Muscle may experience hypoglycemia during ischemia or insulin infusion. During severe hypoglycemia energy production is blocked and an increase in AMP:ATP activates the energy sensor and putative insulin-sensitizer AMP-dependent protein kinase (AMPK). AMPK promotes energy conservation and survival by shutting down anabolism and activating catabolic pathways. We investigated the molecular mechanism of a unique glucose stress defense pathway involving AMPK-dependent, insulin-independent activation of the insulin signaling pathway. Results from my work showed that the central insulin signaling pathway is rapidly activated when cardiac and skeletal myocytes are subjected to conditions of glucose starvation. The effect occurred independently of insulin receptor ligands (insulin and IGF-1). There was a >10-fold increase in the activity of Akt as determined by phosphorylation on both Thr308 and Ser473. Phosphorylation of glycogen synthase 3 beta (GSK3b) increased in parallel, but phosphorylation of ribosomal 70S subunit-S6 protein kinase (S6K) and the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) decreased. We identified AMPK as an intermediate in this signaling network; AMPK was activated by glucose starvation and many of the effects were mimicked by the AMPK-selective activator aminoimidazole carboxamide ribonucleotide (AICAR) and blocked by AMPK inhibitors. Glucose starvation increased the phosphorylation on IRS-1 on Ser789, but phosphomimetics revealed that this conferred negative regulation. Glucose starvation enhanced tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS-1 and the insulin receptor, effects that were blocked by AMPK inhibition and mimicked by AICAR. In vitro kinase assays using purified proteins confirmed that the insulin receptor is a direct target of AMPK. Insulin receptor kinase activity was essential for cardiac myocytes to survive gluose starvation as inhibition of the IR led to increased cell death in glucose-starved myocytes. Selective activation of mTORC2 by glucose starvation to increase Akt-Ser473 phosphorylation was dependent on the presence of rictor. SIN1 also seemed to be instrumental in the activation of mTORC2 as its levels and binding to rictor increased under glucose starvation. AMPK-mediated activation of the insulin signaling pathway conferred significant protection against the stresses of glucose starvation. Glucose starvation promoted energy conservation, augmented glucose uptake and enhanced insulin sensitivity in an AMPK- and Akt-dependent manner. My results describe a novel ligand-independent and AMPK-dependent activation of the insulin signaling pathway via direct phosphorylation and activation of the IR followed by activation of PI3K and Akt. These results may be relevant in conditions of myocardial ischemia superimposed with type 2 diabetes where AMPK could directly modify the IR to promote cell survival and confer protection.

Receptor-tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are membrane bound receptors characterized by their intrinsic kinase activity. RTK activities play an essential role in several human diseases, including cancer, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases. RTK activities have been regulated by the expression or silencing of several genes as well as by the utilization of small molecules. Ras Interference 1 (Rin1) is a multifunctional protein that becomes associated with activated RTKs upon ligand stimulation. Rin1 plays a key role in receptor internalization and in signal transduction via activation of Rab5 and association with active form of Ras. This study has two main objectives: (1) It determines the role of Rin1 in the regulation of several RTKs focusing on insulin receptor. This was accomplished by studying the Rin1-insulin receptor interaction using a variety of biochemical and morphological assays. This study shows a novel interaction between the insulin receptor and Rin1 through the Vps9 domain. Two more RTKs (epidermal growth factor receptor and nerve growth factor receptor) also interacted with the SH2 domain of Rin1. The effect of the Rin1-RTK interaction on the activation of both Rab5 and Ras was also studied during receptor internalization and intracellular signaling. Finally, the role of Rin1 was examined in two differentiation processes (adipogenesis and neurogenesis). Rin1 showed a strong inhibitory effect on 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation but it seems to show a modest effect in PC12 neurite outgrowth. These data indicate a selective function and specific interaction of Rin1 toward RTKs. (2) It examines the role of the small molecule Dehydroleucodine (DhL) on several key signaling molecules during adipogenesis. This was accomplished by studying the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes exposed to different concentrations of DhL in different days of the adipocyte formation process. The results indicate that DhL selectively blocked adipocyte formation, as well as the expression of PPARγ, and C/EBPα. However, DhL treatment did not affect Rin1 or Rab5 expression and their activities. Taken together, the data indicate a potential molecular mechanism by which proteins or small molecules regulate selective and specific RTK intracellular membrane trafficking and signaling during cell growth and differentiation in normal and pathological conditions.

Orientador: Jose Barreto Campello Carvalheira / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciencias Medicas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-13T10:00:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Oliveira_JosenilsonCamposde_D.pdf: 1237045 bytes, checksum: 1e4b99f788f9635f40a69249e72e33ba (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / Resumo: A regulação adequada da via de sinalização PI 3-quinase-Akt é essencial para a prevenção da carcinogênese. Dados recentes caracterizaram uma alça de retroalimentação negativa na qual a mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), bloqueia a ativação adicional da via Akt/mTOR por meio da inibição da função do substrato 1 do receptor de insulina (IRS-1). Entretanto, a inibição potencial do IRS-1 durante o tratamento com rapamicina não foi estudado. No presente estudo, demonstramos que um oligonucleotídeo anti-sense direcionado ao IRS-1 e a rapamicina antagonizam sinergicamente a ativação da mTOR in vivo e induzem supressão tumoral, por meio de inibição da proliferação e indução de apoptose, em enxertos de células de câncer de próstata. Estes dados demonstram que a inclusão de agentes que bloqueiam o IRS-1 potencializam o efeito da inibição da mTOR no crescimento de enxertos de células de câncer de próstata. / Abstract: Proper activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase-Akt pathway is critical for the prevention of tumorigenesis. Recent data have characterized a negative feedback loop where in mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), blocks additional activation of the Akt/mTOR pathway through inhibition insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) function. However, the potential of IRS-1 inhibition during rapamycin treatment has not been examined. Herein, we show that IRS-1 antisense oligonucleotide and rapamycin synergistically antagonize the activation of mTOR in vivo and induced tumor suppression, through inhibition of proliferation and induction of apoptosis, in prostate cancer cell xenografts. These data demonstrate that the addition of agents that blocks IRS-1 potentiate the effect of mTOR inhibition in the growth of prostate cancer cell xenografts. / Doutorado / Clinica Medica / Doutor em Clínica Médica

A mutação recorrente JAK2V617F é a lesão molecular com maior impacto na fisiopatologia das neoplasias mieloproliferativas (NMP) BCR ABL1 negativas. A ausência de resposta clínica completa ao inibidor seletivo de JAK1/2, ruxolitinibe, indica a necessidade de novas abordagens terapêuticas. Dados recentes sugerem que IGF1R/IRS representa um potencial alvo de inibição para o tratamento das NMP: (i) o substrato do receptor de insulina 2 (IRS2) coopera com JAK2V617F na transformação maligna em NMP; (ii) a desregulação da via de sinalização de IGF1R induz NMP. O composto NT157 foi desenvolvido para inibir IRS1/2 e apresentou efeitos antineoplásicos em neoplasias sólidas. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram avaliar os efeitos celulares e moleculares do tratamento com o inibidor de IRS1/2, NT157, isolado e em combinação com ruxolitinibe, em NMP JAK2V617F. Células HEL e SET2 JAK2V617F foram tratadas com veículo, NT157 e/ou ruxolitinibe e submetidas à avaliação da viabilidade celular, apoptose, proliferação, clonogenicidade, ciclo celular, expressão gênica e/ou expressão/ativação proteica. Células primárias de pacientes com policitemia vera foram submetidos a tratamento com NT157 e avaliação de formação espontânea de colônias eritroides. O efeito do NT157 in vivo foi avaliado utilizando modelo de xenotransplante de células HEL em camundongos NSG. A análise estatística foi realizada através do teste ANOVA ou t de Student. Em células HEL e/ou SET2 JAK2V617F, o tratamento com NT157 promoveu redução da viabilidade, clonogenicidade e proliferação celular, aumentou a apoptose e resultou em parada do ciclo celular em G2/M (p?0,05). Exposição ao NT157 resultou em inibição da fosforilação de STAT3, STAT5 e ERK e na modulação da expressão de 23 oncogenes (CCND1, MYB e WT1) e genes supressores tumorais (CDKN1A, JUN e FOS) em células HEL (p?0,05). O tratamento combinado com ruxolitinibe não apresentou efeito potencializador, sendo que a redução da viabilidade nas condições de combinação corresponde ao efeito das monoterapias nas linhagens celulares avaliadas. Em células primárias de pacientes com policitemia vera (n=3), NT157 reduziu a formação espontânea de colônias eritroides (p?0,05). O tratamento in vivo com veículo ou NT157 na dose de 70mg/kg, 3 vezes por semana, via intraperitoneal, em modelos de xenotransplante com células HEL em camundongos NSG (n=5 para cada grupo) não apresentou efeitos antineoplásicos. Em conclusão, a inibição farmacológica de IRS1/2 apresentou efeitos antineoplásicos significativos em modelos de linhagens celulares e amostras primárias de pacientes com NMP JAK2V617F. A inibição farmacológica combinada de IRS1/2 e JAK1/2 não potencializou o efeito antineoplásico das monoterapias nos processos celulares investigados. Os resultados dos estudos in vivo em modelos de xenotransplante indicam a necessidade de estudos de farmacocinética e farmacodinâmica para o NT157. Os efeitos moleculares identificados permitiram uma melhor compreensão sobre os mecanismos de ação da droga NT157 em NMP. / The recurrent V617F mutation in JAK2 is a major contributor to the pathogenesis of BCR-ABL1 negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). Absence of complete clinical response to ruxolitinib, a JAK1/2 inhibitor, highlights the need for targeting other signaling pathways that contribute to JAK2. Recent data indicate that IGF1R/IRS is a potential target in MPN: (i) insulin receptor substrate 2 (IRS2) cooperates to malignant transformation induced by JAK2V617F, (ii) IGF1R signaling upregulation induces MNP phenotype. NT157 is a synthetic compound designed as IRS1/2 inhibitor and was able to induce anti-neoplastic effects in solid tumors. We, herein, aimed to characterize the molecular and cellular effects of NT157 treatment, combined or not with ruxolitinib, in MPN JAK2V617F. HEL and SET2 JAK2V617F cells were treated or not with vehicle, NT157 and/or ruxolitinib and submitted to evaluation of cell viability assay, apoptosis, proliferation, clonogenicity, cell cycle, gene expression and protein expression/activation. Primary cells from polycythemia vera (PV) patients (n=3) were exposed to NT157 treatment and evaluated for erythropoietin-independent colony formation. NT157 effects in vivo were evaluated in a xenograft model of leukemogenesis induced by HEL cells in NSG mice. Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA or Student\'s t test. In MPN cell lines, NT157 treatment significantly decreased cell viability, clonogenicity and cell proliferation, increased apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in G2/M (all p<0.05). NT157 exposure resulted in inhibition of STAT3, STAT5 and ERK phosphorylation. NT157 also modulated the expression of 23 oncogenes (CCND1, MYB and WT1) and suppressor tumor genes (CDKN1A, FOS and JUN) in HEL cells (p?0.05). In both cell lines, the combined treatment, NT157 plus ruxolitinib, did not potentiate the effects of monotherapies. In primary cells from polycythemia vera patients, NT157 exposition reduced spontaneous erythroid colony formation (all p<0.05). In vivo treatment with vehicle or NT157 (70mg/kg intraperitoneal), three times a week, showed no antineoplastic effects in NSG mice transplanted with HEL cells (n = 5 for each group). In summary, the IRS1/2 pharmacological inhibitor NT157 displayed remarkable antineoplastic effects in JAK2V617F cells lines and MPN primary cells. The combined treatment of NT157 plus ruxolitinib did not present potentializing effects when compared to the monotherapy. The results of in vivo treatment using a xenograft model highlight the need for pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies for the NT157 compound. The molecular effects identified allowed a better understanding about the mechanisms of NT157 action in MPNs.

Diabetes mellitus is considered as one of world's most common metabolic diseases. Complicated treatment and increasing number of newly diagnosed patients, suffering from diabetes every year, shows the importance and necessity of research in this area. Some of the major aims of this research are the development of new therapeutically utilized drugs and defining the problems of insulin acting in human body. Insulin is a peptide hormone whose main physiological function is to regulate blood glucose level in organism connected with large impact on whole metabolism. Insulin acts through binding of its monomeric form to the insulin receptor. Upon binding to the receptor molecule of insulin undergoes specific structural changes, which put the hormone into an active state. As of now, the structure of the insulin's active monomeric form is still unknown. By testing binding affinities of many modified insulin analogues there was discovered strong evidence between structural conformation of the C-terminus of the B-chain and binding affinity to the receptor. The most crucial data, necessary for this work, were observed from the structure of highly active insulin analogues that possessed unique B26 turn, recently prepared and described by team of Dr. J. Jiráček, IOCB AS CR. The aim of this work was synthesis of...

Insulin/IGF system is a complex network of three similar hormones (insulin, IGF-1 and IGF-2) and their three similar receptors (IR-A, IR-B and IGF-1R,), which play important roles in maintaining basal energy homeostasis of the organism, in growth, development, life-span but also in development of diseases such as diabetes mellitus, cancer, acromegaly or Laron dwarfism. Despite structural similarities between family members, each member have its unique role in the system. Identification of structural determinants in insulin and IGFs that trigger their specific signalling pathways is important for rational drug design for safer treatment of diabetes or for more efficient combating of cancer or growth-related disorders. In this thesis, we focused on identification of such structural determinants in IGF-1. Comparison of our data with parallel studies with IGF-2 and insulin could give a more complex picture of the problem. First of all, we developed necessary methodologies for the preparation of IGF-1 analogues. We developed a new methodology for the total chemical synthesis of IGF-1 analogues based on the solid-phase synthesis of fragments and their ligation by a CuI -catalyzed cycloaddition of azides and alkynes. In parallel, we developed a procedure for a recombinant production of IGF- 1 and its...

The Insulin Receptor Substrate (IRS) proteins IRS-1 and IRS-2 are cytoplasmic adaptor proteins that organize and propagate intracellular signaling downstream of specific growth factor receptors, including the Insulin and Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Receptors (IR and IGF-1R, respectively). Despite sharing a high level of homology and the ability to stimulate Phosphotidylinositol-3-Kinase (PI3K) and Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) signaling, IRS-1 and IRS-2 play distinct roles in mammary tumor progression. Specifically, IRS-1 promotes growth and proliferation, whereas IRS- 2 promotes motility, invasion, survival, aerobic glycolyis, and metastasis. To further understand the differences between IRS-1 and IRS-2, I investigated the mechanistic basis of IRS-2-mediated PI3K activation. I identified tyrosines in IRS-2 that mediate its recruitment and activation of PI3K in response to insulin and IGF-1 stimulation. Using a PI3K-binding deficient IRS-2 mutant, I demonstrated that IRS-2-dependent PI3K signaling promotes aerobic glycolysis through its ability to selectively regulate the phosphorylation of the Akt effector Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3β (Gsk-3β). I also performed a rigorous comparison of IRS-1 and IRS-2 signal transduction and their ability to regulate functions associated with tumor progression. These studies required the generation of a novel model system where IRS-1 and IRS-2 function could be compared in a genetically identical background. Using this model, I confirmed a role for IRS-1 in growth regulation and IRS-2 in tumor cell invasion, as well as expanded the understanding of differential IRS protein function by showing that IRS-2 more vi effectively promotes Akt activation. The model system I have established can be used for further characterization of IRS-1 and IRS-2-specific functions.

Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a serious side effect of certain antipsychotic medications that are used to treat schizophrenia (SCZ) and other mental illnesses. The methylation status of the insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) gene is reportedly associated with SCZ; however, no study, to the best of the authors' knowledge, has focused on the quantitative DNA methylation levels of the IRS1 gene using pyrosequencing in SCZ with or without TD. The present study aimed to quantify DNA methylation levels of 4 CpG sites in the IRS1 gene using a Chinese sample including SCZ patients with TD and without TD (NTD) and healthy controls (HCs). The general linear model (GLM) was used to detect DNA methylation levels among the 3 proposed groups (TD vs. NTD vs. HC). Mean DNA methylation levels of 4 CpG sites demonstrated normal distribution. Pearson's correlation analysis did not reveal any significant correlations between the DNA methylation levels of the 4 CpG sites and the severity of SCZ. GLM revealed significant differences between the 3 groups for CpG site 1 and the average of the 4 CpG sites (P=0.0001 and P=0.0126, respectively). Furthermore, the TD, NTD and TD + NTD groups demonstrated lower methylation levels in CpG site 1 (P=0.0003, P<0.0001 and P<0.0001, respectively) and the average of 4 CpG sites (P=0.0176, P=0.0063 and P=0.003, respectively) compared with the HC group. The results revealed that both NTD and TD patients had significantly decreased DNA methylation levels compared with healthy controls, which indicated a significant association between the DNA methylation levels of the IRS1 gene with SCZ and TD.

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