IGF1R inhibition in mammary epithelia promotes canonical Wnt signaling and Wnt1-driven tumors.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive disease subtype that, unlike other subtypes, lacks an effective targeted therapy. Inhibitors of the insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF1R) have been considered for use in treating TNBC. Here, we provide genetic evidence that IGF1R inhibition promotes development of Wnt1-mediated murine mammary tumors that offer a model of TNBC. We found that in a double transgenic mouse model carrying activated Wnt1 and mutant Igf1r, a reduction in IGF1R signaling reduced tumor latency and promoted more aggressive phenotypes. These tumors displayed a squamous phenotype with increased expression of keratins 5/6 and ß-catenin. Notably, cell lineage analyses revealed an increase in basal (CD29(hi)/CD24(+)) and luminal (CD24(+)/CD61+/CD29(lo)) progenitor cell populations, along with increased Nanog expression and decreased Elf5 expression. In these doubly transgenic mice, lung metastases developed with characteristics of the primary tumors, unlike MMTV-Wnt1 mice. Mechanistic investigations showed that pharmacologic inhibition of the IGF1R in vitro was sufficient to increase the tumorsphere-forming efficiency ofMMTV-Wnt1 tumor cells. Tumors from doubly transgenic mice also exhibited an increase in the expression ratio of the IGF-II-sensitive, A isoform of the insulin receptor versus the IR-B isoform, which when stimulated in vitro resulted in enhanced expression of ß-catenin. Overall, our results revealed that in Wnt-driven tumors, an attenuation of IGF1R signaling accelerates tumorigenesis and promotes more aggressive phenotypes with potential implications for understanding TNBC pathobiology and treatment.

The Cdk1 and Ime2 protein kinases trigger exit from meiotic prophase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by inhibiting the Sum1 transcriptional repressor.

The induction of middle meiotic promoters is a key regulatory event in the life cycle of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that controls exit from prophase, meiosis, and spore formation. The Sum1 repressor and Ndt80 activator proteins control middle promoters by binding to overlapping DNA elements. NDT80 is controlled by a tightly regulated middle meiotic promoter through a positive autoregulatory loop and is repressed in vegetative cells by Sum1. It has previously been shown that the meiosis-specific kinase Ime2 promotes the removal of Sum1 from DNA. Here, we show that Sum1 is also regulated by the cyclin-dependent kinase, Cdk1. While sum1 phosphosite mutants that are insensitive to Cdk1 or Ime2 complete meiosis and form spores, a mutant that is insensitive to both Ime2 and Cdk1 (sum1-ci) blocks meiotic development in prophase with an ndt80Delta-like phenotype. Ectopic expression of NDT80 or mutation of a Sum1-binding element in the NDT80 promoter bypasses the sum1-ci block. Hst1 is a NAD(+)-dependent histone deacetylase that is linked to Sum1 by the Rfm1 tethering factor. Deletion of HST1 or RFM1 also bypasses the sum1-ci block. These results demonstrate that Sum1 functions as a key meiotic brake through the NDT80 promoter and that Cdk1 and Ime2 trigger exit from meiotic prophase by inhibiting the Sum1 transcriptional repression complex.

The Ime2 protein kinase enhances the disassociation of the Sum1 repressor from middle meiotic promoters.

Meiotic development in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (sporulation) is controlled by the sequential transcription of temporally distinct sets of meiosis-specific genes. The induction of middle genes controls exit from meiotic prophase, the completion of the nuclear divisions, and spore formation. Middle promoters are controlled through DNA elements termed middle sporulation elements (MSEs) that are bound by the Sum1 repressor during vegetative growth and by the Ndt80 activator during meiosis. It has been proposed that the induction of middle promoters is controlled by competition between Ndt80 and Sum1 for MSE occupancy. Here, we show that the Sum1 repressor can be removed from middle promoters in meiotic cells independent of Ndt80 expression. This process requires the phosphorylation of Sum1 by the meiosis-specific cyclin-dependent kinase-like kinase Ime2. The deletion of HST1, which encodes a Sir2 paralog that interacts with Sum1, bypasses the requirement for this phosphorylation. These findings suggest that in the presence of Ndt80, Sum1 may be displaced from MSEs through a competition-based mechanism but that in the absence of Ndt80, Sum1 is removed from chromatin in a separate pathway requiring the phosphorylation of Sum1 by Ime2 and the inhibition of Hst1.

The Ras/cAMP pathway and the CDK-like kinase Ime2 regulate the MAPK Smk1 and spore morphogenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Meiotic development (sporulation) in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is induced by nutritional deprivation. Smk1 is a meiosis-specific MAP kinase homolog that controls spore morphogenesis after the meiotic divisions have taken place. In this study, recessive mutants that suppress the sporulation defect of a smk1-2 temperature-sensitive hypomorph were isolated. The suppressors are partial function alleles of CDC25 and CYR1, which encode the Ras GDP/GTP exchange factor and adenyl cyclase, respectively, and MDS3, which encodes a kelch-domain protein previously implicated in Ras/cAMP signaling. Deletion of PMD1, which encodes a Mds3 paralog, also suppressed the smk1-2 phenotype, and a mds3-Delta pmd1-Delta double mutant was a more potent suppressor than either single mutant. The mds3-Delta, pmd1-Delta, and mds3-Delta pmd1-Delta mutants also exhibited mitotic Ras/cAMP phenotypes in the same rank order. The effect of Ras/cAMP pathway mutations on the smk1-2 phenotype required the presence of low levels of glucose. Ime2 is a meiosis-specific CDK-like kinase that is inhibited by low levels of glucose via its carboxy-terminal regulatory domain. IME2-DeltaC241, which removes the carboxy-terminal domain of Ime2, exacerbated the smk1-2 spore formation phenotype and prevented cyr1 mutations from suppressing smk1-2. Inhibition of Ime2 in meiotic cells shortly after Smk1 is expressed revealed that Ime2 promotes phosphorylation of Smk1's activation loop. These findings demonstrate that nutrients can negatively regulate Smk1 through the Ras/cAMP pathway and that Ime2 is a key activator of Smk1 signaling.

Arg-Pro-X-Ser/Thr is a consensus phosphoacceptor sequence for the meiosis-specific Ime2 protein kinase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Ime2 is a meiosis-specific protein kinase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae that is functionally related to cyclin-dependent kinase. Although Ime2 regulates multiple steps in meiosis, only a few of its substrates have been identified. Here we show that Ime2 phosphorylates Sum1, a repressor of meiotic gene transcription, on Thr-306. Ime2 protein kinase assays with Sum1 mutants and synthetic peptides define a consensus Arg-Pro-X-Ser/Thr motif that is required for efficient phosphorylation by Ime2. The carboxyl residue adjacent to the phosphoacceptor (+1 position) also influences the efficiency of Ime2 phosphorylation with alanine being a preferred residue. This information has predictive value in identifying new potential Ime2 targets as shown by the ability of Ime2 to phosphorylate Sgs1 and Gip1 in vitro and could be important in differentiating mitotic and meiotic regulatory pathways.

Absence of bacterially induced RELMbeta reduces injury in the dextran sodium sulfate model of colitis.

Although inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is the result of a dysregulated immune response to commensal gut bacteria in genetically predisposed individuals, the mechanism(s) by which bacteria lead to the development of IBD are unknown. Interestingly, deletion of intestinal goblet cells protects against intestinal injury, suggesting that this epithelial cell lineage may produce molecules that exacerbate IBD. We previously reported that resistin-like molecule beta (RELMbeta; also known as FIZZ2) is an intestinal goblet cell-specific protein that is induced upon bacterial colonization whereupon it is expressed in the ileum and colon, regions of the gut most often involved in IBD. Herein, we show that disruption of this gene reduces the severity of colitis in the dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) model of murine colonic injury. Although RELMbeta does not alter colonic epithelial proliferation or barrier function, we show that recombinant protein activates macrophages to produce TNF-alpha both in vitro and in vivo. RELMbeta expression is also strongly induced in the terminal ileum of the SAMP1/Fc model of IBD. These results suggest a model whereby the loss of epithelial barrier function by DSS results in the activation of the innate mucosal response by RELMbeta located in the lumen, supporting the hypothesis that this protein is a link among goblet cells, commensal bacteria, and the pathogenesis of IBD.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae Rab-GDI displacement factor ortholog Yip3p forms distinct complexes with the Ypt1 Rab GTPase and the reticulon Rtn1p.

Rab GTPases are crucial regulators of organelle biogenesis, maintenance, and transport. Multiple Rabs are expressed in all cells, and each is localized to a distinct set of organelles, but little is known regarding the mechanisms by which Rabs are targeted to their resident organelles. Integral membrane proteins have been postulated to serve as receptors that recruit Rabs from the cytosol in a complex with the Rab chaperone, GDI, to facilitate the dissociation of Rab and GDI, hence facilitating loading of Rabs on membranes. We show here that the yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) Golgi Rab GTPase Ypt1p can be copurified with the integral membrane protein Yip3p from detergent cell extracts. In addition, a member of the highly conserved reticulon protein family, Rtn1p, is also associated with Yip3p in vivo. However, Ypt1p did not copurify with Rtn1p, indicating that Yip3p is a component of at least two different protein complexes. Yip3p and Rtn1p are only partially colocalized in cells, with Yip3p localized predominantly to the Golgi and secondarily to the endoplasmic reticulum, whereas Rtn1p is localized predominantly to the endoplasmic reticulum and secondarily to the Golgi. Surprisingly, the intracellular localization of Rabs was not perturbed in yip3Delta or rtn1Delta mutants, suggesting that these proteins do not play a role in targeting Rabs to intracellular membranes. These data indicate that Yip3p may have multiple functions and that its interaction with Rabs is not critical for their recruitment to organelle membranes.

Regulation of RELM/FIZZ isoform expression by Cdx2 in response to innate and adaptive immune stimulation in the intestine.

Host immune responses to commensal flora and enteric pathogens are known to influence gene expression in the intestinal epithelium. Although the Cdx family of caudal-related transcription factors represents critical regulators of gene expression in the intestinal epithelium, the effect of intestinal immune responses on Cdx expression and function has not been determined. We have shown that bacterial colonization and Th2 immune stimulation by intestinal nematode infection induce expression of the intestinal goblet cell-specific gene RELM beta. In this study, we investigated the transcriptional regulation of resistin-like molecule/found in inflammatory zone (RELM/FIZZ, RELM beta) and its isoforms RELM alpha and RELM gamma to ascertain the role of Cdx in modifying intestinal gene expression associated with innate and adaptive immune responses. Analysis of the RELM beta promoter showed that Cdx2 plays a critical role in basal gene activation in vitro. This was confirmed in vivo using transgenic mice, where ectopic gastric and hepatic expression of Cdx2 induces expression of RELM beta, but not RELM alpha or RELM gamma, exclusively in the stomach. Although there was no quantitative change in colonic Cdx2 mRNA expression, protein distribution, or phosphorylation of Cdx2, bacterial colonization induced expression of RELM beta, but not RELM alpha or RELM gamma. In contrast, parasitic nematode infections activated colonic expression of all three RELM isoforms without alteration in Cdx2 expression. These results demonstrated that Cdx2 participates in directing intestine-specific expression of RELM beta in the presence of commensal bacteria and that adaptive Th2 immune responses to intestinal nematode infections can activate intestinal goblet cell-specific gene expression independent of Cdx2.

Bacterial colonization leads to the colonic secretion of RELMbeta/FIZZ2, a novel goblet cell-specific protein.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Goblet cells are highly polarized exocrine cells found throughout the small and large intestine that have a characteristic morphology due to the accumulation of apical secretory granules. These granules contain proteins that play important physiologic roles in cellular protection, barrier function, and proliferation. A limited number of intestinal goblet cell-specific proteins have been identified. In this study, we investigate the expression and regulation of RELMbeta, a novel colon-specific gene. METHODS: The regulation of RELMbeta messenger RNA expression was determined in LS174T, Caco-2, and HT-29 cell lines in response to stimulation with interleukin 13 and lipopolysaccharide. Quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, immunoblots, and immunohistochemistry were used to examine the expression of RELMbeta in BALB/c and C.B17.SCID mice housed in conventional, germ-free, and gnotobiotic environments. RESULTS: Messenger RNA for RELMbeta is restricted to the undifferentiated, proliferating colonic epithelium. Immunohistochemistry shows that this protein is expressed in goblet cells located primarily in the distal half of the colon and cecum with lower levels detectable in the proximal colon. High levels of RELMbeta can be detected in the stool of mice and humans, where it exists as a homodimer under nonreducing conditions. Interestingly, the secretion of RELMbeta is dramatically reduced in germ-free mice. Furthermore, introduction of germ-free mice into a conventional environment results in enhanced expression and robust secretion of RELMbeta within 48 hours. CONCLUSIONS: These studies define a new goblet cell-specific protein and provide the first evidence that colon-specific gene expression can be regulated by colonization with normal enteric bacteria.

Golgi recruitment of GRIP domain proteins by Arf-like GTPase 1 is regulated by Arf-like GTPase 3.

Golgins are Golgi-localized proteins present in all molecularly characterized eukaryotes that function in Golgi transport and maintenance of Golgi structure. Some peripheral membrane Golgins, including the yeast Imh1 protein, contain the recently described GRIP domain that can independently mediate Golgi localization by an unknown mechanism. To identify candidate Golgi receptors for GRIP domain proteins, a collection of Saccharomyces cerevisiae deletion mutants was visually screened by using yeast, mouse, and human GFP-GRIP domain fusion proteins for defects in Golgi localization. GFP-GRIP reporters were localized to the cytosol in cells lacking either of two ARF-like (ARL) GTPases, Arl1p and Arl3p. In vitro binding experiments demonstrated that activated Arl1p-GTP binds specifically and directly to the Imh1p GRIP domain. Arl1p colocalized with Imh1p-GRIP at the Golgi, and Golgi localization of Arl1p was regulated by the GTPase cycle of Arl3p. These results suggest a cascade in which the GTPase cycle of Arl3p regulates Golgi localization of Arl1p, which in turn binds to the GRIP domain of Imh1p and recruits it to the Golgi. The similar requirements for localization of GRIP domains from yeast, mouse, and human when expressed in yeast, and the presence of Arl1p and Arl3p homologs in these species, suggest that this is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism.