Improving D-2-hydroxyglutarate MR spectroscopic imaging in mutant isocitrate dehydrogenase glioma patients with multiplexed RF-receive/B0 -shim array coils at 3 T.

MR spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) noninvasively maps the metabolism of human brains. In particular, the imaging of D-2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG) produced by glioma isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutations has become a key application in neuro-oncology. However, the performance of full field-of-view MRSI is limited by B0 spatial nonuniformity and lipid artifacts from tissues surrounding the brain. Array coils that multiplex RF-receive and B0 -shim electrical currents (AC/DC mixing) over the same conductive loops provide many degrees of freedom to improve B0 uniformity and reduce lipid artifacts. AC/DC coils are highly efficient due to compact design, requiring low shim currents (<2 A) that can be switched fast (0.5 ms) with high interscan reproducibility (10% coefficient of variation for repeat measurements). We measured four tumor patients and five volunteers at 3 T and show that using AC/DC coils in addition to the vendor-provided second-order spherical harmonics shim provides 19% narrower spectral linewidth, 6% higher SNR, and 23% less lipid content for unrestricted field-of-view MRSI, compared with the vendor-provided shim alone. We demonstrate that improvement in MRSI data quality led to 2HG maps with higher contrast-to-noise ratio for tumors that coincide better with the FLAIR-enhancing lesions in mutant IDH glioma patients. Smaller Cramér-Rao lower bounds for 2HG quantification are obtained in tumors by AC/DC shim, corroborating with simulations that predicted improved accuracy and precision for narrower linewidths. AC/DC coils can be used synergistically with optimized acquisition schemes to improve metabolic imaging for precision oncology of glioma patients. Furthermore, this methodology has broad applicability to other neurological disorders and neuroscience.

IDH1 mutation contributes to myeloid dysplasia in mice by disturbing heme biosynthesis and erythropoiesis.

Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutations are common genetic alterations in myeloid disorders, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Epigenetic changes, including abnormal histone and DNA methylation, have been implicated in the pathogenic build-up of hematopoietic progenitors, but it is still unclear whether and how IDH mutations themselves affect hematopoiesis. Here, we show that IDH1-mutant mice develop myeloid dysplasia in that these animals exhibit anemia, ineffective erythropoiesis, and increased immature progenitors and erythroblasts. In erythroid cells of these mice, D-2-hydroxyglutarate, an aberrant metabolite produced by the mutant IDH1 enzyme, inhibits oxoglutarate dehydrogenase activity and diminishes succinyl-coenzyme A (CoA) production. This succinyl-CoA deficiency attenuates heme biosynthesis in IDH1-mutant hematopoietic cells, thus blocking erythroid differentiation at the late erythroblast stage and the erythroid commitment of hematopoietic stem cells, while the exogenous succinyl-CoA or 5-ALA rescues erythropoiesis in IDH1-mutant erythroid cells. Heme deficiency also impairs heme oxygenase-1 expression, which reduces levels of important heme catabolites such as biliverdin and bilirubin. These deficits result in accumulation of excessive reactive oxygen species that induce the cell death of IDH1-mutant erythroid cells. Our results clearly show the essential role of IDH1 in normal erythropoiesis and describe how its mutation leads to myeloid disorders. These data thus have important implications for the devising of new treatments for IDH-mutant tumors.

Deletions of the Idh1, Eco1, Rom2, and Taf10 Genes Differently Control the Hyphal Growth, Drug Tolerance, and Virulence of Candida albicans.

The most recent genome-editing system called CRISPR-Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat system with associated protein 9-nuclease) was employed to delete four non-essential genes (i.e., Caeco1, Caidh1, Carom2, and Cataf10) individually to establish their gene functionality annotations in pathogen Candida albicans. The biological roles of these genes were investigated with respect to the cell wall integrity and biogenesis, calcium/calcineurin pathways, susceptibility of mutants towards temperature, drugs and salts. All the mutants showed increased vulnerability compared to the wild-type background strain towards the cell wall-perturbing agents, (antifungal) drugs and salts. All the mutants also exhibited repressed and defective hyphal growth and smaller colony size than control CA14. The cell cycle of all the mutants decreased enormously except for those with Carom2 deletion. The budding index and budding size also increased for all mutants with altered bud shape. The disposition of the mutants towards cell wall-perturbing enzymes disclosed lower survival and more rapid cell wall lysis events than in wild types. The pathogenicity and virulence of the mutants was checked by adhesion assay, and strains lacking rom2 and eco1 were found to possess the least adhesion capacity, which is synonymous to their decreased pathogenicity and virulence.

Gene of the month: IDH1.

Isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) encodes a protein which catalyses the oxidative decarboxylation of isocitrate to α-ketoglutarate. Mutant IDH1 favours the production of 2-hydroxyglutarate, an oncometabolite with multiple downstream effects which promote tumourigenesis. IDH1 mutations have been described in a number of neoplasms most notably low-grade diffuse gliomas, conventional central and periosteal cartilaginous tumours and cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukaemia. Post zygotic somatic mutations of IDH1 characterise the majority of cases of Ollier disease and Maffucci syndrome. IDH1 mutations are uncommon in epithelial neoplasia but have been described in cholangiocarcinoma.

Wild-type IDH2 contributes to Epstein-Barr virus-dependent metabolic alterations and tumorigenesis.

OBJECTIVE: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a well-recognized oncogenic virus that can induce host cell metabolic reprogramming and tumorigenesis by targeting vital metabolic enzymes or regulators. This study aims to explore the role of wild-type isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 (IDH2) in metabolic reprogramming and tumorigenesis induced by EBV-encoded latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1). METHODS: Mechanistic dissection of wild-type IDH2 in EBV-LMP1-induced tumorigenesis was investigated using western blotting, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunochemistry, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), and luciferase assay. The role of wild-type IDH2 was examined by cell viability assays/Sytox Green staining in vitro and xenograft assays in vivo. RESULTS: IDH2 over-expression is a prognostic indicator of poorer disease-free survival for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). IDH2 expression is also upregulated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC, a subtype of HNSCC) tissues, which is positively correlated with EBV-LMP1 expression. EBV-LMP1 contributes to NPC cell viability and xenograft tumor growth mediated through wild-type IDH2. IDH2-dependent changes in intracellular α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) and 2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG) contribute to EBV-LMP1-induced tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo. Elevated serum 2-HG level is associated with high EBV DNA and viral capsid antigen-immunoglobulin A (VCA-IgA) levels in patients with NPC. A significantly positive correlation exists between serum 2-HG level and regional lymph node metastases of NPC. EBV-LMP1 enhances the binding of c-Myc with the IDH2 promoter and transcriptionally activates wild-type IDH2 through c-Myc. Targeting IDH2 decreased intracellular 2-HG levels and survival of EBV-LMP1-positive tumor cells in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that the EBV-LMP1/c-Myc/IDH2WT signaling axis is critical for EBV-dependent metabolic changes and tumorigenesis, which may provide new insights into EBV-related cancer diagnosis and therapy.

The level of activity of the alternative lengthening of telomeres correlates with patient age in IDH-mutant ATRX-loss-of-expression anaplastic astrocytomas.

All cancer cells need to maintain functional telomeres to sustain continuous cell division and proliferation. In human diffuse gliomas, functional telomeres are maintained due either to reactivation of telomerase expression, the main pathway in most cancer types, or to activation of a mechanism called the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT). The presence of IDH1/2 mutations (IDH-mutant) together with loss of ATRX expression (ATRX-lost) are frequently associated with ALT in diffuse gliomas. However, detection of ALT, and a fortiori its quantification, are rarely, if ever, measured in neuropathology laboratories. We measured the level of ALT activity using the previously described quantitative "C-circle" assay and analyzed it in a well characterized cohort of 104 IDH-mutant and ATRX-lost adult diffuse gliomas. We report that in IDH-mutant ATRX-lost anaplastic astrocytomas, the intensity of ALT was inversely correlated with age (p < 0.001), the younger the patient, the higher the intensity of ALT. Strikingly, glioblastomas having progressed from anaplastic astrocytomas did not exhibit this correlation. ALT activity level in the tumor did not depend on telomere length in healthy tissue cells from the same patient. In summary, we have uncovered the existence, in anaplastic astrocytomas but not in glioblastomas with the same IDH and ATRX mutations, of a correlation between patient age and the level of activity of ALT, a telomerase-independent pathway of telomere maintenance.

Isocitrate dehydrogenase1 mutation reduces the pericyte coverage of microvessels in astrocytic tumours.

INTRODUCTION: Tumour-associated angiogenesis is associated with the malignancy and poor prognosis of glioma. Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutations are present in the majority of lower-grade (WHO grade II and III) and secondary glioblastomas, but their roles in tumour angiogenesis remain unclear. METHODS: Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the cerebral blood flow (CBF) of IDH-mutated glioma was measured and compared with the IDH-wildtype glioma. The densities of microvessels in IDH-mutated and wildtype astrocytoma and glioblastoma were assessed by immunohistochemical (IHC) staining with CD34, and the pericytes were labelled with α-smooth muscle antigen (α-SMA), neural-glial antigen 2 (NG2) and PDGF receptor-ß (PDGFR-ß), respectively. Furthermore, glia-specific mutant IDH1 knock-in mice were generated to evaluate the roles of mutant IDH1 on brain vascular architectures. The transcriptions of the angiogenesis-related genes were assessed in TCGA datasets, including ANGPT1, PDGFB and VEGFA. The expressions of these genes were further determined by western blot in U87-MG cells expressing a mutant IDH1 or treated with 2-HG. RESULTS: The MRI results indicated that CBF was reduced in the IDH-mutated gliomas. The IHC staining showed that the pericyte coverages of microvessels were significantly decreased, but the microvessel densities (MVDs) were only slightly decreased in IDH-mutated glioma. The mutant IDH1 knock-in also impeded the pericyte coverage of brain microvessels in mice. Moreover, the TCGA database showed the mRNA levels of angiogenesis factors, including ANGPT1, PDGFB and VEGFA, were downregulated, and their promoters were also highly hyper-methylated in IDH-mutated gliomas. In addition, both mutant IDH1 and D-2-HG could downregulate the expression of these genes in U87-MG cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that IDH mutations could reduce the pericyte coverage of microvessels in astrocytic tumours by inhibiting the expression of angiogenesis factors. As vascular pericytes play an essential role in maintaining functional blood vessels to support tumour growth, our findings imply a potential avenue of therapeutic strategy for IDH-mutated gliomas.

Metabolome-guided genomics to identify pathogenic variants in isocitrate dehydrogenase, fumarate hydratase, and succinate dehydrogenase genes in pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma.

PURPOSE: Metabolic aberrations have been described in neoplasms with pathogenic variants (PV) in the Krebs cycle genes encoding succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), fumarate hydratase (FH) and isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH). In turn, accumulation of oncometabolites succinate, fumarate, and 2-hydroxyglutarate can be employed to identify tumors with those PV . Additionally, such metabolic readouts may aid in genetic variant interpretation and improve diagnostics. METHODS: Using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, 395 pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs) from 391 patients were screened for metabolites to indicate Krebs cycle aberrations. Multigene panel sequencing was applied to detect driver PV in cases with indicative metabolite profiles but undetermined genetic drivers. RESULTS: Aberrant Krebs cycle metabolomes identified rare cases of PPGLs with germline PV in FH and somatic PV in IDHx and SDHx, including the first case of a somatic IDH2 PV in PPGL. Metabolomics also reliably identified PPGLs with SDHx loss-of-function (LOF) PV. Therefore we utilized tumor metabolite profiles to further classify variants of unknown significance in SDHx, thereby enabling missense variants associated with SDHx LOF to be distinguished from benign variants. CONCLUSION: We propose incorporation of metabolome data into the diagnostics algorithm in PPGLs to guide genetic testing and variant interpretation and to help identify rare cases with PV in FH and IDHx.

Transaminase Inhibition by 2-Hydroxyglutarate Impairs Glutamate Biosynthesis and Redox Homeostasis in Glioma.

IDH1 mutations are common in low-grade gliomas and secondary glioblastomas and cause overproduction of (R)-2HG. (R)-2HG modulates the activity of many enzymes, including some that are linked to transformation and some that are probably bystanders. Although prior work on (R)-2HG targets focused on 2OG-dependent dioxygenases, we found that (R)-2HG potently inhibits the 2OG-dependent transaminases BCAT1 and BCAT2, likely as a bystander effect, thereby decreasing glutamate levels and increasing dependence on glutaminase for the biosynthesis of glutamate and one of its products, glutathione. Inhibiting glutaminase specifically sensitized IDH mutant glioma cells to oxidative stress in vitro and to radiation in vitro and in vivo. These findings highlight the complementary roles for BCATs and glutaminase in glutamate biosynthesis, explain the sensitivity of IDH mutant cells to glutaminase inhibitors, and suggest a strategy for maximizing the effectiveness of such inhibitors against IDH mutant gliomas.

Mutant Isocitrate Dehydrogenase 1 Disrupts PKM2-ß-Catenin-BRG1 Transcriptional Network-Driven CD47 Expression.

A gain-of-function mutation in isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) affects immune surveillance in gliomas. As elevated CD47 levels are associated with immune evasion in cancers, its status in gliomas harboring mutant IDH1 (IDH1-MT cells) was investigated. Decreased CD47 expression in IDH1-R132H-overexpressing cells was accompanied by diminished nuclear ß-catenin, pyruvate kinase isoform M2 (PKM2), and TCF4 levels compared to those in cells harboring wild-type IDH1 (IDH1-WT cells). The inhibition of ß-catenin in IDH1-WT cells abrogated CD47 expression, ß-catenin-TCF4 interaction, and the transactivational activity of ß-catenin/TCF4. The reverse effect was observed in IDH1-MT cells upon the pharmacological elevation of nuclear ß-catenin levels. Genetic and pharmacological manipulation of nuclear PKM2 levels in IDH1-WT and IDH1-MT cells suggested that PKM2 is a positive regulator of the ß-catenin-TCF4 interaction. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data sets indicated diminished CD47, PKM2, and ß-catenin levels in IDH1-MT gliomas compared to IDH1-WT gliomas. Also, elevated BRG1 levels with mutations in the ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling site were observed in IDH1-MT glioma. The ectopic expression of ATPase-deficient BRG1 diminished CD47 expression as well as TCF4 occupancy on its promoter. Sequential chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP-re-ChIP) revealed the recruitment of the PKM2-ß-catenin-BRG1-TCF4 complex to the TCF4 site on the CD47 promoter. This occupancy translated into CD47 transcription, as a diminished recruitment of this complex was observed in glioma cells bearing IDH1-R132H. In addition to its involvement in CD47 transcriptional regulation, PKM2-ß-catenin-BRG1 cross talk affected the phagocytosis of IDH1-MT cells by microglia.

IDH1 mutation is associated with a higher preoperative seizure incidence in low-grade glioma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Gliomas, particularly low-grade gliomas (LGGs), are highly epileptogenic. Seizure is the most common presenting sign of LGG patients and significantly decreases their quality of life. Accordingly, there is a need for a better understanding of the mechanisms and risk factors of glioma-related epilepsy. The current study aimed to perform a comprehensive meta-analysis to investigate the correlation of isocitrate-dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1), an important molecular biomarker for glioma classification and prognosis, to preoperative seizure incidence in LGG. METHODS: PUBMED, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases were searched for relevant studies. The odds ratio (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were used as the primary measures to assess the correlation between IDH1 mutation and preoperative seizure incidence. RESULTS: A total of 722 LGG patients, including 555 patients with IDH1 mutation and 167 patients with wild-type IDH1 were enrolled in the current meta-analysis. The pooled OR was 2.47 (95% CI 1.70-3.57, Z = 4.78, p < 0.01). No significant heterogeneity was observed among all included studies and no publication bias was identified. CONCLUSION: The current meta-analysis identified that IDH1 mutation was correlated to a higher preoperative seizure incidence in LGG. This result would generate impetus for research on the mechanisms behind this correlation, and provide a new idea for the individualized treatment of glioma-related epilepsy.

Exogenous Gene Transmission of Isocitrate Dehydrogenase 2 Mimics Ischemic Preconditioning Protection.

Ischemic preconditioning confers organ-wide protection against subsequent ischemic stress. A substantial body of evidence underscores the importance of mitochondria adaptation as a critical component of cell protection from ischemia. To identify changes in mitochondria protein expression in response to ischemic preconditioning, we isolated mitochondria from ischemic preconditioned kidneys and sham-treated kidneys as a basis for comparison. The proteomic screen identified highly upregulated proteins, including NADP+-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 (IDH2), and we confirmed the ability of this protein to confer cellular protection from injury in murine S3 proximal tubule cells subjected to hypoxia. To further evaluate the role of IDH2 in cell protection, we performed detailed analysis of the effects of Idh2 gene delivery on kidney susceptibility to ischemia-reperfusion injury. Gene delivery of IDH2 before injury attenuated the injury-induced rise in serum creatinine (P<0.05) observed in controls and increased the mitochondria membrane potential (P<0.05), maximal respiratory capacity (P<0.05), and intracellular ATP levels (P<0.05) above those in controls. This communication shows that gene delivery of Idh2 can confer organ-wide protection against subsequent ischemia-reperfusion injury and mimics ischemic preconditioning.

BCAT1 is a New MR Imaging-related Biomarker for Prognosis Prediction in IDH1-wildtype Glioblastoma Patients.

Isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1)-wildtype glioblastoma (GBM) has found to be accompanied with increased expression of branched-chain amino acid trasaminase1 (BCAT1), which is associated with tumor growth and disease progression. In this retrospective study, quantitative RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, and western blot were performed with GBM patient tissues to evaluate the BCAT1 level. Quantitative MR imaging parameters were evaluated from DSC perfusion imaging, DWI, contrast-enhanced T1WI and FLAIR imaging using a 3T MR scanner. The level of BCAT1 was significantly higher in IDH1-wildtype patients than in IDH1-mutant patients obtained in immunohistochemistry and western blot. The BCAT1 level was significantly correlated with the mean and 95th percentile-normalized CBV as well as the mean ADC based on FLAIR images. In addition, the 95th percentile-normalized CBV from CE T1WI also had a significant correlation with the BCAT1 level. Moreover, the median PFS in patients with BCAT1 expression <100 was longer than in those with BCAT1 expression ≥100. Taken together, we found that a high BCAT1 level is correlated with high CBV and a low ADC value as well as the poor prognosis of BCAT1 expression is related to the aggressive nature of GBM.

Glioblastoma Therapy Can Be Augmented by Targeting IDH1-Mediated NADPH Biosynthesis.

NADPH is a critical reductant needed in cancer cells to fuel the biosynthesis of deoxynucleotides and antioxidants and to sustain stress-survival responses after radiation-induced DNA damage. Thus, one rational strategy to attack cancer cells is to target their heavy reliance on NADPH. Here, we report that the isocitrate dehydrogenase IDH1 is the most strongly upregulated NADPH-producing enzyme in glioblastoma (GBM). IDH1 silencing in GBM cells reduced levels of NADPH, deoxynucleotides, and glutathione and increased their sensitivity to radiation-induced senescence. Rescuing these metabolic restrictions was sufficient to reverse IDH1-mediated radiosensitization. In a murine xenograft model of human GBM, we found that IDH1 silencing significantly improved therapeutic responses to fractionated radiotherapy, when compared with either treatment alone. In summary, our work offers a mechanistic rationale for IDH1 inhibition as a metabolic strategy to improve the response of GBM to radiotherapy. Cancer Res; 77(4); 960-70. ©2016 AACR.

Cancer metabolism as a central driving force of glioma pathogenesis.

The recent identification of distinct genetic and epigenetic features in each glioma entity is leading to a multilayered, integrated diagnostic approach combining histologic features with molecular genetic information. Somatic mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) and receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) pathways are key oncogenic events in diffuse gliomas, including lower grade (grade II and III) gliomas (LGG) and the highly lethal brain tumor glioblastoma (GBM), respectively, where they reprogram the epigenome, transcriptome, and metabolome to drive tumor growth. However, the mechanisms by which these genetic aberrations are translated into the aggressive nature of gliomas through metabolic reprogramming have just begun to be unraveled. The intricate interactions between the oncogenic signaling and cancer metabolism have also been recently demonstrated. Here, we describe a set of recent discoveries on cancer metabolism driven by IDH mutation and mutations in RTK pathways, highlighting the integration of genetic mutations, metabolic reprogramming, and epigenetic shifts, potentially providing new therapeutic opportunities.

Enantiomer-specific and paracrine leukemogenicity of mutant IDH metabolite 2-hydroxyglutarate.

Canonical mutations in IDH1 and IDH2 produce high levels of the R-enantiomer of 2-hydroxyglutarate (R-2HG), which is a competitive inhibitor of α-ketoglutarate (αKG)-dependent enzymes and a putative oncometabolite. Mutant IDH1 collaborates with HoxA9 to induce monocytic leukemia in vivo. We used two mouse models and a patient-derived acute myeloid leukemia xenotransplantation (PDX) model to evaluate the in vivo transforming potential of R-2HG, S-2HG and αKG independent of the mutant IDH1 protein. We show that R-2HG, but not S-2HG or αKG, is an oncometabolite in vivo that does not require the mutant IDH1 protein to induce hyperleukocytosis and to accelerate the onset of murine and human leukemia. Thus, circulating R-2HG acts in a paracrine manner and can drive the expansion of many different leukemic and preleukemic clones that may express wild-type IDH1, and therefore can be a driver of clonal evolution and diversity. In addition, we show that the mutant IDH1 protein is a stronger oncogene than R-2HG alone when comparable intracellular R-2HG levels are achieved. We therefore propose R-2HG-independent oncogenic functions of mutant IDH1 that may need to be targeted in addition to R-2HG production to exploit the full therapeutic potential of IDH1 inhibition.

Tributyltin induces G2/M cell cycle arrest via NAD(+)-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase in human embryonic carcinoma cells.

Organotin compounds, such as tributyltin (TBT), are well-known endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). We have recently reported that TBT induces growth arrest in the human embryonic carcinoma cell line NT2/D1 at nanomolar levels by inhibiting NAD(+)-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase (NAD-IDH), which catalyzes the irreversible conversion of isocitrate to α-ketoglutarate. However, the molecular mechanisms by which NAD-IDH mediates TBT toxicity remain unclear. In the present study, we examined whether TBT at nanomolar levels affects cell cycle progression in NT2/D1 cells. Propidium iodide staining revealed that TBT reduced the ratio of cells in the G1 phase and increased the ratio of cells in the G2/M phase. TBT also reduced cell division cycle 25C (cdc25C) and cyclin B1, which are key regulators of G2/M progression. Furthermore, apigenin, an inhibitor of NAD-IDH, mimicked the effects of TBT. The G2/M arrest induced by TBT was abolished by NAD-IDHα knockdown. Treatment with a cell-permeable α-ketoglutarate analogue recovered the effect of TBT, suggesting the involvement of NAD-IDH. Taken together, our data suggest that TBT at nanomolar levels induced G2/M cell cycle arrest via NAD-IDH in NT2/D1 cells. Thus, cell cycle analysis in embryonic cells could be used to assess cytotoxicity associated with nanomolar level exposure of EDCs.

Peroxisomal NADP-isocitrate dehydrogenase is required for Arabidopsis stomatal movement.

Peroxisomes are subcellular organelles characterized by a simple morphological structure but have a complex biochemical machinery involved in signaling processes through molecules such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and nitric oxide (NO). Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) is an essential component in cell redox homeostasis, and its regeneration is critical for reductive biosynthesis and detoxification pathways. Plants have several NADPH-generating dehydrogenases, with NADP-isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP-ICDH) being one of these enzymes. Arabidopsis contains three genes that encode for cytosolic, mitochondrial/chloroplastic, and peroxisomal NADP-ICDH isozymes although the specific function of each of these remains largely unknown. Using two T-DNA insertion lines of the peroxisomal NADP-ICDH designated as picdh-1 and picdh-2, the data show that the peroxisomal NADP-ICDH is involved in stomatal movements, suggesting that peroxisomes are a new element in the signaling network of guard cells.

Isocitrate-to-SENP1 signaling amplifies insulin secretion and rescues dysfunctional ß cells.

Insulin secretion from ß cells of the pancreatic islets of Langerhans controls metabolic homeostasis and is impaired in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Increases in blood glucose trigger insulin release by closing ATP-sensitive K+ channels, depolarizing ß cells, and opening voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels to elicit insulin exocytosis. However, one or more additional pathway(s) amplify the secretory response, likely at the distal exocytotic site. The mitochondrial export of isocitrate and engagement with cytosolic isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDc) may be one key pathway, but the mechanism linking this to insulin secretion and its role in T2D have not been defined. Here, we show that the ICDc-dependent generation of NADPH and subsequent glutathione (GSH) reduction contribute to the amplification of insulin exocytosis via sentrin/SUMO-specific protease-1 (SENP1). In human T2D and an in vitro model of human islet dysfunction, the glucose-dependent amplification of exocytosis was impaired and could be rescued by introduction of signaling intermediates from this pathway. Moreover, islet-specific Senp1 deletion in mice caused impaired glucose tolerance by reducing the amplification of insulin exocytosis. Together, our results identify a pathway that links glucose metabolism to the amplification of insulin secretion and demonstrate that restoration of this axis rescues ß cell function in T2D.

Metabolic dysregulation in monogenic disorders and cancer - finding method in madness.

Cancer is a prime example of a disease process in which carcinogenic and metabolic changes are intertwined to promote cell survival and growth. One approach to unravel this complex relationship is by studying rare, monogenic disorders caused by mutations in genes encoding metabolic enzymes or regulators. There are hundreds of these diseases, most of which manifest in childhood and are collectively termed 'inborn errors of metabolism' (IEMs). Several IEMs demonstrate the consequences of chronic, systemic loss of a particular metabolic activity that can result in malignancy. In this Opinion article, we present a conceptual categorization of IEMs associated with cancer and discuss how assessment of these rare diseases might inform us about the biological foundations of common types of cancer and opportunities for cancer diagnosis and therapy.