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Molecular Oncology Mar 2024The small GTPase Rac1 (Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1) has been implicated in cancer progression and in the poor prognosis of various types of tumors. Rac1...
The small GTPase Rac1 (Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1) has been implicated in cancer progression and in the poor prognosis of various types of tumors. Rac1 SUMOylation occurs during epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and it is required for tumor cell migration and invasion. Here we identify POTEE (POTE Ankyrin domain family member E) as a novel Rac1-SUMO1 effector involved in breast cancer malignancy that controls invadopodium formation through the activation of Rac1-SUMO1. POTEE activates Rac1 in the invadopodium by recruiting TRIO-GEF (triple functional domain protein), and it induces tumor cell proliferation and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. We found that the co-localization of POTEE with Rac1 is correlated with more aggressive breast cancer subtypes. Given its role in tumor dissemination, the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, POTEE could represent a potential therapeutic target for these types of cancer.
Topics: Humans; Female; Signal Transduction; Podosomes; Breast Neoplasms; rac1 GTP-Binding Protein; Cell Movement; Cell Line, Tumor
PubMed: 38098337
DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13568 -
Cancer Science Feb 2024In gastric cancer (GC), the liver is a common organ for distant metastasis, and patients with gastric cancer with liver metastasis (GCLM) generally have poor prognosis....
In gastric cancer (GC), the liver is a common organ for distant metastasis, and patients with gastric cancer with liver metastasis (GCLM) generally have poor prognosis. The mechanism of GCLM is unclear. Invadopodia are special membrane protrusions formed by tumor cells that can degrade the basement membrane and ECM. Herein, we investigated the role of invadopodia in GCLM. We found that the levels of invadopodia-associated proteins were significantly higher in liver metastasis than in the primary tumors of patients with GCLM. Furthermore, GC cells could activate hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) within the tumor microenvironment of liver metastases through the secretion of platelet-derived growth factor subunit B (PDGFB). Activated HSCs secreted hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), which activated the MET proto-oncogene, MET receptor of GC cells, thereby promoting invadopodia formation through the PI3K/AKT pathway and subsequently enhancing the invasion and metastasis of GC cells. Therefore, cross-talk between GC cells and HSCs by PDGFB/platelet derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFRβ) and the HGF/MET axis might represent potential therapeutic targets to treat GCLM.
Topics: Humans; Stomach Neoplasms; Podosomes; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-sis; Hepatic Stellate Cells; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; Liver Neoplasms; Signal Transduction; Tumor Microenvironment
PubMed: 38050654
DOI: 10.1111/cas.16023 -
Journal of Lipid Research Nov 2023Phosphatidylserine (PS) is an acidic phospholipid that is involved in various cellular events. Heterologous dominant mutations have been identified in the gene encoding...
Phosphatidylserine (PS) is an acidic phospholipid that is involved in various cellular events. Heterologous dominant mutations have been identified in the gene encoding PS synthase 1 (PSS1) in patients with a congenital disease called Lenz-Majewski syndrome (LMS). Patients with LMS show various symptoms, including craniofacial/distal-limb bone dysplasia and progressive hyperostosis. The LMS-causing gain-of-function mutants of PSS1 (PSS1) have been shown to synthesize PS without control, but why the uncontrolled synthesis would lead to LMS is unknown. Here we investigated the effect of PSS1 on osteoclasts (OCs) to elucidate the causative mechanism of LMS. PSS1 did not affect the expression of OC-related genes but inhibited the formation, multinucleation, and activity of OCs. Especially, OCs expressing PSS1 showed abnormal patterns and dynamics of actin podosome clusters, which have roles in OC migration and fusion. PSS1 did not affect the level of PS but changed the acyl chain compositions of PS and phosphatidylethanolamine, and decreased the level of phosphatidylinositol. The introduction of a catalytically inactive mutation into PSS canceled the changes in phospholipids and the phenotypes observed in OCs expressing PSS1. A gain-of-function mutant of PSS2 (PSS2 R97K) also impaired OC formation and caused changes in phospholipid composition similar to the changes caused by PSS1. Our results suggest that uncontrolled PS synthesis by PSS1 causes changes in the quantity or fatty acid composition of certain phospholipid classes, impairing OC formation and function, which might be a cause of osteosclerosis in patients with LMS.
Topics: Humans; Abnormalities, Multiple; Intellectual Disability; Osteoclasts; Phospholipids
PubMed: 37714410
DOI: 10.1016/j.jlr.2023.100443 -
Advanced Science (Weinheim,... Aug 2023Mesenchymal migration usually happens on adhesive substrates, while cells adopt amoeboid migration on low/nonadhesive surfaces. Protein-repelling reagents, e.g.,...
Mesenchymal migration usually happens on adhesive substrates, while cells adopt amoeboid migration on low/nonadhesive surfaces. Protein-repelling reagents, e.g., poly(ethylene) glycol (PEG), are routinely employed to resist cell adhering and migrating. Contrary to these perceptions, this work discovers a unique locomotion of macrophages on adhesive-nonadhesive alternate substrates in vitro that they can overcome nonadhesive PEG gaps to reach adhesive regions in the mesenchymal mode. Adhering to extracellular matrix regions is a prerequisite for macrophages to perform further locomotion on the PEG regions. Podosomes are found highly enriched on the PEG region in macrophages and support their migration across the nonadhesive regions. Increasing podosome density through myosin IIA inhibition facilitates cell motility on adhesive-nonadhesive alternate substrates. Moreover, a developed cellular Potts model reproduces this mesenchymal migration. These findings together uncover a new migratory behavior on adhesive-nonadhesive alternate substrates in macrophages.
Topics: Macrophages; Cell Movement
PubMed: 37211690
DOI: 10.1002/advs.202301337 -
Cell Reports Feb 2024The acidic metabolic byproducts within the tumor microenvironment (TME) hinder T cell effector functions. However, their effects on T cell infiltration remain largely...
The acidic metabolic byproducts within the tumor microenvironment (TME) hinder T cell effector functions. However, their effects on T cell infiltration remain largely unexplored. Leveraging the comprehensive The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset, we pinpoint 16 genes that correlate with extracellular acidification and establish a metric known as the "tumor acidity (TuAci) score" for individual patients. We consistently observe a negative association between the TuAci score and T lymphocyte score (T score) across various human cancer types. Mechanistically, extracellular acidification significantly impedes T cell motility by suppressing podosome formation. This phenomenon can be attributed to the reduced expression of methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) and the modification of RNA N-methyladenosine (mA), resulting in a subsequent decrease in the expression of integrin β1 (ITGB1). Importantly, enforced ITGB1 expression leads to enhanced T cell infiltration and improved antitumor activity. Our study suggests that modulating METTL3 activity or boosting ITGB1 expression could augment T cell infiltration within the acidic TME, thereby improving the efficacy of cell therapy.
Topics: Humans; Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Integrin beta1; Methyltransferases; Neoplasms; T-Lymphocytes; Tumor Microenvironment
PubMed: 38367240
DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113796 -
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology Aug 2023Signaling through the HGF receptor/Met in skin-resident Langerhans cells (LCs) and dermal dendritic cells (DCs) is essential for their emigration toward draining lymph...
Signaling through the HGF receptor/Met in skin-resident Langerhans cells (LCs) and dermal dendritic cells (DCs) is essential for their emigration toward draining lymph nodes upon inflammation-induced activation. In this study, we addressed the role of Met signaling in distinct steps of LC/dermal DC emigration from the skin by employing a conditionally Met-deficient mouse model (Met). We found that Met deficiency severely impaired podosome formation in DCs and concomitantly decreased the proteolytic degradation of gelatin. Accordingly, Met-deficient LCs failed to efficiently cross the extracellular matrix-rich basement membrane between the epidermis and the dermis. We further observed that HGF-dependent Met activation reduced the adhesion of bone marrow-derived LCs to various extracellular matrix factors and enhanced the motility of DCs in three-dimensional collagen matrices, which was not the case for Met-deficient LCs/DCs. We found no impact of Met signaling on the integrin-independent amoeboid migration of DCs in response to the CCR7 ligand CCL19. Collectively, our data show that the Met-signaling pathway regulates the migratory properties of DC in HGF-dependent and HGF-independent manners.
Topics: Mice; Animals; Podosomes; Cell Movement; Skin; Langerhans Cells; Signal Transduction; Dendritic Cells; Lymph Nodes
PubMed: 36813160
DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2022.12.025 -
Biochemical and Biophysical Research... Apr 2024Osteoclasts are hematopoietic cells attached to the bones containing type I collagen-deposited hydroxyapatite during bone resorption. Two major elements determine the...
Osteoclasts are hematopoietic cells attached to the bones containing type I collagen-deposited hydroxyapatite during bone resorption. Two major elements determine the stiffness of bones: regular calcified bone (bone that is resorbable by osteoclasts) and un-calcified osteoid bone (bone that is un-resorbable by osteoclasts). The osteolytic cytokine RANKL promotes osteoclast differentiation; however, the roles of the physical interactions of osteoclasts with calcified and un-calcified bone at the sealing zones and the subsequent cellular signaling remain unclear. In this study, we investigated podosomes, actin-rich adhesion structures (actin-ring) in the sealing zone that participates in sensing hard stiffness with collagen in the physical environment during osteoclast differentiation. RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation induction was promoted when Raw264.7 cells were cultured on collagen-coated plastic dishes but not on non-coated plastic dishes, which was associated with the increased expression of podosome-related genes and Src. In contrast, when cells were cultured on collagen gel, expression of podosome-related genes and Src were not upregulated. The induction of podosome-related genes and Src requires hard stiffness with RGD-containing substratum and integrin-mediated F-actin polymerization. These results indicate that osteoclasts sense both the RGD sequence and stiffness of calcified collagen through their podosome components regulating osteoclast differentiation via the c-Src pathway.
Topics: Humans; Osteoclasts; Podosomes; Actins; Cell Differentiation; Bone Resorption; CSK Tyrosine-Protein Kinase; Collagen; Oligopeptides
PubMed: 38402724
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.149636 -
Journal of Immunology Research 2023T-cell Immunoglobulin and Mucin Domain 3 (TIM-3) is an immune checkpoint receptor known to regulate T-cell activation and has been targeted for immunotherapy in cancer...
T-cell Immunoglobulin and Mucin Domain 3 (TIM-3) is an immune checkpoint receptor known to regulate T-cell activation and has been targeted for immunotherapy in cancer and other diseases. However, its expression and function in other cell types, such as macrophages, are poorly understood. This study investigated TIM-3 expression in human macrophages polarized to M1 (stimulated with IFN- and LPS) and M2 (stimulated with IL-4 and IL-13) phenotypes using an in vitro model. Our results show that M1 macrophages have a lower frequency of TIM-3+ cells compared to M2 macrophages at 48 and 72 hr poststimulation. Additionally, we observed differential levels of soluble ADAM 10, an enzyme responsible for TIM-3 release, in the supernatants of M1 and M2 macrophages at 72 hr. We also found that the TIM-3 intracellular tail might associate with lymphocyte-specific protein 1 (LSP-1), a protein implicated in cell motility and podosome formation. These findings enhance our understanding of TIM-3 function in myeloid cells such as macrophages and may inform the development of immunotherapies with reduced immune-related adverse effects.
Topics: Humans; Hepatitis A Virus Cellular Receptor 2; Macrophages; Microfilament Proteins
PubMed: 37928435
DOI: 10.1155/2023/3577334 -
Experimental Cell Research Oct 2023A critical challenge in the treatment of glioblastoma (GBM) is its highly invasive nature which promotes cell migration throughout the brain and hinders surgical...
A critical challenge in the treatment of glioblastoma (GBM) is its highly invasive nature which promotes cell migration throughout the brain and hinders surgical resection and effective drug delivery. GBM cells demonstrate augmented invasive capabilities following exposure to the current gold standard treatment of radiotherapy (RT) and concomitant and adjuvant temozolomide (TMZ), resulting in rapid disease recurrence. Elucidating the mechanisms employed by post-treatment invasive GBM cells is critical to the development of more effective therapies. In this study, we utilized a Nanostring® Cancer Progression gene expression panel to identify candidate genes that may be involved in enhanced GBM cell invasion after treatment with clinically relevant doses of RT/TMZ. Our findings identified thrombospondin-1 (THBS1) as a pro-invasive gene that is upregulated in these cells. Immunofluorescence staining revealed that THBS1 localised within functional matrix-degrading invadopodia that formed on the surface of GBM cells. Furthermore, overexpression of THBS1 resulted in enhanced GBM cell migration and secretion of MMP-2, which was reduced with silencing of THBS1. The preliminary data demonstrates that THBS1 is associated with invadopodia in GBM cells and is likely involved in the invadopodia-mediated invasive process in GBM cells exposed to RT/TMZ treatment. Therapeutic inhibition of THBS1-mediated invadopodia activity, which facilitates GBM cell invasion, should be further investigated as a treatment for GBM.
Topics: Humans; Glioblastoma; Podosomes; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Temozolomide; Brain
PubMed: 37591452
DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2023.113743 -
Cells Apr 2024Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a deadly disease with high mortality due to early metastatic dissemination and high chemoresistance. All these factors are...
BACKGROUND
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a deadly disease with high mortality due to early metastatic dissemination and high chemoresistance. All these factors are favored by its extracellular matrix (ECM)-rich microenvironment, which is also highly hypoxic and acidic. Gemcitabine (GEM) is still the first-line therapy in PDAC. However, it is quickly deaminated to its inactive metabolite. Several GEM prodrugs have emerged to improve its cytotoxicity. Here, we analyzed how the acidic/hypoxic tumor microenvironment (TME) affects the response of PDAC cell death and invadopodia-mediated ECM proteolysis to both GEM and its C18 prodrug.
METHODS
For this, two PDAC cell lines, PANC-1 and Mia PaCa-2 were adapted to pH 6.6 or not for 1 month, grown as 3D organotypic cultures and exposed to either GEM or C18 in the presence and absence of acidosis and the hypoxia inducer, deferoxamine.
RESULTS
We found that C18 has higher cytotoxic and anti-invadopodia activity than GEM in all culture conditions and especially in acid and hypoxic environments.
CONCLUSIONS
We propose C18 as a more effective approach to conventional GEM in developing new therapeutic strategies overcoming PDAC chemoresistance.
Topics: Deoxycytidine; Gemcitabine; Humans; Tumor Microenvironment; Pancreatic Neoplasms; Cell Line, Tumor; Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal; Podosomes; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Prodrugs
PubMed: 38727266
DOI: 10.3390/cells13090730