Jun-ichi Hanai

Soluble endoglin contributes to the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific hypertensive syndrome that causes substantial maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Maternal endothelial dysfunction mediated by excess placenta-derived soluble VEGF receptor 1 (sVEGFR1 or sFlt1) is emerging as a prominent component in disease pathogenesis. We report a novel placenta-derived soluble TGF-β coreceptor, endoglin (sEng), which is elevated in the sera of preeclamptic individuals, correlates with disease severity and falls after delivery. sEng inhibits formation of capillary tubes in vitro and induces vascular permeability and hypertension in vivo. Its effects in pregnant rats are amplified by coadministration of sFlt1, leading to severe preeclampsia including the HELLP (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelets) syndrome and restriction of fetal growth. sEng impairs binding of TGF-β1 to its receptors and downstream signaling including effects on activation of eNOS and vasodilation, suggesting that sEng leads to dysregulated TGF-β signaling in the vasculature. Our results suggest that sEng may act in concert with sFlt1 to induce severe preeclampsia.

BMP-7 counteracts TGF-β1–induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and reverses chronic renal injury

Bone morphogenic protein (BMP)-7 is a 35-kDa homodimeric protein and a member of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β superfamily. BMP-7 expression is highest in the kidney, and its genetic deletion in mice leads to severe impairment of eye, skeletal and kidney development. Here we report that BMP-7 reverses TGF-β1–induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by reinduction of E-cadherin, a key epithelial cell adhesion molecule. Additionally, we provide molecular evidence for Smad-dependent reversal of TGF-β1–induced EMT by BMP-7 in renal tubular epithelial cells and mammary ductal epithelial cells. In the kidney, EMT-induced accumulation of myofibroblasts and subsequent tubular atrophy are considered key determinants of renal fibrosis during chronic renal injury. We therefore tested the potential of BMP-7 to reverse TGF-β1–induced de novo EMT in a mouse model of chronic renal injury. Our results show that systemic administration of recombinant human BMP-7 leads to repair of severely damaged renal tubular epithelial cells, in association with reversal of chronic renal injury. Collectively, these results provide evidence of cross talk between BMP-7 and TGF-β1 in the regulation of EMT in health and disease.

Smad6 inhibits signalling by the TGF-|[beta]| superfamily

SMAD proteins have been identified as signalling mediators of the TGF-β superfamily, which is involved in a range of biological activities including cell growth, morphogenesis, development and immune responses,. Smad1, Smad2, Smad3 and Smad5 are ligand-specific: Smad1 and Smad5 transduce signals from bone morphogenetic proteins, and Smad2 and Smad3 mediate signalling by TGF-β and activin,, whereas Smad4 acts as a common signalling component. For example, Smad2 is phosphorylated by the TGF-β type I receptor upon ligand binding, forms a heteromer with Smad4, and then translocates into the nucleus where it activates transcription,. Here we report the isolation of Smad6 in the mouse. Smad6 is quite different in structure from the other SMAD proteins, and forms stable associations with type I receptors. Smad6 interferes with the phosphorylation of Smad2 and the subsequent heteromerization with Smad4, but does not inhibit the activity of Smad3. Smad6 also inhibits the phosphorylation of Smad1 that is induced by the bone morphogenetic protein type IB receptor. These data indicate that signals of the TGF-β superfamily are regulated both positively and negatively by members of the SMAD family.

TGF-beta receptor-mediated signalling through Smad2, Smad3 and Smad4.

Smad family members are newly identified essential intracellular signalling components of the transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) superfamily. Smad2 and Smad3 are structurally highly similar and mediate TGF‐β signals. Smad4 is distantly related to Smads 2 and 3, and forms a heteromeric complex with Smad2 after TGF‐β or activin stimulation. Here we show that Smad2 and Smad3 interacted with the kinase‐deficient TGF‐β type I receptor (TβR)‐I after it was phosphorylated by TβR‐II kinase. TGF‐β1 induced phosphorylation of Smad2 and Smad3 in Mv1Lu mink lung epithelial cells. Smad4 was found to be constitutively phosphorylated in Mv1Lu cells, the phosphorylation level remaining unchanged upon TGF‐β1 stimulation. Similar results were obtained using HSC4 cells, which are also growth‐inhibited by TGF‐β. Smads 2 and 3 interacted with Smad4 after TβR activation in transfected COS cells. In addition, we observed TβR‐activation‐dependent interaction between Smad2 and Smad3. Smads 2, 3 and 4 accumulated in the nucleus upon TGF‐β1 treatment in Mv1Lu cells, and showed a synergistic effect in a transcriptional reporter assay using the TGF‐β‐inducible plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1 promoter. Dominant‐negative Smad3 inhibited the transcriptional synergistic response by Smad2 and Smad4. These data suggest that TGF‐β induces heteromeric complexes of Smads 2, 3 and 4, and their concomitant translocation to the nucleus, which is required for efficient TGF‐β signal transduction.

Interaction and Functional Cooperation of PEBP2/CBF with Smads SYNERGISTIC INDUCTION OF THE IMMUNOGLOBULIN GERMLINE Cα PROMOTER

Smads are signal transducers for members of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily. Upon ligand stimulation, receptor-regulated Smads (R-Smads) are phosphorylated by serine/threonine kinase receptors, form complexes with common-partner Smad, and translocate into the nucleus, where they regulate the transcription of target genes together with other transcription factors. Polyomavirus enhancer binding protein 2/core binding factor (PEBP2/CBF) is a transcription factor complex composed of α and β subunits. The α subunits of PEBP2/CBF, which contain the highly conserved Runt domain, play essential roles in hematopoiesis and osteogenesis. Here we show that three mammalian α subunits of PEBP2/CBF form complexes with R-Smads that act in TGF-β/activin pathways as well as those acting in bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathways. Among them, PEBP2αC/CBFA3/AML2 forms a complex with Smad3 and stimulates transcription of the germline Ig Cα promoter in a cooperative manner, for which binding of both factors to their specific binding sites is essential. PEBP2 may thus be a nuclear target of TGF-β/BMP signaling.

The muscle-specific ubiquitin ligase atrogin-1/MAFbx mediates statin-induced muscle toxicity

Statins inhibit HMG-CoA reductase, a key enzyme in cholesterol synthesis, and are widely used to treat hypercholesterolemia. These drugs can lead to a number of side effects in muscle, including muscle fiber breakdown; however, the mechanisms of muscle injury by statins are poorly understood. We report that lovastatin induced the expression of atrogin-1, a key gene involved in skeletal muscle atrophy, in humans with statin myopathy, in zebrafish embryos, and in vitro in murine skeletal muscle cells. In cultured mouse myotubes, atrogin-1 induction following lovastatin treatment was accompanied by distinct morphological changes, largely absent in atrogin-1 null cells. In zebrafish embryos, lovastatin promoted muscle fiber damage, an effect that was closely mimicked by knockdown of zebrafish HMG-CoA reductase. Moreover, atrogin-1 knockdown in zebrafish embryos prevented lovastatin-induced muscle injury. Finally, overexpression of PGC-1alpha, a transcriptional coactivator that induces mitochondrial biogenesis and protects against the development of muscle atrophy, dramatically prevented lovastatin-induced muscle damage and abrogated atrogin-1 induction both in fish and in cultured mouse myotubes. Collectively, our human, animal, and in vitro findings shed light on the molecular mechanism of statin-induced myopathy and suggest that atrogin-1 may be a critical mediator of the muscle damage induced by statins.

Endostatin Causes G1 Arrest of Endothelial Cells through Inhibition of Cyclin D1

Endostatin, a type XVIII collagen fragment, is a potent antiangiogenic molecule that inhibits endothelial cell migration, promotes apoptosis, and induces cell cycle arrest in vitro. We have investigated the mechanism by which endostatin causes G1 arrest in endothelial cells. Endostatin decreased the hyperphosphorylated retinoblastoma gene product and down-regulated cyclin D1 mRNA and protein. Importantly, endostatin was unable to arrest cyclin D1 overexpressing endothelial cells, suggesting that cyclin D1 is a critical target for endostatin action. Next, we analyzed cyclin D1 promoter activity in endothelial cells and found that endostatin down-regulated the cyclin D1 promoter. Using a series of deletion and mutant promoter constructs, we identified the LEF1 site in the cyclin D1promoter as essential for the inhibitory effect of endostatin. Finally, we showed that endostatin can repress cyclin D1 promoter activity in cells over-expressing β-catenin but not in cells over-expressing a transcriptional activator that functions through the LEF1 site and is insensitive to β-catenin. Collectively, our data pointed to a role for cyclin D1, and in particular, transcription through the LEF1 site as critical for endostatin actionin vitro and suggest that β-catenin is a target for endostatin.

Hgs (Hrs), a FYVE Domain Protein, Is Involved in Smad Signaling through Cooperation with SARA

ABSTRACT Smad proteins are effector molecules that transmit signals from the receptors for the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) superfamily to the nucleus; of the Smad proteins, Smad2 and Smad4 are essential components for mouse early embryogenesis. We demonstrated that Hgs, a FYVE domain protein, binds to Smad2 in its C-terminal half and cooperates with another FYVE domain protein, the Smad anchor for receptor activation (SARA), to stimulate activin receptor-mediated signaling through efficient recruitment of Smad2 to the receptor. Furthermore, a LacZ knock-in allele of the C-terminal half-deletion mutant of mouse Hgs was created by gene targeting. The introduced mutation causes an embryonic lethality between embryonic days 8.5 and 10.5. Mutant cells showed significantly decreased responses to stimulation with activin and TGF-β. These findings suggest that the two FYVE domain proteins, Hgs and SARA, are prerequisites for receptor-mediated activation of Smad2.

Role of p300, a transcriptional coactivator, in signalling of TGF-beta.

Smad proteins are novel transcriptional regulators mediating the signalling of the transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) superfamily. Coactivators such as p300/CBP promote transactivation by various transcription factors through a direct interaction with them. Adenoviral oncoprotein E1A, which binds p300, was shown to inhibit the signalling of TGF‐β. These findings raise the possibility that p300 may be involved in TGF‐β signalling.

Endostatin is a potential inhibitor of Wnt signaling

Endostatin (ES) is a fragment of collagen XVIII that possesses antiangiogenic activity. To gain insight into ES-mediated signaling, we studied the effects of ES RNA on Xenopus embryogenesis and observed developmental abnormalities consistent with impaired Wnt signaling. ES RNA blocked the axis duplication induced by β-catenin, partially suppressed Wnt-dependent transcription, and stimulated degradation of both wild-type and “stabilized” forms of β-catenin, the latter suggesting that ES signaling does not involve glycogen synthase kinase 3. Moreover, ES uses a pathway independent of the Siah1 protein in targeting β-catenin for proteasome-mediated degradation. ES failed to suppress the effects of T cell–specific factor (TCF)-VP16 (TVP), a constitutive downstream transcriptional activator that acts independently of β-catenin. Importantly, these data were replicated in endothelial cells and also in the DLD-1 colon carcinoma cells with the mutated adenomatous polyposis coli protein. Finally, suppression of endothelial cell migration and inhibition of cell cycle by ES were reversed by TVP. Though high levels of ES were used in both the Xenopus and endothelial cell studies and the effects on β-catenin signaling were modest, these data argue that at pharmacological concentrations ES may impinge on Wnt signaling and promote β-catenin degradation.