RESUMEN
Notch signaling regulates cell specification and homeostasis of stem cell compartments, and it is counteracted by the cell fate determinant Numb. Both Numb and Notch have been implicated in human tumors. Here, we show that Notch signaling is altered in approximately one third of non-small-cell lung carcinomas (NSCLCs), which are the leading cause of cancer-related deaths: in approximately 30% of NSCLCs, loss of Numb expression leads to increased Notch activity, while in a smaller fraction of cases (around 10%), gain-of-function mutations of the NOTCH-1 gene are present. Activation of Notch correlates with poor clinical outcomes in NSCLC patients without TP53 mutations. Finally, primary epithelial cell cultures, derived from NSCLC harboring constitutive activation of the Notch pathway, are selectively killed by inhibitors of Notch (gamma-secretase inhibitors), showing that the proliferative advantage of these tumors is dependent upon Notch signaling. Our results show that the deregulation of the Notch pathway is a relatively frequent event in NSCLCs and suggest that it might represent a possible target for molecular therapies in these tumors.
Asunto(s)
Carcinoma de Pulmón de Células no Pequeñas/metabolismo , Neoplasias Pulmonares/metabolismo , Receptores Notch/metabolismo , Anciano , Secuencia de Bases , Factores de Transcripción con Motivo Hélice-Asa-Hélice Básico/genética , Factores de Transcripción con Motivo Hélice-Asa-Hélice Básico/metabolismo , Carcinoma de Pulmón de Células no Pequeñas/genética , Carcinoma de Pulmón de Células no Pequeñas/patología , Análisis Mutacional de ADN , ADN de Neoplasias/genética , Femenino , Expresión Génica , Proteínas de Homeodominio/genética , Proteínas de Homeodominio/metabolismo , Humanos , Neoplasias Pulmonares/genética , Neoplasias Pulmonares/patología , Masculino , Proteínas de la Membrana/genética , Proteínas de la Membrana/metabolismo , Persona de Mediana Edad , Mutación , Proteínas del Tejido Nervioso/genética , Proteínas del Tejido Nervioso/metabolismo , ARN Mensajero/genética , ARN Mensajero/metabolismo , ARN Neoplásico/genética , ARN Neoplásico/metabolismo , Receptor Notch1/genética , Receptor Notch1/metabolismo , Receptores Notch/genética , Transducción de Señal , Factor de Transcripción HES-1 , Células Tumorales CultivadasRESUMEN
Protein degradation in eukaryotic cells usually involves the attachment of a ubiquitin chain to a substrate protein and its subsequent sorting to the proteasome. Molecular mechanisms underlying the sorting process only recently began to emerge and rely on a cooperation of chaperone machineries and ubiquitin-chain recognition factors [1-3]. Here, we identify isoforms of the cochaperone HSJ1 as neuronal shuttling factors for ubiquitylated proteins. HSJ1 combines a J-domain that stimulates substrate loading onto the Hsc70 chaperone with ubiquitin interaction motifs (UIMs) involved in binding ubiquitylated chaperone clients. HSJ1 prevents client aggregation, shields clients against chain trimming by ubiquitin hydrolases, and stimulates their sorting to the proteasome. In this way, HSJ1 isoforms participate in ER-associated degradation (ERAD) and protect neurons against cytotoxic protein aggregation.