RESUMO
Tissue homeostasis requires lineage fidelity of stem cells. Dysregulation of cell fate specification and differentiation leads to various diseases, yet the cellular and molecular mechanisms governing these processes remain elusive. We demonstrate that YAP/TAZ activation reprograms airway secretory cells, which subsequently lose their cellular identity and acquire squamous alveolar type 1 (AT1) fate in the lung. This cell fate conversion is mediated via distinctive transitional cell states of damage-associated transient progenitors (DATPs), recently shown to emerge during injury repair in mouse and human lungs. We further describe a YAP/TAZ signaling cascade to be integral for the fate conversion of secretory cells into AT1 fate, by modulating mTORC1/ATF4-mediated amino acid metabolism in vivo. Importantly, we observed aberrant activation of the YAP/TAZ-mTORC1-ATF4 axis in the altered airway epithelium of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome, including substantial emergence of DATPs and AT1 cells with severe pulmonary fibrosis. Genetic and pharmacologic inhibition of mTORC1 activity suppresses lineage alteration and subepithelial fibrosis driven by YAP/TAZ activation, proposing a potential therapeutic target for human fibrotic lung diseases.
Assuntos
Proteínas Adaptadoras de Transdução de Sinal , Proteínas de Sinalização YAP , Proteínas Adaptadoras de Transdução de Sinal/genética , Proteínas Adaptadoras de Transdução de Sinal/metabolismo , Aminoácidos Essenciais , Animais , Diferenciação Celular , Alvo Mecanístico do Complexo 1 de Rapamicina/genética , Alvo Mecanístico do Complexo 1 de Rapamicina/metabolismo , CamundongosRESUMO
Evaluating the synergy of drug combinations is crucial in advancing treatment regimens. Here, we present a protocol to establish primary cells and organoids from murine tumors and calculate drug synergy. We describe all necessary cell culture procedures, including establishing primary cultures, setting up treatment groups, and detecting cell viability. We then outline how to calculate the synergy score based on a bioinformatical pipeline. This approach applies to any disease model in which a combination of drugs needs to be evaluated. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Ku et al.1.
RESUMO
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains one of the most lethal types of cancer, and novel treatment regimens are direly needed. Epigenetic regulation contributes to the development of various cancer types, but its role in the development of and potential as a therapeutic target for PDAC remains underexplored. Here, we show that PRMT1 is highly expressed in murine and human pancreatic cancer and is essential for cancer cell proliferation and tumorigenesis. Deletion of PRMT1 delays pancreatic cancer development in a KRAS-dependent mouse model, and multi-omics analyses reveal that PRMT1 depletion leads to global changes in chromatin accessibility and transcription, resulting in reduced glycolysis and a decrease in tumorigenic capacity. Pharmacological inhibition of PRMT1 in combination with gemcitabine has a synergistic effect on pancreatic tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, our findings implicate PRMT1 as a key regulator of pancreatic cancer development and a promising target for combination therapy.
Assuntos
Carcinoma Ductal Pancreático , Neoplasias Pancreáticas , Animais , Humanos , Camundongos , Carcinoma Ductal Pancreático/tratamento farmacológico , Carcinoma Ductal Pancreático/genética , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Epigênese Genética , Gencitabina , Neoplasias Pancreáticas/tratamento farmacológico , Neoplasias Pancreáticas/genética , Neoplasias Pancreáticas/patologia , Proteína-Arginina N-Metiltransferases/genética , Proteína-Arginina N-Metiltransferases/metabolismo , Proteína-Arginina N-Metiltransferases/uso terapêutico , Proteínas Repressoras/genética , Proteínas Repressoras/metabolismoRESUMO
Adipose tissues serve as an energy reservoir and endocrine organ, yet the mechanisms that coordinate these functions remain elusive. Here, we show that the transcriptional coregulators, YAP and TAZ, uncouple fat mass from leptin levels and regulate adipocyte plasticity to maintain metabolic homeostasis. Activating YAP/TAZ signalling in adipocytes by deletion of the upstream regulators Lats1 and Lats2 results in a profound reduction in fat mass by converting mature adipocytes into delipidated progenitor-like cells, but does not cause lipodystrophy-related metabolic dysfunction, due to a paradoxical increase in circulating leptin levels. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that YAP/TAZ-TEAD signalling upregulates leptin expression by directly binding to an upstream enhancer site of the leptin gene. We further show that YAP/TAZ activity is associated with, and functionally required for, leptin regulation during fasting and refeeding. These results suggest that adipocyte Hippo-YAP/TAZ signalling constitutes a nexus for coordinating adipose tissue lipid storage capacity and systemic energy balance through the regulation of adipocyte plasticity and leptin gene transcription.
Assuntos
Proteínas Adaptadoras de Transdução de Sinal , Adipócitos , Tecido Adiposo , Metabolismo Energético , Via de Sinalização Hippo , Leptina , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinases , Transdução de Sinais , Proteínas de Sinalização YAP , Animais , Leptina/metabolismo , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinases/metabolismo , Camundongos , Proteínas Adaptadoras de Transdução de Sinal/metabolismo , Proteínas Adaptadoras de Transdução de Sinal/genética , Proteínas de Sinalização YAP/metabolismo , Tecido Adiposo/metabolismo , Adipócitos/metabolismo , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular/metabolismo , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular/genética , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismo , Fatores de Transcrição/genética , Proteínas com Motivo de Ligação a PDZ com Coativador Transcricional/metabolismo , Fosfoproteínas/metabolismo , Fosfoproteínas/genética , Proteínas Supressoras de Tumor/metabolismo , Proteínas Supressoras de Tumor/genética , Transativadores/metabolismo , Transativadores/genéticaRESUMO
Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the deadliest types of cancer and highly refractory to chemoradiation and immunotherapy. One of the main reasons for this resistance to therapy lies within the heterogeneity of the tumor and its associated microenvironment. The vast diversity of cell states, composition of cells, and phenotypical characteristics makes it difficult to accurately classify GBM into distinct subtypes and find effective therapies. The advancement of sequencing technologies in recent years has further corroborated the heterogeneity of GBM at the single cell level. Recent studies have only begun to elucidate the different cell states present in GBM and how they correlate with sensitivity to therapy. Furthermore, it has become clear that GBM heterogeneity not only depends on intrinsic factors but also strongly differs between new and recurrent GBM, and treatment naïve and experienced patients. Understanding and connecting the complex cellular network that underlies GBM heterogeneity will be indispensable in finding new ways to tackle this deadly disease. Here, we present an overview of the multiple layers of GBM heterogeneity and discuss novel findings in the age of single cell technologies.
Assuntos
Neoplasias Encefálicas , Glioblastoma , Humanos , Glioblastoma/genética , Glioblastoma/terapia , Glioblastoma/metabolismo , Neoplasias Encefálicas/genética , Neoplasias Encefálicas/terapia , Neoplasias Encefálicas/metabolismo , Recidiva Local de Neoplasia , Imunoterapia , Microambiente TumoralRESUMO
The development of pancreatic cancer is heavily dependent upon the aberrant activation of KRAS signaling. Among the downstream targets of KRAS, the effectors of the Hippo pathway YAP and TAZ (YAP/TAZ) are crucial during cancer initiation and progression. However, little is known about the cell type-specific effects of YAP/TAZ on the development of pancreatic cancer. Here we clarify the unique consequences of YAP/TAZ activation in the ductal cell population of the pancreas by generating mice with pancreatic duct cell-specific, inducible knockouts of Lats1 and Lats2, the main kinases upstream of YAP/TAZ. Oncogenic activation of YAP by deletion of Lats1/2 in ductal cells led to the rapid transformation of the pancreas, which was accompanied by a robust increase in the expression of YAP and AP-1 target genes. Pharmacologic inhibition of AP-1 activity induced death in Lats1/2 knockout organoids and attenuated YAP-dependent transformation of the pancreas in vivo. Both YAP and AP-1 were activated during the development of KRAS-dependent cancer in mice and human patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, suggesting that this signaling hub represents an important mediator of pancreatic cancer development and progression. Collectively, these data define a YAP-dependent mechanism of pancreatic cancer cell development and suggest that inhibition of AP-1 can suppress this development. SIGNIFICANCE: A pancreatic ductal cell-specific knockout mouse model featuring constitutively active YAP allows for the study of YAP-dependent transformation of the pancreas and for screening pharmacologically active inhibitors.
Assuntos
Proteínas Adaptadoras de Transdução de Sinal/metabolismo , Carcinoma Ductal Pancreático/patologia , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular/metabolismo , Neoplasias Pancreáticas/patologia , Fator de Transcrição AP-1/metabolismo , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismo , Animais , Carcinoma Ductal Pancreático/metabolismo , Humanos , Camundongos , Camundongos Knockout , Neoplasias Pancreáticas/metabolismo , Proteínas de Sinalização YAP , Neoplasias PancreáticasRESUMO
In prostate cancers, epidemiological data suggest a link between prostate inflammation and subsequent cancer development, but proof for this concept in a tumor model is lacking. A constitutively active version of IκB kinase 2 (IKK2), which is activated by many inflammatory stimuli, was expressed specifically in the prostate epithelium. Constitutive activation of the IKK2/nuclear factor κB axis was insufficient for prostate transformation. However, in combination with heterozygous loss of phosphatase and tensin homolog, IKK2 activation led to an increase in tumor size, formation of cribriform structures, and increase in fiber in the fibroblastic stroma. This phenotype was coupled with persistent inflammation evoked by chemokine expression in the epithelium and stroma. The hyperplastic and dysplastic epithelia correlated with changes evoked by decreased androgen receptor activation. Conversely, inflammation correlated with stromal changes highlighted by loss of smooth muscle cells around prostate ducts. Despite the loss of the smooth muscle barrier, tumors were rarely invasive in a C57BL/6 background. Data mining revealed that smooth muscle markers are also downregulated in human prostate cancers, and loss of these markers in primary tumors is associated with subsequent metastasis. In conclusion, our data show that loss of smooth muscle and invasiveness of the tumor are not coupled in our model, with inflammation leading to increased tumor size and a dedifferentiated stroma.