Asparagine bioavailability governs metastasis in a model of breast cancer.

Using a functional model of breast cancer heterogeneity, we previously showed that clonal sub-populations proficient at generating circulating tumour cells were not all equally capable of forming metastases at secondary sites. A combination of differential expression and focused in vitro and in vivo RNA interference screens revealed candidate drivers of metastasis that discriminated metastatic clones. Among these, asparagine synthetase expression in a patient's primary tumour was most strongly correlated with later metastatic relapse. Here we show that asparagine bioavailability strongly influences metastatic potential. Limiting asparagine by knockdown of asparagine synthetase, treatment with l-asparaginase, or dietary asparagine restriction reduces metastasis without affecting growth of the primary tumour, whereas increased dietary asparagine or enforced asparagine synthetase expression promotes metastatic progression. Altering asparagine availability in vitro strongly influences invasive potential, which is correlated with an effect on proteins that promote the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. This provides at least one potential mechanism for how the bioavailability of a single amino acid could regulate metastatic progression

Collaboration of AMPK and PKC to induce phosphorylation of Ser413 on PIP5K1B resulting in decreased kinase activity and reduced PtdIns(4,5)P2 synthesis in response to oxidative stress and energy restriction.

The spatial and temporal regulation of the second messenger PtdIns(4,5)P2 has been shown to be crucial for regulating numerous processes in the cytoplasm and in the nucleus. Three isoforms of PIP5K1 (phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 5-kinase), A, B and C, are responsible for the regulation of the major pools of cellular PtdIns(4,5)P2. PIP5K1B is negatively regulated in response to oxidative stress although it remains unclear which pathways regulate its activity. In the present study, we have investigated the regulation of PIP5K1B by protein phosphorylation. Using MS analysis, we identified 12 phosphorylation sites on PIP5K1B. We developed a phospho-specific antibody against Ser413 and showed that its phosphorylation was increased in response to treatment of cells with phorbol ester, H2O2 or energy restriction. Using inhibitors, we define a stress-dependent pathway that requires the activity of the cellular energy sensor AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) and PKC (protein kinase C) to regulate Ser413 phosphorylation. Furthermore, we demonstrate that PKC can directly phosphorylate Ser413 in vitro. Mutation of Ser413 to aspartate to mimic serine phosphorylation decreased both PIP5K1B activity in vitro and PtdIns(4,5)P2 synthesis in vivo. Our studies show that collaboration between AMPK and PKC dictates the extent of Ser413 phosphorylation on PIP5K1B and regulates PtdIns(4,5)P2 synthesis

A role for PtdIns(4,5)P2 and PIP5Kalpha in regulating stress-induced apoptosis.

The phosphoinositide phosphatidylinositol 4, 5-bisphosphate (PtdIns(4,5)P(2)) is essential for many cellular processes and is linked to the etiology of numerous human diseases . PtdIns(4,5)P(2) has been indirectly implicated as a negative regulator of apoptosis ; however, it is unclear if apoptotic stimuli negatively regulate PtdIns(4,5)P(2) levels in vivo. Here, we show that two apoptotic-stress stimuli, hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and UV irradiation, cause PtdIns(4,5)P(2) depletion during programmed cell death independently of and prior to caspase activation. Depletion of PtdIns(4,5)P(2) is essential for apoptosis because maintenance of PtdIns(4,5)P(2) levels by overexpression of PIP5Kalpha rescues cells from H(2)O(2)-induced apoptosis. PIP5Kalpha expression promotes both basal and sustained ERK1/2 activation after H(2)O(2) treatment, and importantly, pharmacological inhibition of ERK1/2 signaling blocks PIP5Kalpha-mediated cell survival. H(2)O(2) induces tyrosine phosphorylation and translocation of PIP5Kalpha away from its substrate at the plasma membrane, and both are dependent upon the activity of c-src family kinases. Furthermore, constitutively active c-src enhances tyrosine phosphorylation of PIP5Kalpha in vivo and is sufficient for the translocation of PIP5Kalpha away from the plasma membrane. These observations demonstrate that certain apoptotic stimuli initiate an essential signaling pathway during cell death, and this pathway leads to caspase-independent downregulation of PIP5Kalpha and its product PtdIns(4,5)P(2)