Downregulation of O-GlcNAc transferase activity impairs basal autophagy and late endosome positioning under nutrient-rich conditions in human colon cells.

Autophagy is a critical catabolic pathway that enables cells to survive and adapt to stressful conditions, especially nutrient deprivation. The fusion of autophagic vacuoles with lysosomes is the final step of autophagy, which degrades the engulfed contents into metabolic precursors for re-use by the cell. O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) plays a crucial role in regulating autophagy flux in response to nutrient stress, particularly by targeting key proteins involved in autophagosome-lysosome fusion. However, the role of OGT in basal autophagy, which occurs at a low and constitutive levels under growth conditions, remains poorly understood. Silencing or inhibition of OGT was used to compare the effect of OGT downregulation on autophagy flux in the non-cancerous CCD841CoN and cancerous HCT116 human colon cell lines under nutrient-rich conditions. We provide evidence that the reduction of OGT activity impairs the maturation of autophagosomes, thereby blocking the completion of basal autophagy in both cell lines. Additionally, OGT inhibition results in the accumulation of lysosomes and enlarged late endosomes in the perinuclear region, as demonstrated by confocal imaging. This is associated with a defect in the localization of the small GTPase Rab7 to these organelles. The regulation of transport and fusion events between the endosomal and lysosomal compartments is crucial for maintaining the autophagic flux. These findings suggest an interplay between OGT and the homeostasis of the endolysosomal network in human cells.

A Novel Copper(II) Indenoisoquinoline Complex Inhibits Topoisomerase I, Induces G2 Phase Arrest, and Autophagy in Three Adenocarcinomas.

Topoisomerases, targets of inhibitors used in chemotherapy, induce DNA breaks accumulation leading to cancer cell death. A newly synthesized copper(II) indenoisoquinoline complex WN197 exhibits a cytotoxic effect below 0.5 µM, on MDA-MB-231, HeLa, and HT-29 cells. At low doses, WN197 inhibits topoisomerase I. At higher doses, it inhibits topoisomerase IIα and IIß, and displays DNA intercalation properties. DNA damage is detected by the presence of γH2AX. The activation of the DNA Damage Response (DDR) occurs through the phosphorylation of ATM/ATR, Chk1/2 kinases, and the increase of p21, a p53 target. WN197 induces a G2 phase arrest characterized by the unphosphorylated form of histone H3, the accumulation of phosphorylated Cdk1, and an association of Cdc25C with 14.3.3. Cancer cells die by autophagy with Beclin-1 accumulation, LC3-II formation, p62 degradation, and RAPTOR phosphorylation in the mTOR complex. Finally, WN197 by inhibiting topoisomerase I at low concentration with high efficiency is a promising agent for the development of future DNA damaging chemotherapies.

Mitochondrial O-GlcNAc Transferase Interacts with and Modifies Many Proteins and Its Up-Regulation Affects Mitochondrial Function and Cellular Energy Homeostasis.

O-GlcNAcylation is a cell glucose sensor. The addition of O-GlcNAc moieties to target protein is catalyzed by the O-Linked N-acetylglucosamine transferase (OGT). OGT is encoded by a single gene that yields differentially spliced OGT isoforms. One of them is targeted to mitochondria (mOGT). Although the impact of O-GlcNAcylation on cancer cells biology is well documented, mOGT's role remains poorly investigated. We performed studies using breast cancer cells with up-regulated mOGT or its catalytic inactive mutant to identify proteins specifically modified by mOGT. Proteomic approaches included isolation of mOGT protein partners and O-GlcNAcylated proteins from mitochondria-enriched fraction followed by their analysis by mass spectrometry. Moreover, we analyzed the impact of mOGT dysregulation on mitochondrial activity and cellular metabolism using a variety of biochemical assays. We found that mitochondrial OGT expression is glucose-dependent. Elevated mOGT expression affected the mitochondrial transmembrane potential and increased intramitochondrial ROS generation. Moreover, mOGT up-regulation caused a decrease in cellular ATP level. We identified many mitochondrial proteins as mOGT substrates. Most of these proteins are localized in the mitochondrial matrix and the inner mitochondrial membrane and participate in mitochondrial respiration, fatty acid metabolism, transport, translation, apoptosis, and mtDNA processes. Our findings suggest that mOGT interacts with and modifies many mitochondrial proteins, and its dysregulation affects cellular bioenergetics and mitochondria function.

Dual regulation of fatty acid synthase (FASN) expression by O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and mTOR pathway in proliferating liver cancer cells.

Fatty acid synthase (FASN) participates in many fundamental biological processes, including energy storage and signal transduction, and is overexpressed in many cancer cells. We previously showed in a context of lipogenesis that FASN is protected from degradation by its interaction with O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) in a nutrient-dependent manner. We and others also reported that OGT and O-GlcNAcylation up-regulate the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway that senses mitogenic signals and nutrient availability to drive cell cycle. Using biochemical and microscopy approaches, we show here that FASN co-localizes with OGT in the cytoplasm and, to a lesser extent, in the membrane fraction. This interaction occurs in a cell cycle-dependent manner, following the pattern of FASN expression. Moreover, we show that FASN expression depends on OGT upon serum stimulation. The level of FASN also correlates with the activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in hepatic cell lines, and in livers of obese mice and in a chronically activated insulin and mTOR signaling mouse model (PTEN-null mice). These results indicate that FASN is under a dual control of O-GlcNAcylation and mTOR pathways. In turn, blocking FASN with the small-molecule inhibitor C75 reduces both OGT and O-GlcNAcylation levels, and mTOR activation, highlighting a novel reciprocal regulation between these actors. In addition to the role of O-GlcNAcylation in tumorigenesis, our findings shed new light on how aberrant activity of FASN and mTOR signaling may promote the emergence of hepatic tumors.

OGT Controls the Expression and the Glycosylation of E-cadherin, and Affects Glycosphingolipid Structures in Human Colon Cell Lines.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) affects both women and men living in societies with a high sedentary lifestyle. Amongst the phenotypic changes exhibited by tumor cells, a wide range of glycosylation has been reported for colon cancer-derived cell lines and CRC tissues. These aberrant modifications affect different aspects of glycosylation, including an increase in core fucosylation and GlcNAc branching on N-glycans, alteration of O-glycans, upregulated sialylation, and O-GlcNAcylation. Although O-GlcNAcylation and complex glycosylations differ in many aspects, sparse evidences report on the interference of O-GlcNAcylation with complex glycosylation. Nevertheless, this relationship is still a matter of debate. Combining different approaches on three human colon cell lines (HT29, HCT116 and CCD841CoN), it is herein reported that silencing O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT, the sole enzyme driving O-GlcNAcylation), only slightly affects overall N- and O-glycosylation patterns. Interestingly, silencing of OGT in HT29 cells upregulates E-cadherin (a major actor of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition) and changes its glycosylation. On the other hand, OGT silencing perturbs biosynthesis of glycosphingolipids resulting in a decrease in gangliosides and an increase in globosides. Together, these results provide novel insights regarding the selective regulation of complex glycosylations by O-GlcNAcylation in colon cancer cells.

O-GlcNAcylation Is Involved in the Regulation of Stem Cell Markers Expression in Colon Cancer Cells.

The dynamic O-linked-N-acetylglucosamine posttranslational modification of nucleocytoplasmic proteins has emerged as a key regulator of diverse cellular processes including several hallmarks of cancer. However, the role played by this modification in the establishment of CSC phenotype has been poorly studied so far and remains unclear. In this study we confirmed the previous reports showing that colon cancer cells exhibit higher O-GlcNAc basal levels than non-malignant cells, and investigated the role played by O-GlcNAcylation in the regulation of CSC phenotype. We found that the modification of O-GlcNAcylation levels by pharmacological inhibition of the O-GlcNAc-transferase enzyme that adds O-GlcNAc (OGT), but not of the enzyme that removes it (OGA), increased the expression of all stem cell markers tested in our colon malignant cell lines, and induced the appearance of a double positive (CD44+/CD133+) small stem cell-like subpopulation (which corresponded to 1-10%) that displayed very aggressive malignant phenotype such as increased clonogenicity and spheroid formation abilities in 3D culture. We reasoned that OGT inhibition would mimic in the tumor the presence of severe nutritional stress, and indeed, we demonstrated that nutritional stress reproduced in colon cancer cells the effects obtained with OGT inhibition. Thus, our data strongly suggests that stemness is regulated by HBP/O-GlcNAcylation nutrient sensing pathway, and that O-GlcNAc nutrient sensor represents an important survival mechanism in cancer cells under nutritional stressful conditions.

Cyclin D1 Stability Is Partly Controlled by O-GlcNAcylation.

Cyclin D1 is the regulatory partner of the cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) CDK4 or CDK6. Once associated and activated, the cyclin D1/CDK complexes drive the cell cycle entry and G1 phase progression in response to extracellular signals. To ensure their timely and accurate activation during cell cycle progression, cyclin D1 turnover is finely controlled by phosphorylation and ubiquitination. Here we show that the dynamic and reversible O-linked ß-N-Acetyl-glucosaminylation (O-GlcNAcylation) regulates also cyclin D1 half-life. High O-GlcNAc levels increase the stability of cyclin D1, while reduction of O-GlcNAcylation strongly decreases it. Moreover, elevation of O-GlcNAc levels through O-GlcNAcase (OGA) inhibition significantly slows down the ubiquitination of cyclin D1. Finally, biochemical and cell imaging experiments in human cancer cells reveal that the O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) binds to and glycosylates cyclin D1. We conclude that O-GlcNAcylation promotes the stability of cyclin D1 through modulating its ubiquitination.

Cross-Dysregulation of O-GlcNAcylation and PI3K/AKT/mTOR Axis in Human Chronic Diseases.

The hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (HBP) and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway are considered as nutrient sensors that regulate several essential biological processes. The hexosamine biosynthetic pathway produces uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc), the substrate for O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT), the enzyme that O-GlcNAcylates proteins on serine (Ser) and threonine (Thr) residues. O-linked ß-N-acetylglucosaminylation (O-GlcNAcylation) and phosphorylation are highly dynamic post-translational modifications occurring at the same or adjacent sites that regulate folding, stability, subcellular localization, partner interaction, or activity of target proteins. Here we review recent evidence of a cross-regulation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and protein O-GlcNAcylation. Furthermore, we discuss their co-dysregulation in pathological conditions, e.g., cancer, type-2 diabetes (T2D), and cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases.

O-GlcNAc transferase associates with the MCM2-7 complex and its silencing destabilizes MCM-MCM interactions.

O-GlcNAcylation of proteins is governed by O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and O-GlcNAcase (OGA). The homeostasis of O-GlcNAc cycling is regulated during cell cycle progression and is essential for proper cellular division. We previously reported the O-GlcNAcylation of the minichromosome maintenance proteins MCM2, MCM3, MCM6 and MCM7. These proteins belong to the MCM2-7 complex which is crucial for the initiation of DNA replication through its DNA helicase activity. Here we show that the six subunits of MCM2-7 are O-GlcNAcylated and that O-GlcNAcylation of MCM proteins mainly occurs in the chromatin-bound fraction of synchronized human cells. Moreover, we identify stable interaction between OGT and several MCM subunits. We also show that down-regulation of OGT decreases the chromatin binding of MCM2, MCM6 and MCM7 without affecting their steady-state level. Finally, OGT silencing or OGA inhibition destabilizes MCM2/6 and MCM4/7 interactions in the chromatin-enriched fraction. In conclusion, OGT is a new partner of the MCM2-7 complex and O-GlcNAcylation homeostasis might regulate MCM2-7 complex by regulating the chromatin loading of MCM6 and MCM7 and stabilizing MCM/MCM interactions.

The RBM14/CoAA-interacting, long intergenic non-coding RNA Paral1 regulates adipogenesis and coactivates the nuclear receptor PPARγ.

Adipocyte differentiation and function relies on a network of transcription factors, which is disrupted in obesity-associated low grade, chronic inflammation leading to adipose tissue dysfunction. In this context, there is a need for a thorough understanding of the transcriptional regulatory network involved in adipose tissue pathophysiology. Recent advances in the functional annotation of the genome has highlighted the role of non-coding RNAs in cellular differentiation processes in coordination with transcription factors. Using an unbiased genome-wide approach, we identified and characterized a novel long intergenic non-coding RNA (lincRNA) strongly induced during adipocyte differentiation. This lincRNA favors adipocyte differentiation and coactivates the master adipogenic regulator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) through interaction with the paraspeckle component and hnRNP-like RNA binding protein 14 (RBM14/NCoAA), and was therefore called PPARγ-activator RBM14-associated lncRNA (Paral1). Paral1 expression is restricted to adipocytes and decreased in humans with increasing body mass index. A decreased expression was also observed in diet-induced or genetic mouse models of obesity and this down-regulation was mimicked in vitro by TNF treatment. In conclusion, we have identified a novel component of the adipogenic transcriptional regulatory network defining the lincRNA Paral1 as an obesity-sensitive regulator of adipocyte differentiation and function.

Modification by SUMOylation Controls Both the Transcriptional Activity and the Stability of Delta-Lactoferrin.

Delta-lactoferrin is a transcription factor, the expression of which is downregulated or silenced in case of breast cancer. It possesses antitumoral activities and when it is re-introduced in mammary epithelial cancer cell lines, provokes antiproliferative effects. It is posttranslationally modified and our earlier investigations showed that the O-GlcNAcylation/phosphorylation interplay plays a major role in the regulation of both its stability and transcriptional activity. Here, we report the covalent modification of delta-lactoferrin with the small ubiquitin-like modifier SUMO-1. Mutational and reporter gene analyses identified five different lysine residues at K13, K308, K361, K379 and K391 as SUMO acceptor sites. The SUMOylation deficient M5S mutant displayed enhanced transactivation capacity on a delta-lactoferrin responsive promoter, suggesting that SUMO-1 negatively regulates the transactivation function of delta-lactoferrin. K13, K308 and K379 are the main SUMO sites and among them, K308, which is located in a SUMOylation consensus motif of the NDSM-like type, is a key SUMO site involved in repression of delta-lactoferrin transcriptional activity. K13 and K379 are both targeted by other posttranslational modifications. We demonstrated that K13 is the main acetylation site and that favoring acetylation at K13 reduced SUMOylation and increased delta-lactoferrin transcriptional activity. K379, which is either ubiquitinated or SUMOylated, is a pivotal site for the control of delta-lactoferrin stability. We showed that SUMOylation competes with ubiquitination and protects delta-lactoferrin from degradation by positively regulating its stability. Collectively, our results indicate that multi-SUMOylation occurs on delta-lactoferrin to repress its transcriptional activity. Reciprocal occupancy of K13 by either SUMO-1 or an acetyl group may contribute to the establishment of finely regulated mechanisms to control delta-lactoferrin transcriptional activity. Moreover, competition between SUMOylation and ubiquitination at K379 coordinately regulates the stability of delta-lactoferrin toward proteolysis. Therefore SUMOylation of delta-lactoferrin is a novel mechanism controlling both its activity and stability.

Characterization of O-GlcNAc cycling and proteomic identification of differentially O-GlcNAcylated proteins during G1/S transition.

BACKGROUND: DNA replication represents a critical step of the cell cycle which requires highly controlled and ordered regulatory mechanisms to ensure the integrity of genome duplication. Among a plethora of elements, post-translational modifications (PTMs) ensure the spatiotemporal regulation of pivotal proteins orchestrating cell division. Despite increasing evidences showing that O-GlcNAcylation regulates mitotic events, the impact of this PTM in the early steps of the cell cycle remains poorly understood. METHODS AND RESULTS: Quiescent MCF7 cells were stimulated by serum mitogens and cell cycle progression was determined by flow cytometry. The levels of O-GlcNAc modified proteins, O-GlcNAc Transferase (OGT) and O-GlcNAcase (OGA) were examined by Western blotting and OGA activity was measured during the progression of cells towards S phase. A global decrease in O-GlcNAcylation was observed at S phase entry, concomitantly to an increase in the activity of OGA. A combination of two-dimensional electrophoresis, Western blotting and mass spectrometry was then used to detect and identify cell cycle-dependent putative O-GlcNAcylated proteins. 58 cytoplasmic and nuclear proteins differentially O-GlcNAcylated through G1/S transition were identified and the O-GlcNAc variations of Cytokeratin 8, hnRNP K, Caprin-1, Minichromosome Maintenance proteins MCM3, MCM6 and MCM7 were validated by immunoprecipitation. CONCLUSIONS: The dynamics of O-GlcNAc is regulated during G1/S transition and observed on key proteins involved in the cytoskeleton networks, mRNA processing, translation, protein folding and DNA replication. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: Our results led us to propose that O-GlcNAcylation joins the PTMs that take part in the regulation of DNA replication initiation.

The role of non-muscle myosin IIA in aggregation and invasion of human MCF-7 breast cancer cells.

Human MCF-7/6 breast cancer cells differ from their MCF-7/AZ counterparts by their invasiveness in a number of assays in vitro, such as invasion of MCF-7 spheroids into embryonic chick heart fragments or type I collagen gels. Comparative proteomic analysis of these two variants revealed an identical pattern, except for a 230 kDa protein present in the invasive MCF-7/6 variant, but hardly detectable in the non-invasive MCF-7/AZ one. This protein appeared to be the non-muscle myosin IIA heavy chain (NMIIA), also coined MYH9. Experimental inhibition of NMIIA by reducing either its expression (via stable shRNA transduction) or its function (via the specific ATPase inhibitor blebbistatin) underpinned the decisive role of NMIIA in MCF-7 cell invasion. Inhibition of NMIIA indeed blocked the invasion of MCF-7/6 cells in three-dimensional invasion substrata such as embryonic chick heart fragments and type I collagen gels. Invasiveness of MCF-7/6 cells has been related to poor formation and compaction of aggregates, due to a functionally defective E-cadherin/catenin complex. Both genetic and pharmacological inhibition of NMIIA stimulated MCF-7/6 cell aggregation. Together, these data indicate that NMIIA is a decisive protein for MCF-7 cells to invade, indicating that this molecule is a candidate for targeted anti-invasive treatment.

Priming and potentiation of DNA damage response by fibronectin in human colon cancer cells and tumor-derived myofibroblasts.

We have previously shown that the genotoxin-induced apoptosis in mouse embryo fibroblasts was enhanced by the extracellular matrix protein fibronectin (FN). In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that FN regulates the DNA damage response (DDR) signaling pathways in HCT116 (p53-wt) and HT29 (p53-mut) human colon cancer cells and tumor-derived myofibroblasts. DNA damage recognition mechanisms were analyzed by immunofluorescence staining, cell cycle analysis and immunoblotting addressed at specific molecular sensors and executors involved in the DDR pathways. The results show that FN, but not collagen type IV or Matrigel, initiates and potentiates the DDR to the anticancer drug cisplatin in an α5 integrin and cell cycle-dependent manner (S and G2/M phases) in human colon cancer cells. Accordingly, we demonstrate that adhesion of HCT116 cells to FN upregulated the expression of α5 integrin FN receptors at the cell surface. These FN-induced DDR pathways include the concerted phosphorylation of histone H2AX on Ser139 detected as nuclear foci (γ-H2AX, 15 and 25 kDa forms), of ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM-Ser1981), checkpoint kinase 2 (CHK2-Thr68, 62 and 67 kDa) and p53-Ser15. These FN-induced γ-H2AX signals were interrupted or attenuated by selective inhibitors acting on the DDR pathway kinases, including wortmannin (targeting the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase-related protein kinases, PIKK), KU55933 (ATM), NU7026 (DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit, DNA-PK-cs) and SP600125 (JNK2, stress activated protein kinase/c-Jun N-terminal kinase-2). Adhesion to FN also potentiated the γ-H2AX signals and the cytotoxic effects of cisplatin in human colon tumor-derived myofibroblasts. These data provide evidence that FN promotes DNA damage recognition and chemosensitization to cisplatin via the potentiation of the DNA damage signaling responses in human colon cancer cells and tumor-derived myofibroblasts.

Bacterial monocultures, propionate, butyrate and H2O2 modulate the expression, secretion and structure of the fasting-induced adipose factor in gut epithelial cell lines.

Previous research showed that an intestinal microbial community represses the fasting-induced adipose factor (FIAF) in the gut epithelium, thereby increasing fat storage in the host. This study was designed to investigate the overall effect of different bacterial species and metabolites on FIAF in intestinal (Caco-2, HT-29 and HCT-116) and hepatic (HepG2) cancer cell lines. First, we showed that FIAF was present in different isoforms, and secreted as N-glycosylated proteins, exclusively at the basal side of the cell monolayer. Second, co-incubation of cell lines with bacterial monocultures and metabolites altered both FIAF production and isoform appearance. Propionate and/or butyrate treatment increased FIAF expression and cleavage in all tested cell lines. In contrast, different bacteria induced cell line-specific FIAF modulation. Clostridium perfringens induced FIAF isoform changes in Caco-2 cells. Enterococcus faecalis and Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron treatment resulted in cell line-specific FIAF increases, whereas Escherichia coli significantly decreased FIAF expression in HCT-116 cells. Treatment with H(2) O(2) and peroxide-producing E. faecalis strains induced FIAF isoform changes in Caco-2 cells. Since bacteria and bacterial metabolites alter both FIAF production and isoform appearance, further investigation may reveal an important role for bacteria in FIAF-regulated physiological processes, such as cell differentiation and fat metabolism.

Dysregulation of the nutrient/stress sensor O-GlcNAcylation is involved in the etiology of cardiovascular disorders, type-2 diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.

O-GlcNAcylation is widespread within the cytosolic and nuclear compartments of cells. This post-translational modification is likely an indicator of good health since its intracellular level correlates with the availability of extracellular glucose. Apart from its status as a nutrient sensor, O-GlcNAcylation may also act as a stress sensor since it exerts its fundamental effects in response to stress. Several studies report that the cell quickly responds to an insult by elevating O-GlcNAcylation levels and by unmasking a newly described Hsp70-GlcNAc binding property. From a more practical point of view, it has been shown that O-GlcNAcylation impairments contribute to the etiology of cardiovascular diseases, type-2 diabetes and Alzheimer's disease (AD), three illnesses common in occidental societies. Many studies have demonstrated that O-GlcNAcylation operates as a powerful cardioprotector and that by raising O-GlcNAcylation levels, the organism more successfully resists trauma-hemorrhage and ischemia/reperfusion injury. Recent data have also shown that insulin resistance and, more broadly, type-2 diabetes can be controlled by O-GlcNAcylation of the insulin pathway and O-GlcNAcylation of the gluconeogenesis transcription factors FoxO1 and CRCT2. Lastly, the finding that AD may correspond to a type-3 diabetes offers new perspectives into the knowledge of the neuropathology and into the search for new therapeutic avenues.

Glycoproteomics and glycomics investigation of membrane N-glycosylproteins from human colon carcinoma cells.

Aberrant glycosylation of proteins is known to profoundly affect cellular adhesion or motility of tumoral cells. In this study, we used HT-29 human colon epithelial cancer cells as a cellular model of cancer progression, as they can either proliferate or differentiate into enterocyte phenotype. A glycoproteomic approach based on Con A lectin-affinity chromatography, SDS-PAGE and MS analysis, allowed the identification of membrane N-glycoproteins from Triton X-100-solubilized proteins from membrane preparation. Among them, 65% were membrane proteins, and 45% were known to be N-glycosylated, such as alpha chains integrin and dipeptidyl isomerase IV. By lectin-blot analysis, significant changes of alpha-2,3- and alpha-2,6-sialylation of membrane glycoproteins were observed between proliferating and differentiated HT-29 cells. From these results, nano-LC-MS/MS analysis of the tryptic digests of the corresponding bands was performed and led to the identification of several transmembrane glycoproteins, like members of the solute carrier family and adhesion proteins. Finally, we compared N-glycans profiles and monosaccharide composition of proliferating and enterocyte-like HT-29 cells using MALDI-MS and GC-MS analyses of permethylated derivatives. This glycomic approach allowed to underscore significant changes in N-glycans structure, in particular the expression of atypical N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc)-ended N-glycans in enterocyte-like HT-29 cells.

Identification of new O-GlcNAc modified proteins using a click-chemistry-based tagging.

The O-linked beta-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) modification is an abundant post-translational modification in eukaryotic cells. This dynamic glycosylation plays a fundamental role in the activity of many nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins and is associated with pathologies like type II diabetes, Alzheimer's disease or some cancers. However the exact link between O-GlcNAc-modified proteins and their function in cells is largely undefined for most cases. Here we report a strategy based on the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition, called click chemistry, between unnatural N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) analogues (substituted with an azido or alkyne group) and the corresponding biotinylated probe to specifically detect, enrich and identify O-GlcNAc-modified proteins. This bio-orthogonal conjugation confirms that only azido analogue of GlcNAc is metabolized by the cell. Thanks to the biotin probe, affinity purification on streptavidin beads allowed us to identify 32 O-GlcNAc-azido-tagged proteins by LC-MS/MS analysis in an MCF-7 cellular model, 14 of which were previously unreported. This work illustrates the use of the click-chemistry-based strategy combined with a proteomic approach to get further insight into the pattern of O-GlcNAc-modified proteins and the biological significance of this post-translational modification. [figure: see text]

Enhancement of PDGF-BB mitogenic activity on human dermal fibroblasts by biospecific dextran derivatives.

Dextran derivatives are biosynthetic polyanionic polymers which exert some of the heparin properties such as regulating the activity of several heparin-binding growth factors. Based on a reproducible synthetic procedure, we have synthesized a new generation of dextran derivatives named dextran methylcarboxylate benzylamide sulfate (DMCBSu). Here we investigated the ability of a library of well-characterized DMCBSu to interact with platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB), which has essential roles during wound healing. Using gel mobility shift assay, our results indicate that benzylamide and sulfate groups act synergically to bind to PDGF-BB. Furthermore we show that depending on their chemical composition, functionalized dextrans are able to potentiate the mitogenic activity of PDGF-BB on human dermal fibroblasts. This enhancing effect is accompanied with changes in PDGF-BB-induced signaling events, as determined by the use of specific inhibitors and by western blot. Our results suggest that the use of such biopolymers combined with a local administration of the growth factor could increase the efficiency of the biomolecule activity in future therapeutic strategies.

Thioredoxin post-transcriptional regulation by H19 provides a new function to mRNA-like non-coding RNA.

Classically, the functional product of coding genes is a protein whose synthesis is directed by an mRNA-template. However, in the last few years several genes yielding an mRNA-like non-coding RNA as a functional product have been identified. In most cases these transcripts are synthesized by the RNA polymerase II, capped, spliced and polyadenylated, like classical mRNA. These latter have non-conserved open reading frames and seem to be untranslated. Consequently, it has been proposed and admitted that these genes act at the RNA level, and are so-called 'riboregulators'. H19 belongs to this class of gene and its role remains a matter of debate: for some authors it is an oncogene, for others a tumour suppressor. Here, we demonstrate, using a proteomic approach, that an H19 overexpression in human cancerous mammary epithelial cells stably transfected with genomic DNA containing the entire H19 gene is responsible for positively regulating at the post-transcriptional level the thioredoxin, a key protein of the cellular redox metabolism. Interestingly, this protein accumulates in many cancerous tissues, such as breast carcinomas in which we have also demonstrated an overexpression of the H19 gene.