The SMYD3 methyltransferase promotes myogenesis by activating the myogenin regulatory network.

The coordinated expression of myogenic regulatory factors, including MyoD and myogenin, orchestrates the steps of skeletal muscle development, from myoblast proliferation and cell-cycle exit, to myoblast fusion and myotubes maturation. Yet, it remains unclear how key transcription factors and epigenetic enzymes cooperate to guide myogenic differentiation. Proteins of the SMYD (SET and MYND domain-containing) methyltransferase family participate in cardiac and skeletal myogenesis during development in zebrafish, Drosophila and mice. Here, we show that the mammalian SMYD3 methyltransferase coordinates skeletal muscle differentiation in vitro. Overexpression of SMYD3 in myoblasts promoted muscle differentiation and myoblasts fusion. Conversely, silencing of endogenous SMYD3 or its pharmacological inhibition impaired muscle differentiation. Genome-wide transcriptomic analysis of murine myoblasts, with silenced or overexpressed SMYD3, revealed that SMYD3 impacts skeletal muscle differentiation by targeting the key muscle regulatory factor myogenin. The role of SMYD3 in the regulation of skeletal muscle differentiation and myotube formation, partially via the myogenin transcriptional network, highlights the importance of methyltransferases in mammalian myogenesis.

Secreted parasite Pin1 isomerase stabilizes host PKM2 to reprogram host cell metabolism.

Metabolic reprogramming is an important feature of host-pathogen interactions and a hallmark of tumorigenesis. The intracellular apicomplexa parasite Theileria induces a Warburg-like effect in host leukocytes by hijacking signaling machineries, epigenetic regulators and transcriptional programs to create a transformed cell state. The molecular mechanisms underlying host cell transformation are unclear. Here we show that a parasite-encoded prolyl-isomerase, TaPin1, stabilizes host pyruvate kinase isoform M2 (PKM2) leading to HIF-1α-dependent regulation of metabolic enzymes, glucose uptake and transformed phenotypes in parasite-infected cells. Our results provide a direct molecular link between the secreted parasite TaPin1 protein and host gene expression programs. This study demonstrates the importance of prolyl isomerization in the parasite manipulation of host metabolism.

OncomiR addiction is generated by a miR-155 feedback loop in Theileria-transformed leukocytes.

The intracellular parasite Theileria is the only eukaryote known to transform its mammalian host cells. We investigated the host mechanisms involved in parasite-induced transformation phenotypes. Tumour progression is a multistep process, yet 'oncogene addiction' implies that cancer cell growth and survival can be impaired by inactivating a single gene, offering a rationale for targeted molecular therapies. Furthermore, feedback loops often act as key regulatory hubs in tumorigenesis. We searched for microRNAs involved in addiction to regulatory loops in leukocytes infected with Theileria parasites. We show that Theileria transformation involves induction of the host bovine oncomiR miR-155, via the c-Jun transcription factor and AP-1 activity. We identified a novel miR-155 target, DET1, an evolutionarily-conserved factor involved in c-Jun ubiquitination. We show that miR-155 expression led to repression of DET1 protein, causing stabilization of c-Jun and driving the promoter activity of the BIC transcript containing miR-155. This positive feedback loop is critical to maintain the growth and survival of Theileria-infected leukocytes; transformation is reversed by inhibiting AP-1 activity or miR-155 expression. This is the first demonstration that Theileria parasites induce the expression of host non-coding RNAs and highlights the importance of a novel feedback loop in maintaining the proliferative phenotypes induced upon parasite infection. Hence, parasite infection drives epigenetic rewiring of the regulatory circuitry of host leukocytes, placing miR-155 at the crossroads between infection, regulatory circuits and transformation.

SMYD3 promotes cancer invasion by epigenetic upregulation of the metalloproteinase MMP-9.

Upregulation of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 plays a central role in tumor progression and metastasis by stimulating cell migration, tumor invasion, and angiogenesis. To gain insights into MMP-9 expression, we investigated its epigenetic control in a reversible model of cancer that is initiated by infection with intracellular Theileria parasites. Gene induction by parasite infection was associated with trimethylation of histone H3K4 (H3K4me3) at the MMP-9 promoter. Notably, we found that the H3K4 methyltransferase SMYD3 was the only histone methyltransferase upregulated upon infection. SMYD3 is overexpressed in many types of cancer cells, but its contributions to malignant pathophysiology are unclear. We found that overexpression of SMYD3 was sufficient to induce MMP-9 expression in transformed leukocytes and fibrosarcoma cells and that proinflammatory phorbol esters further enhanced this effect. Furthermore, SMYD3 was sufficient to increase cell migration associated with MMP-9 expression. In contrast, RNA interference-mediated knockdown of SMYD3 decreased H3K4me3 modification of the MMP-9 promoter, reduced MMP-9 expression, and reduced tumor cell proliferation. Furthermore, SMYD3 knockdown also reduced cellular invasion in a zebrafish xenograft model of cancer. Together, our results define SMYD3 as an important new regulator of MMP-9 transcription, and they provide a molecular link between SMYD3 overexpression and metastatic cancer progression.

Overexpression of methionine sulfoxide reductases A and B2 protects MOLT-4 cells against zinc-induced oxidative stress.

Among the amino acids, methionine is the most susceptible to oxidation, and methionine sulfoxide can be catalytically reduced within proteins by methionine sulfoxide reductase A (MsrA) and B (MsrB). As one of the very few repair systems for oxidized proteins, MsrA and MsrB enzymes play a major role in protein homeostasis during aging and have also been involved in cellular defenses against oxidative stress, by scavenging reactive oxygen species. To elucidate the role of zinc on the Msr system, the effects of zinc treatment on control and stably overexpressing MsrA and MsrB2 MOLT-4 leukemia cells have been analyzed. Here we show that zinc treatment has a pro-antioxidant effect in MOLT-4 cells by inducing the transcription of metallothioneins and positively modulating the activity of the Msr enzymes. In contrast, due to its pro-oxidant effect, zinc also led to increased cell death, reactive oxygen species production, and protein damage. Our results indicate that overexpression of the Msr enzymes, due to their antioxidant properties, counteracts the pro-oxidant effects of zinc treatment, which lead to a cellular protection against protein oxidative damage and cell death, by reducing the production of reactive oxygen species.

Overexpression of mitochondrial methionine sulfoxide reductase B2 protects leukemia cells from oxidative stress-induced cell death and protein damage.

According to the mitochondrial theory of aging, mitochondrial dysfunction increases intracellular reactive oxidative species production, leading to the oxidation of macromolecules and ultimately to cell death. In this study, we investigated the role of the mitochondrial methionine sulfoxide reductase B2 in the protection against oxidative stress. We report, for the first time, that overexpression of methionine sulfoxide reductase B2 in mitochondria of acute T-lymphoblastic leukemia MOLT-4 cell line, in which methionine sulfoxide reductase A is missing, markedly protects against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress by scavenging reactive oxygen species. The addition of hydrogen peroxide provoked a time-gradual increase of intracellular reactive oxygen species, leading to a loss in mitochondrial membrane potential and to protein carbonyl accumulation, whereas in methionine sulfoxide reductase B2-overexpressing cells, intracellular reactive oxygen species and protein oxidation remained low with the mitochondrial membrane potential highly maintained. Moreover, in these cells, delayed apoptosis was shown by a decrease in the cleavage of the apoptotic marker poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 and by the lower percentage of Annexin-V-positive cells in the late and early apoptotic stages. We also provide evidence for the protective mechanism of methionine sulfoxide reductase B2 against protein oxidative damages. Our results emphasize that upon oxidative stress, the overexpression of methionine sulfoxide reductase B2 leads to the preservation of mitochondrial integrity by decreasing the intracellular reactive oxygen species build-up through its scavenging role, hence contributing to cell survival and protein maintenance.

Zinc supplementation in the elderly subjects: effect on oxidized protein degradation and repair systems in peripheral blood lymphocytes.

Aging has been associated with zinc deficiency, leading to chronic inflammation and subsequent oxidative stress, especially in the immune system. The increased oxidative stress provokes the accumulation of oxidized proteins, raising the problem of the efficacy of intracellular protein maintenance systems responsible for the elimination of oxidatively modified proteins. Our objective was to analyse the effect of zinc supplementation in the elderly on protein maintenance in peripheral blood lymphocytes. The status of the proteasome, which is in charge of oxidized protein degradation and the repair enzymes peptide methionine sulfoxide reductases, which can reverse methionine oxidation in proteins, were analysed on peripheral blood lymphocytes collected from 20 elderly subjects (age range between 59 and 85 years old) before and after zinc supplementation (10mg of zinc per day for 48+/-2 days). A decrease of oxidized protein content in zinc supplemented subjects was observed and was associated with an increase of expression levels and/or activities of proteasome and methionine sulfoxide reductases. Our results indicate that zinc treatment could enhance the anti-oxidative defences of peripheral blood lymphocytes by increasing the activities of protein maintenance systems responsible for the elimination of oxidatively modified proteins.

Alterations in mitochondrial and cytosolic methionine sulfoxide reductase activity during cardiac ischemia and reperfusion.

During cardiac ischemia/reperfusion, proteins are targets of reactive oxygen species produced by the mitochondrial respiratory chain resulting in the accumulation of oxidatively modified protein. Sulfur-containing amino acids are among the most sensitive to oxidation. Certain cysteine and methionine oxidation products can be reversed back to their reduced form within proteins by specific repair enzymes. Oxidation of methionine in protein produces methionine-S-sulfoxide and methionine-R-sulfoxide that can be catalytically reduced by two stereospecific enzymes, methionine sulfoxide reductases A and B, respectively. Due to the importance of the methionine sulfoxide reductase system in the maintenance of protein structure and function during conditions of oxidative stress, the fate of this system during ischemia/reperfusion was investigated. Mitochondrial and cytosolic methionine sulfoxide reductase activities are decreased during ischemia and at early times of reperfusion, respectively. Partial recovery of enzyme activity was observed upon extended periods of reperfusion. Evidence indicates that loss in activity is not due to a decrease in the level of MsrA but may involve structural modification of the enzyme.

Overexpression of MsrA protects WI-38 SV40 human fibroblasts against H2O2-mediated oxidative stress.

Proteins are modified by reactive oxygen species, and oxidation of specific amino acid residues can impair their biological functions, leading to an alteration in cellular homeostasis. Oxidized proteins can be eliminated through either degradation or repair. Repair is limited to the reversion of a few modifications such as the reduction of methionine oxidation by the methionine sulfoxide reductase (Msr) system. However, accumulation of oxidized proteins occurs during aging, replicative senescence, or neurological disorders or after an oxidative stress, while Msr activity is impaired. In order to more precisely analyze the relationship between oxidative stress, protein oxidative damage, and MsrA, we stably overexpressed MsrA full-length cDNA in SV40 T antigen-immortalized WI-38 human fibroblasts. We report here that MsrA-overexpressing cells are more resistant than control cells to hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress, but not to ultraviolet A irradiation. This MsrA-mediated resistance is accompanied by a decrease in intracellular reactive oxygen species and is partially abolished when cells are cultivated at suboptimal concentration of methionine. These results indicate that MsrA may play an important role in cellular defenses against oxidative stress, by catalytic removal of oxidant through the reduction of methionine sulfoxide, and in protection against death by limiting, at least in part, the accumulation of oxidative damage to proteins.

Age-related impairment of mitochondrial matrix aconitase and ATP-stimulated protease in rat liver and heart.

Mitochondrial matrix proteins are sensitive to oxidative inactivation, and oxidized proteins are known to accumulate during ageing. The Lon protease is believed to play an important role in the degradation of oxidized matrix proteins such as oxidized aconitase. We reported previously that an age-related accumulation of altered proteins occurs in the liver matrix of rats and that the ATP-stimulated proteolytic activity, referred as to Lon-like protease activity, decreases considerably in 27 month-old rats, whereas no concomitant changes in the levels of Lon protein expression occur in the liver. Here, we report that this decline is associated with a decrease in the activity of aconitase, an essential Krebs' cycle enzyme. Contrary to what we observed in the liver, the ATP-stimulated protease activity was found to remain constant in the heart mitochondrial matrix during ageing, and the levels of expression of the Lon protease increased in the older animals in comparison with the younger ones. Although the ATP-stimulated protease activity remained practically the same in older animals as in younger ones, a decrease in the level of aconitase activity was still observed. Altogether, these results indicate that matrix proteins, such as the critical enzymes aconitase and Lon protease, are inactivated with ageing and that the effects of ageing vary from one organ to another.

Enzymatic reactions involved in the repair of oxidized proteins.

Proteins are the targets of reactive oxygen species, and cell aging is characterized by a build-up of oxidized proteins. Oxidized proteins tend to accumulate with age, due to either an increase in the rate of protein oxidation, a decrease in the rate of oxidized protein repair and degradation, or a combination of both mechanisms. Oxidized protein degradation is mainly carried out by the proteasomal system, which is the main intracellular proteolytic pathway involved in protein turnover and the elimination of damaged proteins. However, part of the oxidative damage to cysteine and methionine residues, two amino acids which are highly susceptible to oxidation, can be repaired by various enzymatic systems that catalyze the reduction of cysteine disulfide bridge, cysteine-sulfenic and -sulfinic acids as well as methionine sulfoxide. The aim of this review is to describe these enzymatic oxidized protein repair systems and their potential involvement in the decline of protein maintenance associated with aging, focusing in particular on the methionine sulfoxide reductases system.

The peptide methionine sulfoxide reductases, MsrA and MsrB (hCBS-1), are downregulated during replicative senescence of human WI-38 fibroblasts.

In contrast to other oxidative modifications of amino acids, methionine sulfoxide can be enzymatically reduced back to methionine in proteins by the peptide methionine sulfoxide reductase system, composed of MsrA and MsrB. The expression of MsrA and one member of the MsrB family, hCBS-1, was analyzed during replicative senescence of WI-38 human fibroblasts. Gene expression decreased for both enzymes in senescent cells compared to young cells, and this decline was associated with an alteration in catalytic activity and the accumulation of oxidized proteins during senescence. These results suggest that downregulation of MsrA and hCBS-1 can alter the ability of senescent cells to cope with oxidative stress, hence contributing to the age-related accumulation of oxidative damage.