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Piol D, Tosatto L, Zuccaro E, Anderson EN, Falconieri A, Polanco MJ, Marchioretti C, Lia F, White J, Bregolin E, Minervini G, Parodi S, Salvatella X, Arrigoni G, Ballabio A, La Spada AR, Tosatto SC, Sambataro F, Medina DL, Pandey UB, Basso M, Pennuto M. Antagonistic effect of cyclin-dependent kinases and a calcium-dependent phosphatase on polyglutamine-expanded androgen receptor toxic gain of function. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eade1694. [PMID: 36608116 PMCID: PMC9821870 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade1694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy is caused by polyglutamine (polyQ) expansions in androgen receptor (AR), generating gain-of-function toxicity that may involve phosphorylation. Using cellular and animal models, we investigated what kinases and phosphatases target polyQ-expanded AR, whether polyQ expansions modify AR phosphorylation, and how this contributes to neurodegeneration. Mass spectrometry showed that polyQ expansions preserve native phosphorylation and increase phosphorylation at conserved sites controlling AR stability and transactivation. In small-molecule screening, we identified that CDC25/CDK2 signaling could enhance AR phosphorylation, and the calcium-sensitive phosphatase calcineurin had opposite effects. Pharmacologic and genetic manipulation of these kinases and phosphatases modified polyQ-expanded AR function and toxicity in cells, flies, and mice. Ablation of CDK2 reduced AR phosphorylation in the brainstem and restored expression of Myc and other genes involved in DNA damage, senescence, and apoptosis, indicating that the cell cycle-regulated kinase plays more than a bystander role in SBMA-vulnerable postmitotic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Piol
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
- Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), Padova, Italy
- Padova Neuroscience Center, Padova, Italy
- Dulbecco Telethon Institute (DTI), Department of Cellular, Computational, and Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Laura Tosatto
- Dulbecco Telethon Institute (DTI), Department of Cellular, Computational, and Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, Trento, Italy
- Institute of Biophysics, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Trento, Italy
| | - Emanuela Zuccaro
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
- Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), Padova, Italy
- Padova Neuroscience Center, Padova, Italy
| | - Eric N. Anderson
- Division of Child Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
| | | | - Maria J. Polanco
- Dulbecco Telethon Institute (DTI), Department of Cellular, Computational, and Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Caterina Marchioretti
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
- Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), Padova, Italy
- Padova Neuroscience Center, Padova, Italy
| | - Federica Lia
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
- Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), Padova, Italy
- Padova Neuroscience Center, Padova, Italy
| | - Joseph White
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Department of Neurology, Department of Biological Chemistry, and the UCI Institute for Neurotherapeutics, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Elisa Bregolin
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
- Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), Padova, Italy
- Padova Neuroscience Center, Padova, Italy
| | | | - Sara Parodi
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
| | - Xavier Salvatella
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- ICREA, Passeig Lluís Companys 23, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Giorgio Arrigoni
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Andrea Ballabio
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Pozzuoli, Naples, Italy
- Department of Medical and Translational Science, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Albert R. La Spada
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Department of Neurology, Department of Biological Chemistry, and the UCI Institute for Neurotherapeutics, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Silvio C. E. Tosatto
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
- Institute of Neuroscience, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Padova, Italy
| | - Fabio Sambataro
- Padova Neuroscience Center, Padova, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Diego L. Medina
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Medical and Translational Science, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| | - Udai B. Pandey
- Division of Child Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
| | - Manuela Basso
- Department of Cellular, Computational, and Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Maria Pennuto
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
- Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), Padova, Italy
- Padova Neuroscience Center, Padova, Italy
- Dulbecco Telethon Institute (DTI), Department of Cellular, Computational, and Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, Trento, Italy
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Gao X, Liang J, Wang L, Zhang Z, Yuan P, Wang J, Gao Y, Ma F, Calagua C, Ye H, Voznesensky O, Wang S, Wang T, Liu J, Chen S, Liu X. Phosphorylation of the androgen receptor at Ser81 is co-sustained by CDK1 and CDK9 and leads to AR-mediated transactivation in prostate cancer. Mol Oncol 2021; 15:1901-1920. [PMID: 33932081 PMCID: PMC8253089 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.12968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Androgen receptor (AR) is the principal molecule in prostate cancer (PCa) etiology and therapy. AR re‐activation still remains a major challenge during treatment of castration‐resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) tumors that relapse after castration therapies. Recent reports have indicated the enrichment of Ser81‐phosphorylated AR (pS81) in the nucleus of CRPC cells, and CDK1 and CDK9 as the kinases phosphorylating AR at S81. In the current study we showed that pS81 is preferentially localized in the nucleus in both rapid biopsy metastatic CRPC samples and PCa xenografts, and nuclear pS81 localization is correlated with AR transactivation in tumor xenografts. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis demonstrated an alignment of S81 phosphorylation and AR‐mediated transactivation with the chromatin locus openness. Moreover, pS81‐specific ChIP‐Seq showed a disproportional occupancy of pS81 on AR‐activated promoters, while 3C‐ChIP assays further indicated an enrichment of pS81 at the PSA enhancer‐promoter loop, a known AR activating hub. In the latter, CDK9 was shown to modulate the transactivation of the AR and RNA Pol II. Indeed, ChIP and re‐ChIP assays also confirmed that AR‐dependent activation of the PSA enhancer and promoter mediated by pS81 was coupled with activation of Pol II and the pTEFb complex. Mechanistically, we determined that CDK1 and CDK9 sustained the pS81 AR modification in the soluble and chromatin‐bound fractions of PCa cells, respectively. Finally, we demonstrated that CDK1 activity was maintained throughout the cell cycle, and that CDK1 inhibitors restored androgen sensitivity in CRPC tumor cells. Based on these findings, CDK1 and CDK9 could be targeted as pS81 kinases in patients with CRPC, either alone or in conjunction with direct AR antagonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- XinTao Gao
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jiaqian Liang
- Hematology-Oncology Division, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Wuhan No. 1 Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - LiYang Wang
- Hematology-Oncology Division, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Zhaoyang Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Basic Medicine, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
| | - Penghui Yuan
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jiaxin Wang
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yanfei Gao
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, China
| | - Fen Ma
- Hematology-Oncology Division, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Carla Calagua
- Hematology-Oncology Division, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Huihui Ye
- Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Pathology, University of California Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Olga Voznesensky
- Hematology-Oncology Division, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Shaogang Wang
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Tao Wang
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jihong Liu
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Shaoyong Chen
- Hematology-Oncology Division, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Xiaming Liu
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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Han Y, Huang W, Liu J, Liu D, Cui Y, Huang R, Yan J, Lei M. Triptolide Inhibits the AR Signaling Pathway to Suppress the Proliferation of Enzalutamide Resistant Prostate Cancer Cells. Theranostics 2017; 7:1914-1927. [PMID: 28638477 PMCID: PMC5479278 DOI: 10.7150/thno.17852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2016] [Accepted: 02/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Enzalutamide is a second-generation androgen receptor (AR) antagonist for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Unfortunately, AR dysfunction means that resistance to enzalutamide will eventually develop. Thus, novel agents are urgently needed to treat this devastating disease. Triptolide (TPL), a key active compound extracted from the Chinese herb Thunder God Vine (Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F.), possesses anti-cancer activity in human prostate cancer cells. However, the effects of TPL against CRPC cells and the underlying mechanism of any such effect are unknown. In this study, we found that TPL at low dose inhibits the transactivation activity of both full-length and truncated AR without changing their protein levels. Interestingly, TPL inhibits phosphorylation of AR and its CRPC-associated variant AR-V7 at Ser515 through XPB/CDK7. As a result, TPL suppresses the binding of AR to promoter regions in AR target genes along with reduced TFIIH and RNA Pol II recruitment. Moreover, TPL at low dose reduces the viability of prostate cancer cells expressing AR or AR-Vs. Low-dose TPL also shows a synergistic effect with enzalutamide to inhibit CRPC cell survival in vitro, and enhances the anti-cancer effect of enzalutamide on CRPC xenografts with minimal side effects. Taken together, our data demonstrate that TPL targets the transactivation activity of both full-length and truncated ARs. Our results also suggest that TPL is a potential drug for CRPC, and can be used in combination with enzalutamide to treat CRPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangyang Han
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Weiwei Huang
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jiakuan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animals for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center of Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Dandan Liu
- Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yangyan Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animals for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center of Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Ruimin Huang
- Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jun Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animals for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center of Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Ming Lei
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
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Rahaman MH, Kumarasiri M, Mekonnen LB, Yu M, Diab S, Albrecht H, Milne RW, Wang S. Targeting CDK9: a promising therapeutic opportunity in prostate cancer. Endocr Relat Cancer 2016; 23:T211-T226. [PMID: 27582311 DOI: 10.1530/erc-16-0299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2016] [Accepted: 08/31/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) is a key transcriptional regulator and a lucrative target for cancer treatment. Targeting CDK9 can effectively confine the hyperactivity of androgen receptor and the constitutive expression of anti-apoptotic proteins; both being main causes of prostate cancer (PCa) development and progression. In castrate-resistant PCa, traditional therapies that only target androgen receptor (AR) have become obsolete due to reprograming in AR activity to make the cells independent of androgen. CDK9 inhibitors may provide a new and better therapeutic opportunity over traditional treatment options by targeting both androgen receptor activity and anti-apoptotic proteins, improving the chances of positive outcomes, especially in patients with the advanced disease. This review focuses on biological functions of CDK9, its involvement with AR and the potential for therapeutic opportunities in PCa treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Laychiluh B Mekonnen
- Centre for Drug Discovery and DevelopmentSansom Institute for Health Research and School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Mingfeng Yu
- Centre for Drug Discovery and DevelopmentSansom Institute for Health Research and School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Sarah Diab
- Centre for Drug Discovery and DevelopmentSansom Institute for Health Research and School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Hugo Albrecht
- Centre for Drug Discovery and DevelopmentSansom Institute for Health Research and School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Robert W Milne
- Centre for Drug Discovery and DevelopmentSansom Institute for Health Research and School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Shudong Wang
- Centre for Drug Discovery and DevelopmentSansom Institute for Health Research and School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
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JNK Signaling: Regulation and Functions Based on Complex Protein-Protein Partnerships. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2016; 80:793-835. [PMID: 27466283 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00043-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 321] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs), as members of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family, mediate eukaryotic cell responses to a wide range of abiotic and biotic stress insults. JNKs also regulate important physiological processes, including neuronal functions, immunological actions, and embryonic development, via their impact on gene expression, cytoskeletal protein dynamics, and cell death/survival pathways. Although the JNK pathway has been under study for >20 years, its complexity is still perplexing, with multiple protein partners of JNKs underlying the diversity of actions. Here we review the current knowledge of JNK structure and isoforms as well as the partnerships of JNKs with a range of intracellular proteins. Many of these proteins are direct substrates of the JNKs. We analyzed almost 100 of these target proteins in detail within a framework of their classification based on their regulation by JNKs. Examples of these JNK substrates include a diverse assortment of nuclear transcription factors (Jun, ATF2, Myc, Elk1), cytoplasmic proteins involved in cytoskeleton regulation (DCX, Tau, WDR62) or vesicular transport (JIP1, JIP3), cell membrane receptors (BMPR2), and mitochondrial proteins (Mcl1, Bim). In addition, because upstream signaling components impact JNK activity, we critically assessed the involvement of signaling scaffolds and the roles of feedback mechanisms in the JNK pathway. Despite a clarification of many regulatory events in JNK-dependent signaling during the past decade, many other structural and mechanistic insights are just beginning to be revealed. These advances open new opportunities to understand the role of JNK signaling in diverse physiological and pathophysiological states.
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Liu X, Han W, Gulla S, Simon NI, Gao Y, Liu J, Wang L, Yang H, Zhang X, Chen S. Androgen ablation elicits PP1-dependence for AR stabilization and transactivation in prostate cancer. Prostate 2016; 76:649-61. [PMID: 26847655 DOI: 10.1002/pros.23157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2015] [Accepted: 01/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous reports have documented protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) as an essential androgen receptor (AR) activator. However, more systemic studies are needed to further define PP1 effects on AR, particularly in the settings of prostate cancer cells and under conditions mimicking androgen ablation. METHODS PP1 effects on AR protein expression, degradation, ubiquitination, and stabilization were examined in non-prostate cancer cells, followed by validation on exogenous settings in androgen-sensitive (LNCaP and VCaP) and castration-resistant (C4-2) prostate cancer cells. Effects of PP1 on AR protein expression, on AR-mediated transcription of exogenous reporter and endogenous gene, and on LNCaP and C4-2 cell proliferation were monitored under androgen-containing versus androgen-depleted conditions to assess the effects of PP1 on AR responsiveness to androgen. RESULTS In this report, we determined that PP1 functions to stabilize AR proteins that exclusively undergo the proteasome-dependent degradation, and the stimulatory effects of PP1 were predominantly mediated by the AR ligand-binding domain (LBD). Consistently, PP1 enhances AR protein stability by disrupting the LBD-mediated and K48-linked ubiquitination cascade. We further validated the above findings in the prostate cancer cells by showing that PP1 inhibition can increase ubiquitin- and proteasome-dependent degradation of endogenous AR under androgen deprivation. Significantly, we found that PP1 could markedly activate AR transcriptional activities under conditions mimicking androgen ablation and that androgen sensitivity was substantially evoked by PP1 inhibition in the prostate cancer cell lines. CONCLUSIONS As summarized in a simplified model, our studies defined an essential PP1-mediated pathway for AR protein stabilization that can compensate the loss of androgen and established a mechanistic link between PP1 and androgen responsiveness. The amplified PP1-dependence for AR activation under the androgen ablated conditions provides a rationale to therapeutically target the PP1-AR module in the castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Our findings also suggested an alternative AR-targeting compounds screening strategy that aims to circumvent PP1-AR interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaming Liu
- Hematology-Oncology Division, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Weiwei Han
- Department of Urology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical School, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Sarah Gulla
- Hematology-Oncology Division, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Nicholas I Simon
- Hematology-Oncology Division, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Yanfei Gao
- Hematology-Oncology Division, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jihong Liu
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Liang Wang
- Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Hongmei Yang
- Department of Pathogen Biology, Tongji Medical School, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiaoping Zhang
- Department of Urology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical School, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Shaoyong Chen
- Hematology-Oncology Division, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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