Atsushi Yasukochi

Cathepsin E Prevents Tumor Growth and Metastasis by Catalyzing the Proteolytic Release of Soluble TRAIL from Tumor Cell Surface

The aspartic proteinase cathepsin E is expressed predominantly in cells of the immune system and highly secreted by activated phagocytes, and deficiency of cathepsin E in mice results in a phenotype affecting immune responses. However, because physiologic substrates for cathepsin E have not yet been identified, the relevance of these observations to the physiologic functions of this protein remains speculative. Here, we show that cathepsin E specifically induces growth arrest and apoptosis in human prostate carcinoma tumor cell lines without affecting normal cells by catalyzing the proteolytic release of soluble tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) from the cell surface. The antitumor activity of cathepsin E was corroborated by in vivo studies with mice bearing human and mouse tumor transplants. Administration of purified cathepsin E into human tumor xenografts in nude mice dose-dependently induced apoptosis in the tumor cells to inhibit tumor growth. The growth, viability, and metastasis of mouse B16 melanoma cells were also more profound in cathepsin E-deficient mice compared with those in the syngeneic wild-type and transgenic mice overexpressing cathepsin E. Taken together, the number of apoptotic tumor cells, as well as tumor-infiltrating activated macrophages, was apparently reduced in cathepsin E-deficient mice compared with those in the other two groups, implying the positive correlation of endogenous cathepsin E levels with the extent of tumor suppression in vivo. These results thus indicate that cathepsin E plays a substantial role in host defense against tumor cells through TRAIL-dependent apoptosis and/or tumor-associated macrophage-mediated cytotoxicity.

Emerging roles of cathepsin E in host defense mechanisms

Cathepsin E is an intracellular aspartic proteinase of the pepsin superfamily, which is predominantly expressed in certain cell types, including the immune system cells and rapidly regenerating gastric mucosal and epidermal keratinocytes. The intracellular localization of this protein varies with different cell types. The endosomal localization is primarily found in antigen-presenting cells and gastric cells. The membrane association is observed with certain cell types such as erythrocytes, osteoclasts, gastric parietal cells and renal proximal tubule cells. This enzyme is also found in the endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi complex and cytosolic compartments in various cell types. In addition to its intracellular localization, cathepsin E occurs in the culture medium of activated phagocytes and cancer cells as the catalytically active enzyme. Its strategic expression and localization thus suggests the association of this enzyme with specific biological functions of the individual cell types. Recent genetic and pharmacological studies have particularly suggested that cathepsin E plays an important role in host defense against cancer cells and invading microorganisms. This review focuses emerging roles of cathepsin E in immune system cells and skin keratinocytes, and in host defense against cancer cells. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Proteolysis 50 years after the discovery of lysosome.

Repression of cathepsin E expression increases the risk of mammary carcinogenesis and links to poor prognosis in breast cancer

Despite advances in detection and treatment for breast cancer (BC), recurrence and death rates remain unacceptably high. Therefore, more convenient diagnostic and prognostic methods still required to optimize treatments among the patients. Here, we report the clinical significance of the serum cathepsin E (CatE) activity as a novel prognostic marker for BC. Correlation analysis between the serum levels of CatE expression and clinicopathological parameters revealed that the activity levels, but not the protein levels, were negatively associated with the stages and progression of BC. Univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated that the serum CatE activity was significantly correlated with favorable prognostic outcomes of the patients. The functional link of CatE expression to BC progression was further corroborated by in vivo and in vitro studies with mice exhibiting different levels of CatE expression. Multiparous CatE (-) (/) (-) mice spontaneously developed mammary tumors concomitant with morphological transformation and altered growth characteristics of the mammary glands. These alterations were associated in part with the induction of epithelial-mesenchymal transition and the activation of β-catenin-dependent pathway in mammary cells. Loss of CatE strongly induced the translocation and accumulation of Wnt5a in the nuclei, thereby leading to the aberrant trafficking, maturation and secretion of Wnt5a and the impaired signaling. The interaction of CatE and Wnt5a was verified by proximity ligation assay and by knockdown or restoration of CatE expression in the mammary cells. Consequently, our data demonstrate that CatE contributes to normal growth and development of mammary glands through proper trafficking and secretion of Wnt5a.

Clinical and Immunological Studies of 332 Japanese Patients Tentatively Diagnosed as Anti-BP180-type Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid: A Novel BP180 C-terminal Domain Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay.

Diagnosis of anti-BP180-type mucous membrane pemphigoid (BP180-MMP) is frustrated by the difficulty of detecting BP180 reactivity. A total of 721 patients with suspected MMP, selected from a cohort of 4,698 patients with autoimmune bullous disease (AIBD), were included in this study. Of these, 332 patients were tentatively diagnosed as BP180-MMP if they showed IgG/IgA reactivity with the epidermal side of 1M NaCl-split-skin and/or positive reactivity with BP180 in at least one of our antigen detection methods. Clinically, a predominance of female patients was found. Oral mucosal and cutaneous lesions were found in 85.5% and 41.0% of patients, respectively, and frequent treatments were systemic steroids, tetracycline/minocycline and diaminodiphenyl sulfone. Various immunological methods, including a newly developed BP180 C-terminal domain enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), revealed frequent reactivity with BP180 C-terminal and NC16a domains. Some patients reacted with BP180 and other antigens, indicating that BP180-MMP tends to concur with other AIBDs. This large study of patients with suspected BP180-MMP indicates the difficulty of diagnosis of BP180-MMP and the diagnostic usefulness of BP180 C-terminal domain ELISA.

Case of subepidermal autoimmune bullous disease with psoriasis vulgaris reacting to both BP180 C-terminal domain and laminin gamma-1.

A number of cases of psoriasis vulgaris developing bullous skin lesions have been diagnosed as either bullous pemphigoid with antibodies to the 180‐kDa bullous pemphigoid antigen (BP180) non‐collagenous 16a (NC16a) domain or anti‐laminin‐γ1 (p200) pemphigoid. We report a case of subepidermal bullous disease with psoriasis vulgaris, showing antibodies to both BP180 C‐terminal domain and laminin‐γ1. A 64‐year‐old Japanese man with psoriasis vulgaris developed exudative erythemas and tense bullae on the whole body but he did not have mucosal involvement. The blistering lesion showed subepidermal blisters histopathologically. In indirect immunofluorescence of 1 mol/L NaCl‐split skin, immunoglobulin (Ig)G antibodies reacted with both the epidermal and dermal side. Immunoblotting showed positive IgG with recombinant protein of BP180 C‐terminal domain and 200‐kDa laminin‐γ1 in normal human dermal extract.

Immunological and statistical studies of anti-BP180 antibodies in paraneoplastic pemphigus.

Abbreviations: BMZ, basement membrane zone; BP, bullous pemphigoid; HaCaT, concentrated culture supernatant of HaCaT cells; IB, immunoblotting; IF, immunofluorescence; PNP, paraneoplastic pemphigus; RP, recombinant protein

A case of lichen planus pemphigoides with autoantibodies to the NC16a and C‐terminal domains of BP180 and to desmoglein‐1

Lichen planus pemphigoides (LPP) is a rare autoimmune blistering disease that occurs in association with lichen planus (LP). This report describes a 59‐year‐old Japanese female patient with LPP. The patient first showed LP lesions on her hands, and subsequently developed bullae on her extremities and erosions of the oral mucosa. The patients serum was positive for IgG autoantibodies against the BP180 NC16a domain, the BP180 C‐terminal domain and desmoglein‐1. However, a serum sampled one and a half years before the diagnosis of LPP was negative for autoantibodies against BP180 NC16a and BP180 C‐terminal domains. These findings strongly suggest that the damage to the basal cells in the LP lesions exposed a sequestered antigen or formed neoantigens, leading to the production of pathogenic autoantibodies for LPP. Most of the previous cases of LPP have produced autoantibodies to the NC16a domain of BP180. This is the first case in which autoantibodies to the C‐terminal domain of BP180 were detected. The oral mucosal symptoms in this case may have been caused by autoantibodies to the BP180 C‐terminal domain.

A case of oral mucous membrane pemphigoid with IgG antibodies to integrin α6β4

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Role of cathepsin E in decidual macrophage of patients with recurrent miscarriage.

In a previous study, we reported that the cathepsin-cystatin system caused endometrial dysfunction in early pregnancy. Here, we investigated the existence and contribution of cathepsin E in early pregnancy in patients with recurrent miscarriage (RM). The effect of cathepsin deficiency on fertility and female reproductive organs were also analyzed in CatE(-/-) mice. Human studies were conducted in a hospital setting, with informed consent. Cervical mucus was collected from RM patients in early pregnancy (4-6 gestational weeks, n = 21), and the pregnancy outcome was compared prospectively. The cathepsin E expression in decidua of RM patients (n = 49) and normal pregnant women undergoing elective surgical abortion (n = 24) was measured using SDS-PAGE, and western blot analysis. Decidual macrophages were isolated from RM patients (n = 6) and stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interferon gamma (IFN-γ). Results from the mouse model showed that CatE(-/-) mice were fertile, but the litter number was significantly smaller. The uterus of CatE(-/-) mice showed granulation tissue. In human samples, protease activity of cathepsin E measured with Fluorescence-Quenching Substrate (KYS-1) in cervical mucus of patients who developed miscarriage was markedly decreased compared with patients without RM. The expression of cathepsin E in decidua, semi-quantified by SDS-PAGE, western blot analysis was significantly lower in RM patients compared with patients without RM. By double staining immunofluorescence, the staining of cathepsin E was observed in CD14 or CD68 positive cells in all deciduas. Upon stimulation with LPS and IFN-γ, the expression of cathepsin E in cell lysate of decidual macrophages was markedly reduced in RM patients compared with controls. The results suggested that decreased activity of cathepsin E produced by decidual macrophages might be responsible for the induction of miscarriages in some RM patients.

miR-200c-3p spreads invasive capacity in human oral squamous cell carcinoma microenvironment

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) constitutes over 90% of all cancers in the oral cavity. The prognosis for patients with invasive OSCC is poor; therefore, it is important to understand the molecular mechanisms of invasion and subsequent metastasis not only to prevent cancer progression but also to detect new therapeutic targets against OSCC. Recently, extracellular vesicles—particularly exosomes—have been recognized as intercellular communicators in the tumor microenvironment. As exosomic cargo, deregulated microRNAs (miRNAs) can shape the surrounding microenvironment in a cancer‐dependent manner. Previous studies have shown inconsistent results regarding miR‐200c‐3p expression levels in OSCC cell lines, tissues, or serum—likely because of the heterogeneous characters of the specimen materials. For this reason, single‐cell clone analyses are necessary to effectively assess the role of exosome‐derived miRNAs on cells within the tumor microenvironment. The present study utilized integrated microarray profiling to compare exosome‐derived miRNA and exosome‐treated cell‐derived mRNA expression. Data were acquired from noninvasive SQUU‐A and highly invasive SQUU‐B tongue cancer cell clones derived from a single patient to determine candidate miRNAs that promote OSCC invasion. Matrigel invasion assays confirmed that hsa‐miR‐200c‐3p was a key pro‐invasion factor among six miRNA candidates. Consistently, silencing of the miR‐200c‐3p targets, CHD9 and WRN, significantly accelerated the invasive potential of SQUU‐A cells. Thus, our data indicate that miR‐200c‐3p in exosomes derived from a highly invasive OSCC line can induce a similar phenotype in non‐invasive counterparts.