TCFL5 deficiency impairs the pachytene to diplotene transition during spermatogenesis in the mouse.

Spermatogenesis is a complex, multistep process during which spermatogonia give rise to spermatozoa. Transcription Factor Like 5 (TCFL5) is a transcription factor that has been described expressed during spermatogenesis. In order to decipher the role of TCFL5 during in vivo spermatogenesis, we generated two mouse models. Ubiquitous removal of TCFL5 generated by breeding TCFL5fl/fl with SOX2-Cre mice resulted in sterile males being unable to produce spermatozoa due to a dramatic alteration of the testis architecture presenting meiosis arrest and lack of spermatids. SYCP3, SYCP1 and H1T expression analysis showed that TCFL5 deficiency causes alterations during pachytene/diplotene transition resulting in a meiotic arrest in a diplotene-like stage. Even more, TCFL5 deficient pachytene showed alterations in the number of MLH1 foci and the condensation of the sexual body. In addition, tamoxifen-inducible TCFL5 knockout mice showed, besides meiosis phenotype, alterations in the spermatids elongation process resulting in aberrant spermatids. Furthermore, TCFL5 deficiency increased spermatogonia maintenance genes (Dalz, Sox2, and Dmrt1) but also increased meiosis genes (Syce1, Stag3, and Morc2a) suggesting that the synaptonemal complex forms well, but cannot separate and meiosis does not proceed. TCFL5 is able to bind to the promoter of Syce1, Stag3, Dmrt1, and Syce1 suggesting a direct control of their expression. In conclusion, TCFL5 plays an essential role in spermatogenesis progression being indispensable for meiosis resolution and spermatids maturation.

Isoform-specific effects of transcription factor TCFL5 on the pluripotency-related genes SOX2 and KLF4 in colorectal cancer development.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a very common life-threatening malignancy. Transcription factor-like 5 (TCFL5) has been suggested to be involved in CRC. Here, we describe the expression of four alternative transcripts of TCFL5 and their relevance in CRC. Complete deletion of all isoforms drastically decreased pro-tumoural properties such as spheroids formation and in vivo tumour growth, although increased migration in CRC cell lines. Overexpression of the two main isoforms, TCFL5_E8 and CHA, had opposite effects: TCFL5_E8 reduced proliferation and spheroids formation, while CHA increased them. TCFL5_E8 reduced in vivo tumour formation, while CHA had no effect. In addition, TCFL5_E8 and CHA have different roles in the regulation of the pluripotency-related genes SOX2 and KLF4. Both isoforms bind directly to their promoters; however, TCFL5_E8 induced SOX2 and reduced KLF4 mRNA levels, whereas CHA did the opposite. Together, our results show that TCFL5 plays an important role in the development of CRC, being however isoform-specific. This work also points to the need to analyse separately TCFL5 isoforms in cancer, due to their different and opposite functions.

Autoantibodies against the immunodominant sCha epitope discriminate the risk of sudden death in chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy.

In Chagas disease (ChD) caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, new biomarkers to predict chronic cardiac pathology are urgently needed. Previous studies in chagasic patients with mild symptomatology showed that antibodies against the immunodominant R3 epitope of sCha, a fragment of the human basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor like 5, correlated with cardiac pathology. To validate sCha as a biomarker and to understand the origin of anti-sCha antibodies, we conducted a multicenter study with several cohorts of chagasic patients with severe cardiac symptomatology. We found that levels of antibodies against sCha discriminated the high risk of sudden death, indicating they could be useful for ChD prognosis. We investigated the origin of the antibodies and performed an alanine scan of the R3 epitope. We identified a minimal epitope MRQLD, and a BLAST search retrieved several T. cruzi antigens. Five of the hits had known or putative functions, of which phosphonopyruvate decarboxylase showed the highest cross-reactivity with sCha, confirming the role of molecular mimicry in the development of anti-sCha antibodies. Altogether, we demonstrate that the development of antibodies against sCha, which originated by molecular mimicry with T. cruzi antigens, could discriminate electrocardiographic alterations associated with a high risk of sudden death.

DUSP10 Is a Regulator of YAP1 Activity Promoting Cell Proliferation and Colorectal Cancer Progression.

Cell contact inhibition (CCI) is deregulated in cancer. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide. We found that dual-specificity phosphatase 10 (DUSP10) is involved in CRC. DUSP10 overexpression increased the growth of CRC cell lines and mouse xenografts, while the opposite phenotype was observed by DUSP10 silencing. High cell density (HD) induced DUSP10 expression in CRC cell lines, particularly within the nucleus. Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) is activated by dephosphorylation, controlling organ growth and CCI, both processes being deregulated in CRC. Expression levels and localization of DUSP10 matched with YAP1 levels in CRC cell lines. DUSP10 and YAP1 co-immunoprecipitated and their interaction was dependent on YAP1 Ser397. The existence of DUSP10 and YAP1 pathway in vivo was confirmed by using a transgenic Drosophila model. Finally, in CRC patients' samples, high levels of nuclear DUSP10 correlated with nuclear YAP1 in epithelial tumor tissue. Strong nuclear DUSP10 staining also correlated with high tumor stage and poor survival. Overall, these findings describe a DUSP10-YAP1 molecular link in CRC cell lines promoting cell growth in HD. We present evidence suggesting a pro-tumorigenic role of nuclear DUSP10 expression in CRC patients.

Prostaglandins induce early growth response 1 transcription factor mediated microsomal prostaglandin E2 synthase up-regulation for colorectal cancer progression.

Cyclooxygenase2 (COX2) has been associated with cell growth, invasiveness, tumor progression and metastasis of colorectal carcinomas. However, the downstream prostaglandin (PG)-PG receptor pathway involved in these effects is poorly characterized.We studied the PG-pathway in gene expression databases and we found that PTGS2 (prostaglandin G/H synthase and cyclooxygenase) and PTGES (prostaglandin E synthase) are co-expressed in human colorectal tumors. Moreover, we detected that COX2 and microsomal Prostaglandin E2 synthase 1 (mPGES1) proteins are both up-regulated in colorectal human tumor biopsies.Using colon carcinoma cell cultures we found that COX2 overexpression significantly increased mPGES1 mRNA and protein. This up-regulation was due to an increase in early growth response 1 (EGR1) levels and its transcriptional activity. EGR1 was induced by COX2-generated PGF2α. A PGF2α receptor antagonist, or EGR1 silencing, inhibited the mPGES1 induction by COX2 overexpression. Moreover, using immunodeficient mice, we also demonstrated that both COX2- and mPGES1-overexpressing carcinoma cells were more efficient forming tumors.Our results describe for the first time the molecular pathway correlating PTGS2 and PTGES in colon cancer progression. We demonstrated that in this pathway mPGES1 is induced by COX2 overexpression, via autocrine PGs release, likely PGF2α, through an EGR1-dependent mechanism. This signaling provides a molecular explanation to PTGS2 and PTGES association and contribute to colon cancer advance, pointing out novel potential therapeutic targets in this oncological context.