The tick Ixodes scapularis has five different GPCRs specifically activated by ACP (adipokinetic hormone/corazonin-related peptide).

Insects have about 50 neuropeptide genes and about 70 genes, coding for neuropeptide G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). An important, but small family of evolutionarily related insect neuropeptides consists of adipokinetic hormone (AKH), corazonin, and AKH/corazonin-related peptide (ACP). Normally, insects have one specific GPCR for each of these neuropeptides. The tick Ixodes scapularis is not an insect, but belongs to the subphylum Chelicerata, which comprises ticks, scorpions, mites, spiders, and horseshoe crabs. Many of the neuropeptides and neuropeptide GPCRs occurring in insects, also occur in chelicerates, illustrating that insects and chelicerates are evolutionarily closely related. The tick I. scapularis is an ectoparasite and health risk for humans, because it infects its human host with dangerous pathogens during a blood meal. Understanding the biology of ticks will help researchers to prevent tick-borne diseases. By annotating the I. scapularis genome sequence, we previously found that ticks contain as many as five genes, coding for presumed ACP receptors. In the current paper, we cloned these receptors and expressed each of them in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells. Each expressed receptor was activated by nanomolar concentrations of ACP, demonstrating that all five receptors were functional ACP receptors. Phylogenetic tree analyses showed that the cloned tick ACP receptors were mostly related to insect ACP receptors and, next, to insect AKH receptors, suggesting that ACP receptor genes and AKH receptor genes originated by gene duplications from a common ancestor. Similar duplications have probably occurred for the ligand genes, during a process of ligand/receptor co-evolution. Interestingly, chelicerates, in contrast to all other arthropods, do not have AKH or AKH receptor genes. Therefore, the ancestor of chelicerates might have lost AKH and AKH receptor genes and functionally replaced them by ACP and ACP receptor genes. For the small family of AKH, ACP, and corazonin receptors and their ligands, gene losses and gene gains occur frequently between the various ecdysozoan clades. Tardigrades, for example, which are well known for their survival in extreme environments, have as many as ten corazonin receptor genes and six corazonin peptide genes, while insects only have one of each, or none.

Oncogenic p95HER2 regulates Na+-HCO3- cotransporter NBCn1 mRNA stability in breast cancer cells via 3'UTR-dependent processes.

The Na+-HCO3- cotransporter NBCn1 (SLC4A7) is up-regulated in breast cancer, important for tumor growth, and a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs4973768, in its 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) correlates with increased breast cancer risk. We previously demonstrated that NBCn1 expression and promoter activity are strongly increased in breast cancer cells expressing a constitutively active oncogenic human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) (p95HER2). Here, we address the roles of p95HER2 in regulating NBCn1 expression via post-transcriptional mechanisms. p95HER2 expression in MCF-7 cells reduced the rate of NBCn1 mRNA degradation. The NBCn1 3'UTR down-regulated luciferase reporter expression in control cells, and this was reversed by p95HER2, suggesting that p95HER2 counteracts 3'UTR-mediated suppression of NBCn1 expression. Truncation analyses identified three NBCn1 3'UTR regions of regulatory importance. Mutation of putative miRNA-binding sites (miR-374a/b, miR-200b/c, miR-29a/b/c, miR-488) in these regions did not have significant impact on 3'UTR activity. The NBCn1 3'UTR interacted directly with the RNA-binding protein human antigen R (HuR), and HuR knockdown reduced NBCn1 expression. Conversely, ablation of a distal AU-rich element increased 3'UTR-driven reporter activity, suggesting complex regulatory roles of these sites. The cancer-associated SNP variant decreased reporter expression in T-47D breast cancer cells, yet not in MCF-7, MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3 cells, arguing against a general role in regulating NBCn1 expression. Finally, p95HER2 expression increased total and plasma membrane NBCn1 protein levels and decreased the rate of NBCn1 protein degradation. Collectively, this is the first work to demonstrate 3'UTR-mediated NBCn1 regulation, shows that p95HER2 regulates NBCn1 expression at multiple levels, and substantiates the central position of p95HER2-NBCn1 signaling in breast cancer.

Constitutively active ErbB2 regulates cisplatin-induced cell death in breast cancer cells via pro- and antiapoptotic mechanisms.

UNLABELLED: Despite the frequent expression of N-terminally truncated ErbB2 (ΔNErbB2/p95HER2) in breast cancer and its association with Herceptin resistance and poor prognosis, it remains poorly understood how ΔNErbB2 affects chemotherapy-induced cell death. Previously it was shown that ΔNErbB2 upregulates acid extrusion from MCF-7 breast cancer cells and that inhibition of the Na(+)/H(+) exchanger (SLC9A1/NHE1) strongly sensitizes ΔNErbB2-expressing MCF-7 cells to cisplatin chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to identify the mechanism through which ΔNErbB2 regulates cisplatin-induced breast cancer cell death, and determine how NHE1 regulates this process. Cisplatin treatment elicited apoptosis, ATM phosphorylation, upregulation of p53, Noxa (PMAIP1), and PUMA (BBC3), and cleavage of caspase-9, -7, fodrin, and PARP-1 in MCF-7 cells. Inducible ΔNErbB2 expression strongly reduced cisplatin-induced ATM- and p53-phosphorylation, augmented Noxa upregulation and caspase-9 and -7 cleavage, doubled p21(WAF1/Cip1) (CDKN1A) expression, and nearly abolished Bcl-2 expression. LC3-GFP analysis demonstrated that autophagic flux was reduced by cisplatin in a manner augmented by ΔNErbB2, yet did not contribute to cisplatin-induced death. Using knockdown approaches, it was shown that cisplatin-induced caspase-7 cleavage in ΔNErbB2-MCF-7 cells was Noxa- and caspase-9 dependent. This pathway was augmented by NHE1 inhibition, while the Na(+)/HCO3 (-) cotransporter (SLC4A7/NBCn1) was internalized following cisplatin exposure. IMPLICATIONS: This work reveals that ΔNErbB2 strongly affects several major pro- and antiapoptotic pathways and provides mechanistic insight into the role of NHE1 in chemotherapy resistance. These findings have relevance for defining therapy regimens in breast cancers with ΔNErbB2 and/or NHE1 overexpression.