Regulation of PP2Cm expression by miRNA-204/211 and miRNA-22 in mouse and human cells.

AIM: The mitochondrial targeted 2C-type serine/threonine protein phosphatase (PP2Cm) is encoded by the gene PPM1K and is highly conserved among vertebrates. PP2Cm plays a critical role in branched-chain amino acid catabolism and regulates cell survival. Its expression is dynamically regulated by the nutrient environment and pathological stresses. However, little is known about the molecular mechanism underlying the regulation of PPM1K gene expression. In this study, we aimed to reveal how PPM1K expression is affected by miRNA-mediated post-transcriptional regulation. METHODS: Computational analysis based on conserved miRNA binding motifs was applied to predict the candidate miRNAs that potentially affect PPM1K expression. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed to verify the miRNAs' binding sites in the PPM1K gene and their influence on PPM1K 3'UTR activity. We further over-expressed the mimics of these miRNAs in human and mouse cells to examine whether miRNAs affected the mRNA level of PPM1K. RESULTS: Computational analysis identified numerous miRNAs potentially targeting PPM1K. Luciferase reporter assays demonstrated that the 3'UTR of PPM1K gene contained the recognition sites of miR-204 and miR-211. Overexpression of these miRNAs in human and mouse cells diminished the 3'UTR activity and the endogenous mRNA level of PPM1K. However, the miR-22 binding site was found only in human and not mouse PPM1K 3'UTR. Accordingly, PPM1K 3'UTR activity was suppressed by miR-22 overexpression in human but not mouse cells. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that different miRNAs contribute to the regulation of PP2Cm expression in a species-specific manner. miR-204 and miR-211 are efficient in both mouse and human cells, while miR-22 regulates PP2Cm expression only in human cells.

VEGF-induced Nrdp1 deficiency in vascular endothelial cells promotes cancer metastasis by degrading vascular basement membrane.

Vascular endothelial cells (VECs) are key players in the formation of neovessels and tumor metastasis, the ultimate cause of the majority of cancer-related human death. However, the crosstalk between VECs and metastasis remain greatly elusive. Based on our finding that tumor-associated VECs present significant decrease of Nrdp1 protein which is closely correlated with higher metastatic probability, herein we show that the conditional medium from hypoxia-incubated cancer cells induces extensive Nrdp1 downregulation in human and mouse VECs by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which activates CHIP, followed by Nrdp1 degradation in ubiquitin-proteasome-dependent way. More importantly, lung metastases of cancer cells significantly increase in conditional VECs Nrdp1 knockout mice. Mechanically, Nrdp1 promotes degradation of Fam20C, a secretory kinase involved in phosphorylating numerous secreted proteins. Reciprocally, deficiency of Nrdp1 in VECs (ecNrdp1) results in increased secretion of Fam20C, which induces degradation of extracellular matrix and disrupts integrity of vascular basement membrane, thus driving tumor metastatic dissemination. In addition, specific overexpression of ecNrdp1 by Nrdp1-carrying adeno-associated virus or chemical Nrdp1 activator ABPN efficiently mitigates tumor metastasis in mice. Collectively, we explore a new mechanism for VEGF to enhance metastasis and role of Nrdp1 in maintaining the integrity of vascular endothelium, suggesting that ecNrdp1-mediated signaling pathways might become potential target for anti-metastatic therapies.

Pharicin B stabilizes retinoic acid receptor-α and presents synergistic differentiation induction with ATRA in myeloid leukemic cells.

All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), a natural ligand for the retinoic acid receptors (RARs), induces clinical remission in most acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) patients through the induction of differentiation and/or eradication of leukemia-initiating cells. Here, we identify a novel natural ent-kaurene diterpenoid derived from Isodon pharicus leaves, called pharicin B, that can rapidly stabilize RAR-α protein in various acute myeloid leukemic (AML) cell lines and primary leukemic cells from AML patients, even in the presence of ATRA, which is known to induce the loss of RAR-α protein. Pharicin B also enhances ATRA-dependent the transcriptional activity of RAR-α protein in the promyelocytic leukemia-RARα-positive APL cell line NB4 cells. We also showed that pharicin B presents a synergistic or additive differentiation-enhancing effect when used in combination with ATRA in several AML cell lines and, especially, some primary leukemic cells from APL patients. In addition, pharicin B can overcome retinoid resistance in 2 of 3 NB4-derived ATRA-resistant subclones. These findings provide a good example for chemical biology-based investigations of pathophysiological and therapeutic significances of RAR-α and PML-RAR-α proteins. The effectiveness of the ATRA/pharicin B combination warrants further investigation on their use as a therapeutic strategy for AML patients.