PHLPP1 regulates CFTR activity and lumen expansion through AMPK.

Complex organ development depends on single lumen formation and its expansion during tubulogenesis. This can be achieved by correct mitotic spindle orientation during cell division, combined with luminal fluid filling that generates hydrostatic pressure. Using a human 3D cell culture model, we have identified two regulators of these processes. We find that pleckstrin homology leucine-rich repeat protein phosphatase (PHLPP) 2 regulates mitotic spindle orientation, and thereby midbody positioning and maintenance of a single lumen. Silencing the sole PHLPP family phosphatase in Drosophila melanogaster, phlpp, resulted in defective spindle orientation in Drosophila neuroblasts. Importantly, cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is the main channel regulating fluid transport in this system, stimulated by phosphorylation by protein kinase A and inhibited by the AMP-activated protein kinase AMPK. During lumen expansion, CFTR remains open through the action of PHLPP1, which stops activated AMPK from inhibiting ion transport through CFTR. In the absence of PHLPP1, the restraint on AMPK activity is lost and this tips the balance in the favour of channel closing, resulting in the lack of lumen expansion and accumulation of mucus.

Gamma irradiation during gametogenesis in young adult zebrafish causes persistent genotoxicity and adverse reproductive effects.

The biological effects of gamma radiation may exert damage beyond that of the individual through its deleterious effects on reproductive function. Impaired reproductive performance can result in reduced population size over consecutive generations. In a continued effort to investigate reproductive and heritable effects of ionizing radiation, we recently demonstrated adverse effects and genomic instability in progeny of parents exposed to gamma radiation. In the present study, genotoxicity and effects on the reproduction following subchronic exposure during a gametogenesis cycle to 60Co gamma radiation (27 days, 8.7 and 53 mGy/h, total doses 5.2 and 31 Gy) were investigated in the adult wild-type zebrafish (Danio rerio). A significant reduction in embryo production was observed one month after exposure in the 53 mGy/h exposure group compared to control and 8.7 mGy/h. One year later, embryo production was significantly lower in the 53 mGy/h group compared only to control, with observed sterility, accompanied by a regression of reproductive organs in 100% of the fish 1.5 years after exposure. Histopathological examinations revealed no significant changes in the testis in the 8.7 mGy/h group, while in 62.5% of females exposed to this dose rate the oogenesis was found to be only at the early previtellogenic stage. The DNA damage determined in whole blood, 1.5 years after irradiation, using a high throughput Comet assay, was significantly higher in the exposed groups (1.2 and 3-fold increase in 8.7 and 53 mGy/h females respectively; 3-fold and 2-fold increase in 8.7 and 53 mGy/h males respectively) compared to controls. A significantly higher number of micronuclei (4-5%) was found in erythrocytes of both the 8.7 and 53 mGy/h fish compared to controls. This study shows that gamma radiation at a dose rate of ≥ 8.7 mGy/h during gametogenesis causes adverse reproductive effects and persistent genotoxicity (DNA damage and increased micronuclei) in adult zebrafish.

Focusing the Spotlight on the Zebrafish Intestine to Illuminate Mechanisms of Colorectal Cancer.

Colorectal cancer, encompassing colon and rectal cancer, arises from the epithelial lining of the large bowel. It is most prevalent in Westernised societies and is increasing in frequency as the world becomes more industrialised. Unfortunately, metastatic colorectal cancer is not cured by chemotherapy and the annual number of deaths caused by colorectal cancer, currently 700,000, is expected to rise. Our understanding of the contribution that genetic mutations make to colorectal cancer, although incomplete, is reasonably well advanced. However, it has only recently become widely appreciated that in addition to the ongoing accumulation of genetic mutations, chronic inflammation also plays a critical role in the initiation and progression of this disease. While a robust and tractable genetic model of colorectal cancer in zebrafish, suitable for pre-clinical studies, is not yet available, the identification of genes required for the rapid proliferation of zebrafish intestinal epithelial cells during development has highlighted a number of essential genes that could be targeted to disable colorectal cancer cells. Moreover, appreciation of the utility of zebrafish to study intestinal inflammation is on the rise. In particular, zebrafish provide unique opportunities to investigate the impact of genetic and environmental factors on the integrity of intestinal epithelial barrier function. With currently available tools, the interplay between epigenetic regulators, intestinal injury, microbiota composition and innate immune cell mobilisation can be analysed in exquisite detail. This provides excellent opportunities to define critical events that could potentially be targeted therapeutically. Further into the future, the use of zebrafish larvae as hosts for xenografts of human colorectal cancer tissue, while still in its infancy, holds great promise that zebrafish could one day provide a practical, preclinical personalized medicine platform for the rapid assessment of the metastatic potential and drug-sensitivity of patient-derived cancers.

Production of phosphatidylinositol 5-phosphate via PIKfyve and MTMR3 regulates cell migration.

Although phosphatidylinositol 5-phosphate (PtdIns5P) is present in many cell types and its biogenesis is increased by diverse stimuli, its precise cellular function remains elusive. Here we show that PtdIns5P levels increase when cells are stimulated to move and we find PtdIns5P to promote cell migration in tissue culture and in a Drosophila in vivo model. First, class III phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, which produces PtdIns3P, was shown to be involved in migration of fibroblasts. In a cell migration screen for proteins containing PtdIns3P-binding motifs, we identified the phosphoinositide 5-kinase PIKfyve and the phosphoinositide 3-phosphatase MTMR3, which together constitute a phosphoinositide loop that produces PtdIns5P via PtdIns(3,5)P(2). The ability of PtdIns5P to stimulate cell migration was demonstrated directly with exogenous PtdIns5P and a PtdIns5P-producing bacterial enzyme. Thus, the identified phosphoinositide loop defines a new role for PtdIns5P in cell migration.

PIKfyve, MTMR3 and their product PtdIns5P regulate cancer cell migration and invasion through activation of Rac1.

Previously, we have shown that the phosphoinositide metabolizing enzymes PIKfyve (phosphoinositide 5-kinase, FYVE finger containing) and MTMR3 (myotubularin-related protein 3), together with their lipid product PtdIns5P, are important for migration of normal human fibroblasts. As these proteins are a kinase and a phosphatase respectively, and thereby considered druggable, we wanted to test their involvement in cancer cell migration and invasion. First, we showed that PIKfyve and MTMR3 are expressed in most cancer cells. Next, we demonstrated that depletion of PIKfyve or MTMR3 resulted in decreased velocity in three different cancer cell lines by using new software for cell tracking. Inhibition of the enzymatic activity of PIKfyve by the inhibitor YM201636 also led to a strong reduction in cell velocity. Mechanistically, we show that PIKfyve and MTMR3 regulate the activation of the Rho family GTPase Rac1. Further experiments also implicated PtdIns5P in the activation of Rac1. The results suggest a model for the activation of Rac1 in cell migration where PIKfyve and MTMR3 produce PtdIns5P on cellular membranes which may then serve to recruit effectors to activate Rac1. Finally, in an invasion assay, we demonstrate that both PIKfyve and MTMR3 are implicated in invasive behaviour of cancer cells. Thus PIKfyve and MTMR3 could represent novel therapeutic targets in metastatic cancer.

The role of ESCRT proteins in attenuation of cell signalling.

The ESCRT (endosomal sorting complex required for transport) machinery consists of four protein complexes that mediate sorting of ubiquitinated membrane proteins into the intraluminal vesicles of multivesicular endosomes, thereby targeting them for degradation in lysosomes. In the present paper, we review how ESCRT-mediated receptor down-regulation affects signalling downstream of Notch and growth factor receptors, and how ESCRTs may control cell proliferation, survival and cytoskeletal functions and contribute to tumour suppression.

HS1BP3 negatively regulates autophagy by modulation of phosphatidic acid levels.

A fundamental question is how autophagosome formation is regulated. Here we show that the PX domain protein HS1BP3 is a negative regulator of autophagosome formation. HS1BP3 depletion increased the formation of LC3-positive autophagosomes and degradation of cargo both in human cell culture and in zebrafish. HS1BP3 is localized to ATG16L1- and ATG9-positive autophagosome precursors and we show that HS1BP3 binds phosphatidic acid (PA) through its PX domain. Furthermore, we find the total PA content of cells to be significantly upregulated in the absence of HS1BP3, as a result of increased activity of the PA-producing enzyme phospholipase D (PLD) and increased localization of PLD1 to ATG16L1-positive membranes. We propose that HS1BP3 regulates autophagy by modulating the PA content of the ATG16L1-positive autophagosome precursor membranes through PLD1 activity and localization. Our findings provide key insights into how autophagosome formation is regulated by a novel negative-feedback mechanism on membrane lipids.

PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway is dominant over androgen receptor signaling in prostate cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: Androgen receptor (AR) and the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K) signaling are two of the most important pathways implicated in prostate cancer. Previous work has shown that there is crosstalk between these two pathways; however, there are conflicting findings and the molecular mechanisms are not clear. Here we studied the AR-PI3K pathway crosstalk in prostate cancer cells in vitro as well as in vivo. METHODS: Quantitative PCR, Western analysis, reporter assays, and proliferation analyses in vitro and in vivo were used to evaluate the effect of PI3K pathway inhibition on AR signaling and cell growth. RESULTS: Transcriptional activity of AR was increased when the PI3K pathway was inhibited at different levels. In the androgen responsive prostate cancer cell line LNCaP, androgen and the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin synergistically activated androgen target genes. Despite increased androgen signaling, rapamycin treatment reduced LNCaP cell growth; the AR antagonist bicalutamide potentiated this effect. Furthermore, the rapamycin derivative CCI-779 reduced the growth of CWR22 prostate cancer xenografts while increasing AR target gene expression. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that inhibition of the PI3K pathway activates AR signaling. Despite the increase in AR signaling which has proliferative effects, the result of PI3K pathway inhibition is antiproliferative. These findings suggest that the PI3K pathway is dominant over AR signaling in prostate cancer cells which should be considered in developing novel therapeutic strategies for prostate cancer.