Palmitoylation-dependent regulation of cardiomyocyte Rac1 signaling activity and minor effects on cardiac hypertrophy.

S-palmitoylation is a reversible lipid modification catalyzed by 23 S-acyltransferases with a conserved zinc finger aspartate-histidine-histidine-cysteine (zDHHC) domain that facilitates targeting of proteins to specific intracellular membranes. Here we performed a gain-of-function screen in the mouse and identified the Golgi-localized enzymes zDHHC3 and zDHHC7 as regulators of cardiac hypertrophy. Cardiomyocyte-specific transgenic mice overexpressing zDHHC3 show cardiac disease, and S-acyl proteomics identified the small GTPase Rac1 as a novel substrate of zDHHC3. Notably, cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure in zDHHC3 transgenic mice is preceded by enhanced Rac1 S-palmitoylation, membrane localization, activity, downstream hypertrophic signaling, and concomitant induction of all Rho family small GTPases whereas mice overexpressing an enzymatically dead zDHHC3 mutant show no discernible effect. However, loss of Rac1 or other identified zDHHC3 targets Gαq/11 or galectin-1 does not diminish zDHHC3-induced cardiomyopathy, suggesting multiple effectors and pathways promoting decompensation with sustained zDHHC3 activity. Genetic deletion of Zdhhc3 in combination with Zdhhc7 reduces cardiac hypertrophy during the early response to pressure overload stimulation but not over longer time periods. Indeed, cardiac hypertrophy in response to 2 weeks of angiotensin-II infusion is not diminished by Zdhhc3/7 deletion, again suggesting other S-acyltransferases or signaling mechanisms compensate to promote hypertrophic signaling. Taken together, these data indicate that the activity of zDHHC3 and zDHHC7 at the cardiomyocyte Golgi promote Rac1 signaling and maladaptive cardiac remodeling, but redundant signaling effectors compensate to maintain cardiac hypertrophy with sustained pathological stimulation in the absence of zDHHC3/7.

Rpl3l gene deletion in mice reduces heart weight over time.

Introduction: The ribosomal protein L3-like (RPL3L) is a heart and skeletal muscle-specific ribosomal protein and paralogue of the more ubiquitously expressed RPL3 protein. Mutations in the human RPL3L gene are linked to childhood cardiomyopathy and age-related atrial fibrillation, yet the function of RPL3L in the mammalian heart remains unknown. Methods and Results: Here, we observed that mouse cardiac ventricles express RPL3 at birth, where it is gradually replaced by RPL3L in adulthood but re-expressed with induction of hypertrophy in adults. Rpl3l gene-deleted mice were generated to examine the role of this gene in the heart, although Rpl3l -/- mice showed no overt changes in cardiac structure or function at baseline or after pressure overload hypertrophy, likely because RPL3 expression was upregulated and maintained in adulthood. mRNA expression analysis and ribosome profiling failed to show differences between the hearts of Rpl3l null and wild type mice in adulthood. Moreover, ribosomes lacking RPL3L showed no differences in localization within cardiomyocytes compared to wild type controls, nor was there an alteration in cardiac tissue ultrastructure or mitochondrial function in adult Rpl3l -/- mice. Similarly, overexpression of either RPL3 or RPL3L with adeno-associated virus -9 in the hearts of mice did not cause discernable pathology. However, by 18 months of age Rpl3l -/- null mice had significantly smaller hearts compared to wild type littermates. Conclusion: Thus, deletion of Rpl3l forces maintenance of RPL3 expression within the heart that appears to fully compensate for the loss of RPL3L, although older Rpl3l -/- mice showed a mild but significant reduction in heart weight.

Nemo-Like Kinase (NLK) Is a Pathological Signaling Effector in the Mouse Heart.

Nemo-like kinase (NLK) is an evolutionary conserved serine/threonine protein kinase implicated in development, proliferation and apoptosis regulation. Here we identified NLK as a gene product induced in the hearts of mice subjected to pressure overload or myocardial infarction injury, suggesting a potential regulatory role with pathological stimulation to this organ. To examine the potential functional consequences of increased NLK levels, cardiac-specific transgenic mice with inducible expression of this gene product were generated, as well as cardiac-specific Nlk gene-deleted mice. NLK transgenic mice demonstrated baseline cardiac hypertrophy, dilation, interstitial fibrosis, apoptosis and progression towards heart failure in response to two surgery-induced cardiac disease models. In contrast, cardiac-specific deletion of Nlk from the heart, achieved by crossing a Nlk-loxP allele containing mouse with either a mouse containing a ß-myosin heavy chain promoter driven Cre transgene or a tamoxifen inducible α-myosin heavy chain promoter containing transgene driving a MerCreMer cDNA, protected the mice from cardiac dysfunction following pathological stimuli. Mechanistically, NLK interacted with multiple proteins including the transcription factor Stat1, which was significantly increased in the hearts of NLK transgenic mice. These results indicate that NLK is a pathological effector in the heart.

Cathepsin S Contributes to the Pathogenesis of Muscular Dystrophy in Mice.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked recessive disease caused by mutations in the gene encoding dystrophin. Loss of dystrophin protein compromises the stability of the sarcolemma membrane surrounding each muscle cell fiber, leading to membrane ruptures and leakiness that induces myofiber necrosis, a subsequent inflammatory response, and progressive tissue fibrosis with loss of functional capacity. Cathepsin S (Ctss) is a cysteine protease that is actively secreted in areas of tissue injury and ongoing inflammation, where it participates in extracellular matrix remodeling and healing. Here we show significant induction of Ctss expression and proteolytic activity following acute muscle injury or in muscle from mdx mice, a model of DMD. To examine the functional ramifications associated with greater Ctss expression, the Ctss gene was deleted in the mdx genetic background, resulting in protection from muscular dystrophy pathogenesis that included reduced myofiber turnover and histopathology, reduced fibrosis, and improved running capacity. Mechanistically, deletion of the Ctss gene in the mdx background significantly increased myofiber sarcolemmal membrane stability with greater expression and membrane localization of utrophin, integrins, and ß-dystroglycan, which anchor the membrane to the basal lamina and underlying cytoskeletal proteins. Consistent with these results, skeletal muscle-specific transgenic mice overexpressing Ctss showed increased myofiber necrosis, muscle histopathology, and a functional deficit reminiscent of muscular dystrophy. Hence, Ctss induction during muscular dystrophy is a pathologic event that partially underlies disease pathogenesis, and its inhibition might serve as a new therapeutic strategy in DMD.

c-kit+ cells minimally contribute cardiomyocytes to the heart.

If and how the heart regenerates after an injury event is highly debated. c-kit-expressing cardiac progenitor cells have been reported as the primary source for generation of new myocardium after injury. Here we generated two genetic approaches in mice to examine whether endogenous c-kit(+) cells contribute differentiated cardiomyocytes to the heart during development, with ageing or after injury in adulthood. A complementary DNA encoding either Cre recombinase or a tamoxifen-inducible MerCreMer chimaeric protein was targeted to the Kit locus in mice and then bred with reporter lines to permanently mark cell lineage. Endogenous c-kit(+) cells did produce new cardiomyocytes within the heart, although at a percentage of approximately 0.03 or less, and if a preponderance towards cellular fusion is considered, the percentage falls to below approximately 0.008. By contrast, c-kit(+) cells amply generated cardiac endothelial cells. Thus, endogenous c-kit(+) cells can generate cardiomyocytes within the heart, although probably at a functionally insignificant level.

Klf5 regulates lineage formation in the pre-implantation mouse embryo.

Kruppel-like transcription factors (Klfs) are essential for the induction and maintenance of pluripotency of embryonic stem cells (ESCs), yet little is known about their roles in establishing the three lineages of the pre-implantation embryo. Here, we show that Klf5 is required for the formation of the trophectoderm (TE) and the inner cell mass (ICM), and for repressing primitive endoderm (PE) development. Although cell polarity appeared normal, Klf5 mutant embryos arrested at the blastocyst stage and failed to hatch due to defective TE development. Klf5 acted cell-autonomously in the TE, downstream of Fgf4 and upstream of Cdx2, Eomes and Krt8. In the ICM, loss of Klf5 resulted in reduced expression of pluripotency markers Oct4 and Nanog, but led to increased Sox17 expression in the PE, suggesting that Klf5 suppresses the PE lineage. Consistent with this, overexpression of Klf5 in transgenic embryos was sufficient to suppress the Sox17(+) PE lineage in the ICM. Klf5 overexpression led to a dose-dependent decrease in Sox17 promoter activity in reporter assays in cultured cells. Moreover, in chimeric embryos, Klf5(-/-) cells preferentially contributed to the Sox17(+) PE lineage and Cdx2 expression was not rescued in Klf5(-/-) outer cells. Finally, outgrowths from Klf5(-/-) embryos failed to form an ICM/pluripotent colony, had very few Oct4(+) or Cdx2(+) cells, but showed an increase in the percentage of Sox17(+) PE cells. These findings demonstrate that Klf5 is a dynamic regulator of all three lineages in the pre-implantation embryo by promoting the TE and epiblast lineages while suppressing the PE lineage.

Sox17 and Sox4 differentially regulate beta-catenin/T-cell factor activity and proliferation of colon carcinoma cells.

The canonical Wnt pathway is necessary for gut epithelial cell proliferation, and aberrant activation of this pathway causes intestinal neoplasia. We report a novel mechanism by which the Sox family of transcription factors regulate the canonical Wnt signaling pathway. We found that some Sox proteins antagonize while others enhance beta-catenin/T-cell factor (TCF) activity. Sox17, which is expressed in the normal gut epithelium but exhibits reduced expression in intestinal neoplasia, is antagonistic to Wnt signaling. When overexpressed in SW480 colon carcinoma cells, Sox17 represses beta-catenin/TCF activity in a dose-dependent manner and inhibits proliferation. Sox17 and Sox4 are expressed in mutually exclusive domains in normal and neoplastic gut tissues, and gain- and loss-of-function studies demonstrate that Sox4 enhances beta-catenin/TCF activity and the proliferation of SW480 cells. In addition to binding beta-catenin, both Sox17 and Sox4 physically interact with TCF/lymphoid enhancer factor (LEF) family members via their respective high-mobility-group box domains. Results from gain- and loss-of-function experiments suggest that the interaction of Sox proteins with beta-catenin and TCF/LEF proteins regulates the stability of beta-catenin and TCF/LEF. In particular, Sox17 promotes the degradation of both beta-catenin and TCF proteins via a noncanonical, glycogen synthase kinase 3beta-independent mechanism that can be blocked by proteasome inhibitors. In contrast, Sox4 may function to stabilize beta-catenin protein. These findings indicate that Sox proteins can act as both antagonists and agonists of beta-catenin/TCF activity, and this mechanism may regulate Wnt signaling responses in many developmental and disease contexts.

Prevention of Brca1-mediated mammary tumorigenesis in mice by a progesterone antagonist.

Women with mutations in the breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1 are predisposed to breast and ovarian cancers. Why the BRCA1 protein suppresses tumor development specifically in ovarian hormone-sensitive tissues remains unclear. We demonstrate that mammary glands of nulliparous Brca1/p53-deficient mice accumulate lateral branches and undergo extensive alveologenesis, a phenotype that occurs only during pregnancy in wild-type mice. Progesterone receptors, but not estrogen receptors, are overexpressed in the mutant mammary epithelial cells because of a defect in their degradation by the proteasome pathway. Treatment of Brca1/p53-deficient mice with the progesterone antagonist mifepristone (RU 486) prevented mammary tumorigenesis. These findings reveal a tissue-specific function for the BRCA1 protein and raise the possibility that antiprogesterone treatment may be useful for breast cancer prevention in individuals with BRCA1 mutations.

Somatic mutation of p53 leads to estrogen receptor alpha-positive and -negative mouse mammary tumors with high frequency of metastasis.

Approximately 70% of human breast cancers are estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha)-positive, but the origins of ERalpha-positive and -negative tumors remain unclear. Hormonal regulation of mammary gland development in mice is similar to that in humans; however, most mouse models produce only ERalpha-negative tumors. In addition, these mouse tumors metastasize at a low rate relative to human breast tumors. We report here that somatic mutations of p53 in mouse mammary epithelial cells using the Cre/loxP system leads to ERalpha-positive and -negative tumors. p53 inactivation under a constitutive active WAPCre(c) in prepubertal/pubertal mice, but not under MMTVCre in adult mice, leads to the development of ERalpha-positive tumors, suggesting that target cells or developmental stages can determine ERalpha status in mammary tumors. Importantly, these tumors have a high rate of metastasis. An inverse relationship between the number of targeted cells and median tumor latency was also observed. Median tumor latency reaches a plateau when targeted cell numbers exceed 20%, implying the existence of saturation kinetics for breast carcinogenesis. Genetic alterations commonly observed in human breast cancer including c-myc amplification and Her2/Neu/erbB2 activation were seen in these mouse tumors. Thus, this tumor system reproduces many important features of human breast cancer and provides tools for the study of the origins of ERalpha-positive and -negative breast tumors in mice.