ERN1 knockdown modifies the hypoxic regulation of homeobox gene expression in U87MG glioblastoma cells.

OBJECTIVE.: Homeobox genes play an important role in health and disease including oncogenesis. The present investigation aimed to study ERN1-dependent hypoxic regulation of the expression of genes encoding homeobox proteins MEIS (zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 2) and LIM homeobox 1 family, SPAG4 (sperm associated antigen 4) and NKX3-1 (NK3 homeobox 1) in U87MG glioblastoma cells in response to inhibition of ERN1 (endoplasmic reticulum to nucleus signaling 1) for evaluation of their possible significance in the control of glioblastoma growth. METHODS.: The expression level of homeobox genes was studied in control (transfected by vector) and ERN1 knockdown U87MG glioblastoma cells under hypoxia induced by dimethyloxalylglycine (0.5 mM for 4 h) by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and normalized to ACTB. RESULTS.: It was found that hypoxia down-regulated the expression level of LHX2, LHX6, MEIS2, and NKX3-1 genes but up-regulated the expression level of MEIS1, LHX1, MEIS3, and SPAG4 genes in control glioblastoma cells. At the same time, ERN1 knockdown of glioblastoma cells significantly modified the sensitivity of all studied genes to a hypoxic condition. Thus, ERN1 knockdown of glioblastoma cells removed the effect of hypoxia on the expression of MEIS1 and LHX1 genes, but increased the sensitivity of MEIS2, LHX2, and LHX6 genes to hypoxia. However, the expression of MEIS3, NKX3-1, and SPAG4 genes had decreased sensitivity to hypoxia in ERN1 knockdown glioblastoma cells. Moreover, more pronounced changes under the conditions of ERN1 inhibition were detected for the pro-oncogenic gene SPAG4. CONCLUSION.: The results of the present study demonstrate that hypoxia affected the expression of homeobox genes MEIS1, MEIS2, MEIS3, LHX1, LHX2, LHX6, SPAG4, and NKX3-1 in U87MG glioblastoma cells in gene-specific manner and that the sensitivity of all studied genes to hypoxia condition is mediated by ERN1, the major pathway of the endoplasmic reticulum stress signaling, and possibly contributed to the control of glioblastoma growth. A fundamentally new results of this work is the establishment of the fact regarding the dependence of hypoxic regulation of SPAG4 gene expression on ER stress, in particular ERN1, which is associated with suppression of cell proliferation and tumor growth.

Inhibition of signaling protein ERN1 increases the sensitivity of serine synthesis gene expressions to glucose and glutamine deprivations in U87MG glioblastoma cells.

Objective. Glucose and glutamine supply as well as serine synthesis and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress are important factors of glioblastoma growth. Previous studies showed that the knockdown of ERN1 (ER to nucleus signaling 1) suppressed glioblastoma cell proliferation and modified the sensitivity of numerous gene expressions to nutrient deprivations. The present study is aimed to investigate the impact of glucose and glutamine deprivations on the expression of serine synthesis genes in U87MG glioblastoma cells in relation to ERN1 knockdown with the intent to reveal the role of ERN1 signaling pathway on the ER stress-dependent regulation of these gene expressions. Clarification of the regulatory mechanisms of serine synthesis is a great significance for glioblastoma therapy. Methods. The control U87MG glioblastoma cells (transfected by empty vector) and ERN1 knockdown cells (transfected by dominant-negative ERN1) were exposed under glucose and glutamine deprivation conditions for 16 h. RNA was extracted from cells and reverse transcribed. The expression level of PHGDH (phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase), PSAT1 (phosphoserine amino-transferase 1), PSPH (phosphoserine phosphatase), ATF4 (activating transcription factor 4), and SHMT1 (serine hydroxymethyltransferase 1) genes was studied by real-time qPCR and normalized to ACTB. Results. It was found that the expression level of genes responsible for serine synthesis such as PHGDH, PSAT1, PSPH, and transcription factor ATF4 was up-regulated in U87MG glioblastoma cells under glucose and glutamine deprivations. Furthermore, inhibition of ERN1 significantly enhances the impact of glucose and especially glutamine deprivations on these gene expressions. At the same time, the expression of the SHMT1 gene, which is responsible for serine conversion to glycine, was down-regulated in both nutrient deprivation conditions with more significant changes in ERN1 knockdown glioblastoma cells. Conclusion. Taken together, the results of present study indicate that the expression of genes responsible for serine synthesis is sensitive to glucose and glutamine deprivations in gene-specific manner and that suppression of ERN1 signaling significantly modifies the impact of both glucose and glutamine deprivations on PHGDH, PSAT1, PSPH, ATF4, and SHMT1 gene expressions and reflects the ERN1-mediated genome reprograming introduced by nutrient deprivation condition.

Expression of DNAJB9 and some other genes is more sensitive to SWCNTs in normal human astrocytes than glioblastoma cells.

Objective. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are considered to be one of the nanomaterials attractive for biomedical applications, particularly in the health sciences as imaging probes and drug carriers, especially in the field of cancer therapy. The increasing exploitation of nanotubes necessitates a comprehensive evaluation of the potential impact of these nanomaterials, which purposefully accumulate in the cell nucleus, on the human health and the function of the genome in the normal and tumor tissues. The aim of this study was to investigate the sensitivity of the expression of DNAJB9 and some other genes associated with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and cell proliferation to low doses of SWCNTs in normal human astrocytes (NHA/TS) and glioblastoma cells (U87MG) with and without an inhibition of ERN1 signaling pathway of the ER stress. Methods. Normal human astrocytes, line NHA/TS and U87 glioblastoma cells stable transfected by empty vector or dnERN1 (dominant-negative construct of ERN1) were exposed to low doses of SWCNTs (2 and 8 ng/ml) for 24 h. RNA was extracted from the cells and used for cDNA synthesis. The expression levels of DNAJB9, TOB1, BRCA1, DDX58, TFPI2, CLU, and P4HA2 mRNAs were measured by a quantitative polymerase chain reaction and normalized to ACTB mRNA. Results. It was found that the low doses of SWCNTs up-regulated the expression of DNAJB9, TOB1, BRCA1, DDX58, TFPI2, CLU, and P4HA2 genes in normal human astrocytes in dose-dependent (2 and 8 ng/ml) and gene-specific manner. These nanotubes also increased the expression of most studied genes in control (transfected by empty vector) U87 glioblastoma cells, but with much lesser extent than in NHA/TS. However, the expression of CLU gene in control U87 glioblastoma cells treated with SWCNTs was down-regulated in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the expression of TOB1 and P4HA2 genes did not significantly change in these glioblastoma cells treated by lower dose of SWCNTs only. At the same time, inhibition of ERN1 signaling pathway of ER stress in U87 glioblastoma cells led mainly to a stronger resistance of DNAJB9, TOB1, BRCA1, DDX58, TFPI2, and P4HA2 gene expression to both doses of SWCNTs. Conclusion. The data obtained demonstrate that the low doses of SWCNTs disturbed the genome functions by changing the levels of key regulatory gene expressions in gene-specific and dose-dependent manner, but their impact was much stronger in the normal human astrocytes in comparison with the tumor cells. It is possible that ER stress, which is constantly present in tumor cells and responsible for multiple resistances, also created a partial resistance to the SWCNTs action. Low doses of SWCNTs induced more pronounced changes in the expression of diverse genes in the normal human astrocytes compared to glioblastoma cells indicating for a possible both genotoxic and neurotoxic effects with a greater extent in the normal cells.

Expression of IDE and PITRM1 genes in ERN1 knockdown U87 glioma cells: effect of hypoxia and glucose deprivation.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present investigation was to study the expression of genes encoding polyfunctional proteins insulinase (insulin degrading enzyme, IDE) and pitrilysin metallopeptidase 1 (PITRM1) in U87 glioma cells in response to inhibition of endoplasmic reticulum stress signaling mediated by ERN1/IRE1 (endoplasmic reticulum to nucleus signaling 1) for evaluation of their possible significance in the control of metabolism through ERN1 signaling as well as hypoxia, glucose and glutamine deprivations. METHODS: The expression level of IDE and PITRM1 genes was studied in control and ERN1 knockdown U87 glioma cells under glucose and glutamine deprivations as well as hypoxia by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: It was found that the expression level of IDE and PITRM1 genes was down-regulated in ERN1 knockdown (without ERN1 protein kinase and endoribonuclease activity) glioma cells in comparison with the control glioma cells, being more significant for PITRM1 gene. We also found up-regulation of microRNA MIR7-2 and MIRLET7A2, which have specific binding sites in 3'-untranslated region of IDE and PITRM1 mRNAs, correspondingly, and can participate in posttranscriptional regulation of these mRNA expressions. Only inhibition of ERN1 endoribonuclease did not change significantly the expression of IDE and PITRM1 genes in glioma cells. The expression of IDE and PITRM1 genes is preferentially regulated by ERN1 protein kinase. We also showed that hypoxia down-regulated the expression of IDE and PITRM1 genes and that knockdown of ERN1 signaling enzyme function modified the response of these gene expressions to hypoxia. Glucose deprivation increased the expression level of IDE and PITRM1 genes, but ERN1 knockdown enhanced only the effect of glucose deprivation on PITRM1 gene expression. Glutamine deprivation did not affect the expression of IDE gene in both types of glioma cells, but up-regulated PITRM1 gene and this up-regulation was stronger in ERN1 knockdown cells. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this investigation demonstrate that ERN1 knockdown significantly decreases the expression of IDE and PITRM1 genes by ERN1 protein kinase mediated mechanism. The expression of both studied genes was sensitive to hypoxia as well as glucose deprivation and dependent on ERN1 signaling in gene-specific manner. It is possible that the level of these genes expression under hypoxia and glucose deprivation is a result of complex interaction of variable endoplasmic reticulum stress related and unrelated regulatory factors and contributed to the control of the cell metabolism.