Tbx18 Regulates the Differentiation of Periductal Smooth Muscle Stroma and the Maintenance of Epithelial Integrity in the Prostate

Proteomic analysis identifies ZMYM2 as endogenous binding partner of TBX18 protein in 293 and A549 cells

The TBX18 transcription factor regulates patterning and differentiation programs in the primordia of many organs yet the molecular complexes in which TBX18 resides to exert its crucial transcriptional function in these embryonic contexts have remained elusive. Here, we used 293 and A549 cells as an accessible cell source to search for endogenous protein interaction partners of TBX18 by an unbiased proteomic approach. We tagged endogenous TBX18 by CRISPR/Cas9 targeted genome editing with a triple FLAG peptide, and identified by anti-FLAG affinity purification and subsequent LC-MS analysis the ZMYM2 protein to be statistically enriched together with TBX18 in both 293 and A549 nuclear extracts. Using a variety of assays, we confirmed binding of TBX18 to ZMYM2, a component of the CoREST transcriptional corepressor complex. Tbx18 is coexpressed with Zmym2 in the mesenchymal compartment of the developing ureter of the mouse, and mutations in TBX18and in ZMYM2 were recently linked to congenital anomalies in the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) in line with a possible in vivo relevance of TBX18-ZMYM2 protein interaction in ureter development.

The Role of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in Prostate Cancer Tumorigenesis

Tumors strongly depend on their surrounding tumor microenvironment (TME) for growth and progression, since stromal elements are required to generate the optimal conditions for cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and possibly metastasis. Prostate cancer (PCa), though easily curable during primary stages, represents a clinical challenge in advanced stages because of the acquisition of resistance to anti-cancer treatments, especially androgen-deprivation therapies (ADT), which possibly lead to uncurable metastases such as those affecting the bone. An increasing number of studies is giving evidence that prostate TME components, especially cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), which are the most abundant cell type, play a causal role in PCa since the very early disease stages, influencing therapy resistance and metastatic progression. This is highlighted by the prognostic value of the analysis of stromal markers, which may predict disease recurrence and metastasis. However, further investigations on the molecular mechanisms of tumor-stroma interactions are still needed to develop novel therapeutic approaches targeting stromal components. In this review, we report the current knowledge of the characteristics and functions of the stroma in prostate tumorigenesis, including relevant discussion of normal prostate homeostasis, chronic inflammatory conditions, pre-neoplastic lesions, and primary and metastatic tumors. Specifically, we focus on the role of CAFs, to point out their prognostic and therapeutic potential in PCa.

Whole-genome sequencing of prostate cancer reveals novel mutation-driven processes and molecular subgroups

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer in men. However, its genetic characteristics in the Chinese population have not been extensively profiled. Here we screened 27 Chinese patients and preformed whole-genome sequencing to dissect their genomic patterns. We found that 18.5% (5/27) tumors harbored non-protein coding mutations on FOXA1. Besides, novel focal amplifications/deletions involving ZBTB7B, SLC4A4, TBX18, CYSLTR2 and EFNA5 were frequently present in tumors. Notably, group specificity of base substitution signature B displayed a strong link to hotspot mutations on SPOP gene. Furthermore, based on six rearrangement signatures, tumors were assigned to five subgroups that revealed different biological mechanisms. Of which, tandem duplicator subgroup harbored all CDK12 mutations, small deletor subgroup owned 75% TP53 changes, and large deletor subgroup had 66.7% SPOP mutations. Taken together, we provide a comprehensive view of genomic patterns which affect the critical cell regulators of PCa in the Chinese population. Our findings may provide valuable insights for designing specific treatments for Chinese patients with PCa.

An extended regulatory landscape drives Tbx18 activity in a variety of prostate-associated cell lineages

The evolutionarily conserved transcription factor, Tbx18, is expressed in a dynamic pattern throughout embryonic and early postnatal life and plays crucial roles in the development of multiple organ systems. Previous studies have indicated that this dynamic function is controlled by an expansive regulatory structure, extending far upstream and downstream of the gene. With the goal of identifying elements that interact with the Tbx18 promoter in developing prostate, we coupled chromatin conformation capture (4C) and ATAC-seq from embryonic day 18.5 (E18.5) mouse urogenital sinus (UGS), where Tbx18 is highly expressed. The data revealed dozens of active chromatin elements distributed throughout a 1.5 million base pair topologically associating domain (TAD). To identify cell types contributing to this chromatin signal, we used lineage tracing methods with a Tbx18 Cre "knock-in" allele; these data show clearly that Tbx18-expressing precursors differentiate into wide array of cell types in multiple tissue compartments, most of which have not been previously reported. We also used a 209 kb Cre-expressing Tbx18 transgene, to partition enhancers for specific precursor types into two rough spatial domains. Within this central 209 kb compartment, we identified ECR1, previously described to regulate Tbx18 expression in ureter, as an active regulator of UGS expression. Together these data define the diverse fates of Tbx18+ precursors in prostate-associated tissues for the first time, and identify a highly active TAD controlling the gene's essential function in this tissue.

Proteomic analysis identifies transcriptional cofactors and homeobox transcription factors as TBX18 binding proteins

The TBX18 transcription factor is a crucial developmental regulator of several organ systems in mice, and loss of its transcriptional repression activity causes dilative nephropathies in humans. The molecular complexes with which TBX18 regulates transcription are poorly understood prompting us to use an unbiased proteomic approach to search for protein interaction partners. Using overexpressed dual tagged TBX18 as bait, we identified by tandem purification and subsequent LC-MS analysis TBX18 binding proteins in 293 cells. Clustering of functional annotations of the identified proteins revealed a highly significant enrichment of transcriptional cofactors and homeobox transcription factors. Using nuclear recruitment assays as well as GST pull-downs, we validated CBFB, GAR1, IKZF2, NCOA5, SBNO2 and CHD7 binding to the T-box of TBX18 in vitro. From these transcriptional cofactors, CBFB, CHD7 and IKZF2 enhanced the transcriptional repression of TBX18, while NCOA5 and SBNO2 dose-dependently relieved it. All tested homeobox transcription factors interacted with the T-box of TBX18 in pull-down assays, with members of the Pbx and Prrx subfamilies showing coexpression with Tbx18 in the developing ureter of the mouse. In summary, we identified and characterized new TBX18 binding partners that may influence the transcriptional activity of TBX18 in vivo.

Transcriptional regulatory dynamics drive coordinated metabolic and neural response to social challenge in mice

Agonistic encounters are powerful effectors of future behavior, and the ability to learn from this type of social challenge is an essential adaptive trait. We recently identified a conserved transcriptional program defining the response to social challenge across animal species, highly enriched in transcription factor (TF), energy metabolism, and developmental signaling genes. To understand the trajectory of this program and to uncover the most important regulatory influences controlling this response, we integrated gene expression data with the chromatin landscape in the hypothalamus, frontal cortex, and amygdala of socially challenged mice over time. The expression data revealed a complex spatiotemporal patterning of events starting with neural signaling molecules in the frontal cortex and ending in the modulation of developmental factors in the amygdala and hypothalamus, underpinned by a systems-wide shift in expression of energy metabolism-related genes. The transcriptional signals were correlated with significant shifts in chromatin accessibility and a network of challenge-associated TFs. Among these, the conserved metabolic and developmental regulator ESRRA was highlighted for an especially early and important regulatory role. Cell-type deconvolution analysis attributed the differential metabolic and developmental signals in this social context primarily to oligodendrocytes and neurons, respectively, and we show that ESRRA is expressed in both cell types. Localizing ESRRA binding sites in cortical chromatin, we show that this nuclear receptor binds both differentially expressed energy-related and neurodevelopmental TF genes. These data link metabolic and neurodevelopmental signaling to social challenge, and identify key regulatory drivers of this process with unprecedented tissue and temporal resolution.

Internal epitope tagging informed by relative lack of sequence conservation

Many experimental techniques rely on specific recognition and stringent binding of proteins by antibodies. This can readily be achieved by introducing an epitope tag. We employed an approach that uses a relative lack of evolutionary conservation to inform epitope tag site selection, followed by integration of the tag-coding sequence into the endogenous locus in zebrafish. We demonstrate that an internal epitope tag is accessible for antibody binding, and that tagged proteins retain wild type function.