KSR1 regulates small-cell lung carcinoma tumor initiation and therapy resistance.

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is designated a recalcitrant cancer due to its five-year relative survival rate of less than 7%. First line SCLC treatment has not changed in the last 40 years. The NeuroD1 subtype of SCLC (SCLC-N) commonly harbors MYC amplifications and other hallmarks of aggressive behavior. Finding novel therapeutic options that effectively eliminate residual disease observed after initial response to therapy is essential to improving SCLC patient outcome. Tumor-initiating cells (TICs) are reported as the sanctuary population within the bulk tumor responsible for therapeutic resistance and relapse. In contrast to earlier studies in which ERK activation is reported to be inhibitory to growth and tumor development, we show that KSR1 signaling is conserved in SCLC-N and that it regulates tumor initiation through ERK. Thus, KSR1 function in SCLC-N serves as a novel model for understanding the role of KSR1-dependent signaling in normal and malignant tissues. We further show that KSR1 mediates cisplatin resistance in SCLC-N cells. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated KSR1 knockout causes a dramatic increase in sensitivity to cisplatin and is coincident with a marked decrease in TICs, indicating that targeting KSR1 might be selectively toxic to cells responsible for therapeutic resistance and tumor initiation. Our data show that KSR1, a molecular scaffold for the Raf/MEK/ERK signaling cascade, is critical for tumor initiation and clonogenicity, both in vitro and in vivo in the highly aggressive, metastatic and therapy resistant NeuroD1 subtype of SCLC. These findings shed light on a key distinct protein responsible for regulation in SCLC-N tumors, and a potential subtype specific therapeutic target.

SOS1 and KSR1 modulate MEK inhibitor responsiveness to target resistant cell populations based on PI3K and KRAS mutation status.

KRAS is the most commonly mutated oncogene. Targeted therapies have been developed against mediators of key downstream signaling pathways, predominantly components of the RAF/MEK/ERK kinase cascade. Unfortunately, single-agent efficacy of these agents is limited both by intrinsic and acquired resistance. Survival of drug-tolerant persister cells within the heterogeneous tumor population and/or acquired mutations that reactivate receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK)/RAS signaling can lead to outgrowth of tumor-initiating cells (TICs) and drive therapeutic resistance. Here, we show that targeting the key RTK/RAS pathway signaling intermediates SOS1 (Son of Sevenless 1) or KSR1 (Kinase Suppressor of RAS 1) both enhances the efficacy of, and prevents resistance to, the MEK inhibitor trametinib in KRAS-mutated lung (LUAD) and colorectal (COAD) adenocarcinoma cell lines depending on the specific mutational landscape. The SOS1 inhibitor BI-3406 enhanced the efficacy of trametinib and prevented trametinib resistance by targeting spheroid-initiating cells in KRASG12/G13-mutated LUAD and COAD cell lines that lacked PIK3CA comutations. Cell lines with KRASQ61 and/or PIK3CA mutations were insensitive to trametinib and BI-3406 combination therapy. In contrast, deletion of the RAF/MEK/ERK scaffold protein KSR1 prevented drug-induced SIC upregulation and restored trametinib sensitivity across all tested KRAS mutant cell lines in both PIK3CA-mutated and PIK3CA wild-type cancers. Our findings demonstrate that vertical inhibition of RTK/RAS signaling is an effective strategy to prevent therapeutic resistance in KRAS-mutated cancers, but therapeutic efficacy is dependent on both the specific KRAS mutant and underlying comutations. Thus, selection of optimal therapeutic combinations in KRAS-mutated cancers will require a detailed understanding of functional dependencies imposed by allele-specific KRAS mutations.

Contrasting effects of Ksr2, an obesity gene, on trabecular bone volume and bone marrow adiposity.

Pathological obesity and its complications are associated with an increased propensity for bone fractures. Humans with certain genetic polymorphisms at the kinase suppressor of ras2 (KSR2) locus develop severe early-onset obesity and type 2 diabetes. Both conditions are phenocopied in mice with Ksr2 deleted, but whether this affects bone health remains unknown. Here we studied the bones of global Ksr2 null mice and found that Ksr2 negatively regulates femoral, but not vertebral, bone mass in two genetic backgrounds, while the paralogous gene, Ksr1, was dispensable for bone homeostasis. Mechanistically, KSR2 regulates bone formation by influencing adipocyte differentiation at the expense of osteoblasts in the bone marrow. Compared with Ksr2's known role as a regulator of feeding by its function in the hypothalamus, pair-feeding and osteoblast-specific conditional deletion of Ksr2 reveals that Ksr2 can regulate bone formation autonomously. Despite the gains in appendicular bone mass observed in the absence of Ksr2, bone strength, as well as fracture healing response, remains compromised in these mice. This study highlights the interrelationship between adiposity and bone health and provides mechanistic insights into how Ksr2, an adiposity and diabetic gene, regulates bone metabolism.

Our bones are living tissues which constantly reshape and renew themselves. This ability relies on stem cells present in the marrow cavity, which can mature into the various types of cells needed to produce new bone material, marrow fat, or other components. Obesity and associated conditions such as type 2 diabetes are often linked to harmful changes in the skeleton. In particular, these metabolic conditions are associated with weight-bearing bones becoming more prone to facture and healing poorly. Mice genetically modified to model obesity and diabetes could help researchers to study exactly how these conditions ­ and the genetic changes that underlie them ­ impact bone health. Gomez et al. aimed to address this question by focusing on KSR2, a gene involved in energy consumption and feeding behavior. Children who carry certain KSR2 mutations are prone to obesity and type 2 diabetes; mice lacking the gene also develop these conditions due to uncontrolled eating. Closely examining mutant mice in which Ksr2 had been deactivated in every cell revealed that the weight-bearing bones of these animals were also more likely to break, and the fractures then healed more slowly. This was the case even though these bones had higher mass and less marrow fat compared to healthy mice. Non-weight bearing bones (such as the spine) did not exhibit these changes. Further experiments revealed that, when expressed normally in the skeleton, Ksr2 skews the stem cell maturation process towards marrow fat cells instead of bone-creating cells. This suggests a new role for Ksr2, which therefore seems to independently regulate both feeding behavior and bone health. In addition, the work by Gomez et al. demonstrate that Ksr2 mutant mice could be a useful model to better understand how obesity and diabetes affect human bones, and to potentially develop new therapies.

PGC-1ß and ERRα Promote Glutamine Metabolism and Colorectal Cancer Survival via Transcriptional Upregulation of PCK2.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma, Coactivator 1 Beta (PGC-1ß) and Estrogen-Related Receptor Alpha (ERRα) are over-expressed in colorectal cancer and promote tumor survival. METHODS: In this study, we use immunoprecipitation of epitope tagged endogenous PGC-1ß and inducible PGC-1ß mutants to show that amino acid motif LRELL on PGC-1ß is responsible for the physical interaction with ERRα and promotes ERRα mRNA and protein expression. We use RNAsequencing to determine the genes regulated by both PGC-1ß & ERRα and find that mitochondrial Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase 2 (PCK2) is the gene that decreased most significantly after depletion of both genes. RESULTS: Depletion of PCK2 in colorectal cancer cells was sufficient to reduce anchorage-independent growth and inhibit glutamine utilization by the TCA cycle. Lastly, shRNA-mediated depletion of ERRα decreased anchorage-independent growth and glutamine metabolism, which could not be rescued by plasmid derived expression of PCK2. DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that transcriptional control of PCK2 is one mechanism used by PGC-1ß and ERRα to promote glutamine metabolism and colorectal cancer cell survival.

A novel antiproliferative PKCα-Ras-ERK signaling axis in intestinal epithelial cells.

We have previously shown that the serine/threonine kinase PKCα triggers MAPK/ERK kinase (MEK)-dependent G1→S cell cycle arrest in intestinal epithelial cells, characterized by downregulation of cyclin D1 and inhibitor of DNA-binding protein 1 (Id1) and upregulation of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21Cip1. Here, we use pharmacological inhibitors, genetic approaches, siRNA-mediated knockdown, and immunoprecipitation to further characterize antiproliferative ERK signaling in intestinal cells. We show that PKCα signaling intersects the Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK kinase cascade at the level of Ras small GTPases and that antiproliferative effects of PKCα require active Ras, Raf, MEK, and ERK, core ERK pathway components that are also essential for pro-proliferative ERK signaling induced by epidermal growth factor (EGF). However, PKCα-induced antiproliferative signaling differs from EGF signaling in that it is independent of the Ras guanine nucleotide exchange factors (Ras-GEFs), SOS1/2, and involves prolonged rather than transient ERK activation. PKCα forms complexes with A-Raf, B-Raf, and C-Raf that dissociate upon pathway activation, and all three Raf isoforms can mediate PKCα-induced antiproliferative effects. At least two PKCα-ERK pathways that collaborate to promote growth arrest were identified: one pathway requiring the Ras-GEF, RasGRP3, and H-Ras, leads to p21Cip1 upregulation, while additional pathway(s) mediate PKCα-induced cyclin D1 and Id1 downregulation. PKCα also induces ERK-dependent SOS1 phosphorylation, indicating possible negative crosstalk between antiproliferative and growth-promoting ERK signaling. Importantly, the spatiotemporal activation of PKCα and ERK in the intestinal epithelium in vivo supports the physiological relevance of these pathways and highlights the importance of antiproliferative ERK signaling to tissue homeostasis in the intestine.

KSR1- and ERK-dependent translational regulation of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.

The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is considered a transcriptional process that induces a switch in cells from a polarized state to a migratory phenotype. Here, we show that KSR1 and ERK promote EMT-like phenotype through the preferential translation of Epithelial-Stromal Interaction 1 (EPSTI1), which is required to induce the switch from E- to N-cadherin and coordinate migratory and invasive behavior. EPSTI1 is overexpressed in human colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. Disruption of KSR1 or EPSTI1 significantly impairs cell migration and invasion in vitro, and reverses EMT-like phenotype, in part, by decreasing the expression of N-cadherin and the transcriptional repressors of E-cadherin expression, ZEB1 and Slug. In CRC cells lacking KSR1, ectopic EPSTI1 expression restored the E- to N-cadherin switch, migration, invasion, and anchorage-independent growth. KSR1-dependent induction of EMT-like phenotype via selective translation of mRNAs reveals its underappreciated role in remodeling the translational landscape of CRC cells to promote their migratory and invasive behavior.

The majority of cancer deaths result from tumor cells spreading to other parts of the body via a process known as metastasis. 90% of all cancers originate in epithelial cells that line the inner and outer surface of organs in our bodies. Epithelial cells, however, are typically stationary and must undergo various chemical and physical changes to transform in to migratory cells that can invade other tissues. This transformation process alters the amount of protein cells use to interact with one another. For example, epithelial cells from the colon produce less of a protein called E-cadherin as they transition into migrating cancer cells and make another protein called N-cadherin instead. A protein called KSR1 is a key component of a signaling pathway that is responsible for generating the proteins colon cancer cells need to survive. But it is unknown which proteins KSR1 helps synthesize and whether it plays a role in the metastasis of colon cancer cells. To investigate this, Rao et al. studied the proteins generated by cancerous colon cells cultured in the laboratory, in the presence and absence of KSR1. The experiment showed that KSR1 increases the levels of a protein called EPSTI1, which colon cancer cells need to transform into migratory cells. Depleting KSR1 caused cancer cells to generate less EPSTI1 and to share more features with healthy cells, such as higher levels of E-cadherin on their surface and reduced mobility. Adding EPSTI1 to the cancer cells that lacked KSR1 restored the traits associated with metastasis, such as high levels of N-cadherin, and allowed the cells to move more easily. These findings suggest that KSR1 and EPSTI1 could be new drug targets for reducing, or potentially reversing, the invasive behavior of colon cancer cells. However, further investigation is needed to reveal how EPSTI1 is generated and how this protein helps colon cancer cells move and invade other tissues.

A Gene Expression High-Throughput Screen (GE-HTS) for Coordinated Detection of Functionally Similar Effectors in Cancer.

Genome-wide, loss-of-function screening can be used to identify novel vulnerabilities upon which specific tumor cells depend for survival. Functional Signature Ontology (FUSION) is a gene expression-based high-throughput screening (GE-HTS) method that allows researchers to identify functionally similar proteins, small molecules, and microRNA mimics, revealing novel therapeutic targets. FUSION uses cell-based high-throughput screening and computational analysis to match gene expression signatures produced by natural products to those produced by small interfering RNA (siRNA) and synthetic microRNA libraries to identify putative protein targets and mechanisms of action (MoA) for several previously undescribed natural products. We have used FUSION to screen for functional analogues to Kinase suppressor of Ras 1 (KSR1), a scaffold protein downstream of Ras in the Raf-MEK-ERK kinase cascade, and biologically validated several proteins with functional similarity to KSR1. FUSION incorporates bioinformatics analysis that may offer higher resolution of the endpoint readout than other screens which utilize Boolean outputs regarding a single pathway activation (i.e., synthetic lethal and cell proliferation). Challenges associated with FUSION and other high-content genome-wide screens include variation, batch effects, and controlling for potential off-target effects. In this review, we discuss the efficacy of FUSION to identify novel inhibitors and oncogene-induced changes that may be cancer cell-specific as well as several potential pitfalls within FUSION and best practices to avoid them.

High-throughput identification of protein functional similarities using a gene-expression-based siRNA screen.

A gene expression-based siRNA screen was used to evaluate functional similarity between genetic perturbations to identify functionally similar proteins. A siRNA library (siGenome library, Dharmacon) consisting of multiple siRNAs per gene that have been pooled in to one well per gene was arrayed in a 384-well format and used to individually target 14,335 proteins for depletion in HCT116 colon cancer cells. For each protein depletion, the gene expression of eight genes was quantified using the multiplexed Affymetrix Quantigene 2.0 assay in technical triplicate. As a proof of concept, six genes (BNIP3, NDRG1, ALDOC, LOXL2, ACSL5, BNIP3L) whose expression pattern reliably reflect the disruption of the molecular scaffold KSR1 were measured upon each protein depletion. The remaining two genes (PPIB and HPRT) are housekeeping genes used for normalization. The gene expression signatures from this screen can be used to estimate the functional similarity between any two proteins and successfully identified functional relationships for specific proteins such as KSR1 and more generalized processes, such as autophagy.

A Genome-wide Functional Signature Ontology Map and Applications to Natural Product Mechanism of Action Discovery.

Gene expression signature-based inference of functional connectivity within and between genetic perturbations, chemical perturbations, and disease status can lead to the development of actionable hypotheses for gene function, chemical modes of action, and disease treatment strategies. Here, we report a FuSiOn-based genome-wide integration of hypomorphic cellular phenotypes that enables functional annotation of gene network topology, assignment of mechanistic hypotheses to genes of unknown function, and detection of cooperativity among cell regulatory systems. Dovetailing genetic perturbation data with chemical perturbation phenotypes allowed simultaneous generation of mechanism of action hypotheses for thousands of uncharacterized natural products fractions (NPFs). The predicted mechanism of actions span a broad spectrum of cellular mechanisms, many of which are not currently recognized as "druggable." To enable use of FuSiOn as a hypothesis generation resource, all associations and analyses are available within an open source web-based GUI (http://fusion.yuhs.ac).

ERK-mediated TIMELESS expression suppresses G2/M arrest in colon cancer cells.

The cell cycle is under circadian regulation. Oncogenes can dysregulate circadian-regulated genes to disrupt the cell cycle, promoting tumor cell proliferation. As a regulator of G2/M arrest in response to DNA damage, the circadian gene Timeless Circadian Clock (TIMELESS) coordinates this connection and is a potential locus for oncogenic manipulation. TIMELESS expression was evaluated using RNASeq data from TCGA and by RT-qPCR and western blot analysis in a panel of colon cancer cell lines. TIMELESS expression following ERK inhibition was examined via western blot. Cell metabolic capacity, propidium iodide, and CFSE staining were used to evaluate the effect of TIMELESS depletion on colon cancer cell survival and proliferation. Cell metabolic capacity following TIMELESS depletion in combination with Wee1 or CHK1 inhibition was assessed. TIMELESS is overexpressed in cancer and required for increased cancer cell proliferation. ERK activation promotes TIMELESS expression. TIMELESS depletion increases γH2AX, a marker of DNA damage, and triggers G2/M arrest via increased CHK1 and CDK1 phosphorylation. TIMELESS depletion in combination with Wee1 or CHK1 inhibition causes an additive decrease in cancer cell metabolic capacity with limited effects in non-transformed human colon epithelial cells. The data show that ERK activation contributes to the overexpression of TIMELESS in cancer. Depletion of TIMELESS increases γH2AX and causes G2/M arrest, limiting cell proliferation. These results demonstrate a role for TIMELESS in cancer and encourage further examination of the link between circadian rhythm dysregulation and cancer cell proliferation.

WDR5 supports colon cancer cells by promoting methylation of H3K4 and suppressing DNA damage.

BACKGROUND: KMT2/MLL proteins are commonly overexpressed or mutated in cancer and have been shown to support cancer maintenance. These proteins are responsible for methylating histone 3 at lysine 4 and promoting transcription and DNA synthesis; however, they are inactive outside of a multi-protein complex that requires WDR5. WDR5 has been implicated in cancer for its role in the COMPASS complex and its interaction with Myc; however, the role of WDR5 in colon cancer has not yet been elucidated. METHODS: WDR5 expression was evaluated using RT-qPCR and western blot analysis. Cell viability and colony forming assays were utilized to evaluate the effects of WDR5 depletion or inhibition in colon cancer cells. Downstream effects of WDR5 depletion and inhibition were observed by western blot. RESULTS: WDR5 is overexpressed in colon tumors and colon cancer cell lines at the mRNA and protein level. WDR5 depletion reduces cell viability in HCT116, LoVo, RKO, HCT15, SW480, SW620, and T84 colon cancer cells. Inhibition of the WDR5:KMT2/MLL interaction using OICR-9429 reduces cell viability in the same panel of cell lines albeit not to the same extent as RNAi-mediated WDR5 depletion. WDR5 depletion reduced H3K4Me3 and increased phosphorylation of H2AX in HCT116, SW620, and RKO colon cancer cells; however, OICR-9429 treatment did not recapitulate these effects in all cell lines potentially explaining the reduced toxicity of OICR-9429 treatment as compared to WDR5 depletion. WDR5 depletion also sensitized colon cancer cells to radiation-induced DNA damage. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate a clear role for WDR5 in colon cancer and future studies should examine its potential to serve as a therapeutic target in cancer. Additional studies are needed to fully elucidate if the requirement for WDR5 is independent of or consistent with its role within the COMPASS complex. OICR-9429 treatment was particularly toxic to SW620 and T84 colon cancer cells, two cell lines without mutations in WDR5 and KMT2/MLL proteins suggesting COMPASS complex inhibition may be particularly effective in tumors lacking KMT2 mutations. Additionally, the ability of WDR5 depletion to amplify the toxic effects of radiation presents the possibility of targeting WDR5 to sensitize cells to DNA-damaging therapies.

A Functional Signature Ontology (FUSION) screen detects an AMPK inhibitor with selective toxicity toward human colon tumor cells.

AMPK is a serine threonine kinase composed of a heterotrimer of a catalytic, kinase-containing α and regulatory ß and γ subunits. Here we show that individual AMPK subunit expression and requirement for survival varies across colon cancer cell lines. While AMPKα1 expression is relatively consistent across colon cancer cell lines, AMPKα1 depletion does not induce cell death. Conversely, AMPKα2 is expressed at variable levels in colon cancer cells. In high expressing SW480 and moderate expressing HCT116 colon cancer cells, siRNA-mediated depletion induces cell death. These data suggest that AMPK kinase inhibition may be a useful component of future therapeutic strategies. We used Functional Signature Ontology (FUSION) to screen a natural product library to identify compounds that were inhibitors of AMPK to test its potential for detecting small molecules with preferential toxicity toward human colon tumor cells. FUSION identified 5'-hydroxy-staurosporine, which competitively inhibits AMPK. Human colon cancer cell lines are notably more sensitive to 5'-hydroxy-staurosporine than are non-transformed human colon epithelial cells. This study serves as proof-of-concept for unbiased FUSION-based detection of small molecule inhibitors of therapeutic targets and highlights its potential to identify novel compounds for cancer therapy development.

KSR as a therapeutic target for Ras-dependent cancers.

INTRODUCTION: Targeting downstream effectors required for oncogenic Ras signaling is a potential alternative or complement to the development of more direct approaches targeting Ras in the treatment of Ras-dependent cancers. Areas covered: Here we review literature pertaining to the molecular scaffold Kinase Suppressor of Ras (KSR) and its role in promoting signals critical to tumor maintenance. We summarize the phenotypes in knockout models, describe the role of KSR in cancer, and outline the structure and function of the KSR1 and KSR2 proteins. We then focus on the most recent literature that describes the crystal structure of the kinase domain of KSR2 in complex with MEK1, KSR-RAF dimerization particularly in response to RAF inhibition, and novel attempts to target KSR proteins directly. Expert opinion: KSR is a downstream effector of Ras-mediated tumorigenesis that is dispensable for normal growth and development, making it a desirable target for the development of novel therapeutics with a high therapeutic index. Recent advances have revealed that KSR can be functionally inhibited using a small molecule that stabilizes KSR in an inactive conformation. The efficacy and potential for this novel approach to be used clinically in the treatment of Ras-driven cancers is still being investigated.

Cell non-autonomous regulation of hepatic IGF-1 and neonatal growth by Kinase Suppressor of Ras 2 (KSR2).

Individuals with poor postnatal growth are at risk for cardiovascular and metabolic problems as adults. Here we show that disruption of the molecular scaffold Kinase Suppressor of Ras 2 (KSR2) causes selective inhibition of hepatic GH signaling in neonatal mice with impaired expression of IGF-1 and IGFBP3. ksr2(-/-) mice are normal size at birth but show a marked increase in FGF21 accompanied by reduced body mass, shortened body length, and reduced bone mineral density (BMD) and content (BMC) first evident during postnatal development. However, disrupting FGF21 in ksr2(-/-) mice does not normalize mass, length, or bone density and content in fgf21(-/-)ksr2(-/-) mice. Body length, BMC and BMD, but not body mass, are rescued by infection of two-day-old ksr2(-/-) mice with a recombinant adenovirus encoding human IGF-1. Relative to wild-type mice, GH injections reveal a significant reduction in JAK2 and STAT5 phosphorylation in liver, but not in skeletal muscle, of ksr2(-/-) mice. However, primary hepatocytes isolated from ksr2(-/-) mice show no reduction in GH-stimulated STAT5 phosphorylation. These data indicate that KSR2 functions in a cell non-autonomous fashion to regulate GH-stimulated IGF-1 expression in the liver of neonatal mice, which plays a key role in the development of body length.

KSR1 and EPHB4 Regulate Myc and PGC1ß To Promote Survival of Human Colon Tumors.

Identification and characterization of survival pathways active in tumor cells but absent in normal tissues provide opportunities to develop effective anticancer therapies with reduced toxicity to the patient. We show here that, like kinase suppressor of Ras 1 (KSR1), EPH (erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular carcinoma) receptor B4 (EPHB4) is aberrantly overexpressed in human colon tumor cell lines and selectively required for their survival. KSR1 and EPHB4 support tumor cell survival by promoting the expression of downstream targets, Myc and the transcriptional coactivator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1ß (PGC1ß). While KSR1 promotes the aberrant expression of Myc and the PGC1ß protein via a posttranscriptional mechanism, EPHB4 has a greater effect on Myc and PGC1ß expression via its ability to elevate mRNA levels. Subsequent analysis of the posttranscriptional regulation demonstrated that KSR1 promotes the translation of Myc protein. These findings reveal novel KSR1- and EPHB4-dependent signaling pathways supporting the survival of colorectal cancer cells through regulation of Myc and PGC1ß, suggesting that inhibition of KSR1 or EPHB4 effectors may lead to selective toxicity in colorectal tumors.

AMPK Promotes Aberrant PGC1ß Expression To Support Human Colon Tumor Cell Survival.

A major goal of cancer research is the identification of tumor-specific vulnerabilities that can be exploited for the development of therapies that are selectively toxic to the tumor. We show here that the transcriptional coactivators peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1ß (PGC1ß) and estrogen-related receptor α (ERRα) are aberrantly expressed in human colon cell lines and tumors. With kinase suppressor of Ras 1 (KSR1) depletion as a reference standard, we used functional signature ontology (FUSION) analysis to identify the γ1 subunit of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) as an essential contributor to PGC1ß expression and colon tumor cell survival. Subsequent analysis revealed that a subunit composition of AMPK (α2ß2γ1) is preferred for colorectal cancer cell survival, at least in part, by stabilizing the tumor-specific expression of PGC1ß. In contrast, PGC1ß and ERRα are not detectable in nontransformed human colon epithelial cells, and depletion of the AMPKγ1 subunit has no effect on their viability. These data indicate that Ras oncogenesis relies on the aberrant activation of a PGC1ß-dependent transcriptional pathway via a specific AMPK isoform.

Hormone receptor-independent CXCL10 production is associated with the regulation of cellular factors linked to breast cancer progression and metastasis.

Breast cancer (BC) is a major health problem for women around the world. Although advances in the field of molecular therapy have been achieved, the successful therapeutic management of BC, particularly metastatic disease, remains a challenge for patients and clinicians. One of the areas of current investigation is the circulating tumor cells (CTCs), which have a determinant role in the development of distant metastasis. At the present, many of the available treatment strategies for metastatic disease are of limited benefit. However, the elucidation of the mechanisms of tumor progression and metastasis may help to identify key molecules/components that may function as therapeutic targets in the future. In the present study, the functional analysis of CTCs revealed their ability to grow and proliferate to form colonies. Immunofluorescence staining of the CTCs' colonies exhibits elevated expression of cell growth and survival associated proteins such as, survivin, ERK and Akt1. More importantly, the functional screening of the chemokine profile in BC patients' sera revealed an HR-independent elevation of the chemokine CXCL10 when compared to healthy controls. The analysis of chemokines CXCL9 and CXCL11 demonstrated an HR-dependent production pattern. The levels of both CXCL9 and CXCL11 were markedly high in HR+ patients' sera when compared to HR- patients and healthy controls. The functional analysis of HR+ and HR- BC derived cell lines when cultivated in media supplemented with patients' sera demonstrated the alteration of tumor progression and metastasis related proteins. We noted the induction of survivin, ß-catenin, MKP-1, pERK, CXCR4 and MMP-1 both at the protein and mRNA levels. The induction of those proteins was in keeping with patients' sera induced cell proliferation as measured by the MTT assay. In conclusion, our data emphasizes the role of chemokines, especially CXCL10, in BC progression and metastasis via the induction of signaling pathways, which mainly involve survivin, ß-catenin, MKP-1 and MMP-1.

Caveolin-1 is required for kinase suppressor of Ras 1 (KSR1)-mediated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 activation, H-RasV12-induced senescence, and transformation.

The molecular scaffold kinase suppressor of Ras 1 (KSR1) regulates the activation of the Raf/MEK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signal transduction pathway. KSR1 disruption in mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs) abrogates growth factor-induced ERK activation, H-Ras(V12)-induced replicative senescence, and H-Ras(V12)-induced transformation. Caveolin-1 has been primarily described as a major component of the coating structure of caveolae, which can serve as a lipid binding adaptor protein and coordinates the assembly of Ras, Raf, MEK, and ERK. In this study, we show that KSR1 interacts with caveolin-1 and is responsible for MEK and ERK redistribution to caveolin-1-rich fractions. The interaction between KSR1 and caveolin-1 is essential for optimal activation of ERK as a KSR1 mutant unable to interact with caveolin-1 does not efficiently mediate growth factor-induced ERK activation at the early stages of pathway activation. Furthermore, abolishing the KSR1-caveolin-1 interaction increases growth factor demands to promote H-Ras(V12)-induced proliferation and has adverse effects on H-Ras(V12)-induced cellular senescence and transformation. These data show that caveolin-1 is necessary for optimal KSR1-dependent ERK activation by growth factors and oncogenic Ras.