A transgene-induced mitotic arrest mutation in the mouse allelic with Oligosyndactylism

Functional characterization of Anaphase Promoting Complex/Cyclosome (APC/C) E3 ubiquitin ligases in tumorigenesis

The Anaphase Promoting Complex/Cyclosome (APC/C) is a multi-subunit E3 ubiquitin ligase that primarily governs cell cycle progression. APC/C is composed of at least 14 core subunits and recruits its substrates for ubiquitination via one of the two adaptor proteins, Cdc20 or Cdh1, in M or M/early G1 phase, respectively. Furthermore, recent studies have shed light on crucial functions for APC/C in maintaining genomic integrity, neuronal differentiation, cellular metabolism and tumorigenesis. To gain better insight into the in vivo physiological functions of APC/C in regulating various cellular processes, particularly development and tumorigenesis, a number of mouse models of APC/C core subunits, coactivators or inhibitors have been established and characterized. However, due to their essential role in cell cycle regulation, most of the germline knockout mice targeting the APC/C pathway are embryonic lethal, indicating the need for generating conditional knockout mouse models to assess the role in tumorigenesis for each APC/C signaling component in specific tissues. In this review, we will first provide a brief introduction of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) and the biochemical activities and cellular functions of the APC/C E3 ligase. We will then focus primarily on characterizing genetic mouse models used to understand the physiological roles of each APC/C signaling component in embryogenesis, cell proliferation, development and carcinogenesis. Finally, we discuss future research directions to further elucidate the physiological contributions of APC/C components during tumorigenesis and validate their potentials as a novel class of anti-cancer targets.

Nephron-deficient Fvb mice develop rapidly progressive renal failure and heavy albuminuria involving excess glomerular GLUT1 and VEGF

Reduced nephron numbers may predispose to renal failure. We hypothesized that glucose transporters (GLUTs) may contribute to progression of the renal disease, as GLUTs have been implicated in diabetic glomerulosclerosis and hypertensive renal disease with mesangial cell (MC) stretch. The Os (oligosyndactyly) allele that typically reduces nephron number by approximately 50%, was repeatedly backcrossed from ROP (Ra/+ (ragged), Os/+ (oligosyndactyly), and Pt/+ (pintail)) Os/+ mice more than six times into the Fvb mouse background to obtain Os/+ and +/+ mice with the Fvb background for study. Glomerular function, GLUT1, signaling, albumin excretion, and structural and ultrastructural changes were assessed. The FvbROP Os/+ mice (Fvb background) exhibited increased glomerular GLUT1, glucose uptake, VEGF, glomerular hypertrophy, hyperfiltration, extensive podocyte foot process effacement, marked albuminuria, severe extracellular matrix (ECM) protein deposition, and rapidly progressive renal failure leading to their early demise. Glomerular GLUT1 was increased 2.7-fold in the FvbROP Os/+ mice vs controls at 4 weeks of age, and glucose uptake was increased 2.7-fold. These changes were associated with the activation of glomerular PKCbeta1 and NF-kappaB p50 which contribute to ECM accumulation. The cyclic mechanical stretch of MCs in vitro, used as a model for increased MC stretch in vivo, reproduced increased GLUT1 at 48 h, a stimulus for increased VEGF expression which followed at 72 h. VEGF was also shown to act in a positive feedback manner on MC GLUT1, increasing GLUT1 expression, glucose uptake and fibronectin (FN) accumulation in vitro, whereas antisense suppression of GLUT1 largely blocked FN upregulation by VEGF. The FvbROP Os/+ mice exhibited an early increase in glomerular GLUT1 leading to increased glomerular glucose uptake PKCbeta1, and NF-kappaB activation, with excess ECM accumulation. A GLUT1-VEGF-GLUT1 positive feedback loop may play a key role in contributing to renal disease in this model of nondiabetic glomerulosclerosis.

Oligosyndactylism mice have an inversion of chromosome 8

The radiation-induced mutation Oligosyndactylism (Os) is associated with limb and kidney defects in heterozygotes and with mitotic arrest and embryonic lethality in homozygotes. We reported that the cell cycle block in Os and in the 94-A/K transgene-induced mutations is due to disruption of the Anapc10 (Apc10/Doc1) gene. To understand the genetic basis of the limb and kidney abnormalities in Os mice we characterized the structural changes of chromosome 8 associated with this mutation. We demonstrate that the Os chromosome 8 has suffered two breaks that are 5 cM ( approximately 10 Mb) apart and the internal fragment delineated by the breaks is in an inverted orientation on the mutant chromosome. While sequences in proximity to the distal break are present in an abnormal Os-specific Anapc10 hybrid transcript, transcription of these sequences in normal mice is low and difficult to detect. Transfer of the Os mutation onto an FVB/N background indicated that the absence of dominant effects in 94-A/K mice is not due to strain background effects on the mutation. Further analysis of this mutation will determine if a gene interrupted by the break or a long-range effect of the rearrangement on neighboring genes is responsible for the dominant effects of Os.

Hyperlipidemia aggravates renal disease in B6.ROP Os/+ mice

INTRODUCTION

Reduction of renal mass is frequently associated with progressive loss of kidney function. We examined the effects of hyperlipidemia on renal pathology and mediators of tissue damage in B6.ROP Os/+ mice, a model of reduced renal mass.

METHODS

C57BL/6 control mice and B6.ROP Os/+ mice were fed normal rodent chow or a high fat, high cholesterol (HFHC) diet for 12 weeks. Kidney function and renal pathology were assessed.

RESULTS

Hyperlipidemia led to a decline in kidney function in C57BL/6 mice. Renal pathology was characterized by an increase in glomerular matrix and cellularity, glomerular and tubulointerstitial macrophage influx, and increased tubular epithelial cell turnover. Chow-fed B6.ROP Os/+ animals demonstrated glomerular hypertrophy with an increase in mesangial matrix and cellularity that was characterized by macrophage influx and increased proliferation. The tubulointerstitium showed increased macrophages as well as tubular atrophy and dilation. Renal pathology was accompanied by an increase in blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and proteinuria. Hyperlipidemia in B6.ROP Os/+ mice resulted in increased plasma BUN compared to chow-fed B6.ROP Os/+ animals and aggravated renal pathology by further increasing glomerular matrix and glomerular hypercellularity. Glomerular hypercellularity was associated with increased expression of platelet-derived growth factor-B (PDGF B) and its receptor beta. Glomerular transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) mRNA expression was increased in B6.ROP Os/+ mice, hyperlipidemic C57BL/6 mice and hyperlipidemic B6.ROP Os/+ animals compared to controls and correlated with the amount of mesangial matrix.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates that hyperlipidemia worsens renal pathology in B6.ROP Os/+ mice with a decline in renal function mediated at least in part through increased renal expression of the cytokines PDGF B and TGF-beta.

Loss of the anaphase-promoting complex in quiescent cells causes unscheduled hepatocyte proliferation

The anaphase-promoting complex or cyclosome (APC/C) is an ubiquitin protein ligase that together with Cdc20 and Cdh1 targets mitotic proteins for degradation by the proteosome. APC-Cdc20 activity during mitosis triggers anaphase by destroying securin and cyclins. APC-Cdh1 promotes degradation of cyclins and other proteins during G(1). We show that loss of APC/C during embryogenesis is early lethal before embryonic day E6.5 (E6.5). To investigate the role of APC/C in quiescent cells, we conditionally inactivated the subunit Apc2 in mice. Deletion of Apc2 in quiescent hepatocytes caused re-entry into the cell cycle and arrest in metaphase, resulting in liver failure. Re-entry into the cell cycle either occurred without any proliferative stimulus or could be easily induced. We demonstrate that the APC has an additional function to prevent hepatocytes from unscheduled re-entry into the cell cycle.

Disruption of Apc10/Doc1 in three alleles of oligosyndactylism

Oligosyndactylism (Os) is a radiation-induced mouse mutation associated with recessive lethality and a dominant effect on limb and kidney development. The lethal effect of the mutation is due to a cell-autonomous block in the transition from metaphase to anaphase. We have previously characterized two transgene-induced mutations, 94-A and 94-K, which are allelic with Os. These mutations facilitated the identification of genomic segments and transcribed sequences in the affected region. One of the transcripts in this region corresponds to the mouse homolog of the anaphase-promoting complex component APC10/DOC1. The disruption of this gene can explain the mitotic arrest phenotype of all three alleles of Os.

ICln is essential for cellular and early embryonic viability

pICln is a 26-kDa protein that is ubiquitously expressed and highly conserved from Xenopus laevis to Homo sapiens. The physiological functions of pICln remain to be established. To address this question, we disrupted the ICln gene in embryonic stem cells. We found that murine embryos lacking ICln die early in gestation (between stages E3.5 and E7.5). Furthermore, we found that ICln is essential for embryonic stem cell viability. Previously, we showed that pICln interacts directly with a homolog of a yeast protein that binds a PAK-like kinase and participates in the regulation of cell morphology and cell cycling. pICln also forms a complex with several core spliceosomal proteins, and this interaction may play a role in the regulation of spliceosomal biogenesis. Collectively, these data strongly suggest that pICln participates in critical cellular pathways, including regulation of the cell cycle and RNA processing.