Andrew J. Finch

Modelling Myc inhibition as a cancer therapy

Myc is a pleiotropic basic helix–loop–helix leucine zipper transcription factor that coordinates expression of the diverse intracellular and extracellular programs that together are necessary for growth and expansion of somatic cells. In principle, this makes inhibition of Myc an attractive pharmacological approach for treating diverse types of cancer. However, enthusiasm has been muted by lack of direct evidence that Myc inhibition would be therapeutically efficacious, concerns that it would induce serious side effects by inhibiting proliferation of normal tissues, and practical difficulties in designing Myc inhibitory drugs. We have modelled genetically both the therapeutic impact and the side effects of systemic Myc inhibition in a preclinical mouse model of Ras-induced lung adenocarcinoma by reversible, systemic expression of a dominant-interfering Myc mutant. We show that Myc inhibition triggers rapid regression of incipient and established lung tumours, defining an unexpected role for endogenous Myc function in the maintenance of Ras-dependent tumours in vivo. Systemic Myc inhibition also exerts profound effects on normal regenerating tissues. However, these effects are well tolerated over extended periods and rapidly and completely reversible. Our data demonstrate the feasibility of targeting Myc, a common downstream conduit for many oncogenic signals, as an effective, efficient and tumour-specific cancer therapy.

Regulation of Cyclooxygenase 2 mRNA Stability by the Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase p38 Signaling Cascade

ABSTRACT A tetracycline-regulated reporter system was used to investigate the regulation of cyclooxygenase 2 (Cox-2) mRNA stability by the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) p38 signaling cascade. The stable β-globin mRNA was rendered unstable by insertion of the 2,500-nucleotide Cox-2 3′ untranslated region (3′ UTR). The chimeric transcript was stabilized by a constitutively active form of MAPK kinase 6, an activator of p38. This stabilization was blocked by SB203580, an inhibitor of p38, and by two different dominant negative forms of MAPK-activated protein kinase 2 (MAPKAPK-2), a kinase lying downstream of p38. Constitutively active MAPKAPK-2 was also able to stabilize chimeric β-globin–Cox-2 transcripts. The MAPKAPK-2 substrate hsp27 may be involved in stabilization, as β-globin–Cox-2 transcripts were partially stabilized by phosphomimetic mutant forms of hsp27. A short (123-nucleotide) fragment of the Cox-2 3′ UTR was necessary and sufficient for the regulation of mRNA stability by the p38 cascade and interacted with a HeLa protein immunologically related to AU-rich element/poly(U) binding factor 1.

The pathological response to DNA damage does not contribute to p53-mediated tumour suppression

The p53 protein has a highly evolutionarily conserved role in metazoans as ‘guardian of the genome’, mediating cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in response to genotoxic injury. In large, long-lived animals with substantial somatic regenerative capacity, such as vertebrates, p53 is an important tumour suppressor—an attribute thought to stem directly from its induction of death or arrest in mutant cells with damaged or unstable genomes. Chemotherapy and radiation exposure both induce widespread p53-dependent DNA damage. This triggers potentially lethal pathologies that are generally deemed an unfortunate but unavoidable consequence of the role p53 has in tumour suppression. Here we show, using a mouse model in which p53 status can be reversibly switched in vivo between functional and inactive states, that the p53-mediated pathological response to whole-body irradiation, a prototypical genotoxic carcinogen, is irrelevant for suppression of radiation-induced lymphoma. In contrast, delaying the restoration of p53 function until the acute radiation response has subsided abrogates all of the radiation-induced pathology yet preserves much of the protection from lymphoma. Such protection is absolutely dependent on p19ARF—a tumour suppressor induced not by DNA damage, but by oncogenic disruption of the cell cycle.

Uncoupling of GTP hydrolysis from eIF6 release on the ribosome causes Shwachman-Diamond syndrome

Removal of the assembly factor eukaryotic initiation factor 6 (eIF6) is critical for late cytoplasmic maturation of 60S ribosomal subunits. In mammalian cells, the current model posits that eIF6 release is triggered following phosphorylation of Ser 235 by activated protein kinase C. In contrast, genetic studies in yeast indicate a requirement for the ortholog of the SBDS (Shwachman-Bodian-Diamond syndrome) gene that is mutated in the inherited leukemia predisposition disorder Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (SDS). Here, by isolating late cytoplasmic 60S ribosomal subunits from Sbds-deleted mice, we show that SBDS and the GTPase elongation factor-like 1 (EFL1) directly catalyze eIF6 removal in mammalian cells by a mechanism that requires GTP binding and hydrolysis by EFL1 but not phosphorylation of eIF6 Ser 235. Functional analysis of disease-associated missense variants reveals that the essential role of SBDS is to tightly couple GTP hydrolysis by EFL1 on the ribosome to eIF6 release. Furthermore, complementary NMR spectroscopic studies suggest unanticipated mechanistic parallels between this late step in 60S maturation and aspects of bacterial ribosome disassembly. Our findings establish a direct role for SBDS and EFL1 in catalyzing the translational activation of ribosomes in all eukaryotes, and define SDS as a ribosomopathy caused by uncoupling GTP hydrolysis from eIF6 release.

Protein Kinase C-β-Dependent Activation of NF-κB in Stromal Cells Is Indispensable for the Survival of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia B Cells In Vivo

Summary Tumor cell survival critically depends on heterotypic communication with benign cells in the microenvironment. Here, we describe a survival signaling pathway activated in stromal cells by contact to B cells from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The expression of protein kinase C (PKC)-βII and the subsequent activation of NF-κB in bone marrow stromal cells are prerequisites to support the survival of malignant B cells. PKC-β knockout mice are insusceptible to CLL transplantations, underscoring the in vivo significance of the PKC-βII-NF-κB signaling pathway in the tumor microenvironment. Upregulated stromal PKC-βII in biopsies from patients with CLL, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and mantle cell lymphoma suggests that this pathway may commonly be activated in a variety of hematological malignancies.

Bistability in the Rac1, PAK, and RhoA signaling network drives actin cytoskeleton dynamics and cell motility switches

Summary Dynamic interactions between RhoA and Rac1, members of the Rho small GTPase family, play a vital role in the control of cell migration. Using predictive mathematical modeling, mass spectrometry-based quantitation of network components, and experimental validation in MDA-MB-231 mesenchymal breast cancer cells, we show that a network containing Rac1, RhoA, and PAK family kinases can produce bistable, switch-like responses to a graded PAK inhibition. Using a small chemical inhibitor of PAK, we demonstrate that cellular RhoA and Rac1 activation levels respond in a history-dependent, bistable manner to PAK inhibition. Consequently, we show that downstream signaling, actin dynamics, and cell migration also behave in a bistable fashion, displaying switches and hysteresis in response to PAK inhibition. Our results demonstrate that PAK is a critical component in the Rac1-RhoA inhibitory crosstalk that governs bistable GTPase activity, cell morphology, and cell migration switches.

Acute Overexpression of Myc in Intestinal Epithelium Recapitulates Some but Not All the Changes Elicited by Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway Activation

ABSTRACT The Myc transcription factor is a potent inducer of proliferation and is required for Wnt/β-catenin signaling in intestinal epithelium. Since deregulation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway is a prerequisite for nonhereditary intestinal tumorigenesis, we asked whether activation of Myc recapitulates the tumorigenic changes that are driven by constitutive Wnt/β-catenin pathway signaling following adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) inactivation. Using mice in which expression of MycERTAM, a reversibly switchable form of Myc, is expressed transgenically in intestinal epithelium, we define the acute changes that follow Myc activation as well as subsequent deactivation. Myc activation reversibly recapitulates many, but not all, aspects of APC inactivation, including increased proliferation and apoptosis and loss of goblet cells. However, whereas APC inactivation induces redistribution of Paneth cells, direct Myc activation triggers their rapid attrition. Moreover, direct Myc activation engages the ARF/p53/p21cip1 tumor suppressor pathway, whereas deregulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling does not. These observations illustrate key differences in oncogenic impact in intestinal epithelium of direct Myc activation and indirect Myc activation via the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Furthermore, the in situ dedifferentiation of mature goblet cells that Myc induces indicates a novel cross talk between the Wnt/β-catenin and Notch signaling pathways.

Aberrant 3' oligoadenylation of spliceosomal U6 small nuclear RNA in poikiloderma with neutropenia

The recessive disorder poikiloderma with neutropenia (PN) is caused by mutations in the C16orf57 gene that encodes the highly conserved USB1 protein. Here, we present the 1.1 Å resolution crystal structure of human USB1, defining it as a member of the LigT-like superfamily of 2H phosphoesterases. We show that human USB1 is a distributive 3-5 exoribonuclease that posttranscriptionally removes uridine and adenosine nucleosides from the 3 end of spliceosomal U6 small nuclear RNA (snRNA), directly catalyzing terminal 2, 3 cyclic phosphate formation. USB1 measures the appropriate length of the U6 oligo(U) tail by reading the position of a key adenine nucleotide (A102) and pausing 5 uridine residues downstream.We show that the 3 ends of U6 snRNA in PN patient lymphoblasts are elongated and unexpectedly carry nontemplated 3 oligo(A) tails that are characteristic of nuclear RNA surveillance targets. Thus, our study reveals a novel quality control pathway in which posttranscriptional 3-end processing by USB1 protects U6 snRNA from targeting and destruction by the nuclear exosome. Our data implicate aberrant oligoadenylation of U6 snRNA in the pathogenesis of the leukemia predisposition disorder PN.

Suppression of autophagy impedes glioblastoma development and induces senescence.

ABSTRACT The function of macroautophagy/autophagy during tumor initiation or in established tumors can be highly distinct and context-dependent. To investigate the role of autophagy in gliomagenesis, we utilized a KRAS-driven glioblastoma mouse model in which autophagy is specifically disrupted via RNAi against Atg7, Atg13 or Ulk1. Inhibition of autophagy strongly reduced glioblastoma development, demonstrating its critical role in promoting tumor formation. Further supporting this finding is the observation that tumors originating from Atg7-shRNA injections escaped the knockdown effect and thereby still underwent functional autophagy. In vitro, autophagy inhibition suppressed the capacity of KRAS-expressing glial cells to form oncogenic colonies or to survive low serum conditions. Molecular analyses revealed that autophagy-inhibited glial cells were unable to maintain active growth signaling under growth-restrictive conditions and were prone to undergo senescence. Overall, these results demonstrate that autophagy is crucial for glioma initiation and growth, and is a promising therapeutic target for glioblastoma treatment.

Kdm3a lysine demethylase is an Hsp90 client required for cytoskeletal rearrangements during spermatogenesis

Chromatin remodeling enzymes can also have nonhistone roles, broadening their biological functions. It is shown that Kdm3a binding to cellular chaperones in the cytoplasm is relevant for morphogenetic events leading to infertility in enzymatically null mice. This provides evidence that Kdm3a is not just a histone modifier.