Post-Transcriptional Regulation of Alpha One Antitrypsin by a Proteasome Inhibitor.

Alpha one antitrypsin (α1AT), a serine proteinase inhibitor primarily produced by the liver, protects pulmonary tissue from neutrophil elastase digestion. Mutations of the SERPINA1 gene results in a misfolded α1AT protein which aggregates inside hepatocytes causing cellular damage. Therefore, inhibition of mutant α1AT production is one practical strategy to alleviate liver damage. Here we show that proteasome inhibitors can selectively downregulate α1AT expression in human hepatocytes by suppressing the translation of α1AT. Translational suppression of α1AT is mediated by phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α and increased association of RNA binding proteins, especially stress granule protein Ras GAP SH3 binding protein (G3BP1), with α1AT mRNA. Treatment of human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived hepatocytes with a proteasome inhibitor also results in translational inhibition of mutant α1AT in a similar manner. Together we revealed a previously undocumented role of proteasome inhibitors in the regulation of α1AT translation.

Regulation of NF-kappaB activity and inducible nitric oxide synthase by regulatory particle non-ATPase subunit 13 (Rpn13).

Human Rpn13, also known as adhesion regulating molecule 1 (ADRM1), was recently identified as a novel 19S proteasome cap-associated protein, which recruits the deubiquitinating enzyme UCH37 to the 26S proteasome. Knockdown of Rpn13 by siRNA does not lead to global accumulation of ubiquitinated cellular proteins or changes in proteasome expression, suggesting that Rpn13 must have a specialized role in proteasome function. Thus, Rpn13 participation in protein degradation, by recruiting UCH37, is rather selective to specific proteins whose degradation critically depends on UCH37 deubiquitination activity. The specific substrates for the Rpn13/UCH37 complex have not been determined. Because of a previous discovery of an interaction between Rpn13 and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), we hypothesized that iNOS is one of the substrates for the Rpn13/UCH37 complex. In this study, we show that Rpn13 is involved in iNOS degradation and is required for iNOS interaction with the deubiquitination protein UCH37. Furthermore, we discovered that IkappaB-alpha, a protein whose proteasomal degradation activates the transcription factor NF-kappaB, is also a substrate for the Rpn13/UCH37 complex. Thus, this study defines two substrates, with important roles in inflammation and host defense for the Rpn13/UCH37 pathway.

Src kinase-mediated phosphorylation stabilizes inducible nitric-oxide synthase in normal cells and cancer cells.

Src kinases are key regulators of cellular proliferation, survival, motility, and invasiveness. They play important roles in the regulation of inflammation and cancer. Overexpression or hyperactivity of c-Src has been implicated in the development of various types of cancer, including lung cancer. Src inhibition is currently being investigated as a potential therapy for non-small cell lung cancer in Phase I and II clinical trials. The mechanisms of Src implication in cancer and inflammation are linked to the ability of activated Src to phosphorylate multiple downstream targets that mediate its cellular effector functions. In this study, we reveal that inducible nitric-oxide synthase (iNOS), an enzyme also implicated in cancer and inflammation, is a downstream mediator of activated Src. We elucidate the molecular mechanisms of the association between Src and iNOS in models of inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide and/or cytokines and in cancer cells and tissues. We identify human iNOS residue Tyr(1055) as a target for Src-mediated phosphorylation. These results are shown in normal cells and cancer cells as well as in vivo in mice. Importantly, such posttranslational modification serves to stabilize iNOS half-life. The data also demonstrate interactions and co-localization of iNOS and activated Src under inflammatory conditions and in cancer cells. This study demonstrates that phosphorylation of iNOS by Src plays an important role in the regulation of iNOS and nitric oxide production and hence could account for some Src-related roles in inflammation and cancer.

Inhibition of GATA2 in prostate cancer by a clinically available small molecule.

Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) remains highly lethal and in need of novel, actionable therapeutic targets. The pioneer factor GATA2 is a significant prostate cancer (PC) driver and is linked to poor prognosis. GATA2 directly promotes androgen receptor (AR) gene expression (both full-length and splice-variant) and facilitates AR binding to chromatin, recruitment of coregulators, and target gene transcription. Unfortunately, there is no clinically applicable GATA2 inhibitor available at the moment. Using a bioinformatics algorithm, we screened in silico 2650 clinically relevant drugs for a potential GATA2 inhibitor. Validation studies used cytotoxicity and proliferation assays, global gene expression analysis, RT-qPCR, reporter assay, reverse phase protein array analysis (RPPA), and immunoblotting. We examined target engagement via cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA), ChIP-qPCR, and GATA2 DNA-binding assay. We identified the vasodilator dilazep as a potential GATA2 inhibitor and confirmed on-target activity via CETSA. Dilazep exerted anticancer activity across a broad panel of GATA2-dependent PC cell lines in vitro and in a PDX model in vivo. Dilazep inhibited GATA2 recruitment to chromatin and suppressed the cell-cycle program, transcriptional programs driven by GATA2, AR, and c-MYC, and the expression of several oncogenic drivers, including AR, c-MYC, FOXM1, CENPF, EZH2, UBE2C, and RRM2, as well as of several mediators of metastasis, DNA damage repair, and stemness. In conclusion, we provide, via an extensive compendium of methodologies, proof-of-principle that a small molecule can inhibit GATA2 function and suppress its downstream AR, c-MYC, and other PC-driving effectors. We propose GATA2 as a therapeutic target in CRPC.

SRC kinase is a novel therapeutic target in lymphangioleiomyomatosis.

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a progressive cystic lung disease affecting some women with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). Sporadic LAM can develop in women without TSC, owing to somatic mutations in the TSC2 gene. Accumulating evidence supports the view of LAM as a low-grade, destructive, metastasizing neoplasm. The mechanisms underlying the metastatic capability of LAM cells remain poorly understood. The observed behavior of LAM cells with respect to their infiltrative growth pattern, metastatic potential, and altered cell differentiation bears similarity to cells undergoing epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Here, we report increased levels of active Src kinase in LAM lungs and in TSC2(-/-) cells, caused by a reduction of autophagy. Furthermore, increased Src kinase activation promoted migration, invasion, and inhibition of E-cadherin expression in TSC2(-/-) cells by upregulating the transcription factor Snail. Notably, Src kinase inhibitors reduced migration and invasion properties of TSC2(-/-) cells and attenuated lung colonization of intravenously injected TSC2(-/-) cells in vivo to a greater extent than control TSC2(+/+) cells. Our results reveal mechanistic basis for the pathogenicity of LAM cells and they rationalize Src kinase as a novel therapeutic target for treatment of LAM and TSC.