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Abstract
Biological processes in development and disease are controlled by the abundance, localization and modification of cellular proteins. We have developed versatile tools based on recombinant E3 ubiquitin ligases that are controlled by light or drug induced heterodimerization for nanobody or DARPin targeted depletion of endogenous proteins in cells and organisms. We use this rapid, tunable and reversible protein depletion for functional studies of essential proteins like PCNA in DNA repair and to investigate the role of CED-3 in apoptosis during Caenorhabditis elegans development. These independent tools can be combined for spatial and temporal depletion of different sets of proteins, can help to distinguish immediate cellular responses from long-term adaptation effects and can facilitate the exploration of complex networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Deng
- Department of Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Jack A Bates
- Department of Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Hai Wei
- Department of Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Michael D Bartoschek
- Department of Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Barbara Conradt
- Department of Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Heinrich Leonhardt
- Department of Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.
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Metheetrairut C, Adams BD, Nallur S, Weidhaas JB, Slack FJ. cel-mir-237 and its homologue, hsa-miR-125b, modulate the cellular response to ionizing radiation. Oncogene 2017; 36:512-524. [PMID: 27321180 PMCID: PMC5173455 DOI: 10.1038/onc.2016.222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2016] [Revised: 04/13/2016] [Accepted: 05/13/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Elucidating the mechanisms involved in sensitizing radioresistant tumors to ionizing radiation (IR) treatments while minimizing injury to surrounding normal tissue is an important clinical goal. Due to their sequence-derived specificity and properties as gene regulators in IR-affected pathways, microRNAs (miRNAs) could serve as adjuvant therapeutic agents that alter cellular sensitivity to radiation treatment. To identify radiosensitizing miRNAs, we initially utilized the Caenorhabditis elegans vulval cell model, an in vivo system developed to study IR-dependent radiosensitivity as a measure of clonogenic cell death. We tested several candidate miRNA-deletion mutants post γ-irradiation and identified cel-mir-237 as a miRNA which when deleted caused animals to be more resistant to IR, whereas cel-mir-237 overexpressing strains were IR sensitive. In addition, wild-type animals downregulated cel-mir-237 levels post IR in a time-dependent manner. We identified jun-1 (JUN transcription factor homolog) as a novel target of cel-mir-237. Specifically, jun-1 transcript levels increased in wild-type animals post γ-irradiation, and loss of cel-mir-237 also resulted in higher jun-1 expression. As expected, loss of jun-1 resulted in IR sensitivity, similar to the phenotype of cel-mir-237 overexpressors. As miR-237 is the homolog of human miR-125, we validated our findings in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines, which harbor lower hsa-miR-125b levels than normal human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs). Forced expression of hsa-miR-125b in these cells resulted in radiosensitivity, as seen by reduced clonogenic survival, enhanced apoptotic activity and enhanced senescence post IR. Finally, re-expression of c-JUN in MDA-MB-231 cells promoted radioresistance and abrogated miR-125-mediated radiosensitization. Our findings suggest that overexpression of cel-mir-237 and its homolog, hsa-miR-125b, functions as sensitizers to γ-irradiation in both a nematode in vivo model and breast cancer cells, and could potentially be utilized as an adjuvant therapeutic to enhance radiation sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chanatip Metheetrairut
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Brian D. Adams
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Institute for RNA Medicine, Department of Pathology, BIDMC Cancer Center/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Sunitha Nallur
- Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520 USA
| | - Joanne B. Weidhaas
- Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520 USA
| | - Frank J. Slack
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Institute for RNA Medicine, Department of Pathology, BIDMC Cancer Center/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
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Kuzmic M, Javot H, Bonzom JM, Lecomte-Pradines C, Radman M, Garnier-Laplace J, Frelon S. In situ visualization of carbonylation and its co-localization with proteins, lipids, DNA and RNA in Caenorhabditis elegans. Free Radic Biol Med 2016; 101:465-474. [PMID: 27840319 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2016.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2016] [Revised: 10/28/2016] [Accepted: 11/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
All key biological macromolecules are susceptible to carbonylation - an irreparable oxidative damage with deleterious biological consequences. Carbonyls in proteins, lipids and DNA from cell extracts have been used as a biomarker of oxidative stress and aging, but formation of insoluble aggregates by carbonylated proteins precludes quantification. Since carbonylated proteins correlate with and become a suspected cause of morbidity and mortality in some organisms, there is a need for their accurate quantification and localization. Using appropriate fluorescent probes, we have developed an in situ detection of total proteins, DNA, RNA, lipids and carbonyl groups at the level of the whole organism. In C. elegans, we found that after UV irradiation carbonylation co-localizes mainly with proteins and, to a lesser degree, with DNA, RNA and lipids. The method efficiency was illustrated by carbonylation induction assessment over 5 different UV doses. The procedure enables the monitoring of carbonylation in the nematode C. elegans during stress, aging and disease along its life cycle including the egg stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mira Kuzmic
- Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire, Cadarache, 13115 Saint Paul lez Durance cedex, France; Mediterranean Institute for Life Sciences, Mestrovicevo Setaliste 45, 21000 Split, Croatia
| | - Hélène Javot
- CEA, BIAM, Lab Biol Develop Plantes, Saint-Paul-lez-DurIncreased carbonylation, protein aance F-13108, France; CNRS, UMR 7265 Biol Veget & Microbiol Environ, Saint-Paul-lez-Durance F-13108, France; Aix Marseille Université, BVME UMR7265, Marseille F-13284, France
| | - Jean-Marc Bonzom
- Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire, Cadarache, 13115 Saint Paul lez Durance cedex, France
| | - Catherine Lecomte-Pradines
- Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire, Cadarache, 13115 Saint Paul lez Durance cedex, France
| | - Miroslav Radman
- Mediterranean Institute for Life Sciences, Mestrovicevo Setaliste 45, 21000 Split, Croatia
| | - Jacqueline Garnier-Laplace
- Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire, Cadarache, 13115 Saint Paul lez Durance cedex, France
| | - Sandrine Frelon
- Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire, Cadarache, 13115 Saint Paul lez Durance cedex, France.
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Wang D, Xing X. Pre-treatment with mild UV irradiation suppresses reproductive toxicity induced by subsequent cadmium exposure in nematodes. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2010; 73:423-429. [PMID: 20045190 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2009.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2009] [Revised: 12/01/2009] [Accepted: 12/06/2009] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
In nematodes, 10 J/m(2)/min of UV irradiation induced a mild reproductive toxicity. Pre-treatment with UV irradiation at 10 J/m(2)/min suppressed the formation of reproductive defects, and activated a noticeable reduction of percentage of population with hsp-16.2::gfp expression, an obvious elevation of superoxide dismutase activities, and decrease of oxidative damage in 50 and 100 microM Cd exposed nematodes; however, pre-treatment with UV irradiation at 20 J/m(2)/min caused a significant decrease of brood sizes or increase of generation times in Cd-exposed nematodes. Pre-treatment with mild UV irradiation did not suppress the formation of reproductive defects in 150 microM Cd-exposed nematodes. Furthermore, the adaptive response to reproductive toxicity from Cd exposure was not observed in a reactive oxygen species sensitive mev-1(kn1) mutant. Therefore, pre-treatment with mild UV irradiation triggers the resistance to reproductive toxicity from Cd exposure by at least partially inducing adaptation to oxidative stress and through a mev-1-dependent pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dayong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease in Ministry of Education, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Southeast University Medical School, Nanjing 210009, China.
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Derry WB, Bierings R, van Iersel M, Satkunendran T, Reinke V, Rothman JH. Regulation of developmental rate and germ cell proliferation in Caenorhabditis elegans by the p53 gene network. Cell Death Differ 2006; 14:662-70. [PMID: 17186023 DOI: 10.1038/sj.cdd.4402075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans CEP-1 activates germline apoptosis in response to genotoxic stress, similar to its mammalian counterpart, tumor suppressor p53. In mammals, there are three p53 family members (p53, p63, and p73) that activate and repress many distinct and overlapping sets of genes, revealing a complex transcriptional regulatory network. Because CEP-1 is the sole p53 family member in C. elegans, analysis of this network is greatly simplified in this organism. We found that CEP-1 functions during normal development in the absence of stress to repress many (331) genes and activate only a few (28) genes. In response to genotoxic stress, 1394 genes are activated and 942 are repressed, many of which contain p53-binding sites. Comparison of the CEP-1 transcriptional network with transcriptional targets of the human p53 family reveals considerable overlap between CEP-1-regulated genes and homologues regulated by human p63 and p53, suggesting a composite p53/p63 action for CEP-1. We found that phg-1, the C. elegans Gas1 (growth arrest-specific 1) homologue, is activated by CEP-1 and is a negative regulator of cell proliferation in the germline in response to genotoxic stress. Further, we find that CEP-1 and PHG-1 mediate the decreased developmental rate and embryonic viability of mutations in the clk-2/TEL2 gene, which regulates lifespan and checkpoint responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- W B Derry
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA.
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Lee SJ, Yook JS, Han SM, Koo HS. A Werner syndrome protein homolog affectsC. elegansdevelopment, growth rate, life span and sensitivity to DNA damage by acting at a DNA damage checkpoint. Development 2004; 131:2565-75. [PMID: 15115755 DOI: 10.1242/dev.01136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
A Werner syndrome protein homolog in C. elegans (WRN-1) was immunolocalized to the nuclei of germ cells, embryonic cells, and many other cells of larval and adult worms. When wrn-1 expression was inhibited by RNA interference (RNAi), a slight reduction in C. elegans life span was observed, with accompanying signs of premature aging, such as earlier accumulation of lipofuscin and tissue deterioration in the head. In addition,various developmental defects, including small, dumpy, ruptured, transparent body, growth arrest and bag of worms, were induced by RNAi. The frequency of these defects was accentuated by γ-irradiation, implying that they were derived from spontaneous or induced DNA damage. wrn-1(RNAi) worms showed accelerated larval growth irrespective of γ-irradiation, and pre-meiotic germ cells had an abnormal checkpoint response to DNA replication blockage. These observations suggest that WRN-1 acts as a checkpoint protein for DNA damage and replication blockage. This idea is also supported by an accelerated S phase in wrn-1(RNAi) embryonic cells. wrn-1(RNAi) phenotypes similar to those of Werner syndrome, such as premature aging and short stature, suggest wrn-1-deficient C. elegans as a useful model organism for Werner syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Se-Jin Lee
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Science, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749, Korea
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