Early diagnosis of endometrial cancer (EC) is uncertain and women undergo preventive hysterectomy in cases where a non-invasive treatment can be used instead. To contribute to solving this challenge we investigated if early changes in the nuclear 3D telomere architecture during carcinoma development can be detected prior to the first morphological evidence of precancerous lesions. We utilized Pten heterozygous mice that develop progressive carcinoma in the endometrial tissue similar to EC development in women. We used telomere fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), 3D molecular imaging and analysis techniques on interphase nuclei of endometrial glandular epithelial cells to identify alterations in the 3D-telomere profile. We found that telomere dysfunction in Pten heterozygous mice is present already in endometrial simple hyperplasia lesions prior to detectable loss of PTEN protein expression and that the 3D telomere architecture has a specific signature that indicates early telomere dysfunction predictive for endometrial malignant transformation.

Le détournement de la machinerie cellulaire par un pathogène est souvent essentiel à sa propagation dans l'organisme de l'hôte. Les voies de signalisation qui contrôlent l'homéostasie cellulaire constituent une cible stratégique de nombreux virus lors d'une infection. Le virus de la rage possède la particularité d'induire la survie des neurones qu'il infecte. Le site de fixation à des domaines PDZ (PDZ-BS) de la glycoprotéine du virus de la rage a été identifié comme étant un élément clef dans le contrôle des voies de survie et d'apoptose. Ce PDZ-BS reconnaît uniquement deux isoformes de la famille des " Microtubule Associated Serine/Threonine kinase " (MAST1 et MAST2). La kinase MAST2 possède une fonction inhibitrice de survie en contrôlant l'élongation des neurites et interagit, par ailleurs, avec le PDZ-BS de la phosphatase PTEN, autre inhibiteur essentiel de la survie neuronale. Nous avons montré in vitro que les domaines C-terminaux de PTEN (PTEN13-Cter) et de la glycoprotéine (Cyto13-vir) entrent en compétition pour la fixation domaine PDZ de MAST2. La résolution de la structure du domaine PDZ de MAST2 et PTEN13-Cter, son ligand endogène, révèle un mode d'interaction original avec une large surface d'interaction. Ce réseau d'interaction est conservé dans la structure du domaine PDZ de MAST2 complexé au ligand viral Cyto13-vir. En parallèle, nous avons démontré que le PDZ-BS de la glycoprotéine est nécessaire pour induire la survie des cellules infectées et qu'il module la distribution spatiale de PTEN in cellulo. Cette localisation est dépendante de la phosphorylation de PTEN-Cter.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst., 2005. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy among men, but few genetic factors that drive prostate cancer initiation have been identified. The WD repeat domain 77 (Wdr77) protein is essential for cellular proliferation when it localizes in the cytoplasm of epithelial cells at the early stage of prostate development. In the adult prostate, it is transported into the nucleus and functions as a co-regulator of the androgen receptor to promote cellular differentiation and prostate function. This developmental process is reversed during prostate tumorigenesis i.e., Wdr77 is translocated from the nucleus into the cytoplasm to drive proliferation of prostate cancer cells. In this study, we used in vivo genetic studies to investigate the role of Wdr77 in prostate tumorigenesis. We found that prostate-specific deletion of Wdr77 abolished prostate tumor initiation induced by loss of the tumor suppressor Pten. Mechanistically, Wdr77 ablation inhibited E2F3 activation and enhanced TGFb signaling, leading to attenuated cellular proliferation induced by loss of Pten. These findings establish an essential role of Wdr77 for prostate tumor initiation.

O câncer é a principal causa de morte nos paises economicamente desenvolvidos e a segunda em paises em desenvolvimento, resultado, em parte, da grande falta de especificidade dos tratamentos atualmente disponíveis. Por outro lado, uma aplicação clínica muito específica, denominada letalidade sintética, foi recentemente proposta. Nesta abordagem terapêutica os inibidores de poli(ADP-ribose) polimerases (PARP), também conhecidos como PARPis, mostraram-se capazes de induzir a morte celular seletiva em células tumorais com defeitos em BRCA1 e BRCA2 (ambas envolvidas no reparo de quebras duplas - DSBR). Assim, a excitante possibilidade de eliminar as células cancerígenas de maneira seletiva fez com que os PARPis passassem de interessantes ferramentas moleculares às mais promissoras drogas anticâncer da atualidade. Contudo, os mecanismos básicos envolvidos na citotoxicidade dos PARPis continuam pouco conhecidos e suas aplicações restritas a um pequeno grupo de cânceres. Por este motivo, neste trabalho, a citotoxicidade do Olaparib (um inibidor de PARP) foi investigada em um painel de linhagens de câncer colorretal (CRC). Os resultados demonstraram que o Olaparib é uma droga de ação lenta, cuja citotoxicidade pode ser modulada por defeitos genéticos em MLH1 (envolvido no reparo de bases mal-emparelhadas) e no supressor tumoral PTEN. Por outro lado, observou-se que o fenótipo MSI (Instabilidade de microssatélites) e os defeitos genéticos em p53 não influenciaram a citotoxicidade do Olaparib. Além disso, linhagens com resistência adquirida a Oxaliplatina (Oxp) e a 5-Fluorouracil (5- Fu) não apresentaram efeito refratário ao Olaparib, enquanto que linhagens com resistência adquirida a SN-38 (metabólito ativo do Irinotecano) apresentaram um forte efeito refratário. Finalmente, as associações de Oxp ou 5-Fu com Olaparib foram capazes de sensibilizar células com resistência relativa e adquirida. Juntos, estes resultados sugerem uma série de novas possibilidades para o emprego de inibidores de PARP no tratamento de CRC. / Cancer is the main cause of death in developed countries and the second in lessdeveloped countries, that results in part from the low specific treatments available. However, a very specific therapeutic approach, called synthetic lethality, was recently proposed. The best documented synthetic lethal interaction was reported between poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases inhibitors (PARPis) and defects in BRCA1 and BRCA2 (both involved in double-strand break repair - DSBR), which may induce selective cancer cells death. Therefore, the exciting possibility to selectively kill cancer cells has been moving PARPis from interesting molecular tools to the forefront of cancer therapy research. However, the basic mechanisms involved in PARPis cytotoxicity are still poorly studied and its clinical applications are restricted to a small number of malignances. Herein, the Olaparib (PARPi) cytotoxicity was investigated in a colorectal cancer (CRC) cell line panel. The results demonstrated that Olaparib is a slow action drug, which may have its effects increased in cells with MLH1 (involved in mismatch repair) and PTEN (tumor supressor) defects. On the other hand, neither the MSI (microsatellite instability) phenotype nor the p53 defects were observed to influence on Olaparib cytotoxicity. Further, neither Oxp nor 5-Fu resistant cell lines presented cross-resistance to Olaparib, whereas a pronounced cross-resistance was observed for SN-38 (Irinotecan metabolite) resistant cell line. Finally, Olaparib associations with Oxaliplatin or 5-Fluorouracil were shown to sensitize cells with both relative and acquired resistances. Together, these results suggest a series of new possible uses for PARP inhibitors in CRC treatment.

O câncer é a principal causa de morte nos paises economicamente desenvolvidos e a segunda em paises em desenvolvimento, resultado, em parte, da grande falta de especificidade dos tratamentos atualmente disponíveis. Por outro lado, uma aplicação clínica muito específica, denominada letalidade sintética, foi recentemente proposta. Nesta abordagem terapêutica os inibidores de poli(ADP-ribose) polimerases (PARP), também conhecidos como PARPis, mostraram-se capazes de induzir a morte celular seletiva em células tumorais com defeitos em BRCA1 e BRCA2 (ambas envolvidas no reparo de quebras duplas - DSBR). Assim, a excitante possibilidade de eliminar as células cancerígenas de maneira seletiva fez com que os PARPis passassem de interessantes ferramentas moleculares às mais promissoras drogas anticâncer da atualidade. Contudo, os mecanismos básicos envolvidos na citotoxicidade dos PARPis continuam pouco conhecidos e suas aplicações restritas a um pequeno grupo de cânceres. Por este motivo, neste trabalho, a citotoxicidade do Olaparib (um inibidor de PARP) foi investigada em um painel de linhagens de câncer colorretal (CRC). Os resultados demonstraram que o Olaparib é uma droga de ação lenta, cuja citotoxicidade pode ser modulada por defeitos genéticos em MLH1 (envolvido no reparo de bases mal-emparelhadas) e no supressor tumoral PTEN. Por outro lado, observou-se que o fenótipo MSI (Instabilidade de microssatélites) e os defeitos genéticos em p53 não influenciaram a citotoxicidade do Olaparib. Além disso, linhagens com resistência adquirida a Oxaliplatina (Oxp) e a 5-Fluorouracil (5- Fu) não apresentaram efeito refratário ao Olaparib, enquanto que linhagens com resistência adquirida a SN-38 (metabólito ativo do Irinotecano) apresentaram um forte efeito refratário. Finalmente, as associações de Oxp ou 5-Fu com Olaparib foram capazes de sensibilizar células com resistência relativa e adquirida. Juntos, estes resultados sugerem uma série de novas possibilidades para o emprego de inibidores de PARP no tratamento de CRC. / Cancer is the main cause of death in developed countries and the second in lessdeveloped countries, that results in part from the low specific treatments available. However, a very specific therapeutic approach, called synthetic lethality, was recently proposed. The best documented synthetic lethal interaction was reported between poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases inhibitors (PARPis) and defects in BRCA1 and BRCA2 (both involved in double-strand break repair - DSBR), which may induce selective cancer cells death. Therefore, the exciting possibility to selectively kill cancer cells has been moving PARPis from interesting molecular tools to the forefront of cancer therapy research. However, the basic mechanisms involved in PARPis cytotoxicity are still poorly studied and its clinical applications are restricted to a small number of malignances. Herein, the Olaparib (PARPi) cytotoxicity was investigated in a colorectal cancer (CRC) cell line panel. The results demonstrated that Olaparib is a slow action drug, which may have its effects increased in cells with MLH1 (involved in mismatch repair) and PTEN (tumor supressor) defects. On the other hand, neither the MSI (microsatellite instability) phenotype nor the p53 defects were observed to influence on Olaparib cytotoxicity. Further, neither Oxp nor 5-Fu resistant cell lines presented cross-resistance to Olaparib, whereas a pronounced cross-resistance was observed for SN-38 (Irinotecan metabolite) resistant cell line. Finally, Olaparib associations with Oxaliplatin or 5-Fluorouracil were shown to sensitize cells with both relative and acquired resistances. Together, these results suggest a series of new possible uses for PARP inhibitors in CRC treatment.

O câncer é a principal causa de morte nos paises economicamente desenvolvidos e a segunda em paises em desenvolvimento, resultado, em parte, da grande falta de especificidade dos tratamentos atualmente disponíveis. Por outro lado, uma aplicação clínica muito específica, denominada letalidade sintética, foi recentemente proposta. Nesta abordagem terapêutica os inibidores de poli(ADP-ribose) polimerases (PARP), também conhecidos como PARPis, mostraram-se capazes de induzir a morte celular seletiva em células tumorais com defeitos em BRCA1 e BRCA2 (ambas envolvidas no reparo de quebras duplas - DSBR). Assim, a excitante possibilidade de eliminar as células cancerígenas de maneira seletiva fez com que os PARPis passassem de interessantes ferramentas moleculares às mais promissoras drogas anticâncer da atualidade. Contudo, os mecanismos básicos envolvidos na citotoxicidade dos PARPis continuam pouco conhecidos e suas aplicações restritas a um pequeno grupo de cânceres. Por este motivo, neste trabalho, a citotoxicidade do Olaparib (um inibidor de PARP) foi investigada em um painel de linhagens de câncer colorretal (CRC). Os resultados demonstraram que o Olaparib é uma droga de ação lenta, cuja citotoxicidade pode ser modulada por defeitos genéticos em MLH1 (envolvido no reparo de bases mal-emparelhadas) e no supressor tumoral PTEN. Por outro lado, observou-se que o fenótipo MSI (Instabilidade de microssatélites) e os defeitos genéticos em p53 não influenciaram a citotoxicidade do Olaparib. Além disso, linhagens com resistência adquirida a Oxaliplatina (Oxp) e a 5-Fluorouracil (5- Fu) não apresentaram efeito refratário ao Olaparib, enquanto que linhagens com resistência adquirida a SN-38 (metabólito ativo do Irinotecano) apresentaram um forte efeito refratário. Finalmente, as associações de Oxp ou 5-Fu com Olaparib foram capazes de sensibilizar células com resistência relativa e adquirida. Juntos, estes resultados sugerem uma série de novas possibilidades para o emprego de inibidores de PARP no tratamento de CRC. / Cancer is the main cause of death in developed countries and the second in lessdeveloped countries, that results in part from the low specific treatments available. However, a very specific therapeutic approach, called synthetic lethality, was recently proposed. The best documented synthetic lethal interaction was reported between poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases inhibitors (PARPis) and defects in BRCA1 and BRCA2 (both involved in double-strand break repair - DSBR), which may induce selective cancer cells death. Therefore, the exciting possibility to selectively kill cancer cells has been moving PARPis from interesting molecular tools to the forefront of cancer therapy research. However, the basic mechanisms involved in PARPis cytotoxicity are still poorly studied and its clinical applications are restricted to a small number of malignances. Herein, the Olaparib (PARPi) cytotoxicity was investigated in a colorectal cancer (CRC) cell line panel. The results demonstrated that Olaparib is a slow action drug, which may have its effects increased in cells with MLH1 (involved in mismatch repair) and PTEN (tumor supressor) defects. On the other hand, neither the MSI (microsatellite instability) phenotype nor the p53 defects were observed to influence on Olaparib cytotoxicity. Further, neither Oxp nor 5-Fu resistant cell lines presented cross-resistance to Olaparib, whereas a pronounced cross-resistance was observed for SN-38 (Irinotecan metabolite) resistant cell line. Finally, Olaparib associations with Oxaliplatin or 5-Fluorouracil were shown to sensitize cells with both relative and acquired resistances. Together, these results suggest a series of new possible uses for PARP inhibitors in CRC treatment.

The miR-17- 92 cluster is necessary for cell proliferation and development of the cardiovascular system. Deletion of this cluster leads to death in neonatal mice. The role of this cluster still needs to be defined following ischemia and reperfusion. Methods and Results: Adult male mice were injected with Tamoxifen- was to induce inducible cardiac-specific miR-17- 92-deficient (miR-17- 92-def: MCM:TG:miR-17- 92 flox/flox ) and wild type (WT: MCM:NTG:miR-17-92 flox/flox ) mice were subjected to 30 minutes of myocardial ischemia via left anterior descending coronary artery ligation followed by reperfusion for 24 hours. Post I/R survival (48%) and ejection fraction were reduced, while myocardial infarct size enlarged in miR-17- 92-deficient mice as compared to WT mice (survival: 71%). Necrosis (trypan blue staining) and apoptosis (TUNEL assay) both were higher in adult cardiomyocytes isolated from miR-17- 92-deficient mice as compared to WT mice subjected to simulated ischemia/reoxygenation with a concomitant reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential (JC1 staining). The electron transport chain was compromised through dysregulation of glutamate+malate as complex I substrate and malate dehydrogenase in the hearts of miR-17- 92-deficient mice compared to WT. After 4 hours of reperfusion, PTEN expression, a downstream target of miR-20A, increased, while phosphorylation of AKT reduced in the hearts of miR-17- 92-deficient mice in comparison to WT. The induced knockdown of cardiac miR-17- 92 increases myocardial I/R injury by ceasing suppression of PTEN, leading to decreased concentrations of AKT and mitochondrial dysfunction. These results suggest that innovative therapeutic strategies can focus on genetic upregulation of miR-17- 92 in patients with coronary artery disease.

The focus of this dissertation is to understand the physicochemical factors that affect the spatiotemporal control of phosphoinositide signaling events. Despite their low abundance in cellular membranes ( ~ 1% of total lipids) phosphoinositides are assuming major roles in the spatiotemporal regulation of cellular signaling, therefore making this group of lipids an attractive area of study, especially for identifying drug targets. The main phosphoinositide studied in this dissertation is phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P2], which regulates various intracellular signaling pathways, notably the PI3K/AKT pathway. The PI3K/AKT pathway plays a critical role in regulating diverse cellular functions including metabolism, growth, proliferation, and survival. Thus, dysregulation of the PI3K/AKT pathway is implicated in a number of human diseases including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and neurological diseases. PI(4,5)P2 regulates phosphoinositide signaling in the PI3K/AKT pathway through interaction of its highly anionic headgroup with polybasic proteins. The highly specific manner that allows hundreds of structurally diverse proteins to interact with lipid species found in such low supply may require the local formation of PI(4,5)P2 clusters (domains). Although a significant amount of evidence has accumulated over the past decade that supports the notion of PI(4,5)P2-rich clusters, our understanding regarding the structural determinants required for cluster formation remains limited. Studies have shown that PI(4,5)P2 clustering is induced by cellular cations interacting with PI(4,5)P2 via electrostatic interactions, suggesting that non-clustering/clustering transitions are particularly sensitive to ionic conditions. However, why some ions are more effectively cluster PI(4,5)P2 than others remains to be understood. For our first research aim, we investigated the effects of divalent (Ca2+) and monovalent cations (Na+, K+ ) on PI(4,5)P2 clustering to understand the ionic environment required for electrostatic PI(4,5)P2 cluster formation. We used monolayers at the air/water interface (Langmuir films) to monitor PI(4,5)P2 molecular packing in the presence of each cation. Our results indicated that Ca2+ individually and Ca2+ along with K+ had a greater effects on PI(4,5)P2 cluster formation than Na+ and K+, individually and combined. We hypothesize that the cations shield the negatively charged headgroups, allowing adjacent PI(4,5)P2 molecules to interact via H- bonding networks. The analysis of the electrostatic environment required for stable PI(4,5)P2 clustering will help us understand important aspects of PI(4,5)P2 mediated signaling events, such as the temporal control of protein binding to PI(4,5)P2 clusters to enhance their function. Another important spatiotemporal modulator that affects the local concentration of PI(4,5)P2 clusters is cholesterol, a steroid present in large quantities (30-40 mole%) in the plasma membrane. Cholesterol has been shown to induce the formation of liquid-ordered domains when interacting with an otherwise gel phase forming lipid, however, the interaction of cholesterol with an inner leaflet lipid species that favors more of a disordered environment to form clusters is poorly understood. We hypothesize that cations along with cholesterol work synergistically to induce PI(4,5)P2 clustering. Thus, our second research aim was to investigate the role of cholesterol on PI(4,5)P2 clustering by monitoring the molecular packing of PI(4,5)P2 in the presence of both cholesterol and cations. This aim was investigated similarly to the first aim with Langmuir trough monolayer film experiments. Our results showed that cholesterol in the presence of Ca2+ had an additive effect leading to the strongest condensation of the monolayer (increase in PI(4,5)P2 packing). Our hypothesis is that Ca2+ significantly reduces the negative electron density of the phosphate groups, allowing the cholesterol hydroxyl group to interact with PI(4,5)P2 headgroup through hydrogen-bond formation. To confirm our hypothesis, we collaborated with a computational group at the NIH that performed all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations that closely agreed with our experimental data. Thus we were able to determine that the cholesterol hydroxyl group directly interacts via hydrogen-bonding with the phosphodiester group as well as the PI(4,5)P2 hydroxyl groups in the 2- and 6-position. The insight into the structural positioning of cholesterol moving closer to the PI(4,5)P2 headgroup region suggests this unique interaction is important for PI(4,5)P2 cluster formation. Other anionic lipid species are suspected to interact with PI(4,5)P2 and strengthen PI(4,5)P2 clustering. We were particularly interested in the interaction of PI(4,5)P2 with phosphatidylinositol (PI) and phosphatidylserine (PS) because both are abundant in the plasma membrane, ~6-10% and ~10-20% respectively, and both electrostatically bind to peripheral proteins. Therefore, the third research aim analyzed the capacity of PI and PS to form stable clusters with PI(4,5)P2. We hypothesize that a mixed PI/PI(4,5)P2 or PS/PI(4,5)P2 domains are ideal for protein binding, since in combination PI or PS with PI(4,5)P2 would provide the necessary negative electrostatic environment, while PI(4,5)P2 would provide the high specificity and additional electrostatics for protein binding. Langmuir trough monolayer films were used to investigate the stabilization of PI/PI(4,5)P2 and PS/PI(4,5)P2 monolayers in the presence of Ca2+. Our results showed a condensation of the monolayer for both PI/PI(4,5)P2 and PS/PI(4,5)P2 with an increase in Ca2+concentrations, which suggests that Ca2+ shields the highly negatively charged phosphomonoester groups of PI(4,5)P2 allowing PI and PS to participate in PI(4,5)P2’s hydrogen-bond network. Interestingly, both PI and PS equally stabilized PI(4,5)P2 cluster formation, therefore it is highly likely that these lipids interact in vivo to form large stable electrostatic domains required for protein binding. The first three aims provided us with information about the physiological relevant environments required for PI(4,5)P2 cluster formation, while the last aim was geared towards understanding the temporal control of protein association with phosphoinositides in the plasma membrane. Specifically, we analyzed the plasma membrane association of PTEN-L, a translation variant protein of PTEN, that has the ability to exit and enter back into cells, unlike classical PTEN. The ability of PTEN-L to facilitate entry across the anionic and hydrophobic layers of the plasma membrane (in the case of direct transport of PTEN-L across the membrane) or into phospholipid transport vesicles (in the case of vesicular transport of PTEN-L across cells) is likely due to the addition of the 173 N-terminal amino acids, the alternative translated region (ATR-domain). Thus, our fourth research aim focused on the biophysical role of the ATR-domain to associate with inner leaflet plasma membrane lipids. Using attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy to monitor secondary structural changes of the ATR-domain upon lipid binding, it was revealed that both PS and PI(4,5)P2 induced conformational change towards a slight increase in β-sheet content in an otherwise unstructured domain suggesting these lipids are required for ATR-domain interaction with the PM. Further studies revealed that the ATR-domain affects the integrity of PS lipid vesicles, further indicating the presence of PS is required to drive ATR-domain across the membrane. This aim provides information on ATR-domain lipid binding preferences aiding in our understanding of the biological and functional role of PTEN-L as a deliverable tumor suppressor protein. The overall goal of the research in this dissertation is to understand factors that fine-tune PI(4,5)P2 cluster formation in space and time. Our first three research aims were designed to understand the synergistic effects of spatiotemporal modulators (cations, cholesterol, and anionic lipids) on local concentration of PI(4,5)P2 clusters. Our results indicate that Ca2+, cholesterol, and the presence of anionic lipids PI and PS all induce stable domains, thus it is highly likely this is part of the biological environment required in vivo for cationic proteins to bind. The last aim, the association of the ATR-domain with phospholipids in the plasma membrane, provided evidence that PS is likely required to drive the ATR-domain across the plasma membrane. This dissertation unifies nearly two decades worth of research by shedding light on synergistic modulators of PI(4,5)P2 cluster formation (Figure 1). Thus, this work has potentially far reaching consequences for understanding temporal control of the spatially resolved protein activity.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(生命科学) / 甲第22136号 / 生博第423号 / 新制||生||55(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院生命科学研究科高次生命科学専攻 / (主査)教授 垣塚 彰, 教授 原田 浩, 教授 豊島 文子 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy in Life Sciences / Kyoto University / DFAM