The phosphoinositide 3-kinase pathway and glycogen synthase kinase-3 positively regulate the activity of metal-responsive transcription factor-1 in response to zinc ions.

Metal-responsive transcription factor-1 (MTF-1) is a metal-regulatory transcription factor essential for induction of the genes encoding metallothioneins (MTs) in response to transition metal ions. Activation of MTF-1 is dependent on the interaction of zinc with the zinc fingers of the protein. In addition, phosphorylation is essential for MTF-1 transactivation. We previously showed that inhibition of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) abrogated Mt expression and metal-induced MTF-1 activation in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) HepG2 and mouse L cells, thus showing that the PI3K signaling pathway positively regulates MTF-1 activity and Mt gene expression. However, it has also been reported that inhibition of PI3K has no significant effects on Mt expression in immortalized epithelial cells and increases Mt expression in HCC cells. To further characterize the role of the PI3K pathway on the activity of MTF-1, transfection experiments were performed in HEK293 and HepG2 cells in presence of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3), mTOR-C1, and mTOR-C2 inhibitors, as well as of siRNAs targeting Phosphatase and TENsin homolog (PTEN). We showed that inhibition of the mTOR-C2 complex inhibits the activity of MTF-1 in HepG2 and HEK293 cells, while inhibition of the mTOR-C1 complex or of PTEN stimulates MTF-1 activity in HEK293 cells. These results confirm that the PI3K pathway positively regulates MTF-1 activity. Finally, we showed that GSK-3 is required for MTF-1 activation in response to zinc ions.

Vitamin K-dependent carboxylation regulates Ca2+ flux and adaptation to metabolic stress in ß cells.

Vitamin K is a micronutrient necessary for γ-carboxylation of glutamic acids. This post-translational modification occurs in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and affects secreted proteins. Recent clinical studies implicate vitamin K in the pathophysiology of diabetes, but the underlying molecular mechanism remains unknown. Here, we show that mouse ß cells lacking γ-carboxylation fail to adapt their insulin secretion in the context of age-related insulin resistance or diet-induced ß cell stress. In human islets, γ-carboxylase expression positively correlates with improved insulin secretion in response to glucose. We identify endoplasmic reticulum Gla protein (ERGP) as a γ-carboxylated ER-resident Ca2+-binding protein expressed in ß cells. Mechanistically, γ-carboxylation of ERGP protects cells against Ca2+ overfilling by diminishing STIM1 and Orai1 interaction and restraining store-operated Ca2+ entry. These results reveal a critical role of vitamin K-dependent carboxylation in regulation of Ca2+ flux in ß cells and in their capacity to adapt to metabolic stress.

Association between osteocalcin gamma-carboxylation and insulin resistance in overweight and obese postmenopausal women.

AIM: In mice, osteocalcin (OCN) acts as a bone-derived hormone promoting insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance. In that species, OCN endocrine action is inhibited when its first glutamic acid residue (Glu13) is γ-carboxylated (Gla). The importance of this posttranslational modification for OCN function in human is still unclear. Our objectives were to identify an assay to assess γ-carboxylation of human OCN on its first Glu residue (Glu17) and to test its association with insulin resistance and inflammation profile in overweight women. METHODS: Several ELISAs were tested to determine their specificity toward various forms of human OCN. Associations between OCN γ-carboxylation and determinants of glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, liver function and subclinical inflammation were then investigated in 129 non-diabetic overweight and obese postmenopausal women. RESULTS: We identified assays allowing the measurement of total OCN (tOCN) and the ratio of Gla17/tOCN. Circulating Gla17/tOCN levels correlated negatively with insulin sensitivity assessed by hyperinsulinemic-euglyceamic clamp (P=0.02) or insulin sensitivity index derived from oral glucose tolerance test (P=0.00003), and positively with insulin resistance assessed by HOMA-IR (P=0.0005) and with markers of subclinical inflammation and liver enzymes, including C-reactive protein (CRP; P=0.007) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST; P=0.009). CONCLUSIONS: γ-carboxylation of OCN on Glu17 residue correlates with insulin resistance and subclinical inflammation, suggesting that γ-carboxylation of OCN negatively regulates its endocrine action in humans.

Identification of I1171N resistance mutation in ALK-positive non-small-cell lung cancer tumor sample and circulating tumor DNA.

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-rearranged non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is sensitive to ALK inhibitor therapy, but resistance invariably develops and can be mediated by certain secondary mutations. The detection of these mutations is useful to guide treatment decisions, but tumors are not always easily accessible to re-biopsy. We report the case of a patient with ALK-rearranged NSCLC who presented acquired resistance to crizotinib and then alectinib. Sequencing analyses of DNA from a liver metastasis biopsy sample and circulating tumor DNA both found the same I1171N ALK kinase domain mutation, known to confer resistance to certain ALK inhibitors. However, the patient then received ceritinib, a 2nd generation ALK inhibitor, and achieved another partial response. This case underlines how ALK resistance mutation detection in peripheral blood could be a reliable, safer, and less invasive alternative to tissue-based samples in NSCLC.

Molecular analysis and intestinal expression of SAR1 genes and proteins in Anderson's disease (Chylomicron retention disease).

BACKGROUND: Anderson's disease (AD) or chylomicron retention disease (CMRD) is a very rare hereditary lipid malabsorption syndrome. In order to discover novel mutations in the SAR1B gene and to evaluate the expression, as compared to healthy subjects, of the Sar1 gene and protein paralogues in the intestine, we investigated three previously undescribed individuals with the disease. METHODS: The SAR1B, SAR1A and PCSK9 genes were sequenced. The expression of the SAR1B and SAR1A genes in intestinal biopsies of both normal individuals and patients was measured by RTqPCR. Immunohistochemistry using antibodies to recombinant Sar1 protein was used to evaluate the expression and localization of the Sar1 paralogues in the duodenal biopsies. RESULTS: Two patients had a novel SAR1B mutation (p.Asp48ThrfsX17). The third patient, who had a previously described SAR1B mutation (p.Leu28ArgfsX7), also had a p.Leu21dup variant of the PCSK9 gene. The expression of the SAR1B gene in duodenal biopsies from an AD/CMRD patient was significantly decreased whereas the expression of the SAR1A gene was significantly increased, as compared to healthy individuals. The Sar1 proteins were present in decreased amounts in enterocytes in duodenal biopsies from the patients as compared to those from healthy subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Although the proteins encoded by the SAR1A and SAR1B genes are 90% identical, the increased expression of the SAR1A gene in AD/CMRD does not appear to compensate for the lack of the SAR1B protein. The PCSK9 variant, although reported to be associated with low levels of cholesterol, does not appear to exert any additional effect in this patient. The results provide further insight into the tissue-specific nature of AD/CMRD.

Novel LRP5 gene mutation in a patient with osteoporosis-pseudoglioma syndrome.

Osteoporosis-pseudoglioma syndrome (OPPG) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterised by severe juvenile-onset osteoporosis and congenital or early-onset blindness. This serious illness is due to mutations in the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5 (LRP5) that is a major actor in pathways involved in bone remodelling. Here, we report a novel frameshift mutation identified in a 22 year-old Tunisian boy of a consanguineous family. This patient had low bone mineral density (BMD), experienced multiple fractures during childhood and suffered ocular alterations with blindness. Direct DNA sequencing showed a homozygous 5 base pair insertion in exon 5 of the LRP5 gene. This new mutation is located in the first EGF-like domain and gives rise to a truncated protein of 384 amino acids. The functional significance of this mutation clearly indicates a loss-of-function mutation of the LRP5 gene leading to the observed OPPG phenotype. Rheumatologists must be aware of LRP5 gene that in addition to being a major gene in the mendelian disease that is OPPG syndrome seems to be involved in osteoporosis in the general population through some of its polymorphisms.