Rgs16 promotes antitumor CD8+ T cell exhaustion.

T cells become functionally exhausted in tumors, limiting T cell-based immunotherapies. Although several transcription factors regulating the exhausted T (Tex) cell differentiation are known, comparatively little is known about the regulators of Tex cell survival. Here, we reported that the regulator of G protein signaling 16 (Rgs-16) suppressed Tex cell survival in tumors. By performing lineage tracing using reporter mice in which mCherry marked Rgs16-expressing cells, we identified that Rgs16+CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) were terminally differentiated, expressed low levels of T cell factor 1 (Tcf1), and underwent apoptosis as early as 6 days after the onset of Rgs16 expression. Rgs16 deficiency inhibited CD8+ T cell apoptosis and promoted antitumor effector functions of CD8+ T cells. Furthermore, Rgs16 deficiency synergized with programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) blockade to enhance antitumor CD8+ T cell responses. Proteomics revealed that Rgs16 interacted with the scaffold protein IQGAP1, suppressed the recruitment of Ras and B-Raf, and inhibited Erk1 activation. Rgs16 deficiency enhanced antitumor CD8+ TIL survival in an Erk1-dependent manner. Loss of function of Erk1 decreased antitumor functions of Rgs16-deficient CD8+ T cells. RGS16 mRNA expression levels in CD8+ TILs of patients with melanoma negatively correlated with genes associated with T cell stemness, such as SELL, TCF7, and IL7R, and predicted low responses to PD-1 blockade. This study uncovers Rgs16 as an inhibitor of Tex cell survival in tumors and has implications for improving T cell-based immunotherapies.

Correction: E6 and E7 from Beta Hpv38 Cooperate with Ultraviolet Light in the Development of Actinic Keratosis-Like Lesions and Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Mice.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1002125.].

Novel ß-HPV49 Transgenic Mouse Model of Upper Digestive Tract Cancer.

The beta genus of human papillomaviruses (ß-HPV) includes approximately 50 different viral types that are subdivided into five species (ß-1 through ß-5). Nonmelanoma cancers may involve some ß-1 and ß-2 HPV types, but the biology of most ß-HPV types and their possible connections to human disease are still little characterized. In this study, we studied the effects of ß-3 type HPV49 in a novel transgenic (Tg) mouse model, using a cytokeratin K14 promoter to drive expression of the E6 and E7 genes from this virus in the basal skin epidermis and the mucosal epithelia of the digestive tract (K14 HPV49 E6/E7-Tg mice). Viral oncogene expression only marginally increased cellular proliferation in the epidermis of Tg animals, compared with wild-type littermates, and we observed no spontaneous tumor formation during their entire lifespan. However, we found that K14 HPV49 E6/E7-Tg mice were highly susceptible to upper digestive tract carcinogenesis upon initiation with 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4NQO). This was a selective effect, as the same mice did not exhibit any skin lesions after chronic UV irradiation. Opposite results were observed in an analogous Tg model expressing the ß-2 HPV38 E6 and E7 oncogenes at the same anatomic sites. While these mice were highly susceptible to UV-induced skin carcinogenesis, as previously shown, they were little affected by 4NQO treatment. Overall, our findings highlight important differences in the biologic properties of certain ß-type HPV that affect their impact on carcinogenesis in an anatomic site-specific manner. Cancer Res; 76(14); 4216-25. ©2016 AACR.

Myc Depletion Induces a Pluripotent Dormant State Mimicking Diapause.

Mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are maintained in a naive ground state of pluripotency in the presence of MEK and GSK3 inhibitors. Here, we show that ground-state ESCs express low Myc levels. Deletion of both c-myc and N-myc (dKO) or pharmacological inhibition of Myc activity strongly decreases transcription, splicing, and protein synthesis, leading to proliferation arrest. This process is reversible and occurs without affecting pluripotency, suggesting that Myc-depleted stem cells enter a state of dormancy similar to embryonic diapause. Indeed, c-Myc is depleted in diapaused blastocysts, and the differential expression signatures of dKO ESCs and diapaused epiblasts are remarkably similar. Following Myc inhibition, pre-implantation blastocysts enter biosynthetic dormancy but can progress through their normal developmental program after transfer into pseudo-pregnant recipients. Our study shows that Myc controls the biosynthetic machinery of stem cells without affecting their potency, thus regulating their entry and exit from the dormant state.

Aloxe3 knockout mice reveal a function of epidermal lipoxygenase-3 as hepoxilin synthase and its pivotal role in barrier formation.

Loss-of-function mutations in the lipoxygenase (LOX) genes ALOX12B and ALOXE3 are the second most common cause of autosomal recessive congenital ichthyosis. The encoded proteins, 12R-LOX and epidermal LOX-3 (eLOX-3), act in sequence to convert fatty acid substrates via R-hydroperoxides to specific epoxyalcohol derivatives and have been proposed to operate in the same metabolic pathway during epidermal barrier formation. Here, we show that eLOX-3 deficiency in mice results in early postnatal death, associated with similar but somewhat less severe barrier defects and morphological changes than reported earlier for the 12R-LOX-knockout mice. Skin lipid analysis demonstrated that the severity of barrier failure is related to the loss of covalently bound ceramides in both 12R-LOX- and eLOX-3-null mice, confirming a proposed functional linkage of the LOX pathway to ceramide processing and formation of the corneocyte lipid envelope. Furthermore, analysis of free oxygenated fatty acid metabolites revealed strongly reduced levels of hepoxilin metabolites in eLOX-3-deficient epidermis, indicating an additional function of eLOX-3 in mammalian skin as a hepoxilin synthase linked to the 12S-LOX pathway.

Extensive methylation of promoter sequences silences lentiviral transgene expression during stem cell differentiation in vivo.

Lentiviral vectors (LV) are widely used to stably transfer genes into target cells investigating or treating gene functions. In addition, gene transfer into early murine embryos may be improved to efficiently generate transgenic mice. We applied lentiviral gene transfer to generate a mouse model transgenic for SET binding protein-1 (Setbp1) and enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP). Neither transgenic founders nor their vector-positive offspring transcribed or expressed the transgenes. Bisulfite sequencing of the internal spleen focus-forming virus (SFFV) promoter demonstrated extensive methylation of all analyzed CpGs in the transgenic mice. To analyze the impact of Setbp1 on epigenetic silencing, embryonic stem cells (ESC) were differentiated into cardiomyocytes (CM) in vitro. In contrast to human promoters in LV, virally derived promoter sequences were strongly methylated during differentiation, independent of the transgene. Moreover, the commonly used SFFV promoter (SFFVp) was highly methylated with remarkable strength and frequency during hematopoietic differentiation in vivo in LV but less in γ-retroviral (γ-RV) backbones. In summary, we conclude that LV using an internal SFFVp are not suitable to generate transgenic mice or perform constitutive expression studies in differentiating cells. Choosing the appropriate promoter is also crucial to allow stable transgene expression in clinical gene therapy.

E6 and E7 from beta HPV38 cooperate with ultraviolet light in the development of actinic keratosis-like lesions and squamous cell carcinoma in mice.

Cutaneous beta human papillomavirus (HPV) types appear to be involved in the development of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC); however, it is not entirely clear whether they play a direct role. We have previously shown that E6 and E7 oncoproteins from the beta HPV type 38 display transforming activities in several experimental models. To evaluate the possible contribution of HPV38 in a proliferative tissue compartment during carcinogenesis, we generated a new transgenic mouse model (Tg) where HPV38 E6 and E7 are expressed in the undifferentiated basal layer of epithelia under the control of the Keratin 14 (K14) promoter. Viral oncogene expression led to increased cellular proliferation in the epidermis of the Tg animals in comparison to the wild-type littermates. Although no spontaneous formation of tumours was observed during the lifespan of the K14 HPV38 E6/E7-Tg mice, they were highly susceptible to 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA)/12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) two-stage chemical carcinogenesis. In addition, when animals were exposed to ultraviolet light (UV) irradiation, we observed that accumulation of p21(WAF1) and cell-cycle arrest were significantly alleviated in the skin of Tg mice as compared to wild-type controls. Most importantly, chronic UV irradiation of Tg mice induced the development of actinic keratosis-like lesions, which are considered in humans as precursors of squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), and subsequently of SCC in a significant proportion of the animals. In contrast, wild-type animals subjected to identical treatments did not develop any type of skin lesions. Thus, the oncoproteins E6 and E7 from beta HPV38 significantly contribute to SCC development in the skin rendering keratinocytes more susceptible to UV-induced carcinogenesis.

Microdeletions within the hydrophobic core region of cellular prion protein alter its topology and metabolism.

The cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) is a GPI-anchored cell-surface protein. A small subset of PrP(C) molecules, however, can be integrated into the ER-membrane via a transmembrane domain (TM), which also harbors the most highly conserved regions of PrP(C), termed the hydrophobic core (HC). A mutation in HC is associated with prion disease resulting in an enhanced formation of a transmembrane form ((Ctm)PrP), which has thus been postulated to be a neurotoxic molecule besides PrP(Sc). To elucidate a possible physiological function of the transmembrane domain, we created a set of mutants carrying microdeletions of 2-8 aminoacids within HC between position 114 and 121. Here, we show that these mutations display reduced propensity for transmembrane topology. In addition, the mutants exhibited alterations in the formation of the C1 proteolytic fragment, which is generated by alpha-cleavage during normal PrP(C) metabolism, indicating that HC might function as recognition site for the protease(s) responsible for PrP(C) alpha-cleavage. Interestingly, the mutant G113V, corresponding to a hereditary form of prion disease in humans, displayed increased (Ctm)PrP topology and decreased alpha-cleavage in our in vitro assay. In conclusion, HC represents an essential determinant for transmembrane PrP topology, whereas the high evolutionary conservation of this region is rather based upon preservation of PrP(C) alpha-cleavage, thus highlighting the biological importance of this cleavage.

A caveat in mouse genetic engineering: ectopic gene targeting in ES cells by bidirectional extension of the homology arms of a gene replacement vector carrying human PARP-1.

Here we report an approach to generate a knock-in mouse model using an 'ends-out' gene replacement vector to substitute the murine Parp-1 (mParp-1) coding sequence (32 kb) with its human orthologous sequence (46 kb). Unexpectedly, examination of mutant ES cell clones and mice revealed that site-specific homologous recombination was mimicked in three independently generated ES cell clones by bidirectional extension of the vector homology arms using the endogenous mParp-1-flanking sequences as templates. This was followed by adjacent integration of the targeting vector, thus leaving the endogenous mParp-1 locus functional. A related phenomenon termed 'ectopic gene targeting' has so far only been described for 'ends-in' integration-type vectors in non-ES cell gene targeting. We provide reliable techniques to detect such ectopic gene targeting which represents an unexpected caveat in mouse genetic engineering that should be considered in the design and validation strategy of future gene knock-in approaches.

Germ line transmission and expression of an RNAi cassette in mice generated by a lentiviral vector system.

We have used a lentiviral delivery system (LentiLox3.7) to generate transgenic mice harbouring RNA interference (RNAi) against the hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 gamma (HNF4gamma). HNF4gamma is a nuclear receptor with unknown function. Our analyses performed on founder (F(0)) and first generation (F(1)) mice revealed mosaicism in F(0) founders and a low efficiency of transgenesis (6%) in F(1) mice. These data, together with the observation of multiple silenced transgenes, do not favour the use of LentiLox3.7 lentivirus for transgenesis. Despite the low efficiency of transgenesis, we achieved a tissue-dependent knockdown of HNF4gamma expression in some mice.

Lethal recessive myelin toxicity of prion protein lacking its central domain.

PrP(C)-deficient mice expressing prion protein variants with large amino-proximal deletions (termed PrP(DeltaF)) suffer from neurodegeneration, which is rescued by full-length PrP(C). We now report that expression of PrP(DeltaCD), a PrP variant lacking 40 central residues (94-134), induces a rapidly progressive, lethal phenotype with extensive central and peripheral myelin degeneration. This phenotype was rescued dose-dependently by coexpression of full-length PrP(C) or PrP(C) lacking all octarepeats. Expression of a PrP(C) variant lacking eight residues (114-121) was innocuous in the presence or absence of full-length PrP(C), yet enhanced the toxicity of PrP(DeltaCD) and diminished that of PrP(DeltaF). Therefore, deletion of the entire central domain generates a strong recessive-negative mutant of PrP(C), whereas removal of residues 114-121 creates a partial agonist with context-dependent action. These findings suggest that myelin integrity is maintained by a constitutively active neurotrophic protein complex involving PrP(C), whose effector domain encompasses residues 94-134.

Skin hyperproliferation and susceptibility to chemical carcinogenesis in transgenic mice expressing E6 and E7 of human papillomavirus type 38.

The oncoproteins E6 and E7 of human papillomavirus type 38 (HPV38) display several transforming activities in vitro, including immortalization of primary human keratinocytes. To evaluate the oncogenic activities of the viral proteins in an in vivo model, we generated transgenic mice expressing HPV38 E6 and E7 under the control of the bovine homologue of the human keratin 10 (K10) promoter. Two distinct lines of HPV38 E6/E7-expressing transgenic mice that express the viral genes at different levels were obtained. In both lines, HPV38 E6 and E7 induced cellular proliferation, hyperplasia, and dysplasia in the epidermis. The rate of occurrence of these events was proportional to the levels of HPV38 E6 and E7 expression in the two transgenic lines. Exposure of the epidermis of nontransgenic mice to UV led to p21WAF1 accumulation and cell cycle arrest. In contrast, keratinocytes from transgenic mice continued to proliferate and were not positive for p21WAF1, indicating that cell cycle checkpoints are altered in keratinocytes expressing the viral genes. Although the HPV38 E6/E7-expressing transgenic mice did not develop spontaneous tumors during their life span, two-stage carcinogen treatment led to a high incidence of papillomas, keratoacanthomas, and squamous-cell carcinomas in HPV38 mice compared with nontransgenic animals. Together, these data show that HPV38 E6 and E7 display transforming properties in vivo, providing further support for the role of HPV38 in carcinogenesis.