Depletion of Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) causes G0 arrest in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells.

We recently reported that Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) regulates global protein synthesis in a variety of human dividing cells, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. More specifically, APP depletion causes an increase of both cap- and IRES-dependent translation. Since growth and proliferation are tightly coupled processes, here, we asked what effects artificial downregulation of APP could have elicited in NSCLC cells proliferation. APP depletion caused a G0/G1 arrest through destabilization of the cyclin-C protein and reduced pRb phosphorylation at residues Ser802/811. siRNA to cyclin-C mirrored the cell cycle distribution observed when silencing APP. Cells arrested in G0/G1 (and with augmented global protein synthesis) increased their size and underwent a necrotic cell death due to cell membrane permeabilization. These phenotypes were reversed by overexpression of the APP C-terminal domain, indicating a novel role for APP in regulating early cell cycle entry decisions. It is seems that APP moderates the rate of protein synthesis before the cell clears growth factors- and nutrients-dependent checkpoint in mid G1. Our results raise questions on how such processes interact in the context of (at least) dividing NSCLC cells. The data presented here suggest that APP, although required for G0/G1 transitions, moderates the rate of protein synthesis before the cell fully commits to cell cycle progression following mechanisms, which seem additional to concurrent signals deriving from the PI3-K/Akt/mTORC-1 axis. APP appears to play a central role in regulating cell cycle entry with the rate of protein synthesis; and its loss-of-function causes cell size abnormalities and death.

Amyloid precursor protein (APP) affects global protein synthesis in dividing human cells.

Hypoxic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is dependent on Notch-1 signaling for survival. Targeting Notch-1 by means of γ-secretase inhibitors (GSI) proved effective in killing hypoxic NSCLC. Post-mortem analysis of GSI-treated, NSCLC-burdened mice suggested enhanced phosphorylation of 4E-BP1 at threonines 37/46 in hypoxic tumor tissues. In vitro dissection of this phenomenon revealed that Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) inhibition was responsible for a non-canonical 4E-BP1 phosphorylation pattern rearrangement-a process, in part, mediated by APP regulation of the pseudophosphatase Styx. Upon APP depletion we observed modifications of eIF-4F composition indicating increased recruitment of eIF-4A to the mRNA cap. This phenomenon was supported by the observation that cells with depleted APP were partially resistant to silvestrol, an antibiotic that interferes with eIF-4A assembly into eIF-4F complexes. APP downregulation in dividing human cells increased the rate of global protein synthesis, both cap- and IRES-dependent. Such an increase seemed independent of mTOR inhibition. After administration of Torin-1, APP downregulation and Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 (mTORC-1) inhibition affected 4E-BP1 phosphorylation and global protein synthesis in opposite fashions. Additional investigations indicated that APP operates independently of mTORC-1. Key phenomena described in this study were reversed by overexpression of the APP C-terminal domain. The presented data suggest that APP may be a novel regulator of protein synthesis in dividing human cells, both cancerous and primary. Furthermore, APP appears to affect translation initiation using mechanisms seemingly dissimilar to mTORC-1 regulation of cap-dependent protein synthesis.

Deubiquitinase OTUD6B Isoforms Are Important Regulators of Growth and Proliferation.

Deubiquitinases (DUB) are increasingly linked to the regulation of fundamental processes in normal and cancer cells, including DNA replication and repair, programmed cell death, and oncogenes and tumor suppressor signaling. Here, evidence is presented that the deubiquitinase OTUD6B regulates protein synthesis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells, operating downstream from mTORC1. OTUD6B associates with the protein synthesis initiation complex and modifies components of the 48S preinitiation complex. The two main OTUD6B splicing isoforms seem to regulate protein synthesis in opposing fashions: the long OTUD6B-1 isoform is inhibitory, while the short OTUD6B-2 isoform stimulates protein synthesis. These properties affect NSCLC cell proliferation, because OTUD6B-1 represses DNA synthesis while OTUD6B-2 promotes it. Mutational analysis and downstream mediators suggest that the two OTUD6B isoforms modify different cellular targets. OTUD6B-2 influences the expression of cyclin D1 by promoting its translation while regulating (directly or indirectly) c-Myc protein stability. This phenomenon appears to have clinical relevance as NSCLC cells and human tumor specimens have a reduced OTUD6B-1/OTUD6B-2 mRNA ratio compared with normal samples. The global OTUD6B expression level does not change significantly between nonneoplastic and malignant tissues, suggesting that modifications of splicing factors during the process of transformation are responsible for this isoform switch. IMPLICATIONS: Because protein synthesis inhibition is a viable treatment strategy for NSCLC, these data indicate that OTUD6B isoform 2, being specifically linked to NSCLC growth, represents an attractive, novel therapeutic target and potential biomarker for early diagnosis of malignant NSCLC. Mol Cancer Res; 15(2); 117-27. ©2016 AACR.