Nancy J. Philp

Light-stimulated protein movement in rod photoreceptor cells of the rat retina

We examined the intracellular distribution of three proteins involved in the cyclic GMP cascade of visual transduction; cGMP phosphodiesterase, the α‐subunit of G‐protein and arrestin. In adult rats, light‐induced changes in the amounts of G and arrestin in the photoreceptor cell outer segments were observed both by polyacrylamide gel analysis of purified ROS and by immunocytochemical localization on retinal sections. In dark conditions, G was concentrated in the outer segments of photoreceptor cells while in the light Gα was seen in the inner segments and the outer nuclear layer. Arrestin had the opposite distribution, appearing in the inner segments and outer nuclear layer under dark conditions and in the ROS under light conditions. In contrast, PDE, the enzyme which is activated by G and inhibited by arrestin showed no light‐stimulated movement. In both light‐ and dark‐adapted retinas, PDE was localized primarily in the outer segments of the photoreceptor cells.

Monocarboxylate Transporter 4 Regulates Maturation and Trafficking of CD147 to the Plasma Membrane in the Metastatic Breast Cancer Cell Line MDA-MB-231

Metastatic cancer cells increase glucose consumption and metabolism via glycolysis, producing large quantities of lactate. Recent work has shown that lactate efflux is mediated by monocarboxylate transporters (MCT), which are composed of a catalytic unit (MCT) and an accessory subunit (CD147), comprising the functional lactate transporter. CD147, an extracellular matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inducer, is highly expressed in metastatic cancer cells. Because aerobic glycolysis is a hallmark of metastatic cancer, we examined whether increases in CD147 expression were linked to MCT expression in MDA-MB-231, a highly metastatic breast cancer cell line. MCT4 mRNA and protein expression were increased in MDA-MB-231 cells compared with cells derived from normal mammary tissue. MCT4 colocalized with CD147 in the plasma membrane and in membrane blebs shed from the cell surface. Small interfering RNA-mediated silencing of MCT4 impaired the maturation and trafficking of CD147 to the cell surface, resulting in accumulation of CD147 in the endoplasmic reticulum. Silencing MCT4 also resulted in fewer membrane blebs and decreased migration of MDA-MB-231 cells in vitro. Knockdown of CD147 resulted in loss of MCT4 in the plasma membrane and accumulation of the transporter in endolysosomes. These studies establish for the first time that increased expression of CD147 in metastatic cancer cells is coupled to the up-regulation of MCT4. The synergistic activities of the MCT/CD147 complex could facilitate migration of tumor cells by CD147-mediated MMP induction and lactate-stimulated angiogenesis and hyaluronan production. These data provide a molecular link between two hallmarks of metastatic cancer: the glycolytic switch and increased expression of CD147.

Evidence for a stromal-epithelial "lactate shuttle" in human tumors: MCT4 is a marker of oxidative stress in cancer-associated fibroblasts.

Recently, we proposed a new mechanism for understanding the Warburg effect in cancer metabolism. In this new paradigm, cancer-associated fibroblasts undergo aerobic glycolysis, and extrude lactate to “feed” adjacent cancer cells, which then drives mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative mitochondrial metabolism in cancer cells. Thus, there is vectorial transport of energy-rich substrates from the fibroblastic tumor stroma to anabolic cancer cells. A prediction of this hypothesis is that cancer-associated fibroblasts should express MCT4, a mono-carboxylate transporter that has been implicated in lactate efflux from glycolytic muscle fibers and astrocytes in the brain. To address this issue, we co-cultured MCF7 breast cancer cells with normal fibroblasts. Interestingly, our results directly show that breast cancer cells specifically induce the expression of MCT4 in cancer-associated fibroblasts; MCF7 cells alone and fibroblasts alone, both failed to express MCT4. We also show that the expression of MCT4 in cancer-associated fibroblasts is due to oxidative stress, and can be prevented by pre-treatment with the anti-oxidant N-acetyl-cysteine. In contrast to our results with MCT4, we see that MCT1, a transporter involved in lactate uptake, is specifically upregulated in MCF7 breast cancer cells when co-cultured with fibroblasts. Virtually identical results were also obtained with primary human breast cancer samples. In human breast cancers, MCT4 selectively labels the tumor stroma, e.g., the cancer-associated fibroblast compartment. Conversely, MCT1 was selectively expressed in the epithelial cancer cells within the same tumors. Functionally, we show that overexpression of MCT4 in fibroblasts protects both MCF7 cancer cells and fibroblasts against cell death, under co-culture conditions. Thus, we provide the first evidence for the existence of a stromal-epithelial lactate shuttle in human tumors, analogous to the lactate shuttles that are essential for the normal physiological function of muscle tissue and brain. These data are consistent with the “reverse Warburg effect,” which states that cancer-associated fibroblasts undergo aerobic glycolysis, thereby producing lactate, which is utilized as a metabolic substrate by adjacent cancer cells. In this model, “energy transfer” or “metabolic-coupling” between the tumor stroma and epithelial cancer cells “fuels” tumor growth and metastasis, via oxidative mitochondrial metabolism in anabolic cancer cells. Most importantly, our current findings provide a new rationale and novel strategy for anti-cancer therapies, by employing MCT inhibitors.

Using the "reverse Warburg effect" to identify high-risk breast cancer patients Stromal MCT4 predicts poor clinical outcome in triple-negative breast cancers

We have recently proposed a new model of cancer metabolism to explain the role of aerobic glycolysis and L-lactate production in fueling tumor growth and metastasis. In this model, cancer cells secrete hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), initiating oxidative stress and aerobic glycolysis in the tumor stroma. This, in turn, drives L-lactate secretion from cancer-associated fibroblasts. Secreted L-lactate then fuels oxidative mitochondrial metabolism (OXPHOS) in epithelial cancer cells, by acting as a paracrine onco-metabolite. We have previously termed this type of two-compartment tumor metabolism the “Reverse Warburg Effect,” as aerobic glycolysis takes place in stromal fibroblasts, rather than epithelial cancer cells. Here, we used MCT4 immuno-staining of human breast cancer tissue microarrays (TMAs; > 180 triple-negative patients) to directly assess the prognostic value of the “Reverse Warburg Effect.” MCT4 expression is a functional marker of hypoxia, oxidative stress, aerobic glycolysis, and L-lactate efflux. Remarkably, high stromal MCT4 levels (score = 2) were specifically associated with decreased overall survival (< 18% survival at 10 y post-diagnosis). In contrast, patients with absent stromal MCT4 expression (score = 0), had 10-y survival rates of ~97% (p-value < 10−32). High stromal levels of MCT4 were strictly correlated with a loss of stromal Cav-1 (p-value < 10−14), a known marker of early tumor recurrence and metastasis. In fact, the combined use of stromal Cav-1 and stromal MCT4 allowed us to more precisely identify high-risk triple-negative breast cancer patients, consistent with the goal of individualized risk-assessment and personalized cancer treatment. However, epithelial MCT4 staining had no prognostic value, indicating that the “conventional” Warburg effect does not predict clinical outcome. Thus, the “Reverse Warburg Effect” or “parasitic” energy-transfer is a key determinant of poor overall patient survival. As MCT4 is a druggable-target, MCT4 inhibitors should be developed for the treatment of aggressive breast cancers, and possibly other types of human cancers. Similarly, we discuss how stromal MCT4 could be used as a biomarker for identifying high-risk cancer patients that could likely benefit from treatment with FDA-approved drugs or existing MCT-inhibitors (such as, AR-C155858, AR-C117977, and AZD-3965).

Mice deficient in MCT8 reveal a mechanism regulating thyroid hormone secretion

The mechanism of thyroid hormone (TH) secretion from the thyroid gland into blood is unknown. Humans and mice deficient in monocarboxylate transporter 8 (MCT8) have low serum thyroxine (T4) levels that cannot be fully explained by increased deiodination. Here, we have shown that Mct8 is localized at the basolateral membrane of thyrocytes and that the serum TH concentration is reduced in Mct8-KO mice early after being taken off a treatment that almost completely depleted the thyroid gland of TH. Thyroid glands in Mct8-KO mice contained more non-thyroglobulin-associated T4 and triiodothyronine than did those in wild-type mice, independent of deiodination. In addition, depletion of thyroidal TH content was slower during iodine deficiency. After administration of 125I, the rate of both its secretion from the thyroid gland and its appearance in the serum as trichloroacetic acid-precipitable radioactivity was greatly reduced in Mct8-KO mice. Similarly, the secretion of T4 induced by injection of thyrotropin was reduced in Mct8-KO in which endogenous TSH and T4 were suppressed by administration of triiodothyronine. To our knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate that Mct8 is involved in the secretion of TH from the thyroid gland and contributes, in part, to the low serum T4 level observed in MCT8-deficient patients.

Monocarboxylate transporter MCT1 is located in the apical membrane and MCT3 in the basal membrane of rat RPE

The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) forms the outer blood-retinal barrier and regulates the movement of nutrients, water, and ions between the choroidal blood supply and the retina. The transport properties of the RPE maintain retinal adhesion and regulate the pH and osmolarity in the space surrounding the photoreceptor cell outer segments. In this report we identify two monocarboxylate transporters, MCT1 and MCT3, expressed in rat RPE. On the basis of Northern and Western blot analyses, MCT1 is expressed in both the neural retina and the RPE, whereas the expression of MCT3 is restricted to the RPE. Using indirect immunolocalization we show that the two transporters are polarized to distinct membrane domains. MCT1 antibody labels the apical surface and the apical processes of the RPE. A polyclonal antibody produced against the carboxy terminus of rat MCT3 labels only the basolateral membrane of the RPE. The demonstration of MCT1 on the apical membrane and MCT3 on the basal membrane identifies specific proteins involved in the discriminate and critical regulation of water and lactate transport from the retina to the choroid.

Mitochondrial metabolism in cancer metastasis: visualizing tumor cell mitochondria and the "reverse Warburg effect" in positive lymph node tissue.

We have recently proposed a new two-compartment model for understanding the Warburg effect in tumor metabolism. In this model, glycolytic stromal cells produce mitochondrial fuels (L-lactate and ketone bodies) that are then transferred to oxidative epithelial cancer cells, driving OXPHOS and mitochondrial metabolism. Thus, stromal catabolism fuels anabolic tumor growth via energy transfer. We have termed this new cancer paradigm the “reverse Warburg effect,” because stromal cells undergo aerobic glycolysis, rather than tumor cells. To assess whether this mechanism also applies during cancer cell metastasis, we analyzed the bioenergetic status of breast cancer lymph node metastases, by employing a series of metabolic protein markers. For this purpose, we used MCT4 to identify glycolytic cells. Similarly, we used TO MM20 and COX staining as markers of mitochondrial mass and OXPHOS activity, respectively. Consistent with the “reverse Warburg effect,” our results indicate that metastatic breast cancer cells amplify oxidative mitochondrial metabolism (OXPHOS) and that adjacent stromal cells are glycolytic and lack detectable mitochondria. Glycolytic stromal cells included cancer-associated fibroblasts, adipocytes and inflammatory cells. Double labeling experiments with glycolytic (MCT4) and oxidative (TO MM20 or COX) markers directly shows that at least two different metabolic compartments co-exist, side-by-side, within primary tumors and their metastases. Since cancer-associated immune cells appeared glycolytic, this observation may also explain how inflammation literally “fuels” tumor progression and metastatic dissemination, by “feeding” mitochondrial metabolism in cancer cells. Finally, MCT4(+) and TO MM20(-) “glycolytic” cancer cells were rarely observed, indicating that the conventional “Warburg effect” does not frequently occur in cancer-positive lymph node metastases.

Microphthalmia-associated Transcription Factor (MITF) Promotes Differentiation of Human Retinal Pigment Epithelium (RPE) by Regulating microRNAs-204/211 Expression

Background: microRNAs 204/211 regulate retinal pigment epithelial cell phenotype. Results: In RPE, MITF regulates miR-204/211 expression and down-regulation of MITF results in loss of RPE phenotype, which can be prevented by overexpressing miR-204/211. Conclusion: MITF-mediated expression of miR-204/211 directs RPE differentiation. Significance: miR-204/211-based therapeutics may be effective treatments for diseases that involve loss of RPE phenotype. The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) plays a fundamental role in maintaining visual function and dedifferentiation of RPE contributes to the pathophysiology of several ocular diseases. To identify microRNAs (miRNAs) that may be involved in RPE differentiation, we compared the miRNA expression profiles of differentiated primary human fetal RPE (hfRPE) cells to dedifferentiated hfRPE cells. We found that miR-204/211, the two most highly expressed miRNAs in the RPE, were significantly down-regulated in dedifferentiated hfRPE cells. Importantly, transfection of pre-miR-204/211 into hfRPE cells promoted differentiation whereas adding miR-204/211 inhibitors led to their dedifferentiation. Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) is a key regulator of RPE differentiation that was also down-regulated in dedifferentiated hfRPE cells. MITF knockdown decreased miR-204/211 expression and caused hfRPE dedifferentiation. Significantly, co-transfection of MITF siRNA with pre-miR-204/211 rescued RPE phenotype. Collectively, our data show that miR-204/211 promote RPE differentiation, suggesting that miR-204/211-based therapeutics may be effective treatments for diseases that involve RPE dedifferentiation such as proliferative vitreoretinopathy.

Interaction of monocarboxylate transporter 4 with β1-integrin and its role in cell migration

Monocarboxylate transporter (MCT) 4 is a heteromeric proton-coupled lactate transporter that is noncovalently linked to the extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer CD147 and is typically expressed in glycolytic tissues. There is increasing evidence to suggest that ion transporters are part of macromolecular complexes involved in regulating beta(1)-integrin adhesion and cell movement. In the present study we examined whether MCTs play a role in cell migration through their interaction with beta(1)-integrin. Using reciprocal coimmunoprecipitation assays, we found that beta(1)-integrin selectively associated with MCT4 in ARPE-19 and MDCK cells, two epithelial cell lines that express both MCT1 and MCT4. In polarized monolayers of ARPE-19 cells, MCT4 and beta(1)-integrin colocalized to the basolateral membrane, while both proteins were found in the leading edge lamellapodia of migrating cells. In scratch-wound assays, MCT4 knockdown slowed migration and increased focal adhesion size. In contrast, silencing MCT1 did not alter the rate of cell migration or focal adhesion size. Taken together, our findings suggest that the specific interaction of MCT4 with beta(1)-integrin may regulate cell migration through modulation of focal adhesions.

Monocarboxylate transporter expression in the spontaneous hypertensive rat: Effect of stroke

The expression of the monocarboxylate transporters (MCT) 1, 2, and 4 have been studied in the brains of spontaneous hypertensive (SH) rats after an ischemic insult induced by a permanent occlusion of the left middle cerebral artery (MCAO). Profound temporal changes in MCT1 expression were observed in various regions of the ipsilateral hemisphere over the period of 1 hr to 5 days after MCAO. Initially, a very rapid and transient increase in MCT1 mRNA was observed in neurons in the second layer of the cortex and in the piriform cortex at 1–3 hr. A slower but sustained increase in MCT1 mRNA expression was observed in astrocytes in the peri‐infarct region beginning at 6 hr after MCAO and persisting over a period of 120 hr coinciding with their activation, migration, and involvement in scar formation. An increase in MCT1 expression in endothelial cells was seen over the same period. These increases in MCT1 expression in astrocytes and endothelial cells were accompanied by a corresponding increase in MCT1 protein. Finally at 120 hr post‐MCAO, increases in MCT1, MCT2, and MCT4 expression were observed in cells within the infarct and bordering the scar, the identity of which remains to be determined. Consistent with cell death, the levels of MCT1, MCT2, and MCT4 mRNA decreased with cell death within the infarcted area but unlike MCT1, no increases in either MCT2 or 4 were observed within the remaining ipsilateral hemisphere. These studies reveal that the pattern of regulation of MCT1 expression after MCAO is similar to that observed previously for glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) and suggest that the regulation of MCT1 mRNA expression is mediated by the hypoxia‐inducible transcription factor HIF1.