Chemotherapy resistance in acute lymphoblastic leukemia requires hERG1 channels and is overcome by hERG1 blockers.

Bone marrow mesenchymal cells (MSCs) can protect leukemic cells from chemotherapy, thus increasing their survival rate. We studied the potential molecular mechanisms underlying this effect in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells. Coculture of ALL cells with MSCs induced on the lymphoblast plasma membrane the expression of a signaling complex formed by hERG1 (human ether-à-go-go-related gene 1) channels, the ß(1)-integrin subunit, and the chemokine receptor CXC chemokine receptor-4. The assembly of such a protein complex activated both the extracellular signal-related kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt prosurvival signaling pathways. At the same time, ALL cells became markedly resistant to chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. hERG1 channel function appeared to be important for both the initiation of prosurvival signals and the development of drug resistance, because specific channel blockers decreased the protective effect of MSCs. NOD/SCID mice engrafted with ALL cells and treated with channel blockers showed reduced leukemic infiltration and had higher survival rates. Moreover, hERG1 blockade enhanced the therapeutic effect produced by corticosteroids. Our findings provide a rationale for clinical testing of hERG1 blockers in the context of antileukemic therapy for patients with ALL.

Human ether-a-go-go-related gene 1 channels are physically linked to beta1 integrins and modulate adhesion-dependent signaling.

Adhesive receptors of the integrin family are primarily involved in cell-extracellular matrix adhesion. Additionally, integrins trigger multiple signaling pathways that are involved in cell migration, proliferation, survival, and differentiation. We previously demonstrated that the activation of integrins containing the beta(1) subunit leads to a selective increase in potassium currents carried by the human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) channels in neuroblastoma and leukemia cells; this current activation modulates adhesion-dependent differentiation in these cells. We hypothesized that the cross-talk between integrins and hERG channels could be traced back to the assembly of a macromolecular signaling complex comprising the two proteins. We tested this hypothesis in both SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells and in human embryonic kidney 293 cells stably transfected with hERG1 and, therefore, expressing only the full-length hERG1 protein on the plasma membrane. The beta(1) integrin and hERG1 coprecipitate in these cells and colocalize in both intracellular and surface membrane compartments. The two proteins also coprecipitate with caveolin-1, suggesting the localization of the complex in lipid rafts/caveolae. hERG1-transfected cells undergo an activation of hERG currents after beta(1) integrin-mediated adhesion to fibronectin; concomitant with this activation, the focal adhesion kinase associates with the hERG1 protein and becomes tyrosine phosphorylated. Using hERG1-specific inhibitors, we show that the tyrosine phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase is strictly dependent on hERG channel activity. Similarly, the activity of the small GTPase Rac1 turned out to be dependent on hERG currents. On the whole, these data indicate that the hERG1 protein associates with beta(1) integrins and modulates adhesion receptor signaling.

Expression pattern of the ether-a-go-go-related (ERG) family proteins in the adult mouse central nervous system: evidence for coassembly of different subunits.

Voltage-dependent K+ channels are the main determinants in controlling cellular excitability within the central nervous system. Among voltage-dependent K+ channels, the ERG subfamily is deeply involved in the control of cellular excitability, both in mammals and in invertebrates. ERG channels are encoded by different genes: the erg1 gene, which can generate two alternative transcripts (erg1a and erg1b), erg2 and erg3. The aim of the present study was to determine the expression pattern and cellular localization of ERG proteins (ERG1, ERG2, and ERG3) in the mouse CNS, differentiating, for the first time, the ERG1A and ERG1B isoforms. To this purpose, novel specific antibodies were raised against the various channel proteins and their specificity and immunoreactivity tested. It emerged that: 1) all the erg genes were indeed translated in neuronal tissue; 2) ERG proteins distribution in the mouse CNS often overlapped, and only in specific areas each ERG protein showed a distinct pattern of expression; and 3) ERG proteins were generally expressed in neuronal soma, but dendritic and/or white matter labeling could be detected in specific areas. The finding that ERG proteins often have an overlapping expression suggests that neuronal ERG currents could be determined, at least in part, by heterotetrameric ERG channels. This suggestion is demonstrated to occur for ERG1A/ERG1B by showing that the two isoforms coassemble in mouse brain.

Carbon nanotubes might improve neuronal performance by favouring electrical shortcuts.

Carbon nanotubes have been applied in several areas of nerve tissue engineering to probe and augment cell behaviour, to label and track subcellular components, and to study the growth and organization of neural networks. Recent reports show that nanotubes can sustain and promote neuronal electrical activity in networks of cultured cells, but the ways in which they affect cellular function are still poorly understood. Here, we show, using single-cell electrophysiology techniques, electron microscopy analysis and theoretical modelling, that nanotubes improve the responsiveness of neurons by forming tight contacts with the cell membranes that might favour electrical shortcuts between the proximal and distal compartments of the neuron. We propose the 'electrotonic hypothesis' to explain the physical interactions between the cell and nanotube, and the mechanisms of how carbon nanotubes might affect the collective electrical activity of cultured neuronal networks. These considerations offer a perspective that would allow us to predict or engineer interactions between neurons and carbon nanotubes.