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Wakasugi K, Yokosawa T. The high-affinity tryptophan uptake transport system in human cells. Biochem Soc Trans 2024; 52:1149-1158. [PMID: 38813870 DOI: 10.1042/bst20230742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
The L-tryptophan (Trp) transport system is highly selective for Trp with affinity in the nanomolar range. This transport system is augmented in human interferon (IFN)-γ-treated and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1)-expressing cells. Up-regulated cellular uptake of Trp causes a reduction in extracellular Trp and initiates immune suppression. Recent studies demonstrate that both IDO1 and tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase (TrpRS), whose expression levels are up-regulated by IFN-γ, play a pivotal role in high-affinity Trp uptake into human cells. Furthermore, overexpression of tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO2) elicits a similar effect as IDO1 on TrpRS-mediated high-affinity Trp uptake. In this review, we summarize recent findings regarding this Trp uptake system and put forward a possible molecular mechanism based on Trp deficiency induced by IDO1 or TDO2 and tryptophanyl-AMP production by TrpRS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keisuke Wakasugi
- Komaba Organization for Educational Excellence, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
- Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Takumi Yokosawa
- Komaba Organization for Educational Excellence, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
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2
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Pandey S, Anang V, Schumacher MM. Mitochondria driven innate immune signaling and inflammation in cancer growth, immune evasion, and therapeutic resistance. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024; 386:223-247. [PMID: 38782500 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ircmb.2024.01.006] [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: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Mitochondria play an important and multifaceted role in cellular function, catering to the cell's energy and biosynthetic requirements. They modulate apoptosis while responding to diverse extracellular and intracellular stresses including reactive oxygen species (ROS), nutrient and oxygen scarcity, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and signaling via surface death receptors. Integral components of mitochondria, such as mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), mitochondrial RNA (mtRNA), Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), cardiolipin, and formyl peptides serve as major damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). These molecules activate multiple innate immune pathways both in the cytosol [such as Retionoic Acid-Inducible Gene-1 (RIG-1) and Cyclic GMP-AMP Synthase (cGAS)] and on the cell surface [including Toll-like receptors (TLRs)]. This activation cascade leads to the release of various cytokines, chemokines, interferons, and other inflammatory molecules and oxidative species. The innate immune pathways further induce chronic inflammation in the tumor microenvironment which either promotes survival and proliferation or promotes epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), metastasis and therapeutic resistance in the cancer cell's. Chronic activation of innate inflammatory pathways in tumors also drives immunosuppressive checkpoint expression in the cancer cells and boosts the influx of immune-suppressive populations like Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells (MDSCs) and Regulatory T cells (Tregs) in cancer. Thus, sensing of cellular stress by the mitochondria may lead to enhanced tumor growth. In addition to that, the tumor microenvironment also becomes a source of immunosuppressive cytokines. These cytokines exert a debilitating effect on the functioning of immune effector cells, and thus foster immune tolerance and facilitate immune evasion. Here we describe how alteration of the mitochondrial homeostasis and cellular stress drives innate inflammatory pathways in the tumor microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjay Pandey
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, United States.
| | - Vandana Anang
- International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, India
| | - Michelle M Schumacher
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, United States; Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
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3
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Cui H, Shi Q, Macarios CM, Schimmel P. Metabolic regulation of mRNA splicing. Trends Cell Biol 2024:S0962-8924(24)00025-4. [PMID: 38431493 DOI: 10.1016/j.tcb.2024.02.002] [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: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Alternative mRNA splicing enables the diversification of the proteome from a static genome and confers plasticity and adaptiveness on cells. Although this is often explored in development, where hard-wired programs drive the differentiation and specialization, alternative mRNA splicing also offers a way for cells to react to sudden changes in outside stimuli such as small-molecule metabolites. Fluctuations in metabolite levels and availability in particular convey crucial information to which cells react and adapt. We summarize and highlight findings surrounding the metabolic regulation of mRNA splicing. We discuss the principles underlying the biochemistry and biophysical properties of mRNA splicing, and propose how these could intersect with metabolite levels. Further, we present examples in which metabolites directly influence RNA-binding proteins and splicing factors. We also discuss the interplay between alternative mRNA splicing and metabolite-responsive signaling pathways. We hope to inspire future research to obtain a holistic picture of alternative mRNA splicing in response to metabolic cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haissi Cui
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3H6, Canada.
| | - Qingyu Shi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3H6, Canada
| | | | - Paul Schimmel
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
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Chen Y, Chen J, Zou Z, Xu L, Li J. Crosstalk between autophagy and metabolism: implications for cell survival in acute myeloid leukemia. Cell Death Discov 2024; 10:46. [PMID: 38267416 PMCID: PMC10808206 DOI: 10.1038/s41420-024-01823-9] [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: 11/11/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a prevalent form of leukemia in adults, is often characterized by low response rates to chemotherapy, high recurrence rates, and unfavorable prognosis. A critical barrier in managing refractory or recurrent AML is the resistance to chemotherapy. Increasing evidence indicates that tumor cell metabolism plays a crucial role in AML progression, survival, metastasis, and treatment resistance. Autophagy, an essential regulator of cellular energy metabolism, is increasingly recognized for its role in the metabolic reprogramming of AML. Autophagy sustains leukemia cells during chemotherapy by not only providing energy but also facilitating rapid proliferation through the supply of essential components such as amino acids and nucleotides. Conversely, the metabolic state of AML cells can influence the activity of autophagy. Their mutual coordination helps maintain intrinsic cellular homeostasis, which is a significant contributor to chemotherapy resistance in leukemia cells. This review explores the recent advancements in understanding the interaction between autophagy and metabolism in AML cells, emphasizing their roles in cell survival and drug resistance. A comprehensive understanding of the interplay between autophagy and leukemia cell metabolism can shed light on leukemia cell survival strategies, particularly under adverse conditions such as chemotherapy. This insight may also pave the way for innovative targeted treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongfeng Chen
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Medical College of Taizhou University, 318000, Taizhou, Zhejiang, China.
| | - Jia Chen
- School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 310058, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zhenyou Zou
- Brain Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, 542005, Liuzhou, Guangxi, China.
| | - Linglong Xu
- Department of Hematology, Taizhou Central Hospital (Taizhou University Hospital), 318000, Taizhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jing Li
- Department of Histology and Embryology, North Sichuan Medical College, 637000, Nanchong, Sichuan, China
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5
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Chen L, Wang Y, Hu Q, Liu Y, Qi X, Tang Z, Hu H, Lin N, Zeng S, Yu L. Unveiling tumor immune evasion mechanisms: abnormal expression of transporters on immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1225948. [PMID: 37545500 PMCID: PMC10401443 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1225948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a crucial driving factor for tumor progression and it can hinder the body's immune response by altering the metabolic activity of immune cells. Both tumor and immune cells maintain their proliferative characteristics and physiological functions through transporter-mediated regulation of nutrient acquisition and metabolite efflux. Transporters also play an important role in modulating immune responses in the TME. In this review, we outline the metabolic characteristics of the TME and systematically elaborate on the effects of abundant metabolites on immune cell function and transporter expression. We also discuss the mechanism of tumor immune escape due to transporter dysfunction. Finally, we introduce some transporter-targeted antitumor therapeutic strategies, with the aim of providing new insights into the development of antitumor drugs and rational drug usage for clinical cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Chen
- Institute of Drug Metabolism and Pharmaceutical Analysis, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Cancer Pharmacology and Toxicology Research of Zhejiang, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Affiliated Hangzhou First People’s Hospital, Cancer Center, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Center for Clinical Pharmacy, Cancer Center, Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (Affiliated People's Hospital), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yuchen Wang
- Institute of Drug Metabolism and Pharmaceutical Analysis, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qingqing Hu
- The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Jinhua, China
| | - Yuxi Liu
- Institute of Drug Metabolism and Pharmaceutical Analysis, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xuchen Qi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zhihua Tang
- Department of Pharmacy, Shaoxing People’s Hospital (Shaoxing Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine), Shaoxing, China
| | - Haihong Hu
- Institute of Drug Metabolism and Pharmaceutical Analysis, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Nengming Lin
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Cancer Pharmacology and Toxicology Research of Zhejiang, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Affiliated Hangzhou First People’s Hospital, Cancer Center, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
| | - Su Zeng
- Institute of Drug Metabolism and Pharmaceutical Analysis, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lushan Yu
- Institute of Drug Metabolism and Pharmaceutical Analysis, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Department of Pharmacy, Shaoxing People’s Hospital (Shaoxing Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine), Shaoxing, China
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
- Department of Pharmacy, Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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Solvay M, Holfelder P, Klaessens S, Pilotte L, Stroobant V, Lamy J, Naulaerts S, Spillier Q, Frédérick R, De Plaen E, Sers C, Opitz CA, Van den Eynde BJ, Zhu J. Tryptophan depletion sensitizes the AHR pathway by increasing AHR expression and GCN2/LAT1-mediated kynurenine uptake, and potentiates induction of regulatory T lymphocytes. J Immunother Cancer 2023; 11:e006728. [PMID: 37344101 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2023-006728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) and tryptophan-dioxygenase (TDO) are enzymes catabolizing the essential amino acid tryptophan into kynurenine. Expression of these enzymes is frequently observed in advanced-stage cancers and is associated with poor disease prognosis and immune suppression. Mechanistically, the respective roles of tryptophan shortage and kynurenine production in suppressing immunity remain unclear. Kynurenine was proposed as an endogenous ligand for the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), which can regulate inflammation and immunity. However, controversy remains regarding the role of AHR in IDO1/TDO-mediated immune suppression, as well as the involvement of kynurenine. In this study, we aimed to clarify the link between IDO1/TDO expression, AHR pathway activation and immune suppression. METHODS AHR expression and activation was analyzed by RT-qPCR and western blot analysis in cells engineered to express IDO1/TDO, or cultured in medium mimicking tryptophan catabolism by IDO1/TDO. In vitro differentiation of naïve CD4+ T cells into regulatory T cells (Tregs) was compared in T cells isolated from mice bearing different Ahr alleles or a knockout of Ahr, and cultured in medium with or without tryptophan and kynurenine. RESULTS We confirmed that IDO1/TDO expression activated AHR in HEK-293-E cells, as measured by the induction of AHR target genes. Unexpectedly, AHR was also overexpressed on IDO1/TDO expression. AHR overexpression did not depend on kynurenine but was triggered by tryptophan deprivation. Multiple human tumor cell lines overexpressed AHR on tryptophan deprivation. AHR overexpression was not dependent on general control non-derepressible 2 (GCN2), and strongly sensitized the AHR pathway. As a result, kynurenine and other tryptophan catabolites, which are weak AHR agonists in normal conditions, strongly induced AHR target genes in tryptophan-depleted conditions. Tryptophan depletion also increased kynurenine uptake by increasing SLC7A5 (LAT1) expression in a GCN2-dependent manner. Tryptophan deprivation potentiated Treg differentiation from naïve CD4+ T cells isolated from mice bearing an AHR allele of weak affinity similar to the human AHR. CONCLUSIONS Tryptophan deprivation sensitizes the AHR pathway by inducing AHR overexpression and increasing cellular kynurenine uptake. As a result, tryptophan catabolites such as kynurenine more potently activate AHR, and Treg differentiation is promoted. Our results propose a molecular explanation for the combined roles of tryptophan deprivation and kynurenine production in mediating IDO1/TDO-induced immune suppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Solvay
- de Duve Institute, UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, de Duve Institute, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Pauline Holfelder
- Faculty of Bioscience, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- DKTK Division of Metabolic Crosstalk in Cancer, German Cancer Research Center, DKFZ, INF 280, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Simon Klaessens
- de Duve Institute, UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, de Duve Institute, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Luc Pilotte
- de Duve Institute, UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, de Duve Institute, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Vincent Stroobant
- de Duve Institute, UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, de Duve Institute, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Juliette Lamy
- de Duve Institute, UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, de Duve Institute, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Stefan Naulaerts
- de Duve Institute, UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, de Duve Institute, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | | | - Etienne De Plaen
- de Duve Institute, UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, de Duve Institute, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Christine Sers
- Partner Site Berlin, German Cancer Consortium, Heidelberg, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium Partner Site Berlin, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christiane A Opitz
- DKTK Division of Metabolic Crosstalk in Cancer, German Cancer Research Center, DKFZ, INF 280, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Neurology Clinic and National Center for Tumor Diseases, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Benoit J Van den Eynde
- de Duve Institute, UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, de Duve Institute, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jingjing Zhu
- de Duve Institute, UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, de Duve Institute, Brussels, Belgium
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Yao Y, Wang X, Guan J, Xie C, Zhang H, Yang J, Luo Y, Chen L, Zhao M, Huo B, Yu T, Lu W, Liu Q, Du H, Liu Y, Huang P, Luan T, Liu W, Hu Y. Metabolomic differentiation of benign vs malignant pulmonary nodules with high specificity via high-resolution mass spectrometry analysis of patient sera. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2339. [PMID: 37095081 PMCID: PMC10126054 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37875-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Differential diagnosis of pulmonary nodules detected by computed tomography (CT) remains a challenge in clinical practice. Here, we characterize the global metabolomes of 480 serum samples including healthy controls, benign pulmonary nodules, and stage I lung adenocarcinoma. The adenocarcinoma demonstrates a distinct metabolomic signature, whereas benign nodules and healthy controls share major similarities in metabolomic profiles. A panel of 27 metabolites is identified in the discovery cohort (n = 306) to distinguish between benign and malignant nodules. The discriminant model achieves an AUC of 0.915 and 0.945 in the internal validation (n = 104) and external validation cohort (n = 111), respectively. Pathway analysis reveals elevation in glycolytic metabolites associated with decreased tryptophan in serum of lung adenocarcinoma vs benign nodules and healthy controls, and demonstrates that uptake of tryptophan promotes glycolysis in lung cancer cells. Our study highlights the value of the serum metabolite biomarkers in risk assessment of pulmonary nodules detected by CT screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Yao
- Sate Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, Guangdong, China
| | - Xueping Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, China
| | - Jian Guan
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangdong, China
| | - Chuanbo Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, China
| | - Hui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, China
- Metabolomics Research Center, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangdong, China
| | - Jing Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, China
| | - Yao Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, China
| | - Lili Chen
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangdong, China
| | - Mingyue Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, China
| | - Bitao Huo
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, China
- Metabolomics Research Center, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangdong, China
| | - Tiantian Yu
- Metabolomics Research Center, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangdong, China
| | - Wenhua Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, China
| | - Qiao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, China
| | - Hongli Du
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, Guangdong, China
| | - Yuying Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, China
| | - Peng Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, China
- Metabolomics Research Center, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangdong, China
| | - Tiangang Luan
- Sate Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, Guangdong, China.
- Institute of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, Guangdong, China.
| | - Wanli Liu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, China.
| | - Yumin Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, China.
- Metabolomics Research Center, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangdong, China.
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Plasma-Like Culture Medium for the Study of Viruses. mBio 2023; 14:e0203522. [PMID: 36515528 PMCID: PMC9973327 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02035-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Viral infections attract more and more attention, especially after the emergence of novel zoonotic coronaviruses and the monkeypox virus over the last 2 decades. Research on viruses is based to a great extent on mammalian cell lines that are permissive to the respective viruses. These cell lines are usually cultivated according to the protocols established in the 1950s to 1970s, although it is clear that classical media have a significant imprint on cell growth, phenotype, and especially metabolism. So, recently in the field of biochemistry and metabolomics novel culture media have been developed that resemble human blood plasma. As perturbations in metabolic and redox pathways during infection are considered significant factors of viral pathogenesis, these novel medium formulations should be adapted by the virology field. So far, there are only scarce data available on viral propagation efficiencies in cells cultivated in plasma-like media. But several groups have presented convincing data on the use of such media for cultivation of uninfected cells. The aim of the present review is to summarize the current state of research in the field of plasma-resembling culture media and to point out the influence of media on various cellular processes in uninfected cells that may play important roles in viral replication and pathogenesis in order to sensitize virology research to the use of such media.
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9
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Badawy AB. Tryptophan metabolism and disposition in cancer biology and immunotherapy. Biosci Rep 2022; 42:BSR20221682. [PMID: 36286592 PMCID: PMC9653095 DOI: 10.1042/bsr20221682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumours utilise tryptophan (Trp) and its metabolites to promote their growth and evade host defences. They recruit Trp through up-regulation of Trp transporters, and up-regulate key enzymes of Trp degradation and down-regulate others. Thus, Trp 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO2), indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1), IDO2, N'-formylkynurenine formamidase (FAMID) and Kyn aminotransferase 1 (KAT1) are all up-regulated in many cancer types, whereas Kyn monooxygenase (KMO), kynureninase (KYNU), 2-amino-3-carboxymuconic acid-6-semialdehyde decarboxylase (ACMSD) and quinolinate phosphoribosyltransferase (QPRT) are up-regulated in a few, but down-regulated in many, cancers. This results in accumulation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligand kynurenic acid and in depriving the host of NAD+ by blocking its synthesis from quinolinic acid. The host loses more NAD+ by up-regulation of the NAD+-consuming poly (ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs) and the protein acetylaters SIRTs. The nicotinamide arising from PARP and SIRT activation can be recycled in tumours to NAD+ by the up-regulated key enzymes of the salvage pathway. Up-regulation of the Trp transporters SLC1A5 and SLC7A5 is associated mostly with that of TDO2 = FAMID > KAT1 > IDO2 > IDO1. Tumours down-regulate enzymes of serotonin synthesis, thereby removing competition for Trp from the serotonin pathway. Strategies for combating tumoral immune escape could involve inhibition of Trp transport into tumours, inhibition of TDO and IDOs, inhibition of FAMID, inhibition of KAT and KYNU, inhibition of NMPRT and NMNAT, inhibition of the AhR, IL-4I1, PARPs and SIRTs, and by decreasing plasma free Trp availability to tumours by albumin infusion or antilipolytic agents and inhibition of glucocorticoid induction of TDO by glucocorticoid antagonism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdulla A.-B. Badawy
- Formerly School of Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Western Avenue, Cardiff CF5 2YB, Wales, U.K
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10
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Roles of RNA-binding proteins in immune diseases and cancer. Semin Cancer Biol 2022; 86:310-324. [PMID: 35351611 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2022.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Revised: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Genetic information that is transcribed from DNA to mRNA, and then translated from mRNA to protein, is regulated by complex and sophisticated post-transcriptional mechanisms. Recently, it has become clear that mRNA degradation not only acts to remove unnecessary mRNA, but is also closely associated with the regulation of translation initiation, and is essential for maintaining cellular homeostasis. Various RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) have been reported to play central roles in the mechanisms of mRNA stability and translation initiation through various signal transduction pathways, and to modulate gene expression faster than the transcription process via post-transcriptional modifications in response to intracellular and extracellular stimuli, without de novo protein synthesis. On the other hand, inflammation is necessary for the elimination of pathogens associated with infection, and is tightly controlled to avoid the overexpression of inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF). It is increasingly becoming clear that RBPs play important roles in the post-transcriptional regulation of these immune responses. Furthermore, it has been shown that the aberrant regulation of RBPs leads to chronic inflammation and autoimmune diseases. Although it has been recognized since the time of Rudolf Virchow in the 19th century that cancer-associated inflammation contributes to tumor onset and progression, involvement of the disruption of the balance between anti-tumor immunity via the immune surveillance system and pro-tumor immunity by cancer-associated inflammation in the malignant transformation of cancer remains elusive. Recently, the dysregulated expression and activation of representative RBPs involved in regulation of the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines have been shown to be involved in tumor progression. In this review, we summarize the recent progress in our understanding of the functional roles of these RBPs in several types of immune responses, and the involvement of RBP dysregulation in the pathogenesis of immune diseases and cancer, and discuss possible therapeutic strategies against cancer by targeting RBPs, coupled with immunotherapy.
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11
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Shi D, Wu X, Jian Y, Wang J, Huang C, Mo S, Li Y, Li F, Zhang C, Zhang D, Zhang H, Huang H, Chen X, Wang YA, Lin C, Liu G, Song L, Liao W. USP14 promotes tryptophan metabolism and immune suppression by stabilizing IDO1 in colorectal cancer. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5644. [PMID: 36163134 PMCID: PMC9513055 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33285-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) is an attractive target for cancer immunotherapy. However, IDO1 inhibitors have shown disappointing therapeutic efficacy in clinical trials, mainly because of the activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). Here, we show a post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism of IDO1 regulated by a proteasome-associated deubiquitinating enzyme, USP14, in colorectal cancer (CRC). Overexpression of USP14 promotes tryptophan metabolism and T-cell dysfunction by stabilizing the IDO1 protein. Knockdown of USP14 or pharmacological targeting of USP14 decreases IDO1 expression, reverses suppression of cytotoxic T cells, and increases responsiveness to anti-PD-1 in a MC38 syngeneic mouse model. Importantly, suppression of USP14 has no effects on AhR activation induced by the IDO1 inhibitor. These findings highlight a relevant role of USP14 in post-translational regulation of IDO1 and in the suppression of antitumor immunity, suggesting that inhibition of USP14 may represent a promising strategy for CRC immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongni Shi
- Department of Experimental Research, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, 510060, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xianqiu Wu
- Department of Experimental Research, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, 510060, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, 510515, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yunting Jian
- Department of Experimental Research, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, 510060, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Pathology, Key Laboratory of Reproduction and Genetics of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, 510150, Guangzhou, China
| | - Junye Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, 510060, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chengmei Huang
- Department of Experimental Research, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, 510060, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, 510515, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shuang Mo
- Department of Biochemistry, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, 510080, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yue Li
- Department of Experimental Research, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, 510060, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fengtian Li
- Department of Experimental Research, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, 510060, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chao Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, 510060, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dongsheng Zhang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, 510060, Guangzhou, China
| | - Huizhong Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, 510060, Guangzhou, China
| | - Huilin Huang
- Department of Experimental Research, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, 510060, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xin Chen
- Key Laboratory of Protein Modification and Degradation, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Institute of Oncology, Tumor Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, 511436, Guangzhou, China
| | - Y Alan Wang
- Brown Center for Immunotherapy, Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Indianapolis, IN, 46202-3082, USA
| | - Chuyong Lin
- Department of Experimental Research, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, 510060, Guangzhou, China
| | - Guozhen Liu
- School of Life and Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 518172, Shenzhen, China.
| | - Libing Song
- Department of Experimental Research, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, 510060, Guangzhou, China.
- Key Laboratory of Protein Modification and Degradation, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Institute of Oncology, Tumor Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, 511436, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Wenting Liao
- Department of Experimental Research, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, 510060, Guangzhou, China.
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12
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Elucidation of an mTORC2-PKC-NRF2 pathway that sustains the ATF4 stress response and identification of Sirt5 as a key ATF4 effector. Cell Death Dis 2022; 8:357. [PMID: 35963851 PMCID: PMC9376072 DOI: 10.1038/s41420-022-01156-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Proliferating cancer cells are dependent on glutamine metabolism for survival when challenged with oxidative stresses caused by reactive oxygen species, hypoxia, nutrient deprivation and matrix detachment. ATF4, a key stress responsive transcription factor, is essential for cancer cells to sustain glutamine metabolism when challenged with these various types of stress. While it is well documented how the ATF4 transcript is translated into protein as a stress response, an important question concerns how the ATF4 message levels are sustained to enable cancer cells to survive the challenges of nutrient deprivation and damaging reactive oxygen species. Here, we now identify the pathway in triple negative breast cancer cells that provides a sustained ATF4 response and enables their survival when encountering these challenges. This signaling pathway starts with mTORC2, which upon sensing cellular stresses arising from glutamine deprivation or an acute inhibition of glutamine metabolism, initiates a cascade of events that triggers an increase in ATF4 transcription. Surprisingly, this signaling pathway is not dependent on AKT activation, but rather requires the mTORC2 target, PKC, which activates the transcription factor Nrf2 that then induces ATF4 expression. Additionally, we identify a sirtuin family member, the NAD+-dependent de-succinylase Sirt5, as a key transcriptional target for ATF4 that promotes cancer cell survival during metabolic stress. Sirt5 plays fundamental roles in supporting cancer cell metabolism by regulating various enzymatic activities and by protecting an enzyme essential for glutaminolysis, glutaminase C (GAC), from degradation. We demonstrate that ectopic expression of Sirt5 compensates for knockdowns of ATF4 in cells exposed to glutamine deprivation-induced stress. These findings provide important new insights into the signaling cues that lead to sustained ATF4 expression as a general stress-induced regulator of glutamine metabolism, as well as highlight Sirt5 an essential effector of the ATF4 response to metabolic stress.
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13
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Cao S, Hung YW, Wang YC, Chung Y, Qi Y, Ouyang C, Zhong X, Hu W, Coblentz A, Maghami E, Sun Z, Lin HH, Ann DK. Glutamine is essential for overcoming the immunosuppressive microenvironment in malignant salivary gland tumors. Theranostics 2022; 12:6038-6056. [PMID: 35966597 PMCID: PMC9373812 DOI: 10.7150/thno.73896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Rationale: Immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment (TME) is key to the pathogenesis of solid tumors. Tumor cell-intrinsic autophagy is critical for sustaining both tumor cell metabolism and survival. However, the role of autophagy in the host immune system that allows cancer cells to escape immune destruction remains poorly understood. Here, we determined if attenuated host autophagy is sufficient to induce tumor rejection through reinforced adaptive immunity. Furthermore, we determined whether dietary glutamine supplementation, mimicking attenuated host autophagy, is capable of promoting antitumor immunity. Methods: A syngeneic orthotopic tumor model in Atg5+/+ and Atg5flox/flox mice was established to determine the impact of host autophagy on the antitumor effects against mouse malignant salivary gland tumors (MSTs). Multiple cohorts of immunocompetent mice were used for oncoimmunology studies, including inflammatory cytokine levels, macrophage, CD4+, and CD8+ cells tumor infiltration at 14 days and 28 days after MST inoculation. In vitro differentiation and in vivo dietary glutamine supplementation were used to assess the effects of glutamine on Treg differentiation and tumor expansion. Results: We showed that mice deficient in the essential autophagy gene, Atg5, rejected orthotopic allografts of isogenic MST cells. An enhanced antitumor immune response evidenced by reduction of both M1 and M2 macrophages, increased infiltration of CD8+ T cells, elevated IFN-γ production, as well as decreased inhibitory Tregs within TME and spleens of tumor-bearing Atg5flox/flox mice. Mechanistically, ATG5 deficiency increased glutamine level in tumors. We further demonstrated that dietary glutamine supplementation partially increased glutamine levels and restored potent antitumor responses in Atg5+/+ mice. Conclusions: Dietary glutamine supplementation exposes a previously undefined difference in plasticity between cancer cells, cytotoxic CD8+ T cells and Tregs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuting Cao
- Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, 91010, USA
| | - Yu-Wen Hung
- Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, 91010, USA
| | - Yi-Chang Wang
- Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, 91010, USA
| | - Yiyin Chung
- Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, 91010, USA
| | - Yue Qi
- Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, 91010, USA
| | - Ching Ouyang
- Department of Computational and Quantitative Medicine, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Xiancai Zhong
- Department of Immunology and Theranostics, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Weidong Hu
- Department of Immunology and Theranostics, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Alaysia Coblentz
- Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, 91010, USA
| | - Ellie Maghami
- Division of Head and Neck Surgery, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Zuoming Sun
- Department of Immunology and Theranostics, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
- Irell & Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - H. Helen Lin
- Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, 91010, USA
| | - David K. Ann
- Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, 91010, USA
- Irell & Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
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14
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Chang MT, Shanahan F, Nguyen TTT, Staben ST, Gazzard L, Yamazoe S, Wertz IE, Piskol R, Yang YA, Modrusan Z, Haley B, Evangelista M, Malek S, Foster SA, Ye X. Identifying transcriptional programs underlying cancer drug response with TraCe-seq. Nat Biotechnol 2022; 40:86-93. [PMID: 34531539 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-021-01005-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Genetic and non-genetic heterogeneity within cancer cell populations represent major challenges to anticancer therapies. We currently lack robust methods to determine how preexisting and adaptive features affect cellular responses to therapies. Here, by conducting clonal fitness mapping and transcriptional characterization using expressed barcodes and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), we have developed tracking differential clonal response by scRNA-seq (TraCe-seq). TraCe-seq is a method that captures at clonal resolution the origin, fate and differential early adaptive transcriptional programs of cells in a complex population in response to distinct treatments. We used TraCe-seq to benchmark how next-generation dual epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor-degraders compare to standard EGFR kinase inhibitors in EGFR-mutant lung cancer cells. We identified a loss of antigrowth activity associated with targeted degradation of EGFR protein and an essential role of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) protein processing pathway in anti-EGFR therapeutic efficacy. Our results suggest that targeted degradation is not always superior to enzymatic inhibition and establish TraCe-seq as an approach to study how preexisting transcriptional programs affect treatment responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew T Chang
- Department of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Discovery Oncology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Frances Shanahan
- Department of Discovery Oncology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Thi Thu Thao Nguyen
- Department of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Steven T Staben
- Department of Discovery Chemistry, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Lewis Gazzard
- Department of Discovery Chemistry, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Sayumi Yamazoe
- Department of Discovery Chemistry, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
- Discovery Biotherapeutics, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Redwood City, CA, USA
| | - Ingrid E Wertz
- Department of Discovery Oncology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Early Discovery Biochemistry, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Robert Piskol
- Department of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Yeqing Angela Yang
- Department of Microchemistry, Proteomics and Lipidomics, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Zora Modrusan
- Department of Microchemistry, Proteomics and Lipidomics, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Benjamin Haley
- Department of Molecular Biology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Marie Evangelista
- Department of Discovery Oncology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Shiva Malek
- Department of Discovery Oncology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Scott A Foster
- Department of Discovery Oncology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Xin Ye
- Department of Discovery Oncology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA.
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15
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Liang H, Li T, Fang X, Xing Z, Zhang S, Shi L, Li W, Guo L, Kuang C, Liu H, Yang Q. IDO1/TDO dual inhibitor RY103 targets Kyn-AhR pathway and exhibits preclinical efficacy on pancreatic cancer. Cancer Lett 2021; 522:32-43. [PMID: 34520819 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2021.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) catalyzing the conversion of tryptophan (Trp) to kynurenine (Kyn) in kynurenine pathway (KP) is involved in the immunosuppression in pancreatic cancer (PC), but the value of IDO1 as an independent prognostic marker for PC is uncertain. Moreover, the correlation between tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO), an isozyme of IDO1, and PC is largely unknown. Using TCGA database, the correlation between IDO1 and/or TDO expression and PC patients' survival was analyzed. The expressions of IDO1 and TDO in PC cells and PC mice were examined. The effects of IDO1, TDO or dual inhibition on IDO1 and TDO effector pathway (Aryl hydrocarbon receptor, AhR) and on migration and invasion of PC cells were investigated. The block effect of IDO1/TDO dual inhibitor RY103 on KP was evaluated. The preclinical efficacy of RY103 and its immunomodulatory effect on KPIC orthotopic PC mice and Pan02 tumor-bearing mice were explored. Results showed that IDO1/TDO co-expression is an independent prognostic marker for PC. RY103 can significantly block KP and target Kyn-AhR pathway to blunt the migration and invasion of PC cells, exhibit preclinical efficacy and ameliorate IDO1/TDO-mediated immunosuppression in PC mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heng Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Songhu Road 2005, Shanghai, 200438, China.
| | - Tianqi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Songhu Road 2005, Shanghai, 200438, China.
| | - Xin Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Songhu Road 2005, Shanghai, 200438, China.
| | - Zikang Xing
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Songhu Road 2005, Shanghai, 200438, China.
| | - Shengnan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Songhu Road 2005, Shanghai, 200438, China.
| | - Lei Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Songhu Road 2005, Shanghai, 200438, China.
| | - Weirui Li
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Songhu Road 2005, Shanghai, 200438, China.
| | - Leilei Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Songhu Road 2005, Shanghai, 200438, China.
| | - Chunxiang Kuang
- Shanghai Key Lab of Chemical Assessment and Sustainability, School of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Siping Road 1239, Shanghai, 200092, China.
| | - Hongrui Liu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Zhangheng Road 826, Shanghai, 201203, China.
| | - Qing Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Songhu Road 2005, Shanghai, 200438, China.
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16
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Gauthier-Coles G, Vennitti J, Zhang Z, Comb WC, Xing S, Javed K, Bröer A, Bröer S. Quantitative modelling of amino acid transport and homeostasis in mammalian cells. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5282. [PMID: 34489418 PMCID: PMC8421413 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25563-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Homeostasis is one of the fundamental concepts in physiology. Despite remarkable progress in our molecular understanding of amino acid transport, metabolism and signaling, it remains unclear by what mechanisms cytosolic amino acid concentrations are maintained. We propose that amino acid transporters are the primary determinants of intracellular amino acid levels. We show that a cell’s endowment with amino acid transporters can be deconvoluted experimentally and used this data to computationally simulate amino acid translocation across the plasma membrane. Transport simulation generates cytosolic amino acid concentrations that are close to those observed in vitro. Perturbations of the system are replicated in silico and can be applied to systems where only transcriptomic data are available. This work explains amino acid homeostasis at the systems-level, through a combination of secondary active transporters, functionally acting as loaders, harmonizers and controller transporters to generate a stable equilibrium of all amino acid concentrations. Cytosolic amino acid concentrations are carefully maintained, but how homeostasis occurs is unclear. Here, the authors show that amino acid transporters primarily determine intracellular amino acid levels and develop a model that predicts a perturbation response similar to experimental data.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jade Vennitti
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Zhiduo Zhang
- Division of Genome Science and Cancer, ACRF INCITe Centre - ANU Node, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | | | | | - Kiran Javed
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Angelika Bröer
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Stefan Bröer
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
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17
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Ye D, Xu H, Xia H, Zhang C, Tang Q, Bi F. Targeting SERT promotes tryptophan metabolism: mechanisms and implications in colon cancer treatment. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2021; 40:173. [PMID: 34006301 PMCID: PMC8132442 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-021-01971-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Serotonin signaling has been associated with tumorigenesis and tumor progression. Targeting the serotonin transporter to block serotonin cellular uptake confers antineoplastic effects in various tumors, including colon cancer. However, the antineoplastic mechanism of serotonin transporter inhibition and serotonin metabolism alterations in the absence of serotonin transporter have not been elucidated, especially in colon cancer, which might limit anti-tumor effects associating with targeting serotonin transporter. Methods The promotion in the uptake and catabolism of extracellular tryptophan and targeting serotonin transporter was detected by using quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, western blotting and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Western blotting Immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence was utilized to research the serotonylation of mTOR by serotonin and serotonin transporter inhibition. The primary mouse model, homograft model and tissue microarry was used to explore the tryptophan pathway in colon cancer. The cell viability assay, western blotting, xenograft and primary colon cancer mouse model were used to identify whether the combination of sertraline and tryptophan restriction had a synergistic effect. Results Targeting serotonin transporter through genetic ablation or pharmacological inhibition in vitro and in vivo induced a compensatory effect by promoting the uptake and catabolism of extracellular tryptophan in colon cancer. Mechanistically, targeting serotonin transporter suppressed mTOR serotonylation, leading to mTOR inactivation and increased tryptophan uptake. In turn, this process promoted serotonin biosynthesis and oncogenic metabolite kynurenine production through enhanced tryptophan catabolism. Tryptophan deprivation, or blocking its uptake by using trametinib, a MEK inhibitor, can sensitize colon cancer to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Conclusions The present study elucidated a novel feedback mechanism involved in the regulation of serotonin homeostasis and suggested innovative strategies for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors-based treatment of colon cancer. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13046-021-01971-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Ye
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Center and Laboratory of Molecular, Targeted Therapy in Oncology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Huanji Xu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Center and Laboratory of Molecular, Targeted Therapy in Oncology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Hongwei Xia
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Center and Laboratory of Molecular, Targeted Therapy in Oncology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Chenliang Zhang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Center and Laboratory of Molecular, Targeted Therapy in Oncology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Qiulin Tang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Center and Laboratory of Molecular, Targeted Therapy in Oncology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Feng Bi
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Center and Laboratory of Molecular, Targeted Therapy in Oncology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan Province, China.
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18
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Crump NT, Hadjinicolaou AV, Xia M, Walsby-Tickle J, Gileadi U, Chen JL, Setshedi M, Olsen LR, Lau IJ, Godfrey L, Quek L, Yu Z, Ballabio E, Barnkob MB, Napolitani G, Salio M, Koohy H, Kessler BM, Taylor S, Vyas P, McCullagh JSO, Milne TA, Cerundolo V. Chromatin accessibility governs the differential response of cancer and T cells to arginine starvation. Cell Rep 2021; 35:109101. [PMID: 33979616 PMCID: PMC8131582 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Depleting the microenvironment of important nutrients such as arginine is a key strategy for immune evasion by cancer cells. Many tumors overexpress arginase, but it is unclear how these cancers, but not T cells, tolerate arginine depletion. In this study, we show that tumor cells synthesize arginine from citrulline by upregulating argininosuccinate synthetase 1 (ASS1). Under arginine starvation, ASS1 transcription is induced by ATF4 and CEBPβ binding to an enhancer within ASS1. T cells cannot induce ASS1, despite the presence of active ATF4 and CEBPβ, as the gene is repressed. Arginine starvation drives global chromatin compaction and repressive histone methylation, which disrupts ATF4/CEBPβ binding and target gene transcription. We find that T cell activation is impaired in arginine-depleted conditions, with significant metabolic perturbation linked to incomplete chromatin remodeling and misregulation of key genes. Our results highlight a T cell behavior mediated by nutritional stress, exploited by cancer cells to enable pathological immune evasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas T Crump
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre Haematology Theme, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Andreas V Hadjinicolaou
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Meng Xia
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
| | - John Walsby-Tickle
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK
| | - Uzi Gileadi
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Ji-Li Chen
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Mashiko Setshedi
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Lars R Olsen
- Section for Bioinformatics, DTU Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - I-Jun Lau
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre Haematology Theme, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Laura Godfrey
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre Haematology Theme, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Lynn Quek
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King's College London, SGDP Centre, Memory Lane, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Zhanru Yu
- Target Discovery Institute, Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - Erica Ballabio
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre Haematology Theme, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Mike B Barnkob
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Giorgio Napolitani
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Mariolina Salio
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Hashem Koohy
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Benedikt M Kessler
- Target Discovery Institute, Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - Stephen Taylor
- MRC WIMM Centre for Computational Biology, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Paresh Vyas
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre Haematology Theme, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
| | - James S O McCullagh
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK
| | - Thomas A Milne
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre Haematology Theme, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK.
| | - Vincenzo Cerundolo
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
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19
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Bartok O, Pataskar A, Nagel R, Laos M, Goldfarb E, Hayoun D, Levy R, Körner PR, Kreuger IZM, Champagne J, Zaal EA, Bleijerveld OB, Huang X, Kenski J, Wargo J, Brandis A, Levin Y, Mizrahi O, Alon M, Lebon S, Yang W, Nielsen MM, Stern-Ginossar N, Altelaar M, Berkers CR, Geiger T, Peeper DS, Olweus J, Samuels Y, Agami R. Anti-tumour immunity induces aberrant peptide presentation in melanoma. Nature 2021; 590:332-337. [PMID: 33328638 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-03054-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Extensive tumour inflammation, which is reflected by high levels of infiltrating T cells and interferon-γ (IFNγ) signalling, improves the response of patients with melanoma to checkpoint immunotherapy1,2. Many tumours, however, escape by activating cellular pathways that lead to immunosuppression. One such mechanism is the production of tryptophan metabolites along the kynurenine pathway by the enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1), which is induced by IFNγ3-5. However, clinical trials using inhibition of IDO1 in combination with blockade of the PD1 pathway in patients with melanoma did not improve the efficacy of treatment compared to PD1 pathway blockade alone6,7, pointing to an incomplete understanding of the role of IDO1 and the consequent degradation of tryptophan in mRNA translation and cancer progression. Here we used ribosome profiling in melanoma cells to investigate the effects of prolonged IFNγ treatment on mRNA translation. Notably, we observed accumulations of ribosomes downstream of tryptophan codons, along with their expected stalling at the tryptophan codon. This suggested that ribosomes bypass tryptophan codons in the absence of tryptophan. A detailed examination of these tryptophan-associated accumulations of ribosomes-which we term 'W-bumps'-showed that they were characterized by ribosomal frameshifting events. Consistently, reporter assays combined with proteomic and immunopeptidomic analyses demonstrated the induction of ribosomal frameshifting, and the generation and presentation of aberrant trans-frame peptides at the cell surface after treatment with IFNγ. Priming of naive T cells from healthy donors with aberrant peptides induced peptide-specific T cells. Together, our results suggest that IDO1-mediated depletion of tryptophan, which is induced by IFNγ, has a role in the immune recognition of melanoma cells by contributing to diversification of the peptidome landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osnat Bartok
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Abhijeet Pataskar
- Division of Oncogenomics, Oncode Institute, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Remco Nagel
- Division of Oncogenomics, Oncode Institute, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Maarja Laos
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway.,Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Eden Goldfarb
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Deborah Hayoun
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Ronen Levy
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Pierre-Rene Körner
- Division of Oncogenomics, Oncode Institute, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Inger Z M Kreuger
- Division of Oncogenomics, Oncode Institute, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Julien Champagne
- Division of Oncogenomics, Oncode Institute, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Esther A Zaal
- Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University and Netherlands Proteomics Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Onno B Bleijerveld
- Proteomics Facility, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Xinyao Huang
- Division of Molecular Oncology and Immunology, Oncode Institute, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Juliana Kenski
- Division of Molecular Oncology and Immunology, Oncode Institute, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jennifer Wargo
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.,Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Alexander Brandis
- Life Sciences Core Facilities, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yishai Levin
- The Nancy and Stephen Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Orel Mizrahi
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Michal Alon
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Sacha Lebon
- Department of Biological Regulation, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Weiwen Yang
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway.,Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Morten M Nielsen
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway.,Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Noam Stern-Ginossar
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Maarten Altelaar
- Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University and Netherlands Proteomics Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Proteomics Facility, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Celia R Berkers
- Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University and Netherlands Proteomics Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Tamar Geiger
- Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Daniel S Peeper
- Division of Molecular Oncology and Immunology, Oncode Institute, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Johanna Olweus
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway.,Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Yardena Samuels
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
| | - Reuven Agami
- Division of Oncogenomics, Oncode Institute, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. .,Erasmus MC, Rotterdam University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
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20
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Liu XH, Zhai XY. Role of tryptophan metabolism in cancers and therapeutic implications. Biochimie 2021; 182:131-139. [PMID: 33460767 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2021.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Revised: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Tryptophan (Trp) metabolism is associated with diverse biological processes, including nerve conduction, inflammation, and the immune response. The majority of free Trp is broken down through the kynurenine (Kyn) pathway (KP), in which indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) and tryptophan-2,3-dioxygenase (TDO) catalyze the rate-limiting step. Clinical studies have demonstrated that Trp metabolism promotes tumor progression due to modulation of the immunosuppressive microenvironment through multiple mechanisms. In this process, IDO-expressing dendritic cells (DCs) exhibit tolerogenic potential and orchestrate T cell immune responses. Various signaling molecules control IDO expression, initiating the immunoregulatory pathway of Trp catabolism. Based on these characteristics, KP enzymes and catabolites are emerging as significant prognostic indicators and potential therapeutic targets of cancer. The physiological and oncologic roles of Trp metabolism are briefly summarized here, along with great challenges for treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Han Liu
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Basic Medical College, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China
| | - Xiao-Yue Zhai
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Basic Medical College, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China.
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21
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Cormerais Y, Vučetić M, Parks SK, Pouyssegur J. Amino Acid Transporters Are a Vital Focal Point in the Control of mTORC1 Signaling and Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 22:E23. [PMID: 33375025 PMCID: PMC7792758 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22010023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Revised: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) integrates signals from growth factors and nutrients to control biosynthetic processes, including protein, lipid, and nucleic acid synthesis. Dysregulation in the mTORC1 network underlies a wide array of pathological states, including metabolic diseases, neurological disorders, and cancer. Tumor cells are characterized by uncontrolled growth and proliferation due to a reduced dependency on exogenous growth factors. The genetic events underlying this property, such as mutations in the PI3K-Akt and Ras-Erk signaling networks, lead to constitutive activation of mTORC1 in nearly all human cancer lineages. Aberrant activation of mTORC1 has been shown to play a key role for both anabolic tumor growth and resistance to targeted therapeutics. While displaying a growth factor-independent mTORC1 activity and proliferation, tumors cells remain dependent on exogenous nutrients such as amino acids (AAs). AAs are an essential class of nutrients that are obligatory for the survival of any cell. Known as the building blocks of proteins, AAs also act as essential metabolites for numerous biosynthetic processes such as fatty acids, membrane lipids and nucleotides synthesis, as well as for maintaining redox homeostasis. In most tumor types, mTORC1 activity is particularly sensitive to intracellular AA levels. This dependency, therefore, creates a targetable vulnerability point as cancer cells become dependent on AA transporters to sustain their homeostasis. The following review will discuss the role of AA transporters for mTORC1 signaling in cancer cells and their potential as therapeutic drug targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yann Cormerais
- Department of Molecular Metabolism, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Milica Vučetić
- Department of Medical Biology, Centre Scientifique de Monaco (CSM), 98000 Monaco, Monaco; (M.V.); (S.K.P.)
| | - Scott K. Parks
- Department of Medical Biology, Centre Scientifique de Monaco (CSM), 98000 Monaco, Monaco; (M.V.); (S.K.P.)
| | - Jacques Pouyssegur
- Department of Medical Biology, Centre Scientifique de Monaco (CSM), 98000 Monaco, Monaco; (M.V.); (S.K.P.)
- CNRS, INSERM, Centre A. Lacassagne, Faculté de Médecine (IRCAN), Université Côte d’Azur, 06107 Nice, France
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22
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Yokosawa T, Sato A, Wakasugi K. Tryptophan Depletion Modulates Tryptophanyl-tRNA Synthetase-Mediated High-Affinity Tryptophan Uptake into Human Cells. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:genes11121423. [PMID: 33261077 PMCID: PMC7760169 DOI: 10.3390/genes11121423] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Revised: 11/07/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The novel high-affinity tryptophan (Trp)-selective transport system is present at elevated levels in human interferon-γ (IFN-γ)-treated and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1)-expressing cells. High-affinity Trp uptake into cells results in extracellular Trp depletion and immune suppression. We have previously shown that both IDO1 and tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase (TrpRS), whose expression levels are increased by IFN-γ, have a crucial function in high-affinity Trp uptake into human cells. Here, we aimed to elucidate the relationship between TrpRS and IDO1 in high-affinity Trp uptake. We demonstrated that overexpression of IDO1 in HeLa cells drastically enhances high-affinity Trp uptake upon addition of purified TrpRS protein to uptake assay buffer. We also clarified that high-affinity Trp uptake by Trp-starved cells is significantly enhanced by the addition of TrpRS protein to the assay buffer. Moreover, we showed that high-affinity Trp uptake is also markedly elevated by the addition of TrpRS protein to the assay buffer of cells overexpressing another Trp-metabolizing enzyme, tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO2). Taken together, we conclude that Trp deficiency is crucial for high-affinity Trp uptake mediated by extracellular TrpRS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takumi Yokosawa
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan;
| | - Aomi Sato
- Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan;
| | - Keisuke Wakasugi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan;
- Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +81-3-5454-4392
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23
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Dehhaghi M, Kazemi Shariat Panahi H, Heng B, Guillemin GJ. The Gut Microbiota, Kynurenine Pathway, and Immune System Interaction in the Development of Brain Cancer. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:562812. [PMID: 33330446 PMCID: PMC7710763 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.562812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Human gut microbiota contains a large, complex, dynamic microbial community of approximately 1014 microbes from more than 1,000 microbial species, i.e., equivalent to 4 × 106 genes. Numerous evidence links gut microbiota with human health and diseases. Importantly, gut microbiota is involved in the development and function of the brain through a bidirectional pathway termed as the gut-brain axis. Interaction between gut microbiota and immune responses can modulate the development of neuroinflammation and cancer diseases in the brain. With respect of brain cancer, gut microbiota could modify the levels of antioxidants, amyloid protein and lipopolysaccharides, arginase 1, arginine, cytochrome C, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor signaling (GM-CSF), IL-4, IL-6, IL-13, IL-17A, interferon gamma (IFN-γ), reactive oxygen species (ROS), reactive nitrogen species (e.g., nitric oxide and peroxynitrite), short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), tryptophan, and tumor necrosis factor-β (TGF-β). Through these modifications, gut microbiota can modulate apoptosis, the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), autophagy, caspases activation, DNA integrity, microglia dysbiosis, mitochondria permeability, T-cell proliferation and functions, the signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathways, and tumor cell proliferation and metastasis. The outcome of such interventions could be either oncolytic or oncogenic. This review scrutinizes the oncogenic and oncolytic effects of gut microbiota by classifying the modification mechanisms into (i) amino acid deprivation (arginine and tryptophan); (ii) kynurenine pathway; (iii) microglia dysbiosis; and (iv) myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). By delineating the complexity of the gut-microbiota-brain-cancer axis, this review aims to help the research on the development of novel therapeutic strategies that may aid the efficient eradication of brain cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona Dehhaghi
- Neuroinflammation Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Pandis Community, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Department of Microbial Biotechnology, School of Biology and Centre of Excellence in Phylogeny of Living Organisms, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamed Kazemi Shariat Panahi
- Neuroinflammation Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Department of Microbial Biotechnology, School of Biology and Centre of Excellence in Phylogeny of Living Organisms, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Benjamin Heng
- Neuroinflammation Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Gilles J Guillemin
- Neuroinflammation Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Pandis Community, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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24
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Schramme F, Crosignani S, Frederix K, Hoffmann D, Pilotte L, Stroobant V, Preillon J, Driessens G, Van den Eynde BJ. Inhibition of Tryptophan-Dioxygenase Activity Increases the Antitumor Efficacy of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors. Cancer Immunol Res 2019; 8:32-45. [PMID: 31806638 DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.cir-19-0041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Revised: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO) is an enzyme that degrades tryptophan into kynurenine and thereby induces immunosuppression. Like indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO1), TDO is considered as a relevant drug target to improve the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. However, its role in various immunotherapy settings has not been fully characterized. Here, we described a new small-molecule inhibitor of TDO that can modulate kynurenine and tryptophan in plasma, liver, and tumor tissue upon oral administration. We showed that this compound improved the ability of anti-CTLA4 to induce rejection of CT26 tumors expressing TDO. To better characterize TDO as a therapeutic target, we used TDO-KO mice and found that anti-CTLA4 or anti-PD1 induced rejection of MC38 tumors in TDO-KO, but not in wild-type mice. As MC38 tumors did not express TDO, we related this result to the high systemic tryptophan levels in TDO-KO mice, which lack the hepatic TDO needed to contain blood tryptophan. The antitumor effectiveness of anti-PD1 was abolished in TDO-KO mice fed on a tryptophan-low diet that normalized their blood tryptophan level. MC38 tumors expressed IDO1, which could have limited the efficacy of anti-PD1 in wild-type mice and could have been overcome in TDO-KO mice due to the high levels of tryptophan. Accordingly, treatment of mice with an IDO1 inhibitor improved the efficacy of anti-PD1 in wild-type, but not in TDO-KO, mice. These results support the clinical development of TDO inhibitors to increase the efficacy of immunotherapy of TDO-expressing tumors and suggest their effectiveness even in the absence of tumoral TDO expression.See article by Hoffmann et al., p. 19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florence Schramme
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Brussels, Belgium.,de Duve Institute, UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | | | - Delia Hoffmann
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Brussels, Belgium.,de Duve Institute, UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Luc Pilotte
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Brussels, Belgium.,de Duve Institute, UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Vincent Stroobant
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Brussels, Belgium.,de Duve Institute, UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | | | - Benoit J Van den Eynde
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Brussels, Belgium. .,de Duve Institute, UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium.,Walloon Excellence in Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Brussels, Belgium
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25
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Venkateswaran N, Lafita-Navarro MC, Hao YH, Kilgore JA, Perez-Castro L, Braverman J, Borenstein-Auerbach N, Kim M, Lesner NP, Mishra P, Brabletz T, Shay JW, DeBerardinis RJ, Williams NS, Yilmaz OH, Conacci-Sorrell M. MYC promotes tryptophan uptake and metabolism by the kynurenine pathway in colon cancer. Genes Dev 2019; 33:1236-1251. [PMID: 31416966 PMCID: PMC6719621 DOI: 10.1101/gad.327056.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Accepted: 07/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Tumors display increased uptake and processing of nutrients to fulfill the demands of rapidly proliferating cancer cells. Seminal studies have shown that the proto-oncogene MYC promotes metabolic reprogramming by altering glutamine uptake and metabolism in cancer cells. How MYC regulates the metabolism of other amino acids in cancer is not fully understood. Using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), we found that MYC increased intracellular levels of tryptophan and tryptophan metabolites in the kynurenine pathway. MYC induced the expression of the tryptophan transporters SLC7A5 and SLC1A5 and the enzyme arylformamidase (AFMID), involved in the conversion of tryptophan into kynurenine. SLC7A5, SLC1A5, and AFMID were elevated in colon cancer cells and tissues, and kynurenine was significantly greater in tumor samples than in the respective adjacent normal tissue from patients with colon cancer. Compared with normal human colonic epithelial cells, colon cancer cells were more sensitive to the depletion of tryptophan. Blocking enzymes in the kynurenine pathway caused preferential death of established colon cancer cells and transformed colonic organoids. We found that only kynurenine and no other tryptophan metabolite promotes the nuclear translocation of the transcription factor aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR). Blocking the interaction between AHR and kynurenine with CH223191 reduced the proliferation of colon cancer cells. Therefore, we propose that limiting cellular kynurenine or its downstream targets could present a new strategy to reduce the proliferation of MYC-dependent cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niranjan Venkateswaran
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA
| | - M Carmen Lafita-Navarro
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA
| | - Yi-Heng Hao
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA
| | - Jessica A Kilgore
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA
| | - Lizbeth Perez-Castro
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA
| | - Jonathan Braverman
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - Nofit Borenstein-Auerbach
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA
| | - Min Kim
- Lydia Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA
| | - Nicholas P Lesner
- Children's Medical Center Research Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA
| | - Prashant Mishra
- Children's Medical Center Research Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA
| | - Thomas Brabletz
- Nikolaus-Fiebiger-Center for Molecular Medicine, University Erlangen-Nurnberg, Erlangen 91054, Germany
| | - Jerry W Shay
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA.,Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA
| | - Ralph J DeBerardinis
- Children's Medical Center Research Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA
| | - Noelle S Williams
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA
| | - Omer H Yilmaz
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.,Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA
| | - Maralice Conacci-Sorrell
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA.,Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA
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26
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Morotti M, Bridges E, Valli A, Choudhry H, Sheldon H, Wigfield S, Gray N, Zois CE, Grimm F, Jones D, Teoh EJ, Cheng WC, Lord S, Anastasiou D, Haider S, McIntyre A, Goberdhan DCI, Buffa F, Harris AL. Hypoxia-induced switch in SNAT2/SLC38A2 regulation generates endocrine resistance in breast cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:12452-12461. [PMID: 31152137 PMCID: PMC6589752 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1818521116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumor hypoxia is associated with poor patient outcomes in estrogen receptor-α-positive (ERα+) breast cancer. Hypoxia is known to affect tumor growth by reprogramming metabolism and regulating amino acid (AA) uptake. Here, we show that the glutamine transporter, SNAT2, is the AA transporter most frequently induced by hypoxia in breast cancer, and is regulated by hypoxia both in vitro and in vivo in xenografts. SNAT2 induction in MCF7 cells was also regulated by ERα, but it became predominantly a hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α)-dependent gene under hypoxia. Relevant to this, binding sites for both HIF-1α and ERα overlap in SNAT2's cis-regulatory elements. In addition, the down-regulation of SNAT2 by the ER antagonist fulvestrant was reverted in hypoxia. Overexpression of SNAT2 in vitro to recapitulate the levels induced by hypoxia caused enhanced growth, particularly after ERα inhibition, in hypoxia, or when glutamine levels were low. SNAT2 up-regulation in vivo caused complete resistance to antiestrogen and, partially, anti-VEGF therapies. Finally, high SNAT2 expression levels correlated with hypoxia profiles and worse outcome in patients given antiestrogen therapies. Our findings show a switch in the regulation of SNAT2 between ERα and HIF-1α, leading to endocrine resistance in hypoxia. Development of drugs targeting SNAT2 may be of value for a subset of hormone-resistant breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Morotti
- Hypoxia and Angiogenesis Group, Cancer Research UK Molecular Oncology Laboratories, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, United Kingdom;
| | - Esther Bridges
- Hypoxia and Angiogenesis Group, Cancer Research UK Molecular Oncology Laboratories, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, United Kingdom
| | - Alessandro Valli
- Hypoxia and Angiogenesis Group, Cancer Research UK Molecular Oncology Laboratories, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, United Kingdom
| | - Hani Choudhry
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah F6VM+J2, Saudi Arabia
| | - Helen Sheldon
- Hypoxia and Angiogenesis Group, Cancer Research UK Molecular Oncology Laboratories, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, United Kingdom
| | - Simon Wigfield
- Hypoxia and Angiogenesis Group, Cancer Research UK Molecular Oncology Laboratories, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, United Kingdom
| | - Nicki Gray
- Computational Biology Research Group, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, United Kingdom
| | - Christos E Zois
- Hypoxia and Angiogenesis Group, Cancer Research UK Molecular Oncology Laboratories, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, United Kingdom
| | - Fiona Grimm
- Cancer Metabolism Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1ST, United Kingdom
| | - Dylan Jones
- Hypoxia and Angiogenesis Group, Cancer Research UK Molecular Oncology Laboratories, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, United Kingdom
| | - Eugene J Teoh
- Hypoxia and Angiogenesis Group, Cancer Research UK Molecular Oncology Laboratories, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, United Kingdom
| | - Wei-Chen Cheng
- Computational Biology and Integrative Genomics, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, United Kingdom
| | - Simon Lord
- Hypoxia and Angiogenesis Group, Cancer Research UK Molecular Oncology Laboratories, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, United Kingdom
| | - Dimitrios Anastasiou
- Cancer Metabolism Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1ST, United Kingdom
| | - Syed Haider
- Computational Biology and Integrative Genomics, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, United Kingdom
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, Division of Breast Cancer Research, The Institute of Cancer Research, London SW7 3RP, United Kingdom
| | - Alan McIntyre
- Hypoxia and Angiogenesis Group, Cancer Research UK Molecular Oncology Laboratories, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, United Kingdom
- Cancer Biology, Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom
| | - Deborah C I Goberdhan
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, United Kingdom
| | - Francesca Buffa
- Computational Biology and Integrative Genomics, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, United Kingdom
| | - Adrian L Harris
- Hypoxia and Angiogenesis Group, Cancer Research UK Molecular Oncology Laboratories, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, United Kingdom;
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Selvarajah B, Azuelos I, Platé M, Guillotin D, Forty EJ, Contento G, Woodcock HV, Redding M, Taylor A, Brunori G, Durrenberger PF, Ronzoni R, Blanchard AD, Mercer PF, Anastasiou D, Chambers RC. mTORC1 amplifies the ATF4-dependent de novo serine-glycine pathway to supply glycine during TGF-β 1-induced collagen biosynthesis. Sci Signal 2019; 12:eaav3048. [PMID: 31113850 PMCID: PMC6584619 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.aav3048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The differentiation of fibroblasts into a transient population of highly activated, extracellular matrix (ECM)-producing myofibroblasts at sites of tissue injury is critical for normal tissue repair. Excessive myofibroblast accumulation and persistence, often as a result of a failure to undergo apoptosis when tissue repair is complete, lead to pathological fibrosis and are also features of the stromal response in cancer. Myofibroblast differentiation is accompanied by changes in cellular metabolism, including increased glycolysis, to meet the biosynthetic demands of enhanced ECM production. Here, we showed that transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), the key pro-fibrotic cytokine implicated in multiple fibrotic conditions, increased the production of activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), the transcriptional master regulator of amino acid metabolism, to supply glucose-derived glycine to meet the amino acid requirements associated with enhanced collagen production in response to myofibroblast differentiation. We further delineated the signaling pathways involved and showed that TGF-β1-induced ATF4 production depended on cooperation between canonical TGF-β1 signaling through Smad3 and activation of mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) and its downstream target eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1). ATF4, in turn, promoted the transcription of genes encoding enzymes of the de novo serine-glycine biosynthetic pathway and glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1). Our findings suggest that targeting the TGF-β1-mTORC1-ATF4 axis may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for interfering with myofibroblast function in fibrosis and potentially in other conditions, including cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brintha Selvarajah
- Centre for Inflammation and Tissue Repair, UCL Respiratory, Rayne Building, University College London, London WC1E 6JF, UK
| | - Ilan Azuelos
- Centre for Inflammation and Tissue Repair, UCL Respiratory, Rayne Building, University College London, London WC1E 6JF, UK
| | - Manuela Platé
- Centre for Inflammation and Tissue Repair, UCL Respiratory, Rayne Building, University College London, London WC1E 6JF, UK
| | - Delphine Guillotin
- Centre for Inflammation and Tissue Repair, UCL Respiratory, Rayne Building, University College London, London WC1E 6JF, UK
| | - Ellen J Forty
- Centre for Inflammation and Tissue Repair, UCL Respiratory, Rayne Building, University College London, London WC1E 6JF, UK
| | - Greg Contento
- Centre for Inflammation and Tissue Repair, UCL Respiratory, Rayne Building, University College London, London WC1E 6JF, UK
| | - Hannah V Woodcock
- Centre for Inflammation and Tissue Repair, UCL Respiratory, Rayne Building, University College London, London WC1E 6JF, UK
| | - Matthew Redding
- Centre for Inflammation and Tissue Repair, UCL Respiratory, Rayne Building, University College London, London WC1E 6JF, UK
| | - Adam Taylor
- Fibrosis Discovery Performance Unit, Respiratory Therapy Area, Medicines Research Centre, GlaxoSmithKline R&D, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Gino Brunori
- GlaxoSmithKline, David Jack Centre for R&D, Park Road, Ware, Hertfordshire, SG12 0DP, UK
| | - Pascal F Durrenberger
- Centre for Inflammation and Tissue Repair, UCL Respiratory, Rayne Building, University College London, London WC1E 6JF, UK
| | - Riccardo Ronzoni
- Centre for Respiratory Biology, UCL Respiratory, Rayne Building, University College London, London WC1E 6JF, UK
| | - Andy D Blanchard
- Fibrosis Discovery Performance Unit, Respiratory Therapy Area, Medicines Research Centre, GlaxoSmithKline R&D, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Paul F Mercer
- Centre for Inflammation and Tissue Repair, UCL Respiratory, Rayne Building, University College London, London WC1E 6JF, UK
| | | | - Rachel C Chambers
- Centre for Inflammation and Tissue Repair, UCL Respiratory, Rayne Building, University College London, London WC1E 6JF, UK.
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Hu X, Deng J, Yu T, Chen S, Ge Y, Zhou Z, Guo Y, Ying H, Zhai Q, Chen Y, Yuan F, Niu Y, Shu W, Chen H, Ma C, Liu Z, Guo F. ATF4 Deficiency Promotes Intestinal Inflammation in Mice by Reducing Uptake of Glutamine and Expression of Antimicrobial Peptides. Gastroenterology 2019; 156:1098-1111. [PMID: 30452920 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2018.11.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2018] [Revised: 11/08/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) regulates genes involved in the inflammatory response, amino acid metabolism, autophagy, and endoplasmic reticulum stress. We investigated whether its activity is altered in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) and mice with enterocolitis. METHODS We obtained biopsy samples during endoscopy from inflamed and/or uninflamed regions of the colon from 21 patients with active Crohn's disease (CD), 22 patients with active ulcerative colitis (UC), and 38 control individuals without IBD and of the ileum from 19 patients with active CD and 8 individuals without IBD in China. Mice with disruption of Atf4 specifically in intestinal epithelial cells (Atf4ΔIEC mice) and Atf4-floxed mice (controls) were given dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) to induce colitis. Some mice were given injections of recombinant defensin α1 (DEFA1) and supplementation of l-alanyl-glutamine or glutamine in drinking water. Human and mouse ileal and colon tissues were analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, immunoblots, and immunohistochemistry. Serum and intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) amino acids were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Levels of ATF4 were knocked down in IEC-18 cells with small interfering RNAs. Microbiomes were analyzed in ileal feces from mice by using 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing. RESULTS Levels of ATF4 were significantly decreased in inflamed intestinal mucosa from patients with active CD or active UC compared with those from uninflamed regions or intestinal mucosa from control individuals. ATF4 was also decreased in colonic epithelia from mice with colitis vs mice without colitis. Atf4ΔIEC mice developed spontaneous enterocolitis and colitis of greater severity than control mice after administration of DSS. Atf4ΔIEC mice had decreased serum levels of glutamine and reduced levels of antimicrobial peptides, such as Defa1, Defa4, Defa5, Camp, and Lyz1, in ileal Paneth cells. Atf4ΔIEC mice had alterations in ileal microbiomes compared with control mice; these changes were reversed by administration of glutamine. Injections of DEFA1 reduced the severity of spontaneous enteritis and DSS-induced colitis in Atf4ΔIEC mice. We found that expression of solute carrier family 1 member 5 (SLC1A5), a glutamine transporter, was directly regulated by ATF4 in cell lines. Overexpression of SLC1A5 in IEC-18 or primary IEC cells increased glutamine uptake and expression of antimicrobial peptides. Knockdown of ATF4 in IEC-18 cells increased expression of inflammatory cytokines, whereas overexpression of SLC1A5 in the knockdown cells reduced cytokine expression. Levels of SLC1A5 were decreased in inflamed intestinal mucosa of patients with CD and UC and correlated with levels of ATF4. CONCLUSIONS Levels of ATF4 are decreased in inflamed intestinal mucosa from patients with active CD or UC. In mice, ATF4 deficiency reduces glutamine uptake by intestinal epithelial cells and expression of antimicrobial peptides by decreasing transcription of Slc1a5. ATF4 might therefore be a target for the treatment of IBD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoming Hu
- Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiali Deng
- Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Tianming Yu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shanghai Chen
- Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yadong Ge
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ziheng Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yajie Guo
- Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Hao Ying
- Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Qiwei Zhai
- Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yan Chen
- Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Feixiang Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuguo Niu
- Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Weigang Shu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Huimin Chen
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Caiyun Ma
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhanju Liu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Feifan Guo
- Key Laboratory of Nutrition, Metabolism and Food Safety, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
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García-Jiménez C, Goding CR. Starvation and Pseudo-Starvation as Drivers of Cancer Metastasis through Translation Reprogramming. Cell Metab 2019; 29:254-267. [PMID: 30581118 PMCID: PMC6365217 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2018.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Considerable progress has been made in identifying microenvironmental signals that effect the reversible phenotypic transitions underpinning the early steps in the metastatic cascade. However, although the general principles underlying metastatic dissemination have been broadly outlined, a common theme that unifies many of the triggers of invasive behavior in tumors has yet to emerge. Here we discuss how many diverse signals that induce invasion converge on the reprogramming of protein translation via phosphorylation of eIF2α, a hallmark of the starvation response. These include starvation as a consequence of nutrient or oxygen limitation, or pseudo-starvation imposed by cell-extrinsic microenvironmental signals or by cell-intrinsic events, including oncogene activation. Since in response to resource limitation single-cell organisms undergo phenotypic transitions remarkably similar to those observed within tumors, we propose that a starvation/pseudo-starvation model to explain cancer progression provides an integrated and evolutionarily conserved conceptual framework to understand the progression of this complex disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Custodia García-Jiménez
- Area de Fisiología, Facultad de CC de la Salud, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Avenida Atenas s/n, Alcorcón, Madrid 28922, Spain
| | - Colin R Goding
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Old Road Campus, Headington, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK.
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30
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Badawy AAB. Tryptophan Metabolism: A Versatile Area Providing Multiple Targets for Pharmacological Intervention. EGYPTIAN JOURNAL OF BASIC AND CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY 2019; 9:10.32527/2019/101415. [PMID: 31105983 PMCID: PMC6520243 DOI: 10.32527/2019/101415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The essential amino acid L-tryptophan (Trp) undergoes extensive metabolism along several pathways, resulting in production of many biologically active metabolites which exert profound effects on physiological processes. The disturbance in Trp metabolism and disposition in many disease states provides a basis for exploring multiple targets for pharmaco-therapeutic interventions. In particular, the kynurenine pathway of Trp degradation is currently at the forefront of immunological research and immunotherapy. In this review, I shall consider mammalian Trp metabolism in health and disease and outline the intervention targets. It is hoped that this account will provide a stimulus for pharmacologists and others to conduct further studies in this rich area of biomedical research and therapeutics.
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31
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Raviram R, Rocha PP, Luo VM, Swanzey E, Miraldi ER, Chuong EB, Feschotte C, Bonneau R, Skok JA. Analysis of 3D genomic interactions identifies candidate host genes that transposable elements potentially regulate. Genome Biol 2018; 19:216. [PMID: 30541598 PMCID: PMC6292174 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-018-1598-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [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: 04/04/2018] [Accepted: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The organization of chromatin in the nucleus plays an essential role in gene regulation. About half of the mammalian genome comprises transposable elements. Given their repetitive nature, reads associated with these elements are generally discarded or randomly distributed among elements of the same type in genome-wide analyses. Thus, it is challenging to identify the activities and properties of individual transposons. As a result, we only have a partial understanding of how transposons contribute to chromatin folding and how they impact gene regulation. RESULTS Using PCR and Capture-based chromosome conformation capture (3C) approaches, collectively called 4Tran, we take advantage of the repetitive nature of transposons to capture interactions from multiple copies of endogenous retrovirus (ERVs) in the human and mouse genomes. With 4Tran-PCR, reads are selectively mapped to unique regions in the genome. This enables the identification of transposable element interaction profiles for individual ERV families and integration events specific to particular genomes. With this approach, we demonstrate that transposons engage in long-range intra-chromosomal interactions guided by the separation of chromosomes into A and B compartments as well as topologically associated domains (TADs). In contrast to 4Tran-PCR, Capture-4Tran can uniquely identify both ends of an interaction that involve retroviral repeat sequences, providing a powerful tool for uncovering the individual transposable element insertions that interact with and potentially regulate target genes. CONCLUSIONS 4Tran provides new insight into the manner in which transposons contribute to chromosome architecture and identifies target genes that transposable elements can potentially control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramya Raviram
- Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016 USA
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003 USA
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, La Jolla, CA USA
| | - Pedro P. Rocha
- Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016 USA
- Division of Developmental Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA
| | - Vincent M. Luo
- Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016 USA
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003 USA
| | - Emily Swanzey
- Department of Developmental Genetics, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016 USA
| | - Emily R. Miraldi
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003 USA
- Department of Computer Science, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York, NY 10003 USA
- Simons Center for Data Analysis, New York, NY 10010 USA
- Divisions of Immunobiology and Biomedical Informatics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Cincinnati, OH 45229 USA
| | - Edward B. Chuong
- BioFrontiers Institute, Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309 USA
| | - Cédric Feschotte
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850 USA
| | - Richard Bonneau
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003 USA
- Department of Computer Science, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York, NY 10003 USA
- Simons Center for Data Analysis, New York, NY 10010 USA
| | - Jane A. Skok
- Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016 USA
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Müller F, Sharma A, König J, Fromm MF. Biomarkers for In Vivo Assessment of Transporter Function. Pharmacol Rev 2018; 70:246-277. [PMID: 29487084 DOI: 10.1124/pr.116.013326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug-drug interactions are a major concern not only during clinical practice, but also in drug development. Due to limitations of in vitro-in vivo predictions of transporter-mediated drug-drug interactions, multiple clinical Phase I drug-drug interaction studies may become necessary for a new molecular entity to assess potential drug interaction liabilities. This is a resource-intensive process and exposes study participants, who frequently are healthy volunteers without benefit from study treatment, to the potential risks of a new drug in development. Therefore, there is currently a major interest in new approaches for better prediction of transporter-mediated drug-drug interactions. In particular, researchers in the field attempt to identify endogenous compounds as biomarkers for transporter function, such as hexadecanedioate, tetradecanedioate, coproporphyrins I and III, or glycochenodeoxycholate sulfate for hepatic uptake via organic anion transporting polypeptide 1B or N1-methylnicotinamide for multidrug and toxin extrusion protein-mediated renal secretion. We summarize in this review the currently proposed biomarkers and potential limitations of the substances identified to date. Moreover, we suggest criteria based on current experiences, which may be used to assess the suitability of a biomarker for transporter function. Finally, further alternatives and supplemental approaches to classic drug-drug interaction studies are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Müller
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany (F.M., J.K., M.F.F.); and Department of Translational Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach a.d. Riß, Germany (F.M., A.S.)
| | - Ashish Sharma
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany (F.M., J.K., M.F.F.); and Department of Translational Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach a.d. Riß, Germany (F.M., A.S.)
| | - Jörg König
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany (F.M., J.K., M.F.F.); and Department of Translational Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach a.d. Riß, Germany (F.M., A.S.)
| | - Martin F Fromm
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany (F.M., J.K., M.F.F.); and Department of Translational Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach a.d. Riß, Germany (F.M., A.S.)
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Tomek P, Gore SK, Potts CL, Print CG, Black MA, Hallermayr A, Kilian M, Sattlegger E, Ching LM. Imprinted and ancient gene: a potential mediator of cancer cell survival during tryptophan deprivation. Cell Commun Signal 2018; 16:88. [PMID: 30466445 PMCID: PMC6251197 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-018-0301-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2018] [Accepted: 11/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Depletion of tryptophan and the accumulation of tryptophan metabolites mediated by the immunosuppressive enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1), trigger immune cells to undergo apoptosis. However, cancer cells in the same microenvironment appear not to be affected. Mechanisms whereby cancer cells resist accelerated tryptophan degradation are not completely understood. We hypothesize that cancer cells co-opt IMPACT (the product of IMPrinted and AnCienT gene), to withstand periods of tryptophan deficiency. METHODS A range of bioinformatic techniques including correlation and gene set variation analyses was applied to genomic datasets of cancer (The Cancer Genome Atlas) and normal (Genotype Tissue Expression Project) tissues to investigate IMPACT's role in cancer. Survival of IMPACT-overexpressing GL261 glioma cells and their wild type counterparts cultured in low tryptophan media was assessed using fluorescence microscopy and MTT bio-reduction assay. Expression of the Integrated Stress Response proteins was measured using Western blotting. RESULTS We found IMPACT to be upregulated and frequently amplified in a broad range of clinical cancers relative to their non-malignant tissue counterparts. In a subset of clinical cancers, high IMPACT expression associated with decreased activity of pathways and genes involved in stress response and with increased activity of translational regulation such as the mTOR pathway. Experimental studies using the GL261 glioma line showed that cells engineered to overexpress IMPACT, gained a survival advantage over wild-type lines when cultured under limiting tryptophan concentrations. No significant difference in the expression of proteins in the Integrated Stress Response pathway was detected in tryptophan-deprived GL261 IMPACT-overexpressors compared to that in wild-type cells. IMPACT-overexpressing GL261 cells but not their wild-type counterparts, showed marked enlargement of their nuclei and cytoplasmic area when stressed by tryptophan deprivation. CONCLUSIONS The bioinformatics data together with our laboratory studies, support the hypothesis that IMPACT mediates a protective mechanism allowing cancer cells to overcome microenvironmental stresses such as tryptophan deficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petr Tomek
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Shanti K. Gore
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Chloe L. Potts
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Cristin G. Print
- Department of Molecular Medicine & Pathology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Michael A. Black
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Ariane Hallermayr
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Medical Genetics Center (MGZ), Munich, Germany
| | - Michael Kilian
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Evelyn Sattlegger
- Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Lai-Ming Ching
- Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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34
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Adam I, Dewi DL, Mooiweer J, Sadik A, Mohapatra SR, Berdel B, Keil M, Sonner JK, Thedieck K, Rose AJ, Platten M, Heiland I, Trump S, Opitz CA. Upregulation of tryptophanyl-tRNA synthethase adapts human cancer cells to nutritional stress caused by tryptophan degradation. Oncoimmunology 2018; 7:e1486353. [PMID: 30524887 PMCID: PMC6279332 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2018.1486353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2018] [Revised: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 06/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Tryptophan (Trp) metabolism is an important target in immuno-oncology as it represents a powerful immunosuppressive mechanism hijacked by tumors for protection against immune destruction. However, it remains unclear how tumor cells can proliferate while degrading the essential amino acid Trp. Trp is incorporated into proteins after it is attached to its tRNA by tryptophanyl-tRNA synthestases. As the tryptophanyl-tRNA synthestases compete for Trp with the Trp-catabolizing enzymes, the balance between these enzymes will determine whether Trp is used for protein synthesis or is degraded. In human cancers expression of the Trp-degrading enzymes indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase-1 (IDO1) and tryptophan-2,3-dioxygenase (TDO2) was positively associated with the expression of the tryptophanyl-tRNA synthestase WARS. One mechanism underlying the association between IDO1 and WARS identified in this study is their joint induction by IFNγ released from tumor-infiltrating T cells. Moreover, we show here that IDO1- and TDO2-mediated Trp deprivation upregulates WARS expression by activating the general control non-derepressible-2 (GCN2) kinase, leading to phosphorylation of the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α (eIF2α) and induction of activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4). Trp deprivation induced cytoplasmic WARS expression but did not increase nuclear or extracellular WARS levels. GCN2 protected the cells against the effects of Trp starvation and enabled them to quickly make use of Trp for proliferation once it was replenished. Computational modeling of Trp metabolism revealed that Trp deficiency shifted Trp flux towards WARS and protein synthesis. Our data therefore suggest that the upregulation of WARS via IFNγ and/or GCN2-peIF2α-ATF4 signaling protects Trp-degrading cancer cells from excessive intracellular Trp depletion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabell Adam
- Brain Cancer Metabolism Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Dyah L Dewi
- Brain Cancer Metabolism Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Joram Mooiweer
- Brain Cancer Metabolism Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ahmed Sadik
- Brain Cancer Metabolism Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Soumya R Mohapatra
- Brain Cancer Metabolism Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Bianca Berdel
- Brain Cancer Metabolism Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Melanie Keil
- DKTK Clinical Cooperation Unit Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jana K Sonner
- DKTK Clinical Cooperation Unit Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kathrin Thedieck
- Laboratory of Pediatrics, Section Systems Medicine of Metabolism and Signalling, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.,Department for Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Adam J Rose
- Nutrient Metabolism and Signalling Lab, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Michael Platten
- DKTK Clinical Cooperation Unit Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.,Department of Neurology, University Hospital and Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Ines Heiland
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Saskia Trump
- Department of Environmental Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christiane A Opitz
- Brain Cancer Metabolism Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.,Neurology Clinic and National Center for Tumor Diseases, University Hospital of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
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Badawy AAB. Targeting tryptophan availability to tumors: the answer to immune escape? Immunol Cell Biol 2018; 96:1026-1034. [PMID: 29888434 DOI: 10.1111/imcb.12168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2018] [Revised: 05/12/2018] [Accepted: 05/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Tumoral immune escape is an obstacle to successful cancer therapy. Tryptophan (Trp) metabolites along the kynurenine pathway induce immunosuppression involving apoptosis of effector immune cells, which tumors use to escape an immune response. Production of these metabolites is initiated by indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO1). IDO1 inhibitors, however, do not always overcome the immune escape and another enzyme expressed in tumors, Trp 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO2), has been suggested as the reason. However, without Trp, tumors cannot achieve an immune escape through either enzyme. Trp is therefore key to immune escape. In this perspective paper, Trp availability to tumors will be considered and strategies limiting it proposed. One major determinant of Trp availability is the large increase in plasma free (non-albumin-bound) Trp in cancer patients, caused by the low albumin and the high non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations in plasma. Albumin infusions, antilipolytic therapy or both could be used, if indicated, as adjuncts to immunotherapy and other therapies. Inhibition of amino acid uptake by tumors is another strategy and α-methyl-DL-tryptophan or other potential inhibitors could fulfill this role. Glucocorticoid receptor antagonists may have a role in preventing glucocorticoid induction of TDO in host liver and tumors expressing it and in undermining the permissive effect of glucocorticoids on IDO1 induction by cytokines. Nicotinamide may be a promising TDO2 inhibitor lacking disadvantages of current inhibitors. Establishing the Trp disposition status of cancer patients and in various tumor types may provide the information necessary to formulate tailored therapeutic approaches to cancer immunotherapy that can also undermine tumoral immune escape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdulla A-B Badawy
- School of Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Western Avenue, Cardiff, CF5 2YB, Wales, UK
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Kouidhi S, Ben Ayed F, Benammar Elgaaied A. Targeting Tumor Metabolism: A New Challenge to Improve Immunotherapy. Front Immunol 2018; 9:353. [PMID: 29527212 PMCID: PMC5829092 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.00353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2017] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Currently, a marked number of clinical trials on cancer treatment have revealed the success of immunomodulatory therapies based on immune checkpoint inhibitors that activate tumor-specific T cells. However, the therapeutic efficacy of cancer immunotherapies is only restricted to a small fraction of patients. A deeper understanding of key mechanisms generating an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) remains a major challenge for more effective antitumor immunity. There is a growing evidence that the TME supports inappropriate metabolic reprogramming that dampens T cell function, and therefore impacts the antitumor immune response and tumor progression. Notably, the immunosuppressive TME is characterized by a lack of crucial carbon sources critical for T cell function and increased inhibitory signals. Here, we summarize the basics of intrinsic and extrinsic metabolic remodeling and metabolic checkpoints underlying the competition between cancer and infiltrating immune cells for nutrients and metabolites. Intriguingly, the upregulation of tumor programmed death-L1 and cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 alters the metabolic programme of T cells and drives their exhaustion. In this context, targeting both tumor and T cell metabolism can beneficially enhance or temper immunity in an inhospitable microenvironment and markedly improve the success of immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soumaya Kouidhi
- Laboratory BVBGR, LR11ES31, Higher Institute of Biotechnology of Sidi Thabet (ISBST), Department of Biotechnology, University of Manouba, Sidi Thabet, Tunisia
- Laboratory of Genetics, Immunology and Human Pathology, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, Department of Biology, University Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Farhat Ben Ayed
- Association Tunisienne de Lutte contre le Cancer (ATCC), Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Amel Benammar Elgaaied
- Laboratory of Genetics, Immunology and Human Pathology, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, Department of Biology, University Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
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Cervenka I, Agudelo LZ, Ruas JL. Kynurenines: Tryptophan's metabolites in exercise, inflammation, and mental health. Science 2018; 357:357/6349/eaaf9794. [PMID: 28751584 DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf9794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 712] [Impact Index Per Article: 118.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Kynurenine metabolites are generated by tryptophan catabolism and regulate biological processes that include host-microbiome signaling, immune cell response, and neuronal excitability. Enzymes of the kynurenine pathway are expressed in different tissues and cell types throughout the body and are regulated by cues, including nutritional and inflammatory signals. As a consequence of this systemic metabolic integration, peripheral inflammation can contribute to accumulation of kynurenine in the brain, which has been associated with depression and schizophrenia. Conversely, kynurenine accumulation can be suppressed by activating kynurenine clearance in exercised skeletal muscle. The effect of exercise training on depression through modulation of the kynurenine pathway highlights an important mechanism of interorgan cross-talk mediated by these metabolites. Here, we discuss peripheral mechanisms of tryptophan-kynurenine metabolism and their effects on inflammatory, metabolic, oncologic, and psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Cervenka
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Molecular and Cellular Exercise Physiology, Karolinska Institutet, SE-17177 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Leandro Z Agudelo
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Molecular and Cellular Exercise Physiology, Karolinska Institutet, SE-17177 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jorge L Ruas
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Molecular and Cellular Exercise Physiology, Karolinska Institutet, SE-17177 Stockholm, Sweden.
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Timosenko E, Hadjinicolaou AV, Cerundolo V. Modulation of cancer-specific immune responses by amino acid degrading enzymes. Immunotherapy 2017; 9:83-97. [PMID: 28000524 DOI: 10.2217/imt-2016-0118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
To evade immune destruction, tumors exploit a wide range of immune escape mechanisms, including the induction of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. This is mediated, in part, by amino acid degrading enzymes indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase, arginase 1 and arginase 2, which have emerged as key players in the regulation of tumor-induced immune tolerance. Here we describe how the expression of tryptophan- and arginine-degrading enzymes by tumor and tumor-infiltrating cells can hamper cancer-specific immune responses, and discuss how this knowledge is being exploited to develop new strategies for cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elina Timosenko
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Andreas V Hadjinicolaou
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Vincenzo Cerundolo
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DS, UK
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