Functional genomics identify Birc5/survivin as a candidate gene involved in the chronotoxicity of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors.

The circadian timing system orchestrates most of mammalian physiology and behavior in synchrony with the external light/dark cycle. This regulation is achieved through endogenous clocks present in virtually all body cells, where they control key cellular processes, including metabolism, transport, and the cell cycle. Consistently, it has been observed in preclinical cancer models that both the efficacy and toxicity of most chemotherapeutic drugs depend on their time of administration. To further explore the molecular basis underlying the link between the circadian timing system and the cellular response to anticancer drugs, we investigated the circadian transcriptome and CDK inhibitor toxicity in colon mucosa cells. We first show here that among 181 circadian transcripts, approximately 30% of them drive the cell cycle in the healthy mouse colon mucosa, with a majority peaking during the early resting phase. The identification of 26 mitotic genes within this cluster further indicated that the transcriptional coordination of mitosis by the circadian clock participates in the gating of cell division in this tissue. Subsequent selective siRNA-mediated silencing of these 26 targets revealed that low expression levels of the mitotic and anti-apoptotic gene Birc5/survivin significantly and specifically increased the sensitivity of colon epithelial cells to CDK inhibitors. By identifying Birc5/survivin as a potential determinant for the circadian modulation of CDK inhibitor toxicity, these data provide a mechanistic basis for the preclinical development of future CDK inhibitor-based chronotherapeutic strategies.

A circadian clock transcription model for the personalization of cancer chronotherapy.

Circadian timing of anticancer medications has improved treatment tolerability and efficacy several fold, yet with intersubject variability. Using three C57BL/6-based mouse strains of both sexes, we identified three chronotoxicity classes with distinct circadian toxicity patterns of irinotecan, a topoisomerase I inhibitor active against colorectal cancer. Liver and colon circadian 24-hour expression patterns of clock genes Rev-erbα and Bmal1 best discriminated these chronotoxicity classes, among 27 transcriptional 24-hour time series, according to sparse linear discriminant analysis. An 8-hour phase advance was found both for Rev-erbα and Bmal1 mRNA expressions and for irinotecan chronotoxicity in clock-altered Per2(m/m) mice. The application of a maximum-a-posteriori Bayesian inference method identified a linear model based on Rev-erbα and Bmal1 circadian expressions that accurately predicted for optimal irinotecan timing. The assessment of the Rev-erbα and Bmal1 regulatory transcription loop in the molecular clock could critically improve the tolerability of chemotherapy through a mathematical model-based determination of host-specific optimal timing.

Regulation of the intracellular localization of Foxo3a by stress-activated protein kinase signaling pathways in skeletal muscle cells.

Muscle atrophy is a debilitating process associated with many chronic wasting diseases, like cancer, diabetes, sepsis, and renal failure. Rapid loss of muscle mass occurs mainly through the activation of protein breakdown by the ubiquitin proteasome pathway. Foxo3a transcription factor is critical for muscle atrophy, since it activates the expression of ubiquitin ligase Atrogin-1. In several models of atrophy, inhibition of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway induces nuclear import of Foxo3a through an Akt-dependent process. This study aimed to identify signaling pathways involved in the control of Foxo3a nuclear translocation in muscle cells. We observed that after nuclear import of Foxo3a by PI3K/Akt pathway inhibition, activation of stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK) pathways induced nuclear export of Foxo3a through CRM1. This mechanism involved the c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway and was independent of Akt. Likewise, we showed that inhibition of p38 induced a massive nuclear relocalization of Foxo3a. Our results thus suggest that SAPKs are involved in the control of Foxo3a nucleocytoplasmic translocation in C2C12 cells. Moreover, activation of SAPKs decreases the expression of Atrogin-1, and stable C2C12 myotubes, in which the p38 pathway is constitutively activated, present partial protection against atrophy.

FGF19 exhibits neuroprotective effects on adult mammalian photoreceptors in vitro.

PURPOSE: Several fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) exhibit neuroprotective influences against retinal photoreceptor degeneration. The expression of FGF receptor (FGFR) 4 on photoreceptors suggests a specific ligand, FGF-19, might also be beneficial. The authors hence examined the potential role of FGF-19 in this regard. METHODS: Adult human retinal sections were processed for anti-FGFR-4 immunohistochemistry. Total RNA and proteins were extracted from parallel cultures of human Y79 retinoblastoma and primary adult pig photoreceptors; RNA samples were used for RT-PCR analysis of FGF-19, and proteins were subjected to immunoprecipitation for FGFR-1 and FGFR-4 or to Western blotting of FGF-19. Cultures were incubated with increasing concentrations of FGF-19 before extraction and Western blotting for phosphotyrosine. Photoreceptor cultures were screened for cell survival and processed for immunocytochemistry using anti-neural retina leucine zipper (Nrl) antibody. RESULTS: FGF-19 mRNA was detected in adult pig retinal pigment epithelial cells, and FGF-19 protein was found in cell extracts and conditioned medium prepared from retinal pigment epithelium. The addition of FGF-19 to Y79 retinoblastoma or primary adult pig photoreceptor cultures led to time- and dose-dependent changes in proliferation (for Y79) or survival (for primary photoreceptors). FGF-19 induced the phosphorylation of an FGFR-4-immunoreactive band of approximately 80 kDa and led to the heterodimerization of FGFR-1 and FGFR-4. Y79 and primary photoreceptor cells maintained in serum-supplemented media exhibited Nrl immunoreactivity by Western blotting, which decreased after serum deprivation. The addition of FGF-19 led to the reexpression of Nrl immunoreactivity in both culture models. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate a physiological role for FGF-19 in adult photoreceptor phenotypic maintenance and survival and argue in favor of its use as a neuroprotectant.

Retinoic acid regulates the expression of photoreceptor transcription factor NRL.

NRL (neural retina leucine zipper) is a key basic motif-leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factor, which orchestrates rod photoreceptor differentiation by activating the expression of rod-specific genes. The deletion of Nrl in mice results in functional cones that are derived from rod precursors. However, signaling pathways modulating the expression or activity of NRL have not been elucidated. Here, we show that retinoic acid (RA), a diffusible factor implicated in rod development, activates the expression of NRL in serum-deprived Y79 human retinoblastoma cells and in primary cultures of rat and porcine photoreceptors. The effect of RA is mimicked by TTNPB, a RA receptor agonist, and requires new protein synthesis. DNaseI footprinting and electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) using bovine retinal nuclear extract demonstrate that RA response elements (RAREs) identified within the Nrl promoter bind to RA receptors. Furthermore, in transiently transfected Y79 and HEK293 cells the activity of Nrl-promoter driving a luciferase reporter gene is induced by RA, and this activation is mediated by RAREs. Our data suggest that signaling by RA via RA receptors regulates the expression of NRL, providing a framework for delineating early steps in photoreceptor cell fate determination.

Competition between calnexin and BiP in the endoplasmic reticulum can lead to the folding or degradation of human thyroperoxidase.

Previous studies on the fate of human thyroperoxidase (hTPO) molecules have shown that, after being synthesized, these glycoproteins interact with calnexin and calreticulin and that only some of them are able to acquire a partially folded structure. The aim of the present study was to further investigate the potential role of BiP, another major protein chaperon. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments showed the occurrence of interactions between hTPO and BiP. Pulse-chase studies showed that, when hTPO was expressed in a Chinese hamster ovary cell line overexpressing 5 times more BiP than the parent cells, the rate of hTPO recognized by a monoclonal antibody directed against a conformational structure decreased by 50% after 5 h of chase. Overexpression of the BiP-ATPase mutant G37T also led to a decrease in the correct folding rate of hTPO. When this protein was pulsed in the presence of 35S-(Met + Cys) and the reducing agent dithiotreitol and then chased in a culture medium without dithiothreitol, a 2.5-fold decrease in the correct folding rate was observed in cells overexpressing BiP, whereas co-overexpression of calnexin and Erp57 led to an increase in both the unfolded and partially folded form of hTPO after the pulse step. All of these findings show that BiP and calnexin have opposite effects on the folding behavior of hTPO and that the action of specific molecular chaperones may therefore crucially determine the fate of glycoproteins.

Acidic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-1) and FGF receptor 1 signaling in human Y79 retinoblastoma.

OBJECTIVES: Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) represent potent effectors and play essential roles in both normal development and many pathological processes. Little is known about their possible implication in retinoblastoma growth. We sought to examine FGF high- and low-affinity receptor (FGFR) expression, activation of FGFR1 by acidic FGF (FGF-1), and proliferative effects on Y79 cells. METHODS: Expression of FGFR1 to FGFR4 was screened in Y79 cells by means of immunochemical and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction techniques. Tyrosine phosphorylation of FGFR1 induced by FGF was examined by immunoprecipitation after stimulation with FGF-1 in the presence or absence of heparin. Retinoblastoma proliferation was monitored by radiolabeled thymidine incorporation or a vital dye-based assay, after addition of FGF-1 with or without inclusion of a specific FGFR1 neutralizing antibody or FGFR1 antisense oligonucleotides. Low-affinity heparan sulfate proteoglycan coreceptors were blocked through sodium chlorate or heparinase treatment of Y79 cells. RESULTS: Y79 retinoblastoma expressed all 4 FGFRs, at both the protein and messenger RNA levels. The FGFR1 was differentially phosphorylated in a time- and heparin-dependent manner by FGF-1. Proliferation of Y79 cells induced by FGF-1 was entirely mediated by FGFR1, since inclusion of specific neutralizing antibodies or antisense oligonucleotides completely prevented tumor cell multiplication. Finally, FGF-1-induced proliferation was dependent on the presence and sulfation of heparan sulfate proteoglycan. CONCLUSIONS: Y79 retinoblastoma expresses all 4 FGFRs, but FGFR1 activation entirely accounts for FGF-1-driven cell proliferation. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These studies demonstrate a role for the FGF-1/FGFR1 pathway in retinoblastoma proliferation, and may contribute to developing therapeutic strategies to limit retinoblastoma growth.

Association of the thyrotropin receptor with calnexin, calreticulin and BiP. Efects on the maturation of the receptor.

The thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) is a member of the G protein-coupled receptor superfamily. It has by now been clearly established that the maturation of the glycoproteins synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum involves interactions with molecular chaperones, which promote the folding and assembly of the glycoproteins. In this study, we investigated whether calnexin (CNX), calreticulin (CRT) and BiP, three of the main molecular chaperones present in the endoplasmic reticulum, interact with the TSHR and what effects these interactions might have on the folding of the receptor. In the first set of experiments, we observed that in a K562 cell line expressing TSHR, about 50% of the receptor synthesized was degraded by the proteasome after ubiquitination. In order to determine whether TSHR interact with CNX, CRT and BiP, coimmunoprecipitation experiments were performed. TSHR was found to be associated with all three molecular chaperones. To study the role of the interactions between CNX and CRT and the TSHR, we used castanospermine, a glucosidase I and II inhibitor that blocks the interactions between these chaperones and glycoproteins. In K562 cells expressing the TSHR, these drugs led to a faster degradation of the receptor, which indicates that these interactions contribute to stabilizing the receptor after its synthesis. The overexpression of calnexin and calreticulin in these cells stabilizes the receptor during the first hour after its synthesis, whereas the degradation of TSHR increased in a cell line overexpressing BiP and the quantity of TSHR able to acquire complex type oligosaccharides decreased. These results show that calnexin, calreticulin and BiP all interact with TSHR and that the choice made between these two chaperone systems is crucial because each of them has distinct effects on the folding and stability of this receptor at the endoplasmic reticulum level.