Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oklahoma. / Bibliography: leaves 229-253.

Cytokine and growth factor signaling pathways involving STAT3 are frequently constitutively activated in many human primary tumors, and are known for the transcriptional role they play in controlling cell growth and cell cycle progression. However, the extent of STAT3's reach on transcriptional control of the genome as a whole remains an important question. We predicted that this persistent STAT3 signaling affects a wide variety of cellular functions, many of which still remain to be characterized. We took a broad approach to identify novel STAT3 regulated genes by examining changes in the genome-wide gene expression profile by microarray, using cells expressing constitutively-activated STAT3. Using computational analysis, we were able to define the gene expression profiles of cells containing activated STAT3 and identify candidate target genes with a wide range of biological functions. Among these genes we identified Necdin, a negative growth regulator, as a novel STAT3 target gene, whose expression is down-regulated at the mRNA and protein levels when STAT3 is constitutively active. This repression is STAT3 dependent, since inhibition of STAT3 using siRNA restores Necdin expression. A STAT3 DNA-binding site was identified in the Necdin promoter and both EMSA and chromatin immunoprecipitation confirm binding of STAT3 to this region. Necdin expression has previously been shown to be down-regulated in a melanoma and a drug-resistant ovarian cancer cell line. Further analysis of Necdin expression demonstrated repression in a STAT3-dependent manner in human melanoma, prostate and breast cancer cell lines. These results suggest that STAT3 coordinates expression of genes involved in multiple metabolic and biosynthetic pathways, integrating signals that lead to global transcriptional changes and oncogenesis. STAT3 may exert its oncogenic effect by up-regulating transcription of genes involved in promoting growth and proliferation, but also by down-regulating expression of negative regulators of the same cellular processes, such as Necdin.

Les facteurs de transcription STAT3 sont des protéines cytoplasmiques qui induisent l'activation de gènes en réponse à une stimulation de facteurs de croissance ou de cytokines. A la suite d'une phosphorylation sur son résidu tyrosine 705, STAT3 se dimérise et est transloqué dans le noyau afin d'activer ses gènes cibles spécifiques impliqués dans la progression de la phase G1 vers la phase S du cycle cellulaire. Néanmoins, en absence de phosphorylation du résidu tyrosine 705, STAT3 est capable d'induire l'activation de ses gènes cibles, ces observations ont été corrélées avec la phosphorylation du résidu sérine 727 localisée dans le domaine de transactivation. Dans ce cas, il a été montré que les gènes cibles sont différents de ceux activés par STAT3 phosphorylé sur son résidu tyrosine. Ces résultats suggèrent que les modifications post-traductionnelles de STAT3 jouent un rôle important dans la spécificité de son activité transcriptionnelle. Nous avons observé que le facteur de transcription est phosphorylé sur son résidu sérine 727 en réponse à un traitement génotoxique par la kinase Cdk5. Dans ces conditions, cette voie Cdk5- STAT3 permet la diminution de l'expression de gènes impliqués dans la progression de la phase G1 du cycle cellulaire comme la cycline D1 et c-Myc afin de favoriser l'expression des gènes de réparation tel que Eme1. En parallèle, nous avons montré que STAT3 est également phosphorylé sur son résidu sérine 727 lors de la phase G2 et de la mitose. Cette phosphorylation, due à la kinase Cdk1, permet de réguler l'expression de gènes impliqués dans le déroulement des phases G2 et M du cycle cellulaire, tels que PLK1, STIL, RIC8A, FoxM1, NuMa, Cdc25C. Par ailleurs, grâce à une étude immunohistochimique, nous avons remarqué que STAT3 est phosphorylé sur son résidu sérine 727 dès les stades précoces du cancer colorectal. L'ensemble de ces résultats suggère que la sérine 727 est un site de phosphorylation majeur dans le cancer colorectal. Cette phosphorylation lui permet d'activer deux voies distinctes : la réparation des dommages de l'ADN en réponse à un traitement génotoxique et la progression du cycle cellulaire de la phase G2 vers la mitose.

The Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription-3 (Stat3) is a transcription factor that is required for transformation by a number of oncogenes, while a constitutively active form of Stat3 alone is sufficient to induce neoplastic transformation. It was previously demonstrated that cell to cell adhesion causes a dramatic increase in the activity of Stat3 in both normal and tumour cells. This hinted for the first time at the possibility that the role of Stat3 may differ upon cellular confluence. To examine such a mechanism, it is important to evaluate the effect of Stat3 downregulation at different time-points relative to confluence. To examine this, two different approaches for Stat3 downregulation were used: (1) the introduction of high levels of peptidomimetics analogs, which block the Stat3-SH2 domain by using a technique of in situ electroporation. (2) Treatment with two platinum compounds that inhibit Stat3 binding to activated receptors and DNA. The results demonstrated that Stat3 downregulation in vSrc or TAg transformed mouse fibroblast cells or in breast carcinoma lines, induced apoptosis which was more pronounced post-confluence at the time of its peak activity. In contrast, in sparsely growing normal mouse fibroblasts, Stat3 inhibition induced merely a growth retardation. However, in densely growing normal fibroblasts, Stat3 inhibition induced apoptosis. At least in part, apoptosis induced by Stat3 inhibition was mediated by p53, as shown by the resistance to cell death by Stat3 downregulation in colon carcinoma cells, HCT116, where the p53 gene is ablated. Overall, our observations point to the possibility that constitutive activation of Stat3 may lead to tumourigenesis by downregulating wt-53 in cancers that do not have p53 mutations. As a result, targeting Stat3 in cancers with wt-p53 may be a promising therapeutic approach for restoring p53 function, thereby inducing p53-mediated apoptosis. Next, we examined the effect of constitutively activated Stat3 as an oncogene. Stat3C expression in rat F111 fibroblasts induced anchorage independence, but to a lower degree compared to other oncogenes, such as vSrc. Surprisingly Stat3C expression increased gap junction intercellular communication, despite the fact that other oncogenes such as vSrc or vRas effectively block gap junctions. / Thesis (Ph.D, Pathology & Molecular Medicine) -- Queen's University, 2009-04-26 01:09:21.654

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is a cancer-driving proto-oncoprotein that represents a novel target for the development of chemotherapeutics. In this study, the functional requirements to furnish a potent STAT3 inhibitor was investigated. First, a series of peptidomimetic inhibitors were rationally designed from lead parent peptides. Prepared peptidomimetics overcame the limitations normally associated with peptide agents and displayed improved activity in biophysical evaluations. Notably, lead peptidomimetic agents possessed micromolar cellular activity which was unobserved in both parent peptides. Peptidomimetic design relied on computational methods that were also employed in the design of purine based STAT3 inhibitory molecules. Docking studies with lead STAT3-SH2 domain inhibitory molecules identified key structural and chemical information required for the construction of a pharmacophore model. 2,6,9-heterotrisubstituted purines adequately fulfilled the pharmacophore model and a library of novel purine-based STAT3 inhibitory molecules was prepared utilizing Mitsunobu chemistry. Several agents from this new library displayed high affinity for the STAT3 protein and effectively disrupted the STAT3:STAT3-DNA complex. Furthermore, these agents displayed cancer-cell specific toxicity through a STAT3 dependant mechanism. While purine agents elicited cellular effects, the dose required for cellular efficacy was much higher than those observed for in vitro STAT3 dimer disruption. The diminished cellular activity could be attributed to the apparent poor cell permeability of the first generation purine library; thus, a second library of purine molecules was constructed to improve cell penetration. Unfortunately, iii 2nd generation purine inhibitors failed to disrupt phosphorylated STAT3 activity and suffered from poor cell permeability. However, a lead sulfamate agent was discovered that showed potent activity against multiple myeloma cancer cells. Investigations revealed potential kinase inhibitory activity as the source of the sulfamate purine’s biological effect. Explorations into the development of a potent STAT3 SH2 domain binder, including the creation of salicylic purine and constrained pyrimidine molecules, are ongoing. Finally, progress towards the creation of a macrocyclic purine combinatorial library has been pursued and is reported herein.

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is a cancer-driving proto-oncoprotein that represents a novel target for the development of chemotherapeutics. In this study, the functional requirements to furnish a potent STAT3 inhibitor was investigated. First, a series of peptidomimetic inhibitors were rationally designed from lead parent peptides. Prepared peptidomimetics overcame the limitations normally associated with peptide agents and displayed improved activity in biophysical evaluations. Notably, lead peptidomimetic agents possessed micromolar cellular activity which was unobserved in both parent peptides. Peptidomimetic design relied on computational methods that were also employed in the design of purine based STAT3 inhibitory molecules. Docking studies with lead STAT3-SH2 domain inhibitory molecules identified key structural and chemical information required for the construction of a pharmacophore model. 2,6,9-heterotrisubstituted purines adequately fulfilled the pharmacophore model and a library of novel purine-based STAT3 inhibitory molecules was prepared utilizing Mitsunobu chemistry. Several agents from this new library displayed high affinity for the STAT3 protein and effectively disrupted the STAT3:STAT3-DNA complex. Furthermore, these agents displayed cancer-cell specific toxicity through a STAT3 dependant mechanism. While purine agents elicited cellular effects, the dose required for cellular efficacy was much higher than those observed for in vitro STAT3 dimer disruption. The diminished cellular activity could be attributed to the apparent poor cell permeability of the first generation purine library; thus, a second library of purine molecules was constructed to improve cell penetration. Unfortunately, iii 2nd generation purine inhibitors failed to disrupt phosphorylated STAT3 activity and suffered from poor cell permeability. However, a lead sulfamate agent was discovered that showed potent activity against multiple myeloma cancer cells. Investigations revealed potential kinase inhibitory activity as the source of the sulfamate purine’s biological effect. Explorations into the development of a potent STAT3 SH2 domain binder, including the creation of salicylic purine and constrained pyrimidine molecules, are ongoing. Finally, progress towards the creation of a macrocyclic purine combinatorial library has been pursued and is reported herein.

Το σύνδρομο Hyper-IgE (HIES) είναι μια σπάνια πρωτοπαθής ανοσοανεπάρκεια η οποία χαρακτηρίζεται από υψηλά επίπεδα IgE στον ορό, υποτροπιάζουσες σταφυλοκοκκικές λοιμώξεις του δέρματος και επεισόδια πνευμονίας με σχηματισμό κύστεων. Επιπλέον, στο φαινότυπο του συνδρόμου περιλαμβάνονται και μη-ανοσολογικού τύπου ανωμαλίες όπως χαρακτηριστικό προσωπείο, υπερεκτασιμότητα των αρθρώσεων, σκολίωση, αυτόματα κατάγματα και διατήρηση των νεογιλών οδόντων. Προσφάτως, διαπιστώθηκε πως ετερόζυγες μεταλλάξεις στον μετγραφικό παράγοντα STAT3, ευθύνονται για την αυτοσωμική επικρατούσα μορφή του HIES. Στην παρούσα ερευνητική εργασία ταυτοποιήθηκε και χαρακτηρίστηκε μια νέα μετάλλαξη στην περιοχή δέσμευση του DNA (DNA-binding domain) του μεταγραφικού παράγοντα STAT3 σε έναν ασθενή με σύνδρομο Hyper IgE. Ανάλυση της αλληλουχίας του γονιδίου του STAT3 αποκάλυψε μια de novo ετερόζυγη αντικατάσταση βάσης από G (γουανίνη) σε A (αδενίνη), η οποία προκαλεί την αντικατάσταση στο επίπεδο της αμινοξικής αλληλουχίας του αμινοξέος γλυκίνη από το ασπαρτικό οξύ (G342D). Η ασθενής έχει φυσιολογικά επίπεδα της πρωτεΐνης STAT3, η οποία και εισέρχεται στον πυρήνα των κυττάρων κατόπιν ενεργοποίησης με ιντερλευκίνη-6 (IL-6). Παρoλ’ αυτά, μελέτη της ικανότητας της πρωτεΐνης STAT3 να δεσμεύεται στο DNA έδειξε πως η μετάλλαξη G342D επηρεάζει σημαντικά αυτή τη λειτουργία. Επιπλέον, ανάλυση με ποσοτική RT-PCR έδειξε πως η μετάλλαξη G342D αναστέλλει την STAT3-εξαρτώμενη επαγωγή του γονιδίου ROR γt, απαραίτητου γονιδίου για την διαφοροποίηση και ανάπτυξη των Th17 κυττάρων. Με βάση τα παραπάνω δεδομένα, φαίνετε πώς η νέα μετάλλαξη στο μεταγραφικό παράγοντα STAT3 επηρεάζει σημαντικά τη λειτουργικότητά του, και προκαλεί το σύνδρομο Hyper-IgE στην ασθενή. / The Hyper-IgE syndrome (HIES) is a rare primary immunodeficiency characterized by a highly elevated serum IgE, recurrent staphylococcal skin abscesses and cyst-forming pneumonia. Non-immunological abnormalities, including a distinctive facial appearance, hyperextensive joints, scoliosis, fracture following minor trauma, and the retention of primary teeth are also observed in many patients. Recently, it was shown that heterozygous mutations in signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), can cause autosomal-dominant HIES. Here we identify and characterize a novel mutation in the DNA binding domain of STAT3 in a patient with hyper-IgE syndrome. Sequence analysis revealed a de novo heterozygous transition of a G to A, causing a substitution of a glycine residue for an aspartic acid in the translated sequence (G342D). The patient has normal levels of STAT3, which is able to translocate to the nucleus upon IL-6 stimulation. However, enzyme-linked DNA–protein interaction analysis showed that the G342D mutation affects the binding ability of STAT3 to target DNA sequences. In addition, as shown by qRT-PCR, the mutation abrogates the STAT3 dependent transcription of the retinoid-related orphan receptor γt (ROR γt) gene, an indispensable transcription factor for the commitment of naive CD4+ T cells to the Th17 lineage. These data suggest that the novel G342D mutation affects the binding of STAT3 on DNA and the STAT3 dependent expression of ROR γt mRNA, leading to the HIES phenotype.

Les astrocytes deviennent réactifs dans les maladies neurodégénératives (MND) comme la maladie d’Alzheimer (MA) et de Huntington (MH) mais les conséquences fonctionnelles de cette réactivité sont peu connues. Dans cette étude, nous avons évalué 1) les voies de signalisation impliquées dans la réactivité astrocytaire, 2) la contribution des astrocyte réactifs (AR) à la dysfonction neuronale dans des modèles de MND et 3) les caractéristiques fonctionnelles des AR.Nous avons montré que la voie JAK2/STAT3 est responsable de la réactivité astrocytaire dans des modèles murins de la MA et la MH. Nous avons développé de nouveaux vecteurs viraux ciblant cette voie dans les astrocytes, in vivo. Grâce à ces outils, nous avons étudié la contribution des AR à la dysfonction neuronale dans deux modèles murins de la MH. Nos résultats suggèrent que les AR ne jouent pas un rôle central dans ces modèles de pathologie. En ciblant la voie JAK2/STAT3, nous avons induit la réactivité astrocytaire chez la souris sauvage et avons montré que cette voie régule la transcription de gènes impliqués dans des fonctions cellulaires importantes. De plus, nous avons observé que l’activation des astrocytes conduit à une diminution de la plasticité synaptique dans le cerveau de souris.En conclusion, nous avons montré que la voie JAK2/STAT3 est une voie centrale dans les AR. Nous avons développé des vecteurs viraux innovants pour évaluer 1) la contribution des AR à la dysfonction neuronale dans des modèles de MND et 2) les propriétés fonctionnelles des AR in vivo. L’étude des AR permettra d’identifier de nouvelles cibles moléculaires pour manipuler ces cellules pléiotropes à des fins thérapeutiques. / Astrocyte reactivity is a hallmark of pathological conditions in the CNS including neurodegenerative diseases (ND) such as Alzheimer’s (AD) and Huntington’s (HD) diseases. Reactive astrocytes (RA) are identified by morphological changes but their functional features and influence on neurons are poorly understood, especially in ND. Therefore, we aimed at 1) identifying the signaling cascades involved in astrocyte reactivity in ND, 2) evaluating RA contribution to disease phenotype in ND models and 3) deciphering RA functional features. The JAK2/STAT3 pathway is a known trigger of astrocyte reactivity in CNS injuries. Here, we show that this pathway is a common inducer of astrocyte reactivity in AD and HD models. We developed new viral vectors to target this cascade in astrocytes and manipulate astrocyte reactivity in vivo. We used these vectors to determine the contribution of RA to neuronal dysfunction in HD mouse models. We found that RA do not primarily influence disease phenotype in HD. Last, we targeted the JAK2/STAT3 pathway in WT mice to characterize RA functional features in vivo. We show RA undergo transcriptional changes of numerous genes involved in metabolism, protein degradation pathways and immune response. Moreover, we show that astrocyte reactivity alters synaptic plasticity in the mouse hippocampus. Our results identify the JAK2/STAT3 pathway as a central cascade for astrocyte reactivity. The viral vectors developed in this project represent powerful tools to decipher the roles of RA in various ND models and to characterize RA functional features in vivo. Better understanding RA functions may lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets for ND.

No description available.

C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute phase protein of the innate immune system that has been evolutionarily conserved. Human CRP is known to exist in two different pentameric conformations; native CRP and non-native CRP that possess differential ligand recognition functions. The structure of CRP evolved from arthropods to humans, in terms of subunit composition, disulfide bonds, and glycosylation pattern. Along with change in structure, the gene expression pattern of CRP also evolved from a constitutive protein in lower invertebrates to an acute phase protein in humans. The objective of this study was to determine the function of a non-native pentameric CRP, that binds to atherogenic LDL, in atherosclerosis and compare the ligand recognition functions of human pentameric CRP with an evolutionary distant CRP for understanding the evolution of the structure of CRP. Additionally, in vitro reporter gene assays were used to gain further insight into the regulation of human CRP gene expression by an IL-6 inducible transcription factor, STAT3. We observed that CRP, in its non-native pentameric conformation, binds to atherogenic LDL and slows the progression of atherosclerosis in a site-specific manner in high fat diet fed LDLR-/- mice. Further, we observed that the ligand recognition function of CRP from an evolutionary conserved species, Limulus polyphemus, is different than that of native pentameric human CRP, but overlaps that of non-native pentameric human CRP. Lastly, we screened the proximal 300 bp region of the CRP promoter and identified a novel STAT3 binding site at position -134 located upstream of the previously identified, transcriptionally active STAT3 site at -108. In conclusion, non-native pentameric human CRP is an atheroprotective molecule whose ligand recognition functions exhibit similarity with CRP from an evolutionarily distant species. IL-6 mediated transcriptional regulation of human CRP is modulated, in part, by STAT3 binding to two distinct positions on the CRP promoter.