Telomeric DNA breaks in human induced pluripotent stem cells trigger ATR-mediated arrest and telomerase-independent telomere damage repair.

Although mechanisms of telomere protection are well-defined in differentiated cells, it is poorly understood how stem cells sense and respond to telomere dysfunction. In particular, the broader impact of telomeric double-strand breaks (DSBs) in these cells is poorly characterized. Here, we report on DNA damage signaling, cell cycle, and transcriptome-level changes in human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in response to telomere-internal DSBs. We engineered human iPSCs with an inducible TRF1-FokI fusion protein to acutely induce DSBs at telomeres. Using this model, we demonstrate that TRF1-FokI DSBs activate an ATR-dependent DDR, which leads to p53-independent cell cycle arrest in G2. Using CRISPR-Cas9 to cripple the catalytic domain of telomerase, we show that telomerase is largely dispensable for survival and lengthening of TRF1-FokI-cleaved telomeres, which instead are effectively repaired by robust homologous recombination (HR). In contrast to HR-based telomere maintenance in mouse embryonic stem cells, we find neither evidence that HR causes extension of telomeres beyond their initial lengths, nor an apparent role for ZSCAN4 in this process. Rather, HR-based repair of telomeric breaks is sufficient to maintain iPSC telomeres at a normal length which is compatible with sustained survival of the cells over several days of TRF1-FokI induction. Our findings suggest a previously unappreciated role for HR in telomere maintenance in telomerase-positive iPSCs and reveal distinct iPSC-specific responses to targeted telomeric damage.

APC and P53 mutations synergise to create a therapeutic vulnerability to NOTUM inhibition in advanced colorectal cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths, with the majority of cases initiated by inactivation of the APC tumour suppressor. This results in the constitutive activation of canonical WNT pathway transcriptional effector ß-catenin, along with induction of WNT feedback inhibitors, including the extracellular palmitoleoyl-protein carboxylesterase NOTUM which antagonises WNT-FZD receptor-ligand interactions. Here, we sought to evaluate the effects of NOTUM activity on CRC as a function of driver mutation landscape. DESIGN: Mouse and human colon organoids engineered with combinations of CRC driver mutations were used for Notum genetic gain-of-function and loss-of-function studies. In vitro assays, in vivo endoscope-guided orthotopic organoid implantation assays and transcriptomic profiling were employed to characterise the effects of Notum activity. Small molecule inhibitors of Notum activity were used in preclinical therapeutic proof-of-principle studies targeting oncogenic Notum activity. RESULTS: NOTUM retains tumour suppressive activity in APC-null adenomas despite constitutive ß-catenin activity. Strikingly, on progression to adenocarcinoma with P53 loss, NOTUM becomes an obligate oncogene. These phenotypes are Wnt-independent, resulting from differential activity of NOTUM on glypican 1 and 4 in early-stage versus late-stage disease, respectively. Ultimately, preclinical mouse models and human organoid cultures demonstrate that pharmacological inhibition of NOTUM is highly effective in arresting primary adenocarcinoma growth and inhibiting metastatic colonisation of distal organs. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings that a single agent targeting the extracellular enzyme NOTUM is effective in treating highly aggressive, metastatic adenocarcinomas in preclinical mouse models and human organoids make NOTUM and its glypican targets therapeutic vulnerabilities in advanced CRC.

Patient-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Hepatostellate Organoids Establish a Basis for Liver Pathologies in Telomeropathies.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Dyskeratosis congenita (DC) is a telomere biology disorder caused primarily by mutations in the DKC1 gene. Patients with DC and related telomeropathies resulting from premature telomere dysfunction experience multiorgan failure. In the liver, DC patients present with nodular hyperplasia, steatosis, inflammation, and cirrhosis. However, the mechanism responsible for telomere dysfunction-induced liver disease remains unclear. METHODS: We used isogenic human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) harboring a causal DC mutation in DKC1 or a CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/Cas9)-corrected control allele to model DC liver pathologies. We differentiated these iPSCs into hepatocytes (HEPs) or hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) followed by generation of genotype-admixed hepatostellate organoids. Single-cell transcriptomics were applied to hepatostellate organoids to understand cell type-specific genotype-phenotype relationships. RESULTS: Directed differentiation of iPSCs into HEPs and stellate cells and subsequent hepatostellate organoid formation revealed a dominant phenotype in the parenchyma, with DC HEPs becoming hyperplastic and also eliciting a pathogenic hyperplastic, proinflammatory response in stellate cells independent of stellate cell genotype. Pathogenic phenotypes in DKC1-mutant HEPs and hepatostellate organoids could be rescued via suppression of serine/threonine kinase AKT (protein kinase B) activity, a central regulator of MYC-driven hyperplasia downstream of DKC1 mutation. CONCLUSIONS: Isogenic iPSC-derived admixed hepatostellate organoids offer insight into the liver pathologies in telomeropathies and provide a framework for evaluating emerging therapies.

GSK3 inhibition rescues growth and telomere dysfunction in dyskeratosis congenita iPSC-derived type II alveolar epithelial cells.

Dyskeratosis congenita (DC) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by deficiencies in telomere maintenance leading to very short telomeres and the premature onset of certain age-related diseases, including pulmonary fibrosis (PF). PF is thought to derive from epithelial failure, particularly that of type II alveolar epithelial (AT2) cells, which are highly dependent on Wnt signaling during development and adult regeneration. We use human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived AT2 (iAT2) cells to model how short telomeres affect AT2 cells. Cultured DC mutant iAT2 cells accumulate shortened, uncapped telomeres and manifest defects in the growth of alveolospheres, hallmarks of senescence, and apparent defects in Wnt signaling. The GSK3 inhibitor, CHIR99021, which mimics the output of canonical Wnt signaling, enhances telomerase activity and rescues the defects. These findings support further investigation of Wnt agonists as potential therapies for DC-related pathologies.

The methyltransferase enzymes KMT2D, SETD1B, and ASH1L are key mediators of both metabolic and epigenetic changes during cellular senescence.

Cellular senescence is a terminal cell fate characterized by growth arrest and a metabolically active state characterized by high glycolytic activity. Human fibroblasts were placed in a unique metabolic state using a combination of methionine restriction (MetR) and rapamycin (Rapa). This combination induced a metabolic reprogramming that prevented the glycolytic shift associated with senescence. Surprisingly, cells treated in this manner did not undergo senescence but continued to divide at a slow rate even at high passage, in contrast with either Rapa treatment or MetR, both of which extended life span but eventually resulted in growth arrest. Transcriptome-wide analysis revealed a coordinated regulation of metabolic enzymes related to one-carbon metabolism including three methyltransferase enzymes (KMT2D, SETD1B, and ASH1L), key enzymes for both carnitine synthesis and histone modification. These enzymes appear to be involved in both the metabolic phenotype of senescent cells and the chromatin changes required for establishing the senescence arrest. Targeting one of these enzymes, ASH1L, produced both a glycolytic shift and senescence, providing proof of concept. These findings reveal a mechanistic link between a major metabolic hallmark of senescence and nuclear events required for senescence.

TERRA G-quadruplex RNA interaction with TRF2 GAR domain is required for telomere integrity.

Telomere dysfunction causes chromosomal instability which is associated with many cancers and age-related diseases. The non-coding telomeric repeat-containing RNA (TERRA) forms a structural and regulatory component of the telomere that is implicated in telomere maintenance and chromosomal end protection. The basic N-terminal Gly/Arg-rich (GAR) domain of telomeric repeat-binding factor 2 (TRF2) can bind TERRA but the structural basis and significance of this interaction remains poorly understood. Here, we show that TRF2 GAR recognizes G-quadruplex features of TERRA. We show that small molecules that disrupt the TERRA-TRF2 GAR complex, such as N-methyl mesoporphyrin IX (NMM) or genetic deletion of TRF2 GAR domain, result in the loss of TERRA, and the induction of γH2AX-associated telomeric DNA damage associated with decreased telomere length, and increased telomere aberrations, including telomere fragility. Taken together, our data indicates that the G-quadruplex structure of TERRA is an important recognition element for TRF2 GAR domain and this interaction between TRF2 GAR and TERRA is essential to maintain telomere stability.

SLC25A51 is a mammalian mitochondrial NAD+ transporter.

Mitochondria require nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) to carry out the fundamental processes that fuel respiration and mediate cellular energy transduction. Mitochondrial NAD+ transporters have been identified in yeast and plants1,2, but their existence in mammals remains controversial3-5. Here we demonstrate that mammalian mitochondria can take up intact NAD+, and identify SLC25A51 (also known as MCART1)-an essential6,7 mitochondrial protein of previously unknown function-as a mammalian mitochondrial NAD+ transporter. Loss of SLC25A51 decreases mitochondrial-but not whole-cell-NAD+ content, impairs mitochondrial respiration, and blocks the uptake of NAD+ into isolated mitochondria. Conversely, overexpression of SLC25A51 or SLC25A52 (a nearly identical paralogue of SLC25A51) increases mitochondrial NAD+ levels and restores NAD+ uptake into yeast mitochondria lacking endogenous NAD+ transporters. Together, these findings identify SLC25A51 as a mammalian transporter capable of importing NAD+ into mitochondria.

Fundamentals of G-quadruplex biology.

Several decades elapsed between the first descriptions of G-quadruplex nucleic acid structures (G4s) assembled in vitro and the emergence of experimental findings indicating that such structures can form and function in living systems. A large body of evidence now supports roles for G4s in many aspects of nucleic acid biology, spanning processes from transcription and chromatin structure, mRNA processing, protein translation, DNA replication and genome stability, and telomere and mitochondrial function. Nonetheless, it must be acknowledged that some of this evidence is tentative, which is not surprising given the technical challenges associated with demonstrating G4s in biology. Here I provide an overview of evidence for G4 biology, focusing particularly on the many potential pitfalls that can be encountered in its investigation, and briefly discuss some of broader biological processes that may be impacted by G4s including cancer.

Rap1-mediated nucleosome displacement can regulate gene expression in senescent cells without impacting the pace of senescence.

Cell senescence is accompanied, and in part mediated, by changes in chromatin, including histone losses, but underlying mechanisms are not well understood. We reported previously that during yeast cell senescence driven by telomere shortening, the telomeric protein Rap1 plays a major role in reprogramming gene expression by relocalizing hundreds of new target genes (called NRTS, for new Rap1 targets at senescence) to the promoters. This leads to two types of histone loss: Rap1 lowers histone level globally by repressing histone gene expression, and it also causes local nucleosome displacement at the promoters of upregulated NRTS. Here, we present evidence of direct binding between Rap1 and histone H3/H4 heterotetramers, and map amino acids involved in the interaction within the Rap1 SANT domain to amino acids 392-394 (SHY). Introduction of a point mutation within the native RAP1 locus that converts these residues to alanines (RAP1SHY ), and thus disrupts Rap1-H3/H4 interaction, does not interfere with Rap1 relocalization to NRTS at senescence, but prevents full nucleosome displacement and gene upregulation, indicating direct Rap1-H3/H4 contacts are involved in nucleosome displacement. Consistent with this, the histone H3/H4 chaperone Asf1 is similarly unnecessary for Rap1 localization to NRTS but is required for full Rap1-mediated nucleosome displacement and gene activation. Remarkably, RAP1SHY does not affect the pace of senescence-related cell cycle arrest, indicating that some changes in gene expression at senescence are not coupled to this arrest.

G-quadruplexes in fibrotic scars may open new therapeutic avenues for wound healing.

Read the Original article at https://doi.org/10.1002/1873-3468.13658.

Correction to: HnRNPA2 is a novel histone acetyltransferase that mediates mitochondrial stress-induced nuclear gene expression.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/celldisc.2016.45.].

Deletion of ULS1 confers damage tolerance in sgs1 mutants through a Top3-dependent D-loop mediated fork restart pathway.

Homologous recombination (HR)-based repair during DNA replication can apparently utilize several partially overlapping repair pathways in response to any given lesion. A key player in HR repair is the Sgs1-Top3-Rmi1 (STR) complex, which is critical for resolving X-shaped recombination intermediates formed following bypass of methyl methanesulfonate (MMS)-induced damage. STR mutants are also sensitive to the ribonucleotide reductase inhibitor, hydroxyurea (HU), but unlike MMS treatment, HU treatment is not accompanied by X-structure accumulation, and it is thus unclear how STR functions in this context. Here we provide evidence that HU-induced fork stalling enlists Top3 prior to recombination intermediate formation. The resistance of sgs1Δ mutants to HU is enhanced by the absence of the putative SUMO (Small Ubiquitin MOdifier)-targeted ubiquitin ligase, Uls1, and we demonstrate that Top3 is required for this enhanced resistance and for coordinated breaks and subsequent d-loop formation at forks stalled at the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) replication fork block (RFB). We also find that HU resistance depends on the catalytic activity of the E3 SUMO ligase, Mms21, and includes a rapid Rad51-dependent restart mechanism that is different from the slow Rad51-independent HR fork restart mechanism operative in sgs1Δ ULS1+ mutants. These data support a model in which repair of HU-induced damage in sgs1Δ mutants involves an error-prone break-induced replication pathway but, in the absence of Uls1, shifts to one that is higher-fidelity and involves the formation of Rad51-dependent d-loops.

Potential Roles for G-Quadruplexes in Mitochondria.

Some DNA or RNA sequences rich in guanine (G) nucleotides can adopt noncanonical conformations known as G-quadruplexes (G4). In the nuclear genome, G4 motifs have been associated with genome instability and gene expression defects, but they are increasingly recognized to be regulatory structures. Recent studies have revealed that G4 structures can form in the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) and potential G4 forming sequences are associated with the origin of mtDNA deletions. However, little is known about the regulatory role of G4 structures in mitochondria. In this short review, we will explore the potential for G4 structures to regulate mitochondrial function, based on evidence from the nucleus.

Understanding the evolving phenotype of vascular complications in telomere biology disorders.

Vascular complications such as bleeding due to gastrointestinal telangiectatic anomalies, pulmonary arteriovenous malformations, hepatopulmonary syndrome, and retinal vessel abnormalities are being reported in patients with telomere biology disorders (TBDs) more frequently than previously described. The international clinical care consortium of telomere-associated ailments and family support group Dyskeratosis Congenita Outreach, Inc. held a workshop on vascular abnormalities in the TBDs at the National Cancer Institute in October 2017. Clinicians and basic scientists reviewed current data on vascular complications, hypotheses for the underlying biology and developed new collaborations to address the etiology and clinical management of vascular complications in TBDs.

Computational assessment of miRNA binding to low and high expression HLA-DPB1 allelic sequences.

Cell surface expression of HLA-DP is allele specific. SNP rs9277534 (A/G), located in the 3'UTR of the DPB1 gene, has been associated with either low (A) or high (G) expression of DP on the cell surface. Considering the role of miRNAs in the regulation of gene expression, we computationally identified the miRNAs of two BLCLs, PGF and COX, predicted to interact with their corresponding DPB1 transcripts, DPB1 * 04:01:01:01-low expression and DPB1 * 03:01:01:01-high expression. The identified target sequences are located primarily in intron 2 and the 3'UTR. We hypothesize that gene expression may be influenced first by nuclear pre-mRNA events involving intronic regions, followed by the usual 3'UTR-associated events in the cytoplasm. The low DP expression allele was found to interact in silico with a larger number of miRNAs than the high expression allele. This pattern holds when examining either the entire transcript unit or simply the polymorphic sites that differentiate the alleles. Interestingly, the rs9277534 A/G polymorphism appears to be in linkage disequilibrium with polymorphisms targeted by the identified miRNAs. The multiplicity of sites targeted by different miRNAs suggests that the expression of DPB1 may be a dynamic process, influenced by different miRNAs under different states of the cell.

Determinants of response and resistance to CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Tolerance to self-antigens prevents the elimination of cancer by the immune system1,2. We used synthetic chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) to overcome immunological tolerance and mediate tumor rejection in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Remission was induced in a subset of subjects, but most did not respond. Comprehensive assessment of patient-derived CAR T cells to identify mechanisms of therapeutic success and failure has not been explored. We performed genomic, phenotypic and functional evaluations to identify determinants of response. Transcriptomic profiling revealed that CAR T cells from complete-responding patients with CLL were enriched in memory-related genes, including IL-6/STAT3 signatures, whereas T cells from nonresponders upregulated programs involved in effector differentiation, glycolysis, exhaustion and apoptosis. Sustained remission was associated with an elevated frequency of CD27+CD45RO-CD8+ T cells before CAR T cell generation, and these lymphocytes possessed memory-like characteristics. Highly functional CAR T cells from patients produced STAT3-related cytokines, and serum IL-6 correlated with CAR T cell expansion. IL-6/STAT3 blockade diminished CAR T cell proliferation. Furthermore, a mechanistically relevant population of CD27+PD-1-CD8+ CAR T cells expressing high levels of the IL-6 receptor predicts therapeutic response and is responsible for tumor control. These findings uncover new features of CAR T cell biology and underscore the potential of using pretreatment biomarkers of response to advance immunotherapies.

A regulatory loop connecting WNT signaling and telomere capping: possible therapeutic implications for dyskeratosis congenita.

The consequences of telomere dysfunction are most apparent in rare inherited syndromes caused by genetic deficiencies in factors that normally maintain telomeres. The principal disease is known as dyskeratosis congenita (DC), but other syndromes with similar underlying genetic defects share some clinical aspects with this disease. Currently, there are no curative therapies for these diseases of telomere dysfunction. Here, we review recent findings demonstrating that dysfunctional (i.e., uncapped) telomeres can downregulate the WNT pathway, and that restoration of WNT signaling helps to recap telomeres by increasing expression of shelterins, proteins that naturally bind and protect telomeres. We discuss how these findings are different from previous observations connecting WNT and telomere biology, and discuss potential links between WNT and clinical manifestations of the DC spectrum of diseases. Finally, we argue for exploring the use of WNT agonists, specifically lithium, as a possible therapeutic approach for patients with DC.

Epigenetic Mechanisms Impacting Aging: A Focus on Histone Levels and Telomeres.

Aging and age-related diseases pose some of the most significant and difficult challenges to modern society as well as to the scientific and medical communities. Biological aging is a complex, and, under normal circumstances, seemingly irreversible collection of processes that involves numerous underlying mechanisms. Among these, chromatin-based processes have emerged as major regulators of cellular and organismal aging. These include DNA methylation, histone modifications, nucleosome positioning, and telomere regulation, including how these are influenced by environmental factors such as diet. Here we focus on two interconnected categories of chromatin-based mechanisms impacting aging: those involving changes in the levels of histones or in the functions of telomeres.