Loss of RhoA promotes skin tumor formation and invasion by upregulation of RhoB.

Cellular movement is controlled by small GTPases, such as RhoA. Although migration is crucial for cancer cell invasion, the specific role of RhoA in tumor formation is unclear. Inducing skin tumors in mice with a keratinocyte-restricted loss of RhoA, we observed increased tumor frequency, growth and invasion. In vitro invasion assays revealed that in the absence of RhoA cell invasiveness is increased in a Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) activation and cell contraction-dependent manner. Surprisingly, loss of RhoA causes increased Rho signaling via overcompensation by RhoB because of reduced lysosomal degradation of RhoB in Gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor-associated protein (GABARAP)+ autophagosomes and endosomes. In the absence of RhoA, RhoB relocalized to the plasma membrane and functionally replaced RhoA with respect to invasion, clonogenic growth and survival. Our data demonstrate for the first time that RhoA is a tumor suppressor in 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene/12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate skin carcinogenesis and identify Rho signaling dependent on RhoA and RhoB as a potent driver of tumor progression.

Stimulation of insulin release from the MIN6 cell line by a new imidazoline compound, S-21663: evidence for the existence of a novel imidazoline site in beta cells.

1. The MIN6 cell line derived from in vivo immortalized insulin-secreting pancreatic beta cells was used to study the insulin-releasing capacity and the cellular mode of action of S-21663, a newly synthesized imadizoline compound known for its antidiabetic effect in vivo and its ability to release insulin from perfused pancreas. 2. S-21663, at concentrations ranging from 10(-5) M to 10(-3) M was able to release insulin from MIN6 cells; its activity peaked at 10(-4) M, a drop in the stimulant factor being noted between 10(-4) and 10(-3) M. Its efficacy, which did not differ whatever the glucose concentration (stimulant or not), was higher than that of the other secretagogues tested, glucose, sulphonylureas or the peptide tGLP-1. 3. In contrast to tGLP-1, S-21663 did not change the cyclic AMP content, whereas it increased Ca2+ influx via verapamil- and nifedipine-sensitive voltage-dependent calcium channels, the insulin release being a direct consequence of this Ca2+ entry. The S-21663-induced Ca2+ influx appears to be essentially the consequence of closure of K+ channels which differ from the ATP-dependent K+ (K-ATP) channels as determined by measurement of 86Rb efflux and use of a K-ATP channel opener. 4. Comparison of the effects of S-21663 to that of efaroxan, another imidazoline compound shown to act on insulin release in a glucose-dependent way via binding sites distinct from the imidazoline I1 and I2 sites, suggested that S-21663 acts through a novel site which displays a remarkably stable expression along the cell culture. 5. It is concluded that S-21663 is a very efficient, glucose-independent insulin secretagogue acting through a novel imidazoline site, linked to K+ channels, distinct from the I1, I2 and 'efaroxan' binding sites. In vitro and in vivo features of S-21663 indicate that this compound, or new drugs derived from it, might be the basis for a new pharmacological approach to the mangement of type II (non insulin-dependent) diabetes.

Effects of a progestogen on normal human breast epithelial cell apoptosis in vitro and in vivo.

Many investigators have reported cyclic proliferation of normal human breast epithelial cells. A delicate balance between proliferation and apoptosis (programmed cell death) ensures breast homeostasis. Both the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle are characterized by proliferation, whereas apoptosis occurs only at the end of the latter phase. In this study, we observed that the withdrawal of a synthetic progestin (nomegestrol acetate or NOMAC), but not continuous treatment with it, induced apoptosis of normal human breast epithelial cells in vitro and in women who applied NOMAC gel to their breasts. Furthermore, this apoptotic response was specific to normal breast cells, since withdrawal of NOMAC did not induce apoptosis of tumoral T47D cells in vitro or of fibroadenoma cells in women. These observations open up new perspectives in the prevention of hyperplasia and breast cancer.

Rac1 is crucial for Ras-dependent skin tumor formation by controlling Pak1-Mek-Erk hyperactivation and hyperproliferation in vivo.

Rac1 has a role in proliferation and survival of tumor cells in vitro. The exact effects of Rac1 on growth, apoptosis and corresponding signaling pathways during tumorigenesis in vivo, however, have not been explored yet. Using mice with a keratinocyte-restricted deletion of the Rac1 gene, we found that Rac1 is essential for DMBA/TPA-induced skin tumor formation. This corresponded to a decreased keratinocyte hyperproliferation, although apoptosis was not detectably altered. Activated Rac1 promoted Erk-dependent hyperproliferation by Pak1-mediated Mek activation independent of Mek1 phosporylation at serine 298. Rac1 was furthermore required for Pak2-dependent hyperactivation of Akt, which under in vivo condition was restricted to the suprabasal cell layers corresponding to a suprabasal-specific expression of Pak2. It is surprising that none of these signaling pathways was altered in untreated Rac1-deficient skin, indicating a hyperproliferation-specific function of Rac1 in vivo. These data suggest that blocking of Rac1 function might allow tumor-specific growth repression, as Rac1 is not required for normal growth and growth signaling controlling pathways in skin in vivo.

L-leucine availability regulates phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, p70 S6 kinase and glycogen synthase kinase-3 activity in L6 muscle cells: evidence for the involvement of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway in the L-leucine-induced up-regulation of system A amino acid transport.

Amino acid availability is known to regulate diverse cell processes including the activation of p70 S6 kinase, initiation factors involved in mRNA translation, gene expression and cellular amino acid uptake. Essential amino acids, in particular the branched-chain amino acids (e.g. leucine), have been shown to be the dominant players in mediating these effects, although the precise nature by which they regulate these processes remain poorly understood. In this study we have investigated the mechanisms involved in the leucine-induced modulation of p70 S6 kinase and addressed whether this kinase participates in the up-regulation of the System A amino acid transporter in L6 muscle cells. Incubation of muscle cells that had been amino acid-deprived for 1 h with L-leucine (2 mM) led to a rapid (>2-fold) activation of p70 S6 kinase, which was suppressed by both wortmannin and rapamycin. Consistent with this finding, addition of leucine caused a rapid ( approximately 5-fold) but transient stimulation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K). PI3K activation was inhibited by wortmannin and was not dependent upon insulin receptor substrate-1 activation. Unlike stimulation by insulin, activation of neither protein kinase B nor p42/p44 mitogen-activated protein kinase accompanied the leucine-induced stimulation of PI3K. However, the leucine-induced activation of PI3K and p70 S6 kinase did result in the concomitant inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3). Leucine enhanced System A transport by approximately 50%. We have shown previously that this stimulation is protein-synthesis-dependent and in the current study we show that it was blocked by both wortmannin and rapamycin. Our findings indicate that PI3K and the mammalian target of rapamycin are components of a nutrient signalling pathway that regulates the activation of p70 S6 kinase and induction of System A in L6 cells. The activation of this pathway by leucine is also responsible for the inactivation of GSK-3, and this is likely to have important regulatory implications for translation initiation.

alpha-Endosulfine, a new entity in the control of insulin secretion.

ATP-dependent potassium (K ATP) channels occupy a key position in the control of insulin release from the pancreatic beta cell since they couple cell polarity to metabolism. These channels close when more ATP is produced via glucose metabolism. They are also controlled by sulfonylureas, a class of drugs used in type 2 diabetic patients for triggering insulin secretion from beta cells that have lost part of their sensitivity to glucose. We have demonstrated the existence of endogenous counterparts to sulfonylureas which we have called 'endosulfines.' In this review, we describe the discovery, isolation, cloning, and biological features of the high-molecular-mass form, alpha-endosulfine, and discuss its possible role in the physiology of the beta cell as well as in pathology.

Alpha endosulfine is a novel molecule, structurally related to a family of phosphoproteins.

We have observed that alpha endosulfine, the 13KDa form of the endogenous ligand for sulfonylurea receptor recently isolated from porcine brain, displays strong similarities with a phosphoprotein of similar size previously isolated from bovine brain and called ARPP-19. To determine whether the two proteins are different entities, we developed an RT-PCR strategy for analyzing the main portion of bovine alpha endosulfine. We show that alpha endosulfine and ARPP-19 are different entities from the same family of proteins, coded by distinct genes.

A role for the actin cytoskeleton in the hormonal and growth-factor-mediated activation of protein kinase B.

We show here that cytochalasin D-induced depolymerization of actin filaments markedly reduces the stimulus-dependent activation of protein kinase B (PKB) in four different cell types (HEK-293 cells, L6 myotubes, 3T3-L1 adipocytes and U87MG cells). HEK-293 cells expressing the pleckstrin homology (PH) domains of PKB and general receptor for phosphoinositides-1 (GRP1) fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP) were used to monitor production of 3-phosphoinositides in the plasma membrane. Disassembly of the actin cytoskeleton significantly reduced the insulin-mediated translocation of both PKB-PH-GFP and GRP1-PH-GFP to the plasma membrane, consistent with diminished synthesis of 3-phosphoinositides. Actin depolymerization did not affect the hormonal activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase), and since cytochalasin D treatment also led to reduced platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-induced phosphorylation of PKB in U87MG cells, a PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10) null cell line, lipid phosphatase activity was unlikely to account for any reduction in cellular 3-phosphoinositides. Withdrawal of cytochalasin D from the extracellular medium induced actin filament repolymerization, and reinstated both the recruitment of PH-GFP fusion proteins to the plasma membrane and PKB activation in response to insulin and PDGF. Our findings indicate that an intact actin network is a crucial requirement for PI 3-kinase-mediated production of 3-phosphoinositides and, therefore, for the activation of PKB.

Human alpha-endosulfine, a possible regulator of sulfonylurea-sensitive KATP channel: molecular cloning, expression and biological properties.

Sulfonylureas are a class of drugs commonly used in the management of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Their therapeutic action results primarily from their ability to inhibit ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels in the plasma membrane of pancreatic beta cells and thereby stimulate insulin release. A key question is whether an endogenous ligand for the KATP channel exists that is able to mimic the inhibitory effects of sulfonylureas. We describe here the cloning of the cDNA encoding human alpha-endosulfine, a 13-kDa peptide that is a putative candidate for such a role. alpha-Endosulfine is expressed in a wide range of tissues including muscle, brain, and endocrine tissues. The recombinant protein displaces binding of the sulfonylurea [3H]glibenclamide to beta cell membranes, inhibits cloned KATP channel currents, and stimulates insulin secretion. We propose that endosulfine is an endogenous regulator of the KATP channel, which has a key role in the control of insulin release and, more generally, couples cell metabolism to electrical activity.