cGAS-STING drives the IL-6-dependent survival of chromosomally instable cancers.

Chromosomal instability (CIN) drives cancer cell evolution, metastasis and therapy resistance, and is associated with poor prognosis1. CIN leads to micronuclei that release DNA into the cytoplasm after rupture, which triggers activation of inflammatory signalling mediated by cGAS and STING2,3. These two proteins are considered to be tumour suppressors as they promote apoptosis and immunosurveillance. However, cGAS and STING are rarely inactivated in cancer4, and, although they have been implicated in metastasis5, it is not known why loss-of-function mutations do not arise in primary tumours4. Here we show that inactivation of cGAS-STING signalling selectively impairs the survival of triple-negative breast cancer cells that display CIN. CIN triggers IL-6-STAT3-mediated signalling, which depends on the cGAS-STING pathway and the non-canonical NF-κB pathway. Blockade of IL-6 signalling by tocilizumab, a clinically used drug that targets the IL-6 receptor (IL-6R), selectively impairs the growth of cultured triple-negative breast cancer cells that exhibit CIN. Moreover, outgrowth of chromosomally instable tumours is significantly delayed compared with tumours that do not display CIN. Notably, this targetable vulnerability is conserved across cancer types that express high levels of IL-6 and/or IL-6R in vitro and in vivo. Together, our work demonstrates pro-tumorigenic traits of cGAS-STING signalling and explains why the cGAS-STING pathway is rarely inactivated in primary tumours. Repurposing tocilizumab could be a strategy to treat cancers with CIN that overexpress IL-6R.

The H3.3K27M oncohistone affects replication stress outcome and provokes genomic instability in pediatric glioma.

While comprehensive molecular profiling of histone H3.3 mutant pediatric high-grade glioma has revealed extensive dysregulation of the chromatin landscape, the exact mechanisms driving tumor formation remain poorly understood. Since H3.3 mutant gliomas also exhibit high levels of copy number alterations, we set out to address if the H3.3K27M oncohistone leads to destabilization of the genome. Hereto, we established a cell culture model allowing inducible H3.3K27M expression and observed an increase in mitotic abnormalities. We also found enhanced interaction of DNA replication factors with H3.3K27M during mitosis, indicating replication defects. Further functional analyses revealed increased genomic instability upon replication stress, as represented by mitotic bulky and ultrafine DNA bridges. This co-occurred with suboptimal 53BP1 nuclear body formation after mitosis in vitro, and in human glioma. Finally, we observed a decrease in ultrafine DNA bridges following deletion of the K27M mutant H3F3A allele in primary high-grade glioma cells. Together, our data uncover a role for H3.3 in DNA replication under stress conditions that is altered by the K27M mutation, promoting genomic instability and potentially glioma development.

Chromosomal Instability Characterizes Pediatric Medulloblastoma but Is Not Tolerated in the Developing Cerebellum.

Medulloblastoma is a pediatric brain malignancy that consists of four transcriptional subgroups. Structural and numerical aneuploidy are common in all subgroups, although they are particularly profound in Group 3 and Group 4 medulloblastoma and in a subtype of SHH medulloblastoma termed SHHα. This suggests that chromosomal instability (CIN), the process leading to aneuploidy, is an important player in medulloblastoma pathophysiology. However, it is not known if there is ongoing CIN in medulloblastoma or if CIN affects the developing cerebellum and promotes tumor formation. To investigate this, we performed karyotyping of single medulloblastoma cells and demonstrated the presence of distinct tumor cell clones harboring unique copy number alterations, which is suggestive of ongoing CIN. We also found enrichment for processes related to DNA replication, repair, and mitosis in both SHH medulloblastoma and in the highly proliferative compartment of the presumed tumor cell lineage-of-origin, the latter also being sensitive to genotoxic stress. However, when challenging these tumor cells-of-origin with genetic lesions inducing CIN using transgenic mouse modeling, we found no evidence for large chromosomal aberrations in the cerebellum or for medulloblastoma formation. We therefore conclude that without a background of specific genetic mutations, CIN is not tolerated in the developing cerebellum in vivo and, thus, by itself is not sufficient to initiate medulloblastoma.

Chromosome instability induced by Mps1 and p53 mutation generates aggressive lymphomas exhibiting aneuploidy-induced stress.

Aneuploidy is a hallmark of human solid cancers that arises from errors in mitosis and results in gain and loss of oncogenes and tumor suppressors. Aneuploidy poses a growth disadvantage for cells grown in vitro, suggesting that cancer cells adapt to this burden. To understand better the consequences of aneuploidy in a rapidly proliferating adult tissue, we engineered a mouse in which chromosome instability was selectively induced in T cells. A flanked by Lox mutation was introduced into the monopolar spindle 1 (Mps1) spindle-assembly checkpoint gene so that Cre-mediated recombination would create a truncated protein (Mps1(DK)) that retained the kinase domain but lacked the kinetochore-binding domain and thereby weakened the checkpoint. In a sensitized p53(+/-) background we observed that Mps1(DK/DK) mice suffered from rapid-onset acute lymphoblastic lymphoma. The tumors were highly aneuploid and exhibited a metabolic burden similar to that previously characterized in aneuploid yeast and cultured cells. The tumors nonetheless grew rapidly and were lethal within 3-4 mo after birth.

IFNγ protects motor neurons from oxidative stress via enhanced global protein synthesis in FUS-associated amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis type 6 (ALS6) is a familial subtype of ALS linked to Fused in Sarcoma (FUS) gene mutation. FUS mutations lead to decreased global protein synthesis, but the mechanism that drives this has not been established. Here, we used ALS6 patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (hIPSCs) to study the effect of the ALS6 FUSR521H mutation on the translation machinery in motor neurons (MNs). We find, in agreement with findings of others, that protein synthesis is decreased in FUSR521H MNs. Furthermore, FUSR521H MNs are more sensitive to oxidative stress and display reduced expression of TGF-ß and mTORC gene pathways when stressed. Finally, we show that IFNγ treatment reduces apoptosis of FUSR521H MNs exposed to oxidative stress and partially restores the translation rates in FUSR521H MNs. Overall, these findings suggest that a functional IFNγ response is important for FUS-mediated protein synthesis, possibly by FUS nuclear translocation in ALS6.

Acute systemic loss of Mad2 leads to intestinal atrophy in adult mice.

Chromosomal instability (CIN) is a hallmark of cancer, leading to aneuploid cells. To study the role that CIN plays in tumor evolution, several mouse models have been engineered over the last 2 decades. These models have unequivocally shown that systemic high-grade CIN is embryonic lethal. We and others have previously shown that embryonic lethality can be circumvented by provoking CIN in a tissue-specific fashion. In this study, we provoke systemic high-grade CIN in adult mice as an alternative to circumvent embryonic lethality. For this, we disrupt the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) by alleviating Mad2 or truncating Mps1, both essential genes for SAC functioning, with or without p53 inactivation. We find that disruption of the SAC leads to rapid villous atrophy, atypia and apoptosis of the epithelia of the jejunum and ileum, substantial weight loss, and death within 2-3 weeks after the start of the CIN insult. Despite this severe intestinal phenotype, most other tissues are unaffected, except for minor abnormalities in spleen, presumably due to the lower proliferation rate in these tissues. We conclude that high-grade CIN in vivo in adult mice is most toxic to the high cell turnover intestinal epithelia.

A synthetic lethal screen identifies HDAC4 as a potential target in MELK overexpressing cancers.

Maternal embryonic leucine zipper kinase (MELK) is frequently overexpressed in cancer, but the role of MELK in cancer is still poorly understood. MELK was shown to have roles in many cancer-associated processes including tumor growth, chemotherapy resistance, and tumor recurrence. To determine whether the frequent overexpression of MELK can be exploited in therapy, we performed a high-throughput screen using a library of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants to identify genes whose functions become essential when MELK is overexpressed. We identified two such genes: LAG2 and HDA3. LAG2 encodes an inhibitor of the Skp, Cullin, F-box containing (SCF) ubiquitin-ligase complex, while HDA3 encodes a subunit of the HDA1 histone deacetylase complex. We find that one of these synthetic lethal interactions is conserved in mammalian cells, as inhibition of a human homolog of HDA3 (Histone Deacetylase 4, HDAC4) is synthetically toxic in MELK overexpression cells. Altogether, our work identified a novel potential drug target for tumors that overexpress MELK.

Microfiltration sampling in rats and in cows: toward a portable device for continuous glucocorticoid hormone sampling.

To monitor temporal patterns of glucocorticoids hormones in living animals, most often blood samples are collected. Blood sampling is invasive and subjects may find it--in particular--unpleasant when multiple samples are collected. We have developed a microfiltration collection device (MCD) sampling continuously, pulse-free, over a selected period of time, with minimum invasiveness as the device is inserted with only one venipuncture. The MCD consists of a hollow fiber membrane (probe), capillary collection coil and flow creator. Three biocompatible hollow fiber membranes were assessed on flow rate in rats, by placing the probe intraperitoneally, subcutaneously, or intravascularly and with or without heparin coating. The probe made from polyethylene coated with ethylene vinyl alcohol-heparin conveyed the best results and had the most benefit of the heparin coating. Consequently this probe was built into a collection device and tested in cows, sampling blood microfiltrate. Cortisol (protein-bound and -free) could be monitored in cows over a period of 7 hours. This device has several major advantages compared to manual blood collection: minor stress is induced by the application of the device; it has a low weight and can therefore be used in freely active subjects being in their own surroundings. The device can be sterilized and manufactured as a disposable tool, and the filled MCD can be shipped by regular mail to a specialized laboratory facility for analysis.

Altering microtubule dynamics is synergistically toxic with spindle assembly checkpoint inhibition.

Chromosomal instability (CIN) and aneuploidy are hallmarks of cancer. As most cancers are aneuploid, targeting aneuploidy or CIN may be an effective way to target a broad spectrum of cancers. Here, we perform two small molecule compound screens to identify drugs that selectively target cells that are aneuploid or exhibit a CIN phenotype. We find that aneuploid cells are much more sensitive to the energy metabolism regulating drug ZLN005 than their euploid counterparts. Furthermore, cells with an ongoing CIN phenotype, induced by spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) alleviation, are significantly more sensitive to the Src kinase inhibitor SKI606. We show that inhibiting Src kinase increases microtubule polymerization rates and, more generally, that deregulating microtubule polymerization rates is particularly toxic to cells with a defective SAC. Our findings, therefore, suggest that tumors with a dysfunctional SAC are particularly sensitive to microtubule poisons and, vice versa, that compounds alleviating the SAC provide a powerful means to treat tumors with deregulated microtubule dynamics.

REPAT, a new family of proteins induced by bacterial toxins and baculovirus infection in Spodoptera exigua.

Insect larvae spend most of their time eating and the digestive tract is the most crucial barrier for the entrance of many pathogens. In our study, suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) was used to compare Spodoptera exigua midgut gene expression between larvae exposed to the Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ca toxin and non-exposed insects. Based on the SSH results, full cDNA sequences coding for four homologous proteins were obtained. Quantitative and semi-quantitative RT-PCR showed the increased expression of the genes coding for these proteins after exposure to different B. thuringiensis toxins as well as after infection with baculovirus. The proteins were named REPAT after their increased expression in Response to Pathogen. REPAT1, a member of this family, was recombinantly expressed using the baculovirus expression system, revealing the glycosylated nature of the protein. Recombinant baculoviruses expressing REPAT1 were used to infect larvae from S. exigua, showing that expression of REPAT1 was reducing the virulence of baculovirus to the infected larvae. Together, these results suggest a role for REPAT1 in mitigating pathological effects.

Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ca-resistant Spodoptera exigua lacks expression of one of four Aminopeptidase N genes.

BACKGROUND: Insecticidal toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis bind to receptors on midgut epithelial cells of susceptible insect larvae. Aminopeptidases N (APNs) from several insect species have been shown to be putative receptors for these toxins. Here we report the cloning and expression analysis of four APN cDNAs from Spodoptera exigua. RESULTS: Suppression Subtractive Hybridization (SSH) was used to construct cDNA libraries of genes that are up-and down-regulated in the midgut of last instar larvae of beet armyworm, S. exigua exposed to B. thuringiensis Cry1Ca toxin. Among the clones from the SSH libraries, cDNA fragments coding for two different APNs were obtained (APN2 and APN4). A similar procedure was employed to compare mRNA differences between susceptible and Cry1Ca resistant S. exigua. Among the clones from this last comparison, cDNA fragments belonging to a third APN (APN1) were detected. Using sequences obtained from the three APN cDNA fragments and degenerate primers for a fourth APN (APN3), the full length sequences of four S. exigua APN cDNAs were obtained. Northern blot analysis of expression of the four APNs showed complete absence of APN1 expression in the resistant insects, while the other three APNs showed similar expression levels in the resistant and susceptible insects. CONCLUSION: We have cloned and characterized four different midgut APN cDNAs from S. exigua. Expression analysis revealed the lack of expression of one of these APNs in the larvae of a Cry1Ca-resistant colony. Combined with previous evidence that shows the importance of APN in the mode of action of B. thuringiensis toxins, these results suggest that the lack of APN1 expression plays a role in the resistance to Cry1Ca in this S. exigua colony.

Mutations in the Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ca toxin demonstrate the role of domains II and III in specificity towards Spodoptera exigua larvae.

Several mutants of the Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ca toxin affected with regard to specific activity towards Spodoptera exigua were studied. Alanine was used to replace single residues in loops 2 and 3 of domain II (mutant pPB19) and to replace residues 541-544 in domain III (mutant pPB20). Additionally, a Cry1Ca mutant combining all mutations was constructed (mutant pPB21). Toxicity assays showed a marked decrease in toxicity against S. exigua for all mutants, while they retained their activity against Manduca sexta, confirming the importance of these residues in determining insect specificity. Parameters for binding to the specific receptors in BBMV (brush border membrane vesicles) of S. exigua were determined for all toxins. Compared with Cry1Ca, the affinity of mutant pPB19 was slightly affected (2-fold lower), whereas the affinity of the mutants with an altered domain III (pPB20 and pPB21) was approx. 8-fold lower. Activation of Cry1Ca protoxin by incubation with S. exigua or M. sexta BBMV revealed the transient formation of an oligomeric form of Cry1Ca. The presence of this oligomeric form was tested in the activation of the different Cry1Ca mutants, and we found that those mutated in domain II (pPB19 and pPB21) could not generate the oligomeric form when activated by S. exigua BBMV. In contrast, when oligomerization was tested using BBMV prepared from M. sexta, all of the Cry1Ca mutants showed the formation of a similar oligomeric form as did the wild-type toxin. Our results show how modification of insect specificity can be achieved by manipulation of different parts of the toxin structure involved in different steps of the mode of action of B. thuringiensis toxins.

Comparison of brain and blood gene expression in an animal model of negative symptoms in schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the potential of white blood cells as probes for central processes we have measured gene expression in both the anterior cingulate cortex and white blood cells using a putative animal model of negative symptoms in schizophrenia. METHODS: The model is based on the capability of ketamine to induce psychotic symptoms in healthy volunteers and to worsen such symptoms in schizophrenic patients. Classical fear conditioning is used to assess emotional processing and cognitive function in animals exposed to sub-chronic ketamine vs. controls. Gene expression was measured using a commercially sourced whole genome rat gene array. Data analyses were performed using ANOVA (Systat 11). RESULTS: In both anterior cingulate cortex and white blood cells a significant interaction between ketamine and fear conditioning could be observed. The outcome is largely supported by our subsequent metagene analysis. Moreover, the correlation between gene expression in brain and blood is about constant when no ketamine is present (r~0.4). With ketamine, however, the correlation becomes very low (r~0.2) when there is no fear, but it increases to ~0.6 when fear and ketamine are both present. Our results show that under normal conditions ketamine lowers gene expression in the brain, but this effect is completely reversed in combination with fear conditioning, indicating a stimulatory action. CONCLUSION: This paradoxical outcome indicates that extreme care must be taken when using gene expression data from white blood cells as marker for psychiatric disorders, especially when pharmacological and environmental interactions are at play.

Stress-induced sensitization of the limbic system in ovariectomized rats is partly restored by cyclic 17beta-estradiol administration.

Chronic stress induces neurobiological alterations which have consequences for subsequent stress handling. In the current experiment, ovariectomized rats were subjected daily to a stressor for 21 days. Thereafter, the rats were treated for 21 days with 17beta-estradiol benzoate (10 microg/250 g, once every 4 days) or mirtazapine (10 mg/kg, daily). In this way, we were able to evaluate the ability of these compounds to reverse chronic stress-induced changes in the activity of the limbic system. After 21 days of recovery and treatment, the rats were re-exposed to the adverse environment of the initial stressor and perfused 2 h later. Ovariectomized rats displayed increased numbers of c-Fos-positive nuclei, after re-exposure to the stressor, in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, dentate gyrus, medial prefrontal cortex and central and medial amygdala. Cyclic estradiol treatment attenuated the sensitization of the paraventricular nucleus and central amygdala. Mirtazapine increased the number of c-Fos-positive nuclei in the central amygdala and dentate gyrus. Long-term transcriptional changes induced by chronic stress were determined with DeltaFosB immunoreactivity. The medial prefrontal cortex showed an increased number of DeltaFosB-positive nuclei after chronic stress and this was not affected by estradiol or mirtazapine administration during recovery. In conclusion, cyclic estradiol administration reversed chronic stress-induced sensitization in the limbic system, the paraventricular nucleus and central amygdala of female rats, output regions of the limbic system involved in fear responses. Mirtazapine did not achieve this reversal of stress-induced aberrations in the limbic system after 21 days of treatment.

Lack of detrimental effects of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry toxins on the insect predator Chrysoperla carnea: a toxicological, histopathological, and biochemical analysis.

The effect of Cry proteins of Bacillus thuringiensis on the green lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea) was studied by using a holistic approach which consisted of independent, complementary experimental strategies. Tritrophic experiments were performed, in which lacewing larvae were fed Helicoverpa armigera larvae reared on Cry1Ac, Cry1Ab, or Cry2Ab toxins. In complementary experiments, a predetermined amount of purified Cry1Ac was directly fed to lacewing larvae. In both experiments no effects on prey utilization or fitness parameters were found. Since binding to the midgut is an indispensable step for toxicity of Cry proteins to known target insects, we hypothesized that specific binding of the Cry1A proteins should be found if the proteins were toxic to the green lacewing. In control experiments, Cry1Ac was detected bound to the midgut epithelium of intoxicated H. armigera larvae, and cell damage was observed. However, no binding or histopathological effects of the toxin were found in tissue sections of lacewing larvae. Similarly, Cry1Ab or Cry1Ac bound in a specific manner to brush border membrane vesicles from Spodoptera exigua but not to similar fractions from green lacewing larvae. The in vivo and in vitro binding results strongly suggest that the lacewing larval midgut lacks specific receptors for Cry1Ab or Cry1Ac. These results agree with those obtained in bioassays, and we concluded that the Cry toxins tested, even at concentrations higher than those expected in real-life situations, do not have a detrimental effect on the green lacewing when they are ingested either directly or through the prey.