No description available.

Neutrophils form a first line of defence against infections. These short-lived, terminally differentiated cells perform many important functions, including chemotaxis, degranulation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) release and cytokine production. Whilst neutrophils are essential for host immunity, their inappropriate recruitment, activation and/or removal can contribute to excessive inflammation and host damage, as exemplified in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. It is therefore essential that neutrophil function is tightly regulated. Neutrophils are activated by a range of stimuli, including immune complexes. Neutrophil functions are tightly regulated by intracellular signalling events that are induced by the ligation of cell surface receptors, for example, the binding of immune complexes to Fc receptors. Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk) are key signalling intermediates that act downstream of many cell surface receptors. They are involved in the regulation of numerous biological processes in the neutrophil. Using pharmacological interventions, I analysed PI3K signalling in immune complex-stimulated human neutrophils and uncovered a previously uncharacterised, noncanonical signalling pathway, PI3K-Cdc42-Pak-Mek-Erk. This represents an unusual situation where Pak acts as the MAP3K downstream of Cdc42 in a PI3K-dependent fashion. By performing a range of functional experiments, I showed that this unconventional signalling pathway promotes apoptosis in human neutrophils by regulating the ratio between anti- and pro-apoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family proteins. No other immune complex-induced, PI3K-dependent neutrophil function tested depended on PI3K-Cdc42-Pak-Mek-Erk signalling. Mouse knock-outs of all components of this signalling pathway have been described. Immune complex-induced apoptosis was also PI3K-dependent in mouse neutrophils, but experiments performed with inhibitors showed that, in contrast to human neutrophils, this was not dependent on PI3K-Cdc42-Pak-Mek-Erk signalling. The myeloid leukaemia cell line, PLB-985 is amenable to knock-down and can be differentiated to become neutrophil-like. These cells are not notably activated by immune complexes, perhaps because they do not express the major Fcγ receptor, CD16. Since retroviral expression of CD16 in PLB985 cells did not improve their response to activation by immune complexes, I was not able to confirm my observations with human neutrophils genetically. Collectively, I showed that a novel, pro-apoptotic signalling pathway operates downstream of Fcγ receptors in the human neutrophil. The fact that this signalling pathway appears to regulate apoptosis specifically suggests uncoupling pro- and anti-inflammatory effects induced by immune complexes might be possible. This may be helpful in the design of improved therapies of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, in which immune complex-driven neutrophilic inflammation contributes to disease pathogenesis and where neutrophil apoptosis is disturbed.

Mutations in the CLN3 gene cause Juvenile Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (JNCL), a form of Batten disease that is grouped within the broad class of lysosomal storage diseases. JNCL displays a primary central nervous system phenotype characterized by rapid onset blindness, wide spread brain atrophy and reversal of learned abilities with death occurring 10-20 years after symptom onset. The mechanisms underlying these phenotypes are not known. CLN3 encodes CLN3, a protein with no known molecular function. CLN3 is expressed at very low levels natively in most cells, and is highly hydrophobic. Similar to other lysosomal storage diseases, it is difficult to ascertain the primary versus the secondary defects when the protein functions along the endosomal-lysosomal pathway. In JNCL one common finding among several labs, in various cellular systems, is a fluid-phase endocytotic defect. I took this commonality as a key to CLN3 function, and pursued cell biological pathways required for fluid-phase endocytosis. Fluid-phase endocytosis is regulated by cycling of the small GTPase Cdc42 and I discovered increased Cdc42-GTP in CLN3-null mouse brain endothelial cells. In mouse brain endothelial cells enhanced Cdc42-GTP increased Cdc42 dependent signaling, filopodial formation, and retarded cell migration. I also found reduced plasma membrane association of ARHGAP21, a known negative regulator of Cdc42. My data supports a model where loss of CLN3 reduces ARHGAP21 plasma membrane recruitment, and causes aberrant Cdc42 activation. Thus irregular Cdc42 activation underlies the commonly reported fluid-phase endocytic defects in JNCL. Therapeutic development for JNCL has been hampered in part from the varying phenotypes ascribed to CLN3 deficiency. My discovery that the fluid-phase endocytic defects result from Cdc42 pathway aberrations, which in turn contributed to multiple downstream phenotypes, opened the door to novel JNCL therapeutics. Here I present work showing that a Cdc42 inhibitor corrects the Cdc42 dependent defects in vitro and multiple defects in a JNCL mouse model.

<p><italic>Cryptococcus neoformans</italic> pathogenesis results from the proliferation of yeast-phase fungal cells within the human host. The Ras1 signal transduction cascade is a major regulator of <italic>C. neoformans</italic> yeast and hyphal-phase morphogenesis, thermotolerance, and pathogenesis. Previous work identified the conserved Rho-GTPases Cdc42 and Rac1 as potential downstream targets of Ras1. In this work, we identify the duplicate Cdc42 and Rac paralogs, Cdc42 and Cdc420, and Rac1 and Rac2, as major effectors of Ras1-mediated thermotolerance and polarized growth, respectively. Using genetic and molecular biology techniques, including mutant analyses and over-expression studies, we determine the separate and overlapping roles of the four Rho-GTPases in Ras1-mediated morphogenesis. The Cdc42 paralogs are non-essential but are required for thermotolerance and pathogenesis. Ras1 acts through the Cdc42 paralogs to regulate cytokinesis via the organization of septin proteins. The major paralog, Cdc42, and the minor paralog, Cdc420, exhibit functional differences that are primarily dictated by transcriptional regulation. Additionally, CDC42 transcription is induced by exposure to temperature stress conditions. In contrast, Ras1 acts through the equivalently transcribed RAC paralogs to regulate polarized growth during both yeast and hyphal-phase morphogenesis. Rac1 and Rac2 are individually dispensable and appear to be functionally redundant but are synthetically required for yeast phase growth and spore development. The sub-cellular localization of the Rac paralogs is dependent on both Ras1 and post-translational modification by prenyl transferases. The identification and characterization of the conserved elements of the Ras1 signal transduction cascade presented here constitute an important contribution towards the design of anti-fungal agents that are based on existing Ras-pathway inhibitors.</p> / Dissertation

<p>Essential and diverse biological processes such as cell division, morphogenesis and migration are regulated by a family of molecular switches called Rho GTPases. These proteins cycle between active, GTP-bound states and inactive, GDP-bound state and this cycle is regulated by families of proteins called Rho GEFs and GAPs. GAPs are proteins that stimulate the intrinsic GTPase activity of Rho-family proteins, potentiating the active to inactive transition. GAPs target specific spatiotemporal pools of GTPases by responding to cellular cues and utilizing protein-protein interactions. By dissecting these interactions and pathways, we can infer and then decipher the biological functions of these GAPs.</p><p>This work focuses on the characterization of a novel Rho-family GAP called srGAP2. In this study, we identify that srGAP2 is a Rac-specific GAP that binds a Formin-family member, Formin-like 1 (FMNL1). FMNL1 is activated by Rac and polymerizes, bundles and severs actin filaments. srGAP2 specifically inhibits the actin severing of active FMNL1, and the assembly of an srGAP2-FMNL1 complex is regulated by Rac. Work on FMNL1 shows that it plays important roles in regulating phagocytosis and adhesion in macrophages. To learn more about srGAP2 and its role in regulating FMNL1, we studied macrophages isolated from an srGAP2 KO mouse we have recently generated. This has proven quite fruitful: loss of srGAP2 decreases the ability for macrophages to invade through extracellular matrix but increases phagocytosis. These results suggest that these two processes might be coordinated in vivo by srGAP2 and that srGAP2 might be a critical regulator of the innate immune system.</p> / Dissertation

<p>Polarization is important for the function and morphology of many different cell types. The keys regulators of polarity in eukaryotes are the Rho-family GTPases. In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which must polarize in order to bud and to mate, the master regulator is the highly conserved Rho GTPase, Cdc42. During polarity establishment, active Cdc42 accumulates at a site on the plasma membrane characterizing the “front” of the cell where the bud will emerge. The orientation of polarization is guided by upstream cues that dictate the site of Cdc42 clustering. However, in the absence of upstream cues, yeast can still polarize in a random direction during symmetry breaking. Symmetry breaking suggests cells possess an autocatalytic polarization mechanism that can amplify stochastic fluctuations of polarity proteins through a positive feedback mechanism.</p><p> Two different positive feedback mechanisms have been proposed to polarize Cdc42 in budding yeast. One model posits that Cdc42 activation must be localized to a site at the plasma membrane. Another model posits that Cdc42 delivery must be localized to a particular site at the plasma membrane. Although both mechanisms could work in parallel to polarize Cdc42, it is unclear which mechanism is critical to polarity establishment. We directly tested the predictions of the two positive feedback models using genetics and live microscopy. We found that localized Cdc42 activation is necessary for polarity establishment.</p><p> While this explains how active Cdc42 localizes to a particular site at the plasma membrane, it does not address how Cdc42 concentrates at that site. Several different mechanisms have been proposed to concentrate Cdc42. The GDI can extract Cdc42 from membranes and selective mobilize GDP-Cdc42 in the cytoplasm. It was proposed that selectively mobilizing GDP-Cdc42 in combination with local activation could locally concentrate total Cdc42 at the polarity site. Although the GDI is important for rapid Cdc42 accumulation at the polarity site, it is not essential to Cdc42 concentration. It was proposed that delivery of Cdc42 by actin-mediated vesicle can act as a backup pathway to concentrate Cdc42. However, we found no evidence for an actin-dependent concentrating pathway. Live microscopy experiments reveal that prenylated proteins are not restricted to membranes, and can enter the cytoplasm. We found that the GDI-independent concentrating pathway still requires Cdc42 to exchange between the plasma membrane and the cytoplasm, which is supported by computational modeling. In the absence of the GDI, we found that Cdc42 GAP became essential for polarization. We propose that the GAP limits GTP-Cdc42 leak into the cytoplasm, which would be prohibitive to Cdc42 polarization.</p> / Dissertation

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第21414号 / 医博第4404号 / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 万代 昌紀, 教授 小川 誠司, 教授 武藤 学 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第24500号 / 医博第4942号 / 新制||医||1064(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 生田 宏一, 教授 萩原 正敏, 教授 渡邊 直樹 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

No description available.

Les cancers sont un groupe de maladies diverses et complexes responsables de millions de décès chaque année à travers le monde. Ces maladies sont multicausales et peuvent être engendrées par de nombreux facteurs génétiques ou environnementaux. Parmi les facteurs susceptibles de déclencher l’oncogénèse, les agents infectieux (virus, bactéries et parasites) sont à l’origine de plus de 16 % des cancers. Parmi les virus, l’étude de la famille des Retroviridae a permis de comprendre les mécanismes de l’oncogénèse virale. Certains rétrovirus portent des oncogènes d’origine cellulaire, d’autres activent des oncogènes cellulaires lors de leur insertion dans le génome de l’hôte et d’autres enfin portent des protéines virales oncogènes. Parmi ces derniers, le rétrovirus JSRV (Jaagsiekte Sheep Retrovirus) est responsable de l’adénocarcinome pulmonaire ovin chez les petits ruminants. JSRV transforme des cellules épithéliales alvéolaires et bronchiolaires via sa protéine d’enveloppe (Env) qui dérégule des voies de signalisation cellulaire contrôlant la prolifération, dont la voie Akt/mTOR (Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase Alpha serine-Threonine-protein Kinase/ mammalian Target Of Rapamycin). Nous avons identifié la protéine cellulaire RALBP1 (RalA Binding Protein 1) comme un partenaire de Env et analysé les effets de cette interaction sur la transformation induite par JSRV. Nous avons confirmé la formation de complexes protéiques RALBP1/ Env dans les cellules de mammifères. Par inhibition de l'expression de RALBP1 avec des siRNA spécifiques, nous avons montré que la protéine cellulaire est impliquée dans le processus de transformation cellulaire induite par l’enveloppe et dans la modulation de la voie mTOR /p70S6K. Nous avons mis en évidence la sous-expression de RALBP1 dans les cellules exprimant Env in vitro, mais aussi ex vivo dans les cellules primaires tumorales et in vivo dans les tissus tumoraux. Nous avons déterminé que CDC42, un activateur de p70S6K dont l’activité est négativement régulée par RALBP1, interagit avec l’enveloppe de JSRV. Nous avons posé l’hypothèse que la diminution de RALBP1 provoquée par l’Env activerait CDC42 ce qui conduirait à l’activation p70S6K. CDC42 étant impliqué dans l’organisation du cytosquelette d’actine, nous nous sommes intéressés à l’effet de l’enveloppe sur le cytosquelette d’actine. Nous avons mis en évidence une désorganisation du cytosquelette d’actine et une perte de la polarisation des cellules exprimant l’enveloppe de JSRV. Comme de nombreux autres virus, JSRV pourrait moduler le cytosquelette d’actine des cellules épithéliales qu’il infecte afin de désorganiser l’épithélium et ainsi affecter son hôte plus efficacement / Worldwide, cancers are a group of diverse and complex diseases responsible for millions of deaths every year. These diseases are multicausal and associated with various genetic and environmental factors. Infectious agents (viruses, bacteria and parasites) are at the origin of more than 16 % of cancers. Among viruses, the study of the Retroviridae family allowed us to understand the mechanisms of viral oncogenesis. They transform cells by carrying oncogenes, by the activation of cellular oncogenes after their integration into the host genomes or by the oncogenic properties of some of their proteins. Among the later, JSRV (Jaagsiekte Sheep Retrovirus) is responsible for ovine lung adenocarcinoma in small ruminants. It transforms alveolar and bronchiolar epithelial cells via its envelope protein (Env). Env expression deregulates pathways involved in the control of cellular proliferation, such as the Akt/mTOR (Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase Alpha serine-Threonine-protein Kinase/ mammalian Target Of Rapamycin) pathway. We identified RALBP1 (RalA Binding Protein 1) as a cellular partner of Env and analyzed the effects of these interaction on the JSRV induced transformation. We confirmed the formation of RALBP1/Env complexes in cells. By inhibition of RALBP1 expression with specific siRNA, we showed that RALBP1 is involved in Env mediated transformation and in the modulation of the mTOR/p70S6K pathway. We demonstrated the down expression of RALBP1 in vitro in cell lines expressing Env, and importantly ex vivo in primary cells derived from tumoral lungs and in vivo in tumoral lungs. We determined that CDC42, an activator of p70S6K whose activity is negatively regulated by RALBP1, interacts with the envelope of JSRV. We make the hypothesis that the activation of CDC42, following the Env-mediated decrease of RALBP1, would lead to the activation of p70S6K. As CDC42 is involved in the organization of the actin cytoskeleton, we were interested in the effect of Env on actin cytoskeleton. We showed the disorganization of actin cytoskeleton and the loss of polarization in cells expressing Env JSRV. As many viruses, JSRV could modulate the actin cytoskeleton in epithelial cells via its envelope in order to disrupt the epithelium and affect its host more efficiently