TDP-43 in central nervous system development and function: clues to TDP-43-associated neurodegeneration.

From the earliest stages of embryogenesis and throughout life, transcriptional regulation is carefully orchestrated in order to generate, shape, and reshape the central nervous system (CNS). TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) is identified as a regulator of essential transcriptional events in the CNS. Evidence for its importance comes from the identification of TDP-43 protein aggregates and genetic mutations in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Efforts are being made to learn more about the biological function of TDP-43 and gain a better understanding of its role in neurodegeneration. TDP-43 RNA targets and protein interactions have now been identified, and in vivo evidence shows that TDP-43 is essential in CNS development and function. This review will highlight aspects of these findings.

KLHL41 stabilizes skeletal muscle sarcomeres by nonproteolytic ubiquitination.

Maintenance of muscle function requires assembly of contractile proteins into highly organized sarcomeres. Mutations in Kelch-like protein 41 (KLHL41) cause nemaline myopathy, a fatal muscle disorder associated with sarcomere disarray. We generated KLHL41 mutant mice, which display lethal disruption of sarcomeres and aberrant expression of muscle structural and contractile proteins, mimicking the hallmarks of the human disease. We show that KLHL41 is poly-ubiquitinated and acts, at least in part, by preventing aggregation and degradation of Nebulin, an essential component of the sarcomere. Furthermore, inhibition of KLHL41 poly-ubiquitination prevents its stabilization of nebulin, suggesting a unique role for ubiquitination in protein stabilization. These findings provide new insights into the molecular etiology of nemaline myopathy and reveal a mechanism whereby KLHL41 stabilizes sarcomeres and maintains muscle function by acting as a molecular chaperone. Similar mechanisms for protein stabilization likely contribute to the actions of other Kelch proteins.

Identification of Gene Expression Differences between Lymphangiogenic and Non-Lymphangiogenic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cell Lines.

It is well established that lung tumors induce the formation of lymphatic vessels. However, the molecular mechanisms controlling tumor lymphangiogenesis in lung cancer have not been fully delineated. In the present study, we identify a panel of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines that induce lymphangiogenesis and use genome-wide mRNA expression to characterize the molecular mechanisms regulating tumor lymphangiogenesis. We show that Calu-1, H1993, HCC461, HCC827, and H2122 NSCLC cell lines form tumors that induce lymphangiogenesis whereas Calu-3, H1155, H1975, and H2073 NSCLC cell lines form tumors that do not induce lymphangiogenesis. By analyzing genome-wide mRNA expression data, we identify a 17-gene expression signature that distinguishes lymphangiogenic from non-lymphangiogenic NSCLC cell lines. Importantly, VEGF-C is the only lymphatic growth factor in this expression signature and is approximately 50-fold higher in the lymphangiogenic group than in the non-lymphangiogenic group. We show that forced expression of VEGF-C by H1975 cells induces lymphangiogenesis and that knockdown of VEGF-C in H1993 cells inhibits lymphangiogenesis. Additionally, we demonstrate that the triple angiokinase inhibitor, nintedanib (small molecule that blocks all FGFRs, PDGFRs, and VEGFRs), suppresses tumor lymphangiogenesis in H1993 tumors. Together, these data suggest that VEGF-C is the dominant driver of tumor lymphangiogenesis in NSCLC and reveal a specific therapy that could potentially block tumor lymphangiogenesis in NSCLC patients.

Neutralizing murine TGFßR2 promotes a differentiated tumor cell phenotype and inhibits pancreatic cancer metastasis.

Elevated levels of TGFß are a negative prognostic indicator for patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer; as a result, the TGFß pathway is an attractive target for therapy. However, clinical application of pharmacologic inhibition of TGFß remains challenging because TGFß has tumor suppressor functions in many epithelial malignancies, including pancreatic cancer. In fact, direct neutralization of TGFß promotes tumor progression of genetic murine models of pancreatic cancer. Here, we report that neutralizing the activity of murine TGFß receptor 2 using a monoclonal antibody (2G8) has potent antimetastatic activity in orthotopic human tumor xenografts, syngeneic tumors, and a genetic model of pancreatic cancer. 2G8 reduced activated fibroblasts, collagen deposition, microvessel density, and vascular function. These stromal-specific changes resulted in tumor cell epithelial differentiation and a potent reduction in metastases. We conclude that TGFß signaling within stromal cells participates directly in tumor cell phenotype and pancreatic cancer progression. Thus, strategies that inhibit TGFß-dependent effector functions of stromal cells could be efficacious for the therapy of pancreatic tumors. Cancer Res; 74(18); 4996-5007. ©2014 AACR.

PG545, an angiogenesis and heparanase inhibitor, reduces primary tumor growth and metastasis in experimental pancreatic cancer.

Aggressive tumor progression, metastasis, and resistance to conventional therapies lead to an extremely poor prognosis for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Heparanase, an enzyme expressed by multiple cell types, including tumor cells in the tumor microenvironment, has been implicated in angiogenesis and metastasis, and its expression correlates with decreased overall survival in PDAC. We evaluated the therapeutic potential of PG545, an angiogenesis and heparanase inhibitor, in experimental PDAC. PG545 inhibited the proliferation, migration, and colony formation of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro at pharmacologically relevant concentrations. Heparanase inhibition also reduced the proliferation of fibroblasts but had only modest effects on endothelial cells in vitro. Furthermore, PG545 significantly prolonged animal survival in intraperitoneal and genetic models (mPDAC: LSL-Kras(G12D); Cdkn2a(lox/lox); p48(Cre)) of PDAC. PG545 also inhibited primary tumor growth and metastasis in orthotopic and genetic endpoint studies. Analysis of tumor tissue revealed that PG545 significantly decreased cell proliferation, increased apoptosis, reduced microvessel density, disrupted vascular function, and elevated intratumoral hypoxia. Elevated hypoxia is a known driver of collagen deposition and tumor progression; however, tumors from PG545-treated animals displayed reduced collagen deposition and a greater degree of differentiation compared with control or gemcitabine-treated tumors. These results highlight the potent antitumor activity of PG545 and support the further exploration of heparanase inhibitors as a potential clinical strategy for the treatment of PDAC.