Reciprocal antagonism of PIN1-APC/CCDH1 governs mitotic protein stability and cell cycle entry.

Induced oncoproteins degradation provides an attractive anti-cancer modality. Activation of anaphase-promoting complex (APC/CCDH1) prevents cell-cycle entry by targeting crucial mitotic proteins for degradation. Phosphorylation of its co-activator CDH1 modulates the E3 ligase activity, but little is known about its regulation after phosphorylation and how to effectively harness APC/CCDH1 activity to treat cancer. Peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase NIMA-interacting 1 (PIN1)-catalyzed phosphorylation-dependent cis-trans prolyl isomerization drives tumor malignancy. However, the mechanisms controlling its protein turnover remain elusive. Through proteomic screens and structural characterizations, we identify a reciprocal antagonism of PIN1-APC/CCDH1 mediated by domain-oriented phosphorylation-dependent dual interactions as a fundamental mechanism governing mitotic protein stability and cell-cycle entry. Remarkably, combined PIN1 and cyclin-dependent protein kinases (CDKs) inhibition creates a positive feedback loop of PIN1 inhibition and APC/CCDH1 activation to irreversibly degrade PIN1 and other crucial mitotic proteins, which force permanent cell-cycle exit and trigger anti-tumor immunity, translating into synergistic efficacy against triple-negative breast cancer.

MYC induces CDK4/6 inhibitors resistance by promoting pRB1 degradation.

CDK4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) show anticancer activity in certain human malignancies, such as breast cancer. However, their application to other tumor types and intrinsic resistance mechanisms are still unclear. Here, we demonstrate that MYC amplification confers resistance to CDK4/6i in bladder, prostate and breast cancer cells. Mechanistically, MYC binds to the promoter of the E3 ubiquitin ligase KLHL42 and enhances its transcription, leading to RB1 deficiency by inducing both phosphorylated and total pRB1 ubiquitination and degradation. We identify a compound that degrades MYC, A80.2HCl, which induces MYC degradation at nanomolar concentrations, restores pRB1 protein levels and re-establish sensitivity of MYC high-expressing cancer cells to CDK4/6i. The combination of CDK4/6i and A80.2HCl result in marked regression in tumor growth in vivo. Altogether, these results reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying MYC-induced resistance to CDK4/6i and suggest the utilization of the MYC degrading molecule A80.2HCl to potentiate the therapeutic efficacy of CDK4/6i.

USP2 inhibition prevents infection with ACE2-dependent coronaviruses in vitro and is protective against SARS-CoV-2 in mice.

Targeting angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) represents a promising and effective approach to combat not only the COVID-19 pandemic but also potential future pandemics arising from coronaviruses that depend on ACE2 for infection. Here, we report ubiquitin specific peptidase 2 (USP2) as a host-directed antiviral target; we further describe the development of MS102, an orally available USP2 inhibitor with viable antiviral activity against ACE2-dependent coronaviruses. Mechanistically, USP2 serves as a physiological deubiquitinase of ACE2, and targeted inhibition with specific small-molecule inhibitor ML364 leads to a marked and reversible reduction in ACE2 protein abundance, thereby blocking various ACE2-dependent coronaviruses tested. Using human ACE2 transgenic mouse models, we further demonstrate that ML364 efficiently controls disease caused by infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as evidenced by reduced viral loads and ameliorated lung inflammation. Furthermore, we improved the in vivo performance of ML364 in terms of both pharmacokinetics and antiviral activity. The resulting lead compound, MS102, holds promise as an oral therapeutic option for treating infections with coronaviruses that are reliant on ACE2.

Prolonged hypoxia alleviates prolyl hydroxylation-mediated suppression of RIPK1 to promote necroptosis and inflammation.

The prolyl hydroxylation of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) mediated by the EGLN-pVHL pathway represents a classic signalling mechanism that mediates cellular adaptation under hypoxia. Here we identify RIPK1, a known regulator of cell death mediated by tumour necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1), as a target of EGLN1-pVHL. Prolyl hydroxylation of RIPK1 mediated by EGLN1 promotes the binding of RIPK1 with pVHL to suppress its activation under normoxic conditions. Prolonged hypoxia promotes the activation of RIPK1 kinase by modulating its proline hydroxylation, independent of the TNFα-TNFR1 pathway. As such, inhibiting proline hydroxylation of RIPK1 promotes RIPK1 activation to trigger cell death and inflammation. Hepatocyte-specific Vhl deficiency promoted RIPK1-dependent apoptosis to mediate liver pathology. Our findings illustrate a key role of the EGLN-pVHL pathway in suppressing RIPK1 activation under normoxic conditions to promote cell survival and a model by which hypoxia promotes RIPK1 activation through modulating its proline hydroxylation to mediate cell death and inflammation in human diseases, independent of TNFR1.

Metabolic orchestration of cell death by AMPK-mediated phosphorylation of RIPK1.

Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity is stimulated to promote metabolic adaptation upon energy stress. However, sustained metabolic stress may cause cell death. The mechanisms by which AMPK dictates cell death are not fully understood. We report that metabolic stress promoted receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) activation mediated by TRAIL receptors, whereas AMPK inhibited RIPK1 by phosphorylation at Ser415 to suppress energy stress-induced cell death. Inhibiting pS415-RIPK1 by Ampk deficiency or RIPK1 S415A mutation promoted RIPK1 activation. Furthermore, genetic inactivation of RIPK1 protected against ischemic injury in myeloid Ampkα1-deficient mice. Our studies reveal that AMPK phosphorylation of RIPK1 represents a crucial metabolic checkpoint, which dictates cell fate response to metabolic stress, and highlight a previously unappreciated role for the AMPK-RIPK1 axis in integrating metabolism, cell death, and inflammation.

The circadian clock, aging and its implications in cancer.

Circadian clock orchestrates the intergenic biochemical, physiological and behavioral changes to form an approximate 24h oscillation through the transcription-translation feedback loop (TTFL). Mechanistically, a heterodimer of transcriptional activator formed by BMAL1 and CLOCK, governs the expression of its transcriptional repressors, CRY, PER and REV-ERBα/ß proteins, thereby controlling more than 50 % of protein encoding genes in human. There is also increasing evidence showing that tumor microenvironment can disrupt specific clock gene functions to facilitate tumorigenesis. Although there is great progress in understanding the molecular mechanisms of the circadian clock, aging and cancer, elucidating their complex relationships among these processes remains challenging. Herein, the optimization of the chronochemotherapy regimen has not been justified yet for treatment of cancer. Here, we discuss the hypothesis of relocalization of chromatin modifiers (RCM) along with function(s) of the circadian rhythm on aging and carcinogenesis. We will also introduce the function of the chromatin remodeling as a new avenue for rejuvenation of competent tissues to combat aging and cancer.

Reciprocal inhibition of PIN1 and APC/CCDH1 controls timely G1/S transition and creates therapeutic vulnerability.

Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) mediated phosphorylation inactivates the anaphase-promoting complex (APC/CCDH1), an E3 ubiquitin ligase that contains the co-activator CDH1, to promote G1/S transition. PIN1 is a phosphorylation-directed proline isomerase and a master cancer signaling regulator. However, little are known about APC/CCDH1 regulation after phosphorylation and about PIN1 ubiquitin ligases. Here we uncover a domain-oriented reciprocal inhibition that controls the timely G1/S transition: The non-phosphorylated APC/CCDH1 E3 ligase targets PIN1 for degradation in G1 phase, restraining G1/S transition; APC/CCDH1 itself, after phosphorylation by CDKs, is inactivated by PIN1-catalyzed isomerization, promoting G1/S transition. In cancer, PIN1 overexpression and APC/CCDH1 inactivation reinforce each other to promote uncontrolled proliferation and tumorigenesis. Importantly, combined PIN1- and CDK4/6-inhibition reactivates APC/CCDH1 resulting in PIN1 degradation and an insurmountable G1 arrest that translates into synergistic anti-tumor activity against triple-negative breast cancer in vivo. Reciprocal inhibition of PIN1 and APC/CCDH1 is a novel mechanism to control timely G1/S transition that can be harnessed for synergistic anti-cancer therapy.

Targeting the acetylation signaling pathway in cancer therapy.

Acetylation represents one of the major post-translational protein modifications, which introduces an acetyl functional group into amino acids such as the lysine residue to yield an acetate ester bond, neutralizing its positive charge. Regulation of protein functions by acetylation occurs in multiple ways, such as affecting protein stability, activity, localization, and interaction with other proteins or DNA. It has been well documented that the recruitment of histone acetyltransferases (HATs) and histone deacetylases (HDACs) to the transcriptional machinery can modulate histone acetylation status, which is directly involved in the dynamic regulation of genes controlling cell proliferation and division. Dysregulation of gene expression is involved in tumorigenesis and aberrant activation of histone deacetylases has been reported in several types of cancer. Moreover, there is growing body of evidence showing that acetylation is widely involved in non-histone proteins to impact their roles in various cellular processes including tumorigenesis. As such, small molecular compounds inhibiting HAT or HDAC enzymatic activities have been developed and investigated for therapeutic purpose. Here we review the recent progress in our understanding of protein acetylation and discuss the therapeutic potential of targeting the acetylation signaling pathway in cancer.

Inhibition of CK1ε potentiates the therapeutic efficacy of CDK4/6 inhibitor in breast cancer.

Although inhibitors targeting CDK4/6 kinases (CDK4/6i) have shown promising clinical prospect in treating ER+/HER2- breast cancers, acquired drug resistance is frequently observed and mechanistic knowledge is needed to harness their full clinical potential. Here, we report that inhibition of CDK4/6 promotes ßTrCP1-mediated ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of RB1, and facilitates SP1-mediated CDK6 transcriptional activation. Intriguingly, suppression of CK1ε not only efficiently prevents RB1 from degradation, but also prevents CDK4/6i-induced CDK6 upregulation by modulating SP1 protein stability, thereby enhancing CDK4/6i efficacy and overcoming resistance to CDK4/6i in vitro. Using xenograft and PDX models, we further demonstrate that combined inhibition of CK1ε and CDK4/6 results in marked suppression of tumor growth in vivo. Altogether, these results uncover the molecular mechanisms by which CDK4/6i treatment alters RB1 and CDK6 protein abundance, thereby driving the acquisition of CDK4/6i resistance. Importantly, we identify CK1ε as an effective target for potentiating the therapeutic efficacy of CDK4/6 inhibitors.

Ubiquitin signaling in cell cycle control and tumorigenesis.

Cell cycle progression is a tightly regulated process by which DNA replicates and cell reproduces. The major driving force underlying cell cycle progression is the sequential activation of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), which is achieved in part by the ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis of their cyclin partners and kinase inhibitors (CKIs). In eukaryotic cells, two families of E3 ubiquitin ligases, anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome and Skp1-Cul1-F-box protein complex, are responsible for ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of many of these CDK regulators, ensuring cell cycle progresses in a timely and precisely regulated manner. In the past couple of decades, accumulating evidence have demonstrated that the dysregulated cell cycle transition caused by inefficient proteolytic control leads to uncontrolled cell proliferation and finally results in tumorigenesis. Based upon this notion, targeting the E3 ubiquitin ligases involved in cell cycle regulation is expected to provide novel therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment. Thus, a better understanding of the diversity and complexity of ubiquitin signaling in cell cycle regulation will shed new light on the precise control of the cell cycle progression and guide anticancer drug development.

PTEN Methylation by NSD2 Controls Cellular Sensitivity to DNA Damage.

The function of PTEN in the cytoplasm largely depends on its lipid-phosphatase activity, though which it antagonizes the PI3K-AKT oncogenic pathway. However, molecular mechanisms underlying the role of PTEN in the nucleus remain largely elusive. Here, we report that DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) promote PTEN interaction with MDC1 upon ATM-dependent phosphorylation of T/S398-PTEN. Importantly, DNA DSBs enhance NSD2 (MMSET/WHSC1)-mediated dimethylation of PTEN at K349, which is recognized by the tudor domain of 53BP1 to recruit PTEN to DNA-damage sites, governing efficient repair of DSBs partly through dephosphorylation of γH2AX. Of note, inhibiting NSD2-mediated methylation of PTEN, either through expressing methylation-deficient PTEN mutants or through inhibiting NSD2, sensitizes cancer cells to combinatorial treatment with a PI3K inhibitor and DNA-damaging agents in both cell culture and in vivo xenograft models. Therefore, our study provides a novel molecular mechanism for PTEN regulation of DSB repair in a methylation- and protein phosphatase-dependent manner. SIGNIFICANCE: NSD2-mediated dimethylation of PTEN is recognized by the 53BP1 tudor domain to facilitate PTEN recruitment into DNA-damage sites, governing efficient repair of DNA DSBs. Importantly, inhibiting PTEN methylation sensitizes cancer cells to combinatorial treatment with a PI3K inhibitor combined with DNA-damaging agents in both cell culture and in vivo xenograft models.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1143.

SPOP Promotes Nanog Destruction to Suppress Stem Cell Traits and Prostate Cancer Progression.

Frequent SPOP mutation defines the molecular feature underlying one of seven sub-types of human prostate cancer (PrCa). However, it remains largely elusive how SPOP functions as a tumor suppressor in PrCa. Here, we report that SPOP suppresses stem cell traits of both embryonic stem cells and PrCa cells through promoting Nanog poly-ubiquitination and subsequent degradation. Mechanistically, Nanog, but not other pluripotency-determining factors including Oct4, Sox2, and Klf4, specifically interacts with SPOP via a conservative degron motif. Importantly, cancer-derived mutations in SPOP or at the Nanog-degron (S68Y) disrupt SPOP-mediated destruction of Nanog, leading to elevated cancer stem cell traits and PrCa progression. Notably, we identify the Pin1 oncoprotein as an upstream Nanog regulator that impairs its recognition by SPOP and thereby stabilizes Nanog. Thus, Pin1 inhibitors promote SPOP-mediated destruction of Nanog, which provides the molecular insight and rationale to use Pin1 inhibitor(s) for targeted therapies of PrCa patients with wild-type SPOP.

The Circadian Protein Period2 Suppresses mTORC1 Activity via Recruiting Tsc1 to mTORC1 Complex.

Although emerging evidence indicates an important role of the circadian clock in modulating the diurnal oscillation of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling, the underlying molecular mechanism remains elusive. Here we show that Period2 (Per2), a core clock protein, functions as a scaffold protein to tether tuberous sclerosis complex 1 (Tsc1), Raptor, and mTOR together to specifically suppress the activity of mTORC1 complex. Due to the loss of its inhibition of mTORC1, Per2 deficiency significantly enhances protein synthesis and cell proliferation but reduces autophagy. Furthermore, we find that the glucagon-Creb/Crtc2 signaling cascade induces Per2 expression, which mediates the suppression of mTORC1 in mouse liver during fasting. Our study not only uncovers a novel role of Per2 in regulating the mTORC1 pathway, but also sheds new light on the mechanism of fasting inhibition on mTORC1 in the liver.

Biochemical Aspects of PD-L1 Regulation in Cancer Immunotherapy.

PD-L1, frequently expressed in human cancers, engages with PD-1 on immune cells and contributes to cancer immune evasion. As such, antibodies blocking the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction reactivate cytotoxic T cells to eradicate cancer cells. However, a majority of cancer patients fail to respond to PD-1/PD-L1 blockade with unclear underlying mechanism(s). Recent studies revealed that PD-L1 expression levels on tumor cells might affect the clinical response to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapies. Hence, understanding molecular mechanisms for controlling PD-L1 expression will be important to improve the clinical response rate and efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 blockade. In this review, we primarily focus on summarizing PD-L1 regulation and its potential roles in regulating antitumor immune response, with purpose to optimize anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapies, benefiting a wider cancer patient population.

Fasting and Feeding Signals Control the Oscillatory Expression of Angptl8 to Modulate Lipid Metabolism.

Emerging evidence implies a key role of angiopoietin-like protein 8 (Angptl8) in the metabolic transition between fasting and feeding, whereas much less is known about the mechanism of its own expression. Here we show that hepatic Angptl8 is rhythmically expressed, which involving the liver X receptor alpha (LXRα) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) modulation during feeding and fasting periods, respectively. In addition, Angptl8 mRNA is very unstable, which contributes to the nature of its daily rhythmicity by rapidly responding to fasting/feeding transition. To explore its pathological function in dexamethasone (DEX)-induced fatty liver, we reversed its suppression by glucocorticoids through adenoviral delivery of Angptl8 gene in mouse liver. Surprisingly, hepatic overexpression of Angptl8 dramatically elevated plasma triglyceride (TG) and non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) levels in DEX-treated mice, suggesting a metabolic interaction between Angptl8 and glucocorticoid signaling. Moreover, intracellular hepatic Angptl8 is implicated in the regulation of lipid homeostasis by the experiments with ectopic expression of a nonsecreted Angptl8 mutant (Δ25-Angptl8). Altogether, our data demonstrate the molecular mechanism of the diurnal rhythm of Angptl8 expression regulated by glucocorticoid signaling and LXRα pathway, and provide new evidence to understand the role of Angptl8 in maintaining plasma TG homeostasis.

Insulin post-transcriptionally modulates Bmal1 protein to affect the hepatic circadian clock.

Although food availability is a potent synchronizer of the peripheral circadian clock in mammals, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here, we show that hepatic Bmal1, a core transcription activator of the molecular clock, is post-transcriptionally regulated by signals from insulin, an important hormone that is temporally controlled by feeding. Insulin promotes postprandial Akt-mediated Ser42-phosphorylation of Bmal1 to induce its dissociation from DNA, interaction with 14-3-3 protein and subsequently nuclear exclusion, which results in the suppression of Bmal1 transcriptional activity. Inverted feeding cycles not only shift the phase of daily insulin oscillation, but also elevate the amplitude due to food overconsumption. This enhanced and reversed insulin signalling initiates the reset of clock gene rhythms by altering Bmal1 nuclear accumulation in mouse liver. These results reveal the molecular mechanism of insulin signalling in regulating peripheral circadian rhythms.

Glucagon-CREB/CRTC2 signaling cascade regulates hepatic BMAL1 protein.

Energy metabolism follows a diurnal pattern responding to the cycles of light and food exposures. Although food availability is a potent synchronizer of peripheral circadian clock in mammals, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Here, we found that the temporal signals of fasting and refeeding hormones regulate the transcription of Bmal1, a key transcription activator of molecular clock, in the liver. During fasting, glucagon, a major fasting hormone, activates CREB/CRTC2 transcriptional complex that is recruited to Bmal1 promoter to induce its expression. Furthermore, we showed that CRTC2 is required for basal transcriptional regulation of Bmal1 by experiments using either adenovirus-mediated CRTC2 RNAi knockdown or primary Crtc2 null hepatocytes. On the other hand, insulin suppresses fasting-induced Bmal1 expression by inhibiting CRTC2 activity after refeeding. Taken together, our results indicate CRTC2 as a key component of the circadian oscillator that integrates the mammalian clock and energy metabolism.