RESUMO
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents the most lethal and treatment-resistant breast cancer subtype with limited treatment options. We previously identified a protein complex unique to TNBC composed of the gap junction protein connexin 26 (Cx26), the pluripotency transcription factor NANOG, and focal adhesion kinase (FAK). We sought to determine whether a peptide mimetic of the interaction region of Cx26 attenuated tumor growth in preclinical models. We designed peptides based on Cx26 juxtamembrane domains and performed binding experiments with NANOG and FAK using surface plasmon resonance. Binding studies revealed that the Cx26 C-terminal tail and intracellular loop bound to NANOG and FAK with submicromolar-to-micromolar affinity and that a 5-amino acid sequence in the C-terminal tail of Cx26 (RYCSG) was sufficient for binding. Peptides with high affinity were engineered with a cell-penetrating antennapedia sequence and assessed in functional assays including cell proliferation, tumorsphere formation, and in vivo tumor growth, and downstream signaling changes were measured. The cell-penetrating Cx26 peptide (aCx26-pep) disrupted self-renewal while reducing nuclear FAK and NANOG and inhibiting NANOG target gene expression in TNBC cells but not luminal mammary epithelial cells. In vivo, aCx26-pep reduced tumor growth and proliferation and induced cell death. Here, we provide proof-of-concept that a Cx26 peptide-based strategy inhibits growth and alters NANOG activity specifically in TNBC, indicating the therapeutic potential of this targeting approach.
Assuntos
Peptídeos Penetradores de Células , Conexina 26 , Quinase 1 de Adesão Focal , Proteína Homeobox Nanog , Neoplasias de Mama Triplo Negativas , Neoplasias de Mama Triplo Negativas/terapia , Proteína Homeobox Nanog/antagonistas & inibidores , Humanos , Animais , Camundongos , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Conexina 26/química , Conexina 26/uso terapêutico , Quinase 1 de Adesão Focal/antagonistas & inibidores , Peptídeos Penetradores de Células/química , Peptídeos Penetradores de Células/uso terapêuticoRESUMO
A growing body of evidence suggests that oxysterols such as 25-hydroxycholesterol (25HC) are biologically active and involved in many physiological and pathological processes. Our previous study demonstrated that 25HC induces an innate immune response during viral infections by activating the integrin-focal adhesion kinase (FAK) pathway. 25HC produced the proinflammatory response by binding directly to integrins at a novel binding site (site II) and triggering the production of proinflammatory mediators such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). 24-(S)-hydroxycholesterol (24HC), a structural isomer of 25HC, plays a critical role in cholesterol homeostasis in the human brain and is implicated in multiple inflammatory conditions, including Alzheimer's disease. However, whether 24HC can induce a proinflammatory response like 25HC in non-neuronal cells has not been studied and remains unknown. The aim of this study was to examine whether 24HC produces such an immune response using in silico and in vitro experiments. Our results indicate that despite being a structural isomer of 25HC, 24HC binds at site II in a distinct binding mode, engages in varied residue interactions, and produces significant conformational changes in the specificity-determining loop (SDL). In addition, our surface plasmon resonance (SPR) study reveals that 24HC could directly bind to integrin αvß3, with a binding affinity three-fold lower than 25HC. Furthermore, our in vitro studies with macrophages support the involvement of FAK and NFκB signaling pathways in triggering 24HC-mediated production of TNF. Thus, we have identified 24HC as another oxysterol that binds to integrin αvß3 and promotes a proinflammatory response via the integrin-FAK-NFκB pathway.
Assuntos
Hidroxicolesteróis , Integrina alfaVbeta3 , Simulação por Computador , Humanos , Integrina alfaVbeta3/química , Integrina alfaVbeta3/metabolismo , Hidroxicolesteróis/química , Hidroxicolesteróis/metabolismo , Inflamação/metabolismo , Transdução de Sinais , Macrófagos/metabolismo , Modelos Moleculares , Termodinâmica , Conformação Proteica , Ressonância de Plasmônio de Superfície , Colesterol 24-Hidroxilase/metabolismoRESUMO
Nature's great repository provides nucleic acids and amino acids as the fundamental elements of life. Inspired by the programmability of nucleic acids, DNA nanotechnology has been extensively developed based on the strand displacement reaction of nucleic acids. In comparison with nucleic acids, amino acids possess higher programmability and more functionalities owing to the diversity of the amino acid unit. However, the design of the peptide-based bimolecular cascade is still limited. We herein describe a peptide-based strand displacement reaction, which was granted with a specific biological function by addition of a functional domain onto the coiled-coil peptide based displacement substrate. The displacement substrate was specifically designed to response to Tau protein based on a well-established Tau inhibition sequence. We demonstrated that the kinetics of the designed displacement reaction can be dynamically tuned through blocking the toehold region to prevent migration. A nanomolar Tau detection linear range was achieved through the designed displacement reaction within a rapid turnaround time of 30 min. We also presented the capability of the peptide strand displacement based sensing system operating in real human biological samples and its excellent orthogonality on response to irrelevant biological components. We envision that this will be of especially high utility for the development of next-generation biotechnology.
Assuntos
Técnicas Biossensoriais , DNA/química , Técnicas Eletroquímicas , Peptídeos/química , Proteínas tau/química , Eletrodos , Ouro/química , Enxofre/químicaRESUMO
Integrins are components of cell-matrix adhesions, and function as scaffolds for various signal transduction pathways. So far no lipid ligand for integrin has been reported. Here we show that a lipid, oxysterol 25-hydroxycholesterol (25HC), directly binds to α5ß1 and αvß3 integrins to activate integrin-focal adhesion kinase (FAK) signaling. Treatment of macrophages and epithelial cells with 25HC results in an increase in activated αvß3 integrin in podosome and focal adhesion matrix adhesion sites. Moreover, activation of pattern recognition receptor on macrophages induces secretion of 25HC, triggering integrin signaling and the production of proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF and IL-6. Thus, the lipid molecule 25HC is a physiologically relevant activator of integrins and is involved in positively regulating proinflammatory responses. Our data suggest that extracellular 25HC links innate immune inflammatory response with integrin signaling.
Assuntos
Proteína-Tirosina Quinases de Adesão Focal/metabolismo , Hidroxicolesteróis/metabolismo , Imunidade Inata/imunologia , Integrina alfa5beta1/imunologia , Integrina alfaVbeta3/imunologia , Macrófagos/imunologia , Animais , Adesões Focais , Inflamação , Integrina alfa5beta1/metabolismo , Integrina alfaVbeta3/metabolismo , Interleucina-6/imunologia , Macrófagos/metabolismo , Camundongos , Camundongos Knockout , Receptores de Reconhecimento de Padrão/metabolismo , Transdução de Sinais , Fator de Necrose Tumoral alfa/imunologiaRESUMO
Inflammatory agonists differentially activate gene expression of the chemokine family of proteins in endothelial cells (EC). TNF is a weak inducer of the chemokine CXCL11, while TNF and IFN-γ costimulation results in potent CXCL11 induction. The molecular mechanisms underlying TNF plus IFN-γ-mediated CXCL11 induction are not fully understood. We have previously reported that the protein arginine methyltransferase PRMT5 catalyzes symmetrical dimethylation of the NF-κB subunit p65 in EC at multiple arginine residues. Methylation of Arg30 and Arg35 on p65 is critical for TNF induction of CXCL10 in EC. Here we show that PRMT5-mediated methylation of p65 at Arg174 is required for induction of CXCL11 when EC are costimulated with TNF and IFN-γ. Knockdown of PRMT5 by RNAi reduced CXCL11 mRNA and protein levels in costimulated cells. Reconstitution of p65 Arg174Ala or Arg174Lys mutants into EC that were depleted of endogenous p65 blunted TNF plus IFN-γ-mediated CXCL11 induction. Mass spectrometric analyses showed that p65 Arg174 arginine methylation is enhanced by TNF plus IFN-γ costimulation, and is catalyzed by PRMT5. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays (ChIP) demonstrated that PRMT5 is necessary for p65 association with the CXCL11 promoter in response to TNF plus IFN-γ. Further, reconstitution of p65 Arg174Lys mutant in EC abrogated this p65 association with the CXCL11 promoter. Finally, ChIP and Re-ChIP assays revealed that symmetrical dimethylarginine-containing proteins complexed with the CXCL11 promoter were diminished in p65 Arg174Lys-reconstituted EC stimulated with TNF and IFN-γ. In total, these results indicate that PRMT5-mediated p65 methylation at Arg174 is essential for TNF plus IFN-γ-mediated CXCL11 gene induction. We therefore suggest that the use of recently developed small molecule inhibitors of PRMT5 may present a therapeutic approach to moderating chronic inflammatory pathologies.
Assuntos
Quimiocina CXCL11/genética , Células Endoteliais/efeitos dos fármacos , Células Endoteliais/metabolismo , Regulação da Expressão Gênica/efeitos dos fármacos , Interferon gama/farmacologia , Proteína-Arginina N-Metiltransferases/metabolismo , Fator de Transcrição RelA/metabolismo , Fator de Necrose Tumoral alfa/farmacologia , Células Cultivadas , Técnicas de Silenciamento de Genes , Células Endoteliais da Veia Umbilical Humana , Humanos , Metilação , Mutação , Regiões Promotoras Genéticas , Proteína-Arginina N-Metiltransferases/genéticaRESUMO
The chemokine CXCL10/IP-10 facilitates recruitment of Th1-type leukocytes to inflammatory sites. In this study, we show that the arginine methyltransferase PRMT5 is critical for CXCL10 transcription in TNF-α-activated human endothelial cells (EC). We found that depletion of PRMT5 results in significantly reduced levels of CXCL10 mRNA, demonstrating a positive role for PRMT5 in CXCL10 induction. Chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments revealed the presence of the symmetrical dimethylarginine modification catalyzed by PRMT5 associated with the CXCL10 promoter in response to TNF-α. However, symmetrical dimethylarginine-modified proteins were not detected at the promoter in the absence of PRMT5, indicating that PRMT5 is essential for methylation to occur. Furthermore, NF-κB p65, a critical driver of TNF-α-mediated CXCL10 induction, was determined to be methylated at arginine residues. Crucially, RNAi-mediated PRMT5 depletion abrogated p65 methylation and CXCL10 promoter binding. Mass spectrometric analysis in EC identified five dimethylated arginine residues in p65, four of which are uncharacterized in the literature. Expression of Arg-to-Lys point mutants of p65 demonstrated that both Arg-30 and Arg-35 must be dimethylated to achieve full CXCL10 expression. In conclusion, we have identified previously uncharacterized p65 post-translational modifications critical for CXCL10 induction.
Assuntos
Quimiocina CXCL10/genética , Células Endoteliais/fisiologia , Proteína-Arginina N-Metiltransferases/metabolismo , Fator de Transcrição RelA/metabolismo , Fator de Necrose Tumoral alfa/metabolismo , Arginina/metabolismo , Quimiocina CXCL10/metabolismo , Células Endoteliais/citologia , Humanos , Inflamação/genética , Inflamação/metabolismo , Metilação , Cultura Primária de Células , Regiões Promotoras Genéticas/fisiologia , Processamento de Proteína Pós-Traducional/fisiologia , Proteína-Arginina N-Metiltransferases/genética , Transcrição Gênica/fisiologiaRESUMO
The induction of proinflammatory proteins in stimulated endothelial cells (EC) requires activation of multiple transcription programs. The homeobox transcription factor HOXA9 has an important regulatory role in cytokine induction of the EC-leukocyte adhesion molecules (ELAM) E-selectin and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1). However, the mechanism underlying stimulus-dependent activation of HOXA9 is completely unknown. Here, we elucidate the molecular mechanism of HOXA9 activation by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and show an unexpected requirement for arginine methylation by protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5). PRMT5 was identified as a TNF-α-dependent binding partner of HOXA9 by mass spectrometry. Small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated depletion of PRMT5 abrogated stimulus-dependent HOXA9 methylation with concomitant loss in E-selectin or VCAM-1 induction. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis revealed that PRMT5 is recruited to the E-selectin promoter following transient HOXA9 binding to its cognate recognition sequence. PRMT5 induces symmetric dimethylation of Arg140 on HOXA9, an event essential for E-selectin induction. In summary, PRMT5 is a critical coactivator component in a newly defined, HOXA9-containing transcription complex. Moreover, stimulus-dependent methylation of HOXA9 is essential for ELAM expression during the EC inflammatory response.
Assuntos
Selectina E/genética , Regulação da Expressão Gênica , Proteínas de Homeodomínio/metabolismo , Células Endoteliais da Veia Umbilical Humana/metabolismo , Proteínas Nucleares/metabolismo , Molécula 1 de Adesão de Célula Vascular/genética , Selectina E/imunologia , Proteínas de Homeodomínio/genética , Proteínas de Homeodomínio/imunologia , Células Endoteliais da Veia Umbilical Humana/imunologia , Humanos , Metilação , Proteínas Nucleares/genética , Proteínas Nucleares/imunologia , Regiões Promotoras Genéticas , Fator de Necrose Tumoral alfa/imunologia , Molécula 1 de Adesão de Célula Vascular/imunologiaRESUMO
Arterial thrombosis is a common disease leading to severe ischemia beyond the obstructing thrombus. Additionally, endothelial dysfunction at the site of thrombosis can be rescued by l-arginine supplementation or arginase blockade in several animal models. Exposure of rat aortic endothelial cells (RAECs) to thrombin upregulates arginase I mRNA and protein levels. In this study, we further investigated the molecular mechanism of thrombin-induced arginase changes in endothelial cells. Thrombin strikingly increased arginase I promoter and enzyme activity in primary cultured RAECs. Using different deletion and point mutations of the promoter, we demonstrated that the activating protein-1 (AP-1) consensus site located at -3,157 bp in the arginase I promoter was a thrombin-responsive element. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay further confirmed that upon thrombin stimulation, c-Jun and activating transcription factor-2 (ATF-2) bound to the AP-1 site, which initiated the transactivation. Moreover, loss-of-function studies using small interfering RNA confirmed that recruitment of these two transcription factors to the AP-1 site was required for thrombin-induced arginase upregulation. In the course of defining the signaling pathway leading to the activation of AP-1 by thrombin, we found thrombin-induced phosphorylation of stress-activated protein kinase/c-Jun-NH(2)-terminal kinase (SAPK/JNK or JNK1/2/3) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, which were followed by the phosphorylation of both c-Jun and ATF-2. These findings reveal the basis for thrombin induction of endothelial arginase I and indicate that arginase inhibition may be an attractive therapeutic alternative in the setting of arterial thrombosis and its associated endothelial dysfunction.
Assuntos
Arginase/metabolismo , Células Endoteliais/enzimologia , Fator de Transcrição AP-1/metabolismo , Fator 2 Ativador da Transcrição/genética , Fator 2 Ativador da Transcrição/metabolismo , Animais , Aorta/citologia , Arginase/genética , Células Cultivadas , Células Endoteliais/citologia , Proteínas Quinases Ativadas por Mitógeno/metabolismo , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-jun/genética , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-jun/metabolismo , Interferência de RNA , Ratos , Transdução de Sinais/fisiologia , Trombina/genética , Trombina/metabolismo , Fator de Transcrição AP-1/genéticaRESUMO
The homeobox gene HOXA9 has recently been shown to be an important regulator of endothelial cell (EC) differentiation and activation in addition to its role in embryonic development and hematopoiesis. In this report, we have determined that the EC-leukocyte adhesion molecule E-selectin is a key target for HOXA9. The depletion of HOXA9 protein in ECs resulted in a significant and specific decrease in tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha)-induced E-selectin gene expression. In addition, HOXA9 specifically activated the E-selectin gene promoter in ECs. Progressive deletional analyses together with site-specific mutagenesis of the E-selectin promoter indicated that the Abd-B-like HOX DNA-binding motif, CAATTTTATTAA, located in the proximal region spanning bp -210 to -221 upstream of the transcription start site was crucial for the promoter induction by HOXA9. Both HOXA9 in EC nuclear extract and recombinant HOXA9 protein bound to this sequence in vitro. Moreover, we showed that HOXA9 binds temporally, in a TNF-alpha-dependent manner, to the region containing this Abd-B-like element in vivo. We have thus identified a novel and functionally critical cis-regulatory element for TNF-alpha-mediated transient expression of the E-selectin gene. Further, we provide evidence that HOXA9 acts as an obligate proinflammatory factor by mediating cytokine induction of E-selectin.