Curcumin suppresses the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway by inhibiting NKD2 methylation to ameliorate intestinal ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Intestinal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a life-threatening condition with no effective treatment currently available. Curcumin (CCM), a polyphenol compound in Curcuma Longa, reportedly has positive effects against intestinal I/R injury. However, the mechanism underlying the protective effect of CCM against intestinal I/R injury has not been fully clarified. To determine whether the protective effect of CCM was mediated by epigenetic effects on Wnt/ß-catenin signaling, the effect of CCM was examined in vivo and in vitro. An intestinal I/R model was established in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats with superior mesenteric artery occlusion, and Caco-2 cells were subjected to hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) for in vivo simulation of I/R. The results showed that CCM significantly reduced inflammatory, cell apoptosis, and oxidative stress induced by I/R insult in vivo and in vitro. Western blot analysis showed that CCM preconditioning reduced the protein levels of ß-catenin, p-GSK3ß, and cyclin-D1 and increased the protein level of GSK3ß compared with the I/R group. Overexpressing ß-catenin aggravated H/R injury, and knocking down ß-catenin relieved H/R injury by improving intestinal permeability and reducing the cell apoptosis. Moreover, Naked cuticle homolog 2(NKD2) mRNA and protein levels were upregulated in the CCM-pretreated group. 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-AZA) treatment improved intestinal epithelial barrier impairment induced by H/R. Besides, the protein levels of total ß-catenin, phosphor-ß-catenin and cyclin-D1 were reduced after overexpressing NKD2 in Caco-2 cells following H/R insult. In conclusion, Our study suggests that CCM could attenuate intestinal I/R injury in vitro and in vivo by suppressing the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway via inhibition of NKD2 methylation.

Naked cuticle inhibits wingless signaling in Drosophila wing development.

Wnt signaling is one of the major signaling pathways that regulate cell differentiation, tissue patterning and stem cell homeostasis and its dysfunction causes many human diseases, such as cancer. It is of tremendous interests to understand how Wnt signaling is regulated in a precise manner both temporally and spatially. Naked cuticle (Nkd) acts as a negative-feedback inhibitor for Wingless (Wg, a fly Wnt) signaling in Drosophila embryonic development. However, the role of Nkd remains controversial in later fly development, particularly on the canonical Wg pathway. In the present study, we show that nkd is essential for wing pattern formation, such that both gain and loss of nkd result in the disruption of Wg target expression in larvae stage and abnormal adult wing morphologies. Furthermore, we demonstrate that a thirty amino acid fragment in Nkd, identified previously in Wharton lab, is critical for the canonical Wg signaling, but is dispensable for Wg/planar cell polarity pathway. Putting aside the pleiotropic nature of nkd function, i.e. its role in the Decapentaplegic signaling, we conclude that Nkd universally inhibits the canonical Wg pathway across a life span of Drosophila development.

Exosome-mediated transfer of miR-1290 promotes cell proliferation and invasion in gastric cancer via NKD1.

Currently, exosomes rich in RNAs and proteins are regarded as vital mediators of intercellular communication. Here, we aimed to explore the effects of exosomal miR-1290 in gastric cancer (GC) and understand its mechanism of action on GC progression. We first isolated exosomes from serum samples of GC patients and healthy people and characterized them by transmission electron microscopy. Then, we examined the expression level of miR-1290 contained in the exosomes by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and found that exosomal miR-1290 was overexpressed in GC patients and cell lines. Promotion of proliferation, migration, and invasiveness of GC cells was noted after they were incubated with the isolated miR-1290-rich exosomes compared with incubation with a negative control. Furthermore, we predicted that naked cuticle homolog 1 (NKD1) mRNA is a direct target of miR-1290 and confirmed their interaction by a dual luciferase reporter assay. NKD1 overexpression attenuated the stimulatory effects of miR-1290 on GC cells. Collectively, our results suggest that exosomal miR-1290 enhances GC cell proliferation and invasion by targeting NKD1 mRNA and downregulating NKD1 expression. A better understanding of this process may facilitate the development of novel therapeutic agents for GC.

Protein kinase A-mediated phosphorylation of naked cuticle homolog 2 stimulates cell-surface delivery of transforming growth factor-α for epidermal growth factor receptor transactivation.

The classic mode of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-mediated transactivation of the receptor tyrosine kinase epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) transactivation occurs via matrix metalloprotease (MMP)-mediated cleavage of plasma membrane-anchored EGFR ligands. Herein, we show that the Gαs-activating GPCR ligands vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2 ) transactivate EGFR through increased cell-surface delivery of the EGFR ligand transforming growth factor-α (TGFα) in polarizing madin-darby canine kidney (MDCK) and Caco-2 cells. This is achieved by PKA-mediated phosphorylation of naked cuticle homolog 2 (NKD2), previously shown to bind TGFα and direct delivery of TGFα-containing vesicles to the basolateral surface of polarized epithelial cells. VIP and PGE2 rapidly activate protein kinase A (PKA) that then phosphorylates NKD2 at Ser-223, a process that is facilitated by the molecular scaffold A-kinase anchoring protein 12 (AKAP12). This phosphorylation stabilized NKD2, ensuring efficient cell-surface delivery of TGFα and increased EGFR activation. Thus, GPCR-triggered, PKA/AKAP12/NKD2-regulated targeting of TGFα to the cell surface represents a new mode of EGFR transactivation that occurs proximal to ligand cleavage by MMPs.

[Naked cuticle homolog 2 positively regulates the osteogenic differentiation of rat dental follicle cells].

Objective: To examine the expression of naked cuticle homolog 2 (Nkd2) in the process of root development and osteogenic differentiation of dental follicle cells of rat (rDFC), in order to explore the molecular mechanisms of Nkd2 on the osteoblast differentiation of rDFCs. Methods: Immunohistochemical analysis was used to detect the expression of Nkd2 in the base dental follicle of the mandibular first molar of rat at 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13 days postnatal. Mineralization nodule formation of rDFCs was detected by alizarin red staining and cetylpyridine. The change of Nkd2 during osteogenic differentiation of rDFCs was evaluated by Western blotting and the associations between Nkd2 and osteogenic cytokines of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Runt-related transcription factor-2 (RUNX2) and osteocalcin (OCN) were examined. The rDFCs were transfected with small interfering RNA (siRNA) to knock down the expression of Nkd2 and Western blotting and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) were adopted to explore the effects of Nkd2 on osteogenic differentiation by detecting variations of Nkd2 and osteogenic factors ALP, RUNX2, OCN among silencing group (Si), negative control RNA group (Nc) and mock control group (Mock), respectively. Results: The expression of Nkd2 in the base dental follicle of the mandibular first molar of rat was time dependent. Mineralization nodules of rDFCs and absorbance of cetylpyridine after osteogenic induction increased gradually (the absorbances of cetylpyridine were 0 week: 0.017±0.005, 1 week: 0.702±0.044, 2 weeks: 1.812±0.531, 3 weeks: 2.767±0.253, respectively). Results of Western blotting showed that Nkd2 (1.60±0.23) of mineralization group was significantly higher than that of control group (1) (P<0.05) at the early stage of osteogenic differentiation along with the expression of other osteogenic factors. The protein and mRNA of Nkd2 and osteogenic factors were significantly decreased in Si group compared with Nc and Mock groups (P<0.05), and no changes between Nc and Mock groups were observed. The changes of protein in Si, Nc and Mock groups were Nkd2: 0.42±0.10, 1.12±0.07, 1, ALP: 0.70±0.15, 1.11±0.14, 1, RUNX2: 0.58±0.08, 0.93±0.08, 1 and OCN: 0.64±0.06, 0.99±0.02, 1, respectively. The mRNA variances in Si, Nc and Mock groups were Nkd2: 0.39±0.05, 0.96±0.10, 1, ALP: 0.15±0.13, 1.01±0.07, 1, RUNX2: 0.39±0.31, 0.97±0.13, 1, OCN: 0.17±0.08, 1.08±0.21, 1, respectively. Conclusions: Nkd2 participates in the root development process in rat and may acts as a positive role in the early stage of osteogenic differentiation of rDFCs in rat.

Naked cuticle homolog 2 positively regulates the osteogenic differentiation of rat dental follicle cells / 中华口腔医学杂志

Objective@#To examine the expression of naked cuticle homolog 2 (Nkd2) in the process of root development and osteogenic differentiation of dental follicle cells of rat (rDFC), in order to explore the molecular mechanisms of Nkd2 on the osteoblast differentiation of rDFCs.@*Methods@#Immunohistochemical analysis was used to detect the expression of Nkd2 in the base dental follicle of the mandibular first molar of rat at 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13 days postnatal. Mineralization nodule formation of rDFCs was detected by alizarin red staining and cetylpyridine. The change of Nkd2 during osteogenic differentiation of rDFCs was evaluated by Western blotting and the associations between Nkd2 and osteogenic cytokines of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Runt-related transcription factor-2 (RUNX2) and osteocalcin (OCN) were examined. The rDFCs were transfected with small interfering RNA (siRNA) to knock down the expression of Nkd2 and Western blotting and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) were adopted to explore the effects of Nkd2 on osteogenic differentiation by detecting variations of Nkd2 and osteogenic factors ALP, RUNX2, OCN among silencing group (Si), negative control RNA group (Nc) and mock control group (Mock), respectively.@*Results@#The expression of Nkd2 in the base dental follicle of the mandibular first molar of rat was time dependent. Mineralization nodules of rDFCs and absorbance of cetylpyridine after osteogenic induction increased gradually (the absorbances of cetylpyridine were 0 week: 0.017±0.005, 1 week: 0.702±0.044, 2 weeks: 1.812±0.531, 3 weeks: 2.767±0.253, respectively). Results of Western blotting showed that Nkd2 (1.60±0.23) of mineralization group was significantly higher than that of control group (1) (P<0.05) at the early stage of osteogenic differentiation along with the expression of other osteogenic factors. The protein and mRNA of Nkd2 and osteogenic factors were significantly decreased in Si group compared with Nc and Mock groups (P<0.05), and no changes between Nc and Mock groups were observed. The changes of protein in Si, Nc and Mock groups were Nkd2: 0.42±0.10, 1.12±0.07, 1, ALP: 0.70±0.15, 1.11±0.14, 1, RUNX2: 0.58±0.08, 0.93±0.08, 1 and OCN: 0.64±0.06, 0.99±0.02, 1, respectively. The mRNA variances in Si, Nc and Mock groups were Nkd2: 0.39±0.05, 0.96±0.10, 1, ALP: 0.15±0.13, 1.01±0.07, 1, RUNX2: 0.39±0.31, 0.97±0.13, 1, OCN: 0.17±0.08, 1.08±0.21, 1, respectively.@*Conclusions@#Nkd2 participates in the root development process in rat and may acts as a positive role in the early stage of osteogenic differentiation of rDFCs in rat.

Rnf25/AO7 positively regulates wnt signaling via disrupting Nkd1-Axin inhibitory complex independent of its ubiquitin ligase activity.

Wnt signaling components have been shown to control key events in embryogenesis and to maintain tissue homeostasis in the adult. Nkd1/2 and Axin1/2 protein families are required for feedback regulation of Wnt signaling. The mechanisms by which Nkd1 and Nkd2 exhibit significant differences in signal transduction remain incompletely understood. Here we report that Rnf25/AO7, a previously identified E3 ubiquitin ligase for Nkd2, physically interacts with Nkd1 and Axin in an E3 ligase-independent manner to strengthen Wnt signalling. To determine the biological role of Rnf25 in vivo, we found that the renal mesenchymal cell, in which rnf25 was knocked-down, also exhibited more epithelial characters than MOCK control. Meanwhile, the transcriptional level of rnf25 was elevated in three separate tumor tissues more than that in paracarcinomatous tissue. Depletion of Rnf25 in zebrafish embryos attenuated transcriptions of maternal and zygotic Wnt target genes. Our results indicated that Rnf25 might serve as a molecular device, controlling the different antagonizing functions against canonical Wnt signaling between Nkd1 and Nkd2 cooperated with Axin.

miR-130b targets NKD2 and regulates the Wnt signaling to promote proliferation and inhibit apoptosis in osteosarcoma cells.

miR-130b was significantly up-regulated in osteosarcoma (OS) cells. Naked cuticle homolog 2 (NKD2) inhibited tumor growth and metastasis in OS by suppressing Wnt signaling. We used three miRNA target analysis tools to identify potential targets of miR-130b, and found that NKD2 is a potential target of miR-130b. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that miR-130b might target NKD2 and regulate the Wnt signaling to promote OS growth. We detected the expression of miR-130b and NKD2 mRNA and protein by quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blot assays, respectively, and found up-regulation of miR-130b and down-regulation of NKD2 mRNA and protein exist in OS cell lines. MTT and flow cytometry assays showed that miR-130b inhibitors inhibit proliferation and promote apoptosis in OS cells. Furthermore, we showed that NKD2 is a direct target of miR-130b, and miR-130b regulated proliferation and apoptosis of OS cells by targeting NKD2. We further investigated whether miR-130b and NKD2 regulate OS cell proliferation and apoptosis by inhibiting Wnt signaling, and the results confirmed our speculation that miR-130b targets NKD2 and regulates the Wnt signaling to promote proliferation and inhibit apoptosis of OS cells. These findings will offer new clues for OS development and progression, and novel potential therapeutic targets for OS.