. We determined TRβ1 expression and alternative splicing of TRβ1 5' and 3'UTRs in ccRCC and control tissue together with expression of the type 1 deiodinase enzyme (coded by DIO1, a TRβ1 target gene). Tissue concentrations of T3 (which are generated in part by D1) and expression of miRNA-204 (an mRNA inhibitor for which a putative interaction site was identified in the TRβ1 3'UTR) were also determined. TRβ1 mRNA and protein levels were reduced by 70% and 91% in ccRCC and accompanied by absent D1 protein, a 58% reduction in tissue T3 concentration and 2-fold increase in miRNA-204. Structural analysis of TRβ1 UTR variants indicated that reduced TRβ1 expression may be maintained in ccRCC by posttranscriptional mechanisms involving 5'UTRs and miRNA-204. The tumor suppressor activity of TRβ1 indicates that reduced TRβ1 expression and tissue hypothyroidism in ccRCC tumors is likely to be involved in the process of carcinogenesis or in maintaining a proliferative advantage to malignant cells.

Thyroid hormone - triiodothyronine - has contrary effect on proliferation of human proximal tubules cell line (HK2) and renal cancer cell lines (Caki-2, Caki-1) - role of E2F4, E2F5 and p107, p130

Background

Triiodothyronine regulates proliferation acting as stimulator or inhibitor. E2F4 and E2F5 in complexes with pocket proteins p107 or p130 stop cells in G1, repressing transcription of genes important for cell cycle progression. p107 and p130 inhibits activity of cyclin/cdk2 complexes. Expression of all those proteins could be regulated by triiodothyronine. In clear cell renal cell carcinoma many disturbances in T3 signaling pathway was described, in that type of cancer also expression of some key G1 to S phase progression regulators was shown.

Methods

We investigated role of T3 and its receptors in regulation of proliferation of HK2, Caki-2, Caki-1 cell lines (cell counting, cytometric analysis of DNA content) and expression of thyroid hormone receptors, E2F4, E2F5, p107 and p130 (western blot and semi-quantitative real time PCR). Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA.

Results and Conclusion

We show that T3 inhibits proliferation of HK2, and stimulates it in Caki lines. Those differences are result of disturbed expression of TR causing improper regulation of E2F4, E2F5, p107 and p130 in cancer cells.